Superman (Marvel+DC)

Italian/Austrian border February 1944

The town of Vipiteno Sterzing in the Terntino-South Tyrol region of Northern Italy was only 10 km south of the Austrian border. Given its location surrounded by large hills and mountains it was the perfect ski resort but also had connecting roads that led to other towns and cities further south so it was the perfect place for the 6th Army Group to use to converge for their push into Austria. Hundreds of jeeps and trucks carrying supplies or pulling artillery pieces converged with Allied tanks and halftrack armored vehicles. Nearby airfields housed Allied aircraft who would provide aerial cover for their border crossing until airfields could be established in Austria and as a deterrent against any Luftwaffe presence though with the current conditions air power would be minimal for both sides. With the weather being what is was in February, the path from Vipiteno Sterzing to the Austrian border was densely packed with snow and thankfully they didn't need to go through any mountains. Their path would take them through a valley so avalanches and bottlenecks were a possibility under normal circumstances.

Lucky for the Allies, this wasn't normal circumstances.

The road they were taking into Austria was strategic in that it would take them straight to Innsbruck if followed but also because it was a road that was practically barren with only two major cities/townships along the way. There were likely smaller little enclaves such as rest stops or a few small hunting lodges or farms but fewer towns meant the defensive fortifications the Germans could place in the area was limited and fewer chances of civilians getting caught in the crossfire.

At the border into Austria were a few German outposts which were small camps of soldiers who were tasked to report on the goings on of the area and report back to the bases further away. Given that the Allies had secured Italy it meant that they were on alert as any day they could cross the border into Austria and ever since they've been on alert. For example, a two-man sniper team was dressed in winter camouflage on a mountainside with a clear view of the surrounding valley and main road through the Austrian/Italian border. One man looking through the scope of his rifle while the other was looking around the area via binoculars. The crossing was manned below by German soldiers, some mortar crews, a few mobile artillery platforms, some halftrack vehicles, and one old Panzer Tank. Their camp was not too far from the crossing in a small alcove for protection as all the soldiers were on alert. They had scouts and lookouts on constant watches and multiple sniper teams so the one on the mountainside was one of many.

Like it had been for months since the Allies had invaded Italy, the sniper and scout teams reported no movement near the border crossing except for shepherds tending to sheep and goats though with the winter months they were no longer around. Only the occasional Ibex, Chamois, or wild boar along with a few brown bears were seen and luckily the Ibex and boars provided some excellent hunting for meat. One of the snipers looked through the valley with his binoculars, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary which wouldn't be that hard given that everything was covered in snow for miles so it would be pretty easy to pick up but again nothing like the last couple of months. He put the binoculars down and leaned back to rest his head when he noticed something in the distance. It was a faint glow of red deeper in the valley like a massive collection of lights were set up and powerful ones at that to be seen from kilometers away. Both snipers got a better look via their binoculars but couldn't really tell much. The hills blocked the view of the source of the red light and since the main road went around that hill and the red light was getting brighter then it was heading in their direction. The red light seemed to flicker like it was turning on and off and then back on again. They suspected it had something to do with the Allies but if it did then they just ruined any chance of a surprise attack. The sniper team quickly used their radio and reported to the border crossing about a possible situation so they could ready themselves.

One of the snipers saw the red glow getting brighter and closer before it stopped and saw someone crest over the ridge of the hill and it was a man in a red and blue suit. The man's eyes then glowed red and soon twin beams of red energy were shot out and washed over the valley. The two snipers and likely all the others in the area were witnesses to an incredible sight as they saw beams of red energy hit the surrounding hills and valley in short bursts which would explain the flashing of red light they saw before. Large clouds of smoke bellowed up from the valley, obscuring the view of the snipers only it wasn't smoke but steam. The intense beams of heat melted all the snow so quickly that it melted into water vapor which soon bellowed in the wind revealing the entire valley completely devoid of any kind of snow. The hills and main road were now completely clean and dry like it was the summer and not a harsh winter. Even from their far away position the snipers could feel the change in temperature which had risen above freezing when thick steam finally dissipated and they saw the once snow and ice laden valley had melted. Just grass, rocks, and dirt and the main road was all clear making it easier to traverse. The red lights from Superman's eyes stopped before he vanished from sight.

