Deep within the Amazon Rainforest, one of the largest and famous forests in the world, the canopy trembled as a silver-white beam streaked through the air like a divine spear.
It descended in an instant, slamming into the earth.
A shockwave tore through the trees.
Seconds later, a gaping crater yawned where it struck—only for the beam to burst upward again, darting away at incredible speed.
Before it could vanish over the horizon, a man streaked through the sky to intercept it, halting its path.
The beam slowed… and shimmered.
The light bent, folding into the shape of a silver-skinned man standing atop a gleaming, curved surfboard that hovered without a sound.
The Silver Surfer.
Floating before him was Ethan Carter.
Ethan eyed the shimmering figure up and down, lips quirking. "You're a shiny dude. Where do you go for that polish job? I've got a few things that could use the same treatment."
For the first time, the Surfer's expression shifted—an almost imperceptible flicker of confusion, as if he couldn't quite decide if Ethan was mocking him or genuinely curious.
"I do not… polish," he replied finally, his voice as calm and steady as the void. "The Power Cosmic maintains my form."
Ethan chuckled. "Figures. Built-in wax and buff mode. Must be nice."
The Surfer's expression remained cold, his silver eyes narrowing. He angled his board to move past—but a flaming streak blazed in beside Ethan.
"Whoa-ho-ho!" Johnny Storm grinned while circling the Surfer like a curious kid. "And here I thought I was the hottest guy in the sky. Guess we've got Shiny McChrome-plated here to compete."
The Surfer ignored him.
A sharp whoosh split the air as a large, sleek craft descended, bearing the bright blue "4" emblem. The hover-vehicle's design was aerodynamic yet blocky in certain sections, with segmented thruster pods and transparent canopy—an unmistakable hallmark of Reed Richards' engineering.
Inside sat Susan Storm, Reed Richards, and Ben Grimm.
The Surfer tilted his head, preparing to leave.
Then Ethan's eyes ignited red, the air behind him warping as an immense flaming bird materialized—wings stretching wide, its cry echoing across the forest like a call from the dawn of creation.
The Phoenix.
"Not wise to ignore me," Ethan said quietly, his voice threaded with raw power.
The Surfer halted.
He could feel it.
That presence. That infinite fire.
"The Phoenix Force…" he murmured. "So you are it's avatar."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Glad we're skipping introductions. Now, talk."
"Your time… is drawing to a close," the Surfer said in his solemn, "Cherish whatever moments remain with those you love."
Johnny snorted. "Wow. Real comforting, Silver Google Translate. Got anything less cryptic?"
"Don't feed us fortune cookie warnings," Ethan cut in. "Say it straight."
Ethan already knew exactly who the Surfer was talking about, but masked it beneath a practiced look of uncertainty.
A pause.
Then, the Surfer's eyes hardened. "My master is coming… a being of hunger without end. Worlds are but morsels to him. He will strip the life from this planet until nothing remains but dust in the void."
The Surfer's silver gaze burned like molten metal as he uttered the final name—slowly, deliberately. "His name… is Galactus."
The Fantastic Four exchanged uneasy glances.
"Galactus? Who the heck is that supposed to be?" Johnny muttered.
Ben crossed his arms. "Sounds like a guy who'd skip dessert and eat the whole restaurant."
But the Surfer wasn't listening—his gaze had drifted to Susan, his expression softening almost imperceptibly, as if seeing someone else in her place.
Reed cleared his throat and his voice crackling through the jet's speakers. "If this 'Galactus' is real, I'd like to speak to him directly. We can't take your word alone."
Susan leaned forward. "If you can guide us, we'd like to meet him—and try to reason with him."
The Surfer's lips parted to refuse—
—but Ethan's voice cut in, calm yet carrying the weight of authority. "I am the Avatar of the Phoenix Force… and I seek an audience with Galactus."
The silver figure froze mid-motion, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Slowly, deliberately, he inclined his head. "You… have the right to request such an audience. I will inform him."
Without another word, the Surfer turned and ascended, his luminous trail fading into the sky until he vanished into the void beyond.
Then slowly the jet settled onto the ground with a soft hiss as Reed, Susan, and Ben stepped out, while above Ethan, and Johnny drifted down from the sky like falling stars.
Minutes passed in tense silence. Then, far above, a faint ripple of cosmic energy rolled through the air—followed by the Surfer's swift return.
He landed with a smooth grace, his gaze fixed on Ethan. "My master has agreed… to meet with the Avatar of the Phoenix."
Ethan turned to the others with a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Looks like I'm going. And trust me—this is something I want to see with my own eyes."
