Superman (Marvel+DC)

A week later…

SSR Headquarters London, United Kingdom

Clark, Peggy, Taskforce Vanguard, the Howling Commandos, and the 107th returned to the SSR headquarters along with all the items they got from their expedition. All Hydra personnel were taken in by the MPs but the leadership like Werner Reinhardt were immediately transported overseas to the US where they'd be imprisoned in a special SSR prison known as the Rat. Highly classified and impossible to escape from specifically designed for special detainees. They still weren't sure what would be done with Reinhardt but from there he wouldn't be able to escape. Jiaying, the woman that Clark rescued was in their custody temporarily until she could be returned to her village in China. They just needed to figure out the logistics of how to get her home. Diggle gave her a checkup and other than stress from her imprisonment she was fine. Clark spoke with her during their trip to London and she told him what happened and the more he learned the more he grew concerned.

According to Jiaying, a group from her village went on a trip to Portugal in search for a relic in some kind of treasure hunt. She wasn't making much sense but according to her village the relic supposedly was a star that fell from the heavens with incredible power. It was lost to time but that didn't stop people from her village from trying to find it over the years. That search led them to Chaves, Portugal where they found it but not before Werner Reinhardt and his Hydra legion found them. At first, Reinhardt seemed to be like other members of Hydra they have encountered so far. Earned some military decorations with his participation in the German conquest back when Red Skull hadn't yet defected and like other officers he had been sent on research missions for various artifacts like Red Skull did back in Hydra's infancy. And it was a good thing that Hydra took such detailed notes because it was a treasure trove of information for the SSR.

Back when the Red Skull was looking for the Tesseract, Hydra had files on other artifacts that he believed could be used to aid in his plans for his ultimate endgame. Among them was a book that was said to contain infinite knowledge, an artifact that was said to be a doorway to the cosmos and two separate legends about falling stars from the sky but whether it was about one artifact or two separate ones was hard to say. One of those legends ended up being about the Obelisk and while Hydra didn't have any success with these artifact hunts except for the Tesseract, Reinhardt followed the clues and went to Portugal to retrieve it where he ran into the group from Jiaying's village who found it. After capturing them and the Obelisk, Reinhardt ordered his team to capture more people from Jiaying's village for questioning. He reasoned that if they knew where to find it then it was possible they knew more about the Obelisk and he wanted to know what they knew. From Reinhardt's notes, the village people only really knew the legends about the artifact being from the heavens and any who touched it were turned to stone. She was one of the unfortunate souls kidnapped and the last one remaining after Reinhardt used the others as test subjects. One would assume that she got lucky and hadn't yet been used for the experiments on the Obelisk or perhaps that Reinhardt kept her around for personal use. Reinhardt's research proved that wrong.

Clark was seated in a private room in the SSR base going over all the information Hydra had on the Obelisk and on Reinhardt's research. All the files and research notes regarding the Obelisk were laid before him while he watched the test films that Reinhardt had taken during his experiments. Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos were given some R after their pursuit of the last of Hydra so they were out enjoying themselves. It would also give Colonel Phillips a chance to catch up on all the paperwork from their various raids, allow their scientists to go through everything they captured and also figure out what the SSR would do now that Red Skull and Hydra were effectively taken care of. While the SSR was formed to combat Hitler and the Third Reich, it's main priority had been Hydra as it was better suited to deal with the group but now that the objective was complete how the SSR would fit in with the rest of the war effort would need to be figured out. No doubt that dealing with the remnants of Hydra and what they left behind would take up much of their time like Agent Carter who had taken the lead on all the intelligence they gathered. Clark was helping in that regard since he could do the work of a dozen clerks in half the time and part of his want to help was just him being helpful but it was also personal curiosity. He knew that a star that fell from the heavens meant something alien which peaked his interest and if it was like Kryptonite then they could have a ticking time bomb on their hands so he needed to ensure they were safe.

