C350 - Hurt
Khan had contained the range of the Wave spell, but the attack expanded to the nearby lockers anyway. A vast hole formed among the line of grey items, and the destruction also spread on the wall behind them.
The artificial lights in the locker room flickered as the chaos element expressed its power. Some directly broke, creating a dim illumination that added a threatening vibe to Khan's actions.
Most soldiers wanted to complain, especially those who had lost their belongings during Khan's attack, but no one dared to speak. They didn't want to end up like their companion, and they definitely didn't want to become the next target of that destructive spell.
Khan didn't feel any better after venting on the lockers, but he let the matter go. He turned to walk toward the exit, and the soldiers on the way moved to make room for him.
Martha, Monica, Luke, and the Fuveall didn't speak when Khan crossed them, but he felt able to read most of their thoughts from their expressions.
The Fuveall did his best to appear apologetic, even if a tinge of fear had seeped into his expression. Meanwhile, Luke wore a cold and noble face to express how he was entirely on board with everything Khan had done.
Instead, Martha seemed quite shocked and confused. She knew that Khan had changed, but that was different. His actions had been cold, resolute, and scary. Even she believed that he would have killed the soldier if he didn't obtain what he wanted.
As for Monica, her expression was the only one that Khan couldn't completely read. She didn't seem to care about the soldier at all. She actually appeared curious about the depths of Khan's character, and her eyes never stopped studying his almost-naked figure.
Khan realized that he was still in his underwear only when he stepped into the corridor connected to the showers and locker rooms. The bag with his clothes was still on his shoulder, so he quickly dressed up.
"I need a sheath," Khan stated after handing the empty bag at the Fuveall and showing his palms to prove that he couldn't store his knife anywhere.
"I'll make my soldiers bring one right away," The Fuveall reassured while picking up his phone.
"A good sheath," Luke reminded, "Something that can make us forget about your mess."
"Of course, of course!" The Fuveall added, and the group resumed their walk as soon as he put his phone away.
The walk toward the central structure's exit was silent. No one was in the mood to talk, at least not when others could hear them. Martha, Luke, and Monica all wanted to have private conversations with Khan, while the latter had various thoughts afflicting his mind.
'Can I even find anything in the reports about the investigation?' Khan wondered as he played with the knife in his left hand.
Khan had given a quick read to the reports during the peaceful hours inside the cell. They didn't feature names or pictures, but they also lacked interesting information.
The issue came from the very nature of the reports. They involved investigations about the workers inside the factory. Still, they didn't play any part in the inquires that Sher had mentioned.
'Can I even investigate the investigators?' Khan wondered. 'That's impossible, right? Also, what would happen if I found something? I can't question the loyalty of the Cobsend family's trusted members. That's far above my status and pay.'
If Sher had spoken the truth, the investigators were to blame for failing to find clues about the missing reinforced fabric. Khan could only see two explanations for that hypothesis. The soldiers appointed by the Cobsend family had either made a mistake or had lied about what they found.
Both explanations sounded troublesome in Khan's mind. He would accuse soldiers with great status if he brought the issue to Luke. At that point, the problem wouldn't only involve Luke anymore. It would force the higher-ups of his family to step in, which would remove Khan's favorable status.
'I can't remain silent,' Khan concluded in his mind, 'But I can't put the blame on someone without proof. I need to continue the investigation on my own until I find something worth mentioning.'
"Luke, I'll need the reports of the initial investigation," Khan said once the Fuveall left the group to get the sheath.
"I've already sent you those," Luke pointed out.
"I don't mean the reports about the workers," Khan explained. "I want everything involving the investigation outside the factory, even if it looks useless."
Luke wasn't dumb. Actually, he was far smarter than Khan when it came to social and political problems. He could understand the meaning that Khan had tried to hide under his vague request, but he didn't say anything specific and limited himself to agreeing.
The Fuveall returned to the group in no time. Khan soon found a luxurious black sheath in his hands. The item's texture was soft and elastic but also quite resilient. It almost felt like a first-grade item due to the mana used to enhance its overall structure, and the golden designs on its surface only increased its value.
