German Base
After leaving Diana in charge of the trenches, Clark flew toward the German base. During the flight, he activated his invisibility.
Clark spotted the German base from a distance. The fortified structure was surrounded by tall fences, watchtowers, and soldiers patrolling incessantly. The activity was frenetic: trucks arrived and departed, while soldiers worked in coordinated efforts to prepare for something significant.
Clark hovered in the air, using his enhanced vision to analyze the details of the site. His eyes, capable of both enhanced and X-ray vision, scanned the internal movements, revealing a base on high alert.
Clark landed discreetly at the base's perimeter, moving silently among the soldiers. Standing a few meters away from a group, he began using telepathy to access their thoughts. Their minds were a whirlwind of fragmented information, but Clark focused on extracting the essentials:
Last night… the general was furious. Many were executed. The courtyard still bears bloodstains.
Why a ball? It doesn't make sense. We're at war, and they want to celebrate? Something feels off.
Convinced that something critical was being planned, Clark used his X-ray vision to locate General Ludendorff. He scanned the main buildings until he found the general in a luxurious room on the third floor of the headquarters. Ludendorff was asleep on a campaign bed, surrounded by maps and strategic documents scattered on a nearby table.
Clark ascended silently along the building's exterior, passing windows until he reached the general's room. Using his intangibility, he phased through the wall and entered. Ludendorff remained deep in slumber, breathing heavily. Clark quickly examined the documents on the table and found detailed plans for the use of Dr. Maru's poisonous gas, including specific dates and targets.
Clark approached Ludendorff, his mind working quickly. He knew he needed to neutralize the general without alarming the entire base. Placing two fingers on the general's temple, Clark activated his telepathic ability, entering Ludendorff's thoughts. The general's mind was a maelstrom of ambition, fear, and anger, but Clark navigated it with precision, implanting new directives into his psyche.
"You believe the war cannot continue," Clark whispered, his voice echoing within the general's mind. "The ball must be canceled. You are now a proponent of the armistice. Order the immediate withdrawal of soldiers from the trenches. Use all your influence to ensure that no conflict like this ever happens again. Peace is your new mission."
Ludendorff, still unconscious, reacted to the mental command, his expression softening as the new thoughts took root. Clark withdrew his fingers from the general's temple, satisfied with the result. He knew that upon awakening, Ludendorff would begin acting in accordance with the implanted instructions, becoming an unexpected ally for peace.
With the general under control, Clark turned his attention to another problem: locating Dr. Maru. She was the mastermind behind the poisonous gas and posed a threat that needed to be eliminated.
Clark used his enhanced vision to scan the base's periphery until he found a large tent near the central courtyard. Soldiers milled around it, showing clear deference to someone inside. Approaching the tent, Clark activated his invisibility and entered.
Inside, Dr. Maru was surrounded by maps and documents, but no laboratory equipment was in sight. Clark deduced that the poisonous gas was already completed and likely stored in a nearby depot. Maru conversed with two officers, exuding confidence. The soldiers around her maintained a rigid vigilance.
Clark withdrew, moving to a safe vantage point outside the tent. He knew swift action was crucial. Activating the Speed Force, time around him slowed to a near standstill. Conversations and movements froze in an almost surreal tableau.
Clark re-entered the tent at super speed, slipping past the immobile soldiers. He stopped in front of Dr. Maru and gently touched her temple, activating his telepathy. Maru's mental world was chaotic, filled with scientific calculations and destructive strategies, but Clark navigated it with precision. He began altering her memory.
"You no longer know the formula for the gas," Clark whispered. "You never created such a weapon. The gas in the depot must be destroyed immediately, as it poses a danger to everyone, including your allies. This is the only right course of action."
Even in the frozen state of time, Maru began reacting to the commands, her expression shifting to one of confusion and eventual acceptance. Clark implanted the certainty that she herself must destroy the gas and ensure it could never be recreated.
After completing the manipulation, Clark left the tent and moved swiftly toward the depot indicated in Ludendorff's plans. He found barrels of gas stored in an isolated area and used his heat vision to destroy the containers in a controlled manner. The gas dissipated harmlessly into the air as inert particles.
With the depot cleared and the formula erased from Maru's mind, Clark deactivated the Speed Force and returned to normal time. From a distance, he watched as Dr. Maru, slowly waking from the telepathic manipulation, began organizing soldiers to dismantle any remnants of the gas project.
Clark cast one final glance at the base, reflecting on his actions.
"I didn't kill anyone today, but did I do enough? I altered minds, erased memories, and destroyed weapons... Choices I believe are right now, but only time will reveal the consequences." He gazed at the horizon, a resolute glint in his eyes. "I hope I won't regret what I've done here. If this can prevent future wars, it will have been worth it."
Clark ascended into the sky, as silent as a specter in the night. The cold dawn wind whipped past him as he quickly departed the German base, heading toward the trenches where Diana was.
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Trenches
At the front line, Diana faced German soldiers with an axe in hand. Her presence was a blend of fury and command, and each swing of her weapon resounded like thunder across the battlefield.
SMASH!
The axe embedded itself in a soldier's chest, who collapsed to the ground with a muffled scream. Diana spun the blade deftly, disarming another enemy before severing his head in a single fluid motion.
SLASH!
"I told you to drop your weapons!" Diana exclaimed, her voice booming through the trenches. Her words carried authority, but the blood dripping from the axe's handle showed she was ready to go to any lengths.
Clark landed softly beside Diana, his arrival almost imperceptible on the muddy ground. He raised his eyes, taking in the scene before him. The bodies of German soldiers were strewn about, and the earth beneath Diana's feet was soaked with blood.
"The armistice will be signed. The war is over," Clark said, his voice firm and assured, cutting through the chaos of the moment.
Diana turned to him, letting the axe fall to the ground. Her eyes, previously filled with rage, now shone with a mix of relief and emotion. She quickly approached him and embraced him tightly, ignoring the blood staining her armor and hands.
Clark hesitated for a brief moment before wrapping his arms around her, disregarding the blood now smearing his clothes. He knew this embrace was more than a celebration; it was a gesture of hope, connection, and shared victory.
Diana whispered, still pressed against Clark, "It's finally over."
Clark closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself to feel the weight of her words. "Yes, it's over."
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