Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. They're Marvel's. The OCs that appear are listed on my profile. Though it's mainly just Zendi. So thanks magicrazy101. She's a ton of fun.

Author's note: Who wants to hear excuses?

That's right, no one. You desire to see the update. But I must tell you. Sorry for taking so long but school's been strangling me. I was gonna get this written up on Saturday but something unexpected came up. But it was a good unexpected.

I'll draw a parallel to this story. If I was Sionnach, my Cloak told me they liked me. So I was on a cloud on Saturday and too distracted to write. Sorry guys!

But without further ado...

Enjoy. Read. Review.

"Clay… you gotta talk to me." Zendi murmured.

The two girls staggered into clay's room, and the gray-skinned mutant collapsed on the mat in the far right corner. She curled up best she could, since her legs were still not responding properly to her commands. Her eyes screwed shut and she shuddered again.

Zendi sighed, a hint of irritation in her breath. She leaned over and unclipped the curved sword from Clay's back. Standing she glanced around the room, finding the hook for the sheath and the rack for the sword. Moving quietly she hung them both up. She looked at Clay's uniform which laid out beside the rack. The bronze wrist guards were gone.

Zendi turned back around, leaning lightly against the stone wall, and watched her friend sadly. Clay's skin vibrated like a drum's membrane and shifted shades all the while. For a second it was ashen gray, then tan-gray like it should, then flesh colored, then pale like parchment...

Zendi's eyebrows knit together. Clay did not appear physically injured, though she figured the absence of control over her legs was due to having her consciousness sucked into Fusion and forced to merge with his. She shuddered slightly at that idea. Other than that though, she almost couldn't figure out why Clay was acting the way she was.

Almost.

The girl was friends with her long enough to know better. Clay Dune was scared; hurting mentally, emotionally, and physically. She had just witnessed and in some part been the cause of the decomposition of the Haven.

And she didn't know what was going to happen.

For once, their "great leader" was in the dark.

Zendi pushed herself off the wall and sat beside Clay. "Come one, Clay. Just talk to me."

"Not today, Zen. Not right now." Clay whispered weakly, turning over so her face was to the wall. She clutched her forearms where the bronze wrist guards were. She rubbed the warm metal to give her some peace of mind.

Was this the crossroads she feared? Was the Haven headed toward its own destruction now?

My father believes Leo is the key to its prevention. What happens now that he doesn't trust us? Will he still fight alongside us?

In her fevered mind she drifted off with the image of a split red diamond burned into her eyelids.

Leo and Benj stood in the open door of their new room. Two metal frame beds were pushed up against the opposite walls, a desk in the far back left next to a glass door with a screen which led out to a small rocky balcony. Multiple cardboard boxes were strewn throughout the room.

Clay had said they used it as storage.

"I call right." Leo said gruffly, walking over and dropping his sole belonging of his X-Men uniform on the bed. He would have to get the bedding and sheets from the closet at the end of the hall.

"Dude… this is eerie…" Benj said, walking in after his brother. "This is such a similar layout as our room at Xavier's."

Leo grunted in reply.

Benj sighed and decided not to push conversation. Probably would not get very far with Leo now.

A storm cloud for my brother, fantastic. Benj rolled his eyes and tossed his uniform on the bed to the left. He turned to a box and pulled it up to his bed.

"Think we should go through this stuff?" He asked, looking up at Leo.

"I would not."

Benj rotated his head and looked at the doorway. Enrique stood looking in. There was a long cut along his jawline, and with a start Ben realized he probably received it from a knife blade… most likely an old friend of Enrique's.

"There is an empty room in the girls' hall. We should take them there." Enrique continued.

Leo narrowed his eyes, the light in them glinting dangerously. "How come we can't look at 'em?"

