Khan couldn't help but fall silent when Raymond mentioned his father. His reaction was obvious, but he didn't care. The topic was too close to his heart to hide his feelings.
Three years had passed since the last meeting with Bret. Khan had grown a lot during that time, and not only in personal power. His knowledge had deepened, especially in fields connected to the Global Army and the mana.
At first, Khan had simply believed that the scientific department of the Global Army didn't need high-level warriors. Studies and experience could theoretically compensate for an eventual lack of personal power.
Yet, getting stronger was relatively easy for accomplished soldiers. The injections of synthetic mana could make up for a lazy character or a busy life, so only an idiot would believe that Bret had reached his previous position while remaining a first-level warrior.
Talent could offer an alternative path, but Bret could implant mana cores even after spending years as a drunkard in the Slums. He had summoned enough mana to perform surgery. Regular first-level warriors couldn't do that.
'How deep are your lies?' Khan wondered as memories of his father ran through his mind. 'How much did you hide from me? Why did you even do that?'
"I was only a kid back then," Khan eventually managed to muster.
"Did he mention anything about the event?" Raymond asked.
"The Global Army placed restrictions on him," Khan explained. "He couldn't even if he wanted to."
"That's sad," Raymond sighed. "What they did to your father was despicable. Locking such a great mind in the Slums is idiotic."
Raymond's phrase didn't reveal anything, but Khan added it to the list of Bret's lies anyway. The Global Army would support one of its best scientists, so being forced to move to the Slums due to mere bankruptcy didn't make any sense.
"Did you know my father well?" Khan asked.
"We've only met a couple of times," Raymond revealed. "His character was quite peculiar. I think gruff describes him well."
"He is still the same," Khan sighed.
"I didn't expect anything less from him," Raymond exclaimed. "It's still surprising how he managed to get Elizabeth with that personality. I never thought he had the time for relationships, let alone a family."
"Did you know my mother too?" Khan asked without hiding his surprise.
"I knew her pretty well," Raymond revealed. "She was an incredible woman. Her death shook us all."
'Us all,' Khan repeated in his mind before voicing his doubts. "Was my mother important?"
"She was definitely famous," Raymond laughed. "No one could tell her what to do. I guess her character matched your father's perfectly."
"Did she cause problems?" Khan questioned. He didn't remember much of his mother, so he couldn't contain his curiosity.
"She was a rebellious soul," Raymond reminisced as he lifted his gaze to stare at an empty spot on the wall. "You couldn't go a month without hearing about her on the news."
Khan felt a bit odd. He noticed similarities that made him frown. It seemed that he shared his father's tastes in terms of women.
"Everyone thought she would never marry," Raymond continued. "I still remember when your father announced their engagement. The event caused quite the uproar."
'Were my parents professional troublemakers?' Khan couldn't help but wonder.
"Oh, I lost myself in my memories," Raymond added. "It must be hard to talk about this for you."
"It mostly makes me curious," Khan admitted. "I never thought my parents had such influence among important people."
Raymond smirked as he brought his eyes back to Khan. He drank a bit before lowering his glass. His face carried some interest, and Khan could see the dark depths of his mind reflected on it.
"I might have said too much," Raymond announced as his expression regained its previous friendliness. "Those are redacted records. I might also get in trouble if I don't watch my tongue."
Khan didn't believe that Raymond had chosen his words carelessly for even a second. His phrases hid a deeper meaning, which sounded quite evident to Khan. His parents mattered enough to silence even a fourth-level warrior from an extremely wealthy family.
Still, Khan couldn't understand why Raymond was giving him such obvious clues. The revelations could only make him curious, which didn't amount to much.
"I wish I could remember more things," Khan casually said to keep the conversation on the topic.
"Maybe forgetting is for the best," Raymond suggested. "I can't imagine how you must have felt during the Second Impact. I wouldn't be surprised if you still had nightmares about it."
A hammer slammed on Khan's mind and shattered his thoughts. Disbelief tried to fill his face, but he held it back. Raymond had diverted his gaze again, but his words had been strangely precise.
'Does he know about the nightmares?' Khan thought. 'Are they a common occurrence with Tainted humans? Was he only speaking casually?'
Khan couldn't find answers to Raymond's behavior, and the latter was quick to change the topic. "Anyway, enough with these sad tales. Let's enjoy this meeting."
Raymond tapped the floor, and an interactive menu appeared. He browsed through it with his feet until a large, azure screen materialized right past the couches.
