Chapter Summaries

Evenson inspected Moira’s completed Fel-based bio-organic weapons, which were cloned from an Asgardian deserter and named Tyrants. He also learned that a telekinetic hybrid named Nemesis could control them as a hive mind, and ordered the Valkyrie Sigrun assigned to the Black Badge Division.

• Moira explained that the Tyrants had been stabilized with diluted Nadia blood, restrained by neural-probe coats, and grown from Elliott Randolph’s cells.
• Evenson suggested using Sigrun’s cells, but Moira said her revived, Fel-infused body was unsuitable for the experiment.
• Evenson assigned Sigrun to the Black Badge Division and told Moira not to inform her that Earth had salaries.
• Evenson named the bio-organic weapons Tyrants, with the current version designated the T002 classic model.
• Moira revealed that a telekinetic hybrid named Nemesis shared a hive consciousness with the Tyrants and could coordinate up to thirty of them.
• Evenson named the hybrid Nemesis.

Evenson inspected Moira’s Tyrant weapons and learned why Gernos had equipped the squad with powerful but bulky Gauss guns. He also discovered Moira’s genetically enhanced Velociraptors, which she named Gonk, and planned to send the Tyrants out as mercenaries to earn money and bring back research specimens.

• Moira showed Evenson the Triple Pulse Machine Gun, a rapid-fire Gauss weapon designed for the Tyrants, and explained its immense power and impractical size for ordinary infantry or vehicles.
• Evenson decided the Tyrants could use the guns and planned to contact the Collector for mercenary connections, with technology as his preferred payment.
• Moira asked Evenson to have the mercenaries bring back alien tissue, corpses, or living captives for her research.
• Evenson noticed creatures in cultivation chambers, and Moira explained that she had recreated and enhanced Velociraptors from dinosaur blood preserved in amber.
• Moira said the Velociraptors had improved combat abilities and could be laser-guided to targets, then named them Gonk; Evenson called them Hunter Gonk.

Evenson and the Eredar Twins discussed selling Velociraptors before learning that S.H.I.E.L.D. had caught a spy at their facility. Meanwhile, Nick Fury traced Evenson’s brief signal at Gospel Company to its directors, Ada Wong and Kara Wong, and sent Ghost to investigate; Ghost was discovered by a roomful of green-eyed figures.

• Evenson proposed selling Velociraptors for military and private use, but Saloras warned that animal experimentation could provoke public backlash.
• Moira assured Evenson that the Velociraptors had an implanted safety mechanism, and Aurelles reported that Peggy Carter had caught a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy.
• Nick Fury dealt with British officials blaming S.H.I.E.L.D. for the military’s poor performance and learned that the Committee had removed restrictions on Project Insight.
• Nick Fury investigated Evenson’s brief phone signal at Gospel Company and recognized its directors, Ada Wong and Kara Wong, in an old recording with Evenson and Sarah.
• Nick Fury sent Ghost to infiltrate Gospel Company, but Ghost was spotted after phasing into a hidden room where everyone stared at her with green, burning eyes.

Ghost infiltrated Hydra’s training grounds but was spotted by recruits with Spectral Sight and captured by Jialiya. Peggy Carter arrived, secured the scene, and ordered that the matter be reported to the Eredar Twins.

• Ghost entered the training grounds, where recruits with Spectral Sight detected her and surrounded her.
• The recruits attacked as Ghost tried to escape, but Jialiya blocked her routes and bound her with a spell.
• Jialiya rebuked a recruit for joking about the Eredar Twins, then collected the wagers she had won by capturing Ghost alive.
• Jialiya told the recruits to notify the instructor so they could report their merit.
• Peggy Carter arrived, ordered everyone to stay put, and said she would report the incident to the two directors.

Evenson learned that Nick Fury had known about the Kree long before Evenson realized, then joined Peggy Carter and the Eredar Twins to question Ghost. Ghost recognized Evenson and tried to escape, but Aurelles stopped her, and Peggy removed her helmet to reveal her identity.

• Peggy Carter identified the captured spy as Ghost, a highly classified S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and warned Evenson that Nick Fury had been manipulating him.
• Peggy told Evenson that Nick Fury had dealt with the Kree before Evenson was born, leaving Evenson embarrassed by how much he had revealed.
• Evenson decided to question Ghost, and Aurelles praised Jialiya for capturing her and asked Evenson to look after her on the battlefield.
• After the Eredar Twins released Ghost, she recognized Evenson and tried to flee through a wall.
• Aurelles caught Ghost with a rune chain, and Peggy removed her helmet to reveal a Latina woman with a swollen bump on her forehead.

