Chapter 44

The next day…

Cairo, Egypt Africa

Over a year since the Germans and Italians were pushed out of Egypt and North Africa by the Allied Forces and things had returned to a sense of normalcy. The damage done by the various battles had been repaired or currently under reparation but with the securing of the Strait of Gibraltar and the successful Allied invasion of Sicility and mainland Italy that secured the Mediterranean Sea, goods and supplies were able to move smoothly which included troops. While Independent, Egypt was heavily under the influence of the British which explained all the British Expeditionary forces stationed around and the various British garrisons throughout the country with Cairo having the largest. That was the destination for one person in particular, which happened to be Clark.

Clark arrived in Egypt not by ship or by plane but by his own means which meant his super speed. Much like Howard questioned, Clark swam all the way from the UK to Egypt. With him going around France and Spain and then through the strait of Gibraltar to get to Egypt the long way it took him a little longer, but he managed to get there in three hours. After speaking with Peggy and Howard, he needed to speak with Colonel Phillips about what was going on. He couldn't leave straight away without informing the Colonel because that would mean he technically would go AWOL so the Colonel needed to know which led to a long back and forth discussion about what the plan would be. He was informed of Rogers new shield and adding on to the story Clark told of Savage at the Hydra facility with the spear that unleashed a sonic blast powerful enough to rip a whole in a wall he knew how powerful Vibranium was. It could make powerful armor and weapons so if there was more than they would want it granted that was easier said than done. It was incredibly rare with the small fragment Howard got to make Rogers' shield being supposedly all he could get. Hydra and Savage's movements indicated they had intelligence that there was more, and they were already several steps ahead of them. He agreed with Agent Carter's assessment that they didn't have the time to bring back Taskforce Vanguard or Captain Rogers and the Howling Commandos. Just getting there would take a few days by ship or by plane, but Clark could get there faster on his own. Colonel Phillips didn't like the idea of Superman going out on his own, but they didn't have any other options, so he approved the solo mission.

Dressed in his Superman suit, Clark walked through the city towards the British Expeditionary Forces Garrison to pick up some supplies. Colonel Phillips gave him some papers which would allow him to pick up some gear and supplies there. His mind was focused on what he needed to do. Get supplies and then head south to pick up the trail of the Hydra soldiers and Savage's men so he ignored the looks he was getting from everyone he passed by. With the reports of the war going on and all the propaganda spread around, his S-shield was fairly recognizable by now, so he drew many stares and looks of intrigue, but he focused on going where he needed to go.

He arrived at the main gate and checkpoint of the British Expeditionary Forces army bases where personnel and vehicles were checked before being let through or out. He walked up to the gate and some of the men noticed his arrival but the second they saw his symbol they all stood at attention. "At ease, men. Captain Kalvin Elbert of the SSR. I just need a refit and supplies." Clark handed one of the soldiers the papers Colonel Phillips handed him.

"Yes, sir. Follow me." A soldier led him into the base, into the office of the Major in command. "Major Harrington, Captain Kalvin Elbert of the SSR here to see you, sir. Here are his papers."

"Yes." The Major got up and quickly read through the papers before taking one sheet out and handing it back to him. "Get to the armory and get the Captain what he needs. Quickly, now."

"Yes, sir." The soldier left leaving Clark and the Major to speak. "Major Brian Harrington of the British Expeditionary Forces. Pleasure to meet your, Captain Elbert."

"Pleasures mine, Major. Apologies for showing up unannounced on your base but time is of the essence. Once I get the supplies, I'll be out of your hair." Clark assured him. "Have you picked up any kind of chatter about any incidents or attacks south of here?"

"Yes." Major Harrington ushered him over to a table where there was a map of Northern and Central Africa. He placed a few pins down in Eritrea on the North-east coast of the continent and then a few to the west of Eritrea in the Sudan. "We received the same intel you did about the German's infiltration in Eritrea. Wiped out a patrol and when they crossed into the Sudan they've have encountered with several more British and French companies. They steamrolled right past them and the intel we've just received indicates that they were last seen near the southern border to Uganda and the Belgian Congo."

Major Harrington placed a pin in the area which was smack dab in Central Africa. "They're heading southwest towards the center of the continent. They clearly know where they're going and they're moving fast. Their latest attack will be the best place to pick up their trail." Clark said.

