Dark Bonds

By

AJ Katon

Disclaimer: I do not own X23 or any of the X-men. All X-men related things are copyrighted by the Warner Bros. and Marvel Comics. The newly added characters such as Marcus are the ones I own.

Ch.10 Storming Hydra PT.1

Marcus steadied himself on his shadow bike and prepared to make the leap of his life. The steel wall came into view with the five speechless guards standing in place in shock and Marcus knew it was time to act. *"Knock, knock. Cross."* he thought as he came closer and closer until-

Crash!!!

The shadow bender had jumped off the bike just as it was about to hit the wall and the soldiers had scrambled away to safety. The crimson vehicle smashed into the reinforced wall with so much speed that the explosion that came was so large that it stretched almost to the top of the front door. Luckily it didn't reach that far as Marcus managed to jump even higher that the fiery aftershock didn't catch up to him and he made it over the wall.

While floating in mid-air for a few seconds the fifteen year old mutant scanned what little of the base that he could see. The base was large that, as expected, and the inner structure was that of a military setting. A few barracks for the troops in the front, a few weapon's tents on both sides of the walls, and several vehicles on display loaded with missiles most likely. What caught his eye the most were the troops lining up in front of his descending spot and the large command center they were standing in front of.

*"Well that's where Cross and the Viper lady are,"* Marcus thought with an obvious tone. *"but where is that warehouse?"* He couldn't think on it anymore as he felt gravity working again and he dropped back to the Earth. Right in front of the guy's with guns. Great.

The moment his feet touched the ground, the Hydra infantrymen opened fire. Quickly though Marcus conjured a shadow barrier and it absorbed the barrage of life threatening weapons into the dark mass. Soon the bullets stopped coming as the soldiers tried to reload before their enemy could counterattack. Unfortunately the black haired boy had launched himself through the dark shield and came face to face with the first soldier he would take down.

After relieving the man of his gun by jump kicking it out his hands, the shadow bender followed up with another mid-air kick to Hydra worker's face, sending him far from the battle field. Three more turned up behind Marcus ready to fire but by spinning on his heel he turned to them and shot a shadow wave. The use of energy caused a bit of his armor on his upper torso to fade but it made quick work on the three soldiers and a few more that were behind them.

Next up were only five more attackers that were dealt away with ease. Marcus merely used a martial arts combo Gen had showed him and practically threw the infantrymen at each other. Once they were done with the midnight blue irised mutant stopped his tracks and got down on one knee. After placing his hand on the ground he concentrated for a few seconds to send a bit of his mutant ability threw the shadows of the night.

Concentrating even more he pictured a dark tunnel in his mind and made his shadow energy travel through it in order to scan thee complex. He hit one part of his search when he felt felt two shadows on the top floor. *"Viper and Cross."* Ignoring his hatred for them he continued to probe further into the base. He managed to pick up multiple shadows underground behind the building in front of him.

*"Found em."* Blam!! Marcus ducked to his left and dodged the bullet coming at him. He kept moving as more and more shots were taken until he turned on his heel and formed another barrier. The shadow bender held up his only defense for a minute until the gunfire ceased. After dispelling the dark shield he looked straight ahead and found out who he had to fight next.

The next set of Hydra guards stood in front of the main building in five groups of six, guns cocked and faced at the young mutant. At the front were the two head operatives of Hydra: Gauntlet sporting two large pistols with a sadistic smile on his face and Omega Red with four of his carbondium tentacles released from his fist with a disgruntled look on his cybernetic face.

"Well boy," Gauntlet began holding his main weapons at his sides. "you've done well in making it this far. I can see why X23 favors you."

"But tell me..." The mercenary raised his guns up to Marcus's eye level. "... how long do you think you can keep us from getting her?"

Marcus didn't respond to the Hydra worker's question with words. He raised his arm out to his side and used more of his shadow armor to call up the shadow blade. Placing the sword in his right hand the spiky black haired teenager assumed a sword stance and met the glares of the weapon organization's top members with his own hard glare.

After a moment of silence he said, "Like this." and he charged for the opposition.

Meanwhile...

Madame Viper watched the battle unfold from her video screen in her main office. Her eyes danced around the screen as she saw how agile and easily Marcus dealt with her forces and to say that she was only amazed would be an understatement. She was both astounded and frustrated. Wouldn't you be if some teenager came in and began beating on your hired help and winning as well?

Damon on the other hand was having a ball watching the shadow bender take down so many soldiers while not taking in too much damage himself. Marcus had become exactly what Cross had hoped he'd become. A powerful mutant and a very capable soldier.

*"Hmph and why wouldn't he be?"* thought the manipulative man as a smirk formed on his brown face. *"If it hadn't been for me I doubt he would have come this far even with training. It's all thanks to my work that he has acquired his power."* Damon looked up to the fluorescent lighted ceiling as his thoughts began to drift off and he began to remember the past. A past filled with hope, new beginnings, and most of all an old friend he cared so much for. *"Isn't that right, Carter?"*

Eighteen years ago...

"So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about Damon? It's not like you to pop up out of the blue like this." asked a twenty two year old man as he took a seat. He was light skinned man with short black hair and ocean blue eyes. His height stood at 5'11 and he was dressed in all black business suit with a red tie. Although he was glad to see his old friend he was confused about a few things; namely this surprise summons to a military facility.