Susan crossed her arms, her gaze locking stubbornly on him. "You're not leaving me behind, Dr. Carter. I'm coming with you."
He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off before he could get a word in. "You're more than just a friend to me… to us."
Ben's brow lifted, and Johnny shot him a sidelong glance. Neither said anything, but the silent exchange spoke volumes.
Then Johnny grinned. "Well, if Sue's going, I'm not missing out on the cosmic road trip of a lifetime. Count me in."
Reed adjusted his glasses, his tone calm and precise. "Given the circumstances, having all of us there increases the chances of success—and survival. I'll be joining as well."
Ben cracked his knuckles, a gravelly chuckle rumbling from his chest. "If you're all goin', then so am I. Somebody's gotta keep the hothead and the egghead from gettin' themselves killed."
Ethan exhaled slowly, "Didn't think you'd let me go alone anyway."
He could've gone alone. But if they came with him… it might not be bad—it might actually help, for them to understand the dangers of this world.
"Then I shall wait for your departure," the Surfer said calmly. "Meet me when you are ready."
Then he vanished into the upper atmosphere, while Ethan opened a red portal, instantly transporting the Fantastic Four back to the Baxter Building to prepare.
The Surfer would wait in orbit—he had nothing to pack.
Meanwhile, Ethan reached out through the quiet thread of telepathy that connected him to Jean Grey, Anna Marie, Didi, and Diana.
The sounds of the real world faded—the faint hum of the Fantastic Four's ship, the low whir of winds—and were replaced by the warm, sunlit calm of their shared mindspace.
A bedroom window stood open, a breeze carrying the scent of flowers, the light spilling in like liquid gold.
Jean stood there first, poised yet concerned, her eyes searching his. "What's happened?" she asked, already sensing the tension in his stance.
Before Ethan could answer, Anna's voice cut in from somewhere behind him. "Hope this is important, sugar. I was in the middle of something."
Didi materialized next, sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking like she'd been waiting for him all along. "What's wrong?"
Diana appeared last, tall and calm, her arms folded.
Ethan exhaled slowly and met their eyes.
He began explaining their encounter with the Silver Surfer.
"So, to sum it up—we've got a silver guy who rides a surfboard through space like it's California in the '80s. Looked like a Silver Surfer. Says his boss, a massive guy named Galactus, is on the way."
"Galactus?" Anna repeated before raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like a gladiator protein shake."
"Yeah, well," Ethan said, "according to Surfer, the guy's a cosmic… uh… food critic. And Earth is on the menu. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner—one big all-you-can-eat buffet."
Didi grinned like a cat. "So, planet-eater? That's… not new."
Jean's brow furrowed. "You're saying this… Galactus… intends to consume the planet?"
"Yup," Ethan said, tone light but eyes serious. "And before you ask—no, I've never met him, and no, I don't know why he's got a thing for Earth. Maybe we've got good seasoning. Maybe he just hates our reality shows. Point is, Surfer says I should spend my last days with loved ones."
Anna leaned against the wall. "And your reaction to that was…?"
Ethan shrugged. "Naturally, I told him I'd rather meet the guy myself. I mean, if someone's gonna eat my house, I at least wanna see the menu."
That got a snort from Anna, a sigh from Diana, and a half-smile from Jean that didn't quite hide her worry.
Diana stepped forward, "I want to go with you."
Ethan shook his head. "You need to be here. That's more important—while I go have a little chat with Galactus. You know, ask him why my home's on his menu…and if he's got some weird thing for it."
That earned a round of chuckles from the girls.
When the chuckles faded, Ethan's voice softened. "But before I head out, there's something else. Stark's gonna need Immune+ protocol. He doesn't want anyone to know it yet, and I'd rather keep it that way until the last possible second. Jean… handle Stark while I'm gone."
Her brow furrowed, lips pressing into a thin line. "This… sounds a lot like a goodbye, Ethan."
"It's not," he said quickly.
He stepped forward, pulled her into an embrace, and let the quiet moment settle between them.
Ethan then let go and looked at all of them. "I'll be back in a few days. Don't burn the world down without me."
Anna smirked. "No promises. You know how boring it gets when you're gone."
Didi tilted her head, smiling sweetly. "You always find trouble, don't you?" she said, voice light but threaded with emotion. She took a small step closer, her gaze never leaving his.
She leaned up just enough to press a gentle kiss to his cheek before pulling back. "Now go handle your giant space problem… and then come back to me."
Diana gave a single, firm nod. "We'll hold things together. Go do what you can do."
