Chapter Summaries

Henry returned to his hidden desert laboratory with Kitty, made a late-night meal, and inventoried supplies for synthesizing medicine. He planned to use dirty money to buy ingredients through underground channels and hid the remaining cash in a cave safe.

• Henry woke in the desert, carried Kitty to his shipping-container laboratory, and switched on the lights.
• Henry heated canned food while stopping Kitty from jumping onto the table, then pinned her down so he could eat.
• Henry checked his medicine-making supplies and planned which ingredients to replenish, including controlled materials he would need to obtain through connections.
• Henry decided to use dirty money for underground purchases to avoid public records that might attract CIA attention.
• Henry placed the remaining money in a safe inside a hidden cave.

Agent James and two LAPD detectives confirmed that Tinkerer’s clinic was occupied and prepared to arrest him, motivated partly by the missing cash from a seized million Dao. The detectives continued watching the alley as the operation began to take shape.

• Agent James questioned the detectives about their daylong stakeout, and they reported deliveries, an injured visitor, and no confirmed sighting of the target.
• The younger detective checked the alley and confirmed that Tinkerer’s clinic still had its shutter half down and voices inside.
• Agent James explained that the illegal funds would be split between the FBI and LAPD and said he would contact the others to prepare an arrest.
• The older detective told the younger detective that officers would seal off the block while they kept watch on the alley.
• The detectives discussed the reasons for arresting Tinkerer, and the older detective reflected on the sword-and-shield graffiti and their narrow chance to act.

An LAPD and FBI raid on the clinic marked “Fixman” found only a group of children using it as a gaming hideout, not the suspected doctor or illegal money. The officers questioned the children and were still trying to make sense of the situation when the field commander requested an update.

• The assault team entered the clinic and found children sleeping and playing Super Mario World instead of a suspect.
• A Black officer recognized his son Tucker, who explained that the children had been staying at Leif’s secret base.
• The squad leader questioned the children, who said classmates had visited and identified the place as a house belonging to one of Leif’s uncles.
• The children explained that their families had provided the television and game console and that they had pooled allowance money for food.
• The field commander radioed the team to ask whether they had caught the suspect.

After James’s FBI team failed to arrest the Tinkerer, Director Owen sent James to pursue leads at the Continental Hotel and assigned two other agents to the Zodiac Killer case. Once they left, Owen spoke with Black Nick Fury, who declined to reveal what he knew about the Tinkerer.

• Director Owen berated James and his team for failing to confirm the Tinkerer's location before arresting children of influential people.
• James proposed questioning the Continental Hotel, and Owen approved the plan but ordered James to go himself.
• Owen gave two agents the Zodiac Killer case file, and they left after he dismissed their objections.
• Owen sent James out as well, then relaxed once the agents were gone.
• Black Nick Fury emerged from the meeting room and joked with Owen while drinking his whiskey.
• Owen asked Fury about the Tinkerer, and Fury said he knew no more than Owen while implying he could not share everything.

Black Fury questioned White Fury about River Phoenix’s death and the pursuit of Joker, then learned that the Infinity Formula’s raw materials were running out. White Fury revealed that those in power intended to distribute the formula until the materials were exhausted, leaving Black Fury to realize the plan could kill many people at once.

• Black Fury was surprised to find White Fury waiting in his apartment and guessed that White Fury had come to the West Coast because of Joker.
• Black Fury said River Phoenix’s death could have resulted from the pressure of repeated interrogations by many organizations, making everyone involved responsible.
• White Fury said Joker could not be countered because they knew too little about him, and Black Fury mocked him for being afraid.
• White Fury admitted he was dying, and Black Fury asked whether the Infinity Formula was failing.
• White Fury explained that powerful people wanted the Infinity Formula and that its raw materials were scarce.
• Black Fury realized that those in power planned to let everyone use the formula until the raw materials ran out, potentially killing a whole group of people.

