A/N: This story takes place in season 6 of Smallville. Season 4 for NCIS, post Day 9 of 24 and prior to season 1 of Chuck
The figure slowly advanced towards the house, keeping it's handgun out in front just as it had been taught. However, the figure had barely made it inside the house before it felt cold steel press against it's back.
"Drop the gun." The voice said, and the figure, a young blonde with brown eyes, complied, and did as the other person instructed.
"How about you drop yours too?" A second voice asked as it came around the corner, pointing it's gun straight between the other person's eyes.
"How about you all drop your guns and you tell me why the hell you're sneaking on my property?" Clark Kent asked as he entered the room, looking as though he had not a care in the world as he saw the three people standing there. Then again, why should he? He knew Kate Morgan, Sarah Walker and Ziva David quite well, having worked with all three on various occasions. At least that's what he told Chloe and Oliver, although he suspected both knew the truth. However, what was he supposed to do? Say that he had dated all three at one point or another, but that the now nineteen year old Kryptonian had broken it off due to the dangers of his life? No, it was easier to say he worked with them.
"Drop your guns or I put everyone of you on your ass, and you all know I can do it."
"So Clark, were you ever going to mention you dated two CIA agents?" Ziva asked, and Clark just shook his head.
"You know there are certain things I don't tell anyone. I haven't even told Chloe I dated you Zi."
"Knowing Chloe she already knows." Kate said before Ziva could reply, making the other two nod in agreement; Chloe was better than Tim McGee and as good as Chloe O'Brian when it came to computers and survellaince.
"So, let's get to the real question. What are you three doing here?"
"I got a note in the mail two days ago." Kate said, pulling the note out of her pocket.
I know where your family sleeps. Unless you want them to sleep forever, you will deliver a message. Tell Kal-El that secrets have a cost, and the time has come for him to pay the price.
"I got the same note." Ziva said, and Sarah nodded as she too pulled the note from her jacket.
"Who could possibly know my secret, never mind that I dated all three of you?" Clark asked.
Before the girls could respond, the phone rang.
"Kent residence." Clark said picking up the phone.
"I see my message was delivered."
"Who is this? What do you want from me?"
"I want you to understand that your secret comes with a price, and it's time for you to pay it."
"Fine, do what you want to me, but leave everyone else out of it! No innocents need to suffer for me."
"I wish I could. However, that would not make you learn your lesson. Your life means nothing to you, and that is to be admired. However, a price still has to be paid. Let this be your first lesson." There was a click as the caller hung up, and Clark slammed the phone down in anger. However, his anger evaporated as he heard a gasp from behind him. Ziva fell to the floor, her neck covered in blood.
"How is she Doctor?" Clark asked as the man exited Ziva's room.
"I'm afraid I can't divulge that to anyone but next of-"
"Doctor please."
"She's not well. She's slipped into a coma, and she's not even breathing. We're keeping her alive with a ventilator, but there are no guarantee's she'll make it."
"Can we see her?" Kate asked from beside Clark.
"Go ahead." The Doctor said, and the three walked into Ziva's room, Clark immediately collapsing into the chair at her bedside as he saw her. Her eyes were closed, and the only sound was the hum of the ventilator keeping the former Mossad officer alive.
"I am so sorry Zi. I tried to protect you, tried to keep you safe and I failed."
"Clark don't blame yourself. She wouldn't want that." Sarah said, placing a hand on his shoulder while Kate did likewise.
"I never stopped loving her. Or you two. I was just trying to keep you safe. I thought if I stayed away, kept you out of my life, then you'd be safe. I just wanted you safe."
"We know Clark, we know." Kate said as she wrapped her arms around the young man, Sarah doing likewise, and for several moments the room was silent save for the ventilator and Clark's tears. Finally Clark looked up, both girls seeing his sadness replaced by rage.
"Kate, call Chloe and get her to get my phone records. See if she can make an id on the voice, Sarah will you stay with Ziva?" He asked, and the woman nodded.
