4249/Red Queen Gambit

Red Queen Gambit
Date of Scene:	29 November 2020
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	Peter Parker indulges in a little spy(der)craft while getting his butt handed to him in chess by a Vision.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Vivian Vision, Phil Coulson, Jessica Drew

---

Peter Parker has posed:
You can find ANYTHING in New York City. Shawarma at 2 AM. A pickup game in the Financial District. A chess table at any park.

But for a place where you can play indoors during a cold day and someone can provide the table AND the pieces, you go to the Chess and Checkers House in Central Park. Located near the center of the park, there are 24 tables for those interested in the "game of kings and queens." Most are inside, but some are outside, and are covered from the snow, if not the wind. Right now, it is a relatively-balmy 51 degree with very little wind, so most are inside.

However, Peter Parker is outside, resting his legs a bit. He had to chase down a rather slippery attorney to get some answers on a court case...ON THE GROUND. It would look bad for Spider-Man to be chasing an ambulance-chaser. Considering he ran nearly 20 blocks, even his legs feel a bit tired. So right now, he is sitting in one of the benches in front of an empty chess table, checking his tablet.

A helpful staff member comes out with a plastic box, resting it on the table, and walks off before the distracted shuttebug notices. So, suddenly, there is a box of chess pieces on the table in front of him. He eyes them, then shrugs. He can always return them when he gets up again...

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian is something of a regular feature at the Chess and Checkers House. A holographic disguise makes her seem like a typical teenage girl, albeit with dyed green hair and a frankly absurd ability to play speed chess. Her skin looks caucasian rather than red while her eyes seem blue rather than golden. Her outfit is a little weird, yellow cargo pants and a green t-shirt, although it's New York. Weird isn't the exception...

"Excuse me," she asks earnestly. "But are you perhaps interested in a game? It seems my current opponents have had enough of me today." And sure enough there are a few regulars of various ages. Each of which look as if they're unsure quite what just happened to them and will need some time before they sit down for another game.

Phil Coulson has posed:
Having met someone for a game of chess as well, Phil Coulson makes his way out from inside the building, looking asround rather carefully for a few moments. Moving fgor one of the closest tables to where Peter and Vician is, taking a seat as he looks through a notebook very briefly.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks up at the girl, then looks over at the others. Nope, none of them look particularly victorious.

Well, he had some time to kill and it would be good to distract him.
"Well, sure...okay." He tapped the tablet and the screen went dark. He opened the box, then took out one pawn of each color, brought them behind his back, then brought out his hands as closed fists, holding them out towards Vivian.

"Pick. Name's Peter, by the way."

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision nods and sits down. "Vivian, it's a pleasure to meet you Peter." She pauses, then adds "I am happy to pick black.. No need to make the choice random. Oh and I tend to play quite quickly but do not feel you have to keep up." She shrugs. "But if you are insisting then left."

It's possible, although not certain, that Phil might have seen her image before. Her Great Aunt Nadia is a consultant and she's listed in the files of at least three of the Avengers. Although in those images her likeness is a lot more... synthetic.

Phil Coulson has posed:
Phil Coulson smiles as he listens to the two. "I hope you don't mind me watching your game," he offers, as he studies both of the players a bit thoughtfully for a few moments. "After all, in addition to playing myself, I usually enjoy watching others play. There's a lot to learn from that as well." He might have seen some of those images, but he doesn't immediately seem to recognize her for now.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter shrugs, opening the left one to reveal the black pawn. "Your call, either way."
He places the pawns, then places the other white pieces while placing the box in reach for Vivian to get the black pieces. "I play every now and then. I don't know defenses or variations or gambits..."
He kinda does, just not in chess.
"...so if you're pretty good, you're going to clean my clock, anyway, but let's play for a quarter." He places a quarter next to the chessboard.

Vivian Vision has posed:
"I... do not actually carry coins," Vivian admits awkwardly as she sets up the black pieces. Her hands moving methodically, rapidly and accurately even though she isn't looking down at the pieces. "If you are fortunate enough to win I can make a contactless payment and acquire you a beverage. If that is an acceptable alternate stake?"

"I do not wish to boast, but I am no longer able to find opponents at my school chess club." Of course it's hard to say if her school chess club are actually good at chess! "And I spend quite a bit of my spare time playing online." At least a dozen virtual instances of her mind are playing online right now! The wonders of being your own wifi hotspot. She gives Phil a polite nod. "I don't mind people watching. I.. am used to frequently drawing a crowd here."

