"Alright, son, get ready," Pa Kent said.

12-year-old Clark Kent stepped off the stairs leading to the Kent farmhouse. He wore a shirt whose blue shade perfectly matched the color of the sky, along with dark blue jeans, brown work boots, and a Metropolis Monarchs baseball cap. He grinned, tightening his grip on the baseball glove he wore proudly on his hand.

"I may be getting older, but I can still throw one heck of a pitch!" Pa Kent said, also wearing a baseball glove in his hand.

Clark firmly planted his feet onto the ground, standing close to the farmhouse. "Alright, Pa! Hit me with your best!"

Pa Kent smirked. He leaned down, carefully eyeing Clark, before he threw the baseball straight into the air. It was going at a rapid speed, and Clark huffed. He only had a few moments to catch the ball, and he placed his glove where he thought the ball was heading towards. Sure enough, he felt the baseball landing hard into his glove.

"Alright, good catch, son! Now don't throw the ball all the way to the bank again!"

Clark laughed as he got the ball out of his glove. "Don't worry, I won't! I've been practicing when you're at work!"

Clark brought his feet up and down, eyeing his father. He extended his arm out. He counted to three, and threw the ball. Like the bank incident, it went up in the air, about a dozen feet over Pa Kent's head. Pa Kent turned around, and the two watched as it created a small hole on the top of the barn. The baseball crashed and banged across the barn.

Clark heard Pa Kent taking a deep breath. "Well…at least we won't be reading about a mystery baseball striking the bank again."

Clark rubbed his neck. "I'm sorry, Pa. I'm trying to get better, I promise."

Pa Kent walked over to Clark. "Oh, you are, son. I can tell," he said, before he got close enough to place his hand on his son's shoulder. "And the fact that you are trying so hard makes me proud of you. These powers of yours would be very dangerous in the wrong hands. But I'm glad they're in yours. Someday, your powers will be a gift to the world."

"Thanks, Pa. I'll practice every day."

"I know you will. Now let's go have your mom's delicious roast beef."

That was but one of the many memories that forced their way into Clark's mind as he stared at his father's grave. It was a simple yet elegant cross grave, standing next to dozens of others in Smallville's graveyard. As Clark thought of all the memories with his father, he felt his intestines turning at ungodly levels.

Steve, Lois, and Ma Kent were all by his side, with Lois holding Jon in her heads. Also with them was the entire Vanguard. From left to right they stood: Hal Jordan, Carol Danvers, Barry Allen, Hank Pym, Zatanna Zatara, Bruce Banner, J'onn J'onzz, Janet van Dyne, Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, Diana of Themyscira, Thor Odinson, T'Challa, and Orin of Atlantis. J'onn had taken the form of a buzz-cut African-American man with wrinkles across his face, while Thor wore a dark brown tunic with tan pants and black boots; the rest were all simply suited up in tuxes and dresses. And Tony had his daughter, Morgan Stark, in his arms. She was a full-cheeked and smiling girl, around the same age as Jon.

They all stood there silently; the only sound that could be heard across the area was the overpowering wind. That, and Ma Kent's sobs.

"I don't understand how it happened," Clark said to break the silence, cracking his knuckles. "How did I not hear the man coming in? If I truly wanted to, I could hear a heartbeat all the way from Texas. But I didn't hear him coming into the farm. Not until I had already failed."

Clark's vision began to blur, and the bottom of his eyes were watering up. "Who could have done this?! Why did they do it?!"

Clark knew that whoever this killer was, they were gunning for Lois; Pa Kent merely got in the way. But what was this man's motivation for killing his beloved wife? Then, he heard the snow crunching, with two sets of footsteps approaching. Clark looked over to see Tony and Bruce walking over, with Morgan burying her face in her father's shoulder. The sun reflected in the shades that the two billionaires were sporting. Clark saw the two looking around, making absolute sure no one else was within earshot. And sure enough, there was not a soul to be seen for miles.

"Most likely, Lex Luthor has some involvement in this," Tony said, slightly jolting Morgan up.

"The pieces line up well," Bruce continued on, his hands in his pockets. "You two have been investigating rumors of Lex Luthor's corruption. A man as resourceful and scrupulous as Luthor will likely have caught on to it."