Jean stepped closer, her eyes lingering on his face for a long moment before softening into a warm smile. "You better come back in one piece, Ethan. I don't care if he's the size of a planet—don't go trying to play hero alone. We're all counting on you."
She reached out, squeezing his arm with a firmness that carried more meaning than words. "And… don't forget—no matter how far you fly, you've still got a home here."
For a heartbeat, the mindspace was quiet—four sets of eyes on him, each in their own way reluctant to let him go.
Ethan took a mental snapshot of that moment, tucking it away.
Then the scene dissolved like mist in the sun, leaving him back in the real world—alone, but carrying their faces with him as he prepared to face the stars… and maybe talk a giant out of eating breakfast.
---
After coming out of the mindspace, Anna, Jean, and Didi found themselves seated opposite Erik.
He studied their faces for a moment, his voice low and probing.
"You alright?"
All three paused for a couple of seconds.
His eyes narrowed. "Is it…?"
Jean cut him off before the suspicion could fully form. "It's not the Professor. It's our fiancé."
Erik's expression shifted, the corner of his mouth curling into a knowing smirk.
"Hah. The one and only Ethan Carter."
He touched his cheek almost fondly. "I still can't forget that punch."
Across from him, Anna's gaze hardened. She hadn't forgotten either—but for an entirely different reason. Erik was the man who had once manipulated her life like a chessboard, sending Mystique to impersonate Ethan and engineer a breakup, just so she'd end up on his side.
She despised him. Every breath she took in his presence was an exercise in restraint. But for the sake of the moment—and for the sake of avoiding unnecessary violence—Anna swallowed her anger.
For now, she would compromise. But her silence was a promise: she had not forgiven.
She was only calm because Ethan had already dealt with Mystique—and taught Eric a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.
He then leaned forward, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Now," he said, his voice low and deliberate, "let's talk about that proposal you made."
...
A Few Moments Later...
Ethan and the Fantastic Four were now strapped in inside their sleek spacecraft. The interior was a blend of cutting-edge design and functional precision—white and silver panels curved seamlessly along the walls, embedded with faint blue lights that pulsed softly like a heartbeat. Every surface gleamed with an almost sterile perfection, and the floor beneath them vibrated faintly from the hum of the systems coming online.
Dominating the control console at the front was the iconic number "4" insignia, illuminated in a deep sapphire blue. The same emblem adorned the headrests of each seat, a silent reminder of the ship's owners and their legacy. The seats themselves were cushioned but firm, shaped to handle the forces of deep-space travel, with retractable harnesses ready to lock down in emergencies.
They were all in position—Reed at the helm, Ben beside him at co-pilot, Johnny and Sue strapped in behind. Ethan stood near the center of the cabin, one hand resting casually on the back of Sue's chair, his other hand glowing faintly with red energy.
"Hold on to something," Ethan said calmly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Without another word, he gestured downward.
A swirling red portal blossomed beneath the ship, the floor beneath them becoming a yawning vortex of crimson light. With a sudden lurch, the entire craft dropped through the tear in reality.
The stars changed instantly. They were no longer in Earth's orbit—they were far, far beyond.
Reed and Ben instantly snapped into motion, fingers flying over controls. The engines roared to life, panels flickered with power, and the ship surged forward into the void.
Outside, a silver streak hovered just ahead—the Silver Surfer, waiting patiently in the endless dark. His voice came through the comms, smooth and almost bored:
"Your little ship isn't built for the distance we must travel."
Johnny frowned. "Wait… how is he even talking to us? He's literally in space."
Sue glanced over her shoulder, her tone light but curious. "Guess that's just another mystery for this trip."
Ethan's eyes began to glow a deep, fiery red. His voice carried a faint echo as he replied, "You forget who he's talking to." He stepped forward slightly, his gaze locking onto the Surfer. "Just give me the coordinates, and I'll open the path."
The Surfer hesitated, his expression unreadable. After a long moment, he inclined his head and allowed Ethan to access the memory containing the location—only the location.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly, sifting through the alien's thoughts, before raising his hand and tracing a precise, circular motion in the air. A massive red portal bloomed ahead, its surface shimmering with unstable energy.
On the other side, a colossal, circular structure loomed—its scale almost incomprehensible, slowly rotating in the endless black.
"That's him," the Surfer said, his tone dropping lower. "Follow me."
Without another word, he shot through the portal.
Reed and Ben exchanged a glance, then nodded. The ship banked forward and followed the streak of silver light. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the portal behind them sealed shut, leaving only the empty stars where they had been moments ago.