Miller sat and watched the monitors in the laboratory, where Sonny was looking at some equipment. Sonny had put on a set of goggles to protect his eyes, but left the lab coat in the locker. This was a defiant act on his part, making it clear he wasn't connected to Technoid any more. Sonny was making his stance clear, and they had one hellish fight ahead of them if they wanted to break him down.
It had been a week in total isolation for him. No one talked to him through the monitors, and the food was stocked when he was in another part of the apartment they had made for him. For a prisoner, Sonny was having luxurious accomadations. Maybe Sonny was starting to get bored with his own company, and possibly, he started to crack and they could make the next step soon? The Pirate Chief was planning on some kind of move, that much he was sure of. He had seen him check the walls, looking for any kind of weakness to use, so he could get out. They could not allow him to do that. On Akillian, he had friends and allies, if he escaped, he would get help to hide safely and to contact his peers. They couldn't allow that to happen. Other than that, Sonny seemed to be very relaxed with things as it was. He made his own routines, and stuck to them. He had all the time in the Galaxy and was not in a rush in any way. Sonny had gone on a light jog around his Cell area several times during the day, increasing the speed for each lap he made. As he completed his laps, Sonny had found the spot with the most light in the area and placed himself in a relaxed and meditative state. He had plenty of time for those activities and seemed to enjoy hiss own company, much to their irritation. The lab appeared to be of less interest, that or he was making it clear that the toys he had available, he would use when he saw fit, not them. It aggravated Miller even more. By now, they should have started the process of the second stage but Sonny Blackbones proved far tougher to break than expected. The pirate chief had no plans to play along with what they had planned. He had been well trained in how to handle stress in captivity. Even Bleylock had commented on a similar matter when he held him captive years ago. Sonny had stayed very calm in a stressfull situation, even conserving the oxygen in the bubble he was held in, by demonstrating how easily he could bring his body to a form of sleep, letting even Bleylock know, he was not the scientist he once knew anymore, but a fullblooded pirate, trained to fight, and mentally able to defeat him with minimum effort. The rest he had gotten during his sleep, had allowed him to go after Bleylock when freed, with a renewed strength and get the upper hand, taking the Metaflux with him, to have it permanently destroyed, leaving no sample they could research on.
"Is he starting to take more interest in the laboratory than last week?" a voice asked. Miller looked up as Professor Monteague entered the control room. Miller sighed.
"No, he's fighting the process every step of the way. So far he's winning the battle. How could he possibly be this disciplined and mentally strong? I have never seen anyone hold up to this level for this long" Miller asked in frustration. The professor looked at the monitor."He spends more time doing Tai Chi and meditating. You would find it hard to believe that he's a prisoner. He also takes jogs around the compound." Miller complained. Professor Monteague rubbed his chin.
"He changed from who I used to know. The young professor that ran from Technoid was brilliant but not this strong. Sonny has been trained by the Pirates for events like this. How did they train him and to what level? Those are the questions that intrigue me. We have an opportunity to study him. See what level the pirates training is really at. If we can crack Sonny, we might be able to crack all the Pirates in prison. We just have to wear him down. Maybe we can make him expose their mental training secrets. The pirates will still be our adversaries, even after we have reassimilated him. All we will need to keep him in check is a collar around his neck. He will not resist. Not when I got him where I plan to bring him" He said. Miller was skeptical.
"We don't know if it will be successful. This program has a long history of failure and severely damaging the ones that went through it. We have kept him in there, isolated from all forms of human contact for over two weeks and he's showing no signs that he is easing up. We may have given him too much freedom. Until he breaks down, we can't progress with him. We don't know if we'll be successful. We need to speed the process of making him break down up somehow" he said. Professor Monteague looked at Sonny, who had decided to do some physical exercises. He used the clock on the wall to decide how many push-ups, how many sit-ups and planks he was meant to do. Sonny took off his jacket and shirt while training. The professor could see the muscles in his torso as he worked out. Sonny was clearly a man that trained a lot, and he had a stricht routine he stuck to. That could be an advantage, but also a weakness. If he was working out too hard, that could be the weakness they sought.
"He's very fit. But also,That could mean his immune system is weakened. He does not allow himself time to recupperate in there, that can create fatigue and weakness in the muscles. I agree we need to start working on him before the Pirates track us. That wont take long. He is too valuable for them not to come looking for him. The Bounty Hunter that took him will be found by the Pirates soon enough. I don't trust him to not tell where he took Sonny. In this condition, we can't transport Sonny to a new location either, He is too strong for the droids to deal with. I have seen videos of him crushing them using just one arm. We try to move him now, He would resist and he's strong enough to get out if he wants to. The droids would be no match for him. Since this is Akillian, he also has allies here. If he escaped, they would come to his aid and hide him until the Pirates come for him. I would not be surprised if they too are looking for him here" Professor Monteague said as he rubbed his chin.
"The only way to make progress with him, is to resort to drugs. That may weaken him just enough to start the process. I can mix a dose that would render him helpless" He said. Miller looked at him.
"We need to be careful with how we proceed here. If we hurt him, the Pirates will tear us apart. We stated in the contract that no harm would come to him" He said. Professor Monteague nodded. He looked at the small syringes they had of different drugs and the supply of water bottles that would be placed in Sonny's cell when he would take a jog. Professor Monteague smirked.
"I think I have an idea. It wont hurt him, but it will allow for mild hallusinations and fatigue to catch up with him. It should make him more manageble" He said.
The Pirates had reached Akilian and had landed the Black Manta as close to the Akillian Technoid base as they dared. They didn't know what condition Sonny was in after almost three weeks of captivity and Corso did not want to have to stress him too much during an escape. If Corso had his way, this would be a quick in and out a rescue mission. They would locate Sonny, free him and bring him safely back to his ship. As soon as the ship was safely placed in stealth mode, the Pirates went to work.
Corso had sent out scouts to get more information on the site, to make a rescue plan.
Duke Maddox had worked with the Pirates feverishly to put up a plan that would work and allow for Sonny to be freed.
D'Jok had volunteered to help out with communications. Using the computers and the Pirate codebooks, he decoded messages, and coded new ones for the Pirates out in the field.
Mei also offered to help, but Corso pointed to her belly.
"Mei, you stay on board. I let you do anything like that, Sonny is gonna be pissed off when he finds out. You delegate things here for when we return." He said.
Bennett had checked all the codes that was sent. D'jok had made himself useful among the code cracker team. It turned out he had real skills, Bennett was impressed enough to ask Corso to take notes of his work, and show Sonny.
Corso had secretly checked over D'Jok's work, and he agreed with Bennett. Maybe Sonny's son had Pirate potential. Corso looked up as he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in." He called out, still studying the rescue plan. He smiled as he saw his best friend's son enter.
"Corso, can I ask you a favor?" He started.
"A favor? I will see how I can help." Corso smiled at him. He was worried about his father, they all were, but Corso knew the kind of training Sonny had received. If he was going to bite it, it would not be without a fight. From their data, nothing suggested that Sonny was struggling so far. Corso checked the gauges regularly; Sonny wasn't stressed. D'Jok quickly informed him of what he thought of. Corso ran over the younger man's plan. The kid really was his fathers son. Sonny would be proud to hear this later.
"That might work but we need to know more about the guards first. From what his transmitter suggests, he has a lot of freedom to move around. From the building plans, we know they're going to be watching him through two-way mirrors and monitors. I suspect he knows that, and that is why he is being so calm. He can suppress his rage, if it means it frustrates them.I recall he was a real ace at that. From his health readings, he's not worried about anything. As soon as I have more information here, I will give you a go-ahead. For some reason, they're not watching him very closely. That or they think the prison is escape-proof." Corso said. D'Jok laughed.
"They may have made it escape-proof for everyone else but I haven't seen a prison that can hold Sonny Blackbones. At least not for long. I cant even remember if he ever has been locked up" he chuckled. This made Corso smile a little. He pulled up Sonny's stats. D'Jok looked at them.
"He's very calm, That is sure to piss them off." He said. Corso nodded.
"These weeks has tested his Pirates training. They work perfectly. Sonny has gotten a payoff from that alone. " He said. D'Jok agreed. He smirked as a thought hit him.
"Could we send him a text in Ancient Shiloh, letting him know we are coming to get him? That would give him a chance to prepare" He suggested. Corso thought of it.
"We could, but wait until I give a go-ahead." He said. D'Jok nodded.
