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Shrike scowled at his reflection in the one-way mirror. He tasted a certain bitterness on his tongue, one laced with the cruel irony of the situation he had found himself in. Rainbow was an unfortunate light in the darkness for him, a last-ditch effort to escape the walls as they closed in around him—the final slide under blast doors just before an explosion. Joining Rainbow was self-flagellation and the most blatant display of the man’s desperation. Some Keres blueprints for guaranteed safety under Rainbow’s protection were an embarrassing but manageable negotiation. To sit in front of Deimos, the very thing he was running from, and be used as bait for information made Shrike feel used once again. He felt sick to his stomach.
The fact that Shrike was stuck with no say in the first place, forced to confront the man, trapped alone with him in the interrogation room was already pissing him off. The fact that what felt like all of Rainbow was gathered in the small observation room, staring down at the glow of the small screen, ears tuned intently into the live audio feed, felt like he had been stripped naked and put on display.
Metal hinges creaked as the door swung open into a dimly lit room. Shrike hesitated, staring ahead at the dingy yellow wallpaper, a lump in his throat.
“Stehen Sie aufrecht. Kopf hoch.”
What exactly he was afraid of he couldn’t specify. There was nothing Deimos could do to hurt him at this point. Shrike was too much of an informational asset, surely. Rainbow would collectively have him beaten to a bloody pulp in seconds if he tried anything funny under their custody.
“Benehmen Sie sich. Gehen Sie geradeaus.”
He took several steps forward and through the open door. It shut behind him with a defiant thud. The room was deafeningly silent as if all the oxygen had been sucked from it. A coarse laugh echoed to the right of him. Shrike couldn’t bring himself to turn toward the sound.
“Now that’s a face I didn’t expect to see.”
A chill ran down Shrike’s spine. He hesitated before pivoting in the direction of the voice. Deimos sat in a chair on the far side of the room, his elbows resting against his knees. He picked at his gloves, his gaze downward. A second chair sat across from him.
“Deimos…” Shrike lingered where he stood.
“So this is where you ended up, huh?” Deimos didn’t bother lifting his head. “Why Rainbow? I thought someone with a brain like yours would make smarter decisions.”
Shrike eyed the empty chair, unsticking his feet from place and walking slowly towards it. He sat down, resting his hands in his lap and wringing them anxiously.
“Well,” Shrike took a breath. “If I had stayed with Keres-”
Deimos snorted, pulling his gaze from the floor and meeting Shrike’s eyes. His mask was still damaged, his eye visible through the cracked material.
“On one hand, I can’t blame you. With your resume, it’s slim pickings out there. And considering that Rainbow carries itself as a goddamn charity act…” Deimos paused, sucking air through his teeth. “On the other hand, you must be taking quite the pay cut to be here, huh?”
“Why does it matter to you what I’m getting paid?” Shrike’s voice was icy.
“It doesn’t. I know the kind of man you are, Renard. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Deimos sat up straight and leaned back in the chair. “You call your daddy up to negotiate a salary this time too?”
Shrike flinched at the comment. He balled his hands up into fists and flexed his fingers in an effort to maintain his composure.
“My blueprints are in Rainbow’s hands now.” Shrike couldn’t disguise the spite in his voice. “They know everything, so there’s no use in evading their questions.”
“You speak from experience, don’t you?” There was a smirk in Deimos’ voice. “So that’s how you ended up here. It all makes sense now.”
The hum of the fluorescent lights above soothed the silence in the room. Shrike shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“It was my own decision to join Rainbow.”
“On your own free will? This is where you decided to end up?”
“...yes.”
“Now, we both know that’s just not the truth.” Deimos tapped his fingers against his leg. “Blueprints for a spot on the team. How long did it take you to break? Or did you come crawling on your hands and knees?”
“I…” Shrike couldn’t bring himself to look at the other man. “...don’t know why you-”
“You were always better adjusted for office work. You’re book-smart, kid. I’ll give you that.” Deimos interrupted nonchalantly. “That’s one thing I could never promise your family. Putting you out on the field was too much of a liability. You’re weak-willed. And now look at you.” the man gestured towards Shrike. “Playing nice with Rainbow because you’re not man enough to think beyond who will protect you.”
