Sonny slowly opened his eyes. His chest felt a bit sore from the incision the doctor had made to remove a foreign object that his x ray of Sonnys chest had shown. The doctor had given him a special cocktail before the incision had been done, that had sent him into a sedated state while they worked. Now, Corso removed the portable respirator they had used to keep him breathing while he was sedated. Before long, Sonny took a few breaths, as Corso looked over at the doctor, whom read over his diagnostics on the pirate chief, while Corso gently helped Sonny into a better position in bed.

"How is things looking Doc? Did we fix the problem?" Corso asked as he tucked the duvet around Sonny, after helping him put a fresh t shirt on.

The doctor grinned and showed them what looked like tiny metal shavings of an unknown origin in a small vail.

"I would say so Corso. Sonny should heal a bit faster now that this thing is gone. It was a neat little thing you did with that tube around the injured Blood vessel. I would think there is nothing to worry about now. All that is needed, is for Sonny to rest as much as he possibly can. I will analyze these things, and get back to you as soon as I know more about the origin and purpose" the doctor said.

Sonny now was alert enough to request to see the vail. The doctor handed it to him. Sonny looked at the tiny metal pieces. It looked like a work in progress that had been stopped before it was finished. He could imagine why. And it was not going to happen.

To think these tiny shavings could have meant the difference between life and death if it had been allowed to stay in there, or if Technoid had continued their treatment of him... Well, that was no longer a worry. It had been taken care of and he could now finally focus on getting back on his feet.

Corso seemed thoughtful as he looked at the vail.

"We need this analyzed Sonny. I am not sure, but I think Technoid has used some kind of nano technology here that is yet unknown. Lord knows they have the man power and capacity. Looks like they made you into a guinea pig after all. I just want to make sure you are not made to suffer unneccesary, good thing we got rid of it" he said.

Sonny agreed.

"This doctor that you mentioned Corso, is this something you would reccognize to be his doing?Technoid recruits people from all over the galaxy, not doing any background checks at all, at least not in Bleylocks days. That is where this problem with the sharks in there started. Lack of or no control at all " Sonny said.

Corso nodded.

"Yes Sonny,he made prosthetics and other artificial bodyparts for the military, at first as cheap as possible, to help out soldiers that was wounded in the wars. Then, when he was fired, he joined Technoid, and what he has done there, I would not know. Probably nothing good.I would hope he had evolved into a decent human being, but it seems that it not the case. He seems to still be doing the same as he did in the military. His creations back in the day proved to be a very effective way of poisoning prisoners of war too. And I suspect, there has been troublesome individuals removed by using his creations, especially those that could turn whistle blowers. Seeems he cut that out when he went with Technoid, but who knows what those people working there now is capable of" he muttered.

Sonny could only sigh.

"They have evolved since then Corso, gotten more cunning and more sneaky. I am not at all convinced that they stopped using the same methods to deal with internal threats or threats outside of their own teams ever. I saw the first stages of that development during my time with them. And now, its time we start finding a way to let Duke Maddox know just what goes on inside his company with regard to how his employees are treated. I should have done it sooner. I was hoping he would make some grips himself, seems I was wrong. That, or he is too naive and gullible to understand or even see what is going on under his nose" Sonny confessed.

He felt Corsos hand on his shoulder.

"Its not your fault Sonny, Stop carrying the galaxy on your shoulders. you were a young man back then, more busy with your career than with the wheeling and dealing that went on, there is no one expecting you to know what went on" Corso reminded him.

Sonny nodded.

"True Corso, but I did also obtain the evidence of something fishy going on. Maybe things had been different if I had acted on it then. Hopefully I can use what I know now to turn things around for the better" he said.

Corso disagreed.

"The only thing I see go different if you did back then Sonny, is that Bleylock and the other bad apples would have been on your case a lot sooner. Those scientists that I have heard of, that disappeared without a trace, never to be seen or heard of again, you could easily have been one of them,infact, I think it is obvious you would have been, Bleylock protected you to some degree, but that was because you were still naive enough to serve as a puzzle piece in his plan to seize power" Corso said.

Sonny could not argue that.

