TW: Glad you enjoyed it. Agreed on Wanda/Kurt. Agreed, you can't have Rogue and Gambit at the same place for too long without something happening LOL! Pretty much.

DCMarvel heroes: Glad you enjoyed it. Huh, good point. Glad to hear it.

Gallifrey 22.3: Thanks. He wouldn't be Gambit if he didn't, HA! Rick Flag and Checkmate don't exist in this version of Smallville.

Quinjet, En route to Raft

Night

"When are we gonna get there?" Bart complained from his seat.

"When we get there. And if you ask again, you lose a hand," Logan said irritably from where he sat in the pilot seat.

"Bart, do yourself a favor, and shut up," Clark said in exasperation as Bart opened his mouth to speak.

"I see why they call you Impulse. You remind me of me at your age," Jay said with a grin.

"This is gonna be a long trip," Courtney muttered and Carter grumbled.

"Wonder what's going on with the others," Barry wondered out loud.

On the Black Bird, it was much more silent. Ororo was in the pilot seat, Wanda in the co-pilot chair, while the rest of the X-Men, plus Gambit, all sat behind them. The only sound was Gambit, shuffling a deck of cards as he eyed Rogue shamelessly.

"Would you please stop that?" Rogue asked, getting annoyed with the staring and the shuffling of cards.

"Maybe if you give me a kiss," Gambit said flirtatiously and she glared at him.

"Look, Swamp Rat, one kiss from me will put you into a coma. Literally. It's what happens when someone touches my skin," Rogue said uncomfortably.

"Maybe it's worth it, no?" Gambit said suggestively and Rogue looked at him in disbelief.

"That is enough, Gambit. We're on a mission. If you can't take it seriously, you'll stay on the Black Bird," Ororo told him firmly.

"I'll behave. I wouldn't miss this for anything," Gambit said, all traces of joking vanishing from him.

Metropolis

Same time

In an underground club, Matt, dressed in a suit, walked into the room, Natasha on his arms in a blond wig.

"Right this way, Mr. Nelson," a man said, leading Matt and Natasha over to a table.

"Nelson, huh?" Natasha said with a raised eyebrow at Matt.

"I didn't pick the alias. How did Fury manage this, anyway?" Matt wondered as they were left alone at their table.

"We stopped wondering how Fury did anything a long time ago," Natasha said with a shrug.

"What are we doing here, exactly?" Matt asked.

"I look around for anything suspicious, you listen for anyone mentioning The Power Broker. And that fancy tie of yours is also a web cam that transmits anything to Watchtower's servers, giving Chloe a live feed. One way or another, we'll find the Power Broker in here," Natasha said firmly.

Outside, on a rooftop that gave them the perfect vantage point of the building, Oliver, Sara, Steve, Sam and Clint all kept watch, on site in case either of their teammates needed backup.

"This must be weird for Nat, huh? On a mission with an ex," Sara noted, surprising the four men.

"What makes you think Nat ever had a thing with Murdock?" Steve asked.

"Have you not been paying attention? She's been giving Matt 'please still love me' eyes since he walked into Watchtower," Sara said before glancing at Oliver. "I know because I saw you and Bobbi doing the same thing after The Siege."

"That is…fair," Oliver said after a moment.

"Nat and Murdock, huh? Suddenly, a lot of things about Nat after that mission make sense," Clint mused.

"She never talked about him?" Sam asked and Clint shook his head.

"Not really, she never talked about that mission at all. I just figured it was Nat being Nat. But now that you mention it, whenever someone mentioned it, she'd get this…look in her eyes, like she was remembering something that made her happy and sad at the same time," Clint said and it was silent for a long moment.

"Whatever's going on between Nat and Matt, it's their business. We need to focus on the mission," Steve said in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Yeah, and you know if they hear this, we'll never hear the end of it," Oliver pointed out.

"Nat'll make us pay for it, big time. So no one says a word," Clint said and got four nods of agreement.

