Chapter Summaries

After a terrorist attack struck the Twin Towers, Henry left Katharine Hepburn and Kitty at home under Skye’s care and went to see how he could help. At the scene, he warned George Stacy that both towers might collapse, and George demanded to know why.

• Maria Thomson asked to go home to her children, and Katharine Hepburn let her leave.
• Henry told Skye to return home and watch over Katharine Hepburn and Kitty while he went to the Twin Towers.
• Henry used Super Speed to reach the disaster site, where police controlled the perimeter and firefighters entered the towers to rescue people.
• Henry slipped past the cordon and warned George Stacy to withdraw the rescue teams because both towers were at risk of collapse.
• George Stacy stopped Henry as he started to leave and asked him to explain the basis for his warning.

Henry warned that the World Trade Center Twin Towers could collapse soon and urged officials to withdraw rescuers, but the Manhattan deputy chief challenged his prediction. George Stacy ordered police officers and firefighters to evacuate, taking responsibility for the decision.

• Henry explained that the plane-fueled fires could weaken the towers and cause them to collapse, putting rescuers and nearby buildings at risk.
• George Stacy asked the Manhattan deputy chief to judge Henry's warning, and the deputy chief demanded to know when the towers would fall.
• Henry admitted he could not give an exact time, and he argued with the deputy chief over the danger of keeping rescuers inside.
• George Stacy ordered all police officers and firefighters to withdraw from the Twin Towers while bringing out anyone they encountered.
• When some rescuers resisted the order, George Stacy seized the radio and used forceful threats and profanity to demand their evacuation.

George Stacy ordered police officers and firefighters to evacuate the World Trade Center Twin Towers after Henry Brown warned that they might collapse, though rescuers and Mayor Rudy Giuliani questioned the decision. The South Tower collapsed at 9:59, confirming Henry’s warning and sending smoke and dust across the area.

• George Stacy ordered rescue workers to leave the Twin Towers and bring out anyone they encountered, while many firefighters objected and tried to return inside.
• Rudy Giuliani arrived and asked George Stacy to explain the evacuation order and whether the towers really faced collapse.
• George Stacy introduced Henry Brown as the technical specialist who had warned of the danger, but the mayor’s staff and firefighters doubted Henry.
• At 9:59, the South Tower collapsed floor by floor, sending smoke and debris across the area.
• Henry covered his mouth and nose, while George Stacy pulled Rudy Giuliani into a nearby command tent.

After the South Tower collapsed, Mayor Rudy Giuliani put George Stacy in charge of the front-line rescue effort. Henry warned that the North Tower could also fall and organized evacuations and rescue assignments, leaving several senior officials unsure of their own tasks.

• Rudy Giuliani praised Henry and appointed George Stacy to command the police and firefighters at the front line.
• George Stacy asked Henry whether the North Tower might collapse, and Henry warned that it could suffer the same fate as the South Tower.
• Henry urged officials to evacuate nearby buildings, approach the South Tower from the south, protect themselves from hazardous dust, and use radios to coordinate.
• When the crowd answered Henry's questions all at once, he shouted for quiet and began assigning officers to evacuation and rescue duties.
• Henry asked whether anyone still lacked an assignment, and George Stacy, his aides, and several senior police officers raised their hands.

Henry organized the rescue effort at the World Trade Center after George Stacy appointed him a temporary special consultant and authorized his instructions. With phone networks down, Henry used his homemade phone to reach Gwen, who agreed to take Catherine, Skye, and Kitty to Connecticut.

• Henry told the assembled officers to establish a command center and assign personnel, and George Stacy appointed him a temporary special consultant with authority to issue orders.
• George Stacy sent the officers and firefighters to their assignments while he helped build a command system to track personnel and supplies.
• Henry asked George Stacy to have Gwen drive Catherine, Skye, and Kitty from New York to Catherine's villa in Fenwick, Connecticut.
• George Stacy tried to call Gwen but found that the cell network was down, so Henry lent him his homemade phone.
• George Stacy reached Gwen through Henry's phone and persuaded her to take Catherine, Skye, and Kitty to Connecticut instead of joining the rescue effort.

