12507/Agent Evaluations

Agent Evaluations
Date of Scene:	20 August 2022
Location:	Survival Training - Triskelion
Synopsis:	Natasha and Silver Sable go for a fight and go all out against one another in training. Silver survives.
Cast of Characters:	Natasha Romanoff, Silver Sablinova, Michael Erickson

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Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Due to an excellent working history, the Wild Pack has been made an offer for more.. Extensive cooperation with SHIELD in a more formalized contractual status. It is, however, dependent on performance and evaluation and training. So here over in the Survival Training area in the Triskelion, various members of the mercenary team are being put through the occasional ropes by the Black Widow, for whom has decided to take this upon herself to manage.
    There are some others present as well, whether ot help with the training and evaluation, to lollygag, or perhaps just to lay wagers.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Since there were evaluations being done, to be certain that the Wild Pack were prepared to handle the various situations that might come up as contractors for SHIELD, that meant there needed to be a good representation of the various members of Silver's teams. The Wild Pack wasn't a single group. There were multiple squads that were part of it, all delinieated by phonetic letters. The top squad was Alpha. THe lowest was Echo. Alpha were the big dogs, the best ones and those assigned to the most dangerous tasks. Echo handled the lower priority bounties or mercenary assignments.

Silver was there as well, watching as her people were put through their paces. Knowing she was watching and they were representing their company and their country, her operatives were on their best behavior.

Silver was keeping a close eye on Ryan, one of the two members of Echo Squad present. He was seeming to struggle the most but he was still doing a fine job. Silver just tended to be hyper critical of mistakes.

Then she forced herself to focus on the Black Widow. Sure, there were other widows but Natasha Romanoff was the original to earn the title Black Widow and that deserved respect.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Watching the group go through their paces, Natasha Romanoff has a look over of respect on her face as she watches. Of course, it might be purely for show, but at least the attempt is there rather than a near belittling demeanor that she normally showcased. "All right." the two were over in a jungle zone that had been setup within the survival area. The plants were real, the atmosphere was thick, the humidity was heavy. Light was heavily obscured over by the thick branches and the interlocking vegetation above, and recorded sounds from the Savage Land were piped in, the occasional random tremor representing passing animal life occasionally happening. "This will be simple." She would take out a large stun baton in front of herself and move to pass an identical one over to Sable to be caught.
    "Last as long as you can." Giving a few moments to let Silver Sablinova get ready for the fight. Her flicking a hand over in a 3-2-1 and then clenching her fist to indicate 'start' before going to move to charge on in, sprinting at high but restrained speed to get a sense for how the other woman fought and reacted!

Silver Sablinova has posed:
The immediate sense most got with Silver would differ from what Natasha could perceive. Many would pick up that she took the baton with confidence. A momentary twirl of the weapon in hand, which one might take for showing off. Natasha would be able to recognize that Silver was testing the weight and balance in that flourishing move. Also, against lesser opponents, it could be intimidating that Silver was that confident with a 'new' weapon.

But what Natasha would pick up on was also that Silver was very calm. She approached everything methodically. Measured all that was in the area, taking in the surroundings and then her pale eyes locking on Natasha to evaluate her as well. She was approaching this as she would testing anyone that was being considered to join her team. For no one joined the Wild Pack without facing Silver herself in combat, to see if they were worth the effort and money to train as a Squad member. There was more to it but that was a good enough summation.

She didn't waste movement. Didn't bounce around and need to get herself in the zone. Silver /was/ the zone. Cool, calm and collected in spades. As Natasha moved in to test, Silver was ready with a block for the swing coming her way. Baton met baton with a loud /clack/ sound. Then she attempted to redirect Natasha's baton to the side. Her opposite arm was chambered and Natasha would recognize that, due to her many decades of experience fighting. If the redirect worked, Silver would attempt a punch toward Natasha's ribs.

And in that move, whether it hit or not, Natasha would have learned more about Silver. She didn't hold back. She didn't hesitate. If an opportunity was presented, she /would/ take it and she would give it her all.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
And Natasha gives a low twirl over with it and went to cycle the weapon as Silver would have that time to adjust to it's weight and heft. The game was all about confidence and presentation. A leader needed to maintain at least the appearance of control in the circumstances of any situation even if they had none nor felt like they did. When Sable was ready..

