Chapter 10: Danger
Sonny didn't like the progression one bit, someone was out to harm either him or his guests. Sonny was having none of it. He had already put his men on the job, looking for anything out of place, art of discression was a necessity for a pirate. Sonny's job, was to ensure his guests stayed safe from harm. That, and removing the dangerous Metaflux, now stored in Black Manta's high securtiy vault. Sonny had decided to remove the metaflux from Shiloh all together this night. He had talked to Aarch, and got the necessary permission to bring D'Jok along. Sonny knew he could have brought Micro- Ice as well. But where they were going, Sonny could only make sure one of them was safe. It was time for him and D'Jok to have alone time. Sonny entered his cabin. D'Jok was sound asleep on the spare bed they had put in. He looked innocent in his sleep. Sonny stood there, looking at his son for a few minutes. It was amazing to think that this teen had once been a baby. Sonny regreted he had not seen his son then, but to his defense, he had not known of his excistense. It didn't help to dwel on what he couldn't change. He had to live in the here and now, and move on from the past somehow. It was time to heal the wounds of the past. Sonny carefully shook D'Jok's shoulder.
« just five more minutes Maya, I'll get up then».
Those words hurt. Sonny knew he should be thankful for Maya taking care of his son for all these years, but he couldn't help but think of Niobe, his late wife and D'Jok's mother. He had been robbed of a lot with his son, she was robbed of even more. At least, he had a chance to get to know his son, Niobe had passed away when she gave birth to him. Sonny had never told D'Jok, but it had hurt him immensely to hear that part. Sonny knew he had allowed for the hopes to rise a little too high, when he had hoped to find her alive. Who could blame him? He had believed his best friend and labpartner, Clamp, to be dead, he had been alive. He had also thought D'Jok to have perished when the ship his mother was aboard was shot too, had been wrong. Sonny still remembered when D'Jok had told him what happened to her. To Sonny, this had felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart, and twisted the knife around, to make it bleed even more. He should be used to it by now, living alone, but somewhere, deep down, there still lay a seed of hope.
«D'Jok».
Sonny's voice was soft. D'Jok slowly opened his eyes.
«Dad? Is something wrong?»
Sonny thought of telling a lie, but decided to be honest with his son. If they didn't even have trust between them, what chance did they stand of building any form of realtionship? Sonny sighed, before he sat down on the bed, next to D'Jok.
«I'm afraid so D'Jok. Remember the cavein?»
«Sure, who could forget? It still frightens me to think of it».
« It was no accident D'Jok. I thought it sounded like an explotion just before, and I was right».
«What?»
Sonny told D'Jok what he and the pirates had found when they went back to investigate. He also told D'Jok what this meant. D'Jok was listening attentively to his father as he spoke. Then, Sonny finally finished.
«The risk of keeping the Metaflux that was extracted from me here, is just too high. I'll remove it in the still of the night. But, you are my son D'Jok, one day, this might be part of your life. I want to make sure you have the best possible ground laid down to make it here. Being a pirate is no game, it's risky, you usually put your life on the line all the time. The pirate world is the one of sharks, and to survive here, you need the right tools».
«Dad, will you teach me the ways?»
«Yes D'Jok, but know that it is a long time before you join the pirates yet. You still got a meaningfull life ahead of you, and a beautiful girlfriend. Enjoy that while it's something you have, you never know when you might loose it. Cherish that love D'Jok, and then, when you're ready, you make the call to join us or not. It's not something we would force on you, we'd rather have you come on your own free will, but for now, be just what you are, a football star».
«Thanks Dad».
D'Jok got dressed and got out of bed. Sonny led him to a part of the Black Manta D'Jok had not seen before. This part was guarded not only by guards, but also required passwords, and retinal scans to enter. Luckily, as the pirates leader, Sonny had acess to all areas of the ship. Finally, they were at the vault. Sonny went through a proceedure to open it. D'Jok was amazed at how high tech it was. Anyone that thought the pirates used substandard equippment, had been wrong. This was state of the art. As Sonny opened the vault door, D'Jok could see the sphere containing the Metaflux. It truly brought back bad memories, memories of General Bleylock, the blackmail, D'Jok fighting to keep Sonny alive after they siezed him.
Sonny saw D'Jok's silent struggle.
«Don't worry D'Jok, Bleylock is no more, I saw it with my own eyes».
Sonny grabbed a casing and a set of handcuffs. He placed the sphere in the protective casing, and locked the cuff round his wrist. D'Jok was stunned.
«Do you really need those cuffs Dad?»
«Yes D'Jok, we don't know what the attacker that caused the cavein wants, but it's possible he's after the Metaflux. I've decided to move it. This is your first piratemission D'Jok, how do you feel about it?»
«Terrified».
«Good, that's how I felt the first time too».
«You? Terrified? I have a hard time believing it Dad».
«Oh, Believe it D'Jok. I was once a rookie in this too. I've had my share of doubts and frights through the years».
«I find that hard to believe».
Sonny smiled, as they headed to the tailgate.
«Then, ask Corso».
«Corso?»
«Corso was the one that trained me, and made me the pirate I am today. I owe a lot to Corso, it's a friendship that has lasted for the better part of 16 years now».
D'Jok wondered a lot of things about his fathers best friend. But he was in doubt on wheter he should ask his father these things or go directly to Corso. Sonny sensed his distress.
«D'Jok, talk to Corso, I feel like it is better he answers to your questions, and not me».
They found a small pod, and Sonny bid his son to enter. Then, he entered it too, and closed the hatch securely.
