Marvel's Iron Lady

From her vantage point beside the transport helicopter on the rooftop, Stark glanced over at Johnny Storm, who, unlike the other three members of the Fantastic Four, had been standing on the rooftop with a relaxed expression. His lack of urgency was probably due to his own ability to fly—and, more importantly, the fact that his flame powers wouldn't be of much help with the tipping London Eye.

"Why are you still standing around? It's your turn—go weld the axle and frame together."

Stark could tell that Johnny was the impulsive, brawny type who relied more on muscle than thought. That was why he hadn't jumped in to help immediately. But the time had come, so she directed him to where his powers would actually make a difference, giving him a clear idea of what he needed to do.

With his flame abilities, he could melt the metal between the axle and the supports, using molten iron as a makeshift adhesive to fuse the severed connection points back together. This might not restore the London Eye to full working condition, but at least it would prevent it from collapsing further. After that, it would be up to either Susan to extract the passengers or the British government to send in rescuers.

Hearing Stark's plan, Johnny's face lit up with the look of someone who'd just had a "lightbulb" moment, as if he'd just realized how this kind of "rescue mission" could play out. He turned back to Miss Stark with a thumbs-up and a broad grin, reveling in the thought of becoming a hero for fixing the London Eye. Given his love of public acclaim, this was an appealing prospect.

The reason he hadn't rushed in earlier was simple: his sister and brother-in-law constantly criticized him for his reckless behavior at disaster sites, which often led to more trouble, sometimes escalating the situation. They'd left him on the sidelines like a benchwarmer, observing rather than intervening.

With Stark's advice in mind, Johnny's body burst into flames as he shot off into the sky like a rocket, headed toward the London Eye.

Sure, it might look like he was hogging the glory, but if he could pull it off, it'd be quite the feather in his cap. Besides, he doubted his sister or brother-in-law would begrudge him a bit of recognition.

But as Johnny neared the London Eye, the situation changed dramatically. In the center of the vortex on the Thames, the whirlpool suddenly dispersed, forming a deepening void. The water seemed affected by some strange force, and though it was a hot summer day, a sudden chill filled the air. The river began to freeze over, as if gripped by some inexplicable power—much like the freezing of Japan's inland sea.

The Thames hadn't escaped the threat after all. A massive, bottomless pit appeared, and from within its dark, murky depths, a streak of silver light began to emerge. It was clear that the costly, multinational operation had already failed. The Silver Surfer had reached the heart of London and created a passageway leading to the planet's core, ready for the World-Eater's arrival.

This was everyone's first encounter with the Silver Surfer. His appearance was humanoid, but he was entirely silver, as though cast from metal, gleaming and smooth. He stood upon a silver surfboard, shaped like an elongated teardrop.

The Surfer didn't leave immediately, instead turning his attention toward the energy fluctuations emanating from the London Eye. His gaze fixed on Susan Storm, her hands radiating the invisible energy field that held the structure in place. He stared at her for a few moments, then took off on his board, flying higher into the sky.

Meanwhile, the U.S. special forces finally arrived on the scene. Though it might have seemed like a long sequence of events, it had all occurred within three minutes. In that short time, the special forces had managed to descend from the rooftops, fight their way through panicked crowds, and reach the Thames embankment—a remarkable feat.

General Hager glared at the silver figure, his face darkening as he waved his hand in defeat. He knew the operation had failed: not only had they failed to intercept the extraterrestrial life form, but they also hadn't prevented the British capital from being breached by an ominous tunnel to Earth's core. Behind him, a soldier knelt down, shouldering his anti-materiel sniper rifle, and quickly took aim at the silver figure, pulling the trigger.

An anti-materiel sniper rifle is a large-caliber weapon with far greater destructive power than conventional rifles, designed to penetrate high-value, armored targets. The rounds it fires are steel-cored, armor-piercing bullets or high-explosive projectiles that can only be shoulder-fired by soldiers with extraordinary physical strength.

As a member of the U.S. special forces, this sniper had honed his skills to perfection, spending less than two seconds aiming before he fired. A steel-cored armor-piercing bullet tore through the air at high speed, headed straight for the silver figure.

The shot exploded with a burst of sparks, and the bullet tore a 30-centimeter hole clean through the Silver Surfer's waist. This rifle was powerful enough to puncture steel plates, and when used against a human target, it could easily tear them apart. It seemed that the fleeing figure had been stopped in its tracks—a successful shot.

But General Hager hadn't even had a chance to smile before the edges of the 30-centimeter wound began to ripple and regenerate, healing within two seconds.

The unexpected development left everyone stunned. Not willing to accept defeat, Hager ordered two more shots, but the Silver Surfer, as if oblivious to the attack, took both rounds without flinching. Holes appeared where each bullet struck, only to seal up within moments.

