Chapter Summaries

Peggy Carter revealed that she had married someone five years after Steve disappeared, explaining why Captain America had been troubled. The revelation stunned Dottie, who argued with Peggy about never being told, while Captain America listened.

• Evenson urged Peggy Carter and Captain America to explain what was bothering them.
• Peggy Carter revealed that she had truly married five years after Steve disappeared, and Captain America admitted that he minded.
• Dottie learned that Peggy’s husband had been a war veteran who lost a leg and had worked with the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
• Peggy explained that she had admired her husband’s perseverance and felt kinship with him because of the discrimination she faced.
• Dottie demanded to know why Peggy had never told her, and Peggy reminded her that Dottie had been hiding in Hungary when she married and was elsewhere when they met again.

Peggy Carter told Dottie and Evenson about her deceased husband and her inability to have children, prompting Evenson to reveal he had healed her injuries. Steve assured Carter that he did not blame her for her past, but their reconciliation was interrupted when Sharon Carter arrived and opposed their relationship.

• Dottie learned that Carter’s husband had died on a mission three years into their marriage and that Carter could no longer become pregnant after being injured by Whitney.
• Evenson told Steve that transforming Carter had also healed her old injuries, and Carter realized she might be able to have children.
• Steve told Carter he did not mind her marriage and said her guilt, not her past, was what troubled him.
• Carter embraced Steve after hearing his confession.
• Sharon entered Carter’s home and firmly opposed her aunt being with Steve, while Carter’s grip on him tightened.

Peggy Carter and Sharon Carter argued over whether Captain America was worthy of Peggy, until Sharon revealed she had been testing his loyalty for her aunt. Peggy chose to forgive the misunderstanding, and Captain America promised to cherish her.

• Peggy Carter angrily confronted Sharon Carter after tossing Captain America aside, while he lay on the floor expecting death.
• Evenson pulled Captain America aside and asked Sharon to explain why she thought he was unsuitable for Peggy.
• Sharon said she loved and respected Peggy, but believed Captain America had proved disloyal when he responded to Sharon's advances the previous night.
• Captain America sprang up in relief when he realized Sharon had been testing him rather than trying to steal Peggy from him.
• Peggy dismissed what happened as a misunderstanding and insisted Captain America was the best match for her.
• Sharon warned Captain America not to hurt Peggy, and he promised to cherish her.

After Captain America and Peggy Carter reconciled, Evenson left their home and tried to find a shared taxi back to his place. He rode with Sherlock and Watson, learned they were headed to a crime scene in the Sixth District, and revealed he had once given the NYPD work to do.

• Evenson congratulated Captain America and Peggy Carter on getting back together and gave them a bottle of red wine.
• After learning Peggy's family had plenty of wine for their wedding, Evenson left and decided to take a taxi home rather than walk.
• Evenson tried unsuccessfully to find someone to share a taxi with, then asked Sherlock and Watson, who were also going to the Sixth District.
• Watson agreed to share the ride after explaining that Sherlock was headed to a crime scene there as an NYPD consultant.
• Sherlock asked whether Evenson had worked for the NYPD, and Evenson admitted he had gone there to give them work to do.

Dottie Underwood and Sharon Carter argued over a failed scheme to break up Peggy Carter and Captain America, then completed their deal with intelligence about a Soviet defector. Sharon realized the false intelligence had funded a long-running deception within S.H.I.E.L.D., possibly involving senior officials.

• Dottie accidentally knocked a high-ranking official unconscious by pushing a laundry pole off the rooftop, then smoked while Sharon arrived to collect payment.
• Dottie blamed Sharon for ruining her plan, while Sharon pointed out that Dottie had changed the timing and that unexpected events had disrupted their scheme.
• Sharon demanded the promised goods and threatened to tell Peggy about their involvement, so Dottie handed her a stack of documents.
• Sharon discovered the documents concerned Alexander Zakharchenko, whom Dottie said had defected to Sweden but possessed no important secrets.
• Dottie revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Sweden Division had fabricated years of achievements around Zakharchenko and received dedicated funding for the operation.
• Sharon suspected the deception had persisted because people in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s middle and upper ranks had helped conceal it.