Phil Coulson has posed:
Phil Coulson smiles, nodding as he looks between the two of them. "Thank you. I'm Phil, by the way," he offers after a few brief moemnts of pause. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. And you must be a quite skilled chess player, then," he offers to Vivian.

Peter Parker has posed:
Welp, he was going to be out a quarter. Oh, well.

He pondered the board. The old Spider-Sense wasn't going to help him here - a threat to game pieces didn't count as an imminent threat, or even a potential one.
He hmmed, then pushed his pawn forward two squares.
"Playing online, eh? Do you hold a particular rank?"

Vivian Vision has posed:
"Depends on which country I am playing in. I have various accounts across timezones," Vivian replies casually. She takes her turn extremely quickly. No thinking time here. Anyone with a good knowledge of chess will pick up that she's going for Petrov's Defence. "I keep odd hours you see."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Phil. I trust you are having a good day?" The side conversation doesn't seem to impact her game either. "I am certainly above average. I've met at least one opponent capable of beating me. But I have not been able to schedule any games with them since. I think I'd do well in a rematch though."

Phil Coulson has posed:
Phil Coulson raises an eyebrow briefly as he watches the quick turns, before he smiles, nodding. "So far, it has been a rather good day, thank you," he replies. "There is something about coming here and playing a few games that makes most days far better," he offers.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods, looking at it.
He's familiar with chess, the moves and the attacks. Let's see...
It's a law of statistical probability. Certain moves are taken by more people than others. He rests his finger on his pawn (83 percent mate in 8) then to another pawn (67 percent mate in 7)...

And then he moves his bishop (5 percent...mate in 24).

Vivian Vision has posed:
It's eerie watching Vivian play. No sooner has Peter made his move she's making the most aggressive counter move. "A bold move," she comments. Fully aware of the statistics involved. "I like playing face to face more than online. I've been told it's a good way to learn to understand people. The approach they take can often give away things about their character."

If the statement is in any way accurate it'd suggest she's methodical, wary of tricks and more than a little ruthless.

"It's quite a trek for me to get here though. My boarding school is a ferry ride away. So I'm limited to visiting on the weekends when I am not visiting family." Or in space or fighting evil Russian spies. Typical New York stuff.

Phil Coulson has posed:
As he watches the game, Coulson's attention goes from one person to the other. "It gives some good insights into people," he agrees, looking from one to the other. "A ferry ride away? Which school might that be, if I may ask?" he asks, a bit thoughtfully.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods, looking at the board after Vivian's move. Well, she closed off that avenue, and booby-trapped it to boot.
Okayyyy...where else...
Peter played another pawn (mate in 20), playing for time. Too many variations.
"I tend to come here to study. I and closing in on the end of my first freshman term at Empire State University."

Vivian Vision has posed:
"It's called Happy Harbor," Vivian says with a glance at Phil. "It's quite a boring place. Very little ever happens there." If you can call a school that was initially funded by Tony Stark. "So you may not have heard of it." Or which has had a SHIELD Agent teaching IT.

"May I ask what you are studying?" she wonders, looking back at Peter. "I assume it's something fairly taxing. You're picking some fairly well considered moves." She frowns. "Do you play for the College chess club?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Tracing Spidey, even someone with the abilities she has, can take time. The man can move. Not that Jessica isn't able to move either. They both can swing on and off the dance floor. The dark haired woman smiles to herself about that. She must ask Peter if he can dance.

Pushing open the doors, she stands to look over the sea of heads bowed over boards. No one looks up at her and that suits her fine. Now, will she be able to find him if he is out of 'uniform'? Will he recognize her out of hers? The dark-haired woman dressed in jeans, boots and a tweed jacket sets out to find her quarry.

Phil Coulson has posed:
Is there a very brief pause as he hears the name of the school? If so, it's only for a few seconds before Coulson nods a bit. "Actually, I have heard of it," he replies to Vivian, before he looks to their chess board again, studying it briefly.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks at the board.
No. No. No. No. HELL no. No...Okay.
He slides a rook four spaces, both safe and in position to invade.
"Well...Biology..." Advanced Bio 203. "...Chemistry..." Biochem 201. "...Physics..." Quantum Mechanics. "..a Comp Sci course..." Man/Machine Interfacing 106. "...and a couple of electives to round things out." Forensic Science and Criminal Law 101.

"...you know, the usual freshman stuff."