"Excuse me?" The sniper team turned around and saw Superman standing there with a smile on his face. "If you wouldn't mind surrendering that would be great. We have a schedule to keep and I promise that no harm will befall you."

The two snipers were momentarily caught off guard by the fact that Superman spoke in perfect German but quickly snapped out of it and registered his request. Seeing that he just melted an entire valley of ice and snow like it was nothing and then appeared behind them then they both knew there was nothing they could do so they raised their hands up in surrender.

"Smart choice. Thank you very much." Clark then picked them up by their arms and super sped away.

Twenty minutes later…

Clark stood at the German border crossing checkpoint/base into Austria with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He had a smile of pride on his face as he watched the convoy of Allied jeeps, trucks, and armored vehicles pass over the border from Italy into Austria. A majority of the convoy would continue on while some elements would stick around to secure the border crossing and set up artillery positions. Behind Clark were a company of soldiers from the 6th Army group who would be stationed at the border crossing taking over the task and camp from the Germans. The soldiers and some MPs quickly policed the German soldiers who surrendered and were now in Allied custody. The smoking and mangled wreck of the Panzer tank and the myriad bullet casings on the ground were evidence that while many of the Germans surrendered when Clark arrived, several of them didn't and they were now dead. Those were a few of the die-hard loyalists but this battalion at the border crossing was just German Wehrmacht and not SS so not all of them were willing to give their lives for what they saw as a complete loss.

As the convoy kept moving on, soldiers in the jeeps and trucks gave Clark salutes as they drove by and he saluted them back. They just entered Austria and were one step closer to ending the war.

It was time to put in the work.

A week later…

Innsbruck, Austria

The city of Innsbruck, Austria was well known for its ski lodges and as a great tourist destination but was also strategically located with it being the hub point for the main road between the eastern part of the country and then the road that led to Switzerland to the west. It was also the shortest distance from the German country border though navigating the mountains and hilly terrain would be a pain in the butt, it a strategic key point which is why it was so heavily guarded by the Germans and why the Allies had to take it.

[Sporadic gunfire & Artillery cannons]

A series of artillery crews located to the north of the city were moving in non-stop repeated motions to continue loading and unloading the guns for fire missions to help defend Innsbruck from the Allied invasion. Reports came in that the Allies has crossed the Austrian border so the city was put on full lockdown with everyone mobilized to fight, including civilians. Already, Allied artillery had begun hitting the city so the Germans fired back and the officers began moving their tanks and men into ambush positions as well as preparing traps for their vehicles and tanks. All good and well for a normal, conventional army.

An artillery loader noticed something in the distance heading straight for them. "LOOK OUT!"

[Crash]

Something smashed into the artillery cannon, crumbling the massive piece of war machinery into itself and producing a huge cloud of dust, dirt, and smoke. The German Artillery crews were in a panic as it felt like they were just bombed when something began moving through the smoke at incredible speed. The Germans were taken out in quick succession with many of them not able to get a shot off or defend themselves against their attacker. A few of them were even sent flying through the air before a speeding blur rushed out of the smoke and barreled through another artillery cannon like a wrecking ball. Said wrecking ball soared through the air before it made a three-point landing which finally revealed said wrecking ball was the Superman. Parts of his suit was on fire but it didn't bother him as he kept moving. In a blur of super speed, he blitzed forward and took out the rest of the artillery cannons in quick succession. Once they were taken out he continued on to the next group.

The sounds of German artillery slowly began to fade away until they were non-existent as Superman moved through the city at super sonic speed. After that he reported to his team who then relayed to the officers in command about German defensive positions, ambushes, and traps lying in wait so they organized attack teams supplemented with tanks and vehicles led by Taskforce Vanguard.

Within a few hours, Innsbruck had been liberated and became a key Allied foothold for their advancement into Central and Eastern Europe. To many in the 6th Army Group, they were quick to declare that the war would be over before Christmas as they would have nothing to fear with the Superman helping them.

