Skorzeny rushed forward and landed a powerful left punch to Clark's face. Then a right and then left again before grabbing him by the head and slamming his face into the ground. Clark managed to throw out a punch of his own which knocked Skorzeny back but the Kryptonite was still weakening him. He stumbled back but managed to get back to his feet. He saw a tire on the ground next to him so he picked it up and hurled it at Skorzeny, nailing him in the face. Skorzeny's head turned but when he turned back he was fine and charged forward. Clark threw out a punch but Skorzeny ducked and punched him in the gut before bringing his face down onto his knee. Clark staggered back as Skorzeny hit him with punch after punch in a vicious beatdown. Another punch to the gut and then a left cross to his face followed up by a right until Clark managed to punch Skorzeny in the face and followed that up with another punch that staggered him back a bit. Skorzeny smirked in delight as the punches felt like nothing so he marched forward only to get hit from behind. He turned around and saw Captain America catch his shield before leaping forward shield first and hitting him in the face with his shield. Skorzeny fell to the ground as Steve rolled towards Clark holding up a grenade pin. The two dove to the side just as the grenade went off, engulfing Skorzeny in its explosion. Clark was quick to follow up as he picked up a nearby truck and slammed it onto Skorzeny before a burst of his heat vision ignited the fuel tank.
Clark breathed a sigh of relief as he and Steve saw the fireball that engulfed Skorzeny but then to their disbelief they saw a figure walk out of the explosive aftermath and fire and while it may be Skorzeny, it didn't look like him. By some miracle Skorzeny's pants and boots weren't burnt to a crisp but his top half wasn't so lucky revealing not mutated flesh but metal. And not just metal plating of armor but a metal skeleton. Like something out of a macabre nightmare, Skorzeny's entire body wasn't flesh and bone but metal and oil. The silver sheen of whatever kind of alloy his body was made of was unmistakable. Even Skorzeny's face was metal but half of what used to be human remained like the fake skin mask Clark saw the Red Skull wear when he first saw him. It was hanging off half his face with half his hair adding to the macabre factor. Skorzeny's teeth and skull were metal and his green eyes were just green lenses. In the center of his chest was a large circular container like the chest plates on the Maschinensoldaten except this one had tubes connecting it to the metal body and a secondary smaller container right below it which was glowing blue like Hydra's energy weapons. Skorzeny definitely hadn't become a god…he became a monster.
"Is that the best you can do?" Skorzeny's metal mouth smirked before his chest plates began glowing. The tubes that connected the Kryptonite and Cosmic Cube energy combined before releasing a combined green and blue energy beam that hit Superman.
"ARGHH!" Clark's shouts echoed out as he flew back, his body slamming into a truck. He felt more pain in that moment than he ever had before. The Cosmic Cube energy amplified the Kryptonite, further increasing its radioactivity and energy signature and making it much more deadly than it would on its own. Steve turned around only for Skorzeny to rush forward at incredible speed and hit him in the gut with a powerful uppercut and then land a right uppercut to his chin that knocked him onto his back. Steve groaned in pain as Hydra and SS soldiers surrounded the two heroes. They were beaten.
Hydra soldiers took Steve's shield and held him at gunpoint while Skorzeny himself grabbed Clark. Holding him up by the back of his uniform and carrying him through the dirt like you would an animal or garbage. Sweet vindication for him. The two were brought into Red Skull's Hydra base up to Schmidt's office. Skorzeny would have just liked to kill Superman right now but Schmidt and Savage wanted some final words. Steve was in the grasp of two Hydra soldiers but he looked more concerned for Clark who was still being dragged by Skorzeny. They entered the office, which was large and open with a large desk and a view of the mountains. If it didn't belong to the madman they were here to stop Steve would like it.
Steve recognized Red Skull standing by his desk but the three other men with him Steve only knew by intelligence photos. Vandal Savage, Wolfram Von List and Doctor Ulrich Vogel. Savage poured them all glasses of schnapps so they could enjoy their victory. They clinked their glasses and sipped their drinks as Steve spared a glance at Clark who, despite the exposure to the Kryptonite, was hanging on. He gave Steve a subtle nod to assure him he was wasn't dead.
