| SHIELD Vetting |
| Summary: | Iron Spider-Woman is escorted to SHIELD for vetting by Black Widow. |
| Date: | 2016-08-19 |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | A pair of unnamed SHIELD agents. |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
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Location: SHIELD Helicarrier in the skies over New York City
Date/Time: Friday, August 19, 2016, around 9am Eastern Time
Black Widow sits at a chair across the table from the entrance to the room. She has a folder in front of her with a number of intel reports. A large tablet resting beside it with a stream of constantly updating windows. A bottle of water sits within easy reach. Her body language is relaxed as she leans back in the chair, legs crossed at the knee, the tight body suit she is clad in bunching up about the knee. Green eyes study the paperwork in front of her, slowly flipping page to page.
Iron Spider-Woman enters the conference room flanked by a Mutt and Jeff pair of low ranking SHIELD agents. "Ma'am, we located her and brought her in as requested," says squat black agent with the build of an NFL linebacker if not the typical height while his lanky partner stands on the other side of the red and gold clad masked woman. They wait to be dismissed.
"Hello Agent Romanova," ISW says when she sees the other woman sitting at the conference table. "I didn't know I was being brought to speak with you," she continues with some guarded familiarity audible in her electronically masked voice.
Black Widow doesn't look up when the trio arrive, finishing the paragraph she was reading but she still replies, "Iron Spider Woman. I'm sorry for the escort. I hope you understand given the unique circumstances the world has been facing recently." She looks up finally and gestures, "Please have a seat?" Then to the agents, "Thank you, we'll be fine." The two turn and leave, closing the door behind themselves on the way out.
Iron Spider-Woman nods and sits down in the offered seat. "I understand, its not a problem," she replies. "They were pleasant enough if not forthcoming in details. Which given who they work for is also understandable." She does not lower her mask as she would with 'her' Nat.
Black Widow sets down the paperwork. "Can't be too careful these days." She gestures to said mask. "Case in point, of course." She looks to the heroine, "I understand your apprehension. I asked to meet with you, however, so we could try and understand the situation better. And each other, I suppose, as well. We know each other after a fashion, of course. But obviously things aren't entirely the same when dealing with dimensional…displacements."
Iron Spider-Woman nods. "You make a good point," she says as she wills the mask of her armor to recede.
The cowl of her armor begins to melt away from the back and top. The first thing visible is a mane of deep red locks which, as they are released by the suit, flow about her shoulders and past her shoulder blades in back. Then, as it flows down her face, Mary Jane Watson-Parker is sitting at the table armored up to her neck.
"Did you know an Iron Spider-Woman then or Mary Jane Watson, Agent Romanova?" she asks to clarify the other woman's statement of familiarity.
Black Widow smiles some as the mask is 'removed'. "Ms. Watson. Natalia Romanoff. Or Romanova. It's all me." She looks to the woman and smiles. "And a redhead." She regards the woman. "The only knowledge I have of the Ms. Watson that is from this… reality is known as a model and business woman. I'm pretty sure she was never running around the city as one of the Spiders.."
"No, although she knew things long before the public did about Spider-Man," MJ says and then adds, "And they… dated for a time," pausing for a moment as she controls her emotional response over talking about this two days in a row.
A moment later she confides, "I have to admit that her diary has some really difficult reads for me," for the first time telling someone that she has actually studied up on her native doppelganger.
Black Widow nods. "I imagine so. Digging into a past you don't recognize must be very difficult." She looks to Mary Jane. "Can I ask about your past? What led you to take up the suit, the name Iron Spider Woman?" She's curious. So far seeming casual and inquisitive. Conversational.
"Of course you can," MJ says and then laughs kindly as she adds, "I won't be telling you anything SHIELD and the Avengers don't already know anyway… at least where I am from."
