Chapter Summaries

Steve and the superheroes struggled to agree on how to evacuate the bank’s survivors after Deadpool proposed using the sewers. When an attack forced them into the building, Steve found the survivors divided over the route, while Deadpool began looking for mustard gas to force the issue.

• Natasha, Hawkeye, and the others explained that many survivors would refuse the sewers because they considered them dangerous and undignified, and Steve rejected abandoning anyone who refused.
• Deadpool suggested knocking the survivors out and dragging them through the sewers, but Iceman warned that the X-Men had once been sued for doing something similar, while Magik’s tentacled portal also failed to persuade the group.
• Deadpool threatened to kill the survivors rather than keep debating, but a Zerg bio-ship blasted through Magik’s barrier and she led everyone into the building.
• Steve asked the survivors whether they would enter the sewers and found that about a third agreed, a third were too distressed to decide, and a third firmly refused.
• As the survivors shouted demands and threats, Deadpool scattered odd items across the vault floor and searched his pockets for mustard gas.

Su Ming spoke with Magneto as the Brotherhood flew toward New York to attack Strucker Industries and display its strength. After Magneto left, Su Ming asked Doctor Doom to protect Deadpool’s group in the vault while he departed.

• Magneto used the Brotherhood’s bridge to approach Manhattan, while Wanda erased the Brood blocking their path with Chaos Magic.
• Su Ming directed Magneto toward Strucker Industries and told him about Charles’s son, David Charles, whose codename was Legion.
• Magneto flew off to confront the Brood and pursue the Brotherhood’s objectives, after asking Su Ming to give Charles his regards.
• Doctor Doom discussed Magneto and Mutant recruitment with Su Ming, who warned him that he had been working on that effort for decades.
• Su Ming gave Doctor Doom a monitor and asked him to watch over Deadpool’s group and kill the troublemakers in the vault.
• Doctor Doom sent a Doom Bot toward Su Ming’s cousin and said he would use a Blood Magic Curse against the troublemakers.

Su Ming searched the hospital for Jessica and the survivors hiding from the Annihilation bugs. He reached the morgue and, after killing the bugs outside, frightened the people inside by peering through a hole in the door.

• Su Ming found Jessica's hospital room empty, with a broken window and signs that she had fled barefoot.
• Su Ming followed Jessica's footprints through the hospital and deduced that the survivors had gone to the morgue.
• Su Ming dropped into the basement and killed the Annihilation bugs drawn by the noise of his landing.
• Strangle killed the bug ramming the morgue door, and Su Ming cut a hole in the door before calling out in a demonic voice.

Deathstroke rescued Jessica from the infested hospital and evacuated the trapped medical staff, then took her outside and asked why she had not fought the bugs. He planned to learn about her abilities and shape her into a source of street-level information.

• Jessica recognized Deathstroke’s red monocular lens and realized he had come to rescue her.
• Deathstroke entered the morgue, invited Jessica to leave with him, and promised to get her shoes and clothes.
• Jessica asked Deathstroke to save the doctors and nurses, so he blasted a passage to the sewers and helped them escape.
• Deathstroke carried Jessica out of the hospital with Cloak and reassured her that he had killed the bugs inside.
• As Oblivion bugs approached them outside, Deathstroke asked Jessica why she had not fought the bugs that entered her hospital room.

Su Ming saved Jessica from the alien insects and reassured her that her powers came from radiation rather than the X-Gene, while inventing a story about Tony's interest in her. As Tony and the Avengers fought the invasion, Jarvis warned that their plan could destroy the Northern Hemisphere, prompting Tony to seek new calculations from Vision and Doctor Pym.

• Strangle used Boltguns to destroy the insects attacking Su Ming and Jessica.
• Su Ming told Jessica her powers came from radiation-induced mutation, and she grieved for her family while worrying that she was a Mutant.
• Su Ming claimed that Tony cared about Jessica because Tony's father was his friend, then joked that Tony wanted her body.
• Tony fought the insects and asked Jarvis to check his health after he suddenly felt cold.
• Jarvis warned Tony that the rift was too close to Earth and their current plan could erase the Northern Hemisphere.
• Tony sent the latest calculations to Vision and Doctor Pym, considering whether Pym Particles could shrink the rift.

