Chapter Summaries

Henry made a Vibranium headband that quieted the voices and visions in Thena’s mind, then began planning more pieces of jewelry for her. The chapter ended with Henry sketching designs while Thena reacted coolly to a drawing of herself.

• Henry refined Vibranium into pure Fang Metal and shaped it into a patterned headband designed to counter specific brain waves.
• Henry gave the headband to Thena, who put it on and immediately felt the noise in her mind disappear.
• Thena confirmed the headband worked, and Gilgamesh and Kingo celebrated with Henry.
• Henry offered to make spare headbands and asked Thena what jewelry she liked.
• Henry sketched several jewelry designs, including a drawing of Thena wearing glasses, and Thena said it was not bad.

Henry Brown endured rumors that he was wasting Stark Studios’ money while secretly benefiting from the Indian deal and pursuing a task for Tony Stark. He reassured Charlize Theron that his plans were proceeding, then revealed Tony had assigned him a covert mission.

• Hollywood insiders mocked Henry Brown’s region-locked partnership with Kingo Film Company, unaware that he had obtained Eternals’ blood and Vibranium.
• Henry Brown carefully weighed offers from powerful film-industry figures who tried to draw him into their circle.
• Charlize Theron worried that rumors about Henry’s business dealings signaled trouble.
• Henry Brown told Charlize Theron that everything was going according to plan and disclosed Tony Stark’s secret assignment.
• Charlize Theron realized that Tony Stark had made Henry CEO of Stark Studios to carry out a spy mission.

Henry explained to Charlize how his work for Tony involved observing wealthy people without breaking the law, and advised her to focus on her acting career while staying safe. He then offered her a supporting role in Jingle All the Way, and Charlize agreed to discuss it with Jen.

• Henry reassured Charlize that his work for Tony involved keeping track of wealthy people and avoiding illegal or dangerous acts.
• Henry told Charlize not to take risks on his behalf and urged her to follow Jen’s plan, refuse anyone who crossed her boundaries, and let him support her.
• Henry advised Charlize to pursue varied roles across genres rather than limit herself to leading parts or a single image.
• Henry told Charlize that Rita Wilson had offered her a supporting police officer role in 1492 Pictures’ Jingle All the Way, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Brian Levant.
• Charlize agreed to discuss the role with Jen and get in touch with Rita Wilson’s team.

Henry continued studying the Kree and Skrull archives, organizing their contents and using the Skrull encyclopedia to make progress understanding Kree research. He considered where to establish a secret laboratory but left the underwater lab, submarine, and Watchtower ideas unresolved.

• Henry focused on studying the Kree and Skrull storage crystals, learning their languages and sorting their technological materials.
• Henry set aside Mar-Vell's speculative research and concentrated on the Kree reference literature.
• Henry examined the Skrull genetic archives and encyclopedia, whose records described civilizations the Skrulls had destroyed as not worth preserving.
• Henry used the Skrull encyclopedia to make progress deciphering Kree research, but found that many alien technologies required materials unavailable on Earth.
• Henry considered building an underwater laboratory or acquiring a submarine, then rejected the Watchtower because it was too prone to being overrun or destroyed.

Henry navigated Hollywood’s renewed attention while guarding his reputation as a wealthy outsider who was not easy to exploit. An ornate invitation from the Mystikos Sect left him uneasy, with its gathering scheduled for the day before Easter at a manor outside Los Angeles.

• Henry accepted some Hollywood invitations as studios tried to court him, while his survival of the Sony affair discouraged people from openly insulting or provoking him.
• Henry received a black-linen envelope addressed for him to open personally, sealed with gold-colored wax and marked with an unfamiliar crest.
• Henry opened the invitation while wearing surgical gloves and found a hand-decorated card scented with flowers.
• Henry read that the Mystikos Sect had invited him to an old manor outside Los Angeles on the day before Easter, and he detected a faint smell of blood.

Henry recognized an invitation written in human blood as a possible sign that Vampires had targeted him, and decided to investigate rather than ignore them. He took it to the Continental Hotel to ask Charlie Fisher for advice, and Charlie confirmed that he knew who had sent it.