Damon Cross sat in the desk in front of him in white business attire with a smile on his face. He has not spoken to his friend since their college graduation two years ago and it felt good to see an old face. He extended a gloved hand to black haired adult in front of him and said, "Well Carter, I just felt like seeing an old friend."

Carter Stanford took the handshake and replied with a smirk, "Now come on Damon. We both know that you want me here to ask a few things. It's not like you to call on somebody to just come over for a visit without a hidden motive." The white maned military man chuckled, "Hahaha. Yeah you're right that is like me. But I think we can hold out on the questions a bit." Damon stood up and gestured to the window behind him. "Join for a drink outside?"

An hour later...

Both men were enjoying their wine out on the balcony of Cross's military institution out on a deserted island. The base itself was significantly equipped with trustworthy personnel and the latest weaponry known to man. Of course there were a select few that were known to Cross himself since he developed them on his own. Although he wasn't mutant he was doing pretty well on his own.

Carter leaned his back to the wall and felt calm as his cool strawberry wine went down his throat. It tasted sweet and refreshing which was to be expected seeing that his older college pal would always mold things to the best of their ability. He had an affinity for drawing out the best in people. *"I can see why he decided to join the military."*

The black haired man turned away from his thoughts and looked forward to see Cross leaning over the safety railing twirling his wine glass in his right hand. He looked to be deep in thought over something which wasn't exactly bad but it left a strange air of uncomfortable silence around them. Carter soon felt weird in this quiet and opted to say something but Damon beat him to hit.

"So tell me Carter," he began as he turned around to regard his colleague while leaning his back on the railing. "how's life been going? Found any good work?" A smile formed on the Stanford man's face as he replied. "Not yet but I've still got offers. I've still got my bachelor's in genetics so it won't be long now." The smile soon turned into a sad distant look as he continued. "I just wish that whoever hires me isn't another zealot with a mutant problem."

"Ah yes, that's what all the rage is about these days. Everyone just wants to talk about mutants, mutants, mutants." "Damon chimed in with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He didn't mutants as much of a threat as other military men did so whenever he learned that one of his weapon's buyers wanted him to solve the so called 'mutant problem' he would immediately turn down any offers from them and never do business with them again.

Damon believed that were some mutants that should be watched over carefully but that didn't mean that they were all evil. They were just like regular people that could be either good or evil and should not be persecuted over things like having powers. He personally felt that their abilities were gifts and felt a little envious that he was not able to be like them. He felt like having a mutant ability would be the pinnacle of his ambition to be at the highest of his potential. How great that would be if only he had the mutant gene!

"Yes I understand what you mean." Carter decided to say breaking Damon's chain of thought. "Everyone keeps trying to get me and others to come up with so called cures for the mutant problem no matter how many times we tell them. You can't fix what's not broken. The mutant gene is not a sickness or a bad thing. If people would just get that through their heads I could be doing what my job entitles. I could be cracking the genetic code, finding cures to real diseases, heck I could probably even find a way to copy the mutant gene and give it other people if I had the resources!"

An astonished look flashed on Damon Cross's face at the sudden revelation. Could it be possible? Can Carter actually do such a thing and copy the fabled x-gene and give it to other people? Maybe someone like Cross himself? The possibility sounded too great to the white haired man and he felt an even greater lift at the thought of having his friend Carter do it. He knew that there was great potential in the man and with the right time and help he might just be able to do the impossible.

"Well..." the chestnut irised twenty two year old started before taking another sip of his drink. "...if only things were like that but as long as paranoid men lead the big jobs out there I guess I'll never get the chance to make real use of my skills."

"Oh I wouldn't say that Carter." Damon announced elicited a confused look from the black haired geneticist. An all knowing smirk appeared on the man's face as he went on. "Not all the big corporate heads are against the mutant populace and some may even be in the market for a good geneticist. I myself am currently looking some applications for genetic technology and all I need now is a good team behind it."

The teal eyed smooth talker turned his gaze over to the side as he continued to twirl his drink before taking a sip of it. He allowed all of what he just said to slowly register his friend's mind until he could deliver the clincher. And when the look of surprise flashed in Carter's eyes Damon moved on for the kill with a smirk and asked, "Tell me Carter do you know where I can find a geneticist fresh from college and ready to work?"

Cross got an unexpected reply in the form of Carter Stanford running for him and giving him a firm hug. The white haired man was immediately baffled by the show of emotion that he couldn't say anything mostly due to being squeezed so much and he almost spilled his drink. After a minute Carter put the businessman down and exclaimed. "Damon you are a life saver man!! Thanks you so much! I-I-I don't know how to even thank you!"

Damon didn't say anything as he took the time to fix up his suit. With that done, he eyed the younger adult with an annoyed look and replied. "For starters Carter, don't hug me again. It weirds me out." An embarrassed look washed over the black haired geneticist's face that made him look to the side before refilling his glass in a sheepish fashion. After taking a rather generous sip he said. "Sorry about that. Just a bit emotional is all."

Taking a deep sigh, Damon twirled his glass as he answered. "Yeah just forget about it." He took one last drink before his smirk reappeared and asked. "So you'll take the job?" "Ya damn right I will." was Carter's reply before continuing. "Really Damon thanks. I owe you for this."

"You can repay me by doing your best." Damon let out a small chuckle as he joked. "And also find a wife so that I don't catch you hugging the other personnel okay?" The small joke elicited a blush and stutter from Carter as he tried to form a rebuttal but unfortunately he couldn't find the right words.

