章 47: Chapter 47
Clark, Dan, Carter and Shayera followed Amaya through the village towards the entrance where all the villagers had stood to the sides and knelt down in reverence to the visiting King of Wakanda. Clark, Dan Garrett, Carter, and Shayara watched as a small group arrived at the village. Arriving at the village on large carriages pulled by giant white rhinoceros were a dozen men garbed in special blue cloaks with curved swords on their waists and some of their faces were adorned with ceremonial scars. With them were eight woman, all with shaved heads and wearing red ceremonial-garb like full-body suits with metal cuffs on their forearms, metal shoulder pads, and neck guards. These woman all had matching no nonsense looks and held themselves up with utmost sense of discipline, respect, and poise. Based on their body language as they moved into position and the spears they were carrying Clark figured they were bodyguards for the King, and he was proven right when they stood at attention as he got off the carriage and walked by.
The King was special and the reason for that was because of the suit he was wearing. Clark was expecting him to arrive in similar garb to the others escorting him but more refined to show his greater station as king, but he wasn't expecting a feline-themed suit of armor. Heavy armored boots with golden indents on the feet to resemble claws fitted to armored trousers. A beautifully made robe and sash of purple, green, and other similar colors was wrapped around his waist and over his right shoulder on top of black colored metal armor that was perfectly grafted to his body. Maximum protection and movement with textures similar to clothing but Clark could tell it was armor. There were gold spikes on his forearms that bled into the lines on his armored gloves and matched the gold sharp tiger-like teeth that went around his neck area like a necklace, similar to Amaya's totem. And to top it off, the King was wearing a helmet that gave the distinct visage of a feline-animal with gold details on the eyes, ears, and around the jawline, cheeks, and curves of his face.
The King walked into the village flanked by the eight warrior men, four on each side. Amaya took a knee and bowed her head, so Clark did the same, following her example. He then motioned for the others to do the same, so they did. The King held up his hand and his guards maintained their position before he walked over to Amaya.
"Rise." He said and she did. The King undid the latches on his helmet and removed it, revealing a man with a thin beard and short-buzzed hair likely in his mid-30s.
"Your majesty." Amaya bowed her head.
"You know you don't have to do that." He told her and they both smiled before embracing with a hug. "It is good to see you again, Amaya."
"You as well, Azzuri." Amaya replied.
"I heard there was some trouble here in the village. I'm sorry I could not come to help but there have been some developments in Wakanda that delayed me. By the time I found out about the attack I was too late." Azzuri told her.
"It's all right, Azzuri. Fortune favored me in the form of new friends who arrived to help. And it seems it favors you as well because one of my new friends it seems has come to speak to you." Amaya said as she motioned for Clark and the others to stand so they did. "Allow me to introduce Daniel Garrett, Carter and Shayara Hall, and Captain Kalvin Elbert. Everyone, allow me the honor of introducing you to Azzuri, son of Azzari, King of Wakanda."
"Your majesty, it is an honor to meet you." Clark bowed his head.
"So, the mighty Superman has come to Africa." Azzuri remarked. "Even in Wakanda we have heard tales of the Superman and your efforts in combating Hitler and the Nazis. From what we hear you are the reason Italy was retaken. On behalf of Wakanda, I commend you on your efforts and you have my thanks for coming to the assistance of Zambesi. Having said all that you'll find me surprised and intrigued on what brought you all the way here, with interesting companions, no less."
"Companions through circumstance, your majesty and as unfortunate as the circumstances may have been they've introduced me to some interesting new friends as well. They are as much to praise for the defense of Zambesi as is Ms. Jiwe. She has been a most gracious host." Clark replied.
"I see. Thank you all for your assistance." King Azzuri said and the three bowed their heads. "But still the question of what brought you here in the first place troubles me. I doubt the Germans have decided to relaunch another campaign against the continent."
"No, your majesty. This group is looking for something important and I fear they could be coming to your country to find it." Clark told him and sensing what he was going to say, Azzuri knew they needed privacy.
"Perhaps this will be best said in private. Amaya, would we be able to use your hut?" Azzuri asked her.