• Henry smelled blood from at least ten people on the invitation and suspected that Vampires were involved.
• Henry weighed the danger to himself and Charlize Theron, then decided to learn more about whoever had targeted him.
• Henry told his secretary, Julianne, that he was leaving Stark Studios and to contact him if anything urgent came up.
• Henry visited the Continental Hotel and showed Charlie Fisher the invitation's wax seal.
• Charlie frowned and asked Henry whether they had come looking for him.

Henry learned from Old Charlie that the people pursuing a business partnership with him belonged to the vampire Mystikos Sect, which infiltrated human society and could target his loved ones. Old Charlie advised him to avoid provoking them and suggested that Howard Stark’s past ties to the Howling Commandos had once deterred vampires; he ended by warning Henry that a group of old fellows had arrived on the West Coast.

• Henry asked who had approached him, and Old Charlie identified them as members of the Mystikos Sect, one of the thirteen vampire sects.
• Old Charlie explained that the Mystikos Sect usually pursued business partnerships to gain influence, and warned Henry to limit contact and protect Charlize Theron.
• Henry asked whether he should hire vampire hunters or priests, but Old Charlie warned that this would provoke the vampires and advised him to find support through his connections instead.
• Old Charlie explained that Howard Stark’s wartime ties to Captain America and the Howling Commandos had once made vampires wary of targeting Stark Industries.
• Henry questioned whether Stark still had enough influence to deter the vampires, and Old Charlie suggested involving Tony Stark to divide their attention.
• Old Charlie told Henry that a group of old fellows had arrived on the West Coast.

Henry learned that wealthy Old Money families were backing the Mystikos Sect’s Vampires in hopes of securing treatment, and Old Charlie warned him not to cooperate with them. Henry left the Continental Hotel wary of its information network and went to Stark Studios’ editing-suite service center, while the threat to Tony Stark remained unresolved.

• Old Charlie told Henry that ailing Old Money families had arrived on the West Coast seeking treatment and the Vampires’ Embrace, making them potential allies of the Mystikos Sect.
• Old Charlie advised Henry to avoid meeting or cooperating with the group and to redirect their attention, while declining to answer whether they belonged to the High Table.
• Henry concluded that Tony Stark was the real target and decided he should warn him rather than take the danger on himself.
• Henry left the Continental Hotel and treated anything it knew about him as information the Vampires might also possess.
• Henry assessed that his legal and financial affairs were largely protected, then arrived at the service center for Hollywood Kid, where Stark Studios’ editing suites were running at full capacity.

Henry used the secret message board to warn Tony Stark that Vampires had taken an interest in Stark Industries, and Tony questioned whether they truly existed. The chapter left Tony asking whether Henry believed in magic.

• Henry sent Tony Stark a report warning that Vampires were targeting Stark Industries.
• Henry inspected Tony's virtual host and found him researching conversational artificial intelligence and voice recognition.
• Henry began writing a program to use the graphics processor to share the central processor's workload.
• Tony replied on the secret message board, and Henry confirmed that the Continental Hotel's intelligence was reliable.
• Tony asked whether Henry believed in magic after considering the possibility of groups of Vampires and Werewolves.

Henry attended the Vampires’ Easter Eve banquet and was mistaken for a human blood bag before a striking blonde woman recognized him and brought him to Lord Dragonetti. The chapter ended with Henry seated opposite the powerful-looking man in a private banquet hall.

• Henry decided not to ignore the Vampires’ invitation and drove alone to their banquet on April 6, 1996.
• Mr. Bernard mistook Henry for a blood bag and wished him luck after Henry explained that they had met at a fundraising banquet years earlier.
• Henry observed the divide between the elderly wealthy guests and ambitious young attendees at the manor.
• A blonde woman approached Henry, sniffed him, and invited him to meet Lord Dragonetti.
• Henry followed the woman through a guarded corridor to a second hall, where he sat opposite Lord Dragonetti as she poured them brandy.

Henry Brown met with Gitano Dragonetti, who tried to claim credit for protecting him and pressed him for information about Tony Stark. Henry deflected the questions and left Dragonetti uncertain whether he could arrange a meeting with Stark.

