1507/Achilles, Agent of Zeu... SHIELD

Achilles, Agent of Zeu... SHIELD
Date of Scene:	04 May 2020
Location:	Triskelion
Synopsis:	Ow, he hits hard!
Cast of Characters:	Achilles, Jessica Drew, Jane Foster

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Achilles has posed:
    So, it's time for a skills evaluation session. Now, as someone who has done so many things over so many centuries... I mean seriously, he has more centuries of life than his appearance might suggest -years- of life.
    Either way, The handgun firing range was simple for him. If there is one thing he kept up to date on as far as skills evolution, it was weapons. Firearms are just another tool. A really handy one for what did they say?... reaching out and touching someone. He's not designated marksman level of skill. But he -is- capable of getting a good grouping with the standard issue sidearm they assigned him to test out with.
    Removing the headgear to preserve his hearing, he steps out of the range after having unloaded the weapon and returned it to where it belongs, "So." he remarks to the two ladies there. "I think my next test is close combat assessment. I presume that you and I will be sparring again Jessica?" he asks, "Which will allow the good Doctor here to wince every time you break something inside my fragile body."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Eyes on the paper target that zips towards them, Jessica nods abstractedly while she studies the groupings. "You have the eyes, don't you? You'd at least think that after all these years you'd need glasses to read or have a stigmatism." Her eyes lift from the paper to the man, studying him frankly. With an exaggerated sigh, she takes off the noise mufflers, raising her eyebrows at Jane in query.

"It will be up to the main evaluator to decide what to do next. Are you feeling like having me wipe the floor with you?"

Jane Foster has posed:
"I can't imagine you will fail on the combat portion of any test," Jane observes with her protective eyewear and earmuffs on. This may cause her voice to be lifted slightly in volume, though not by much. Trying to temper her voice after giving the target a much more thorough review and plugging in the information into a tablet requires a touch of her focus. Nonetheless, Jane is very skilled at making simple electronics do her bidding. It helps the thorough process at SHIELD already has results uploaded for her based on telemetry and other scans performed at each stage, but she confirms the results and adds a snapshot or two from the array provided. Videos are already downloaded, linked, ready for review in case someone in Achilles' general shape, size, and profile goes on a mad shooting spree. They'll know his stance, recoil handling, and more. Jessica receives that slight smile. "Do we need the extra thick crash mats? I think we do. You're not someone I would care to spar all out with, which is what we're asking for."

She looks up then, closing the protective fake plastic cover over the fancy little device. "Shall we move on to the studio? I've booked Studio 3 for this, and the task is quite straightforward to begin with. That is, simply, subdue Agent Drew." Oh, it /sounds/ easy. Just like explaining a black hole is easy... until it really isn't. No, it's not a hole in space!

Achilles has posed:
    "By all means, I look forward to reading an evaluation of how well I can handle getting my ass handed to me by Ms. Drew here. For the record, no matter how enlightened anyone may claim to be... getting beat up by such an attractive young woman is not something that will -not- leave a lasting impression. But... I might have a few tricks up my sleeve." Well, he means bracer, not sleeve. But he's not sayin' that just yet.
    But he turns and starts his way towards Studio 3. "I must say though, I know better than to think that I have any sort of advantage in this bout, but one thing I learned long ago... a warrior learns more from losing than from winning."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica has dispensed with the standard martial arts gi: it's much too easy to grab. If she knows one thing about her adversary, it is that he is wily, years of surviving the impossible have given the man already endowed with more than your average native intelligence that edge. For her part, she does not want to underestimate him by assuming that her mutant speed and strength will win the day. The black leotards accentuate the width of her shoulders and the long sleek muscles of her legs. She nods to Achilles as she primly pulls at the sleeves and checks the sparring wraps that envelope her the palms of her hands and cushion her knuckles. No need to damage him. Too much. He doesn't have her hyper-recuperative abilities either.

The mats cushion her steps as she walks to the center of the room. She nods, the light gleaming on the braids that she has wound her head in. The man has been wrestling for over three thousand years. Why give him that advantage? Jessica will give him no quarter. A faint smile tugs at one corner of her mouth as she squares her shoulders and balances her stance.

"Ready when you are."