A month later…

45 Km west of Vienna, Austria March 1944

It was a particularly cloudy day in a densely snow-packed forest of Austria. Despite it being March there was still a very cold winter chill in the air. The forest went on for miles and miles with the nearest town being hours away which added to its mystique and eerie nature. It also made it the perfect place to avoid detection as two German vehicles were driving along a narrow dirt road from Vienna and were heading west. One truck driving behind the lead vehicle, which was a Volkswagen Type 82Kübelwagen, a four-door jeep type vehicles. The cars were really moving indicating that they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Their speed coupled with a few factors like the cloudy conditions and the snow on the ground made it so the drivers didn't see the trap waiting for them until it was too late.

[Screech & Puffs of air]

The lead car and then the truck skidded on the road as something happened to the tires so the drivers slowed down to a stop, thankfully not veering off to the side and crashing. Everyone was confused as to what just happened so the driver of the Volkswagen got out and looked at the tires to see they were all deflated.

"Dammit!" He kicked the door in anger. "The tires are flat!"

"Here too!" The trucker driver shouted and all the soldiers got out of the vehicles while the drivers got the spares. The soldiers began securing the area with a few moving out to double-check the woods for an ambush. The officer of this little convoy look a closer look at the tires of the Volkswagen and saw that all four were deflated and punctured, not just one so they must have run over something. He then moved over to the truck and saw the same thing but upon a closer look he saw that the puncture marks were all small and in the same area. In fact, they were in a straight line across the tires like they drove over something. If it was a sharp rock or a stray piece of metal then it wouldn't cause the straight line of puncture marks on the tires. He signaled some of his men to begin scouring the road to find the thing that cut their tires and put everyone on alert. This wasn't an accident.

Three of the soldiers were heading back to the convoy after securing the area and spotting nothing out of the ordinary. One of them hung back so he could relieve himself and peed against a tree. He dropped his head back and relaxed as he relieved himself, unaware that he made a grave mistake in not maintaining his awareness. A few seconds later his throat was slit from behind and he crumbled to the ground as he bled out. His attacker unhooked the grenade from their belt and set something up.

The other two soldiers on the perimeter team diligently waited for their compatriot but when about five minutes passed they felt he was taking too long so they walked over and saw his body on the ground with a growing splotch of blood staining the snow below. They rushed over to help but one of them lifted his body up which caused something to roll underneath him and they saw it was an F1 grenade with the safety pin lying next to it. The body had been placed on the grenade so that the safety pin was kept in until the body was moved.

"GRAN—[BOOM]

The German officer and 8 soldiers by the vehicles heard the boom of a grenade going off to the west and they quickly scrambled for cover behind the truck. They had just found several spools of barbwire wrapped around trees on both ends of the road and hidden by snow so it was obscured when they drove by. That combined with the grenade going off proved that they were being ambushed so the soldiers got behind the truck for cover from what they were certain would be coming from the west where the grenade went off. They loaded and readied all their guns and waited. The officer peaked his head out slightly to the side but saw no sign of anyone moving in the forest. He signaled two his men to quickly finish replacing the last two tires on the truck so they could get out of there and they did while everyone else covered them.

Unbeknownst to them they were in the crosshairs of a scope for a rifle. The sniper lined up a shot and fired.

[Crack of a gunshot]

The two soldiers who were ordered to replace the tires fell to the ground with bloody holes in their heads. A sniper bullet went through the back of the head of one soldier which then kept going into the head of the second. A two for one headshot from a skilled marksman. The soldiers hunkered back down behind the truck for cover to avoid being hit by the sniper. The officer cursed as tried to spot where the sniper could be shooting from but with all the snow it was hard to tell. One of the soldiers with a scoped rifle tried to get a look before he was shot in the head and his body crumbled to the ground. That's when the officer noticed that his man was shot in the back of the head meaning that the shot didn't come from the west like the grenade explosion but from the forest to their backs in the east. That meant they were on the wrong side of cover which was proven right as two more gunshots went off taking out two more soldiers quickly.

