The salve Sonny had made,had healed the extrenal injury, but it didnt make Corso wake up. Sonny was not surprised at that, his salve would not help, not against nano technology. Bennett and Artie were getting edgy about this, and increasingly worried for Corso. Sonny felt like he was in a real tight spot with all this.
And terribly alone. He could not tell Bennett and Artie, or even Callie of Doctor Crawens demands, they would be sure to tip him off, through their actions. Well, first things first. He had to put Doctor Crawen at a disadvantage. Corsos cybernetic eye had to be infused with a protection pirate issued software, one that would block the doctors eye on them, and Sonny had an idea for how to make that happen, the same protection softwareware that they used when they dealth with involuntarily placed implant microphones in people. It wasnt a new trick, the pirates was well aware of how Technoid often resorted to this, from back in the day. That thing too had released a lethal poison into the recipient that was infected too. Doctor Crawen seemed to have taken this one step further, with his own little handy work, and infused nano technology to the mix. The implications this could have for military personell on other planets, was not good news. It had to be stopped. Sonny realised, his surrender to the doctor and whomever he worked with,had to be the very last resort. He had other plans to follow through on had to first of all, remove Corsos current cybernetics, and replace it with something that he had made himself. The problem with that was, then Crawen could no longer see the video feed. He would suspect something was wrong, and could remote activate the nano bugs in Corsos body, to initiate an attack to demonstrate force. And Corso would end up having to pay the ultimate price for that, his life.
No, the only safe way to go about it was,he had to bring in outside help. Someone not close, and keep Bennett and Artie in the dark. Could he remove Corsos eye, using the excuse that it needed to be rinsed maybe? Sonny thought it over. If he could have someone trace Doctor Crawens signal through the infected cybernetics, and at the same time make sure a video file could be shown to indicate the feed still worked, and pretend the microphone was broken, they stood a chance of keeping him at bay. Some of the pirates protection software would take care of that. Sonny made an encrypted message to one of his best spies, with spesific orders. You didnt threaten the pirates or him like this, and thought you could get away with it. Once he was done, he asked Artie to have Stevens bring a new cybernetic eye for Corso. The one he had, needed rinsing, and a chemical treatment, Sonny claimed.
Though this was an odd request, Bennett and Artie didnt question his decision. They just did as they were asked, like good pirates.
Sonny tried to act calm, but he was struggling. He had to find a way to be prepared for the next step of dealing with this threat. Since he was still watched, Sonny decided to put on a show for his unknown enemy. He started doing careful work outs, to build strength.
Doctor Crawen was very satisfied with himself. He had struck a deal with Blackbones, whom seemed unable to realised he could both hear and see him at will. Blackbones was being watched, but had not yet figured out how it seemed, as he went about pirate business as usual from wherever he was hiding. Too Bad Corsos cybernetic eye would not allow for him to track Corsos current location. That would have made it easier. But it seemed legit, when Blackbones asked for two weeks to make sure he had recovered enough to make it to a rendevouz point of his choosing, to give himself up. The nano technology he had used was state of the art, the latest available upgrades. They were also not filed in Technoids or Chissian files. Blackbones could search those all he wanted, he would find nothing. But he was sure to make a try. But this time, he would find himself outsmarted and outplayed. His new bosses would be pleased when the contract could finally be fulfilled. Sure, they all knew his identity as a pirate, but they also knew his skillset. Doctor Crawen had personally made ready the equipment needed to keep him calm. As he looked at his rich variety of poisons, he was surprised Blackbones had not been able to disable his little cameras in his friends cybernetics. But all the better for him. Now, he would know first hand what the pirate chief was capable of doing.
Sonny had waited till the dead of night to call in his doctor friend, under the guise that Corso needed medical attention again. But as soon as the doctor arrived, he realised, Sonny had a different plan in mind. The first thing was, Sonny kept his voice very low, and he deliberately spoke in ancient shiloh. Unless you were a pirate yourself, this was a language you just did not understand. To the untrained, it sounded like a lot of sentences that didnt make sense, kind of like a drunk mans rambling. But Sonny Blackbones was neither drunk or rambling. He notified the doctor of his finds. The doctor knew what Sonny asked him to do. Fake it, to make it look like a normal procedure to tend to Corsos cybernetics went wrong, and his cybernetic eye being replaced. Sonny had been very spesific in his message about the make and model of what cybernetic Corso was used to. The new eye looked identical to the one he normally wore, But with one notable difference. This one had a hack proof system. Not even nano technology could breach this. Sonny always made sure of that when he handcrafted special tools like this. He had several models,but had made extras of this, since he knew how Corso felt about his looks. He wasnt going to change hs friends appearance, but he was going to make sure it was less vulnerable than normal. The Doctor had also brought a special mix Sonny had requested, to see if it could disable the nano technology that ravaged Corsos body all together. But first of all, they needed to remove Doctor Crawens window to spy on them directly. The pirates doctor played a convincing role, where Corsos eye had to be taken out. Sonny made sure it was placed in a box that would not allow any signal to escape it. Once the box was locked securely, Sonny breath a sigh of relief.