Then Natasha was charging over to meet Sable over in close quarters. Natasha goes to twist the baton around as Silver would counter, the baton being knocked to the side to deflect her own strike. As Silver goes for the strike over at her chest, Natasha goes to twist just enough to the side to let it mostly miss.. Then her wrist would snap up and over, going to try to latch onto that wrist as it would pass by, and she would kick up and over with her leg to try and snap it behind the knee of Silver Sable, trying to hit it from an angle that would normally make quite a mess if it would hit at full power.

Natasha was treating Silver with the full respect of a woman that was her peer. She wasn't holding back or playing games with her. The respect of one professional to another to go all out with them in a fight. A -deadly- sort of respect, and one that not many lived through. But that was the point of this..

See how well they did when pushed to their limits.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
The movements were quick. Precise. And the skill on display with the pair, giving that full respect to one another, was something to see. Perhaps that being why both the agents who had been helping and the operatives from the Wild Pack being tested were starting to become distracted, turning to watch the two women.

"Twenty on the Widow." That was said by X-Ray, a tall woman with a prosthetic arm who spoke with a Russian accent.

"You're gonna get yourself fired, X-Ray. But I will take that bet. Twenty on the boss, all the way," replied Rick, a member of Beta Squad. "Can't believe you doubt the boss."

X-Ray smiled. "Boss is amazing. But she is not Widow."

Silver was not aware of this conversation happening, too busy focusing on what was going to be a real fight. Too often she didn't have those. But Natasha? She was an artist when it came to combat and Silver knew she could learn from this experience. Yet outwardly? There was no sign she was anything but confident she was going to be taking Natasha down.

As Natasha reached for her wrist, she almost twisted away but then changed her tactic. She allowed her wrist to be grabbed. Because that would give Natasha a feeling she was gaining the upper hand. When in truth, it would have her right where Silver wanted.

The leg moving below caught her eye and Silver balanced on the opposite foot so when the impact happened, as Natasha's foot did meet with the back of her knee, Silver was already lifting that leg and bending it. Thus the impact was far lessened. Though it did add impact to the movement of Silver's leg. A leg she brought up quickly in an attempted roundhouse kick toward the redhead's face!

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The point is not to win the fight. The point is to -last- through it. Natasha is nowhere near hte best in the world. She is far from the most dangerous. She is, however.. Fully unrelenting. The fight has been on for under thirty seconds so far. Natasha goes to as Silver moves to pull away from her attempted wrist-lock and manages to go and hop on the off-foot.

The SHIELD personnel present seem to be mostly cheering and rooting for Silver Sable as the fight went on. Apparently Natasha was not -quite- as popular amongst the rank and file as one might believe.
    the roundhouse kick goes to strike up and into Widow's face, and her ching oes to snap around to the side from the impact of it. She goes to then take up the arm that had been holding the baton, reversing it to then try and slam the club of it into Silver's torso at close range to try and use it for extra leverage. Moving to try and then twist it to the other hand to get in a backhand. Intent on trying to trike her again and again while the two were locked in close range combat.

One might almost think she was having -fun- here.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
The reason why SHIELD likely were cheering on Silver? Because Natasha actually beat them up in training. If she helped in their personal training, they might have a little hope that someone might be able to beat her since they couldn't.

One of the things people often don't realize about fighting? One has to be able to take a hit. Not just able: Willing. Sometimes the best thing to do was take a hit but to use techniques to lessen the damage it might do. It was a tactical choice to allow one to get in a better position. It also had the psychological effect of the person one was fighting thinking they had the advantage.

She managed to resist the turn but she was pulled in closer, allowign for Natasha to slam that club into her ribs. It would bruise but Silver was able to shift enough to absorb the worst of the impact. So nothing cracked or broke. The fact it was hard enough to crack or break a rib? That was something that earned respect from Silver.

As that backhand swing came in, Silver flipped herself forward. To both avoid the blow and wrench herself free from the wrist hold. She would land low and swing her own baton backwards toward the Widow's thigh. She didn't expect it to land because it would hit the sciatic nerve and that would cause the struck leg to go numb for a bit of time. Thus giving Silver an advantage but by no means making Natasha any less dangerous. She fully expected Nat to avoid the blow because she would recognize how debilitating it could be.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
The point of the fight is to engage to the best of their abilities and not hold back. If it meant breaking bones in one another, damaging expensive armor, spending munitions and weaponry.. Then by all means. This was a fight between peers. Neither would give anything less than their utmost. And Natasha's quite happy to take whatever can be dished out in turn to her.

What's happening is a move, move, and countermove. As Silver goes in for the leg strike, Natasha evaluates the distance the two have, the angle that it would go in at, and how effectively she could evade or lbock it.

