Note: I made minor alterations to Chapter 3, to help better set-up Bucky's actions in this chapter.

Cap could hear a deep and heavy sigh come from Coulson. "So the Tokyo trip was a false lead to mislead our informants and hide your ambush?"

Luthor chuckled. "Aren't you a perceptive one, Agent Coulson? Did it not occur to you that I have spies of my own within SHIELD? No, of course not. It pays to be the smartest man on the planet."

"That incredible intellect of yours won't save you from prison!" Fury replied, aiming his gun towards Luthor.

"Oh, how wrong you are," Luthor replied, before pointing his finger towards the group. "Kill Superman, Captain America, and as many of the SHIELD agents as you possibly can! Fire!"

Cap's stomach sank. Even though not all of these guys could possibly hit them, Luthor had too many men and sentry guns that the chances of there not being heavy casualties had all but faded out of existence. He covered himself and Carter with his shield, just before bullets began bouncing off of it and falling to the ground. The amount of firing going off wasn't as deafening as Cap thought it would be, though. It was almost as if some of them were not shooting at all.

"Damnit, how could we be such fools?!" Carter shouted, kneeling behind the shield as best as she could.

Cap peered over, and he saw why not all of the private army mercenaries were firing: Superman was zooming around the area, catching as many of the bullets as he could. However, his skin was starting to turn a very light shade of green, and wrinkles were contorting and morphing around his face.

"You can only handle so much, Man of Steel!" Luthor gloated. Rocket thrusters activated from beneath the billionaire's feet, and he shot into the air, forming a fist.

Cap began darting over to where Superman was, heavily breathing as he raced to help his friend. But he didn't make it in time. When Cap was within arm's length, Luthor brought his fist down and struck Superman in the face. The force of the punch sent Superman into the air, and he crashed into Cap. Bruises formed on Cap's back as they landed hard on the ground.

"Look at you, Superman!" Luthor shouted as he walked over towards the two. "A being who fancies himself a god, reduced to an ant!"

Cap and Superman both got back on their feet uneasily. Superman hunched over and coughed. "I'm no god Lex….and I've never pretended to be otherwise…"

Luthor sneered. "That is what you always say! But like a god, you've made the people dependent on you! You and your Vanguard will prevent humanity from developing on our own. I've long since realized your kind must be stopped!"

Luthor grabbed Superman by his neck and lifted him up. The Man of Steel gagged and kicked his legs around, desperately trying to gasp for air. Cap clenched his fists and shot a downcast death glare towards Lex Luthor.

"You are absolutely full of it, Luthor!" Cap stated as he inched closer and closer to him. "When has Superman ever posed as a deity?! And why focus your vendetta on him, when Thor and Wonder Woman are explicitly gods?!"

"They are no better," Luthor responded, tightening his grip on Superman's throat. "Except that they at least admit they are deities. Superman has the audacity to pretend he is not above us, when he could wipe out the entire planet in less than a half-hour, with one hand tied behind his back!"

Through desperate gasps for air, Superman let out a faint, "But….I….would never…."

Luthor snarled. "I will make sure of it."

Cap narrowed his eyes and threw his shield at Luthor. It bounced off his metal suit, and the blowback forced Luthor to take a few steps back, releasing his grip on Superman in the process. Superman violently and roughly coughed, to the point where it was almost enough to deafen the bullets firing behind the two Vanguardians. Cap rushed over to where the Man of Steel was. Superman struggled to get up. He continued to cough, with small drops of vomit on the ground below. Cap heard other footsteps behind him, and looked over to see Carter, Coulson, and Trevor all darting over towards him.

"Jesus, Luthor's about to taken down Superman!" Carter shouted as she readied her rifle.

"I'll burn in hell before I let either of them fall like this!" Coulson responded. While Carter and Trevor stopped at where Superman was, Coulson charged Luthor as the lattermost snarled and readied his armored suit.

"Coulson, fall back, now!" Trevor shouted.

But it was too late. While Superman tried to get back on his feet, Lex Luthor prepared to fire his arm cannon into the Kryptonian's back. But Coulson shoved Superman out of the way, and the blowback from the blast sent him crashing onto the ground. Cap's heart pounded faster and stronger by the second. Coulson winced and cried out weakly, as if he was inches away from death.

