Chapter 33

Northern Italy Late October 1943

Part of the US 5th Army was camped near Azzano along with the remnants of the 107th Infantry Regiment. A military base was quickly set up to begin operations in securing the rest of northern Italy with forces already pushing the remnants of the German Army, Panzer Divisions, and Luftwaffe back. They were being pushed back to the borders of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Yugoslavia. Everyone back at Allied Command or overseas saw the progress as being one step closer to ending the war and they were correct in some ways. The fact they were able to push the Germans almost entirely out of Italy was a good sign. As they had pushed north in the country, some of the German army surrendered but most retreated with the Italians just surrendering. Newspapers and radio broadcasts kept the world informed and thanks to the efforts of the Superman, the Germans were feeling the hurt and the war was getting closer to ending every day. But they just hit a snag.

The attack on Azzano, while successful, was costly as Hydra ended up joining the fight with new weapons that pushed them back and cost them a lot. It was only with the swift intervention of Superman that they weren't massacred and even then, the 107th was nearly decimated with only 40% remaining while the rest were either KIA or taken as POWs. Schmidt and the Hydra forces retreated over the Austrian border and while they didn't go after them, their intelligence network was close to figuring out where they went. In the meantime, Clark and Taskforce Vanguard were given some rest at the camp while they planned their next move.

Taskforce Vanguard had their own private command tent in the camp and most of the team were resting and refitting for their next mission which Clark had told them would be to follow Hydra, find out what they're doing, and then rescue any POWS they could. Despite the team's readiness to get those men back and to find out what Hydra was doing, Colonel Phillips was more hesitant. Hydra's surprise attack and return was a swift kick in the ass. While the war effort was still going great for them, being all the way in Northen Italy with it pretty much secured Hydra's resurgence sort of broke the mystique that this war would be over by the end of the year. Especially when Colonel Phillips read the reports on what their new weapons could do. Super tanks the size of buildings and new kinds of rifles that apparently vaporized human bodies and packed the same amount of punch as a bazooka round. What worried him was the fact that these new Hydra weapons were now the second thing to injure Clark. Tank shells, mortars, and bullets bounced off his skin but one shot from one of these new energy guns knocked him across a room with a serious burn on his chest. He thankfully healed and managing to survive a blast from a weapon that turned other men into dust was a miracle, but this attack represented a possible trend the Colonel was worried about. First was the SS officer who somehow turned into a red-skinned hulk that could go toe to toe with Superman in a fist fight and now it was Hydra's new weapons. Superman's abilities and prowess on the battlefield has given the allies a string of continuous wins and advanced the war effort in their favor but it was becoming apparent that the Germans were developing weapons to combat this. Hydra was a different matter as from the reports they killed just as many German forces as they did Allied so clearly Schmidt wasn't content on being Hitler's lapdog. But the SS weren't apart of Hydra so Hitler must be trying to advance the German Army's weapons development to combat Superman on their own and if the reports from their spy and partisan networks were to be believed then there were more secret weapons being worked on.

The war was far from over, unfortunately, but first they needed to deal with Hydra.

Clark was at a table, looking over maps, reports, and all the allied spy network information they had on Austria and the German armed forces movements and placements. According to their most recent reports there wasn't any recent activity in the already established German army locations which helped narrow down the location of where Hydra went. Considering they opened fire on the German Army at Azzano and from what Schimdt said at the factory, Hydra was now fighting against Hitler for his own crazed plan so they wouldn't be near any major cities as the German army had them in control which left the wide expanse of the Austrian woods and forests. Solange walked into the tent having returned from the intelligence group with a stack of papers.

"Good news I'm hoping?" Clark asked, wearing his usual army fatigues. His Superman suit was badly damaged when Schmidt shot him with that new energy pistol and Howard was going to make a new one.

"A little bit of both. We got a communique from an SSR asset in Austria. She managed to verify where Hydra was and where they took the POWs. Some kind of prison camp doubling as a weapons factory." Solange handed him the report.

"Finally. I've been dying for some payback." Daniel Take-Yatsu remarked.

"What's the bad news?" Arthur Kingsley wondered.

"They're 30 miles behind enemy lines right in the middle of the Kitzbuhel forest." Clark put a pin on the map where the Hydra base was. "According to the report, Hydra has the entire area monitored so they'd see us coming from a mile away if we go by land which means our best bet to pull this off is going in by air."

"Logan's gonna be thrilled about the idea of another jump." Lucas quipped, which earned a few chuckles. "What do you think, boss?"

