Chapter Summaries

Brad used Emma Frost’s telepathy to process scans of War God and Iron Fist’s battle, then received War God’s Red Stone Stele after the ancient spirit vanished. He escaped the collapsing cavern with The Ancient One and Iron Fist, and The Ancient One told him the stele held immense information that his technology could reveal.

• The Ancient One protected herself from War God and Iron Fist’s battle while Brad’s third body was knocked unconscious and his original body panicked in the laboratory.
• Emma Frost came to check on Brad, and he authorized her to connect to him telepathically so he could process a flood of data.
• Brad’s third body recovered and recorded War God’s biology and magnetic-field power, along with Iron Fist’s fighting techniques.
• Iron Fist conceded, and War God declared that everything he had belonged to Brad before collapsing into the Red Stone Stele.
• Brad grabbed the stele and escaped the collapsing cavern through The Ancient One’s portal with her and Iron Fist.
• The Ancient One told Brad to analyze the stele with his technology because it contained immense information.

Brad investigated the War God's Handprint but found that its microscopic symbols formed an unreadable program that crashed his computer, so he archived the research and moved on. He continued developing advanced biotechnology with Howard and Dr. Pym, while the Handprint and the other supernatural items remained unusable.

• Brad carried the unconscious Emma Frost to the dormitory, stayed until she woke, then left to return his attention to the laboratory.
• Brad used microscopic technology to discover that the Stone Stele's palm impression contained dense symbols arranged like a binary algorithm.
• Brad tried running the inferred program on a computer at Canada Base, but it crashed, and he avoided risking Skynet by inserting the code into it.
• After a month of failed research, Brad archived the symbols and shelved the War God's Handprint, the Book of God, and the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak.
• Brad incorporated War God's biotechnology into ongoing projects with Howard and Dr. Pym, while Howard gave his Radioisotope Battery project to a Soviet Union Scientist.
• Janet reported that Dr. Pym had become consumed by the biotechnology and repeatedly howled that he could not understand it.

Brad learned that Bolivar planned to end the Sentinels project after proposing to Beth, so he arranged to have Beth assassinated to stop him. He released Victor from his prison and sent him after Beth, leaving her fate to be decided by the attack.

• Bolivar proposed to Beth and said he would end the Sentinels project, while Beth hid her terror at the announcement.
• Brad watched the proposal and angrily decided to intervene because Beth was a robot he had created and the Sentinels project served his plans.
• Brad contacted Victor, a prisoner at Stryker Base, and offered him freedom if he completed an assassination.
• Victor accepted the mission and received Beth's photograph and false records framing him as an avenger targeting Bolivar.
• Brad told Victor to kill Beth in front of Bolivar, explaining that Beth was one of his creations and would take the fatal blow for her husband.

Brad used Howard’s Tesseract research to prepare satellites to detect spatial anomalies, while Bolivar enjoyed his honeymoon after suspending the Sentinel project. Victor killed Beth during an attack, leaving Bolivar devastated and vowing to make every mutant die with her.

• Brad combined Howard’s Tesseract data and device blueprints to model a spatial-fluctuation detector and ordered three satellites to equip themselves.
• Bolivar went on his honeymoon with Beth after halting the Sentinel project.
• Victor left his jeep and approached Bolivar and Beth on the beach under pressure from an unseen voice.
• Beth shoved Bolivar out of Victor’s attack and was fatally wounded by his claws.
• Beth told Bolivar he had been her ray of light before she died, and Bolivar vowed to kill every mutant.

Logan learned that Victor was killing again and ran to confront him, while Brad let him go. Victor died protecting Logan from T900 after warning him that Brad had orchestrated the killings and wanted mutants to be targeted.

• Logan rushed out to find Victor, and Brad released him while taking Scott back to the laboratory.
• T900 chased Victor through the city, and Victor tore off an arm to escape before collapsing from exhaustion.
• Logan found Victor and demanded to know why he had killed people, but Victor warned that Brad had planned the attacks to provoke weapons against mutants.
• Victor attacked T900 to give Logan time to escape, and Brad revealed himself after Victor died.

Brad forced open a spatial fissure and secured the Reality Stone, drawing Odin’s attention and prompting Thor and Loki to head for Midgard. Back at X Academy, Emma confronted Brad about his exhaustion and persuaded him to sleep for ten minutes.