After Ghost infiltrated the facility and was captured, Evenson and the Eredar Twins debated how to handle the threat and whether their ties to Umbrella Corporation could be exposed. The twins guided Evenson to recognize how his official duties and powerful connections could protect him, leaving him reassured about his position.

• The Eredar Twins tied up the unconscious Ghost after she tried to phase through a wall, and Peggy Carter explained that Ghost's abilities came from a failed experiment rather than an Inhuman mutation.
• Aurelles proposed killing Ghost, but Evenson argued that silencing her could provoke whoever sent her and that they should conceal their activities instead.
• Evenson defended Gospel Company's legal standing and claimed Umbrella Corporation had never existed, while Saloras warned that his own work for both organizations could still expose him to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s discipline.
• Evenson listed his many Asgardian and political connections as reasons Nick Fury would hesitate to act against him, and Peggy Carter was stunned by his status.
• The Eredar Twins revealed they had steered Evenson toward recognizing his importance, and Aurelles urged him not to assume that one setback would ruin him.

Evenson questioned the captured Ghost, whose real name was Eva, about her mission and learned that she distrusted Peggy Carter despite Peggy’s ties to S.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy revealed that Eva’s abilities caused her endless torment and offered to secure her help by freeing her from them.

• Evenson checked Ghost for a hidden poison capsule, then woke her and began questioning her while she remained chained.
• Ghost explained that only someone with special authorization and Level Nine clearance could deploy her, prompting Evenson to ask whether Alexander Pierce, Nicholas J. Fury, or both had sent her.
• Peggy Carter revealed herself, and Ghost recognized her as the only woman in S.H.I.E.L.D. who knew and used her real name, Eva.
• Eva accused Peggy of being capable of betraying her beliefs and promises for lifespan, youth, and power, while the Eredar Twins asked what it would take to recruit her.
• Evenson threatened to extract information from Eva, but Peggy interrupted and said Eva wanted release from the torment caused by her abilities, promising Eva would help if they could free her from it.

Peggy Carter and Eva explained how Hank Pym’s feud with Eva’s father, Eliasstar Starr, led Starr to attempt a dangerous experiment that gave Eva her tormenting ability. The revelation that the experiment involved the Quantum Realm left Evenson startled, though he admitted he did not know what “quantum” meant.

• Peggy Carter identified Hank Pym and Eliasstar Starr as the two people connected to the failed experiment that changed Eva.
• Peggy Carter described Hank Pym as an abusive S.H.I.E.L.D. genius, while Eva insisted that Pym was responsible for her suffering.
• Eva explained that Pym drove Starr from their research and ruined his reputation, leaving Starr to pursue his work alone.
• Eva said Starr’s solo Quantum Realm tunnel experiment failed, killed her parents, and gave her the ability that tormented her.
• Evenson offered condolences and praised Starr’s sacrifice for science, then asked about his research.
• Eva said her father had studied the Quantum Realm, and Evenson revealed he had never heard of quantum physics.

Evenson and the Eredar Twins learned that Eva’s unstable phase-shifting abilities came from a Quantum Realm accident, then stabilized them with a magical shackle. Eva gained control over her powers and agreed to serve them, though Aurelles kept the chain’s control in her hands.

• Eva explained that her father Starr died in a failed Quantum Realm experiment, and blamed Hank Pym for driving him to risk everything after ruining his reputation.
• Eva described how S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited her as Ghost and promised a cure, while Evenson argued that the agency had kept her suffering because it needed her abilities.
• The Eredar Twins identified Eva’s condition as Phase Shift and used their Magic chain to suppress the pain and let her control when her powers appeared.
• Aurelles revealed that the chain could still control Eva, and Eva promised not to betray them.
• Evenson told Eva to practice using her abilities so S.H.I.E.L.D. would not notice the change, then promised to show her something and asked her to record it secretly.

Nick Fury and Pierce confronted each other over Fury’s unauthorized deployment of Ghost, then reviewed her recording of Evenson meeting with Gospel Company’s twin directors. The footage revealed their uneasy, teasing relationship but left the purpose of their meeting unresolved.

