Clark gently knocked on the door. Black Widow is a heavy sleeper who knew. He gently opened the door and saw Black Widow just quietly staring at the wall. She's stoic looking but it seems like she's in the middle of a thousand page monologue in her head with the looks she's also giving. "Natasha, you OK?"

Natasha just looked blankly at him. "When I first joined SHIELD, I thought it was about going straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for HYDRA. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but...I guess I can't tell the difference anymore."

Clark sat down next to her. "You got tricked it happens. Usually… not on this level of a scale, but it does happen."

Natasha looked at him. "Speaking from experience?"

Clark nodded. "I once looked at a man like he was my brother. Little did I know the whole time the guy had a twisted shrine and it was just an obsession with finding out my secrets, and taking all the things in my life. He even went Dawson's Creek on me and hired someone to break up me and my girlfriend."

"Still can't believe I can't tell the difference anymore." Natasha said still downtrodden.

Clark nodded knowing more then anyone secrets have a toll. Especially when their kept for nothing. "Well to quote Cap, maybe you're in the wrong business."

Natasha faintly smiled. "I owe you twice now…" She let that sink for a moment before adding. "I also owe you new shoes."

Clark smiled. "I was a farmer's son my whole life that doesn't even make top ten for messes that my shoes got hit with."

Natasha's smile grew wider and she asked. "If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, and you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?"

"Yes" Clark replied not even taking a moment to think about it.

Natasha looked at him. "You're very trusting."

Clark looked at her. "I'm an optimist, also just because I wasn't there for the Chutari invasion doesn't mean I didn't watch videos of it. There was a man with a suit of armor that could very well be in the ten digit price range. A god, an archer as good as Green Arrow, a living legend, an unstoppable green rage monster that tanked an entire wave of alien fire, and then there was a red headed woman with a gun, and some very unique tazers. She was completely outclassed but she fought just as hard as everyone else to save as many as she can. She even shrugged off a god shooting at her and in the end was the one who closed the portal. That's someone you trust with your life."

Natasha looked at him now curious. "Where were you during that fight?"

Clark looked at her he really didn't want to bring up Davis not knowing how Chloe would act right now. He also doesn't want to lie to Natasha there's been enough in her life. "I was fighting the Hulk's gray inbred cousin while the rest of my friends gave the two of us a very unique Texas Funeral by burying us alive. I got away he didn't."

Natasha looked at him impressed. "So you beat someone as strong as the Hulk."

Clark shook his head. "Well I… got in a good tackle."

Natasha smiled seeing this. "He kicked your ass huh?"

Clark looked at her downtrodden. "Yeah he wasn't even trying. He bloodied my face up with one punch to the face. I couldn't even fight him so I just blindsided him with one tackle into a tunnel while my friends buried him far below the earth. When he gets out of that tunnel he'll probably be three times bigger and god knows how many times as powerful. So as I said I was busy."

Natasha nodded. How can someone be so powerful and so… nice she thinks is the word she's looking for. Even Thor has a bit of an ego as worthy of that hammer he might be. "Well, at least you had a good excuse for missing the invasion." She got to her feet. "Come on let's get breakfast."

Chloe read the newspaper and put it down in disgust. "I'm going to kill him. I'm figuring out this list, going home and killing him."

Steve walked into the kitchen. "You get a lead?"

Chloe shook her head. "Huh, oh no, no, just someone else I'm going to kill after this. I fake my death to protect him and then he exposes himself to the world. Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse he registers with the damn army."

Steve looked at her. "So how do you really feel?"

"It's a long story." Chloe replied.

Sam watched as Clark and Natasha came out. Natasha with a bit of a smile compared to last night but it quickly disappeared. "I made breakfast if you guys… eat that sort of thing."

All five sat for a meal trying to figure out just exactly what happened.

Natasha was the first to ask the obvious. "So, the question is; who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?"

"Pierce." Steve answered immediately.

Clark looked at him. "Who's that?"

