Chapter Summaries

Henry discussed stepping away from the Black Clinic while remaining available for rare Continental Hotel jobs, then began designing a practical digital camera for Charlize Theron’s acting training. He settled on building modified equipment himself, aiming to finish it within a few days.

• Henry asked Charlie whether closing the Black Clinic would violate the Continental Hotel’s rules, and Charlie said the hotel could not summon him if it could not find him.
• Henry left the Continental Hotel after telling Charlie how to contact him and decided he would not openly announce his withdrawal from the clinic.
• Henry considered existing 8mm, V8, Hi8, and upcoming DV cameras but found their image quality inadequate for his needs.
• Henry weighed the difficulty of making high-resolution digital equipment against the era’s limited storage capacity.
• Henry used his practical skills and Super Brain to plan a digital camera assembled largely from modified existing components, along with software for computer-based post-production.

Henry tested his homemade digital movie camera by filming Charlize Theron performing a Macbeth monologue. After Charlize was mortified by the projected footage, Henry deleted it, and the successful test cleared the way for their acting training.

• Henry assembled a camera from a salvaged Hollywood camera and homemade digital components, then connected it to his projector.
• Charlize Theron performed a Lady Macbeth monologue for Henry’s camera test and watched the footage projected onto the wall.
• Charlize demanded that Henry burn the footage, embarrassed by her performance and her laughter during the take.
• Henry explained that the camera used digital files and promised to delete the recording.
• Henry deleted the file, leaving Charlize relieved and confirming that his camera worked for their upcoming acting training.

Henry used Misery and Kathy Bates’s Oscar-winning performance to teach Charlize acting through imitation, urging her to build skill rather than rely on her looks. After Charlize regained her confidence, she chose the scene where the heroine smashes the writer’s ankles and insisted Henry act with her.

• Henry chose Misery as Charlize’s first film for acting practice and explained Kathy Bates’s performance and career during a second viewing.
• Charlize performed a scene from the film three times but felt she could not match Bates and collapsed into Henry’s arms.
• Henry described Bates’s decades of theater experience and told Charlize to make strong acting skills the foundation of a lasting Hollywood career.
• Charlize stood up and demanded a fourth performance, but Henry suggested switching to a scene she chose herself.
• Charlize picked the scene where the heroine smashes the writer’s ankles with a sledgehammer and ordered Henry to act with her.

Henry helped Charlize Theron improve her acting and land extra roles, but he recognized that his lack of Hollywood connections and information kept her from advancing. As Charlize faced a career bottleneck, Henry decided to use unconventional methods to help her, while he worked to finish his underwater server.

• Henry coached Charlize Theron through auditions, acting exercises, and extra roles while protecting her from people making suggestive demands.
• Henry realized that Charlize’s first film appearance had diverged from the path he remembered, though she still had not secured a speaking role.
• Henry worked overnight in a dockside warehouse to finish building his underwater server before the lease expired.
• Henry concluded that his poor connections and access to information limited Charlize’s prospects, while her youth and time in Hollywood were running short.
• Henry decided to use unconventional methods to help Charlize advance her career.

After Charlize failed an audition, Henry explained that the production had likely rejected her because she was too strong for the supporting role and did not fit its plans. He then invited her to spend Christmas and New Year's in Connecticut meeting Katharine Hepburn, and Charlize eagerly accepted.

• Henry completed the undersea server, installed it on the seafloor, and began monitoring its operation.
• After Charlize returned from her failed audition, she slapped her cheeks, and Henry stopped her and tried to comfort her.
• Henry told Charlize that the production had already chosen its female lead and likely rejected her because she was too good for the supporting role and did not fit the crew's needs.
• Henry asked Charlize to keep Christmas and New Year's free so he could take her to Connecticut to meet Katharine Hepburn.
• Charlize learned that Katharine Hepburn had introduced Henry to Audrey Hepburn and eagerly agreed to meet her.

Henry and Charlize Theron visited Katharine Hepburn at her seaside villa, where they shared champagne and talked by the fireplace. Charlize warmed to Katharine as the older woman spoke about her family, while Henry mostly listened.