After the North Tower collapsed, Henry coordinated rescue teams and drew up detailed supply lists while George Stacy arranged communications with City Hall and major corporations. The chapter left New York seeking specialized equipment as Rudy Giuliani learned that attacks had also struck the Pentagon and Pennsylvania.

• George Stacy handed Henry his phone, and Henry let command-post personnel call their families.
• Henry warned responders that the North Tower was collapsing, and at 10:28 it fell as rescue workers took cover and secured the command tent.
• Henry gathered radio reports, reassigned responders between the towers, and directed teams to injured people and areas needing reinforcements.
• Henry wrote supply lists ranging from food, water, and medical equipment to specialized rescue technology, then told George Stacy to fax them to major corporations.
• George Stacy restored wired telephone and fax connections, contacted Rudy Giuliani at City Hall, and sent him the supply lists.
• Rudy Giuliani learned that planes had also hit the Pentagon and crashed in Pennsylvania, while U.S. airspace was grounded and President George Bush was aboard Air Force One.

Tony Stark woke to news that the World Trade Center Twin Towers and other targets had been attacked, then discussed the crisis with Obadiah Stane. They considered its possible effects on Stark Industries and the United States while Pepper Potts ushered two women out of Tony’s home.

• Obadiah Stane arrived at Tony Stark’s Long Island villa after the attacks, and Virginia Potts woke Tony with the news.
• Tony left his bedroom in a bathrobe and joined Obadiah in the living room to watch the reports.
• Obadiah told Tony that the Pentagon had also been attacked and another plane had crashed while apparently headed for Washington.
• Tony and Obadiah discussed whether the attacks were deliberate and what they could mean for Stark Industries and the United States.
• Virginia Potts drove the two women from Tony’s bedroom out of the house while Tony ignored their attempts to say goodbye.

Tony Stark learned that Rudy had requested unusual equipment and operators for the World Trade Center rescue effort, then called Henry to question him about the list. Henry explained that he had sent the requests to several companies and warned Tony to stay away from the disaster site, where dust made respiratory protection essential.

• Obadiah Stane told Tony Stark that Rudy had sent Stark Industries an unusual list of requested disaster-relief supplies and personnel.
• Tony Stark read the list and found requests for specialized equipment, including private projects and military command systems.
• Tony Stark called Henry, who was directing rescue operations, and asked whether Henry had drawn the requests from Stark Industries' patent vault.
• Henry said he had sent the requests to Oscorp, Lockheed Martin, Stark Industries, and Hammer Industries, hoping to obtain whatever useful equipment they could provide.
• Henry told Tony Stark not to come to the site and asked him to arrange medical masks or industrial respirators because concrete dust was polluting the air.

Tony Stark arranged for Stark Industries to lend equipment and personnel to the World Trade Center rescue effort, while Obadiah Stane set conditions for the company’s support. Other corporations largely rejected New York City’s requests, but Justin Hammer saw the disaster as a chance to promote Hammer Industries through GG.

• Henry berated Tony Stark over the government’s handling of disaster news and hung up on him.
• Tony checked the city’s equipment list and ordered Pepper Potts to prepare Stark Industries’ supplies for the Twin Towers.
• Obadiah Stane required Stark Industries to lend trained operators and make its branding visible, then helped Pepper arrange the response.
• Tony planned to go to the disaster site to configure specialized equipment and ordered headquarters employees moved to a research center outside Manhattan.
• Most major companies rejected New York City’s requests, while Justin Hammer decided Hammer Industries should use GG to publicize its support.

Rescue workers struggled through toxic dust and fires at the World Trade Center disaster site as Stark Industries supplied provisions and specialized detection equipment. The next morning, Tony Stark arrived at the command center, where George Stacy greeted him and hoped to send him away.

• 7 World Trade Center collapsed at 5:20 p.m., while George Stacy's rescue forces continued working amid toxic dust, smoke, and fires.
• Stark Industries trucks delivered food, water, masks, and respirators, which Henry arranged to distribute directly to nearby rescue workers.
• More companies and private donors sent supplies, and rescue workers continued searching through the night under searchlights.
• A second batch of Stark Industries trucks brought Henry's requested detection equipment, which engineers assembled and calibrated near the police command center.
• The next morning, Tony Stark arrived at the disaster site in a Bentley, and George Stacy greeted him while trying to dissuade him from staying.