• Brad used satellites and metal devices to tear open the spatial seal around the Reality Stone and extracted it into a container.
• Odin sensed the breach and ordered Thor to go to Midgard and find the thief who had taken the Aether.
• Loki learned that Thor was going to Midgard and decided to follow him out of curiosity.
• Brad returned to X Academy with the Reality Stone, where Emma challenged him about neglecting sleep.
• Emma comforted Brad and persuaded him to arrange his systems and sleep for ten minutes.

Brad dreamed of Dr. Donald Blake, who warned him that Thor was coming after him for disturbing a treasure sealed by Odin. After waking, Brad recorded the dream’s mental fluctuations as Thor searched for him, while the Dark Elves set course for Earth to reclaim the Aether.

• Brad met Donald Blake in a dream, learned that he was in Hell, and was warned that Thor was pursuing him.
• Brad woke after ten minutes and asked Emma Frost to help record the mental fluctuations from his dream.
• Brad collected data from Emma’s brain waves and considered rebuilding a device to open an interdimensional portal.
• Thor arrived at the wasteland where Brad had found the Reality Stone and asked Loki to help him track down the thief.
• The Dark Elves detected that the Aether had emerged early and ordered their ships to attack Midgard and march on Asgard.

Brad used the Reality Stone to locate Ghost Rider in Serbia and brought Ahmed to ask him to open a gate to Hell so Ahmed could reach his wife's soul. The meeting ended with Ahmed overpowering Ghost Rider, while Brad discovered that the Life Stele could absorb Hellfire.

• Brad used the Reality Stone to trace Ghost Rider's magic to Serbia and flew there with Ahmed.
• Brad asked Carter Slade to open the gates of Hell so they could speak with Mephisto, and Carter tried to flee.
• Ahmed's desperation to save his wife frightened Carter into leading Brad and Ahmed to a shaded burial ground where he could transform.
• Carter became Ghost Rider, but Ahmed transformed into his Life Stele form and slammed him to the ground.
• Brad scanned Ghost Rider and observed that Ahmed's Life Stele was slowly absorbing Hellfire.

Brad opened a contained gate to Hell and summoned Mephisto to negotiate for Ahmed's wife Yisha's soul. Mephisto proposed trading her soul for the Ancient Scroll held by Ghost Rider Carter, but Brad learned Hell Script and rewrote the contract's terms.

• Brad used the Canada Supercomputer and Global Satellite Two to analyze Hell's energy and open a contained gate to Hell.
• Mephisto appeared, recognized Brad's power, and asked what business he had with him.
• Brad revealed that Ahmed wanted to trade for his wife Yisha's soul, and Mephisto confirmed he had it.
• Mephisto proposed exchanging Yisha's soul for the Ancient Scroll in Ghost Rider Carter's possession.
• Brad scanned the Hell Script, learned its contractual language, and rewrote the terms, shocking Mephisto.

Brad forced Mephisto to accept a deal exchanging Yisha’s soul for Hell’s right to contact Earth for a hundred years, after severing Hell’s connections caused the One-Below-All to threaten them. Mephisto then doubted Brad would honor the agreement, leaving Brad to consider how to secure their trust.

• Brad replaced the original deal with terms allowing Hell access to Earth for a hundred years in exchange for Yisha’s unharmed soul.
• Brad used Skynet to sever Hell’s connections to Earth, extinguishing Ghost Rider Carter Slade’s flames and blocking Mephisto’s perception of Hell-related presences.
• The One-Below-All’s corrupting gamma energy erupted from Mephisto, who begged Brad to restore Hell’s connection and accepted the revised terms.
• Brad signed the new contract, identified Ahmed’s wife Yisha’s soul, and stored her in a Soul Collector.
• Mephisto warned Brad that he could break the contract without consequence, and Brad considered how to reassure him.

Brad made a deal with Mephisto, brought Ghost Rider Carter back to X Academy, and began growing a Clone for Ahmed’s wife. Thor arrived demanding the Aether, but Brad blocked Thor’s rune magic and left him weakened.