Natasha can either take the hit or abandon the attack to go fully defensive. She goes for a middle ground of bringing her leg up to give better leverage to brace it..

While going to then swing the baton over if she could to use the reinforced mesh of it like a blackjack to try and strike Silver on the back of the skull.

Move, presumption, countermove. This would be at the result of if it failed her leg going numb for a time and SIlver having a heavy advantage in the melee.

Which hadn't yet hit the thirty second mark.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
By moving that leg, there was no way to hit that nerve with the strike that was incoming. It was a perfect avoidance and using the meaty part of her thigh to absorb the impact of the blow. A bruise tomorrow? Likely. But that limb was still in the fight and would remain so. Unless Silver got another lucky shot. She suspected she would not as Nat wasn't likely to give her that opening a second time.

The thing was Natasha would be able to tell that Silver had other weapons. Things there weren't visible to the naked eye. No firearms though. They'd been rather insistent about that at security to come into the Triskelion, much to Silver's annoyance.

It wasn't that she saw the blow coming. In fact, Silver was not aware. But as she was analyzing their positions, she knew what she would do. She would go for that opening which was the back of her platinum blond head!

Thus Silver dove into a forward roll, getting her away from that blow but she could feel the air flow and hear the whistle of the passage. Her hair even managed to be brushed but she avoided that serious hit. Because if that hit, she'd be dazed and this would've been over.

Rolling to her feet and spinning around, she brought up the baton just in case Natasha had followed her dive forward, prepared to block another incoming swing.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
What Natasha does instead over as she would avoid immedaitely following up her strike to let Silver roll away as Natasha's leg would be tender for at least a few moments. So rather than pushing on the attack and pursuing her opponent, Natasha would instead go to duck down to the ground.. Then leap up and over into the jungle concealment over into the trees and vanish. Tracking her would be extremely difficult as the woman turned to the enxt method of evaluation.

Fighting was but one thing. Working within the environment was now the next phase. The jungle would shake over in simulated tremors, as would the branches up above and the thick plantlife. Now the game was to see if Silver could spot Natasha within the growth..

And get ready for the inevitable ambush. She had never said that it would -just- be a straight up fight, after all.

Natasha might be grinning like a madwoman if she could openly express her emotion.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
As Natasha disappeared into the trees, Silver paused. She had almost rushed over to that spot, to try to get the Widow before she could get too far. But again, that would be expected. It could be walking into her Web.

For that reason, Silver waited where she was. She started to focus on her other senses. Certainly she was scanning the area but she also was listening more. For a telltale sound that might give away a location. Then she noticed the buzzing of insects. But in one area, they had stopped. Then a few bird sounds were heard, as though they had been startled.

She maintained her hold on the baton. If this were reality? She'd have a gun. But because of the Triskelion rules, no firearms had been allowed for Silver or the Wild Pack. Much to Silver's annoyance. Though she was not without other things on her person. Just, for now, she didn't see a need for them.

She moved in the direction of the obvious silence and leapt, catching a limb and pulling herself in to a tree. The she scanned her surroundings and crept along the branch in a crouch.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
There's a flip along the ground a few seconds later. Like a pebble. Silver's able to recognize it over as one of the remote WIdow's bites that would go off like a web mesh, snapping out over her if it caught her, digging the edges of the netting in, and then giving her a massive electrical shock sufficient to down many mid level metahumans. It's flung in a short arc with a minimum of notice. Not enough time to track where it was from, she'd have most certainly moved by teh time it was followed up on.

Evading it will be tricky but quite possible. They're fighting in a jungle after all. So Silver could definitely leap out of the way, possibly deflect it, or however she might wish to get out of it. That would mean, however, it would be thrown as a distraction.

So the question was how would she move to dodge it? How would she calculate the numerous vectors Natasha might come from in ambush. How might the other woman attack her while covered by the background sounds and hard to spot?

Silver Sablinova has posed:
The sound draws her attention but Silver doesn't charge right for it. She knows with this particular prey, she had to be cautious. Which is how she thought in her mind. For her, Natasha was the prey. Likely from the SHIELD agetn's point of view, it was the opposite.

She recognizes that it's a Widow's Bite. Which means it has to touch her for the electrical shock to travel through her body. Thus, she's fine. Only wait. It looked different.