"Artie, have Stevens and the boys link a silent feed of images, to the receiver of the data. Make a video throughout a few days and mix it up, to make it look a bit different day by day. Try to track its origin if possible. If I have it my way, I will serve this doctor on a platter to Maddox, its just another nail in his coffin" Sonny said.
Both Bennett and Artie found Sonny to act a bit strange. Something about this doctor had set something off in their boss, and they could sense there was a fury they had not seen in a while, burning just beneath the surface. And anyone that knew the pirates, would know this to be a bad omen.
The doctor had targeted Corso, Sonnys absolutely closest friend, putting his life in jeopardy. Sonny was understandably furious over that, and if you were a pirate, you knew better than to upset Sonny Blackbones. Sonny was dangerous to the villains on a normal basis, but when angered, he would become even more sneaky and more devious than normal. Sonny had made them stand guard, as he informed the doctor of the nano technology they were faced with. The doctor paid close attention to the details Sonny revealed. He had dabbled in the field, so he knew something, just not a whole lot about it. And it seemed, he needed someone with more knowledge of the subject, to deal with it the proper way.
"I myself dont know too much about the subject Sonny, and I suspect, this isnt your field of speciality either. You may need some outside help, and if at all possible, access to Doctor Crawens notes and progress reports on this. I take it you have checked the Technoid data base?" he asked.
Sonny nodded.
"That, and using Corsos clearance codes,to the chissian military. Nothing. Doctor Crawen left nothing to chance, he wiped those records clean before he left, or he has not listed this invention anywhere. Him being Bleylocks man, that isnt even surprising, they all operated like that" he said.
The doctor nodded.
Most of the pirates associates knew of Sonnys past with Bleylock, but not much. Sonny had deliberately chosen, either to protect others, or himself, no one knew for certain,to not disclose what he knew. Unless fate forced his hand, he didnt think Sonny was going to say anything either, at least not now.
Sonny seemed to think. He had to study this technology more, find out if he could beat Doctor Crawen at his own game. Sure, it wasnt his field of expertise, but he had undertaken missions outside his field of expertise before, and was a quick learner. And this had the potential of becoming a useful tool to the pirates later on. With small modifications, nano bugs could come in handy for repairs in space, and other things the pirates dealt with. It could actually turn a profit, or better yet, become a new weapon in the neverending war of information to help others.
"If I can find out whom his mentors were, I may have some ways to obtain the same skills as he has, and quick. I just need to know whom to contact, prefeerably the one that taught him how to manufacture and manipulate nano technology" Sonny was thinking to himself, but out loud.
The doctor smiled, then, took a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote down a name and an address.
"I think you will find, no good deed ever goes unpaid Sonny. And you have done plenty of good. This is the name of the one you seek.I had some classes with this man, he truly knows his field. I know Doctor Crawen was his top student, before he stabbed him in the back, stole his projects, and pretended they were his. If he can have some help restoring his reputation, and his honour as a teacher in the field, I am sure you will find he can tell you all you need to know" he smiled.
Sonny grinned, and took the note. A smile broke on his face. He knew this man personally, from before Bleylock entered his life, This man had been his school teacher too, actually the very one that made him take an interest in science and helped him evolve his incredible gift. Sonny now eyed a chance to solve this silently, and effectively. He smiled as he shook the doctors hand.
"I will make sure to add a bonus to your pay check doctor, you may just have given me the weapon to avert a disaster".
The old retired school professor, decided to call it an early evening. He had lived a long, and rewarding life. Trained some of the best scientists in the galaxy, until a mere doctor had smeared his name, stolen his works and posed it as his own. And he had heard, this doctor did not take his work serious, or have any sense of pride. He was all in it for the money. He had not even taken the doctors oath. He had heard he was fired from the chissian military, too many suspicious incidents, involving death or rapid decline of otherwise healthy soldiers, after minor surgical operations. He had been recruited by someone working for Technoid, an Abraxian General son, named Bleylock. He had heard rumours of wheeling and dealing within Technoid too, but with whom they were, it was futile to even consider raising a case against them. It would send him into financial ruin. Besides, all he had, was suspicions, no rock solid evidence.