"And what's more," Tony said, picking up where Bruce left off. "The only way this killer could have possibly evaded your super hearing was if he teleported into the barn when you were having dinner with your family. Lex Luthor could've made that possible."

Then the two of them pursed their lips, with Bruce speaking up with, "We can't apologize enough. Tony and I have been trying to find definitive proof of Luthor's -"

Clark raised his hand up and interrupted. "You don't have to apologize. Neither of you could have known what was going to happen. And now that you mention….yes. I do believe Lex Luthor was involved in this."

Clark heard his mother snarling. "Then bring him to justice!" she shouted, her face a burning red. "Jonathan may be dead because of this monster!"

"We will bring him to justice," Steve replied, stepping forward. "But we can't announce that he did it. With Lex Luthor's resources and connections, he's likely covered his tracks ten times over."

Lois sighed. "Steve's right, Martha. As much as I want to knock Luthor's teeth in myself, we have to be very careful about this."

Clark watched as his mother bit her lip, before groaning. Her face was pale, and her wrinkles seemed more contorted than they had ever appeared before. Her eyes looked like they wanted to sink all the way down to the bottom of her face, and her frown was gapingly wide. Jonathan and Martha Kent had known each other since high school, getting married shortly after graduation. And they had stayed together for nearly 45 years. To have the love of your life, who you wanted to grow old with as the world around you changed, to have that person suddenly taken away from you after nearly half a century together….the effects were all too clear when looking at Martha's sullen, grief-stricken expression.

Clark moved his attention from his mother to his wife, placing his hand on Lois' shoulder. "Honey, we have to get you and Jon to the Vanguard Tower as soon as possible. Whoever this killer was, he will not stop until your blood is on his hands. And if he can bypass my super-hearing, there's no telling what other tricks he might be able to pull."

Lois sighed. "Normally, I'd remind that I've handled my fair share of dangerous assignments…but given the circumstances…yes, yes that would be best. Especially with Jon in the picture."

"Excellent," Tony stated, patting Morgan's back. "We'll get you both into secure accommodation as soon as possible. Clark, Steve, I can send you to my Stark Enterprises facility in Brooklyn to investigate this. And Clark…you know Lana Lang, yes?"

Clark raised an eyebrow at the mention of his childhood friend. "I do. And I know she works for your company…"

"She will be assisting you. Perhaps seeing an old friend will raise your spirits a little."

The Stark Enterprises facility in Metropolis was only a mile away from the Dailey Planet, yet Clark had never set foot inside before. He and Steve both stepped into the building, and were greeted by a towering, soothing indoor waterfall. Its gentle falling and splashing could be heard right as the two entered the building; there were several vines surrounding the waterfall, and leaves coated the fountain that the water landed in. Atop the reception desk was a 'Stark Enterprises' projection presented in all of its holographic glory. The whole area was glowingly bright, and it sported a clean, almost sterile look to it. Rows of people could be seeing moving around in the back, behind the receptionist desk.

While Clark and Steve were dressed in mostly normal clothing, Steve did have his shield hung over his back. The lady upfront eyed Clark and Steve as they walked over. "Hello there, can I help you with anything? Do you have an appointment?"

"They're with me," answered Clark's childhood friend.

Lana Lang stepped over to the two. Her hair flowed all the way to the back, tied into a ponytail. She also wore a white labcoat over her body; under it, she had on a green t-shirt, dark jeans, and black ankle boots.

Lana frowned when she saw Clark, and extended her arms. "Clark, I'm so sorry about your Pa, and I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral!"

Clark extended his own arms and pulled Lana into an embrace. It had been a few months since they had spent some time together. If only it was under happier circumstances, he thought to himself.

"Don't worry about it, Lana," Clark replied, patting Lana on the back. "We understand. I promise. Don't beat yourself up over it."

Lana sighed. "I'll come visit his grave with you one day. How's your mom holding up?"

"They were married for a very long time, and he was taken from her so suddenly. She needs time to really process it. As….as do I."