"Not sure how to solve the problem with the guards but they won't keep him locked up for long. We just have to find out how to break him out." He said. Corso smiled.
"Already taken care of. Your friends from the Snow Kids agreed to help us. We got all the help needed to open up his cell and get him out. Thran will hack the signal and use a fake video file for our entry. Tia and Micro Ice have been obtaining the other data we need. Bennett is checking it now. We should be able to move in today." He explained. D'Jok nodded as he turned to leave.
"D'Jok," Corso called. The younger Blackbones turned towards him. Corso was amazed at how much it was like seeing a younger Sonny.
"Yes?" The redhead asked.
"Stay on board with Mei. We'll bring Sonny back. Be prepared in case he's injured. Callie will come along, she may be helpful. I think it will help Sonny if she's there. It also can help the Galaxy understand just how Technoid works to destabilize it. She keeps her head cool. Focus on getting the Captain's cabin ready for Sonnys arrival. I got a feeling Sonny will need to rest and get medical aid when he arrives." Corso said. D'Jok nodded.
"Alright Corso, just make sure you bring him back, safe and sound." He said.
Sonny returned to his sleeping quarters from the shower of his cell. He blocked out the cameras when he was under the shower, Privacy was still something he valued. It felt good to wash the sweat off after the workout. Just because he was captive didn't mean he had to break his training routine or personal hygene regime. Corso not being here did make it a bit less exciting than normal, but he kept at it. When the day of his escape came, he was going to be ready. His captors seemed to think this silence and complete isolation from human contact would somehow break him. He found it to be quite peaceful. It wasn't easy to find that aboard the Black Manta. the degree he got of it here, he used to his own benefit. Meditation and some breathing excersises had made him feel quite peaceful. Sonny had prepared a premade meal from the fridge, which was stacked when he was out jogging. It felt good to have a laboratory to play around in but he could not free himself from the thought that the lab had another function. Having gone through the remedies there, Sonny knew he could have made his escape already but it felt very stimulating to be up against his old mentor again, going head to head like when he worked for Technoid. The lab was not a reward, it was part of the reassimilation process, reminding him whom he once was,and what was expected of him.. He wasn't in a hurry to go back in. Knowing Technoid, they were becoming impatient by now and would start to try to rush things. Well, that would also work in his favour, as they were notorious for getting careless then, and say more than they planned on.
Sonny felt thirsty, the workout had been good but he still needed water. He opened a small refrigerator and took a water bottle. It was empty before he knew it. Nothing beats a bottle of cold water and some fruit after a hard work out.
All of a sudden, all his inner senses went into alert mode. Something about the water was off. It was disguised, but he knew better than to ignore his bodys signals.
Sonny threw the bottle in the garbage can, furious that he fell for this trick. He should have known better than to trust Technoid. The water had been drugged with something. he had to get it out of his system, and fast. Instead of getting stressed, Sonny kept his compolsure.
He took the bottle from the garbage can and studied it. Whatever the water was contaminated with, he had no choice. Sonny grabbed the garbage can, placed it between his knees and forced himself to vomit.
Professor Monteague slammed his hands on the table. Sonny was forcing himself to vommit, the drug had no effect after this short time, and the food had a lower amount of it. If Sonny had realised the water was contaminated, this would make him fight even harder.
"Your incompetence astounds me, Miller. The dose in that bottle was too small to have any effect on him, even without him vomiting it up. He'll be even more suspicious now. He will check everything, There's no way to drug him now unless we force it on him. We can't afford that. Sonny is too dangerous to approach in this state." He said. The professor was furious but Miller had not given up yet.
"What about sleeping gas? That would knock him out long enough to send someone in to inject him with the drug. a higher dosage should bring results quicker" He suggested. He saw Sonny take an unopened water bottle, carefully examining it to see if it had been tampered with.
"It won't work now, he will check every bottle. He's not dumb. Sleeping gas, the priates are immune to. That wont work" Monteague said. Miller nodded.
"Not yet. Lets see what he decides to do about this" He said. They watched as Sonny took the water bottles and some of the food, and headed to the lab.
"Looks like the scientist in him got curious afterall. He'll purify the water and isolate the drug. If he's angry, we might be able to reason with him. Let's see if he can make it out as fast as I suspect him too. But dont expect him to show his anger, not in full force. He will hold back." The professor said as he kept an eye on Sonny, who created a water distilling device, and took a sample from the bottle.
"He looks very focused," Miller said. The professor nodded.
"He is. He's also angry. We're getting to him. Let's try to talk to him." he suggested.
Corso was done talking to the involved Snow kids and Dame Simbai, who had promised to help them with the rescue. He looked at the team; Stevens, Hawkins, Callie, Artie, and Bennett, along with Duke Maddox and his robots.
"All is set. I brought some extra supplies, in case Sonny needs it. Let's get him out and onboard the ship. Duke Maddox will handle all arrests on the ground. Have The Black Manta's holding cells ready, they may be filled up. As soon as we know Sonny's safe, he'll take over command." He said.
Everyone nodded. Corso was ready to go. They had to sneak through the snow but Duke Maddox had already prepared all they needed, including maps. Callie had a determined look in her eyes. She was going to find Sonny, her beloved, and bring him to safety and also the found truth as to why he had been taken. no matter the cost. Duke Maddox approached her.
"Callie?" He asked. She turned to look at him.
"Your Excellency?" She asked as she looked at him. The old man looked tired.
"I hope we'll find Sonny soon. Before they can manage to reassimilate him to is needed in the galaxy, as whom he is now, not whom he once was." He said. Callie nodded thoughtfully.
"Can I ask a question?" She asked. The old Duke nodded. "If they've started working on him, will it be possible to reverse it? I still got many things I want to ask him, We cant continue if they injured him. Or at least, partially reverse the process" she said. Duke Maddox nodded.
"It depends on how far in the process they are. If its at the final stage, it would be too late. I do believe Sonny will fight that, and is not easy to break, so if we're lucky, they're still on the first stage of the process. That would leave litterally no damage at all, and Sonny would be fine,all he would need, is some rest and a medical check up. That is what I secrretly hope for turning out to be the case. " He explained. Callie looked at him.
"What does that mean? Can you tell me about step one, please" She asked. Duke Maddox sighed.
"Step one means that he's being isolated from human contact. Anything that reminds of his life with the Pirates; you, his son, will be withheld from him. He will be bombarded with images of his wife, classmates from the Technoid scientist classes, they will remind him of his old name, anything they can, to break him down and make him easier to work with. I would imagine Sonny would see it from the start and fight them on it. They will try to bring him back to being I'Son, the scientist they knew. How fast that progresses, depends on Sonny's ability to fight it. An abillity I suspect is as fierce as Sonny himself." He said. Corso joined the group and overheard the last part.
"You would be right on that. Sonny was specially trained to withstand what you described. His training is of the highest this galaxy has ever seen. He's the strongest leader we ever had, with an incredibly sharp mind. I would not be surprised if he is actually able to manipulate things to his favour even from inside a prison cell.I checked his stats minutes. He's calm and collected. Pulse is normal, not showing any signs of stress. They're not making any progress in breaking him down. We also checked the map. He's in what is marked as a lab. Bad idea for a former scientist if you ask me. Sonny isnt gonna do as they tell him to, he is going to wear them out and make some handly get away toys for himself if need be. I almost feel sorry for his captors" He said. Duke Maddox nodded.
"Then, let's go and free him, shall we?" He said.
Professor Monteague was getting nervous. He put all his faith in this program, thinking Sonny Blackbones would just silently disappear and be replaced by who he used to be; I'Son. He was dead wrong. I'Son was not coming back. The Pirates trained their captains and leaders to levels that far outmatched Technoids programs, and Technoid had nothing to counter it. He moved his attention back to the screen of the laboratory. Sonny had distilled two bottles of water, cleansing them of the drug they had tried to mask. Even the food had been tested. Sonny left nothing to chance. If they were going to make him cooperate, they would need to physically go into the cell and force him. No one had the guts to confront Sonny Blackbones face to face. Professor Monteague could see him empty two bottles in no time. He was clearly thirsty, but disciplined enough to wait until he knew it was safe. The Pirate chief fascinated him with how he worked. While held in captivity, he would take his time to study this man, try to understand him and how his training helped him cope. It helped to know your enemy. They were so caught up in their dealings, no one bothered to pay attention to the security cameras outside the building.
Thran and Dame Simbai had met up with the Pirates and Duke Maddox. Corso greeted them as the group all gathered to get the rescue done.
