SHIELD Helicarrier- 2027
"Are you sure we should do this?" The mas asked, making his wife sigh.
"Honestly? No. But the decision has been made."
"Still...What gives us the right to play God? What gives us the right to do any of this?"
"The same thing that makes us go out and stop criminals every day." Tony Stark said as he walked into the room, his words making the Man of Steel grimace.
"That's our responsibility. We have gifts, skills that make us better than others. We have a duty to protect them." He sighed as he finished his sentence. He had a duty to protect people, and it was a duty he had failed in. He hadn't done what was needed and his family had paid the price.
"And we will. Knowledge is power. We're ensuring that they have the knowledge to change things, to make the world better than it is now." Steve Rodgers said as he entered the room.
Superman just nodded, smiling when his bride took his hand. He knew that it would be hard for people to see what he had done, particularly his parents. But he also knew that with Natasha by his side, he would be okay.
"Okay. Let's bring them."
"Jonathan, what-"
"I don't know Martha." He replied as he looked around him. Wherever they were, it most definitely wasn't Smallville. Computers lined the walls, and the symbol of an eagle inside a circle was present on the floor. But the largest shock was when he walked over to the window and looked out. He could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Somehow, they had been brought to New York City.
"Clark!" Martha's cry caused Jonathan's gaze to move from the window to where his son was standing, with an unknown woman beside him. But the shock of seeing his son was diminished by what he and the woman were wearing. Both of them were in black with guns on either side of their hips.
For the moment, the young man ignored his mother, his keen eyes taking note of where they were as his companion did the same beside him.
"How did we get here?" Clark asked Natasha in Russian.
"Your guess is as good as mine. But I have a feeling that we won't like the answer."
"Mom, Dad. Don't worry. I know where we are. Now I don't know who brought us here, but it's unlikely that they did it to hurt us." He said calmly.
"Somehow I don't think reassuring words are going to cut it Clark." Clint Barton said as he lowered his bow before walking over and embracing his friends.
"Barton." Natasha said by way of greeting.
"Romanoff. Clark."
"I'm Jonathan Kent, this is my wife Martha. Who the heck are you two, and why are you dressed like that son?"
Before the young man could respond, more people materialized on the Helicarrier. Lex Luthor, his father Lionel, Steve Rodgers, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Oliver Queen, Sara Lance and Chloe Sullivan all looked around in surpirse at where they were.
"Legolas? Kent? Romanoff? What the devil is-"
"We don't know Tony." Natasha replied, cutting him off.
Suddenly the doors at the far end of the hall opened, causing Clark, Natasha, Steve and Clint to pull their guns, bow and shield respectively while Sara and Oliver fell into a crouch and Tony was left wishing he had his armor.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen." Clark Kent said as he walked in the room with Natasha beside him.
"Who the-"
"Easy Clark. We're not going to hurt you. After all, why would I hurt myself?"
"If you're me, prove it."
"Fair enough. Natasha's got a scar on her abdomen. Through and through courtesy of an assassin who calls himself the Winter Soldier. It was in Iran while she was trying to get a defector out. How was it you put it?" He asked his companion, who chuckled.
"It was a through and through, so I survived. But it was bye-bye bikinis after that."
"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in em now. By the way, call me Superman and call my wife the Black Widow. Makes it less confusing that way." He said as an aside, and Clark nodded, slowly lowering his weapon, the others doing likewise.
"Okay Superman. Why are we here, and why do I get the feeling I'm going to want to kill you?" Clark asked, making Superman chuckle before his expression turned serious.
"Because you will. But before I get into that, let me begin with some introductions. We have mine and my wife's younger selves, Clark Kent and his fiancee Natasha Romanoff. The guy with the arrows is Natasha''s brother Clint Barton. My parents Jonathan and Martha Kent. My good friend Lex Luthor. Beside him is his father Lionel, all around scumbag." He said, and Lionel glared while Clark, Natasha, Clint and Lex all laughed.
"Captain Steve Rodgers, also known as Captain America. Tony Stark, womanizer, genius, playboy philanthropist who also happens to be Iron Man."