She begins to account the high points of her life from the point she has determined that it went differently from what SHIELD could find out about her from research on the MJ of this world. "The woman you know of and Peter Parker had an ugly break-up years ago. That never happened to me and 'my' Peter. Instead we got married three years ago and within a year I became pregnant…"
Black Widow knew she could, and would. But it is always better to keep up with appearances and ask, right? She listens intently, not bothering to write any of this down. She'd be no kind of agent if she could not commit large amounts of information to memory until a later debriefing. She nods. "That is quite the difference. I imagine, then, that you're here alone. That must be difficult. I'm sorry."
Smiling as she doesn't mind the interjection, MJ says, "Yes, it is a challenge," acknowledging and appreciating the other woman's expression of sympathy and obviously not trying to analyze it for sincerity. She then continues the tale. "I lost the baby. I was over term and we were told that the baby was stillborn. But her body was taken from the hospital before she could be properly examined. Between the grief and my quickly degrading health after that, Peter couldn't investigate that in a timely fashion." She stops the story and asks, "Are you familiar with fetal cell microchimerism or should I explain that before continuing with my history?"
Black Widow listens in silence. The subject of children has its own special hell for her but it doesn't show except briefly in her eyes. She shakes her head, "I'm not familiar, no" letting Mary Jane explain as much or little as she would desire to share.
"Alright, please keep in mind I'm not a scientist," MJ says before explaining. "During pregnancy the fetus and its mother exchange a few cells across the placenta. In a normal pregnancy this doesn't really affect either of them in any measurable way. My husband, and thus our child, didn't make for a 'normal' pregnancy and it showed up after delivery. Apparently the baby's presence in my womb protected me and then… I got extremely sick."
MJ pauses for just a moment as she dismisses the immediate memories of that time and then continues to explain what happened. "Dr. Barbara Morse of SHIELD was already involved in my care during the end of my pregnancy and with the help of a geneticist who approached Peter and me to offer assistance, Dr. Seward Trainer, the three of them - Barbara, Seward and my husband - came up with a treatment for me which involved Peter's blood plasma among other therapies."
"We found that after I recovered my physique was improved. Much like… well, the you of my world was. I didn't immediately become an Avenger, that wasn't until Pepper Potts approached us following the opening of the Avengers Academy which itself was a result of the passing of the Metahuman Safeguard Act." She stops her explanation there, seeming to feel it addresses the question asked by Black Widow.
Black Widow nods. "It must have been very difficult until you had a treatment. Then I imagine the results were a bit surprising too. Perhaps welcome in their own way." A slight smile is offered. "It's not every day we wake up with powers and abilities we didn't have before."
"No, it isn't. Luckily Peter was my rock though that… his having gone though something similar, if more impressive," MJ confirms. "I was given the suit during my training at the Academy. Potts requested it from Stark after discussing it with Peter… behind my back I'll have you know." She grins though as she says, "Sometimes secrets are okay in a marriage though."
Black Widow smiles some. "I suppose they are." She's had her own share. "I think that about covers it all, Ms. Watson. I won't keep you. Though since you've been given Avengers clearance levels, you will have to take a psych profile. I've taken the liberty to scheduling it for you. You'll be contacted soon with the details." She looks to Mary Jane, "So you have any questions for me?"
"Only two for the moment. Can you please make sure that if SHIELD contacts me at home," MJ presumes they can find the number now that they know who she is, "That they don't blow my cover? I'm not intending to tie the identity of Iron Spider-Woman, Avenger, to Mary Jane Watson, actress and model. Just in case the other me returns… I think I should try to keep her life fairly normal."
That's one question asked, but before it can be answered she also asks, "And do you still like to go out for sushi? I have fond memories of lunches with the other you and… well, I don't have any girl friends right now. Models don't tend to get along well with their competitors."
Black Widow nods. "We'll be discreet Ms. Watson, I promise. In fact, once you've finished the psych eval, you'll be given some standard kit including a micro communicator that will make things very easy to maintain separation of identities."
Natasha looks surprised at that if only briefly. "I… do." She doesn't comment on the 'still' part. "Sushi and beluga caviar are among my favorites."
MJ grins at Nat's response to the personal question. "That's great. Please feel free to contact me and schedule a lunch some time. We could go somewhere and people watch while eating and just talk."