2855/Agent Evals: Mary Jane Watson... or is that Red Sonja

Agent Evals: Mary Jane Watson... or is that Red Sonja
Date of Scene:	09 August 2020
Location:	Athletics: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Trainee Agent Watson faces Field Leader May in a hand-to-hand evaluation. Red Sonja comes out to play.
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Mary Jane Watson, Bobbi Morse, Mikhail Uriokovitch, Jemma Simmons, Carol Danvers

---

Melinda May has posed:
Yet another trip to the mats by a trainee. It's an inevitability, especially if Melinda May is involved.

This time, though, it's in the name of evaluations and not a simple training session.

For her part, dressed in black as usual, May is wiping down the back of her neck with a towel. She's not actually winded. It's hard to break much of a sweat with the rookies.

But she's middle-aged. Sometimes, the room just gets too warm, even with the A/C.

She doesn't watch the rookie retreat, picking up a tablet instead and making some notes on his file. Her face is neutral. There's no way to know whether or not she approved of his efforts... or has just failed him utterly.

She swipes down on the tablet, checking the time, and turns towards the mats expectantly.

Her next vic--erm... subject should be arriving presently.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Which is when Mary Jane Watson walks in, not quite sure what was going to happen save that Agent May was going to be handling her evaluation. She heard the skuttlebutt around the headquarters about how the evaluations tended to go, though, so she showed up wearing a navy SHIELD tank top as well as loose fitting black leggings. Barefoot, of course, she was warned about that as she steps up to the mat, "Agent May? Trainee Watson, reporting for evaluation."

While she's a looker, the fact that she's got a fairly impressive physique is also hard to miss. Currently she has her hair tied back by a black scrunchie, the ponytail dangling behind her as she smiles good-naturedly, hiding any nervousness she might be feeling.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi has returned from finding Bruce Banner. It was an emotional and intense experience. Her goggles are hanging from her belt, but she is otherwise dressed in her Mockingbird suit for now. The gym is a small detour on the way to her quarters and she notes May is doing evaluations.

It's not her place to pry, but she is curious how some of the trainees are going, so she enters the gym and stands off to the side, slowly peeling herself out of the tight flight suit. Underneath, she's wearing a shield issue tank top. The flight suit she lays down on an empty chair, folding it up neatly. ICER at her side, a stave on each side. She ties her hair back in a quick bun.

Mikhail Uriokovitch has posed:
Mikhail had gotten the memo that trainees were being tested by May today, and well, it was bound to be interesting, and he had to do some workouts on his own. He is wearing athletic shorts and a SHIELD t-shirt, with his hair recently cut short and beard trimmed close. Mik watched the previous trainee go through their evaluation. The next one is someone who he has worked with in the past, so the Russian stays around, though finds a spot near Bobbi to observe how it goes.

Melinda May has posed:
May's eyes flick over Watson's appearance. It's fine as far as she's concerned. She gives the younger woman a brief nod of acknowledgement, completely unconcerned about the girl's beauty. She's neither titilated nor threatened by such things.

The kid's here to show her combat stuff, not her seduction stuff.

Though, come to think of it... is *she* in charge of those evals or is Wilson? And why not Romanoff? May hates the seduction routines. *le-sigh*

Never mind. This eval should be much more straightforward.

"Thank you for being prompt," the evaluator says, tossing her towel aside and stepping out onto the mat. "This should be a simple evaluation. We're going to do some unarmed combat. We'll start with some fairly easy stuff and progress to harder levels as we go along. You can tap out at any point by hitting the mat three times." A beat. The faintest squint comes to her eyes -- the hint of a smile that never touches her lips. "Or you can just cry 'uncle'."

She's read Watson's file, however, which is evidenced only when she adds. "I reserve the same right."

She's aware of her surroundings and the others in the room... not to mention the fact the crowd is a little more populous than normal for this time of day. And she's noted Morse's presence. She'd roll her eyes at all the attention, but that would be unprofessional.

Thus, she keeps her attention on Watson. She drops into a neutral preparatory stance, one hand extended before her, the other raised nearer her chin.

