[Modern Family] Ch: 49 [A Little Bit of Everything] (Patreon)

By the time everyone finished eating, the afternoon had settled into a much quieter pace. Luke and Manny were still arguing about something near the pool, while Phil helped Claire gather the empty plates. Jay had finally taken off his apron and was sitting comfortably with a cold beer.

Jason glanced at his watch and realized how late it had gotten. He'd spent considerably longer at the barbecue than he'd planned, and there were still a few things he wanted to finish before his evening stream.

He got up from his chair and walked over to Jay. "Well, Mr. Pritchett, I think it's time for me to head home. Thanks for inviting me over. The food was great, and I learned a few things about grilling."

Jay looked pleased as he set his bottle down. "Glad you enjoyed it, kid. And remember what I told you about those steaks. Get yourself a decent grill, and you'll be making them just as good in no time."

"I'll definitely give it a shot," Jason replied, shaking his hand.

Before he could leave, Gloria came out of the kitchen carrying a glass jar filled with her homemade hot sauce.

"Jason! You almost forgot your sauce!" she called, approaching him with a smile. "I promised you a jar, remember?"

Jason accepted it happily. "Thanks, Gloria. I was actually going to ask you about it before leaving."

"Good! And don't put too much on your food the first time," Gloria warned. "Just because you survived it today doesn't mean you should challenge my grandmother's recipe!"

Jason laughed and promised he'd be careful before walking over to Haley and Alex, who were sitting together near the pool.

"Alright, I'm heading out. I'll text you later," he said.

Haley got up and gave him a quick kiss before stepping away. "Okay, babe. I'll call you tonight."

Alex gave him a knowing smile that said too many things, and she somehow managed to control herself from kissing him. She was a little jealous that Haley got to introduce him as her boyfriend, but that's alright. She'll get her turn soon. 

"Have some mercy. I don't want your grandpa to shoot me," Jason whispered to Alex. 

"Tomorrow, book fair and lunch," Alex whispered quickly.

"Deal," He nodded. 

After saying goodbye to the others, Jason left.

The Dunphys didn't stay much longer either. Claire gathered their belongings, Phil helped Luke collect his things, and Haley and Alex followed their parents toward the car.

The barbecue had gone surprisingly well, although Jay and Gloria still had the uncomfortable feeling that everyone knew something they didn't.

...

[That Night] [Jason's House]

By the time Jason returned to the Dark Athena, it was already 5 PM. He'd taken a shower, changed into comfortable clothes, and spent a few minutes checking the recording from his earlier stream before starting another broadcast.

The familiar usernames began appearing in chat almost immediately.

Fred8900: He's back! Thought you forgot about us.

PixelQueen: How was your afternoon?

Jason adjusted his headset and opened the game. "Pretty good, actually. Went to a barbecue lunch, ate way too much steak, learned a few things about grilling, and came home with a jar of homemade Colombian hot sauce. I'd call that a successful afternoon."

CableGuy87: Colombian hot sauce? How spicy?

"Pretty damn spicy," Jason answered while loading his save. "The lady who made it warned me to be careful. Naturally, that just makes me want to put it on everything."

TechMage: Famous last words.

Jason laughed before returning his attention to the screen. "Anyway, enough about my questionable dietary decisions. Let's see how much trouble Riddick can get into tonight."

He resumed from his previous checkpoint and continued exploring the Dark Athena. The combat had become considerably more familiar after his morning session, and he was now comfortable switching between stealth and direct confrontation whenever the situation demanded it.

Whenever possible, he preferred sneaking around enemies. The game was considerably more entertaining when he could spend a few minutes studying the environment, find an alternate route, and eliminate guards without raising an alarm.

Unfortunately, things didn't always go according to plan.

During one encounter, Jason misjudged a guard's position and walked directly into another enemy's line of sight. Within seconds, the quiet infiltration turned into a chaotic exchange of gunfire. Riddick slaughtered them all.

"Well, that could've gone better," he admitted while retreating behind cover. "I promise, I didn't see that guy over there."

Fred8900: Professional slaughter expert.

PixelQueen: 10/10 planning.

Jason shook his head, laughing.

The next couple of hours passed comfortably. He explored, fought through several encounters, and occasionally stopped to read chat.

The next stretch involved fighting through the occupied town and finding a way back aboard the Dark Athena. Jason particularly enjoyed experimenting with the SCAR gun, although several encounters reminded him that explosives required slightly more care than he'd initially demonstrated.

Once he defeated Spinner and returned to the ship, the campaign began approaching its conclusion.

Lynn helped turn the Drones against Revas's mercenaries, and Jason fought his way through the remaining opposition before reaching the final confrontation.