Scott Lang, an electrical engineer with a criminal past, faced losing custody of his ill daughter Cassie and decided to rob an apparently vacant mansion during an alien invasion. He broke inside to search for valuables, unaware that hidden cameras were tracking him and someone in the basement was watching.

• Scott learned that Cassie had a serious heart condition and that his ex-wife planned to seek full custody because he could not afford her treatment.
• After Stark Industries sent its employees home during the alien invasion, Scott drove through the chaotic streets and spotted a luxurious, seemingly empty mansion.
• Thinking theft could pay for Cassie's medical care and help him fight for custody, Scott climbed into the estate and picked its complicated lock.
• Scott entered the mansion and admired its antiques, unaware that hidden cameras were following him.
• A figure in the basement watched Scott's movements with interest.

Scott searched the mansion for valuables so he could get money to treat Cassie, then discovered a note directing him to a second safe in the bedroom. The note challenged him to open it, and Scott set out to prove he could.

• Scott entered the mansion and carefully searched for portable valuables while avoiding the alien bugs outside.
• Scott spotted and dismantled an old laser alarm before slipping into the study.
• Scott found a hidden safe behind an oil painting and solved its sudoku puzzle using a game controller.
• Scott opened the safe and found only a note saying another, harder safe was in the bedroom.
• Scott took the note's challenge personally and headed for the bedroom.

Scott broke into Hank Pym’s mansion and solved a chain of elaborate safe puzzles, only to be captured in the basement. Pym offered to pay for Scott’s daughter’s treatment if he took on an illegal job, tempting him with the Ant-Man suit and the chance to become a superhero.

• Scott solved the clues to nearly thirty safes, eventually learning that the final treasure was behind the basement’s iron door and that the password was “Janet.”
• Scott entered the basement, where Hank Pym captured him and ordered him to tie up his hands.
• Pym warned Scott that Ophelia would expose his crime and his daughter’s identity if he resisted, while machine guns emerged from the ceiling.
• Pym revealed his identity and offered to cover Scott’s daughter’s treatment costs in exchange for doing something illegal.
• Pym offered to make Scott a superhero and revealed the Ant-Man suit.

Deathstroke took Jessica shopping for shoes in the insect-ravaged Times Square and explained that he was waiting for the Annihilation Swarm’s king to reveal himself. He left Jessica with a basic way to defend herself, then led her toward another store.

• Deathstroke brought Jessica to a boutique, reassured her that taking shoes was necessary, and helped her choose pairs to take.
• Deathstroke told Jessica that the Swarm’s king was sending insects to test Earth’s defenses and learn the heroes’ strengths and weaknesses.
• Deathstroke kept his abilities hidden while Carol fought overhead, and Strangle caught a locust that tried to ambush Jessica.
• Deathstroke pinned the insect with Strangle and taught Jessica to punch it in the head; her blow knocked its head off.
• Deathstroke congratulated Jessica and led her across the street to choose clothes.

As the Zerg swarm spread across New York, Thor and the other heroes struggled to hold back the Bio-ships while Deathstroke stayed on the ground with an unfamiliar girl. The chapter left the heroes facing a terrifying shriek from the Great Maelstrom and expecting another massive wave of Zerg.

• Carol complained that Deathstroke was shopping with an unfamiliar girl while the heroes fought overhead, and Daisy teased her about being jealous.
• Thor told Daisy she had traveled through space with Deathstroke and felt safe with him, then changed the subject and flew to recharge Iron Man with lightning.
• Thor saw the Zerg spreading through New York and the bodies of fallen low-level heroes as the aerial defense struggled to contain the swarm.
• Falcon became stuck to a Bio-ship while trying to ram through it, so Thor pulled him free, destroyed the ship, and told him to help clear Zerg from the streets.
• A terrifying shriek sounded from the Great Maelstrom, and Thor told Falcon that another huge swarm of Zerg was likely approaching.

A massive Bio-ship emerged from the expanding Spatial Rift, and a boastful golden-haired stranger destroyed it before demanding online praise. Daisy reunited with Carol, who introduced her to Blue Marvel, sent to support Captain Rogers and Captain Danvers.