"Begin."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
MJ nods, not looking seductive in the least. At least not intentionally, as she drops in a combat stance. She then moves in slowly, taking her time as she studies May's own stance, then she goes for a rapid one-two punch, something simple enough. Nothing too complicated, but she's looking like she's using brute force and speed over skill at the moment.

Which is probably going to be a mistake, but well, that's why she's the Trainee...

Melinda May has posed:
May blocks the brute-force strikes, her arms fast and sure with skill as well as speed. Redirecting the blows, she counters with a couple of quick body blows that, blocked or not, flow into a simple sweep kick underneath the redhead's guard.

Sucessful or not, she retreats then, light on her feet and moving in a clockwise direction around the girl, watching her responses.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi looks over to Mikhail and smirks, "Evaluations." She nods toward the mats and asks Mikhail, "Have you done yours yet?."
She decides this could be decent entertainment while she mentally runs down through the mission and the good talking to Nadia is going to be getting. So, she sits down on another empty chair and folds one leg over the other to watch. She'd take notes, but she doubts May would appreciate the critiques. She has hundreds of these things to do after all.

Mikhail Uriokovitch has posed:
"Negative," Mikhail remarks with a frown, "Soon, though. This should be good one." He keeps his comments quiet to avoid being a distraction.

The Russian nods in approval as Mary Jane and May engage, clearly impressed by both. He has his own style, and it is not exactly one that he can teach to others.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
MJ does block the body blows, but she doesn't see the sweep kick coming, yelping involuntarily as she thuds on the ground. She does, however, keep her eyes on May as she rolls around, getting back to her feet pretty quickly.

Her lips do curve into a slight grin as she advances cautiously, circling back towards May as she launches another one-two strike...

Except this time, it's a feint, for her to deliver a kick into May's midsection instead. MJ is still in the driver's seat, but Sonja is giving her a fair amount of advice...

Melinda May has posed:
Morse is probably the one agent May's encountered who really gives her a run for her money. Well. Morse and Romanoff. At least in terms of the women of SHIELD. Fighting them is never a 'sure thing'. And if anyone were to be sent to take her down, May would lay even odds it'd be one of them. Or both... depending on how badly they wanted her.

Not that she has *any* plans for that to be necessary.

She'll retire, first.

Her arms move effectively to block the feint, body twisting as she senses the incoming kick. She grabs hold of MJ's leg and uses her momentum to attempt a throw or unbalance the girl again before once more retreating to watch her recovery.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane is caught, and again is tossed down to the ground. She then raises her head a bit, keeping her eyes on May as she then reaches back with one hand. The scrunchie comes out, and she gets into a crouch as her hair is shaken loose, her grin growing a bit more sly as she watches May.

There's definitely an attitude change from MJ, as Sonja seems to object to getting tossed around. The redhead springs into action again, moving right at May, tossing another swing at her, but this one comes a lot faster than it did before, as she's no longer holding back. But this time, she looks like she's ready to do a grapple of her own, not fully committing to the assault as she realizes May's strategy is just to be reactive... so to react to the reaction is important here. MJ might not have caught that right away...

But Sonja did.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi watches the first two passes and raises an eyebrow to Mikhail, "This one, why would this one be a good one?" She knows very little about Trainee Watson, though she's probably about to get the 101 on her as soon as things kick in to higher gear. The sudden posture change by Watson does make her raise an eyebrow. She sits forward in the chair, now slightly more interested. She can see that she does have good fighting training after all. Like many beginners it seems she needs a bit of a warmup first.

Mikhail Uriokovitch has posed:
"You'll see," Mikhail says, "Plenty of fight in her." He had worked with her a couple of times and knew not to underestimate her. The large Russian relaxes his own posture and rubs some sweat from his brow, "Bah, you all keep this place too warm." Mik snorts in amusement, keeping his focus on the sparring.

Melinda May has posed:
May recognizes the attitude shift... and the change in body language. Because, yes. She is looking specifically at reactions. And she *did* read that dossier. A black brow arches faintly, just enough of a 'tell'.

She blocks the first swing, using both arms in a cross to deflect it and thrust the redhead away. The grapple is only briefly engaged -- long enough to circumvent it by going on the offensive.

