Chapter 23
Halfway through the final sixteen. And no lead on whom Magnus had planned to use in his plan. All teams had followed the guidelines given by Technoid, and focused on team play. Whatever Magnus plan was, he was not going to be found out easily. Artie had just brought some files from Technoid to Bennett, whom would be speeding away, to make sure Technoid could not locate their hide out. Despite Duke Maddox promise, Sonny was acting careful. He was working around the clock most the time, with Clamp, with some of his skilled pirates, and lately, through a screen, with Technoid scientists, to find something that if not cured the resonance, at least slowed it down. What was getting even harder, was keeping this process out of the news. Callie Mystic had her informants, and Sonnys name had come up. Thus turning the reporters attention to the pirate chief. If there was anything more dangerous to a pirate than Technoid, it was a reporter whom seemed to have done her homework. And Artie had made sure to duck when Stevens had informed him, Callie Mystic wanted to talk to Sonny. If need be, they would arrange for security for a personal meeting. Callie was persistent, wich led to certain pirates being unable to return to The Black Manta because they were being watched. Stevens being one of them. He tried to make it hard to track him down, but with Callie Mystic, he met the wall. Like he told Artie, she should have been a pirate. The lady was smart, and well connected. Artie made his way back to the Rivet club, where he noticed said lady. How had she found her way here? Artie made himself as invisible as he could. The Rivet club was a place where Sonny and Corso would come by too, to connect with the men they needed for a mission and to gather the reports they needed. Artie noticed that Callie had set a course for the table where one lonely pirate sat with a glass of a brownish liquid. What was Corso doing here? And where was Sonny?
Then, it dawned on him. Corso was acting on behalf of Sonny. It could be Callies persistence had led to Corso having to talk to her, as the booth that served as Sonnys office, was wide open, and no one was there. In other words, Corso was here alone.
Artie kept close enough to hear Corso out, but also without drawing attention to himself.
He saw Callie approach him. This would be a show worth watching...
Callie looked at the address she had been given. This place was shabby, and was clearly a temprary set up made by the pirates. This was the kind of places you had to go to find Sonny Blackbones, or anyone that would act in his place. And the pirate with the military cap, and cybernetic eye, whom seemed to look her up and down, was just the kind of man she sought.
"Pardon me sir, I was supposed to meet someone on this address, a Corso Takashi. Would you happen to know where I can find him?" she asked politely.
Corso looked up from his drink, studying the red head reporter. On one side, he had huge admiration for her, but on the other side, her persistence was becoming a bothersome thing and drew attention to the pirates, attention that Sonny did not want. So here he was, ready to answer the questions she had, and put Sonny on through the hologram if need be, but there would be no physical meeting. Not unless it was safe for Sonny.
"You just found him Miss Mystic. The names Corso. Sonny Blackbones right hand man." he said, while notioning for her to sit down.
Callie looked around.
"Is there a place we can talk more privately? Some of my questions are kind of sensitive, and I am sure you dont want all pirates to know what happens aboard Sonny Blackbones ship" she said.
Corso nodded.
"The ship in question has a name, The Black Manta. And we can use the office space for the talk. All questions will have to be recorded. I will answer some on Sonnys behalf, for more techical questions, we will contact him" Corso said.
Callie looked disappointed.
"I was hoping to speak to Sonny" Callie tried.
Corso looked at her before he laughed.
"Missy, you are entertaining, Ill give you that. But you wont get to meet with Sonny. I got no guarantee you wont tell Technoid where he can be found. There is a price on his head, and you would not be the first to try to collect on it. Sonny is busy, so you get me, take it or leave it" Corso said.
Callie resigned.
The pirates was always careful, and Sonny more than most. It was understandable.
Callie nodded.
"Ok, here is the list of questions. If there is any of them Sonny would need to clarify, it would be wise if you called him now"...
Mei felt very stiff as she stretched this morning. They had played more calm training session these days. But it was hard to see the expression in D'Joks face. The resonance had been hard on Rocket too, it was clear to see that Rocket understood how D'Jok felt, but still, words was not his thing. He was the passer on midfield. Even Sinedd had looked compassionately at D'Jok after training. Sinedd had also experienced losing his flux altogether when playing with the shadows. He had even gone through a detox, realising just how dangerous the smog was. She had realised it when she tried to play with it. The smog made her feel as if she was choking. It was a horrible feeling. She decided to do a light stretching, to see if she could get the worst strain out of the muscles. D'Jok entered the training room, dressed in his training outfit. Mei was surprised.