"This won't do," Khan objected when he studied the actual storage space meant for the knife. "This cover takes too long to open. I want something meant for battles, not just for show."
"I'll find a suitable sheath immediately," The Fuveall excused himself as he took the black sheath and left the group again.
"Are you enjoying giving him a hard time?" Luke joked while looking at the Fuveall disappearing behind a corner in the distance.
"I meant what I said," Khan claimed. "What's the point of a sheath if it stops me from drawing my knife?"
Luke limited himself to chuckle, but Martha didn't find anything funny in that. Khan's explanation confirmed how much he had changed. It seemed that his whole mindset was battle-related now.
The Fuveall came back with a new sheath that satisfied Khan's requests. The item was brown, mana resistant, and comfortable. He barely felt it when he tied it around his waist, and its cover didn't hinder the knife at all.
The group left the central structure a few minutes after Khan obtained his new sheath. The Fuveall escorted them until the beginning of one of the vast streets above the city, and Luke refused his offer to get a police squad to accompany them back home.
The areas around the central pillar had many parking lots due to their unique location, so Luke and the others found a cab in no time. Even if the dome still illuminated the city with its pale-blue light, it was deep into the night, so the group planned to return home and rest.
Luke had obviously chosen one of the most luxurious cabs in the parking lot, and the privacy that it offered removed the faint traces of uneasiness that still lingered among the group. Khan had also dropped his cold mood, which eventually gave Martha the chance to voice her doubts.
"What happened out there?" Martha asked while Khan browsed through the reports on his phone.
Luke stopped tinkering with the interactive bar inside the cab, and Monica also disregarded her phone to focus on Khan. It was clear that they were both interested in the matter.
"I went in [The Loophole] and got caught in a mess," Khan half-lied as he summarized his first day of investigation. "I didn't get the chance to ask many questions, but I might have an idea of where to find a lead."
"A lead?!" Luke exclaimed.
"An idea of where to find it," Khan repeated. "I still don't know anything. I'm not even sure I can trust what I found."
"Well, that makes sense," Luke sighed.
"How were things on your end?" Khan asked.
"We have taken a long tour of the shops on the first floor," Monica explained. "I think we found a lot of stolen merch, but nothing similar to what we were looking for."
"Something like that wouldn't be in the open," Khan stated while making sure to remain vague to prevent the driver from overhearing something important. "I guess it was worth a try."
"We already have a few targets in mind for tomorrow," Monica revealed. "Do you want to come with us? Your presence would help a lot."
"I'll remain in my room tomorrow," Khan declared. "I have quite a bit of studying to do."
"Our drink will have to wait then," Monica teased, but she felt slightly disappointed when Khan didn't give her any playful smirk or friendly reaction.
"What happened with the soldier?" Martha continued before the conversation died. "I get that you were angry, but don't you think to have gone too far? That's still Milia 222's official police force."
The three had different ideas about Khan's previous actions, but only Martha had the courage to address them. She would have wanted to remain silent until she and Khan were alone, but her doubts were too loud to suppress.
"Too far?" Khan asked while showing honest confusion. "I've killed for people like him. I won't stay put when they steal my stuff."
The calmness shown by Khan didn't reflect the depths of the topic. The three almost underestimated his words before understanding how serious they were.
Contradicting Khan became impossible after that understanding seeped into the trio's minds. Luke even lowered his gaze to hide his dark face. He had learnt what it meant to kill on Istrone, so he could guess what kind of anger Khan had felt when a soldier had tried to rob him.
Khan's words made the group fall silent, and the situation didn't change until they reached their home. The building on the second asteroid was even better than the previous, but Khan didn't pay too much attention to that luxury as he chose a random room and isolated himself inside it.
Sleep struggled to take control of Khan's mind, and he didn't even bother to try to rest. He connected his phone to the room and spread the various reports on the walls to continue his study.
The second inspection didn't reveal anything new, but Khan still tried to sort out those reports in different groups. He used the alibis to create various folders and divide the workers to have an easier time studying them in the future.
Luke sent what Khan had requested as the morning approached. The sheer number of pages to read left Khan slightly stunned, but he understood the reason behind that quantity when he started to inspect them.