"What are you going to do Clark?" Kate asked as he stood.
"I'm going to tell Ziva's boss she's been shot, and then I'm going to find the son of a bitch who pulled the trigger. He's going to find out the cost of attacking my family.."
"Are you not listening to a word we're telling you?!" NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked the man on the view screen in front of them. It was very rare for Gibbs to show true anger, especially in front of a superior but this was one of those times. An hour earlier Clark Kent had shown up at NCIS and Gibbs had immediately known that something was wrong with his young friend. Even if he hadn't seen Clark steal a quick look at Ziva's desk he would've known; for one Clark didn't say a word to DiNozzo or McGee and he didn't bother to ask any of them how Abby and Ducky were. However, the most tell tale sign was the haunted look in the young man's eyes. It was a look that Gibbs had seen on his own face after Shannon and Kelly died, and it was the look he had seen in the eyes of dozens of family members during his time in the Marines, when he was forced to tell them that they wouldn't be seeing their brother, son, nephew or husband ever again because they had been killed in Kuwait. Wordlessly Clark had followed him into the elevator/conference room, and only said three words.
"Ziva's been shot."
It had taken several minutes but Clark had told Gibbs everything. After Clark was done Gibbs had put a hand on his shoulder, trying to tell the Last Son of Krypton that it wasn't his fault. It was finding the bastard responsible for shooting the young woman that Gibbs thought of as his daughter that was proving to be difficult.
"I understand Agent Gibbs, but my orders stand. NCIS cannot allocate resources just because one agent was injured while she was not on duty."
"That is such bullshit."
"Watch your tone Agent Gibbs." The Secretary of the Navy cautioned, but his warning fell on deaf ears. Gibbs was well and truly pissed, and he knew when he was being fed a line of crap. Well he wasn't going to take it, not while Ziva was fighting for her life.
"All due respect Mr. Secretary, shut up. One of my agent's has been shot, and if you think for one minute that I am going to stand by and do nothing, then you don't know me very well."
"Agent Gibbs, this is your one and only warning. Back off or I will see you arrested for treason."
"Those charges would never hold up."
"No, but the evidence of espionage on the part of Agent McGee and Abby Shuto might. Think about it before you decide to ruin their lives."
With that he ended the video call.
"I don't like this." Clark said, and Gibbs nodded in agreement.
"Something's going on, and I have a feeling there's more to it than just a plot against you."
"Yeah, and I think it's time I started finding answers." He said, heading toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Like I said, to get answers."
The White House 2230 Hours
"Is there a reason you felt the need to knock out my guards?" President Mike Novick asked as Clark walked into his office.
"I didn't want to be disturbed when I asked you a few questions. Like why NCIS is being stonewalled by the Secretary of the Navy?"
"I don't know what you're talking about Clark." The President replied.
"The next words out of your mouth had better be an explanation as to why NCIS is being prevented from hunting Ziva David's shooter or I start taking a page from Jack's book." Clark replied as he stepped closer to the man. Novick visibly shivered at Clark's words, well aware of how Jack Bauer operated. However before the President could reply Clark's phone rang.
"Yes?"
"Clark it's Chloe. Kate called and told me what happened."
"Yeah, now's not a good time to ask for details Chloe, I'm in the middle of something." Clark told his friend, looking back to Novick.
"It's not that. I pulled your phone records and managed to filter through the static. You're not going to believe this."
"Cut to the chase Chloe. What did you find?"
"I couldn't I.D. the voice but I managed to pick up some voices in the background. One of them belonged to Renee Walker."
"So, I guess this is kind of awkward. Me keeping you company given that I dated your ex boyfriend who is also my ex and apparently Kate Morgan's too. Well at least he's got good taste, and oh my gosh I can't believe I said that out loud." Sarah said, taking a deep breath before she spoke again. She felt kind of silly talking to someone in a coma, especially someone who dated the man she loved, but it was better than the silence that was only broken by the machines. Sarah had never told anyone but Clark, but she had a thing about hospitals; they just gave her the creeps.
