[ He meets John's arrogant look with blank indifference, mostly because that's his default expression when someone else is speaking. Different stakes. Makes sense on multiple levels, of course. Khan tries to imagine the level of dreariness associated with the life John's just described for him - and all that, just to keep people alive, as if their bodies won't kill them eventually anyway if they manage to dodge all the other dangers inherent to human existence. For a man who's used to working for a cause, doing clinic work is bound to feel like scaling down. It is, after all. It's like the very definition of it.

Of course, humans weren't really meant to achieve anything beyond mediocrity - reach any higher and they burn themselves, inevitably. History proves it very well, he thinks, having experienced both the past as well as the far future. He can certainly understand wanting more, however, and it speaks to John's credit that he doesn't want to settle with less. ]

So, change tracks. [ He leans his head back against the headboard. ] Before we meet next time, find something better to do, something that suits you. A life devoid of meaning or purpose simply passes. It's a pitiful thing to behold.