Jane Foster has posed:
Studio 3 is more utilitarian than a dojo would ever be. It doesn't have pretty tatami mats or anything on the walls ascribing itself to a particular martial arts philosophy or style, probably to the disappointment of many. It belongs in the realm of government agency, meaning off-white walls, blue floor, blue crash mats. A lot of towels, and not much else. There is, however, a nice wooden bench that serves as a luxury. Jane withdraws there to sit, considering she has little reason to get between two heavyweights. Middleweight? Compared to her, they're probably both exceedingly talented in their measure. She takes off her shoes and sets them aside, prepared to walk on the mats in her smart trousers and judge something. Mostly she can manage this at a slight distance, though, which should be good enough. The tablet balances in her lap, allowing her observations to be taken either by manual input or voice recording. "First bout, the aim is demonstrating your subduing and non-lethal tactics to bring down a target. In this case, empowered." She nods to Jessica, ticking off a few options.

"At no time should you apply a hold that would strangle her, nor are you to attack her eyes, nose, or mouth. If you use any of these tactics, she has permission to hurl you away at her convenience. Or that's the nice way of saying it. She can kick your butt to save herself. Agent Drew, I think that about covers it? Achilles," okay, that's not so weird to say, considering she has a full lexicon of Asgardian gods in her vocabulary and for casual use. It's like saying 'Hi, I'm meeting Sirius and Orion for a drink on Friday.' "If anything is unclear, let me know. Otherwise, have at!"

Achilles has posed:
    Little known fact. While he -can- be injured, Achilles is a lot tougher than normal people. I mean mostly bulletproof to smaller caliber stuff. Spider-Woman level strength is -not- considered small arms. Either way, he nods to Jane, "Well, point of order. When you say strangle... does that include cutting off blood flow to the brain with a classic sleeper hold?" he asks as he steps forward and rolls his neck. For this, -he- is dressed in basically stretchy biker shorts and a tanktop.
    "So, subdual. I guess I shouldn't try to go for strength vs strength then." he suggests. He's not cheating though here. He took off those bracers even.
    But he's not above trying little mind tricks. "So tell me. Is the nip-slip there intentional to throw me off?" he asks just before darting forward to attack while he -hopes- that maybe Jessica is glancing down to check for decency which is fully intact of course. He's going for a feint high before trying to a legsweep to start with. The little goofy mind trick isn't expected to succeed. But it -is- something to keep things light and hey, it -might- work.

Jessica Drew has posed:
It doesn't work but not because Jessica has a mind of steel and the concentration of a martial arts master. HYDRA played its role in honing her superhuman abilities; it also played its part in abbreviating her life and keeping her in a coma for years. She can be surprisingly naive, lacking cultural references the average teenager might have picked up cruising the internet or hanging with friends. Face mask-like, without the least idea of what a nip slip is she doesn't look down, instead, slips in the opposite direction of his feint and gut punches him with an uppercut, following through with a chop to his neck before weight shifting to prepare a swift sidekick.

Jane Foster has posed:
Meanwhile, Jane watches a match with a seasoned eye. Not like she hasn't spent a lot of time on these mats or in a dojo in the city, being flung, tossed, pinned, kicked, and punched. No sense of personal appreciation here, just a professional eye as the pair of them go. "You try cutting the bloodflow off to her brain the whole way and see what she does." The ironic tone there suggests this is like hugging a shark. It's probably not a good idea. Her hands rest in her lap unless she starts taking notes, but those are few and far between. Observation means watching, not nose in a book about the latest spy craft of John Le Carre or something of that sort.

She can't help but wince at that gut punch. Yep, Agent Drew is totally not in the list of 'people I want to fight.' Though here, she might have two or three people on that list, like 'receptionist' or 'assistant vending machine stocker.'

Achilles has posed:
    While Achilles -is- skilled. He's studied martial arts for thousands of years across all seven continents, he's not superhuman. What he does know however, is that he -can- take a beating and ignore it if he needs to. So when the feint is reversed, he steps into that gut punch, just sucking it up in an effort to get inside Jessica's reach.
    Her followup chop ends up hitting his neck with the forearm, not the blade of the hand even as his shoulder leans into her chest just below her chin and neck. It's not intended to hurt so much as just... disturb the balance of the superhuman.
    And this is followed by a traditional Muay Thai move of trying to get hands up to grip the head but not for anything strength related so much as simply using it as leverage to begin a right left right left series of knees to the gut. That is, if it all goes according to plan.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Appreciation warming her expression, a lightning expression that disappears as Jessica, limber as a rag doll, drops out of the grasp of his hands. The brutal combination of kicks that were to follow might have left her breathless for a moment. The drop lines her head up with his chest. A risk, albeit a measured one, she could bite one of those knees that he is preparing to chamber into her gut but she thinks not. On a whim, she centers her weight under herself and uncoils like a jack-in-the-box straight into his solar plexus. Boom. A head butt meant to knock him across the room with her whirling behind in a series of roundhouse kicks.