Her eyes widened even as she was leaping off that branch for the ground below. The damn bite traveled with her, landing nearby and exploding. As the webbed net came in her direction, she did a diving roll to the side. The thing brushed her foot though as it slammed into the ground where she had been, pulling tight. It didn't trap her foot but that touch was enough to send a shock of electricity through Silver.

It wasn't enough to knock her out but she felt like her teeth where now chattering as she rolled to her feet nearby, glancing at her boot and frowning at the slight dark mark on the pristine white leather. Then she quickly focused back on the trees. Obviously the Widow knew where she was. She still needed to find the Widow.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Then as Silver is going to quickly dive and out of the way to evade it, there's something moving up above. Way, -way- faster than a human should be able to move, with far more momentum and power than someone running and leaping at full speed should have. It is..
    The Black Widow snapping a vine and swinging over at Silver with high speed, leg kicked out and intent on trying to striek Silver while swinging past!

Even if Silver's moving about quickly and going evasive, the sheer -speed- that Natasha was moving at and the power might make it very difficult to avoid or even roll away with the strike to try and evade it or lessen the power.

And Natasha went to try and use the environment to her advantage. Not just for stealth.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Security new that Silver had more weapons on her. They had only demanded the firearms. If they shared that information in detail with the person testing her was about to be seen.

There was no dodging that kick. It would be utterly impossible with her speed. All Silver could really do was compensate for it, like rolling oneself around an incoming blow to lessen the impact. But that wasn't all Silver was going to do. Though she might not be able to fully dodge before the hit, she could move her hands faster. In truth, it was her right arm going up over her should, hand grasping the hilt of the sword she had in a sheath along her spine, and drawing that white handled katana in a motion that took a perhaps a second.

She twisted to the side. Natasha would definately hit. But only one shoulder, the left, instead of that full on as intended. But as she was hit, Silver swung that blade. Not at Natasha. Though there were no rules to this match, she wouldn't take such a cheap shot. Instead it is aimed at the vine Natasha is using to swing on.

The impact of the kick sent Silver spinning to the side but coming backup in a ready position.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
If there were limitations, Natasha hadn't mentioned them. The point of this was to see how well Silver could fight without restraints in an environment. She would hardly expect the other woman to be so uncreative as to limit herself. So the blade goes out, launching through the air. The vine is predictable, the arc guaranteed. The knife snaps through it and it's cut.
    Natasha has enough forewarning to release herself from it, hitting the ground over and going to roll hard along it to minimize the damage, moving to pop back upto her feet and get into a defensive stance, gesturing over at Silver to offer her the opportunity to take teh offensive while Natasha braced to perhaps receive it and counter attack.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Sablinova's posse is joined by a lean, quiet man - Michael, not at all the cheerfully dickish agent from the time before. Quiet, indeed, like a shadow standing in back of them, blue eyes sharp and watching all that transpires up above. Ahead of him. Hands in the pockets of his gray Italian suit pants, lips set in a line. The Wild Pack operatives get a moment's review and are discarded. He's not there for them. Not there for the two women up above, either. The wind just...blew him in.

    But now, there is entertainment. So he partakes.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
As they come to face one another again, Silver doesn't attack. Instead, she takes that moment to resheathe the katana. Tucking it out of sight once more beneath her trenchcoat as she then stands to look at Natasha curiously. She still has the baton that had been provided her in the other hand.

Her sense of honor at play again. One could certainly go to bigger and badder measures but the katana was a bit of overkill in this situation. Since it was more an endurance thing than pure combat.

"Going to have a Predator leap out next?" she asked in a flat tone though, for just a moment, she felt the urge to peek up at the trees just to be sure there was no wonky camouflage thing going on up there.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would muse over, "Why? Am I not the most dangerous predator here?" Bantering. THe two seemed to have a few moments to collect themselves and catch their breaths, a few seconds.. Fight now hitting the two minute mark as Michael would come to observe.
    Since Silver was not going on the attack, Natasha would after those few seconds. She's not using the baton, but is maneuvering through a series of rapid fire, precise and brutal strikes. Blows focused on power, efficiency, and speed.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    His head cants, birdlike, a raptor perched in the background. Interested. Waiting to see how it ends. He knows how he would end it, of course. This is why he does not spar with humans.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
"You certainly believe you are." WHich is about as answer of a non answer possible. Since it really just restated Natasha's words but gave them no validity. Yet, it did not disagree with them fully either.

In truth? She was. Silver was an intelligent woman and she knew coming into this that Natasha would be the better combatant. But it wasn't about combat. It was about who could last the longest. So in that, Silver might indeed be the better. Though, it kept coming back to combat so they might never know. The respect was given by them both taking those few seconds.

