Chaos' Heir-Chapter 1225: Room

Khan and Liiza did end up finding a suitable job on a suitable ship with a suitable crew. Everything was thanks to Rodney's connections, which surprisingly gave them everything they needed.

The couple needed to be always on the move, never stopping in Merth 290 for too long, or ever at all. Carlos' crew and job were perfect for that since their main home was on Dark Rock Colony. Khan could be a pilot, while Liiza could be a Doctor, doing rescue missions or plundering in hiding while the universe raged about what they had done.

As for the room in Dark Rock Colony, that was a lucky finding. The place was gradually expanding underground, slowly establishing a breathable atmosphere in those areas. Those habitations were far from perfect, but two monsters like Khan and Liiza could greatly benefit from their advantages.

Khan woke up, and the opening of his eyes brought light to that dark room. Spiky pebbles tried to hurt his back through the ruined mattress, but he barely felt them. Everything was broken and in pieces in that place anyway, and that wasn't much different from the cave in Nitis.

The urge to pee tried to stir Khan up, but the cold figure on him dispersed those thoughts. Liiza had most of her body lying on him, wisely choosing his muscles over the non-existent mattress.

"I remember you being quite comfortable with rocks and snow," Khan teased, knowing his better half was awake. "Did a few months in an actual bed spoil you so much?"

"It's warmer like this," Liiza whined in a sleepy tone, "And I don't have my favorite blanket."

Khan chuckled, caressing Liiza's hair while leaving a kiss on her head. Most of his belongings were inside his ship, which was parked in Merth 290's Dome 56. The couple had only retrieved essential items before embarking on that new job, leaving everything else in that lawless zone.

The room had no real menus. Dark Rock Colony was still working on implementing them in those underground areas, but Khan had set a series of alarms on his phone, and they had yet to ring, so he knew the couple could stay in that broken bed a little longer.

Still, checking up on the most recent updates from the Nognes family was wise. The only problem was with the phone's location. Khan had left it inside his trousers, which were on the ground near the wall on the other side of the room.

Khan groaned, sliding down the hand on Liiza's hair, reaching for her waist to secure her. She snuggled closer, knowing what was about to happen, and no surprise rose in her brain when Khan's body started to levitate.

Khan gracefully flew toward his trousers, remaining horizontal while diving his free hand into his pockets. He quickly found his phone but stayed in mid-air while studying the most recent updates. The signal wasn't ideal inside Dark Rock Colony, but Khan eventually managed to check everything.

'We are still safe,' Khan sighed internally.

Less than a month had passed since Khan and Liiza's arrival on Merth 290. That was more than enough for the forces looking for them to reach the lawless zone and start investigating, but it was too little to uncover any trail they could have left behind.

Yet, those environments had no absolutes. Someone would eventually track Khan and Liiza down. Stories of two married hooded figures would spread past Dark Rock Colony, linking them to Carlos' crew. At some point, the couple would have to disappear again, and Khan didn't know how long they had until then.

"Problems?" Liiza asked, her eyes still closed.

"No," Khan reassured, kissing Liiza's head again. "I'm just planning ahead. Trying to, at least."

Realistically, even lawless zones had their limits. Merth 290 was big, so Khan and Liiza could probably rely on its services for a while, but it was unclear whether they would last until Garret finished preparing the flight route for the Nak's home.

'We might have to hide in Coravis at some point,' Khan considered.

That wasn't a problem. The issue was with those who would spot the couple getting there. Khan's forces had plausible deniability now, keeping them safe from external probing and pressure, but that would vanish once someone found proof of the opposite.

'And when exactly will I find the time to go to Chigoilara?' Khan wondered. 'Preparing for a universal threat while in hiding isn't easy at all.'

"[Khan, look at me]," Liiza called, complaining. "[You are ruining your warmth]."

"[It's just a lot]," Khan reassured, throwing his phone back into the room's corner before wrapping his now-free arm around Liiza's back. "[And I'm still bitter we couldn't do anything special for your birthday]."

"[We did put all of Dark Rock Colony in high alert that day]," Liiza giggled, her hands reaching for Khan's face to pull him into a loving kiss. "[Good morning]."

Liiza then pressed on Khan's chest, straightening herself up while sitting on his floating abdomen. She yawned, rubbing her eyes before their light added a white color to the room.

No matter how many times Khan saw that scene, his reaction didn't change nor grew any milder. Liiza's naked beauty was striking, but those feelings went far deeper, and Khan's expression became serious and captivated.

As weak as Khan was against Liiza, the feeling was mutual. Liiza wanted to tease Khan some more, but her smile vanished at that sight, making her bend down to reach for his lips.

The kiss eventually ended, but Liiza only slightly lifted her head, keeping her face above Khan's close enough to make him feel her cold breath.

"[How long do we have]?" Liiza asked while her lower lip went between her teeth.

Khan truly didn't want to answer that question, but the couple's cover would fall apart if he didn't.

"[One hour]," Khan revealed. "[Probably less]."

"[Did you set the alarms]?" Liiza wondered, her hands already diving in Khan's hair.

Khan only needed to smile to give an answer, but something suddenly cracked, interrupting the couple before they could kiss again. Both Khan and Liiza looked at the floor, searching for the noise's source, only for their eyes' light to illuminate a new fissure on the rocky floor.

Liiza frowned, planting her hands on Khan's chest to straighten herself again. She studied the red symbols on Khan's skin, searching for fading spots or other flaws, but her eyes eventually ended on her waist, deepening her frown.

Khan couldn't miss that detail. He even sensed the confusion spreading through Liiza's mind. Something was off, but the mental connection didn't highlight what.

"Is something wrong?" Khan asked, rubbing Liiza's thighs.

"I have to retrace the symbols," Liiza explained, quickly leaning down to kiss Khan's chest before jumping off his floating abdomen.

"Are you sure?" Khan questioned, straightening himself up in a hurry while landing on the rocky floor. "It's still holding. I bet you can delay it for another week, or month, or century."

Liiza giggled, turning toward Khan to leave a quick kiss on his lips. Khan's brain fought against his lust and dizziness to come up with more excuses, but everything shut down when Liiza approached his ear.

"If you let me finish quickly," Liiza whispered teasing words, "We might have enough time to resume from where we left off."

"I preferred when you threatened to slap me," Khan groaned. "This gives me no chance but to comply."

"That's how it should be," Liiza smirked, caressing Khan's cheek. "Now get down and stay put. I'll jump on you as soon as I'm done."