Clark's expression morphed into a forlorn one as he said that. He thought back to a few specific instances where Pa Kent had almost bitten the dust; when Clark was attending his senior prom, a drunken driver struck Jonathan's car in the dead of night and almost claimed his life. There was a small tornado that stormed its way near Smallville a few years after that, that would've killed Jonathan had Clark not gotten him to safety at the last moment. More recently, Pa Kent had suffered a heart attack and collapsed near the barn; it had taken him months to recover from that. All of that, and it was some good-for-nothing assassin that ultimately brought about Pa Kent's death.

Lana pulled away, patting Clark's shoulder. Then she looked over at Steve. "And of course, it's an honor to finally meet the great Captain America."

Steve smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Lang. You can just call me Steve."

"Please, call me Lana, Captain. Now, we should get down to business. Follow me."

Lana had used her security clearance to get Clark and Steve into the private laboratories of Stark Enterprises. It felt even more sterile than the front desk. The coldness was countered by the sight of a few coworkers laughing amongst themselves over who might make it to the Super Bowl, and some others having a debate over whether they thought Lex Luthor would make for a suitable President or not. Clark groaned at the sound of that. Lex Luthor, yet another man that pretends to be a champion of the people, but only really cared about how much money he can store into his pockets.

The people passing by were not within earshot anymore, which seemed to make Lana feel safe in saying, "Don't worry, Steve. I know about Clark's other life."

"I figured as much. Not much else of a reason for Captain America and Clark Kent to be seen together like this, you know?"

Lana let out a small chuckle. "Fair enough. Alright, here we are," she said, pointing to a door that had "B50" painted onto its front.

They opened the door and walked in, and Clark was greeted by the sight of dozens upon dozens of inventions. A few sported the look of something a B-movie alien might use, but many of them were glimmering and shiny, looking as if they had been polished mere seconds ago. They ranged from a miniscule blue device that was only noticeable because of its glow to a bulking crimson sphere that had silver tron lines; if Clark had to guess what it was off the top of his head, he would think it was a time machine or a new kind of teleporter. At the back was a vault door; God only knew what it was guarding.

From the corner of his eye, Clark saw Lana looking at a particular invention. This was one of the smaller ones. It was lined and slim, colored completely black. It looked similar to an ear comm, but larger in size. "Most of the wonderful devices here are inventions that my fellow engineers and I have built. But this thing here, it comes from LexCorp."

"How were you able to retrieve it then?" Steve asked, standing next to Clark.

"Oh, corporate espionage. You know how it is. I normally don't like it, but considering the blood I hear Luthor is trying to wipe off his hands…yeah, in this case, I'm fine with it."

Steve raised his finger up. "Lois was saying something about how she and Clark have gotten more than few tips about LexCorp covering things up."

Lana bit her lip. "Yes, we've been trying to investigate that as well. We believe LexCorp has been utilizing assassins to take care of those sources. And now, Clark. You can hear your mother's heartbeat from all the way over here, correct?"

Clark frowned. Indeed, if he truly wanted to, he could. Tuning everything else out, he could make out the distinct thudding of Martha Kent's heart, pounding with grief over the loss of her husband. "Yes, yes I can. But I couldn't hear the killer until it was too late! No one has been able to hide from my senses before. When the Hulk went completely berserk in Manhattan a few years ago, I could hear his roars from Metropolis! Yet I couldn't hear this killer, when he was only a hundred feet away!"

Clark felt Lana's strong yet gentle hand tap his shoulder again. "Don't beat yourself too hard over it, Clark. That device over there, it could have allowed the killer to bypass your super hearing. Observe."

Lana grabbed the device and began attaching it to the side of her head. Then she nodded to Clark and Steve, before walking around. And Clark's eyes widened when he realized that he could not hear the tapping of her boots. He tuned everything else out. He could still hear his mother's heartbeat all the way in Smallville, but Lana Lang was in the same exact room as him and he could not hear her as she walked around the lab.

"That's not the only thing our corporate spies have managed to get ahold of," Lana then stated. She turned off the device, and once more, the clanking of her heeled boots echoed throughout the air. "Take a look at this other gadget."

