The opening ceremony of the Stark Expo was packed wall-to-wall with people, the night sky lit by countless beams of light from cameras and flashlights. Tony Stark's grand entrance in the Iron Man armor sent the crowd into a frenzy, the sound of cheers and music building to a deafening climax. People waved their lights and flags like it was a rock concert.
"The opening dance isn't bad," Jack Kadere remarked.
While the masses roared below, Jack wasn't in the crowd. He was in the VIP seating, sipping a drink and casually watching the Ironette dance troupe kick and spin in perfect sync.
As for Tony's self-congratulatory speech on stage? Jack didn't bother listening.
Instead, he flicked open his phone and tuned into the Daily Bugle's news feed. Iron Man? Cute. But he'd rather keep an eye on current events.
After the opening number, the massive screen switched to archival footage of Howard Stark—Tony's father—speaking with his signature charming smile. Behind him, the video displayed a detailed model of a futuristic armor.
Jack recognized it immediately. He knew there was a hidden clue in that model—new element research Tony would need to save himself—but that wasn't his problem. Stark would figure it out sooner or later.
It had nothing to do with him.
"Hey, Jack, enjoying yourself?" Tony appeared, sliding something that looked suspiciously like a pregnancy test into his pocket. It was actually a device to check his blood for palladium toxicity.
"I feel like you lured me here under false pretenses," Jack deadpanned. "This is boring."
Tony's eyes widened. "Boring? My entrance wasn't exciting?"
Jack's look said everything: You just wanted me here to watch you show off, didn't you?
He stood, brushing himself off. "Let's go."
Tony grinned and gestured toward the side exit. "This way?"
Jack glanced—emergency exit. Huh.
...
Jump—!
"Tony!" "Mr. Stark!" "Tony!!"
The moment the security door opened, they were swarmed.
Fans. Glamorous socialites looking to latch onto Stark's fame. Corporate sharks hoping to cut a deal.
And right in the middle of it all, a tall, beige-haired woman spotted Jack.
"Mr. Kadere?" she asked with a bright smile. "I didn't know you and Mr. Stark were friends. I was wondering if you have any free time in the next few days… perhaps dinner?"
"Sorry. No time. I'm busy," Jack replied, already edging away.
She ignored the hint, slipped a card into his pocket, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Call me if you change your mind~"
"Is that Mr. Kadere?" "Mr. Jack!"
Before long, a few more approached.
Jack moved through the barrage with practiced skill—polite but noncommittal. Random pedestrians might not recognize him on the street, but the higher up the social ladder you went, the more likely people knew who he was. Especially the wealthy and beautiful.
And there were plenty of those here.
...
Once they finally made it out of the crush, Jack dusted off his jacket and pulled a small handful of business cards from his pocket, tossing the rest into a nearby trash bin.
"Starting tonight," he said to Stark, "I understand exactly how much of a scumbag you are."
Tony raised his brows. "What? I thought you might meet someone interesting. You kept a few cards—don't tell me you weren't tempted."
Jack smirked and read the ones he kept as if announcing playing cards: "Isabella Parsons…" "Emily, executive at an art trading company…" "Olivia, Hand-Painted Brush Studio…"
"All right, all right!" Tony held up his hands in mock surrender. "Point taken. So how about I give you a new car to make up for it?"
He gestured toward a sleek ride parked nearby. Happy Hogan, his bodyguard, had it ready.
"This one's brand new—hasn't even touched the road yet."
Jack glanced at it. "Not bad."
Tony's grin widened. "Really? You like it? Guess Happy did pick a good one—"
"No," Jack interrupted, nodding toward something behind the car. "She's not bad. Is that one of your exes?"
"What?" Tony turned—and blinked.
In front of the car, a striking woman with long black hair and a deep purple dress stood as if she'd been conjured out of thin air. Her eyes were sharp, her features suggesting Irish ancestry.
"No idea who she is," Tony admitted, shrugging. "But yeah… she's gorgeous."
He was about to wave her over when the sound of a roaring engine tore through the air.
Jack just whistled—
BOOM!
From the top of a distant structure, a sleek black motorcycle launched into the air. The machine landed with a heavy thump as its tires gripped the pavement.
"Is there no rider?!" someone gasped. "Runaway bike?!"
Pedestrians scattered—until the motorcycle rolled to a smooth stop in front of Jack Kadere.
Recognition flickered among the onlookers. Anyone in Stark's circle wouldn't be surprised to see Jack with an autonomous, custom-built vehicle.