"As soon as Artie gets here with the things I told him to get for me, we will make a detailed plan for how to proceed with this. This time, Duke Maddox will proceed with a trial over the past, it wont matter if I am there or not, I would still be convicted in absentia, and since I dont plan on letting that happen, we will need to prepare a defence that will keep them at bay until we know more." Sonny said, a bit more fierce than he had planned on. And the strain made him cough, hard. Corso sat down beside him on the bed and gently tapped him on the back till the cough stopped.

"Easy Sonny, you still need to rest, we have taken care of the injury, true, but you are not ready to be in active duty yet. Take the time to rest up for once. I will do the dirty work, that is easier if I know you are in a safe place and actually resting" Corso said with a small laugh in his voice.

The doctor packed up his gear, and was shown safely out by Callie, whom had a sick day that Corso had arranged.

She looked at them both.

"I guess, you have some sort of plan of action Sonny? You acting this fierce tells me, this whole situation is eating on you, and you are not about to accept blame for anything you can not be positively proven that you are guilty of" Callie concluded, looking at him.

Sonny smiled.

"Guilty as charged Callie. I dont trust Duke Maddox to play by the rules. Their actions following my rescue, is showing desperation. And I came to wonder why. And it turns out, the answer was far more simple than I expected. Seems someone has made me from the good old days and I am quickly becoming an even bigger threat than I was before. A threat they need to eliminate, if they are to hold on to their ways." Sonny concluded.

Corso looked at him.

"You are planning to make Duke Maddox an offer, one that he would be an idiot to refuse, arent you?" Corso concluded, looking at Sonny.

Sonny smirked.

"Yes, but to do it, I need those things I asked Artie to get me. We need to make a video presentation for him, a sort of window to the past. If Duke Maddox wants to go ahead and actually put this before a judge and jury, he had better be prepared that the defence also has some dark issues to confront him and technoid with. Duke Maddox know, I am the last of a group of scientists, that knows about this. What he doesnt know, is that I got the evidence to prove it. If he is smart, he is not going to risk the public embarassment this would be for Technoid. Its a dirty truth they have kept hidden, for a long time. It may even be forgotten by those that works there now. I swore I would never forget, not with what I saw, or the video footage I got. To make sure this will hold, I will need the help of a mandated reporter to make it details are horrific, Personally, I would prefeer not to go down that route,but if I have to expose it, I want to make sure it is all there. It so happens, we have a lovely lady in this room whom happens to be just that. Callie, can I count on your assistance with this report?" Sonny asked and turned to look at his hostess.

Callie smiled.

"I dont see how I could turn down such an offer. It must be the Blackbones charm" she said.

That made them all laugh.

Artie had arrived with several boxes, and they were now gathered in Callies bedroom to view the content. As soon as Corso realised what Sonny was aiming to do, he looked worried.

"You had better be sure this will work Sonny. If this backfires,I am not sure how you are going to get out of it. This material..It disgusts me, and yet, I wonder how you, of all people, managed to secure this footage. You risked your life for this...if Bleylock had known what you were doing, he would have killed you in a heartbeat" Corso said.

Bennett agreed. Artie had been tasked with preparing a light meal, since they wanted to spare him seeing these things,due to his young age. Sonny was thoughtful where he lay, he still tired easily and had to rest more than he was used to. Good thing he had Corso by his side to take over.

"I wasnt working this alone Corso, there were others, whom took great risks to secure this footage, in all its grim details. I was asked to safe keep it, wich I have, up till now. But now, Duke Maddox is forcing this move, with the threat of a trial against me. He has to understand that this is not going to go down silently or without a fight" Sonny commented dryly.

"You still havent told us what you plan on doing. The only thing I know for sure is, you wont be facing him yourself. You are not strong enough to make a clean get away yet, and I am not about to let them imprison you again" Corso stated.

Sonny nodded, as he took a glass of water to drink.

"Thats why you will be delivering my message to him Corso. He wont expect that move, not now with your bounty in place. I am going to offer him a deal on this matter. Its his call if he wants Technoid to still excist, or have the truth desimate the companys reputation, not to mention what a smear it will leave on the Maddox name. I imagine he will be reasonable" Sonny said.

Corso nodded.

"Lets hope so, if not, I got a feeling he will get to see a side of Sonny Blackbones and his pirates that he wont like".

