Chapter Summaries

Coulson reported that the Deadlock Gang operation uncovered signs of Hydra infiltration, including a deadly ambush and a police chief who died after shouting “Hydra.” Nick Fury ordered a search for the gang members who disappeared and an investigation into Coulson and Melinda.

• Evenson and Sarah watched from hiding as S.H.I.E.L.D. concluded its operation after the police chief died.
• Coulson told Nick Fury that eight Deadlock Gang members had disappeared and an ambush had killed Zealot and three other team members.
• Coulson reported that the police chief had taken an unknown poison and shouted “Hydra” before dying.
• Nick Fury ordered the missing men placed on the wanted list, the remaining gang members isolated and interrogated, and Coulson and Melinda investigated.

Nick Fury suspected an insider had warned the Deadlock Gang about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s raid, while Alexander Pierce learned that Hydra members in the gang had been exposed. Pierce feared the exposure might implicate his own branch of Hydra.

• Coulson agreed to questioning and a lie detector test before leaving Nick Fury alone to assess the failed operation.
• Nick Fury suspected a mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and weighed how widely an investigation would need to reach.
• Sitwell visited Pierce under the cover of discussing General Ross’s request for help locating Hulk.
• Sitwell told Pierce that Hydra members hidden in the Deadlock Gang had been exposed when the gang was wiped out.
• Pierce dismissed the Young Turks as troublemakers, but Sitwell warned that Pierce’s branch might already be involved.

Pierce learned that Hydra operatives had exposed the organization to S.H.I.E.L.D. and ordered his branch to go quiet while Nick Fury investigated. He planned to frame the dead police chief’s warning about the Deadlock Gang as a coincidental explanation, though he knew Fury would not believe it.

• Pierce raged at the Young Turks for fleeing and exposing Hydra, then demanded to know who had leaked the operation’s details.
• Sitwell said the leak likely came from the Operations Division, whose Hydra personnel came from several branches and were difficult to track.
• Pierce ordered his branch to stop recruiting and cut contact with other branches, especially the Operations Division, which Rumlow was told to monitor.
• Sitwell warned that Nick Fury might expand his investigation after isolating Coulson, and Pierce agreed that Fury would not stop until he found the truth.
• Pierce told Sitwell to forge evidence that the dead police chief had warned colleagues to avoid the Deadlock Gang during a planned crackdown, making the warning appear unrelated to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s operation.

After the raid on the Deadlock Gang, Nick Fury considered purging S.H.I.E.L.D. for Hydra infiltrators, while Alexander Pierce tried to dissuade him. Pierce left Fury weighing the political risks of a full-scale review.

• Nick Fury worried that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and considered how to conduct an internal review.
• Alexander Pierce visited Fury, discussed the Hydra resurgence, and asked what Fury planned to do.
• Fury said he would first purge S.H.I.E.L.D. to ensure its internal security.
• Pierce showed Fury a forged document suggesting the Deadlock Gang had hidden from a police operation, offering an excuse to avoid a full-scale review.
• Pierce argued that the World Security Council might see S.H.I.E.L.D. as unnecessary in a peaceful world, and Fury dismissed the council’s concerns.

Nick Fury and Pierce debated how to respond to Hydra’s suspected infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury agreed to Pierce’s plan for a secret, phased internal review, leaving Pierce’s covert maneuver in motion.

• Pierce warned Nick Fury that the World Security Council would distrust his claims about Hydra and might use them to investigate or restrict S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury insisted that Hydra posed a real threat and called for an internal review to find spies within S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Pierce argued that a large-scale review would paralyze S.H.I.E.L.D. and expose it to the Council’s interference.
• Pierce proposed conducting the review secretly and in batches to avoid disrupting operations and alerting Hydra.
• Nick Fury accepted Pierce’s proposal.

Pierce and Sitwell arranged to manipulate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret internal reviews to protect Hydra, then tried to learn how the Deadlock Gang had been exposed. Pierce suspected an Inhuman was involved, but Nick Fury's Level 10 seal blocked their investigation, leaving Pierce to question what they would do even if they found the person.