White Nick Fury told Black Fury about the alien blood behind the Infinity Formula and prepared him for his eventual death by leaving instructions, an authorization eye, and a file of potential recruits. White Nick Fury left to investigate River Phoenix's death, while Black Fury stayed behind considering the team-building task and the future of S.H.I.E.L.D.

• White Nick Fury explained that the Infinity Formula depended on Kree blood taken from a captured alien pilot, and that Old Money might seek more once its supply ran out.
• White Nick Fury told Black Fury to retrieve his authorized eyeball after his death and urged him to build a private team using the candidates in the file.
• Black Fury examined Henry Brown's profile and discussed his unusual skills, work history, and resistance to threats and inducements with White Nick Fury.
• White Nick Fury said he would investigate River Phoenix's death and explained that Ms. Carter planned to merge and restructure the two S.H.I.E.L.D. sides with Director Alexander Pierce.
• White Nick Fury left, and Black Fury remained in his apartment staring at the file.

Henry was summoned by Muni Fisher and given a Gold Coin commission to treat a child with severe appendicitis and an anesthetic allergy. He accepted the job and learned that the surgery would take place at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as soon as he arrived.

• Henry brought Kitty back to his rented house and drove to the Los Angeles Continental Hotel after receiving its message.
• The skull-faced receptionist led Henry to Manager Fisher's office.
• Muni Fisher offered Henry a Gold Coin job that he could not refuse.
• Henry learned that the patient was a child known to a High Table family who needed surgery but had an anesthetic allergy.
• Muni Fisher told Henry to go to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as soon as possible, and he accepted the commission.

The Tinkerer arrived at Cedars-Sinai to treat Thomas Boning, the son of influential Los Angeles political leader Susie Ambo Boning. He confirmed Thomas had worsening appendicitis and asked permission to use his unconventional methods, while Thomas continued threatening him.

• The Tinkerer entered Cedars-Sinai’s exclusive wing using an invitation from the Continental Hotel.
• Susie Ambo Boning pleaded with the Tinkerer to save her son, Thomas Boning, whose family was a powerful Los Angeles political dynasty.
• The Tinkerer reviewed Thomas’s records and concluded that his appendicitis was worsening toward peritonitis despite antibiotic treatment.
• The Tinkerer asked whether an operating room was available, and the attending physician said it was ready.
• The Tinkerer warned Susie that his surgical methods violated conventional medical ethics, and she agreed to let him operate.
• Thomas threatened the Tinkerer, demanding that the surgery cause him no pain.

Tinkerer agreed to perform an appendectomy on Thomas Boning despite the threats and the lack of anesthetic options. He left Thomas unconscious after striking him with a baseball bat, then ordered the staff to restrain him and prepare for surgery.

• Susie Boning promised not to hold Tinkerer responsible, and Tinkerer ordered the staff to take Thomas Boning to the operating room for an appendectomy.
• Female nurses wheeled Thomas to the operating room while he groped them and made lewd remarks.
• Thomas threatened Tinkerer, who knocked him unconscious with an aluminum baseball bat.
• Tinkerer ordered the staff to carry Thomas onto the operating table and strap him down tightly.
• When doctors questioned his method, Tinkerer dismissed their concerns, and they declined to take over the surgery.

Tinkerer successfully performed Thomas Boning’s appendectomy and left before Thomas woke. The doctors credited Tinkerer with the operation while trying to distance themselves from his questionable anesthesia, and Thomas began to suspect he had been knocked out with a baseball bat.

• Tinkerer completed Thomas Boning’s appendectomy, cleaning the ruptured appendix and closing the incision before Thomas woke.
• Two nurses returned Thomas to his hospital room, where he woke and asked what had happened.
• Susie Boning asked where Tinkerer was and whether the operation had succeeded; the physicians confirmed the surgery was successful and praised his skill.
• Thomas complained of pain and asked the physicians to use Tinkerer’s special anesthetic again, but a young physician’s baseball-bat joke alarmed the others.
• Thomas remembered the possibility that Tinkerer had hit him with a baseball bat, and the senior doctor tried to convince him he might have remembered incorrectly.

