Khan hurried, rushing in and out of the Headquarters' simple showers without bothering to dry himself up. Drops of water still fell from his wet hair when he reached the private room, and damp patches expanded on his ssy trousers while he dealt with the call's security
asures.
nus lit up on the room's wall, occasionally flickering while Khan went through the many commands. Soon, a holographic screen appeared at its center, and a ringing noise ca from the speakers.
Khan couldn't help but feel eager. The short, often unclear calls couldn't satisfy his longing. He wanted and needed to see Monica, as well as being seen by her.
The ringing noise eventually stopped, replaced by high-pitched robotic sounds. That annoying disturbance could easily cause headaches, but Khan barely heard it. Its arrival ant that the communication array was trying to stabilize the call, and nothing else mattered. The holographic screen also changed. Its flickering blue light darkened and brightened to create an unclear shape, growing more detailed by the second. Soon, Khan could almost make out Monica's facial features, and a tired smile made its way to his face.
It took a few minutes, but Monica's face eventually beca clear. The holographic screens didn't distinguish among colors, but Khan's imagination filled those gaps. He clearly saw her long black curls, smooth dark skin, and icy blue eyes. He even recognized the brown pullover hanging from her shoulders. After all, it was one of the clothes Khan had left behind.
Monica appeared unable to see Khan. Her eyes darted left and right, probably dealing with different nus while conveying a similar eagerness. She was clearly excited, and the arrival of a bright smile told Khan that she had succeeded.
The speakers still emitted the annoying high-pitched noises, but neither Khan nor Monica minded them. The two stared at their respective screens, enjoying that partial reunion. Khan lost himself in the scene, while Monica couldn't help but notice a few differences.
Monica's gaze imdiately fell on Khan's exposed torso, carrying a hint of worry. Her eyes relaxed when she failed to spot a single injury, quickly moving to his hair. It had gotten long in those months, almost reaching Khan's shoulders, and its wetness failed to attach strands to his cheeks. Khan had even pulled it back, making it resemble a mane.
A trace of interest flashed in Monica's gaze while she evaluated Khan's new look. Still, noticing his teasing expression turned it into a glare, which quickly lted to make room for so complicity. Monica wouldn't mind adding more material to Khan's secret album, but the call's quality wasn't ideal. It wasn't even safe enough for that sort of thing.
Nevertheless, the complicit mont was short-lived. Monica saw past Khan's teasing expression, noticing a familiar exhaustion. Khan's current stamina probably made him unable to show tiredness, but Monica didn't need signs to spot it.
The high-pitched noise suddenly retreated. Occasional disturbances happened, but the speakers remained mostly silent. Monica experienced the sa developnt from her end, and her questioning voice finally reached Khan's ears.
"Khan?" Monica asked. "Can you hear ?"
"I can," Khan said, hoping everything worked on his end, too. "Can you?"
"Yes!" Monica almost shouted, clear happiness in her tone. Still, concern quickly replaced that emotion, leading to a sad question. "What is that planet doing to you?"
"It's an ordinary battlefield," Khan reassured. "Nothing I haven't seen before." "Khan," Monica called, almost pleading.
A flicker ran through the holographic screen, disturbing the enchanting sight. Khan closed his eyes, calming himself down, but it took a while for the call to stabilize again. That issue acted as a reminder of his changes, almost hinting at sothing deeper.
"Khan?" Monica's voice resounded again. "Can you hear ?"
Khan reopened his eyes, nodding while searching for the right words. Yet, he quickly gave up on the matter. Khan didn't need to do that with Monica.
"It's strange," Khan said. "The stronger I get, the more I realize how weak the others are. I'm questioning why I brought the Scalqa here in the first place."
Monica remained silent. Her education couldn't compare to actual real-life experiences, and she didn't want to summon it to talk with Khan. That issue went beyond the simple burden of leadership.
"Because they are your people, dear," Monica responded.
"Why am I wasting their lives then?" Khan asked.
"Their lives aren't yours to waste," Monica stated. "They chose to give them to you, just like I did with mine."
"And is this the best I can do?" Khan wondered. "Throwing them at hungry beasts or using them to deal with paperwork."
"This is so annoying," Monica sighed. "I can't beat you up when we are so far away."
"We'd do sothing else if we weren't so far away," Khan pointed out.
"Obviously," Monica comnted, peeking past her shoulder to look at sothing the call didn't record. "I might have prepared too many surprises for your return, but that's beside the point."
"What's the point?" Khan questioned, refraining from making jokes.
"Why do you work so hard?" Monica answered with a question. "Why do you keep trying to beco stronger?"
"The scarlet eyes," Khan replied. "To protect and keep what I love, be it you, George, the others, the Scalqa, and whatnot."
"Aren't you doing it?" Monica wondered.
"But what if I grow so strong I can't relate to you all anymore?" Khan asked.
"Then they weren't worthy of being with you in the first place," Monica calmly said, earning herself a frown.
"Khan," Monica sighed. "I know how that stupid brain of yours works. No matter how many amazing things you do and how many people you save, you still think of yourself as
different."
Monica fell silent. She wished she could throw all the emotions in her brain toward Khan, but words weren't the right channel.
"And you are different," Monica continued, "But that doesn't an wrong. A human couldn't have achieved as much. A human couldn't have survived everything you have survived."
"What's the solution?" Khan asked.
"There's no solution because this isn't a problem," Monica said. "You are the future. You are the hope of the future. Are you afraid of losing soldiers? Grow so strong people won't even dare to fight you. Are you afraid of losing ? Love even harder."
Monica fell silent again before adding sothing else. "Rules have never applied to you, so stop pretending they exist to pass as one of us."
Monica sighed, throwing back her head but still peeking at the screen. "And hurry up out
there. I'm missing you in ways I didn't think possible. This is an official request from your
soon-to-be wife."
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