• Henry drove Charlize Theron through snowy Connecticut to Katharine Hepburn's seaside home and greeted her with roses.
• Katharine mistook Charlize's red winter outfit for a Santa Claus costume, and Charlize introduced herself with a bottle of champagne.
• Katharine welcomed them inside, opened the champagne, and explained that her brother Richard and his family had gone on vacation for Christmas.
• Katharine complained about her great-grandchildren's antics and their rules about what she could eat and drink, while Charlize joined the conversation and Henry listened.

Henry, Charlize, and Catherine shared an early Christmas dinner, then opened a remarkably rare old wine from Catherine's cellar. The chapter ended with Henry realizing the wine was a 190-year-old artifact commissioned for Napoleon's coronation and later found in Hitler's cellar.

• Henry, Charlize, and Catherine prepared and ate a lavish Christmas dinner together, and Charlize and Catherine shared the last pudding despite worrying about its calories.
• Henry and Charlize washed the dishes, then Catherine brought out an old bottle of red wine from her underground cellar.
• Henry carefully opened the bottle and decanted the wine, while Catherine and Charlize watched and tasted it.
• Catherine said Howard had given her the wine and explained that it had been commissioned for Napoleon's coronation and found among Hitler's wine collection.
• Henry realized the wine was exactly 190 years old and likely worth a fortune.

Henry and Charlize visited Catherine Hepburn, who recalled her old romance with Howard Stark over a bottle of wine. Henry explained that Charlize needed a more capable agent, and Catherine understood what he was asking for.

• Catherine told Henry, Charlize Theron, and Charlize that Howard Stark had given her the wine when he proposed, before their relationship ended and she later fell in love with Spencer.
• Henry poured the wine as it opened up, and Charlize was stunned by its flavor while Catherine admired how it had changed.
• Catherine asked what Henry and Charlize really wanted, and Henry explained that Charlize needed a reliable, more capable agent.
• Charlize initially feared Henry meant to abandon her, but he reassured her that he would continue helping her in other ways.
• Catherine noticed the closeness between Henry and Charlize and silently resolved to look out for Charlize.

Catherine urged Henry to support Charlize by taking over as CEO of Stark Studios and using it to launch a film project. After reflecting on his strained relationship with Tony and his own motives, Henry asked Catherine to arrange a meeting with him, leaving Henry to stay at Catherine’s home while she contacted Tony.

• Catherine suggested Henry take over Stark Studios and produce a film to promote Charlize.
• Henry wondered whether Tony had asked Catherine to raise the offer again, but she said she was simply curious about the unresolved matter.
• Henry explained that he had raised conditions with Tony and assumed the lack of a response meant the offer was over.
• Catherine argued that Tony needed an honest friend and reminded Henry that he and Tony could help each other.
• Henry reconsidered his behavior toward the Stark Family and asked Catherine to arrange a meeting with Tony.
• Catherine agreed to call Tony and invited Henry to stay at her home while they waited.

Henry explained to Charlize the limits and risks of his potential role at Stark Studios, and they affirmed their trust in each other before he sent her to bed. Later, Catherine revealed she had tested Charlize to decide whether she was worth helping, and Henry told her how Charlize had responded.

• Charlize worried that Henry might feel pressured to help her, and he explained that becoming CEO of Stark Studios would bring both support and conflicts of interest.
• Henry warned Charlize that success required strong projects and that powerful people could still make unreasonable demands; she asked whether he would ever hurt her, and he promised he would not.
• Charlize kissed Henry before he could finish explaining his troubles, but she sneezed on him, and they laughed before he tucked her into bed.
• Henry joined Catherine by the fireplace, where she explained the history of Howard's wine and asked what Charlize had said.
• Henry objected that testing people undermined trust, but Catherine said she needed to know whether Charlize deserved her help; after hearing his account, she concluded Charlize was a good girl.

Henry prepared dinner at Katharine Hepburn’s home while Charlize Theron and Katharine bonded, but Tony Stark’s lavish catering team arrived and took over the meal. Henry reunited with its head chef, Wesley Washington, and learned Tony had ordered a top-tier menu featuring live Norwegian king crab.

