TW: Just about.

Starling City

Morning

"I don't understand," Ray said confused as he and Oliver stood in Oliver's office, Oliver packing up some things. "You're leaving for Metropolis?"

"I have some personal matters to attend to in Metropolis; I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. Until I'm back, I'm leaving you in charge of the company. You're the only one I trust, Ray," Oliver told him as he put a document in front of Ray. "Here's the transfer of power paperwork needed. All it needs is your signature."

"You're sure about this Oliver?" Ray asked as he looked down at the document uncertainly.

"I've had my lawyers look it over, there's a clause that says if you or the board attempt to oust me permanently, you're all subject to huge fines and legal action, if that's what you're worried about. This will all be temporary," Oliver assured him and, after a moment, Ray nodded.

"Okay. Okay," Ray said, picking up a pen and signing the document. "Just hurry back, okay?"

I'll try my best," Oliver said as he packed some more papers into his briefcase. "But while I'm gone, don't take your new suit out for a spin. The government might overlook The Arrow and his team, not someone trying to be the next Iron Man."

Ray froze, almost not even noticing as Oliver exited the room, wondering how Oliver knew about that.

In the apartment she shared with Laurel, Sara was packing a bag as Laurel and her father stood behind her, both still processing the news she had shared with them that morning.

"So, Oliver's going to drop you off in Metropolis so you can what, deal with this Prometheus guy?" Quentin asked, trying to process this.

"Oliver doesn't know anything about Prometheus. As far as he knows, I'm hooking up with a friend later," Sara lied through her teeth, and Laurel had to resist the urge to laugh out loud. "But I have to go, Dad."

"Why? I'm trying to understand, why Metropolis?" Quentin asked.

"Because Prometheus made some convincing threats to people The Arrow and I care about, including the two of you. He has photos and audio of us in private conversations, Prometheus has been watching me and The Arrow for a while. He said we can't protect you all the time and he's right. The only way to end this is to go to Metropolis," Sara explained heatedly to her horrified father and sister.

"And where is The Arrow in all this? Why isn't he handling Prometheus?" Quentin demanded.

"He's already on his way to Metropolis. I'm going to meet him there when Ollie drops me off," Sara said, hating lying to her father.

But Ollie had kept her secrets, even when he disagreed. She would keep his.

"Dad, if Sara feels she needs to go…we should tryst her," Laurel said gently.

Quentin looked like he was going to argue but, at the last minute, he seemed to bite his tongue.

"I don't like this, but if Prometheus is that big a threat…just, be careful," Quentin said, looking like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"Thanks for understanding," Sara told him and he smiled tightly.

"Understanding and being okay with it are two different things. I don't like this, if The Arrow is leaving town to deal with this guy…just be careful," Quentin said uneasily.

"I will. I'm not that easy to kill," Sara reminded him.

"That doesn't mean impossible. You're going into uncharted territory; you don't have me or the police looking out for you in Metropolis. The Accords are law there. If you or The Arrow get in trouble, there's nothing any of us here can do. I understand you have to go, but I want you to understand the risk you're taking," Quentin reasoned.

"The Arrow and I understand, Dad. We know what we're walking into. It's no different than any other mission before Mrs. Queen became mayor and you disbanded the Vigilante Task Force," Sara reasoned and Quentin sighed.

"Not exactly the same. Bu I won't argue with you about it. Just hurry back, 'kay?" Quentin said before pulling his daughter into a hug. "Why couldn't you have been an account?"

"No schools for accountants at Nanda Parbat," Sara joked as she returned the hug.

Later, at the Queen Mansion, Oliver grabbed his bag before turning around to face Moira, Thea and Roy.

"Lyla's going to have some agents acting as extra security. And Roy, I want you to stay here while I'm gone. I don't think Prometheus will go after any of you while I'm in Metropolis, but better safe than sorry," Oliver ordered.

"Are you sure this is necessary? Chasing that madman to Metropolis?" Moira asked uncertainly.

"Unfortunately, yes. Nowhere is safe from him. He's been watching us for a while, he played audio of conversations we've had, including Roy's phone call from last night. He's bugged our phones," Oliver explained, to their alarm. "Who knows how much he already knows. The only way to be sure is to go to Metropolis."

"Just be careful, Ollie. This guy, he seems to know everything about you," Thea said worriedly as she walked over, hugging her brother. "Be safe."

Oliver smiled tightly as he returned the hug, knowing that wasn't entirely possible. But he didn't say anything, knowing it probably wouldn't help.

Metropolis

Later that morning

"Of all the assignments, we had to get this one," Lois grumbled to Clark as they stood in the crowd, listening to Godfrey's rants as he threw a rally.

