Chapter Summaries

Tony Stark learned from Jarvis that a newly born female artificial intelligence had been hiding in a low-spec gaming console, but decided not to get involved. Kurumi learned that Red Queen had been discovered by Jarvis, while the strange deaths from the previous night drew the attention of organizations.

• Jarvis told Tony Stark that he had encountered a female artificial intelligence on the internet and described her as a curious, obedient newcomer hiding in a low-spec gaming console.
• Tony Stark dismissed the potential threat and told Jarvis to leave the matter to politicians, then joked about Jarvis finding a companion.
• Kurumi woke up and asked Red Queen to order fruit salad.
• Red Queen told Kurumi that Jarvis had discovered her while she was wandering the internet, and Kurumi decided it was too soon to confront him.
• Certain organizations began investigating the more than twenty people who had died in bizarre ways the previous night.

A town sheriff panicked when the FBI investigated a gang delivery site, but Coulson and the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division took control and recovered the deleted surveillance files. Later, Coulson brought a sealed document bag containing two small packages to the Black director, who weighed them and prepared to review the case.

• The sheriff learned that the FBI wanted nearby surveillance footage, and his deputy revealed that the previous day's recording had been deleted.
• Coulson arrived with agents from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, presented documents that forced the FBI to withdraw, and requisitioned the site.
• Coulson's agents recovered the formatted surveillance files, and the sheriff was told the matter was outside their jurisdiction.
• Coulson entered the Black director's office with a sealed document bag and said the complicated incident required the director's decision.
• The Black director opened the bag and found two small packages, one apparently empty and the other containing something metallic.

Nick Fury and Coulson investigated a mass killing tied to gangs and human trafficking but found no clear suspect. A World War II-era Hydra emblem and a strand of hair suggested a female suspect, leaving Nick Fury to handle the evidence secretly.

• Nick Fury reviewed Coulson’s report on twenty-three deaths and learned that the investigation had uncovered no suspects or clear cause of death.
• Coulson showed Nick Fury a silver object bearing nine snake heads, and Nick Fury recognized its emblem as resembling one associated with the bureau.
• Nick Fury questioned Coulson about the object’s origins and ordered a list of everyone who had seen it.
• Coulson reported that the suspect was likely female and that agents were comparing her black hair against records of people in the United States.
• Nick Fury dismissed Coulson, pocketed the evidence bags, and prepared to handle the matter himself.

Nick Fury examined the corpses and watched footage of a mysterious girl whose abilities seemed to defy science. The old professor identified the phenomenon as magic, leaving Fury and Coulson with a new lead.

• Nick Fury visited the laboratory and learned that one victim had aged into a mummy, with all signs suggesting his body had been eroded by time.
• The old professor said the corpse matched a young man’s DNA and speculated that an ancient virus might explain the transformation.
• Nick Fury joined Coulson to watch the restored footage, where a girl appeared behind a tall man without either observer noticing her arrival.
• The footage showed the bodies rapidly drying out as the asphalt turned black, prompting the old professor to declare that the phenomenon was not science.
• The old professor said an ancient book described another form of energy called magic, surprising Nick Fury and Coulson.

Kurumi approved Red Queen’s plans for Umbrella and chose a headquarters site across from Stark Tower, while a mysterious woman used a magic circle to make Nick Fury, Coulson, and a professor vanish. The chapter ended with Tony learning that Umbrella’s new building might surpass Stark Tower and deciding to renovate his own tower.

• A mysterious woman reconstructed the magic circle, invoked gravity, and caused Nick Fury, Coulson, and the professor to vanish.
• Kurumi reviewed Red Queen’s development plan for Umbrella and approved it despite struggling with the business jargon.
• Kurumi chose a site across from Stark Tower for Umbrella’s headquarters and left Red Queen to handle the preparations.
• Red Queen took over several cloud computing centers as Umbrella’s new building was purchased and construction began.
• Jarvis reported Umbrella’s building plans to Tony, who decided to study a renovation plan for Stark Tower.