• Pierce and Nick Fury agreed to conduct secret, randomized reviews of S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, and Pierce told Sitwell to use the process to stall and shield Hydra members.
• Pierce asked Sitwell how the Deadlock Gang had been exposed, and Sitwell suspected Agents Coulson and Melinda had alerted Nick Fury after speaking with him.
• Sitwell explained that Coulson and Melinda had recently completed a Level Six mission in Brooklyn involving an Inhuman, and Pierce concluded that the Inhuman had likely exposed the Deadlock Gang.
• Sitwell said Nick Fury had sealed the mission file at Level 10 clearance, and Pierce dismissed attempts to find evidence through surveillance footage or vehicle records.
• Pierce coldly asked Sitwell what they would do even if they found the Inhuman.

Pierce ordered Sitwell to stabilize Hydra’s position and avoid pursuing Evenson while Nick Fury investigated S.H.I.E.L.D. Evenson, safely at home, reflected that exposing Hydra had achieved his goal of keeping it away from him.

• Sitwell proposed forcing Evenson to comply or making him disappear, but Pierce warned that doing so could give Nick Fury evidence to uncover Hydra.
• Pierce explained that Hydra still depended on S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury’s leadership, so Fury had to remain director until Hydra no longer needed the organization.
• Pierce threatened to make Sitwell a scapegoat if he left loose ends, and Sitwell promised to handle the matter carefully.
• Pierce decided to delay and stabilize the situation while Nick Fury conducted an internal review, unaware that Pierce himself was Hydra’s leader.
• Evenson ate instant noodles at home and reasoned that exposing Hydra would keep it from abducting him, even if Pierce became angry.

Evenson watched business at Richter’s Curiosities grow slightly as the Deadlock Gang’s capture frightened other gangs into keeping a low profile. Sarah rushed in with news from a newspaper, and Evenson recognized it as cause for celebration, though the chapter did not reveal what it said.

• Evenson decided that attacking Hydra alone was too dangerous and focused on counting his shop’s revenue instead.
• The Deadlock Gang’s capture spread rumors across the country, prompting gangs to shrink their operations or disband.
• Improved safety in Brooklyn raised Richter’s Curiosities’ daily customer count from five to seven, while Evenson worried about feeding his demons.
• Tyler complained that Evenson would not let him fight underground or lift cars, so he had to exercise with dumbbells.
• Sarah rushed in with a newspaper, and Evenson noticed her polished horns before reading it and reacting to its good news.

After Tony Stark disappeared in Afghanistan, Evenson celebrated his profits while S.H.I.E.L.D. struggled with the fallout. Nick Fury sent Coulson to Richter's Curiosities to ask Sorcerer Evenson about the situation, leaving Coulson reluctant to return to the shop.

• News reported that Tony Stark had gone missing after terrorists attacked his convoy, and Stark Industries' stock fell sharply.
• Evenson and Sarah celebrated their investment gains and planned a steak dinner, while Tyler eyed Hubbs as a potential meal.
• Phil Coulson arrived at Richter's Curiosities, remembering how his last visit had ended in magic, a failed raid on the Deadlock Gang, and an investigation.
• After Tony Stark disappeared, Nick Fury assigned Coulson to return to Brooklyn and find out what Evenson knew.

Coulson visited Evenson to ask about Tony Stark’s disappearance, and Evenson pretended to divine that Tony was in Afghanistan by reading a newspaper. Coulson then confronted Evenson about his suspicious stock trades, leaving Evenson worried that Coulson suspected his knowledge of the future.

• Evenson and Coulson exchanged coffee and small talk, while Coulson refused to discuss the results of the operation involving the Deadlock Gang.
• Coulson asked Evenson whether he knew what had happened to the missing Tony Stark, and Evenson claimed he did not.
• Evenson tossed a gold coin and said Tony was in Afghanistan, then admitted he would learn more by reading the news.
• Coulson pointed out that Evenson had sold his Stark Industries stock and invested in Justin Hammer shortly before Tony disappeared.
• Evenson secretly prepared a Chaos Bolt before asking Coulson why he suspected him of precognition.