Lana grabbed onto a circular device, coated with heavy gray paint, alongside a glowing green center. "Alright, Mr. Kent, I'll end up on the opposite side of the state. Try to track down my voice after I press this button."

After doing exactly that, there was a green flash of light, and just like that, Lana was gone. Clark exchanged glances with Steve for a moment before he closed his eyes. He tuned out all other noises, across the dozens upon dozen of miles, until he finally heard a distinct, familiar voice saying 'Can you hear me?' It was located all the way in Plattsburgh, a town located in the northernmost county of New York State.

Seconds later, another flash of green light pierced Clark's eyes, and just as swiftly as she had left, Lana had now returned. Clark nodded to indicate that yes, he had heard Lana from all the way in Plattsburgh.

"There's one more thing," Lana said as she set the device down. "While we have yet to get hold of one, our spies have found evidence of LexCorp utilizing highly advanced, indetectable trackers that they can plant onto anyone they wish."

"So, there we go, we have it all figured out," Steve raised, raising one of his crossed arms up. "During their interview, Lex implanted one of those trackers onto Lois. And then he gave this other tech to the assassin, so that they could go in and kill her without anyone hearing them coming."

Lana snapped her fingers. "Bingo. Right on the dot. Unfortunately, while it may have been easy to figure out how Lex Luthor pulled this off, actually going public with it and besmirching his name won't nearly be as simple. The man is a mastermind at covering things up; he almost certainly has contingencies for this. Hell, I'd bet his contingencies have contingencies."

"Well, doesn't that sound like someone we know, Clark…" Steve murmured, pursing his lip.

Clark also groaned. "I'm afraid Lana's right, Steve. Knowing Lex Luthor, he had already covered his tracks before the assassin even arrived the farm"

"If only there was someone who could help with that."

Clark looked over his shoulder to see S.H.I.E.L.D agent Sharon Carter, longtime girlfriend of Steve Rogers, making her way into the room. Behind her was her fellow agent Phil Coulson. Both of them were garnered in the black tactical gear that was typical for those at S.H.I.E.L.D. Sharon was quick to introduce herself and Phil to Lana. Lana raised an eyebrow and a finger.

"Um, h-hi – how did you get in?" Lana stammered.

Sharon smirked. "We're S.H.I.E.L.D. We have our ways."

In that moment, Clark realized that he was too engrossed in this discussion with Lana to realize that Sharon and Phil were on their way. Sharon continued on with, "Anyway, we're only here to help," before looking over with Steve and saying, "Hey, hon. Sorry I haven't responded to your text. Field work and all."

Then Sharon eyed Clark. "And I'm very, very sorry for your loss, Clark. That simply isn't fair for your dad to have to die like that."

Clark saw Coulson giving a crap-eating grin towards Steve. "Always a pleasure to be around Captain America! It's been, like, four months since we really saw each other. I tried to make it to your panel appearance for WayneTech in Seoul, but those guys really charge a lot -"

"Stop," Lana bluntly said, rubbing her forehead. "Get back to the point, please. How can you help?"

Sharon cleared her throat. Clark sported downcast, shadowed eyes, waiting for the two to reveal why they had come here.

"You're not the only ones who have been trying to investigate LexCorp. And it certainly is tricky. As you said, his contingencies have contingencies."

Lana scoffed. "You listened in on that? Rude."

"Anyway, we have found one thing. We had a major breakthrough, and Coulson and I thought we should get aid from Stark Enterprises and WayneTech. It's about the assassin that Lex Luthor used, the one that tried to kill Lois Lane. We believe we know his identity. Have you ever heard of -"

As Sharon had been talking, Clark felt something. He swore on his life that he could feel someone else in the room. But he should've been able to hear them come in. Clark looked over at the vault room. Even without his super-hearing, he would've heard someone coming in or out of the vault room. Then Clark jolted up. What if they were wearing…

Before he could finish that thought, and before Sharon could name the assassin, there was a sound of thunder. A massive boom echoed throughout the lab. With what little time Clark had, he super-sped around and grabbed Steve, Sharon, Coulson, and Lana, getting them all out of the lab before they were engulfed in its flames.

