Chapter Summaries

Murphy helped Richard Parker and his wife evade the pursuers and escape to California, then approached Paul to recruit him as an agent. The chapter ended with Murphy contacting Paul through his hacked computer.

• Murphy told Richard Parker to use the high beams to blind the pursuers, then guided the Parkers to a hotel while erasing their surveillance traces.
• The pursuers realized the Parkers had escaped and searched the city, but Murphy noticed their insider at the surveillance center.
• Murphy concealed the Parkers' identities as they flew to California and arranged a hotel for them.
• Murphy decided he needed an agent for his planned laboratory and chose Paul, who was despondent after Laura rejected him.
• Murphy took control of Paul's computer and introduced himself, while Paul pleaded with the hacker not to damage his livelihood.

Murphy recruited Paul Steyr to manage a biotechnology and genetics company, giving him startup funds and a share of the business. Paul began arranging a laboratory with Richard Parker, but its costly equipment and construction remained ahead of them.

• Murphy offered Paul a job managing a biotechnology and genetics laboratory, and Paul agreed in exchange for loyalty and a share of the company.
• Murphy transferred one million dollars to Paul, including a hundred thousand dollars as his reward, then provided another ten million dollars for the company.
• Paul consulted a lawyer and established Murphy Biotechnology Company before beginning plans for the laboratory.
• Paul met Richard Parker and Mary Parker while selecting a site and designing the facility.
• Richard Parker outlined the laboratory's equipment and staffing requirements, revealing that the advanced facility would require enormous funding.

Murphy’s Ghost Industries completed its first armored vehicle prototype and secured a four-billion-dollar Army order after the vehicle passed testing. The order brought the company rapid success, but also drew the attention of General Motors and Hammer Industries.

• Ghost Industries completed its armory, and its first armored vehicle prototype rolled off the production line on March 1.
• Jack had Maria Hill present the vehicle to the Army, while Nick Fury told her not to use S.H.I.E.L.D. resources and to test the company.
• The Army tested the prototype and confirmed its speed, range, and reliability, then ordered vehicles for eight rapid-response brigades.
• Maria Hill closed the four-billion-dollar deal, and Jack celebrated Ghost Industries’ breakthrough.
• General Motors and Justin Hammer took notice of Ghost Industries after it won the major order.

Justin Hammer visited Ghost Industries and tried to acquire the company, assuming Maria Hill was responsible for its success. Maria rejected his approach, and Hammer’s offer left the company’s ownership unresolved.

• Justin Hammer arrived at Ghost Industries with bodyguards and a butler, then tried to enter without an appointment.
• The security chief blocked Hammer, who identified himself as Hammer Industries’ chairman and asked to see Maria Hill.
• Maria Hill coordinated production of the military’s armored vehicles while the military arranged equipment supplies and training.
• Hammer met Maria, offered champagne, and proposed acquiring Ghost Industries while keeping her on as general manager with a share incentive.
• Maria told Hammer that he should not be discussing an acquisition with her because she was only the general manager.

S.H.I.E.L.D. studied Ghost Industries’ advanced armored vehicle while the military planned to build a rapidly deployable ground force, and Justin Hammer failed to secure its production rights. As Murphy’s financial activity drew Wall Street’s attention, S.H.I.E.L.D. traced a million-dollar transfer to Paul, whom Phil Coulson suspected was only Ghost’s proxy.

• Maria Hill rejected Justin Hammer’s proposal to acquire Ghost Industries, and Nick Fury ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. technicians to study a secretly transported armored vehicle.
• The military began training personnel and planning transport aircraft for the armored vehicles, while Justin Hammer failed to obtain production rights.
• General Motors found that Ghost Industries had a small New York factory producing parts for it and considered deeper cooperation.
• Murphy used Ghost Investment’s five hundred million dollars for highly successful stock trades, drawing the attention of Wall Street’s financial titans.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. traced a million-dollar transfer from an anonymous account to Paul, and Nick Fury asked Phil Coulson whether Paul was Ghost.
• Phil Coulson judged Paul to be an obedient proxy rather than Ghost, while Murphy continued relying on his confidence that no one could discover he lived within the network.