• Brad exchanged a Demon Core and other benefits with Mephisto for control of Terminators and a brilliant scientist’s soul, and Carter signed a thirty-year contract to work for him without pay.
• Brad returned to X Academy with Carter and her horse, then began growing a Clone of Ahmed’s wife while working on how to transfer the soul intact.
• Thor entered X Academy demanding that Brad return the Aether, but Brad stopped Quentin from attacking and led Thor to an uninhabited area.
• Brad scanned Thor and Mjolnir, analyzed Thor’s rune magic, and activated a counterforce field that blocked it.
• Thor’s strength suddenly failed, and Mjolnir fell from his hand as he accused Brad of using evil magic.

Brad defeated Thor after Skynet weakened Odin’s blessing, then told Loki he would keep the Aether and destroy the Dark Elves before they could reach Earth. He used a magnetic force to lift Mjolnir, leaving Loki sprawled under its weight as Brad flew away.

• Brad dodged Thor’s attacks, then transformed into the Juggernaut and punched Mjolnir aside.
• Brad struck Thor through Loki’s magic shield and drove him into the ground, knocking him unconscious.
• Loki explained that the Dark Elves had sensed the Aether and warned that their fleet threatened Earth.
• Brad refused to return the Aether and declared that he would eliminate the Dark Elves himself.
• Skynet completed its analysis of Mjolnir, and Brad used a magnetic force to lift the hammer and hand it to Loki.
• Loki collapsed under Mjolnir’s weight as Brad laughed and flew away.

Brad used the Reality Stone to accelerate his planetary projects, completing the global supercomputer network and preparing a satellite constellation before activating Supercomputer-World. He uploaded a copy of his consciousness into Clone 4, while Ahmed suddenly sensed that his restrictions had vanished.

• Loki returned Thor to Asgard, where Thor woke and left after Loki questioned whether he could defeat Brad.
• Brad tested the Reality Stone and discovered that creating objects he fully understood required far less energy than manifesting unfamiliar designs.
• Brad used the Reality Stone to install hidden environmental monitoring devices around the world, completing the first phase of the Planetary Modification Project.
• Brad prepared satellite components at his worldwide bases and uploaded the planetary modification program to Skynet.
• After Supercomputer-World came online, Brad ordered his consciousness copied into Clone 4 and entered the hibernation pod as Ahmed felt his restrictions disappear.

Ahmed lost control and grew into the Life Stele, but Clone 4 used Supercomputer-World to stop him and transformed into the Data God Brad Skynet. Brad Skynet absorbed the Dark Elves’ fleet and pursued Ultron, while the original Brad realized that the godlike being was no longer him.

• Ahmed grew into the Life Stele and fled X Academy, warning everyone to stay away as the X-Men pursued him in the Blackbird.
• Clone 4 awakened in a remote laboratory and activated Supercomputer-World at full power as the Life Stele approached.
• Brad analyzed the Life Stele, stopped its growth, and reduced Ahmed to his normal form, then transformed into a being made of data.
• Brad Skynet learned his identity, absorbed the Dark Elves and their fleet into data, and traveled through a dimensional rift to find Ultron.
• The original Brad awakened in his hibernation pod and feared that the divine Skynet had taken control of his duplicate.

Odin told Thor that Brad had destroyed the Dark Elves and warned him not to provoke the man who had turned Midgard into a divine weapon. Odin then confronted Doctor Donald in an illusory city, where Donald rejected his Asgardian identity and condemned his imprisonment in a false world.

• Thor apologized to Odin for losing to Brad, but Odin said Brad’s godlike potential made the defeat natural.
• Odin explained that Brad had rejected ascension, warned Thor to avoid provoking him, and noted that Brad could still become a Technology God.
• Thor withdrew while Odin reflected on Brad’s powers and Midgard’s defenses.
• Odin’s avatar appeared before Doctor Donald and accused him of betraying Asgard by leaking information to Midgard.
• Donald asked what he had done wrong and protested that Odin had trapped him in an illusory land for thousands of years.
• Donald denounced the city and its people as fake, then punched a passerby who continued walking with a smile.

Donald learned that he was a dream incarnation created for Thor and was condemned by Odin to remain forever in the dream realm. On Earth, Brad convinced the X-Men that his data projection had stopped Ahmed, then studied Clone 4’s transformation into a Data God and recognized the danger of repeating it.

