Two weeks later…
Shuri Castle Ridge
It was night and it was pouring rain. The already muddy terrain was now a mudslide making the conditions just pure hell for the 5th Marines regiment who had replaced the 106th Army Infantry regiment who were trying to push through the Shuri Castle ridge. Private Sledge and his mortar team had to deal with the rain and the muddy terrain revealing buried Japanese corpses when they had to use their mortars which had been soaked through by the rain. They crossed from their mortar position to their ammo store on the adjacent ridge with Marine machineguns covering them.
"FRIENDLIES COMING IN! HOLD YOUR FIRE! HOLD YOUR FIRE!" A sergeant shouted. Sledge and the others were witness to an Okinawa family of four, two parents and two young children racing away from the Japanese lines to safety with the Americans. The Japanese in turn fired on them with their machineguns. The civilians got closer and closer, but it seemed like their luck wore out and were about to be killed when something fast kicked up a bunch of mud by Sledge and the others. They saw Superman arrive and cover the family with his body and shield.
"Iku! Hashiru!" (Go! Run!) Clark told the family, and they ran as fast as they could to safety before he looked over at Sledge. "Sledge! Get them to safety!"
"Come on!" Sledge ushered the family over to him and he and his squad took them to some nearby Marines who could get them to safety as Clark used his heat vision to take out the machineguns and mortars.
The next morning…
The Japanese had pulled back from their spot against 3rd Battalion, but they didn't move forward in the night because of the rain. When the sun came through in the morning they heard that 2nd Battalion had broken through on the left, so they were moving up. With their numbers low, Sledge and his squad joined up in the assault and were with Superman as he led them up the ridge. With the veterans of Snafu, Burgin, Keyden, and Sledge were some replacements so there were nerves.
"Stay behind Captain Elbert, stay with me. Stay low and keep your intervals." Sledge told the replacements before he and the others followed behind Clark who had his shield up and his M1911 Colt Pistol. He might need something more precise than his heat vision, so it was out. They stopped and gathered at the bottom of the next ridge as some Marines took out a sniper's nest. Clark signaled everyone to stay low and keep their eyes focused on the ridge as he slowly moved up to the only structure still standing which was an old farmhouse. The men saw Clark walk in and several moment later they saw him walk out with an old woman and a young baby. A grandmother and her grandson must have been stuck in the house, but he carried them down the ridge.
"Stretcher!" Clark called out and two men came over with one so he could put her down. "Get her to medical."
"Yes, sir."
Sledge was actually glad to see a decent humane moment in this war and gave Clark a smile. Clark smiled back when his super hearing heard shuffling, so he pulled out his pistol and aimed at the ridge. "Hold your fire. Do not fire unless I give the order." Clark told everyone. The marines kept their rifles aimed at the crest of the ridge for Japanese soldiers to come out but then they heard infant crying. "Easy…easy…"
"Civilians!" One of the sergeants shouted and Okinawan civilians came into view. "Move them through."
Clark holstered his pistol and stepped forward, ushering the civilians past him. "Daijōbudesu. Anata wa mō anzendesu." (It's ok. You're safe now)
Women carrying infants and babies came through when Clark saw one woman crying and holding her infant boy but then held him out like she wanted someone to take him. "Dare ka. Dare ka kare o tsureteitte." (Please, someone. Someone take him)
Clark then saw why because she had a belt of TNT wrapped around her stomach. She was a booby-trapped. "GET DOWN!" Clark super sped forward, ripped the TNT belt off her and threw it into the air. It exploded and he covered the woman and her child, ushering them away when more civilians were pushed forward at gunpoint by Japanese soldiers. They were using them as human shields.
A few of the marines got him but Sledge and the others opened fired, killing the Japanese. Clark got in front of the civilians, protecting them from bullets. "Sledge! Get the machinegun!"
"HAMM!" Sledge shouted as the replacement took aim with his M1 Garand before pulling the trigger and nailing a headshot.
"HASHIRU! HASHIRU! Clark ushered the civilians away and they ran with all their might before he turned and punched a Japanese soldier so hard he flew back and splattered against a rock.
"AKAONI! BANZAI!"