As he was about to log out of his computer, after reading up on the latest news on nano technology, a field that always facinated him, he noticed the icon blinking for an incoming message.
The professor didnt recognize the sender name, it was probably an alias.
But something made him curious to the title. It stood out.
The professor opened the message.
Whomever had sent it, clearly had some knowledge about science, the formulation of the message was short and to the point.
Doctor Crawen was up to old tricks, and this time, many stood to be hurt from his actions. Could the professor possibly be of any help to them, to stop this man?
As he read on, with the information enclosed, the professor realised he was dealing with someone that had good reason to be suspicious of Technoid, someone that knew something. And the more he read, the more he realised, he knew the sender.
A tall, blonde, young man, with icy blue eyes, hidden behind glasses, and a very friendly way of being, came to mind. This man had fled Technoid at some point, and not been heard of for years, until a figure that resembled him somewhat, rose from the shadows, the pirates infamous leader, Sonny Blackbones.
Once the professor realised whom he was dealing with, he willingly answered all the questions the pirate chief had.
This wasnt about revenge, it was about justice, for the many victims of this man. And if he could help put the doctor away, it was an honour to do it.
Doctor Crawen had just gone through his list of meeting places for the surrender of Blackbones. It was important not to inflict more damage to the pirate, they all wanted him alive, to make use of his skillset. He just had to find the best possible place to make this happen. As soon as he set his mind on one, he needed to start the process of reversing the poisoning within Corsos body, to show Blackbones that he honoured the deal made. As soon as he had Blackbones captive, it was pay day for him.
As soon as Sonny had a clear idea of how the nano bugs that would be the stage they were at after just 48 short hours worked, he had immediately set in motion the planned safe guards. The videos from previous days, meant to simmulate an ordinary working day for the pirates, had been mixed, and was ready to go. As soon as Corsos doctor had arrived, Sonny had given the signal to start the cover up. Corsos body was placed in a special made tent, where Sonny had made sure to calibrate a special magnetic system to pull all the nano bugs out, as they would react to the magnetic pull, and leave Corsos body through the skin. Corso would feel a little sore once this was done, as the bug count was too high to do nothing. It seemed the bugs had multiplied rapidly over just a few days. But not for long. To protect himself, Sonny had suited up in a protective suit, as there was the concern he himself could have remnants of this in his body. Corso had spent eight hours in the tent, cleaning the bugs out of him. Once this was done, Sonny had some of his men, in protective gear, remove the tent, and pack it in a secure container to be cleansed back at The Black Manta,he wanted to study this particular bug closer, it could actually be useful to the pirates cause.
Now, they all stood around Corsos unconscious body. Corsos skin had a slightly red colour, after the bugs had been sucked out. The poision in his bloodstream had already been dealt with, it was the same as when Clamp had been poisoned, an easy fix for the pirates. It was time for Corso to join them again.
Sonny carefully sat down beside him, and gently shook his shoulder.
"Wake up sleepyhead. We need you to help out, I think you may like this chase" Sonny teased.
No reaction.
Sonny chuckled.
"Fine, I got other ways of waking up sleeping pirates. No special treatment. Artie, hand me the spray bottle" Sonny said.
Artie did as asked, and watched as Sonny held the bottle in safe distance from Corsos eyes, and gave it three quick sprays.
Corsos eye started to flutter. Sonny chuckled.
"Thats it sleepyhead, open your eyes for me" he said.
Corso groaned.
"If I get my hands on that bastard,I am going to make sure he thinks twice of pulling this stunt on anyone ever again. I feel like a tank ran me over" he said.
The three pirates laughed.
"It actually looks like you have been in the sun at Shiloh for too long, without sunblock" Artie tried to joke.
Sonny chuckled.
"You can thank your old friend for that Corso. Interesting invention though, I am intrigued enough to do some further studies on the matter, it just might come in handy down the line" he said.
Corso smiled for a second. The three pirates was about to leave the room, to give him some privacy to get changed, when Sonny felt Corsos hand grab his wrist.
He turned.
Corso looked at him.
"Sonny, we need to talk. This one is a lot more like your old nemesis Bleylock than I gave him credit for. There can only be one winner here. And that winner...has got to be you, if not, many will die, for no other reason than one mans greed"