Those new reports involved the investigations outside the factory, and they turned out to be extremely detailed. They had proper names and locations since they didn't need to preserve the workers' privacy, and they also had personal impressions added to each question.
'They are specialists,' Khan concluded when browsing through the reports. 'I expected nothing less from the Cobsend family.'
The reports were so detailed that Khan could almost imagine the faces of the aliens questioned during the investigation. The soldiers appointed for the process even connected their impression to the unique features of each species, so Khan struggled to find flaws.
Khan forgot to have breakfast due to how immersed he was in that pile of information. He organized the reports multiple times in the hope of finding a connection or a flaw that the investigators had missed, but everything seemed perfect. He even realized how he would have failed to obtain so many answers in those situations.
The study eventually focused on the only vague lead Khan had found. He knew that the Orlats had said something, but he couldn't limit his research to the reports coming from [The Loophole].
A familiar presence approached the room's entrance while Khan was immersed in his study. He opened the door through the wall's menus, and Monica's figure became visible. She was wearing casual clothes, but Khan's attention fell on the tray in her hands.
"You skipped breakfast and lunch," Monica stated. "I thought you might be hungry."
Khan realized how long had passed at that point, and his stomach even growled when he smelled the excellent food on the tray. He didn't hesitate to jump on his feet and reach Monica before allowing her into his room.
"You sure worked hard," Monica commented while inspecting the various reports on the wall.
Khan sat on his bed and began to eat, but his eyes never left Monica. He wanted to see if she revealed something when looking at the reports, but she appeared completely normal.
"Why aren't you outside with Martha?" Khan asked as he wolfed down the food.
"We had an appointment with a broker," Monica explained without taking her eyes away from the reports. "We wanted to see if we could go undercover in some illegal operation, but the guy didn't show up."
"We do look suspicious," Khan admitted. "Anyone can see that we are outsiders."
"I thought I could cheat my way in with my beauty," Monica joked as she turned and pulled the corners of her t-shirt while performing a half-bow.
Khan inspected Monica from head to toe before bringing his attention back to the food. Monica frowned at that reaction. She expected a joke or something similar, but Khan directly ignored her.
"Did something happen?" Monica asked as she took a step toward Khan.
"What do you mean?" Khan asked in a casual manner.
Monica understood that something was off and crouched in front of Khan. She felt a bit shy in that position, but she still placed a hand on Khan's arm before voicing another question. "Did I do something wrong?"
"What makes you think that?" Khan chuckled as he put away the tray. "Nothing could have happened in a day."
Monica didn't seem convinced. Her eyes went left and right as she tried to find an explanation, and she left Khan as soon as she realized what was happening.
"You," Monica whispered as she retreated toward the wall and sadness filled her expression, "You think that I might be a spy."
Khan didn't think that Monica would have gotten there so quickly, but his face remained calm as he came up with a lie. "I never said that."
"No, it would make sense," Monica continued as she crossed her arms. "The refined descendant of a wealthy family suddenly shows rude behavior in front of the famous soldier with a poor background. It feels too coincidental when everything about the investigation points toward a traitor."
"Monica, I've never-," Khan tried to stop that speech.
"No, no, I understand," Monica interrupted. "You can't trust me so easily. It makes perfect sense. I guess I deluded myself when I thought that we had a connection."
"Monica," Khan called.
"Don't," Monica interrupted again. "I don't want to hear lies, not from you. I like you because you don't care about my status and only look at the real me. I want to keep that memory intact until I prove that you can trust me."
A tear began to leave Monica's right eye, but she hid it behind her hair as she turned to approach the entrance. That realization had clearly shocked her, but Khan wanted to respect her wish.
"I won't lie to you," Khan sighed as Monica opened the door. "I can't trust you right away, but my instincts tell me that you are a good person."
Monica stooped for a second before darting past the entrance. The door closed, and Khan heaved a deep sigh as silence returned in his room.
'I've hurt her,' Khan cursed in his mind before focusing on the wall.. He had found something vaguely interesting which pointed at the Nele on the third asteroid.
To be continued