Super War: The Darfur 3 Saga Book 4

By Stephen Alexander

The Earth faces its greatest challenge in Darfur 3: Super War, the finale! Forced to lead the world's superhuman heroes against the invading stickmen, the Darfur 3 must keep the world's governments from fracturing. Their teammates struggle under the cost of war and death, and dark secrets come to the surface. Without Clyde to guide them, how will our teenage heroes respond? Grab your copy today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Alexander
• Release date: Sep 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9780997456158

Stephen Alexander

Stephen Alexander is a world traveling English conversation teacher currently residing in South Korea. You may find him in coffee shop and train stations typing away on his broken keyboard, or online at numerous websites like SFFChronicles.

Book preview

Darfur 3 Saga: Super War

Copyright 2022 Stephen Alexander

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 978-0-9974561-5-8

To my loving family and my wonderful fans. Especially the fans who badgered me for a year to get this done! Well, it’s done! Are you happy now???

Author’s symbol guide

italics: thoughts. Underline: radio transmissions, text messages, electronic communications. {}: Telepathic communication between people. Bold: sound effects. <>: foreign language- perspective of character. *#: Alien/nonhuman language.

Quick Synopsis:

At the end of SuperHumanity, the stickmen and hybrids invaded several places around the world. Grandmaster Clyde Irons led the counterattack at Helena EADI, then went with Commander Karen Allwyn to New York City to meet the Big 6. As they met up, an ultimatum came from space: Gribb’s been captured, and his people’s fleet will destroy the Earth in 10 minutes. The stickmen going after bones deeply confused Gribb’s people but pointed to a possible plan of the stickmen.

Jamir is still at Aso Eadi, Soad was seriously injured in her successful attempt to use her Grandmaster’s Thesis, and Chucky is still helping around Helena. Clyde and the Big 6 have 10 minutes to save the Earth from annihilation.

Chapter One

Outside the park, 

10 minutes remaining,

What do you mean you don’t have a plan?? Running Man said with a more annoying voice than before. He zipped in a circle around the team. You always have a plan! You plan for everything! 

Massive alien invasion by spaceship from Gribb’s people was not on my calendar, said Clyde. He looked up at the sky and rubbed his chin. 

Well, you need to do something about it, said Mr. Wrath. We did not fight to save the Earth so many times to just see it end like this!

Quiet. Give me one uninterrupted minute to think.

He’s doing that thing, isn’t he? Running Man whined. The thing where he thinks up the thing-AAH! Zenobia slapped him upside the head.

Silence! If you can’t help, sit down, and shut up!

Like you’re helping-AAH! Zenobia slapped him again.

But Clyde no longer paid attention to his goofy teammates. He used his time-slowing power to give himself more time to think. I’ve never studied Gribb’s people. Their ships may be more powerful than the ones in my collection. Either way, there is not enough time to charge up their weapons. No bomb on the planet can hit all of them at the same time. Any missile or energy attack from the surface will be stopped. Too bad I can’t open a portal and make them fight the Lamerous or...or...maybe…Damn, wish I could keep a ship for myself.

Clyde snapped his fingers. The team gasped as he took out his phone. 

7 minutes remaining,

Maerifa. Look, no time to explain, Carl spoke quickly. I need you to reorient our guidance satellites to aim their emitters at the enemy ships. Align them with passthrough in mind. This should be possible. Use very little thrust.

You have satellites?! Running Man shouted.

Two minutes from the deadline, fire the neutrino from each satellite at the same time. Send me the passthrough coordinates to my phone.

Acknowledged. What is the backup plan?

I’ll...think of something. Clyde out. He hung up the phone and held out his arms. The coat split apart lengthwise down his back. The fabric material turned to liquid and became the Celestial Blades flowing off his body. He had on a sleeveless shirt, revealing muscular arms with thin scars around his biceps. Karyn knew enough about magic and superpowers to see those were no ordinary scars.

Mr. Wrath picked up the phone. The Secretary General of the UN was yelling on the other line, but Mr. Wrath ignored him as the Celestial Blades formed into stick-like bodies and walked towards them.

6 minutes remaining,

The twin Celestial Blades stammered in a strange gait towards Karyn. She leaned back a bit. Clyde looked at her. Keep them safe for now, said Clyde. I promised their mother I would.

This is really freaky, boss, said Running Man.

These are the Celestial Blades, man, said Everywhere Man. They used to be human beings.

OK...but what do I need to do? asked Karyn. 

Wear them until you see Jamir. 

Understood. She held out her arms. The sticklike, liquid metal frames took her hand with a gentle touch. Then they became liquid again and flowed onto her. Soon, she had a dark red and black trenchcoat on her body. Wow. I’ve never worn two people before. 

And now I need everyone to step back ten yards.

You heard the man! Get back! Zenobia ordered, taking control of her raucous team again. They stepped backwards quickly. Mr. Wrath made shooing motions to civilians in the area, and they scattered. 

