Chapter 12
Mara woke with a start as the remnant of an already-forgotten nightmare shook her. Her eyes focused quickly, as did her mind.
Khan's room. Khan's…bed. No clothes.
Shitshitshitshit. What have I done? she thought frantically, turning in the bed to look behind her.
Surprisingly, he was still sleeping. She would have thought the jolt of her waking would have stirred him. It was odd, seeing him sleeping. The usual stoic expression he adopted was gone, replaced only by expressionlessness. He breathed slow and rhythmically, his eyes twitching beneath his eyelids.
Dreaming. Mara's awe at the fact he could dream was slightly overshadowed by her extreme curiosity at what he could possibly be dreaming about.
She slid from the bed gently, careful not to wake him. She reached for the first item of clothing she could find, which ended up being his shirt. It was large on her—covering everything that needed covering. She smiled to herself, pulling the collar up and smelling it.
What am I doing?! I'm acting like a teenager!
She shook her head, trying to shock herself back into reality. She sauntered slowly to his desk, finding several manila folders lying there, all of them embossed with giant red "classified" stamps.
Mara furrowed her brows, peering around at Khan once more to ensure he was still sleeping before she picked them up.
As she opened the first one, the iconic red, white, and blue NASA symbol stared up at her. A sinking worry and curiosity began rising in her chest, and she began sifting through the file.
Within the first file were schematics, test graphs, exploration reports, and a full damage and mission log for the Voyager 1. While she was sure she wasn't supposed to be seeing the mission log, it was the schematic for the craft's make that made her feel very guilty.
However, as human curiosity goes, she set it down and moved on to the next file, and the next. They were out of order, but the quantity of information astounded her—Sputnik 1, Explorer 1, Mariner 2, Apollo 8, and a fairly hefty file on Apollo 11.
Mara peeled open the Apollo 11 file, finding on top the most detailed schematics of any craft she had ever seen. It looked almost detailed enough to describe exactly how to build one…
"What are you doing?"
Mara yelped, spinning around to find Khan, dressed in his pants already, standing a mere foot away.
"I was just… well, I saw them, and you were…"
"I'm not angry," he said simply, stopping her stuttering.
She relaxed, turning back to the files. "Why do you have these?" she asked with exasperation.
She jumped as he snaked his arms around her midsection, his entire body pressing against hers. Every care, every curiosity floating around in her mind suddenly shattered, and she could think of nothing else but to lean into him, turning her head against him as he rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I'm probably not supposed to tell you," he said, and she could feel the vibration of his voice as his throat rested on her shoulder.
"Pretty sure we weren't supposed to do what we did," she retorted, and she could feel him smile against her ear. "But we did. Several times, actually…"
"Yes, alright," he said, a slightly self-conscious and very out-of-character tone in his voice. He stepped away, leaving her wishing she hadn't said anything. "I'm to study them," he began, stepping around her and taking the Apollo 11 file gently from her hand. "Improve upon them, if I can. Synthesize a future for the program—one that progresses these models into something more functional, less… bulky."
"Why? I mean, why is Rowen interested in space exploration?" she asked, looking down at the hoard of files.
Khan sighed, looking away from her. This was the part he wasn't supposed to tell her.
"Rowen isn't," he said, dropping the file onto the desk and turning his back on her so he could pace the small length of the room. "They are receiving substantial donations from various governments in order to… loan out our intellect to global parties."
"But… I thought these were the Eugenics Wars!" Mara said, her confusion clear in her voice. "Why would Britain go to such trouble to win the race for genetic creation, only to loan it out to the highest bidding country?"
"For precisely that reason," he said, turning back to her. "Because they are the first. And because other countries will pay to use us. Like you said… men are motivated by two things. Your men are just influenced more heavily by one than mine."
She smiled, striding forward and laying both hands on his chest. "Lucky for me, I guess," she said, standing on her toes to reach for a kiss.
He pulled her close, all the angles of her body seeming to fit against his, like puzzle pieces. His kiss was strong and demanding, like everything else about him, but somehow he had never been gentler. When he pulled away, the look he gave her was unreadable. It seemed… confused.
"What time is it?" he asked, and she scoffed.
"What does that have to do with the price of cheese in China?!" she asked, wondering how he could possibly have needed the time in the middle of… this.
"I will arrive at my point, if you will kindly tell me what time it is," he said, a joking grin spreading his lips.
"Alright," she said, turning to retrieve her stopwatch from her bag. She couldn't help but notice that he held her for as long as he could before she was out of reach.
"8:34," she said, tossing the watch back into her bag.
He nodded, obviously pleased. "Come with me," he said, turning and grabbing his belt from the floor, also grasping her clothes and holding them out to her. "I want to show you something. I will be needing my shirt back, though."
She grinned wickedly, reaching down for the hem. "With pleasure," she said, peeling it off as sensually as she could manage.
After a slightly expected delay, Khan led Mara down to E-Level. When the doors opened, Mara took in a sharp, very impressed gasp.
All 72 were on E-Level, training together. She had seen them all together before, but not in action. It was… overwhelming and extremely impressive.
When Khan entered, the nearest to him nodded, some of them addressing him as 'sir.'
"They call you sir?" she whispered, leaning close to him in the hopes they wouldn't hear her. They did, and they smiled.
