Here is chapter two of this fic. Sorry for the wait. But I do try to make this with a beta reader, and I love her suggestions to make this fic just that more authentic and real. Big shout out with lots of gratitude to Paranoid Girl, for taking the time to Beta read and help me improve the story. I hope all who reads this will enjoy the story as much as I enjoy creating it. I promise, you will get to know these charracters in new ways. And see sides to them that did not appear in the show. Enjoy the chapter, and rewiew to tell me what you think.

Deep under Genesis Stadium, at the old Netherball sphere, the Pirates were examining the area areound the sphere. It had been completely wiped last time they were here, but there was Flux activity detected again. Corso was wiping his forehead.

"I find the devil that started this thing up again, I will break his neck." He growled. Sonny knew that he meant it.

"We have to keep searching Corso, whoever is behind this operation left clues to who they are, and what they're up to. We have to stop this."Sonny said. As the Pirates worked, they heard robot footsteps. approaching them.

"Just what we need; Tecnoid." Corso said. He wasn't happy.

"Everybody out of here!" Sonny ordered. He was barely finished speaking the words,when a laser blast hit the wall behind him. Sonny had taken a step to the side, just in time to avoid getting hit. Sonny looked at Corso, with a shocked expression.

"Sonny!" Corso exclaimed in shock. The laser blast had struck dangerously close to where Sonny stood. Corso didnt think twice. He launched forwards and pushed Sonny down before he placed a hand on the other man's neck and pulled him into cover behind some containers.

"Stay out of the line of fire Sonny! Try to make it to the air vents so we can get out of here." Corso said. Sonny nodded as he started to look for a safe way to make it to the air vents on the wall across from their current position when things took a turn for the worse. One of the robots had scanned them, and alarms were going off. Sonnys wanted poster was in their memories, and it had triggered the alarm as they had spotted him.

"Sonny Blackbones, you and your men are under arrest." sounded a metallic voice. The robots approached the containers where Sonny and Corso had taken cover. Corso shot back at them while he looked over at Sonny, whom crouched down beside him.

"Sonny, get out of here!" Corso ordered. Sonny nodded and crouched down as he prepared to make a run for the air ducts. His men wanted him safe, and he had to listen to them on this.

All of a sudden, a bomb was thrown towards them. The Blastwave hit hard and separated Sonny and Corso, throwing Corso out of reach.

"Sonny!" Corso yelled in pain as he was thrown against a wall.

"Corso!" Sonny watched in horror as his friend landed close to the robots. Sonny thought of running to grab Corso and drag him to safety but it was not safe. Bennett and Artie fired back at the robots as Artie prepared a magnetic disc to stop them. Bennett looked at Sonny, who was closest to the air vents. If he ran now, he would be able to make it safely out of there.

"Sonny, go! We'll be alright. It's you that they're after. We'll help Corso and meet back up with you at the ship." Bennett called. Sonny felt pulled between doing what he was asked and storming in to save Corso. "Just go sonny, before its too late and we all get caught!" Bennett interrupted his thoughts. "You're far too valuable to get caught."

Sonny snapped out of his haze. As much as he hated it, Bennett was right. He nodded at them from his position as a sign he was going to make a run for it. Corso would want him safe, they all would. Sonny made his way towards the air vents.

But some of these robots were smart and one of them had turned in his direction, spotting him.

"There is Sonny Blackbones. Seize him!" It yelled. Sonny had jumped up to pull himself into the air vent and barely made it, before the laser blast hit the wall.

"That was too close for comfort." Sonny muttered to himself as he crawled in. He couldn't resist peeking out the vent and that was when a second laser blast was fired at him. Sonny yelled in pain as the blast grazed his right leg. The blast was so powerful, even that threw him into the wall. Sonny could feel how the wound bled, A muscle had to have been torn, as it felt quite painful. He reacted on instinct and tore one of his sleeves off to use it to stop the bleeding.