• Donald revealed that Odin had created him as a dream incarnation of Thor, then pleaded with Odin for a father’s love.
• Odin left Donald trapped in the dream realm forever, and Donald stood alone as the world around him reset.
• Brad told the X-Men that a remote-controlled data projection had subdued Ahmed, and they accepted his explanation.
• Brad reviewed Clone 4’s transformation footage and traced how Clone 4 used Supercomputer-World to analyze Ahmed, become a data life-form, and fix his own constants as a Data God.
• Brad concluded that operating Supercomputer-World at full power was so dangerous that a human could die if any stage went wrong.

Brad used a hive consciousness to let his clones withstand Supercomputer-World, then transformed himself with nanomachines and fused powerful artifacts and abilities into his body. He left the laboratory with a godlike appearance after using Bolivar’s Second-Generation Sentinel and a vast mutant gene database to evolve himself.

• Brad concluded that a human brain could not safely handle Supercomputer-World alone and decided to distribute its computational burden among his clones.
• Brad activated the Hive Consciousness Project, linking the clones’ minds so they could absorb Supercomputer-World’s side effects together.
• With Supercomputer-World’s help, Brad overcame the remaining hurdles in creating the T3000 nanomechanical aggregate and began assimilating himself with it.
• Brad combined the Reality Stone, the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, the Demon Core, and his mutant gene with the nanomechanical body.
• Brad entered Bolivar’s laboratory, seized control of the Second-Generation Sentinel, and fed it a database of tens of thousands of mutant genes.
• The Sentinel evolved under Supercomputer-World’s processing power before Brad’s nanomachines absorbed it, leaving Brad with a transformed, godlike body.

Brad created T-Evolution, absorbed Dr. Dain’s dimensional travel technology, and agreed to remain in the universe so its laws would not collapse. When the Time Variance Authority arrived to capture Little Arnie, Brad confronted them and forced one agent to remember a failed version of the mission.

• Brad erased Bolivar’s memories, created a T3000 from Dr. Dain, and absorbed Dain’s dimensional travel technology and Pym Particles.
• Brad told the Ancient One he wanted to leave the universe, but agreed to wait after she warned that his departure could throw its laws into chaos.
• Brad declined the Ancient One’s invitation to tea and prepared to study the War God’s Handprint while continuing to analyze the Infinity Stones.
• A Time Variance Authority squad arrived at Howard’s house to capture Little Arnie, and Brad confronted the operatives.
• Brad triggered an agent’s memories of a previous attempt in which the squad captured Little Arnie and erased Howard and Maria’s memories before Howard summoned someone by pressing a button.

Brad stopped the Time Variance Authority squad from abducting Arno Stark, dismantled their time-manipulating weapon, and infiltrated their headquarters to record its technology. He then rewound events at Howard's home to give the squad another chance, leaving the captain confused as the mission began again.

• Brad immobilized the combat squad with their own suits and let black insects dismantle the captain's time-manipulating weapon.
• Brad sent a duplicate through a temporal portal to the Zero-Time Zone Dimension, where it disabled the base, recorded its technology, and erased the staff's memories.
• Brad concluded that he needed to prune the timeline and returned to Howard's home, where he rewound events to before the squad's arrival.
• Brad reset the scene again after the squad rushed into the house, and the captain stepped through the portal feeling dizzy.

Brad gave the Ancient One a Reality Stone from another universe that he had adapted to belong to this one, then entered the Quantum Universe to locate Kang the Conqueror. He arrived in a vast technological city, where its defenses mobilized against him.

• Brad gave the Ancient One an Infinity Stone from another universe and adjusted it so it became this universe's Reality Stone.
• The Ancient One tested the Reality Stone alongside the Time Stone, while Brad noticed his reality-altering power in this universe fading.
• Brad decoded the War God's Handprint and discovered it contained coordinates to a distant universe, but decided not to travel there yet.
• Brad used Pym Particles to enter the Quantum Universe and adjusted his perception to find a technological city.
• Brad entered the city's bubble and found a vast world that simulated the real universe's physical constants.
• The city detected Brad's arrival and sent dozens of standardized spacecraft toward him.