Bret's request could sound unreasonable and dumb to many, but Khan didn't even need to think to understand it. Khan knew that type of love. He had experienced it and taken it to the next level more than once.
Truth be told, Khan didn't need Bret's approval or cooperation. With his resources, he could force Bret to come with him or even turn that chunk of the Slums into a proper block.
Khan also had his reasons. Bret had been the head of the scientific department. His expertise was priceless, and the shared blood made his loyalty unquestionable. Khan couldn't find a better ally anywhere else.
Nevertheless, Khan couldn't find the strength to pressure Bret into coming with him. The man had given away everything to buy Khan time and was only asking one small thing in return. It didn't feel fair to refuse his wish.
"Okay," Khan eventually agreed. "So, we must make the most of this time before you disappear again."
The time for jokes had ended, and Bret accompanied Khan throughout a massive tale that featured all his encounters, experiences, and ideas. Khan wanted Bret to provide a second opinion on everything he had gone through, and he didn't disappoint.
"Rebecca," Bret explained, "Your aunt has always looked up to your mother. She even tried to chase her around often. She helped when Elizabeth was pregnant with you, too, so her loyalty should be genuine."
"Thomas," Bret continued, "Your uncle is a dick, but a cunning dick. He isn't a spoiled noble, either. He simply lost favor with Alexander when he plotted with other factions."
"I'm sorry," Bret said. "This Raymond fella is right. Your body might hold the key to humankind's next evolutionary step. It probably won't be complete until you cap your attunement or evolve, but I don't see the interested parties stopping chasing you."
"Ah, Abraham," Bret laughed. "So, he is still around. Yes, he was good to us. You can trust him."
"Yes," Bret confirmed. "The Global Army definitely has Nak. I'm not sure it keeps their corpses on Earth anymore, but it should have labs and whatnot. Though I'm not sure how finding them would help you."
"Your current state is slightly outside my area of expertise," Bret admitted. "You shouldn't have problems evolving through the natural induction, but that's just a theory. At this point, you know your body better than me."
"Jokes aside," Bret sighed. "Wait until the transformation is complete. That way, you won't pass down the Nak genes but your hybrid ones. You should be safe by the time you cross an attunement of ninety."
"My knowledge is outdated on that topic," Bret revealed. "From how you described your perception, I think you should just let it guide you. Once you are close enough, you are bound to get a reply, either from within you or the Nak."
"The Second Impact?" Bret repeated. "No. There are better ways to kill people. Unleashing a Nak on purpose wouldn't make any sense."
"I'm not knowledgeable about criminal organizations," Bret stated. "I can see their interest in you, especially now. Still, that's nothing new to high-profile people."
"No," Bret shook his head. "You should stick to this path. The human arts would just get in your way. They might actually make you regress to a point when the nightmares can overcome you."
"I'm no political dog, Khan," Bret scoffed. "Sure, I had to learn something for your mother, but the lab was my life. I think you are better off asking your feisty girl for advice."
"Do whatever you want," Bret exclaimed. "Do humankind, Empire, Nak, and whatnot hold any meaning to you? If not, live how you want to live. Your mother would have wanted that. I simply tried to make it possible."
"Don't worry about me," Bret chuckled. "I've grown fond of these engines inside me. Once they stop, I stop. Simple as that."
The barrage of questions eventually ended, forcing Khan to review his knowledge for the third time that day. Bret couldn't add much to his findings, but the various replies filled a few gaps, straightening Khan's story.
Needless to say, multiple bottles had suffered a grim fate during the conversation. The various topics were too serious, so the two men had to drink heavily to deal with them. By the end, Khan was still fine, but Bret was reaching his limit.
"What a wimp I have become," Bret snorted, struggling to keep his head steady. "How am I more of a lightweight than my son?"
"I'm not going easy on that, you know?" Khan snickered. "Besides, I myself don't know the limits of my tolerance anymore."