"Cross!" Damon was brought out of his reminiscing by Madame viper's voice. "Will you stop daydreaming and get your ass in gear?!" The white haired businessman turned away from her to regard the security feed.

He saw Marcus with even less of his shadow armor on holding two shadow swords. The shadow bender was cutting through the Hydra troops with exceptional skill while dodging multiple gunshots and the whips of Omega Red. From the looks of it he was holding his own but if he takes too longhe won't last long.

A devious smirk formed on Cross's face as he removed himself from the wall and made his way to the door. "Well Madame," he said looking at her from over his shoulder, "I believe its time for me to make the final set-up. Please sit down and enjoy the show." With that said Damon exited the room and Madame Viper took a seat in her chair resting a gun her in lap just in case. She turned her attention back to the screen and waited for whatever Cross has planned to unfold.

Back to Marcus...

Things were going either way for the shadow bender as he continued to fight through the Hydra soldiers that seemed to just keep coming. Although he was making quick work of the foot soldiers he still had to contend with the two maniacs who kept attacking him any chance they got. To say the odds were not looking so well was an understatement.

And it only got worse as Marcus faced Omega and Gauntlet and one soldier just had to become brave and throw a grenade at the three fighters. They looked at the small explosive weapon with shocked looks before jumping in any direction to escape the blast. They also inwardly cursed the man who threw that bomb.

The explosion that came caught everyone off guard and all were sent in flying in different

directions. Marcus managed to catch himself and land safely on his feet in a crouched manner while Gauntlet and Omega Red were knocked into walls and knocked out. Marcus looked around to see that there were no more troops coming at him and figured that that was all they had for the top level. The others would be here soon so he took this time to escape.

Seeing the main station in front of him he opted to go around to get to the warehouse. It took him a few minutes to get there on foot and when he did he stopped a few feet short of the door when he saw the sentries stationed outside. *"Why are they still there? Didn't they hear all that crap that went down earlier."* thought Marcus as he placed his hand on the ground and used the shadows again to see who the soldiers were. He mentally cursed when he found out that these troops were under Cross's payroll.

*"Makes sense that Cross would send his people to watch the guys."* Marcus stood up from his spot and decided a more sneaky approach was needed this time. Closing his eyes the raven haired teenager concentrated on the shadows of the two sentries and made it so that four dark tentacles sprouted from them. The new weapons immediately went for the soldiers by wrapping around them and slamming them to the ground. They were unconscious instantly and Marcus sent them away by flinging them to the other side of the island.

Since there proved to be no other soldiers around Marcus could tell that this was a trap but if he didn't do anything something worse might happen. So he went for the quick choice and ran to the warehouse.

Elsewhere...

Teresa and Tamara had just woken up from their long sleep and instantly knew that they were in trouble. Their feet were bound in super strong chains,their clothing was dirty and slightly torn, and from how dark the room was they judged that they were in the prison cells. Damon had found out about their plan and ambushed them. Now the two girls were separated from their only friends and left to rot in a prison.

"Can you get us out of here?" Teresa asked the pink haired girl hoping that her answer was a yes. Unfortunately when Tamara tried to pry through the steel chains she found that her arms had barely any strength left in them. She tried at least three more times until she threw the binds on the floor and shook her head.

"It's no good. It's like I don't have my ability anymore. I feel... drained." Her answer brought some fear to the ten year old's face and so with no other way she tried to pry them free herself but to her own dismay her arms couldn't match up to the strong grips either. After another two minutes of trying the brown haired girl finally gave up and sat down on her butt in defeat.

She curled up into a little ball and started to cry a bit over... well everything. She and her friends were captured, her mother and father were still in captivity somewhere, and her sister had disappeared. She felt alone and defeated as Damon's smug look came to her mind and curled up into a ball even more.

"We're going to die aren't we?" Her question made Tamara's eyes widen in surprise and make a down trodden look come across her dirtied face. Seeing her little friend in such a way caused the used to be strong girl's maternal instincts to kick in so she got up and wrapped the little girl in a tight reassuring hug. Teresa was quite surprised to see the pink haired mutant girl do such a thing but gradually accepted the hug. Both sat there in silence as Tamara tried to calm the girl done well enough so that she would feel a bit better.

After a few minutes the cell was quiet once again and the two girls sat in silence. Tamara didn't want whatever hope Teresa had to be extinguished like this so she opted for an idea. Turning her head towards the younger mutant the pink haired teenager put on a smile and said. "You know we still have one last ace up our sleeve."

Her words got a confused reaction from the illusionist and when she whipped her head around to look at her cell mate for confirmation. "Yep," Tamara quipped raising a finger in the air in an all knowing way. "we've still got our two guys out there just coming to save us. Marcus and Gen will be here."

The super strength mutant's words had a negative effect however as Teresa's hopeful smile returned to a melancholic frown. The illusionist went back to her fetal position and retorted. "Not if Cross has already decided to get them. Marcus and Gen are just two guys against him while there was more of us and we still lost. There's no way they can win."

Now those words had the effect desired since Tamara's mood shifted to hopeful to sad as well. She let her pointed finger fall to the dirt as the depressed feeling worked its way back into her but instantly perked up, determined not to lose hope. She remade her smile but it wasn't as convincing as the first and said. "Oh come on. It's Marcus and Gen we're talking about. Those two can handle anything." "Even an army?" asked Teresa her voice lacking any enthusiasm. "Even an army. I wouldn't surprised if those two are already here to rescue us."