Clark's calm visage belied the disgust and revulsion at Reinhardt's inhumane experiments with the Obelisk and the complete dispassionate and almost psychotic impassivity he had to what was done as the recordings of the experiments were played via a film projector. It was a different kind of psychosis from the Red Skull who was megalomaniacal and egocentric. As Dr. Erskine told him, misinterpreting the master race superhuman idea upon himself like Hitler has done and believing himself to be the superior being. Everything Red Skull did was in support of that as opposed to Werner Reinhardt who was just as amoral and horrendous but it was with a calm indifference. From all the research Clark read and the footage he watched it was clear that Reinhardt lacked empathy completely, viewing this as nothing more than scientific experimentation. Like some of the scientists and commandants Clark had captured from various Nazi extermination camps, Reinhardt was someone who completely lacked a conscience. That made him dangerous, especially if he ever got loose or got his hands on the Obelisk again.

Clark noted the Obelisk was the object Reinhardt was holding when they captured him. From the paperwork and maps, if Reinhardt hadn't been captured then he would have moved to a secret Hydra facility in Africa. The benefit of capturing Reinhardt and all the intel at the Hydra facility along with the stuff from Red Skull's base was that it gave them information like this. He'd give the intel to Colonel Phillips once they were done and hopefully they'd be able to coordinate a mission to capture the site. Another thing he noted was the near 100% likelihood that the Obelisk was indeed alien as it definitely didn't seem to be native to earth. It's odd shape, the strange markings he saw etched onto it from the various photos Hydra took and what it could do. Alongside the Tesseract, these were two items that he believed weren't native to earth. The question of how they got here remained but the more current problem was to make sure that no one found the Obelisk and it never got into the wrong hands. If someone like Reinhardt ends up figuring out how to weaponize its power then a lot of people could die and unfortunately Clark had this sinking feeling that the someone he was referring to could even be one of their own. If an Allied scientists or general heard about this kind of weapon then they might want to use it. It had to be locked away and hidden.

Clark began to put away the files and organize everything again for storage. He was about to turn off the projector when he saw the footage continue and Jiaying was brought in for testing. With everything he saw and all the other victims Reinhardt had tested it on, Jiaying would have been killed and it was likely thanks to luck and timing that she wasn't. Then to his shock he saw Reinhardt's men force her face onto the Obelisk and instead of turning into coal like the other, nothing happened. The Obelisk seemed to shimmer and even though the footage was black and white it was possible that it was glowing as well. For some reason Jiaying was able to touch the Obelisk without suffering from any ill-effects when every single man and woman before her was turned to stone. The Obelisk seemed to kill anyone regardless of age, gender, race, or ethnicity yet there was one woman who was now immune.

"What on earth…" Clark muttered to himself when the footage ended so he shut the projector off. He looked over the files again and stared at the pictures taken of the Obelisk before he tapped his watch and it glowed a bit before it turned into Kryptonian liquid-geo material and then morphed into a small Kryptonian hover drone.

"Greeting, Kal-El. How may I assist you today?"

"Kelex. Can you check your database and see if there is any information on the Obelisk? Hydra believes it is of alien origin so maybe you'll have something." Clark said.

"One moment please." Kelex projected a small beam of light that scanned the file on the Obelisk, reading all the information that Hydra had on it. "I believe I have found a match and can confirm that the Obelisk Hydra had acquired is known as a Kree Diviner."

Kelex then projected the information on the table for Clark to read but dimmed the light so that no one walking by the door would notice anything strange. "What's a Kree Diviner? Some kind of weapon? And who are the Kree?"

"The Kree are a militaristic civilization that originate from their home world of Hala and have expanded their rule to the larger Kree Empire which encompasses various planets and systems. Back in Krypton's height hundreds of thousands of years ago they halted the Kree's expansion of the universe but hostilities remained over the years alongside other interstellar groups and planetary systems. They are a technologically advanced race with their armada of warships and weapons systems being formidable aids in their conquest."

"So, this Diviner is a Kree weapon? How did it wind up on earth?" Clark asked.

"The Diviner isn't a weapon in the traditional sense but more a containment unit for a special substance known as Terrigen." Kelex then showed him a breakdown of the Diviner and then inside to see an assortment of crystals. "According to the House of El Database, the Kree were engaged in advanced genetic experiments for their ever-expanding empire and numerous conflicts. Similar to the SSR and Project Rebirth, Kree scientists were using these experiments to create super soldiers but instead of using their own people they would travel to various planets and use the local population as their test subjects."

