Another Encounter with the Silver Surfer
It hadn't been long—only around midnight—when Miss Stark's phone rang, pulling her out of bed.
Reed had managed to optimize the energy-neutralizing field device. The finished units had arrived in London, and all that was left was to figure out the Silver Surfer's next target location. Miss Stark was needed to help calculate the likely destination.
"It just caused a massive blackout in Stockholm, Sweden, to replenish its energy. But its speed is so extreme that we can't track it directly. We'll have to try intercepting it at its second-next stop."
"If my calculations hold, our next destination will be the central area of Germany's Rhine Valley, right in the heart of the Black Forest."
Although Miss Stark had publicly claimed that the Silver Surfer's speed made it impossible for any satellite to track it, she had actually ordered JARVIS to use Stark Industries' new satellite array to continuously monitor the Surfer's movements. Wherever it went, the satellite network was on it.
This was why, when Reed's team called, Miss Stark could quickly have JARVIS pinpoint the Surfer's next destination.
Germany, like Britain, was a NATO ally and shared extensive interests with the United States. And, with several more military bases in Germany than in the UK, the U.S. Department of Defense promptly issued an action order and coordinated with the German government, which agreed to support a cross-national operation and even promised firepower support if necessary. The team was quickly on the move, boarding the same C-17 Globemaster for a flight to Germany.
The Rhine Valley in Germany is one of the world's most famous tourist spots, with picturesque landscapes of forests, castles, lakes, and charming medieval towns brimming with European ambiance. But the team was here not for sightseeing but to intercept the Silver Surfer.
After all, the Star-Swarm's arrival was all but inevitable. The Star-Swarm could devour planetary cores, rendering humanity's strongest deterrent—nuclear warheads—obsolete. The only remaining hope was this interstellar scout. No one was willing to sit and await death; everyone hoped they could somehow gain crucial insights from the Surfer on how to save Earth.
The C-17 landed in Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse and the location of the nearest U.S. military base in Germany. After a brief supply stop, the waiting convoy set out, heading for the GPS-marked target area.
The convoy was composed of ten American military Humvees, two M1 main battle tanks, four infantry carriers, and several dozen soldiers loaded with heavy firepower. Hager, recalling his previous encounter with the Silver Surfer, also requisitioned two PAC-3 missile launchers with Patriot III missiles, which trailed the convoy at a slower pace.
Naturally, such a large-scale operation didn't go unnoticed. Confused German drivers passing the U.S. forces were left wondering if the Americans were preparing for yet another war on German soil. Thanks to the German government's cooperation, however, no news of the operation had leaked to the media, avoiding unnecessary public alarm.
Miss Stark's coordinates pointed to the heart of the Black Forest in the Rhine Valley. The missile launchers had to stop at the forest's edge, as their large size made entry impossible. The Patriot missiles would remain ready to launch from outside the forest, awaiting the General's command.
Miss Stark observed the grand setup. Such a luxurious array of firepower created an almost cinematic war scene, though she didn't hold out much hope. The Surfer could travel between stars, meaning it possessed extraordinary power far beyond what missiles could handle.
But she kept this to herself; if organizing the massive arsenal made General Hager happy, she saw no need to interfere.
"You handle the planning; we'll handle the fighting," Hager stated bluntly, uninterested in any technical discussions with Reed's team. He turned and began deploying the combat units. With so much heavy weaponry at hand, he needed to strategically arrange the interception lines to ensure the Surfer could be subdued the moment it was separated from its board.
"Alright, we need to create a circular area with a one-mile radius and deploy these four neutralization devices," Reed instructed as Ben Grimm dragged four large iron boxes from the Humvee, placing them steadily on the ground.
When Miss Stark initially built these devices to neutralize the energies of Mr. Negative, she hadn't expected them to be used again so soon. Upgraded by Reed, they were now much more powerful.
"Let's split up," Reed said, lifting a metal box. "Johnny, Ben, Susan, each of you take one and deploy it at the designated location."
Johnny and Ben each grabbed a metal box and headed in different directions.
"Susan, let's go together," Miss Stark said, stepping forward and linking her arm through Susan's with a seemingly friendly smile.
"Oh, sure! Let's go," Susan replied, oblivious to any ulterior motives. The two walked into the woods together, at a slower pace than the other three. When the other three devices were already in place, Reed's voice sounded in Miss Stark's Bluetooth earpiece.
"Guys, is everything activated? One of the devices still isn't showing up as connected."
"Just a sec—it'll be ready soon," Susan answered, bending down to activate the device.
"Susan, hurry—it's nearby!"