Achilles has posed:
    See, the benefit to having serious training is that you do things without having to think them through. You practiced them enough that they just happen as a reflex. Such as when enough force is applied to shove him back, Achilles uses the force of it and plants a foot. To note, he spent a lot of time in Korea back before they split. He learned several of their styles, including Tae Kwon Do. He always called that particular style showy and a good sport, but overtelegraphed. Except for the back pivot kick. That is one kick that is concealed by the body until it is suddenly in your face... in your torso, or whever it is being aimed. But when you use the force of movement and turn it into a spin or pivot. Twisting the hips and torso to send the heel like something of a piston.. which is what he does as Jessica approaches in Roundhouse kick formation. He's hoping that she'll force herself onto the kick and knock the wind out of herself. Sure, high hopes. But it's something he doesn't actively think of until he's mostly finished the maneuver on its own.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Reflexes, hours of grueling training, day after day of wringing herself out with fresh changes of opponents to match her abilities allows Jessica to drop into the zone. That mindless place where she no longer analyzes movement but flows with it. The detached observer in her watches the match, preserving moves in memory to do a detailed analysis. Another part of her enjoys his humor and is still chewing away at what exactly a nip slip is. A grin comes up to the surface amidst all this because she will get to literally do what he doesn't want her to do, to wit, kick his ass.

As he rounds into the expert kick, she chambers a kick directly into his behind pushing him away from her, drops her foot and rises into kick directed at those vulnerable kidneys. The man can fight, she will give him that.

Jane Foster has posed:
Jane, she's still watching. She winces with the kicks and punches, sympathetic to the sorrowful impact points. There is speed at play, a flurry of motion turned into a violent game of gripping, kicking, and moving. Her body leans forward as though she would follow every sinuous application of a dance. Taekwondo is a familiar element for her, though, and she nods approvingly to Achilles as he figures out the adjustment need to work and kick high, a painful point to work with. "Ow," is all she has to say as Jessica demonstrates this is not the best approach.

Achilles has posed:
    Okay, and so apparently the look of a roundhouse was a ploy, a feint. Achilles bought it hook line and sinker, and committed to his spinning thrust kick just in time to get countered.
    He hopes a step or two back away to avoid the kidney kick and then he's right back into it. A kick being used to make her -think- he's still going for footwork, when up close hand work the likes of Wing Chun and Jeet Kun Do is where he is trying to reach. He's gotta have some effect here. The test is to disable a powered individual and thus far, he's barely touched her and taken quite a beating.
    A beating that has healed for the most part of course. But it's time to put her on the defensive by getting in close and Tang Sao blocking before striking at ribs, shoulder, elbow, and ribs all in one fast flurry.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The thump of feet sinking into the soft mats, the shush of their bare feet sliding over the plastic surfaces that still exude a new car smell fill Jessica's senses as she angles for a position that will elude him. Achilles wants to lay a beating down on her, it's in his eyes.

One turn brings Jane back into sight, she had blocked her totally from her mind, the fighting instinct so deeply engrained into her that she has forgotton that this is an evaluation.

She readies herself for more kicks and he fools her. The whuffff of breath being knocked out of her as he lands several surprise rib punches resounds in the room. Now, she is on the defensive arms drawn in closely, fist tight a jaw level. Some close intimate fighting then. She steps into him and stamps his instep.

Achilles has posed:
    Amazing how effective an instep stomp is. But one needs to accept a certain degree of pain. For example, when fighting a guy with a knife. You need to accept that you are -going- to get cut. So Achilles just lumps it up and takes the punishment. That is something most fighters have a hard time with. Pain is a deterrent most times.
    Getting punched throws people off rhythm. Not so much for this man. He just takes the hit and keeps working, staying in close and using elbows, grabbing the arm and striking as fast as he can. When you're willing to let yourself -get- hit to achieve hits, it turns out.. it's a -lot- easier

Jane Foster has posed:
There are marks made, statements written. In the end, the videos will prove utterly telling, won't they? They will display the finesse and the fitness, the pairing of two dangerously matched opponents.

Nothing is complained about for being in one direction over another, and whether she can see is irrelevant. She darn well gets up to make the point a relevant one, circling the mats at a distance, staying very much out of range but very much keenly aware of what they're doing.