Clyde bent his knees. He took a deep breath and released it. WAWHUMP! The waves of energy and puffy clouds appeared as he activated the Flare technique. Dark energy from across the city poured into his body. A bolt of red energy shot from the ground around him and danced around his body before shooting up into the sky and disappearing. KAA-BOOSH! THOOM! The ground cracked under him, and the hero team stepped further back as gusts of wind blew them back. 

Hey, Mr. Wrath?! Clyde shouted at him. Have you ever seen Level 3?! He bent his knees further and looked up. THIRD! CREST! The park began shaking, as if the tectonic plates of the planet were being pulled up from the ground. Dirt began to hover around him. Then almost opaque spikes of dark energy rose from the ground. Clyde raised his arms as high as they would go. The energy spikes went over his head. He pulled his arms back down. The spikes then angled back into him, passing through his head and bulging his muscles. Soon after, the energy waves faded. He fully stood up. Now we can save the world. 

4 minutes remaining,

Commander, said Clyde, his voice sounding deeper than before, when I give you the signal, fire your most powerful gravity implosion pulse at my back. 

But that will kill you and everyone in the city! said Karyn. How does that-

DO NOT argue with me! Clyde said in an almost pleading tone. Time is short. I guarantee we will succeed! He turned his back to her. Prepare your attack! 

3 minutes remaining…

Karyn aimed her right hand at Clyde putting her left hand on her elbow to stabilize her aim. I certainly hope you know what you’re doing.

Me too, Clyde replied. After all, this is my Grandmaster’s Thesis. Also, tell Jamir that he is in charge of the war.

What? The kid? Zenobia wondered.

That whelp can’t lead a planet in war! said Mr. Wrath. 

Is that a good idea? asked Running Man. He’s a kid. Don’t we need you to do it? 

He’ll know what to do! said Clyde. I at least prepared for that!

Why are you saying this-oh… Running Man got the idea now.

2 minutes remaining…

At first, five bubbles the size of basketballs in spacetime appeared around Clyde’s body. Ten more appeared a second later. A moment later, sixty bubbles hovered in the air around them. Usually with portals, light travels both ways between them, allowing for people on both sides to see them. But these portals were black like the midnight sky. Confused, the Big 6 looked on. A final larger portal appeared, this time in front of the team. The phone in Clyde’s pocket beeped.

Running Man! Mr. Wrath! Get Gribb now! Clyde shouted. The portal formed in the ship holding Gribb. Wasting no time, Mr. Wrath fired energy beams at Gribb’s restraints. Running Man blitzed inside after the bonds were cut, grabbed Gribb and ran back out, leaving the bridge crew with their mouths open in shock. A human had made it to their ship and run off with their prisoner.

Meanwhile, the other portals opened up, giving the team a view inside the ships of their enemies.

Karyn, now! Clyde shouted. 

Karyn said, Hope this works, and released her gravity pulse. As it approached Clyde, the ball of gravitons tore itself apart, forming smaller balls. These gravitons flew into the portals like pool balls into the corner pockets. The portals closed; the flames of dark energy around Clyde ceased. He stood up and they looked up.

My friends! Gribb said with cheer in his voice. I knew you’d...woah. He and Running Man had fallen out of the portal and were on their backs. They had seen the first blast coming from the exploding ships in orbit, as Karyn’s gravity pulse changed into mini black holes. Torn apart by the massive influx in gravity, there was nothing the ships could do. Soon after a message appeared on the large advertising TV near their headquarters. All Ships Destroyed. read the message. Yeah! screamed Running Man! And the crowd of onlookers cheered. 

Clyde you brilliant bastard! You did it! said Zenobia. Her and the team walked happily toward Clyde, but Karyn knew right away that something was wrong.

Clyde? she asked softly.

Clyde said nothing. He turned around and smiled with eyes and mouth closed. It reminded her of the same smile he used to give after each successful mission and PR photo shoot. A smile from their past, of happier times for her when he was her sidekick and mode of transportation. Before she could say anything, Clyde’s skin turned gray. Then a breeze blew by, and Clyde...turned to ash and vanished with the wind. 

EEEEKKK! a woman standing by a tree shrieked. Around the Earth’s strongest hero team, people screamed in fear. The world’s strongest super, a veritable god amongst godlings and men alike, a being the people of Earth had put a measure of their hope into, was no more. This attack, the Grandmaster’s Thesis, had taken his life. He had saved the day, but to them, it had cost them the war. 

On this day, this most important of days, the Earth had met its enemy, and it was now without its greatest hero. This war would have to be won or lost by those remaining. 

Chapter Two

EADI- ASO Japan

An hour earlier,

Jamir looked around the floor, checking the smoldering bodies for signs of life. He and Clyde had spent the best part of the past hour containing and killing the brainwashed supers of the institute. The first stage of the plan was to restrain the infected supers and terminate the Lamerous controlling them. They weren’t expecting the stickmen and what happened next frightened even one as stolid as Jamir. 

While Jamir and his team terminated the Lamerous, Clyde tied down the infected supers and closed the portal to the stickmen’s realm. Suprisingly, the supers, screaming kill in Japanese and other languages, did not return to normal. Jamir wanted to execute them now. But Clyde insisted that they should try to save them. He had beaten the Lamerous and stopped the PMS in the German spy. He felt confident that he could do that same here. He handed Jamir the dark matter strands binding and blocking the powers of the infected and entered one of their minds. 

