Inside Stark Tower, Nolan and Tony Stark sat facing each other.
Neither of them spoke. For a moment, the entire room fell into an awkward silence.
Nolan clenched his teeth inwardly. Had Tony Stark lost his mind?
He was the one who had asked Nolan to come, yet now he sat there without saying a word.
What was this supposed to be?
Complaining silently in his mind, Nolan kept his expression calm.
After a long while, he finally lost patience.
"So," Nolan said flatly, "why did you call me here? Are we playing that childhood 'Red Light, Green Light' game where no one moves? Sorry, I'm not interested."
Tony Stark's expression finally shifted at Nolan's jab.
"I suddenly realized something," Tony said. "Our Earth Defense Plan might have a problem."
"Hmm?"
Nolan frowned.
A problem?
Impossible.
The system consisted of three layers: the outer defensive satellite network, the Titan-linked ground bases, and the Emperor Titan acting as the central core. Together they formed a near-perfect defensive ring around Earth.
How could there be a problem?
"So why did you call me?" Nolan asked. "If you're not planning to explain, I'm leaving."
He stood up.
His time was valuable. He had no interest in sitting around playing silent games with Tony Stark. If he was going to waste time, he would much rather spend it with Susan. At least that kind of game would be far more enjoyable than sitting here with Stark.
Seeing that Nolan was genuinely about to leave, Tony finally spoke.
"One of the defense satellites was destroyed yesterday."
Nolan's expression instantly hardened.
"Destroyed? Are you sure that's the word you want to use? That's not a small matter."
The satellites forming Earth's defensive ring were built using the most advanced technology available. Each one was equipped with laser weaponry and intelligent repair drones capable of self-maintenance.
In theory, damage in a short period of time was nearly impossible.
And the word destroyed meant one thing.
It had been attacked.
"Damn it," Nolan cursed under his breath.
Events like this usually meant only one thing.
A crisis.
Then suddenly, Nolan's eyes sharpened.
"Tell me exactly what happened. Didn't the defense system activate?"
Tony nodded.
"At 17:37 yesterday, the satellite detected an unidentified object approaching Earth. The defense ring responded immediately. But the target was extremely fast. It appeared to be using some kind of curvature-based travel method."
"Before the armed satellites could launch an attack, the object suddenly appeared right beside one of them and destroyed it. After that, we lost track of it."
"So it may have entered Earth's atmosphere?" Nolan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm afraid so," Tony replied.
NASA had not released any official report yet, but Tony had his own information channels.
The probability that the intruder had already entered Earth was extremely high.
"So far, it hasn't made any obvious moves," Tony added. "But this could be the beginning of a cosmic threat."
Nolan studied him for a moment.
Then the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
"So… you left yourself a backdoor in the system, didn't you?"
Tony's mouth twitched.
That was obvious.
He refused to believe Nolan Lock hadn't done the same thing. Although the Titan system required authorization from multiple governments to activate, Tony was certain Nolan had arranged something behind the scenes.
Of course, that wasn't the kind of thing you openly admitted.
"So that's what you're focusing on?" Tony said helplessly.
Nolan chuckled lightly.
"Well, I did leave a few small surprises inside the Titan system," he admitted. "But so far I haven't received any feedback. Whatever entered Earth, it hasn't caused trouble yet."
Tony frowned.
That had been the reason he called Nolan here.
Just as Tony couldn't fully control the satellite defense ring, Nolan couldn't officially manage the Titan system either. As private powerhouses, both of them relied on hidden methods to obtain the information they needed.
But now…
No movement.
And in this situation, silence was the most worrying outcome of all.
"In that case," Tony said, "we should share information moving forward. If something happens, we can't afford to react too late."
"Of course."
Nolan nodded, though his mind was already racing.
Based on Tony's description, the intruder was very likely the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus.
He inhaled slowly.
If that was true, it meant Galactus was not far behind.
Of course, if the Silver Surfer could be dealt with before he reported back, that would be even better.
Nolan was curious to witness Galactus's power.
But curiosity didn't mean he was willing to gamble the fate of this world.
Even if this wasn't his original universe, he had formed bonds here that were difficult to abandon.
When Nolan left Stark Tower, he looked up at the sun above him.
Another busy day was about to begin.
If the Silver Surfer had truly arrived, then Nolan had to act quickly.
Time was limited.
The Silver Surfer wasn't visiting Earth on vacation. In the original story, he had eventually been moved by humanity. But Nolan never trusted that narrative.
The idea that the Silver Surfer could be so easily convinced, or that a servant empowered by Galactus could somehow destroy his master through self-sacrifice, sounded unreliable to Nolan.
He trusted his own strength far more than any miracle.
When he returned to Lock Technologies, Susan immediately grabbed him and dragged him toward the office like a recruiter capturing a reluctant soldier.
"Boss, if you keep acting like a hands-off manager," she said irritably, "I'm going to quit."
Her face clearly showed her frustration.
Nolan wrapped an arm around her waist without hesitation.
"Sorry," he said solemnly, "but I'm not slacking off."
"You should remember that more than ninety percent of the company's products were invented by me. That takes time."
"Really?"
Susan glanced at him sideways.
"Because from what I remember, you've been going home before dark lately. And even when you're here, you're nowhere to be found in the laboratory."
Nolan paused for a moment.
"Well… research isn't just about staying inside a lab," he explained calmly. "Sometimes you need to step out and look for inspiration. A sudden idea can be more valuable than months of staring at equipment."