Thran quickly blocked the security cameras so no one could see them enter the building. The robots would create a safe passage for the Pirates to make their way to sub-level nine. Corso would not take his chances with ventilation ducts he had no maps for. Thran and Bennett used a Pirate program to send a neutral image, not showing the Pirates progressing along with Duke Maddox into the deeper levels of the building.
Corso also brought tools to make sure any closed-cell doors could be opened. The Pirates had brought some extra clothes for Sonny and also food and water, in case he had been starved. Corso recalled an incident many years ago where Sonny was taken prisoner by a rogue group of Pirates, wanting to collect the bounty on him. They figured Sonny would be worth more to Technoid and had lured him into an ambush and held him captive for a few months. Corso and Magnus Blade had torn Shiloh apart searching for him with no luck. They had all but given up when Sonny had managed to triangulate his safety beacon somehow, and Magnus' search group found him. Corso remembered how weakened Sonny had been. When he was found, Magnus had left his team to deal with the abductors. He had taken care of Sonny on site, and brought him back to the ship for medical treatment. Corso recalled it had been so bad, Magnus had refused Sonny to exit the ship for weeks while he recuperated. He'd barred him from physical exercise and told Corso to focus on keeping him fit in other ways. Corso, as Sonny's closest friend, had made sure to help Sonny talk about his ordeal while making sure he got sufficient rest. When Sonny had been well enough to be out of bed, Corso had been told to keep him in his sight at all times, When on the ship's bridge, Magnus had forced Sonny to sit down, making sure he rested as much as possible while he recovered. Sonny's diet had been adjusted to slowly bring him back to his former strength, while Magnus trained Sonny in matters related to being a leader. The capture had made Magnus realize Sonny was the best candidate to be his successor, and he had him trained to become one. And he had put measures in place to protect Sonny, like him becoming his bodyguard.
Corso wondered if Magnus didn't already know, before Sonny had to challenge him to a duel for the title, that it was coming. Even with the mask on, Magnus knew that Sonny was the one to take the Pirates further, and he was ready to claim his throne. It always seemed he gave up a bit too easy. Corso knew Sonny would not have exiled him, but offered him to stay under the new reign. Magnus had chosen to leave on his own accord, letting Sonny build the organization the way he envisioned it. A vision that had done much good for the galaxy, and made the pirates prosper.
Corso shook the memories as he got ready. He felt good with the fact that Duke Maddox's robots cleared the way for them. When they reached sub-level nine, Corso stopped them.
"Let's split into two groups. Group Storm, go for the cell door and try to open it and let him out of the cell. Wait for us to get there after that. Group Alpha, we go for the control room, trying to apprehend his jailors. I got some questions for them, how about you Duke?" He asked. The Duke nodded,
"Someone better have some answers to why and how this mess came to be. The trip back to Genesis should be interesting. I recall working together with Sonny when it came to professor Baldwin and making him talk, that combination worked just fine to me." He said. Corso nodded.
"Let's get this taken care of."
Professor Monteague cleared his throat and turned on the video and microphone into the laboratory.
"I'Son, we need to talk." He tried. Sonny felt angry at what they had tried to pull. He sent the professor a stone-faced look before he returned to his distillation process in silence. He still had lots of bottles to put through this cleansing. As the process went on, Sonny took a sample of the contaminated drinking water and studied it under a microscope. It wasn't a surprise at all that Technoid would resort to this, patience had never been their strong was the only way they had to attempt to break his defences, not even that had been possible. Sonny smirked as he continued the work. Unlike them, he was not associated with Technoid any more, he was a Pirate, one of their top scientists as a matter of fact, and he knew his trade. In Shiloh,Sonny had a long list of different mixes, salves and other liquids he had created in the lab at Shiloh City, a spesific brand that all pirates knew they could trust to work as spesified. As soon as he had his freedom back, he would deal with Bennett's case and should his jailors refuse to tell the truth, he would use his own truth serum to aid the investigation. To annoy his on edge jailors, Sonny decided to start to whistle. An old Pirates tune. Professor Monteague was feeling nervous with that. Sonny was impossible to read. They could not even see the thought process he went , he heard him speak.
"Well well, I must admit, I am feeling a little disappointed. Technoid brags about your develpments, but this is childsplay for us pirates. You think I wouldn't notice what you did? You're becoming desperate. I thought you had studied at the best universities in the Galaxy, professor, really learned the science as a teachers would be disappointed. This is hardly your best work. A hap hazzard attempt at camouflaging your dirty deed, but no more. If you did it right, it would have been undetectable, I would not have noticed,You would have been able to progress by now,but no,just like the Flux you wanted to create, but never found the formula for, you miscalculated this time as well. Bad for you, but good for me, saves me some rounds of vommit. A child could do better. If I had to grade your work here Professor, Its an F for failing. Make sure to do better, or Duke Maddox might fire you in heartbeat" Sonny said with no attempt made to hide his contempt and anger. He spun around and faced the screen. Sonny Blackbones wasn't angry, he was furious.
"You think I wouldn't discover the fact that you tried to drug me? That is just great, what else to be expected from the rats at Technoid. And despite that, it still didnt work. I guess your second step is being postphoned..again" Sonny asked as he looked at him. "You played your last card with this. I'm nowhere near the point where you could even initiate stage two.I have read of this project before, and know how its meant to work, and how the subject needs to be before entering the second stage. We are not there. Did you really think this would work? Or was this the new way to treat pirates if you should succeed in capturing us?" he fumed.
"What's that supposed to mean, I'Son?I am afraid I dont know what you are talking about" Professor Monteague tried, not able to conceal the insecurity in his voice. Sonny raised an eyebrow.
"We've been over this; my name is Sonny Blackbones. And dont play dumb professor. You know what I speak of. You decided to play this game, just get over the fact that I've won the end game. Just like I completed the research in wich you failed. And at a price that would have been more costly for the Galaxy, had the Pirates not intervened. It's a shame really, you used to be someone I admired. But by staying with Technoid, you lost my respect. The Pirates will always get in your way, to ensure the balance of the Fluxes. You're not going to seize control of the galaxy. The pirates and I will make sure of that. That is a promise" He said as he took a bottle of water that had been cleansed through his distillation process, and emptied it.
"Tastes even better after purification. I suspect this is the cheap kind of water too, not surprising, considering your treatment of employees and others related to the company" He mused and took another bottle.
"I'Son, please don't be like this. I never meant to harm you. I only wanted to help you, to try to save you from the man you've become. The best way seemed to be re assimilation. It would bypass the more serious mind control programs, and allow you to still be you, as a human being and not a is far better equipped than the Pirates to deal with Flux. You could return to the work there, use your skills. It would have helped so many" Professor Monteague tried. Sonny raised an eyebrow, opening another bottle and drank, slowly.
"Is that so? Forgive my cynicism but I find that hard to believe. As for returning to Technoid, you really think I would do that, return to the company indirectly responsible for my wifes premature death? And the destruction of the lives of many others. I think not" Sonny said while locking his gaze on the screen. Professor Monteague sighed. He lost this battle. Sonny was furious with good reason, and what was more, he was also extremely dangerous. In more ways than one
"Sonny, please understand. I'm only doing this to protect you. To carry on like you do, will lead to tragedy at some point." He tried. Sonny raised an eyebrow.
"Protect me Professor? From what?That is a first, even from rats like you. I dont need your protection, you got nothing of value to offer me" He asked. "You've failed at that before with Bleylock remember?. Does anyone at Technoid even know how many lives he has destroyed in his neverending search for power? Or the lasting scars on the soul or psycological injuries that man left in his wake?Because I do, I got an excellent memory on that. If I talked and he was alive, I could prove my claims, He would have been locked away in the galaxys worst prison barge" he snarled. The professor looked at him, mortified. This man was a far cry from the mild and meek scientist he once knew. Theree was no need to doubt his words.
"What have the Pirates done to you? This is not the scientist I used to know." He stammered. Sonny smirked.
"Nothing is what you used to know Professor. The pirates are my family, while Technoid took my wife and sixteen years of my time with my son. I turned against you and your ways because I saw it as unethical. I won't work for someone whose sole desire is to rule supreme over the Galaxy. Not on my watch. Expect me to fight Technoid every step of the way until I either end up dead or peace is fully restored." Sonny said resolutely. The professor was about to start talking when a noise in the background made him stand up. Sonny kept an eye on the screen as a message appeared on his transmitter in ancient Shiloh.