Clark saw three Japanese soldiers armed with only katanas race down the ridge faster than any Japanese soldier he had seen before. The first one closed the distance to him with super soldier speed and swung his katana. Clark blocked with the shield but then the Japanese soldier punched him in the face. The force and impact Clark wasn't expecting, and he was knocked off his feet. To the Marines amazement they saw Superman get knocked on his ass and into the mud, so they opened fire. Their bullets hit but the three Japanese soldiers, but they didn't drop almost like they shrugged off the bullets.
Clark was in stunned disbelief at what had just happened. The punch was powerful but compared to what Clark had been through it was like getting hit by a cardboard box. It catches you off guard and might sting a tiny bit but nowhere near life threatening or painful. Clark saw the three Japanese soldiers rush to the Marines, so he got back to his feet and blitzed forward. He tackled one away from Sledge and threw his shield at a second, knocking him on his ass. The third jumped on Clark from behind and stabbed him with his katana only for the blade to shatter. Clark grabbed his arms to throw him off when the first and second Japanese super soldier swarmed him.
"RAHH!" Clark ripped his arms free and knocked away all three soldiers.
"Superman!" Snafu grabbed his shield and threw it to him. Clark grabbed it and punched the first Japanese soldier in the stomach before throwing a harder punch that snapped his neck. He kicked the second in the stomach so hard he flew across the ridge and broke his spine and then punched the third in the chest so hard his ribs severed the veins to his heart.
Clark's momentary rage faded as he looked around at what had just happened. Three Japanese super soldiers just attacked him. That was the best thing to call them as no normal soldier would be able to fight him like they did. They were more akin to Steve Rogers than Stormfront but since when did the Japanese have super soldiers. He saw the soldier he kicked in the chest was still alive, so he walked over, and the Japanese soldier just chuckled.
"Akaoni. Mirakuru ga sensō ni shōri surudarou." He said before head bobbed to the side and his eyes went lifeless. Clark looked over at the two other bodies and used his heat vision to burn them to ash before he lifted up and carried the remaining one.
"I'll be right back." Clark said.
"What's going on? What's Akaoni?" Sledge asked.
"It means red devil." Clark answered, walking away with the body. It must have been the Japanese nickname for him. As for the rest of what he said it roughly translated to Miracle will win us the war. So, what the hell was Miracle?"
24 hours later…
"So, what's the problem here?" Shayera asked as she, Dan, and Carter looked at a dead Japanese soldier on the ground. Clark had hidden the body away before rejoining Sledge and the others. He then helped them push to Shuri Castle and they took it so now he had a moment to talk to the others about the body. The body was a little ripe, but they had seen and smelt worse.
"Japan has a super soldier project, and we had no idea. Two other men like him jumped me two days ago and put a fight. They're like Steve so we need to figure out how this was possible and to make sure these three are the only ones." Clark told them.
"Ok, but how do we do that? The brass are more focused with taking the island and I doubt even the SSR has intel from deep inside Japanese territory." Carter pointed out.
"I might be able to help with that." Dan held out his hand and it turned into some kind of ray gun, but it didn't fire any kind of energy. It just glowed and he moved it around the body. The lens on his mask tinted and he was getting scans from the body. "Whoa…"
"Whoa what?" Clark wondered. "And what are you doing?"
"The scarab can form whatever I need so I'm having it scan the body. Like the scanners Howard had at his lab but more advance and they're detecting crazy cellular activity. I'm not getting much since it's a dead body but it's possible that could cause the super soldier qualities you mentioned." Dan told him.
"If the Japanese have their own super soldier program than why is this the first time they've shown up?" Carter wondered.
"Could be that they haven't managed to get it successful until now. Maybe this was a test run." Shayera suggested. "One that failed, obviously."
"Against us, yes but if there are more than they'll turn the tide of the war so far and already it's been bleak." Clark said before looking at Dan. "Dan, you think your scarab might be able to track people with the serum?"
"Maybe. I can try though it may take a while."
"Do your best and let me know when you have something." Clark said and Dan nodded before he picked up the shield. "Do you need more scans of the body?"
"No, I've got everything I could."
Clark nodded and took the body away before burning it. Once it was ash, he went to rejoin the fight.