"And ancient earth was one of them. That's why the Diviner is here." Clark deduced.

"Yes. The experiments were conducted over five thousand years ago and proved successful with their mutated human subjects being given the label as Inhumans. Upon exposure to the Terrigen crystals a genetic mutation would be triggered, giving the subjects unique superhuman abilities and the Kree created containment units for the crystals known as Diviners. They kept the crystals safe and protected from any who were not Kree or Inhuman."

"So that's why everyone Reinhardt used the Obelisk on turned to stone except for Jiaying. She's Inhuman but I didn't sense any kind of abilities or powers."

"It's likely she does not have them. The Kree's Inhuman experiments were stopped thousands of years ago by the Inhumans they created when they rose up in rebellion along with outside assistance. All traces of the Inhuman program were destroyed but the Diviners were left behind and lost to history. Most likely this Diviner is the last remaining one still functional and from my records, if this Jiaying wasn't turned to stone then she likely has the Inhuman genome but is not Inhuman. The altered Inhuman gene was proven to be hereditary but without Terrigen Crystals then Inhuman descendants could not be mutated and given powers. The Inhuman gene is similar to other genetic markers passed down from generation to generation. I roughly estimate that every one in ten thousand humans could possess the Inhuman Genome though precise numbers will be difficult to calculate. This Jiaying you speak of only has the potential to become Inhuman but a Diviner could only be activated at a Kree science site and there likely isn't one on earth."Kelex explained and Clark thought it all over. "While the Diviner is dangerous, so long as it is kept out of human contact then it is harmless. I suggest ensuring that the Diviner is kept hidden."

"Thanks, Kelex." Clark deactivated him and cleaned up all the files and research before putting them back into their boxes to be put into storage. He had some clerks do that for him while he went to see Peggy to tell her what he learned. He navigated his way through the SSR building until he arrived at Peggy's office and closed the door so they could talk in private. Suffice to say that after he explained everything he learned the only two thoughts in Peggy's head were confusion and concern.

"And Kelex is sure of this?" Peggy asked and Clark nodded. She sat down in her chair and thought over everything. "Do you think Hydra knows about the Inhumans and the Obelisk's true purpose?"

Clark shook his head. "No. From all the research I read through, Reinhardt thinks the Obelisk is just a weapon. All the tests he was doing was just to see if he could replicate and weaponize its effects until he saw Jiaying was immune. He was likely going to test that before we interrupted him. They were on their way to an outpost in Africa which we should take care of."

"I'll tell Colonel Phillips. Perhaps you could have one of your friends take care of it." Peggy suggested. "We'll need to bury the Obelisk. I'll arrange for its deep storage and bury it in the files. That shouldn't be hard enough and I'll make sure Reinhardt never sees the light of day. What about Jiaying? Do you think she knows about her Inhuman gene?"

"I don't think so and she wasn't lying when I was talking to her. To her and the people of her village, the Diviner is just an old legend. Probably the same as the Tesseract. I doubt they knew what it could do and even if she does know then there's nothing she can do about it so long as we lock the Diviner up and throw away the key. Even if she can hold it without turning into stone she can't unlock it without taking it to a Kree site and considering how it's been thousands of years she wouldn't even know where to look." Clark answered. "I think we need to make sure that this is one of the war's secrets that we rebury."

"Agreed. I'll begin taking care of it. Colonel Phillips has a trip scheduled to Washington later this week to brief the President. I'll use the opportunity to visit Reinhardt at the Rat and make sure he doesn't go anywhere." Peggy told him. "How is everyone doing?"

"As best as can be considering the circumstances. Anna's kept herself and is prepping for our next mission. Not sure what that'll be and Dugan's stepped up for the Commandos. I've put him in command though with Hydra taken care of, I'm not sure what good they'll be. It's why I want to speak with Colonel Phillips myself. With Hydra taken care of, I'm afraid that military command will think to put them in with the regular army. They can fight but they're better suited for special missions or else they'll just be wasted." Clark told her.

"And the Superman?" Peggy wondered.

"I'll go wherever they need me. I heard that Operation Market Garden didn't go as planned." He said and Peggy nodded. "Seems like the Wehrmacht have more fight in them and Hitler isn't giving up without a fight."