Quinjet

Not long after

"Okay, we're coming up on the Raft," Logan said as the Quinjet neared the area where The Raft was located. "Kent, you better be right."

"I already have a man on the inside. He'll…create a distraction for us," Clark said confidently.

Inside The Raft, a bunch of guards are out cold as a blond man put on a guard uniform before tapping the Comms piece in his ear.

"This is AC. I'm in."

AC's voice came over the Comms of both the Quinjet and Black Bird loud and clear.

"Told ya. Our fish boy always comes through," Bart quipped.

"Better late than never. Clear a landing for us, will ya?" Logan ordered.

"I'll see what I can do. Aquaman out," AC said before they cut the line.

"Now it's just a waiting game," Barry muttered.

Metropolis

Same time

In a restroom, Peter snuck in, dressed in a suit. He'd tracked Howard from Oscorp to this building. So whenever the buy was happening, it was going to happen here.

Elsewhere, Natasha and Matt were still looking around, looking for anything that might lead them to the Power Broker. Nothing so far.

"Hear anything?" Natasha asked and Matt shook his head.

"A bunch of meaningless chatter, people waiting, but nothing about the Power Broker," Matt said in frustration.

"We know they have to be here, or they're coming. They'll show up eventually," Natasha said before pausing. "You seem…comfortable at this. I take it it's not your first go around going undercover in this kind of setting."

"No. I had some…experience a few years back," Matt said uncomfortably as his heart gave a painful lurch at the thought of Elektra.

Natasha was curious but could tell it was a painful subject, so she let it drop. It was at that moment that Natasha spotted something.

"Turn to the left, slowly. Stop," Natasha whispered and Matt immediately did as she said. "Don't move."

"What is it?" Matt asked.

"I think we have our first real lead," Natasha said, activating her Comms piece. "Watchtower, I think we have something."

At Watchtower, Chloe, who had been monitoring any footage, immediately hacked into the live feed from Matt's tie came, immediately seeing what had Natasha's attention.

"Fury, is that who I think it is?" Chloe called Fury over and he walked over, swearing as he saw who it was.

"Wade Eiling. He was Ross's protégé in the military, and they've been working together since Ross was made Secretary of Defense," Fury said grimly. "And he's been very active lately in trying to locate Powered and Enhanced the last few months."

"You think Ross is behind it?" Lois asked curiously and Fury gave her an unreadable look.

"I will be very surprised if Eiling isn't acting on his orders. Keep an eye on him. And Murdock, listen to whatever he says, no matter how insignificant it may seem," Fury ordered.

The Raft

Not long after

In the command room, a technician was bored, keeping watch on the feed for the cells when he heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh followed by groans and loud thud. He looked up, startled as AC walked in and jammed a gun in his face.

"You're gonna do exactly what I say or I will shoot you. Nod if you understand," AC ordered and the technician nodded fearfully. "Get this hunk of metal above sea level and open the doors. Now. You try and screw me, even a little, this bullet goes in your brain."

Nodding fearfully, the technician pressed a few buttons and the entire prison began moving, rising above sea level.

In the prisoner section, Tess was lying down on her cot when she felt the prison moving. She blinked, sure it wasn't even day out. So why was the prison opening up?

In his office, Ross paused in mid conversation with Thawne as they realized the prison was rising.

"This is Ross, what is going on? Who ordered this without my authorization?" Ross demanded angrily over the Comms.

AC watched as the doors opened before the Quinjet and Black Bird began descending into the hanger. Laughing, to the surprise of the technician, AC tossed the gun away.

"I can't believe you fell for that," AC said before punching him hard enough to knock him out. "Sorry. You seem like a nice guy."

Walking out into the hanger as the two jets landed, AC waited as the ramps lowered and the rest of the group walked out.

"Real subtle. Whole place probably knows we're here by now," Logan deadpanned.

"Well then I guess we better not waste time chatting," AC shot back.