"The nearby forces are on alert but to be honest, Captain, from the reports we're getting they have some serious weaponry. Are you gonna be ok on your own?" The Major asked him.

"I'll be fine. Nothing I haven't handled before." Clark answered when they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." The Major called out, so the same soldier from before walked in with two bags.

"Everything on the list, sir." The soldier handed him the bags and Clark gave them a quick glance. In one bag were some British military compo rations, spare magazines for his Colt pistol, several grenades, and some medical supplies while the other bag was filled with some TNT. Just in case.

"Thank you and thank you, Major. Let the SSR know that I made it." Clark gave him a salute and the Major saluted back.

Clark was escorted out of the base and thanked the soldier for the help before he cracked his neck. One check of his compass to make sure he was going to go in the right direction, and he took off a super speed, kicking up a huge cloud of sand and dust when he did. All anyone in the city could see was a blur followed by a sudden and violent gust of wind that blew past them.

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan/Uganda/Belgian Congo Border, Central Africa

After an hour running south, Clark arrived at the border where Major Harrington said there were last reported to be seen so it was the best place to begin tracking them. Clark slid to a stop with his feet kicking up the dirt and arrived near the border where there was sure to be garrisons or military bases set up. He was following dirt roads for the last hour and since he didn't know the area at all he just had to go off his compass and match that with the mental image of the map the major showed him. From there he was calculating his best route and along the way he found several dirt roads. One of them had faint tread marks he recognized as the ones used by the Hydra armored personnel carriers, and they were easily the largest treads in the dirt so following them was his best bet which happened to be the right one because when he arrived at the border, he found evidence that he was on the right trail.

That evidence was the burning wrecks of jeeps and other military vehicles, destroyed military emplacements and border defenses along with the military barracks for the soldiers at the border and plenty of wounded or dead soldiers being tended to by reinforcements and locals who were helping. "Oh my god…"

Some local villagers were helping move the KIA British and French Soldiers so they could be given proper burials later. Those that were medics or had training in medicine helped those that were wounded. The injuries ranged from fairly superficial with cuts and bruises by those who got extremely lucky to life-threatening wounds. The British and French medics and corpsman were doing what they could with what they had set up in makeshift medical tents.

An American man, likely in his mid to the late 20s, dressed in boots, khakis and a light linen shirt with a scarf wrapped around his neck was working with a tall African-American and lighter skinned Egyptian woman, both of whom were wearing similar clothing to the American. Comfortable but sensible clothing for the African heat and weather. Boots, long pants, light long sleeve shirts with scarfs wrapped around their necks and heads. All three, likely coming with the local villagers, were helping the British and French soldiers in trying to move the burning wreck of a French char de bataille Char B1 tank but they didn't have the heavy vehicles to move it, so they were relying on brute force which was slow goings.

"Ok, ready! Push!" The British sergeant shouted, and they pushed.

"Come on, you hunk of metal." The American said when all of a sudden, he almost fell forward but managed to catch himself. The reason he nearly fell forward was because the burning wreck of a tank was moved, or more accurately lifted. He and the others saw it was being held up over the head of a man wearing a customized military uniform with an S-shield on his chest.

"I got it. Where do you want it?" Clark asked and the British Sergeant pointed to the side so Clark tossed it over without much hassle. "Apologies for the scare. Captain Kalvin Elbert, SSR. I'm tracking the German unit that your compatriots encountered. I'm sad to say I got here too late. How bad is it?"

"Bad, sir. Over 100 were wounded, times three dead. They steamrolled through everything set up. Landmines, explosives, machine gun nests and even the tank. It's French but the things a burning wreck and not a single casualty or wounded on their side." The British sergeant informed him.

"I need to know what happened here exactly." Clark told him.

"Follow me. The Lieutenant in charge of the garrison here survived." The British sergeant led him away to the makeshift medical tent where the wounded were being tended to. They walked past the cots where the injured were resting and stopped at one where a man was resting with a broken right arm, broken left leg, and bandages wrapped around his stomach. "Lieutenant Maxwell, this is Captain Kalvin Elbert."

The Lieutenant made the attempt to get up, but Clark stopped him. "At ease, Lieutenant. Sit back and rest." Clark told him so he did. "I'm here tracking the German armored group that did this. What happened?"

