"Your girlfriend?" Wayne questioned, spitting a lump of blood that had made its way through his throat.
"Indeed," Khan confirmed without adding anything. Monica's element wasn't exactly a secret, but it was better if few people knew about it and its flaws.
The earthquake continued to rage as the dark and red cloud rose, expanding in the sky. Fuming boulders split from the massive main pillar of smoke, flying in every direction and bringing chaos into that otherwise peaceful environment.
A scorching boulder flew toward Khan's island and crashed on its shores, lifting more smoke and debris. Khan and Wayne watched everything unfolding, but neither moved. They simply couldn't in their condition.
'She won't be able to move afterward,' Khan thought, mesmerized by the huge cloud. 'I must help her.'
Khan put strength into his abdomen, steading it to struggle to his feet. However, his balance gave in before he could stretch his legs, making him fall to the ground behind.
A grunt escaped Khan's mouth when he stopped himself from lying down. He sat on the rocks, but the world in his eyes grew even blurrier. He was losing focus, and the pain was finally making its way into his mind. That suffering kept him awake, allowing him to understand how exhausted he was.
Khan didn't give up so soon. He pushed himself forward, slamming his hand on the ground in an attempt to stand up. Yet, his broken shoulder moved oddly during the gesture, bringing more pain and depriving him of the strength he had mustered.
"Do you keep her in a bunker?" Wayne asked as the cloud shone on his eager eyes. "Don't tell me you two sleep on the same bed."
"Just die already," Khan groaned. He had fallen, and hitting the ground rekindled his injuries. Everything burned, and his face was part of that mess.
"I won't die so easily," Wayne tried to laugh, but his punctured lung got in the way, making him cough. "My body is already stabilizing."
The statement surprised Khan, distracting him from the cloud. He focused on Wayne, and his senses confirmed his version of the story. Wayne's remaining mana had already gotten to work to seal his injuries. His muscles weren't regrowing just yet, but it seemed that the process could start soon.
"Are you sure you are human?" Khan couldn't help but ask while pushing on his numb hand to sit again.
"I don't know," Wayne tried and failed to laugh again. "This is how they made me."
Khan couldn't help but sigh. He couldn't bring himself to hate Wayne after accepting how brutal his training had been. That man was simply a guinea pig that his organization had employed as a pawn.
"You should seize this chance to kill me," Wayne declared. "I'm at my weakest."
"Your element will probably make me slip and die if I try," Khan cursed. "Captain Khan, killed by a rock."
"My job is done," Wayne revealed, "And I don't feel that envy anymore. My element shouldn't be that strong."
"Do you want to die?" Khan wondered.
"I don't know!" Wayne finally managed to laugh. "But that's what you do, isn't it?"
"I'm not killing you," Khan sighed. "I don't enjoy killing."
"That's a surprise," Wayne exclaimed. "I think I don't either."
Khan began to close his eyes to slip into a meditative state, but Wayne's words kept them open. Truth be told, Khan could see a lot of himself in Wayne. They had simply happened to be on opposite extremes of the Global Army.
"Do you have restrictions, trackers, or other things?" Khan asked.
"All of the above!" Wayne announced. "I also underwent psychological training. A few words, and I'll fight even if my heart stops beating."
"Why do you sound happy about it?" Khan groaned.
"That's how I sound!" Wayne laughed.
Khan shook his head. He lifted his numb hand to scratch his hair, but his skin burned when he touched it. He couldn't find his azure strands either. The recent fight had made him bald, among other things.
"Look what I had to do to beat you," Khan cursed.
"I'm pretty strong," Wayne proudly claimed.
"Yes," Khan nodded, "Strong enough for the criminals to want you back."
"It's a possibility," Wayne laughed.
"No," Khan contradicted. "If we get out of here alive, you'll start working for me."
The ground stopped shaking, bringing peace and silence. Only the waves in the distance continued to make noise, but none of that got in the way of Khan's words. Wayne had heard him clearly, and his surprise prevented him from speaking right away.
"So, you are not killing me," Wayne guessed.
"That's right," Khan confirmed. "You'll work for the actual best third-level warrior."
"Oh," Wayne gasped. "You are petty, aren't you?"
"Who is petty?" Khan complained. "It's a joke."
"So," Wayne voiced, "You aren't the best third-level warrior."
"That part was true!" Khan cursed. "Couldn't they stuff some social training during their experiments?"
"That happened on the weekends," Wayne explained. "The other days, it was mostly needles and other machines."
