SHIELD Stuff

July 30, 2015:

NYC

The triskelion

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

The Triskelion sports a number of training facilities, dedicated to the upkeep of SHIELD's most important assets: it's people. One in particular is smaller, more secluded, and often the place where agents with a more specialized focus go, in order to avoid the proverbial masses.

Leopold Fitz is in one of these facilities, having been released from medical after barely passing his psychiatric evaluation. There's a very real chance that he'll end up going back for a round two, for in spite of the bandage wrapped around his upper arm, he's in there, dressed in shorts and a tank top, bashing away at a punching bag.

Fitz is far from a fighter. He has field certification, which means he's passed all of the rudimentary exercises, but he hasn't come here to maintain his unimpressive physique. The expression upon his face can best be described as a fiery intensity, something most of his friends have, quite frankly, never seen.

"You might want to turn a little bit inward at the end of each punch," Steve says quietly. "Your power comes from the hips." Cap sets his white towel down on a bench and begins to stretch before he walks up to a bag.

One-Two. One-Two. One-Two. Natasha struck the punching bag near Fitz rapidly with a series of precise blows, no anger or rage in her shots; just power and precision as she watched the young man out of the corner of her eye.

She recognized the intensity that Fitz was practicing with, she had seen it many times on others; unfortunately she didn't know him well enough to know this was not a normal thing.

Finishing her rotation just as Captain America arrives, she steadies the bag and affords a rare smile for Steve as she teases him, "Hey Steve. Did they put you on training duty?"

+MEET: Rain has arrived via +meet.

One of the reasons Logan is probably still a Contract Agent is that he'd never pass a psychological test, at least not without some serious fudging. Either that, or Fury's never gotten around to making him an official member of the team. The latter is probably the more accurate of the two.

But today he's making use of the facilities. He may be a mutant, but he still has to keep in shape. And it's been a bit quiet of late. He only saved the world once last week. He really hates the slow season.

Dressed in an official S.H.I.E.L.D. training outfit, which consists of a charcoal grey t-shirt, and what looks like track suit bottoms, oh, and a pair of runners over his feet. At least he was wearing the shoes. Looks like he took them off near the mat he's standing on, as he wrestles with a guy who looks like he'd make a good stand in for the Incredible Hulk. Still, size isn't everything. Logan's just pinned the behemoth for the third time in succession.

GAME: Leopold Fitz has set the pose order to Fitz - Cap - Widow - Logan —-

The agent known as Flash Thompson arrives not too terribly long after, walking into the large training hall and shouldering open the double doors. He holds the way for a few other agents who are making their way into the place to do their appointed PT, and once they've stepped in he lets the large doors swing shut behind them.
Dressed just in the SHIELD required grey sweats and gym bag in hand, Thompson doesn't really cut an intimidating figure as a bunch of the other folks who frequent these halls. Sure he's got the boy next door good looks and an amiable manner, but at a glance in such a crowd he doesn't really stand out.
A few strides takes him across the way, past the training mats, past the weight machines, towards the bank of punching bags and their users. He draws up short some ten feet from Agent Romanov and clears his throat. "Thompson reporting, ma'am."

GAME: Leopold Fitz has set the pose order to Fitz - Cap - Widow - Logan - Venom -

While May is usually a regular in gym environments like this one, it's entirely possible that the willowy young woman she's escorting is not. She seems entirely unsurprised to see others here, but has never really been the sort to just yell out a hello to everyone. So, why are they here?

"Being able to shift form is handy, but there are going to be times when you won't get the chance, or doing so will put others in more danger." Like, say, if you're trapped in an elevator with everyone here. "I want to see how well you manage as you are now." She then gestures toward a still-vacant space on the training mats.

There are benches along the walls, and personal effects (and cats) can be left there in the meantime.

GAME: Leopold Fitz has set the pose order to Fitz - Cap - Widow - Logan - Venom - May - Rain

Rain would pass a psych exam. She's pretty even keeled, if a bit cowardly and dealing with an inferiority complex that could clear New York Traffic. But that's life when your family is full of Tarot-esque witches with a Darwinian bent. At least one relative already tried to reenact Evil Dead in Rain's neighborhood. But that is not what's happening today. And she is definitely an irregularity in this sort of place.