What follows is a series of body blows and swift kicks meant to keep her within the redhead's guard and force her into a direct fight rather than a cat and mouse.

Not, mind, that either is likely to consider herself the 'mouse'.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
MJ grins wider, enjoying the blows and kicks as she blocks and returns them with surprising speed and strength, getting into a rhythm as she seems to be evenly matching with May right now as the flurry of strikes back and forth seem to be deflected and redirected.

Occasionally she does try to feint a grab, wanting to get a lock on May since that's her best chance to end the fight quickly. At least, that's what she thinks... whether or not that happens, is something else. As Sonja definitely has the experience that MJ lacks for physical combat.

Melinda May has posed:
May is, remarkably, used to fighting oponents taller and stronger than she. Most men, after all, fall into that category. And here at SHIELD? Many of them are even taller than MJ -- though not necessarily stronger than Sonja.

She is adept both at avoiding being grappled and, more importantly, escaping if she is. This is generally because May uses her oponents' bodies against them, co-opting and redirecting their momentum or otherwise using her own body as a fulcrum to destablize them.

Her blows come faster, now. And if -- or perhaps when -- she is grabbed, she continues her own momentum to take her up and over the taller woman's shoulders and back so she doesn't *stay* grabbed.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    An evaluation tends to draw some attention. So, it is no surprise when another person wanders in, to take a moment to observe. However, what might be a surprise is exactly who it is. Jemma is not in the lab, for once. Most likely, someone told her to take a break...and made sure Jemma actually did.

    With the labcoat still on, Jemma pokes a head in...then the rest of her, sticking to the sidelines as much as possible to watch. Perhaps it is just to observe. But, more likely, it is to take notes. After all...Jemma is due for an evaluation at some point, too.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane shakes her hair a bit, almost as if tempting May to try to grab the loose flowing mane of red hair. Totally /not/ a trap that, as she returns the exchanges of blows. Occasionally she does grab onto May, only to have May flip out or evade before she can bring her strength to bear.

She grins and doesn't relent, though, wanting to keep pressure on May as she studies May's technique, waiting for the appropriate moment but she just can't break through the guard.

As a result, she starts looking a bit more reckless, striking with more abandon as openings start showing up for May to possibly take advantage of...

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi smirks at Mikhail, "I for one like the temperature. Besides, you need some hot weather conditioning. I heard you complaining on that trip to South America. You and Fitz make a right pair." She raises an eyebrow as she notices Simmons and gives a wave to her. "She seems to be favouring strong blows over tactical blows. I wonder who taught her."

When she was a trainee, she spent a lot of time learning to fight and hasn't stopped ever since - though now it's much harder to find mentors who teach her more than she knows. The school of life is her best learning grounds. She does teach from time to time though, for the right students."

Melinda May has posed:
May flips back as Sonja -- and she's *so* sure it's Sonja, now -- starts fighting with more abandon. She is not fool enough to go for the other woman's hair. First of all, she has long hair of her own. She *knows* that trick. Sure, hers is in a tight braid that's tucked up against her skull right now, but that doesn't change the fact she knows full well what leverage hair provides an opponent.

Especially a brawler like Sonja.

May, herself, tends only to resort to hair-pulling in far more confined spaces than what the training mats are. The mats provide no walls to bounce off of, no furniture to get in the way, no improvised weaponry. Hair-pulling works best when there's something to slam the face against.

Though a knee will do in a pinch.

No. May's fighting style is far more controlled and strategic than Sonja's. Besides, she's not supposed to be indulging in her own workout, here. She's supposed to be seeing how the trainee holds up under pressure. So, she starts coming at the taller woman obliquely, rather than straight on, moving to avoid more blows than she intercepts and starting to harry her like a cat rather than a bear.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol wanders by the Athletics section of the Triskelion passing by the glass walls of the Rec and Res and Sporting Courts.

It takes a moment but she comes back and looks through the glass wall towards the scene of the red head fighting May. "Wonder what this is." she murmurs to herself. "Intake Eval...?" head tilts. She taps the arm of her uniform bringing up a holodisplay as she walks towards the entrance and then into the area.