"I might as well explain my curiosity since you are here," Raymond stated as he continued to tinker with the menu to make new images appear on the holographic screen.
Spheres of different colors materialized on the screen, and descriptions soon appeared next to them. They added labels and behaviors to the various types of mana depicted by the holograms and divided them by element.
"This is a bit beyond what they teach you in the training camps," Raymond explained. "Humans also aren't too knowledgeable in this field, but bear with me for a moment."
Khan nodded, even if the descriptions made a lot of sense. He had long since learnt that the mana had a sort of will, which changed depending on its element. The holograms simply put those details into words.
"The mana isn't like other energies," Raymond declared. "It's miraculous in many ways. You could almost say that it's a living being."
The holograms changed to depict new scenes. They all showed the effects that different elements had on certain fabrics and the long-term advantages that some alterations could bring.
"Try to compare this to what you have seen on Nitis," Raymond continued. "The mutations there were mostly unstable, unlike these. Do you know why?"
"The complexity of the body to mutate?" Khan guessed.
"That's definitely a factor," Raymond stated. "Let's go with this now."
Raymond browsed through the menu, and the holograms changed again. The new scenes resembled the previous, except for an important feature. Animals had replaced the fabrics.
Khan couldn't help but think about Nitis when the holograms showed the animals undergoing stable mutations to transform into stronger creatures. He had seen similar scenes, but everything on Raymond's screen looked cleaner and smooth.
"What do you think?" Raymond asked while more scenes played on the screen. "These animals are mutating just fine. Why is that?"
Khan felt quite drawn by the topic. It involved mana, so it interested him. Yet, he couldn't sense what was happening in the holograms, so he had to rely on his knowledge to come up with an explanation.
"You chose the element according to the animal you wanted to mutate," Khan guessed. "The creatures on Nitis didn't have that chance. The different types of mana inside them simply went wild."
"Correct," Raymond exclaimed. "Different elements lead to different behaviors. Of course, this is a simplistic view. I can name ten different studies on the mana's purity, and they wouldn't be enough to explain how difficult it is to trigger a stable mutation."
Raymond wasn't saying anything new, at least for Khan. His knowledge had long gone past humankind's limits. Most of it actually came from alien species.
"Now, tell me," Raymond continued. "How is it that some creatures on Nitis still managed to stabilize their mutations?"
"Innate adaptability?" Khan presumed.
"Partially," Raymond replied while changing the holograms again. "The elements have a different level of dominance, which also changes depending on their mixture."
Khan almost stopped hearing Raymond when new holograms filled the screen. A ranking that described the different levels of dominance appeared, and the chaos element came out on top. The second place didn't even come close to it.
Raymond took Khan's silence as his cue to resume speaking. "The chaos element is extremely invasive. In many cases, it takes over the hosts, but that power hides the key to fixing humanity's greatest flaw."
The holograms disappeared, forcing Khan to focus on Raymond. The latter was wearing the same smirk from before, but his expression radiated some ambition now.
"Which is?" Khan carefully asked.
"We are one of the few relevant species who need external methods to wield mana," Raymond announced. "Our innate lack of mana cores is a weakness, and we don't have time to wait for our bodies to evolve naturally."
"Do you think the chaos element can trigger that evolution?" Khan wondered.
"It's too early to say," Raymond sighed, and his expression regained its previous friendliness. "I would need the pure mana of a Nak for my experiments. Nothing beats their ability to trigger mutations."
"I can't generate that," Khan quickly explained.
"I know," Raymond reassured. "Your presence here is mostly related to the opposite field. I wanted to know how Bret stabilized your mutations, but alas."
"My father is still alive," Khan exclaimed. "Maybe you can ask him."
"Maybe I should," Raymond uttered. "Though I bet he wouldn't share my ideas, especially after what happened to you and your mother."
Khan nodded and refilled his drink. He was locking most of his thoughts in the back of his mind to avoid showing his real emotions, but he didn't completely ignore them, and some questions eventually found their way to his mouth.
"Raymond, if I may," Khan called. "Humans are stronger than most species after the evolution. Our innate flaw probably compensates for that."
"Mana cores usually become useless after the evolution," Raymond casually responded, "And getting there is extremely difficult. That's not really a solution."
"What exactly happens during the evolution?" Khan asked.
"You sure have a silver tongue," Raymond laughed. "You'll go far in the Global Army. The answers will eventually come."
A buzzing noise spread through the room at that point. Raymond drew his phone from his pocket and heaved a helpless sigh. He even shook his head before closing the call and tapping on the screen to send a message.