Then, the gunfire drew closer. Someone bumped into Cap. It was Director Fury, shooting his rifle towards some of the private military members. Cap darted over, and bashed his shield into one of them before they could open fire. He then grabbed the assailant, lifted him up, and threw him onto two of the others. Fury and Trevor gunned them down to finish them off. More of them came after the agents, and Carter shot at two of them before they could attack the weakened Superman. From the corner of his eye, Cap saw some mercenaries about to shoot at them, and raised his shield up just in time for the bullets to be deflected. Amidst the massive storm of gunfire, Cap could still see Luthor firing his arm cannon towards Superman just as he was standing back up. In a moment of defiance, Superman blasted a small dose of heat vision towards the center of Luthor's chest, but it did little, and Superman was forced to stop, grunting at his own frail state.

"Shoot the Kryptonite power core!" Cap yelled towards Carter as she struck down three mercenaries. "It's our best option!"

Carter nodded. But before she turned her fire onto the armored billionaire, she grabbed out her revolver and handed it over to Cap. Trevor and Fury remained behind with the other SHIELD agents, pushing back Luthor's men. Cap aimed his revolver at Luthor, whilst Luthor continued to pummel Superman. Drops of blood flew into the air with each kick. Cap's arm did not so much as shake. His revolver was pointed firmly at the center of Luthor's armored suit. It had been ages since he used a gun, yet in this moment, Cap narrowed his eyes, having no fear that he would miss. And indeed, when he pulled the trigger, the bullet went directly towards the Kryptonite. However, the Kryptonite was not shot into the air. Instead, there was but a crack in the glass seal that was protecting it. Cap snarled. While Superman's arms and legs shook tremendously, Luthor looked down at the Kryptonite seal, and growled. When he locked eyes with Cap, his veins were close to popping out. But Cap cared not. He and Carter continued unloading bullets towards Luthor's chest, until he responded in kind with another energy blast. It was then that Cap finally looked around, and noticed that Luthor's private army was beginning to encircle him, Superman, and the SHIELD agents.

"Imagine that," Luthor gloated. "A super soldier and a god, toppled by a mortal man."

But then, Cap could hear the roaring of a jet's engines. A dozen of them soared above the battle, making their way down towards the ground.

"When did we call in reinforcements?!" Carter shouted, tilting her head back to eye the jets.

"We didn't," Fury responded.

The jets were quick to land within feet of where the fight was raging on, and out of them came many more SHIELD agents. The private army diverted away from Cap and Superman's group, refocusing their fire accordingly. But many of them remained, and shot their weapons towards Cap and the others.

"A waste of resources," Luthor scoffed, before he readied his arm cannon towards Superman again. But then, Cap recognized a familiar figure running at an extraordinary pace. He was getting closer and closer and closer by the millisecond.

"Bucky? What…"

Fury did say that he would only send out the Winter Soldier against Luthor if the situation was dire. Bucky had his teeth gritted and his fists clenched, and he lunged towards Luthor from behind. Cap's mouth went agape. How was this happening? Did Bucky somehow regain his memory? While he became more willing to talk earlier, and Fury had mentioned him starting to come around, he had shown no signs of truly remembering his past. But now he was viciously attacking his former master.

"What is this?!" Luthor shouted, struggling to maintain his balance. "I am your master, Winter Soldier!"

"You…whoever you are, you made me your weapon!" Bucky yelled. "Now burn in hell."

And with that, Bucky placed an EMP on Luthor's suit. Luthor gasped, and as electricity began shooting out all across his armor, he yelled out in pain. He even kneeled down to the ground, his hands on his bald head.

With Luthor's attention elsewhere, Cap and Carter resumed shooting at the Krytonite, until the seal was broken and it flew out of the armor's chest. Fury then grabbed out a weapon of his own. It looked like a gun, but it was rounder and sleeker than the average pistol or rifle. An orange light emanated from it, and before Luthor could extend his hand out and take back the Kryptonite, Fury's weapon blasted towards the green rock, and after a moment, there was only a smoldering black spot where the Kryptonite had once stood.

Mere moments later, Superman's skin regained its natural color. His physique was restored to how it had always been since Cap had met him. And when he finally stood up with no shaking limbs or rotting skin, his eyes were glowing a blinding red. Many of the private army members shouted at how Superman was back to normal, and fled the scene in droves. Luthor finally threw Bucky off of him, and bellowed in frustration.

"Well, I was right to anticipate this," he said, before he grabbed a larger version of the teleporting device that had been stolen from LexCorp. He pressed the button on it, and green electricity circled around him, Superman, Cap, and Bucky.