"Guess we'll have to postpone that trip to Kansas then." Peggy quipped and Clark chuckled.

"Well, we still have a lot of work to do. Are we still on for later tonight?" He wondered and she smiled.

"I'll see you there." Peggy gave him a smile before he walked out of her office. He then made his way through the SSR base to Colonel Phillips office where Colonel Phillips's aid Lorraine waved him on. Clark walked in and saw Colonel Phillips sitting at his desk while on the phone so he closed the door quietly and stood at attention.

"Yes, sir. Yes. Uh huh. Yes, General Eisenhower. The 107th will be readied for mobilization as soon as possible. Yes, sir." Colonel Phillips hung up before Clark walked over in front of his desk and gave him a salute. "Stand down, Captain. What can I help you with?"

"Sir, with Hydra taken care of and the last site destroyed, I just wanted to know the plan for myself, Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos going forward." Clark said and Colonel Phillips motioned him to sit down.

"I'm curious, Captain Elbert. What do you think should be done with Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos?" Colonel Phillips wondered.

"Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos are highly skilled, well-trained soldiers that are best at irregular warfare and complex assignments. It's the only reason we were affective against Hydra and all the other threats we've faced so far. Putting them on the front lines is a waste of talent and manpower. If we weren't busy dealing with Hydra then we could have been deployed and assisted in Operation Market Garden, perhaps ensuring its ultimate success." Clark suggested and Colonel Phillips nodded.

"On that I agree with you, Captain."

"They need to be used correctly, sir. If not then they'll be wasted. Humbly and with respect, I'm requesting that Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos remain as they are, two tier-one teams of special operators that can assist the SSR the best way they can. If Allied Command needs men to fight on the frontlines, I'm volunteering to do so, sir." Clark stated. There was a moment of silence as Colonel Phillips absorbed everything that Clark said to him before he smiled.

"That, Captain Elbert, is but one more reason that shows me Dr. Erskine was right about picking you. I'm sure he and Rogers would be proud." Colonel Phillips said and Clark nodded. "Agreed. Taskforce Vanguard and the Commandos will remain under the purview of the SSR's command until such a time that the President himself shuts us down. And rest assured when this war is over that the teams will be allowed to retire if they choose. As for your volunteering for the front lines, I'll put in the request. God knows they could use our help to end this war but you will be called back soon enough."

Colonel Phillips handed Clark a file with a symbol on the cover that looked like a cross between the iconography of a bird and the Nazi Swastika. It read Phoenix. Clark opened the file and the information was very barebones. Mainly regarding suspicious Nazi movements happening way back when the German's still held Africa but really picked up the past year. There was one person in particular that this intel file had focused on and it was a Nazi officer that Clark remembered from the intel file they had on Castle Caldera shortly before their mission to take it and the Nova 6 gas out of commission. "That's Untersturmführer Hermann Wenzel Freisinger, top ranking member of the SS. The SOE's files on him reported he was in contact with a lot of high-ranking members of the Nazi Party all over Europe." Clark remembered.

"Yes, which we collaborated with our intel that he also worked with Vandal Savage and von Strucker, likely helping their plans with the Nova 6 gas. No doubt it was likely in regard to obtaining some of the gas for himself and it wasn't just that. Ms. Petrova confirmed he was working with Savage and Hydra in the Eastern Front, meeting some high-ranking Nazi officers but we still don't know why. The SOE have been monitoring channels and think this Freisinger is planning something big. We've gotten reports that resources are being moved that don't coincide with traditional troop movements or military matters. Their spies haven't been able to get them much but one word keeps coming up repeatedly." Colonel Phillips recounted.

"Phoenix."

"We don't know what it means but it's important. According to SOE, Freisinger has met with nearly every single top ranked Nazi and SS officer but not Hitler. In fact, their interactions have been minimal at best. The SOE believe something is going on and that he's planning something big. Problem is we still don't know what that is. They're working on it as fast as possible but their top strategists fear that this Phoenix could be an ultimatum or some kind of secret weapon. When they get more information for us to act on, you're taking Vanguard and the Commandos to investigate." Colonel Phillips said and Clark closed the file before handing it back.

"Yes, sir." Clark nodded.

