Agent Raven of S.H.I.E.L.D. (COMPLETE)

Taught Me Well

Brooks stared at Raven as she entered the chamber and sat down. "They weren't kidding when they said you were a kid," he realized. "You're the one who ratted out Fairbanks?"

"Guilty as charged," she responded. Brooks would only talk to her if he knew she was Raven. She had to give him that much. "Ex-senator James Brooks, used to represent the state of Florida and one of the four Kings of CROS. My name is Agent Raven."

"I know what your name is," he retorted, miffed by the 'ex-senator' jab. Brooks jerked his head at the window. "Is your mother in there?"

Oh, god. Seriously? He was talking about Romanoff, but Raven decided to take him literally. She tilted her head, acting as though she was thinking hard. "That depends. What do you believe about the afterlife?"

His eyes went wide, and Raven smiled. She already had an advantage over the conversation. 

"So, to recap," she began, not waiting for him to apologize or correct himself, "You, Fairbanks, Hart, and Damian all got together about five years ago, I'm assuming after SHIELD reformed, seeing as you're bent on taking it down. You formed... CROS? C-R-O-S?"

"Did they tell you that?" he asked, looking back at the window.

"Well, they had to give me something to work with," Raven pointed out, neglecting to mention the information she already knew before coming to the base. "Care to enlighten me?"

Brooks sneered, having gained some of his confidence back. "You think you're real comfortable in that seat, don't you?"

She shook her head, shrugging. "Not really. This chair could use upholstering."

"Imagine what I'm sitting in," he groaned. 

Raven smiled internally. If Brooks was quipping back now, that meant he had gotten comfortable with her interrogation style. He would focus on the sarcasm, and she would let him believe he was gaining the upper hand. Soon, Raven could slip her real questions under his radar. No need to rush, though.

"I'll enlighten you:" Brooks went on. "CROS stands for the 'Counter Retrieval Occupancy Society.'  It means that our initials spell CROS. We wanted something that would really stand out against 'SHIELD.'"

"Visually, of course, I'm assuming," she interjected. "A cross-looking symbol versus a shield, which would normally be depicted as an unfilled circle or something similar. Tell me about your colleagues. The other Kings."

He laughed at her. "You're just going to come out with it? Have you ever interrogated anyone before?"

"Just answer the question, Brooks."

"What question?"

"Where are they?"

"Well, you know where Fairbanks is," he reminded her, trying to gesture with his hands but tugging against his handcuffs. "Who knows what SHIELD did with her after you ratted her out to Fury. As for the other two, even I couldn't tell you." He shrugged, looking quite pleased with himself. "You won't get anything out of me, kid."

"You never know," she suggested, crossing one leg on top of the other and leaning on her armrest. "I might have a couple of tricks up my sleeve."

"Or down your shirt," Brooks added, his smile widening significantly.

Raven felt compelled to smack the grin off his face, but she knew that was not what Natasha would have done. She would have used it against him. Carefully, Raven let her expression falter. Let him believe he hit a nerve.

"Fairbanks taught us all about Romanoff, you know," Brooks went on, leaning back in his chair. "The Black Widow. Former KGB agent, infamous for seducing even the most powerful crime lords to their doom. Trying to follow in her footsteps, little widow?"