• Katharine asked Henry to shop for ingredients and cook dinner for her and Tony Stark while she and Charlize chatted.
• Charlize answered the door and welcomed Wesley Washington’s catering team, hired by Tony to prepare dinner.
• Wesley recognized Henry from their work together on Demon Fighter and joked about whether Henry might poison the food.
• Wesley showed Henry the menu, which included Henry’s cheeseburger, bouillabaisse, duck confit, and costly live king crabs.
• Henry introduced Wesley to Charlize as his girlfriend and offered to help, but Wesley told him to relax and eat.

Tony Stark arrived at the Hepburn Family’s seaside villa, where Henry raised his concerns about a proposed job involving the CIA. As Tony and Henry went to discuss the matter privately, Catherine warned Charlize that learning powerful people’s secrets could put her at risk.

• Tony Stark arrived at the villa and traded barbed remarks with Catherine before introducing his assistants and secretaries.
• Tony mocked Henry and flirted with Charlize, but Catherine escorted Charlize away from the men.
• Henry told Tony he was reluctant to accept a risky assignment without assurances, comparing it to the CIA disposing of an operative after using him.
• Tony agreed to discuss the business privately, and Happy Hogan stationed guards around the study.
• Charlize worried about the men’s conversation, and Catherine explained that their secrets could endanger people without the power to help them.

Catherine advised Charlize about Henry’s secrets and warned her that relationships required choices and acceptance of their consequences. Meanwhile, Henry met privately with Tony Stark to discuss cooperation, remaining wary of the risks Tony’s requests could bring.

• Catherine told Charlize that JFK’s charm drew women into danger and shared her belief that Marilyn Monroe had known too much to escape her situation.
• Catherine reassured Charlize that Henry’s fear of death made some dangers less concerning, and advised her to focus on her own affairs rather than push him.
• Henry met Tony Stark in the study and carefully considered the risks of cooperating with him.
• Tony’s secretary brought whiskey and glasses, then left while Tony and Henry silently sized each other up.
• Tony teased Henry about his expression and asked whether bullets would hurt him, but Henry shrugged off the conversation.

Henry advised Tony Stark to blend into powerful circles by appearing to have a manageable weakness, then accepted Tony’s offer to serve as his eyes and ears at Stark Studios. Tony remained unsure whether the organization that had approached him was trustworthy, and he still did not know its name.

• Henry told Tony that standing out without visible weaknesses made others suspicious, and suggested using acceptable camouflage to reassure them.
• Tony asked whether Henry trusted anyone, and Henry said he avoided powerful circles unless the benefits justified the costs.
• Tony revised his offer: Henry would observe what he encountered at Stark Studios, while Tony handled analysis, and either man could end the arrangement at any time.
• Henry accepted the terms but asked whether someone might have deliberately trapped Tony; Tony said he was unsure about the organization behind his family’s trusted contact.
• Tony explained that the organization had invited him to take his late father’s place, but he had refused because its members were old acquaintances he barely knew.

FBI agents Jack McKenna and Maris Horvat finally located Henry Brown, a Mutant they suspected was connected to Assemblyman Mike Riddle Houghton’s disappearance, at Stark Studios’ CEO inauguration banquet. Assistant Director Owen Davis agreed to take them there, though he feared the risks of confronting Brown at an event connected to Stark Industries.

• Jack McKenna and Maris Horvat told Owen Davis they had located Henry Brown, a key figure in the Houghton disappearance case.
• Owen considered the lack of evidence and the Continental Hotel’s suspected role, but recognized that the FBI still needed an outcome in the assemblyman’s case.
• Jack and Maris asked Owen to get them into the banquet and help bring Brown in for questioning.
• Owen warned them about intervening at the Stark Studios event, but agreed to accompany them.
• Jack and Maris insisted they could handle the risks and take responsibility if anything went wrong.

Stark Studios held an inaugural banquet for its new CEO, Henry Brown, whose appointment drew little interest from Hollywood’s power brokers. The event left Charlize Theron meeting the agent Katharine Hepburn had arranged to introduce her to.

