At Technoid, the recent disappearance of Doctor Crawen, their man with the tool to control their merchandise, had left the men behind the operation weary. General Bleylock had started the project, a very lucrative deal, wich led them to screen all planets, looking for the gifted ones, the ones that stood out. To bait them, schollarships was made,to make them show up. Bleylock even travelled to the schools, making interviews, under the guise of giving them a boost for their careers. The darker aspect of this deal, was only to rise when it was too late for the young students to pull out. By the time they understood the error they had made by taking his offer, it was either at the end of their training, or when they were actually prepped for delivery to their buyers. The deals made with the buyers was done ahead of time. Technoids job was, find the suitable candidates for the needs of the buyer, recruit them, and when ready, make the sale. It was all cleverly executed. The young students were naive, focused on their work and shielded of from the galaxy, to become the best. And when ready, they were never seen, or heard from again. No one that was entered into the program had escaped. Well, now they had one. A danger to Technoid itself. And Sonny had reason to be angry, they knew his rage was justified. This very night, the technoid contact handling Sonnys case after Bleylocks untimely death, was on holocall. The buyer that had paid for Blackbones spesified training, was growing impatient. It had been several years, surely, his training was completed, and it was time to hand him over. The Technoid representative was sweating. He feared Sonny and his men, but he feared the Abraxian buyer more. The angry general stared him down through the screen.
"Its time you prepare to deliver the merchandise" he said.
The Technoid representative sweated bullets.
"We are working on locating him. As soon as we know where he is hiding, we will go in to secure the merchandise" he promised.
The Abraxian general run his hand through his beard.
"Hunt him down, and make sure he isnt hurt too bad, We will start the process of finishing his training once he is delivered. My son was meant to do it, years ago. Blackbones has enjoyed more than his allowed time running free. If Technoid cant hand him to us, we will go after the pirates ourselves. One way or the other, we will get him, and we will get our moneys worth out of him" The abraxian General roared.
"Well off course General,that was always the plan" The Technoid operative said.
As soon as the call closed down, he wiped his forehead. It was more important than ever that the trial date against Blackbones was moved up. As of now, that seemed to be the only way Technoid could make him come out of hiding.
Sonny had spent some time reading up on the file that had rattled Corso. It brought a lot of old memories back to life. That, and a lot of anger that he had buried. When he ran from Bleylock, from Technoid, he had done so with his wife, not really having a plan for how to rebuild, all he knew was, he had to get her, and their unborn child to safety, no matter where that safety would be found. He sighed. In the end, he was made to do it all by himself. Without his love, and their son to be. He had suspected it, but now, he had the evidence. No wonder Corso was so shaky. The amount that had been raked in on selling him, was gigantic. With that many millions, Bleylock and whomever worked with him on the sale, had set themselves up to live well for a long time. Sonny felt curious too. He had visited Bleylocks planet once, along with Bleylock,to help during a draught. That had made him see with his own eyes the shadow side of the planet. They had scientists, whom seemed to work hard to come up with a solution for the planets needs. Solutions that just didnt bring the expected results. Bleylock, knowing his skills, had asked if he could have a look, and make some suggestions. Sonny had told him, if he could provide the needed chemicals and a work station, he would see what he could do. Now, he was wondering if that move had made Abraxian Military make inquieries about him, learning he was in the program Bleylock had started, and wheter he was available as a merchandise. He had thought himself shielded by Bleylock, considering their situation. Now, he started to think, Bleylock had kept an eye on him and his development for his own planets military. And that opened a chilling thought of what kind of plans was laid for him, behind his back. He had learned the planets ways in the short time he was there, not exactly a welcoming enviroment. Could it be that father and son Bleylock had a secret plan behind this, that they had worked together on? Him being the grand price on both ends?
Sonny decided this needed to be an investigation for later. Right now, the main target was Technoid,and the bad apples. He was going to get convicted of lesser charges no matter what, charges that he had a deal with Duke Maddox on how to serve. No prison sentence, but the time worth on projects he had been involved in, but were left unfinished. He would do his best, well, not letting it be up to pirates standard, but top level Technoid he could do.
Sonny looked at Corso.
Corso had started to use a notepad to write down finds. Sonny glanced over at it. That was interesting.
Corso had honed in on the names of the Technoid staffers that had made the big bucks on this, and now, focused on the companies that made the deposits. Sonny could see the figures, and then, the companies that correlated with the transactions.
Someone was clearly laying the foundations for a stretched out war. It wasnt small names either. These were Technoids fiercest competitors. Odd thing that they would choose students trained by their corporate enemy. As Sonny looked at it, he chuckled.
"Who needs galactik wars, when the giants of the galaxy turn on each other like this?" he said.
Corso nodded with a small chuckle.
"They will eliminate each other this way, but still, I would like to know just what happened to their victims" he said.
"You and me both Corso. It doesnt leave me feeling good to know I was meant to be one of them, or the identity of my buyer" he said.
