"Ms. Morse."
Jack Kadere casually gathered the playing cards into a neat stack. "Why don't you tell me your real name?"
"What do you mean?" Bobbi's heart gave a slight jolt, but her tone stayed level. "My name is Hill. Hill Morse. My grandmother picked it out."
=_=
Jack sighed inwardly. So she was using Maria Hill's name to cover her identity. That explained the tension. Clearly, there was some personal history between them.
"A deal's a deal," he reminded her calmly. "You proposed the bet yourself—whoever lost had to answer a question honestly. If you're backing out now, I guess the game's over."
Bobbi hesitated. What the hell was this guy?
Even with professional training and a flawless cover, something about him made her feel...seen. Had he figured her out already?
She didn't know that Jack Kadere's evolved spider-sense had developed more than just danger detection—it could subtly sense deception, too. Combined with the accidental electric shock therapy he'd triggered at Cindy's place, Jack sometimes wondered if he had a future in psychiatry.
"...Fine."
Agent Bobbi Morse weighed the risk and made a call. "My real name is Bobbi. Bobbi Morse."
If your alias has already been pierced through, better to pivot and adjust. There was always a way to rebuild trust with the target.
Besides, SHIELD wouldn't terminate her over a blown cover. They weren't that ruthless. At worst, it would just mean a shift in strategy.
But to her surprise, Jack didn't dig further.
He simply nodded with a calm smile and said, "Great. Since you want to join the club, you're welcome here."
That was it?
Bobbi blinked. No interrogation, no suspicion?
She didn't realize that Jack was playing the long game. If it wasn't Mockingbird today, it might be someone like Black Widow tomorrow. He was used to spies and operatives dancing around him.
So he let Bobbi join—he'd keep her close and train her properly.
"Ooooh! Breaking news!" Ned burst into the room, phone in hand.
"Hot from the forums: Flash Thompson just got humiliated by the Lizard!"
As Peter Parker's best friend, Ned Leeds was practically giddy seeing Flash Thompson's humiliation trending across the school.
Jack Kadere tapped on the touch panel embedded in the bar table. With a few quick adjustments, the content of Midtown High's student forum appeared on the club's massive wall screen.
Several freshly uploaded videos now played in sequence. Flash Thompson's miserable barking was caught from every angle: someone recorded from the bleachers, another from a drone, and a third right in his face. It was cinematic. Classic New York—everyone had their phones out, live-streaming even when faced with a literal lizard monster.
Comments scrolled rapidly beneath the footage, mostly from Midtown High students who had witnessed the chaos firsthand.
GokuSideHustle: "Didn't expect Thompson to fold that fast. Big guy… ends up on the grass barking like a poodle."
AllMightBenchPress: "Yelling for the Lizard to kill his own girlfriend? Dude's a disgrace. Used to root for him on the field."
SakuraSniper9000: "Ghost-Spider landed, and the Lizard ran. Who says female Spideys can't be powerhouses? Show yourselves!"
Orochimemes: "Wow Liz, didn't know you liked lizard tail so much. Gross.
Ned let out a pervy chuckle as he scrolled. "Yeesh, they're really going hard on Liz." Grabbing the remote from the counter, he cycled through some freeze-frames.
One video showed the moment when the Lizard's tail was yanked from Liz's mouth. The angle wasn't flattering—she looked stunned, dazed, and, frankly, violated. Some viewers might've mistaken it for something else entirely.
A few of the club's female members visibly flinched.
Barbara Morse, seated nearby, raised her eyebrows. She gave Jack a look, the kind that only an experienced operative—someone who'd seen a few weird missions—could give. She didn't comment, but her smirk said it all.
Ned, meanwhile, kept snorting. "Thompson's pride got stomped harder than that football field turf."
Mary Jane Watson crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "Ned, do you have to keep looping that clip? We're trying to build a respectful club atmosphere."
Skye—Daisy Johnson, hacker and Inhuman-in-hiding—had quietly slid closer to Jack during the video montage. Sensing her presence, Jack casually draped an arm around her, his fingers brushing the nape of her neck.
He leaned in and whispered, "Wanna try a little private training session?"
Gwen was already used to his teasing. Skye wasn't—at least not yet.
She looked up at him, eyes flickering with mixed hesitation and intrigue. Her voice was barely audible. "Maybe…"
Jack grinned. When Skye's tongue nervously traced across her lips and her gaze lingered, he knew he had her interest.
He rose and addressed the room. "I'll be taking Skye to the training room. MJ—can you keep Barbara company? She's got real leadership potential."
Mary Jane flashed a sly smile and gave a small salute. "Copy that, Vice Prez. Go take care of your 'club matters.' I've got this."
Ned perked up immediately. "With the VP gone… MJ, up for a round of cards? I'm on fire lately!"
Mary Jane didn't miss a beat. "Go away."
She still hadn't forgiven Ned for the tantrum he threw over his broken phone last month. And Ned knew better than to push it—MJ didn't forget.