This was it. D'Jok felt as if he had been kept out of the loop long enough. This was his friend that was involved, he needed to get in. Iris didn't look too worried. She was just excited to see her grandparents. Mei smiled at him when they exited the car. Iris wore her Pirate outfit today, equipped with a toy sword. They arrived at the gated Blackbones house. They valued their privacy a lot these days. Technoid made sure to help. D'jok wondered what kind of information Technoid could provide his father about Micro Ice. Mei lifted Iris and let her ring the bell.
"Corso, get out the red carpet, we have a royal visitor." Sonny said as he took a step back, playing Iris' favourite game.
"I'm Iris, Pirate princess, and I'm here to help." Iris said, swinging her toy sword.
"I don't know. It won't be easy." Sonny said, bowing. "A Princess should leave that to her subjects." He played along. Corso did, too.
"Your Majesty, it is an honor." He said, bowing deeply as well. They all played along, trying not to laugh as Iris was led into the house like royalty.
"Good day, Princess, came to have a meeting with the Queen?" Callie tried. Soon enough, the game was over and they were getting ready for dinner. They didn't speak about any issues during dinner to make sure Iris wasn't scared but as soon as they were finished eating, Mei approached her daughter.
"I think Grandma has a surprise for you, why don't you see what it is?" She asked. D'Jok looked at his father and Corso.
"Can we get down to business now?" He asked. Sonny nodded with a smile. The three of them excused themselves to go somewhere more private. Mei looked at Callie.
"I noticed your change of clothes. And you don't have your usual appetite. Should I congratulate you?" Mei asked with a small smile. Callie smiled. No hiding it from her.
"Indeed. There's a baby on the way." She said. Mei smiled. It was heartwarming to see these three people build up a happy life.
"I'll help you out. I've got experience, you know?" Mei joked. Callie smiled.
"Let's just hope that the Baby shower goes better." She joked back. Mei nodded as she remembered that disaster. Iris now put a hand on Callie's Belly.
"I'll protect you and the baby." She said. Callie and Mei just exchanged a warm smile.
In the Cellar, D'Jok smiled when they told him about the new addition to the family.
"But let's get down to business. Here." Sonny said as he opened his laptop. The three sat down as D'Jok read through the files. It dawned on him just how big this was.
"Do you have any idea of where Micro Ice is?" He asked. Sonny nodded.
"He's on Akillian. Micro Ice made contact with Artie, so we know his story. Corso will take the Black Manta and a team to extract him and bring him here." Sonny said. D'Jok nodded. That came as no surprise.
"Where is he going to stay?" He asked. Sonny smiled.
"Bennett's place would be nice, the two of them should get along well." He said.
Rocket stared out the window as he woke up in Dame Simbai's clinic. He was given an injection and now had to wait for the effects. He really hoped this would heal his Resonance. He fondly remembered the celebration for D'Jok's graduation as a Flux Master. It felt strange that they now all lived on Genesis. Becoming a Flux Master was a big deal. They could now use their Flux outside of football. Micro Ice's absence put a damper on things. Still, he was glad for the sense of normalcy it brought, however fleeting. He looked at Dame Simbai, who studied a screen.
"Is it alright if I call Clamp and Sonny to be here when you receive the results? They might be able to help." She said. Rocket nodded.
"Sure, can I read my Trainer's manual while we wait?" He asked. Dame Simbai nodded as Rocket picked up his tablet.
Corso checked the maintenance report from Bennett before he restocked The Black Manta. This was going to be a quick mission. Micro Ice shouldn't be hard to find. Sonny looked at him as he got ready in their Cabin.
"This ship sure holds a lot of memories." Corso mused. Sonny smiled back as he placed his hand on his old bed.
"A lot of adventures started in this cabin." He said. Corso nodded as he pulled his husband into an embrace.
"I lost count of how many times I had to clean your ass up after a mission." He reminisced. Sonny laughed softly as he kissed him.
"And look how that turned out." He said. Sonny's transmitter buzzed. Corso chuckled.
"We can never have a moment." He said. Sonny answered the call with a smile. It was Dame Simbai.
"Get a hold of Clamp, I'll be over shortly." He promised. Corso smiled as Sonny ended the conversation.
"Sounds like good news." He commented. Sonny nodded with a smile.
"We may not have a cure yet, but the results are promising. She wants me to come over to see for myself and help out." He said. Corso smiled.
"You go right ahead. We'll head out in thirty minutes ourselves to get Micro Ice." He said. Sonny nodded as they headed for the loading dock. Corso led Sonny to the ramp, before he pulled him in for one last kiss before he took off to Dame Simbai's clinic.
On Akillian, Micro Ice's mother didn't notice anything was wrong. To her, Micro Ice was his old self, doing his own thing, so she didn't see him often. She herself mostly spent time with Maya. They bonded a lot since D'Jok moved out. She looked up from the paper she was reading as she had her morning coffee. There was an article about a burglary in a store house.
"I hope you're doing okay." She said. Micro Ice grabbed a cup of coffee as he looked for his warm clothes.
"I'll be alright but I have to go now." He said. His mother just shook her head as her son hurried out the door.
The flight from Genesis had gone without a hitch. Corso landed in stealth mode. No need to advertise their arrival. First, they had to locate Micro Ice. They already had a starting point; his mother. Corso wore his old outfit. He actually missed his coat. He looked for a mode of transportation before he dispatched his team to look for Micro Ice. Corso decided on a snowmobile. Maybe he would see the graves of his family if he had the time.
Micro Ice drove up the icy road on the side of a mountain to the warehouse. He hated having to let Zoeline down, hated having to lie to D'Jok. But he knew his employees were bad news and had to do something about it. He noticed something in the rear view mirror. A snowmobile. What was that doing here? This was private property. Micro Ice waited until the snowmobile got closer. The driver lost control on the icy road. Micro Ice wanted to help, but couldn't leave his truck. He could only watch as the snowmobile broke the railing and fell into the depths. He realized the driver looked familiar and when he saw a grappling gun shoot out at the edge of the road, he knew it was a Pirate. What was one of them doing here? Micro Ice stormed over to where the grappling hook attached.
"Hang on, I'll secure the hook!" He shouted as he did so with some picks from his truck. He stepped back as the Pirate pulled himself up. Micro Ice looked closer and recognized him as he climbed on the ledge.
"Corso!?" He stammered. "Did Sonny send you?" Corso nodded as he instinctively looked around.
"Whatever you got caught up in, it's bad news. You're coming with me to Genesis." Corso said. Micro Ice looked at him.
"I'm sorry Corso, but I can't. I have to stay here and do my job. They might… hurt people if I leave." He said with desperate eyes. Corso was puzzled for a moment, before he nodded.
"I'll meet you at your mom's place, after your rounds. Don't worry, I'll be careful." He said. Micro Ice nodded. He went to the driver side of his car and opened the secret compartment. He gave Corso the items.
"It looks like Flux… maybe Sonny knows." He said. Corso nodded.
"Just be careful and don't be late. I'll talk to Sonny about this." He said. Micro Ice nodded. Corso said goodbye before he called Stevens to come pick him up.
On a distant planet, a masked man viewed the footage from the office where the missing items had been located. He saw Micro Ice knock a box over and pick up the file and the tubes.
"Find Micro Ice and terminate him."
A/N: Micro Ice has gotten into trouble. Let's see how it works out.
Thank you Paranoidgirl, for betaing the story.