"Alexander Pierce, he is the secretary to the World Security Council, who also happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." Natasha explained.

Steve turned to everyone. "But he's not working alone; Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star."

"So was Jasper Sitwell." Natasha replied seeing a much easier target.

Chloe groaned. She was supposed to be playing dead during all this. "So, the real question is… how do the most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?"

Sam walked over to the group with a file in hand. "The answer is... you don't." Sam dropped a file in front of Steve.

Steve opened it curiously. "What's this?"

"Call it a resume." Sam offered.

Natasha picked up a photo of Sam with his team. "Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you." She turned to Steve. "You didn't say he was a para-rescue."

Steve looked at the photo of Sam with his colleague. He can't help but think back to Bucky. "Is this Riley?"

"Yeah." Sam replied.

"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?" Natasha asked.

Sam shook his head. "No. These." He handed Steve the file.

Steve opened it and read it. "I thought you said you're a pilot."

"I never said a pilot." Sam countered.

Natasha looked and saw color drain from Clark and Chloe as Chloe pointed to a date in the file. "Something wrong?"

Chloe sighed maybe she can just keep faking her death. Damn government. "Clark someone's gotta tell him."

Clark nodded in agreement. "He's gonna want to hit someone till they're a pile of goop for this."

Chloe gulped in agreement with the statement. "Yeah, but we still gotta tell him… not it."

"Not fair!" Clark immediately countered. "We'll make Green Arrow do it."

"Good Idea!" Chloe replied.

Steve looked at the two. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah but nothing you can do to help." Chloe replied opening the front page.

Natasha read it. "Weapon plan thought up by an Amanda Waller in 1972 Stark technologies made them under Howard's eyes when Waller gave him the prototypes. What's so bad about this?"

"They belonged to someone we heard of." Chloe replied. "Someone with a very much alive husband."

Natasha frowned. "And you're both scared of him. That's kind of sad given what we've been up against."

Chloe looked at Natasha. "He'd kick Green Arrow's ass for a Klondike bar. What's he going to do with proper motivation to get her wings back? I just thought they were on display."

Clark shook his head. "Those are fake, but for a memorial for her they work. It's a problem for us and for later."

Steve turned to the problem at hand and focused on Sam. "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason."

Sam looked at him in disbelief. "Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in."

Where can we get our hands on one of these things? "Natasha asked.

Sam got to his feet and shook his head there is the problem he stuck his head in the fridge for a drink . "The last one is at Fort Meade." Clark disappeared in a blur as Sam continued not looking at them. "Behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel…" Sam turned around, got up from the fridge, and jumped back seeing his old suit on the kitchen table.

Steve looked at the smiles on Clark and Chloe. "Shouldn't be a problem."

Clark Chloe, Steve, and Natasha watched on from the roof seeing Sitwell with a senator.

Chloe looked at Clark's face drop. "What's he saying?" Clark turned and glared angrily at Chloe with Steve and Natasha looking at her open mouthed. "I-I mean not that you can you're just really good at reading lips… and… I'm sorry it's just getting hard to remember who knows and who doesn't anymore."

Clark nodded. "Figuring out that list is more important Chloe. Everyone we love is on it… and I should have voted for the other guy and not spite Stark."

Natasha looked at him. "What's Senator Stern talking about doing?"

"A journalist Chloe's age" Clark replied.

Chloe shook her head. "Pig!"

Clark rolled his eyes. "Now he's saying Hail Hydra, really should have voted for the other guy."

Before long Sam has Sitwell on the phone and is able to get him away with the threat of Chloe with a laser pointer. He takes him up to the others.

Steve was the first one to hit him knocking the man to the floor. "Tell me about Zola's algorithm."

"Never heard of it." Sitwell replied.

Steve shouted. "What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"

Sitwell looked at him unflinching. "I was throwing up, I get seasick." Steve forced Sitwell to the edge of the rooftop, Sitwell just smiled. "Please, it's not your style."