"D'Jok, are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe you should rest more, until we know more about this resonance thing you and Rocket has" she suggested.
She then noticed Sonny and Clamp show up behind him, along with Rocket. Sonny too was dressed in a tracksuit.
"Mei, I wanted to ask you and Micro Ice to stay behind. The two of you were among the abductees, and this will allow for me and Clamp to gauge your strength. I dont trust Magnus Blade having told us all there is about this. So, this will be a session to test Rocket and D'Joks actual level of preformance. You and Micro Ice will be going through the same battery of tests, but at a slightly higher pace. The aim here is to collect data for comparison. We are aware that more players from the netherball sphere also has developed resonance. The aim now is to get exact numbers. As soon as that is done, I got an idea for something I want to try. The holo trainer provides a safety net to do it." Sonny explained with a smile.
Clamp nodded, slightly excited.
"When Sonny told me what he had found out, I figured the same as him. We got absolutely nothing to loose by trying. The way things head right now, we may not even get to finish this cup" he said.
That caused Mei to get a worried look in her eyes.
"How so? Are more players striken to the same level as D'Jok and Rocket?" Mei asked.
Sonny nodded.
"The degree varies, but all that participated in Netherball seems worse off than the ones striken in the paradisia cup" Sonny explained.
"So, what is the plan to counter it?" Mei asked as Micro Ice came to join them.
Clamp smiled.
"The solution is a mix of the same way we countered the virus the galactik kids has. Wich also explains the use of the holo trainer. The key to resolve it, or at least what we are going to try, based on what we read, is using Sonnys flux as a healing tool. Dame Simbai will join you inside the holo trainer, to assist Sonny with this. Sonny has already been tested, his flux is rocksolid, and strong. If this can give any benefits, we will extract a small amount of flux from Sonny afterwards, to see if we can make a cure based on that" Clamp explained.
Mei nodded. This was the best plan yet. Micro Ice was concerned though.
"When flux is extracted from a persons body, it leaves them weakened for some time right? If Technoid was to find out Sonny is here, they could capture him" Micro Ice pointed out.
Dame Simbai smiled.
"There is no need for worry Micro Ice. Sonny is completely safe. This area is a zone he can not be arrested in. As long as Sonny is inside The snow kids hotel, inside our hallway, he is safe" she said.
That made the snow kids lower their shoulders, as they took place inside the holo trainer to start the session...
Callie was thoughtful after meeting with Corso. This pirate chief, Sonny Blackbones, seemed to be a quite extraordinary man from how his men spoke of him. And Corso seemed to be suspicious of her every word, looking to see if she somehow tried to circle him in, in an attempt to hurt Sonny. Maybe she should feel offended by that, but she understood. The pirates was as close nit as you could get, hard to track down, but also, focused on keeping the galaxy safe. And with the documentation Corso had given her, without her ever getting to speak to the chief himself, she realised, they needed more background material here. But where to find it. The pirates was not exactly forthcoming with material about their past. When she returned to the station, she had to have appeared deeply thoughtful, as he boss had her come to his office.
Callie explained what kind of material she had received, but she needed someone to verify the pirates claims. Her boss rubbed his chin. Then he opened a drawer in his desk and took out a card. It was the address of a nursing home,in a poor part of Genesis. Callie studied the photo attacked to the file he also handed her. This woman had been a pirate, and wanted to get out. What had happened, no one could tell, all that was known, was that she would not share her story. And the name Magnus Blade seemed to make her eyes light up with anger.
Magnus Blade...where had she heard that name before..Callie thought it over for a second. Then she broke into a smile. It was time for her to visit with a former chief of police, before Technoid only used robots to do this task. If Magnus Blade held a key to this puzzle, she was going to help Technoid, and the pirates take him down at all cost...