Here Tony smiled and waved.
"Dr. Bruce Banner, the world's foremost expert on gamma radiation." He said, and Bruce offered a nervous grin.
"My mentor and good friend Oliver Queen and his girlfriend Sara Lance, also known as the Arrow and Canary."
Here Oliver and Sara just nodded, relaxing just slightly.
"And last, but most definitely not least, my best friend and the best reporter anywhere, Chloe Sullivan." The Man of Steel finished, and Chloe beamed, pleased that they were still so close. But the reporter in her just had to ask a question.
"Clark um Superman, where are we?" She asked, and he grinned.
"Always the reporter. We're on the Helicarrier, the headquarters of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, more commonly known as SHIELD. We're a global peacekeeping force."
"Yet you hire assassins." Lionel spoke up, his eyes moving to the Black Widow. He had heard of her from Morgan Edge and some of his more unsavory friend's, and she had proven to be a thorn in his side on more than one occasion. But up till now, he had never laid eyes on her. However, his son's question halted his train of thought.
"What year is it?" Lex asked, and the Black Widow smiled. Superman sighed, and handed her a dollar.
"We bet on who would ask that. Superman's money was on Chloe. Mine was on you. As for the year, it's 2027."
"Now that we've answered the where and when, let's get to the important question. Why did you bring us here son?" Jonathan asked, and Superman smiled.
"Because dad...You need to prepared for what happens. You need to see what I've experienced, what's made me into who I am."
"No! Fury swore, you swore to me that they would never know!" Clark yelled, fixing the Black Widow with a glare.
"And because they didn't know, they are unprepared for what happens. In five years, most of the people in this room are either dead, in jail, or on the run. And it all started because we kept what you were going through a secret." She replied calmly. "And while I don't think Lionel is any great loss-" Here everyone save Lionel laughed. "I don't think you want to see your friends and family hurt."
"I'm assuming the private moments are still private?" He asked, and Superman nodded.
"Yes. What happens behind closed doors is no one else's business." He replied, before turning and leading them through the doors and to a large room with couches and chairs scattered throughout. A large television dominated the room, and after a moment all of them moved to take seats. Natasha and Clark sat beside each other as did Martha and Jonathan, and Oliver and Sara, while Lex and Lionel took chairs on opposite sides of the room from each other. Chloe, Steve and Clint took the remaining chairs.
"We've divided my memories into segments. You can pause it, rewind, discuss things as much as you want. But there will be no fighting. And as some of our number are rather dangerous, the two of us will stay here and watch you." He said, fixing all the assassins in the room with a glare. Once he was sure his message had been received he began the tape.
2002
Clark Kent stood in his barn, watching the sun dip beneath the clouds. A moment later, he fell to the floor as something pierced his neck.
"Coward." Sara spoke up.
"It was necessary. We had been tabs on Clark for some time, and we had seen his training with you two. There was no guarantee that we could take him at close range." Clint replied.
"You wouldn't have been able to." Oliver replied, confident in his student's skills.
"Wake up! I said, wake up!"
Clark just groaned as he opened his eyes, wondering where he was. Unless his father had done some serious redecorating which included kidnapping the beautiful redhead sitting beside him, he doubted that he was still in Kansas. And he also knew that whoever had managed to take him was very good.
"You kidnapped my son." Jonathan spoke up, and Clint nodded.
"We did. It was the only way to make sure he would listen to what we had to say. Besides, we needed to asses him, see if he had what it took to join SHIELD."
Jonathan glared but otherwise kept silent, while Martha just tightened her grip on her husband.
"Okay, I'm up. Now where am I? Who are you?"
"Neither of those questions are relevent. What is relevant is what I want to know."
Clark just sighed. If he was here alone, he could have already snapped the ropes on his wrists and knocked his captor unconscious. But as long as the woman beside him was awake, he would need to wait.
"Let's start with question one. What's your name?"
Clark didn't answer, choosing instead to glare at the man in silence.
"Okay then."
He pulled out a knife and ran it down the woman's arm, drawing blood.
