Chapter 17: The Real Mockingbird

Before long, Aaron discovered a suspicious detail!

Those online photo albums were indeed pulled from official websites—authentic enough.

But in all these pictures, Adeline's smile was exactly the same. It looked a bit perfunctory, and too uniform.

A person's smile changes subtly over different periods in their life. But over the past few years' worth of photos, Adeline's was identical—down to the smallest detail on her face.

Only the high-school gymnastics championship photo and the firearm license showed slight differences.

So the online story was half-true, half-false.

Aaron tried following digital breadcrumbs through cyberspace to reach these official sites. Then, from the backend, he checked the latest code-edit timestamps and when the photos had been inserted.

That brought a wry smile to his face.

"Adeline…"

"So, Baldy Fury—you're testing me with this?"

Aaron recognized her as none other than S.H.I.E.L.D. agent "Mockingbird," Barbara Morse.

Speak of the devil—in an earlier chat, Kate had casually mentioned "Mockingbird," and here she was in the flesh!

But Barbara's abilities didn't really match that codename: in the comics, Mockingbird might be enhanced, but in certain adaptations she wasn't shown to have any superpowers—just strong close-combat skills and decent skill with staves and guns.

She was more like one of the strongest "top-tier normal agents," far below Aaron's level. In a sense, she was more the "fake" here.

Aaron was quite certain many of those achievements had been added on short notice. S.H.I.E.L.D.—or, as it was formally known at this point, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division—had moved surprisingly fast. Aaron had only been in the Marvel Universe for two days, and they had already discovered him, formulating two approaches in quick succession.

Chances were good that all those photos had been shot early in the morning with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cooperation, and then each relevant website was updated soon after.

Aaron, of course, wasn't aware that Natasha had first shown up so quickly mainly because her original target was Tony Stark. Only when they caught wind of Aaron did they decide on the fly to investigate him, sliding in for a quick attempt at infiltration. After managing to insert themselves into the Oscorp interview process at the last minute, bam, he kicked her out with a flimsy excuse.

So Barbara was Fury's backup plan. Whether it was "Natalie" or "Adeline," the identities were partly true, partly fake. Their real capabilities were indeed genuine.

Natasha was indeed well-versed in law, especially the ins and outs of potential harassment lawsuits. She spoke multiple foreign languages—Latin, Russian, Italian, French—and she was more than qualified for secretarial work, from administrative tasks to personal support. Anyone who'd "experienced" her skills would vouch for them.

Adeline, too, was just as she'd described: no boyfriend, proficient in multiple languages and martial arts, a well-documented high-school life path. She was exceptionally talented, recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. in her teenage years, and had been trained in combat and foreign tongues. Thanks to her outstanding performance, she quickly rose to the rank of a senior agent, gaining Fury's trust.

Had Aaron not come on so strong—snatching up Oscorp in his first day on U.S. soil, a feat that would take others decades—Fury wouldn't have deployed two top agents in such quick succession. Just consider it: an Asian man arrives in the States, and on Day One, he grabs one of America's crown company, Oscorp, making even Norman Osborn submit. Then what happens on Day Two? Day Three, Day Four? Perhaps by Day Seven he'd seize all of New York, and in a year he'd become President—and then, who knows, maybe in ten years he'd conquer the entire universe.

From S.H.I.E.L.D.'s perspective, Aaron posed an even higher threat—and merited closer monitoring—than Tony Stark. At least they had a handle on Tony's nightly agenda, but they had no idea what Aaron might do after sundown.

"Boss, do you have any new instructions?" Felicia asked, gauging his mood.

Aaron shook his head. "Focus on driving. I have to say, you're not bad at it!"

People often joke about "dangerous female drivers," but up to now, Aaron's spider-sense had never warned him of any hazards. Indirectly, it suggested that Felicia was indeed taking this seriously. Aaron liked that quality—putting genuine effort into everything was a plus.

He pushed aside thoughts of Mockingbird. Once they got home, he told Felicia to carry everything inside. After all, as the saying goes, "When the boss has work, the secretary does it; when there's no work…"—Well, that's what a secretary is for, right? If Aaron had to do everything himself, why have a secretary at all?

Felicia began briskly hauling the gear, carrying one sizable glass breeding tank after another to the living room, then returning for the optical microscope, electron microscope, electronic scale, and other pieces of lab equipment they'd taken. Her arms ached.

So tired… Why, on my first day as a secretary, am I doing grunt work?

"Well done, Felicia. I have high hopes for you."

Aaron nodded approvingly from the sofa.

She flashed him a sweet smile, practically glowing at his praise. "Then, Boss, any next steps? Maybe…something to eat?"

Gazing at Felicia, who was slightly flushed and sweating, Aaron felt his appetite stir. "I am a bit hungry…"

"Felicia, as a good secretary, you have to understand what your boss wants at any given moment. So what should you do next?"

He changed his posture, sprawling casually in his seat.

Startled for a moment, Felicia quickly caught on and began making preparations.

"Wait," Aaron interrupted. "Before we get down to business, we'll start with some musical appreciation. Use the instrument you're best at."

"And then play me a Spanish bullfighting song!"

~~~

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