All was set. His team had passed under the radar. It was uncertain now if the cup would be completed, something about the incident with The Xenons. Technoid had kept them from giving interviews so far, even the crafty Hush Sharky had not been able to get close to them. And with D'Jok now also infected with the resonance, Magnus had good reason to worry. If D'Joks health took a turn for the worse, or if Sonny figured out what was the case with Mei and Micro Ice, things they didnt even know themselves, there was nowhere in the galaxy that would ever be safe for him again. He hurt those kids, and Sonny Blackbones would come after him with all he had. Magnus knew that the closer to understanding what he had put into motion Sonny came, the less likely he was not to listen to a word he said. For Sonny, sentimental as he was, despite most people wanting to turn him in, and cash in on the bounty for his capture, Sonny still fought for them, trying to make up for a mistake he had once made. Sadly, that did not turn a profit. Magnus was no idealist. Money was power, and power only gave more power. Paradisia was forever lost, it would cost way more than he had to rebuild, perhaps after he claimed his place as ruler of the galaxy. Taxes would help him finalize his dreams. As for Sonny, he would find a way to deal with him. To seize power of the most powerful flux in the galaxy, he had to remind the pirates who gave them their flux back. The disadvantage was that his rival was the one that had the strongest flux. That made him twice as valuable. Valuable, because of his flux, and valuable, because he was wanted. Magnus checked the results. Good, His team, The pulsars would meet The pirates in the semi final. That was sure to be an explosive match...
Callie looked at the old man in front of her. He had given his all to Technoid, to the police. A human being that was burned out, but still passionate about his job.
This man had come to realise that Technoid did not always come across as being concerned for their employees. As she asked him about the strange weakness the Xenons had shown, and as the cup progressed, other teams too, all but The pirates, he paid particular attention. Callie read through the files. The pirates showed up far more often in the background of Technoid than she had expected. But the name Sonny Blackbones was not mentioned. The name Flora was named as a spy, whom specialiced in industrial espionage. She and her pirates had created problems for Technoid, since they had hacked the databases and were in there undetected. It wasnt discovered until Technoid started experiencing loss of information, files of new products. This task fell under General Bleylock to investigate. And within a few years, the spy had vanished, without a trace. In her place, stepped in a ruthless man, Magnus Blade. This pirate was behind a mask, he was more ruthless than Technoid needed to secure their research better. And for years, Magnus Blade was the leader. Until a change happened. The pirates instated a new leader, their current one. Sonny Blackbones. The file had little to no background on Sonny Blackbones. He had surfaced just months after the greta catastrophe on Akillian. As interesting this was, and the mystery he was, Callie knew this was not her story now. " How do the pirates tie in to the story of why the players are mysteriously sick, surely, you did not give me this file by accident?" she said, looking at the retired police man.
He smiled as he nodded.
"You are absolutely right. Technoid once could have solved this issue, with no need of outside help, as they do now. It all boils down to one scientist whom figured them out. He had the wits about him to leave, before they could give him the usual treatment. No one knows where he went, there are unconfirmed rumours, given Blackbones became a name with the pirates at the same time he disappeared. I cant say for sure, but Sonny Blackbones matches the missing scientist, in too many ways for it to be a coincidence" he said.
Callie nodded. With what was going on with the sick galactik football players, Technoid had clammed down the matter, no reporter, no matter what credentials, was allowed an interview. As of now, the latest was that Warren of The lightnings was also sick and in recovery on a hidden location. Technoid had managed to cover up the incident, and that struck her as odd. It was if they had help, and only certain information leaked out. Why? What was being hidden from view here? Could it be that Technoid was working with the pirates on this matter, in total secretsy? Come to think of it, once Sonny Blackbones had been arrested at the hospital, it had been the same story there. No one was allowed to see the pirate, while he received treatment. And still, Sonny Blackbones had help from his friends, and managed a spectacular escape, put in motion by his men. And when she thought of it, one of the snow kids had looked close to relieved when asked about the pirate chief. She shook her head. This would be a story for another time.
"How does this play in with the sick players?" she asked.
The policeman now had a smirk on his face.
"I would have figured you for smarter than this. Surely you see the connection here. If Sonny Blackbones is the missing scientist that managed to escape Technoid without getting his memories erased, he is also the one that can best aide this situation. The scientist I speak of had a spectacular track record. I never heard of a junior becoming professor as fast as he did. He specialized in flux related matters. " he said and handed Callie an old file.
Callie looked curious at it. As she opened it, she found several pictures inside. A woman, whom was believed diseased, by the name of Flora, and pictures of a younger, blonde man that carried deep resemblance to Sonny. Callie looked closer at the image. The old policeman nodded.
