Chapter Summaries

Henry returned to Los Angeles after a busy day at the Black Clinic and ran into Charlize and Fabio, who were looking for a place to live. The chapter ended with the three joking about Henry sleeping with Salia to get her pesto recipe.

• The Black Clinic treated more than ten groups of wounded gang members, earning Henry nearly a thousand Dao in one day.
• Henry returned to the rental, then bought vegetables and fruit with cash from his illicit earnings.
• Old Gary introduced Henry to Charlize and Fabio, who had come to look for a place to live.
• Henry shared fruit with them and joked in Italian about Salia refusing to give him her pesto recipe.
• Charlize suggested Henry sleep with Salia in exchange for the recipe, and Fabio offered to negotiate for him.

Charlize looked at rental options in Gary’s building, where Gary and Fabio told her about Henry and his solitary habits. She chose to inspect the available apartments, while Henry went home to put away groceries and protect his fruit from Kitty.

• Fabio brought Charlize to Gary’s building to look for a cheaper place to live, and Gary offered to show her several vacant apartments.
• Henry left Charlize and Fabio to talk with Gary, then returned to his apartment and locked fruit away from Kitty.
• Charlize asked Gary which apartment Henry lived in and whether he lived alone, and Gary explained that Henry kept a pet tiger.
• Gary and Fabio described Henry as a food-bribing, solitary man who had never brought a woman home, and they chose not to interfere with Charlize’s interest in him.

Charlize Theron moved into a room in Old Gary's apartment building, and Henry helped her bring over her belongings. As Charlize settled in, her roommates hinted at Henry's unusual pet, while a childhood photo of her and her mother grounded her amid the rapid changes in her life.

• Henry drove Charlize to collect her luggage, listened as she described her moves around the world, and treated her to dinner.
• Henry carried Charlize's suitcase to her fourth-floor room and introduced himself to her curious roommates.
• Charlize's roommates teased her about Henry's pet and suggested she visit him to see it, but she decided it was too late and she needed time to think.
• Charlize unpacked her few belongings and found a photo of herself and her mother at the farm, making her sense of unreality clear.

Henry prepared to take Kitty camping in the forest, gathering legal hunting gear and supplies while keeping his distance from people because he feared putting them at risk. As he loaded his car, Barbara Morse appeared and confronted him for forgetting her promise to visit during her break.

• Henry reflected on the danger of exposing loved ones to his enemies and decided to keep his distance from Charlize and others.
• Henry packed camping equipment and planned to take Kitty into the forest for a meal and an outing.
• Henry obtained hunting and firearms licenses and prepared a hunting bow, supplies, and a sturdy collar and chain for Kitty.
• Henry loaded the camping gear into his car and encountered Barbara Morse, who asked if he was going camping.
• Henry greeted Barbara and suggested she might have found a college boyfriend, while she pouted and reminded him that she had promised to visit during her break.

Henry prepared to take Kitty camping, and Barbara Morse insisted on joining him despite discovering that his “tabby cat” was a tiger. After changing into hiking clothes, Barbara was ready to head into the wilderness with them.

• Barbara approached Henry and asked to join his camping trip, and he warned her that his companion was Kitty.
• Henry brought Kitty downstairs on a chain, revealing the tiger to a frightened Barbara.
• Henry secured Kitty in the car and explained that he planned to take her camping, while Kitty bit his hand without hurting him.
• Barbara overcame her fear and agreed to come, and Henry told her to change out of her impractical clothes.
• Barbara borrowed old Gary's bathroom, changed into sporty clothes and running shoes, and returned ready for the trip.

Henry and Barbara drove through the suburbs with Kitty in the back seat, while Henry reflected on how he had trained the tiger to avoid damaging his belongings. The trip continued with Barbara growing comfortable around Kitty, though Kitty still disliked her perfume.

• Barbara rode beside Henry in his Cadillac DeVille as they listened to Queen and enjoyed the breeze.
• Kitty leaned out the back window, and the narration explained that she had been raised to fear rather than attack people.
• Henry developed Tiger-Repellent Paint after discovering Kitty avoided an irritating chemical, using it to protect household objects from her teeth.
• Kitty and Henry both tasted the paint and suffered three days of intense bitterness, while Henry observed the mice that had consumed it for longer-term effects.
• Kitty began avoiding people who wore perfume, and Barbara gradually relaxed and enjoyed the drive despite the tiger's dislike of her.

Henry led Barbara and Kitty into Angeles National Forest to find a stream and a suitable campsite. Kitty eagerly explored the woods on her chain while Barbara stayed close to Henry, and they reached the sound of running water.

• Henry drove into Angeles National Forest, and Barbara packed camping supplies while he prepared their gear and brought Kitty out on her chain.
• Henry told Barbara they would head north toward a stream, then led her and Kitty away from the locked car.
• Kitty excitedly explored the forest and tried to approach unfamiliar animals, which fled from the tiger.
• Barbara stayed close to Henry as they walked, and the sound of a stream reached them.