Dottie lamented that her scheme had strengthened Captain America and Peggy Carter’s relationship, while Evenson shared a ride with Sherlock Holmes and Watson, who questioned his wealth and business. Holmes and Watson left suspecting Evenson had a hidden source of income, then realized he had not paid his share of the fare.

• Dottie decided to spend the night on the rooftop rather than endure Captain America and Peggy Carter’s romantic dinner.
• Holmes questioned Evenson about his failing curiosities shop, expensive suit, and Cuban cigars during their ride.
• Evenson explained that clients paid his mysterious-goods shop with valuable items and got out of the car at his stop.
• Watson deduced that Evenson had another source of income or was hiding his true identity behind the shop.
• Holmes pointed out that Evenson had left without paying his share of the fare.

Evenson returned home and found Klayya studying the damaged teleportation Magic array in his basement. He agreed to teach her how to repair it, and Klayya left him with an intimate invitation to continue their exchange in his room.

• Evenson arrived home and found Klayya waiting in the basement beside the damaged Demon Array.
• Evenson mistook Klayya's welcome for a romantic overture before she explained that she had been studying the teleportation Magic array.
• Klayya asked Evenson to help her understand the array, and he gave her his calculations and told her to study them.
• Klayya hugged Evenson from behind and invited him to his room to have a little exchange.

Evenson made Klayya breakfast after their night together, while Aurelles and Saloras watched and believed Klayya was now seeking power from him. Their conversation was interrupted by an urgent report that their old venue had been smashed up.

• Evenson prepared a flashy breakfast for Klayya and brought it to her bedside.
• Klayya woke, laughed at Evenson’s light-bulb trick, and ate the meal with him.
• Aurelles watched the pair through a crystal ball and said Klayya had begun seeking power from Evenson.
• Saloras explained that Klayya needed Evenson’s help to become stronger, and the Eredar Twins expected to control her.
• A communicator reported that the Eredar Twins’ old venue had been smashed up.

The Eredar Twins learned that the Jamaican Voodoo Gang had wrecked Void's Legacy Nightclub and that Luther had been badly injured defending it. They punished Luther by using shadow and flame to reshape his body, vowing to keep him alive to serve them.

• An underling told the Eredar Twins that the Jamaican Voodoo Gang had raided Void's Legacy Nightclub, causing extensive damage and injuries.
• The Twins learned that their security had been understaffed because most of the guards were attending a monthly gathering, which Aurelles had previously approved.
• The underling explained that Luther had been seriously injured and hidden in a nearby dump before the company brought him back discreetly.
• Luther crawled before the Twins, accepted blame for failing them, and begged them to punish him.
• Saloras and Aurelles poured shadow and flame into Luther, reshaping his body and declaring that he would live and serve them.

The Eredar Twins transformed Luther with Fel energy, restoring his body and granting him immense strength. After hearing how King Willy’s bomb-filled Reanimated Corpses had defeated him, they sent him away to train and went to meet Gernos, who presented them with a Fel Energy Concentrated Bomb.

• The Eredar Twins endured the strain of infusing Luther with Fel energy, healing his injuries and restoring his severed arm.
• Luther celebrated his new power, but Aurelles rebuked him and demanded to know how he had been injured.
• Luther explained that King Willy had hidden bombs inside Reanimated Corpses, blowing off his arm during the ambush.
• Saloras dismissed Luther to get used to his new power, and the Eredar Twins headed deeper into the base.
• Gernos greeted the Eredar Twins with an acrobatic display and presented them with a Fel Energy Concentrated Bomb.

