Chapter Summaries

Alvin returned from the Underworld after helping the Qin Emperor attack an Undead-held city, then rescued Natasha and the others when Mason bombed the Laboratory. Mason fled after Alvin emerged from the ruins, and Alvin sent word that the Manhattan Axe wanted to speak with Hydra’s boss.

• Alvin told the Qin Emperor about Death Energy and the sealed Death, then empowered the Qin Emperor’s Treasure Sword Ding Qin with Ort Runes before returning to the Laboratory.
• Alvin found Natasha and the others had subdued Black Widows and learned that Church’s team was tracking the people behind the attempt to capture Dr. Bailey.
• Mason attacked the Laboratory with explosive Yaka Arrows, and Alvin pulled Natasha, the others, and their prisoners through a Space Gate to safety.
• Alvin emerged from the burning ruins carrying a Battle Axe, prompting Mason to flee on his Aircraft.
• Alvin told Scott Lang to endure the situation for a few more days and asked Jinna to tell Hydra’s boss that the Manhattan Axe wanted to talk.

Alvin arranged to use a coming Russian purge to help dismantle the Red Room and offered Jinna a chance to join Steel Digital. He sent Natasha, Yelena, and Melina to rescue the Black Widows and orphanage residents before the purge began, while the group waited for Scott Lang’s signal.

• Alvin decided to pressure Taskmaster into returning to the Red Room base and planned to use the Russian Security Service to expose the organization as Hydra.
• Alvin received a message from the President asking him to kill the Security Department head and install Katya, then told Jinna she could carry out her CIA assignment and offered her a job leading Steel Digital’s Russian branch.
• Alvin told Natasha to prepare Dr. Yinsen’s Antidote and help locate and shelter the Black Widows before the purge, while Natasha and Melina offered to move the orphanage residents to Hell’s Kitchen.
• Alvin opened a Space Gate for Yelena to return to the school and told the group to act quickly while they waited for Scott Lang’s signal to wipe out the Red Room.

Katya was appointed head of the Russian Security Service as Moscow declared martial law and a purge began. Alvin oversaw the killing of the former director and prepared for Katya and Church to take control.

• Church and Marvin tortured the taxi driver who had picked Mason up after prison, while Katya received notice that she was the new head of the Russian Security Service.
• Katya asked Church to serve as a special adviser for the coming purge, and Church agreed while warning her to keep Sokovia secret.
• The Security Service director arrived at Alvin’s hotel and questioned his agents about Alvin and Jinna.
• Jinna entered the conference room armed, and Alvin announced that Katya would arrive as the new director within ten minutes.
• The president declared martial law and announced Katya’s appointment, while Jinna killed the former director and took charge of the hotel.
• Alvin told the hotel’s Russian agents to cooperate with Jinna and warned them that Church, Katya’s special adviser, was exceptionally cruel.

As Katya began a violent purge of the Russian Security Service, Alvin and Jinna arrived at the hotel conference room and backed her efforts to root out corruption and Red Room ties. Katya assigned Alex Tchenkov to investigate and kill those involved, while Jinna became Alvin’s liaison for pressuring the Red Room and rescuing mind-controlled Black Widows.

• Katya’s agents and Church killed more than eighty people, including foreign spies who had come to observe the upheaval.
• Alvin entered the conference room as Church shot a Colonel, and the remaining officials submitted to Katya.
• Alex Tchenkov challenged Church’s conduct, but Katya defended her methods and ordered Alex to eliminate officials linked to the Red Room.
• Alex accepted Katya’s orders despite concern that the investigation could reach Prime Minister Medvedev.
• Katya thanked Alvin for helping save Russia, and Alvin told her the bomb crisis was over and the next steps were hers to decide.
• Alvin introduced Jinna as Steel Digital’s incoming Russian Vice President and assigned her to coordinate with the Security Service and pressure the Red Room.

Alvin arranged for Jinna to coordinate the Russian Security Service’s campaign against the Red Room and asked Katya to let his people relocate the Red Room orphanage. Back at the school, he found the Antidote-treated Black Widows grieving and told Yelena that they should choose their own futures.

• Alvin assigned Jinna to lead a team against Red Room operatives, with Church and Marvin handling the prisoner and 47 supporting them.
• Alvin asked Katya to let his people move the Red Room orphanage’s girls to Battle Axe School, and Katya agreed to cooperate.
• Alvin returned to the school’s Basement, where Dr. Yinsen and Dr. Banner complained that the Black Widows were distracting them from overdue Force Field orders.
• Yelena asked Alvin not to send the newly freed Black Widows away, and Alvin said they were free to decide their own futures and could choose to return to Russia to fight the Red Room.