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision nods. "A lot of my family are involved in the sciences," she informs. "My.. ah.. Grandfather is a physicist. My Great Aunt is also in the process of establishing a non-profit promoting STEM fields for female scientists. It certainly explains why you are picking the moves you are. Logical and well thought out."

She plays her move in another blink. It's almost as if she's using her playing speed as a weapon. "I can't imagine what would bring anyone out to my school." Well aside from all the super powered kids. "I did hear that our town bank was the most secure of it's kind in the country though."

Given the Parker Luck it might be easier for Jessica to find Peter than she initially thinks. Just look for the person playing against the AI in disguise! While Vivians holographic disguise may make her seem like a typical teenage girl it can't hide the synthezoid plastic smell from an acute nose. Nor can it mask her unnatural heartbeat or generally infrequent breathing.

Jessica Drew has posed:
He has always been so careful but his uniform can't hide his body type or the fact that he is young. Younger than she is, certainly. Hands in her pockets, she strolls the first aisle looking for a lean man, not much taller than she is. In her mind's eye, he is brown-haired and brown-eyed though she has nothing to base that on. Funny the images that one can have of what the person is like under a disguise. She rather thinks he is handsome, too, or, well, not cinema material but nice to look at. Why she can't imagine.

This criteria automatically eliminates a good portion of the room. A lot of the players are grey and over thirty. Women are scattered through the crowd though there are less of them. It doesn't rule out he is playing a woman. Trying not to be obvious, she extends her senses hearing forty heartbeats beat their tattoo. Most of them are fairly sedate, there is a murmur that might need looking after. She stops to listen to someone who is obviously excited about their game. Down the next aisle, she goes...

Phil Coulson has posed:
"I have seen a few other players use their playing speed as a weapon before," Coulson remarks as he watches the game being played. He nods a bit as he continues watching, nodding a bit as he hears more about the school. "At least it gives you a good chance to learn?" He is unable to hold back a grin as he hears Peter list off his classes. "That does sound quite interesting after all. Is there any particular career you're aiming for?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter smiles slightly. "Actually, I'm working on a doctorate in Neuroscience. It's going to be a long road, I'm sure. I'm lucky enough to have a job...heyyyy, now..."

He moves another pawn forward. Not advantageous, but not blindly moving into harm's way, either.
She can still checkmate him, but the number of moves has grown to 25, even with the moves already made. Could he be trying to hustle her with that earnest face and the embarrassed smile?

Vivian Vision has posed:
Alas for Peter a synthezoid cares not for earnest faces and embarrassed smiles. Vivian plays with the same brutal efficiency no matter what her opponent looks like. It'd be rude to hold back after all! Even if she's playing a little old lady or a beginner with eyes full of hope there is no mercy. Almost as if she doesn't quite get that people might find their enthusiasm killed by such things.

Even her most aggresive plays have fallbacks. So she can turn temporary defeats into long term gains. "I suppose next year I will have to start thinking about college," she muses, glancing to Phil again she adds "The one person to beat me played even faster. You would have sworn he had super powers. It was quite something to behold."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Head swiveling, a mild, pleasant expression on her face, Jessica emanates 'don't mind me, just looking for a friend', which is true. She stops dead when three things happen nearly simultaneously: she sees Phil Coulson which, surprisingly, makes her heart skip a beat, hears someone with a mechanical heart or what she imagines to be one, right in his vicinity and smells, she's not sure. It's synthetic, for sure, not that that is unusual in this day and age. It's odd, though.

Rather than talk over the head of two players or disturb them she walks to the end of the aisle following the now intriguing trail of auditory and olfactory evidence right to Coulson. As she does that, she thumbs the locator for the Spider's Aug/reality rig. Bingo. Really???

Phil Coulson has posed:
"An interesting career choice," Coulson replies at Peter's words, before he nods to Vivian, raising an eyebrow briefly. "Even faster? How long have you been playing?" he asks, before he adds, "And as for the thinking about college, what is it you would like to do later in life?" He pauses for a few moments at Jessica's arrival, offering her a nod.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter, unaware he is completely destroying his co-heroine's image of Spider-Man, is studying the board.

JEEZ. She's GOOD. He's not seeing anything he can do without getting leveled in short order.

"Well, ESU has a very good Science department. Dr. Connors is one of the top minds when it comes to genetics. But I know Happy Harbor is very well-equipped."
He ought to know...he had a little game of cat-and-mouse with Miss de Costa while spying out the place.
"Then, of course, there are plenty of other more prestigious universities, but they are all out-of-state."