After leaving Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Tinkerer was intercepted by FBI agents who wanted him to cooperate in an investigation involving Andrew Saxon. He agreed to go with them, uncertain whether he should have resisted.

• Tinkerer left Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and looked for a place where he could use Super Speed without being seen.
• Tinkerer entered a fire alley and noticed three agitated people waiting in a car.
• Senior Special Agent James and two armed agents blocked Tinkerer and asked him to cooperate with an investigation.
• Tinkerer asked whether the agents had a warrant, then learned they wanted to question him about Andrew Saxon, the head of a criminal organization.
• Tinkerer agreed to go with the agents, and Agent James invited him into the car to talk somewhere more suitable.

Tinkerer was taken into a remote forest by Agent James and two men posing as FBI agents, who demanded to know where he had hidden six hundred thousand Dao. James admitted he had abducted Tinkerer to steal the money and insisted no one knew where they were, leaving Tinkerer facing the three men alone.

• FBI agents searched Tinkerer’s briefcase, put it in the trunk, and drove him away from Los Angeles with Agent James at the wheel.
• Tinkerer used X-Ray Vision to discover that the two men flanking him had no FBI identification, while James carried apparently genuine credentials.
• James took Tinkerer deep into the forest, where one of his companions struck him with a pistol and demanded the six hundred thousand Dao.
• James explained that he blamed Tinkerer for his demotion and planned to steal the money, claiming he could make Tinkerer disappear without an investigation.
• James said his companions were former soldiers dishonorably discharged for abusing prisoners, then asserted that no one knew what had happened to Tinkerer or where they were.

Tinkerer revealed his superhuman abilities when Agent James and two men tried to kill him, then flew their car into space and hurled it toward the Sun. A military radar operator detected the rapid ascent, and the duty officer ordered the unexplained anomaly reported.

• Agent James told Tinkerer that he had concealed his involvement and that no one would retaliate on Tinker's behalf.
• Tinkerer endured another gun-butt strike, dodged a shot, and caught the bullet as it passed Agent James.
• Tinkerer used Super Speed to throw Agent James and the other two men into their car, then welded its doors shut with Heat Vision.
• Tinkerer carried the car beyond the atmosphere, where the three men died, and threw the vehicle toward the Sun.
• A military radar operator detected an unidentified object rising rapidly over California before it vanished from the display.
• The duty officer ordered the radar anomaly recorded and reported up the chain.

Henry relaxed at home with Kitty while keeping the Black Clinic quiet, until his landlord Gary asked him to show a visiting relative around Los Angeles. Henry recognized the name Barbara Morse and suspected she was connected to S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Henry lazed in the winter sun while Kitty basked on her cat tree and used the translator to warn him that someone was outside.
• Gary visited Henry and questioned him about keeping a tiger, but Henry insisted Kitty was merely a large cat with a hoarse meow.
• Gary asked Henry to show his ex-wife’s distant relative around Hollywood and offered to cover his gas and meals.
• Henry learned the visitor was Barbara Morse, a former gymnastics champion studying at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and realized her name sounded familiar.

Henry met Georgia Tech student Barbara Morse, who went by Bobbie, for breakfast in Los Angeles and questioned whether she truly wanted to pursue Hollywood. Their conversation ended with Bobbie agreeing with Henry’s assessment of Hedy Lamarr’s scientific reputation.

• Henry recognized Barbara Morse by her brown coat and introduced himself as the Los Angeles guide Gary had recommended.
• Henry and Barbara shared breakfast, and she explained that she was a third-year student at Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Henry praised Barbara’s intelligence and appearance while they joked about stereotypes of blonde women and how Georgia Tech students approached her.
• Henry questioned whether Barbara seriously intended to explore Hollywood, arguing that her scientific abilities offered a better path to success.
• Henry criticized claims about Hedy Lamarr’s scientific achievements, and Barbara agreed that Lamarr was overrated in science.