"Cocky brat," Bret scoffed. "Only years can give you my mastery in booze. You have still much to learn."
"I'm not the one slurring my words," Khan joked.
"That's nothing," Bret cursed. "One quick nap, and I'll be better than ever. We can resume this once I wake up."
"I think I have to go," Khan revealed without hiding his sadness. "Much still requires my attention."
"Right, right," Bret nodded, wearing a fake smile. "Go then. Don't waste any more time with this old man. I'll be here when you need me."
"I hope so," Khan replied, a complicated feeling spreading within him. He didn't hope to receive further help. He simply wished he would find Bret alive and well in the future.
"You've grown into a fine man," Bret chuckled, leaning on the arm on the table to resume his previous sleeping position. "Beardless, but fine. Elizabeth would be happy."
Khan watched the scene as sadness washed him over, and that feeling intensified when Bret repeated his last words.
"Elizabeth would be happy," Bret muttered, his voice turning into a whisper before snores took control of his mouth.
Khan watched his father for a few more seconds before standing up and retrieving the fallen blanket. He put it on Bret's shoulders and stepped back until he fit the whole living room in his vision.
Khan knew Bret's life was over. He wished things were different, but his mind kept updating him about that truth. Khan could read Bret's feelings like a book, so doubts and hopes never appeared. He had to leave Bret there.
That was akin to waiting for Bret to die among his squalor, but Khan felt he had no choice. At most, Khan could try to make Bret happy a few times before the inevitable happened. According to Bret's aura, that day didn't even seem too far.
'Do I really have to leave you here and move on with my life?' Khan wondered.
The situation felt beyond unfair, but incidents often created similar consequences. Khan actually had to consider himself lucky. Bret didn't only save him. He also didn't want to be a hindrance in his life. He didn't demand anything from Khan, allowing him to live as he had always done.
Yet, Khan couldn't help but feel angry, angry at the Nak, the Nognes family, the Global Army, and even humankind itself. So much was rotten in his species, and Khan couldn't ignore it anymore. As much as Bret wanted Khan to be free of burdens, he had accepted certain responsibilities and duties since Baoway.
'Figures,' Khan thought once something odd touched his senses. 'They came sooner than I expected.'
Khan closed his eyes. Brightness flashed in his closed eyelids, but everything soon went dark. His expression also lost any trace of emotion, regaining the coldness shown since his return from Baoway. Business was knocking on his door, so he had to wear his new face.
Khan stole one last glance at his sleeping father before heading outside. Soon, the Slums' chaos invaded his senses, but he remained before the house's entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.
The soldiers' departure had given the various Slums' inhabitants the confidence to roam through those streets. Many wandered past Khan, minding their own business or keeping their distance, worried about the ill intentions behind his cold face. Yet, no one approached him, and his already thin patience began to run out.
"Come out," Khan said, attracting the surprised glances of the unaware citizens in his surroundings. Everyone ignored him, and his patience finally ran out when his senses perceived no movement from the targeted parties.
Khan suddenly disappeared, crossing two blocks in a blink to reappear in a narrow street. His feet didn't touch the dusty ground, but he wasn't in the sky either. He had chosen to stop a few meters above the two men peeking past the corner.
Khan's arrival didn't go unnoticed. Even manaless people would sense the change in the air his presence caused. Everything grew cold and still, freezing the men's lungs and lifting their gazes to stare at the watchful figure above them.
The two men could barely withstand Khan's oppressive presence. They were mere first-level warriors, which was massive for the Slums. Mana wasn't supposed to reach those areas, making Khan sure about his assumptions.
"Who do you work for?" Khan questioned. "Don't make me ask again."
One of the men opened his mouth to speak, but his companion promptly grabbed his arm, shooting a warning glare at him. The gesture carried no malice, and Khan knew why. His eyes could see the odd array of mana in their brain.
"What does the Hive want?" Khan changed his question, and the men's reactions told him he had hit the mark.