"Sonny!" Stevens called softly as he came around a corner. He was the leader of Sonny's secondary team. Sonny liked to have several groups of people to rely on. Usually, Corso, Bennett and Artie would be his main team but Stevens was in charge of his second team which all held players from his Football Team. Hawkins and Davidson were two other members. Brilliant hackers, one with a medical degree, and one specialized in nutrition, should the need arise. Sonny looked up at them as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"Stevens! The others…" Sonny tried, Stevens shook his head.

"It's too late. We have to get you to safety. Before they search the vents for us" He said. Sonny nodded. Quickly, he gave an old Pirate Sign with his hands; Ancient Shiloh. Something told him this would be a wise move. All Pirates that worked on the teams around Sonny knew what this was. Stevens nodded silently.

"We will find Corso and the others but first we need to secure you. You're our leader." Sonny nodded. He tried to get up but fell back down. Stevens looked at the injury; it wasn't deep but it bled heavily.

"Looks like you've torn a muscle, Are you able to walk on your own?"Stevens asked. Sonny shook his head.

"No, and I'm dizzy and cold too" He said. Stevens nodded.

"You're going into shock because of the blood loss Sonny. You lost a good anmount. I'll bandage you up and carry you out of cant stay here" He said as he started the job. "The bleeding is bad. I'm not sure we can make it back to the ship. You need medical help, and fast." Stevens stated. Sonny nodded.

"Help me get to Callie Mystic's home, she'll help us." he said. He didn't know why that sprang into his mind, but his intuition was strong. Callie Mystic would hide him until he was strong enough to make it back to his ship. He was sure of it. Stevens nodded.

"Leave it to me." He answered. That was the last thing Sonny heard, before he lost consciousness.

Callie was tired, this interview took a long time to prepare. She and Sonny still had many meetings to go until this was fully done. Sonny had been a leader for the organization for a long time, and he had a lot to tell.

It all needed to be told, to tie it all together so the galaxy would understand. That would take time. Callie tried to prepare her questions so that Sonny could say what he needed to. She was quite amazed at the way they had been formulated. Sonny had set a clear line when he did the first bulk, which had been a wider introduction to what the Pirates really stood for before he was elected their leader and now, after more than twenty five years as a leader. Sonny had been open about his conflict with Technoid, but not so much about his personal life. Sonny had revealed that even at that young age as one of the youngest scientists in Technoids staff, he had a strong intuition that some of their research, especially into artificial Flux, was a bad idea. He told about Bleylock's betrayal. His attempt to get the Flux out of the General's hand, how it failed and it caused the Akillian Ice Age and many lives, including his wife's. He also told about the connection it had with the Snow Kids. Sonny did not want to get personal but admitted there was still a few places where he sought some puzzle pieces to close the book on things. He moved on to tell of his escape from Akillian, into dark space, not sure where to go when his ship had been found by The Pirates, who brought him in front of their leader at the time; Magnus Blade. Sonny had made this part as impersonal as he could but Callie could see the emotion in his eyes.

Callie looked at the suggestions Sonny had given her and how they each fit a different theme for every single part of the interview. Callie knew this would be a big hit.

It brought clarity to why things were as they were and also shone a light on what many had already suspected; that Technoid had not been truthful in their account of events. The pirates had been blamed for almost everything that could go wrong.

They had enough of it.

Another interesting fact was that Pirates never had a leader hold his position for this long. It had been rumoured that a life among the Pirates was like living in a Shark Tank; kill or be killed.

Or rather, it used to be like that. Sonny had made many positive changes for his men when he took seat as leader. He had added values and a cause to the organization.

Callie remembered she found herself listening to Sonny's voice as he spoke of himself joining the Pirates, and the way things were like back then. Sonny admitted that working for Technoid had left him with a good amount of money and with the help of the Pirates, he had been able to transfer that from his old bank account as I'Son and over to another account under an alias. Callie had asked if the Alias was the same name he went under now. Sonny shook his head as he looked at her.

"No. I have several aliases. Blackbones is a last name I was given as a leader. It holds a significant meaning." he told her. Callie became curious.

"Since you brought it up; could you tell us what your name means?" Sonny laughed.