• Daisy and Falcon realized the Spatial Rift was expanding rapidly as another wave of Bio-ships attacked the heroes.
• A golden-haired man arrived, lifted the enormous Bio-ship, threw it through the rift, and destroyed it with a blast of golden energy.
• The stranger posted a selfie demanding worship, then sulked when no one liked it as the Annihilation Swarm surrounded him.
• Carol found Daisy with Blue Marvel, and the three joined forces against the smaller bugs.
• Blue Marvel introduced himself as Adam Bernard Brashear and said he had been ordered to support Captain Rogers and Captain Danvers.

Daisy, Carol, and Blue Marvel fought the alien swarm and prepared to rescue the unstable hero trapped inside its mass. Meanwhile, Deathstroke waited with Jessica for the Annihilation Swarm King to appear, then took her to see her parents at the New York Forensic Center.

• Daisy learned Blue Marvel had served in the Navy, and he joined her and Carol in fighting the alien bugs.
• Daisy, Carol, and Blue Marvel agreed to attack the swarm from three directions and rescue the yellow-clad hero trapped inside it.
• Deathstroke told Jessica that the Annihilation Swarm King had not appeared and that he wanted to keep Sentry from fighting in the city.
• Jessica said she wanted to quit school and become a private detective, and Deathstroke encouraged her to pursue her interests.
• Deathstroke gave Jessica whiskey and took her to the New York Forensic Center to see her parents.

Su Ming monitored the growing Annihilation Swarm threat while escorting Jessica to a Forensic Center to investigate a death. They entered the unfamiliar building, where Su Ming recalled his last visit nearly seventy years earlier, and Jessica suggested asking someone for directions.

• Su Ming explained that the Annihilation Swarm had thousands of dreadnoughts, stronger Titan-Class Warships, and a fortress planet, but the current Spatial Rift could not yet admit them.
• Su Ming expected the Annihilation Swarm King to appear because Sentry was attacking the swarm, and he prepared to use Plan B if the King did not arrive before the rift expanded.
• Su Ming talked with Jessica about her hobbies and school as Cloak carried them to the Forensic Center.
• Jessica jumped down from Cloak and hesitated at the building, while Su Ming reassured her and broke the glass-door lock to let them inside.
• Su Ming recalled visiting the Forensic Center with Avenging Angel in 1940 to examine Phantom Bullet, and Jessica suggested they find someone to ask for directions.

Jessica broke into the security office and used its computer to find the Forensic Center’s layout, while Deathstroke explained how he had guessed which files held the real work information. They reached the morgue, where Jessica saw frightened survivors hiding among the furniture and realized she was no longer afraid.

• Jessica ripped the security office railing from the wall, broke its bulletproof glass, and climbed inside to use the computer.
• Jessica found the password and searched the computer, opening several porn folders before Deathstroke pointed her toward the numerical folders.
• Jessica located the duty roster and department map, and Deathstroke explained his reasoning as they walked to the morgue.
• Deathstroke opened the morgue doors, and Jessica saw living people hiding behind furniture among the operating tables and morgue drawers.
• Jessica wondered whether spending time with Deathstroke had made her braver, since she no longer felt afraid.

Su Ming waited with Jessica and the Survivors at the Forensic Center, feeding them and speaking with Doctor West while they searched for her family’s bodies. A wall suddenly exploded, and a red-and-black figure stumbled through the rubble into the morgue.

• Jessica saw her dead family in the morgue and burst into tears.
• Su Ming gave the Survivors food and drinks, helping them relax as they waited for reports from Sepulk.
• Su Ming recognized Doctor West as the surgeon who had operated on Doctor Strange and reassured him that Strange was alive and doing well abroad.
• Doctor West asked Su Ming to pass an amulet to Nurse Darlene, and Su Ming agreed.
• Su Ming warned everyone that a wall was about to collapse, then a red-and-black figure blasted through it and announced its arrival.

Deathstroke reunited with Peter and the Survivors in the morgue and arranged a safer role for them as the crisis worsened. He sent them to escort Survivors through the sewers while warning that the underground held dangers of its own.