Alvin arranged for the Black Widows to work in Russia and visited the gym, where he encouraged the boys’ basketball team and introduced girls from the Moscow orphanage. He worried that the older girls had been trained to suppress their emotions, but hoped Hell’s Kitchen could help them start new lives.

• Alvin learned that most of the Black Widows wanted to return to Russia and help take revenge on their former employers.
• Alvin encouraged the eight boys on the basketball team and promised to provide uniforms if they recruited enough players by next semester.
• Alvin opened a Space Gate and introduced the boys to the orphanage girls led by Natasha.
• Alvin noticed that many of the older girls showed no emotion, and Natasha explained that they had been trained to control their feelings after age twelve.
• Alvin hoped the girls could recover in Hell’s Kitchen and joked that their arrival would increase Frank’s workload.

Alvin welcomed the orphanage’s girls and teachers to the school, where the students reacted with excitement and Ginny reunited with her father. Old Cage reassured Alvin that educating the new students was a shared responsibility, and Ginny offered to lend them her math teacher.

• The orphanage’s teachers joined the school staff, and students gathered in the gymnasium to look at the new girls.
• Nick and the Wolves boys tried to attract the girls’ attention, while Ginny ran to Alvin and told him she missed him.
• Ginny described the trouble she and Nick had gotten into and warned him about Wanda’s cooking in the Detention Room.
• Old Cage praised the teachers and told Alvin that the school should help the girls adjust without treating them as a burden.
• Ginny asked whether the girls would study at the school and offered to give them her math teacher.

Alvin traveled to Moscow as Russia’s Great Purge escalated, while the school’s new Swan Girls prompted the students to improve their behavior. He arrived at a heavily guarded hotel where President Jingpu was negotiating with the United States and Security Department head Katya faced threats over the purge.

• Alvin placed the oldest Swan Girls in eleventh grade, and their arrival inspired the boys and girls at the school to behave more politely.
• Russia’s purge widened as Jingpu’s forces killed or imprisoned senior officials while he negotiated with President Ellis and Alvin about security and economic interests.
• Alvin went to Moscow and found the hotel surrounded by elite Russian troops, with Katya using it as her headquarters and fearing for her life.
• Jinna told Alvin that Jingpu had been meeting in the conference room for eighteen hours and that Yelena’s team had detained more than ten people while searching Red Room safe houses.
• Alvin urged Jinna to keep Yelena and the other Black Widows from clashing with the Security Department and then knocked on the conference room door.

Alvin met President Jingpu while Russian forces carried out an assault, then offered to bring Steel Digital to Russia and share access to advanced technology. Jingpu revealed how desperate Russia’s economic crisis was and proposed moving Steel Digital’s weapons production and spaceship project to Crimea in exchange for the region’s industrial system.

• Alvin watched Jingpu greet him warmly and oversee the Warrior Squad’s capture of a fortified manor.
• Jingpu explained his caution around Church, while Alvin acknowledged the President’s hardline approach and spoke with Church through the wall.
• Alvin offered to move half of Steel Digital’s production to Russia and described the alien technology catalog he planned to make available to countries.
• After considering Alvin’s offer, Jingpu asked Steel Digital to move all basic weapons production to Russia and invest in a spaceship project, offering Crimea’s industrial system in return.
• Jingpu told Alvin that Russia’s crisis was worse than he realized and that the Great Purge also targeted officials who had lost faith in the country.

Alvin and President Jingpu agreed to transfer Crimea’s industrial system to Steel Digital, with plans for robot factories and a possible acquisition of Mikoyan. The negotiations gave way to a political crisis when Medvedev opposed Jingpu’s Great Purge and tendered his resignation, but Jingpu accepted it and ordered him to oversee a transition.

• Alvin promised Jingpu funding and personnel for Steel Digital and asked Ivan about establishing factories in Russia.
• Ivan said Steel Digital could build robot production lines quickly, advised acquiring Mikoyan and its experts, and warned that Crimea’s economic burdens would fall on the company.
• Jingpu offered help acquiring Mikoyan and recruiting Russian researchers, and Alvin accepted his proposals before leaving the reception room.
• Alvin returned to find Medvedev protesting Jingpu’s Great Purge and submitting his resignation on behalf of government officials.
• Jingpu accepted Medvedev’s resignation and told him to ensure a smooth transfer of power, while Medvedev accused him of having prepared for the move.

Medvedev admitted that the Red Room and Hydra had used him, then gave Alvin a list of their contacts and revealed the Red Room’s headquarters was a mothballed super airship. Alvin arranged to investigate the list and search for the airship, while Natasha reflected on whether she had made peace with herself; Stark then called Alvin about Hank Pym’s lab.