Jamir kept busy, scanning the room for infected supers and their powers. On his radio, he heard his team fighting infected humans and supers in the hallways. He wanted to help his team, but in this training room, where the bulk of the infected were was where he needed to be. A minute later, he heard Clyde gasped. Then came the sickening th-pop sounds as skulls exploded around the room. All of the infected supers in the room were now headless, the stickmen’s infection failsafe having destroyed them. Clyde fell to his knees. The strands faded away as Jamir rushed to his side.

What the hell happened? Jamir asked.

It was… Clyde paused. It was like their minds were erased. All I saw was the shadows of the...stickmen. Everywhere. I fought and fought like mad, but there was nothing left to save. I found a sliver of a personality that I tried to pull out of their muck, but it lit up like a Christmas tree. I… he looked around the room, dead bodies everywhere, ...see. I get it. They won’t let us take our people back. 

Jamir helped him up. Now what? 

Their phones buzzed. Clyde saw the message. Helena is under attack. Soad is down.  I’ll handle it. You take care of things here. Eliminate every infected. Good luck. Before Jamir could ask for an explanation, Clyde snapped his fingers and vanished. 

And so, Jamir and his team chased down every infected person in the building and outside, eliminating them. Now he stood in the room where he started, going over the battle’s start. What can we do if-

A tall Japanese woman walked inside. Major Agar, said the woman with a slight British accent in her voice, You can leave now. We have things under control here. 

Yes, ma’am. I will send someone to help, if you require it. Before she could deny his help, he disappeared, returning to Helena. 

Planning room at Helena-EADI

a minute later,

Jamir walked around the dark room, his Pure Vision technique scouring the room for enemies. He wondered if the whole building was like this. Thoughts of Soad entered his mind as he continued his check. 

Thrunk! AAH! a man screamed and fell over in the doorway. 

Jamir looked in the direction. Phil? Is that you? Jamir recognized the voice.

Phil took a breath and sat up. Oh, thank god, it’s you. crroom! The lights and equipment switched on, TV flickering on and off.

Phil got to his feet and said, Things got really hairy here. I saw so many of our friends die. Whatta mess, kid.

I know. Clyde was here? Jamir asked.

Yeah, he and the Commander took off for New York. Helping the Big 6. Phil explained and dusted off his pants. Where were you?

Aso institute. Clyde was with me. I get the sense- the phone in his pocket buzzed. One moment, friend. He answered the phone. Maerifa spoke. I understand, Clyde replied. I will take immediate action. Jamir, out. He ended the call and looked at Phil. Grandmaster Clyde has died. 

Oh...that ain’t good. 

I… no matter, Jamir shook his head briefly. He looked around the room. He put out one fire. Now I have to put out the remaining house fires. He took out the phone and called Chucky. Grab any super and hunter squad you can find and head to Southside cemetery in Pittsburgh USA.

What about Clyde? Chucky responded using his telepathy on the phone.

He’s dead. I’m in charge now. Do not eat the infected. When you’re done, meet me here in the planning room. Get moving. 

You might want to look at the screen behind you, said Phil.

I do not have time for - He and Phil saw the images from the satellites in orbit and cameras on the ground. Starships being shredded apart from the inside out. Debris burning up in the atmosphere, along with some debris not burning. Then the view switched to a park where the Big 6 and Karyn were standing, talking to a reporter. The screen was cracked, and the speakers were no longer working. That was when Jamir realized what had happened. Gribb was on TV. He was back on Earth, and Clyde had made it happen. 

I see. He turned back to Phil. I need you to get as many staff members as you can back to their posts. Tell them that I need this building working right away. 

Are you OK? Phil asked Jamir. Jamir’s expression betrayed his calm voice.

I will be, once I have a complete understanding of the situation. I need you to move like the wind.

OK, kid. If you need to cry-

That is not my way, Phil. Now, please. Move quickly!

Phil quickly left the room, and Jamir began sending messages as he watched the news. Containing the situation at the cemeteries was the most important task right now. He sent orders to the Phantoms and the Big 6 but something was bugging him. How did Clyde close the portal? I was busy hunting down infected while he dealt with the portal. My teams are going to need an answer after they beat the stickmen... He thought about the interdimensional portals that he and other supers can make, and how different the stickmen’s portals were. Then it dawned on him. The portal closed so fast, that’s the trick! He typed out instructions Make a teleportation portal inside the portal. It will jam the connection to their realm. Yes, I know it’s stupid, but it works trust me. and sent them off to Chucky and the Phantoms.

Just as he sent the message, Everywhere Man and Karyn appeared in front of him. 

Jamir, did you hear what happened? Karyn began to explain.

Jamir stood up straight and crossed his arms. Yes, I know already. I need you two on the battlefield. I will send backup shortly. 

Look, kid, Everywhere Man said, do you get it? You’re in charge of the war now. Are you up to it? 

I don’t know, said Jamir. "I’ve never managed