Murphy returned to Paris to monitor Jason Bourne and search for news of the planned assassination of Nivana Umbochi, while he arranged funding and staff for his cloning research. After three days without seeing Bourne or finding reports about Umbochi, Murphy wondered whether the assassination had already happened.

• Murphy ordered Richard Parker to develop animal cloning technology and told Paul to procure the equipment and personnel, while keeping the Parkers under surveillance and in hiding.
• Murphy decided to recruit elite agents, made Jason Bourne his priority, and returned to Tony Stark's mansion before traveling to Paris with Jarvis.
• Murphy waited outside Jason Bourne's apartment for three days but did not see him return.
• Murphy searched Paris television news for reports about Nivana Umbochi and found none, so he considered that Bourne might already have gone to carry out an assassination.

Nick Fury examined the captured armored vehicle and suspected Ghost had recognized Maria Hill and might be inside S.H.I.E.L.D. He began an internal investigation while Murphy watched Jason Bourne in Paris and witnessed a landmark event.

• Nick Fury ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. technicians to study the armored vehicle’s engine and armor, but they could not tell whether its technology was alien or achievable on Earth.
• Maria Hill told Nick Fury that she had found no leads on Ghost and suspected Jack Jenkins had never met Ghost in person.
• Nick Fury deduced that Ghost had recognized Maria Hill during dinner with Jack and might be within S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury planned to use a classified armor order to draw Ghost out and began investigating Phil Coulson and Melinda May.
• Murphy continued monitoring Jason Bourne in Paris until he witnessed a landmark event.

Murphy watched Jason Bourne recover his identity at a Swiss bank and tried to begin recruiting him, while Bourne rejected his offer and fled police pursuit. After escaping the American Embassy, Bourne met Marie Kreutz and agreed to travel with her to Paris, as Murphy prepared to contact her.

• Murphy traveled to Switzerland and monitored Gommansa Bank while waiting for Jason Bourne to arrive.
• Jason Bourne opened his safe deposit box, found multiple passports, cash, and a handgun, then answered Murphy's call and rejected his offer of help.
• Jason Bourne left the bank and fled Swiss police after learning he was wanted for knocking out two officers.
• Jason Bourne entered the American Embassy to evade police, then escaped and met Marie Kreutz in a back alley.
• Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz agreed to drive to Paris together, and Murphy began looking for Marie's phone number.

Jason Bourne faced Murphy’s repeated offers of protection as he and Marie Kreutz reached his Paris apartment. After Murphy revealed that Bourne was a CIA agent, a Treadstone assassin attacked him, forcing Bourne into a lethal fight.

• Murphy called Jason Bourne through Marie Kreutz’s phone and offered to protect him if he worked for him, but Bourne snapped the phone and threw it away.
• Jason Bourne told Marie Kreutz about his amnesia and his investigative instincts as they traveled to Paris.
• Murphy watched Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz arrive at the apartment, believing Marie could become Bourne’s weakness.
• Murphy called again and told Jason Bourne that the CIA had trained him in a program and had sent assassins to kill him.
• Jason Bourne sensed danger and left the study as Marie Kreutz washed up; a Treadstone assassin entered the apartment, and the two agents fought to the death.

Murphy used his hacking power to help Jason Bourne survive the CIA’s trap and offered him a security job at Murphy Biotechnology Company. Jason agreed to work for Murphy, while Murphy threatened the CIA director into restoring Jason’s status and erasing his records.

• Murphy contacted Jason Bourne and offered to help him confront the CIA in exchange for a future security job.
• Murphy disabled the Paris base’s alarms and surveillance, withdrew Jason’s wanted notice, and helped him enter the CIA base, where Alexander Conklin was killed by his own agents.
• Jason Bourne agreed to work as head of security for Murphy Biotechnology Company and called Marie Kreutz back to join him.
• Murphy infiltrated the CIA headquarters mainframe and threatened the director into erasing Jason’s records and restoring his status as an ordinary citizen.

Jack negotiated with S.H.I.E.L.D. to sell armor, showing newfound confidence after Murphy’s leverage forced the CIA to back off. He justified his high price to Phil Coulson by citing research and development costs, leaving the negotiations underway.

