The Circle is the organization behind the trouble in the original Red Agent series, and the part to keep in mind is what they're trying to build. Alpha is already dangerous enou…

The Circle is the organization behind the trouble in the original Red Agent series, and the part to keep in mind is what they're trying to build. Alpha is already dangerous enough by himself. Their plan is to turn that kind of threat into something much bigger, with Eve and Ditto caught in the middle of it. They're a terrorist organization targeting Highborns. That gives them an obvious conflict with the Highborn Initiative, but the actual operation involves kidnapping, stolen technology, a hacker they need to get their hands on, and an army taking shape. Britney isn't just being sent out to track down one man who has hurt somebody. She's trying to interrupt the process before the Circle can get everything it needs. Alpha is the face of that threat through these issues. He's a laboratory-enhanced soldier who calls himself the First Knight. The opening has him break into a government facility aboard a ship, get through its security, and abduct Eve. He tells her there will be more like him. That gives you the problem almost immediately: stopping him is already going to be difficult, and he's working toward a future where there are many more of him to deal with. He uses weapons and equipment, but he's also physically capable of taking Britney apart in a fight. That first encounter doesn't leave much room for treating him like a disposable henchman. Avril's arrival gives Britney a chance to recover, and Britney's wolf form lets her do real damage to him. Even then, hurting him doesn't end the pursuit. There's another piece to Alpha that makes the conflict personal for Avril. He killed witches from her coven. She comes into the story already knowing what he can do to people, and she wants to settle that. For Britney, he's a threat tied to the assignment. For Avril, he's somebody who has already taken people away from her. They can be fighting the same enemy without coming into that fight from the same place. Eve is the technological part of the plan. She's an android who looks like a young girl, and the Circle wants to exploit what she can do. She shouldn't get lumped into a list of their willing members just because she's inside their operation. They abducted her. The fact that she's valuable to them is the reason she's in danger. Ditto is the other person they need. His hacking abilities make him useful for getting at Eve's technology, so the pursuit of him is directly connected to what happened aboard that ship. Once those pieces are together, you can see why Britney's assignment starts with finding and protecting him. Keeping him away from Alpha could interfere with the Circle's larger plan, as well as keep him alive. The search eventually leads toward the forests of the Pacific Northwest, with Eve's rescue and the Circle's growing force becoming the same urgent problem. By the final issue, the threat involves Alpha's army coming online. It has expanded far beyond one abduction or one fight in an alley. There's a pretty straightforward reason this group fits the spy side of Grimm Fairy Tales. A lot of its danger comes from having an operation behind the violence. Alpha can go out and physically take somebody, but the people he takes have specific uses. Eve provides technology. Ditto provides a way into it. The intended result is more soldiers to carry out the Circle's aims. Britney and her team have to deal with that whole chain, because taking a swing at the person standing in front of them only addresses part of what's happening.