Henry and Barbara camped by a mountain stream while Henry hunted with Kitty, who returned with a dead rabbit of her own. Henry brought back a deer and the rabbit, and Barbara greeted them as they prepared for dinner.

• Henry chose a safe campsite, set up a tent with Barbara, and went into the forest to hunt while she gathered firewood.
• Barbara tried to get a phone signal and wondered whether Henry had brought her into the wilderness for romantic reasons, while Henry overheard her from miles away.
• Henry used Super Speed to redirect an arrow into a stag’s eye and killed it.
• Kitty returned with a dead rabbit, leading Henry to realize that BB’s evasive upgrades had strengthened her hunting skills.
• Henry returned to camp with the deer and rabbit, and Barbara teased him about letting Kitty do all the hunting.

Henry and Barbara shared a campsite dinner while Barbara tried to get closer to him and he repeatedly deflected her advances with food and practical kindness. The chapter ended with Henry questioning why Barbara liked him, unconvinced that she had fallen for him at first sight.

• Henry roasted venison and rabbit while Kitty ate raw deer legs, and he explained why he had not buried the deer’s organs.
• Barbara tried to warm herself by moving closer to Henry, but he handed her soup and offered to fetch her a jacket.
• Henry kept serving Barbara food until she was stuffed, then ate the remaining grilled meat while Kitty slowly gnawed on a deer leg.
• Barbara leaned her head on Henry’s shoulder and asked whether he liked her and why he would not accept her.
• Henry asked what Barbara liked about him and argued that he was neither handsome nor rich enough to explain her interest.

Henry confronted Barbara Morse about her hidden motives and rejected the idea of joining her organization, arguing that its claims to justice and peace conflicted. Barbara left without persuading him, and Henry’s place in the organization remained uncertain.

• Henry told Barbara that he suspected she was an agent or spy targeting him for his identity and abilities.
• Barbara tried to deny his accusation, but Henry exposed her fabricated story about being related to Gary’s ex-wife.
• Barbara asked whether she would leave the forest alive, and Henry assured her that he had no reason to harm her.
• Barbara said her organization upheld justice and peace, but Henry challenged her account and rejected its assumptions.
• Barbara asked whether Henry was a patriot, and he explained that he had settled in the United States only because circumstances had brought him there.
• Barbara remained unable to classify Henry as an enemy, while Henry turned down Nick Fury’s effort to recruit him.

Barbara tried to recruit Henry Brown for S.H.I.E.L.D., but he rejected both her advances and the organization’s offer. After she reported the mission to Nick Fury, he said it was not a failure and urged her to learn from the experience.

• Barbara admitted she had fallen for Henry, but he said they were not suited for each other and refused to join the organization behind her.
• Barbara tried to kiss Henry, but he flicked her forehead and sent her to sleep while he and Kitty kept watch.
• Henry drove Barbara to City Hall Park in Los Angeles, where she called Nick Fury and reported that the recruitment mission had failed.
• Barbara told Fury how Henry had exposed her deception and rejected her advances, then apologized for mishandling the mission.
• Fury explained that Henry’s choices depended on avoiding trouble and accepting worthwhile rewards, and told Barbara the outcome was not a failure.

Henry spent his days sunbathing at Los Angeles beaches while searching for a seabed site to build permanent servers for the coming internet boom. He planned to test an underwater server powered by ocean currents and connected to submarine cables, while designing custom hardware to meet its power and cooling needs.

• Henry rotated among famous Los Angeles beaches to sunbathe and scan the ocean for a suitable underwater server site.
• Henry considered Microsoft's upcoming Windows 95 and decided that competing in operating systems or browsers was less promising than preparing for the World Wide Web.
• Henry concluded that his future online projects needed reliable servers after his secretly deployed university-server installations were discovered, deleted, or lost to hardware failures.
• Henry planned to place permanent servers beneath the sea, generate electricity with ocean-current turbines, and tap into existing submarine cables for network access.
• Henry planned to immerse sealed server equipment in pure water for cooling and began designing custom hardware with power consumption in mind.
• Henry viewed the first underwater server as a feasibility test and a challenge he needed to overcome to pursue technology without relying solely on his superpowers.

Henry abandoned construction on the undersea server after hearing Charlize Theron’s panicked plea for help and traced her to a photography studio near Hollywood. He reached the studio with a taxi driver waiting nearby, preparing to get Charlize out despite a warning that the people there had powerful backing.

• Henry began building an experimental undersea server inside a rented warehouse in the dock district.
• Charlize Theron left Henry a frightened message saying she was lost in a photography studio north of Hollywood and needed help.
• Henry checked the answering machine’s call log, identified the number as belonging to Joseph Photography Studio, and searched the nearby area with his Super Senses.
• Henry found Charlize wearing a bathrobe at a photo shoot, where her agent John Crosby was urging her to undress for art.
• Henry hired a taxi to wait while he went to the studio, and the driver warned him that the business’s backers were dangerous.

Henry rescued Charlize Theron from a photography studio and used Continental Hotel Gold Coins to secure her release and the camera film. He then confronted her agent, John Crosby, about ending their contract, but the suited man’s suggested solution was far more extreme than Henry wanted.

