Ghost Spider Club.
"Huh~ I'm done checking this feed."
Skye's fingers danced across the keyboard, monitoring real-time surveillance footage.
On the screen, the super-criminal Scorpion was making a getaway with the Black Cat, while S.H.I.E.L.D. agents gave chase.
Thanks to the new high-tech combat suits worn by Gwen and her team — which had integrated hacking capabilities — Skye's job in logistics had gotten a lot easier. She just needed to link in and guide the feed, and the suits could automatically pull in surveillance data.
Fake Logistics Officer:Daisy JohnsonReal Logistics Genius:Tony Stark
"Want some ice cream?"
"Thanks~"
A cone of azuki bean–flavored ice cream appeared over her shoulder. Skye accepted it automatically —
Then froze.
That voice.
She snapped the laptop shut and spun around in her chair.
Standing there was a blonde beauty, blue eyes glinting with curiosity.
"Barbara!" Skye blurted. "When did you get here?"
Barbara Morse — S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. If she caught Skye tapping into feeds of her fellow agents, things could get… complicated.
"I just arrived~" Barbara replied, blinking those striking blue eyes that reminded Skye of Gwen's.
"What are you working on?"
"Nothing." Skye forced her tone into casual mode. "Just browsing online. And, uh… thanks for the ice cream."
"You're welcome~ Can I ask you something?"
Barbara pulled up a chair beside her, sitting with a deliberate ease. "It's about Jack Kadere."
"Jack?"
Skye had half-expected Barbara to start probing about the Ghost Spider Club, Gwen's identity, or other juicy S.H.I.E.L.D. intel — but instead, she was asking about Jack.
Jack was… well, just an ordinary guy. Okay, sure, he could emit a faint blue electrical current from his palm and occasionally produce that shimmering seemingly liquid metal, but it had zero combat application. Mostly, it seemed like harmless magic tricks… and some other, more playful uses.
In Skye's mind, Jack was still basically a civilian.
"I heard you're his assistant," Barbara said smoothly. "Do you know what his hobbies are?"
Jack wasn't her primary mission target, but ever since he'd seen through her before, she'd been oddly competitive — determined to uncover his true nature.
"Hobbies~?" Skye shrugged. "He just slacks off and goofs around most of the day."
Barbara flipped open a small notepad. "Can you be more specific? What does he actually like doing?"
"Specifically? Well…" Skye tilted her head, thinking. "He paints, I guess. Not much, just a few strokes a day. But he likes drawing beautiful women."
Drawing beautiful women… Barbara smiled inwardly. That was a hobby she could work with. If a portrait was all it took to get closer to him, it was a harmless investment.
Encouraged, she pressed further. "What else? Anything?"
"Hmm… well, he's got a few other small hobbies. Sometimes he does little magic tricks, and he's been practicing some hand-to-hand combat techniques."
Combat skills… Barbara's attention sharpened—finally, something she excelled at. She quickly scribbled it down.
Then she leaned forward, elbows resting on the white table, her gaze locking onto Skye. "What about… more private hobbies?"
Her voice dropped to a playful tone. "Like—do you think he'd like the color I'm wearing today?"
Barbara was dressed in a loose V-neck white T-shirt, and in that position, Skye could clearly see her open neckline.
"...?" Skye's eyes narrowed. "You're not seriously trying to seduce Jack, are you?"
She'd already noticed Barbara's style shifting lately—more flattering clothes, subtle but alluring makeup. But Jack hadn't been spending much time at the club these days, so if this was flirting, it was falling on deaf ears.
"What do you mean by seduction? I know your relationship with him isn't exactly ordinary," Barbara said, feigning innocence as she tugged her collar a little higher. Then, in a more coy tone, "Exceptional men always draw women in. I just… happen to be drawn to him~"
Skye gave her a skeptical look that screamed I don't buy it.
What's this S.H.I.E.L.D. agent really after? she wondered.
If Barbara was going to play games, then Skye could play back. She decided to drop something misleading—just to see where it would go.
"Something more private, huh?" Skye leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Jack's really into… oral care. He goes to a professional dental clinic regularly for deep cleaning."
She punctuated the sentence with a slow, exaggerated wink. "He likes cleanliness, you know~"
Barbara's cheeks tinted pink. "He… likes that?"
Given the local… social tendencies and Skye's deliberate emphasis on certain words, the implication was easy to misinterpret. Barbara understood instantly—and probably not in the way Skye intended.