• Murphy used the CIA files to make its director order every record of Jason Bourne erased and forbid action against Murphy Biotechnology Company without certainty of success.
• Maria Hill told Jack that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to order armor, and Roy advised him to negotiate in person rather than refuse the deal.
• Jack flew to California, where Maria Hill picked him up and noticed that he treated her with businesslike confidence instead of admiration.
• Phil Coulson and Melinda May met Jack to negotiate the armor purchase, while Coulson tested him by bringing up his status as a suspect.
• Jack rejected Coulson’s pressure, defended his high price with claims about research costs, and dismissed questions about his company’s laboratory as a trade secret.

Murphy assigned Jason Bourne to protect Murphy Biotechnology Company and explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. was watching the laboratory. He then agreed to have Ghost Industries negotiate a Quinjet project with S.H.I.E.L.D. and began designing the aircraft.

• Paul welcomed Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz to the laboratory, where Jason noticed someone surveilling Paul.
• Jason asked Murphy about the surveillance, and Murphy identified the watchers as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents seeking his technology.
• Murphy told Jason to secure the laboratory and keep an eye on Richard Parker.
• Jack told Murphy that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted Ghost Industries to design an aircraft, and Murphy agreed to negotiate over the project’s funding and exclusivity.
• Murphy instructed Jack to prepare research and production facilities, called in Old John to organize the negotiating team, and began designing the Quinjet.

Murphy designed a powerful Quinjet for S.H.I.E.L.D. while Ghost Industries began preparing a production line, and Nick Fury continued investigating S.H.I.E.L.D.’s suspiciously spotless internal affairs. With Murphy Biotechnology’s genetics lab complete, Murphy weighed his next steps and the resources he would need before gaining a physical body.

• Murphy designed a Quinjet with a strengthened antigravity engine, lighter alloy fuselage, advanced electronics, and mounted weapons, then had Jack build its production line.
• Maria Hill questioned whether Ghost Industries should build the line before S.H.I.E.L.D. agreed to buy the aircraft, but Jack said they could sell it elsewhere if necessary.
• Maria Hill reported the matter to Nick Fury, who told her to help Ghost Industries and said he believed Ghost would not take dirty money or join S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury told Phil Coulson that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s clean internal review made him suspect a powerful force was hiding its problems, and he ordered the investigation to continue quietly.
• Murphy’s biotechnology laboratory was completed, and he considered beginning animal-cloning research while weighing whether to focus on studying or earning money.
• Murphy recognized that he would need influence, capital, and a flawless identity to protect himself from S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and other powerful interests after gaining a physical body.

Murphy deliberately crossed through an Underwater Optical Cable toward China, hoping to reach another world and acquire new technology. He arrived on a city street in a human-looking body, discovered that food gave him no sensation, and attacked a waiter to test whether the place was real.

• Murphy instructed Jack to build prototypes once the production line was ready and to sell them overseas if S.H.I.E.L.D. did not buy them.
• Murphy learned that Tony Stark was acquiring land in New York for the Stark Expo, then prepared to cross into another world through an Underwater Optical Cable.
• Murphy chose a cable route toward China and passed through the crossing without difficulty, but emerged on a crowded city street in a body resembling his former appearance.
• Murphy entered a clothing store and used its mirror to inspect himself, then realized he could not feel the warmth or texture of his skin.
• Murphy ate at a French restaurant and found that the food had no taste or substance to him, then kicked a waiter when the waiter tried to stop him from leaving without paying.
• Murphy watched the restaurant descend into chaos, walked outside, and waited at the entrance as someone called the police.

Murphy discovered that he was in the virtual world of The Matrix and explored how its code and combat systems worked. After defeating and absorbing the Black Agents, he met Morpheus, who believed Murphy was the One.

• Murphy recognized the world as The Matrix and decided to seek its technology, especially its methods for cultivating and connecting human minds.
• Murphy absorbed a pistol into code, reassembled it, and used it to shoot a Black Agent who arrived with others.
• Murphy fought the Black Agents using Combat Arts, absorbed their programs, and found that his speed in the virtual world surpassed what a physical body could manage.
• Murphy concluded the Matrix's antivirus programs could not counter viruses from the Transformers world and summoned the person watching him.
• Morpheus introduced himself and told Murphy that he was the One and humanity's hope, while Murphy considered whether the world was worth helping.