CRASH!!

The conversation was interrupted by the loud sounds coming from above them. The sounds got louder and louder with each passing minute until it reached the floor their cell was on. Some mild yelling and scuffling were heard until silence came again. Now all they heard were footsteps that came close to their door until they paused.

*"Could it be? Is it?"* thought Tamara as she instinctively moved young Teresa behind her just in case it wasn't who she hoped it was. Her strength hadn't fully returned to her but she was prepared to put up a fight if necessary. She heard a strange sound coming from the other side and a second later something hit the control panel for the security lock since she heard the sound of something mechanical getting fried. The door busted open with a start and the two girls closed their eyes in fear of what may happen next.

"What? No hug?" The voice Tamara heard was one she and Teresa knew anywhere and when they opened their eyes the hope they had was confirmed. Marcus stood before them with his trademark aloof smile while his clothing was slightly different since his upper have was a black T-shirt while his pants and further down were that of his shadow armor. His face was also dirtied a bit and the clothing in question had a few cuts on them which was quite strange considering the large battle he just fought.

Nevertheless, the girls were happy to see him. "Marcus!!" they both exclaimed as their faces lit up in joy and they rushed to glomp him. Unfortunately their attempt was stopped by the fact that their feet were still chained to the wall and they fell face forward to the ground. Marcus's teal eyes expanded in shock as he rushed to his friends to see if they were all right. The two girls looked up at him with embarrassed grins and immediately pulled him into a hug.

"We thought we'd never see you again." Tamara said holding onto the boy as if he was a life preserver. She let go of him and looked him in the eye to ask, "Are the others-"

"I just got here so Phoebe and John are most likely still in their cells. Gen and Lida are back at the mutant institution and are safe and sound." His news brought relief to their faces and they let go of the both so that he could free them. After shooting two shadow balls at their chain links, the girls were free but he had to help Tamara to her feet and out the door.

He rested her next to the wall next to the elevator and began freeing the others. He managed to find both Phoebe and John,but John was still half dazed from being drugged like Tamara so that he couldn't use his power. It would be awhile before he was up and running in top form. Marcus also managed to find Lida and Teresa's parents as well as John's girlfriend and Phoebe's little brother. Marcus saw the heartfelt reunions of the families and inwardly began to feel sad himself knowing that his mother was already gone. First his old man disappeared and now his mother had been taken away. Now all the family he had left was his brother and he was in the last room.

Marcus slowly walked over to the last room and stood before it. This was the second time in his life that he could feel his fear overcome his natural sense. The first time was the fateful night when he saw that robber point a gun at his mom all those years ago. However the difference was that he was able to protect her that time and she lived to smile at him and his brother. But now she was gone, her life taken by one man, and now Marcus had to look into the eyes of his younger brother and take responsibility for not being there to protect them.

This was going to be a tough one and frankly Marcus just wanted it to be over quickly. He turned around to see the others give him looks of warmth. Phoebe however gave him the look of a stern teacher telling him to get moving and face the music. He inwardly whined when he knew she was telling him the right thing to do. Couldn't she at least offer him some sort of sympathy?!

Taking a deep breath Marcus built up his courage and shot another shadow wave at the security box. The door didn't swing open as the others did so now the black haired mutant took his sweet time as he placed his tan hand on the door and pushed it open. When he looked inside what he saw was something he'd never thought he see again.

There lay his younger brother, Jacob Stanford, in clothing that was different from the day he disappeared. He was now clothed in a blue T-shirt with short black sleeves and brown shorts. The boy was sound asleep and he was definitely dirty judging from the dark spots on his face and clothing. But what really caught his eye was the form of the other person laying under the boy in a sitting position.

The other prisoner was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. Her face was hidden in the shadows but he could tell from her light breaths that she was sleeping as well. She was dressed in light yellow short sleeved shirt, navy blue knee length skirt, and white heels.

Marcus slowly walked towards the sleeping duo in high expectations but still had the powerful urge to stifle himself. His mind was telling him that it couldn't be who he thought it was but his heart didn't want to give up hope. He came closer and closer until he stood over them and knelt down to place a hand on the woman's face. She awoke with a start and when she turned her head to see Marcus blue eyes met black eyes. Diane Stanford found herself staring into the face of her eldest and instinctively placed a hand on her mouth with a gasp.

"Mom?" he asked still very unsure of things. "It's me, Marcus." The woman didn't respond at first and instead placed a hand on the shadow bender's cheek. The moment she did the blond woman's face lit up again as another gasp escaped her. This time her squeak was so loud that it finally woke Jacob from his sleep.

The shorter Stanford boy squirmed on his mother's lap until he sat up to smack his lips and rub the sleep out of his eye. He stopped and looked forward to see Marcus crouched before him with their mom's hand on his face. The blond haired boy squinted his eyes to get a good look at the teenager.

"Marcus?" Jacob asked as he stood up from his position. After looking directly at him for a few more seconds the eleven year old smiled brightly and quickly latched onto his brother. "It is you! Its great to see you Marcus! What took you so long to get here?" "Hehe well I ran into some trouble before I got here. Sorry for taking so long." the shadow bender replied sheepishly while rubbing the younger kid's head.