The Surfer wasn't paralyzed by fear; he simply had no reason to fear the power of an anti-materiel rifle. His expression remained impassive as he stared straight down at General Hager and the special forces team.

This was humanity's first face-to-face confrontation with an extraterrestrial civilization's technology—a meeting that ended in defeat for human innovation.

Even armor-piercing steel-core rounds had no effect on the Silver Surfer, and General Hager's expression shifted from shock to rigidity and finally to a kind of cold resignation. He understood: he had failed, and now humanity—and indeed the entire planet—would pay the price for it.

"Fascinating. It seems he's made of some sort of nano-amplified metal… I'd love to know its atomic structure."

Stark's eyes lit up with interest at the sight of the Surfer's body healing itself. She had never encountered a life form like this—an animate metal being that completely defied the laws of human science. She was eager to begin studying it.

Meanwhile, the Surfer wasn't the only one in the sky. Another flying figure, aflame and determined, was none other than Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.

Johnny had also seen the armor-piercing bullets pass through the Silver Surfer to no effect. He could sense the immense energy radiating from this metal stranger. But instead of feeling fear, Johnny felt an inexplicable urge to test his strength against this new adversary.

Without hesitation, Johnny chose not to help his sister and brother-in-law, who were still struggling with the London Eye. The flames surrounding him burned even brighter as he rocketed toward the Surfer at full speed, determined to tear through the skies.

In isolation, Johnny's charge might've looked like an inspiring heroic act, but, unfortunately, he didn't even come close to the Silver Surfer. One of the steel cables from the London Eye snapped loose, hurtling through the air and smacking Johnny into the distance, where he crashed down who-knows-where.

Originally, the London Eye was held in place by six steel cables. Four of these had snapped in the tremor, leaving just two. These remaining cables were under tremendous strain, bearing far more weight than they were designed to withstand. Made of twisted high-tensile steel fibers, the cables had surpassed their structural limits and succumbed to metal fatigue, finally causing one to break. The last cable wouldn't hold much longer.

Johnny's reckless charge had been a heroic display of courage but was, in truth, ill-conceived. Had he followed Stark's instructions and welded the axle and support together, he could have relieved the strain on Susan, Reed, and Ben, allowing them to turn their efforts against the Surfer. Instead, he chose otherwise.

With another cable gone, the precarious balance of the London Eye wobbled again. The strain on Susan and the others increased noticeably, and though they wouldn't harbor resentment, there was an undeniable sense of frustration at Johnny's impulsive act.

"Well, it looks like it's up to me, then. I didn't want to intervene and risk disrupting the timeline, but…" Stark said, her tone tinged with a sarcastic edge, as though mocking Johnny's recklessness and the team's lack of strategic planning. She sighed, then calmly unbuttoned her suit jacket, pulling a pair of black sunglasses from an inner pocket and placing them on her nose.

Ignoring the puzzled stares of the helicopter pilot, she set down the red metal suitcase she'd been carrying and crouched beside it. With her index finger, she pressed against a fingerprint sensor on the side of the case.

At her touch, the red, electroplated metal case sprung open, revealing fifty compact red cubes arranged neatly inside. As Stark activated them, they shot into the sky, trailing streaks of bright flame as they soared into position.

With her finger pressed against the side of her sunglasses, Stark activated the HUD (Heads-Up Display) on the lenses. The view over the London Eye and its supports was now overlaid with highlighted points of structural focus, identifying the most resilient parts of the wheel.

The red cubes were micro-thruster units, part of her research for a future Iron Armor suit model. They were miniature drones equipped with thruster capabilities, though designed primarily for disaster relief rather than combat.

Each cube attached itself to the London Eye's support structure, securing itself to the predetermined stress points and firing its thrusters at full power in various directions, helping to stabilize the wheel. Ben Grimm, the Thing, became an unintended casualty of the micro-thrusters as they pushed against his bulky frame, leaving him no choice but to serve as an anchor, stabilizing the London Eye and relieving some of the pressure on Susan and Reed.

Finally, the London Eye returned to its original position, though still precarious. The axle remained broken; as soon as the micro-thrusters ran out of power, the wheel would be at risk of toppling again.

Across the Thames, Johnny was just now struggling to his feet after being flung by the steel cable, his body now extinguished and dazed. He had flown across the river and landed hard on the other bank.

The traffic on the nearby road had come to a halt due to the unfolding chaos, and a crowd of curious Londoners had already gathered around the "fallen fiery man," muttering and pointing as they speculated about what had happened.

"Johnny, stop slacking off!" barked Stark's voice over his Bluetooth earpiece. "Get up there and weld the axle and support together, or I'll cut off your allowance. Susan and Reed would back me up on that without a second thought. You got it?"

The reprimand snapped Johnny back to reality. Realizing the urgency of the situation, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, quickly evaporated by his rising body temperature.

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