"Of course. This way." Amaya led them through the village to her hut. The villagers dispersed as Azzuri's guards followed him, Clark, and the others. Clark, Amaya, and Azzuri walked into the hut but then the guards used their spears to block Dan, Carter, and Shayara from entering.
"Uh, can't we come in?" Shayara asked.
"I'm afraid that what must be spoken about is knowledge that must remain hidden from outsiders." Azzuri told them.
"Azzuri, they did help against the attackers of Zambesi so perhaps they could help again." Amaya suggested.
"I'm sorry, Amaya but I have certain duties as King and the protection of my country and people are the most important." Azzuri reminded her. Clark looked at the others and then at Azzuri and realized one factor that they all shared.
"King Azzuri, your majesty, with all due respect, I know I've only just met you and I've only just met them, but I think they can be trusted. They came all the way here to Zambesi to help defend it against its attackers without any thought to reward or personal gain. With what is coming than you could use some assistance in the fight. Besides, I believe there are things about all of us that we would like to keep hidden. I imagine those people value and understand the idea of keeping something secret." Clark pointed out and Azzuri was intrigued. It was true that the three clearly weren't normal and would prefer to keep their business personal.
"I for one can vouch for that." Dan Garrett raised his arm up like they were in a class.
"Put that down." Carter told him.
Azzuri was still skeptical, so he looked at Amaya and she gave him a reaffirming nod. "Very well but what is spoken of today will never be repeated or said to anyone."
"Yes, your majesty." The three replied and the female guards let them pass. Once they were all in the hut, the guards closed the curtains that acted as the door and stood around it to keep everyone away.
"So, what exactly is going on?" Shayara wondered.
"A while ago my team and I were sent on a mission into occupied Austria to infiltrate a prison camp and factory owned and operated by Johann Schmidt. He is the head of a group known as Hydra. Hydra used to be a Nazi science division and was responsible for a lot of the German armies best weapons, but Schmidt cut ties with German, now working on his own plan." Clark started off.
"Oh, we've heard of them. Apparently, the Germans were using some of their weapons when they occupied North Africa." Carter said.
"The factory we infiltrated was them working on other weapons. My team and I rescued the prisoners and blew up the factory, but it was there that we learned that Hydra was working on something big and had help. They may not be fighting for Hitler anymore but they're working for someone with a lot of knowledge and funds to help build other weapons of war, one of which being the Maschinensoldaten that we fought." Clark continued and noticed Azzuri's confused look. "It's a large suit of armor with a powerful energy source that doubles as a lethal energy weapon. The wearer of the suit isn't a normal soldier but enhanced with a serum that grants them incredible strength at the cost of well, being human."
"It was one of these things that attacked Zambesi. They are not to be trifled with." Amaya warned.
"Who is this person you mentioned?" Azzuri asked.
"Standartenführer Vandal Savage, high ranking Nazi member and SS colonel of Die-Unsterbliche Armee. SSR intelligence didn't have a lot on him until he appeared in 1933 with money and influence to help the build of the Nazi party. Shortly after Hitler's rise to power he's been using that power and influence to establish connections with various groups. One of which is Hydra and he's why they and the SS company are here in Africa. They're after Vibranium." Clark answered.
"And what exactly is Vibranium." Dan Garrett asked.
"An extremely rare metal. Very light but once refined it's able to absorb energy. Apparently, it's completely vibration absorbent. Howard Stark heads the science department at the SSR and with it he made a shield that's practically indestructible." Clark replied. "Let's just say this. I gave it a strong punch and not so much as a scratch."
"Ok, but why come for this supposedly rare and special metal here?" Shayara questioned.
"Because it was I who gave Howard Stark the small fragment of Vibranium. As a gift. I doubt that Hydra and this Savage would send a group all the way to Africa just in search for metal from a shield." Azzuri pointed out.
