Chicken & Chips

By the time I'd finished crafting the earpieces and doing a few bits of maintenance and upgrades on my gauntlet, it was already beginning to reach the late afternoon. I needed to get home.

Before that though, I wrote up a long list of components that I wanted from the boss by the next day.

There was no way that I was going to be going into battle against some of the heaviest hitters of the Juniors with only a gauntlet on my wrist, I wanted a bit more protection than that.

As I thought about the subject of protection more and more blueprints fought for prominence in my head. The one that I ended up settling on was a portable shield generator that could clip onto my belt. It wouldn't survive the heaviest of blows, but it'd take some punishment before shutting off and cycling back up again. I was sure it'd save me in a pinch if Greave wasn't around to grant me his protection.

Spending the day with Hypogean had been strangely pleasant.

The planning might have almost given me an anxiety attack, but the crafting afterwards had really cleared my head. Usually, there was this itch right in the back of my skull telling me to craft, but that had been sated somewhat by the act of building the earpieces. It never went away completely, though.

I managed to make it home well before my mum did, which felt weird considering we usually made the trip from the reclamation yards home together.

It did give me an opportunity, though. I could have dinner ready and waiting for when she walked in through the door, exhausted.

I dropped my bag by the table in the dining area and went into the crappy narrow kitchen. A quick glance through our stores revealed a pair of chicken breasts sitting wrapped in brown paper, chilling on top of some ice.

We didn't have the money for a fancy Crafter made refrigeration unit, so we made do with what we had.

Either way, the chicken would need to be eaten tonight, so that's what I was going to cook.

I pulled the chicken out of the cooler box and dropped it onto a cutting board. A quick glance through the cupboards revealed a load of homegrown spices and herbs, which I mixed together in a bowl with some salt and pepper to create a spicy rub.

It didn't take much to rub the spices onto the chicken and throw it into the oven.

With that cooking, I pulled out some fresh potatoes and washed them under a tap. I was going to make some thick cut chips to go with the chicken.

It would be a simple meal, but one that would be both tasty and filling after a long days work.

By the time my Mum got back home from work, the chicken and chips had almost finished cooking.

"That smells lovely," My mum said as she closed the door behind her. "Wasn't expecting you to be cooking when I got in."

"Well, you've had a long day at work today," I said, "Couldn't have you coming home and having to cook all by yourself, could I?"

She gave me a knowing look, "Okay, what is it exactly that you want?"

I swallowed hard. She was a sharp woman, I'd give her that.

"Well, there's kind of somewhere I want to go tonight," I said nervously.

She arched an eyebrow in a way that only a mother can. "With your new friends, I presume?"

I nodded, "Yeah, they want to hang in the Main Quarter."

"As long as your home before ten, I don't see any problem with that," She said, a small smile on her face. "Let me get out of these dirty work clothes and have a shower, I'll ask you all about them."

She moved away from the kitchen door and ascended the stairs.

I had to admit I was slightly nervous.

I hadn't needed to answer any questions about my so called new friends yet, and I hated telling my mum any kinds of lies.

What was she even going to ask me? Their names, of course. But was using their real names okay? Would that be some kind of breach of trust, or was it the sort of thing Lauren and the rest of them were expecting from me? If they ever came to meet my mum, which was something I really didn't want to happen, then giving her their real names would be the best course of action.

For a start, when it eventually came time to take Hypogean down, the radio would never report on the team's names. There were a whole bunch of rules and regulations about revealing a Powered's true identity, even more so when those Powered people were children.

By the time my mum was done with her shower and dressed in some casual evening wear I'd resolved to tell her the truth as much as I could. That way no one had to get their stories straight if they met my mum. Well, that and I really did hate lying to her.

I began plating up the meal.

The chicken was cooked perfectly, done all the way through but still juicy. After testing one of the chips I found it was crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle, in other words, they were absolutely perfect.

I carried the two plates through, setting one down in front of my mum and another in front of an empty space at the table.

"So," She said after taking her first bite, "What's new with you these days?"

This was it. My first real challenge at keeping both my Powered status and my illicit activities under wraps.

If my mum found out I was lying here and now then it would all fall apart, and no doubt she would completely freak out on me. I'd lose my chance at nailing Hypogean, and I'd probably be forced into the Juniors without any say in the matter.

I couldn't afford to mess this conversation up.