• Katya’s evidence convinced Medvedev that Mason led the Red Room, and President Jingpu let Medvedev resign without holding him responsible.
• Medvedev gave Alvin a list of people tied to Hydra through Mason and asked him to help identify and eliminate them.
• Medvedev revealed that the Red Room operated from a super airship Russia had given it, and offered to support Steel Digital’s plans in Crimea before leaving.
• Alvin arranged for Natasha to send the list to Nick Fury and asked Zhang Qiang and Stark to help search for the airship.
• Alvin asked Natasha whether she had made peace with herself, but Stark interrupted to invite him to see Hank Pym’s newly prepared lab.

Alvin left Russia after putting Jinna in charge of coordinating the Black Widows’ operations, while Natasha realized that her group’s evasive games had kept them from earning his deeper trust. Natasha told Yelena to follow Jinna’s orders and accepted that they were only ordinary friends who could rely on Alvin’s tolerance.

• Natasha asked Alvin to stay in Russia and help the Black Widows, but he told her to coordinate with Jinna and follow her authority as vice president of the Russian branch.
• Alvin said Jinna would be welcomed by the Russian Prime Minister because Steel Digital’s investment in Russia was worth trillions, then left through a Space Gate.
• Natasha reflected on how Alvin trusted people who dealt honestly with him and concluded that she and Yelena were unlikely to become part of his inner circle.
• Yelena came to find Alvin before the trip to St. Petersburg, and Natasha ordered her to have Jinna arrange their transport and lodging and to report their actions to her.
• Natasha explained that Matt Murdock had earned a place as Alvin’s family, while she and Yelena could only enjoy the tolerance he showed ordinary friends.

Stark tried to get into Hank Pym's Quantum Laboratory to study the Quantum Tunnel, but the giant ants blocked him until Alvin arrived and led him inside. Alvin confronted Hope about keeping the experiment from him, and Stark mocked the Pym family for treating an experiment funded with his eight billion dollars as private.

• Stark attempted to break through the giant-ant swarm with Iron Man technology, while Old Kent avoided getting involved.
• Alvin arrived and the ants parted for him, allowing him and the irritated Stark to reach the laboratory.
• Alvin explained to Stark that Quantum Communication could connect human settlements across the Solar System and brought him inside to inspect the Quantum Tunnel.
• Hope met Alvin and Stark at the elevator, and Alvin reminded her that she had a duty to the New Pym Company and its investors.
• Hope apologized and explained that she and Hank had treated the Quantum Tunnel experiment as a private effort to save her mother.
• Stark accused the Pym family of using his eight billion dollars for a supposedly private matter.

Alvin visited Hank Pym’s laboratory as the scientists prepared to open the Quantum Tunnel, while Stark learned that Pym had welcomed other researchers but not him. The chapter ended with Pym explaining that he hoped the Quantum Realm could stabilize Ava’s cells and relieve her suffering.

• Wasp Hope teased Stark for guarding his New Element production process after Pym let other scientists observe the Quantum Tunnel.
• Alvin found Dr. Yinsen, Dr. Banner, and Stark at the laboratory, where Yinsen and Banner explained their interest in Pym’s experiment.
• Alvin urged Banner to finish the shield and sell it, while Yinsen suggested trading with Stark for laboratory equipment.
• Stark explained that he wanted to study the Quantum Realm to advance quantum computing and communication.
• Alvin left the scientists’ discussion and examined Ava in her transparent coffin as Hank Pym described her condition and his plan to stabilize her cells in the Quantum Realm.

Hank Pym opened the Quantum Tunnel to use Ava as a beacon to find his wife, while Alvin suspected Hank had a dangerous backup plan that could sacrifice Ava. As Venom fed on organisms spilling from the tunnel and began to change, Alvin reached toward it, prompting Dr. Foster to cry out.

• Alvin warned Hank Pym not to deceive people or exceed Hell's Kitchen's limits, and Hank promised to do everything he could to cure Ava.
• Hank Pym entered the Quantum Tunnel in a small vehicle while Hope activated the machinery, and the Ghost's condition improved as the tunnel opened.
• Alvin realized Hank had planned to use quantum entanglement to transfer his wife's soul into Ava if the mission went wrong, a risk Dr. Foster understood but could not prevent.
• Stark, Dr. Banner, and Dr. Yinsen monitored the tunnel and Ava while Venom devoured tiny organisms that escaped from the Quantum Realm and began to evolve.
• Alvin noticed the Horadric Ring growing warm and reached toward the Quantum Tunnel, and Dr. Foster shouted at him as something strange happened.