Enrique held the feline mutant's glare, getting that weird look Leo recalled him having the first day he met him. "The boxes contain some personal items of our team mates, as well as old and spare uniforms." He smiled, revealing his perfect teeth. "You should see some of Portal's old uniforms. She changes styles so often." When the two boys didn't respond much to his comment, his smile faded and he coughed. "Hem… well we will help you move it." He leaned out into the hall and waved. The other mutants came in and started taking boxes out.

As Leo hefted a heavier box, he frowned. "Where's Ty?"

Portal looked at him with her hands outstretched in the corner of the room, a portal at her feet.

"Dusk called him out. Wanted to talk to him."

Dusk waved Tyler over to the side of the landing, pausing for a beat. "Would you prefer walking or teleportation, Mr. Dyson?"

Tyler blinked. "Uh… what?"

The man waved his hand. "To my office, I would like to have this discussion in private."

"Teleporting is fine…" He gasped as the shadows sprung to life around them and grasped him. The darkness spread, obscuring his vision entirely, and he shut his eyes against the shadows' intense cold. His head swam for a second or two as he had the sensation of movement and his feet left the ground. Finally his feet hit solid ground again and his eyes snapped open. Tyler gasped for breath and put a chilled hand on the wall next to him to steady himself.

"Interesting…" Dusk mused, bringing a hand to his chin and leaning against the front of his desk. "Transport by shadow normally doesn't take that long…" he continued, more to himself than his guest, "…and rarely leaves one in this state."

Tyler continued to try to calm his racing heart and hurried breaths, quickly scanning the room. It appeared to be an office like the man said. There was a book shelf and filing cabinets against the left and back walls, and a metal door on the right wall. An ebony desk and a large black armchair were centered slightly in the back of the room. It was not very large and the room had an overstuffed feel.

The red mutant opened his mouth to speak but found his voice was failing him.

Dusk picked this up and went on, crossing his arms across his chest. "It seems your powers make you resistant and semi-incompatible with shadow travel. No matter, we'll be more careful in the future."

"Uh… yeah…" Tyler managed to croak out, clearing his throat. He straightened and walked over to stand in front of Dusk, still trying to understand what had happened, and willing the fire within him to repel the chill he felt clinging to his skin.

"I don't think I've had the chance to properly meet you, Mr. Dyson." Dusk stuck his hand out, and raised an eyebrow. "But perhaps you recognize me?"

Tyler frowned for a moment, shaking his hand, when it struck him. His eyebrows rose clear into his forehead and his icy blue eyes widened. "You're the principal at Bayville High, Nicholas Darth!" The man in front of him smiled grimly, his signature scar marring the look further. Tyler pondered it for a moment. He had really only seen Darth a handful of times, once on television, and another time at the opening Questions and Answers session before school began. He had caught glimpses of him at the Mutant Society meetings, but other than that he had never truly spoken to him. And he played a pretty convincing human. "Well this is a bit of a surprise, Principal Darth."

Darth shrugged. "Nick. I know, I regret for having to deceive you, but I had to in order to get where I wanted."

Tyler nodded. The school board agreeing on a principal with revolutionary equality ideas was one thing… one who was a mutant was unthinkable.

"But I did not ask you up here just to break the news to you."

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Then why did you?"

Darth grew serious. "I need your help."

The former X-Man frowned and narrowed his eyes farther. "With what?"

"You want me... to break in there?!" Tyler hissed through the rain.

He and Darth were dressed in all black, with jacket hoods pulled firmly down over their faces. The rain sputtered and steamed against Ty's skin. He jabbed his finger up at the building in question. The skyscraper rose toward the boiling clouds, dark bluish glass reflecting the bolts of lightning that pierced the sky. They were in New York City now. Spades shook his head, frustrated flames dying in his palms.

"Cooper Industries? You've got to be a mad man, Nick."

Darth shrugged, his eyes gleaming fiercely when lightning streaked across the sky. "It will be worth it. You're not the one scaling up the side."

