If you give a bird their wings...(FBI and Phoebe)

[crazyhorse9]

"Get off of me! You lousy ass!!" Penguin's face was reared from all his secret happiness, he had been quiet for now, but when the guards took him out of his cell, hit him with a club three or four times a day and then sent him to a chair to be talked to by whatever lousy FBI agent who had a pencil shoved into their brain so far that logic was a word that wasn't in their vocabulary.

The walls were silent, harsh treatment must have gotten the better of them. But not Cobblepot. No, it would take more than a few clubs to the liver and head to get out useful information on the most wanted vigilante in Gotham. His monocle was cracked, and his eyes were always straight ahead. his gloves ripped, his suit soaked, his hair greasy and more importantly his umbrellas and birds gone.

The guards pushed him into a room, he stumbled and made a "AHGr" sound as he bent down. Pitch black, but Oswald could find the metal seat, the soundproof windows probably watching him. It had been a month and three weeks since the raid, and he wasn't getting happier. No pills or apple cider from Trader Joes could make him feel drunk or dumb. No he wanted his empire, his chair, and his birds. He had already made plans and safehatches, but the timeing of them had always been screwed. Not this time! This time, he would get out and personal destroy the alien facility and drive the Feds back.

Grumbling to himself he sat down. Sighing, he pushed back his hair with his penguin like hand. It was time to wage war...

[Deleted]

Phoebe is, frankly, getting sick of doing interrogations. But she has to admit that she's simply too helpful in the difficult cases to simply say that she doesn't want to do them and expect other people to take over the job and do as well. It's just that most of the people they interview aren't very pleasant people to be around. Bad guys that she'd rather not have to listen to. Thoughts that she'd rather not have in her head. Still, she walks beside Agent Stevens without a word. At least the guards for the interrogation rooms are used to seeing her with Agent Stevens now and don't give her weird looks for bringing a 10 year old into an interrogation room with a criminal anymore.

Agent Stevens simply nods to the guards as she opens the door to the room and flips on the lights. "Good morning, Mr. Cobblepot," she greets as she closes the door behind Phoebe and then walks over to take the seat on the opposite side of the table from the gentleman that they're questioning today. "I'm Agent Stevens," she introduces herself. She leaves introducing Phoebe out of it, hoping that, for awhile at least, the man won't pay much attention to her.

Phoebe is silent as she focuses herself on the mind of the man in the room and takes up a position leaning against the wall behind and to one side of Agent Stevens. They really should put more than two chairs in these rooms. Then again, if she ever actually complained about it then she'd probably get one.

[crazyhorse9]

Oswald didn't even look up to notice Agent dumbass. He chuckled, Stevens was such an overused name, like Emily, Rachel, Maddie, Edward. But the plastered girl that looked like a minature Haley Stienfield from True Grit. His black eyes focused on her. She didn't talk much, which wouldn't serve her well in business but it would in pleasure. "What's your name little girl?" The girl was far more interesting than the agent. Oswald began to smile it was shapeshifted.

The room around them smelled like fish, he loved fish, raw or cooked. Silky salmon, tender shrimp, and ferocious crab. His stomach churned, and his legs were criscrossed as he was on the edge of his seat diagnol to the girl. " Before we start talking Agent Stevens, I do have some requests. I want an actual bed and I want some decent food. Status is everything and luxury is appealing." He continued staring at the girl. His voice was like the walls gritty yet distressed in a way.

He tried thinking of why the girl would be here, had the feds gone crazy and start bringing in girls? Being the gentleman that he was, he wanted to have small talk before business. "You can come over here cupcake. I don't have cooties." He noticed her expression, she wasn't interested in being here. That made two of them. Probably wanted to eat lollipops and ice cream. Something that his family did, but left him out. Something that they did with another son and not him, let him die in the sewer system. People tended to think the same, gross appearence means alien being. But actions come from not being wanted.

[Deleted]

Phoebe frowns slightly at being talked to. "Force," she answers quietly, and that's all that she says. She's not about to come any closer to the man, and it's easy to tell based on the dirty look she's giving him that she's already definitely not a fan. Then again, he isn't the most objectionable person she's ever met - not even on that list, actually. Still, even though she hadn't ended up actually seeing the man during the raid, her role at the time having been more to keep the casualties among the FBI agents low rather than catching the man herself, she well remembers that and definitely does not like him as a result. She greets his invitation to come over with narrowed eyes and more silence.

It's Agent Stevens who takes charge of the conversation. "I'm sorry Mr. Cobblepot," she says, not sounding sorry at all, "But you are a criminal and will be treated exactly like any other criminal." The man may be used to being able to manipulate people into treating him well, but this time he's being held by the FBI and that's not going to happen. Especially if his only way of trying to get anything is to simply ask for it like he deserves it - to say that Agent Stevens is not impressed by that would be putting it mildly.

Not particularly one for small talk, Agent Stevens then states, "Now it's my understanding that you've been questioned before but haven't been very forthcoming. Why is that?" The woman leans back a little in her chair, looking rather comfortable in that seat. It is, after all, much more pleasant to do the questioning than to be the one answering the questions, and although Phoebe's particular talents are what bring them to the difficult cases but she's also gotten a lot of experience with this sort of thing as a result.