«Where are we headed Dad?» asked D'Jok.
«Someplace that most people don't know excist. Some believe it's just a myth. I must ask you to keep this a secret though D'Jok. If ever things were to change with Technoid, this is the last safe holding the pirates have. Thereby it's name».
«What name Dad?»
«The Sanctuary».
Sonny engaged the proceeedures to embark. Soon, they were seemingly lost in space. But Sonny seemed to be at ease. He checked the computerscreens.
«D'Jok, when we get there, there is three people I want you to meet».
«Who are they Dad?»
Sonny smiled when he thought of his own fathers reaction when he had told him who the snowkids starstriker really was. There were two grandparents and an aunt anxious to meet their grandson and nephew. Sonny looked forwards to this introduction.
«They, D'Jok, happen to be your grandfather, grandmother and aunt».
D'Jok was stunned. He had grandparents? And an aunt?
«Dad, they must be very old then».
Sonny laughed.
« Hey, I was fairly young when we expected you D'Jok. They're not all that old, and they are already dying to meet you».
«They know about me?»
«Off course D'Jok, you don't think I would hide you from them do you?»
«No Dad, but how come you didn't tell me sooner?»
«It was not the right time, but now, it was».
Sonny turned to the controls again. Then, he punched in a series of codes, before a face appeared on screen.
«You are entering a high security zone piratedroid, state your identity and buisness and wait for verification».
« Base, this is eagleleader Sonny Blackbones and D'Jok Blackbones, requesting to enter the dome of the sanctuary».
«Identification verified, welcome back Sonny, we've missed you, and to D'Jok, welcome to the sanctuary, it's an honor to make your aquintance».
Before their eyes, the dome seemed to vanish into smoke, and a huge metal dome appeared. A door opened, and Sonny manouvred the pod towards the entrance. D'Jok was amazed at what he saw. This dome recembled Akillian in a way he had only seen in pictures. This was how Akillian would have looked in the summer. A summer he never had the pleasure of knowing. Sonny turned the pod to the docks, and landed in a specially made dockingarea. D'Jok pulled the fresh air deep into his lungs as they excited the pod.
«Dad, I can't believe this, is this a replica of Akillian in the summertime?»
Sonny smiled, It was interresting to see that his son had paid some attention to how Akillian looked like before he was born, before the disaster, before.. he messed it all up. Sonny chased the shaddows away, as they headed towards the center of the township.
«Why, Sonny Blackbones, this is a seldom sight».
They turned to see a beautiful, blonde woman stand behind them.
«When I heard you were coming, I expected you'd bring Corso, but instead, you choose to introduce us to the latest addition to the Blackbones family, don't you?» she smiled.
«Don't you know by now, that I'm full of surprises?» teased Sonny mildly.
D'Jok was baffled. There was something familiar with this woman. He had seen her somewhere before, when he was young. But where, and in what connection? D'Jok was delwing deep into his mind for answers. He looked over at Sonny, who looked at two others that came towards them. D'Jok gasped, as he saw them. The middleaged couple had distinct features to their looks, and dressed in a sort of colour code, just like Sonny did. They wore red tops and black pants. All of a sudden, it dawned on D'Jok who the couple were. Looking at the man, he saw that Sonny was a mere slightly younger version of this man.
«Grandpa?» D'Jok whispered.
The woman next to him, she was sure to be his grandmother.
«Grandma?»
The couple nodded at D'Jok's question. Then, he turned to the woman.
«And who are you? Dad's girlfriend?»
Sonny turned away to try to chocke the laughter that got the better of him. Kathy was not going to like this.
«Well, I don't think I'd date someone like your father D'Jok, he's too much trouble for a poor womans heart, better be admired from a distance», replied the woman with a small smile.
«Aouch, you don't have to bite that hard Sis» retorted Sonny with a smile.
Sis? Was it really only coincidental that he had not found his family on Akillian? D'Jok was surprised.
«Are you my aunt?» he asked the woman.
She turned to him and smiled. Now, D'Jok could see the family recemblance to his father. This woman was most definately a Blackbones.
«Yes D'Jok. It's a pleasure for us to finally meet my brother's son».
«Yes D'Jok. You have no idea how much it has pained your father to think you were dead all these years. That pain is what kept him going, fighting Technoid, all these years».
«Yes, but a new era has begun this week dad» commented Sonny.
This made all of them turn to him.
«What do you mean Sonny?»
« We've been given immunity by Technoid. We'll have to change our ways, or try to at the very least».
His parents and sister nodded at this. Then, Sonny told them why they were there. He lifted the box containing the Metaflux, wich was cuffed to his hand.
«I've checked the progress of the first sphere you brought Sonny, the one from the snowkids».
«How is it with that one?» asked Sonny.
«It desolved and dissappeared completely two days ago» she replied.
Sonny was pleased with what he heard. Then, he told them of the attack. This made Evan, his father, look carefully around.
«Let's head to our house, we can speak safely there, and Sonny, you need to rest, you look like you haven't slept in a while».
Sonny nodded this, and they headed to his parents home. It was time for D'Jok to get to know the family he never had known, but always craved for...
The next chapter will be focused on how Sonny did handle the metaflux of the snowkids, a question asked by many fans of the series. I thought it needs be adressed. Also, it's important with the family bonds that D'Jok never had in the series, this fic gives a chance to adress that, and show D'Jok a little more mature than in the show, this is because I think D'Jok hides a lot behind his ego, to cover up his own insecurity. You sense it is there, but he hides it. The time spent with Sonny and the family will yeild answers and raise new questions for him. Keep reading and do rewiew.