Then Natasha was on the attack again but this time, Silver was ready. She immediately dropped a leg back, shifting her stance to present less of her body for those strikes. Her arms were used for blocks. Slamming of arms as Natasha would strike and she would counter. If she was evaluating, she'd be willing to offer Natasha a spot immediately on the Wild Pack. Because those blows were hard and fast as the eye could see. Yet, Silver was countering. The same severity, the same strength. Waiting for an opening, an opportunity.

There it was. For the next strike, she didn't attempt to dodge the hit. Instead, she took it, feeling the fist slam into her side. But it gave her that opening as she brought her hand over to try and snap onto Natasha's wrist, much as she'd done to her at the start. But this was to keep her in place as Silver tried to fire off a side kick. Foot up, chamber leg, fire to the side like a piston at the center of Natasha's torso.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
It's a back and forth. Natasha is evaluating her. And giving her the privilege of taking her seriously and not holding back. Which was a badge of honor in it's own way. The bruises and perhaps even broken bones would attest to it as the two women would brawl with one another and each give in their utmost.

The pause was a sign of respect. And then it gives way to the full offensive. Blows taken and exchanged, Natasha switching styles rapidly. A muay thai strike. A sudden power blow that would be more something out of a Bruce Lee movie.
    She's immobilized at the wrist and then Silver goes to snap her leg up and over to hit her. The blow connects, and Natasha doesn't grunt. She just uses the leverage she has to try and slam her forehead up and over to Silver's chin. Silver sees on her face the first show of emotion so far.
    Namely, Natasha is grinning.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    He looks away from the fight; he knows that Natasha is going to win, of course. Or at least it will be so close as not to matter. Michael's attention goes to the arm that the woman, X-Ray, bears. Ponders how many points of articulation it must have. Its actuating mechanism. Imagines how weak the structural mooring must be, given the technological base here. How easily he could pull it free from the skeleton. Bionics are a weakness far more than people imagine.

    So, this is Sablinova's outfit. Certainly a more motley crew than his little firm ever ran. His clients did not care for such...color.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
That...was not expected. The changes in styles, the martial arts? Certainly. It Silver's own fighting style. After all, if one fought in a single style, that was limiting. She had an extensive number of styles to choose from and thus she was prepared for it.

Then Natasha took that kick, folding her body around it to bring herself forward. And Silver realized too late. She felt the redhead's forehead /slam/ into her nose, the impact rattling her brain in her skull as the coppery smell of blood was in her nostrils and a moment later, the red began to flow freely from her nose.

Even as she struggled to cope, she kept that wrist in hand. She quickly twisted, trying to get the arm pulled back and immobilized, to force Natasha to turn away from her and face the opposite direction. Which would give her attack opportunities from that angle. Though she'd have to watch out for those legs.

The SHIELD agents and Wild Pack operatives had all stopped their own testing. Bets has been made. X-Ray's arm was indeed an impressive bit of hardware. And true, it had been damaged more than once. The last time was when testing for a potential member of the team. But the recordsing showed X-Ray had done her damndest in that fight. Thus, she hadn't had to pay for her own repairs. This time.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
It's a brutal back and forth now as Natasha goes to pull back, stunned for if only a moment. But in a fight one went to use anything they could. She would go to brace herself as Silver would keep her arm and forced away over as she would grunt, and she would go to spin lightly as Silver had better leverage. Natasha now goes to pop out the baton that she hadn't used so far, and would move to try and twist it across her body to strike on the opposite direction she was being spun in.
    IN her position and with the leverage that Silver had she couldn't hit her.. But hopefully teh extra length of the baton would let her get an effective strike in and disrupt Silver's calculations and control.
    The two were analysing one another while they fought, adapting on the fly, taking changes in tactics and styles and injury to account. The fight is wild, faster than the eye can see.. Well, other than Michael's, at least - probably.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Fascinating. Finally, Michael goes to take a seat - the fight no longer has his /immediate/ attention, and there are many people here piled in on the scene. He takes from inside his suit jacket his telephone and begins to peer at its display, frowning at it in though.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Good news: Natasha didn't mule kick her.

Bad news: Natasha was compensating for the twist and refusing to allow Silver to get her advantage.

Then that blow with the baton came her direction. Although Silver didn't smile, because there were still the Wild Pack to keep in mind and she had a reputation to uphold, that was an opportunity.