Clark didn't responded, merely eyed the crowd as they seemed to hang on Godfrey's every word. Was this how they really saw him, he wondered?

"We know who our real heroes are and they are not these faceless mutants. These aberrations who skulk in the shadows. Their powers serve their vigilante agenda," Godfrey was saying, drawing applause from the crowd. "And what about this Blur? A freak. A pariah so disfigured he doesn't dare show his face in public. Is this the kind of hero you want your children believing in? I say 'no'."

Lois moved to go to the front of the crowd only for Clark to grab her by the arm.

"Easy," Clark told her gently but firmly.

"Like I'm gonna let him insult you like that," Lois hissed.

"I appreciate it Lois, but going to beat him up won't help my case," Clark reasoned. "Besides, you won't change the mind of someone like Godfrey with violence."

"Can you stop being logical and just be angry with me?" Lois said in exasperation and Clark smiled in amusement.

"I say 'stop the menace'," Godfrey said, interrupting their moment.

Clark and Lois look up as a billboard behind Godfrey is unveiled. It had the words 'stop the menace' on it with a House of El symbol crossed out. But as the crane moved, something went wrong and the billboard began to wobble. The billboard began falling. As the crowd tried running, Clark began speeding towards the front of the crowd. He appeared in front of the falling billboard and the crowd, preparing to catch it when it stopped. Clark and Lois looked on in shock as the billboard lifted, revealing a blond woman hovering in the air as she held it.

It was Kara, Clark realized as he and Lois stared in shock while the crowd applauded. For a moment, Kara and Clark locked eyes and she smiled, giving him a wink before she sped off.

"Nice place," Sam mentioned as Clint led the group of five into the loft apartment. "This your place?"

"It's an old SHIELD safe house. No one will look for us here," Clint said confidently.

"I wouldn't say no one," Natasha said casually as she looked around. "What are you doing here, Kurt?"

For a beat, it was silent until Kurt appeared in a puff of smoke, looking sheepish.

"Wow. You weren't kidding," Clint said, momentarily taken aback by Kurt's appearance.

"Hello," Kurt said awkwardly.

"Nice to see you Kurt, although Nat's right. What are you doing here?" Steve asked politely.

"I was told to wait here for Fury. He said we would be going on a very important mission when he arrived," Kurt explained and the former Avengers exchanged a look.

"Did Fury say why he was coming, Kurt?" Steve asked after a moment.

"No. Just that he was bringing the X-Men with him," Kurt said, to the surprise of the others.

"Well, it's really bad then. If The X-Men are coming to Accords Central, shit's about to hit the fan," Clint said darkly.

Blackbird, en route to Metropolis

Late morning

It was quiet in the jet, the X-Men, Fury, Barry, Matt and Chloe all quiet. The confrontation at the Mansion was still fresh on their minds.

Xavier Mansion

Earlier that morning

"So now I'm being benched," Scott said sourly as Charles explained the plan.

"You benched yourself," Logan said bluntly.

"Logan," Charles said warningly but Logan ignored him, stepping up to Scott.

"You're the one who stopped teaching classes, going on missions and quit Danger Room sessions, Cyk. Now you want to whine about being benched?" Logan almost growled.

"Screw you, Logan," Scott scoffed, moving to walk away only for Logan go grab him by the shit.

"Logan!" Ororo shouted but Logan didn't move.

"I'm sick of your pity party. You think you're the only one who loved her? She meant something to all of us," Logan said roughly before softening his tone. "It's been over two years. Jean's gone. It's time to move on."

"Not everyone heals as fast as you, Logan," Scott sneered before yanking away from Logan and storming down the hall.

"Logan-" Charles started.

"Don't tell me I was wrong or out of line. He needed to hear that, and you know it," Logan said bluntly as he turned to face the leader of the X-Men.

"Perhaps. But you could have been more tactful," Ororo pointed out.

"In the end, it matters not. We need to depart for Metropolis, while we still can," Charles said grimly and no more words were spoken as they all headed for the Blackbird.

Now

It was still silent in the cockpit before Fury spoke.

"We're about to go up against Magneto, one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. If we're not all working together, it'll end badly. So out with it," Fury said and Logan rolled his eyes.

"All right, fine. I don't regret what I said, Scott needed to hear that," Logan said firmly and Ororo looked at him incredulously. "But…maybe I could have been less of a dick about it."

"So you're admitting you're wrong. That's a first," Ororo said, half disbelieving, half amused as Logan shrugged.

"Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

"You are right, Logan," Charles interrupted their banter. "'I have let Scott wallow in misery for too long. I had hoped he'd find his way on his own. I see now I've become complacent with Scott. I should have been doing more for him. And I will, once we return. For now, we must focus on Erik. If he is truly being influenced by something as Chloe suggests, he will be beyond any form of reason."