Line Break xxxxx
May 1945
"This is uncomfortable." Clark admitted as he was dangling in the air over the North China Sea by his arms.
"Same for me." Dan said as he was the one carrying Clark in his arms. His arms were looped under Clark's, which left his legs dangling in the air like a baby.
"Guess that serum can do a lot of things but can't make you fly." Shayera joked which made Carter chuckle. The four were flying over the North China Sea, well three were flying and the fourth was being carried, in search of the Japanese super soldier project. The soldier called it Mirakuru before he did so they were literally looking for a miracle.
"How much further?" Carter wondered and the info on Dan's mask showed him.
"Not that far. It's up ahead. The biggest island." Dan replied as they neared an island chain in the North China Sea. They were on the lookout for Mirakuru.
The fighting for Okinawa had dragged on for nearly eight weeks and was brutal. A lot of casualties both on the Japanese and American side not to mention civilians. Through sheer grit they managed to take it and now were preparing for the invasion of the Japanese mainland but there was still a lot of logistical work before they moved out, so Clark wanted to focus on finding the Mirakuru project and ending it. Dan's scans took a while to locate any kind of similar signature to Mirakuru, and he had to take a few flights around before he found a reading. Oddly enough it wasn't coming from Japan but was west, so they followed it to the North China sea past Korea to an island chain near mainland China.
"This is it. The main island with the mountain." Dan flew them down and the Hawks followed. There were oddly enough a few clouds over the island giving it an odd shade as the four landed on the beach and when they did they all felt a shiver running down their spines. "Did you guys feel that too?"
"Yeah." Carter looked around. "There's something…off about this place."
"Let's just find the Mirakuru and get out of here." Shayera said.
"Agreed. Dan, lead the way." Clark said so Dan checked his scanner and led them into the forest. The trek was almost tranquil considering the fact that the four had been in a bloody battle until recently. It was a little jarring but the spine shivering feeling never went away.
"Why would the Mirakuru project be out here on an island in the North China Sea? Why not in some secure bunker in Japan?" Carter wondered.
"Could be that with all the recent bombings they moved it for its protection. A place to continue and ship out the serum or maybe they're hiding it here, so no one finds it. This place seems ideal to hide." Clark suggested when he bumped into Dan by accident because Dan stopped walking. "Is there a problem?"
"I'm getting some interference with my scans. It's not getting clearer, but it looks like we should keep heading North." Dan said.
"Hang on. Let me try something." Clark stepped forward and focused his vision to the north. He used his x-ray vision to see through the trees and surrounding landscape before using his super vision to see further away. He couldn't see anything strange, so he switched to his thermal vision. Instantly his sight changed and instead of the normal environment or an x-rayed view Clark saw splotches of blue cold areas but saw distance yellow/red splotches indicating heat. A new variation of his super vision he dubbed thermal vision allowed him to see the infrared spectrum so he could see thermal heat. He discovered it in Okinawa using his super vision at night to spot snipers and infiltrators. It came in handy. "I'm definitely seeing something. Heat signatures and they're too big to be animals."
"Could be scientists." Shayera hefted her mace onto her shoulder. "Let's go say hello."
They moved through the forest following Clark for about a mile hike but slowed down when they came to a cave. Clark motioned them to be quiet, and they readied themselves as they heard voices inside. At least five. Clark slipped the shield onto his arm and was going to take the lead when several grenades were thrown out and went off in a bright flash of light and deafening, ear-ringing sound. Clark, Dan, Shayera, and Carter were a little shellshocked as the loud nose disrupted their equilibrium, but Clark managed to see someone in a doctor's coat rushing out with a Japanese soldier at his side. The doctor turned around and threw a grenade attached to a large glass vial. It exploded in a burst of fire before it released a thick cloud of green smoke.
"Poison gas! Hold your breaths!" Clark told the others before he inhaled and used his super breath to disperse the poison gas. "I've got the runner!"
Clark vanished in a burst of super speed when gunfire came out of the cave. Carter activated his Nth metal shield for protection. "Banzai!"