Diane saw all of this unfold and now had no doubts that the one in front of her was her eldest son. He did seem a bit different from the last time she saw him but that was some years ago. That's when the pain she kept inside it her chest. She hadn't seen Marcus in nearly five years and she and Jacob had been prisoners for that long by the one man she would have never expected to do this. It did well to send her into a small state of disbelief that she pulled herself out of when she reminded herself one thing: her boys were right here in front of her.

She immediately pulled them both into a tight hug and let her concealed tears wash down her cheeks. Marcus and Jacob decided to keep quiet during this moment and just embrace Diane back until she managed to finally calm down a few minutes later. Now that the moment had passed Marcus went to work to get rid of the chains and lead his family outside to the others.

Once they were all together Marcus gathered with Tamara, Phoebe, John, and Diane to discuss what the next plan was. "So now that we have everyone how do we get out of here? Damon's probably got himself mobilized out there and we don't have any strength to fight back with." Phoebe said as she stood next to Diane who sat next to her son.

"Don't worry about that. I've got you guys covered." Marcus said much to Diane's dismay. "No. I forbid you to do anything else life threatening." she said in a mother like tone but the shadow bender had to disobey her. "Mom I'm the only on who has power at the moment so I've gotta protect everyone." "There has to be another way." "There isn't." "But-" "Mom," the black haired boy interrupted. "Don't worry I've got this."

His words weren't that reassuring but Diane saw that he was needed in order for these people to get out alive so she relented. After taking a short break Marcus managed to replenish his shadow armor and Phoebe, Tamara, and even Teresa managed to recover some of their abilities. It wasn't the fullest of what they could use but it would have to do. John unfortunately couldn't use his power due to the drug still running its course but he could walk and run a bit.

Once that was squared away Marcus and team went over the escape plan with the other captives and immediately led them up the stairway. They didn't have much time before Damon would mount a counterattack. Unfortunately their guess was correct when they reached the last flight of stairs and opened the door. On the other side was the white haired manipulative devil known as Damon Cross.

Cross stood on the other side of the escapees blocking their exit with his usual evil grin and hands placed behind his back. He looked as dangerous as the day the others came onto his side and from the looks of things he probably had something up his sleeve yet again. Marcus and his mutant team instinctively stood at the front ready for anything their enemy had to throw at them. But they would soon learn that they had no idea what awaited them.

"Ah Marcus its good to see you again." Damon said. "And you've managed to reunited your friends with their families and even your own family. Not bad at all." Marcus only reply was to make his shadow blade again and assume a stance. Phoebe and Tamara did the same and assumed fighting stances with their abilities at the ready. Their show of valor did little but amuse Damon and to retort he said. "Oh what's the matter? Are you that angry with me?"

"Well lets see..." Marcus began as he felt his rage slowly come back to him. "...you kidnapped our families, imprisoned my friends, and made me believe my mom was dead." The fifteen year old mutant tightened his grip on his weapon before adding in a sarcastic tone, "Now why would we be angry with you?"

"Ah good points all of it but it does raise one question though." Cross said as he raised one finger into the air. Then all of a sudden his evil grin disappeared as a stoic yet serious look donned his tan face as he finished, "so what are you going to do about it?"

"This!" Marcus was the first to leap at Damon with the intent to kill and Phoebe and Tamara came next. Damon's arms moved behind his back. A second later the trio of mutants unleashed their strongest attack with Marcus shooting a shadow ball, Phoebe releasing a lightning bolt, and Tamara taking a large piece of the earth under her and throwing it. Their triple attack seemed deadly and from the way it hit its target the end of Damon Cross seemed definite. So when the smoke cleared and Damon was clearly alive and not harmed in any way it was safe to say they were shocked.

The three mutants let their mouth hang open as they saw the form before them. Cross was still standing before them, the serious yet emotionless look still present on his face and his white coat appeared unharmed and normal considering what happened. The captives behind them were equally as stumped by the evil man's strange immunity and felt something was wrong. Especially Diane and Teresa.

"What?" the white haired military man asked with a smug smirk. "Is that all you have? I was hoping for something big since you are trying to save your friends." His cocky demeanor sent more anger through Marcus as he geared up for another burst. "But I guess that was all talk. So are you ready to give up?" "Like hell!" The shadow bender yelled as he raised his sword and charged for Damon. When he was a few feet away from his enemy Marcus jumped into the air and slashed a dark wave at the calm manipulator. The shadow attack struck the man and it looked like the attack worked as a large dust cloud formed around the strike point.

Marcus came back to the ground and began panting a lot as his shadow armor fizzled away again. Now he was running on half of his original strength but he brushed off his fatigue as he saw the smoke clear from the spot where he hit Damon. His mind just couldn't process why this was happening. Once again the evil man known as Cross stood in his same spot, completely unharmed.

"My turn." Damon snapped his fingers and as if they were hiding all this time Hydra and Damon soldiers alike appeared on the upper levels of the warehouse encircling the small group. And they were armed to the teeth with guns.

*"Something isn't right."* thought Teresa as her hazel eyes darted from the group of troops above her to the people in front of her. She could feel that there was something in this picture that just wasn't supposed to be here. *"Could it be that-"*

"Marcus!" Tamara yelled to get the boy's attention. "We must leave!" Marcus nodded to her suggestion and was about to just that when it happened. "Fire." At the manipulative man's command the soldiers opened fire at one point. Marcus himself. Naturally he made another shield around himself and the others as the bullets came raining down on them.

The barrage lasted for a full two minutes and Marcus dropped the barrier. His armor was now down to just his pants and boots and he knew that he would need the rest to escape. This had to end quickly before it-

Blam!!