"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you two do it better than anyone. But there are limits to what even you two can do or did Erskine not tell you otherwise?" Red Skull wondered.
"He told us that you were insane. That's enough." Steve answered.
"Ah. He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine. Look where his arrogance got him." Red Skull then looked down at Clark. "And look where it got you. If only he could see you know. Weak, feeble, dying. Not so super, are you?"
"I'm doing just fine…how's your jaw?" Clark uttered earning a glare from the Hydra leader but he was more focused on Savage. It was reciprocated as Savage walked over and knelt down so he was eye to eye with Clark.
"Captain Elbert…how good to see you again. It's been some time." Savage took out his knife and dug it into Clark's left cheek. Steve tried to move forward but was quickly pulled back into the grasp of the Hydra soldiers holding him. He didn't like to see his friend being tortured and not able to stop it. Savage sliced up Clark's cheek letting him bleed and took sweet satisfaction in doing so. "You don't know how long I wished you make you pay for the grievances you've given me.
"Glad to disappoint you." Clark looked Savage in the eyes. "How are you alive? I saw you die."
"Did you, though? I have done things you could not even imagine. Others more worthy have tried to kill me and failed. What made you think your feral Canadian would succeed where they didn't, Hmm?" Savage wondered when he saw Clark groan in pain as his veins glowed green like the Kryptonite. The more time he spent around it the weaker and sicker he got. "I must admit though. Never in all my years have I ever had someone vex me as you have. Herr Thawne was right that you would be a thorn in my side."
"Too bad for him…he's not around anymore to care about that…" Clark then spat in Savage's face.
"Uncivilized." Savage wiped the spit off his face and nodded to Skorzeny who punched Clark in the gut twice. "And it's a shame about Herr Thawne but his sacrifice was not in vain as he gave me the final nail to put in your coffin. The perfect combination of the work done by Von List and Dr. Vogel with the technology and refinement curtsey of Herr Schmidt to create something to destroy the Man of Steel. The ultimate culmination of man and machine. Project Metallo."
"Is that what you're calling yourself?" Steve said to Skorzeny. "Are you even human, anymore?"
"I've transcended past that. I am power." Skorzeny dragged Clark's face closer to the Kryptonite to torture him and boy did he enjoy it. Savage himself was just in awe at his work as were the others.
"The best of the machine. Efficiency, strength, and power but controlled by the brain of one of the finest soldiers there is. One of the best of man. He is but the first of many which will wipe out any resistance that arise from Hydra's dominance." Savage stated and Red Skull smiled in delight.
"No wonder you two fell in together. You're both insane…" Clark uttered which made the Red Skull roll his eyes.
"What some call insanity, I call genius. The power of the gods channeled into the machine of man. Truly something only done by those with the vision to see it through. Erskine was a fool to deny me my genius. Look at what I've done and am about to do to this world. He denied me the chance to make a better one and yet he gave you two such a chance. What makes you so special, Captain?" Red Skull wondered so Steve just smirked in response.
"Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." Steve's answer got him a punch to the face followed by a backfist and then a punch to the gut. Steve coughed up a bit but stayed resolute in his strength and will.
"You…you really…haven't learned…how to punch…have you?" Clark smirked only for Skorzeny to slam his face into the floor and stomp on his head. His metal foot slowly applying pressure to make it hurt.
"I can do this all day." Steve said in defiance to the Red Skull.
"Oh, of course, you can, of course. But, unfortunately, I have found the novelty of your last moments on this earth to have run their course. I have a schedule to keep." Red Skull unholstered his energy pistol and aimed it at Steve's head as it powered up. Clark looked towards the window and saw four objects flying in very fast, one of which was began glowing, which caught everyone's attention.