Evenson defended himself against Coulson’s suspicion that he had used his powers in Tony Stark’s disappearance, and Coulson explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. investigated supernatural abilities out of responsibility rather than fear. As Coulson prepared to leave, Evenson offered help finding Tony and called Hubbs to get to work.

• Evenson argued that if he could see the future, he would avoid instant noodles and make more money through the lottery than by betting on Stark Industries.
• Coulson admitted S.H.I.E.L.D. suspected Evenson might have used his powers in Tony Stark’s disappearance.
• Evenson accused S.H.I.E.L.D. of fearing powers it could not understand, while Coulson said the investigation came from a responsibility to protect humanity’s worldview.
• Evenson accepted Coulson’s apology, and Coulson thanked him for cooperating.
• Evenson offered to help locate Tony Stark and called Hubbs to work.

Coulson brought Hubbs, a talking Husky who could transform into a hellhound, to Nick Fury as support for the search for Tony Stark. Hubbs demonstrated that he could track a target from up to three kilometers away, and Fury was left trying to understand the strange new ally.

• Nick Fury doubted Coulson's claim that a Husky was valuable mission support, until Hubbs threatened him in human language.
• Coulson recounted how Evenson introduced Hubbs and explained that the talking creature was his magical pet, not a dog.
• Hubbs transformed into a terrifying hellhound, startling Coulson, and Evenson explained that Hubbs's greatest strength was searching.
• Evenson said Hubbs could track a target within three kilometers, even if the target had been burned to ashes, and Hubbs changed back into a Husky.

Nick Fury questioned Coulson about Evenson’s reaction to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s suspicions and judged the Sorcerer a potential asset. He revealed plans for a special response team to confront dangerous superhumans and considered Evenson as a candidate.

• Hubbs mocked Nick Fury until Coulson lured him out of the office with the promise of steak.
• Coulson reported that Evenson had been agitated and angry about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s suspicions but had shown no fear and treated the agents as equals.
• Nick Fury decided Evenson had value and could be added to the candidate list for a response team.
• Nick Fury explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed a special unit to respond to highly dangerous superhumans like Hulk.

Nick Fury approved Evenson as a candidate for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s special response unit and sent Coulson to Afghanistan to search for Tony Stark. Meanwhile, Evenson found Hubbs’s hidden dog food and prepared a ritual to go somewhere, intending to give S.H.I.E.L.D. something else to investigate.

• Nick Fury judged Evenson trustworthy enough to consider for his special response unit and ordered Coulson to take Hubbs to Afghanistan to search for Tony Stark.
• Evenson and his subordinates searched the shop for Hubbs’s Secret Treasure of Ha, then Evenson deduced it was buried beneath a dumpster in the alley.
• Tyler dug up a box containing ten bags of premium dog food, and Evenson told Sarah to sell it and use the money to improve their meals.
• Evenson told Sarah to prepare a ritual that night because he planned to go somewhere and give S.H.I.E.L.D. a new problem.

Evenson visited the Burning Legion outpost at Fel Scar Rift and bargained with Hailmondas for the Pit Lord’s blood. After securing a cup of blood, Evenson escaped back to his body, leaving Hailmondas furious.

• Evenson arrived at Fel Scar Rift in spirit and met Agatha, who agreed to take him to Hailmondas.
• Evenson told Hailmondas he wanted the Pit Lord’s blood and offered his six Soul Crystals in exchange.
• Hailmondas criticized the Soul Crystals but accepted the deal after Evenson pointed out he was the outpost’s only Sorcerer customer.
• Hailmondas threatened Evenson, then cut his hand with his spear and let Evenson collect a bottle of his blood.
• Evenson activated his emergency evacuation spell and returned to his body.