"Need a hand? We are crashing the party" it read.
Sonny smiled and replied.
"Be my guest. I'm ready to end this vacation." he sent back.
At that exact moment, the control room door was bashed open and Corso and the Pirates stormed the place. The Pirates quickly forced all involved parties away from the machines. Duke Maddox looked at his two board members.
"You two have a lot to answer for. Especially in regards to what has been done to Sonny. For your sakes, he better be unharmed" He said. "Seize them!" He ordered the robots. Professor Montague and Miller tried to find a way to escape, but the pirates had sealed all exits. They were handcuffed and put under guard by the droids. Corso walked over to the computers, looking for any visual image on Sonny. In the laboratory, he could see that part of the cell and finally, Sonny himself, relaxing with a bottle of water. Corso took the microphone.
"Sonny, are you ok?" He asked. Sonny smiled as he saw his friend's face on the screen.
"I am all fine Corso. Just waiting on the locksmith. That said, I could probably get out if I wanted to. But it would be more messy that way" He said. Professor Montague heard that.
"Impossible, the door only opens from the outside. There is no way he can open it from in there" He said. Corso growled.
"You don't know what you're talking about. The only reason he hasn't escaped already is that he found you entertaining enough to stick around." He said. Corso could hear Sonny laugh through the speakers.
"True. It's almost a shame they're not able to give me a better fight. I hoped for some fun. a battle of whits would have been entertaining, But then again, Technoid hasnt changed have they?" He said. Corso laughed back.
"Group Storm is ready to get you out Sonny. Hopefully, you're ready to join us again. We've missed you. Clearly, you are all fine, judging from the sense of humour" He said. Sonny smiled.
"I'll be ready." He said. Corso ended the transmission, then he looked at the now handcuffed prisoners. Corso growled as he addressed them.
"Let's see if you rats are as tough when face to face with your enemy. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when you'll face Sonny head-on." He said. Miller was visibly sweating while Professor Monteague was angry.
"Get your hands off me. I never did anything to hurt him." He tried to order the robots to no avail. Duke Maddox ordered them down to Sonny's Cell door.
Meanwhile, Callie and Dame Simbai had gone with Artie to Sonny's cell door.
"How do we open it? There is no handle" Callie said as she was looking for a handle but found none. Thran plugged his computer into the panel next to the door.
"This should take care of things." He said and entered a few codes. In a matter of seconds, the door opened and Sonny stepped out.
"Sonny! Good to see you again." Artie said as he high fived his boss.
"Same, Artie." Sonny smiled, then his eyes fell on Callie. For a second, she looked like she would fall apart on the spot, as all the worry evaporated. Callie decided not to hold anything back. She walked up to him, and placed her hands around Sonny's neck, and kissed him, just melting into his arms. Sonny understood the deep emotions Callie couldn't express in was a moment to just be. He carefully laid his hands around her face and made the kiss a bit deeper. The Pirates around them could do nothing but smile. Anyone who ever had any doubts about what was going on between them now knew for certain; the relationship between Sonny and Callie was forged out of love. Sonny seemed relaxed now that he was out of the cell, carefully holdong Callie close, like the protector they knew him to hugged him tightly and wouldn't let go. She'd been so afraid to lose him and here he was, in her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Callie…" Sonny's voice was soft as he carefully wiped the tears away.
"I'm here. All is well, I promise. I wont be going anywhere." He whispered, holding her to his chest. He held her in a secure embrace as she stood there, just letting the last weeks of stress go, now that he was safe. Then, they heard Corso, Duke Maddox, and the robots arrive with the prisoners. Without letting go of Callie, Sonny turned his attention to his captors. Corso nodded, and was possibly more angry with his jailors than he himself was. Sonny locked eyes with his former mentor, whom looked uneasy in his presence without a barrier between them.
"We meet face to face, professor. Looks like the tables have turned." He said. "You should be more than ready to talk and tell us what this is all about." Sonny stated, still holding on to Callie. Professor Monteague looked at Sonny with hate.
"Forget it Blackbones. I already told you what my motivation for doing this was, you chose not to believe it. That is all the answers you're ever going to get." He spat. Sonny carefully let go of Callie, and raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest and took a step closer to the prisoner. This answer was not the one he was looking for and he made it known. Before anyone could stop him, the professor pushed Stevens aside and made a run for it. Corso growled as he helped Stevens to his feet.
"He's getting away, stop him!" Corso yelled, ready to run after him. He was stopped by Sonny,whom gritted teeth.
"Not if I have a say in the matter! Here!" Sonny said as he pulled up his sleeve quickly and removed a tiny bracelet, barely visible, from his wrist. Corso knew what that meant as Sonny handed it to him.
"Go get him!" He shouted. Callie watched in amazement as Sonny activated the Pirates' infamous flux; the Seed of Shiloh. It formed a forcefield around his body, pulsating in a light purple color. And then, Sonny seemed to dissolve into thin air. This all happened at lightning speed. Callie was confused. What was going on? Why had Sonny dissolved into thin air?
"What was that?" She asked as she looked at Corso, who smiled.
"That's how our flux, the Seed of Shiloh, appears when activated by someone that has mastered it Sonny has indeed mastered it. Trust me, Professor Monteague won't get far. If he was afraid of Sonny in front of us, he will be even more scared facing Sonny alone." Corso grinned. Right after he said that, they could hear someone yell in the next-door room. Artie grinned.
"Let's crash the party before Sonny loses his temper. That would not be pretty" He said. Corso nodded.
"Sonny's human and he has his limits as everyone else. Let's go!" He said.
In the next-door room, Professor Monteague ran with his hands cuffed on his back. He aimed for the secret escape route, when he crashed into a wall that seemed to materialize in front of him. Sonny Blackbones stood before him, and he was not happy.
"Sonny! Get away from me." The professor yelled in horror. He fell to the ground when he crashed into the Pirate Chief with full force. That didnt even make him stagger. Sonny didn't attempt to hide his anger. He reached out and grabbed the Professor's lab coat.
"You better start talking professor, as I got a lot of questions wich you are going to answer, NOW!" Sonny said. He heard the door open behind him. Duke Maddox and the Pirates came in. Professor Monteague snarled as he saw them.
"We could have brought him back to his former self, Your Excellency, if we only had more time. We were so close to solving the pirate problem." He tried. Duke Maddox stood next to Sonny.
"You had more than enough time professor. I know all about your wheeling and dealing within my company now. If you talk, I'll consider being kind, if not, The prison's around the galaxy are getting empty. plenty of place for you to rot away. Now, let's go!" he fumed. Duke Maddox ordered the robots to take the prisoners to The Black Manta. Group Alpha remained on site. As soon as the prisoners were out of hearing range, it became evident how exhausting the use of the seed of Shiloh had been for Sonny at this point. Sonny knew there still had to be left over drugs in his system that he had not detected. And now, as the adrenaline calmed down, and he could relax, the reaction to the strain the flux use had been, was about to hit him full placed a palm to his head as a splittling headached threatened to take over. He could see dark spots, he wasClearly not feeling all well. Callie noticed a slight stagger on his part as Sonny leaned against the wall, trying to get his footing back.
"Sonny, are you okay?" Callie asked as she looked at him, worried. Corso also had a worried expression on his face, having noticed Sonnys staggering steps. Sonny leaned against the wall,trying to compose himself, when all of a sudden, he was gasping for air.
"I can't breathe." He gasped before he sank to his knees.
"Sonny!" Corso called out, terrified. Could it be he was hurt after all? Sonny fell unconscious and sank to the floor. Corso quickly crouched down beside him and checked his pulse. He pulled out a small respirator looking device, before he placed Sonny in a stabile possition and started rubbing his back, attemption to bring anything that obstructed Sonnys breating, up so he could clear it. Simbai had joined them. Despite the seriousness of the situation, She knew a little more about flux and its use than the pirates. She wasnt worried. She had already got a feeling as to what was up with Sonny.
"Let me have a look at him." She offered. Callie could see how Dame Simbai, along with Corso, quickly checked Sonny whom lay unconscious on the floor.
"His pulse is still strong and physically, he's all right but his breathing... It sounds labored. I hope nothing is seriously wrong." Corso said, worried.
"Callie, hand me the respirator. We have to help him breathe for a while." Dame Simbai requested. Callie noticed how Corso carefully placed Sonny flat on his back and placed the respirator over his mouth and nose. Dame Simbai checked his vitals. She nodded, stating that her suspicions had been correct.