Steve looked at the man. "You're right. It's not…. It's hers." Steve steps aside and Natasha kicks Sitwell off the roof, he plummets down screaming."

Natasha turned to Chloe. "So, are you seeing someone because…"

Steve turned to her flustered. "Nat!"

Natasha ignored him and focused on Chloe. "Just saying it's an option."

Chloe put her hand up. "I'm not sure what my dating life is but not on the market right now."

Natasha frowned and turned to Steve. "Oh, wait. What about that girl from accounting, Laura...?"

"Lillian." Steve corrected her. "Lip piercing, right?"

Natasha nodded. "Yeah, she's cute."

Steve just looked at her. "Yeah, I'm not ready for that."

The conversation stopped when Sam, in a suit that combines jet packs with wings, flew up holding Sitwell and threw him down on the roof at Clark's feet. Steve and Natasha walk towards Sitwell; he holds his hand up in fear.

Sitwell desperately shouted. "Zola's algorithm is a program...for choosing Insight's targets!"

"What targets?" Steve asked.

"You! , A TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future." Sitwell informed him.

Steve looked at him. "The Future? How could it know?"

Sitwell laughed. "How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it." Steve and Natasha look at him in confusion as Sitwell turned to Clark knowing the first 50. . "A teenage boy with way too many rescues in the paper the next Captain America in the making." He turned to Chloe. "Someone who kept reappearing and disappearing on DDS and Checkmate's radar. Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates peoples' past to predict their future."

"And what then?" Steve asked.

Sitwell looked green in the face. "Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me."

Steve shouted at him. "What then?!"

Sitwell looked at him. "Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few millions at a time."

Clark held his hands to his head. He took a couple steps back letting those words sink in.

Chloe looked at him. "Clark, we still have time to stop this."

Clark nodded. "We have to."

Natasha looked at him knowing that look. He's keeping something. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Clark looked around and looked at Sitwell and tapped the man on the head knocking him out cold. "What do you know about last May?"

Natasha looked at him confused. "Alien invasion, did a lot of damage and they all just disappeared."

Steve nodded with what he remembered until he was kidnapped. "They were taking over military couldn't do anything to even get them to sweat. All together I hurt a whopping one of them by pointing his eye fire back at him. Why are you asking about them?"

Clark just fired his heat vision at the floor as Sam backed up, Natasha did nothing and Steve put Chloe behind him.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Steve, who do you think stopped them?"

Steve thought it through and nodded in somewhat embarrassment. After all the super soldier serum that made him also made the Red Skull. He should have acted better. "Sorry, it's just instinct."

Clark nodded. "It's fine. I was raised on earth by two very good people on an isolated farm so I could grow into my powers. If I was raised on my home world I probably would have joined Zod. I needed you to see what I was to make sure you knew I wasn't bluffing."

Natasha nodded in understanding he's the same kind of species but nothing like the others given how many times he's saved them. "What else is there to worry about other then insight?"

Clark looked at them. "Most of the army, they weren't all bad, they were just misguided from Zod. My plan was to take them to an empty world. A new planet so our people could live again. The army realized what Zod had done and turned on him. We activated the portal to take us to the new world but Zod had other ideas. I fought him and he stabbed me with a knife. Since I was wounded I didn't get taken into the portal I got left behind."

Steve looked at the man in front of him. It's like him with black hair. "OK, it's nice to know why they didn't take over." He let out a breath thinking about it. "The whole planet, Clark, I just want to say thank you, but what does this have to do with anything?"

Clark smiled hearing a thank you from Captain America of all people but frowned just remembering this thing leaves a bad taste in his mouth. "Because while I was sending Zod and the others away something else came out, something primal I don't know how to describe it. My cousin called it the Darkness. It feeds off pretty much anything negative, the seven deadly sins, depression, despair, pretty much anything that's negative it feeds off it and corrupts people to it."

Chloe looked at Clark remembering who he was the brood king. "Dear god this thing swallowed you whole didn't it?"