"… well, I usually set their pants on fire," Rain admits quietly. Captain is dressed in a more formal suit than his trench coat. Work clothing and all. "Um. So I -" She looks to the mat. Brave, brave sir Rain-bin.

Startled, Leo flinches at Steve's words. He casts a brief glance toward him - how long had Cap been here? Fitz has been pretty well absorbed.

"Like this?" He turns, perhaps a bit too much, and lays into the bag with his good arm. Its an extremely more effective punch, so much so that he's forced to raise his wounded arm to bounce the bag back, which draws a wince.

Fortunately, Doctor Galbraith's pain meds take the brunt of it, and the engineer resumes his pace. "Got your new shield contraption ready for a field trial," he remarks in a manner that's almost offhand toward Steve. He's… not usually so blunt. It's also hard to tell if he's noticed anyone else here, save, of course, for Natasha. A hesitant glance is given to her, before he lays into the punching bag for another round.

Steve purses his lips and nods in the universal sign for 'not bad' as he watches Fitz lay into the bag. "You'll get the hang of it, kid." Steve is about to begin punching the bag, when Natasha ribs him casually. "Well, my favorite gym in Brooklyn closed down, so I have to come all the way over here to get a work out in. I'm not sure people want to sit through one of my training sessions."

When Natasha notices Fitz give her a hesitant glance, she winked at him before picking up a bottle of water and taking a long drink of some refreshing H20, "Have you asked Agent Fitz? I'm sure he would say yes."

"Thompson. On time as expected." She gave the man a once over before heading to a pair of training mats about ten feet away, "Let's see what new tricks you've learned."

Logan pins the big guy two more times, before Logan helps him up with an offered hand, "thanks fer the workout, Carl." The other man reaches for his neck, feeling a pinch there, and that makes his arm ache, as he probably pulled something while wrestling with the Wolverine. He tries to laugh it off, "yeah, no problem… I think I'm going to head to medical now."

Smirking, Logan asks, "how come you say that every time we spar?" Carl shrugs, "I dunno, maybe it's the way you manage to kick my ass." Logan would have responded, and did hear it, but he's already redirected his attention to Melinda and Rain who are setting up on an adjacent mat. He greets "Melinda" by name, and shortly thereafter, adds " Moontree," based on a badge he caught a glimpse of.

"Roger that," Agent Venom responds as he drops his gym bag beside the mats, starting to walk along after the Widow with an easy step. He reaches across his chest, stretching out a bit before he sets foot onto the padded surface and steps out of his sneakers. Feet crunching the fabric as he moves, then he says after her, "Same rules as before, ma'am?"

Fitz may be angsting over his recent experience, but a compliment from anyone is bound to cut through, especially one from someone he respects so much. The intensity breaks for a moment, and Steve receives a lopsided grin. "Thanks."

Finally stepping away from the bag, he just stares at Natasha for a moment. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it again, and finally takes stock of the room and how it's changed since he came in. Namely, its occupants.

"Maybe," Steve says in response to Natasha, before finally beginning a workout of his own. Rather than work on power, the blonde haired former Avenger seems to be focusing on speed, picking up the pace rapidly on the bag.

Melinda May nods to Logan as he approaches, then looks to Rain to see if she needs to warm up or anything. (Hint: she does.) "Rain, this is Logan. He's agreed to help, so please don't turn him into a lizard or set his trousers on fire." Note: She said nothing about going polar bear at him, though that is not the point of this exercise.

May notices Fitz looking around and offers him a silent nod in greeting. She's already noted everyone else and isn't going to disrupt their own routines.

"Surprise me. Part of combat is the unexpected." Natasha stretched gracefully for a few moments before setting herself up in a loose combat stance; resembling the readiness stance used by Spetznas Commandoes.

She wondered what Fitz was going to say. Maybe she would find out one day.

Rain is not really so much proud of her name. Not really. Winter Silverwolf Moontree is not a name that screams of glory or … not being hung by her underwear. So when someone like Logan addresses her, it's hard not to freeze for a moment. Oh. Right. The violet-eyed witch smiles politely and waves. "Hello there, Mister…" Wait, who is that? Does he have a badge? Captain is jogging along behind. "Hey," He responds, with an easy sort of manner. He is a cat. With a rich, baritone voice tinged by a Gotham accent. He owns the world, why worry? He has a human to open cans and he's not been thrown at stuff recently. "I turn them into newts." Pause. "They always get better…" There's just ONE FLAW with her plan. "It's really hard to explain to the cops," So hard. "And I see. Thank you. Nice to meet you." Wait, what? She blinks owlishly. "I um. I'll stretch." She has a glorious pale engineer's tan. "And then… do … fighty stuff." THE FIERCEST COMBATANT.