One moment, they were in a field about an hour away from Albany. The next, they were in the cloudy, bustling concrete jungle of Manhattan, right by the Empire State Building. The waves of people walking the streets of Fifth Avenue all stopped what they were doing, be it chatting on the phone or walking the streets while cars were heading their way. Gasps echoed throughout, and many were either pointing towards the four or running away. Luthor looked over at the three.

"You can't hit me at full power with possible casualties, now, can you? Your ego won't allow it," Luthor seethed out towards the Man of Steel.

Superman cracked his knuckles. "With you, I don't need to."

Superman blasted his heat vision towards the center of Luthor's suit, forcing the latter to stand back and try to deflect it with his elbow. Superman zoomed over to Luthor, grabbing him by his armored chest, and darted up into the air with him. While this happened, Cap looked over to Bucky.

"Do you remember me?" Cap asked.

Bucky shook his head. "Not really. I do not know your name or your background. But I know your face. And somehow, I know that I can trust you above all others. I'm not sure why, but I know it in my heart."

Cap smiled. He thought about the memory he had brought up with Bucky; just another borough away, they were once kids trying to enjoy themselves as the Depression raged on. That boy was indeed still in there somewhere; and to see him beginning to come out, it made Cap place his hand on Bucky's shoulder.

"Let's help take down Luthor. Together."

Lex Luthor crashed onto the sidewalk a few feet in front of where the two were standing, with many cracks forcing their way into existence. Superman swooped down and decked Luthor in the chest. He wailed on Luthor's armor with a flurry of superspeed fists, before Luthor fired back with his arm cannon. Luthor then hammered his fist into Superman's face, trying to send him crashing into the windows of the Empire State Building. Superman was sent hurtling in that direction, but he managed to regain his bearings and stop within an inch of the nearest window. Superman swooped over to where Luthor was levitating, and swung two jabs, one cross, and a finishing hook, and Luthor was sent tumbling down.

He was about a foot or so away now, and Cap seized the opportunity to tighten his grip on his shield and throw it forward towards Luthor. It struck him the chest, and as Luthor grunted, his rocket thrusters shorted out for a few moments. A loud thud echoed through the air when Luthor crashed. Bucky pulled out a revolver, but Cap tapped his shoulder.

"Careful. Luthor should face a public trial and prison for what he's done," Cap said.

While Bucky did not put away the revolver, he did stop for just a moment. Cap used the opportunity to dash towards Lex. Luthor snarled at Cap and tried to blast at him, but Cap deflected it with his shield. Then he bashed the shield into Luthor's face three time. Cap sensed footsteps, and moved out of the way just in time for Bucky to fire his gun at Luthor's power core, which was in the center were the kryptonite had been stored. Electricity sparked out of the power core, and Luthor groaned.

"No! How can I possibly lose to the likes of -"

Before Luthor could finish, Superman gravitated down and churned his freeze breath at Luthor's mouth. It froze solid, preventing Luthor from saying anything further. Superman clenched his hands into Luthor's shoulders, and wires burst through the seams as he crushed them. Cap stepped back. When Bucky fired one more bullet towards the power core, the electricity flared up brighter than ever before. Superman ended the fight with a final fist to the face, and Luthor fell unconscious.

Cap turned his head left-and-right to see the storm of people coming by. The clicking of phones and capturing of screenshots, coupled with the questions and chattering, filled the air. But in his mind, Cap brushed it off. All would be explained, and Luthor would face jailtime.

And he had his dear friend back.

"There you have it, folks!", J. Jonah Jameson shouted towards his camera, with the ' ' banner hanging just below him."Conclusive proof that Lex Luthor has been a criminal mastermind this whole time!"

Superman watched the news on the monitor in the conference room. While there were many other anchormen and women reporting on the New York battle and Lex Luthor's subsequent arrest, Jameson was the loudest. He had a firm mustache above his upper lip, and mostly gray hair with some black remaining atop, and he wore a flashing navy blue suit. And he was the loudest and most abrasive of the reporters, making Superman concentrate on him in particular.

"I, of course, had already tried exposing Luthor for the scumbag he is," Jameson added on, following it up with a scoff. "But few people took my claims seriously! Thankfully, the great Captain America and Superman were there to expose him and prove me right! And LexCorp has released all the papers exposing this man's shady dealings and horrific machinations!"

Jameson then pointed his finger directly at the camera. "While nothing has come out yet linking Luthor to the criminal known as Spider-Man, it is most likely -"

Superman let out his own scoff, and turned away from the monitor. There went Jameson again, trying to make everything about his burning hatred for poor Spider-Man. But the news was out. After the USSR collapsed, LexCorp found out where the Winter Soldier was kept, and turned him from a Cold War assassin into their own competition killer. And it was cryogenic freezing that kept Bucky young, not completely unlike Cap's situation.