"Believe me, I've said worse, and for the record I agree with you."
"Oh Agent Morgan! I thought you were talking to Chloe." Sarah said as she spun around to see Kate standing there, two coffees in her hand.
"I was. Then I decided to go get some coffee. Care for a cup?" She asked, offering one to Sarah who sipped at it gratefully.
"Thanks. So should we address the elephant in the room now or just wait until the awkwardness gets worse?"
"By the elephant I'm assuming you mean Clark?"
"Yes Agent Morgan, and-"
"Call me Kate please." She interjected and Sarah smiled for the first time since she had gotten to the farm earlier that night.
"Then I'm Sarah. I'm sorry to be blunt Kate, but I have to know... do you love Clark Kent?"
Kate smiled as the question left Sarah's lips.
"You just made my decision a whole lot easier."
"Oh? And what decision is that?" Sarah asked.
"Whether or not I have to kill you to protect Clark. I know he wouldn't be pleased if I did, but I learned a long time ago that sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to protect the people you love, and regardless of whether or not we're still together I still love Clark."
"Wow death threats and answering my question all at once, I am impressed, if not a bit relieved. I was thinking the same thing."
"Okay so now that we've established that we both love Clark, and don't have to kill each other, how about telling me how you two met?" Kate asked, and Sarah smiled, taking another sip of coffee before she answered.
"It all started back in fall of 2002 with something called the Intersect. I had just gotten to the office when I was called into the office of General Beckman the NSA's liason to the CIA."
Five Years Earlier-Langley, Virginia
"You wanted to see me General?" The twenty year old Sarah Walker asked as she walked into the office.
"Yes Agent Walker, have a seat. What I am about to tell you is highly classified, and is not to be repeated to anyone unless authorized by me personally."
"Understood General."
"In the wake of 9/11, Washington decided to get the CIA and NSA to play nice with each other. To that end we created what was called the Intersect, a computer that contained all the data on known and suspected terrorists, foreign nationalists that sort of thing."
"So basically a who's who of dirt bags." Sarah said, and Beckman nodded.
"However, we have a problem. The Intersect is gone."
"General, forgive me if this sounds like a dumb question, but how does something with all the information you just described up and disappear?"
"It was stolen by a rouge Agent, who thanks to your partner is now dead. The problem is that he sent an email to someone with the data contained in the intersect."
"Couldn't you just get rid of the email?"
"I wish it were that simple, but it's not. The file has already been accessed."
"What does that mean exactly?"
"What this means Agent Walker is that all of our terrorist database is now in someone's head, and they don't even know it."
"I'll probably regret asking this, but who was the email sent to?"
"A person by the name of Clark Kent."
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Clark Kent?" Sarah asked as she walked into the office of the Torch, seeing a boy about six feet tall with blue eyes turn as she asked her question.
"I'm Clark Kent. What can I do for you Miss..."
"Walker, Sarah Walker. Can I have a few moments of your time... in private?" She asked, looking towards the blonde girl that sat at another desk; the CIA had identified her as Chloe Sullivan, the editor of the school paper, and Clark's best friend. They also discovered she had a nose like a bloodhound when it came to lies, so Sarah hoped that she wouldn't be a problem. The last thing she needed was for the blonde to get caught up with the CIA.
"Alright. The article's in your inbox Chloe, meet you later for that study session with Pete and Lana?"
Chloe didn't reply, instead choosing to just nod in agreement, her actions making Sarah curse internally. It was obvious to Sarah that the younger woman had feelings for Clark which would only make things more complicated.
"So what do you need to talk to me about Miss Walker?" Clark asked as the two sat down outside the school.
"I need to talk to you about an email you received yesterday from a Bryce Larken."
"How do you know about that?"
"That's not important now, what is important is did you open it?"
"Yes. It was just a riddle that we used to give each other when we were kids. Why do you ask?"