• Gitano Dragonetti praised Henry Brown’s recent actions and claimed Mickey Schulhof’s bounty request against him had been stopped, but Henry dismissed the claim and explained why the bounty might not have been approved.
• Henry redirected their conversation to world affairs and asked Dragonetti which country the United States should treat as its next opponent.
• Dragonetti asked what Henry’s boss, Tony Stark, had been doing and requested that Henry arrange a meeting with him.
• Henry said he could pass on the invitation but had no control over Stark, then described Stark’s absence from a charity dinner attended by Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
• Dragonetti suggested Stark’s behavior might express military dissatisfaction with Clinton’s arms cuts, while Henry wondered whether Stark would agree to a meeting only to stand them up.

Henry Brown negotiated with Gitano Dragonetti, who offered to help him rise within Stark Industries in exchange for an eventual transformation into a Vampire and proof of loyalty. When Dragonetti named Charlize Theron as his desired assurance, Henry challenged the demand, leaving Dragonetti uncertain how to secure his cooperation without attracting Stark's attention.

• Gitano Dragonetti proposed a business partnership to Henry, offering access to health, youth, and other benefits in exchange for a stake in Stark-related ventures.
• Henry refused to claim authority over Stark Industries and said Dragonetti would have to discuss Stark Studios shares with Tony Stark.
• Dragonetti suggested supporting Henry's rise within Stark Industries and eventually making him a Vampire, while asking for proof that Henry would not betray them.
• Henry questioned what price Dragonetti wanted, and Dragonetti named Charlize Theron as the assurance he sought.
• Henry challenged Dragonetti's demand by asking whether handing over Charlize would prove she was unimportant to him, making Dragonetti doubt the plan.
• Dragonetti considered the risks of tying Henry to the Vampires, since leaving too many traces could alert Stark and ruin their chance to infiltrate Stark Industries.

Gitano Dragonetti tried to entice Henry Brown into cooperation with promises of Hollywood influence, wealth, power, and women, but Henry asked for rewards Dragonetti could not provide. When one of Dragonetti’s Vampires put an ability-suppressing collar on Henry, Henry allowed it to happen so he could judge whether the move reflected the whole group or only a faction.

• Gitano Dragonetti reasoned that he could gradually draw Henry Brown into his web despite having no leverage over Henry’s family.
• Gitano Dragonetti offered to promote Henry’s girlfriend in Hollywood and promised access to celebrities and other favors.
• Henry asked for commercial nuclear fusion technology, then an unregulated nuclear submarine, and finally a leading role for his girlfriend in a top-ten box-office hit, but Gitano Dragonetti could not grant any of them.
• Henry told Gitano Dragonetti that money, power, and women did not tempt him enough to trade for them because he could obtain them himself.
• One of Gitano Dragonetti’s Vampires fastened an ability-suppressing collar around Henry’s neck, and Henry let him do it to see whether the act represented the Vampires as a whole or only a faction.

Henry met with Gitano Dragonetti and the Vampires, who wanted him to infiltrate Stark Group and help take control of it. After Gitano shot a threatening subordinate, Henry watched the Vampire recover and feed, while Gitano reconsidered recruiting him and offered an explanation for his subordinate’s behavior.

• A Vampire threatened Henry and demanded that he obey, but Henry and Gitano Dragonetti mocked the subordinate’s behavior.
• The subordinate revealed the plan to have Henry infiltrate Stark Group, and Henry pretended to agree while ridiculing him.
• When the subordinate grabbed Henry and threatened to drain his blood, Gitano shot him in the head.
• Henry studied the Vampire as his wound healed, then watched him abandon an attack to lap up blood spilled on the floor.
• Gitano decided Henry’s reactions had disappointed him and told him that many newly born Vampires were impulsive and reckless.

Henry rejected Gitano Dragonetti’s pressure to cooperate, outsmarted a young Vampire who threatened him, and left Dragonetti’s gathering. Dragonetti warned that their relationship might change, but Henry departed without backing down.