To Bizarro, maybe.

"I hate surprises," Once Black Widow gives Flash the all clear and establishes the ground rules, he doesn't hesitate to set to. His own stance mirrors her own partially, though his arms are up a touch higher and his hips turned just so. It's akin to Krav Maga and Sambo in stance, but at the start of things he seems at ease to let the elder agent set the pace.
On their mat he steps in and they throw a few gauging jabs, some casual pushes and grabs, shifting of feet and position as they each jockey for an edge. Their movements are clean, well-practised, no flurry of crazed activity but the easy rhythm of two fighters who've tested each other in the past and are relatively familiar.
"See, I like to wake up each morning and know exactly how my day is gonna go."

"Agent May, hello," says Fitz in passing. He claims an empty seat near the edge of the room, taking a few moments to busy himself with a bottle of water for hydration, a towel for sweat management, and finally, a few moments to inspect the bandage. It's not his first bullet wound; probably won't be his last, either.

"So what happened?" Steve says in between punches of the bag. The question is for Fitz, who he hasn't seen in quite a while, truth be told. All the while, he doesn't seem to slow down; clearly a product of the super soldier serum.

"We're going to start with the basics," May tells Rain. And this isn't self-defense basics. This is how to throw a punch so an average opponent will end up on his rear and the person throwing the punch won't break their hand in the attempt. "You've got the advantage of reach, time you learned to use it." She's not trying to be flattering here, either. The young witch has a good five inches of height on May, even if their respective bearings might belie that fact.

Nodding to Logan, she steps a bit to the side, possibly closer to Fitz. "Show me what you already know, Rain." She then looks at the professionally attired feline, then tilts her head slightly toward the now-seated engineer. Go say hello, Captain.

The glance Logan gives May suggests he has no problem with helping, but is a little surprised that she just assumed he would. You'd think there might have been a twinge of confusion over the turning him into a lizard thing, but Logan's been there, done that, and if he were anything like Walter Palmer, he'd have a trophy above his mantle.

As she begins to warm up, Logan watches, studying her. He assumes a defensive stance on the mat, but he's already warmed up. He was after all fighting Carl earlier. Poor Carl. He has a compound fracture and a couple of bruised ribs. But that's kind of par for the course when training with Logan. Unless he's being delicate, he's going to break things.

"Call me Logan," he informs her, since he wasn't wearing any kind of identification, and she seemed to have missed May's introduction.

"Disarmed a nasty bomb," answers Fitz. "Nerve gas. Would've wiped out the entire building. Took a bullet 'cause I was distracted by… shoddy… amateur craftsmanship that belonged in a Webelow's competition."

Right there, a bit of the usual Fitz broke through the haze of 'back off'-ish-ness that seems to have followed Fitz like a cloud.

Realizing that he can't really withhold the truth forever, he pops back to his feet and begins wrapping his hands up again, approaching the bag he'd left. "Then I had the pleasure of being invaded by a bloody, disgusting, masochistic symbiote."

*THUD THUD*

Ohright. Rain nods and smiles politely. "Pleased to meet you. Yeah, sorry." She got a bit distracted. "Um. From the looks of it, I'm either gonna get drop kicked or need bear form for this." She is not an experienced hand to hand fighter. She was a homeless witch with diet habits that would make Dr. Oz feel a disturbance in the Forks. The cat's tail flicks. "Well. My brawling tactic is bite, kick, kick, scratch… bite some more…" He offers. The cat is wry, but he ables into conversational distance.

Rain is massively outclassed here. She'll stretch for a few minutes and… consider it. "I definitely think I may need bear form for this." Rain is - a normal human outside of shifting.. "Unless I try enhancing myself, I guess." She looks to May. Bear y/n?

Steve looks over towards Fitz and nods, "Well, seems like you had a busy week, then." After a brief pause of words and more with the punching, he looks over to Fitz again and adds, "I'm happy you're alright."