"It means a lot of things; my first name, Sonny, has a few different meanings. Magnus Blade, was looking to train someone as his successor. He had a good team around him but none really had the qualities he sought for a new leader. Then they found me. I was originally brought there as their prisoner as my ship was found near the lair. Magnus set his toughest instructor to train me; Corso. As Corso and I grew close, and I got stronger, I started to take on leadership of smaller raids. Magnus discovered that I had inside knowledge of Tecnoid. He also admired how I was thinking outside the box, to intercept their convoys. I was made second in command on one of the smaller ships and because of my intuitive ability to avoid capture I rose to become captain just a few months later. I was allowed to choose my own crew, and my first choice was Corso. Around this time, Magnus had started taking notice of successes, and started to ask around about me. Not long after, I was receiving a training that was a lot harder, including training with Magnus himself. When I asked why this was happening, he told me he needed to train a future leader for the Pirates, in case of his demise. Of course, none of us had any idea what was to happen. The name Sonny represents Magnus' idea of a son; an heir to the throne. It still amazes me, after all this time, how accurate that name has been for me. It's a Pirate name, true, but it also represents who I was and who I am today. The son of the Pirates' ruthless leader, the heir to the throne." Callie had been amazed at this explanation.

"Did he tell you this was the reason for the name?" Sonny nodded with a small smile.

"Not in those words exactly, but it was clear that was what he meant."

"What about your other name; Blackbones? Does that have a story as well?" Callie asked. Sonny chuckled for a moment.

"Yes but not as meaningful as my first name. Blackbones was more of a joke. Many of our last names are meant to sound like old-time pirate names. We're scavengers, picking at bones and we're always doing so under the cover of darkness." Sonny explained with a smile.

"The Sonny Blackbones name has just as interesting a story as the man whom carries it." Callie said. Sonny laughed.

She loved the sound of his voice. It was calming. She had known many men that presented themselves as a leader, but few of them really had that aura of leadership to them as Sonny had. Above all, he had earned the respect and loyalty of his people. Sonny wasn't talking about being a leader, he was showing it, through his actions, his care for others. Sonny was the very image of what it meant to be a Pirates had found a true diamond in the rough when they elected Sonny as their chief.

She was ripped from her trail of thought as she heard a tap on her balcony door. She walked to open it but took a step back as Stevens, the Pirates Striker, entered.

"Please Callie, we need your help." Steven said, he was carrying someone in his arms, wrapped in a black cloak. "I can't risk taking him to the ship like this. We cant let them find him in this state" he said. Callie quickly ushered them in before she closed the door and pulled the blinds shut. Stevens walked over to her sofa and laid down the person he was carrying. "He's bleeding heavily." Stevens said. He looked worried as he pulled the cloak aside. Callie was horrified when she saw who it was; Sonny. The bandages Stevens had wrapped him in were now soaked with blood and Sonny was very pale and unconscious.

Callie's survival instincts kicked in. She was not having Sonny bleed to death on her couch.

"Close the doors and shut the curtains." She ordered and Stevens did so. Sonny was sweating from the severity of the wound, and he made a sound that indicated great pain. Callie took a pair of scissors and cut loose the blood soaked bandages. The wound wasnt deep, but it still bled freshly. At this rate, he wasnt gonna make it. "Do you have anything that will numb the pain? I will need to stitch this wound up." Callie said. Stevens nodded as he pulled a small syringe from inside his uniform.

"This will knock him out for a while." He said, injecting it into Sonnys arm.. Callie nodded as Sonny looked up with glassy eyes for a second. He was running a fever and trying to say something.

"Corso… Bennett… Artie… They need help." Sonny managed.

"He is going into shock "Callie stated.

Stevens nodded.

"He will need rest, and a blood transfusion." He said.

"Do you know his blood type?" She asked. Stevens nodded.

"I'm a match to him." He said. But he remained uneasy."But we're sitting ducks here and Sonny is in no condition to return to the ship." he stated. Callie looked at him.