• Henry mocked the young Vampire’s claims of superiority and questioned how Vampires could conquer the world without nuclear weapons.
• The young Vampire tried to trigger the explosive collar around Henry’s neck, but a subordinate shot the controller from his hand.
• Henry unlocked and removed the Mutant Suppression Collar with a hairpin, then taunted the young Vampire about relying on his intelligence.
• Henry thanked Gitano Dragonetti for the invitation and announced that he had to leave.
• Gitano Dragonetti warned Henry that leaving could affect their future, but Henry dismissed the threat and walked out.

Henry worried that the vampires might retaliate and monitored the early internet for clues about them while waiting for them to act. J.J. Harris and Charlize Theron then confronted him at Stark Studios, and Harris demanded to know what he had done.

• Henry considered the risk of provoking the vampires and could only wait for them to make their next move.
• Henry searched online for covert vampire activity while refining his program to identify useful websites and messages.
• J.J. Harris stormed into Henry's office with Charlize Theron and angrily confronted him.
• Henry calmly asked Harris to sit down and called for Miss Williams to bring coffee.

J.J. Harris told Henry that an unknown force had disrupted her projects and targeted her clients, including Charlize Theron. Henry identified Gitano Dragonetti as the likely source and explained that the group’s real targets were Tony Stark and Stark Industries, leaving the others caught in the conflict.

• J.J. Harris described how projects and clients had been targeted over the past month and asked Henry whom he had offended.
• Henry named Gitano Dragonetti, and J.J. Harris recognized him as a powerful figure rumored to be a Vampire.
• Henry confirmed that Vampires existed and said their gathering places were closed off from ordinary people.
• Henry explained that the group was targeting Tony Stark and Stark Industries, while he, Charlize Theron, and J.J. Harris were incidental targets.
• Henry warned that yielding would invite further pressure and said they would need to fight back professionally if no one’s safety was at risk.

Henry warned Charlize Theron that Vampires might try to abduct or coerce her, then gave her custom watches equipped with emergency signals and conditional tracking devices. He and J.J. Harris discussed finding opportunities beyond the limits of Gitano Dragonetti’s influence in Hollywood.

• Henry told Charlize to reject anyone claiming to act for him and to contact him directly if they tried to take her away.
• Henry explained that Vampires were numerous and unpredictable, and Charlize said she understood the danger.
• Henry gave Charlize five handmade watches early for her birthday, and she chose the rose-gold wristwatch.
• Henry showed Charlize that the watches could send him an alarm and said their trackers activated only when she triggered the signal.
• Henry told J.J. Harris that they could seek opportunities beyond Gitano Dragonetti’s reach or leave Hollywood, and J.J. explained the limits of the Vampires’ control.

After J.J. Harris explained how Vampires were blocking Charlize Theron's career opportunities, Henry agreed to help her avoid their influence. With The Rock's premiere approaching and no gown available, he arranged a trip to Paris to seek help from Hubert de Givenchy.

• Henry told J.J. Harris and Charlize Theron to avoid opportunities controlled by Vampires and promised to help them find other options.
• J.J. Harris explained that Charlize needed a gown for The Rock premiere on June 7, but rental companies and designers had refused to work with her.
• Henry called two contacts in French and then asked whether Charlize and J.J. Harris were free to travel.
• Henry said he had arranged to meet Hubert de Givenchy, whom he knew from his time assisting Audrey Hepburn.
• Henry asked Miss Williams to book Paris tickets for himself, Charlize, and J.J. Harris.

Henry, Charlize Theron, and J.J. Harris visited Hubert de Givenchy and Philippe Venet at Jonchet Castle, where they toured the gardens and Givenchy’s sculpture collection. Their visit continued over a home-cooked dinner, and Henry and Givenchy shared a laugh over a peculiar statue of Cupid.

• Henry and his companions arrived at Jonchet Castle, where Givenchy personally greeted them and introduced them to Philippe Venet.
• Henry gave Givenchy chocolates and his book, then introduced Charlize Theron and J.J. Harris.
• Givenchy and Venet welcomed the visitors into their home and showed them Rachel Lambert’s rose garden and Givenchy’s sculpture collection.
• Givenchy invited Henry and the others to stay for dinner, where they chatted about the sculptures and Henry’s appetite.
• Henry laughed at a Cupid statue, and Givenchy stopped to discuss its cracked heart and aggrieved expression with him.