"I think that we need to take that factory as soon as possible. Not only to rescue the men but to figure out what Schmidt's up to and whatever other assets he has. If we don't get ahead of this than the next time it'll make what happened in Azzano look tame in comparison." Clark said and his team agreed. "First the SS commando and now this…the Germans aren't going to give this war up without a fight. If we have any chance than we need to keep up the offensive. I'll go brief Colonel Phillips."

The team nodded and Clark left the tent with all the relevant information. Walking through camp, his presence drew noticeably less attention because he was just wearing regular army fatigues. It was the suit and large S on his chest that drew attention. Without it, he just looked like any other soldiers in the camp though those that got a glimpse of his face were able to recognize him and they saluted him as he walked by. He entered the Command tent to salutes by the MPs on duty and walked over to Colonel Phillips and his aid who were busy organizing the condolence letters to the families of the fallen or captured members of the 107th lost or killed at Azzano. An unfortunate, but necessary part of the job.

"Colonel Phillips." Clark saluted him.

"At ease, lieutenant. How are you feeling, Elbert?" Colonel Phillips asked him.

"Fine, sir. Rested and ready." Clark answered.

"Good. I've had to deal with more than my fair share of condolence letters here, Lieutenant Elbert so please tell me you have good news." Colonel Phillips said.

"I do, sir. An SSR asset in Austria located where Schmidt is holed up. A Hydra facility/prison camp." Clark handed him the files with the information so he could look it all over. "They're 30 miles behind enemy lines, sir."

"Deep in the Austrian forest. Likely surrounded by AA guns with the roads to be heavily patrolled. And with what Hydra had at Azzano, if we go in there with our forces, we'd lose more men than we'd save." Colonel Phillips theorized.

"I agree, sir, which is why it should be a small team like our mission to get Mussolini in Abruzzo." Clark then showed him the map of the area. "My team will parachute in as close as we can to the location. From there, we'll link up with the SSR agent we have in Austria and proceed to the prison on foot. I can pick up any patrols and traps to get us close. Once there, we'll free the prisoners, get any kind of intel we can on what Schmidt is building and then blow the factory up. Extraction plan is still to be discussed but I figure a pick-up point maybe 45 miles from the Hydra camp."

"You sure you can guide your team through miles of dense forests while avoiding all their patrols and traps?" Colonel Phillips asked.

"Yes, sir. My senses are the sharpest. I'll be able to make sure we get close." Clark answered but could see that Colonel Phillips wasn't entirely onboard. "It's a risky plan, sir but one I feel we need to go through with."

"And if the risk is too great, Lieutenant?" Colonel Phillips wondered. "It goes without saying that the Superman has been the lynchpin for the recent success the Allies have made against Hitler. We've taken out Mussolini and the Italians while pushing all the way into Northern Italy. We've done more in the past few months than in the rest of the war so far, but it would seem that the tide is turning against us. The red skinned monstrosity you encountered to get Mussolini is one thing but now Hydra's new types of energy weapons to deal with. Weapons they've built to go up against you. I hope you understand that and aren't just doing this to get your men back."

"I'm not, sir. I'll admit that I feel responsible for what happened in Azzano. I led those men, and they were thrown to the wolves but that's precisely why this mission is important. Hydra has to have been working on these weapons for a long time, at least a few years. We thought they were just being quiet but that's clearly not the case. We can't win this war if we don't know what we're fighting against, Colonel. We need information and we can only get so much from our intelligence network." Clark stated and the Colonel agreed.

"I agree, Lieutenant. I agree." He looked over the information one more time. "You really think you and your team can get this done?"

"It's why I put the team together, sir. We're the Vanguard." Clark replied.

Colonel Phillips nodded and put the files down. "All right, then. Get what you need, refit your team, get a pilot, and get this done."

"Yes, sir." Clark saluted and walked out of the tent.

Hydra had made their first true offensive in the war, going up against the Allies and Germany itself. But they would soon realize that despite all their beliefs, this war was far from over.

A week later…

November 1943

Captain America had been on a USO tour, doing his usual bond routine and show for the troops to help morale. His show was a hit in the states, being the driving force for the uptick in bond sales and war-time propaganda related media and activity. They had been doing shows and such for the troops all throughout Sicily and now making their way through Italy up all the way to the Northern part of the country. The shows didn't have the same kind of impact as they did in the states. Sure, the locals in the town often came to shows and it entranced the young, but most didn't really speak or understand English that well, so it was mostly just spectacle and song as the speeches flew over their heads. As for the men in the camps, the real target audience, well they didn't give a crap about Captain America and only cared for the dancing girls in his routine. Case in point, his latest show for the men near Azzano.