"Our General informed us of a German Company in the area, so he sent us to secure the border crossing. The French came along as well with the tank, and we had the entire area secured. Landmines, explosives, machine guns, mortars, and snipers. We were ready." The Lieutenant recounted. "Our sniper spotted them, but we could hear the loud roars of their engines coming from a mile away. We got ourselves ready to fight…but we couldn't even fire a shot before those things dropped in."

"What things?" Clark asked him.

"Monsters in metal. Faces like ghosts. They tore through our defenses. We put hundreds of bullets in them, mortars and tank shells too but they were useless. They moved so fast and were so strong…it was a slaughter."

"Let me guess. This metal monsters was about 12 feet tall, and the armor was large and bulky. Large motors on the back and a glowing green rock could been seen on the chest plate." Clark listed off and the lieutenant nodded.

"You've seen them before?"

"Them? It wasn't just one man in the armor?" Clark questioned, unaware that the American man from before was nearby and listening in.

"No. There were two. Two armor monsters." The man answered and that worried Clark immensely. One was bad enough but two with everything else just made this a lot harder. "They were able to shoot these green beams of energy from their wrists and once they took us out the rest of their convoy passed through. They were in a hurry."

"Your safe now, Lieutenant and I'm going after them. Thank you." Clark shook his hand and left him rest. He thanked the sergeant and walked out of the tent but not before reaching into his pack and handing the medical supplies he had with him to the doctors and corpsman. "It's not much but hope this helps."

"Thank you." One of the doctors said to him. Anything they could use was better than nothing.

Clark walked out of the tent and took a deep breath. He was on Hydra's trail, but things were getting complicated, and he was ready to deal with those energy weapons but if there were two of those Maschinensoldaten then they were clearly not messing around. "Are you all right?" He heard and saw the American from before walk over to him, holding out a cigarette for him to take but Clark declined. "You look like you just got some bad news."

"I did in a way. I'm after the Germany company that did this. Tracking them down." Clark replied when he saw an African-American man and Egyptian woman walk over. He recognized them from the group that was trying to move the burning wreck that he lifted.

"So, you know what did this?" The woman asked.

"I do and it's nothing good." Clark answered.

"Has to be something bad if it has the Superman worried. Especially since you came here all alone." The American pointed out.

"I could make the trip faster than anyone else could." Clark pointed out. "You're American, right?"

"Yes. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. Daniel Garrett, Archaeologist." He held his hand out and Clark shook it.

"Captain Kalvin Elbert."

"We know. Everyone knows who you are. That S is pretty recognizable even down here in Africa." The African-American man shook his hand. "Carter Hall. This is my wife, Shayara."

"Shayara Hall, nice to meet you." She shook Clark's hand and he smiled.

"Nice to meet you, too. What are you three doing all the way down here in the Sudan? You're not military." Clark deduced.

"Oh, no. Uh, I've actually been traveling the continent for some Archaeology digs but the war kind of put a damper on things. Finally, managed to get over here in the last year after the Germans were pushed out. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have actually been my tour guides and I've found some very interesting artifacts." Garrett replied but then winced and shuffled a bit like something bit him in the back.

"Are you ok?" Clark asked him.

"Oh, yeah. Just uh…you know, pinched nerve. Destroyed tank was heavy." Dan Garrett answered.

"We were nearby when we heard what happened, so we came with the local villagers to try and help." Carter told him.

"Well, I'm sure these men appreciate that. They could use all the help they could…" Clark stopped and turned his head to the southwest.

"Are you, ok?" Shayara asked him.

"I've got to go." Clark super sped away in a blur and gust of wind, brushing past them and running southwest.

"Whoa…" Carter, Shayara, and Garrett all said at once.

"So, the stories about him are true." Dan Garrett said.

"But where is he going?" Shayara wondered.

"If I had to wager a guess likely where the Germans went next." Carter looked around the place and seeing the death and destruction caused appropriately riled him up. "And I for one would like to make sure they are stopped. Besides, Superman could use some help."

"Good luck with that, Carter. We don't even know where he went." Shayara told him only for Carter to look at Dan Garrett.

"I think I can probably help with that." He replied and as he said that there was a faint glow of blue on his back.

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