"He wasn't exactly reasonable before," Rogue pointed out, remembering how he tried to sacrifice her life at the Statue of Liberty.

"All this means is we need to be extra careful," Ororo told the younger mutant.

"Magneto won't stop until he gets what he wants: my Uncle Sam dead as a message to all supporters of The Accords," Chloe said.

"Then we'll just have to stop him," Logan said darkly.

Barry was silent, dripping his pants legs tightly, hoping they would be enough to stop someone like Magneto.

On the Queen Consolidated Private Jet, which was also en route to Metropolis, Oliver was sitting down; a laptop in front of him as he went over the Intel Felicity had just sent him.

"That the building Prometheus showed us?" Sara asked as she walked up behind him, seeing the picture of the building Prometheus had told them to meet him at last night.

"Yeah. Club Desaad. It's a BDSM club," Oliver explained and Sara looked at him in disbelief.

"So, Prometheus has a bondage fetish?" she asked and Oliver sighed.

"I don't know, there's no connection to Claybourne that I, Felicity or Lyla can find. But Prometheus drew us here for a reason," Oliver said as he closed the laptop and Sara sat down across from him.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Sara asked, noticing the bags under his eyes.

"Our friends, our families are both in danger again because of me. How can I sleep, Sara?" Oliver asked lowly.

"This is not your fault, Ollie. There is no way you could have known about Claybourne's son," Sara reasoned.

"But I killed Claybourne. I try to show more restraint than that. But all I could think of were those kids, suffering in Lamb Valley and I…" Oliver trailed off but Sara understood.

"It reminded you of your and Bobbi's baby," Sara said and Oliver nodded without looking at her.

"I let my emotions cloud my judgement, and I killed Claybourne. Now look at the consequences," Oliver said in guilt.

"We all make mistakes, Ollie. God knows I've made my fair share of them. But I've learned that those mistakes don't have to define us. There is always time for redemption," Sara said and Oliver looked at her blankly for a minute.

"That more of Logan's wisdom?" Oliver asked and Sara laughed but shook her head.

"No. That is Father Paul at the church. Logan took me there after The Siege, said he wanted to help me. Not sure I believe in redemption for the things I've done but…it's a nice way of looking at things, brings a new perspective," Sara noted.

"Maybe it is. But I've seen and done too much to ever think that way," Oliver said as he turned, looking out the window. "We tell ourselves we have good reasons for doing what we do…but maybe that's just the excuse we tell ourselves to live with what we've done. Our actions have consequences. We can't escape them, no matter how much we try."

Metropolis, four years earlier

Lex Luthor woke up, startled to find himself strapped down to a chair, wires strapped to his head and a man in a suit standing over.

"Welcome back," Dragon said, twirling a knife.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Lex demanded, his heart racing.

"Neither are important right now. Let me explain what's going to happen. You answer my questions, I let you go. You screw with me, and I can make this very unpleasant for you. And if you even think about trying to escape, well, you don't wanna meet the guy I work for," Dragon threatened, looming over Lex menacingly, swishing the knife back and forth. "How did you acquire superhuman abilities?"

"Superhuman abilities? I don't know what you're talking about," Lex denied.

Dragon smiled unpleasantly before pulling out a remote with a button and pressing it. Behind him, in Lex's view, the video of Lex at the Pentagon played.

"You wanna revise that statement?" Dragon asked as Lex almost swore.

"My people are gonna be looking for me," Lex warned him.

Almost laughing, Dragon pushed the button again. The video of Lex was then replaced by a live feed of Lex's man, on the floor, unconscious with Oliver in his suit, the hood pulled up to cover his face, standing over him.

"Does it look like you're guy is in a position to help anyone?" Dragon asked as Lex paled.

"Did you kill him?" Lex asked.

"No. And we won't, so long as you tell us the truth. How did you get those powers, Lex?" Dragon demanded as he put the remote back in his pocket.

"I don't know," Lex said honestly. "I woke up the next day in a field, no memory of how I got there or what I'd been doing for the last twenty four hours. I don't have super powers, not anymore."

Dragon was silent before pulling out his phone, sending a text to Clint.

'Do you believe him?' he sent.

After a few moments, Clint responded with 'Yes, but he's holding something back. Keep digging.'

Dragon pocketed his phone before, to the surprise of everyone, pulling out a gun and taking aim at Lex.

"You're not telling me something. Tell me, or I put a bullet in you."

"I don't know anything," Lex insisted and Dragon shrugged.

"Have it your way," Dragon said before he pulled the trigger and Lex howled in pain as he was shot in the shoulder.