"He's been recently drugged. It's not out of his system yet. Do some blood work on him back on the ship. I know you got something to neutralize it. " She said. Corso looked at her.
"Now what?He isnt physically injured, its his breathing that worries me" He asked.
"Get him to the ship and let him rest. When he's awake, make him drink a lot of water, it will help clear it from his system. You will need to check his blood work every six hours, to make sure he is recovering normally" Dame Simbai instructed. Corso nodded as he made a mental memo of how to treat Sonny. Duke Maddox stepped forward.
"Let my robots carry him. it will be more stable. The two of you should keep an eye on his vitals and respitory. We will take the belt truck transport back to the ship. That way you will get to examine him faster" He suggested. Corso nodded and sent Bennett and Artie to get a stretcher. As soon as they returned, the droids lifted the stretcher off the ground,and Corso carefully lifted the unconscious Sonny onto it, and secured him with belts. Callie walked beside them, holding the respirator over Sonny's mouth and nose. She looked at him. Sonny appeared to regain consciousness now, his eyes fluttering slightly.
"He's waking up" Callie said. Corso nodded.
"We need to get him back to the Black Manta and have him taken to the infirmary there. I'll make sure to perform a thorough examination on him and a toxicity screening to make sure he's doing fine. With all he has been through, He knows the drill, and this is a non debatable subject, even for him" Corso said as he looked at Sonny, who tried to sit up but the belts stopped him. he smiled as he placed his hand on Sonnys. "It's okay, Sonny. You're safe now. We'll get you back to the ship. Just stay calm. rest a little, you earned it" He said. Sonny nodded slowly and Corso could see him smile gently behind the respirator. The droids fell into a rythm, while carrying him into the belt truck that Duke Maddox used to transport them back to the ship. Callie remained by Sonny's side, as he tried to sit up once again once they were to board the belt truck. There was room for the stretcher, but Sonny had enough of laying down now. Callie looked at him.
"Stay down Sonny, we'll need to examine you back at the ship. Try to rest until then" She said in a soft voice but Sonny had enough of the resting and pulled the respirator aside.
"It's just a drug Callie. My water bottles were tampered with. I am fine. " He explained as he sat up. Callie still held the respirator ready but Sonny shook his head.
"I'm fine. I don't need help breathing anymore." He said. Corso looked at Duke Maddox.
"Did you know your men did this to him? That they use drugs to subdue their prisoners, or is this just a special treatment for Sonny?" He asked. Duke Maddox looked cross.
"Not at all. I dont allow use of drugs on anyone. Even in the arrest protocol pertaining to Sonny, there is spesific notes that he is not to be drugged. If it happend,I wanted him brought to my office, to talk to him first, before he would have been transported to the location I planned to hold him in. This is unheard of. I will call a board meeting the minute we are back. I would like to ask you and Sonny to accompany me to this meeting. Do you feel up for it, Sonny?You look like you need some rest" The Duke asked. Sonny pushed himself up in a seated position.
"I am fine, I will rest when I need to. ButI will be there, Your Excellency. This reaction was because of me overusing the Seed of Shiloh in a way that used more Flux than I had stored within me. I haven't completely figured out how to regulate it fully, it is not all that long ago we developed it. just a few years, but it works as a protection for us pirates. I overused my reserves this time and it exhausted me because the food and drinking water had both been tampered with. I dont know what drug they used, I tried to counter it by cleansing them. It may still have had traces in it though.I am not sure when they started drugging the food and drinks I had in there, but we will find out. I'll be fine." He explained. Duke Maddox nodded. Corso was still looking concerned and Sonny noticed.
"Let's do an examination the minute we get on board, it will settle your nerves Corso." He said. Corso sniggered.
"You think my nerves won't hold?" He teasingly asked. Sonny winked at him as he pulled Callie to his chest.
"Put away the stretcher, we don't need it anymore." He said as Callie helped him move over to one of the seats. Corso kept a close eye on his friend, to see if there were any injuries that Sonny tried to hide. He found none. Callie leaned close to him and wrapped her hands around his waist, fastening his seatbelt Sonny smiled, placing his arms around her, and carefully kissing her.
"Feeling better, Callie?" He asked softly. Callie could hear his heartbeat; slow and steady.
"I feel better now that you're safe.I might become a bit overprotective of you now" She admitted with a tired smile. Sonny looked down at her with a smile.
"It takes a lot more to get rid of me. These two never stood a chance" He assured her. "I do appreciate your concern though." he whispered into her hair. She looked up into his slightly concerned hazel eyes.
"I'm fine now that you're here. I just hope there will be nothing like this at least for a while. We're still not done with our project. Remember, you came to me for help, not the other way around" She playfully reminded him. Sonny chuckled softly as he gently squezed her hand. Duke Maddox smiled when he saw them. Callie had deep emotions for his former employee and Sonny seemed to relax as she embraced him, resting her head on his chest. He decided what was going to happen as soon as they returned to Genesis. Changes to his plan had to come into effect imidiately. He still needed the Pirates' help to pull this off and there was one thing he could do that would allow Sonny and his men to freely move around, and make their part of this job a whole lot easier. With the ongoing interview and Sonny presenting physical evidence to back up his side of the story, the public opinion was in his favor. To minimize damage to the Maddox name and to Technoid as an organization, there was one thing he had the power to do and seeing a professional like Callie Mystic, embrace the Pirate Chief like she did, if he was to consider himself a human, he needed to give Sonny back the life his organization had stolen from him. He recalled his words to Callie where he hoped it wasn't too late to make amends. This was his chance.
"You two make a good couple. She even reminds a bit of your late wife, rest her soul." The Duke smiled, addressing Sonny. He smiled as he relaxed in her arms.
"This is your second chance. If I could have reversed the deeds done back then, I would have done so." He said with true remorse. Sonny nodded. It felt good to hear this, infront of witnesses. Now, he looked at Callie. She knew he had been married once, but she did not know the story. He was not all sure if it was making her feel jealous, or hurt, when mentioning of his late wife came up.
"You're not jealous?" He asked Callie with a slight smile. She smiled at him.
"No, I'm glad she was part of your life. I've seen her picture, Mei showed me at the baby shower. she looks like a very loving person. I hope you'll tell me about her one day. Don't be ashamed of the past Sonny, take all the things she taught you and use it to create something better than what the Galaxy forced you to let go of." Callie said. Duke Maddox nodded.
"Those are very wise words, Callie. I had the pleasure of working with Sonny's late wife after I had my cybernetic eye installed. She was a very compassionate woman, with a great heart and love for all around her. I'm truly happy she fell in love with Sonny. Or maybe I should use the name Sonny went by back then? Helena never knew the Sonny Blackbones you love, she knew I'Son Danvers, my best ever scientist. Two very different people." He said. Sonny smiled.
"I agree Your Excellency. No words could ever fully do her justice. Her legacy continues through our son and soon, our grandchild." He said with a smile. Duke Maddox smiled as he heard that.
"Congratulations Sonny. This is good news. Starting to feel old yet?Your grandchild to be is sure to make you question if you are as young as you feel, believe me, I got some of my own." Duke Maddox smiled. Sonny chuckled.
"Not yet, I plan to be a very young and playful grandfather. My grandchild will learn a lot from her grandfather" He said. Corso laughed.
"You're challenging your own son. He's having a hard time keeping up as it is. So he's tried to outsmart you by putting up dares. Wich I could have told him ahead of time was a bad idea." He said with a grin. Sonny raised an eyebrow.
"You helped him. Dont forget, there will still be payback over that." He retaliated mildly, making Corso turn red. Then Sonny came to think of something.
"Speaking of whom, how are D'Jok and Mei handling this?" Sonny asked. Corso smiled.
"They're onboard the ship. They decided to come with us to wherever you decide to head after the return of Duke Maddox and the payload to Genesis." He informed his friend. Sonny creased his brow when he heard that.
"We will see if that's the best solution. Things are about to change. Genesis is a better base of operations for what we need to get done" He said. Corso nodded.
"What do we do about that bounty hunter? He's still out there… I couldn't catch him.I find him, he will regret what he did to you" Corso said, sounding… ashamed. Sonny nodded as he looked at Corso.
"It's not your fault Corso. I should've held back and let you and the others go after him. I don't have an excuse for putting you all through hell. Can you forgive me?" He asked, looking at Corso. Corso placed a hand on his shoulder. That was all the answer he needed.