Natasha trades blows back and forth with Agent Venom, throwing in the occasional twist or turn in her style to try and keep the other man on his guard without making it a life and death competition.

"That sounds like a very boring life. Good thing it's not like that."

"Oh, and you can call me Rain if you like. Moontree's my last name. It's sort of…" Rain looks sheepish. "And the cat is Capain."

The give and take back and forth of Widow and Venom is pretty smooth in execution. There's a flurry of blows, a trade of low kicks almost akin to Muay Thai as they lash out at each other. Pretty soon the speed is picking up and it's more difficult for the naked eye to catch the flow of movement, unless you were say an eighty to a hundred year old super soldier…
There's a smirk that blossoms onto Flash's features as he's able to step in and grab Widow's elbow, twisting and trying to throw her to the mats. But she's able to uncurl and avoid, slipping away at the last moment. For an instant, just a single second Flash might be thinking, 'hey, I got this.'
And then Fitz says, 'Symbiote.'
Abruptly the young Agent's attention is split and he says, "Huh?"
And that's when Widow clocks him.

Melinda May looks to Rain. "I'd really prefer to see how well you manage without turning into a bear. We've been encountering opponents that zero in on spellcasters and try to drain them. I want you to be able to defend yourself without resorting to your spells." She then steps toward Fitz and gives him that evaluating look that means she's wanting to make sure he's okay.

There are people out there who you can look at and would automatically assume are masters of their field. Logan isn't one of them. He's got a gruff exterior. He could use a shave. His hair style is unique to say the least. And he has something of a savage presence. And yet, he is ronin, a samurai without a master. He could be Rain's sensei, if she's ready to learn.

But for now, he's mostly observing her, trying to gauge what kind of a spirit he has to work with. If she's not ready to learn, not in her heart, then the process will be futile. He may teach her some basic moves, but she will never learn the balance that he continues to strive for. "Don't worry. I look worse than I am," he reassures her.

BE brave. Be brave. Gotta be brave. She's overcoming a massive personal flaw and that's going to take considerable effort. One does not survive being homeless being brash. Rain takes a deep breath. "Alright, trying something new then." She looks peaceful, stretching a moment, distant. Seeming more agile and sturdy, but not necessarily stronger. At least she won't come undone if Logan Hadoukens her or whatever. Hand to hand? Not something Rain is terribly familiar with.

She'll learn. She's smart enough as people go. And she's observant to gauge people and figure this is a good opportunity. "It's alright. Learning - is a process." And sometimes one's face gets kicked in or set on fire during that process. Try to take - hmm… What kind of stance do-? She is desperately unfamiliar with hand to hand, so it's a cautious sort of stance, a wary pose. Arms up a bit to protect face and torso, turned a bit sideways. She does have some height and reach. Maybe.

As the sparring continues, Natasha utilizes a variety of stances and moves as they dance back and forth on the mat. She seems impressed and is about to step up her game when Agent Venom suddenly loses focus and takes a hit to the face.

Normally, she would follow up but the young man seems incredibly distracted. She looks between Fitz and him, sensing a connection here, "Maybe we should do this another time."

+MEET: Clint Barton has arrived via +meet.

Knocked onto his bum, it's more his pride that's hurt than anything else. Flash grimaces and pushes himself back up to his feet as he glances over towards Fitz and blinks a few times, "Did he say he was attacked by a symbiote?" He turns back to look at Widow, brow furrowing. "One sec,"
As he says that he steps off the mats to try and catch up with Fitzsimmons. It's clear he'll be back directly, however, since he leaves behind his gymbag.

+MEET: Jemma Simmons has arrived via +meet.

Melinda May didn't try to stop Fitz from stepping away again. He'll talk to her when he's ready. And, Thompson's going after him. She turns her attention back to Logan and Rain and steps closer, reaching to gently prod Rain's defensive stance into something more correct. She has to do very little prodding, actually. It's mostly making sure the young witch has her knees bent at least a little. "When you throw a punch, most of your force comes from your torso, not your arm." She then nods to Logan, tilting her chin forward slightly to indicate that he hold up his hands for Rain to punch at. Likely less intimidating than trying to hit the man directly.