Henry took Barbara Morse on a tour of Hollywood after she asked to see the area, and they discussed her interest in acting and his past work as a background actor. They visited several famous sights around Los Angeles, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, and Griffith Observatory.

• Barbara asked Henry to take her around Hollywood, and he agreed to show her the sights.
• Barbara asked about Henry’s Hollywood acting experience, and he explained that he had only played background roles and had not sought fame.
• Henry and Barbara drove to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and visited the Chinese Theatre.
• Henry took Barbara to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive to see the luxury shops and celebrity neighborhood.
• Henry and Barbara visited Griffith Observatory to view Los Angeles and the HOLLYWOOD sign.

Henry took Barbara to Griffith Observatory and then drove with her toward the Hollywood Sign, sharing its history and pointing out the view from Mount Lee. They reached a mountaintop parking lot, where the fenced-off sign remained visible from above.

• Barbara admired her view of the Hollywood Sign from the observatory but wanted to see it closer, so Henry drove her toward Mount Lee.
• Henry told Barbara that Howard Stark had owned much of Mount Lee and that Tony Stark had inherited it.
• Henry explained that the Hollywood Sign was closed to the public and recounted actress Peg Entwistle's 1932 suicide there.
• Henry and Barbara arrived at a mountaintop parking lot after finding the gate to the sign's fenced-off path closed.
• Henry pointed out that the Hollywood Sign's nine letters stood at the same elevation, though the slope made them appear uneven from below.

Henry and Barbara hiked down to the Hollywood Sign, where Barbara found its rusted, damaged close-up disappointing. After dinner, Henry declined her invitation to come upstairs because he needed to feed his cat, and they arranged to meet again the next day.

• Barbara asked Henry to find a way down to the Hollywood Sign, and they crawled through a hole in the fence and descended the trail.
• Barbara inspected the rusted sign and questioned Henry about whether it was better to keep a distance or accept flaws up close.
• Henry and Barbara returned to the parking lot, drank water, and went to dinner after their hike.
• Barbara invited Henry to her hotel for coffee, but Henry declined because he had to feed his cat.
• Barbara arranged to meet Henry again the next day and kissed him before leaving.

Barbara reported to Nick Fury on her date with Henry and proposed pursuing him romantically to earn his trust and recruit him as an ally. Nick ordered her to plant a listening device in Henry’s home before her vacation ended, though Barbara’s flirtation nearly got the mission canceled.

• Barbara told Nick Fury that Henry seemed intelligent but guarded and distrustful of the government, making recruitment difficult.
• Barbara proposed becoming Henry’s girlfriend so he would trust her and help her naturally.
• Nick warned Barbara that she might have to choose between Henry and S.H.I.E.L.D., but she insisted Henry could not be wrong.
• Barbara asked Nick to fund another date and suggested posing as a wealthy woman to keep Henry, prompting Nick to threaten to cancel the mission.
• Nick gave Barbara one last chance and ordered her to lure Henry to an illegal clinic, enter his home through her fake relationship with his landlord, and install a listening device.

Barbara toured Los Angeles with Henry while they avoided getting closer, and Nick Fury arranged a gang conflict to draw the Tinkerer out. Barbara went to Henry’s apartment with a gift just as the Tinkerer appeared at his clinic, leaving her unaware that Henry was involved in the operation.

• Barbara and Henry toured movie sets, where she attracted attention from talent scouts and crew members, while Henry used excuses about Kitty to leave her each evening.
• Barbara returned to Georgia on the last day of winter break, and Nick Fury arranged a gang clash near the Tinkerer's Black Clinic without causing deaths or harming bystanders.
• Rival gang members brought their seriously injured companions to the clinic, where the Tinkerer opened the door and said the dying patients would be treated first.
• Nick Fury contacted Barbara Morse after spotting the Tinkerer, and Barbara went to Henry’s apartment carrying a thank-you gift.
• Old Gary told Barbara that Henry had just gone out and offered to pass along the gift, then encouraged her to pursue him.