Henry coordinated the rescue effort after the skyscrapers collapsed while Tony Stark arrived to oversee Stark Industries’ equipment. Justin Hammer brought urgently needed machinery and respirators, but his attempt to provoke Tony failed, and he ended up putting on a mask himself.

• Tony Stark told Commissioner George Stacy he had come to oversee Stark Industries’ equipment and asked Henry about the pollution and rescue situation.
• Henry reported that thousands of people remained missing, including nearby police officers and firefighters who might be trapped beneath the rubble.
• Justin Hammer arrived noisily with construction machinery and boxes of respirators, which Henry’s team assigned to disaster-site zones.
• Justin Hammer taunted Tony Stark in front of reporters, but Tony ignored him and went to work on Stark Industries’ equipment.
• Justin Hammer tried to address the reporters, choked on the polluted air, and put on a respirator.

Henry Brown and Tony Stark helped establish a Stark Industries command system at the World Trade Center ruins, shifting rescue operations from Henry’s sole direction to trained operators. They also built a 3D model of the rubble and began using sensors to identify possible survivors, though the results remained uncertain.

• Stark Industries set up sealed command tents and a combat platform that tracked personnel, supplies, and rescue-site conditions.
• Henry Brown helped train operators as George Stacy supported the transfer of command away from the exhausted Henry.
• Henry worked with Tony Stark to combine sensor data into a 3D model showing the ruins’ surface and estimated underground structure.
• Stark Industries employees used thermal imaging and life detectors to locate possible survivors, while accounting for heat sources, corpses, and hypothermia.

Henry and Tony Stark coordinated rescue technology at the World Trade Center, but Henry explained why Tony’s idea to simulate excavation routes was impractical. The chapter ended with a mysterious aircraft arriving at the site and catching Tony’s attention.

• Rescue crews prioritized people detected deep beneath the rubble while senior fire and police officials discussed how to reach them.
• Tony Stark asked Henry whether Hollywood Kid’s physics engine could identify safe excavation routes, and Henry explained that the rubble was too complex to model accurately in the time available.
• Tony Stark grew frustrated as Justin Hammer drew media attention to Hammer Industries’ relief supplies.
• A black-and-gray aircraft resembling an SR-71 descended vertically beside the command tent, and Tony Stark became intrigued by its quiet engines.

The X-Men arrived at the World Trade Center disaster site after stopping one hijacked plane and surviving the crash of another, then met with Commissioner George Stacy and the rescue team. Henry Brown’s presence stirred old tension with Jean Grey, while Tony Stark joked with him as they entered the command tent.

• Professor X and the X-Men landed at the disaster site and apologized to George Stacy for their late arrival.
• Cyclops explained that the X-Men had stopped one hijacked plane, but the second crashed near Shanksville; Angel, Wolverine, and one passenger survived.
• The X-Men had been detained at an airport under military air-traffic restrictions until their evidence cleared them to assist with rescue efforts.
• George Stacy invited the X-Men into the command tent and introduced Tony Stark and Henry Brown.
• Jean Grey and other veteran X-Men reacted warily to Henry, who suspected Jean still remembered her past anger toward him.
• Tony Stark asked Henry if he had slept with Jean Grey and dumped her, and Henry mocked Stark’s reputation with women.

George Stacy presented Stark Industries’ 3D map of the disaster zone as the X-Men discussed how to reach survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Henry proposed blasting a passage and immediately supporting it, and the group turned to Bobbie to see whether he could stabilize it with ice.

• George Stacy explained the 3D map and said survivors trapped in lower spaces were running out of food and water.
• Colossus suggested Shadowcat phase underground to rescue survivors, but she explained that her range and ability to bring people out were limited.
• The young Mutants proposed several rescue methods, including clearing rubble with a tornado and having Cyclops blast a passage, but officials warned that reckless digging could trigger a collapse.
• Professor X asked Henry Brown for a suggestion, and Henry recommended blasting a passage and supporting it immediately with material that could replace wooden tunnel braces.
• A fire safety expert warned that supports might not prevent collapse at a critical load-bearing point, and Henry explained that quick stabilization could reduce the risk.
• The young Mutants asked Bobbie whether he could create ice to stabilize the passage.

