Chapter 288

Chapter 288
I frowned at the memory. It felt real enough, and if it was indeed real, then it could only mean that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. I'd had my first ever memory from before the age of six.

And it connected some crucial pieces for me.

He was walking around the room, typing things onto his tablet as he checked on his data. I was seeing him through new eyes, especially because a part of me felt like I knew him better than the person I'd come to know in the past week.

"Mason," I said, hoping he could hear me through the glass box they had me in.

"It's Lane Mason," he said, not turning to look at me.

"No, it isn't. Your name is Mason da Gama, son of Damian and Veronica da Gama," I said weakly.

He froze before turning to face me, wide eyed. "How do you remember that? It's impossible for you to remember."

"So, I'm right? You're the same Mason I met when I was six," I said.

He put his tablet down before coming over to the box. He put in the code before the door opened and he rushed over to help me stand. They'd injected me with something and I had no idea how long I'd been in this place for.

"You were never supposed to remember," he commented, helping me over to the chair.

"Super Soldier Formula," I mumbled.

"The one made by Drayfus?" he asked.

I nodded. "It was injected into me. He told me that he put nanotech in it that fixes my memory."

"Amazing," he whispered before handing me a glass of water.

"Why are you helping me if you brought me here in the first place?" I asked after drinking the water.

"It wasn't my choice to bring you here. She happens to have something against me, as well as something that I need, and now that Grayson's gone off the grid, I couldn't recruit him to help me. My only choice was to bring you in," he explained.

"She did it, didn't she?" I asked.

"What exactly do you remember?"

FLASHBACK

I put my finger on the scanner before the doors opened. I walked in with my mission report in hand and headed straight to the big boss' office. He was already waiting for me, and a big smile overtook his face when I handed the file over.

"It was a success. Gerhard Nolan is dead."

"I knew I could count on you. You deserve a holiday, so you can take some time off and come back for your next mission when you're ready," he offered.

"Thank you Sir," I said before leaving the room.

I didn't expect to be pulled into a dark room. "I know where you went."

"The only way you could know where I went is if you followed me," I pointed out.

"What you're doing is dangerous Rena," he pointed out.

"I know it is. I'm curious about him though," I defended.

"This is all Malachi's fault, but I need to tell you something. They've sent Kaya to kill him," he informed.

I scowled. "Why?"

"Because he's a threat to us. The longer he's alive, the higher the chance of him disrupting the organization's plans," he responded.

"Ok, but why tell me?" I asked him.

"I've seen the way you look at him. There's something there, despite how young you are. If anyone can protect him, it's you."

"They sent her on missions to kill him, and when she realized that I was protecting him, she started going after him using digital masks so that she looked like me. That explains the videos..." I trailed off, connecting the dots.

"She made Hugo deliver the drive. I don't know what her end game was with that move, but I'm pretty sure he didn't buy it either," he said.

"So I was right in thinking that I've spent years protecting him instead of trying to kill him?" I asked.

He nodded. "You've loved Xander for a very long time, longer than he knows."

"You know his name," I commented.

"It wasn't hard to find out," he replied.

"Did he really get your parents arrested?" I asked.

He shrugged. "He was just doing his job. He was blinded by what Cypher fed him."

"So you don't hate him?" I questioned.

He caressed my cheek. "The only thing I could hate him for is for having your heart."

He stood up to leave. "Wait Mason!"

"Yeah?" he said, turning back to face me.

"Are you my enemy or my ally?" I asked.

"I won't let them kill you," was his cryptic answer before he left not only the box but the lab altogether.

I sat alone in the huge lab, the humming sound of the engines comforting me. I looked down at my wrist and found that the bracelet Jayme made me was gone. I had no idea if my husband had received my distress alert or not, and I was too tired to worry about that as my eyes shut close.

FLASHBACK

"I'll see you tonight?" he pouted.

"Same time, same place," I laughed before kissing him.

"Let me go and be the Dragon in training," he said dramatically, rolling his eyes.

"You'll be fine you big baby," I teased.

"I don't think I will though. I'm supposed to marry someone I don't love," he argued.

"Storm is great. You'll be fine," I countered, even if it bothered me to say it.

He caressed my cheek. "Even in times like this you refuse to be selfish."

"Selfish how? What would you have me do Thanos?" I whispered. He didn't want me to call him Xander for whatever reason.

"Run away with me," he pleaded for the millionth time.