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision hrms. "I started playing earlier this year," she says to Phil. "So around six or seven months. The player in question was at my school." This probably explains a lot for Phil. Happy Harbor has some weird students. "I haven't really considered later life. I thought I might enjoy being in the school play though. Past that though..." A shrug. "I guess I will do some software engineering. It's a hobby and easy enough to earn a living with."

"ESU is a very respectable college." She glances at Jessica and gives a silent greeting nod. Acknowledging another spectator. "And you are doing much better than anyone else I have played today." It is perhaps not very comforting.

"I do not think I will leave the state for college either. It's hard enough visiting New Jersey to see my extended family as it is."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Bingo. Huh?

The surprise leaves Jessica speechless. Apropos for a chess club where talking is kept at a minimum or so she thought. This group seems to be having a lively enough chat.

Internalizing the frown while she puzzles out what to do, Jessica returns the nods. There are protocols for this sort of thing. Unaware of Coulson being on a case or out with friends, she leaves using a name to him. Does Parker know that Coulson is who Coulson is? He know about her being in SHIELD. Or does he?

The good news is that the Rig works. The green arrow doinks away over the young man's head. He doesn't look quite like she imagined but she gives herself kudos for the brown hair and brown eyes.

Lifting a hand she finger toodles Parker and gives him a nearly imperceptible shrug.

Phil Coulson has posed:
"That is quite impressive," Coulson replies to Vivian, nodding a bit as he hears the part about the other players being at her school. "I see." He nods as he listens to the talk for now, watching the board rather thoughtfully for a few moments longer.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks up.

Hooooo BOY. That's...uhm...wow.
Keep it together, Peter Benjamin Parker.

He looked down at the chessboard, and spotted an opportunity. He moved the rook out of safety and into harm's way. It was a gamble. If she went for it, he'd nab her queen with his knight. If she didn't, he could move the rook into attack position on her bishop with no way out.
The question is, will she go for it?

It's easy to tell Peter doesn't seem to have any idea who Phil is. No looks from her to him or vice-versa, not even the slightest of micro-emotes. Apart from her, he doesn't think anyone else here is connected to anyone in SHIELD.

"Okay...oh! I was saying, my job as a lab tech pays for my tuition and books, but for living expenses, I have to freelance. I take pictures for the DAILY BUGLE."

The one whose editor starts foaming at the mouth at the mention of Spider-Man.

Vivian Vision has posed:
When Vivian makes her move a moment later it's an innocent enough move, especially while he's distracted by his female vistor, leaving the bishop exposed to Peters attack. "I find I have a lot of free time," she explains. "Boarding schools on islands do not exactly make for thrilling social lives." Of course it could be that the bishop is itself a trap...

"The Daily Bugle? The newspaper which is most commonly known for it's outspoken chief editor?" Idly a portion of her mind reads every Daily Bugle article available online. "I hope it's a rewarding profession."

Jessica Drew has posed:
The game is interesting. So idling to watch it doesn't feel nearly as awkward as it might. Parker seems to be holding his own. The young woman is just plain fast.

Trying to put this unlikely group together and what their relationships are, is fascinating. Jessica sniffs very discreetly and as discreetly clears her throat. If Coulson is not here for the young chess ace, she will take him aside because there is something very different about her. Respecting Parker's need for guarding his cover, she will, unless SHIELD demands it, not out him. At least, not without asking. They had made a pact.

Oddly, she is learning more about the mysterious Spidey than he has ever revealed to her. Jessica purses her mouth in a satisfied smile and puts one hand in her pocket to thumb off the Rig.

Phil Coulson has posed:
Phil Coulson nods a little as he watches. "I can imagine," he replies to the part about boarding schools on islands, before he looks to Jessica again now. "Do you find chess a fascinating game as well?" he asks, along with a brief smile.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter straightens a little. "Well, apart from his personal feelings about...someone, he's pretty good at his job. The last time they had to print a retraction was eight years ago. He is a staunch supporter of mutant rights. One guy was caught falsifying an article and not only was the guy fired, but prosecuted for slander."

He suddenly realized she had needed a firmware update for Spider-Comm. He smiled as he fished the memory card out of a pocket, then pulled something from his backpack. "Okay."

He dropped a quarter out of his pocket, then moved in his rook for the kill, taking Vivian's bishop before looking to Jessica. "Can you get that for me, please? Subway costs money."