"This is my fault. I should have known you would react like that. I didn't do my job. I didn't protect you. All I can do is hope he didn't treat you too badly." Corso whispered carefully. Sonny nodded and reached out to place a hand on Corso's shoulder as well.
"Let's just keep it at 'we were both stupid'. Also, no, he did not mistreat me. Just didn't let me get away." Corso looked at him, not believing what he said.
"What did he do to you?" He asked. Sonny sighed.
"He used the Z 44 formula to keep me calm." He said. Corso nodded.
"That's a paralyzing agent. Sonny, you know that drug is one of the strongest we have. " He said. Sonny nodded. Corso sighed."Next time don't try to toughen up and just tell me." he asked. Sonny nodded in silence, to let Corso know, he would take his advice to heart.
"As for how to deal with him when we locate him, I'll leave that to other people, for me, he is persona non grata, especially after this" Sonny said. Corso nodded.
"Don't expect me to feel sorry for him." He said. Sonny sighed. He knew what was comimg was rare, but as their leader, he still hated using this part of the codex. Corso looked at him, seemingly reading his mind. "I know you hate using that part of the Pirates' protocol because he used to be your friend but he blew it with this stunt." Corso sighed. "He's not getting the Pirate's help anymore." he stated. Sonny nodded sadly, still feeling bad about it.
Aboard the Black Manta, Miller and Professor Montague were put in separate cells under tight security. The two prisoners prefered Technoid ships to the pirates more basic accomodations, but their insults were ignored by the pirates,whom had a bone to pick with them over the treatment Sonny had been given. Sonny had gone with Corso to the infirmary as soon as they got on board, to have the mandatory examinations preformed. Corso commanded him to remove his jacket and t shirt, and lie down on the examination bench while he examined him. Corso quickly did the blood tests and as they waited for the result, he performed the physical examination. Sonny said nothing as Corsos trained hands checked him over, efficient and thoroughly. Finally he nodded.
"Nothing was broken or displaced. You'll live to fight another day." He smiled as he finished up. Sonny nodded as he pushed himself up.
"Told you I was fine." Sonny said, reaching for his clothes. Corso sent him a look, not completely convinced just yet.
"Easy there, there's still the toxins in your blood stream that we need to worry I am satisfied with that, you are not in the clear" He said. He took out a pill and a bottle of water and handed it to Sonny. Sonny knew the pill would help him rid himself of the toxins faster, so he downed the pill and the water. As soon as the bloodwork was done, Corso would send him to go rest. But first, he checked the results of the tox screen. "There are still some toxins in your bloodstream Sonny. Drinking plenty of water should get rid of it." He suggested. Sonny nodded, getting off the examination bench. "Sonny?" Corsos voice sounded strange. Sonny noticed how vulnerable Corso's voice sounded.
"What is it?" Sonny asked, turning around, and before he finished the movement, Corso pulled him into a warm embrace.
" Sonny,We almost lost you. I never thought one of our own, exiled or not, would do that to you. We need to overhaul our routines in regards to how we punish them, and most of all, we need to make sure this can't happen to you again. We just cant afford to loose you" he mananged. Sonny nodded. He hugged Corso tightly. This was not how Corso usually reacted, making it clear just how upsetting this had been to him.
"I know Corso, you don't need to say anything." He said. Corso still held him tight.
"I don't care what happens to me but I couldn't live with something happening to you because of me." He said. Sonny could sense Corso's raw emotions.
"I did this to myself Corso, it's not your fault. If I had acted like I should have, this never would have happened. This mess is all on me" He said. Corso nodded carefully.
"I just hope we get through this damn board meeting without getting arrested." He muttered. Sonny pulled his head to his chest.
"This time, I got a feeling we will be positively surprised Corso" He said.
Duke Maddox's team had carried out mass arrests of the people involved with the unauthorized building and its operations on Akillian. A Technoid ship was on its way to take care of the round-up. In the Black Mantas interrogation room however, Professor Monteague was nervous and fearful. He was involved in planning and carrying out an abduction and false imprisonment of the pirate chief, the most wanted man in the galaxy. And it seemed, these actions would swing things in the pirates favour, not theirs. Now, he was waiting to be interrogated. He had been informed that would be one of the pirates toughest interrogators doing this interview. Sonnys personal pick for the job,himself. And Sonny Blackbones was far more scary to deal with without the protection of a wall between them. Corso had been standing watch inside the room since he was put there. Sonny needed to rest after the physical examination, so he had gone with Callie to his cabin to do so. Professor Monteague was getting irritated.
"I demand to speak to someone in charge. Sonny should have done this hours ago" He demanded. Corso looked at him calmly.
"Sonny will come whenever he's ready. And since you drugged him, that might take a while. Also, you don't want him down here. Not after what you did to him. Dont expect this to be a tea party. Sonny plays hard ball, and I can guarrantee that is what he will do now, to the both of you. I wouldnt want to be in your place when he comes" He said. The professor had miscalculated a lot of things, especially his importance within Technoid.
In the meantime, Sonny had decided to rest some after the physical examination, to make sure what food and drink he had over the weeks had not been drugged with anything. It was also part of his tactic to stress the prisoners, they had no command around here, he did. And the sooner they got the idea that they were on his turf now, the sooner they could get things moving. But only when he was ready. He was also waiting for the medication Corso gave him to take full screening that came back, was showing small traces of the drugs used to try to weaken him, was still in his system. Sonny had used a special pill the pirates had to help speed up the cleansing of his bloodstream and if he slept, it would work first, he stopped by the cabin of the expectant parents. Mei and D'Jok had also been thrilled to see Sonny alive and well and he had spent some time with them, making plans, before Callie came to get him, and they went to get some sleep.
Duke Maddox had been shown to the guest cabin on board so he could make arrangements with his board of directors and a pick up to transport the prisoners to the prison barge of his choosing. The pirates weren't worried, they were in full control of all that came in and out from the Black Manta. D'Jok had been at the helm of the transmission board when the message about a specific document had to be written up for the Duke to sign when he arrived, came through. D'Jok felt his heart skip a beat when he heard he listened to the further conversation,he was feeling exited. Could it mean that his father and the pirates would be pardoned? The way Duke Maddox had acted, it seemed this was a positive for the pirates, rather than a negative. D'Jok logged the information before Stevens replaced him. Then, he went to find Mei. Sonny had gone to his cabin to try to get a few hours of sleep. Callie had decided to join him.
Corso was appointed to guard the prisoner in the interrogation room. He remembered Sonny's words;
"Let him sweat, he loves playing mind games so let's give him what he thinks he is important, lets show him what his place really is."
Corso was looking forward to it. This could be a great way to let his frustrations out. And the way Sonny had decided to rest before the interrogation was sure to help irritate the weasel.
At the cabin, Callie had pulled the covers around Sonny as she embraced him when they lay down on the bed.. Sonny had fallen asleep almost instantly, revealing just how tired he was. Her head resting towards his chest was all he needed to know that things was back to normal now. And he was back home. Callie decided to stay with him to make sure he had no nightmares. She still had a hard time taking in that he was safe and sound. As she heard his calm breathing, she turned off the lights and placed her arm around his waist. He was safe now and he needed the rest. Everything else could wait.
Duke Maddox met with Sonny at the command center of the Black Manta a few hours later to go over the interrogation. Duke Maddox smiled as The head of the pirate entered the command center of the ship.
"There you are Sonny. Looks like you had a good rest. Are you ready to start the interrogation?" He asked as Sonny walked into the room and checked his messages. Sonny smiled.
"You sound eager to start Your Excellency. And Thank you, I slept like a baby. Nothing like home and sleeping in my own bed, no offence." He answered. Duke Maddox grinned.
"I'll take your word for it. I'm pretty sure Callie helped matters." He smiled. Sonny smirked.
"She did." He said. Duke Maddox nodded at that.
"I'm glad she chose you, Sonny, you look good together. You deserve a second chance in life, I hope it is not too late for me to make some amends to the past and the damage I caused you and your men" He said. Sonny chuckled.
"You think you figured me out now?Making amends is possible, but will take time. I will let you know if there is anything you can help us with, besides the agreements already made. Maybe you have figured me out, to a certain true, Her laying next to me helps me relax, and thus,I get a better quality of sleep. But other than that,I choose to keep my personal life a private matter" He said. Duke Maddox nodded.
