Interlude 29

29.x (Interlude: Fortuna) is the first interlude and final chapter of Venom. The Counterpart's perspective -- it looks to the future, then crashes. Fortuna awakes, and sees the paths to victory. She slays Eden, and becomes Contessa. Cauldron is founded. In the present Contessa fakes her death, then meets Teacher.

Plot
The journey from the perspective of Eden.

She gains a shard from an exchange with Abaddon that piqued her interest. She uses her future sight to see the future of earth as it currently stands if she does nothing and only works with the Shards that her counterpart has already seeded.

She likes what she sees and tries to rearrange her own shards to make it even better for the entities plans but then she makes a critical error.

The shard that Eden was using to plot a path to an optimal future is lost to a young girl who turns it against the Entities.

After the entities land on Earth, several humans living in Fortuna's village are rendered into monstrous creatures after consuming contaminated substances. Fortuna sees a vision in which the entities destroy humanity, and sets out to stop Eden using the steps her shards tells her to use. She leaves her uncle behind.

Eden somehow manages to figure out Fortuna's plan before the girl could kill her, and sets limitations against her shard rendering it ineffective against the entities. However, with the Help of a young woman nearby, they stab the entity in its "Brain pan."the back, leaving it braindead.

The girl next leaves with Doctor Mother and undertakes the name Contessa, eventually founding Cauldron.

The scene shifts to Contessa in the Cauldron base being ambushed by the Irregulers. This with the aid of a strange mist that blocks her view.

After placing a call to the number man Contessa heads to his office and successfully fakes her death throwing of any suspicion.

Hours later she returns to the complex to see what has been done.

Teacher shows show to an incredulas Contessa that Weaver, of all people, is now the primary threat.

Major Events

 * Eden and Abaddon collide; the information gained distracts Eden causing it to crash into the earth.
 * Contessa and Doctor Mother render Eden brain dead.
 * Doctor Mother and Contessa founded Cauldron in an attempt to stop Zion from exterminating humanity.
 * Contessa fakes her death to get away from the Irregulars and allies with Teacher following the destruction of Cauldron.