The shot was never expected and when it came it was natural that a few shocked shrieks were heard. Marcus fell forward as he felt the pain in his leg but he managed to catch himself before his face was planted on the ground. He looked behind himself to see Damon brandishing a handgun but was afraid of what he might do next. His fear was confirmed when he saw where Damon was pointing the gun.

"Damon don't you dare!" Marcus shouted but it was already too late.

Damon gave the order to fire again and this time Marcus couldn't stop it. The rain of bullets roared in the warehouse as the shadow bender watched as all the people he came to help get shot down. When the last of the rounds were fired the shadow bender slowly got up and saw the devastation before him. This was a lot worse than a simple implication by Cross that someone he cared about was dead. This was a hell of a lot worse.

His physical pain worsened when he felt another gunshot to his other leg. He fell to his knees again but this time he didn't get back up as despair began to fill his soul. The fifteen year old felt defeated and this time he thought he couldn't get back up again. He looked up when he heard footsteps coming towards him and his rage came back as saw that it was Damon coming towards him with that same cocky smile on his evil face.

"Like I asked Marcus," The white haired adult said as he raised the gun to the beaten teenager's forehead. "...what are you going to do now?" The shadow bender clenched his hands as he felt himself get pushed back into the same mood as that time at the mall. His tan fists began to glow crimson red as he channeled what he had left of his ability into one final blast. He was going to reserve it all for the escape plan but after everything that happened he felt Damon deserved it more.

"I'M GOING TO DO THIS!" Marcus held as he drew his fists back and-

"Marcus don't do it!" The shadow mutant stopped as heard Teresa's voice echo through his head. He whipped his head in different directions to see where the voice was coming from since he was pretty sure that the little girl got caught in the crossfire a second ago. He shrugged it off before he let go of all the concentrated energy in his hands and returned his attention back to what was in front of him. His greatest enemy with a loaded gun.

"What? Finally ready to surrender?" Damon egged him on. The Stanford boy decided that the best answer was an up close and big shadow wave to the older man's face. He rose up and positioned himself to deliver the attack when-"

"Marcus! Please don't do it!" Again the ten year old girl's voice shouted for him to stop his attack and it was quite louder this time. Almost as if she was standing right next to him. "Teresa?" Marcus questioned the air around him wondering if he had finally lost it. He was slightly relieved when he heard her voice again. That meant he was still all right and not on the net stop to crazy town.

"Marcus! It's all a trick! Snap out of it!" Her words made the shadow bender quirk an eyebrow in confusion, doing so allowed his gathered up energy to finally be released back into his barely made shadow armor. "So you've finally made the choice have you?" the manipulator known as Damon Cross asked as he leveled the gun to Marcus's forehead that was a little bloody from the scuffle earlier.

Marcus for his part only kept silent as he stared back into the same teal eyes of the white haired military businessman before him. He no longer had any idea about was going on anymore but he was sure of one thing. Something was seriously wrong here and Teresa was trying to send him a message. With all these things in mind his response to the gun wielder was, "Yeah and I'm done fighting you Cross."

"Wrong decision, kid." Damon took aim and fired at the boy who only stood still as the bullet came for him. And at that point...it past right through him. It only felt like a small wind had hit his brow and did the only thing he could do. He blinked in confusion and asked, "What?"

"I SAID STOP IT!!"

Suddenly the bloody arena of a warehouse began to shake like it was being rocked by a hurricane. Marcus strangely didn't feel the effects of the natural disaster and only stood in silence as the world seemed to be breaking around him. This was right way to describe it as the whole area seemed to break away like a baseball hitting glass. Now Marcus was alone in a zone of white and pure nothingness. He was on the verge of panicking until a bright light flashed before him and for who knows how long everything was quiet. Then-

"Marcus!" He heard the ten year old mutant's cry for him and when he opened his eyes he was hit by an unexpected sight. The hostages that he had just rescued along with Teresa, Jacob, and his mother were all alive if not just a bit scared. He looked to his side to see Phoebe and Tamara in similar states as he was and quickly felt glad that they were still alive. That feeling shrunk when he realized that if they were still here then that would mean- The shadow bender inwardly cursed when he heard Damon chuckle behind him.

"So young Teresa you've managed to set them free? Unexpected but extraordinary." Damon complimented. The three fighters didn't understand what was going on until Teresa decided to clarify it for them while sitting down from using her power so much. "I don't understand it either but somehow Mr. Damon managed to trap you guys in an illusion."

Her statement made everyone confused but it was Phoebe who decided to voice her feelings. "But how could he do that? Damon is not a mutant! I'm sure of it!" "Well all I know is that he managed to conjure the illusion and I was able to disable it. I don't know how he did it but he's the only other person here that would pull something like that."

Marcus turned his gaze back to the now mysterious man to study him for anything he may have that could set off an illusion. It was then that he finally noticed something. "What's behind your back Cross?" "Oh do you mean..." the man paused as he raised his left hand and say, "....this?" The object in question was a small and circular device with a moving pad on the front along two red and green circular streaks. Marcus didn't understand but when he heard Phoebe gasp behind him he realized that it was definitely important.

"Phoebe what's wrong?" "It's that machine." she said through clenched teeth. "He used it against me when we tried to escape last time. It absorbed my ability and used it to strike me down." Her explanation cleared up the missing puzzle Marcus needed but Damon felt the need to deliver more to it.

