Silver Surfer Volume 1, Issue #28

"Terminal Ferocity" Part 10

Written by Matt Hamilton,  Edited by E. A. Morrissey
Published by the Cosmic Power Fan Fiction Group
Silver Surfer created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Silver Surfer is a trademark of Marvel Comics

Outside the sanctuary of Galactus' huge spherical Worldship stood the Devourer of Worlds. Surging with power after consuming the energy of an entire world, he stood almost a thousand feet tall.

Opposite him stood Terminus: A collection of several thousand giant aliens, each a descendent of an alien who stole a fraction of Galactus' power centuries ago. Since then, years of inbreeding and genetic engineering had created a race of vastly powerful aliens. As one composite being, they possessed almost as much power as the Great Devourer himself did. And now, they had returned to claim what was left.

"I'M WAITING, DEVOURER!" spoke the Terminus collective. "BESTOW UNTO ME THE REMAINS OF YOUR POWER, OR I SHALL TAKE IT FORCIBLY, AND KILL YOU IN THE PROCESS!"

Galactus, looked over the alien, then suddenly his face lost all expression. His muscles relaxed, and his body seemed to go limp. Terminus, taking this as an affront to his threat, took the offensive.

A pair of beams of energy, perhaps a hundred feet wide, spewed forth from Terminus' eyes and struck Galactus. The Devourer hardly flinched from the onslaught. On the contrary: Galactus seemed to be completely ignoring his attacker. He hovered, motionless, in space; arms spread wide and head back.

Suddenly, Terminus screamed in pain, and a huge crunch of organic material exploded from his left flank! Neither Axiom nor the Surfer had seen an attack from Galactus - he was obviously working in dimensions higher than either of them could perceive! Although perturbed, Terminus continued his onslaught, gripping his wounded ribcage with one hand, and raising the other to add to the barrage of energy beams.

With the addition of a third beam, Galactus flinched slightly. One hand quivered and slowly clenched into a fist. Without any further movement, another extra-dimensional blast suddenly caught Terminus on his outstretched arm and several tonnes of armour and body-mass exploded into space!

Now angered to the point where he could not feel the pain, Terminus raised his other arm and let loose another blast!

Galactus reacted this time. His head rose forward and his eyes narrowed. The Surfer could see the muscles beneath his former master's armour ripple in pain. At length, two pinpoint beams of power cosmic erupted from the Devourer's eyes and converged on the armored chest of his assailant! Terminus stopped his attack momentarily, knocked back from the impact and obviously in immense pain!

"THIS DRAGS ON TOO LONG, GALACTUS! YOU SHALL DIE NOW!" he roared, and once again raised both arms.

This time, however, the beams did not appear to emanate from the hands of Terminus. Instead, they seemed to come from Galactus and pump backward into the alien's grip!

Galactus suddenly roared in pain! The Surfer quickly realized what was happening: Terminus was somehow draining Galactus of energy, and killing him in the process!

Norrin Radd stepped onto his board, and willed it forward. Galactus had taken far too long to defeat the alien collective, and the Skyrider now feared for his former master's life. It was time to tip the scales. The board began its flight, but before his body followed the Surfer felt Axioms grip on his arm! Were it not for the molecular bonding between his feet and the board's silver surface, he might have toppled!

"Why do you stop me, Axiom?" cried the Surfer! "Can't you see that your master is threatened with defeat?"

"If that is the case," replied the faceless herald, "then I will bow to fate." He bowed his head, and his white hair fell forward. His voice lowered. "This is my master's fight, not mine. The balance must be served."

"Balance?" the Surfer almost screamed. "Galactus is the balance! Without Galactus, the universe would never again know any form of harmony! It would all descend into chaos! I served your master for over a thousand years: Don't you think I know about balance? Help me stop this accursed battle before Terminus brings all of reality into jeopardy!" Norrin spun so quickly that Axiom was forced to release his grip then grabbed the lawmaker on the shoulders. "Axiom! Listen to me! Serve the balance! Serve Galactus! Help me save his life, or all is lost!"

Axiom looked past the Silver Surfer and out to the battle. Galactus was writhing in pain as the Terminus collective siphoned the energy from him. It had seemed that the Devourer had given up the battle.

The herald chewed over Norrin Radd's words. He knew no loyalty now except to Galactus, yet his profound sense of honor and justice prevented him from stepping in to someone else's fight. However, this was no bickering amongst the denizens of his former homeworlds! This was Galactus! According to the Surfer, his master's death could have grave implications!

"Tell me what I have to do, Surfer," he said, and drew his lash.

Within seconds the two were outside the ship, and hovering above the warring behemoths. Terminus was lost in the rapture of the siphoning process, and had not noticed them.

The Silver Surfer explained his plan to Axiom. "There is only one way I know for us to stop this. It is something I learned in my first encounter with this alien on Earth. You'll need to use your lash, in a way you've never used it before."

As the battle raged below, Norrin Radd made sweeping gestures with his hands and related his plan to the herald. Axiom, understanding, nodded solemnly. He then sped off suddenly toward one side of the two giant beings, and pulled back his quantum lash.

As if spurred by some signal, the Surfer focused a tight beam of Power Cosmic at the lash, feeding it with almost limitless energy. It's eerie pink glow increased until it was almost blinding. Axiom suddenly struck, cracking the lash in the empty space before him.

All four of the beings present felt the shock wave as the weapon rendered the space-time continuum.

"That's it!" cried the Surfer. "Now, the other side! Quickly!"

Axiom shot at almost the speed of light to a similar position on the other side of his master, and began the process once more. Again, he pulled back his lash and let the Surfer boost it with Power Cosmic. Then all at once he released it into the space before him, tearing another great slice into reality itself!

"It is thy turn, now, Silver one!" cried Axiom, and pulled back a safe distance. The Surfer seemed to meditate for a brief second, no doubt gathering his remaining energies, then focused a pair of beams at the two tears, which Axiom had made.

Slowly he brought his hands together, widening each tear and bringing them towards each other. Towards the combatants below! When they met, it was precisely in the path of the umbilical beam between Galactus and Terminus, and formed a kind of lens, which dissipated the power flow!

"I watched a mutant perform this sorcery on Earth," proclaimed the Surfer, "and I had little doubt that it would fail on this grand scale!"

Galactus seemed to recover all at once, whereas Terminus was almost drunk from the influx of power, and was in no state to fight.

"NOW, PRETENDER," boomed the voice of the Devourer, "YOU SHALL DISCOVER THE POWER OF GALACTUS!"