Clark nodded remembering how pathetic he was against it. "Yeah it tried to take control of me take over but Kara stopped it. I had to leave Smallville because I was more dangerous there then helpful." Clark took a breath. "If 20 million people suddenly die horrible violent deaths die the remaining 7 billion will fall to this thing, I don't know what its endgame is but it can't be good."

Steve nodded taking that all in there's always something bigger. Even Loki has a boss according to Thor. "Then let's stop insight and focus on this darkness later."

Sitwell regained consciousness in the car looking around at everyone. "What I miss?"

Chloe looked at him. "We're using you to bypass security so we can destroy insight's helicarriers."

Sitwell looked at them all like they were possessed. "What?! Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible id..." the rest was cut off by a loud crash as metal pierced through the roof.

Chloe backed up into Clark panicked seeing the blade of a sword sticking out of Sitwell's head as it went back up. "Jesus!" '

Clark moved in superspeed quickly throwing Chloe off right before the sword went through her head and grabbing the sword as the metal cut his hands. Clark groaned through the pain but pushed the sword back up forcing the hilt to connect with the user's head knocking him down.

Sam looked back. "What the hell was that!"

Clark quickly ripped his sleeves using them as quick patches for is hands. What the hell did he get hit with. "I'm going to go find out."

Clark opened the door and in superspeed moved to the roof trying to find the swordsman.

"I bet you're wondering how I got past your hearing."

Clark looked around trying how can anyone stay this hidden to him this close. "Among other things. How did you hurt me?"

"My blades were forged in the ashes of your home kryptonian."

Clark would have rolled his eyes if he didn't need them now. What else can kryptonite do? He turned behind him in time to see Wolf moving in slow motion sword drawn. Clark put his palm out and hit him in the chest with it causing Wolf to backtrack into the air but back flipped onto an 18 wheeler's trailer.

"You're not human." Clark replied.

Wolf smiled. "Interesting insult coming from you Kal El."

Clark jumped onto the eighteen wheeler and narrowly avoided the swing of Wolf's sword as soon as Clark landed Wolf jumped off the trailer and disappeared into the grasslands on the side of the road. Great the hiding game again. How can someone be so good they can hide from him?

Natasha watched as the window broke open from the top as a metallic hand grabbed her.

"Bucky no!"

The Winter Soldier came to a complete stop and looked at Steve frozen almost a tilt of his head behind his mask as he let Natasha go for a second but focused back on Natasha as Chloe dove forward. Bucky was set to pull her out again but Chloe reached forward first and hit the brake handle making the Winter Soldier crash into the street as another car smashes into the trio's car and pushes them along, the Winter Soldier jumps back onto their car, smashes through the windscreen and pulls out the steering wheel."

"Shit!" Sam shouted as Natasha quickly opened fire but the Winter Soldier jumped onto the vehicle behind them, as the group's car is being pulled off the road Steve holds on to the car door.

Clark turned to the group in trouble as he readied heat vision.

"Foolish!"

Clark turned around and in only a second got his hand up to take the dagger that would have went into his head only went into his left hand as he shouted in pain. He looked at the name tag. "Who are you no US Agent is this good."

Wolf looked at him. "I'm a very hurt Uncle." Wolf kneed Clark in the gut hard enough for the kryptonian to feel it and just threw him off the trailer and at the overpass as Clark bounced off the concrete and slammed onto the highway floor."

Clark got up much slower then he thought. This guy's as strong as he is!

Wolf jumped down behind him and kicked Clark sending him crashing and tumbling down the road. Wolf smiled seeing Clark do a header through a black dodger's front window as the car came to a halt.

Clark looked at the terrified driver. "Thanks for stopping… get out!" Clark got to his feet and pulled the dagger out of his hand as the driver fled. He looked around but no sign of Wolf. Clark wasted no time and just bought his arm down in what can only be described as the chop from hell that spilt half the car in two. He put a hand on each side of the car pulled creating very unique boxing gloves.