Lana and Coulson began coughing, while Steve panted and Sharon breathed heavily.

"What the hell just happened?" Coulson shouted out loud.

They all began moving away from the fire, but even as they ran, Coulson was closest to the flames. Which meant he was the one to be struck first when the assassin jumped from the flames. This man had messy, unkempt brown hair that flowed all the way down to his neck, along with some stubble across his face. He wore a domino mask and black tactical gear, but what really caught Clark's eye was his left arm. It looked completely silver and metallic, with a gloved hand, and there was a red star painted across the shoulder. The assassin kicked the back of Coulson's shin, then wrapped his arms around his waist and threw him down onto the ground.

And that face…Clark swore that he had seen it in old photographs before.

"The Winter Soldier!" Sharon shouted out, seemingly pointing at the metal arm.

Steve's eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates, and his jaw looked like it was going to unhinge itself. "B-Bucky?!"

The man looked over at Steve. "Who the hell is Bucky?"

Bucky Barnes. The partner of Captain America when he served with the Liberty Brigade. Who, like Cap, was thought dead when the Brigade made their final assault on Hydra. But there he stood.

Immediately upon letting that sink in, Clark snapped out of it. Bucky punted Steve in the shin and then elbowed Sharon in the face, and then he charged towards Clark. Bucky attempted to strike Clark in the jaw with his fist, but as usual when humans tried to punch him, Clark didn't feel a single thing. Bucky's mouth went agape. He looked up at Clark, his eyes bulging for just a brief moment. But then he narrowed them, regaining his resolve. He tried again, but once more, Clark felt nothing. He did notice, however, that Bucky's arm was not shattered into a million pieces like what would happen to most people. Clark eyed his fist for a moment; it appeared that, indeed, it was now made of metal. Then Bucky pulled out a spherical object and smashed it onto the ground, creating a purple, transparent bubble of energy.

Clark bopped his head around the portal, and tried to bang his hand onto it. Whatever it was, it was durable. And with it in place, Clark watched as Bucky clasped his hands together and bashed them right at Steve's nose as the latter darted towards him.

"Bucky, I don't want to do you any -" Steve tried to say. He was cut off when Bucky grabbed him by his neck and slammed his head into his knee. When Steve broke free, he exclaimed, "Bucky, please!" while spit flew out of his mouth.

When Sharon pulled out her gun to shoot Bucky, Bucky slid down and swept her legs with his arm. When she collapsed onto the ground, Bucky lifted her up and threw her against Coulson. Clark saw Steve readying himself before the Super Soldier lunged towards Bucky and wrapped his arms around his war comrade's throat.

"Bucky! What has gotten into you?! Why are you doing this?!"

Clark snarled to himself. Enough was enough. And so he began blasting at the bubble with his heat vision to break it open. As he did so, he continued to snarl heavily under his breath. He had enjoyed learning about Bucky Barnes, the best friend of Steve Rogers who went on to become one of the Liberty Brigade's most trusted allies. But that was in the past. The person Clark saw in that bubble was Bucky Barnes, the man who killed his father while attempting to kill his wife.

Bucky still struggled to break free of Steve's grasp. The whole time, Lana was standing in the back, her eyes widened; there was nothing she could do, after all, but watch the struggle. After a few seconds, Clark's heat-vision burst through the bubble, and he was greeting by the sight of Bucky shakily pulling out a dagger. Bucky stabbed Steve in the rib, and Steve stepped backwards, yelping while clenching his teeth. But then Clark grabbed Bucky by his throat, and the 'Winter Soldier' gasped for breath.

Steve coughed. "D-don't kill him, Clark! For the love of God, I beg you!"

Clark fumed. "You know very well that I could have done that in a fraction of an instant if I wanted to! And he killed my Pa, Steve!"

Clark's attention went from Steve to Bucky. And indeed, he was using a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of his strength; it was the only reason Bucky's throat wasn't completely shattered, and why he still kicked his legs around in an attempt to free himself.

"We must take him to the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier for questioning," Sharon stated, raising her hands up.

Clark shot burning red eyes of raging hatred towards Bucky. "Yes. He has a lot to answer for."