Marvel's Iron Lady

When disaster strikes, the tallest among us will be the first to bear the weight. Whether or not Miss Stark truly has a plan to deal with the Star-Swarm, it's certain that even if she doesn't step in, the Ancient One won't just sit back and watch as Earth is consumed. The mission of the Sorcerer Supreme and the mystics of Kamar-Taj is to shield this dimension from external invasions. Though they may not typically interfere in earthly affairs, it doesn't mean they'd allow reality to be destroyed—especially by a threat that could wipe out their very existence.

This was why Miss Stark was confident that, even if she failed, there likely wouldn't be any drastic consequences. After all, before setting out to Asgard, she'd had a conversation with the Sorcerer Supreme.

With the Sorcerer Supreme's immense powers and control over the Time Stone, she could clearly see what lay ahead. The fact that she urged Miss Stark to go forth meant that this situation would eventually be resolved successfully. Thus, Miss Stark felt little need to worry.

Instead, she hoped to keep Norrin Radd, the powerful Silver Surfer, here on Earth, close by her side, and to make him a force for protecting Earth's civilization. This way, he wouldn't end up in a mutual destruction with the Star-Swarm, as he otherwise might.

The jet had crossed the Mediterranean Sea, now flying over a vast continent, moving deeper inland. Soon, the landscape outside the windows changed from cities to mountains and grasslands, finally reaching an endless desert.

The clouds thinned as they flew deeper. Over the desert's skies, the sun blazed, constantly roasting the golden sands below. This desert, the largest on Earth, had existed for 2.5 million years, spanning North Africa and connecting dozens of African nations.

In this desolate place, the advanced cloaking technology of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jet became unnecessary. The cloaking system's light-dampening feature was deactivated, allowing the massive jet to become visible as it soared southward toward southeastern Algeria.

The Sandbox base—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret facility for isolating extraordinarily dangerous items from the world.

Building a hidden base in such a remote desert required an astronomical investment. S.H.I.E.L.D. spent over ten billion in resources to establish this facility, isolated yet constantly linked to the outside world.

This is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s largest operation base in Africa, though not a command center. Instead, it's a storage facility focused primarily on scientific research, housing the world's most dangerous artifacts, with only a handful of agents stationed here—all of whom are the best of the best.

Only elites could maintain the safety and secrecy of the Sandbox base, ensuring no threats—whether external or internal—could emerge.

As the jet approached a bare mountain range in the desert, it began to slow and descend in altitude.

The passengers in the cabin could tell that the jet was preparing to land, so they returned to the rear lounge, strapped themselves into their seats, and fastened their seat belts, awaiting landing.

The mountains stretched endlessly as the jet gradually slowed, its six engines shifting to a vertical position. The massive aircraft held steady in the air and slowly descended—only a VTOL craft could perform such a specialized vertical landing, proving that S.H.I.E.L.D. was indeed at the forefront of aviation technology.

This wasn't Miss Stark's first time in Africa, strictly speaking, though she had never ventured deep into the continent's desolate lands before.

The jet landed halfway up a mountain, where a large metal-plated platform served as a landing strip. Farther off was a passage leading into the mountain, with a runway for aircraft and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been waiting for some time.

Once Miss Stark obtained permission to access the Sandbox base, she notified them of her visit and instructed them to prepare for her arrival. However, she hadn't bothered explaining the base's actual purpose to the people accompanying her; she merely told them it was a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.

While S.H.I.E.L.D. also had regional bases in Europe, the Sandbox was less crowded and far less likely to be compromised by Hydra infiltrators who might be lurking in European facilities.

The Sandbox was different—it housed tens of thousands of unknown artifacts collected from around the world, and every member stationed there had been personally selected by Nick Fury, making them trustworthy.

In other words, the Sandbox was perhaps the only public S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where the personnel could be confidently trusted to be loyal.

Additionally, entering the Sandbox required sufficient clearance and the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s explicit approval.

The group followed the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from the Sandbox base as they led them deeper into this underground facility constructed beneath the African mountains.

"The underground complex has three levels: the upper level holds the runway, hangars, and personnel quarters; the middle level contains administrative offices and the research department; and the lowest level is storage."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent leading Miss Stark's group provided them with a tour of the base, pointing out different sections as they moved along. Naturally, he left out some key information, such as the fact that the largest storage chamber held over 13,000 unique and unidentified artifacts from all over the world.

"Take them to the rest area, and get an interrogation room ready for me—I need to have a chat with our alien friend. Coulson, you stay."

Hearing his name, Agent Coulson looked up in surprise. He hadn't expected to be singled out, only to realize that Miss Stark intended for him, and not anyone else, to join her in the interaction with the alien life form.