Superman smiled. What mattered was that Lois and Jon were no longer in danger. But, of course, the same could not be said for Pa. No matter how that final battle had transpired, it could not have brought Jonathan Kent back from the grave. . Just as Superman was thinking about that, he heard J'onn and Cap make their way into the conference room.

Superman turned around and nodded towards him. "How is it going, healing Bucky's mind?"

The Martian Manhunter sighed. "I should have him fully recovered in no time. The Soviets and LexCorp went deep into his mind, but I've already made splendid progress with Sergeant Barnes."

"For the last time, 'J'onn', you can just call me Bucky."

And there he was. Approaching them from the entrance to the conference room was Bucky himself. No longer did he sport the attire he had as the Winter Soldier. He wore a simple long-sleeved red shirt and jeans. He had a plain black baseball cap in his hands, that he lifted up and placed atop his head.

"I don't remember everything, I'm afraid. Steve, I don't remember how we met, how long we knew each other, or how we were separated. But I do remember growing up with you, and fighting alongside you against Hydra. And I know we were good friends."

Cap chuckled, tapping his comrade's shoulder. "I hope you regain all of your memories soon. Jay, Namor, and Alan are all itching to reunite with you. Jay moreso than the other two."

"At least I can see some of our allies from the war."

"Control of LexCorp will now fall into the hands of Chief Operating Officer Dell Rusk," Jameson shouted through the monitor, making everyone stop their conversation to eye the great big computer on the wall. Jameson started making motions with his hands; while he did so, a picture of Dell Rusk was pasted right next to him; he was a gravely, pale, thick-eyebrowed man, with a sharp chin and short brown hair that was going gray at the temples.

Then the picture of Dell Rusk faded away, replaced by one of Bucky Barnes.

"Dell Rusk has been so kind as to reveal the true identity of the nefarious Winter Soldier: None other than Sergeant Bucky Barnes, brainwashed into serving the Luthor family! How Barnes will atone for his horrible sins has yet to be seen, and the surviving Brigadiers have yet to comment…."

Superman looked over his shoulder when Bucky released a deep, heavy sigh. "I really do have to get that figured out," Bucky began, placing his hands in front of his face. "Even if I wasn't in control of my actions, my hands are drenched in blood. I doubt most of them did little to deserve it. Especially not Jonathan Kent."

Bucky walked over to Superman. This whole time, while the Man of Steel saw the former sergeant in his field of vision, he didn't truly look him in the eye. "Mr. Kent, I can never apologize enough for taking your father away from you. I expect that we can never truly be friends because of it, but I will aid the Vanguard any way I can."

Superman looked away. He wanted to lock eyes with Bucky and tell him that he had nothing to worry about. That he was brainwashed and not in control of his actions, so they would get along just fine. But there was a part of Superman that held those thoughts back and prevented them from becoming a reality. Indeed, he could not even look at Bucky properly.

"…Maybe so. But the Vanguard will always accept your help. And we will help you atone for what you've done. That much, I can promise you, Sergeant Barnes."

Bucky nodded. "From you, that is more than enough. Best of wishes to you, Mr. Kent."

And with that, Bucky glanced at Steve for just a moment before walking away. The Martian Manhunter also left the room, to finish telepathically repairing Bucky's mind. This left Cap alone with Superman.

"I really can't believe Bucky's back, you know…" Cap began, crossing his arms. "I bet you recall that my reunion with Peggy was brief. She died moments after I got to speak with her. After that, I had accepted that Jay, Alan, and Namor were all I had left from the old days. Everything else had drastically changed, and they were the only constants…"

Cap paused for a moment. He turned his head to face the doorway, where Bucky and the Manhunter had departed just moments earlier. "Until now, that is."

"I'm happy for you, Steve," Superman replied. He tried to let out a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. His mind was consumed and overrun by images of him trying to have a conversation, about anything, with Sergeant Barnes, only for the image to come to an abrupt halt in the blink of an eye. Deep down, Superman still saw the Winter Soldier, the killer who took his father from him. It was unfair, the Man of Steel thought to himself, but that's how it was. Superman sighed. "I…I…I'm sorry that I don't think that…Bucky and I -"

Cap raised his hand up. "Stop," was all he said, affirm and assertive. Superman did not hesitate; he did exactly as the Super Soldier said.