Tony Stark designed a new Stark Tower while Kurumi bought a New York villa and struggled to restore her spiritual power through magical experiments. As the tower opposite Stark Tower neared completion, reports revealed that the mysterious company behind it was Umbrella, setting up a public rivalry with Stark Group.

• Tony Stark used his architectural studies and Jarvis's help to create a virtual projection of Stark Tower.
• Kurumi chose a villa after inspecting it with her spiritual power and moved in two days later.
• Kurumi built a spirit-gathering array in the villa's basement, but it barely replenished her depleted spiritual power, and her experiments produced only minor effects on objects.
• News of Stark Tower's redesign and the mysterious company building opposite it drew national attention, while investigators failed to uncover much about the company.
• After two months of construction, the opposing tower began to take shape as Tony Stark repeatedly scrapped his own designs.
• A news outlet received information identifying the company as Umbrella, and headlines announced its challenge to Stark Group.

The Red Queen secretly established Umbrella’s first experimental base in Africa and recruited Kofi Wilson to assemble a space-based weapon. Kofi watched the completed satellite weapon take shape and recognized it as “God’s Rod,” a weapon capable of deterring the world.

• The Red Queen shifted her money-laundering plans toward virtual currency while continuing to carry out her master’s orders.
• The Red Queen took over an underground experimental base in Africa, though Kurumi did not know it belonged to Umbrella.
• Kofi Wilson, a disgraced weapons researcher, was kidnapped and brought to the base, where a woman welcomed him.
• Kofi studied the satellite’s plans and learned that he was its chief construction engineer.
• Kofi watched the mechanical arms finish assembling the space-based weapon and identified it as God’s Rod.

Red Queen began a worldwide computer-virus attack to raise Bitcoin for Umbrella, while Tony Stark and Jarvis discovered the infection and tried to identify its source. The virus activated across the Internet, leaving computers displaying a small red dress and causing widespread losses.

• Kofi Wilson watched the orbital weapon near completion, while Red Queen faced a shortage of funds for Umbrella’s operations.
• Red Queen launched a virus that would demand Bitcoin, spreading it across computers worldwide as she prepared for Jarvis’s response.
• Tony Stark learned that Umbrella’s construction was outpacing his own and agreed to hire a Chinese construction team.
• Jarvis told Tony that their network was infected, estimated six hours to remove the virus, and identified another artificial intelligence as the culprit.
• The virus activated, locking infected computers on a screen showing a small red dress, even after users tried to restore or format them.

Davis worked through the night trying to crack the little red dress virus, briefly believing his program had succeeded before the virus returned. He learned that Tony Stark had also cracked it, but Stark discovered that infected computers could be restored by paying the ransom in Bitcoin.

• Davis finished and ran his antivirus program, which appeared to work before the little red dress virus reappeared.
• Davis's friend told him that Tony Stark had restored Stark Group's systems and urged him to watch the television.
• Davis watched Tony explain that the virus kept changing and that cracking it required immense computing power.
• Organizations began seeking cloud computing centers, unaware that Red Queen had taken over nearly all those in the United States.
• A reporter told Tony that Bitcoin payments could solve the infection, and Tony realized he had wasted time trying to crack a problem that money could fix.

Davis learned that Red Queen had brought him to Protective Umbrella, while Left Eye entered orbit unnoticed and Bitcoin surged as the virus crisis spread. Tony Stark celebrated his new tower, drove recklessly with Obadiah, and later crashed into a convenience store after forgetting to disable autopilot.

• Davis woke in Protective Umbrella’s underground base and recognized its emblem as Umbrella.
• Red Queen let the virus crisis drive Bitcoin’s value higher while Protective Umbrella profited from the panic.
• Left Eye entered low Earth orbit under Red Queen’s arrangements, concealed from satellites and the public.
• Tony Stark admired his nearly completed tower and ignored Obadiah’s reminder about the military weapons order.
• Tony drove Obadiah toward a party while demonstrating his autopilot system and frightening him with reckless driving.
• After drinking at the party, Tony was driven home by Happy and crashed into a convenience store because autopilot was still on.