As Susan was just about to flip the switch, Miss Stark suddenly turned around, sensing the Surfer's energy signature approaching. Around them, trees were splitting and falling as if intentionally parting to let the Surfer pass, creating a sight as impressive as the parting of the Red Sea.
When Miss Stark and Susan caught sight of the figure, it was almost too late.
"Guys, I think we have a problem."
As the Silver Surfer appeared, the fir trees on either side seemed to bow in welcome, falling open to make way for him in a scene reminiscent of Moses parting the Red Sea. This "Moses," however, was sleek and gleaming, with silver, lustrous skin and a refined muscular form. But another thing set him apart—his preference for arriving unclothed, especially noticeable before two unsuspecting women.
The Silver Surfer hadn't expected anyone in his path, and a flicker of puzzlement crossed his metallic face before disappearing. Stepping onto his silver board, he advanced toward them.
Susan's expression turned serious as he approached, and she instinctively conjured a transparent energy shield in front of herself and Miss Stark, protecting them both. But she didn't anticipate that her barrier would be so effortlessly penetrated by the Surfer.
Miss Stark's eyes narrowed with a peculiar glint; she could sense that the Surfer's powers were a unique form of cosmic energy. Her interest in dissecting the being grew even keener as she observed this protector from an alien civilization.
Norrin Radd—a mere astronomer from a civilized planet in the Virgo galaxy. In an effort to save his world from being consumed by the Star-Swarm, he had struck a pact with it: he would serve as its eternal scout, finding other worlds for it to devour if it would spare his own.
For his home planet, Norrin was a savior and self-sacrificing hero. But for a planet like Earth, now marked by the Star-Swarm, he was nothing more than a herald of invasion.
"Why—why would you destroy our world?" Susan's face was tense, her voice filled with urgency as she questioned Norrin Radd on his board.
"I… have no choice," the Silver Surfer responded after a pause.
"Miss Miss Stark, is your equipment ready yet? When can we attack?" General Hager's voice came through Miss Stark's earpiece. He had been observing, but with the equipment still inactive, he held back, anxiously awaiting Miss Stark's signal.
"Enough with the talking, Susan. Insert the key card and stop wasting time with him," Miss Stark urged, giving Susan a light nudge toward the neutralizer. Susan, realizing that things couldn't end peacefully, nodded and inserted the activation key Reed had given her into the chip reader.
The devices, upgraded by Reed and Victor, only needed a key card to activate. Once inserted, the unit would deploy automatically. Each device covered a radius of 300 feet, and with all four working together, the energy-neutralizing field would span a mile-wide circle.
The Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd, watched Susan insert the key card without intervening. Partly, he doubted these humans could pose any real threat, but he was also curious to see what they had prepared to stop him.
The moment Susan activated the device, it connected with the others, forming a massive energy field around them.
As the disruptor field took effect, Norrin's board began vibrating intensely, and he suddenly lost balance. In an instant, he fell right through the board and collapsed onto the soft earth of the Black Forest.
"We did it—we succeeded!" Susan's voice buzzed through the earpieces, and everyone showed visible relief. It was their first real success against an alien being, lifting the oppressive weight the Surfer's presence had cast over them. It seemed that aliens weren't invincible after all.
Suspended in mid-air, the silver board hung motionless, locked by the field's binding power.
Deprived of the cosmic energy provided by the board, Norrin's once-smooth silver skin began to roughen and show signs of oxidation, tarnishing as if rusted by time. He struggled to rise but froze at the sound of footsteps behind him, followed by a flash of silver lightning. Victor appeared from nowhere, sending a fierce electric charge through Norrin, knocking him unconscious.
"I got him," Victor announced smugly. He had been eyeing the Surfer's silver board for a while, coveting its endless energy supply. His supposed collaboration with Reed was nothing more than a pretext to gain control of this powerful artifact. Now, his chance had finally arrived.
"Back off, Victor! We don't need your help," Reed's voice boomed as an extended arm wrapped around Victor, pulling him away from the board. Victor considered resisting but realized his electric powers wouldn't affect Reed's rubbery body, so he reluctantly gave in and allowed himself to be pulled back.
Reed was soon joined by Johnny and Ben, followed closely by General Hager and a team of American soldiers. The General eyed Norrin Radd lying on the ground, his expression grim.
He remembered the orders he'd received during his last contact with the Pentagon: he was to bring the alien captive back to American soil. Despite Earth's dire situation, the U.S. government had no intention of allowing the alien's body to fall into any other country's hands.
"Spread out and secure the area! Get it on the truck. We're heading back immediately," he ordered.
"Wait a moment, General. Isn't this against protocol?" Miss Stark's voice halted everyone in their tracks, and the General turned to her with a complicated expression.
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