The soldiers weren't exactly receptive to his show, booing him off the stage and one even threw food at him. Steve, knowing they didn't care just walked off and let the dancers and girls of his show come back on to the roaring applause of the men. Some music started playing for the girls routine as Steve walked backstage with his head dropped low.

"Don't worry, pal. They'll warm up to you." Senator Brandt's Aid told him, but Steve just kept his head down as the girls passed him.

The show ended about an hour later and Steve found himself sitting backstage by himself for a moment of peace. He was jotting some things down in a journal and drawing a monkey on a unicycle. Apparently, Senator Brandt was thinking of spicing up the Captain's USO tour with animals and a monkey dressed up like Captain America would be a big hit, at least he thought so.

"I'm not sure I would go with the monkey." Steve heard and turned around to see Clark walk up to him wearing some army fatigues. "I hear they fling their poop around and that wouldn't look good for a show."

"Hey, Kal." Steve got up and they shared a quick hug. "Glad you're all right."

"Thanks, Steve. It's good to see you." Clark patted him on the shoulder. "I caught some of your performance."

"Yeah. I had to improvise a bit. The crowds I'm used to are usually more, uh…twelve." Steve said.

"Well, it's not all bad for America's new hope. I have you to thank for the increase in funding we've been getting." Clark praised him.

"Bond sales take a 10% bump in every state I visit." Steve said but it sounded rehearsed and the undertone in his voice didn't express any pride.

"Nice but that's more Senator Brandt I'm hearing and not Steve Rogers or Captain America." Clark pointed out.

"At least he's got me doing something. Phillips would have had me stuck in a lab." Steve recounted.

"Well, we were for a bit." Clark remembered. "You've been the test subject and now the dancing monkey. The question for you now is if you're ready to get into the fight. You don't think you ending up overseas was Senator Brandt's doing, do you?"

Steve looked at Clark, confused. "You?"

"Despite my dislike for the mass marketed/propaganda aspect of the Superman persona, it has its advantages. I used them to grease some wheels at the USO and get you to come to Europe. Senator Brandt would have had you stay in the states from what I could tell." Clark recounted before looking over at the medical tents as some trucks came in with some freshly wounded soldiers.

"They look like they've been through hell." Steve said.

"Or something close. Schmidt and Hydra have resurfaced and the fighting's gotten worse. They've developed some new kind of weapon, powerful enough to decimate armies. I'm bulletproof but what Schmidt's made is something else entirely." Clark told him. "They had a secret facility in Azzano. We managed to take it out, but it cost us. I led the 107th with 200 men and when it ended I had less than 50."

"The 107th?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. I remembered what you told me about your friend, Bucky. He was one of the people either KIA or MIA. With what happened we couldn't confirm. I'm sorry." Clark told him and Steve was disheartened to hear that. "I'm not sure if he's alive but if he is then he's being held at a Hydra facility in Austria. My team is heading there to rescue any POWs and get as much intel as we can on Hydra's plans. My team is good but with some extra help we'd be a lot better off."

"What about Colonel Phillips?" Steve wondered.

"He gave me the clear to go through with the mission and it's up to my discretion on how I accomplish it." Clark answered. "You've been stuck doing the shows for long enough, Steve. It's why I had your show come to Europe. It'll be a lot easier for you to help without an ocean in the way. Captain America has helped the war at home but now it's time for him to get into the fight. Question is whether you're ready?"

Steve didn't even need a moment to think and stood up with a confident and determined look on his face. "Steve Rogers, reporting for duty."

"All right. Get your gear and meet me at my tent. It's on the east side of camp." Clark told him and Steve nodded. "And Steve…lose the head piece. It looks ridiculous."

Steve nodded and Clark left soon after. Steve went over to the supply tent for the USO show which is where all their gear and props were stored. He put some spare clothes into a bag, slipped on some military boots and a brown leather jacket. Leaving behind the mask, he looked around for something else to wear and saw the dressers where the dancers put their helmets. They were military helmets painted blue so they would work. Steve grabbed the one with the letter A and put it on before grabbing his shield and rushing out of the tent.

It was time for Captain America to get into the war.