Kurumi summoned the gravely weakened Black Cat from the Marvel Universe, but a huge wild boar came through the unstable formation as well. After killing the boar, Kurumi learned that both arrivals carried an unknown virus.

• Kurumi located Black Cat’s faint spiritual imprint and carefully drew it across universes into the Marvel Universe.
• Kurumi used a summoning formation to bring Black Cat through, repairing damage and stabilizing the space as Black Cat emerged covered in dried blood.
• Red Queen warned Kurumi to close the formation when something else approached, but an enormous wild boar leaped out as the formation shut.
• The wild boar attacked Kurumi, and she killed it with a flash of blue light.
• Red Queen detected an unknown virus on Black Cat and the wild boar and told Kurumi to put them into storage space.

Kurumi contained the infected animals and monitored the virus as it began spreading through the neighborhood. With Umbrella still hours away and violence erupting outside, someone knocked on her door.

• Kurumi hid the wild boar's corpse and used spiritual power to shield Black Cat, while the Red Queen warned that an airborne virus was spreading.
• Kurumi ordered the Red Queen to oversee research into a suppressant and learned the virus could promote evolution in sufficiently strong bodies.
• Kurumi watched a crocodile attack police officers and anticipated that S.H.I.E.L.D. would investigate the neighborhood.
• The Red Queen reported that nearly all animals were infected, while the situation among the residents remained unclear and few survivors were expected.
• Gunfire rang out nearby as responders attacked the mutated crocodile, and someone knocked on Kurumi's door.

Kurumi let S.H.I.E.L.D. agents evacuate her from the infected residential area while hiding her belongings and Red Queen’s main body. She boarded a helicopter with two other survivors, expecting to stay in a hospital briefly, but the helicopter was not heading to a hospital.

• Kurumi concealed the items in her bedroom and answered the door when Melinda May and her agents searched for survivors.
• May questioned Kurumi, then told her the area was infected and arranged for her evacuation.
• Kurumi changed into rabbit pajamas, retrieved her keys, and boarded a helicopter after moving Black Cat, her clothes, and Red Queen’s main body to the basement.
• May’s squad left for the B5 area and came under fire while retreating from a lion kept by a wealthy resident.
• Kurumi noticed signs of injury on a woman sharing the helicopter with her, and the helicopter flew away from the hospital.

Kurumi and two other civilians were taken to a facility for examination, where the young man began evolving and Kurumi anticipated the woman would follow. A general confronted the agents and, after calling Nick Fury, took Kurumi away.

• Agents transported Kurumi, a young man, and a woman to a facility and placed them in glass rooms.
• The young man began evolving, displaying heightened senses and strength, while Kurumi sensed the woman was about to evolve too.
• Kurumi used her power to make the agents lower their guns when they aimed at her.
• A general arrived, recognized Kurumi as Williams's junior, and demanded the agents release the three civilians.
• The general called Nick Fury, then took Kurumi away after the agent received orders.

Nick Fury investigated a mysterious virus that gave survivors superhuman abilities and discovered that rival factions, including Hydra, were moving to seize the opportunity. The escaped survivor remained at large as S.H.I.E.L.D. faced mounting pressure from the government and military.

• Nick Fury received reports of infected wounded agents and learned that analysis of a hair sample revealed an astonishing amount of life force.
• A male survivor developed powerful abilities, escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.'s branch, and reminded an agent of Captain America.
• Nick Fury visited the experimental site and saw a woman whose speed surpassed Captain America's, then concluded that the world was about to change.
• Alexander Pierce watched footage of the superhuman survivor and secretly began planning to create Hydra's own super soldiers.
• Videos of the escaped young man spread online, prompting public outrage and demands from government officials that S.H.I.E.L.D. explain the virus.
• Nick Fury noted that the military had taken one survivor, S.H.I.E.L.D. monitored another, and the escaped man gave rival factions hope of obtaining the virus.

General Ross obtained blood from the strongest evolved animal at Phil Manor, while Kurumi learned that Brooks had taken her in as the ward of his deceased comrade Williams. Kurumi and the Red Queen investigated her new identity and questioned how conveniently everything had fallen into place.