Corso nodded. Out of all the pirates, he was the only one that had any idea of Sonnys background, and he knew this because of Sonnys repeated nightmares. For the longest time, Corso only comforted him as best as he could after those nights, helping him calm down and process the memories. Knowing the more private hell Sonny had gone through with Bleylock, had made Corso suspicious to wheter there was more than one aim with this sell. Bleylock had an obsession with Sonny, an obsession that gave Corso the creepy crawlers to think about. He knew from Sonny, his father had attempted to call him back to Abraxor, but Bleylock resisted, wanting to stay close to his young protege. Corso wondered, if that, combined with Sonnys exceptional skills, could be why Bleylocks father made the buy, to have some way to convince his son to return, using Sonny as a carrot. When Corso thought of what he knew about Bleylock, what he had done to Sonny, his fists clenched involuntarily. With all he had experienced, he was surprised Sonny trusted anyone at all. Lord knew he had every reason not to.
Sonny was scratching his jawline. These numbers and the players...this was a big thing, and most certainly, the way it looked, going to become dangerous.
Corso looked at him.
"You want to pursue this one down the line right? Really pull the rug under their feet?" he asked.
Sonny nodded.
"This time, it will be dangerous Corso, perhaps more than ever. These are the big corporates. It needs be done, but not until I have put some safety measures in place for my son and Clamp. Technoid knows of their ties to me, and they would most likely try to go that way, making a threat towards them to force me into the open" Sonny said, thinking out loud.
Corso had to agree.
"What about Callie? Is she safe in all this?" he asked.
Sonny nodded.
"For now, because they have no idea of her involvement. But once the trial starts, that is set to change" Sonny said.
Corso nodded.
"Her mandate report, what she gets for helping us, is a target on her back. Some crappy reward for helping us" he said.
Sonny agreed.
"She deserves better. I dont like her being dragged into this mess, but at the moment, my hands are tied. We need to keep working the doctor, find out what his role is, I dont buy that he only had to do with the prep work, he is paid more than that. Bleylock, being the head of the operation, would be a micer when it came to these things. The portion of the payment he got, suggest a far deeper involvement. I want to know more. As for Callie, I have a few ideas as for how to reward her. She isnt into money, but I would think she would want an exclusive interview of all this" Sonny mused.
Corso agreed.
Then, he looked at the numbers again, and compared to the active cases.
"Sonny, take a look at this! I find this a bit odd" Corso said.
Sonny peeked over his shoulder, to see what Corso was looking at.
Sonnys case was still listed as active.
That made Sonny crease his brows.
"Thats odd. There is a large gap in time here since Bleylock put me on that list. After his death, you would think his father would end it, just demanding a refund. But from this, that never happened" Sonny said, slightly puzzled.
Corso nodded.
"Sonny, if this case is still active, you are in serious danger. Technoid we got a handle on, they are open with hunting you down. The Abraxians are not like that. If they manage to locate you..." he said.
Sonny turned halfway. Corso was right. This was a danger, to him and all his men. If the Abraxians couldnt reach him directly, or force him out of hiding, any and all pirates would do to force him, that included close friends.
"Corso, we need a new strategy, to protect our associates and family".
Doctor Crawen was feeling insecure. Why had he been brought to The Black Mantas interrogation room a second time? He had already told Corso all he knew, and his own role in this operation. As the door opened, Corso entered, but he didnt come alone. Behind him, another man followed. Dressed in a cloak and goggles. Corso pulled out a chair for him, then, stood attention. As the other man removed his cloak and protective items, The doctor could see who it was. He had not seen him since the pirates abducted him. Now, Sonny Blackbones sat before him. A quick nodd to Corso, and a stack of documents were put before him.
The doctor didnt need to read them to understand what this interrogation would be about.
Sonny leaned closer.
"It seems doctor, we got more to talk about. We know all about your ongoing operation, whom is receiving pay, and active cases. One case in particular, is of interest to know more about, you can take a guess as to wich case that would be" he said.
Corso nodded.
" Its been 30 years since that particular transaction was opened. I have heard about the Abraxian military, and patience is not their strong side. For all this time, Technoid has tried to capture Sonny, unsuccessful. I would have figured that case to be closed out and their spendings refunded. Or did you and Bleylock spend the money you made on selling him, in advance, not knowing you would be unable to make the delivery, or should we start looking out for Abraxians trying to abduct him now?" Corso asked, letting his right hand rest on Sonnys shoulder.
Doctor Crawen sighed.
"You were bound to find out sooner or later. Yes Blackbones, You are maybe not in direct danger from Technoid, but the Abraxians are starting to get very impatient. I was threatened, when you were brought in after being shot, to inject you with the substance that would in time, and with the correct amount of nano bugs, form a tracker, inside your body. You and the pirates never would have known it was there. But it would have allowed for the abraxians to take control of you soon after your trial. I guess you figured it out already, it was rigged, to go against you, until a deal was struck with Maddox. The Abraxians would finally be able to put you to work, like Bleylock promised before his death" he said.