"Did you see anything after you solved the riddle? A video, some images, anything at all?"
"Some images, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"Clark, what I am about to tell you is not to be told to anyone else. Not Chloe, not Lex, not Pete or Lana, not even your parents."
"Wait, how do you know all those names? Just who exactly are you Miss Walker?"
"Call me Sarah, and as for who I am, well I'm your new girlfriend Clark."
"Excuse me? Look not to be rude or anything Sarah, you're a very beautiful woman but I usually don't date girls I just met."
"Well this time you're going to have to make an exception for our cover to work."
"Cover?"
"Yes Clark our cover. The images you saw weren't random. Hidden in those images is the database of the CIA and the NSA. Bryce Larken was a CIA operative like me, except he went rogue and stole that database. We call it the Intersect. Bryce also destroyed the main computer that housed the intersect so there's no way to get it out of your head until a new server is online."
"So you're telling me that I have government secrets in my head just because I opened an email, and that I am stuck with those secrets for who knows how long?"
"Essentially... yes."
Clark was quiet for a few moments, and Sarah could tell he was trying to process all of this. Finally he broke the silence.
"If we do this, then I need you to promise me a couple things."
"I'll do what I can." She replied, wondering what the young man wanted.
"First, my family and my friends don't get dragged into all of this."
"Done, what else?"
"Anything you see in this town that does not relate to the Intersect, I believe you called it?" He asked and she nodded.
"That dosen't go back to your boss. I don't know how much you know about Smallville-"
"I know about the meteor infected."
"Fine, unless one of them has a direct link to the Intersect, that dosen't go back to your boss. Most of them are just people who have had a hard life, and they don't need it made harder by some CIA team coming in and dissecting them like lab rats."
"Alright, I promise unless it relates to the Intersect, it won't go back to my boss."
"Thank you. Then there's just one more thing. I've seen enough spy movies to know that you'll probably put camera's around my property if you havent already. My parents room is off limits, and so is the barn."
"I can say yes to your parent's room, but the barn might be a problem."
"Sarah please. It's the only place I've got to get away and think. Besides, it's not like you can't see everything just by walking inside anyway."
"Alright Clark, but that's the best I can do." Sarah replied. She knew it was a bit of a breach in protocol and Casey wouldn't be very happy, but she also understood the need to have some kind of privacy.
"Thank you Sarah. So what now?"
"Now you head off to football practice, and I will see you later."
"Come over for dinner? If we're going to do this you have to meet my parents, that way they don't freak out if they see you in the house or something."
"Of course. When should I be there?"
"How about seven?"
"Seven it is then."
Sarah and Clark stood up, but before she could leave Sarah Clark took her hand.
"You do have a place to stay right?"
"Yes Clark, and thank you for caring. It's sweet." She pecked his cheek and walked off, wondering what the hell she had just gotten into.
A/N: I will be alternating between Clark and Sarah's perspectives just in order to tell the whole story.
"Kent you're late!"
Clark looked over as he entered the locker room, seeing that it was empty save for him and a man who reminded him of the Terminator except with black hair instead of brown.
"I'm sorry Mr..."
"I'm John Casey, your new assistant coach."
"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Casey, I'm sorry for my tardiness it won't happen again."
"I'm also John Casey, the NSA representative on this assignment. I'm assuming Walker already spoke with you?"
"She did." Clark replied, suddenly feeling a bit more nervous.
"Good, now just to be clear I would rather not even be here in the first place so I'm only going to tell you once. Do not compromise this operation."
"I understand sir."
"Good, and there's one more thing. Put this on." He said pulling a watch from his pocket.
"What's the watch for?"
"It's got a tracker. We need to know where you are at all times, just in case."
"Fine." Clark replied, putting on the watch.
"Good, now get to practice. We've got a game on Friday night."
As he ran onto the field Clark had to wonder what the hell he had gotten himself into.
A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter! Next chapter will be up soon!