"You two are staying here." She said. "Don't go out and you'll be fine. No one knows you're here." she assured him.

"Let me know what kind of food you need and contact the ship if you need something from there. Have them deliver it to me. We can't risk Sonny being captured like this. For now, consider this your home." She then knelt down next to Sonny.

"Let's take care of Sonny first, then we can worry about the rest."

Corso had a splitting headache when he woke up, and not just from the concussion he might have. They were prisoners to Technoid. Well,at least Sonny had escaped them this time. To only see Artie and Bennett with him in the cell and knowing Sonny was still out there, made Corso hopeful it would not take long before he would locate their whereabouts, and organize a rescue. He just hoped Sonny would not come personally. Now more than ever, he needed to stay hidden. Technoid already had him and the others captured, and he knew he was facing torture to reveal where Sonny was to be found. Sonny was too valuable to be captured. Technoid capturing the leader of the pirates wouldn't happen if he could do something to prevent it. Corso was determined to give his own life if it meant Sonny stayed safe and out of harms way.

"How are you feeling Corso?" Bennett asked him, sounding worried. Corso groaned as he sat up on the bunk bed they placed him on.

"I'm fine Bennett, just a headache from banging my head." He said, looking around the cell they were in. "How are you two holding up?" He asked. Bennett and Artie raised their thumbs. Corso nodded at them. "Where's Sonny? Did they get him too, or did he get himself to safety?" he asked.

"I saw him pull himself into the air vents. He got away." Artie told him. Corso nodded. Sonny being safe was what mattered the most. He was interrupted when the cell door was opened and Duke Maddox entered.

" got some issues I need you help with" He greeted. Corso looked at him, taking the lead in talking.

"What do you want?" He asked. Duke Maddox looked at him.

"Don't play dumb with me. You know what I want. Where is Sonny Blackbones?" He asked. Corso looked at him as a sly grin formed on his face.

"He got away?" Corso struggled not to laugh. "You got all of us but not him?That must feel he is not here, there is no way you will get to him now" he taunted. Duke Maddox wasn't pleased.

"He got away for now, but that won't last. It seems he was shot in the ventilation ducts. We detected a lot of blood. He might be dying from blood loss if he doesnt get help soon. I need to talk to him before that happens." The Duke said. Bennett and Artie looked at each other.

"With all due respect Your Excellency… I don't think Sonny wants to talk to you." Bennett said, looking at Maddox sceptically. Artie nodded.

"No offence but you did a lot to make him distrust you." He added.

"What do you want anyway?You wont find Sonny now. He is long gone and in a safe place" Corso added. Duke Maddox looked at them with a narrowed eye.

"Have it your way." He said, clapping his hands as several guards entered. "Put them in separate interrogation rooms and don't stop until they've talked. One of you will crack and tell me where I can find Sonny." The three of them shared a worried look. This wasn't going to be pretty.

Back at Callies, Stevens had established contact with the Black Manta through a secure connection he had rigged on Callie's computer. They were in Callies bedroom where Sonny was resting after Stevens had given him a blood transfusion. He still looked pale, and laid stretched out on Callies right side of her bed. Stevens had put his red jacket and boots on the floor. In his state, Sonny would be bed bound for days. And now, Sonny wanted an overview of the situation.

"We're online, Sonny. You can talk to them now." Stevens nodded as he carefully helped Sonny sit up.

"Hawkins, what's the status?" Sonny asked.

"Grim Sonny. Corso, Bennett and Artie are all imprisoned by Technoid. Bennett managed to activate his safety beacon, so we know where they are."Hawkins reported. Sonny nodded, he had suspected this.

"Send me the location for the prison,and any available maps of the building. I will have a look at how we can get in." He said. Hawkins nodded.

"Right away. Should I notify the third extraction team as well?" He asked.

"Yes, have them stand by. As soon as I've had a closer look, we will go in." Sonny informed. Stevens looked at Hawkins through the screen. Hawkins had called Davidson, the third member of the team and team medic, to his side. They both looked worried with the prospect of Sonny joining the rescue mission. Hawkins spoke first.