"Thats Sonny Blackbones,I am sure of it, before he became a pirate. A real ace. His education is impressive, considering his young age at the time. Sadly, the envy, and power plays within Technoid put an end to his career. If anyone has the know how to solve this, its him" the policeman said.
Callie stared at the photo. Somehow, she needed to get an interview with Sonny Blackbones. And he would not be easy to find.
"The pirates are a bit protective these days. I was allowed to meet with Corso. Wherever Sonny is hiding, Corso made it clear, I will only speak to him if and when it becomes necessary" she said.
The police man nodded that.
"We will hear from him in due time. This phenomenon that has struck so many players till now, is not a natural occurrence. Something caused this, and it is within the field of expertise Sonny is educated in. Pirate or not, he hasnt lost the touch with science. With this, and the threat a resurfaced Magnus Blade poses, we need Sonnys expertise to deal with the matter, if he cant solve this, football as we know it will seize to exist, and the galaxy may again fall into galactik war" he said.
Callie was silent as she heard that. It became even more crucial now to find out wich team Magnus Blade was using in the cup. Callie started to send out requests to her informants, before she called the number Corso had given her. She would have to do her part in saving the galaxy...
Mei had increased slowly the speed and intensity she kicked the ball with. Dame Simbai kept a close eye on her and Micro Ices health as they were pushing harder and harder with the drills. Meanwhile, Sonny had looked through the manual she had handed him. In a sense, he was not here to act as a player this time. For lack of a better description, his position was the same as Dame Simbais, a doctor in a sense, though she prefered the word healer. Now, he was going to tend to D'Jok and Rocket. The two players looked at him with hope in their eyes. This was not how they wanted to end their careers. Dame Simbai lightly touched Sonnys arm.
"Sonny, dont hesitate. Your flux does have this ability, the effect will be according to your intention. Try to clear your mind, and Ill lead you through the process" she said.
Sonny just nodded. The pressure felt immense. He was the leader of the pirates, he was used to handle situations like this. Except, if he got this wrong, he could end up harming his son and his team mate. That was the real worry. He was out of his depth. Sonny then removed the inhibitor bracelet from his wrist. He could feel the flux build up within his body. It was flowing through all of him, growing stronger as it picked up momentum. Maybe the inhibitors werent such a good idea after all, if they could cause the flux to become too strong when it was used...
Dame Simbai seemed to sense what was going on in his mind. The minute she touched his arm, Sonny felt like his flux surge calmed. Then it struck him. Dame Simbai was not just an agent for the flux society. She was a flux master. That meant she knew how all the fluxes worked, and she was the best possible help he could have with what he was about to do.
"I am ready Dame Simbai, lets start with Rocket" he said.
Dame Simbai smiled calmly, as she started to guide Sonny on the process his flux could be used to heal others...
Clamp had kept an eye out inside the holo trainer. Sonny seemed to get a hold of this, with Dame Simbais help, maybe the two of them could develop a cure for the resonance. The results was encouraging.
Clamp felt a need to head to the bathroom. Sonny and he had plans to work through the night if need be, after the extraction was completed. For once, one of his inventions, on Bleylocks orders, served the forces of good. Clamp put the system in a mode where Sonny and the others could exit at will from inside, as he headed to the bathroom.
Strange, no light. He was going to make a complaint to the hotel. That was when he heard a sound behind him. A buzzing, as if a machine or a robot was there.
Clamp felt sweat drip down his back. Old memories of General Bleylock rose to the surface, as he looked around.
There was a mechanical creature behind him, and another creature, with the nastiest fangs he had ever seen.
"No...it cant be" he whispered...
It was silent as they exited the holo trainer. Dame Simbai had stored all the results in her portable laptop. Mei and Micro Ice were not too happy about the extra rest time that was forced on them. They were young people, they wanted to explore the new things Genesis offered, and Dame Simbai had put a stop to their expeditions,by forcing them to take a rest. For D'Jok and Rocket, the rest was needed. D'Jok had managed to free himself of some of the heaviness in his limbs during this session, but Dame Simbai still demanded he use the mechanical massagers to help improve circulation. Rocket also felt like he had received a boost from Sonnys healing work. Dame Simbai said to keep a close eye on the two of them, to see if Sonnys flux had any effect on their situation. Finally, Dame Simbai also looked at the pirate chief himself. Sonnys stats remained good, it was like the use of his flux had not really effected him at all. But as a flux master, she knew such could be deceitful. Even if Sonny felt fine now, there was the chance he had drained himself more than he should. But a quick check up would let her know for sure.