Tylers' arguments died, tight-lipped. If what Darth said was true, it would be more than worth it. True he did not have to scale a building on his own, but he was not thrilled about hacking through the computers. Aside from Oscorp, no other company had a reputation for such severely sinister firewalls.

"Alright, fine. We better get started." Ty sighed. He pulled on a pair of thick-lensed goggles and leather gloves, glancing up to see Darth had done the same.

The man gestured forward and they sprinted across the dark, deserted street, the rain keeping most sensible people inside.

But not us.

The two men halted at the side of the building as Darth hurriedly pulled equipment from his pack. He handed a cord to Tyler and went about securing themselves together for the ascent. He pulled tightly on the cord, checking the strength. Seeing that the clasps were holding he nodded to Tyler, and slung his pack back over his shoulders.

"I will make small dents in the stone for you to grip as we go. Just try to keep yourself as flat against the building as possible. This storm is giving up more cover, but the winds will get stronger as e climb. Keep as much heat as you can spare inside you, it will work better if you can melt through the glass." Darth explained to Tyler.

His partner nodded solemnly, flexing his fingers as he willed the heat to retreat.

Darth turned to the building and took a slow, deep breath.

The shadows around him vibrated in response, creeping toward him. They snaked across the ground and Tyler reflexively picked up his feet as they slithered under him along the cement. Swirling upwards the shadows attached themselves to Nick's forearms, stretching down and solidifying into scythe-like shapes that encased his hands. Shadows gripped his boots and shaped into spikes at the toes. He was ready.

Nick smiled grimly and swung his arm up to pierce the stone of the building structure. The shadows tore through the rock and held firm. He repeated the action with his other hand before stabbing his shadow-pointed shoes into the wall as well.

He began to climb, hauling himself up a few feet with each new grip.

Tyler followed behind as soon as Darth was far enough off the ground for him to grip the small dents he left behind. The red mutant was happy for the rough pads of the gloves (very similar to the ones Benj wore). There was a man's length of cord between them, and Spades tried his best to keep the cord relatively slack.

Rain assaulted them from all sides, stinging and freezing their exposed faces. Spades grit his teeth, flashing the deadly-looking shark's teeth as he pulled himself up again, his gloves starting to get slick from the rain. His arms burned from clinging to the side of the building. The rain howled past him, threatening to drag him along with his flapping and soaked wet clothing. His hood was ripped off his head and he swore softly. There was nothing to protect his head at all now the cold was already beginning to creep along the edges of his ears.

"Ey! Nick!" Tyler yelled over the wind and rain, a clap of thunder making his heart jump. "How much farther?!"

Darth didn't reply at first, pausing to catch his breath and look up. "Not much farther, my friend." He yelled back hoarsely.

A young man sat at a desk with a silver desk lamp and a computer in the dark. The pale light from the lamp illuminated his features. His face was stubbled, and there were dark circles under his pale green eyes. He leaned back from the desk he had been hunched over and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, yawning. He grumbled something under his breath and went back to work reading through the papers strewn about the desk.

His long legs bounced as he read.

He looked to be dress partially in a security guard uniform. His legs were covered in dark pants with a white stripe up the sides, he wore a plain white T-shirt, and a belt with weapon holsters on both hips. One held a Taser, the other a fancy looking gun. The rest of his uniform was draped over the back of the chair, a navy blue jacket with a badge and brass nameplate.

The young man drummed his fingers on the desk, he should be getting home. His normal work was done, and this project could wait. But the howling rains and winds kept him where he was. Going out now would be ill-advised. He had disabled the security on that floor, confident on the security on the floors below. He was set for spending the night there. All the offices were locked up anyways. Only the desks in the wide open space in the center of the floor were vulnerable, and they belonged to average desk-monkeys.

He looked up suddenly as he heard a muffled thud behind him to the right. The room grew colder as the wind blew through the level, carrying the scent of the rain to him.

"What the…" He whispered, standing up silently, his hand going to the detailed gun at his side. He heard whispered voices from the same direction and suddenly the wind stopped.