"You're right. Howard didn't make that shield until after we blew up the factory. Before we did, I found a room that Vandal Savage was using as an office. There he had various papers and plans regarding his various business dealings including the one that made the Maschinensoldaten. In that room were maps and a lot of information on Vibranium and plans for an expedition. Many thought that they wouldn't risk it especially after being pushed out of the Northern part of the continent, but they sent a small detachment to look for more." Clark explained.
"Seems kind of risky. Savage and Hydra are putting a lot of eggs into one basket in the hopes of finding some rare metal all the way here, especially with the way the war is going." Carter pointed out.
"Agreed. Vibranium is incredibly rare so the odds of them finding any is highly unlikely, not to mention the risk of them being here and getting it back to Germany. And they would have no idea what they were looking for or where to even begin their search other than one country which by itself is not a lot." Amaya agreed.
"Actually, they did." Clark corrected her and this got the attention of Azzuri. "When I was in Savage's office, he had plenty of research already being done on Vibranium and he had a Vibranium weapon."
"What kind of weapon?" Azzuri questioned.
"A spear. Or part of one at least, similar to the one your personal guard use. The metal had this blue glow to it…and it created a sonic blast powerful enough to destroy a brick wall." Clark answered as he remembered his moment with Savage at the Hydra Lab. "He's working with someone. Someone who is helping him get the information and things he needs, which I think includes the spear he used. I just don't know who it is but whoever it is, he did enough to get Savage and Schmidt to send a force here looking for more Vibranium."
"And where is this Savage now?" Azzuri asked.
"Dead. Burned to death in the factory that my team blew up." Clark answered and Azzuri sighed in somewhat relief. At least he was dead. "When we got the intelligence that they were in Africa, that's when I made my way here to try and stop them. This war was inadvertently brought to your doorstep, your majesty and for that I apologize. I just hope that I can stop them from getting what they want."
Azzuri took a moment to let this all sink in and mull things over in his head. These were certainly very interesting times, more so than any previous King had to deal with. Granted the situation wasn't strange as Wakanda has dealt with invaders or people looking for their treasure but these circumstances were odd. Adding this onto the information he learned prior to his arrival, it seemed that something indeed was going on.
"This ally you say that Savage was working with clearly is more well informed than I initially believed. Especially regarding recent events. I did not need to be informed of enemies on their way to Wakanda. We were made aware of their arrival the second they passed into the Sudan. My plan was to deal with once they were close to my borders and erase any trace of their travels, but things have gotten…complicated." Azzuri held out his left hand which had a band of special beads around his wrist. Clark got a quick look, but he noticed the unique craftsmanship and metal which had the same faint blue glow as the spear. Azzuri touched one bead and the rest began to glow before emitting faint blue lights that hovered into the air a few inches above them that quickly coalesced into stilled video images in full color. What they showed were villages or points around the African plains that were attacked.
"Whoa…" Dan, Carter, and Shayara looked on in amazement. They had never seen this kind of technology before. Clark had the same look too, but it was mainly acting as while it was advanced it wasn't exactly something he would call incredible as he had his Kryptonian Liquid geo AI shrunk down around his wrist and resembling a watch. Amaya didn't look surprised though, which given her familiarity with Azzuri means she's seen this before. "What is that?"
"Wakandan technology, none of which you will ever speak of again or inform anyone." Azzuri warned them.
"We won't, your majesty. Like I said before, we all have our secrets that we'd like to keep to ourselves so whatever secrets Wakanda has than they won't leave this hut." Clark promised and decided to say something in order to better sell his shock at the technology like the others. "But what you have there looks like magic. It's incredible."
"I'll say. I've seen a lot in my lifetimes, but I don't think I've ever seen that before." Carter pointed out and Azzuri was confused at his wording.
"It's a long story. What happened, Azzuri?" Amaya asked.
"Not too long ago, several villages and guard points around Wakanda were attacked. The attacks came without warning and were quick and efficient. Someone was clearly probing our defenses for an attack."
"How bad?" Shayara asked him.
"Many dead with more wounded but from their attacks we were able to triangulate their position to here, approximately 8 kilometers south of here." Azzuri said.
"That would put them at the border into Wakanda." Amaya realized which is when the lights changed to show them a map with a red dot in a location.