Purposefully angling up towards Bobbi and asides to her and Mikhail "Who is the new kid and is this an eval..." there is a critical squint. "Fast and strong but definitely not enough finesse .. I imagine we are about to see a lesson taught if nothing else." a wry tone there.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Agent Watson shifts and actually seems to show a bit of cunning on the defense once the oblique attacks start. She actually downshifts to be more defensive, snapping riposte strikes back when applicable, but she doesn't overcommit to any attack just yet.

Despite Sonja's reputation, she's actually fairly patient, willing to wait for an opening. And when there is one, she'll take advantage. Though May does get a look of respect at the fact that she doesn't fall for the hair trick, along with a wry grin.

She does, however, finally say something, "Damn, now I want to see how you handle a sword." There's definitely respect in her voice, her timbre different slightly than MJ, as Sonja is in the driver's seat right now for this.

Melinda May has posed:
"Some other time," May replies. Her voice sounds neutral, but she meets Sonja's eyes briefly enough to acknowledge the ancient warrior's respect and skill with respect of her own. Sure, MJ's a bit of a mess on her own, but May's fairly satisfied the kid won't buy the farm in a typical mission brouhaha. She's fought worse contenders, today.

Much worse.

She could probably wrap this fight anytime, now. But, hey. Nothing wrong with indulging in a bit of a workout with an able opponent.

Thus, what follows is a series of strikes, feints, kicks, and grapples that are paced to match the rhythm Sonja sets, gauging the redhead's committment and technique without compromising her own.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Sonja grins, "That's a date, then." She chuckles, ignoring MJ's comment about phrasing in her head as the redhead sounds like she's having fun with the back and forth. Both verbally and with the physical strikes as she takes the evaluation pretty seriously.

She's looking to win, but May is a formidable opponent. And Sonja honestly seems to be enjoying the evaluation way too much to let it end that soon, as she starts getting more acrobatic with it, a series of spinning kicks and punches thrown as she shifts to a more flamboyant style.

Which May might take advantage of, but well... Sonja and MJ might notice the audience. Showmanship might be a bit of a flaw with them...

Mikhail Uriokovitch has posed:
"Hurtful," Mikhail chuckles, "But da, perhaps warm weather training is needed." Jemma and Carol each get a nod, "Mary Jane Watson, good trainee." He notes and turns to the fight. Watching the two keep up the fight, causing Mik to nod in approval, "This is not fight I would like to be in. Though glad they are both on our side, da?"

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    The wave to Jemma is noticed...as Jemma returns it in kind to Bobbi. It does prompt Jemma to wander over towards her and what appears to be Mik...as it seems even more agents are gathering to watch. Oh...that doesn't seem to bode well for future evaluations. At least, that is what the thought is as Jemma walks over. What if she had to perform before a live audience, too?

    The thought gets pushed aside as the scientist turns to watch the melee. And, with a bit of interest, Jemma notices that it is Mary Jane. This would be most interesting, indeed. She manages to reach the captive audience, but she herself remains watching the pair spar. So...that is how it is done....

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi looks to Danvers and says, "I don't know much about her. As bearbear says, Mary Jane Watson. WAND recruited her I believe. Though, given the way she fights right now, I agree. I'm glad she's on our side." She hmms thoughtfully. She says to Jemma, "What brings you down to the gym at this time of day Simmons?"

From her thigh she takes out her tablet and unfolds it, opening up a screen to bring up the dossier on Mary Jane. She's curious who this red headed trainee is to Palamas. Whoever she is, she is showing some nice prowess. A condensed course on hand to hand combat would do her wonders.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol continues to watch the fight and narrows her eyes a little bit as she does. Evaluating.

"WAND hmm" there is a click of her tongue at the mention of that division and then she replies. "Must be something odd about her then, I can tell there is something going on with her but WAND doesn't recruit metahumans usually. Wonder what her deal is." and yes she could probably pull up the records too, but right now watching is more important. "Hey Simmons." not looking away from the fight yet, but it is a cheerful greetings.