"Stop!" Clark yelled, and the knife halted, the man slowly pulling it away.
"Stop the tape." Clint said, and Clark did as he asked.
"Who?" The archer asked, his voice deceptively calm. No one in the room could miss the rage that was clear in his voice.
"You mean you didn't know about this when you kidnapped my son?" Martha spoke up, and Clint shook his head.
"No. But that was by design I would guess." He said, looking at Natasha who nodded.
"No one knew except the three of us."
"You will tell me what I want to know. Each time you fail to do so, I will cause this woman pain. And believe me when I tell you that I am very good at what I do. I can take this to extremes that you cannot possibly imagine."
"Why you sonofa-"
"Don't swear Bruce. There are ladies present." Steve said, and the other Avengers chuckled.
"Captain Rodgers-" Martha began, but Steve cut her off.
"Steve ma'm." He said, and she nodded.
"Steve. How can you...how can you sit there and yell at Dr. Banner for his language? Or his almost use of language?"
"Mrs. Kent, my mother raised me to have proper language around women. That's means no profanity, no matter the situation. Second of all, call all of us by our names. Please."
"Alright then." She replied, unable to think of anything else to say.
"Now...What is your name?"
"Clark Kent." He replied softly.
"Good. Now are we going to have any more problems Mr. Kent?"
"No." He replied, all fight gone from his tone.
"But I do have a question first." He said, and the man laughed.
"Ask away."
"Just who's in charge of this little game you're playing?" He asked.
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Oh, I think you do. Now I have no doubt that you can follow through on your threat of causing a great deal of pain. But I also know you won't harm the woman. Or if you do, it won't be life-threatening."
"And what makes you so sure of that?" He asked, and Clark smiled.
"Simple. Her heart-rate hasn't increased in the slightest the entire time we've been here. And the human heart always speeds up in life threatening situations. Since yours hasn't, that only leaves two options." He said, addressing the woman for the first time.
"Option one, you're extremely well-trained, and have experience with torture. Possible, but that still wouldn't explain your heart-rate not changing at all. If anything, prior experience with torture would make you more likely to have an increased heart-rate. Or option two, this is all a set-up. A test designed to see how much I can take. Well the test stops now. I'm not saying another word until I speak to whoever's in charge."
For a moment there was silence. Then the man just laughed.
"You honestly think this is some sort of game?" He asked, and Clark smiled.
"For your sake, I most certainly hope so."
"Clark, I admire your guts, but pissing off the guy who can kill you while you're tied to a chair might not be the smartest move." Lex said, and Clark smiled. Oliver and Sara smiled as well, the two already seeing what Clark had in mind.
"You're tied to that chair." The man said, and Clark's smirk widened as he spread his hands to either side.
"Am I?"
Before the man had a chance to respond, Clark had leapt out of the chair, smashing his palm into the other man's throat, slamming him into the wall.
"Your boss has to the count of three to show themselves or I'll crush your larnyx."
"Clark where did you learn to do that?" Chloe asked, and Clark sighed, Natasha taking her fiancees hand while across the room, the Black Widow did he same for Superman. Even after all these years, he still felt pain when he thought of her.
"After Alicia died I ran off for about a week, found myself in Starling City. I helped Oliver's sister out of a jam, and later I found out his secret. I told him what had brought me there, and he helped me work through my pain. He taught me to fight, taught me to survive."
"You mean he turned you into a killer." Jonathan said.
"No Mr. Kent. I gave Clark an outlet for his grief." Oliver replied calmly.
"Oliver and Sara saved me dad. If they hadn't...I don't know what would have happened. Until I spoke to Oliver I was honestly contemplating going to Jor-El and seeing if he could bring Alicia back."
Those words stopped the farmer in his tracks. The fact that his son had considered going to Jor-El given everything that he had put Clark's family through spoke volumes about what kind of pain he was in. Chloe just looked sadly at her best friend, remembering how she had tried and been unable to help him.
"Thank you Mr. Queen." She spoke up, and Oliver nodded.