"You make me want to drink," Khan sighed.
"Can we drink together once you hire me?" Wayne asked, his eyes showing nothing but pure innocence. Only a monster would have the strength to refuse him.
"Of course," Khan chuckled. "Drinks, friends, and jokes. Who knows? You might even get yourself a girlfriend."
"I have been trained in the art of pleasing men and women!" Wayne declared. "They made me go through that once a month with different-."
"I got it," Khan interrupted. "I already know you'll be a handful."
"Don't you want to hear more of my stories?" Wayne asked.
"Can you let me meditate?" Khan scolded.
"But this is so exciting!" Wayne exclaimed. "I've never been free."
"Aren't you tired or something?" Khan questioned.
"I'm always full of energy!" Wayne declared.
"You'll be a handful," Khan sighed.
Khan tried to slip into the meditative state again, but his senses suddenly warned him about the arrival of foreign auras. His cold gaze fell on the passage nearby, and figures soon appeared in its darkness.
A middle-aged woman peeked past the passage before wearing a surprised expression. She gestured at the people behind her to follow until a team of four soldiers appeared in the open. They weren't too strong, and only one was a third-level warrior, but Khan was in no condition to fight.
Khan glanced at Wayne before focusing on the team again. The criminals were a mixture of hesitation, excitement, and resolve. The third-level warrior was also quite angry, and it was clear that Khan was their target.
"Let me guess," Khan decided to speak first to feign strength, but his hoarse voice partially ruined his pretense. "You think I had something to do with the bomb."
"Shut your mouth," The third-level warrior, a burly man, ordered. "This plan has taken years to prepare, and we can't allow it to fail so badly."
'Years?' Khan thought before speaking again. "The bomb didn't explode. You can tell Mister Chares to rely on human technology next time."
"Mister Chares is a mercenary," The man snorted. "Don't mistake us for that petty criminal."
"That leaves the Hive," Khan guessed. "Unless there are more criminal organizations I'm unaware of."
"Many," The man revealed, stretching his arm forward, "But you won't be around to mess with them, Captain Khan."
Smoke came from the man's stretched fingers as mana flowed toward their tips. Even in that burned state, Khan's scar revealed his identity, making the criminal decide to take him out.
Khan could sense a powerful spell forming. He was in no condition to dodge it, but the [Blood Shield] was still by his side. He didn't know if his body could take another use of the alien technique, but giving up wasn't an option.
Nevertheless, familiar tremors that only Khan could sense spread through the area. Khan initially hesitated but eventually decided to trust that ability. After all, he had suffered more than a bit because of it.
The man's fingers shone with white light before releasing blinding beams. The spell was incredibly fast, instantly reaching Khan, but nothing hit him. The attack missed his still figure and crashed on the ground behind him.
"What?" The man gasped, and the rest of the team looked at him in confusion.
Khan's thoughts ran quickly. He was sure Honides' scanners had noticed the disappearance of his ship. He didn't know whether the teleport had made something pop out on Lauter, but the column of smoke was bound to attract attention. Even a secret location and jammers couldn't hide it.
Teams of soldiers had to be on their way to check what was happening. Khan was sure of that. He only needed to buy time, and his talking skills came in handy.
"You must work on your aim," Khan teased. "You are giving criminals a bad name."
"Shut your mouth!" The man snorted, sending mana to his fingers again, but Khan made sure to talk again before he could prepare that spell.
"That won't really work," Khan revealed, nodding in Wayne's direction. "That guy over there has bad luck as his element. You'd miss even if you placed your fingers on my face."
"Kill him," The man promptly ordered, nodding toward Wayne.
"I wouldn't do that," Khan declared as soon as the other criminals started to move. "The rocks here are pretty sharp, and his element will make you slip. You don't want to stumble and die."
"He is just buying time," The man snorted. "Hurry up!"
"Sorry," Khan uttered as his coldness returned. "It's pointless to hurry."
The man wanted to say something, but whooshing noises suddenly invaded the area. Four ships reached the island and stopped above it before he could lift his head. That sudden acceleration even sent winds toward the ground, pushing Khan to his injured side and making him groan.
The ships had cargo purposes, and their sides opened to reveal multiple teams of soldiers wearing body armor and wielding rifles. Orders also echoed from them and invaded the island, but the criminals didn't show any fear. Their face brimmed with resolve as a sudden burst of mana flared at the center of their brains and killed them on the spot.