Khan strolled to the center of the room, watching them as they trained solo and sparred viciously with each other. He stopped in the center of the room, his hands resting calmly behind his back.
"What, exactly, did you want to…" Mara began.
"Crew!" Khan yelled, his eyes boring into Mara's. Every single one of them dropped what they were doing, standing upright at-attention. Khan smiled, keeping his eyes trained on Mara.
"Form ranks!" he called, and within seconds, the same seven rows of ten had formed, with Lorran and another standing in front.
"First Officer Lorran, please step forward," Khan said, finally looking away from Mara.
Lorran took a single step forward, continuing his at-attention stance.
"What are you…" Mara began.
"You'll see," Khan said, and he stepped away, approaching Lorran.
"I did not appreciate your interference in the test yesterday," Khan said, and like any professional soldier, Lorran did not react at all. "While Dr. McGivers may tell you otherwise, I do know my own limits, and if I require your assistance, I shall ask for it. That being said," he paused, taking a step back and relaxing his features. "Your concern is extremely valuable to me, and it won't be soon forgotten."
The two exchanged extremely subtle smiles, and when Khan nodded, Lorran returned to his post. Khan backed away, returning to Mara's side.
"Commander!" Khan said in a deep, authoritative tone. The man standing next to Lorran stepped forward, his chin raised with pride.
"Captain," the Commander responded, and Mara turned to Khan, eyebrows raised.
"Captain?" she breathed. He did not reply.
"Introduce yourself," Khan instructed.
"Commander Kent, second officer, specializing in weapons design," the Commander said in a monotone.
"Step back, Commander," Khan said. "Lieutenant-Commander, step forward."
An extremely beautiful dark-haired woman from the first row stepped around Lorran and Kent, standing at-attention in front of Khan. She didn't need to be told, as she had already seen what was expected of her.
"Lietenant-Commander Mirah, specializing in the sciences—chemicals expert."
"Step back, Lieutenant-Commander," Khan said, and she did so immediately. Mara felt a deep, sinking feeling in her chest. One of both awe and anxiety.
"Lieutenant, step forward," Khan said, and another man from the first row stepped around Lorran and Kent.
"Lieutenant Kye, specializing in the sciences—technology expert."
"Very good, Lieutenant," Khan said, and Kye returned to his post.
At that point Khan turned to face Mara, an extremely proud grin on his features. "Ensigns, identify yourselves," Khan said, his eyes locked only with Mara's.
A single yell was heard from almost half of the remaining group, and it was so well-timed that the cry echoed in the long, empty space of E-Level.
"Midshipmen, identify yourselves," Khan continued, watching Mara for a reaction. She watched them this time instead of him, seeing the rest of the group give the same loud, unified cry.
"I don't understand," Mara said, her voice feeling small and weak.
"Now you know my family," Khan said, his voice wavering but strong.
Mara felt as if her heart skipped a beat.
"Crew, recite your oath!" Khan yelled, and as a single, unified voice of both men and women, the entire group spoke.
"Seventy-three voices, one mission—a united force of superior minds striving for advancement. Among us, we are equal. Rank will be fluid—no individual shall be in want. Progress will be imminent—never should we be idle. Strive to the future, embrace the past. As one voice—seventy-three superior voices, functioning for one progress."
Khan nodded, a generous smile on his lips.
"You did this?" she asked under her breath, fear obvious.
"I did," he said, watching them.
"Pierce doesn't know?" Mara asked.
"There are cameras in this room. I'm sure he has seen," Khan replied, stepping forward and letting his eyes study his first officer for a moment. "But he has not heard our ranks, he has not heard our oath. It is for us alone to keep. What we do on our own time is our business. This is how we chose to spend it. A constantly changing, morphing body of 73 beings, and he expected we would not form a unit? For the victor of the Eugenics Wars, he has much to learn."
A muted, blanketing laugh fell over The 72, and Khan smiled at them.
"You're dismissed," Khan said, and they scattered, slowly, returning to their previous activities. All, except Lorran.
He approached Mara, adopting an at-ease stance so he wouldn't appear threatening. Khan watched him curiously, just as Mara did.
"I wish to extend my gratitude," Lorran said simply. "Khan has introduced us as his family, and I assure you," he paused to spare a sideways glance at Khan. "The sentiment is mutual."
Khan smiled, and Mara waited for Lorran to continue.
"While I'm sure he was equally displeased with your interference," he said, and Khan smiled wide, looking away. "I am grateful to you for having stopped them. I believe you are correct in assuming that he has no idea where his limits lie…"
"Oh, you do, do you!" Khan said, smiling. He shoved Lorran hard, and Lorran lost his balance, stumbling away from Mara.
"I… wasn't… finished!" Lorran yelled, returning to a smiling Mara and extending a hand.
"Thank you," he said genuinely, and Mara looked down at his hand in shock. None of them had ever offered such a gesture to a human. Never. Khan was obviously as shocked as Mara.
"My pleasure," Mara replied, taking Lorran's strong grasp, and shaking it twice.
Lorran smiled, nodding to both of them as he returned to the mats.
"So?" Khan asked, returning to her side and watching them. "What do you think?"
"I think… they're a very loyal family," Mara said, turning her head to look at him. He did the same. "I think they would follow you anywhere."