Micro Ice looked out the porthole as The Black Manta approached Genesis. The mood on board was tense. Corso and Artie tried to raise it, to no avail. Sonny in particular had gotten… scary. He hardly said anything and the expression on his face was outright dangerous.
Micro Ice thought about D'Jok. He knew Mei was worried, and she also tried to hide the worst of it from their kid.
He looked at Sonny, Corso, Bennett and Artie. Sonny was handing out assignments and orchestrated new teams to get things taken care of as fast as possible. He looked tense, and Corso sent him a look that spoke volumes. Micro Ice slowly approached them.
"Any news on D'Jok yet?" He asked carefully.
Sonny's expression softened and he even managed a smile.
"Not yet Micro Ice, but we're closing in. Artie has worked with his father, and did a scan, using D'Joks safety beacon. It's out of range, but there is a quadrant where tiny blips indicate an attempt to connect. Once we've landed, Corso will get ready to take off with a team to investigate. He'll be assisted by the Abraxian military." Sonny said. Micro Ice nodded" D'Jok is my best friend. Can I go on this mission?" He asked.
Corso nodded.
"Thanks for volunteering Micro Ice. I need your help to keep an eye on Sonny while I do this. Help him track down Professor Benson. We will call the Paladins for help. Then, there's the issue of our prisoner at Shiloh Security." He said.
Sonny nodded."Bennett is capable of handling that one. Bennett, since your key has been stolen, this means you now get to have your own personal bodyguard. They still need your palm print for the weapon, so you might become a target." Sonny said.
Corso nodded.
"Micro Ice, you have Sonny's back. Together, we might just get the bastard that kidnapped you behind bars." He promised.
Micro Ice nodded, feeling a little better.
"Just make sure D'Jok gets back home safe and sound, I will take care of the rest."
He had to leave, and fast.
Professor Benson was furious. The Abraxian military couldn't keep Sonny contained? And they didn't even get a Flux sample? And now he is allied with the rebels. Just peachy. Even worse, the Abraxians were turning on him. Things were getting dangerous and he was running out of time. He had to get out of here before he was cornered. Taking one last look back, he left everything behind.
"You're too late, Blackbones. By the time you get back on track, I will have won."
They landed on Genesis. Corso decided to join Sonny and Callie at home for the next twenty four hours. Sonny already had his plan ready, but before their new missions started, they had something else to do. Callies appointment for an ultrasound was the next day. They wanted both to be there. As they took off for the doctor's office the following morning, Callie looked at her two husbands. They parked outside the Technoid building where Callies doctor resided. Corso looked at the building, as they exited the car.
"Don't know if I'll ever fully trust Technoid, but I'm willing to try for you." He finally said.
Callie smiled shyly.
"Thank you. I know this is probably hard for you." She said as she leaned in and gave him a small kiss.
Corso smiled as he carefully embraced her.
"For you, for the baby, for us." He said.
Sonny observed the situation with a smile on his was good to see Corso healing from his old fears.
As they entered, they went to the front desk where a nurse sat. She looked up from her laptop with a smile.
"Mrs. Blackbones. The doctor will be with you shortly." She said.
"Is it alright if my husbands are there for the ultrasound?" Callie replied.
Adele, the nurse, smiled at them.
"I'm sure Doctor Blix will have no issue with that. Should there be any questions, don't hesitate to ask." She smiled.
The door to the doctor's office opened, and an elderly man came out.
"Callie, you're just in time. And you brought your husbands, too." He smiled.
Sonny and Corso both shook his hand before they walked into the office. Callie got ready to have the ultrasound. Sonny helped her lay down on the bench. He smiled at her as she exposed her stomach. The doctor sat down and applied a gel to it. Sonny and Corso took a side each and held Callies hands. As soon as the doctor started, they could hear the rapid sound of the baby's heartbeat. Corso looked tense, but his eyes were on the screen, which showed a tiny human being.
"Doctor, we need to know who the biological father is. Both Sonny and I have some rather serious health issues that could affect the baby." Corso said quietly.
The doctor looked at him.
"I'm not seeing signs of any disease, but I understand your concern. Could you please elaborate?" He asked gently.
Corso sighed.
"It's a Chromosome error. My first daughter had it as well. I don't know if it came from me or my wife or… " Corso's voice shivered, and he felt Callie clench his hand, looking at him, with tears in her eyes.
The doctor knew the disease Corso was talking about. They even had a specialized hospital to treat it now.
He decided not to pry as he looked at Sonny.
"I'll look into this. What was your concern, Mister Blackbones?" He said.
Sonny nodded.
"Not as serious as Corso's, but I have several severe allergies. I can handle them, but I'm worried about the baby." He said.
The doctor nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll take a blood sample from you both, and I'll check who the biological father is." He said.
Sonny nodded, then focused on the screen. He felt humbled. He was about to sit down, when his gaze fell on a shadow on the screen.
He focused on the place where he saw it. He saw it again and smiled.
"That's a second baby." He stated.
Callie and Corso both looked at him. The Doctor also checked where Sonny pointed to. He smiled.