Picking up on May's cues, Logan leans on his training as a boxer, adopting a defensive stance with his forearms covering his face. He can still see through it, but a fist won't be getting through them. "Go on, I'm a lot sturdier than I look." He assumes he can take anything Rain can dish out, and if he can't, well, that's what a healing factor is for right?

Captain is sitting to the side, observing. "Sweep the leg!" He barks. Pause. "Just kidding." Cats(TM). Rain eyes Captain for a moment, while she gets adjusted. Okay… from her torso. Hmm. She's built like a reed. Tall and skinny. Deep breath. She smiles at Logan. "Thanks. Okay. Here goes nothing." Hey, she appreciates the thoughtfulness. She's not in bearform, but she has at least enhanced herself enough she's not going to need to be reassembled after. She takes a deep breath and takes a quick, low jab towards Logan's center. Just - gotta - try? She's quick enough, has good reach, but she's ordinary in terms of strength and rather inexperienced.

Good practice, and she does seem wise enough to let herself listen and be corrected. She does seem to push off quickly enough.

Clint is dressed relatively well for once. He's moving through the Tri with a purpose but pauses when he hears the voices in the gym and pokes his head in. Well that's a large group of people. Nat, May… folks he doesn't know. He pauses, looking a bit awkward.

When Agent Venom leaves; Natasha conveniently gets a call to report for a briefing. She would have to catch up with Thompson some other time. Clint's arrival is noted with a nod and a faint smile before she heads out of the gym.

Stepping back into the gym after having pursued Fitz and the fellow's comment about Symbiotes, Agent Venom returns with little fanfare. He catches Widow on her way out, giving her a nod as he moves back on into the gym. It's across the way towards some of the heavy bags he goes, stepping up to give them a going over for a bit of time.

Melinda May nods at Rain's first punch aimed at Logan. For someone who claims to not know how to fight, she has an intellectual basis that is better than others she's seen. She hears Romanoff taking her leave and glances over in time to see Barton hovering in the doorway. She tilts her head in an 'over here' gesture, then tosses Captain a look. Don't undermine your human, feline.

Simmons has heard some interesting news about Fitz… well she's got some reports that have startled her, particularly after her meeting wth Tigra. She's hunting for…. Fitz, preferably and Agent May.

She's been told to look in the Gym, which is why she's entering now, tablet in hand and looking a little worried. Passing Natasha on her way, Jemma nods distractedly as she spies May on the mat with Logan and Rain. Coming to a stop she waits patiently, nodding to Thompson and Clint as she does… watching training is always interesting.

"That's good," Logan instructs Rain, "but remember to breath. Breathing is key. Now, you're a quick one, so you're going to want to inhale slowly through the nose, and exhale quickly through the mouth when you punch."

Captain and Rain really do care about one another. He just flicks his tail, looking wryly to May. They got this. He lifts a paw in greeting to the newcomers, wearing a formal business suit instead of his trenchcoat. Business cat is in the house. He's watching, his eyes alert and curious.

Rain has to remember to breathe. She is making a common beginner's mistake, but she nods at Logan. Right, breathe. Got cha. Try that again this time with lung action? It's a little slower, working on breathing properly. She might even smile politely to those incoming, even if she's paying attention mostly to Logan and May.

Clint coughs. "May?" He calls out. "I was, uh, just stopping to say goodbye." His tone is a bit flat. That is definitely not one of Clint Barton's smartass jokes.

Melinda May nods her thanks to Logan as he continues instructing Rain, and moves to greet Clint and Jemma quietly. She seems to know Jemma's thoughts simply by looking at her, but when Clint speaks up her attention is immediately on him. "Explain."

Giving Captain a little wave, as the cat lifts it paw she the gives May a small smile, she knows why Jemma is there. "Goodbye, Agent Barton?" That's taken Jemma by surprise and she glances up to look at him, the rest of the Gym forgotten for the moment.

Clint takes a deep breath and looks right at May though the others will no doubt hear him. It's May he knows the best though and May he worked with a lot. "I'm being medically retired. Psychological Instability too risky for Field Work. Put simply, they don't trust me to go off the rails… and I'm out of SHIELD."

Rain is practicing with Logan, doing her best not to eavesdrop. Captain kind of beams at Jemma. He blinks at Clint, tilting his head.