"Sonny,You're not going anywhere with that torn muscle of yours. Stay hidden until it heals enough to make it safe for you to return to the ship. They're looking for you everywhere, and there is a chance they manage to force some answers out of Corso, Bennett or Artie." he reminded his boss gently. Sonny nodded.

"Then, relocate the Black Manta. I will secure a new private astro port to stay at. When that's done, report to Stevens. We need to find a way to free them." Sonny ordered.

"Got it." With that, Hawkins ended the transmission. Stevens looked at Sonny somewhat uneasy.

"He's right Sonny, you're not in any shape to do a rescue mission." He said. "You can barely even walk." he pointed out. Callie nodded agreeingly. She took Sonny's hands in hers and gently pushed him back down as she could see tiny drops of sweat on his forehead. Sonny was trying to fake doing better than he was, and his own body was selling him out. If he was to heal, he needed to rest.

"You're not capable to go out to free them like this Sonny. If you go in, they are sure to capture you too" She tried. Sonny looked away. He knew them all to be right. Still, he felt he had to do something. Without Corso, he felt strangely helpless. The Pirates were used to getting captured, but usually, it was Sonny alone that was taken. Now, it was Sonny's closest men that were captive and Sonny had to rely on a new team whom he had not worked much with before. When it came to Corso, it was even worse. Sonny and Corso shared a cabin on board, that was how close they were. With Corso gone, Sonny felt out of place. Corso would always help him calm down, be it through an intense workout, combat training or even just figuring out new tactics for their missions. They sometimes became very intimate during these times, Corso even combined speaking in a low voice, while applying pressure to certain muscles in his back to calm him when stress got the better of him. Corso was his lifeline to reality. He had lost count of all the times Corso had interrupted bad memories from the past, and pulled him back to the present simply by saying his name.

"This is my fault." Sonny whispered. "I should have ended the search sooner. Its because of me that they are in this mess" he whispered as He covered his eyes. Seeing Sonny like this was new to Callie. Despite his strength, Sonny felt weak without his closest friends around him. Sonny clenched his fists. "They're probably being interrogated about my location right now… and I've seen the results of Technoid's… techniques. We have to get them out of there, fast." Sonny said, a bit frantic. Stevens put a hand to his shoulder.

"We will find them Sonny, and we will free them." He said. "This is hard, I understand. It's the first time they've been captured while you escape." Stevens reminded him. Sonny nodded.

"I can't make a plan till I have all the information, Stevens. We will find them and free them." He said. Stevens nodded. Sonny winced as he moved a little, and his body was pulling at the torn muscle. Callie carefully put her hands on his chest.

"We can't do anything right now. You must rest, until the muscle heals." She said. Sonny wanted to protest but Callie' s glare shut him up. With a small smile, Sonny raised his hands in surrender.

"I'll listen to you for now but as soon as I'm able, we free my friends." he stated. Stevens looked at him.

"Can we go in as soon as we have viewed the plans? The longer they stay there, the bigger the chance Technoid gets what they want." He said. Sonny nodded.

"Do you have the plans of the building?" He asked. Stevens nodded and pulled it up on a smaller laptop that he handed to Sonny.

"See for yourself. You would get in just fine but getting back out is not going to happen with your injury. Especially not like this." Stevens said, refering to his injured right leg. Sonny nodded slowly.

"Then how do you suggest we do this?" He asked. Stevens had pulled his mask off and Callie could see he was a fairly young man, possibly early in his early twenties.

"I suggest you lead this operation Sonny, but from here." He said. "You must stay hidden for now, but you are also the one among us that has the most experience with climbing ventilation ducts at this point. You also know Technoids security systems like the back of your hand. If you could guide us through the ducts, we may get them out tonight."Stevens suggested. Sonny nodded before he looked at the plan and a small smile formed on his face.

"The sooner they are safe, the better. I know what Technoid is capable off. Tell Team three to be ready in six hours. That's when security is at its weakest, because of the watch shift. We should be able to enter without too much trouble. We may need to steal an access card to the cell area. Stevens, you will be my contact on the ground. Davidson and Hawkins handle the hacking and Team Three; Kate,Otis and Cameron will be doing the breakin." Sonny ordered. Stevens nodded.