Daily Planet

Now

"I need to find Kara," Clark said as he and Lois were handed a Daily Planet newspaper that had Kara on the front page, the caption 'Maiden of Might' on the cover.

"Why would she do that? Just flaunt it like that? She has to know that would put the spot light on you," Lois pointed out.

"Kara wouldn't do that if she didn't have a good reason. I have to find out where she flew off to," Clark said as he sat down at his desk and began typing away. "I can't believe I just said that out loud."

"Kara hasn't signed The Accords, has she?" Lois asked as the horrible thought occurred to her.

"Without telling me? No," Clark said with certainty.

"Then you need to find her, Clark. Before Ross and his goons do," Lois told him urgently. "Even The General hated Ross while serving with him. He said once to never trust Ross, forbad me from being on base when Ross came for a meeting. Who knows what he might do if he can get his hands on Kara."

"Kara can take care of herself. But you're right, I need to find Kara, find out why she's doing this before it gets out of hand," Clark said before finding something. "She's doing a photoshoot later. I'll meet her there."

The Raft

Not long after

Thawne was led through the building by Ross and some men.

"He's been very…unstable since he arrived. Talking to himself, his speech is…garbled, and his temperature is…abnormally high. We're using power dampeners to restrain him, but I fear what should happen if they fail," one of the doctors said uncertainly.

"I'll do everything I can," Thawne assured her, and he meant it.

After all, if this was discovered, it would be quiet easy to spin to the others that he was merely trying to help a friend.

"You have ten minutes before getting started. Make them count," Ross told Thawne.

Thawne merely nodded before stopping in front of a cell. Inside was a man with wild back hair and an unshaven beard that was dressed in a strait jacket with the same device that, a few months ago, had been around Wanda Maximoff's neck.

"Hello. Do you remember me?" Thawne asked gently.

Inside the cell, Ronnie Raymond looked up, a blank look on his face.

"Wells," Ronnie said.

"Yes. It's me, Ronnie. I'm going to help you," Thawne said carefully.

"Not Ronnie. FIRESTORM," Ronnie insisted.

"He keeps saying that. Any idea what it means?" one of the doctors asked Thawne.

"No," Thawne said honestly. "I have no clue what it could mean."

Metropolis

Afternoon

Kara was doing a photo-shoot when she saw Clark walk up behind the photographer. And from the look on his face, she knew he wanted to talk.

"Let's take a break," Kara told the crew.

They agreed and walked off, not paying Clark so much as a backwards glance. Once they were gone, Kara walked down the steps to greet Clark.

"It's been a long time Kal-El. I missed you," Kara said as they hugged.

"I missed you to," Clark said as they let each other go. "It was a surprise, seeing you today. How long have you been in town?" Clark asked and noticed how Kara seemed uncomfortable with his question. "You didn't come to earth to be the first superpowered pin-up girl."

"It's critical I get my image around the city as quickly as possible. You just have to trust me Kal-El, I'm doing this for you," Kara said evasively and Clark noticed she seemed to be hiding something.

"This doesn't feel much like a favor," Clark noted.

"I searched so long for my mother and…I never found her," Kara said as she walked away from Clark.

"Probably because Kandor was never a place," Clark said and she looked over at him. "It was an experiment. Prior to Krypton's destruction, my father was forced to clone Krypton's greatest soldiers, including Zod and himself. A year ago, the clones were released."

"Zod is here?" Kara asked in shock.

"Not anymore. I sent him and the other Kandorians away, to a planet far from here, Zod can't hurt anyone ever again," Clark assured her. "So do you wanna tell me what you're doing here? What you're doing flies in the face of how I've chosen to life my life here on Earth. I know you well enough to know you wouldn't do that without a good reason. What's going on, Kara?"

"I didn't wanna hurt you," Kara said reluctantly. "Jor-El has given me a mission. And getting my powers and image around the city are a part of it."

"He gave you a mission?" Clark asked in shock. "What did he say?"

"He's let you go, Kal-El. I'm sorry. He says you're no longer his son," Kara said gently.

Clark took a moment to process this piece of news. Clark had always believed that, after the death of Jonathan Kent, nothing Jor-El could do would ever hurt him. He'd been wrong.

And that ends this chapter, featuring Quentin 'I wish my daughter would pick a normal career' Lance, Oliver 'Guilt Complex' Queen and Clark 'Daddy Issues' Kent.

Nothing much happened in this chapter aside from everyone departing for Metropolis, but once everyone arrives, we'll get things moving a bit.

Ross would absolutely target Ronnie, even if he didn't understand what exactly Ronnie, someone with fire powers would be something that would appeal to him.

It never made much sense to me that Clark never told Kara about the Kandorians, so I fixed that.