Melinda May has posed:
The showmanship will very likely be the end of MJ's evaluation. Because it's about then, as the scent of popcorn drifts in from the corridor beyond the gym, that May decides this evaluation has become *way* too much of a spectator sport.

She suppresses a outward reaction to the attention -- which would warrant a soft snirk any other time -- and instead brings her body in, making her a small, quick target that can once again slip into the redhead's guard.

Like Sonja, she's fighting to win, but she's also fighting to win *quickly*. Show is over. She plants her hands on the mat and sends both feet flying toward Sonja's chest. Either she's going to toss the woman off the mat -- thereby ending the fight -- or she's going to subsequently tuck into a roll and get the hell outta the way of the counterstrike.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
The dossier for Mary Jane Watson is... interesting. Alias: Red Sonja. Recently graduated from high school. Currently enrolled in Julliard as a theater major, focus on acting. Also, has an ancient warrior maiden spirit from the Hyborean Age in her head, providing enhanced speed, strength, endurance, and combat skills.

But, for now, she gets hit straight on in the chest, genuinely surprised by the sudden drop and kick. And while she is impressively strong, momentum and physics are still things she is subject to as she flies off the mat, tumbling down. Then she belatedly slaps the floor three times, just to emphasize the loss. "Wish you were at my side in Shadizar, Agent May."

She picks herself up, absently drawing her hair back and tying it back into a ponytail with the scrunchie. She lowers her head respectfully towards May, as a superior fighting partner deserves.

Melinda May has posed:
May returns Sonja's nod with one of her own. "It was a good fight," she says -- a compliment that will doubtlessly set tongues wagging among the trainees and lower level agents. "I'm sure we'll have the chance to field test it soon enough."

Nevertheless, the field leader keeps an eye on MJ as she pulls back her hair into that scrunchie and, presumably, lets her younger personality take over the driver's seat once more. Looking vaguely satisfied, May crosses to where she tossed her towel and picks it up, mopping her face and neck due to true exertion, this time. Flipping it over one shoulder, then then moves to pick up her tablet and check both the time and the schedule.

Oh, good. Done for the day.

Turning around to arch a brow at the gathered crowd, she resists rolling her eyes in favour of making a few quick notes about Sonja on MJ's evaluation file.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    "Hello, Agent Danvers." The reply is almost automatic in nature...and with all of Jemma's usual charm. And followed with greetings to Agent Uriokovitch and Agent Morse. But...it is to Bobbi that Jemma offers more information. "I was told I was working too hard and to get out more." It is not mentioned who exactly told Jemma this, but Bobbi could make a guess. "As I was walking, I heard the sparring and thought I would check."

    Of course, Jemma isn't going to mention that she was studying. Because of course she was. The way that Jemma was watching....it was certainly more of an analytical observation than casual. "I thought it would be interesting to remain. I hope I was not intruding."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane smiles towards May, nodding again, "Yes, ma'am!" A complement, from /May/? MJ can barely believe it as she turns around, then blinks a bit, and... well, okay, there weren't that many people there before!

She smiles a little sheepishly and runs right over towards Jemma, since she recognizes her at least, "Hey, how long have you sitting there? And well, if you're working too hard, I can score you some tickets for A Comedy of Errors? We're still doing Shakespeare in the Park. Hoping no riots this time."

Carol Danvers has posed:
"Where is Shadizar." she pauses and lifts her wrist and then asks her suits computer. "Shadizar, locate?" then squints as nothing at all useful is actually displayed. She looks thoughtfully to Bobbi there. "Any clues in her dossier?"

She glances to Simmons. "Evals and sparring in the gym are not private.. I suppose if they wanted private they could get one of the handball courts and blackout the glass." she assumes those things have black out functionality after all. To Carol it is such basic technology.. right...

When Mary Jane runs over to Jemma. "Agent Watson I gather, where is Shadizar?" curious tone from Captain Marvel.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi shuts her tablet and hmms thoughtfully. "You might have to search the history books for that, though I don't think you'll find much written that you wouldn't find out more of from the Trainee herself," she says to Carol in spy speak, the nice way of saying 'classified'.