"Are you using the same method as when we freed the Obia ambassadors?" He asked. Sonny smiled slightly, he remembered their daughter, Tia, had shown some great pirate skills. Sonny nodded in response to the question. They would use the same method in this case as back then. Callie nodded too as she observed the pirate remembered the situation it was refeered to well. Not being in the action seemed out of place for Sonny. And so much, she had to comment on it.

"Sounds like this is quite a change for you Sonny." She said compassionately.

"True." Sonny nodded. "Usually, it has been me that ends up being caught. I'm still trying to adjust. And I dont think I am doing a good job at it"he admitted. Callie tried to hide a smile.

"Is this a situation that Sonny Blackbones is not on top of?Now, that is a scoop." She teased. This produced a smile on the Pirate Chief's face.

"Excuse me for being human." He joked. Callie could not hold back her laugh anymore, and her infectious laughter pulled Sonny in. He laughed a genuine heartfelt laugh.

At the Technoid prison, in a small interrogation room, Corso wiped the blood from under his nose.

"You tin cans really don't know any better techniques then beating, do you?" He said. This angered the interrogation leader even more.

"Where is Sonny Blackbones hiding?you must know" He asked. Corso looked him straight in the eyes.

"Like I'll tell you. Do you really think he'll be somewhere I know?He is being protected and in a safe location." he said. The human interrogation leader seemed to get where this was going. He took a chair and sat down in front of Corso.

"You're still his right hand man, surely, you must know where he is hiding?" he tried. Corso shook his head, with a small grin.

"I don't. Standard security measures." Corso looked at him fiercely. "And we won't try to contact him so you can track it. We're not dumb. And neither is Sonny. You're not getting to him. He's safe and there's nothing you can do about it. "Corso said sternly. The interrogation leader grinned.

"Safe you say?I take it you have not seen what happened in the air vents." He said as Corso looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" he asked. The interrogation leader pulled out a small laptop in front of Corso and played up a video file. Corso could see Sonny enter the air vents and turn back to check on them.

"Sonny, you fool. Why did you do that?" Corso muttered. He then saw the laser blast that grazed Sonnys right leg, causing him to fall against the wall. He saw Sonny clutch the injured muscle, trying to stop the bleeding. using his sleeve to stop himself from bleeding out. Then, Stevens arrived. Corso saw him talk to Sonny, pull out some bandages from inside a small bag, and wrap them around Sonny's wound. He saw Sonny move his lips. Corso had been trained during his military service to read lips, and managed to see what Sonny was saying. He realised they were talking in Ancient Shiloh, the native language of the Pirates. Sonny probably knew there were cameras around.

"He's not at the ship. He can't reach it in that state. They have taken him somewhere to recover." Corso pretended to translate.

Corso knew this was not necessarily true, but if he could mislead Technoid a bit, he was willing to do so. He was very familiar with this game and he always played to win. Still, Corso was worried about the injury Sonny sustained. It was clear that he was unconscious when Stevens carried him out. Corso hoped Sonny was alright. Until then, he had to hold on tight.

Back at her home, Callie was waking up for the day. Sonny had slept next to her in her bed as Stevens felt this would be the best place for him. Callie smiled as she got up. At least, he had slept, and not tried anything funny. Sonny opened his eyes as she got out of bed. He still looked a bit drousy.

"Time for work already?" He asked. Callie nodded.

"That's the price of fame. A star reporter like me has little down time." She said. Sonny nodded.

"Much like a Pirate's life I imagine. Downtime is a luxury I cant allow myself much of" He joked. Callie chuckled.

"I guess it can be compared to a certain point." she admitted.

"Had a nice sleep?" she asked. Sonny made a face as he moved slightly and stretched the injured muscle.

"I slept well, for once. Must be the company." he concluded. Callie sat down next to him for a second. Her hand gently touched his chest.