• Henry entered the studio, covered Charlize Theron with a bathrobe, and demanded that she be allowed to leave with the film.
• Henry offered the suited man a Gold Coin, and the man let Henry take Charlize and the film without violence.
• John Crosby demanded payment for the canceled shoot, but the suited man refused and Henry urged John to end his contract with Charlize.
• When John refused and grabbed Henry, Henry offered the suited man another Gold Coin to help resolve the contract dispute.
• The suited man recommended voiding the contract by making one party cease to exist, while Henry said a written termination agreement would be enough.

Henry Brown secured Charlize Theron's release from John Crosby's agency contract and took her away from the photography studio. As a frightened Charlize clung to Henry in the taxi, John stayed behind, warned not to challenge the agreement.

• Henry wrote an unconditional contract termination undertaking, and Charlize signed it, but John Crosby refused until a suited man threatened him with a gun.
• John signed the undertaking, and Henry gave him cash compensation before leaving with Charlize.
• The suited man warned John that challenging the agreement would bring consequences under their rules, and John backed down.
• Henry helped the shaken Charlize into the taxi and gave the driver directions to Old Gary's apartment building.
• Charlize began sobbing in Henry's arms as he reassured her that the ordeal was over.

Henry brought Charlize Theron home after helping her through a frightening ordeal, and she kissed him before they began a relationship. After Kitty startled Charlize awake, she dressed and wondered what her future with Henry would bring as he handled her contract with John Crosby.

• Henry brought the shaken Charlize to his home and worried about leaving her alone.
• Charlize stopped on the stairs, kissed Henry, and told him to take her; they spent the afternoon together.
• Kitty jumped onto the bed and roared, startling Charlize awake before Henry reassured her.
• Henry went to prepare dinner for Kitty, while Charlize dressed and considered her future with him.
• Charlize reflected that Henry had taken charge of terminating her contract with John Crosby and wondered what he intended.

Charlize Theron explored Henry’s unusual home, shared dinner with him, and grew more comfortable around his tiger, Kitty. The chapter ended with Charlize cautiously petting Kitty and discovering that the tiger enjoyed it.

• Charlize looked around Henry’s house while Kitty ate, and Henry warned her not to approach the tiger until she finished.
• Charlize set out dinner and drinks as Henry prepared spaghetti, braised fish, and scrambled eggs with chives.
• Charlize eagerly ate Henry’s cooking, then listened as he played Pachelbel’s Canon on the record player.
• After Kitty approached the table, Henry showed Charlize where she could safely pet her.
• Charlize scratched Kitty’s chin, and the tiger narrowed her eyes in pleasure.

Henry explained why he had taken in Kitty and told Charlize she could return to South Africa or stay in Hollywood with him as her temporary agent. He urged her to learn to protect herself and focus on staying in the film industry, leaving her to consider his offer.

• Kitty enjoyed Charlize's attention, then climbed the cat tree while Henry urged Charlize to finish dinner.
• Henry claimed Kitty was an abandoned tabby cat he had taken in, and Charlize asked what he planned to do about her situation.
• Charlize got distracted by Henry's homemade filtered water before returning to their conversation.
• Henry warned Charlize that Hollywood could expose her to further danger and said she needed to learn to protect herself.
• Henry offered to become Charlize's temporary agent, teach her acting, and help her remain in Hollywood until she found a more capable agent.

Henry coached Charlize on acting and discussed how he could become her agent, leaving them to begin the process of joining the Actors Guild the next day. Charlize then initiated another round of intimacy with Henry while Kitty watched.

• Henry proposed training Charlize by studying skilled actors on film, recording her performances, and improving her expression, character research, psychology, and accents.
• Charlize worried that acting lessons would delay her career, so Henry explained that she should study while auditioning and gaining experience.
• Charlize asked Henry to become her agent, and he said he needed Actors Guild authorization before they could sign a contract.
• Henry learned Charlize was not an Actors Guild member and arranged to take her there the next day, offering to cover the fees.
• Charlize straddled Henry and initiated another round, while Kitty concluded that she was the one not to provoke.

On her first day of freedom, Charlize Theron registered with the Screen Actors Guild, signed with Henry as her agent, and went to work while Henry handled errands. At the Continental Hotel, Henry learned from Charlie Fisher that service providers had to pay monthly Gold Coin offerings to keep the hotel’s protection.

• Henry retrieved the Cadillac, prepared breakfast, and took Charlize to register with the Screen Actors Guild and sign an agency contract.
• Henry brought Charlize to Giovanni’s studio for audition photographs, haggled the price down, and dropped her off at work.
• Henry went to the Continental Hotel and asked Charlie Fisher what an offering was, paying a Gold Coin for the information.
• Charlie explained that service providers negotiated monthly Gold Coin payments to the hotel in exchange for protection, and that the hotel allowed a buffer period after payments stopped.
• Henry realized he had never discussed offerings with Muni Fisher and understood that the payments helped keep Gold Coins circulating.