Clark stopped looking and just closed his eyes and regained his focus. Jor El taught him this he didn't think he would actually ever need it just focus no hearing. Clark stuck his hand up completely as Wolf's sword got stuck in the car. Clark quickly swung with his free hand as the other half of the car practically shattered to pieces over Wolf's head as the man was knocked back into the wall hard.

Wolf looked at Clark almost in shock. "How… how did you see my attack coming?"

"Torquasm- Rao You'd be amazed at what it does for you." Clark replied.

Wolf growled at him almost gnashing teeth. "Insolent little brat, I am Steppenwolf! Uncle to Darkseid lord of Apokalips I won't be defeated by someone like you."

Clark looked at him. "Darkseid, he's what this darkness is. Isn't it."

Steppenwolf nodded. "Even if it was just his spirit we were able to free from the Source wall. You were the one released him onto your world. For that we are most grateful. You had a chance to be his glorious vessel and you rejected it. I'll collect your head!"

Steppenwolf swung again and Clark got the half of car up to block the blow eyes still focused and booted Steppenwolf in the gut sending him through the trailer of a truck coming out the other side to the floor.

Chloe wasted little time opening the backseats to the trunk and getting her bow and quiver out she quickly grabbed onto Steve's back as he, Sam, and Natasha huddled around the car door.

"Hang on!" Steve shouted as he broke open the door, holding onto Natasha and Sam, they slide on the car door through the streets.

Chloe quickly nocked an arrow from Steve's back and fired it at the incoming Winter Soldier which turned into a smoke bomb blinding him.

Natasha smiled impressed. "Oliver teach you that?"

"Yes, and I'm going to use it on him for going public later." Chloe replied.

When the smoke cleared the Winter Soldier was joined by HYDRA agents and they start shooting at them, the four scattered and ran off in different directions with the Winter Soldier shooting at Natasha but she manages to shoot him in his eye goggle mask and ran off before he could retaliate.

The Winter Soldier spoke in a foreign language before breaking off from the Hydra group to focus on Natasha.

Steve looked to Natasha and saw the Winter Soldier after her.

Sam turned to him. "Go, I got this!"

Steve looked at him. He didn't see a Hydra man behind him till an arrow whizzed passed him and entered the man's shoulder causing him to fall and twitch on the floor from the tazer attached to the arrowhead. He turned around to see Chloe.

"We got this go!" Chloe ordered.

The Winter Soldier focused hearing Natasha's voice. The soldier simply threw a grenade at the voice and waited for the explosion that followed. The soldier went to look but saw nothing but the remains of a recording device as the real Natasha jumped on his back trying to kill him with a garrote. The winter Soldier got her off and pushed her away so Natasha bolted. The Winter Soldier giving chase.

The soldier fires some shots into the crowd. One hitting Natasha in the shoulder. She fell to the floor and held her arm looking up to see the Winter Soldier's gun. Steve quickly jumped in and attacked him saving Natasha.

Steve struck fast taking away the winter soldier's rifle. This can't be him. Bucky would never do anything like this. The soldier just as quickly took out a sidearm and Steve just as easily knocked that one away as the Winter Soldier kept attacking getting the shield away from Steve. The two World War 2 veterans fought for control of the shield until Steve got the upper hand with a German suplex and quickly pulled the shield free and clubbed the Winter Soldier with it knocking his mask off.

Steve looked at the unmasked soldier and can't deny it anymore. Clark was right as a good deal of fight left him. "Oh god Bucky that really is you."

The winter Soldier looked at him gun in hand. "Who the hell is Bucky?" The soldier went to shoot when Sam flew in on his wings and knocked him away to protect Steve, the winter Soldier got to his feet and quickly stuck his arm up to block the incoming arrow. He blocked it with his metal arm but as soon as the arrow hit metal it exploded knocking the soldier down. The Winter soldier got to his feet and barely had enough time to dodge and get some protection as a grenade impacted impacted and blew up the car behind him courtesy of Natasha. During the smoke of the resulting explosion the cops quickly pulled up backed up by HYDRA forces led by Rumlow as they put their hands up.