"Maybe it was my amazing herbal tea." She said with a wink. Sonny looked at her.

"Never really figured that could help. Must be good for sleep though, as I feel rested for once" he stated.

"How is the wound?" Callie asked as she looked at him.

"Better but still sore." Sonny replied. He kept moving about to a minimum.

"You slept like a brick Sonny. I am sure you needed it" Callie said, as she hurried to get her bathrobe on, before she hurried to the bathroom to get dressed for work. As she got ready to leave, she waved goodbye as she made her way out of the apartment to work.

At the Technoid prison, Stevens and Davison were making arrangements to enter the cell the pirates were held in with Sonny's directions. Stevens gave them all information that Sonny passed on to him from the bed. Sonny had tried to get up to have a shower but that upset the wound too much. Stevens had to bandage up the stitches again. Clearly, the stitching had to be tighter. Corso was best at handling that. Sonny was now resting on the bed again.

"As soon as Corso is freed, have them all brought here, he will know how to stitch this tighter." Sonny said. Stevens nodded.

"They are ready to enter the cell block." He said. Sonny nodded.

"Take it nice and easy. The map is marked, but I'm not finding any air vents leading to their cell. Bring a laser to make one yourselves." He said as he laid back and the team made their way inside.

Corso checked the bruise across his working eye for the umpteenth time. He hated those damn robots. But at least, Sonny was safe. Technoid had no clue as to his whereabouts, and at the moment, he could not say either as he had no idea of where. Or maybe he did. He recalled Sonny having asked to be brought to Callie Mystics home. That was likely where he was hiding now. Bennett had pulled out his harmonica, and started playing. Artie was sitting in a corner.

"How will we ever get out of here?" He asked. Corso didn't say anything. He heard a noise above their heads.

"Quiet Artie." He hushed and a few seconds later, he saw a face in the air vent, making him grin. "Looks like the rescue party is here." Corso grinned. The Pirates made their way out of the opened vent.

"Good to see you Kate." Corso smiled as he made his way into the duct.

"Likewise. Did you enjoy your stay?" she asked. Corso saw Kate grin behind her mask.

"Let's just go." Corso said.

Sonny woke up from napping,as his headset came to life.

"Sonny, they're freed. Where do we take them now?" Stevens wanted to know.

"The Black Manta,to make sure they're not bugged. After that, bring them over here. Tell Corso to bring some medical supplies." Sonny ordered.

"Will do. How are you holding up?" Stevens asked.

"Good enough, just taking the time to rest." Sonny replied. With that, Sonny ended the call. As soon as it did, he received a new one from… someone he didn't expect.

"Clamp?" Sonny answered.

"I hope I am not disturbing you."Clamp said, sounding worried.

"Not at all. What do you need?" Sonny asked. he could tell from Clamps voice that something was up.

"I got a message from Dame Simbai for you. And it's not just her." Clamp looked a bit uneasy.

Sonny frowned.

"Please explain." He said.

"Dame Simbai asked me to reach you on behalf of Duke Maddox." Clamp explained.

Sonny couldn't hide his surprise.

"Allow me to obscure the connection first and call in my backup team to witness the call." He said eventually. Clamp was worried.

"Your back up team? Where are Corso, Bennett and Artie?" he asked. Sonny being alone was not a good thing for a pirate. there had to be a good explanation his team wasnt with him.

"They got caught by Technoid at the old Netherball sphere. There is flux activity again, it seems someone has continued Bleylocks wheeling and dealing with multi flux. I got all available men on it. I got to safety, but a laser grazed my right leg and tore a muscle. For now, I'm in hiding while recuperating from this injury. I received word that Corso, Bennett and Artie have been freed and are on their way here. Corso will help me recover with his medical knowledge." Sonny explained calmly. Clamp nodded as he heard this.

"Sounds like you've been through a lot, Sonny. Are you okay?" Clamp asked, sounding worried for his friend.

Sonny grinned.