Cyclops and Iceman led a Mutant rescue team into the World Trade Center ruins and successfully evacuated eleven survivors, proving their method worked. Henry explained to Cyclops that his injured eyes and lack of help stabilizing a passage had kept him from leading the effort, while more rescues awaited.

• Cyclops proposed that he melt a passage with his optic blasts while Iceman reinforced it with ice, and the X-Men and fire officials finalized the plan.
• Jean Grey confirmed that the first group of rescue targets was still alive, and Cyclops and Iceman entered the ruins using a route selected from Stark Industries' map.
• Cyclops and Iceman reached the survivors' underground space in about twenty minutes and helped evacuate all eleven people.
• Colossus and the other Mutants joined ordinary rescue workers in clearing debris and helping at the disaster site.
• Cyclops accused Henry of standing by, and Henry said his eyes were injured and he had no one to stabilize a passage.
• Cyclops left to prepare for further rescues, while Tony Stark questioned Henry about his unusual calmness.

After two sleepless days coordinating rescue efforts at the World Trade Center, Henry decided to leave now that others could take over. He asked George Stacy to keep his name out of official records, and George understood that the request also protected the police commissioner from scrutiny over Henry’s unofficial authority.

• Henry told Tony Stark that rescuers who had done their best should not be blamed for failing to prevent every loss of life.
• With X-Men reinforcements and Stark Industries’ system assisting the response, Henry decided he had done enough and would leave to rest.
• Henry told George Stacy at the police command center that he could no longer continue and asked him not to record Henry’s name or publicize his role.
• Henry joked that another officer named Henry could take the blame if anyone questioned his actions, noting that his authority had lacked a legal basis.
• George Stacy recognized that Henry’s request could protect them both from repercussions over Henry’s unofficial command role.

After leaving the World Trade Center command tent to applause, Henry rejected Justin Hammer’s job offer and accepted a ride arranged by Tony Stark. Henry left for Connecticut to rest while Tony headed back to Long Island.

• The police chief thanked Henry for his work, and the assembled responders applauded as he left the command tent.
• Justin Hammer offered Henry a twenty-million-dollar annual salary at Hammer Industries, but Henry refused because he thought the work would be boring.
• Tony Stark took Henry’s refusal as a possible slight against Stark Studios and looked wounded, while Henry walked away.
• Happy Hogan arranged for James to drive Henry to Connecticut, and Henry thanked Tony before leaving to sleep.
• Happy told Tony that Henry had left for Connecticut, and Tony returned to Long Island while the X-Men continued rescuing survivors.

The September 11 attacks and the Afghanistan War brought enormous military contracts to Stark Industries, giving the company a major path to growth while Hammer Industries could take only a smaller share. Henry recovered at the Hepburn family villa in Connecticut and stayed there with Skye and Gwen, where he pushed both girls to keep up with school.

• Rudy Giuliani gained public praise for directing relief efforts and communicating with Americans after the World Trade Center Twin Towers collapse.
• The U.S. military prepared for the Afghanistan War and placed urgent orders for weapons and equipment, with most of the business going to Stark Industries because Hammer Industries lacked the capacity to fill it.
• Henry kept his role at the disaster site out of the public eye and returned to the Hepburn Family villa in Fenwick, Connecticut, where he slept for more than a day.
• Henry, Skye, Gwen Stacy, and Grandma stayed in Connecticut for nearly a month, while Skye took leave from school and Gwen remained until her father called.
• Henry insisted that Skye and Gwen continue their studies, despite Skye's complaints.

Henry was summoned to Skye’s school after she fought with Mark, who had insulted her amid rising discrimination. As Henry questioned why Mark had targeted her, the boy revealed that he had told Skye to leave the United States and suggested her parents were terrorists.

• Henry arrived at the principal’s office, where Skye and Mark sat with the principal and Mark’s parents.
• The principal explained that Mark had insulted Skye and that Skye had injured him, then asked Henry to persuade her to apologize and accept punishment.
• Henry asked Skye whether the principal’s account was accurate, and Skye confirmed it while refusing to explain Mark’s insults.
• Henry questioned Mark about why he had insulted Skye, but Mark’s mother and the principal focused on Skye’s violence and attitude.
• Mark said Skye was at fault and claimed he had told her to leave the United States, adding that her biological parents might have hijacked the planes that struck the World Trade Center Twin Towers.