"Call me Oliver. Mr. Queen was my father."
The others just sat in silence, all except for Lex and Lionel having some idea of what was going on. The two Luthors were both wondering what this Jor-El had to do with Clark.
"Easy Mr. Kent. You've made your point." A man said as he walked into the room.
"I most certainly hope so Mr...Jackson." He said at last as he turned to regard the newcomer.
That made everyone laugh as Fury came on screen. He did indeed look like Samuel L. Jackson with an eyepatch.
"Funny. If you would be so kind as to release Agent Ward-"
"Why that good for nothing, lowlife, traitorus son of a-"
"Clint. Language." Natasha spoke up with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He said, rolling his eyes.
"Clint has a point. He is a scumbag." Steve spoke up, and Clark shook his head.
"Was a scumbag. Hunter killed that animal remember?"
"Mr. Kent, that's a bit dark coming from you." Lionel said, and the young man smirked.
"We all have a dark side Lionel. Some of us just don't let it take us over."
"Once you release Miss...I'm sorry I never caught your name." He said as he looked over at the readhead, who smiled.
"Natasha Romanoff." She replied as the Samuel L. Jackson look-alike walked behind her and untied her wrists.
"Pleasure to meet you. And you are?" He asked, looking at the man.
"Nick Fury. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Clark nodded, dropping Agent Ward to the floor and walking over to Natasha.
"You okay?" He asked, and she nodded.
"I've had worse." She replied with a laugh. Clark wasn't laughing. He walked over to the older man, getting right up in his face.
"You sat back and watched as a woman was tortured. Tell me something Director...how far would you have gone if I hadn't told your dog over there to stop? How much pain would you have allowed her to endure before you made him halt this stupid test?"
"I knew you wouldn't allow her to suffer."
"Bullcrap. You don't know the first thing about me."
"I know you could have broken those bonds whenever you wanted. You have gifts Mr. Kent."
At these words Lex glared, feeling as though his suspicions were about to be confirmed. Lionel smirked as he saw the look of fear on the Kent's faces. Chloe tensed as she realized that her best friend was about to be exposed.
"Yes I do. And everything I just did was without my gifts."
"The bridge the day we met...I hit you didn't I? Didn't I?!" Lex demanded and Clark nodded.
"Yes and I know you're angry and you have every right to be. As soon as this memory is over, we'll talk. I assume you have conference rooms?" He asked, and the Black Widow nodded.
"I'll show you both to one once we finish this memory."
"So pay very close attention to what I am about to tell you. If I ever hear that you pull this kind of crap...if I have even the slightest suspicion that you use a woman like you just used Natasha, I will take the knife that Ward used, and I will carve out your other eye. Do we understand each other?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now once Natasha gets looked at, we can talk."
Oliver nodded in approval at his friend's actions, while Sara just glared at the face of Nick Fury on the screen, memories of Lian Yu and the League of Assassins going through her mind. Jonathan and Martha just stared in shock, unable to comprehend their son being so threatening.
"So Nick...What do you want from me?" Clark asked once the three were in the Director's office a few moments later.
"I want you to join SHIELD." He replied, and Clark laughed.
"Yeah, I'm totally going to join a secret organization who kidnapped me. Thanks for the invite, but I'll pass." He replied, turning and heading towards the door.
"Ryan James. Kyla Willowbrooke. Alicia Baker. They all died because you failed to protect them." Fury spoke up, and Clark glared.
"Shut up."
"You weren't strong enough, and because of it, they died."
"Technically, Miss Willowbrooke died because she tried to kill me so I hardly think-"
"She only tried to kill you because you were trying to take something that wasn't yours. The caves and everything in them belonged to her people." Lex spoke up.
"Lex I acquired those caves legally. And had Miss Willowbrooke not tried to attack me then-"
"Shut up Lionel. One more word about Kyla and I don't care what our hosts say. I'll snap your neck." Clark spoke up, fixing the man with a glare. Lionel just shrugged before turning back to the screen.
