?711 Wires
Of course, Khan didn't hide his internal conflict from Monica. Their relationship had no secrets, and Monica would have noticed his strange mood anyway.
Those issues weren't new, either. The mundane life in the Harbor had simply aggravated them, giving birth to deeper emotional responses. Their unique source made them impossible to fix, but the couple never lost hope. Monica even made them her mission.
As for the lessons, they proceeded smoothly. The scientists improved at different paces, with few completely stuck on the fundamentals. Yet, Abraham's actions stirred a change in their behavior, making most of them request private meetings with Khan.
The development felt odd since most scientists had to be aware of Abraham's allegiances, but the private meetings didn't feature any political topic. All those who visited Khan's flat solely focused on the subjects of the lessons, and each conversation turned out to be quite fulfilling.
The first to imitate Abraham was Dolores Vifort, the tanned woman working for Mister Zeckai. Although she had always been skeptical during the lessons, her behavior became polite in the private meeting. Her questions and doubts were also genuine, and Khan gladly attempted to clarify them.
Dwayne Seylor and Gregory Kilwood followed in two different instances. Both were among the youngest students, and Khan had also seen them show curiosity and awe during the lessons. He had met descendants from their families, too, which helped break the ice and smoothen the private conversations.
Dwayne was tall and good-looking, with perfect short black hair and a decent physique. He also seemed aware of his charm, but the private conversation mostly featured his excitement and curiosity. Still, he smiled almost flirtatiously at Monica once, seemingly out of habit, and one look from Khan earned him eternal trauma.
Instead, Gregory had nothing but respect for Khan. He was pretty handsome, too, but he was shorter than Dwayne and had messy blonde hair. His behavior almost reeked of admiration, and his eyes didn't linger on Monica even once during the private conversation.
The last request for a private meeting came from Jefferson Aballon, a middle-aged man in the same field as Abraham. Still, Jefferson kept himself in shape, and his aura seemed proper of a fourth-level warrior with some battle experience.
Of course, Jefferson was nothing compared to Khan, and his respectable behavior made the private conversation enjoyable. He was slightly cold and pensive, resorting mostly to short questions and long pondering, which was fine. His background was the only issue since his scientific division was classified.
The remaining two scientists ignored the trend and limited themselves to following the lessons. Even if the others publicly praised Khan's expertise, availability, and teaching skills, they didn't bother taking the additional step of requesting private meetings.
Nevertheless, after the first round of meetings, Abraham remained the only one who continued to make trips to Khan's flat. He never imposed his presence more than once a week to avoid raising suspicions, and his excellent performance during the lessons helped with that, but things felt odd anyway.
The lack of additional requests conflicted with the scientists' public praise of Khan. They weren't even too busy while staying in the Harbor. Some could see it as a holiday, so the experts definitely had time for additional lessons. However, no one booked them.
It didn't help that Abraham exposed himself more with each visit, but the Nognes family remained silent. Khan felt stuck between opposite and conflicting clues, and everything in his experience told him that something was bound to happen. Yet, the peace persisted.
The odd feeling didn't change even after the new year arrived. Khan continued to dislike that strange and seemingly artificial peace, but nothing broke it. No crisis or impending threat occurred, and Khan eventually learned to make the best out of that schedule.
The meetings with Abraham became critical aspects of Khan's new projects. Sometimes, the scientist even visited him inside the training halls, fueling the existing gossip. However, no new hypotheses appeared on the network, confirming that the Nognes family was still controlling the flow of information.
Khan had expected a similar outcome, so his worries had never been on the network. His greatest problem was often at his side, and her nagging grew louder and louder, culminating in one specific event.
During the weekend, Khan woke Monica up early and almost dragged her into the Harbor's hangars. Although she had long since understood that something was up and her attention often fell on Khan's backpack, she remained silent to avoid spoiling the surprise.
The couple hopped on Khan's ship and set off, leaving the Harbor to fly at high speed toward one of the other planets in the system. Khan didn't restrain himself with the accelerator, but the autopilot took charge once he had his fun with the vehicle. As much as he loved flying, he loved his time alone with Monica more.
After a long, intimate time and an even longer trip, the ship arrived before a bluish planet, forcing Khan to contact the outposts on the ground. The soldiers stationed there cleared him for landing almost immediately, and he promptly brought the vehicle into that cold atmosphere.
Monica remained silent during the landing, too. She recognized Induna, which almost prompted her questions, but seeing that Khan avoided the quadrants with outposts kept her curiosity high. She knew the surprise had to be close and couldn't wait to receive it.
"Button your coat and tighten your scarf," Khan ordered as soon as the ship landed. "Did you bring a hat, too?"