May's expression goes even flatter than people are used to seeing from her. "And Fury signed off on this." It's a question, but her voice doesn't rise at the end. Anyone who knows her knows that this is a BAD thing.

Jemma's eyes widen and she pulls her tablet up, trying to find the records. Of course, when she does they're classified above her level so she hands the tablet to Agent May - maybe she can access them. "What will you do, Agent Barton?" Yup, she'll keep calling him Agent… force of habit and all.

Noting Rains interest, Jemma looks over "Your form looks good Miss Rain. Have you been trained before?"

"Well… five doctors signed off on it. Not like the old man's going to override a unanimous med board." Clint shakes his head. He'd suspected this was coming. "I'm not sure yet Doctor Simmons. I'll… have to figure something out. Anyway, it's done. I just came to say my goodbyes."

Rain lets Logan go to get some water and a bathroom break. She blinks and turns red at Jemma. Headshake. "No… well, I played Street Fighter a lot," She considers. "She's serious," Captain remarks. Rain laughs and moves to pet her familiar and pick the tabby up. "We should take turns using the mat. Should I go…? This sounds serious." And a bit above her paygrade.

Melinda May says, "Do you want to fight it?" While it sure looks like Barton is resigned to this, May is willing to back him if need be. She turns to look at Rain as the young woman picks up her suit-wearing cat, then looks at Clint again. "Give me a minute." She returns to where Rain is. "You've got a good foundation." Okay, so she learned it playing computer games. It's still a good start. "We'll work on it some more." As to whether or not Rain should stay considering the seriousness that the archer of all people brought along…"

"Street Fighter?" Jemma looks between Rain and Captain, totally bemused. It's one way of learning, she supposes.

Not knowing Clint all that well, well Robo-Clint, and knowing this version (the real one) even less, the biochem finds herself at a loss for words but May is asking an appropriate question and she looks to the Archer to hear what he has to say.

Rain knows little to nothing of the archer business. She doesn't pry because it would be futile. She smiles faintly at May and Jemma, quietly concerned about the archer. "I can step out if needed." She waves a hand. "It's no problem."

Clint shakes his head. "Unanimous med board? You'd need to get the old man to buck it and if he wanted to he'd have done it by now." It could be that Fury himself is a bit uncertain about Barton. "Look, I'll still be around. I'm not packing up and leaving New York. Just… won't be coming in to the office, I guess. And have to find other ways to… well you know."

Melinda May gives Clint a hard look that last a very likely uncomfortable few seconds. Then she reaches out a hand. "Give me your phone." And no, she's not asking. She's telling.

"I think it's fine, Miss Rain, Captain" Jemma moves to stand near Rain, watching May and Clint speak. When May asks for the phone, she frowns a little - Agent May often surprises the young biochem….

"Alright," Captain nods, hopping onto Rain's shoulders. The two settle quiet, likely getting some water and listening mindfully.

Clint frowns a bit but it's telling that he doesn't argue. No instead he just hands is phone over. Maybe May wants to leave a number in it? Or… send him to a horrible website? Either way, this ought to be interesting. He watches the other two with some interest.

Melinda May takes Clint's phone and very promptly and quickly sends a text message on it.

// «Oracle. May. This phone belongs to Clint Barton, put on leave from SHIELD. I know you won't let him get bored. He's … problematic when bored.» // After sending the message she removes it from the phone's history then hands the device back to its owner.

An alarm sounds on Jemma's tablet and she glances down at it, eyebrows rising as she does. Looking to Rain and Captain and then May and Clint, she lets out a soft sigh "I've got an experiment that requires my attention. Would you like to come with me, Miss Rain?"

Moving past May and stopping beside Clint momentarily, Simmons smiles faintly "I wish well, Agent Barton. I'm sorry it's happened this way though." and with that, Jemma heads out to her lab. May will know where to find her and Rain and Captain can follow along too.

Rain looks to Jemma. Blinking owlishly a moment. The two nod. "Sure, thanks." She appreciates it and will do just that.

Clint takes the phone back to peer at what May did at it but the text message has already mysteriously disappeared. The archer gives May a curious look as he pockets his phone. "Right… so. I'll see you around, May." He hopes. Actually he's got no idea what he's going to do next.

Or what's probably headed his way.

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