"It shows Sonny. You haven't looked this rested in years. It seemed this whole relationship with her, and telling your side of the story, is having quite an invigorating effect on you. " He said. Sonny nodded.
"I'll still be around for a long while, just to make life interesting for you, dont worry, if you get bored, we can always do a cat and mouse game. I promise not to make it too hard for you to keep up" Sonny said. They started walking together to the interrogation room.
"Let's get this show rolling." Duke Maddox said. Corso opened the door and joined them.
"Any news?" Sonny asked casually. Corso shook his head, but couldn't hide his amusement.
"He's silent but angry. He expected to be interrogated hours ago, as if he had a say around here. This one really has high thoughts of himself and his importance in the company. I would say he needs be taken down several notches. That said, I could always beat things out of him." Corso said. Sonny was amused, but this was not how he planned it to play out. Maybe as a back up plan.
"That's not how we work Corso. We have better ways to get what we want. But I will keep that option as plan B" Sonny said. Corso shrugged.
"You're the boss." He said. Sonny nodded as he entered behind Duke Maddox.
Professor Monteague looked up as they arrived.
"We could have solved the Pirates problem if we had managed to reassimilate Blackbones. We really were close to get it going" He started. Duke Maddox slammed his hands in the table.
"The re assimilation project was closed down Professor, due to it being highly unethical. The list of casualties is also way too long and a liability. I hope you have a damn good explanation for why you used it in this case. The failures are well documented. Also, I did not authorize a ten million bounty to have Sonny captured, nor did I ask you to drug him or attempt to re assimilate him to our needs, nor did I ask Sonny to be held captive and certainly not under these conditions you gave him! If Sonny was to ever join Technoid again, I want it to be of his own accord. I dont expect him to though, because of our actions towards him personally, and his men. There will be some serious changes taking place now. They will include Sonny and his people. At this point, I trust the Pirates more than I trust my board of directors! You will soon enough see what I mean" Duke Maddox bellowed at the professor. The professor started to sweat. Sonny took a seat next to Duke Maddox.
"I'm still waiting for an answer from you; who were you trying to protect me from? No one within the Pirates' ranks has ever hurt me. And what kind of role did that scum Bleylock play in all of this?I am a patient man, but its enough with your games now. I will have my answers, and you will feel better for saying it. I suggest you start telling us all about this wheeling and dealing that has been going on behind Duke Maddox's back. You will either answer me or I will let Corso have a go. He's been chomping at the bit to get his hands on you. Did you know he's been in the Chissian military? Those aren't people to mess with." Sonny said in a casual tone.
Sonny kept a careful eye on the professor as he spoke, looking for signs of distress. There were plenty of them. The professor sent him a hateful glare.
"If you would have stopped fighting, all this could have been solved. the discomfort if any, you can blame yourself for" He said. Duke Maddox and Sonny exchanged looks. Duke Maddox leaned forwards, over the table.
"We're all ears. you better start talking, NOW!"
Callie and Mei were looking through the baby clothes for the baby that they had bought.
"These are wonderful Mei, she is going to be a real fashionista," Callie said. Mei smiled.
"She's going to be the queen of the house. How are you looking forward to being a grandmother?" She asked. Callie had to think it over for a second.
"I haven't thought too much about it, to be honest. There is so much going on now, I'm just trying to adjust to the situation. Most important thing is Sonny being back and that he is safe again" She said. Mei nodded.
"You were lucky that night of the explosion. If Sonny hadn't been there…" She started. Callie nodded. Sonny had saved her life that night and now, he was someone she could not imagine her life without. Sonny had every quality she wanted in a partner. In a lover.
"I know that dreamy look. Someone found their prince charming for sure" Mei teased. She sat down on the bed.
"What's it like to date Sonny Blackbones, the most wanted man in the galaxy?" She asked with a smile. Callie looked at her.
"To be honest I didn't plan for it to happen. Yet here we are. I wasn't thinking of that at all, I was more focused on getting to know Sonny, who he really is when he stepped out of his roles and was just himself." She explained. Mei raised an eyebrow.
"I never thought he could do that. What was it like?" she asked curiously. Callie laughed.
"Sonny is an amazing guy, no matter what role he is in. It took a little while and a bottle of wine, but when he relaxes, his sense of adventure is nothing like I've ever experienced before. He's a great dance partner and excellent at conversation. I wish that night could have lasted forever. I've never had so much fun on a date. It was magical to see the true Sonny Blackbones. he is really a one in a million catch. Your little one is going to have an amazing grandfather. I just hope he'll be able to spend as much time with her as he hopes. He's really looking forward to this." She said. Mei Smiled.
"I know he does, I'm so lucky both you and Sonny will be part of this. She'll be a very well protected child. If Sonny manages to get the pardon secured, DJok wants to come out in a personal interview and reveal that Sonny is his father." Mei looked at her intensely. Callie felt it best to run, before Mei got into more personal questions.
"I have some work to do, let's talk later." Callie hurried out of Mei and D'Jok's cabin and into hers and Sonny's. Mei smiled as she continued to fold the clothes.
Duke Maddox and Sonny looked at the now exhausted professor. They had been through hours of interrogation where they had both been relentless and they now recorded everything they needed. Next on their list was Miller. Sonny rubbed his chin. The story the professor had told, raised a set of problems that needed to be dealt with fast.
"What do you think about this flux situation, Sonny?It sounds dire, and in need of addressing" Duke Maddox asked. Sonny looked at him and nodded.
"We have the location where the devices are stored. I'll send a team to retrieve them as soon as we land. I'll have Clamp make a lab ready and we will deconstruct the multi flux version three, molecule by molecule." He said. Duke Maddox nodded.
"You have a process for it?" He asked. Sonny nodded affirmingly.
"Yes, Your Excellency. Clamp is unfamiliar with it. I'm the only one that knows how to do this. I'll need to be available to him when we start, to make sure nothing goes wrong." He said. Duke Maddox nodded.
"We will first hold the board meeting and get things sorted out there. Then we'll follow through with our agreement. Lord knows you've earned it after this unwanted adventure. " He said. Sonny nodded. Finally, things were coming together.
"Just tell me one thing, Blackbones." The Professor started. Both Sonny and Duke Maddox turned towards him.
"How were you able to stay so calm? I've worked on many with this program and not one has been able to withstand the isolation to the level you did. How is that possible?Its inhuman" The professor asked somewhat bewildered. Sonny smiled and took a seat in front of his former mentor.
"I knew, from the moment the door locked behind me what kind of game this was. I was once your student professor. As the Pirates leader, I've been trained to withstand the kind of things you exposed me know all of Technoids programs, even this. We train constantly and update our standards when you get better. It is that easy to stay on top. The pirates are highly motivated for this. This was not even close to the levels the Pirates training aimed to answer your question, it had really all to do with the things you didnt know, I had a secret weapon of my own wich I didnt reveal. And that helped me stay balanced" he revealed. Duke Maddox interrupted.
"There will possibly be a hearing with the League and the Flux Society about you using the Flux outside of Galactik Football competition Sonny. It isnt legal, not even for you pirates" He said. Sonny shook his head with a smile.
"There won't be a hearing on this Your Excellency, and its because of my status. Not because I'm a wanted man but because of the category my understanding and use of the Flux has granted me access to." He said. Professor Montegue and Duke Maddox looked at him.
"What do you mean by that? It's still forbidden by the League." Duke Maddox said, puzzled. Sonny nodded.
"For most people, yes but there are exceptions. For footballers from category one through three, these rules will apply. This is also the case for category four through We have a sixth category. These are the few that have mastered the use and understanding of their Flux. They are under a special code that allows them to use the Flux outside of football if it will benefit the greater good of the Galaxy. Not many hold this honor. Today, I only know of three category fives." He explained. Duke Maddox looked at him.
"Who are the Category Fives you know?" He asked. Sonny nodded.
"Ahito from The Snow Kids, Luur of The Xenons and Warren of The Lightnings." He answered. Duke Maddox nodded. He understood wich group Sonny refered to without giving details. And he had a suspicion as to why Sonny was so calm about matters, now, he just needed Sonny to confirm it.
"Can I ask someone being listed as a category six to present the medallion that identifies them as such?The Flux Master Medallion that is" He asked. Sonny nodded, stuck his hand under his t-shirt, and pulled out the medallion around his was black, with the flux societys emblem, surrounding the pirates signature, The Black Maddox smiled. That explained everything. And Sonny was a worthy member of this very rare group. It also spoke the galaxy of his flux and how it would benefit the galaxy on a wider range.