"Sonny, I want to do a check up on you. This is a kind of work you have never done with your flux before. And it can be far more draining than you expect. If this demanded too much, you must rest a day or two before we can do the extraction" she said.
Sonny nodded it silently. He kept an eye on his son. It seemed to have worked like he hoped for, but he could not say for sure. At the moment, D'Jok and Rocket seemed stronger than before.
Dame Simbai opened the holo trainer so they could exit.
"Where is Clamp? I thought he was the only one that could open the holo trainer" said Rocket as he looked around.
Sonny looked around. Clamp had left all systems running, that meant something like a bathroom run, nothing major.
"He is nearby, give it a few minutes, he will come back" he said.
Dame Simbai nodded. She wanted to check Sonny as soon as she could, to make sure he was they entered her clinic, she had to run the normal tests, and found Sonny was fine. He handled the balancing of the flux fine.
She took the necessary samples from Sonny, and nodded to him as she was done and secured the tests in portable tubes.
"Now, to get these to Clamp for analysis" she said as she made the tubes ready.
Sonny nodded as he rose.
"Allow me, I am headed over there anyway. This will probably last through the night" he said.
Dame Simbai nodded.
"I will need for you to contact Brim Balarius, your flux needs be accessed and the training for full mastery must commence" she said.
Sonny nodded.
"Talk to Corso. He will let you have a copy of my schedule" Sonny said as he took the tubes and left for Clamps lab...
Something definately felt off for Sonny. Clamps workroom was located far off in the hallway, and the lights dimmed. There was a time he liked things being like this, because it made it easier to sneak around undetected. The problem now was, it also hid any enemy. Sonny could not explain why, but the closer he came to the room, the more the hairs stood up on his back. This was not a good sign. Sonny activated his signal, to have Corso alert for danger. Then, he drew his vapour laser. Better safe than sorry. Sonny silently opened the door and entered the room.
It was dark, and the computer system seemed undisturbed. Odd, he would have thought Clamp was here. Something told Sonny to move carefully. His eyes slowly got used to the dim light. Soon he could see a few silhouettes in the room. Sonny made his way over to the secure mini lab and locked the samples in. Now he could move more freely.
As he moved forwards, his foot bumped into something. Something soft, almost like...
Sonny bent down, and at the same time, he uttered a work in ancient shiloh. The code word would set off alarms on The Black Manta, getting assistance here in no time.
Then, he crouched down. It was a human being lying on the floor. Clamp. And he was out cold. As soon as Sonny found the light switch, he lid up the room.
He gasped. There was a mark on Clamps neck, and Sonny did not have to travel too far back to realise that he had experienced this too. But this could not be. They werent on friendly terms with Magnus,and had no good reason to attack Clamp. They would also be dead.
As soon as he heard steps behind him, Sonny rose, and lifted the unconscious Clamp.
"Do a full sweep of the room, then the hallway. And be careful. Whomever the enemy is, is dangerous" he said.
Corso had reached him and noticed the marks on Clamps neck.
"This cant be.." he whispered.
Sonny nodded.
"Call Dame Simbai. Clamp needs medical attention. And an antidote" he said.
Corso nodded.
"Sonny, we dont have any antidote for were lucky you survived on Paradisia. For Clamp, I dont know what we can do" he said.
Sonny nodded. For some reason, he knew this would end well, they already had the antidote.
"Now Magnus made his first big mistake Corso. And more will follow, until we can take him down. Never thought I would feel good about delivering a villain into the hands of Technoid, but there is always a first for everything" he said.
Corso looked confused.
"We got the antidote already Corso, cause Magnus had me injected with it on Paradisia. Its in my blood stream. Take a sample and develop an antidote from that. Magnus thinks he has the upper hand. And he just lost that advantage" Sonny explained as they walked towards Dame Simbais clinic with Clamp.
"How so Sonny, I am afraid you lost me" Corso said.
Sonny smirked.
"The mark of Clamps neck. Magnus just told us who his team is. Prepare for a take down as soon as I can have their identity confirmed. After that, we will bring in Magnus. It is time we, the pirates that want to keep the galaxy safe, face off against the pirates that want to enslave it"...