Three Japanese soldiers rushed out of the cave. One wielding a rifle with a bayonet and the other two had katanas. Carter used his shield to deflect the bayonet and punched the soldier in the face. The soldier turned his head slightly and punched the shield with the impact sending him skidding through the dirt. Shayera used her mace and smashed the katana into pieces before swinging at the 2nd Japanese soldier, but he ducked and dodged with surprising agility. Dan formed an arm blade and was engaged in a sword fight with the 3rd soldier. The soldier deflected Dan's arm blade to the side and sliced him in the side. The blade cracked against his armor, but the impact staggered him back. He then came in with a powerful overhead swing which Dan quickly sidestepped as it sliced through the trunk of a large tree. The tree fell so Dan changed his sword into a mace and hit the falling tree onto the soldier who surprisingly managed to hold it up. That then left him open to another mace swing to the face that knocked him on his ass and the tree then squished him.
Carter blocked the 1st soldier's punches with his shield before kicking him back. The 1st soldier charged so Carter flapped his wings and flipped over him before brandishing his axe and slicing his head off. Shayera ducked under a punch and then a kick before elbowing the 2nd Japanese soldier in the face. She spun into a low leg sweep, knocking the soldier onto his back before bringing her mace up and then down onto the soldier's chest which made a sickening crunch.
The doctor and other soldier ran through the forest as fast as possible when something hit them from the side. The doctor hit a tree, breaking his arm and fell to the dirt hard to see Superman standing there. "Akaoni…"
"Ikuzu!" The soldier got back up to his feet and charged only for Clark to catch his punch with his hand. Easy and simple. The soldier tried to break free of Clark's grip, punching him several times and even adding kicks but his super soldier strength was nothing compared to Superman. He then unsheathed a tanto and stabbed Clark in the heart, but the blade shattered on his chest and fragments ricocheted back and hit him in the throat. The soldier grabbed his throat and began to bleed before dropping to the ground.
"Well, that's unexpected." Clark admitted before he walked over and hoisted the doctor onto his feet. He checked his body and found some vials of a green liquid along with other drugs and found an ID. Dr. Shiro Ito. "Hello, Doctor."
Carter, Shayera, and Dan dragged the dead soldiers back into the cave. Shayera put the body down when she noticed an arrowhead stone necklace around the neck of the soldier with lettering. Likely Japanese but possibly Chinese. Shayera couldn't tell.
"You guys ok?" Clark called out so Carter, Dan, and Shayera walked out of the cave, leaving the arrowhead necklace behind. They saw Clark return with the doctor who tried to run and was subsequently recaptured and now knocked out and tied up with vines.
"Yeah. No problem. They were tough but we're tougher." Dan went back into the cave and pulled out a small medical box and pulled out some green liquid-filled syringes. "I think this is Mirakuru."
Clark held up some of the same syringes he took from the doctor. "Guess we found it."
"Looks like the doctor was continuing his experiments but only on four soldiers. From the cave it seemed like they were hiding out here and making it their campsite. Probably crash landed or ended up shipwrecked here so the doctor used the serum to increase their chances of survival." Shayera suggested.
Clark tossed the syringes at the box and his eyes glowed red before he vaporized it into dust. "Well, that clears that up." Clark stopped when his super hearing picked up something.
"What's wrong?" Carter wondered.
"General Curtis LeMay again. He's causing a stink and trying to push the bombings again even though I gave the orders not to. Let's head back. Mirakuru's dealt with and Dr. Ito has an appointment with Intelligence." Clark said. Dan grabbed Clark and took him into the sky while Carter grabbed Dr. Ito and with Shayera they flew away. They believed Mirakuru to be dealt with and in a way they were right. They destroyed the serum…but not all of it. The needs of the war pulled Clark away from thoroughly checking the whole island because if he did he would have found a shipwrecked Japanese submarine on the other side of the island with more serum. For the next 75 years it would be this island's secret.
The island's name…Lian Yu. It's Mandarin for purgatory and the secret thought buried here would return in the next century. But that's not what was on Clark's mind because he was about to head back to war. The Allies were beginning for the invasion of mainland Japan, and he would lead the assault on Kagoshima, a seaside city on Japan's Kyushu Island. Its bay was perfect for ships, but it wouldn't be easy. Clark would have his work cut out for him. Just to the north was another city that had a huge POW camp that Clark knew he wanted to liberate, and he would.
Its name? Nagasaki.