"You know I'm a third-level warrior, right?" Monica giggled. "You aren't the only one good with cold."
"I brought a spare, too," Khan revealed, ignoring Monica's tease and opening the canopy. "Hopefully, you won't need it."
Monica's mouth hung open in confusion. She had initially believed the trip to be a romantic escapade to quell the Harbor's dullness. However, Khan appeared strangely serious, and his last statement reinforced that vibe.
Induna's cold air suddenly awakened Monica from her stupor. A tremor ran through her body at the drastic temperature change, but more surprise awaited her. She stood on her seat, absorbing the nature of her surroundings, and a frown inevitably occupied her face.
Monica had seen Khan avoiding the outposts, but the landing area was the extreme opposite of that. The two were in a desolate snow-covered plain, with complete nothingness occupying the horizon in every direction.
Khan climbed on the canopy's edge and stretched his arm, forcing Monica to snap out of her thoughts and take his hand. The two jumped down, and her winter boots dug into the thick snow. Almost half of her legs disappeared inside it.
Monica pouted when she glanced at Khan. He towered above her, and her eyes instinctively went to his feet. He didn't dive into the snow. His figure gracefully stood on its surface, barely leaving any footprint.
"I wouldn't have picked this place for a romantic picnic," Monica commented.
"I would have brought food if we were here for a picnic," Khan pointed out. "Or booze, at least."
"Why are we here then?" Monica asked, incapable of holding back anymore.
"Not yet," Khan said, inspecting his surroundings. "It's faster if we do it like this."
Khan reached for Monica's neck, lifting her coat's hood over her head before seizing her waist. The two soon ended up in the air, and Khan flew in a seemingly random direction for entire minutes.
Monica never complained about Khan's hugs, and he always held her particularly tightly when they flew together. He was also careful not to let a single whisp of cold air under her clothes, which warmed her heart. Still, after landing again on the same snowy plain, Monica couldn't contain herself anymore.
"I've been silent for the past weeks," Monica uttered as soon as she noticed the desolation of her surroundings. "I didn't say a word when you hung out with that old pal of yours. Can you please tell me why we are here, freezing to death?"
"Didn't you say you were good with cold?" Khan chuckled, crouching down and removing his backpack.
"It doesn't mean that I like it!" Monica scoffed, stomping her feet. The gesture lifted a lot of snow, and her figure ended up diving deeper into the surface.
Khan smiled but ignored his angry fiancée to retrieve something from the backpack. A cylindrical item enveloped in thick metal wires appeared in the open, and Monica couldn't help but shut up to inspect it.
Khan closed his eyes and ran his fingers over the wires. They were as thick as his thumb and looked identical, but Khan's mind saw a far different reality. The item told his brain a complete story, eventually making him nod in approval.
"Give me your arm," Khan ordered, straightening his position.
Monica was speechless and curious, so she simply complied. She stretched her right arm, and Khan strapped the item around it. Its size was strangely perfect, and Monica realized it existed solely for her.
"Alright," Khan exclaimed, pointing Monica's arm toward the horizon before jumping backward. "Use your element."
"What?!" Monica gasped.
"You heard me," Khan announced, nodding at where Monica's arm was pointing. "Don't use the garbage your family created. Go straight for your eruption."
Monica didn't know what to say. In her mind, sex on the snow had been more likely than the current development. Still, she trusted Khan from the bottom of her heart, so she didn't complain.
"You are too close," Monica stated.
"I'll be fine," Khan reassured.
"You wouldn't have put distance from the ship if this were safe," Monica commented.
"You sleep on my lap while I'm testing spells," Khan scoffed. "I won't hear complaints."
"Khan," Monica pleaded.
"Fine," Khan sighed, and a spiderweb of black blood vessels covered his hands and face. He had improved the [Blood Shield] during that peaceful period, so he didn't fear the might of Monica's eruption even at that short distance.
"You should walk with that face," Monica snorted, focusing on the desolate horizon before her. "I'd be the only one willing to kiss you."
Khan didn't reply, and the silence told Monica the time for jokes was over. She glanced at Khan one last time before summoning her mana. She hated using her element's true power, but Khan had requested it, so her spell activated.
Smoke began to pour out of Monica's body, but the strange item around her arm promptly released a humming noise. The grey gas started to flow toward the metal wires instead of rising into the air, distracting Monica.
"Continue!" Khan shouted, and Monica regained her composure. She summoned even more mana, reaching the eruption point. Still, no eruption arrived.
To Monica's surprise, her surroundings didn't explode. No masses of smoke and fire spread from her body. Instead, the entirety of her eruption gathered on her right arm, shooting forward in the shape of a scorching beam.