"So do we." Clark spat out. Red Skull quickly pulled the trigger but Steve pulled one of the Hydra men restraining him in front of him to take the blast. A powerful explosion ripped through the windows of the Red Skull's office knocking everyone down except for Skorzeny who instead was hit with a flying spiked metal mace. It hit him in the chest and sent him crashing onto some Hydra soldiers. Blue energy blasts erupted in the room but not by Hydra soldiers as they were gunned down indiscriminately.
No longer feeling the Kryptonite nearby to affect him, Clark quickly rolled to the side with Steve towards the window while the Red Skull and Savage took off running as did Von List and Dr. Vogel. Skorzeny got back to his feet when he heard a rhino charge and was hit hard enough to stagger him back. Then a sharp axe sliced across his face tearing off the rest of his fake skin and then a mace uppercut him in the jaw. He fell back into a wall so he charged up his chest plates only before he could fire, a powerful blast of blue energy hit him and send his metal body crashing out of the room. He crashed through the wall out into the hallway and then through another wall.
The chaos of what just happened was over allowing Clark and Steve to see their rescuers. Clark was glad to see them as was Steve but he was confused as to who they were. The blue energy came from the man wearing the blue formfitting suit with the giant protrusion on his back that looked like a giant bug with a similar bug-themed blue cowl covering his head. On the man's hands were antenna-like ray guns that quickly reverted back into his gloves. The rhino sound came from a woman wearing traditional African garb but now included long sleeves and pants because of the cold. Around her neck was a necklace of a golden feline head flanked by six golden fangs. The axe and mace were curtesy of a husband-and-wife duo in matching red, gold, and green armor with similar avian-themed helmets.
"Great timing but a few minutes ago wouldn't have hurt either." Clark said as Carter helped him to his feet. Without the Kryptonite nearby, Clark's wounds began healing rapidly.
"Sorry, but we were still dealing with all the motion sickness for you getting us here." Shayara told him.
"Still, glad we got here just in time. Everyone else is in position." Dan told him.
"Good." Clark said before he looked at Steve. "Steve, meet some friends of mine. Carter and Shayara Hall, Dan Garrett, and Amaya Jiwe. Everyone, meet Steve Rogers. Captain America."
"Pleasure to meet you, Captain Rogers. Sorry it had to be like this." Amaya shook his hand.
"It's all right. Thanks for the assistance." Steve replied as he took note of their unusual attire before looking at Clark. "What are they doing here?"
"I figured we could use the help. I met them when I went to Africa. With what everything Schmidt and Savage could have for us, I felt that having some help that they wouldn't expect could prove useful. I'll make proper introductions and everything later but we've got a job to do." Clark said before he handed Steve his shield.
"Right. Let's go." Steve led them out of the office to track down the Red Skull.
Elsewhere in the compound, an explosion took out a side entrance allowing the infiltration team in. It was Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos with some men from the 107th. Arthur Kingsley led the men as he had one group lay down covering fire down one hallway while they pushed down another. "Lucas, frag!" Kingsley shouted.
"On it." Lucas Riggs pulled the pin on two grenades before throwing them down the hall, killing some Hydra soldiers. Jim Morita took cover behind a wall before turning on his radio backpack.
"We're in! Assault team, go!"
Colonel Phillips, Agent Carter and the 107th made the frontal assault on the base. With all the distraction from Captain America and Superman's attack on the base and then their subsequent capture, it allowed the 107th to close in on the base and await the signal. Now that they had it, it was time for their attack. The destruction the two super soldiers were able to do helped even the odds as they charged through the gates. Hydra and SS soldiers fought back, getting into any defensive positions they could to fight back but it wasn't doing them much good. With how exposed they were and all the damage done leaving them without their heavy vehicles than there wasn't much of a defense they could put up. Snipers in the woods took out Hydra soldiers with the energy rifles while mortars were launched near the main gate, taking out much of the opposition.
Inside, the Red Skull and his compatriots were running through the halls towards the hangar. They took the fastest route which included a hallway near the main entrance to the bunker. Now that the base was under attack they needed to enact the plan before they could be stopped. Dr. Vogel, a man of science and not a man of action was panicking which in turn actually made him run faster.