"You're a sharp observer. Congratulations gentlemen, she's having twins." He said.
Corso smiled. Two babies. That was going to be an adventure.
The doctor took the blood samples from both of them, before they headed off. Within two days, they would know more.
At Shiloh Security, Bennett was watching the grid search for D'Jok. Micro Ice, Artie and even Thran helped him. No results thus far. Artie widened his search by a five mile radius for each search, and still came up empty.
"This is going to take days." Thran said, reaching for a bottle of water.
Bennett nodded.
"We just have to stay at it. Sonny's counting on us. As soon as we have something, Corso will be off on The Black Manta. We just need a traceable signal." He said.
Artie made a new search grid. Artie's father was also helping from Stellar Unix, together with Zoltar and Coran.
"I got a signal, but it's weak." He suddenly said.
Artie nodded, and brought up the maps for the area in question. It was at the outskirts of the Galaxy.
Bennett looked over Artie's shoulder. As soon as they had a new ping, he decided to call Sonny.
"Sonny, we got a signal. It's close to Stellar Unix." He reported.
Relief washed over Sonny's face.
"Good work. I'll contact the paladins. If you have the schematics, send them over. I'll relay it to Corso." He said.
Bennett nodded and did as he was told. As soon as that was taken care of, he ended his call with Sonny.
"How about all of us head down to the bar for a drink? My treat." Bennett offered.
No one turned down a free round of drinks, and soon, they all headed down to the bar.
The captive stranger sat in his cell. He wasn't bothered because his job was done. The palm print was scanned from when he delivered a meal and it was sent to his masters. They let their guard down. He smiled as he received new orders. His time here was over and he vanished into thin air.
Prince Zoltar became a strong warrior since the last time the Pirates saw him. Solaris smiled at them, as did their children.
Zoltar paid close attention to his maps. The area D'Jok was in, was one he knew well. He was held there by the Abraxian military, on a small moon. As Sonny had updated him on their latest discoveries, Zoltar knew they were running out of time.
"Sonny, if I may. This is a big operation. We have no idea what state your son is in, we need to act fast if we want to ensure his safety. Why don't you leave this rescue mission to us? We're closer, and we have the manpower to bring him to safety." He said.
Sonny nodded, knowing he was right.
"Alright. As soon as he's safe, let me know, I will send Corso and a team to bring him home." He said.
"Don't worry, he'll see his new sibling soon." Zoltar said.
Sonny smiled slightly.
"He'll be having two. Callie is having twins." He said.
Solaris showed up behind her husband.
"Congratulations to all three of you. I'll find time to attend the Baby Shower once this is over. Maybe I'll even bring a surprise." She said with a bright smile.
Sonny chuckled.
"I think you need to ask Callie about that." He said.
"I just hope this one goes off without any trouble." Callie's voice said behind him.
Sonny turned and pulled his wife into an embrace.
Solaris chuckled when Corso joined them, putting an arm around each of them.
"Still in love?"She asked.
"I couldn't ask for more." Sonny said.
"I'm almost jealous." Zoltar said with a small laugh. Solaris ruffled his hair lovingly.
"Don't be mean now." She scolded him.
Zoltar smiled, every bit as much in love with his wife now as when he married her.
After a little small talk, Sonny ended the conversation. Corso looked at him.
"So, now that the paladins will handle rescuing your son, what do I have to do?" He asked.
Sonny nodded and pulled up a file on his laptop.
His face hardened when he looked at Professor Craig Benson's face.
"Find and capture Craig Benson. He's a part of this and we need to get to the bottom of his involvement.." Sonny ordered.
Corso nodded.
"I'll get right to it. What will you be doing?" He asked. Sonny smiled deviously.
"I'll inform Duke Maddox about our latest discoveries, and then, I'll use the information and Life Force samples to find a solution to the Resonance. I have an idea, though it won't be popular." Sonny said.
Corso sighed.
"Right now we just need to make sure it'll work out."
D'Jok crawled around in the ducts for hours. He moved quietly and fast, like Sonny had taught him. He planned to get out of here. Soon, he found the place where ships docked. It was guarded. For a moment, he considered checking if there were more cells like his own, but his instincts stopped him, but D'Jok focused on his own escape. He finally found something that looked like a panel and he eased his way towards it. It led into a dark room, with a strange looking weapon, and a contraption, meant to hold down a person. D'Jok gasped when he realised why he had been taken. This was what Micro Ice had warned him about.
The guard at Shiloh Security was approaching the cell area, to feed the prisoner his last meal of the day. Why Sonny still held him captive and didnt turn him over to Technoid, he never got.
He couldn't believe his eyes when he entered the cell. He soon sounded the alarm.
"Everyone to their posts. We have a prison break."
Yes, we are closing in on the group.
Who are they? What role does Professor Benson play in it all?
Will Sonny solve the Resonance mystery in time to avoid disaster?
And can Brim Balarius shed more light on who they deal with?
More to come very soon!
Thank you ParanoidGirl for the Beta Reading.
For all my readers, stay safe through this pandemic and keep your thoughts positive. Happy reading!