Chapter 34 - Chapter Thirty Four

Kevin sat at the long steel counter in his private quarters, a plate of steak and mashed potatoes covered in thick brown gravy steaming in front of him, the smell filling the room in a way that reminded him more of his second life in Fallout than anything Night City ever had, Angela sitting across from him with her own plate, forking pieces of steak with a small satisfied smile like she had been waiting all day for this, and for a while they kept the conversation light, joking about how he over-seasoned the potatoes or how she claimed she could cook them better if only he would let her in the kitchen unsupervised, him shaking his head and telling her last time she tried he had to rebuild half the stove after her "experiment," and her laughing at that, saying it still tasted good even if the pot had cracked in half, and the two of them ate slow because there wasn't a rush tonight, the world outside running on chaos while they carved out their own quiet moment. But the topic couldn't stay on food forever, because Angela finally set her fork down and said, "You knew they'd send someone, didn't you," and Kevin didn't even pretend not to understand, just nodded and answered, "Yeah, I knew, I just didn't think they'd send him this soon," and she didn't need him to say the name because Adam Smasher was the only one it could be, the monster on Arasaka's leash, the thing that had tested their walls and walked away with one of their blades. Kevin cut another piece of steak and chewed it slow before adding, "That's why I didn't wait, I pushed the soldier program forward, made sure the stronger ones were already out of the tank before the corpos worked up the nerve, because I don't like leaving things to chance." Angela looked at him across the table, the faint glow from the overhead lights catching the silver flecks in her synthetic eyes, and said, "And if you hadn't?" Kevin shrugged, "Who knows, I wasn't going to roll those dice and see what I get." They sat quiet for a while after that, both finishing more of the potatoes, gravy soaking into the meat, the comfort of the meal pressing against the weight of the subject, until Angela leaned forward on her elbows and said softer, "You act like you're untouchable sometimes, but seeing him out there, even through the cameras, that had to shake you, at least a little." Kevin let out a dry chuckle, "Not really, I already died twice, whats a third to a guy's thats a walking tank that lives for the fight and nothing more, but you saw the same thing I did—he didn't win, and that means he knows what he's up against now, and that's enough for me." Angela picked at the last of her steak in silence for a moment, then smiled again, this time smaller, more personal, and said, "You're still too reckless, you know," and Kevin smiled back, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied groan, "And you wouldn't be here if I wasn't." She rolled her eyes but didn't argue, and in the quiet that followed the hum of machines deeper in the facility filled the air, a reminder that the world outside was still turning, but here in this small kitchen carved into a hidden base it was just the two of them, sharing a meal, sharing their thoughts, and closing the distance between them in ways that had nothing to do with chrome or strategy, only with trust and time.