"You are correct, Phoebe. This device can absorb and deal back any mutant ability it comes into contact with. Though I prefer projectile abilities who knows when I may need Tamara's super strength." He took a second to remake his evil facial expression as he held the device in his palm and added. "And it's all thanks to Carter."

A gasp resonated throughout the warehouse and the fighting mutants were stunned to find out that it came from Marcus mom. Diane's black eyes were bugged out and her hands were on her mouth as Damon's announcement echoed in her mind. "It's all thanks to Carter." There was only one person she knew who could make something like that and have that name. Carter Stanford. Her husband and Marcus and Jacob's father.

"No it can't be true." she said as she stood up from her spot and had her left hand on her right arm. "There's no way Carter would help someone like you." "She's right Damon." Marcus chimed in. "Even if I didn't know my old man why would he give you something like that?"

The white haired businessman chuckled as he replied, "You would be right. Carter wouldn't have built this..." He paused yet again to enhance the suspense of his words. "That is if he knew about how I planned to use it. If he were still alive." Those words made Marcus's blood boil. If Damon was implying what the shadow bender thought he was then Marcus was seriously going to kill him. "Damon...you-" "No." Cross cut him off with a serious face before he could go any further. "I didn't kill Carter. Nor do I know where he is at the moment." The tone of his voice led Marcus to take what the man said as the truth and he settled down a bit.

"Well not that that really matters now. It's time to claim what I've sought after for fifteen years." Damon proclaimed as he thumbed the moving pad of his device. He felt a wave of power rush through him as he pressed a button and a second later he shifted to a military fighting stance ready for combat. Marcus took the time to use even more shadows to power up his fists and feet while the lightning crackled around Phoebe and Tamara got herself ready to fight as well.

Cross made the first move and as if he had super speed he closed the distance between himself and Tamara first. The pink haired woman flinched from him but shook off her fear to give him a left hook to the face but he dodged thanks to his new ability and countered with a combo that went unseen by the others and ended it with a palm to her gut. The young woman fell to the ground in an instant and when she tried to get back up Damon switched the devices power from super speed to strength and kicked Tamara in the back, not hard enough to kill her but enough to keep her down.

He was about to strike again when he saw a blue flash out of the corner of his eye and jumped away from his first prey. The lightning hit the wall but Phoebe didn't relent in her attack. She sent more lightning bolts at the hope of nailing Damon but the man proved to be a lot more agile than they thought.

Damon smirked as he continued to move around the attacks and felt like this was going to be easier than he thought. That was until Marcus managed to come up behind him and jump kick him in the back. The manipulator staggered back as he felt the shadow bender's dark kick for the first time. It felt very painful.

Before Damon could attack again Phoebe launched another bolt and this time it hit him right in the back, burning his jacket in the process. Now Marcus and Phoebe saw their chance and charged in for one final attack. Unfortunately Damon switched powers again and teleported from the two attackers. Marcus and Phoebe stopped themselves from colliding into each other and looked around for any sign of Damon before he could do anything else. They were too late.

It was the green haired Phoebe who saw the lightning attack coming from behind Marcus and moved to act. She pushed him out of the way and tried to counter the blast with her own but Damon's attack had a lot more power to it since Phoebe was still fighting through the drugs put into her system. The elemental blast struck the seventeen year old hard and knocked her into a wall. She collapsed to the ground close to where the others sat, still conscious but very weak. Marcus was ready to retaliate but to his surprise Damon was in a fighting pose. He looked completely relaxed....what the heck?

"Well that is enough for today. Good show Marcus, Phoebe, Tamara although I was hoping to see a bit more effort on Tamara's part but she is drugged." The cryptic and confusing man shrugged shoulders at those words. "Ah what ya gonna do?" "Damon what the hell are you talking about?" Marcus asked in a state of confusion but still in a battle stance. "It's like I said already, 'That's enough for today' as in I'm done fighting and its my victory."

"Its not your victory." the shadow user retorted in anger. "We've still got energy to fight." The man began laughing at the young Stanford's refusal to back down and when he was done he said, "I have no doubt about your ability to fight...but what about your ability to escape?" That last part took a few seconds to register in Marcus's mind and by the time he understood he tried to think of a way to counter but once again Damon was a step ahead.

In a flash the second floor of the warehouse was flooded with Hydra gunmen and Damon's own soldiers all wielding stun guns that were fully charged and ready to fire. It looked exactly like the illusion Marcus had just went through but he could tell that-

"This time its very real young Marcus." Damon chimed in as if reading the boy's mind. "Main rule of battle is to defeat your opponent by any means. Whether by strength, stamina, or...by buying time to get your strongest asset." Marcus scanned the whole room and after seeing the position he and the others were in he came to one conclusion: they could not win.

When Damon saw the look of hope leaving the teenager he looked up and commanded. "Prepare to shoot them all down on my order. Leave no one conscious." At those words two things happened. First the soldiers positioned themselves to shoot and Marcus decided on one last ditch move. He raised his hand to the prisoners and the other mutants and utilizing the last of his strength he created a shadow teleportation portal.

The others began flinching in terror and what was happening while Phoebe and Teresa were the only ones who knew what was going one began shouting Marcus. "Marcus what are you doing?!" they both yelled at the same time as the shadow bender ran to the hurt form of Tamara. He lifted the girl in his arms and said, "Getting you all out of here like I promised." before throwing the super strong girl into the vortex and having John catch her.