"He's right. Impulse, Flashes, the four of us search the prison; see if we find anyone who shouldn't be here. Wanda, take Nightcrawler to the place where you and the other Avengers were held. You see anyone in the cells, get them out. By now, the whole base knows we're here, so they'll be coming. So the rest of you hold the line, make sure we have our escape route," Clark ordered, falling into the role of leader easily.

"You heard the man. We got your back, Kal-El," Carter said, gripping his mace.

Clark nodded before he and the Speedsters sped off and Wanda grabbed Kurt's hand, the pair vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Seconds later, there were several guards entering the hanger, all pointing high tech rifles at them.

"Logan-" Ororo started.

"I see them. Those aren't ordinary guns; they were designed to neutralize the Hulk. Be careful," Logan warned the others.

"You know how long I've been waiting for this?" Gambit asked with a grin, shuffling his guards back and forth. "I'm about to make a name for myself all up in here."

"Just try not to die, Swamp Rat," Rogue said stiffly.

"Why Chère, it almost sound like you care," Gambit flirted and Rogue almost screamed.

"Just shut up and fight, both of you," Courtney snapped, annoyed as she gripped her staff.

"Or I could just do this," Bobby said, shooting two beams of ice that froze all seven soldiers.

"Huh. Bit of a letdown," Gambit said after a moment of surprise.

Metropolis

Same time

Peter looked around the room, holding a tray with some food, disguised as a waiter. He had seen Howard earlier and spotted him at a table, no doubt waiting for the arrival of this black market manufacturer. So far, didn't seem like they arrived.

A few feet away, Matt and Natasha were still watching Eiling, making sure he didn't move.

"He say anything yet?" Natasha asked softly.

"Nothing that can lead us to The Power Broker," Matt said before pausing. "His heartrate just sped up. He's excited."

Sharply, Natasha looked over at Eiling, seeing he was smiling as a woman in a black dress walked over to Eiling's table. She was escorted by two men in business suits.

"Whoever Eiling is here to meet, we have eyes on them," Natasha radioed in.

At Watchtower, Chloe was completely silent, staring at the screen as she, Lois, Fury and Charles all watched, looking at the woman who met Eiling.

"Am I seeing things or is that…" Lois trialed as she saw Chloe's face, the expression the only answer Lois needed. "Shit. Clark's not gonna believe this."

"It's an honor to finally meet you face to face," Eiling said as he shook the woman's hand. "The Secretary couldn't make it, you understand."

"Of course. Secretary Ross is a very busy man. Now, let's get down to business, General," Lana Lang said with a smug smirk.

The Raft

Not long after

Wanda and Kurt appeared in the prisoner section in a puff of smoke. Wanda looked around, a shiver going down her spin as she remembered being here all those weeks ago. But she shook her head, Natasha and Clint's lessons about compartmentalization coming back to her. Time to focus on the mission.

"Hello, I am Kurt Wagner," Kurt said as he walked up to one of the cells. "We are here to rescue you."

"Well, it's about time," Leonard Snart drawled as he sat up. "Check on the cell to the left. She hasn't been doing too well. She tried an escape attempt a few weeks back, they've been starving her, only giving her half as much as they used to."

Wanda immediately approached the cell Snart directed her too, seeing a woman with ratty red hair that obviously hadn't been washed; wearing a jump suit that was beginning to hang off her and skin that was abnormally pale. Even after having been shown the picture, it took Wanda a moment to recognize Tess Mercer.

Wanda immediately used her powers to pull open the cell door, walking inside the cell. Tess weakly looked up at her as Wanda knelt down in front of her.

"We're going to get you out of here," Wanda said gently.

Wanda helped Tess to her feet before helping the older woman out of the wall. Kurt has teleported the others out of their cells. In addition to Snart, there was a large, burly man with wild blond hair and a dark haired woman, both with collars around their necks that Wanda recognized as similar to the ones she'd been forced to wear.

"Thank you for this," the woman told Wanda and Kurt gratefully.

