Silver Surfer Volume 1, Issue #32

"Horrors from the Past" - Part 1

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

Feneck locked the apartment door behind him, dead-bolting it to be certain there would be no unexpected visitors. It wasn't because of his actions of the past few hours; it was a precaution he took whenever he was home. Any nosy guests might discover his cache of weapons, or his clippings from newspapers of articles on high-profile military personnel. Trouble he didn't need!

He waited for several seconds with one ear against the door. There were sounds from the corridor outside, but they were the everyday sounds of tenants coming and going. It didn't seem like he was followed. Once again everything had gone according to plan.

Slowly Feneck backed away from the door and moved into the dark living room. The curtains were always drawn. Any light he needed was artificial. He took a step into the room, then stopped dead in his tracks. He was not alone.

There was no mistake. From the trickle of light that had made its way through the cracks in the curtains, Feneck could make out a silhouette sitting on an easy chair in the corner. Was it alive? Feneck could scarcely imagine a break-and-enter merchant stealing into someone's apartment only to relax on his victim's furniture until they arrived home. Indeed, the shadowy figure seemed quite at ease - one leg draped casually over the arm of the chair.

With catlike movements Feneck reached for the pistol stuffed into the back of his jeans. In all likelihood the man in the chair had not yet seen him. That seemed the most logical reason for his comfortable demeanour. He drew the gun, and pointed it squarely between the invader's unseen eyes.

Suddenly the shadow spoke: "You can put your weapon away, Horace. Not that I don't mean you harm, it's just that the gun will not affect me."

"We'll see," replied Feneck. "Who are you? And how'd you get in here?" Feneck had checked the apartment's door before entering; ensuring that it had not been opened prior to his arrival.

"Neither question begs an answer," the shadowy figure hissed. "Suffice to say that I am a fan of your work, Horace Feneck. I hope to gain you as an ally. Perhaps you would be interested in my offer?"

Tony Stark hovered a few hundred feet above New York, surveying the streets with his armor-enhanced vision. Just hours before, a high-ranking officer of the US Army had been assassinated before his eyes. The two had signed a deal whereby Stark Industries would manufacture high-tech weaponry for the United States armed forces, and were just about to complete the public signing of the contract. All that had remained was the symbolic handshake, and they could both have gone home.

A single gunshot put a stop to all that.

In the confusion, Stark had been able to slip away to his limo, inside which he had one of his many suits of Iron Man armour. Within minutes the Invincible Iron Man was on the scene, in his role as Tony Stark's bodyguard.

By now the crowd had dispersed, but still he searched the city below for the gunman. Artificially intelligent sensors in the armor were able to highlight any human figures carrying firearms, even if they were inside a building. He'd already swooped down on several, only to discover patrolling cops, or a harmless purchaser of a hunting rifle. An hour ago he had given up on this avenue of investigation.

The assassin had obviously ditched the weapon. Now Iron Man held the high-powered rifle as he watched the city, waiting for his contacts at Stark Industries to run a check on the weapon's distinguishing features with the various government databases.

This wouldn't be the first time Iron Man had used the murder weapon to find the murderer. It was only a matter of time.

Deneb. The familiar rays of Norrin Radd's home sun reflected off his Silver Skin as he sped homeward. On the far side of that welcoming star was his homeworld - Zenn-La. Waiting on Zenn-La was his true love, Shalla Bal!

For countless years now he had been apart from her. First during his long servitude to the world devourer Galactus, then when he was trapped on Earth after rebelling against his master.

Now, for a time, he was free. Soon he would be home, and in Shalla-Bal's arms again.

The Silver Surfer could hardly remember a time when he had felt so happy.

"Offer?" asked Feneck. This strange man had not only broken into his apartment without setting off any alarms; he had the audacity to offer some sort of alliance with him! "I don't know what you think you know about me, mister, but…"

"Your name is Horace Feneck. You've spent the better part of your short life here on earth serving your nation in its armed forces. However, a few years ago you were dishonorably discharged after attempting to bring certain … questionable… actions on behalf of your superiors to the public eye. Since then, you've dedicated your life to the assassination of those officers. And not just those, either. You've actually chalked up quite a record, Horace."

Feneck took a step backwards, surprised at how much this stranger knew about him.

"The sad fact of the matter, Mr. Feneck, is that you could be doing so-o-o-o much more. Why settle for a few measly humans, when you could ruin the lives of millions, perhaps billions? I'm here to give you the power to do just that - with strings attached, of course."