Clark took a calming breath never pushing himself so far… even against Zod on the roof. Steppenwolf kept swinging and Clark seemed to keep dodging by the skin of his teeth.

Steppenwolf growled in frustration as he took a breath to calm himself. His anger blinded him but he sees it now. Steppenwolf went to impale Clark on his sword. The kryptonian simply used both hands and grabbed the blade while Steppenwolf simply let go of the blade as Clark stumbled back and tossed the sword away. Steppenwolf took quick advantage pulling out two knives. He jammed the first one into Clark's right knee.

Clark fell to one knee and was knocked right out of the state he was in as Steppenwolf kicked the other one out from under him and quickly jammed his other blade into Clark's left knee.

Steppenwolf smiled. "You endured this fight by being faster then let's see how you do without it."

Steppenwolf tackled Clark at the wall and kept him pinned there. Steppenwolf threw punch after punch and while Clark could block some of them a flightless no legged kryptonian gets nowhere in an asskicking contest.

Steppenwolf threw two more punches and a headbutt knocking Clark down. Steppenwolf quickly took a glowing green dagger and stuck it in Clark's shoulder. "Welcome back Kal El."

Rumlow looked at each of his four hostages trying to decide who to shoot first he'd make it a clean sweep but too many witnesses before Insight.

Steve looked at Bucky just saw an empty emotionless face. How long has he been stuck like that?

"Oh no."

Steve turned to Chloe's way hearing those words as he saw Clark dragged back to the others three knives one in each leg and one in the shoulder. So he's not the only one who got stabbed.

Steppenwolf threw him into the truck. "Don't kill this one. There are plans for him."

Sam looked around Clark had three blades in him but barely flinched at them. He was bleeding but it would be a long time before any damage was done. Steve and Chloe seemed to be doing fine. His main concern was the Russian woman bleeding from the shoulder. "We need to get a doctor here. We don't put pressure on that wound she's gonna bleed out here in the truck."

Suddenly one of the guards pulls out an electric rod and neutralizes the other guard and knocks him out, the guard is revealed to be a black haired Maria Hill as she takes off her helmet. Steve and Natasha smile in relief as Clark and Chloe back up in a bit of fear.

Maria took a breath of relief. "That thing was squeezing my brain." Sam looks at her in confusion; to Steve. "Who's this guy?" She looks at the other two newbies and looked at them confused. "And what's your problem?"

Clark looked at her. Well at least she didn't see him that night. "You tried to light Lex Luthor on fire."

Maria's face drained of color but not for the reasons Clark thought. "Huh, I guess I did get my new face from the criminal database." She turned to Natasha. "Thanks for not telling Barton."

Natasha nodded holding her arm. "Anytime."

Rumlow's crews stop their vehicles and get out. "Four holes. Start digging." They go over to the van holding their hostages and as they opened the door they found it empty with one of the guards left unconscious and a massive burnt whole on the car floor.

Author notes

Thanks for the reviews

Yes Cobie something showed up on Smallville it's explained move on.

Chloe is coming off a little like a mary sue apparently. There is a reason it's just as said before this is the start of a series.

Looking back at it now years later to calm down there's a common difference between Clark vs Davis and Clark vs Doomsday. Clark vs Davis was normal as two kryptonians can be. And Clark vs Doomsday was although I damn sure didn't like it as a season finale it was what the fight it needed to be at the time. Clark wasn't at his full potential at the time so naturally every time Clark fought the pure Doomsday Clark easily and effortlessly got his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Clark knew the fight wasn't going to end well his response was to bury Doomsday before the fight can even get started and in that time Clark still got wrecked. Clark's actions of containing Doomsday will result in a Doomsday that can't die from heat, lava, and suffocation coming back with god knows what when that awful day comes when Doomsday kills Superman. But on the bad side where they messed up if you were going to have Doomsday vs Clark as a season finale after an entire season build to it. It should have been as Superman.