"Is there anyone else here?" Wanda asked.

"I heard some of the guards talk a few days ago, apparently there's been a new pick up. Someone too dangerous to put in here with the rest of us," Snart told her. "Apparently he's so dangerous that Ross brought in some big shot scientist to treat him."

Elsewhere, as Clark and the speedsters sped through the prison, Barry stopped in front of a glass display, staring at who was in side. On the other side, Ronnie Raymond looked up, staring at him blankly.

"Ronnie," Barry said in shock.

"Not Ronnie. FIRESTORM," Ronne said in feverish voice.

"Friend of yours?" Jay asked as he stopped next to Barry.

"Sort of, it's a long story. But we need to get him out," Barry said urgently.

"Jus phase through the glass," Jay said and Barry looked at him confused. "You don't know how to phase?"

"Give me a break, I've only had my powers for about six months," Barry said defensively and Jay chuckled.

"Right. Just vibrate your body at the same frequency of air. Then, run through the wall," Jay explained.

"I don' know if I can," Barry hedged.

"Don't doubt yourself now. You've only begun to tap into your true potential, Barry. Have faith in yourself, and leave no doubt. You're The Flash, Barry. Act like it," Jay told him.

Barry looked at the glass wall uncertainly before closing his eyes, breathing in the air. He vibrated his body rapidly before opening his eyes and speeding towards the wall. Barry expected to crash but instead, he went through it, stopping in front of Ronnie.

"See, I knew you could do it," Jay said with a proud grin. "Now grab your friend and let's get out of here."

Barry nodded, leaning down in front of Ronnie, noticing he had some kind of collar around his neck and was chained to the ground. Vibrating his hands, Barry cut the chains and helped Ronnie to his seat.

"Come on, we're getting out of here."

Metropolis

Same time

"Okay, how is Lana not only alive, but the Power Broker?" Lois asked in disbelief.

"We don't know anything yet," Chloe said immediately, although it sounded hollow even to her own ears.

"Chlo', come on. She faked her death and now is at the one place where the Power Broker is supposed to be? I know she was your friend, but you have to see how suspicious this looks," Lois argued.

"We cannot assume anything yet. But for now, we must watch them," Charles said firmly, cutting off the argument.

"I expected someone with your reputation to be a bit…older," Eiling noted as they sat down.

"You'd be surprised what you can accomplish when you're driven to survive," Lana said smoothly. "Now, down to business. I've given you more than enough weapons to keep the prisoners on The Raft in line, given you my power dampening collars. Now, it's time for you to uphold your end of the bargain."

"Of course, Ma'am. What does The Power Broker desire?" EIling asked and Lana smirked.

"I know you have Ronnie Raymond on the Raft. I want a sample of his blood," Lana requested and EIling raised an eyebrow. "I have sources. And I can easily take all the equipment I've given you away and leak to the media that Secretary Ross is in league with a black market crime lord. Just in case you or Ross were thinking of refusing."

"What is she saying?" Natasha asked as Matt listened.

"She just admitted to being the Power Broker. She's supplied Ross with weapons and equipment that can nullify people's powers. She wants a blood sample from someone called Ronnie Raymond," Matt said.

"Ronnie Raymond? You're sure?" Oliver asked as he and Sara exchanged a startled.

"That name mean anything to you?" Fury asked.

"He's the fiancé of someone Barry works with. He supposedly died in the Particle Accelerator explosion, but he turned up around Christmas, with fire powers. Barry and his team have been trying to find him," Sara explained.

"Well Ross clearly got there first," Clint noted.

"Hopefully, Barry and the others have found him by now and are on their way out."

The Raft

Same time

Bobby cried out in pain, going down to his knees as a guard fired, unleashing a sonic beam at him. As Bobbi tried to cover his ears to block out the sound, a playing card struck the rifle and, after a moment, exploded, sending the guard flying back.

"The name is Gambit. Remember it," Gambit said, smirking as he threw two more cards, which also glowed.