Aurelles and Saloras confronted Gernos about his research, then inspected the prototype armor he and his assistants had built. Impressed by its features, the twins named it the Iron Blood Warrior.

• Aurelles kicked Gernos after he showed the twins a powerful Fel bomb, and Saloras ordered him to put it away.
• Saloras demanded tangible results from Gernos’s research, and he revealed that he and his assistants had built an untested prototype.
• Gernos presented a silver armor suit, crediting Adrian with helping develop its alloy and explaining its helmet’s vision and life-support systems.
• Gernos demonstrated the armor’s incomplete stealth device and shoulder cannon, which could target automatically.
• Aurelles and Saloras approved of the armor and named it the Iron Blood Warrior.

Adrian and the other employees watched the Eredar Twins inspect Gernos’s Iron Blood Warrior armor, and the Twins ordered him to finish it within a month for a mission. Meanwhile, New York grew more dangerous, and Evenson saw a news report showing Tyler slaughtering the Scorpion Gang, leaving him demanding an explanation through their mental link.

• Gernos praised the Eredar Twins for naming the armor Iron Blood Warrior, while Adrian and the others hid their resentment and worried about the company’s secrets.
• Saloras criticized the armor’s limited weapons, and Aurelles questioned its arm-mounted computer before Gernos explained that it was for testing.
• Aurelles gave Gernos one month to complete the armor and produce a warrior capable of carrying out their mission, while Saloras said Ross should witness the coming slaughter.
• Evenson enjoyed living with Kreia until a news report showed a masked giant wielding a battle axe wiping out the Scorpion Gang.
• Evenson recognized Tyler in the footage and confronted him through their mental link.

Evenson confronted his demon pets over their slaughter of the Scorpion Gang, while Klayya defended them as heroes. After watching footage of Tyler’s brutal rampage, Klayya admitted he looked more like a bio-horror game’s final boss.

• Evenson questioned Tyler, Topsy, and Sarah about killing the Scorpion Gang, while Hubbs remained at the stray dog shelter.
• Klayya defended the killings, and Topsy praised her as the Matriarch.
• Evenson showed footage of Tyler massacring the Scorpion Gang during a firefight with New York police.
• A reporter dubbed Tyler “Hell Axe” and called for him to lead the city through its crisis.
• Klayya reconsidered her defense after watching the footage and said Tyler looked like a final boss from a bio-horror game.

Evenson confronted Tyler for killing people despite his order, but Tyler said Evenson had authorized it through their mental link. The preserved recording proved Tyler was telling the truth, leaving Evenson embarrassed and unable to punish him as planned.

• Evenson condemned Tyler for disobeying his order not to kill anyone without permission.
• Tyler insisted he had asked Evenson through their mental link and received permission at one in the morning.
• Evenson remembered being occupied with Klayya at that time and tried to dismiss Tyler's claim as unverifiable.
• Sarah explained that the Burning Legion had created a spell to preserve mental-link messages after commanders disputed their orders.
• Tyler produced the saved recording, which played Evenson telling him to handle it himself.
• Klayya blushed as she remembered the conversation, while Evenson was mortified that the record included his voice.

Evenson confronted Tyler over a recording and criticized his violent attack on the Scorpion Gang, but erupted when he learned they had burned the group’s $600. He then realized Tyler’s disguise had exposed his identity through his uncovered hooves, leaving the aftermath unresolved.

• Evenson denied that the recording was his and argued that Tyler’s methods had caused excessive damage.
• Tyler explained that the Scorpion Gang had disrupted his street performance and burned the $600 the group had earned.
• Evenson grabbed Tyler in fury over the lost money and demanded to know why he had not brought back the gang members’ souls.
• Klayya learned that Tyler had used a sack stuffed with cotton to disguise his horns and make himself look taller.
• Evenson pointed out that Tyler’s bare hooves had been visible during the attack, making him easy to recognize.