She released Natasha's wrist suddenly, hopefully the woman's inertia continuing her moving. And Silver grabbed for the baton. To wrap her hand around the hardened material. Even as she brought her own baton toward Natasha's wrist in an attempt at slam it into the nerve cluster on Nat's arm. If she managed to it, it would force her fingers to open. And if that happened, Silver would spin away with both batons.

Not that it was /that/ much of an advantage against Natasha but it was worth the attempt to disarm.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha is at a point where she doesn't have the elverage to struggle with Silver to keep effective control of it. The other woman has the initiative over in the fight. The woman's arm goes limp over for a moment as it drops to her side, twitching. Then Natasha goes to spin around, using that momentum to twist about in a full 360 degrees even as her arm would be hanging down at her side and go to swing out with one -brutally- powerful kick in a full body contorting roundhouse that could crush through the trunk of one of the trees in the room they were fighting in.
    Sometimes when raw skill and speed didn't quite cut it, switching to brute force would. It would be a blow that might ordinarily crack ribs and snap a spine like a twig. But Silver is already moving away and has rather significantly reinforced armor against just these kind of attacks.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
When one strikes a predator, expect to get back the teeth in return.

That certainly fit as Silver found herself facing that incoming kick. The speed of the gyre, allowing for the extra power to the kick. That was going to hurt.

She wasn't going to be able to avoid it but she did bring up the pair of batons in front of her to try and block, holding them with both ends in her palms. It was like a sensei holding out a board for their student to break in a way.

Break they do. Like so much kindling. They were now just useless, not enough left to be an effective weapon. But the kick didn't stop there though that thankfully had taken the brunt of the force. Meaning when the foot impacted with Silver's chest, she did indeed get pushed back and she felt a familiar pain. Bruising for certain. But she suspected she had just fracture a rib. The pain seared through her as she moved, tossing the useless remains of the batons to the side.

Now it was her turn to show her teeth, figuratively speaking. She went aggressive. Taking the attack to Natasha in a flurry of punches and strikes.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Now the fight is getting rougher. Both women are far from exhausted, but they have taken hits and injuries, and neitehr has an infinite amount of stamina and endurance. Natasha's arm is hanging limply. It will function again in time, but time is measured in minutes and a fight has exchanges measured in seconds. So for now it's an obstacle that she doesn't have the chance to wait out or attend to. She has to deal wtih Silver Sable going on the full attack. And Natasha does something disingenious. She withdraws as the two would fight.
    She dodges, parries, blocks, evades, and takes the occasional hit. But she's backing up while letting Silver Sable be the aggressor, pursuing her as she's on the retreat with her arm up and just taking shots and blocking. Silver's on the attack and has the advantage, even as Natasha's being driven further into the jungle area.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
And thought the strikes were coming, being countered or blocked, diverted to the side or avoided entirely, Natasha could tell. Silver was dealing with something. From the timing, it could be guessed her ribs were injured beyond a bruise. Though Silver's facial expression never let on to that fact. The woman had a willpower that was--beyond. She did not stop. She did not quit. She did not let anyone see that weakness.

But Natasha, and possibly Michael, were good enough they could pick up on the tiny difference in her breathing. Her movements did not change. But there was a hint in her breathing that was showing something.

For her part, Silver was feeling pain with every single move she made. Every breath she drew. But she kept going. For that was her gift. Her will was strong enough to resist even cosmic pyschic threats. She was not going to let a little pain keep her out of a fight.

Although perhaps that pain and the need to overcome it, to ignore it, was leading her into a trap as she continued to pursue Natasha. Trying to take advantage of her being limited to three working limbs. Which she wouldn't for long.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    And, perhaps, Michael /could/ have seen - but he is still staring at his phone, and only just looking up again to see what the two women are up to. They are, of course, still punching and kicking. Back to the screen he goes.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Silver realizes it likely as Natasha retreats that she's looking for an oppotunity. A chance to turn things around. In battle, all one needed was a moment. One could hold off an enemy while they gave ground, being defensive and taking an advantage as soon as they could find an opening. And as she's pulling back, rapidly stepping away without letting her feet be caught up in the mass of the ground below.. She's herded towarsd a tree trunk, too bulky to bypass and too high to jump or climb into.
    Natasha goes to flip up and against it, then uses it to springboard herself along and towards Silver! One leg hookeda nd extended, the other going to arch around to try and snap over if she could along Silver Sabler's neck and torso.. And Natasha goes tos pin, trying to use her momentum to slam Silver down -hard- as she goes for the signature Black Widow takedown move to try and slam her opponent in the fight down to the ground and hard.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Though Silver knew she probably was being led to something, she wasn't prepared when it happened. One moment she as in control though honestly making no headway. Natasha's defenses were on point, not allowing for a full opening for Silver to take advantage of.