Feneck's grip on the pistol tightened. As stressed as he was, Horace Feneck was never lost for words. "I don't know you, mister. And I don't care for your bustin' in here and snooping around my life. I'm giving you ten to leave here right now, or I swear I'll send you to the pits of hell!"

Slowly the shadowy figure rose from the chair, and Horace Feneck's eyes widened in terrified fascination as the light spilling through the curtains caught hold of blood-red skin.

"Why, Horace," replied Mephisto, in a devilishly gleeful voice, "that's precisely from where I've come!"

The Silver Surfer sped closer to his homeworld. From Space it looked as beautiful as ever. Not a day has gone by when he did not long to stand on its peaceful grounds once more. His moments of exile on earth made his longing for Zenn-La’s embrace!

Earth was a cruel world he learned… Its people were full of greed and selfishness... They feared what they did not understand and they attacked those they did not accept!

Zenn-La is different, the Surfer thought. They’ve grown past Earth’s primitive ways. They have no need for militaries and law enforcement, for there is no war or crime. The extent of their knowledge is unparalleled. They have taken away all disease, traveled to the farthest star. Their world is a Utopia, a Nirvana.

The Silver Surfer made his way past Zenn-La’s moons and closer to its embracing soils.

A dot appeared on the screen and made its way toward the center. The man monitoring it quickly looked up calling for his leader’s attention. "Sir, we have an unidentified flying object heading towards Zenn-La."

The man dressed in purple and red robes came over to see what the man was talking about, "We have not had a visitor in years... Zenn-La has closed its doors to outsiders long ago," he said to himself aloud, "Make contact with it, find out what its destination is and the point of its visit."

"Sir, it doesn’t appear to be a ship..." the man paused and pointed at some data given out by one of Zenn-La’s satellites, "It’s not much bigger than the size of a man, but its energy pattern is off the charts."

The leader appeared to be taken off guard; he had not seen anything like it in his years of leadership on the Zenn-Lavian Air & Space Defense Program.

"Direct the satellites to give us an image of the object immediately," the commander demanded!

The officer then pressed the appropriate buttons on the control panel to command the satellites to do what the commander had asked.

The screen fuzzy at first… clearing up… showing a picture of a Man… covered in silver, flying on a board.

Both men knew exactly what it was. "Could it be, sir? Could the legends be true?"

"No! This must be a trick! Those myths died with their crazed creator, years ago! Some enemy is evidently to make a fool of Zenn-La. Send two aircraft out at once. Destroy this imposter!"

The officer reluctantly sent out his commander’s demands, as the commander then left the room.

"Norrin Radd!" shouted the man commander to himself, "Curse his name! For it is he and his wretched woman that has brought an end to my brother’s life!"

His brother was Yarro Gort, a Zenn-Lavian who had fallen in love with Shalla-Bal. But her love was for another: Norrin Radd. Every night she would remain faithful to him, gazing at the stars, hoping for his return. She learned through encounters with the evil Mephisto that her love was on a distant planet called Earth. Yarro Gort took her to Earth, sure to find that the Silver Surfer had died or taken another *.

(*This all happened in Silver Surfer Volume 1 Issue #10)

Commander Morre Gort is still unsure what happened on that trip, but his brother never returned. Surely he was killed, and Morre blamed his death on the love of Norrin Radd and Shalla-Bal. At least now he could cast revenge on one of them.

He wasn’t the only one who wanted the Silver Surfer dead, however?

The Silver Surfer entered the planet’s atmosphere. It was time to reenter paradise and reunite with his lost love.

Suddenly, just as the Surfer’s board crossed into the world’s perfect skies, a barrage of laser blasts streaked across it.

"What is this?" the Surfer asked, looking up to see where the shots came from.

He saw two familiar aircraft. "Since when has Zenn-La have need of militaristic forces?" The Silver Surfer was very confused. The designs of the ships looked very familiar, but such technology had not been used in ages, nor had there been a need for.

The aircraft raced closer to the Silver Surfer, following with more attacks. The Silver Surfer dodged them, hoping only to land his board freely without the need of force.

"Why am I being attacked?" The Surfer exclaimed, "Don’t I have as much right to be here as any other man Born of Zenn-La!"

The pilots of the aircraft "ceased fire" and swerved around their silver guest. One radioed to the other, "Who is this man? He seems surprised to hear of Zenn-La’s long policy of seclusion from the other galaxies."

"Could this be the fabled Silver Surfer? Could the legends of Norrin Radd be true?" the other responded to with.

They both agreed to let the visitor land. Moving alongside him, they requested he follow them into the city, where they could land in a safe environment continuing the investigation.