Susan rolled her eyes.
She didn't believe a single word.
"Anyway…" Nolan said, his tone turning serious.
"We may have a major problem."
He explained what Tony had told him.
"There may be an alien on Earth," Nolan said. "And it's hostile. The first thing it did after appearing was destroy one of our armed satellites."
Susan's expression changed immediately.
Compared to work complaints, an alien invasion was a far greater concern.
"So what do we do next?"
Nolan shook his head.
"For now? Nothing."
"We have no intelligence. We'll have to wait until it makes its move. But before that, I need to make some preparations."
After speaking, Nolan briefly said goodbye and headed straight into the laboratory.
Recently, he had rarely spent time there.
The technology he had already left behind was enough to support Lock Technologies' development for at least twenty years.
Honestly, he preferred spending more time with Susan.
Even though he believed there was a good chance he could return to this universe again someday, there was always the possibility that he couldn't.
At the moment, stable cross-universe travel still didn't exist.
If he failed to come back in the future, then this period might become their final time together.
But those were words he had no idea how to say out loud.
Inside the lab, Nolan retrieved a small device no bigger than a button.
It was a stabilizer.
The Silver Surfer carried unstable cosmic energy in his body. Anyone who made direct contact with him risked having their own cellular structure destabilized.
If Nolan wanted to confront him, the stabilizer was essential.
Next came the difficult part.
Finding him.
Nolan activated a detection device he had prepared earlier and began carefully calibrating it.
While Nolan searched for the Silver Surfer's location, far away on a snowy mountain, Johnny Storm was racing down a steep slope on his snowboard.
Extreme sports were his passion.
They gave him the thrill he craved.
Unfortunately, ever since he gained the ability to fly, the excitement had faded somewhat. Still, he returned to the mountains often.
"Woo! That's the Human Torch!"
"Look at that move!"
Fans cheered as they watched the superhero perform.
Johnny's eyes lit up when he saw the slope ahead. Taking a deep breath, he pushed forward and launched off the ridge.
"Yeah!"
He shouted as he soared through the air.
But just before landing, something caught the corner of his eye.
A silver figure stood in the distance.
"What the hell is that?"
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a thunderous explosion erupted.
The ground collapsed into a massive crater.
Several nearby skiers were swallowed instantly by the sudden sinkhole.
Johnny's pupils shrank.
Flames burst from his body.
Just before hitting the ground, he ignited and shot upward toward the crater.
He was a superhero. Rescue came first.
But by the time he reached the site, the silver figure had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
"Damn it!"
Johnny cursed.
The crater was unbelievably deep.
Anyone who had fallen inside had no chance of survival.
After witnessing this, Johnny immediately returned to their base.
Only two people were there at the moment: himself and Ben.
Although their relationship had once been rocky, circumstances had pushed them into forming a new team.
Ben, the Thing, sat heavily on a reinforced sofa.
"What happened to you?" he asked, noticing Johnny's disheveled appearance.
Johnny dropped onto the couch.
"I ran into some freak with powers."
"A supervillain?" Ben asked.
Johnny was about to explain when he suddenly froze.
On the television news, another collapse had just occurred somewhere else.
Johnny checked the location.
It was an amusement park.
At least dozens of people had been there.
"It's the same thing…" Johnny murmured, pointing at the screen.
Ben fell silent.
The situation was far worse than they had imagined.
The sinkhole incidents quickly caught the attention of the military.
"So you still haven't figured out what caused it?"
A furious Army general roared inside the meeting room.
"What about our Earth Defense Ring? What about the Titan system we poured billions into? Tell me what those things are actually good for!"
The officers below him stood stiffly, none daring to respond.
The general's anger was understandable.
He had just been yelled at in the White House moments earlier.
A major general finally spoke.
"The defense ring is designed for extraterrestrial threats. These incidents are happening on Earth. As for the Titan system… the target is too mobile."
"He appears to have some kind of teleportation ability. Even the Titan system can't lock onto someone who can move like that."
Another officer added quietly,
"Actually… this may not just be an Earth-based problem."
The room fell silent.
"What do you mean?" the general demanded.
"We received a notice from NASA. An unidentified extraterrestrial entity may have bypassed the defense ring and entered Earth. The same entity appears to possess teleportation-like abilities."
The room instantly became tense.
An alien threat.
Ironically, many of them would rather believe this was the work of a super-powered terrorist.
But whether they liked it or not, they now had to consider the possibility.
After a moment of thought, the general gave his order.
"Hague, you're in charge of this. Identify our enemy."
"If it really is extraterrestrial…"
He paused, his voice turning grim.
"Then we may be preparing for war."
Meanwhile, inside the White House, President Jonas Bennett held a phone to his ear.
"Damn it, Nolan Lock," he growled. "I hope you're calling with good news."
On the other end of the line was Nolan.
The Silver Surfer's actions had already created too much chaos. After witnessing the incident, Johnny had immediately contacted Nolan, hoping Lock Technologies could track the mysterious figure.
That confirmation left Nolan certain.
The being on Earth was indeed the Silver Surfer.
After learning this, Nolan hesitated only briefly before contacting President Jonas Bennett.
Against an enemy like this, waiting passively was not an option.
They had to strike first.
And the best weapon available was the Titan system.
After all, that system had been built for exactly this kind of battle.
Nolan knew one thing with absolute certainty.
This was no ordinary conflict.
This was a real war waiting to begin.