Around them, it was chaos. At least three dozen more guards had shown up after Bobby froze the first wave, all armed with the same guns. It was quite difficult to fight when the other side had guns that made you feel like your head was going to explode.

With an angry, pained cry, Courtney stood up, holding her glowing staff and raising it forward. A blast of energy sent several guards flying.

Now free, Logan and Carter stood up, Carter clutching his mace as Logan summoned his claws.

"Let's fucking go," Logan growled before the two rushed the guards.

Elsewhere, Barry and Jay were walking down the hall, supporting Ronnie when Bart appeared in a blur.

"Hey, who's your friend?" Bart inquired.

"Long story. You find anyone else?" Barry asked.

"Not in the section I looked, but this place is full of weapons I've never even before. Ross has enough fire power to conquer a country," Bart said as the three speedsters exchanged a grim look.

"Any sign of Ross?" Jay inquired.

"No, but he's gonna be here, right? The Warden never stays too far away from the prison," Bart pointed out.

"He's here. Only question is where," Jay said grimly.

In another hall, Clark looked inside a room, staring at all the weapons Ross had, seeing they were far more advanced than what you'd see in the army. It looked like something you'd see from the Avengers or SHIELD.

Making a decision, Clark's eyes flashed red before two beams of heat vision shot out, striking the weapons and causing a small explosion, the room lighting n fire.

"What have you done?" Clark turned around to see Ross glowering at him from behind.

"Stopping you from starting the next civil war. Do you not see that what you're doing is going to cause just that? A war?" Clark asked angrily.

"I'm counting on it. You freaks have been allowed to run around unchecked for too long. The Avengers, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Spider-Man, The Arrow, now you and The Flash? The days of men and women in masks running around unchecked is over," Ross told him smugly.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Clark decided to test a theory, using his X-Ray Vision. As Ross' skeleton became visible, Clark saw something branded on his skull: the Omega symbol, the same thing Charles had said had been branded onto Magneto's skull.

"We'll see about that," Clark said before speeding off.

Metropolis

Same time

"Thank you for your services," Howard said as he accepted the box, housing the replica part Norman had told him to buy.

"We appreciate someone of your standing coming to us. And tell Mr. Osborn his money is always good here," the man standing across from him said.

Peter, still posing as a waiter, watched this before his Spider Sense went off, warning him of danger. Less than a second later, there was a crash followed by a sinister cackle. They all looked up as the Green Goblin flew in on his glider.

"I'll be taking that!" The Goblin said as he flew over, grabbing the box Howard had just been handed. "Time to make my explosive exit!"

The Goblin tossed a pumpkin bomb into the air and it started beeping. Matt's hearing and sense of smell allowed him to immediately figure out what it was.

"Get down!" Matt shouted, grabbing Natasha and pulled her to the ground.

Everyone else tried to take cover but it was too late, as the bomb went off. People were thrown across the room while others ducked and covered, smoke filling the room. The Goblin gave a maniacal laugh before fleeing through an open window.

Only for a stream of webbing to latch onto his suit, Spider-Man on the other end, using the webbing to swing onto the back of the glider. The unexpected weight caused the Goblin to temporarily lose control of the glider and Peter grabbed him, jumping off and slamming into the wall.

"Sorry, Gobey, that's one too many party crashers," Peter quipped.

With an angry roar, the Goblin broke free of Peter's hold, surprising the younger man, before a kick to Peter's abdomen sent the younger man flying across the man.

"That's twice you've interfered in my business, Spider-Man. And I'm tired of it. So I think it's time I put you out of business, permanently!" the Goblin snarled as he walked over, grabbed Peter by the front of his suit, and tossed into a table with enough strength to break in half.

"Nat, Murdock, what's going?" Steve asked urgently over the Comms, all of them having heard the explosion followed by people running out of the building.

"We have some party crashers, and Lang is making a break for it," Natasha told him quickly, seeing her being escorted out by her bodyguards. "Look for a dark haired woman in a black dress being escorted by two men."