"Quickly! We must get to the plane!" Dr. Vogel ran past his compatriots when he saw some Hydra soldiers standing guard. "You all. Come with us. We need to get—[Boom!]"
Several explosions went off one after another killing the Hydra soldiers and Dr. Vogel who was standing with them. The explosions came from TNT used to breach the doors to the bunker. American soldiers entered the bunker just as Schmidt and Savage picked up energy rifles. They gunned down the 107th infantry soldiers who marched through before turning around to run. Some more soldiers got through and one rifleman fired some shots and a lucky ricochet hit Von List in the back of the right thigh. Savage turned back around and gunned down the soldiers before looking down at Von List who was cradling his leg.
"Savage, help me! I can run!" Von List held out his hand only for Savage to aim the rifle at him.
"I'm sorry, my friend but it appears our partnership has reached its end."
"You son of a bit—" Von List didn't get to finish his sentence before he was vaporized without remorse. Savage then resumed running and rejoined with Schmidt.
Elsewhere in the base, Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos were making mincemeat of any Hydra or SS soldiers they came across. Dum-Dum Dugan and Lucas Riggs even picked up energy rifles and enjoyed themselves. They weren't the only ones handling Hydra soldiers as any who came across the Superman and Captain America also had to deal with four new arrivals each as unique as the two leading them.
The roar of an elephant was heard as Amaya charged through a hallway, tackling through a group of Hydra soldiers which sent them flying into the walls. One got up and took aim at her only for Carter to block the shot with a circular shield he made appear on his left arm before he sliced him across the chest with his axe. He turned around and sliced another Hydra soldier with his axe before shield bashing a third. Carter leaned back to avoid a gun butt to the face and headbutted the Hydra soldier in response before kicking him into Steve who leg tripped him and bashed him in the face with his shield. He turned around and bashed another Hydra goon in the face before throwing his body into another and then taking out two with a split kick. One of them tried to get up only to get a knee across the face curtsey of Shayara who turned around and bashed a Hydra soldier in the stomach with her mace. She used a lot of strength as the man's body slammed into the ceiling before falling back down. A Hydra soldier raised his gun at her but she knocked it aside, elbowed the soldier in the face, kneed him in the gut and then smacked him on the back with her mace. Another group of Hydra soldiers came down from the opposite end of the hall and opened fire only for Dan to get in front of everyone. The wings on his back extended out and formed an energy shield that protected them all from being hit.
"Shield down now and duck!" Clark shouted so Dan cut out the shield and ducked just in time to avoid a torrent of super breath. The Hydra soldiers were sent flying back down the hallway like a hurricane wind gale hit them.
"Nice. You didn't have that before." Dan pointed out.
"Picked it up after a cold. Come on." Clark led them through the base when he saw Red Skull and Savage turn the corner ahead of them. "Savage!"
Clark and the others chased after him but when he turned the corner he was immediately punched into a wall before being tackled through it by Skorzeny AKA Metallo. He didn't stop as he then tackled Clark through the subsequent wall behind the one they just broke, and then the one behind that one until the final wall ended up leading them to the massive hangar. Granted they didn't come out on the ground level of the hangar but rather up in the rafters so the two fell down. Clark landed first and Skorzeny picked him up and threw him into a truck.
Steve, Dan, Amaya, Shayara, and Carter looked at the massive hole through the base that Clark had been tackled through. Clark was bulletproof and durable but that had to hurt. With him in danger, Red Skull and Savage were getting away so they needed to split up. Since it was just Red Skull and Savage by themselves while Clark was dealing with Skorzeny, the latter would need the help from the others more than Steve would. "You four go help Kal. I can handle Schmidt and Savage." Steve told them.
"Are you sure?" Amaya asked.
"I'll be fine. Besides, he'll need the help. Go!" Steve told them before he took off running incredibly fast.
"Right. Let's go." Carter led the others to go help Clark.
