First In The Fight

Chapter 25: Seeing Double

Location: Avengers Tower
Time: 1700 Hours
Date: 10/03/2013

Few days since the attack on the M.R.D. bases and the rescue on Overload, Mitchell and Carter returned to the paladin for monitor duty and interstellar missions. Mostly scouting for valuable resources like the Moon, Asteroids, and other planets. After that the rest of the Mercenaries returned either to the Xavier's Institute or the Avengers Tower for visiting their friends, while their not busy protecting Earth.

Back in the Avengers Tower, Widow is training by using the towers simulator turrets.

She rolled out of the way as multiple heat seekers blasted her with electric rounds. Using her widow's bite she shoot him down with her lasers. She took behind cover to the next as more pair started firing back. She used her enhanced reflexes and avoided most of the shots coming right at her and hit the target back with her stingers.

Unknown to her the doors of the simulation room opened revealing Derek in his Paladin uniform and blue ceramic pants. He looked around to see Natasha performing combat drills all by herself.

A nearby water station shot a water bottle in the air and Natasha back flipped and catches it.

"Jarvis, what's on my daily activities list?" She asked the A.I. while drinking her water.

"Calibrating stinger, memorize current criminal database, and practice underwater breathing exercises." The A.I. listed.

Natasha by instinct draws her stingers behind her as she felt someone was watching her. She turned around only for Derek to point her weapon away before it made contact with him.

"Easy Natasha it's me." Derek said.

"Derek?" She asked putting her water bottle away. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't a guy watch her girlfriend train?" He said adding the last part with a teasing grin.

"Maybe." She said putting away her weapons and looking at him back with her own smirk. "But if you're gonna stay, you will have to train with me."

Derek shrugged. "Fine by me."

Derek and Natasha both circled each other as stood guard ready to attack. Derek made the first move by doing three strike combo, doing a simple left palm strike, right hook, and a spinning hook kick. All of his moves were easily parried by Natasha before she dove right in and did a chokehold. Derek used his size and strength and purposely crashed on the floor forcing Natasha to break the hold as she groaned in pain.

Both fighters got back up and got ready for another brawl. Natasha went to offensive this time by doing several strikes of punches, knee strikes, elbows, and hook kicks. All of which were parried and blocked, but Derek was surprised of what happens next. He did a right hook, but Widow used her acrobatics and climbed up to his body and trapped his entire arm with her legs pinning his neck.

"AUGHH!" He groaned as Natasha squeezed his neck a bit more.

"You're gonna tap out?" She asked with a smirk.

Derek smirked back in reply. "Not a chance."

Derek used his enhance strenght and tossed Widow to the ground as she rolled out to prevent her from being injured from the landing. Derek decided to quickly end this fight as quick as possible, he did a right jump spinning hook kick and Natasha instinctively moved her head back and as he was still twisting he did the guyver kick and extended his left leg out and kicked her in the cheek as Derek fell down. He didn't hit her at full force as he stood up.

She fell down on the floor with a small bruise on her right cheek. Derek went up to her and helped her up. "You good?" He asked hoping she was not mad.