It wasn't "just" a motorcycle.
It was Vinica.
"Oh~"
The dark-eyed woman in front of Tony's sports car let out a soft, impressed sound at the sight. "That's… amazing!"
"Ba!" Vinica chirped in synthetic cheer.
"Thanks for the compliment," Jack replied politely. Without engaging further with the mysterious beauty, he turned to Tony. "Tony, remember—don't lie to me next time."
"Yeah, yeah."
Sliding into the driver's seat of the sports car, Tony gave a smirk. "Mr. Kadere, good night. I'm out of here."
"Mr. Stark."
The dark-eyed woman's lips curled into a smile, her voice warm but edged. "I don't think you'll be leaving just yet~"
"Oh?"
Tony assumed she was yet another admirer, so he raised a brow. "And who might you be? Looking to ask me on a date?"
"Marshal—Kate Mara."
The woman stepped forward, producing a slim folder. "You're requested to appear before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow at 9 a.m. This… is your subpoena."
She kept smiling as Tony's expression soured.
"Mind showing me your badge?" Tony asked flatly.
Happy Hogan, seated in the passenger seat, chuckled. "He's got a thing for police credentials."
Kate didn't miss a beat, flipping open her badge case. "Still enjoy looking at them, Mr. Stark?"
Tony sighed, all charm gone.
…
Kate shifted her attention away from Tony, striding over to where Jack stood watching the exchange.
"Hello~ Are you Mr. Kadere?"
Jack arched an eyebrow. "What's this—are you serving me a subpoena too? Far as I know, I haven't done anything worth a court-martial."
"Mr. Kadere…"
With feline grace, Kate leaned in, resting lightly against him. Her perfume mixed with her low voice. "You've stolen something~"
Jack tilted his head with mock innocence. "Your heart?"
She chuckled softly. "Listen first, sir…"
Her lips nearly grazed his ear as her words slipped out like smoke.
"Not long ago, Oscorp collapsed from the inside. Someone has been quietly acquiring parts of their research labs through shell assets tied to the Ghost Spider Club… and according to certain files—"
Her eyes glinted. "They're developing a serum remarkably similar to the Super Soldier Serum. Or rather… the genuine article."
Jack met her gaze evenly. "So?"
Her tone became even more intimate. "You wouldn't want S.H.I.E.L.D. finding out about this, would you?"
Jack's voice stayed calm as he pinched her waist. "Is this your way of threatening me?"
"Mmh~" Kate bit her lower lip and let the blush rise in her cheeks. "I prefer to call it… cooperation."
"Who sent you?"
"General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross."
Jack released her, swung a leg over Vinica, and revved the throttle. "Let him wait. Depends on my mood."
"Wait," she added smoothly, "there's something else, sir~"
She wasn't Ross's direct subordinate, and she could tell Jack wasn't ready to commit, so she didn't press the serum matter further. Instead, her eyes softened into something more heated.
"Do you have a date tonight?"
Jack smirked. "Hold on tight."
With one arm, he pulled her fully upright beside him, then deliberately called over to Tony, "Don't be jealous, Tony—I'll help you teach her a lesson!"
Before Stark could reply, Jack gunned Vinica forward, Kate Mara clinging to his side as they disappeared into the street.
"…Huh?"
Tony blinked after them, confused at how quickly a federal marshal had gone from serving papers to riding off with Jack Kadere.
By the time he pieced it together, only the red glow of Vinica's taillights remained.
"Happy… how far to Washington?"
"Washington?" Happy did the math. "About 250 miles."
…
Washington, D.C.
"Korea (fresh food)"
"Iran…"
"Is that… Justin Hammer?"
At the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Tony Stark once again proved he could turn a government inquiry into a personal stage show. Using a combination of cutting-edge Stark Industries tech and his own sharp tongue, he exposed the real intentions of certain military officials and Justin Hammer—namely, to acquire Iron Man's suit technology.
"Iron Man works, and we are safe," Tony declared confidently.
Then, leaning into the microphone with a flourish, he delivered the line that would dominate the news cycle:
"You want my tech? You can't have it! I've successfully privatized world peace!"
Flashing a double peace sign to the cameras, he grinned.
Back at the Ghost Spider Club's headquarters, Jack Kadere was watching the live broadcast with the others.
"I have successfully privatized world peace?" Jack repeated in a mocking tone, stretching out the words. He chuckled. "Tony's really perfected the art of bragging."