"I'm not surprised to see you wear the medallion. If anyone could master Flux to that level needed to do what you did today, it would be you. First time I saw the seed of Shiloh being used, I had my suspicion you were one of the ones developing it, but I didnt know you had completely mastered it" He said. Sonny nodded.
"I'm still learning more about the origin of the Seed of Shiloh, but as far as mastering it, I have completed the flux societies tests and been awarded status as a Flux Master. It puts me in a special privilege category but it's something I chose to keep silent about." He said. Duke Maddox nodded with a smile before he turned to their prisoner whom was flabbergasted.
"You never stood a chance. Sonny being recognized as a fully accomplished Flux Master puts him in a very special category. He has a strenght and wisdom that is far superior to yours. Sonny was out of any league Technoid could ever deal with. We have no training manuals to override that. And for the galaxys sake, that is for the best" He said.
"If it wasn't for your incompetence, we would have caught him years ago. Long before he was ever a flux master. We could have had him back" Montague hissed. Duke Maddox looked at his former employee.
"Are you that dense?I would have thought the bounty alone told the truth about matters" He asked. The prisoner looked at him with a glare.
"I'm not sure I understand?" He asked. Sonny had his suspicions but chose to remain silent. The Duke would tell what this was about.
"The Bounty was never meant to attract anyone to rat on Sonny. Nor was it ever meant to have him captured. I've put on a show for many years. Had he been caught, I would also have released him as soon as he had been brought to me. Maybe had a small chat if he felt up for it, but I would have let him go. He's needed out there. Not in a prison cell. and that is where he will stay. " Maddox explained. The professor was shocked, They had been played, by Old Duke Maddox himself. Duke Maddox rose from his chair as he turned towards him. "If I had wanted Sonny taken, the Bounty would have been far higher. where it is now, does not reflect his real value, and I am sure Sonny has known that for quite some time" The Duke said with a smile. They left it to Corso and Bennett to escort the prisoner back to his cell.
As they were walking towards the lounge, Sonny had a question. The Dukes statement had made him slightly curious.
"I'm curious Your Excellency, how big would my bounty be if you wanted to catch me?" He asked. Duke Maddox smiled slyly.
"Probably about Twenty Million. It would have made life very dangerous for you if that was the case.I think you know, on some level, that so was not the case. You wouldn't even be in any real danger; if you were caught, I would have let you go as soon as the coast was clear. You're valuable to Technoid, true, and I would have welcomed you back at any time, but you're also needed right where you are; with the Pirates. And as I have said before, life without enemies isnt very exciting" He said with a smile. "I got plenty of scientists, Sonny. Too bad none of them measure up to your abilities."
The Black Manta had slid silently into a private Astro port secured by Duke Maddox and a prison transport took care of the prisoners. Duke Maddox was in a hurry to get to his board meeting. Sonny, Corso, Bennett, Artie and Sonny's other two protective teams had joined him, as had Callie, as she was told to document this moment. Most of the board members looked tense when they noticed the Pirates, lined up behind Duke Maddox, enter the room. Callie got a signal from Sonny to start the cameras as his people secured the room. No one would leave until what was going to go down had taken place. The pirates secured all exits, before they lined up, waiting for Sonnys signal. The head of Technoid took a long look at his people.
"Members of the board, I'm here because a serious breach of trust has taken place within this company. A breach that will have far-reaching consequences for the entire company. This has gone so far that I had to enlist the help of Sonny Blackbones and his men to get to the bottom of it all. What they found is unacceptable. The Pirates are here at my behest now, they will do a screening of all content on all your computers to see what is going on. If I find anyone being less than honest, you will be fired. You hear me?" He said. The board members moved around, looking uneasy. Sonny had taken position next to Duke Maddox, and crossed his arms, looking at all of them. Where was the real culprit behind this? He had a feeling someone was missing. Duke Maddox looked at them all. "Now, for today's agenda; Professor Monteague and Maurice Miller are detained indefinitely and there will be an investigation into their actions, including soliciting a Bounty Hunter, to capture and imprison Sonny Blackbones. This was not a Technoid operation, but of a rogue employee trying to keep me in the dark. This put Sonny Blackbones in real danger and he was almost forced to work for Technoid with very dangerous methods.I do not authroize methods that will hurt people, wich easily could have been the case here. I just returned from a rescue mission with the Pirates. Sonny is now safe and free from captivity. I will not tolerate this kind of covert operations behind my back anymore." The Duke looked at them all. "From now on, there will be no more Technoid against The Pirates." Duke Maddox took out a piece of paper from a drawer, and toook a pen to sign it. "This document is an agreement negotiated by Sonny and myself. To get to the bottom of who was trying to run Technoid behind my back,and this agreement will take affect immideately. I owe great thanks to Sonny, who still made the call to help me get to the bottom of this mess for only one demand. That demand,I will make good on right now." Duke Maddox turned to Sonny and handed him the paper. "The document is a written agreement that can not be revoked or changed. It states that the Shiloh Pirates are now pardoned from any alleged wrongdoings against Technoid." he said. That was as far as he managed before the Pirates in the room broke out in huge cheers. Duke Maddox could only smile. He could tell the rest later. Corso was all smiles.
"You Did it Sonny, I thought it was just another trap but you did it," Corso said as he embraced Sonny, with a big smile on his face. Sonny hugged Corso back.
"Not me Corso,We finally made it." He smiled. Corso was grinning.
"All thanks to you, Sonny. Without your leadership, this never would have are a true gem" Corso said. Artie was getting all fired up.
"Let's hear it for Sonny, who made the impossible, possible!" he cheered.
The cheers were loud. Sonny decided to stay silent for now, he had to let it sink in. Duke Maddox had more to say.
"Technoid has a rather extensive list of Pirates with a bounty on their head." He said as a screen appeared, where images of wanted Pirates appeared.
"To mark the end of an era, I think it's fitting Technoid destroys these wanted posters once and for all." Duke Maddox punched a code on his panel.
"Warning, deletion cannot be reversed" said a metallic voice.
The computer said. Duke Maddox looked slightly annoyed.
"Just do it already, we have no more need for them." He said. Sonny let out a sigh of relief as his wanted poster started to dissolve before his very eyes. Corso's followed and after that, the other Pirates. As the process continued, Callie knew she had to get a comment, since this board meeting was broadcast live.
"Sonny, how are you feeling with all this?Its a lot and has been a long time coming. Let the galaxy know what it feels like to finally reach your goal" She asked. Sonny smiled.
"It's still unreal. This has been a long time coming and it's finally here." He said. Callie smiled.
"What are your plans with your newfound freedom?" She asked. This made Sonny laugh.
"After coming to grips with it, I'll spend more time with my son, and pick up contact with old friends." He said. Callie smiled. But Sonny wasn't done.
"I want to thank all those out there in the Galaxy who believed in us, who have supported us through the worst. There's one person who came in at the very end of all this, but whose contribution has meant the Galaxy to the Pirates. She has shown immense bravery and in the process, became close friends with us and she stole my heart too. I thought that to be impossible, and I was wrong" He continued. Callie blushed as Sonny took her hand.
"You helped out immensely Callie. Thank you. Now, allow me to show just how I feel about all this" Sonny said, before live, on-air for the entire Galaxy to see, gently putting his hands around Callie's face. She didn't need to ask what was about to happen. Sonny's eyes told her all she needed to know. Callie let her hands caress his neck as she didn't care if the Galaxy found out. Her eyes met his and everyone cheered, as Sonny Blackbones carefully kissed Callie Mystic and made it clear to the Galaxy that he was a man in love, and that he had every intention to give Callie the life she deserved.
A/N: I hear a huge celebration coming. Is this the end of the story? Of course not, this is when the story starts to grow and evolve. We still have a mole in the flux society to deal with and Sonny has a grandbaby coming. There's plenty of things to come. Where will the romance with Callie lead? We'll learn more about the Pirates themselves, some will share their horrors and let the Galaxy know just how bad a Pirates' life can be. And finally, this isn't entirely clear yet but we may see a new Galactik Flux War. All of this and more in the coming chapters.
Thank you to my friend Paranoidgirl for always tossing around ideas and helping me improve my fic. The story got spiced up so much by your touch after beta-ing it. I feel like a kid on Christmas eve every time I see a new betaed chapter from her. That is my highlight of the day. I hope you love the fic and her awesome betaed versions.