Krausberg, Austria

A twin-engine plane was flying low and fast over the vast Austrian forest range. It wasn't a military plane but rather a civilian one, specially modified by its designer and pilot Howard Stark. Howard had arrived a few days ago in his plane to drop off some more equipment and cargo to the camp which included another suit for Clark since his previous one was damaged by Schmidt's laser pistol. The damage to the suit was too severe to just patch but luckily Howard had the foresight to make two suits, an original and then a backup in case something happened. Guess he would need to make another backup. When Howard was told that something else managed to hurt Clark and it was Hydra, he was intrigued about this new Hydra weapon from a scientific point of view but realized that if it hurt Superman than this could mean bad things for the war. It's why he volunteered to help Clark and his team by flying them in his plane to their drop site. His plane was faster than the standard military ones and he was a great pilot.

Clark and his team were in their seats with all their gear, weapons and parachutes. Also with them was Steve Rogers who was given a M1911 Colt pistol he strapped to his thigh. With them closing in Clark decided to give the team a quick reminder of their goal.

"Our target is the Hydra camp/factory in Krausberg tucked between these two mountain ranges. It's location makes it isolated which means Hydra doesn't want anyone to know what's going on. That helps us as we'll only have to deal with Hydra. Any German army forces are miles away and with how Hydra opened fire on them than they're not gonna come by to help."

"I should be able to drop you right on their doorstep." Howard told them.

"Just get us as close as you can than get out." Clark said.

"And after you're done? Ladies, how would you feel about a quick stop to Lucerne for a late-night fondue?" Howard wondered only for them to look at him in disbelief. "Tough crowd."

"For the record, Stark. Maybe don't hit on woman with guns who could kill you." Logan pointed out.

"Fair enough."

Clark then took out the transponder device Howard gave him. "Howard, you sure this will work?"

"It's been tested. Once you get clear of the factory, activate the transponder and it'll lead me straight to you." Howard assured him so Clark put it back in his pack.

Logan took a deep breath to steady himself from his airsickness when he noticed Steve being awfully quiet. "You all right there, boy scout?" Logan asked him and Steve wasn't sure how to answer that.

"He didn't mean anything by it. One thing you learn about Logan is that other than being lucky is that he has a fondness for nicknames. He calls Kal the same thing." Halima Sambardi told Steve.

"If the shoes fit." Logan quipped.

"It's ok. And I'm all right." Steve assured her.

"Your nervous. It's all right to be nervous. Perfectly normal." Arthur Kingsley pointed out.

"A little but I'm ready for this." Steve answered.

"I think you'll find real life combat is a little different to the ones in your movies." Lucas Riggs remarked. "But no judgement. They were a fun bit of distraction, and I definitely enjoyed the dancing girls in your bit."

He drew some chuckles until Padma slapped him upside the head. "Easy, Lucas. All that crap is Senator Brandt. Steve was put through Project Rebirth like I was. His treatment was different but he's a super soldier. I wouldn't have brought him with us if I didn't think he could handle it." Clark assured him and everyone else on his team and they relented. They knew that Clark wouldn't have vouched for Steve and put him with the team for this if he couldn't handle himself. And if he was a super soldier, even with a fraction of the powers like Superman than Captain America could be the thing they needed to beat Hydra.

"Why'd you bring that?" Daniel Take-Yatsu asked, pointing to Steve's star-spangled shield he had on the ground next to his feet.

"Kind of got attached to it. Besides, who knows. It could be good for something." Steve remarked when anti-aircraft fire began to burst around them. The plane shook as Howard kept them as steady as possible.

"Hang on!" Howard kept the plane steady while doing his best to avoid flak fire. Clark checked his compass and the map to check their position.

"How far out are we?!" Diggle shouted.

"We're 15 miles out!" Clark shouted.

"They must have picked us up!" Webb shouted as everyone secured their gear. "We stay here any longer then we'll get shot down!"

"We're not! Get ready to jump!" Clark shouted as he got up and opened the side door.

"Kal, wait! Let me take you all the way in!" Howard shouted.

"No, this is far enough! The second we're gone you turn around and get out of here!" Clark told him and while Howard didn't like it, they had no choice.

"Be careful! I'll be waiting to pick you up!" Howard told him, slowing down the speed of the plane to make their jump easier.

"Let's go!" Clark jumped out of the plane first with Steve right behind him. Steve strapped his shield to his arm, put his goggles over his eyes and jumped out followed by the rest of the team. Once the last person was out, Howard pushed up the accelerator and turned the plane around.

It was up to them now.

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