"Get to cover!" The officer and the remaining five soldiers moved from the truck and took cover behind trees.

One of the men peaked his head out and saw a reflective glint in the distance so he picked up a stick and tossed it to the officer before making some hand signals. He followed the direction his men was point and saw the glint which had to be the sniper so he signaled two soldiers to stay behind here with cover and provide covering fire while the officer and remaining three soldiers would flank around. The two soldiers loaded their guns and fired controlled bursts at the reflective glint in the distance. The chances of them hitting the target were low but their bullets were just to keep the sniper pinned down. The officer and one soldier flanked left while the other two soldiers flanked right. They timed their movement from tree to tree based on the rate of covering fire they were getting. When their comrades stopped to reload they stuck behind cover but when they opened fire then they moved quickly. The two soldiers flanking right hid behind a large fallen tree for cover when one perked his head up and saw the reflective glint in the distance. It was coming from a small alcove near some trees and large rocks, perfect camouflage and cover for a sniper but they were nearing the flanks so they stepped out when one of them got shot in the head. The bullet pierced through the soldier's helmet and blood dripped down his face before he fell down. His comrade ran for cover only to get a bullet dead center in the chest and he fell to the ground. The two soldiers providing cover fire stopped to reload before they kept firing only to get taken out by headshots.

The officer hid behind cover about twenty feet to the left from the sniper perch and ordered his soldier to quickly move so he sprinted forward. He arrived at the sniper perch but there was no body and no rifle. The reflective glint was a mirror held up by string and next to it was a German army helmet propped up on a rock. It was a trap and the soldier was shot through the back and collapse to the ground dead leaving the officer all alone.

"Where are you?!" The officer blindly fired all around him as he scrambled backward through the forest. His pistol ran out of ammo and he quickly tried to reload it but all the nerves he was feeling was making his hands betray his mind, causing him to drop his ammo clip. He reached down to grab it but when he stood back up a figure stepped out from the trees behind him. The sniper was revealed to be a woman, about 5ft6 wearing a Soviet Red Army uniform that had been a bit modified. Combat boots and trousers with two pouches of rifle bullets wrapped around her right calf, on her belt were pouches of rifle ammunition along with a combat knife, canteen, and a Tokarev TT-33 pistol strapped to her right thigh. Above her waist she had a typical Red Army uniform but over it she was wearing a thick wool cloak that wrapped around her neck and on her hands were fingerless gloves to help her keep warm but so that she could continue to use her fingers. Her most striking features were two long pigtails of brown hair, the fur Russian cap she was wearing on her head with the Soviet Red Star on the front and last but not least was her deadly stare. In her hands was a knife but not a combat one and more like one used in a kitchen. The blade was short but just as sharp and in her hands, equally as deadly as she closed the distance and drove it into the officer's side and gave it a vicious twist before kicking out his right leg so he dropped to his knees. Without an ounce of remorse, she then slit his throat and let his blood stain the snow beneath her boots. She alone took out 12 German soldiers not through brute force or overwhelming fire power but through tactics, distraction, and skill.

She walked over to a nearby tree and grabbed her weapon which was a custom 3-Line rifle M1981 otherwise known as the Mosin-Nagant rifle. It was the typical rifle for the Soviet army but the one she was using was more custom having belonged to her father from the Great War. There were carvings on the wood to honor her late father and brother and it had a longer side-mounted scope for her sniping. This is Polina Petrova of the 138th Rifle Division of the Red Army but more commonly known as Lady Nightingale scourge of Stalingrad and credited with over 300 kills. She slung her rifle over her shoulder and began searching the German officer's corpse for the documents he had on him.

[Branch snap]

Polina halted her search of the officer's body before she slowly grabbed her rifle and quickly turned around, taking aim at the person behind her who ended up being Clark.

"Easy there. I come in peace." Clark held his hands up to show her he meant no harm. "You're a long way from Russia."

Polina kept her eye and rifle trained on him but she recognized the S on his chest and knew who he was. With all the stories she heard she knew that her rifle wouldn't do much against him but still kept it ready. "And you're a long way from France."