"There are thousands like them everywhere in the world. Thousand's who are defenseless targets for the worst kind of scum. Scum like Tim Roberts and Lionel Luthor. Maniacs who don't care who gets killed as long as they get what they want. SHIELD is in place to ensure that they are stopped."
His words made Clark glare, the young man feeling rage that he thought long buried.
"You call yourselves SHIELD? You say you want to protect people? You dare to use Alicia's death like some sort of excuse as to why I should join you? Where were you when she needed you? Where was her shield when she died in my arms?"
Clark shook his head in disgust before walking out of the room, leaving a stunned Nick Fury behind. Natasha was just looking at her mentor, eventually shaking her head.
"That was the wrong play Nick. He blames himself for her death."
"And?"
"Not very smart is he?" Chloe said, and Natasha snorted.
"Nick's a big picture kinda guy. The problem with that is he misses the forest for the trees."
"And all you did was reinforce that guilt. Then you tried to say that her life was less important than thousands of people. You ran it by the numbers."
"We exist to stop threats Miss Romanoff. It is a numbers game. If one person has to die to save a thousand, that is a sacrifice I will make every single time."
"You still don't get it do you? She was his whole world. She was why he fought. And why do we do what we do if not to protect people like her? To ensure that his family was safe?"
Not waiting for a response Natasha walked out of the room.
"Director Fury has a point Miss Romanoff. One life, no matter whose it is, is inconsequential when compared to thousands." Lionel spoke up.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Steve said quietly. "I have seen friends, comrades and loved ones die to protect thousands of innocents. And they didn't regret it. But if ask the family's of that one person, they would say that one life is a whole lot more important than a bunch of random strangers."
Tony looked over at Bruce, the two men sharing a glance. They had been working on Ultron for several months now, and Tony wondered if this future might show him how to work out the last few bugs. He hoped so. After all, wasn't that why they kept fighting? So that one day they could end the fight and go home? Maybe he would take a page out of the Kent's book, build Pepper a farm once he finally hung up the armor.
Clark looked down at Alicia's grave, feeling a single tear slip down his cheek.
"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. I had to find a way to deal with my pain. I thought I had it handled, but today with Fury I...I'm so sorry Alicia. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."
"It never goes away. The pain. But it does get easier. One day you'll wake up and remember the good times instead of just guilt."
"How did you find me?" Clark asked, not turning around.
"I just asked myself where I would go if someone brought up the person I had loved most in the world." She replied, walking over to stand beside him.
"I'm sorry."
"Not your fault."
"Did you catch the person who did it?"
"I put a bullet in his head." She said.
"What about you Clark? Did you get the scum who killed Alicia?" She asked, and Clark shook his head.
"He escaped Belle Reve. No one knows where he is."
"I can help you find him. I have resources that you don't."
"What's the catch?" He asked, turning to look at her for the first time.
"You buy me a drink. Listen to my 'pitch' as you put it. Let me take one last shot at convincing you to join SHIELD."
"And if I don't like it?"
"Then you never hear from me again."
"Oh if that could only be true." Jonathan muttered, wincing as his wife elbowed him.
The others ignored the comment, turning their attention back to the screen.
"Agreed. When do we start?"
"I'll call you in the morning. And Clark, do me a favor and don't tell your parents. I think your dad would see that I was digging my own grave." She said, and he laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous. My dad would dig your grave himself." He said, and both smiled.
"I'm no stranger to keeping secret's Natasha. And your secret's safe with me."
She nodded and turned away, Clark pulling out a phone once she was gone.
"Oliver. I need you to ask Felicity to run a check on someone for me. An assassin, Russian if I had to guess. Natasha Romanoff."
"Not very trusting of you Clark." Lex commented, bitterness clear in his voice.
"Trust but verify Lex. Trust but verify." Sara spoke up, Oliver, Clark and Natasha nodding in agreement. Trust was all well and good, but blind trust was completely stupid and usually resulted in someone getting killed.
"Now if you two will follow me." Natasha said, and Clark nodded, standing up and walking over to the door with Lex falling into step beside him.
A/N: So this is my first attempt at this kind of story. Please tell me what you all think!