Evenson worried that Tyler’s role in the Scorpion Gang killings might draw attention from the Sorcerer Supreme, the New York Sanctum, or S.H.I.E.L.D. Klayya reassured him that the first two were unlikely to interfere, so Evenson called Ms. Carter to deal with the remaining concern.

• Evenson asked Klayya whether the Sorcerer Supreme might recognize Tyler and investigate the killings, and Klayya argued that she had no reason to care.
• Klayya suggested that, if necessary, they could tell the Sorcerer Supreme the Scorpion Gang had harmed the Great Dark Rise resistance, and Evenson approved the idea.
• Evenson asked whether the New York Sanctum might interfere, and Klayya explained that its magical energy supply had dropped by two-thirds and it was busy investigating.
• Evenson realized the Eredar Twins had been drawing too much magical energy for the company building’s defenses, then turned his attention to S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Evenson called Ms. Carter instead of Nick Fury and asked whether she had slept well.

Evenson called Peggy Carter to arrange protection from repercussions after Tyler killed members of the Scorpion Gang, and she agreed to take responsibility for ordering the intervention. Evenson then bluffed Nick Fury by claiming Carter had instructed him, leaving the matter apparently settled.

• Evenson called Peggy Carter and told her about Tyler's actions against the Scorpion Gang.
• Carter said the gang would likely have died during the police response anyway and agreed to help Evenson.
• Evenson asked Carter to tell Nick Fury that she had ordered him to deal with the gang, and she agreed while warning him not to repeat the reckless act.
• Evenson called Nick Fury during a S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting, falsely blamed Carter for the order, then hung up and switched off his phone.
• Evenson told everyone that the matter was settled.

S.H.I.E.L.D. held a tense meeting to address corruption in its Swedish branch and launch a broader internal purge. Nick Fury also ordered a crackdown on New York gangs, then told Melinda that her proposal to improve benefits for special personnel would be shelved indefinitely.

• Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. officials discussed the Swedish branch’s fraud, abuses, and cover-ups, and proposed internal inspections and audits.
• Nick Fury received a call that enraged him and asked Alexander Pierce whether anything unusual had happened the previous night or whether New York gangs had been active.
• Pierce ordered Rumlow and Sitwell to form a Special Squad and work with local police to eliminate New York’s gang activity.
• Nick Fury directed S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate everyone involved in the Swedish case and impose severe penalties for future misconduct.
• After the meeting, Nick Fury kept Melinda behind and told her to shelve indefinitely her proposal to increase benefits for certain special personnel.

Evenson learned that his raise would not affect his pay for two years, and Klayya took control of a bank card meant to give him access to his salary. He decided to shift his misery onto someone else, while Milhark Berikoff continued to suffer under the Black Scythe Lord’s curse.

• Melinda told Evenson that his raise had fallen through, but he stayed calm because his salary was already being withheld to repay an advance.
• Sarah offered Evenson a bank card for his salary, but Klayya took it and said she would manage their shared funds.
• Evenson accepted that he had lost control of his financial lifeline and decided to settle a long-delayed matter by passing his pain on to someone else.
• Milhark Berikoff, an Eastern European arms dealer, was revealed to be slowly wasting away from the Black Scythe Lord’s curse.

Milhark waited for the dark wizard who cursed him, while his daughter tried to persuade him to seek hospital treatment. Evenson arrived by teleporting into the family’s refrigerator, leaving Milhark’s daughter and bodyguards confronting him at gunpoint.

• Milhark told his daughter that science could not save him and urged her to leave before the person who cursed him arrived.
• A sudden tremor and a voice from the kitchen alerted Milhark’s daughter and two bodyguards, who went to investigate with their guns drawn.
• Evenson fell out of the refrigerator and explained that a small teleportation error had sent him there instead of directly to his destination.
• Evenson tasted caviar from his shoulder, and Milhark’s daughter demanded to know who he was and why he had crawled out of her refrigerator.