He drew his gun and held it out with one hand. Its design was complicated to say the least, colored wires wrapped from the butt of the gun up to the barrel encased under a layer of clear plastic. The barrel itself was narrow and ringed by red metal.

"Hey! Who's there?!" The young man called out. The whispering stopped all together and he struggled to see in the dark who was there.

Slowly a form came into view with red gloves, dark clothing, and a hood pulled low over their face.

"Well? Speak your business!" The young man commanded, his voice a little weak.

The intruder tilted his head to the side and held his hands up, palms out. "We're here for information." He said calmly.

The young man adjusted his grip on his weapon and scowled. "Information my ass." His gaze was drawn to the intruder's gloves, they had an odd pattern… almost like the lines on a person's palm. His eyes widened. "Get out. Now."

The intruder continued forward toward him slowly.

"Stop where you are! Or I will fire!" The man called out. When he didn't stop the man pulled the trigger.

A beam of energy blasted out of the gun's barrel aimed at the intruder's shoulder. With quick reflexes the intruder stopped and adjusted his stance so the energy hit his hand. The light absorbed into the gloves… no, the skin.

The young man fired again out of shock, this time the energy hit the intruder in the face, causing him to stumble back. The hood fell, revealing a man with bright red skin and demonic horns. Spades smiled, baring his teeth and ignoring the bruising now swelling along his cheekbone. He saw the young man's eyes widen to the size of silver dollars, and could not help but laugh at the sight. Surging forward he snatched the shocked guard's gun from his hand and turned it over.

"Amazing!" This is Copper Industries made, correct? Lasers! Who knew?"

The guard stumbled back, his eyes still riveted on Spades' face. Spades sighed, stashing the gun in his belt and swept the guard's feet from under him. The mutant was on top of him quickly, turning him over and bending his victim's arms back behind him.

"You're not very old kid, so don't make me do anything I'll regret." He hissed in the young man's ear.

"I'm not a kid, I'm a legal adult!" The pinned man growled, struggling against the mutant's grasp.

Spades pursed his lips in humor. The argument the kid made convinced him farther of his age. He was very young, eager to convince others of his capability. The mutant studied the kid's face for more signs of his age, now curious as to why he was still there so late, seemingly so confident, and with such a weapon in his possession when it appeared as though he was just doing desk work.

But he did not have time to fully contemplate the reasons. He turned his head up and shouted back to Nick. "Dusk! All clear! I got the kid pinned!"

Nick walked up beside him like a shadow and knelt next to the man on the ground. Shadows whipped out and bound the young man's hands. The guard reacted suddenly as the chilling shadow wrapped themselves around his wrists. He shivered violently at the feeling.

"Place him in his chair." Dusk instructed. He had kept his goggles on.

Tyler hauled the shivering man upright and put him in the chair. He bent down and read the name badge. Dan. "Well Dan, you just sit tight. We'll let you go when we're done."

Dan struggled as more shadows crept across him, binding across his chest and legs, strapping him to the chair. The shadows paused for a second as Tyler read his name and then finished.

Nick looked down at the young man. "Dan… as is Dan Cooper? …The son of the head of Cooper Industries?"

Dan didn't respond, glaring straight ahead, his jaw clenched. His tanned skin was pale and growing clammy, obviously an effect from the shadows.

Nick turned to Tyler. "Bring him with us into the office. He's not one we want to leave alone out here."

"Alright Dusk." Spades replied, standing behind the chair and hefting it and the man with some effort. "Point and pick out the lock and I'll follow behind." He grunted. He narrowed his eyes. "Debemos hablar español. Este hombre…" (We should speak Spanish. This man…)

"Yo sé. Yo sé." (I know. I know.) Nick grumbled back in careful, but halting style. Spanish was not one of his strong suits, but he discovered recently its importance with the growing number of mutants from throughout the United States who spoke more than one language, and the most present one was Spanish. He started walking toward an office he had chosen beforehand. He heard Tyler following clunkily behind.