"Change of orders but rest assured they were for a good reason. I'm Captain Kalvin Elbert with the Strategic Scientific Reserve." Clark introduced himself.

"I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are but that still doesn't explain why you're here in Austria." Polina told him so he pointed to the dead bodies.

"I'm here for the same reason you are. Them." Clark said before looking behind. "Come on out! It's fine." A few moments later and out walked the rest of Taskforce Vanguard. "Rest assured, Ms. Petrova, we're after the same thing."

Polina was still wary but seeing as how the team were from the Allies and not Nazis then she lowered her rifle and slung it over her shoulder. "You know who I am?"

"Our intel from the Eastern Front may not be the best but we've heard tales of the Lady Nightingale. It's an honor." Clark told her and she gave him an appreciative nod. While nothing was said, her gesture pretty much meant the same thing. She was someone of few words. "What brings the Red Army's premiere sniper all the way to Austria?"

"Nazi hunting." Polina replied.

"Well then lass you might need some new intel." Lucas walked over and pushed the dead officer onto his back revealing instead of the typical Nazi or SS emblem on his jacket, it was the red and black skull and tentacles of Hydra.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Polina asked as Clark had his team check the other bodies.

"They're not Nazis or SS members. That emblem means they belong to Hydra which used to be the Nazi Party's secret science division before their leader decided he wasn't ok with taking orders from Hitler." Clark explained.

"They're still Nazis." Polina remarked.

"Sort of but they've also been fighting the Nazis since they struck out on their own about six months. The Red Skull's got his own plans for world domination." Logan remarked as he lit his cigar.

"Only problem is that he has the weapons that would allow him to win the war. Luckily we've been able to take out his weapons factories all over Europe and keep whatever grand plan he has from working. Our interest in Hydra is our task at the SSR but what was yours?" Clark asked her but he could tell she wouldn't give that up easy so he decided to keep trying. "We've pushed into France and now we're leading the charge here into Austria. We've secured several key cities but our commanders in charge want a total enclosure around German, a pincer move if you will. We were moving east when we got word from some partisans in the area that a Hydra convoy was heading in our direction. Likely traveling from the Hydra base in Czechoslovakia meaning that they were heading somewhere important. We figure out what they wanted or what they were doing and it could give us intel on Hydra. Why did you want them? Tell us and we might be able to help you."

"What makes you think I need your help?" Polina asked him.

"Everyone needs help once in a while and asking for it doesn't make you weak. If it's important than my team and I might be able to help. Besides, our last intel report informed us that the Soviets just managed to push the Germans out of Ukraine but hadn't yet pushed them out of Czechoslovakia meaning you crossed occupied German territory for this. It must be important." Clark pointed out.

There was a moment of silence as Polina weighed her options before she relented. She was outnumbered and outgunned so gaining allies would be better than making enemies. "I've been tracking them from the Ukraine for weeks now. This…Hydra…as you call it, I saw them all over. They were working with the Nazis, one in particular, a man called Freisinger."

"Untersturmführer Hermann Freisinger?" Arthur Kingsley asked and Polina looked at him like he grew two heads.

"How do you know him?" She questioned.

"We've had our own run ins with him. He's a Nazi connected to a lot of people including some in Hydra. We dealt with an associate of his in Belgium. The two worked together to build a special weapons project which we got rid of." Clark explained. "Who was he meeting with?"

"A few Nazi officers. I didn't get their names except for one. Vandal Savage." Polina said which drew Clark and Logan's attention.

"I don't think that's possible. You likely got the wrong name because Vandal Savage is dead." Logan told her.

"Are you sure?" Polina asked and got nods in response so she reached into her jacket and pulled out some photographs. "Then who is he?"

Clark took the photo and saw Freisinger meeting with some Nazi and Hydra officers, among them being the one Polina just killed but right there with them was Vandal Savage. Clark wouldn't be forgetting his face and he was right there. Clark then showed Logan and he expression turned into bewilderment. "What the fuck?"

"When was this taken?" Clark asked Polina.