• Nick Fury worried that Ghost had not returned from investigating Evenson when Pierce barged in and reprimanded him for dispatching her without approval.
• Fury explained that he had sent Ghost to investigate Evenson’s connection to Gospel Company, and Ghost returned with a recording stored in her helmet.
• Pierce and Fury watched footage of Evenson asleep at a conference table with Gospel Company directors Saloras and Aurelles.
• Aurelles woke Evenson, who complained about being dragged into a meeting after returning from Asgard and joked about his past with the twins.
• Aurelles and Saloras protested Evenson’s teasing, and Evenson complained that a powerful gentleman had arranged their awkward collaboration.

Nick Fury watched a recording that revealed Gideon Malick had arranged Evenson’s cooperation with Gospel Company, while Pierce learned the operation was a cover for Umbrella Corporation. The arrival of Peggy Carter left both men stunned and Pierce questioning who really controlled S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra.

• Nick Fury heard Evenson complain that he had joined the operation on Nick’s orders and that a confidentiality agreement kept him from revealing what was happening.
• Nick Fury realized Gideon Malick had arranged the meeting after Stephanie entered the room.
• Pierce knew the recording concealed Malick’s cooperation with Umbrella Corporation and that Gospel Company was its cover identity.
• Peggy Carter arrived at the meeting, leaving Nick Fury and Pierce shocked.
• Nick Fury suspected Peggy was part of a committee overseeing S.H.I.E.L.D., while Pierce feared she had joined Umbrella Corporation and resolved to investigate his own organization.

Pierce stopped Nick Fury from investigating Umbrella Corporation, fearing that a deeper inquiry would expose Hydra and his own branch. He persuaded Nick Fury to abandon the investigation and tried to destroy Ghost’s recording, but the office fire alarm drenched them both.

• Pierce watched Evenson’s recording, saw evidence linking Umbrella Corporation to Peggy Carter and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and ordered Nick Fury not to investigate further.
• Pierce reasoned that Umbrella Corporation’s ties to Malik and Hydra made an investigation too dangerous for his branch, so he urged Nick Fury to wait until Project Insight succeeded.
• Nick Fury argued that he needed to defend S.H.I.E.L.D.’s authority, while Pierce warned that resisting the World Security Council would cost him his chance to appeal.
• Nick Fury agreed to stop the investigation, and Pierce tried to destroy Ghost’s storage device by setting it on fire over a glass of liquor.
• The fire alarm activated and drenched Pierce and Nick Fury as they stumbled out of the office.

After S.H.I.E.L.D. began investigating the Hydra-Umbrella Corporation operation, Evenson accelerated the modification of the remaining Hydra personnel and arranged to push Boris into a desperate act. Boris took Stephanie hostage, leaving Evenson smiling as the plan reached its next stage.

• Evenson reassured Stephanie that their staged video and Peggy Carter’s reputation would help dispel Nick Fury’s suspicions, then proposed completing the remaining modifications at once.
• Evenson told Peggy Carter that he would give the selected recruit one more push, despite the plan being brought forward.
• The next day, Stephanie gathered the fifty unmodified Hydra personnel and urged them to undergo the modification ritual.
• Evenson and Peggy Carter identified Boris as the fearful recruit they had selected for their plan.
• A red glow flashed in Boris’s eyes, and he seized Stephanie with his battle blade, threatening to kill her unless the others let him leave.

Evenson’s Reckless Curse drove Boris to kidnap Stephanie, but Stephanie’s Hydra conditioning made Boris flee and accidentally slash her. The medical team carried Stephanie away for treatment, while Evenson privately judged her wound lighter than he had expected.

• Boris took Stephanie hostage while the Hydra agents and the others cautiously surrounded him.
• Evenson revealed that he had cast Reckless Curse on Boris and offered to meet Boris’s demands if he kept Stephanie safe.
• Boris demanded only to leave, while Evenson taunted him and Stephanie tried to use Hydra’s brainwashing code phrase.
• Stephanie’s code phrase caused Boris to shove her away and flee, but the war blade he threw cut her severely.
• Evenson promised Stephanie she would survive as Moira’s medical team carried her away, then privately noted that her wound was lighter than expected.

After Moira stabilized Stephanie’s catastrophic injuries, Evenson told her that her spine had been severed and offered two ways forward. Stephanie rejected the prospect of amputation and mechanical prosthetics, so Evenson introduced Bio-cradle technology as the second solution.