Murphy told Morpheus he was an independent intelligence seeking the Matrix mainframe and persuaded him to help. After defeating and absorbing Smith, Murphy met the Oracle, who agreed to send someone to guide him to the Matrix port.

• Murphy explained to Morpheus that he was not the Savior and had no interest in controlling humanity, then asked Morpheus to help him find the Matrix mainframe.
• Morpheus agreed to take Murphy to the Oracle, and Murphy said Neo might never become the Savior if the Matrix were destroyed first.
• Smith shot at Murphy, but Murphy caught the bullet, appeared beside Smith, and absorbed his program.
• Morpheus brought Murphy to the Oracle, who said she could see Morpheus but not Murphy.
• The Oracle agreed to have someone take Murphy to the Matrix port and asked Morpheus to remain with her.

Murphy followed the Keymaker in search of the Matrix but realized he was being stalled and unleashed his anger on the virtual world. As people died in the resulting destruction, Morpheus confronted him, and Murphy blamed the deaths on those who had deceived him.

• Murphy followed the Keymaker through the back doors, then grabbed him when he suspected the man was delaying him and demanded to be taken to the Matrix.
• At Oracle's residence, Oracle told Morpheus that Murphy was beyond her ability to understand and warned that giving him access to the mainframe could have unimaginable consequences.
• Murphy created a tornado that tore through the virtual world, killing people whose bodies also died in their cultivation pods while data from vehicles reassembled into Transformers.
• Morpheus approached Murphy through a gap in the tornado and offered to have Oracle take him to the Matrix, but Murphy refused and called the destruction the price of deception.

Murphy continued destroying the Matrix while the Architect secretly joined forces with Morpheus to activate the One. As Neo’s story began, Murphy studied the collapsing virtual world and the death toll kept rising.

• The Architect panicked as Murphy’s destruction threatened the Matrix and his own survival, then decided to activate the One.
• Murphy rejected Morpheus’s pleas and the Keymaker’s offer, sending Transformers aircraft and warships to destroy the city faster than the Matrix could rebuild it.
• The Matrix opened a door beneath Morpheus and pulled him away, prompting Murphy to realize that the system was adapting against him.
• The Architect met Morpheus and offered to reveal the One so Morpheus could guide him, and they agreed to work together.
• The Matrix moved Neo toward the outskirts to protect him, while Murphy studied the objects he destroyed and continued his assault as deaths surpassed three hundred thousand.

Murphy stopped his destruction when Neo arrived, then fought him to test the savior’s abilities and help him develop. After Neo reached his limit, Murphy considered how to use Neo’s powers and genetic technology to regain a human body while retaining great strength.

• Neo asked Murphy to stop, and Murphy silenced the destruction before absorbing the Keymaker and learning which door led to the Matrix.
• Murphy questioned Neo about his experiences and decided to help him develop his abilities through combat.
• Murphy fought Neo using Smith’s strength, gradually raising his own power as Neo’s speed and strength increased.
• After five hours, Murphy sensed that Neo had reached his limit and turned to plans involving Neo’s powers, superhero genes, and Asgardian longevity.
• Neo suddenly drove power through his legs, collapsing the ground and sending ripples through it.

Murphy gave Neo time to destroy the 'Matrix' and provoked the system and humanity into war, hoping the conflict would strengthen Neo. As Sentinels threatened Zion, Morpheus secretly set out with Neo and his crew to attack the 'Matrix' mainframe.

• Murphy easily defeated Neo, then promised to spare humanity if Neo destroyed the 'Matrix' and gave the system the opposite challenge.
• The 'Matrix' sent Black Agents after Neo, but Neo fought them in the virtual world while Murphy watched from a hotel suite.
• Unable to defeat Neo virtually, the 'Matrix' sent Mechanical Octopi toward Zion, and Morpheus ordered Neo to retreat.
• Morpheus proposed attacking the 'Matrix' mainframe despite opposition in Zion, then secretly departed with Neo and his crew.
• Neo joined the mission uncertain of what awaited them, though he sensed that Trinity had grown fond of him.