Steve's super soldier physique allowed him to quickly catch up with Red Skull and Vandal Savage, the former of whom would take shots with his energy pistol. Steve would block them with his shield before he threw it down the hall. It bounced off a wall towards Red Skull but got stuck in the closing doors just before it could hit him. Steve stepped forward when he saw a Hydra brute with a flamethrower come around a corner and laid down steady streams of fire. Steve took cover behind a small gap as the brute got closer and closer. Without his shield, Steve was without a weapon as his pistol and knife were taken when he was brought to the Red Skull's office.
[Submachine gun fire]
The fuel pack of the flamethrower brute exploded and he slumped forward dead. Steve peaked his head out and saw Anna Drake along with other members of Taskforce Vanguard and his commandos leading some men of the 107th. The soldiers quickly spread out to secure the area as Steve walked over to Anna. "Thanks for the assistance." Steve said and Anna smiled.
"Happy to help." She replied and Steve smiled back. Understanding what could happen, Anna pulled Steve down and gave him a quick kiss. "For luck. Got get him."
"Right." Steve focused back up and chased after Schmidt after he grabbed his shield from the door.
In the hangar, Clark picked himself up after being thrown into a truck when Metallo punched him in the face before slamming him back into the truck. "No more talking. Now you die!"
Metallo punched him again only for Clark to manage to land a punch of his own. He followed up his left uppercut with a right cross that made Metallo recoil back a bit before he fell to his knees. Metallo's jaw sparked a bit as some wires likely got frayed from the hit but he was still more than ready to fight. He punched his right fist into the ground and ripped out a large steel pipe from the flooring that had a chunk of gravel on the end. With his makeshift club, Metallo advanced. A swing from the left and then from the right but Clark managed to dodge only to get a knee to the face. He fell onto his back and Metallo brought the makeshift gravel club up over his head before bringing it down onto him. The gravel exploded and Clark shouted in pain before Metallo swung again, hitting him in the face with the pipe and then grabbed him by the neck. He lifted him up into the air with one hand before striking the pipe onto the ground, breaking off the edge so it was jagged and thrust it at Clark who managed to grab it with both hands just before it touched his chest. Clark struggled to push back the pipe as Metallo inched it closer and closer until a spinning axe knocked it out of his hand. A flying mace then hit the arm holding Clark by the neck, forcing Metallo to loosen his grip allowing Clark to slip out. The sound of Rhinoceros was heard as Amaya charged in and dropkicked Metallo in the chest, sending him skidding backwards until he hit the truck he knocked Clark into. Dan then flew down and his hand turned into the antenna laser before firing an energy blast at Metallo. It hit him and the truck, causing the latter to explode and engulfing the former with fire.
Amaya and Dan helped Clark back to his feet as Carter and Amaya picked up their weapons. "Are you all right?" Dan asked.
"I'm fine but that won't keep him down for long." Clark told him and to his word they heard the groaning sound of bending metal before seeing Metallo push off the truck wreck. He emerged from the fire unscathed by the explosion though his pants were gone revealing his metal legs and confirming that he was completely metal. The only part of him that was left human was likely his brain.
"By the ancestors…" Amaya muttered in horror. She thought she had seen some truly horrible things but this definitely took the prize.
[Crash!]
The heroes turned around and saw more Hydra soldiers emerging into the hangar but with them were three Maschinensoldaten, hopefully the last three. "Oh boy. I remember those things." Shayara muttered.
"There's four of them and five of us. I'm still liking our odds." Carter stated, flexing his battle axe. "If this be our death then we shall die fighting."
Clark looked at the odds and while they weren't great he wasn't about to let that stop him. "Not alone, you won't."
"Not how I planned to go but no better way to die than by saving the world." Dan pointed out.
"It has been an honor." Amaya said to everyone.
"The honor is mine. Thank you, all of you." Clark cracked his neck and his eyes began glowing red. "Ready?"
"Born ready. HA!" Shayara extended out her wings and took off flying with Carter joining her. Amaya summoned the spirit of the cheetah and sprinted at the Maschinensoldaten while Dan and Clark faced off against Metallo. Dan changed his hands into blades while Clark's eyes glowed red and the two charged.
A battle of epic proportions earmarked the end of the Red Skull.
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