"About a month ago."

"That's impossible. That can't be Savage." Logan stated with certainty.

"And why are you so certain?" Polina wondered.

"Because I killed him myself. I stabbed him in the back and then in the chest before I tossed him out of a third-floor window into a burning weapons factory which then blew up into a smoldering ruin." Logan recounted.

"Well, clearly he escaped because he was there. I saw him myself with Freisinger." Polina told him. "Once Hydra pulled out the Germans began to withdraw so I pursued them myself."

Clark patted Logan on the arm. He knew Savage was still an issue but now that they knew he was alive they'd make sure that the next time they saw him he'd stay dead. "That still doesn't explain why you would come all the way to Austria just to follow Hydra unless there's something else. What happened?"

The grimace on Polina's informed Clark that whatever the reason didn't have a happy ending. "I was a part of a scout team reporting on the German defensive lines near Kiev. We were to report on positions and make our way back. Things were going fine when they arrived."

"Who's they?" Clark asked.

"штормовой фронт (shtormovoy front)" Polina said in Russian.

"What's that mean?" Lucas wondered.

"I'm not sure on the direct translation. Uh…storm fore…storm prow…storm front, maybe? I'm not sure what it means." Clark said.

"It's what we call them. We've heard stories about them from civilians and survivors but we thought they were just propaganda. The Nazis were working on some special weapons that turned people into monsters. We've fought against those metal men but these two…they were different. Not so different from you, Captain." Polina said and everyone listened with intrigue. "Bullets broke against their skin, they had the strength of ten men and summoned lightning from their hands."

"You mean the Germans have their own super soldiers? Are you sure?" Clark asked.

"I was there when they attacked. A man and a woman. I watched as our guns did nothing and they slaughtered my men. Something I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Our reinforcements arrived when a third man arrived moving faster than I could see. Just a blur and lightning and he slaughtered them." She said and Clark was intrigued as that description sounded very familiar to him.

"A blur of lightning? Was this lightning red?" Clark asked and saw her eyes lit up when he brought that up. "A blood red and he was kind of like a blur like he was moving too fast for you to see."

"How did you know that?" Polina wondered as she and his team looked at him.

"I've had an encounter with this lightning blur. It was when I was in Africa but he's been MIA since then. I thought he was dead but clearly not and he's working with Savage. Guess he really is alive." Clark said to everyone but was keeping some things secret as he had to since it would be difficult to explain. "If this red blur is working with these new super soldiers and Savage then this important."

"That's what I told my superiors this and they called me delusional, said I was making the whole thing up and to not waste their time with more German Propaganda." Polina seethed in anger. "I've given my life for this war, my family, and they were just going to ignore everything and let them get away with it. Their incompetence was going to cost more lives."

"So, you went on an unsanctioned mission by yourself risking your life to cross occupied German territory to track them down." Solange said in bewilderment.

"Is that a problem?" Polina wondered.

"No…it's admirable." Richard Webb told her and the team agreed.

"What did this Hydra convoy have that so important for you to lay a trap?" Clark asked so Polina pulled out some pieces of paper from her jacket which was stained with a little blood and handed it to him.

"What's it say, boss?" Lucas asked.

"It's orders from Savage. Schmidt has agreed to send in Hydra reinforcements to a German work camp not far from Munich. He's stressed it's importance because of the camp's special weapons project headed by a Dr. Frederick Vought. It says the serum he's made will be crucial to the planned counteroffensive now that their two confirmed successful cases have been field tested. They're going to ramp up production as soon as possible." Clark read off.

"That doesn't sound good." Diggle remarked.

"No, it doesn't. Guess they're calling the deployment of the Stormfronts in Ukraine their field test and it must be powerful if Schmidt is willing to use Hydra resources to protect it. We need to take it out before they begin mass producing super soldiers and this war drags on." Clark told his team and they nodded before he looked at Polina. "Care to join us, Lady Nightingale?"

"Just give me a clean shot at them and let me do what I do best." Polina told him.

"Fair enough. Let's move. We're heading back to headquarters." Clark told everyone and they left quickly.

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