Mason stared out the window for most of the journey, looking boredly at the uninteresting city scenery. Some sickeningly cheery pop song was blaring on the radio, and Emma and Shalimar chatted animatedly, probably about the shops they would like to visit.

At last they reached the town centre, and Shalimar drove the car into the multi-storey parking lot next to the shopping complex. Her heart sunk as she drove up another ramp to the third level. So much for beating the crowds.

"Bit busy today." Emma commented as Shalimar finally found a parking spot on the fourth level.

"Yeah." Was all Shalimar said in reply.

They all got out of the car, before making their way down the steps.

As they entered the shopping complex, it was instantly apparent that every man, woman and child in town had decided to go shopping at the same time as them.

Shalimar gave an annoyed sigh. Adam would have to pick the busiest day, she thought. Mason hesitated. He was petrified, though he hid it well. All those people. Hundreds of them. They would come so close to touching him, with their filth and germs. He was still paranoid, he knew it was a good idea to never assume the best.

Emma and Shalimar were a good way in front by now. Shalimar looked back, and when she saw him standing there, she crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. The girls looked at each other, marched over to him and grabbed his arms, then continued their way into the shopping complex, pulling him along with them. He struggled, but made no complaint, and allowed them to lead him around the place.

He got some strange looks, and he was sure small children were pulling at their mothers' sleeves, whimpering, "Mommy, that man looks creepy." He smiled at the thought. Scaring people had inadvertently become one of his talents. Usually his visits to the outside world were seldom and to secluded areas. He wasn't used to that amount of people. What made him irritated though, was how those people were making him rather nervous.

After a few minutes of walking, Shalimar pulled him over to the side.

"So do you have any money?" She asked. Realisation hit him and he started to look panicked. "Good job Adam let me borrow his credit card then." She said, pulling the piece of plastic from her pocket and twisting it so it reflected the light. He didn't know who to be angry at. He didn't want the man's charity, who knows, he didn't need it. If it hadn't been for all the confusion, he would have returned to Genomex to get his own credit card. But in the circumstances, he had forgotten.

"Where do you wanna go first?" Emma asked him.

"I wouldn't know, Miss DeLauro. I have not been to a shopping centre in many years." It was senseless lying, he had nothing to prove.

Shalimar smiled at Emma. "Come on, I know the perfect shop." She said. Mason found the smile worrying, but followed them anyway.

He felt eyes on him once again. People were staring, some visibly shocked. The thing that surprised him the most though was when a teenage boy yelled, "Dude! I love your hair!" at him. He wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult, so he glared at the boy, who was sporting long red dreadlocks. The girls just laughed.

It was only when they reached the shop that he truly realised what he was in for. All he knew that it certainly wasn't his kind of shop.

"Miss Fox, this is a fashion shop." He said.

"Exactly." She said, grinning.

"I hope that you do not take this as a criticism, but I really do not believe that this type of shop is for me."

She ignored his comment, and asked. "What size are you?"

He had to think about that for a few minutes. "Medium, I believe. Though I cannot be sure, as I have not purchased clothes in a long time."

She looked at him for a moment and then said. "Yeah, that's probably about right." The two of them wandered off, looking at the clothes as they passed.

Mason was unsure of what to do, so he pretended to look at the clothes. What he saw horrified him, and he was disturbed that those kind of clothes were considered fashionable. He could never be talked into wearing anything he saw in that shop.

A few minutes later, the girls came back, carrying at least a dozen hangers each, which they instantly dumped on him. Yes, they actually expect me to wear these hideous clothes, he thought. He looked through the pile quickly, deducing that there was nothing decent in the lot.

"I am afraid that I cannot wear any of these." He said, hoping they would get the hint. "I do not think that they are exactly my style."

"Oh, come on Mason." Shalimar said. "You need new clothes, and you can't be walking around in that suit for the next decade."

I can and will, was his mental answer. But that sounded childish, so he said nothing.

"Go try 'em on." Emma offered. "You never know, you might like some of it."

"I am expected to try these clothes on? Now?" He said incredulously. He felt disgusted even touching clothes that other people had touched, trying them on was out of the question.

"Sure. How else would you know if they fit?" Emma told him.

Giving up, he followed them to the changing rooms, almost tripping over the mounds of clothes that he was carrying.

The attendant looked surprised as she saw him with so many items. Her training hadn't told her what to do in the event of a customer wanting to try on an unreasonable number of clothes. She looked at the discs numbered 1 to 5 hopelessly, and wondered what to do.

"Err...just go ahead." She said at last. He didn't look like the type she'd like to argue with.

Once in the changing room, he looked at the clothes more closely. Nothing that he would even consider wearing. He entertained the thought of sitting there for a few minutes, then saying that none of them fit him. But then he would be dragged to more hideous shops, and forced to look at more hideous clothing. He couldn't win.

Begrudgingly, he decided to try on some of the clothes. He picked out a red shirt with a rather loud pattern, and a pair of the more acceptable looking jeans. He remembered wearing jeans quite regularly, but that was now well in the past.

He almost laughed at how he looked when he saw himself in the mirror. No, definitely not his style.

Pulling back the curtain, he found that the girls were sitting outside waiting.

Shalimar jumped up and said. "Oh yeah! You're looking pretty cool." She was smiling widely.

"Regardless of what you think, Miss Fox, I am not wearing any of these clothes."

"Aw, he's no fun." She said, looking back at Emma, who just shrugged.

He dressed back in his own clothes, dropped the pile of clothes on the unsuspecting changing room attendant, and strode out of the shop.

When he was outside, he turned round to look at the girls, who were looking rather fed up. "Take me to a place with more conservative clothing." He ordered.

"Fine." Shalimar said shortly, as she started off in the other direction.

He found the second shop much more to his liking, he was sure to find something there.

Sure enough, he actually bought some things there. The girls were even able to convince him to buy clothes in such extravagant colours as navy blue and dark grey.

As they left the shop, Emma cried. "Oh look, there's a sale at Selfridges! And I saw the most gorgeous top in there last week!"

"Wow!" Shalimar said. "Lets go and have a look." They rushed off, crossing the sea of people.

Mason let out a sigh, and followed them. This was going to be a long day.