When she was backed up to the tree, Silver thought that was going to change. Then suddenly Natasha was airborne.

Silver tried to get an arm up to block but Natasha had done this move so often and her speed was impressive. One moment Silver was standing, the next she was /slammed/ into the ground, the momentum and weight of Natasha's body used in that perfect attack taking her down.

She felt the air rush out of her lungs. Along with a bit of a crack from that rib. No longer a hairline fracture it semeed.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha goes to wait, and then goes for a moment quietly, "Four minutes, thirty seven point nine seconds. Very well done." SHe goes to just as casually roll off of Silver Sable, then goes to offer her good arm down over to help the other woman up. "You nearly beat the standing record."

Presuming the hand is taken, she would pull Silver up. "And you have my full support over to get the contract. And let's take you to get your ribs patched up. Then I have some Latverian whiskey if you'd care to try something to take teh pain off."

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Silver just lays there a moment. When there is the mention she /almost/ beat the record, her blue eyes narrow. That tiny hint she was displeased with this result. She did take the offered hand though, refusing to wince as she stood despite the searing pain coming from her ribs. When she inhaled, she wanted to do so shallowly but forced herself to breathe as normal. No matter how much it hurt. Never give it away she was injured. Even if Natasha is obviously aware.

"Thank you, Agent Romanoff. No need for medical attention. I am well." When she spoke, her accent was obviously eastern european. Many people on the street wouldn't be able to place it as Symkarian, though both Natasha and Michael certainly could. As could the Symkarians in the room. Funny how that worked.

"Perhaps in the future, I can attempt to defeat that standing record." That hint of salt in the mere question though her tone was conversational. "And I will have to decline the invitation for the whiskey and company. Many things to see to after our time here is completed."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    With the end of combat, Michael rises to his feet, tucking the phone back into his jacket. "Agent Romanoff," he intones, not a trace of the vaguely silly, jerkish fellow there - his words are sharp, like flint flake around the edges, even when used for conversation. "Miss Sablinova. Well fought."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would smile over, "I look forwards to the next attempt. I'll have to put effort itno it. If it makes you feel better I'm far from the most dangerous one thaty ou might have sparring sessions with out here. So it's not me that you have to worry about pushing your limits with." Natasha can tell the accent is Symkarian. With a bit of research and time to prepare she could possibly do a possible variation of it of her own that would pass limited muster.

"And very well. And you should take the oppotunity as well to train with Agent Erickson here. He's among the most dangerous individuals that we have employed with us." Spoken as high priase over to the alien bird. "He can alsog ive you some input as to how you conducted yourself and room for improvement."

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Asking for input on how to improve might be a big challenging for Silver. Though she knew she wasn't the best in the world, she certainly did pride herself on her skills. "Thank you again. You have been most gracious hosts."

Though she did look over to Michael as he offered his greeting, adding in the introduction by Natasha in giving his name and the information about him. "Agent Erickson. Please to meet you as well." She extended her right hand, offering for a handshake.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "We /have/ met," he points out, taking the woman's hand and shaking it - but his eyes, like, blue, wet stones, take her in as if seeing her for the first time. Clinical. Gauging. "Will you be joining our little family? Or is this a joint exercise of sorts?"

    Natasha gets a nod, too. "You are too kind."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would shrug, "You have a unique perspective that most of us don't ahve the experience to be aware of. Tha tmakes you an asset." And dangerous. Which the crazed russian redhead also appreciates quite well. She would take her arm up to massage the spot on her other limb that was still slowed from the nerve strikes.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
The handshake was firm. Three moves up and down then out. Very professional and precise. No excessive grip, no ploy to try to one-up. Just a nice handshake in greeting. Though his words brought her up short as she considered him curiously. "I usually do not forget a face. So my apologies but I do not recall this meeting."

A glance to Natasha then back to Michael as she continues. "The Wild Pack is being given a chance to contract on an upcoming op. If that works out, perhaps contractors on official basis, yes?" She looks to Natasha to be sure she has that right.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "The Wild Pack," Michael repeats, looking back at the assembly of souls that Sablinova brought with her. He nods, once, taking his hand back as she releases it. "We met at the Swordfish, with Agent Romanoff. I affected a very different personality."