Alvin used the Horadric Ring to absorb and crystallize particles from the Quantum Realm, while Venom transformed and laid an egg containing its life essence. As bacteria leaked from the Quantum Realm, Alvin began using the ring to contain the threat, leaving Stark and the scientists stunned by his power.

• Alvin absorbed particles from the Quantum Realm into the Horadric Ring, producing a golden gemstone and silver stardust that fascinated Stark and the other scientists.
• The gemstone split in two and joined the stardust in forming a rotating yin-yang shape that drew in more particles from the Quantum Realm.
• Venom showed Alvin its improved rune-making ability, laid a black egg filled with its life essence, and collapsed from exhaustion until Corpse-Eater Vine replenished it.
• Alvin stored Venom's egg in a metal box and decided it could become a coming-of-age gift for Ginny after Osborn castrated it.
• Stark warned Alvin that bacteria were leaking from the Quantum Realm, and Alvin raised his glowing hand to try to stop them as the alarms fell silent.

Alvin harvested primitive life from the Quantum Realm and made a seed while Hank Pym returned with Janet, saving her as the lab’s Quantum Tunnel burned out. Stark and the others began collecting valuable Ghost Particles, but Hank’s reunion with Janet ended in a sudden argument.

• Alvin used the Horadric Ring to gather primitive life and synthesize a pulsing seed, then stored it for delivery to Norman Osborn.
• Dr. Foster threatened to reverse the siphon unless Hank Pym returned with a cure for Ava, and Hank arrived with Janet just as the Quantum Tunnel overloaded.
• Stark explained that the recovered Ghost Particles could enable quantum computers, while Dr. Yinsen proposed sharing the crystals and developing a Quantum Communicator.
• Dr. Banner collected the stardust-like material as Alvin packed away the seed and Dr. Yinsen brought him the two Mother Stones.
• Hank Pym shouted at Janet, asking what she was doing.

Janet saved Ava by transferring her own energy to neutralize the Ghost Particles, while Hank Pym’s deception left Alvin wary of their partnership. After leaving the lab, Alvin returned to his restaurant and told Lin Shaoqing to remind Hank and Hope that they owed results for the eight billion they had spent.

• Janet transferred her energy to Ava, neutralizing the Ghost Particles as Hank Pym pleaded with her to stop.
• Dr. Foster told Alvin that Janet had saved Ava and condemned Hank for having used Ava as a means to rescue Janet.
• Alvin demanded compensation for the damage caused during the hunt for Ava, but Stark offered to hire Dr. Foster for a quantum computer project.
• Janet collapsed after stopping the transfer, and Ava woke fully recovered; Hank carried Janet to a lab table and told Alvin to leave.
• Alvin returned to his restaurant and asked Lin Shaoqing to remind Hank and Hope that they owed results for the eight billion they had spent.

Alvin’s bad mood drew Hell’s Kitchen’s gang bosses and neighbors to his restaurant, where their gifts and attention turned into a wild party. As the revelry continued, Beckett and Castle left, while JJ, Frank, Steve, Dahlia, John Wick, and the reformed model girls arrived to join in.

• Alvin tended bar and received gifts from the gang bosses, whose efforts to cheer him up improved his mood.
• Alvin announced that drinks were on him, starting a chaotic party that Old Cage watched before calling Fox.
• Beckett arrived with Castle, who pretended to be drunk so they could leave without trouble; Alvin gave them Dragon Bone Wine and teased Beckett about Northern Europe.
• Beckett discovered Castle was sober as they drove away, while Alvin returned to the party.
• JJ, Frank, and Steve arrived, and JJ charged into the restaurant to defend Alvin and challenge the gang bosses.
• Dahlia arrived with John Wick and the reformed model girls, kissed Alvin, and led the group inside as Frank agreed to accompany Alvin into outer space if necessary.

As Alvin’s subdued mood sparked concern across the Peace Hotel, he explained to Frank that his frustration came from having to compromise with Hank Pym over business. Stark arrived to cheer him up, and Alvin agreed to go with him to Las Vegas before Julie showed up.

• Harvey told Alvin that people had mistaken his mood for unhappiness and organized a lively party to cheer him up.
• Alvin explained to Frank that Hank Pym’s attitude and the need to protect his eight-billion investment had made him feel more calculating than usual.
• Frank joked about confronting Hank Pym, but Alvin said Lin Shaoqing would remind Hank’s family to get back to work the next day.
• Stark arrived at the Peace Hotel, joined the party, and tried to persuade Alvin to visit Yad’s nightclub with him.
• Alvin agreed to go with Stark to Las Vegas, then saw Julie arrive and went to meet her.