A D Tier's Breaking Point

Chapter 27

The flat fell into a comfortable silence as Alex disappeared into the kitchen to organise the pots from earlier. He also checked to see if he had the basic supplies for baking and began to make a list of ingredients. It was actually surprising to find that, in terms of cookware, the kitchen was fully stocked, until he realised how little of it had been used. Definitely his mother's work.

Morgan was still fast asleep when Alex got back with his supplies, leaving him to try and keep the clattering of pans and baking trays to a minimum as he set about making lunch, being very careful with the dials on the oven that may as well have been made of porcelain in his fingers. Soon enough though the oven was on and Alex was busy mixing up the first batch of cookie dough. Not busy enough however to miss the near-silent whir of a camera following him around the kitchen.

'Enjoying the show?' Alex asked the room, earning a small artificial squeak of surprise and a muffled static. Alex snorted in amusement at the more noticeable whir of the camera, 'I don't normally let people just watch me you know?'

'Right, well, about that,' Monday said, 'if it makes you feel any better I'm the only one watching.' Alex looked up at the camera and raised an eyebrow. 'It's true, I promise.'

'And you expect me to believe that?'

'I can't lie.' Alex paused, looking up at Monday in surprise. 'It's true. It's in my code. I wanted to learn all the fun stuff like hacking, and spying, and, well if I could lie I would probably be too dangerous. So I can't.'

'Ever? At all?'

The camera whirred again, and Alex could imagine Monday shrugging if she had a physical body, 'Nope. I'm not under a compulsion to answer every question, so I can withhold information, which I supposed is a type of lying? Lying by omission is a thing right?' Alex nodded. 'Yeah, so I can do that but I can't make up a lie.'

'Oh,' Alex looked away from the camera, then at the bowl of batter he was mixing. 'Then...would you answer some questions for me?'

'Depends what they are.'

'Are you recording right now?' Monday hummed a confirmation, and Alex began to contemplate as he returned to the mixing bowl, 'Then who sees the recordings?'

'Depends which part of the lair it's connected to,' Monday said. 'The Boss's private apartments are on the highest classified section, so only them. Only way that changes is if something happened to them, then there's an override sent out to one of the senior minions, and then they can see it.'

'Has that ever happened? The override got sent out?'

'Nope,' Monday said with a pop and Alex let out a sigh of relief. 'And since you're thinking about cameras, everywhere in the lair has cameras except the Boss's bedroom and bathroom.'

Alex smirked at that, 'So Morgan's the only one allowed privacy and it's when they're showering or sleeping?' Monday chuckled at that and Alex put down the spoon, satisfied with the dough and grabbing the first baking tray. 'Does that mean you were watching our sparring match earlier?'

'Hell yes! I mean,' Monday's speaker staticed, which Alex figured was an attempt at a nonchalant cough, 'it's important to...to gather data for the Boss so they can...work out where they need to practise and improve in their fighting technique and...' Alex's snort shut Monday right up. 'Hey come on! I missed your fight yesterday!'

'The news caught it.'

'But it's not the same,' Monday whined, and Alex grinned. 'For one, their cameras are terrible, they don't get enough angles to really give you a feel for the fight, and honestly? It's one of those things that's just better live.' Alex laughed and Monday buzzed in frustration. 'You know what I'm going to-dammit.'