• Tony Stark backed Henry Brown’s appointment as Stark Studios CEO and paid for a banquet meant to establish Henry’s authority and remind Hollywood factions of the studio’s presence.
• Many industry figures dismissed the invitation or sent representatives after learning Henry had only worked as a bit player and Tony might not attend.
• Katharine Hepburn and Charlize Theron drew attention at the banquet, where Charlize followed Katharine’s advice and impressed onlookers with her poised appearance.
• Katharine introduced Charlize to agent and producer J.J. Harris, and the two women greeted each other warmly.

Catherine introduced J.J. Harris to Charlize, who described her acting training and practice with Henry Brown. The FBI confronted Henry over Senator Mike Riddle Houghton's disappearance, and Henry played a recording that suggested the agents had questioned him before.

• J.J. Harris jokingly asked whether Charlize was Catherine's secret granddaughter, and Catherine praised Charlize's imitation of her.
• Charlize told J.J. Harris about her acting lessons and how she practiced performances with Henry Brown recording her.
• Two FBI agents publicly accused Henry of being connected to Senator Mike Riddle Houghton's disappearance and demanded he go with them.
• Henry asked for a lawyer and challenged the agents about whether they had met before, while Charlize tried to intervene and Catherine stopped her.
• The FBI agents drew their guns when Henry reached into his jacket, and Henry played a recording of an earlier encounter with them on a Sony Walkman.

Henry Brown challenged FBI agents who tried to take him in by revealing a recording of their earlier detention and trip to Senator Mike Riddle Houghton's home. Tony Stark intervened, placed the recording in Stark Group counsel's hands, and openly defended Henry against Owen Davis.

• Henry Brown described how FBI agents had taken him to Senator Mike Riddle Houghton's home and played a recording of their conversation, while reporters captured the confrontation.
• An FBI agent demanded the tape at gunpoint, and Henry questioned whether the agents' conduct was proper and suggested voiceprint analysis could identify them.
• Tony Stark arrived and forced Owen Davis's agents to lower their guns, then told Henry to give the recording to lawyers.
• Gauss Chandler accepted Henry's Walkman and recording on behalf of Stark Group, and Henry explained that he had recorded the encounter to protect himself.
• Tony Stark confronted Owen Davis for coming to arrest the CEO he had appointed and made clear that he would protect Henry.

Tony Stark used his influence to end the FBI confrontation with Henry Brown, while Owen Davis assigned the agents to investigate an incident near the Alaska-Yukon border. Jack McKenna and Maris Horvat left the banquet planning to resign rather than risk a direct attack, but Maris kicked Jack’s car in frustration.

• Tony Stark told Owen Davis that the FBI should investigate a troubling incident near the Arctic Ocean and arranged for reporters to surrender damaging film.
• Owen Davis assigned Jack McKenna and Maris Horvat to the Alaska-Yukon investigation, leaving them furious and sidelined.
• Maris Horvat considered using an ability-suppression collar on Henry Brown, but Jack McKenna stopped him because Stark’s guards could shoot them.
• Jack McKenna convinced Maris Horvat to obey the assignment, resign after arriving in Alaska, and seek other work rather than attack Henry Brown.
• Maris Horvat kicked a car door in anger, and Jack McKenna yelled that it was his personal car.

At the Stark Studios banquet, Henry Brown revealed that his recording had been fake and explained how he had prepared for the FBI, while Tony Stark questioned him about his tricks. Tony then turned the stiff event into a wild party for Henry, leaving Henry under Charlize Theron’s furious gaze.

• Tony Stark asked Henry Brown whether the recording was real, and Henry admitted the incident was real but the recording was fake.
• Henry showed Tony a recording cufflink and said he had prepared for the FBI because he did not trust Tony’s assurances.
• Charlize Theron came over to confront Henry, but he kissed her and told her to stay calm rather than rush into danger.
• Tony had Happy Hogan let in a crowd of women, a DJ, and a disco ball, then declared the banquet a party for Henry.
• Henry watched Tony get carried onto the dance floor and felt Charlize’s deadly stare fixed on him.