Indeed, there's a lightness to her footsteps and a certain distance suggesting she is paying extremely keen attention indeed, fascinated by the fluid dance of violence before her.

Jessica Drew has posed:
They both can take pain, the best can. Achilles is certainly one of them, wilily sucking it up. Jessica's estimation of him goes up another notch and she bears down just that much more giving him more of herself. Let Jane see how good he is by her not pulling her punches.

Dancing away from him, Jessica becomes a blur of motion, lifting off and spinning perpendicular to the floor she whirls into a series of kicks aimed at distancing them and doing dance steps from his shoulders to his hips. It's unfair, she has unnatural flexibility and strength but he can withstand it, that's already been seen.

Achilles has posed:
    Well, there is only one way to deal with superhuman feats like that. Suck it up buttercup. Achilles pulls his hands in and guards his head, and simply waits for an opening. In most fights, flurries such as these are a desperation move, or an attempt to finish quickly. In most of those cases, one merely needs to outlast and wait for his opponent to wear themselves out.
    Lifting legs to use knees and shins to blow low strikes while keeping the arms in... he just takes the punishment and leans into it so that he stays on his feet. Finally, he starts to get the timing, and after holding himself mostly stationary for all of that, he surges into motion when the next kick comes in. He ends up latching onto the back of Jessica's leg, his shoulder into the back of the knee while driving himself (and hopefully her) towards the ground where he hopes to get the leverage benefit, which is the only way he can get -any- benefit here as strong as she is. The intent is to twist her about and disorient her while dropping her face first onto the mat and controlling that leg with the angle and such. Not for long, but just long enough to get an elbow up against the base of her skull. Not actually striking. It's similar to placing a sword to the throat to indicate that it could have been a finishing blow.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Stamina, mutant strength and spidery speed are all advantages that tilt the fight in her favor. One moment Jessica is airborne punishing Achilles for his very existence, then she is pulled out of her spin as neatly as bird caught under the weight of a plummeting hawk.

The mat whooshes with the air knocked out of it, Jessica's groan cut off by her lungs expelling all their contents. A pinpoint of blackness fills her vision and collapses back to a view of Jane's feet and the blue mat. His elbow is not quite as sharp as a blade; she will have to decide what hurt most her pride or that red mark that will blossom into a bruise in the next hour or so.

Of course, she can angle her ankles around his, twisting hard to throw him off with a well placed elbow to the gut. Instead, she taps the mat three times conceding the prowess of the move. Strange the little things that one notices in the hyperawareness of combat, he is quite warm, humid even with their fighting and his breath whistles over the nape of her neck. Jane's ankles are quite trim and she doesn't like the smell of these mats up close.

Achilles has posed:
    In the end, it was not about hurting her, and it was not about how long either of them could keep fighting. It was about trying to achieve a goal. For a long moment after the tap out, Achilles releases the pressure on the leg, knee, and ankle... and just lies there.
    After that pause, he mutters, "Ow..." as he rolls off of Jessica's back.... and onto his back. He just lies there, heaving as he catches his own breath. It's not an easy thing... unkillable does not mean unlimited energy levels or neverending stamina. As it stands, he just lies there and asks, "Did that actually work? Tell me you didn't just let me win."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Rolling over to lay spread eagled next to him Jessica squints up at the ceiling catching her breath. Laughing breathlessly, "Are you kidding me?" Her head lolls to the side, grinning she taps his arm with a loose backhand.

"You got that round, far and square with no venom blasts from me and no bracers or armor from you. Bravo. I'm good. I'm sure there are better in the world but I'm still top ranked which means that you are."

Achilles has posed:
    "Amazing how intimate one on one close combat gets. I bet that we had more.. contact there than we would in a week of making out." mutters Achilles as he sits up. "My hips are sore. How is it my -hips- are sore?" he asks. "And my shoulderblade. Seriously, you hit like a truck." he adds as he levers himself up to his feet and offers a hand. "Can we grab coffee?" he adds.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Helpless laughter leaves her prone for another moment before she offers him her hand, "Not a week of making out with me, you Greek goon. If I hit like a truck, you hit like a Trojan horse. Shower and then coffee would be nice, maybe something to eat. I feel a sweet tooth coming on." Once up, she cuffs him on the shoulder with a bashful lowering of her eyes.

"I'll be interested in what Jane has to say. What else is left for you to do? Have they seen you with bracers on?"