"Marcus hurry up the things closing!!" The temporarily powerless teleporter yelled. But once again something got in the way. "Fire!!" Damon's command roared throughout the place as the soldiers complied and began shooting at the teenager. Unfortunately Marcus was all out of energy from making the large portal for the others and had nothing to defend himself with as the tasers all came at him. He screamed in agony as he felt the painful electricity run throughout his body for a few seconds before he fell to his knees.

Diane watched in horror at everything being done to her boy and tried to run out of the portal to help him but the others held her back. "Let me go! We have to help him! We can't leave him!!" "We don't have a choice Ms. Stanford!" yelled Teresa has she held on to the older woman's waist. "We don't have any strength to do anything! We'd only get everyone else captured!" "But we can't leave him behind! I just got him back!! Don't take him away from me again!"

"Mom." Jacob chimed in as he held back one of her arms. The woman was still reaching for her other son that was very far from her as the vortex began to close around her but she still listened to her other boy. "I know its hard to accept but there's nothing we can do right now. We can save Marcus but just now. We need help." "How can you say that?!" Diane retorted sounded more shocked than angry. "He's your-"

"He's my brother that I haven't seen in a long time that came here to rescue us despite everything Mr. Damon has. He's fought his way here and we managed to see each other because he never gave up. It's because of this that I know that he'll be alright." The wise words from her younger son seemed to work as Diane stopped trying to escape the only means of escape for the moment. She regarded Jacob with sad expression before bowing her head slightly as she realized that her twelve year old was telling the truth and she should just accept it. It was hard though.

"Hey Ma, Jacob, guys..." Everyone turned to see Marcus somehow back on his feet with a happy go lucky smile on his face and his eyes closed. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world. Then as the vortex was about to completely close he said, "...see ya later." And the portal closed and disappeared from the warehouse along with people Marcus swore he would save. With that said Marcus finally gave out and fell to the ground unconscious.

The soldiers descended from the top level and surrounded Marcus's fallen form awaiting whatever order Damon told them to do. The man himself walked over to look at Marcus as well and for a few seconds there was only silence until he ordered them to put the boy in the holding cells down below. The troops obeyed and five of them lifted the mutant up and carried him downstairs.

With that out of the one soldier stepped up and asked, "What now sir?" Damon looked at the man with a stoic look and ordered. "Prep the machine to be up and running and tell Madame Hydra to expect an attack in the upcoming hours. Things are about to get heavy but we will make good on our promise to bring in X23." "Sir." The soldier saluted the man before he relayed the command to everyone else and left to report to Madame Hydra leaving the white haired military man alone with one thought.

*"Whether or not we capture that girl is no longer of high importance. With Marcus in my grasp I can finally obtain that which I have sought for so long."* He paused to regard the mutant absorption device in his hand and squeezed it tight. *"I shall finally reach the fullest of my potential."*

Elsewhere...

A little while later...

"So that's all you have to tell us about what happened?" Professor Xavier asked Phoebe inside of his study room. Wolverine, Beast, and the rest of the teaching faculty were there along with Gen, Tamara, John, the twins, and Marcus's family. The captives from Hydra island had arrived at the Institute a few hours ago and after a some medical treatment the small group had asked for a meeting on what to do next.

"Yes that's all we know." Phoebe answered. "So can you help us save Marcus?" Charles had no hesitation when he replied, "Yes we will help you. I will assemble a team right now and you can leave as soon as possible." The green haired woman thanked the Professor and as he and everyone else began to leave they were stopped by Diane.

"I wanted to say thank you for doing this and most of all..." she stopped as she felt tears coming to eyes but pulled them back with all the strength she could muster. She knew she couldn't come along since she would do more harm than good so she had to stifle her feelings a lot to keep herself from doing something she might regret. So with the full pleading of a mother about to lose her child she finished. "...please bring my son back to me."

She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked to her left to see Logan offering her a reassuring smile. "That's what the X-men were made for Mame." His words brought confidence to the blond woman's heart as she nodded to him. Now that they were all agreed they needed to get ready for the final fight with Damon Cross and Madame Viper. With both of these deadly enemies against them things were about to get rough or both the X-men and the mutant gang with no name. However they were determined to make on thing a reality: saving Marcus and stopping the two organization leaders.

Unbeknownst to them another had been listening in on the meeting from outside the window and had already made the decision to help Marcus as well. As the short mutant kicked off from the space and landed on the ground her long brown hair flew in the wind as she looked up to sky with a look of anger and determination in her green eyes.

*"I thought I told you to come back here you idiot."* thought Laura as she tightened her fist letting her two claws come out. *"Now...I'm just going to have to bring you back."*

Ch.10 End

Dang this one took me soooo long to make. First with some computer mishaps and planning for all the dialog but now I'm just glad its done. Whew I hope the next chapter isn't this long.

So we've seen Marcus fight on his own, do some damage, find his mom, and get defeated in the end. Sucks for him but at least the hostages are safe. That means next time everyones going to go all out. Also a brief look into Damon's past with Marcus's father. Expect a bit more of them next chapter.

Next time Damon's true goal is revealed and the X-men and other mutants launch an attack to save our favorite shadow bender. Expect dramatic battles, maybe some humor, and who knows what else in the ending chapters of Dark Bonds.

AJ Katon out.

Oh yeah and I'm graduating from high school on Saturday! :) Bring on the college life!