"Jack~" Gwen Stacy leaned over from the sofa, holding a peeled slice of fruit between her fingers, and fed it to him. "You went to the expo with Mr. Stark yesterday. Was it fun?"
"Boring." Jack swallowed the fruit and arched a brow. "He thought it would be impressive to drop down in that tin can, but then got his ego shot to pieces by a fireworks show."
Not a trace of mercy for Stark's pride.
"Hmm…" Felicia Hardy sniffed lightly at his collar, her white cat-ears twitching. "Master… you smell like another woman."
Jessica Drew, lounging nearby and absentmindedly toying with Felicia's tail, perked up. "Who is it? Cindy? Or Skye?"
"Not Cindy… not Skye…" Felicia leaned closer, nose twitching. "It's… different. Not a smell I know."
"Hmm?" Jessica narrowed her eyes like a private investigator catching a suspect in a lie. "Alright, spill it! Who is she?"
Jack only hesitated for a second before blaming Stark. "Iron Man's fan club. The women get a little too enthusiastic."
"Uh-huh. Then why were you gone so long last night?" Jessica crossed her arms. "You sure you weren't… having an affair?"
"Cough!" Jack almost choked on his drink. "Jess, don't you think that word's… a bit much for you to use?"
"Why? You bully me all the time." Jessica smirked. "Don't think you can get away with double standards just because I'm your sister."
Jack looked over at Gwen for backup. "Did she binge-watch soap operas again? This feels like Desperate Housewives levels of drama."
"Heh~ No," Gwen said, amused. "She hasn't been working as a costumed hero much lately—my dad keeps nagging her about it."
Gwen swung her long legs over Jack's lap and playfully nudged Jessica's thigh with her bare foot. "Jessica just can't sit still. She even opened a private detective agency to chase down a few cheating spouses."
"Gwen! Don't tell him that!" Jessica's cheeks flushed. She grabbed Gwen's ankle, glaring. "Sticky little spider… no wonder you're so good at wall-crawling."
"Private detective agency?" Jack raised a brow. "That's… energetic of you." Though, he thought privately, her nighttime energy still didn't match Gwen's or Felicia's. Maybe she just needed more practice…
"Jessica, where is this detective agency of yours?" he asked casually.
"Hehe~" Jessica grinned while tickling the sole of Gwen's foot. "It's just outside Clinton."
Jack almost spit out his drink. "Clinton" — a.k.a. Hell's Kitchen.
"You're unbelievable."
"Don't underestimate me!" Jessica said proudly. "The agency's just a front. I'm really gathering intel."
Jack leaned back. "And why exactly are you digging for intel there?"
She started counting on her fingers. "After Kingpin locked himself away, Hell's Kitchen's been a mess. There's the Devil Gang run by Mister Negative, Hammerhead's Maggia crew, the Tombstone mob we never tracked down before… and lately, a new group: The Hand."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Wait… you mean The Hand?"
Gwen nodded. "Yeah. Just another gang, right? I caught one of their ninja guys the other night. He was Japanese… seemed to be having a good time until I webbed him."
Jack's mind turned sharp. The others were small-time compared to this. But The Hand? Those were dangerous players. And they were operating right under his nose.
"Jack?" Jessica tilted her head. "What's up?"
"Nothing." Jack checked the clock and got to his feet. "It's getting late. You three should get dressed and head to school. I've got somewhere to be."
"Hold up." Jessica hooked her foot around his knee and smiled sweetly. "Do me a favor first~"
...
Later…
"Number 37… this is it."
Jack checked the scrap of paper with the address Jessica had given him and looked up at a small storefront in Hell's Kitchen.
If he was going to make a trip here anyway, he might as well check in on her "business."
Unlocking the door, he stepped inside.
Compared to the Ghost Spider Club's headquarters, Jessica's detective agency was tiny—just a single rented unit. The place was almost empty, the air stale, and the décor minimal. If not for the "DREW INVESTIGATIONS" sign in the window, it could've been mistaken for an abandoned shop.
Nothing here stood out—at least not yet.
Jack pulled up Jessica's office chair and sat down to wait. She had mentioned a lawyer who'd scheduled an appointment for today, supposedly with a commission to offer. But since she had classes, she'd originally planned to send Skye to cover it.
Instead, the job fell to him.
Jack leaned back, resting one arm over the chair's side, eyes on the door.
Hell's Kitchen. The Hand. And now… a mystery client.