"Good. Now onto the matter of your four friends who aided us against Schmidt." Colonel Phillips took out another file that had information on Dan Garrett, Amaya Jiwe, and Carter and Shayera Hall. A highly classified file that technically didn't exist. "I understand that they have been instrumental in our effectiveness in cleaning up Hydra and taking out Schmidt."

"Yes, sir except for Amaya who had to return home to her village." Clark said.

"And that village is?" Colonel Phillips asked but Clark didn't answer which just made the old colonel sigh. "Captain Elbert, I don't need to remind you that I am your superior officer and your refusal to answer could be seen as disobeying a direct order. I did tell you that we would discuss the implications of your lying on an official SSR report and the only reason we haven't done so is because time was of the essence to capture the last of Hydra and your lie proved to give us additional allies. Don't think that just because your status and your abilities means you will escape punishment or a court martial."

"I'm sorry, Colonel and again, I accept full responsibility for my actions to you as my CO but I cannot in good conscience answer that question as it would jeopardize the lives of innocent civilians. Amaya left her home to help us fight Hydra. The least I can do is ensure that her home village remains undisturbed. No doubt word will have spread about our efforts in taking down Red Skull and I know this will sound out of line but I cannot risk Amaya's safety and that of her village just because an army general or a connected Senator wants to expose and control what she can do." Clark replied.

"And you're prepared to fall on that sword, are you?" Colonel Phillips questioned.

"Yes, sir." Clark answered without hesitation. "Amaya has proved to be an ally, just as the others have but her duties required her to return home. I see no reason why her life would need to be uprooted going forward."

"What if we require her help again, did you ever consider that? What if she could help us win this war by being here? What if we encounter another threat that only she can help us with?" Colonel Phillips countered.

"If the day comes when we need her help again, sir, I'll happy get her myself and ask but it has to be her choice. You said that wars are fought with men and if anything has been proven lately, women as well, but that help has to be voluntary. Someone can't be affective in a cause if they're forced into it. They need to be willing." Clark countered, sort of using Colonel Phillips words against him as he used that speech on Clark when he first joined up with the SSR. "Amaya is a good woman and helped us fight against Hydra. If she thought she could help us in the war then she would have joined long ago but she is needed elsewhere, protecting others who can't protect themselves. It's why the SSR put me and Rogers through the program, to do what others couldn't. Like I said, sir, I'm willing to go to the frontlines and help end this war sooner if command needs it but I cannot and will not betray the trust of a friend and risk their safety and the safety of civilians."

"What about your three other compatriots?" Colonel Phillips questioned. "Are you affording them the same protection?"

"Yes, sir but they've stuck around to help us with Hydra when they could have left as well. They're happy to continue fighting and if they feel obliged to share information with you or the SSR then I will not interfere but again, it has to be their choice." Clark replied which made Colonel Phillips stare him down.

"You understand, Captain Elbert, that if it were any other Commanding Officer sitting before you today that they may not let you get away with much. You're lucky I like you so much." Colonel Phillips told him and Clark cracked a small smile.

"I know, sir. And thank you, sir."

Colonel Phillips closed the file and put it to the side. "Officially, it has been written into record that Superman and Captain America were responsible for the overarching success in taking Schmidt's fortress with expert planning and maneuverability of Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos. There will be mentions of four unknown enhanced individuals who aided in our endeavor who were…special consultants of the SSR and called in when needed. Their exact details and information is unknown at this point pending further review. Unofficially, I trust your judgement and clearly so did your compatriots if they were willing to come all this way to help. To inspire that kind of trust and loyalty is admirable. And with Captain Rogers no longer with us…perhaps there is a place for a team of…enhanced individuals such as yourselves. Please inform your compatriots that their help in stopping Hydra is much appreciated but Hydra is no more and the SSR is not a hotel."

"Yes, sir but they could prove to be useful. Agent Carter and her team of analysts are still going over all the information we've taken from every Hydra site we destroyed and while some is still encoded, we have managed to get some useful information. Such as a list of secondary facilities, we didn't know of. Some of which are around the world. Considering we still have to finish the war in Europe perhaps the SSR can utilize its…special consultants to handle a situation that we can't." Clark suggested and a smirk slowly crept up on Colonel Phillips' face.

"Intriguing, Captain Elbert. Very intriguing."