"They appear to have made camp in this location and likely is setting it as a staging area. No doubt for additional attacks." Azzuri stated.
"They must have moved fast to commit so many quick attacks. Faster than I gave them credit for." Clark muttered, realizing that either his math was wrong, or he underestimated just how motivated Hydra was.
"I was on my way here to Zambesi to request Ms. Jiwe's help in this matter when our scanners picked up the group heading to her village. It appears I got here too late, but you arrived before I could." Azzuri pointed out.
"I run really fast." Clark said.
"And we just followed him." Dan Garrett added.
"Your majesty, I know this is your land, but if you were going to request Ms. Jiwe's help in this matter than I would like to offer my help as well in repelling these invaders. It's only right that I try to stop them." Clark pleaded.
"We would like to help as well." Carter offered with Shayara and Dan agreeing.
Azzuri thought it over before looking at Amaya. "With the kinds of weapons Hydra has than their help is needed, Azzuri. I would be to happy to assist as well." She said.
"Very well. Thank you for your assistance. We will leave immediately. Amaya, my border tribe warriors will remain here in Zambesi to ensure it is protected." Azzuri assured her.
"Thank you, Azzuri."
"We will leave immediately. A portion of my army will meet us on the way there. We shall make to their camp in an hour." Azzuri told them and everyone nodded, leaving the hut one by one. Azzuri was the last one to leave which is when his lead guard stepped forward.
"My King. Are you sure this action is wise? Associating and working with outsiders outside of Zambesi is something no king has ever done. Not since ancient times." She told him.
"I am aware, Okassa. But the wisdom of Bast has put us on this path. We shall see what wonders this Superman has to offer." He replied before they joined the others and left.
Wakanda
The sun was beginning to set over the horizon and in a very spectacular sunset with gorgeous colors of yellow, orange, and red mixed with the silhouettes of the African plains and mountains in the distance that would have made it a picture-perfect moment to relax. Unfortunately, it would soon be a night of conflict as the remaining Hydra and SS troops of the König company were setting up camp in preparation for additional attacks into Wakanda to retrieve Vibranium. But while they think they have the advantage and still remain hidden from discovery, nothing could be further from the truth. The Wakandans were on to them with the help of some information from Clark. A detachment of that group had attacked north into Zambesi to steal Amaya's totem but with the intervention of Clark along with specially gifted allies in Dan Garrett and Carter and Shayara Hall, they were able to prevent that from happening. Clark came down to Africa to stop Hydra and the SS forces sent by Savage and he offered his aid to King Azzuri. Wakanda has a history of keeping to itself and dealing with its own issues but surprisingly Azzuri agreed to their help. These were unusual circumstances indeed but one that would stop the invaders and ensure Wakanda's protection.
Azzuri along with Clark, Amaya Jiwe, Dan Garrett and Carter and Shayara Hall closed in on the location of the German camp with eight of the king's personal guard. When they were about a mile away from the German camp, they met up the small contingent of 100 Wakandan Royal Guard. Adorned with fitted black boots, and leg greaves on their bottom half while above the waist they wore Wakanda military garb which was ornate purple battle garments. Over that were metal cuirasses of armor for their chests and stomach, metal shoulder pads, and forearm bracers and they were all wielding spears. Clark recognized that the spears they were using were the exact same one that Savage had so they were sonic weapons. Half of the Wakandan Royal Guard were wearing long sashes/cloaks similar to the border tribe warriors.
When the Wakanda Royal Guard noticed Clark and the others they raised their spears only for Azzuri to motion them to stand down. "At ease, men. They will fight with us against the invaders." Azzuri told them in the local Xhosa dialect. "Are we ready to advance?"
"Yes, your majesty. A small group of scouts went ahead to check on the area and inform of us their movements. We'll meet them as we get closer. No changes since we've arrived." A soldier replied.
"Very good. Let's move." Azzuri said so they continued the trek. They abandoned the rhino pulled carriages and now had to move through the dense jungle which took some time, mostly for the Wakandan soldiers who couldn't move as easily as Clark and the others. Moving through the jungle wasn't as easy as they made it look in the movies and given, they were sneaking up on a German camp they were forced to go about it in the harder way.