Corso and Sonny exchanged looks. This confession was unexpected. Sonny looked at him.
"Tell us what you know, and I will see what I can do in regards to your punishment. Telling this will put you on the Abraxians radar, and that is not a place you want to be" he said.
The doctor nodded.
"Dont worry about me Blackbones, I deserve it, I got a lot of dirty secrets I spent years covering up. Bleylock deserved what happened,he had it coming for years, wich you well know. I regret what I did. I deserve to rot away in prison, I just hope I can make some ammends,and hopefully, some of your friends can be saved" he said.
Corso found this too easy.
"You better not be lying. Sonny would most definately make an honest attempt at finding and freeing them if at all possible. But it wont happen at the risk of his own safety" Corso said.
Sonny seemed to think.
"Tell me Doc, is the contract on the sale of me still open, or is it a mere mistake?" he asked.
The doctor sighed.
"It is both. Its left open, because they have not received the merchandise they paid for, you. And no, its closed, because Bleylock and I already spent the money on the sale. Bleylock..he promised to keep his father at bay, that this was an attempt to make him come home, by buying you. His father knew of his sons unhealthy obsession. He really thought you were the key to bringing his son home Blackbones, after his son died, I was prepared to repay his money, but he still wanted you. Or to be honest, he wants your skills, and your ability to manipulate and manufacture flux".
Callie was at the station, getting ready to wrap up for the night, when she was asked to do a story with the representative for Technoids board of directors.
Callie found this to be odd. Messages like this was usually delivered by Duke Maddox himself. Had something happened to the Duke, that made him unable to fulfil his duties as CEO? However, she decided to go ahead and do the story.
If nothing else, she could help the pirates stay on top of the game this way.
Aaron gave her the details for the meeting and the questions for this interview. Then, after agreeing to let it air later that evening. Callie left in one of Arcadia news marked cars.
After driving for a little while, Callie reached her destination in sector 2 B. This was odd. It was not like anything about this said Technoid. Callie was suspicious by nature. Since she worked closely with the pirates these days, she came to remember her safety beacon. Sonny had given her one, telling her that it was a safety measure, since helping them could end up in her needing help. The beacon would allow them to detect her, and get her to safety. Callie could not explain why, but she felt she would benefit from turning it on. She did before she left her car. Then, she walked to the building she was asked to come to...
This couldnt be right. The place was falling apart, and it smelled horrible, like it had been abandoned for a long time. With this standard, she could understand why Sonny and the others sometimes refeered to Technoid as rats. The description was far more fitting than it should be. Especially if this was how the members of the board of directors operated.
Callie rang the buzzer. She had to be professional. It was not her place to judge, not all members of Technoids board of directors were milionaires. Then, the door opened.
"Miss Mystic, I am very pleased you could join us. Your mandated wellfare check on the pirate chief was very convincing, please enter, so we can get to the matter of things" he said and opened the door fully.
Callie felt like remaining outside, but that would be unprofessional.
She stepped inside, and the man closed the door.
The apartment looked a bit better than the outside. Callie looked around.
Middle class, nothing that really stood out.
The board member gestured towards the sofa.
Callie sat down. She could not explain the uneasy feeling that had come over her after she came here. Like this was not what it was made out to be. But Aaron had the address and the pirates had her safety beacon on, they would find her if need be.
"I was told Technoid wanted to make a statement about the upcoming Blackbones trial. And I was especially requested for the job" she said.
The board member grinned.
"That is true Miss Mystic, up to a certain point" he said.
Callie felt as if she should move. She had to have been affected with the same uncanny ability Sonny had to predict danger. She tried to stand up, when all of a sudden, from behind, someone jumped her and pulled a hood over her head.
Callie tried to scream, but found herself muffled. Fear started to grip her. This wasnt how Technoid acted. It dawned on her, this wasnt Technoid or Duke Maddox. They had no idea of her being here. This was the people Sonny and his men were hunting. And it seemed, they had a plan to stop them.
Callie started trying to fight, but found that the board member had a helper.
"Let me go. I am just doing my job. I dont see what you hope to gain from abducting me" she yelled.
The board member laughed.
"Isnt it obvious Ms Mystic? You somehow had a finger in play when Blackbones escaped. Sonny Blackbones dont just randomly pick a name from a list. He was too drugged up to do that, he requested you as a calling card to his friends the pirates. You may not know him directly, but you surely know one of the pirates he works with. So now, you are going to star in a message just for them. They want you to survive, They will have to bring Blackbones to Technoids office building, and surrender him in our care. If they dont, its bye bye Callie Mystic".
Not the original plan, but it opens up a window for an angle I would want to tell. I wanted to let Callie shine a little bit. And this time, it will be the pirates to the rescue. They off course wont surrender Sonny, but expect the pirates to act, and swiftly. How will they react to this threat. Well, keep on reading, and find out. Lets just leave it at, dont ever attack the pirates friends, they dont like that, and they are sure to make it known.
Anyone want to tell what they think of the story so far. Feel free to review.