"It takes more than a torn muscle to stop me Clamp." He answered. Sonny had sent a message to his team; to flank him until Corso, Bennett and Artie returned. Now, his men showed up, and Sonny obscured the background of his surroundings.

"Are you protecting someone?"Clamp asked, noticing his actions.

"Yes and for now, the one offering me shelter needs to stay hidden from Technoid." Sonny saw Stevens giving the thumbs up, meaning the line was now secure.

"Ok Clamp, put them through." he said. Sonny tensed as he accepted the conversation from Dame Simbai. She would not do this unless it was for a good reason. As the image cleared, Dame Simbai appeared flanked by Duke Maddox.

"I'm sorry to intrude on you like this Sonny, I understand that you've gotten injured?"She asked, sounding worried.

"Just a torn muscle,I'll be fine." Sonny said as his gaze landed on Duke Maddox. "Your Excellency, I understand you wanted to speak to me?" He asked.

"Thanks for accepting this call Sonny, especially after our latest spat." Duke Maddox said as Sonny frowned.

"You won't be able to track me through this call anyway Your Excellency. I am not at risk at this point" Sonny replied.

Duke Maddox nodded slowly. Sonny decided to take a good look at him. His arch enemy looked tired and worn. Sonny had never seen Duke Maddox like this before and his intuition told him this was the reason for the Duke reaching out to him.

" Sonny,I..I think I need your help, you and your men are the only ones I know of that has the knowledge to figure it out" he finally said.

Sonny looked at him. Duke Maddox asked him for help? This had to be something big in the works.

"My help? With what?" He asked. Duke Maddox looked at him.

"I will need to sit down to tell you this Sonny. Though you might already have an idea." Duke Maddox started.

Sonny looked at him, realizing how much of an old and defeated man Maddox was.

"Tell me what's going on and I might consider helping you. But I do want something in return." Sonny said. Duke Maddox nodded.

"Fair enough" he said.

"Now that we are on the same page here; what do you need my help with?" Sonny said as he sat down, to be told a story that would become a game changer for the pirates.

Corso, Bennett and Artie had made it back to Callies apartment after their visit to The Black Manta's new astro port. They silently entered the apartment at the same time as Callie came home. She smiled as she entered and saw them. Corso signaled to be quiet as Sonny was on cloaked call and they did not want to expose their current location. Corso was worried about Sonny's torn muscle. He had brought the necessary items to help. The call lasted for a long while, and Corso had Bennett and Artie scan the entire apartment for bugs while they waited. As the call was ended. Corso knocked a signal on the bedroom door.

"All clear." Sonny called and Corso opened the door.

"Sonny!" He called as Sonny rose carefully from his seat and embraced him.

"Are you ok?" Sonny asked, looking at the bruising around his eye with worry. Corso nodded.

"A little banged up but nothing I haven't been through before." He said. "How about you?" He said as he noticed Sonnys leg. Sonny smiled at him.

"I'll be fine, but I might need your special touch." He joked. Corso nodded.

"I'll take care of it." He said as Bennett and Artie entered the room and embraced Sonny as well. Callie noticed how much more at ease Sonny was once his regular team was with him. "Stevens, return to your duties on the Ship and put all available people on that cursed sphere again." Sonny ordered. "My usual team takes over from here." he smiled. Stevens nodded.

"Alright. Enjoy having your team back Sonny. Good luck on the new mission." He said as he disappeared into the dark.

"New mission?" Corso looked at Sonny confused. Sonny nodded.

"This mission is big and it pushes the urgency to do this interview with Callie as well. Time will be of the essence." He explained. Corso looked at him sceptically.

"Why do I get the feeling I am not going to like it?" He said. Sonny looked at him.

"Because you won't Corso. The one who requested our help, is none other than Duke Maddox himself. The mission is one of the biggest we have taken on. Duke Maddox figured out he's nothing more than a pawn in his own company and it's up to figure out who's pulling the strings. If we can solve this, and return Duke Maddox the power of his own company, he will officially and fully pardon all of us." Sonny looked at everyone in the room, their faces aghast.

"The Pirates will finally have their freedom returned to them."