Evenson disguised himself as Wiske and arranged a meeting with Hydra leader Daniel Howitzer, claiming he could help him reclaim something he had lost. Howitzer was left shocked and tense as Evenson hinted at what he could offer.

• Evenson sent Sarah to buy groceries and used a hidden Demon Array to teleport to a secluded alley.
• Disguised as Albert Wiske, Evenson traveled to a secret Hydra laboratory and asked to meet Daniel Howitzer.
• Howitzer’s staff searched Evenson before allowing him into Howitzer’s office.
• Evenson told Howitzer he could help him recover something that had once been in his possession and was later taken from him.

Evenson, an Umbrella Corporation executive, offered Howitzer help recovering the Kree Obelisk from a US Army warehouse. He explained how a small infiltration team could buy time, then revealed a green liquid intended to improve the team’s capabilities.

• Howitzer confirmed that Evenson knew about the Obelisk and asked who he was.
• Evenson introduced himself as Albert Wiske, an executive of Umbrella Corporation.
• Howitzer explained that a US Army division guarded the warehouse where the Obelisk was held.
• Evenson argued that an infiltration team could reach the Obelisk before reinforcements fully arrived, but Howitzer doubted his men could hold off the troops.
• Evenson offered to help them buy an hour by improving the infiltrators’ quality and placed a vial of green liquid on the table.

Evenson presented Howitzer with Umbrella Corporation’s T-serum, claiming it could enhance human abilities and was derived from Steve Rogers’s blood. Howitzer had his trusted bodyguard Rome drink it, and Rome transformed into a towering, monstrous being Evenson named Tyrant.

• Evenson told Howitzer that the T-serum could greatly enhance human abilities and claimed it was derived from Steve Rogers’s blood.
• Howitzer agreed to test the serum on a healthy adult and chose his most trusted bodyguard, Rome.
• Rome drank the serum and shouted, “Hail Hydra!”
• Rome convulsed and transformed into a nearly seven-and-a-half-foot-tall creature with dark skin, green stripes, red eyes, and bone spikes.
• Evenson named the transformed being Tyrant.

Evenson brought Howitzer to the underground laboratory to test Rome’s new enhancement and offered him a squad of T-serum-enhanced soldiers. He described Umbrella Corporation’s other research, alarming Howitzer with ideas for rapidly producing loyal Super Soldiers, then assured him that the cloning and memory-implantation process had not succeeded.

• Evenson explained that Rome needed professional testing after the enhancement, and Howitzer watched Rome demonstrate exceptional strength, durability, and endurance.
• Evenson placed twenty T-serum bottles on the table and said he planned to give Howitzer a squad.
• Howitzer questioned why Umbrella Corporation did not take the Obelisk, and Evenson said the company focused on humanity as a weapon.
• Evenson listed Umbrella Corporation’s other research projects, leaving Howitzer stunned by the range of possible enhancements.
• Evenson described rapid clone maturation and memory implantation, but told Howitzer that the process had not succeeded.

Evenson negotiated with Howitzer to trade a superhuman serum for Hydra’s Obelisk, explaining that Umbrella wanted Hydra to distract S.H.I.E.L.D. He demanded the audiovisual files and records for a Siberian branch mission report dated December 16, 1991, and threatened to demonstrate Veronica’s enhancements when Howitzer refused.

• Howitzer asked Evenson what price Umbrella wanted for the serum, and Evenson said Umbrella wanted Hydra to grow stronger and draw S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention.
• Howitzer realized Umbrella was using Hydra as a shield but pressed Evenson on why he had chosen Hydra over other potential partners.
• Evenson demanded all audiovisual records and files for the Siberian branch mission report dated December 16, 1991.
• Howitzer refused the demand and placed his hand over the serums as his bodyguards reached into their jackets.
• Evenson revealed his crimson eyes, melted his stainless-steel chair, and asked whether Howitzer wanted to test Veronica’s enhancements.