It was late in the evening at Duke Maddox home. Sometimes, it felt like the shadows were a lot colder and darker than they actually were. Duke Maddox was walking through the hallways of his home, thinking about the last days events. There was no way he was going to be able to find Blackbones right now, with an injury like he had, the pirates was sure to go underground, and stay out of sight until Sonny felt better. He had tried to bait them, and he had received reports, Corso had been seen, despite the bounty for his capture. Either, the pirates was doing this on purpose, or Corso was colder than Sonny, not worried about anything as long as he could make sure Sonny was hidden.

Duke Maddox ended up in his home office. This was where it had all started, generations of Maddox es ago. The foundation of his company Technoid had been laid in this office, this was a place where many a deal had been signed, to make Technoid grow and prosper.

And for some reason, this very room felt cold, almost hostile on this evening. Duke Maddox shrugged it of. He was imagining things. But as he went to sit down, he heard a sound behind him.

"Whos there?" he asked.

No one replied off course.

Duke Maddox intended to sit down on his chair, when he felt a laser pointed to his neck.

"Block his alarm, then we can talk" sounded a voice.

Duke Maddox looked up.

A man in a military cap, a grey coat with fur, and work pants stood in front of him, a laser aimed at his hear. The cybernetic eye told him all he needed to know. This was Corso, the pirates second in command stood before him, surely sent by Sonny whom was laying low.

"Stay calm, and no harm will be done. I am here on Sonnys behest. He has an offer to make you" Corso said, as he nodded to Artie to stand guard.

Duke Maddox nodded, and was allowed to sit down, in safe distance of the alarm button, the pirate Bennett made sure of that.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked.

Corso approached the desk.

"Sonny knows you might try to blame him for matters he didnt do, and wanted to even the playing field some before you actually start the process of a trial against him. Sonny does admit to some minor thefts, and he is prepared to accept blame for that. And so, he has an offer to be made in regards to how a sentence can be served, without any prison time being part of the deal. He also suspects, based on your conversation with him, this is not your intention either. So here is his first suggestion" Corso said and placed a handwritten note on the table.

Duke Maddox picked it up and read through it. When he was finished, he nodded.

"It is a wise suggestion, not that I would expect any less coming from him. I can accept this as part of an agreement, I am curious as to what he will offer up in return" Duke Maddox said.

Corso nodded.

"Sonny figured you would say is willing to finish off some projects left behind when he fled, and improve things. For the instance you would object, Sonny also has a countermeasure in mind. I hope you wont force him to use it though. Here is what Sonny is prepared to do to make up for the prison sentence not happening" Corso said. and placed a second note on the table.

Duke Maddox looked at him. as he read through it, he looked slightly disgruntled, but detemined to settle the matter. But he had a question of his own regarding Sonnys counter measure.

"Please explain the counter measures on Sonnys part. I would be interested in hearing what kind of actions Sonny Blackbones plans to make against Technoid if this falls through. Its one thing to strike a deal, better not get over confident about the result" Duke Maddox warned.

Corso grinned.

"I have not known Sonny to be the over confident kind. Honest and just are more accurate descriptions. But here is what will happen if you try to fabricate any evidence of guilt against him. Sonny has an excellent memory, he will pull the first suggestion of the table in a heartbeat if you try to frame him for anything this time. And mind you, Sonny has resources, and help in places you would never think" Corso said.

Duke Maddox started to get tired of being polite.

"I cant see how he would be able to do anything against Technoid from the position he is in. This had better be good" he growled.

Corso smirked. And then, he pulled out a small holo projector.

"I think this message will make you reconsider any idea you had of double crossing him this time. If Sonny goes through with this, and mind you, he will if you force him, I doubt there will be much left, if anything at all, of Technoids credibility, or the Maddox family name for that matter" Corso said calmly.

Duke Maddox felt chills down his spine. It couldnt possibly be that Sonny knew anything about the secrets that his ancestors had tried to hide, could it?

Corso played up a video file. Duke Maddox started sweating as he saw it. He had to accept the deal Sonny was offering. With this video, just a small fraction of what Sonny actually knew about matters, Sonny had played his hand, and shown that he could destroy Technoid, without breaking a sweat.

Corso planted his hands on the desk in front of Duke Maddox, putting on his best smile.

"Do you need to discuss matters further, or do we have a deal you will put in writing?" he asked.

Duke Maddox knew he was defeated. He couldnt risk it. If Sonny went forth with this, Technoid would collapse.

"We got a deal".