"So unfortunate," Raymond voiced another sigh as he stood up. "I'm afraid something came up. I must go somewhere."
Khan promptly stood up and reassured Raymond. "That's only normal in your position."
"I didn't want our meeting to be so short," Raymond revealed. "I even made you come all the way here. Take the bottle with you. It's the least I can do for wasting your time."
Khan would typically try to refuse or offer a polite answer, but he didn't bother. He emptied his drink and picked up the bottle before performing a military salute.
Raymond wanted to say something, but his phone rang again. He rolled his eyes and pointed at his phone while wearing a funny face. Khan smirked at the scene, and his smile widened when Raymond rejected the call.
"It will only get worse," Raymond cursed. "You know how to get back to the roof, right? I'll activate the elevator for you."
"It was a pleasure, Raymond," Khan mustered some polite words.
"Same here, Khan," Raymond stated. "Let's do this again."
Raymond's phone rang again as soon as he finished his line. He and Khan exchanged a nod at that point, and the latter turned to walk toward the elevator.
An opening appeared on the cylindrical structure as soon as Khan reached it, and a circular platform was waiting for him inside. Khan stepped on it, and the lift rose until it brought him back to the roof.
The car had never left, and the driver didn't say anything at Khan's early return. The vehicle's door promptly opened, and Khan took a sip from the bottle as soon as the set-off began.
'What is his deal?' Khan cursed in his mind.
Raymond had mostly been as friendly and cheerful as possible, but Khan felt to have seen his true colors a few times. It was even likely that Raymond had chosen to show them on purpose for unknown reasons.
'He knows my family,' Khan pointed out. 'He probably knows it better than me.'
Khan couldn't predict that his family would be one of the meeting's main topics, but he could generally deal with that. Yet, he didn't expect his father and mother to be so important. Raymond might have lied to him, but that wouldn't make sense.
'And what was all that stuff about mutations?' Khan wondered. 'I get that he is interested in the Nak, but he should ask the higher-ups of the Global Army for that.'
A vague picture formed in Khan's mind. He didn't have any proof, but a few dots connected anyway. Raymond's interest in the Nak, the reinforced fabric, Jenna's prediction, and the odd feeling on the fourth asteroid seemed to have something in common.
'It can't be,' Khan thought, 'But it might make sense if the fourth asteroid has a lab.'
Deep thoughts afflicted Khan's mind throughout the flight. He didn't only worry about Raymond's potential implication with the investigation. His memories often resurfaced and made him reevaluate his life in the Slums. His father had always lied to him, but he couldn't find any incriminating instance.
Khan almost failed to notice the landing, but he reacted before the driver could call him. The doors opened and left him on the sidewalk before Luke's building. The meeting had been short but incredibly meaningful.
A messy scene welcomed Khan's return to the building. Luke, Bruce, Francis, Monica, and the four first-level warriors were occupying a few couches and sharing multiple bottles. Their mood was quite happy, which didn't change when Khan entered their vision.
'Martha must be with Jenna,' Khan thought while waving at his companions and bringing the bottle to his mouth. He wasn't in the mood for pleasantries and intended to go straight for a free room.
"You came back earlier than I expected," Luke announced before Khan could cross the couches.
"We got interrupted," Khan quickly explained. "Mister Raymond received a call."
"That's a pity," Luke responded. "Do you want to join us? It's still a bit early."
"I think I'll skip today," Khan smiled. "I'm a bit tired."
"Tired from what?" Francis snorted before Luke could say anything.
Khan had suppressed a lot during the meeting. The talk about the Nak and his father could make him explode, but he had retained his calm and had ignored the whispers of his urges. Still, Francis's words dug a hole that Khan had no intention of patching up.
"Is something the matter?" Khan asked while stopping in his track. The couches were only one meter from him, and Francis was sitting on the closest, but he only showed his back.
"I'm just saying," Francis stated while turning and placing an arm on the couch's back. "You haven't done anything for the entire week. How could you be tired?"
"I've trained," Khan calmly explained.
"Ah! Training," Francis laughed through an evident mocking tone. "We all know who you have in your room. I'll give you a clue. She is green."
"Francis, drop it," Monica scolded.
"Why should I do that?" Francis scoffed. "We all think that. We work every day while he gets to spend his time with his alien whore. How is that fair?"
Francis' slobbering voice revealed his drunken state, but Khan didn't care. That open insult to Jenna made him drop his suppression and experience all the emotions from the meeting. Annoyance, uneasiness, anxiety, and anger emerged and found a perfect target.