Vivian Vision has posed:
"That does sound unusual. Most companies do not like to accept when they are in the wrong for legal reasons," Vivian notes, giving a nod of approval. "Let alone take action to ensure someone guilty of such a crime is actively punished." Not that legal action is always a good thing when you view the data. "I am unsure how often newspapers print retractions. Is eight years infrequent?"

She immediately makes a response move. The bishop does seem to have been a trap. At some point Viv seems to have shifted out from a more traditional chess strategy into something that's either very obscure or new enough to be infrequently used.

"I always assumed college students got subway passes. That would seem sensible to ensure they do not need cars while in student accomodation.."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Really?

After getting used to the face below the mask, Jessica realizes two things. She rather likes the guy and he might be equally surprised by her face. She is far from glam today, low key makeup accentuating her large green eyes, shining hair simply parted, falling to her shoulders. Does she even look like he imagined?

Bending to retrieve the quarter which doesn't feel like a quarter, she gets the ruse. Smart man. Very smart man. There is no reason to be surprised and it puts another tic in the column of why she likes this spider. After extracting the software update chip, which she drops in her pocket, she puts the quarter on the table next to Parker, "There you go. Every quarter counts these days." Without a trace of irony.

Phil Coulson has posed:
Phil Coulson raises an eyebrow as he sees the quarter fall, but whatever he might have been about to say or do is interrupted by a sound from his phone. Taking it up to check it, he sighs. "I fear I will have to leave. It was quite nice to meet you, and watch the game. Have a nice day." Getting to his feet, he nods to them all before he moves to depart, calling a number on the phone as he leaves.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter takes the quarter back, nodding in thanks...then stares as Vivian makes her move. Where had THAT rook come from? He got the bishop but his rook is now penned in, and everywhere he moves it will get it captured.

Peter smiles sheepishly. "I don't live on campus. Forest Hills, in Queens. I'm...kinda the breadwinner of the family. My aunt's too old to work, and my uncle's pension doesn't cover much. So I can't live on campus...or go out-of-state. My aunt would be on the street in three months."

He gazes at the board. Maybe he can...
He tentatively pushes one of his pawns forward. If she takes the rook, maybe he can get this pawn to block hers...

"The BUGLE is in the business of conveying the news...and most importantly, the truth. And most other papers are lucky to make it eight MONTHS without a retraction being necessary. JJJ would rather be late and right than first and wrong."

Vivian Vision has posed:
It's a very slick exchange. Although perhaps not one intended to deceive an AI with 80x magnification on her optical senses and the ability to review everything frame by frame. Still if two consenting adults wish to exchange information discreetly who is she to judge? Statistically speaking it's far more likely to be an affair or a journalists source dropping off information than espionage or anything criminal.

"Have a nice day too Phil," Vivian offers as he gets up to leave. "It sounds like you live a very busy life Peter. Which means you probably spend a lot less time playing than I have." She makes her move. Another innocent little shift and suddenly she's threatening checkmate. "You could probably do extremely well on the college team. If you had the time. I certainly do not find my games take this long often!" It's subtle, but she seems genuinely pleased to have been challenged. "I am aware the news can be.. unkind. One of my relatives was falsely accused of kidnapping his own daughter earlier this year. He was released but it took quite a lot of legal pressure to make them apologise."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica asks herself if she passed into an alternate universe when she came through the doors of the club. Phil Coulson sitting next to Spider-man (notice the hypen) and a being who she is increasingly convinced is not completely human. But Phil is called away. She makes no sign to him, knowing that she will likely hear about it when she is back to the 'office' or before.

That is one sign of a weird reality, the other is hearing Spidey talk about his aunt, his job and his schoolwork like an above-average albeit normal human being. He is far from normal having worked next to him several times.

"Nice game! Thanks for letting me watch," she nods to them both, memorizing the face of the young woman. And, let's be frank, Spider-man's face, too. It rather made her day. Walking away, she smiles to herself.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter's smile freezes.

Holy cow, she mousetrapped him. She had opened the door to the spiked pit and he strolled through it.

After a few minutes, he sighs and knocks over his king.

Probably the only time he would give up on anything.
"I know when I'm licked." He smiles sadly, then extends his hand to Vivian. "Good game, Vivian."

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision nods to Jessica and reaches across to shake Peters hand. It's an oddly firm handshake. Also a little on the cool side and with an odd texture. But she doesn't shake hands for long. "I had fun," she replies with a smile. "Good game. Unfortunately I think I should set off to catch the ferry so I can get back to Happy Harbor. They tend to frown upon boarding school students arriving late for morning classes."