If he wanted to, he could decimate Captain America in a second, before Cap could so much as realize what had happened. But whenever he spoke, whenever he gave a command, Superman would always listen, as if Cap had this ultimate authority on the entire superhero community.

Cap had a frown, but his eyes showed his understanding. "I understand. You have no need to apologize."

Superman let out a small murmur. "Thank you, Captain."

"Now, I believe Lois wanted us to meet her at the Fortress of Solitude, did she not?"

"She did."

Minutes later, Superman and Cap had traveled from the Vanguard Tower in New York City to the Fortress of Solitude, all the way in the Arctic. Lana Lang and Ma Kent were also here, in winter gear. They were catching up on old times, with Lana spouting out all sorts of details in regards to her job at Stark Enterprises. And not only that, but Krypto the Super-Dog was also dashing all across the Fortress. He was found shortly after the Battle of the Serengeti, being the last canine from Krypton. Krypto barked and barked as he dashed with increasing speed.

Superman stood there with Cap and Lois, with Cap holding baby Jon at the moment. The Last Son of Krypton narrowed his eyes at his pet.

"Krypto! Heel, boy!" Superman called out, raising his hands up into the air.

Lois chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You never learn, do you?" Lois stated, before she placed her hands by her mouth. "Krypto, honey, come here!"

Krypto had gleefully ignored Superman's request, but when Lois gave her command, Krypto began to slow his pace down. He began levitating down towards the group, until his feet were firmly planted onto the icy ground. He ran over to Lois, at the speed a normal dog would take. She smiled and knelt down, scratching his ear. "Good boy," Lois added on.

Superman scoffed. "Why does he listen to you more than to me?"

"I grew up an army brat, Smallville. I know how to give orders to my men. Or in this case, an overexcited alien dog. "

Jon cooed and whimpered, reaching out for his father. Cap walked over to Superman and handed him his son. Superman let out a smile, one that did reach his eyes. "At least you listen to me, don't you?"

"Just wait until the teenage years, Clark," Cap stated. Superman saw Captain America gazing around the clear and solid ice of the Fortress. He let out a sound that mixed together a sigh with a chuckle. "Thank you for bringing me here. I really needed to go somewhere and clear my head while J'onn helps out Bucky."

"How is that going, by the way?" Lois asked, standing up while Krypto began rolling over.

"J'onn hopes to have fully reversed the damage done to his mind by tomorrow. He'll probably live at the Tower for a while adjusting to this new world. Luckily, I've already been through that and can help him. Now, I have question for you guys."

Cap turned his attention over to Superman and Jon. "How well will Jon remember his grandpa? I know Kryptonians possess better memories, but since he's part-human…"

That very question had rung through Superman's mind many times since the battle with Luthor. He had hoped to one day speak of Pa Kent to Jon, with the latter having at least some recollection of who his grandfather was. Maybe an older Jon would light up at the memory of Pa Kent, or maybe he would tilt his head and require his parents to explain who he was. Superman would just have to find out when the time came. He peered up when he heard Ma Kent softly chuckling at something Lana had said; the sickly ghost of a woman he had seen at the funeral was already fading away, if very slowly.

"I'm not too sure, Cap. Either way, I'm sure Jon will be proud of who his grandpa was, when I have the chance to talk to him about it."

"I suppose that's the best you can hope for," Cap replied, waving towards Jon when the baby tried saying hello to him. "In any case, Luthor's facing justice for his crimes, Bucky's coming back to normal, and your family is safe."

Before Superman could reply, he heard a screeching buzzing echoing through the Fortress. Only it wasn't actually coming from the Fortress, but all the way from Metropolis. It was the Signal Watch that he had given to photographer Jimmy Olsen years ago, to help him when he was in trouble. Which happened quite frequently.

On the crystal prompter in the Fortress, several dozen feet away from where they were all standing, a hologram of the freckled, messy-haired redhead Jimmy Olsen came through. His eyes were bulging, and his vested suit had several tears across it.

"Superman, please, wherever you are, I really need your help!" Jimmy shouted, shaking all over. "These evil scientists are trying to turn me into some sort of monster! Please come help me before it's too -"

But it was already too late. In an instant, fur rapidly grew across his head and hands, and his teeth and fingernails grew sharper by the second. Finally, he jolted his head up and released a howl.

Lois shook her head. "That man cannot go five minutes without getting into trouble. Well, you have a job to do, Clark."

Superman nodded. Jimmy's antics would be a welcome breather after everything that had happened. So he handed Jon over to Lois and soared his way out of the Fortress, flying up, up, and away.