Before Steve could respond, a bright beam flew out, striking the roof top. The five heroes were thrown back, landing on their back. Dazed, they looked up as Iron Man flew down, landing in front of them.

"Tony?" Steve asked in shock.

"You're all coming with me. You're under arrest, Cap," Tony said, holding out his gauntlet.

The Raft

Same time

In the Hanger, AC punched a guard out as Storm's eyes flashed white, a powerful gust of wind blowing the guards all back. One of them tried to grab a gun only for their hand to get stomped on and the guard cried out in pain.

"Give me a reason, bub," Logan snarled, summoning his claws.

"Looks like that's all of them," Kitty noted as she got up after knocking out a guard.

"Now we just gotta wait for the others to get back," Rogue said, putting one of her gloves back.

The three Speedsters were walking down the hall to the hanger when Clark appeared next to them.

"Any word from the others?" Clark asked.

"They're on their way to the hanger, they'll meet us halfway," Jay told him.

"You sure you want to leave so soon?" the group turned around to see Ross standing a few feet away. "After all, Mr. Allen, then you wouldn't know why you came here."

"What?" Barry squeaked and Ross smiled almost pityingly.

"I've been watching Harrison Wells for a long time now, especially after the Particle Accelerator exploded. When you began spending so much time with him and the Flash appeared after you awoke from your coma, it was no trouble at all to deduce that Barry Allen was The Flash. But that's not why you're here. What if I told you I could give the answer to the question that's been haunting you ever since you were a child: who murdered your mother?"

"Barry, don't listen to him, he's just trying to get in your head," Jay warned him but Barry had paused, conflicted.

"You don't need to believe me. Ask your friend there," Ross said pointing to Ronnie. "Who's been treating you the last couple days?"

"Wells," Ronnie almost sneered and Barry started.

"Doctor Wells? No, he wouldn't," Barry said in denial.

"You don't need to believe him or me, let me show you the proof," Ross said, pulling out a remote and pressing a button.

A holographic screen appeared and Barry stared in disbelief, as on the screen was Wells, in his chair, watching as Ronnie was experimented on, howling in pain.

"I recruited him earlier in the week, shortly after you departed Central City," Ross explained as Barry watched, horrified. "But that's only the beginning of his betrayal. Here is footage from his house."

Ross clicked another button. The image of Ronnie being experimented on was then replaced by Wells at his home. Barry stared in shock as Wells rose to his feet and walked a few feet away.

"He can walk?" Barry asked himself, stunned.

"Not just walk," Ross told him, clicking on a remote.

An image was then shown of Wells in a room. He got to his feet before, to the shock of all of them, speeding to one side and then the other.

"No. He can't…he…" Barry said his face pale.

"He would," Ross said confidently. "Wells is a deranged narcissist who would do anything to get ahead. Even create another Speedster such as yourself. Because he is the man in yellow you saw that night. He is the man who murdered your mother."

And that ends this chapter. Felt like a good stopping point.

Yes, the Power Broker is Smallville's Lana Lang. Unlike the complete 180 of Sharon Carter, I can absolutely picture Lana being the Power Broker. She is conically power hungry, self-serving, manipulative and extremely bigoted towards people with powers. She only accepted Clark because of how she felt about him; she didn't actually change her mind, proven by how she tried to justify Lex's experiments until she realized what Lex had done to her. While the season 11 comics did redeem her a bit, this is Lana post season six, so she didn't get that development.

And now Barry knows about Thawne. While Ross normally wouldn't be so brazen about revealing Thawne's secret to Barry, this is Ross under the influence of Darkseid, so his hatred of heroes and those with powers is dialed up to 11. Hope the scene was enjoyed.

Tony is here and, as I said at the beginning of this story, this isn't going to be a Tony bashing story. There will be a reason for why he is acting the way he is.

And next chapter is where shit really starts to hit the fan, so stay tuned.