"Maybe you'd also get a woman if you spent less time trying to get them drunk," Khan mocked.
"You can't talk to me like this!" Francis shouted while standing up.
"Why?" Khan smirked. "Because your family might get angry?"
Francis' face turned red in anger, but Luke, Bruce, and Monica stood up simultaneously to appease the situation. However, Khan sensed that Francis' mana had started to move, so he prepared for the worst.
"Why don't we all calm down?" Luke exclaimed, but Francis lifted his arm before anyone could do anything.
Mana gathered at the center of Francis' palm to generate a series of orange sparks. The latter clashed with each other and released a lightning bolt that shot at high speed toward Khan.
Khan had evaluated the power of the spell even before it took form. Francis was drunk, but he had still mustered something that came close to the second level. The attack was deadly but not unavoidable. Still, he opted for a psychological blow.
The blood vessels on Khan's right hand clotted while he raised his arm. His gesture perfectly matched the launch of the lightning bolt and made it land on his palm.
The [Blood Shield] could endure the spells from third-level mages now. Francis' attack couldn't even make a dent in the alien technique, but it enveloped Khan's hand in grey smoke that hid its state.
Monica gasped, but Khan acted before she could do anything. He brought his palm to his mouth and blew on it to disperse the smoke. Once the gas vanished, everyone could see that his hand was perfectly fine.
"That's it?" Khan wondered, and Francis couldn't find the strength to reply. His spell wasn't too powerful, but seeing it blocked by a bare hand was too much to take.
Khan scoffed and shook his head before turning to approach the elevator. He couldn't bother with that trivial stuff. He only wanted to drink and think about his meeting.
"Get a grip on yourself!" Monica shouted as soon as she managed to face Francis. The elevator opened by then, and Khan showed no surprise when he saw Monica hurrying to follow him inside.
"You shouldn't be so obvious," Khan chuckled and brought the bottle to his mouth once the elevator's entrance closed.
Monica ignored Khan's words and reached for his right hand. Her expression betrayed her surprise when she didn't see any wound on the palm. A black mark had appeared, but that was it.
"You should also get a grip on yourself," Khan teased while retracting his hand to show its palm and back. "See, I'm fine."
"Sorry for worrying about you," Monica pouted.
"Hey, we are still in hiding," Khan pointed out. "You should hold back in public."
"You can't expect me to stay calm when my man gets attacked," Monica muttered as she reached for Khan's hand again and tried to wipe the black mark.
"Your man?" Khan repeated as he closed his fingers on Monica's hand and pulled her closer. "I thought we weren't dating."
"We aren't!" Monica hurriedly stated before turning toward the opening entrance of the elevator. "Wait, not here."
Khan took a step to his side and pulled Monica with him. He stood at the elevator's entrance and prevented the closing of its doors.
"No one can come now," Khan uttered. "What were you saying?"
Monica lowered her gaze but brought it back to Khan right away, and cute words left her mouth. "I wouldn't do that stuff with someone who isn't my man."
"So," Khan snickered while suppressing the urge to kiss Monica, "We aren't dating, but I am your man."
"Exactly," Monica nodded.
"That doesn't make any sense," Khan said.
"It does because I say so," Monica responded.
"How can anyone argue with that?" Khan sighed.
"You definitely can't," Monica voiced before her tone turned a bit timid. "Just accept it."
"If I am your man," Khan teased as he wrapped the arm holding the bottle around Monica's waist to pull her on him, "Does that make you my woman?"
"What do you think?" Monica whispered before letting go of Khan's hand to wrap both arms around his neck and kiss him.
"Does my woman want to spend some time in her room?" Khan asked when the kiss ended.
"I don't know if I'm in the mood," Monica played along before mentioning actual problems. "Someone might even find out."
"Do you prefer me to drink this on a bed with Jenna?" Khan joked while lifting the bottle so that Monica could notice it.
"Press on my floor's key already," Monica snorted.
"No need," Khan smirked. "We are already here."
Monica turned toward the corridor before showing a helpless expression. Still, a bright smile broadened on her face when she noticed Khan's shameless smirk. She ended up giggling and tightening her embrace to leave another kiss on his mouth.
Khan wrapped his arms around Monica's waist. She understood the silent request and jumped on him. Her legs also performed a hug and allowed Khan to carry her across the corridor. Needless to say, their kiss didn't end even after they entered her room.