"Yes, ma'am. This way, please—guests, kindly follow the agents to the rest area, and please remain within sight."

Miss Stark didn't concern herself with what the Fantastic Four or the general from the Department of Defense might think of the situation; she had no interest in that.

What mattered now was engaging in conversation with Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer, as soon as possible.

The priority now was to engage with Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer, as soon as possible. Miss Stark needed to make him understand that this was his sole chance to escape the Swarm's grasp, regain his freedom, and atone for his past complicity in the Star-Swarm's destruction.

Norrin Radd felt like he was dreaming—a remarkable sensation, as he hadn't dreamt since making his pact with the Star-Swarm. Perhaps influenced by the Star-Swarm's power, his body had been transformed into a form of life that required no rest, leaving dreams behind as an unnecessary human function.

Only now, after being dragged down from his "beacon," thoroughly beaten, encased in a box, and frozen, had his metallic life form entered something akin to hibernation, allowing him to dream of the home he hadn't seen for so, so long.

He had served the Star-Swarm for so long he'd forgotten how long he'd been under its command. He'd even forgotten what his home looked like, or where it was located.

When Norrin Radd awoke from his dream, he found himself still confined in a metallic contraption shaped like a coffin. Standing before him was a young woman who, upon noticing he was awake, smiled with a look of feigned warmth.

"Good morning—or maybe good evening, alien invader. I'm glad we finally meet."

While Norrin had slept, Miss Stark had taken samples from his body for future research.

Despite having been transformed into a being of metal, Norrin Radd still had a pulse, a heartbeat, and other physiological traits typical of humans. This peculiarity intrigued her greatly—could Norrin Radd's species have shared some ancient link with humans?

Given the close resemblance of Asgardians to humans, Miss Stark couldn't shake the feeling that there was more yet to be understood.

"Oh, are you pleased?"

Even in his bonds, Norrin Radd's face revealed no emotion.

His once-radiant skin, deprived of cosmic energy, had dulled, losing its polished sheen. Instead, he now appeared tarnished, with his oxidized metallic surface rough and dim. The low-temperature stasis had also suppressed his cellular functions, which were only now beginning to normalize.

"Pleased? Why would I be pleased—our planet is on the brink of destruction. Do I look pleased to you?"

"Well, you certainly look like you're smiling."

At his reply, Miss Stark gave a quiet chuckle, shaking her head.

"Sometimes smiling doesn't mean you're pleased."

Her own smile faded, and she took two steps forward, stopping beside his metal coffin.

"But I am curious: if you recognize a smile, it suggests your thought processes are similar to ours. Our civilizations must have some things in common."

"Enough talk, Norrin Radd, I have a question for you—do you want freedom?"

Hearing his name, Norrin's metallic face froze. He had never shared his name with anyone, and he doubted anyone in this remote galaxy knew of him. How could this woman know?

"I can offer you freedom. You could break away from the Star-Swarm forever, return to your home planet and your family, instead of being a servant of the Star-Swarm, condemned to seek out worlds for it to devour."

"... I don't know how you know my name or about the Star-Devouring Swarm (Galactus), but the Star-Swarm's power is beyond your reckoning, just as it is beyond mine to resist. The beacon draws it nearer, and no one will escape it."

Norrin studied Miss Stark's face for a long time before finally speaking.

"What if I told you I have a way to eliminate the Star-Swarm?"

If he had a heartbeat, it would have skipped just then—he no longer knew how long he had served the Star-Swarm.

While he had become a scout for the Star-Swarm to save his civilization, transferring the threat to other worlds, he detested what he had become and longed for something—anything—to finally put an end to the Star-Swarm.

"I know how to solve the Star-Swarm problem and free you from this endless cycle of despair—if you help me."

Seeing Norrin's thoughtful expression, Miss Stark sensed that he was weighing her proposal, so she quickly pressed further.

"You… you couldn't even hurt me. How could you possibly stop the Star-Swarm?"

So, he didn't believe her. Miss Stark's expression took on a curious intensity.

In truth, Miss Stark was a paradox. She enjoyed being in the spotlight but disliked revealing too much of herself. Now, however, her pride was wounded—she couldn't just let him look down on her abilities.

It was true that humanity's capabilities might be insufficient against the Star-Swarm. However, Miss Stark knew that her own powers far exceeded those of human civilization.

Having made up her mind, Miss Stark gave a slight nod, her expression unreadable. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

In an instant, it was as though the entire world shifted. Norrin found that their surroundings had changed; the enclosed metal chamber had been replaced with an open, snow-covered plateau atop a high mountain. Beneath them stretched an endless sea of clouds, with fierce winds whipping the snow into the air.

"Welcome to the highest peak on this planet, Norrin."

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