    As for perspective, Michael shrugs. "It was a good fight. You are both exceedingly skilled - though, it must be said, Agent Romanoff has the advantage in her flexibility and broader corpus of styles. Perhaps Miss Sabolinova might be at an advantage by bringing more styles into her own approach."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would muse over at Michael and then give a nod. "you were also too.. Courteous during the fight. You weren't required to at all. There were points you could have brought out your blade to use it more effectively, or any ofthe other weapons on you. You could have escalated and gotten more aggressive. That was entirely an option." And she wouldn't have counted it against the pale haired Symkarian either. That was the way the game was played.
    "you did very well."

Silver Sablinova has posed:
"Ah yes. Of course. Your personality did indeed differ," Silver comments. Back when she first had visited the Swordfish. When she was working on a case with a different agent entirely. Likely that assistance having opened the door for this visit and potential contract. "My apologies. It is good to see you again."

She listened to his evaluation then Natasha's and there was the hint of a smile there. Even as she saw some of her people exhanging money with each other and SHIELD agents off at the edges of the room. "It seemed...impolite." Which may seem strange. Silver was known to get her man at all costs. Shooting in the back was allowed if the man's back was to her. Yet she did have certain rules she lived by. "You invited me to your house. I did not wish to escalate beyond what was allocated at the start of the match, though I did perhaps stray when I cut the vine. Were it a more realistic match, we would have been less limited." Like she would have her damn guns! Yet, that was the polite way of saying it. Limited.

"I appreciate the feedback and will take it into account in the future."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Strictly speaking I am a combat soldier," Michael replies. "I was raised in the noble traditions, but my personal style is not..." The dark-haired man pauses a moment to consider his words. "Polite. And thus it is unsuitable for duelling." This said, Michael checks the big, chunky silver watch on his wrist. "I will take my leave of you - ah, and as for that woman there..." He nods to X-Ray. "Her prosthetic should be anchored into the spine and through the other side of her ribs for truly suitable combat effectiveness. I could tear it free and beat her to death with it before the rest of your troupe could react as it seems currently anchored."

    Impolite, indeed.

    And with this said, he gives the lady of Symkaria another deeper nod, one that turns more collegial as he turns to Natasha. "Agent," he affirms, and takes his leave - walking back out through the doorway past a few other agents coming in for their own trials, into the guts of the Triskelion and parts elsewhere.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would shrug at Silver, "Fair enough." She can get a good assumption of the other woman's body language. "And note I escalated first so you were well within your rights to do teh same." She was the one that had launched the web shocker after all that had lead to the katana being drawn. She considered it fully reasonable.

"You did an excellent job." She doesn't use 'excellent' very often.

She would turn to watch at his feedback to X-Ray and consider. "Possible. Though I wouldn't say most local threats have the strength to do that." Most, not all. But, it's good to know. Not that entirely rewiring the girl's nervous system to accomodate that was possible.

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Once Michael is gone, Silver considers and looks at Natasha. "He is very...different." Ride that line of politeness. Not saying he was blunt and she really hoped that X-Ray didn't hear him. Because she was so not up to that on the ride home! Thankfully, the woman didn't seem to have as she continued to chat to the agents near her.

Silver gave another of those brief smiles to Natasha at the complement. "And you truly live up to your reputation. I knew you would win in a match. I simply had hoped to make a better showing. Though, for now, unless there is more testing to be done? I should take my leave."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would shake her head, "No, you've done well. Consider the test passed and I look forwards to seeing you and your team in the field. Thank you for being available." She would take her hand ou tand over and then move to offer her hand over to shake.

"And you hit hard. Very, very hard."

Silver Sablinova has posed:
Silver returns the handshake. Then she rubs at her ribs with her free hand even as she gives a hint of a smirk at Natasha. "Not as hard as you. Besides the cracked rib, I am confident I will have two black eyes to go with this nose tomorrow."

She then brought that hand away from her ribs and brought a fist up into the air. Then she opened her palm. Immediately all the Wild Pack operatives simply turned and walked for the door. No more conversations. No goodbyes. The boss had spoken, so to speak. "Until next time, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would smile over at Silver Sable, "Until next time. I look forwards to working with you in the future." Then, going to take an arm up to pop her shoulder back into place with a -pop- from the rather effective twist and latch that had been used to disarm her in the fight, Natasha would start to waltz off.