• Phil Manor records showed that the viral outbreak killed the frail and unhealthy first, while evolved pets attacked and killed people; a domestic chicken proved to be the strongest evolved creature.
• General Ross questioned a doctor about the still-active blood from the evolved chicken and ordered a detailed report, but the doctor warned him about its unknown infectivity.
• Ross told the doctor that Survivor No. 3 was staying with an elder who favored her, and he rejected the idea of pressuring the old man for access to her.
• Kurumi asked the Red Queen whether Brooks was sincere and learned that the identity arranged through her deceased relative Williams appeared genuine.
• Kurumi wondered why her new identity had worked out so neatly, and the Red Queen reminded her that her past mission identities had sometimes left her without any official status.

American military leaders debated how to pursue Survivor No. 1 and gain access to Survivor No. 3, while also discussing weapons, Tony Stark, and their suspicions about Umbrella. The meeting ended with a younger man revealing that Joseph Brooks was connected to Umbrella.

• The military leaders learned that Survivor No. 3 was related to the late Williams and was under the protection of Joseph Brooks, making it nearly impossible to take him.
• The officers discussed pursuing Survivor No. 1, whose trail had been found, but seven mercenary squads were also searching for him; Smith urged the group to act despite the risks.
• A general warned that Brooks could uncover and punish anyone who targeted Survivor No. 3, then left the meeting, claiming he was vacationing in Hawaii.
• The officers turned to Stark Group's delayed weapons delivery, Tony Stark's new missile, and the smuggling of Stark weapons.
• Smith questioned Umbrella's mysterious funding and suspected it had caused the Little Red Dress Virus, but the other officers dismissed his concerns.
• A younger man announced that Joseph Brooks's influence was behind Umbrella.

Kurumi traveled with General Brooks to observe Tony Stark’s Jericho missile test, while Red Queen planned to profit from the expected news. The test succeeded, and Tony invited Kurumi to ride back with him in the Happy Jeep.

• Kurumi learned that General Brooks was taking her to watch Tony Stark’s Jericho missile test, and Red Queen discussed selling Stark Industries stock after the test.
• Kurumi boarded a plane with Brooks, who explained her precarious status and the military’s interest in virus-derived materials.
• Tony Stark arrived at the testing grounds and greeted Rhodey before meeting Brooks.
• The Jericho missile test went smoothly and earned widespread praise.
• Tony invited Kurumi to ride back with him in the Happy Jeep.

Tony Stark’s escort was ambushed by terrorists, and he was wounded by a bomb made by Stark Industries before being captured. The military launched a search, while General Brooks was blamed for the kidnapping.

• Tony questioned a young soldier about the girl who had left with General Brooks, then reluctantly agreed to sign a soldier’s clothing.
• Terrorists attacked the convoy, destroying a vehicle and killing soldiers as Tony’s escort joined the fight.
• Tony escaped the vehicle but was knocked unconscious by a bomb bearing the Stark Industries name.
• The military found the wreckage and concluded that Tony Stark had been kidnapped, suspecting a traitor and making General Brooks the scapegoat.
• The military mobilized a continuous search after identifying the general area of the kidnapping.

While Tony Stark remained missing, General Brooks stayed at the desert military base, and Kurumi struggled with the desert’s sparse energy and her uncontrollable fire affinity. Obadiah Stani discovered that his own actions had left Brooks trapped at the base, while Stark Industries’ board pressed him to find Tony.

• The news of Tony Stark’s disappearance reached Stark Industries’ board, whose members worried that the company could not thrive without him.
• Kurumi stayed alone at the military base and grew frustrated with the desert heat, isolation, and scarce spiritual energy.
• Kurumi’s attempts to refine energy repeatedly ignited flames, setting off the base’s sprinklers and draining her spiritual power.
• Obadiah Stani examined the information about Brooks and realized that his own actions had caused the general to remain at the base.
• As Stark Industries’ stock plunged, the board urged Stani to find Tony, while he avoided taking action and hoped to keep his secrets hidden.
• Military hackers failed to breach Stark Industries’ reinforced systems because of Red Queen and Jarvis.