Nick stopped in front of the office door. It was wooden in typical style, but the frame was steel and it had a double lock. Normally a key would be needed as well as a code for the electronic lock. Dusk rubbed his gloved hands together and flexed his fingers. He closed his eyes and small, thin shadows extended out from around the locks, pricking into the circuitry and the mechanisms of the physical lock. There was an audible click and a fizzing noise. Nick opened his eyes and pushed the door open, not one squeak being emitted.

"Come on."

The pair and their captive entered the room and Nick hastily closed the door. Spades set Dan down and made his way over to the computer and desk on the far side of the room. The far wall was full windows, lightning streaking across the sky. The room was lit up by pale light for a few long seconds and it made Spades' features more accented as he sat, his back to the windows, at the computer screen.

Dan turned his gaze quickly to the ground, his stomach flipping and his shivering increasing. "I should've taken my chances with the storm." He muttered under his breath. He felt the cold from the goggled man's gaze. He turned to face him. "What do you want with me?"

Nick frowned. "You just have a bad case of wrong place, wrong time, son." He rubbed his chin. "Though your connections with this company is worrying." He paused. "I would try to convince you that what we're doing here is for good, but I doubt you will believe us. No one thinks people like us are capable of good."

"I don't have a problem with mutants!" Dan growled, leaning forward against his bonds. Nick walked around and knelt down so he was face-to-face with the younger man. Dan did his best to hold his dark stare. "I have a problem with break-ins and thieves."

Nick cracked a smile. "How refreshing. Perhaps I am justified in my hope for our two races."

"My best friend was a mutant." Dan shoot back, taking the man's tone as sarcasm. "She ran because she didn't know what was happening… you know, before the reveal."

Nick raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious. His soft spot for mutants in trouble becoming revealed. He pulled a chair from in front of the desk over to him and sat, listening to Dan's story.

"At least I guessed she was a mutant. What she could do wasn't natural… I just wish…." His voice faltered.

"What could she do?" Nick asked, his voice soothing.

Dan felt at ease and relaxed in his bindings. There was genuine concern in the man's voice, and despite the fact he hardly knew him, there was a sense of trust.

Once thing Dan had figured out was that most mutants looked out for one another.

"She could open these like, portals, the first time was by accident… a reflex of self-defense… but then she started trying to repeat what happened and we were trying to figure out what happened… but… her parents…" Dan's voice faltered and then he regained his stature. "She didn't live in the most stable of households. She couldn't take it anymore and left… hoping to figure her powers out along the way."

Dusk had resisted the urge to widen his eyes when he heard the portal part. With all the mutants he looked after, their stories eventually began to blur together, but the powers he never forgot. Suspicion pricked at him as he listened to the clicking of keyboard keys. To double check his wonderings, he asked a question. "What was her name?"

Dan looked hard at him, an internal debate within him shining out in his pale green eyes. "You think you know her."

Nick chose not to lie. "Maybe."

"Her name was Portia Manderson. And if you know her… you better tell me what you know."

"When did she leave?"

"Nearly three years ago."

"Then I know her."

Dan smiled crookedly. "How many 'Portia's do you know?" Nick smiled as well, but said nothing. "What do you know?"

"Can I trust you? If I tell you anything you must realize that what we're doing here is affecting her safety."

Dan narrowed his eyes. "I swear I won't say anything about this break-in… in exchange for information on her. Provided of course that you have successfully avoided all security."

"Portia has joined a group of mutants at a place called the Haven. She is safe as of now, though she recently was injured in a brawl."

"I had hoped she found her way to the Xavier Institute as soon as I found out about it… I know Bayville's not that stable, but at least there would be people behind her back."

"Oh no, she knows the X-Men on a … personal… basis, though I don't think they're huge fans of her." Nick went on. "She attends school in Bayville. Perhaps I can get you in touch with her."