They stopped about a couple hundred yards from the camps location to temporarily rest while they waited for the scout team to regroup with them. The sun was still up but it would be setting soon so their fight would likely either take place when it was dark out. Clark and the others sat against some trees while Azzuri and his men were off to the side.
[Stomach growl]
Clark perked his head up and turned to Dan, Carter, and Shayara who all shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry about that." Dan apologized.
"We didn't really eat much today and there was a lot of fighting." Carter pointed out so Clark reached into his pack and removed the British compo rations he was given back at the British military base in Egypt.
"Here." Clark handed them over so they could eat. "Sorry if it's not much."
"No, it's better. Thank you." Carter took them and handed one to Garret and then Shayara but then noticed there wouldn't be one for Clark. "Here, take it."
"No, it's fine, Carter. Eat. I can go longer without food than you can. Trust me. Go ahead." Clark insisted and Carter relented, giving him a thankful nod. He opened up the ration but saw something, so he tossed it to Clark which happened to be some chocolates.
"Go ahead. I don't eat chocolate." Carter told him.
"Not that what they put in here is chocolate. I heard a British soldier say that the American version is worse. The bar is so tough that apparently, he heard you can break a tooth on one." Dan remarked.
"He's not wrong." Clark remembered trying that out. It was known as the D-ration and was a concentrated chocolate bar designed with a high calorie content, but it was so hard that if you took a bite, you would damage your teeth so soldiers would use their knife to shave off pieces. They were the kind of things you'd resort to eating if you've gotten through all your other rations. He opened up the pack and ate one of the chocolates, not worrying about his teeth but the taste…eh, something to be desired.
"I have no idea how you live off this stuff. They should give you guys medals for that." Shayara pointed out as she ate the ration.
"They do what they can, and, in all honesty, you only really use these when you're stuck in the field. If you're near a base or camp you get a field kitchen, and they do their best with what they have but some things you adapt. Scrounging and hunting for food is something that my team has gotten pretty good at and it's something we did a lot of in Italy. Kind of had to considering the circumstances." Clark admitted.
"What do you mean?" Dan wondered.
"One of team members is Hindu and she doesn't eat beef. She gets by on vegetarian and chicken options but when there's none of that available, I took to hunting. Plenty of rabbit and the occasional deer but birds became more common." Clark said when he remembered one moment in particular. "We had just liberated this town north of Rome and we were waiting for the rest of the army to set their lines before pressing on. So, we were hanging around for a few days, but the Germans had pretty much taken everything the villagers had leaving them to starve or live off of surplus army rations. My team and I decided to go hunting to try and help and we returned an hour later with a deer, plenty of rabbits, some game birds and a lot of fish. The villagers were so happy that they threw a feast for us that night. Ever since we've used hunting to help with the morale of the camps we've stayed at and help with the food situation."
"I imagine deer or rabbit would be better than stuff in can, but I'll admit this kind of grows on you." Dan remarked as he happily ate what he assumed was some kind of meat stew.
"You have woman in your army? I wasn't aware the US army was so inclusive." Shayara pointed out.
"It's not but that's being worked on. I lead a special team of operators on missions to handle things that the army can't or wouldn't be able to in an effective manner like with Hydra and with Savage. I handpicked my team with men and women I know are fighters with unique skills that would be wasted in regular battles and with like-minded code of ethics." Clark took out his journal and removed a black and white photo of the team taken shortly after it was assembled. They could see a hodgepodge of men and women from different backgrounds, but they looked fierce. "If I had met you guys sooner maybe I would have asked you to join me but then again I'm sure that would come with some complications."
"Isn't that the truth." Shayara remarked. "Carter is more than ready for a fight but based on our few interactions with the British I don't think he'd do well with the military brass. And this is when we don't have our wings out."
"I'm fine." Carter assured her.
"You nearly punched that general in the face." Dan reminded him.
"He had it coming." Carter said only for the others to chuckle.
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