"Simmons, you, working too much? Never!," she says with a mighty powerful smirk. To Mikhail she says, "There is always the jungle training mission. It's 4 months you'll never regret and come back filled with tropical survival skills. I highly recommend it. For some strange reason Agent Johnson gave it a hard pass though."

What struck her the most was the change from MJ to Red Sonja. If she has to pull that change off any time she's in danger, that's time she's at serious risk. Still, she likes what she saw in the trainee and May was right to compliment her. Positive reinforcement.

Mikhail Uriokovitch has posed:
"Hmm, that sounds like it would result in large order of regret," Mikhail notes to Bobbi, "There is reason not many brown bears live in jungle. That is four months out of field and somewhere where certain people likely would look for me while I am more exposed."" A nod, though he is pleased with the sparring match and gives May and Mary Jane a nod of approval.

"Well done!" Mik says to Mary Jane as she joins the observers, "You did well, da." He takes a moment to stretch and crack his neck.

Melinda May has posed:
Finishing her notes, May puts her tablet to sleep and moves over to where she has a lightweight workout bag. She tosses the towel and the tablet in it, before zipping it up and slinging it over her shoulder.

Her notes, in fact, reflect Bobbi's assessment, though they also include the observation that Sonja's recovery times are quick enough the window of opportunity to shut her down is very small. That said, she does think MJ would be a more effective agent if she were able to more reliably balance Sonja's control with her own. After all... MJ's the one that understands the modern vernacular. But, that observation is entirely tempered by the reality that, more than many other agents, MJ is still just a *kid*.

Sonja's not. But her descendant certainly is.

The field leader wanders casually over to where Bobbi and Carol stand with the others, one brow cocking faintly.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
MJ blinks as whoa, that's Carol Danvers! Captain Marvel! Wow! "Um, yes, wow, Agent Watson ma'am, yes." She blushes, then coughs a bit and pulls herself together. "Shadizar was a city-state from the old Hyborean Age, ma'am. It's been gone for about ten thousand years or so, at least." Though, now the question is why exactly she referred to /that/.

She then smiles over at Mik, "Thanks, Director Palamas wanted me to make sure to get my evaluation done right away, so..." She cricks her neck a bit, still looking a bit starstruck by Captain Marvel.

Talking to HER. Wow.

Like, seriously. Wow.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
    A smile is given to Mary Jane. "Oh, not long." The scientist offers a smile to the redhead. "I only came in a minute or two ago at the latest. I had thought I recognized your voice as I was walking past." Which is certainly true. "I thought it was best to duck in and see how you were doing."

    Laughing lightly, Jemma turns her attention to Bobbi. "Oh, you and I both know better than that, Bobbi." Oh...falling to first name basis. A sign of familiarity. "But yes. A certain Furiae told me to get out more." No guesses needed as to who that could have been.

    And...speaking of getting out. "I would love to see your production, Mary Jane. I do regret not being able to witness the play last time. But, well, you know....rioters do tend to spoil Shakespeare. I certainly hope that our luck shifts to good in time for the next showtime."

Carol Danvers has posed:
Captain Marvel... aka Agent Danvers is startlingly use to this reaction. She honestly wonders if this is what Superman has to deal with as well or if he manages to not be caught by people as much. Secret identities are probably useful like that. "10,000+ years ago... well that is a thing and helps me understand why WAND has an interest certainly." she shakes her head lightly.

She looks to May and that cocked eyebrow and offers her a smile. "Hello Agent May, it is always a pleasure to watch you work." she lays it on a little thick.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
To that eyebrow Bobbi nods back to May, "A lot of promise." That's her short assessment. She gathers up her mockingbird flight suit bundle under one arm and then smiles. "You should train her."

Melinda May has posed:
"Or you could," May counters Bobbi, a faint cant to her head and twitch to her lips. She actually agrees with her, however. "But, yes. She's worthy of the investment." There are few trainees she's willing to mentor personally. Most of them get a beat down every couple of weeks as part of the regular training rotation, but that's about it. "Her alterego might even teach me a thing or two." Though she's not sure about that. Still, even an equally skilled oponent can be an education.

She adjusts the bag on her shoulder and gives Carol a nod as well. "Captain," she responds. "Good to see you."