The last battle against Revas took him two attempts.

On the second, he understood how to use the environment and his weapon to force her backward toward the open shaft.

When she finally fell, Jason lifted both hands from the keyboard.

"And that's how you deal with someone who refuses to stay dead!"

The ending played, and Riddick escaped with Lynn. The credits began to roll.

"Alright, that's Assault on Dark Athena finished," he announced, leaning back in his chair. "I hate that sudden ending. They could've atleast added a bit more. Oh, well. Here's my review. I still think the stealth and combat sections are its strongest feature, and the atmosphere is fantastic. However, the second part of the story felt too repetitive, and the linear level design was kinda bad. Also, I hate the "Eyeshine" auto-toggle. All in all, I give this game 6.5 out of 10."

Lance: The game was too short.

"Agreed. It was like five hours or something. I guess they ran out of budget," Jason said.

Fred8900: What's next?

"I'll figure that out tomorrow. I've got plenty of games waiting, and there's another video I want to record tonight for The Grid Lab. So, thanks for watching, everyone. See you in the next stream."

After saying goodbye, Jason ended the broadcast and saved the recording.

He stayed at his desk long enough to organize the gameplay files, then turned his attention toward The Grid Lab.

The Palm Pre was sitting on his worktable, waiting for its teardown.

Jason adjusted the overhead camera, switched on the recording lights, and positioned the phone beneath the lens. He'd already examined the device and familiarized himself with its features, so tonight's recording would focus primarily on its internal construction.

He began by removing the battery cover and carefully working through the disassembly. The compact design made several components awkward to reach, especially around the sliding keyboard mechanism.

Jason occasionally stopped to check his repair references before removing another connector. He didn't want to ruin an otherwise functioning phone simply because he'd gotten impatient.

As the components came apart, he explained their placement to the camera, showed the main circuit board, and examined the sliding mechanism more closely.

Reassembly went smoothly.

Once everything was back together, he powered on the Palm Pre and tested its basic functions. The display worked, the keyboard slid properly, and the phone appeared perfectly healthy.

"Another successful operation," Jason murmured, checking the recorded footage. "I'm getting pretty good at this."

He transferred the files to his computer and created a folder for the upcoming video. Editing would have to wait until later because he'd already spent enough hours working at his desk.

Jason stood from his chair and stretched both arms above his head, feeling the stiffness in his shoulders.

He spent the next several minutes cleaning the room, returning his tools to their cases, putting away the packaging, and wiping down the recording table. After organizing the camera cables and clearing the empty bottles beside his monitor, he shut down the equipment and headed downstairs.

His stomach had been complaining for a while.

In the kitchen, Jason opened the refrigerator and decided to make meatball and sausage spaghetti.

He filled a pot with water, placed it on the stove, and gathered the ingredients. While the water heated, he browned the Italian sausages and meatballs in a large pan before removing them to prepare the sauce.

Chopped onions went into the pan first, followed by garlic, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, and black pepper. He sliced the sausages, returned the meat to the sauce, and left everything simmering while the pasta cooked.

Soon, the kitchen smelled fantastic.

Jason drained the spaghetti, mixed a generous portion with the meat sauce, and transferred it to a large plate. He finished with grated Parmesan before carrying his dinner to the dining table.

He took his first bite and nodded approvingly.

"Damn, I should go to MasterChef or something. Maybe I'll open a restaurant after this fucking recession is over."

While eating, Jason pulled out his phone and began browsing car listings. He'd been thinking about getting another vehicle for a while. His white Nissan 370Z was fantastic to drive, and he had absolutely no intention of selling it.

Unfortunately, it only had two seats. Which was perfectly fine whenever he took Haley or Alex out individually, although going somewhere with both of them meant taking separate cars. And now Penny was potentially entering the picture. 

Jason twirled another portion of spaghetti around his fork while considering the situation. 'If things work out with Penny, that'll be four people including me. I definitely need another car.' He wanted something with four doors and enough room for four or five adults, preferably with a spacious interior and decent luggage capacity.

A sedan sounded appealing, although he wasn't ruling out a better vehicle. He could afford something nice, and there wasn't much reason to compromise on comfort or performance.

Jason scrolled through several listings, saving a few interesting models for comparison. He wasn't going to buy anything tonight. He wanted to research his options properly before visiting the dealerships.

After another bite of spaghetti, he glanced toward the Nissan's keys resting near his phone.

"Looks like you're getting a roommate in the garage, buddy."

Ping! He got a text.

And so, Jason began texting both sisters while eating.

--

AN: Time to focus on TBBT's side. Also, there'll be some fun parts with Gloria and the missing family. 🫡