• Moira treated Stephanie for several hours until her vital signs stabilized and she regained consciousness.
• Evenson told Stephanie that Boris was dead and explained that the slash had severed her spine and badly damaged her internal organs.
• Stephanie pleaded with Evenson to cure her and offered to pay any price.
• Evenson said repairing her spine would be extremely difficult, then presented mechanical prosthetics as the first option.
• Stephanie rejected the prosthetic solution, and Evenson offered Bio-cradle technology as the second option.

Evenson offered Stephanie a chance to repair her injuries with the company’s bio-cradle technology, but told her that fixing her spine would require a material that also granted extraordinary powers. Stephanie agreed to the modification, and Evenson prepared to arrange her treatment while postponing discussion of the cost.

• Evenson explained that Dr. Helen Zhao had developed bio-cradle technology after joining the company, and that it could regenerate biological tissue.
• Stephanie chose the bio-cradle after learning it could restore her organs, muscles, and skin, but Evenson warned that repairing her spine required a scarce synthetic material.
• Evenson revealed that the material would modify Stephanie’s body and give her a special ability, which he intended to use to gain influence over her and Hydra.
• Stephanie agreed to the modification as long as Evenson could ensure her body recovered.
• Evenson said he would arrange the treatment, which would take an hour once the bio-cradle was ready, and put off discussing its cost.

Evenson checked Stephanie’s recovery after Helen Zhao used Bio-cradle technology to repair her and fuse Gravitonium into her spine, giving her control over gravity. Stephanie demonstrated her stabilized powers, while Helen saw the experiment as a breakthrough that could lead to new forms of organic technology.

• Evenson asked Helen Zhao about Stephanie’s condition, and Helen reported that the minor fluctuations in her powers were within acceptable limits.
• Evenson watched Stephanie levitate and crush an iron target into a smooth sphere with her gravity-altering powers.
• Helen Zhao told Evenson she was satisfied with the successful fusion of Gravitonium and organic tissue and that it had opened a new direction for her research.
• Helen reflected on joining the company, where she had gained unrestricted access to unusual experimental materials and conditions.
• Helen considered using Bio-cradle technology to fuse inorganic and organic matter into creations such as nervous-system computers or organic biological robots.

After Stephanie recovered through Bio-cradle technology and tested her new abilities, Evenson told her the treatment was free and warned her that Hydra might have many more disloyal members than the one who caused the incident. Stephanie was left considering the extent of the threat within her organization.

• Stephanie completed tests of her new abilities, showing strong control despite a minor flaw while lifting tofu.
• Evenson told Stephanie that his company would treat her injuries without charge as compensation for its share of responsibility, following the Eredar Twins' decision.
• Stephanie attacked Evenson with an iron ball to check whether he was an impostor, but his Void Protection blocked it.
• Stephanie questioned whether her new powers still made her human, and Evenson urged her to focus on her abilities and Hydra's internal problems.
• Evenson argued that one traitor among the five hundred people Stephanie's father had carefully selected suggested that many more disloyal members could be hiding among Hydra's rejected candidates.

Evenson warned Stephanie that Hydra's internal loyalty was fragile and urged her to become its executioner, enforcing her father's authority through fear. Stephanie accepted the idea and received a nine-headed rod that transformed into a green lightsaber.

• Evenson demonstrated how corruption could turn a solid iron ball into loose sand and warned Stephanie that betrayal could spread through Hydra.
• Stephanie questioned whether Hydra's strict rules and oversight systems were enough to prevent disloyalty, and Evenson argued that fear was more effective than regulations.
• Evenson proposed that Stephanie act as an executioner to punish traitors, build her authority, and secure Hydra's internal stability.
• Stephanie was tempted by the proposal and said she could use her power to reunite what had become loose sand.
• Evenson gave Stephanie a jade-green rod, and she activated it to reveal a brilliant green lightsaber.

Evenson persuaded Stephanie to accept her new power and role as Hydra’s executioner, while hiding his goal of controlling her and using Hydra’s problems to build her authority. Three days later, he visited Gideon Malick, accepted a powerful Winchester rifle, and offered to give Malick a god to worship.

• Evenson reflected that he wanted Stephanie to enforce order in Hydra so her reputation would grow while she remained dependent on him.
• Stephanie accepted the Lightsaber and embraced the idea that she was a Sith Warrior and one of the Chosen rulers.
• Over the next three days, Stephanie became more proficient at controlling her power and learned to switch the Fel Lightsaber on and off.
• Evenson visited Gideon Malick, who presented him with a Winchester rifle and took him to a private shooting range.
• Evenson discovered that the rifle reliably hit its target, kept it, and told Malick he would give him a god to worship.