Shrike shook his leg, his eyes down.
“Aren’t you gonna say something?”
“...”
“Figures.” Deimos huffed and shook his head. “I wonder how much Rainbow knows. You’re not exactly known for your transparency.”
“I already told you,” Shrike’s voice was low and heavy with frustration. “Rainbow knows everything.”
“Oh, sure. About Keres, without a doubt. Or at least everything you were aware of.” Deimos said. “You know what I meant. About you. Your family.” Deimos looked into the camera in the corner of the room. “Surely you’ve told Rainbow all about them, haven’t you?”
“What’s the use in divulging my personal matters to Rainbow?” Shrike spit, peeling his eyes from the floor.
“So you haven’t, have you?”
“No. They’re not relevant to me.” Shrike spoke through gritted teeth. “They’re not relevant at all.”
“Not relevant?” Deimos leaned forward. “Keres intercepts a massive shipment of QCR equipment and you mean to tell me they’re irrelevant?” He laughed dryly. “For someone who tries so hard to suck up to them-”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Shrike snapped defensively. “They didn’t do shit. Anyone with the right software and resources can do that.”
“And who do you think developed all that?”
“I’m not bound to them any longer. We have nothing to do with each other and I plan on keeping that way.” Shrike stared through eyes sharp like daggers.“My family is simply a means to an end to you, so why even act like you care?”
“You really think Rainbow views you as anything more?” Shrike imagined the wicked grin on Deimos’ face. “It’s all transactional, but I’m sure you’re used to that.” he feigned sympathy. “I can’t imagine having that mindset drilled into my head at such a young age. It explains a lot about your character, though. Poor thing.”
“I’m not here to suck up to you. I don’t owe you shit and I’m not going to sit here and let you treat me like I’m still your punching bag.” Shrike seethed.
“Right. You’ll find someone at Rainbow to fill that role, won’t you?”
“You mean nothing to me!” Shrike stood from his seat, the sharp sound of metal chair legs scraping against linoleum tearing through the stuffy room. “I don’t give a shit what you do. Prolong your misery and rot in here for all I care. Just-”
Shrike took a shaky breath and felt his face go hot. He turned sharply and marched towards the heavy metal door, which opened as he approached it. There was no use in turning to take a final look at Deimos. He pushed through, avoiding eye contact with the crowd of teammates that had gathered around the control room screen.
“Wait-!”
Shrike looked up as he passed through another door and into the hallway. A figure jogged after him, an obscured shadow against the dark background of the control room. He could make out a face as they neared the bright light of the hallway. It was Fenrir.
“Renard are you-”
“Can you fuck off!” Despite the sharpness in his voice, Shrike sounded defeated.
“But-”
“This is your fault. I hope you got what you wanted.” Hot, angry tears welled in Shrike’s eyes. “For me to humiliate myself in front of everyone.”
“Hey, listen.” Fenrir’s voice was quiet. “What happened in there, it’s going to help us in the long run. All that stuff about-”
“What? About my family?” Shrike sneered. “What about it? Is it going to help Rainbow retrace its steps? For the fiftieth fucking time?”
“You don’t understand. This is going to put a lot of things into perspective.”
“You don't understand!” Shrike took a deep, shaky breath. “Do you know what this means? How many useless questions I’m going to have to answer about this now?” There was no use in him hiding his distress. “All so Rainbow can-”
“Renard…” Fenrir extended his hand, which Shrike batted away.
“Fuck you. I hate you so much.” Tears rolled down his red cheeks. “I hate all of you!” He dragged his arm across his eyes, his fists balled and shaking.
Fenrir darted his eyes around awkwardly as Shrike sobbed. He rocked on his heels.
“Emil,” Shrike’s voice sounded broken, his dejected gaze downward.“Don’t ever ask me to do this again.”
“I…uh…” Fenrir sighed. “I understand.”
He reached out again, this time to place a hand on the other man’s shoulder. Much to Fenrir’s surprise, Shrike leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the dip in his shoulder. He paused, eyes wide, and patted the other man on the back.
“I’ll let Ash know.”
“Danke schön.”