"N-Dusk!" Spades shouted, drawing his attention. "I'm through… kinda…" He stared at the screen with his icy blue eyes, willing it to tell him more of what they wanted. "The files are nearly squeaky clean. They obviously don't want what you suspect on record."

Dusk stood and walked over, leaning over the Dyson's shoulder. What Tyler said appeared to be true, the file seemed combed over as he scanned it.

"Damn, there's not a ton here we can use." Nick swore. "The research is so vague!"

"What are you looking for?" Dan asked from across the room. Tyler and Nick exchanged glances and a hurried conversation in Spanish.

"Do you want to help Portia?"

"More than anything. Please trust me."

"This isn't a matter about trust, son." Nick said, standing up straight. "But we don't have much choice, and you seem to be on our side."

"Am I? And what side would that be?"

"Paz." Spades said swiftly. Peace.

"Our more… sensitive files… are typically embedded within other files, links buried deep within a graphic or something." Dan said. "My father is grooming me to take over this company, I know a lot of its secrets."

Spades searched for several long, silent minutes, before he found what he was looking for. A tiny anomaly in a technical sketch caught his eye, a small 'X' where it didn't belong. He clicked the graphic and another file opened, this one much more detailed.

"Shipping details, research on genes… Dusk… someone is pulling strings here that shouldn't be pulled."

"Weapons that would do considerable damage to Advanced X Genes…" Dusk muttered, "… and leave those without unscathed."

"Mutant extermination. With minimal human causalities…" Spades continued as they read more.

"What are you two talking about?" Dan asked, his tone angry. "My father wouldn't-"

"It doesn't matter what he would or wouldn't, it's been done, with or without his knowledge!" Dusk growled, his eye twitching. He took a shuttering breath. "This is what I feared, Spades, search the document for any diamond graphics."

"Diamond?"

"A split diamond, it was left behind at the warehouse explosion."

"Yes, sir." Spades went back to the document and froze at the shipping information. He pointed a red finger at the screen. "Is this it?"

Nick swore and slammed his fist into the desk. "A new threat has emerged." He glared at the screen.

The diamond was there, very small, but unmistakable. Next to it was the word "Purifiers".

"What does this mean… what… what's going on?"

Dusk stood up straight, fists and teeth clenched. Lightning broke the sky behind them and thunder shook the building.

"This stays between us, Spades. Until I can fully analyze what this means. But if you see that diamond or the name 'Purifiers' anywhere, you must tell me."

"Dusk-"

"A few days… and then we warn the Haven."

"The kids have been through a lot, maybe not letting them know-"

"No, these people might pop up where they learn and work. They have to know." Nick's voice broke and he shut his eyes quickly. "I will not lose another kid." He looked down at Spades and met his eyes. "We have to protect our family."

Anyone recognize that kid? Dan? Huh? Huh?!

Yeah, you so do. He's in HCO, which I'm still polishing up for you guys, Portia's Dan. Aww.

I hope this chapter answered a few questions while raising some new ones. Some of you guys will recognize the Purifiers, but I'm taking the comic idea in and watering it down, making it fit with the XME universe I have here. You'll see what I mean as I go along.

So like last time HMaster angrily (ok not really, just being dramatic) reminded me I totally promised you guys Sionnach and Cloak would be together. Now that I am super happy, I'll move it up in my plans. How's next chapter guys? I promise. I know that's a spoiler, but I spoiled the fact they were destined to be together like 20 chapters ago. I've kept you waiting long enough.

No matter how long next chapter is, I'll get to it in the way I want. Which could mean an obnoxiously long chapter (or perhaps a double update).

I'll try to stay motivated. I'm also working on an original fiction that I took Cloak, Plasma, and Tick (Tick's from Cloak's Origin, which I'm in the process of editing) into as main characters. I'll let you know how that's going, hopefully it can turn into an actual novel.

No wouldn't that be great?