• Deathstroke questioned Deadpool, who had followed Peter and the girls after forgetting his assignment to protect the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
• Peter explained that he and the girls had been escorting Survivors until Deadpool led them away from an overrun subway station.
• Deathstroke drew a sewer route for Peter and ordered him to take the Survivors out of the city because the battle was beyond their abilities.
• Peter asked to stay and help, so Deathstroke suggested that he and the girls escort Survivors through the underground while the Avengers and X-Men handled rescues aboveground.
• Deathstroke warned Ghost-Spider that New York's sewers contained dangerous creatures, Mutants, and criminal groups, despite their seeming safety.

Su Ming arranged a lively funeral for Jessica’s family and discussed their burial plans while preparing to return to the battlefield with Deadpool. The chapter ended with Deadpool suddenly collapsing after his belly sparked and filled with black smoke.

• Su Ming asked Jessica how she wanted to bury her family, then summoned professional funeral workers from Harry Potter World to prepare the bodies.
• Jessica watched the workers sing, dance, and carry out the funeral, and her sadness eased enough that she could no longer cry.
• Su Ming told Deadpool they would return to the battlefield to spy, while Deadpool complained about his verbal contract with Fury and asked for help finding Francis.
• Su Ming discussed burying Jessica’s family near Montgomery, Alabama, and Deadpool suggested the moon as a way to make Jessica depend on him.
• Deadpool’s belly flashed with golden electricity and black smoke, and he collapsed to the floor.

Captain America’s group struggled to evacuate through Magik’s portal while an unseen attacker killed hostile Survivors, then Zerg soldiers stormed the building. Coulson saved Melinda and a little girl but was fatally wounded by the bugs.

• Magik opened a portal through Limbo, but several Survivors refused to enter and accused the Mutants of being monsters.
• Several Survivors who had insulted the Mutants suddenly died from bleeding, and Magik concealed that Doctor Doom had killed them on her teacher’s orders.
• Zerg soldiers flooded the lobby, forcing Iceman, Colossus, and Magik to protect the group while S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pulled Survivors to safety.
• May found a little girl pinned beneath a corpse, and Melinda ran outside the barrier to rescue her as the Zerg soldiers targeted the route back.
• Coulson shoved Melinda out of the way of the Zerg soldiers’ fire, saving her and the girl but taking a blast through his chest.

Su Ming, Deadpool, and Jessica traveled through the New York sewers to avoid the Zerg and found Bucky Barnes and Sharon Carter fighting a Minotaur. Su Ming joined them but told Bucky to keep fighting and change tactics, leaving Bucky baffled by his advice.

• Su Ming explained that the group was using the sewers to avoid being overwhelmed by Zerg minions in the sky.
• Deadpool heard gunfire, and Su Ming identified its source in a nearby branch pipe.
• Su Ming, Deadpool, and Jessica found Bucky and Sharon battling a Minotaur, with Bucky fighting it hand-to-hand and Sharon's pistol doing little damage.
• Su Ming recognized Bucky as an Iron Fist and observed that he was struggling despite his martial skills.
• Bucky spotted Su Ming and called out to him, but Su Ming told him to keep fighting and aim for the Minotaur's centerline.

Jessica killed a rampaging Minotaur in the sewers while Bucky reunited with Deathstroke and Sharon. Deathstroke revealed that Sharon was posing as Steve's nurse as part of a scheme to bring her close to him, leaving Bucky to curse Nick Fury for manipulating them again.

• Bucky fought a mad Minotaur while Deathstroke watched, and Su Ming ordered Jessica to attack it.
• Jessica punched the Minotaur between its horns and crushed its head, shocking Bucky with her strength.
• Sharon checked the corpse and told Bucky that Jessica was absent from the Superhumans files she knew.
• Bucky told Deathstroke that Sharon was Peggy's niece and a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent assigned to protect him.
• Deathstroke revealed that Sharon had posed as Steve's nurse and was growing close to him, and Su Ming explained her feelings and the likely S.H.I.E.L.D. scheme.
• Bucky deduced that Nick Fury had arranged for Sharon to get close to Steve and cursed him.