[crazyhorse9]

Cobblepot stopped staring at the girl, who was more cautious than most. He wasn't going to hurt her, not now at least. The burning sensation that ridiculed his wrists was a curse. He couldn't let the wounds heal, stop the bleeding, nor take off the double handcuffs. He said nothing when the agent mentioned that he will be treated like one. " Then your going to have to have a large supply of patience and multiply torture activities to get anything out of me.'' It was a request that was sure to be denied, the point was to check their armor. Oswald didn't have to use manipulation to get what he wanted, no he had a variety of tools that weren't umbrellas or birds for that matter.

A shady smile began forming and the mouth opened letting a raucious laugh filled with amusement, lighter than the jokers though.. " Hmm. To be quite honest I don't know the answer to that." He giggled more and more. " I don't even know why I'm here... Oh oh that's right this is a smear campaign, capturing who you know, trying to gain leverage over each other. You think changing my words will effect anything?" Oswald's black eye was cocked at the agent's.

[Deleted]

Agent Stevens gives Oswald's first statement a small half-smile as she comments, "You'll find that I have a great deal of patience, Mr. Cobblepot. But torture will hardly be necessary." While the man may be extremely confident, so is Agent Stevens by all appearances. Her expression doesn't change as she listens to the man's answer to her question, but when he's finished she glances behind her at Phoebe and asks, "What do you make of that answer, Force?"

Phoebe doesn't miss a beat in stating, "He's not answering questions because he thinks he can use his answers to get things if he waits long enough. He doesn't know why he's here because he doesn't know which thing we found out about. Also, he thinks that you're stupid and that he's better than everybody. And his wrists hurt." That said, Phoebe gives the man a smirk, obviously very pleased with herself. Not that mind-reading is all that difficult to her, but she gains a great deal of personal satisfaction in being the one that doesn't let the bad guys get away with things.

"Thank you, Force," Agent Stevens replies as she turns back to Oswald and comments, "Your words are not strictly needed."

[crazyhorse9]

Oswald's expression changed when the girl began getting closer. Though he did smirk when she actually believed why he was here.." A human lie detector, if I wasn't so sure I would say your a telepath. You know while you may be able to read my thoughts, I'm far more confusing and complicated then you would think. Though it would be interesting if you read Joker's mind. Find nothing there but laughter and evil." He'll deal with the Cowgirl later, the priority was the agent. " If my words aren't needed, then you have no point in coming to "talk with me".


Knowing the cowgirl circus doll was going to be reading his mind, he decided to change his thought pattern around. It was almost naturally that his subconscious began viewing images of strawberries, pasta, going to the mall. Not much to say, but things to say all the time, riddles, bats, cats and lawyers. Why is the economy bad? Does she really hate me? How can I truly find inner beauty. Oswald sat back down in the chair, dreaming and dreaming.

[Deleted]

"You're not as hard as you think you are," Phoebe replies, but that's all that she says. She can't really comment on the rest of what he says even if she wanted to, as she's never had the 'pleasure' of meeting the Joker. She's heard a bit about him from other people's thoughts before, though. Doesn't seem like someone with pleasant thoughts. At the moment, Phoebe's just glad that this guy's mind seems more pleasant than that Ventriloquist guy.

Agent Stevens gives Oswald a blank stare at his comment to her, and decides not to say anything. She suspects that he knows perfectly well why he's in here, and if he doesn't he's an idiot. Indeed, she's seems quite content to let Phoebe's statement hang in the air. And she is, just as she'd said, very patient. Patient enough to let the room go quiet without feeling any need to break the silence. She doesn't need Phoebe to tell her what the man is trying to do now - everyone who fancies themselves as intelligent would try that tactic in this situation. And she happens to know just what to do to counteract it.

[crazyhorse9]

Ten minutes of silence. Not a word, muffled breathing yet the aching of his wrists getting worse. Of all the criminals, Oswald wasn't deadly insane. He had been to Arkham a good 15 times. Less than Freeze, Riddler, Joker, Ivy, Ventriloquist. His plots were devious and light. Oswald had changed then, he had nothing which gave him an insatiable thirst for power and fear. Now he had forgotten what it meant to be the Penguin. The name now was for signing checks and writing emails. What happened? After what six years he becomes some softy. He had to look at his options and the reality of what would happen. It would take him years to get the empire back, it had been much fun, but it had taken away the character of his true purpose. There was no water for the pot to boil, just air. He had become the very person he didn't want to. . It was an endless cycle of plots, fighting, then being imprisoned. Batman being the victor and the government being the heroes. Now he knew why.

Breaking the silence, he spoke calmly yet confident now willing to answer the questions, " I will answer all your questions, if and only if your young partner stays outside.'' He glanced at the young girl once again. He sat back and closed his mouth waiting for an answer.

[Deleted]

(OOC: Actually, Ivy hasn't been to Arkham at all yet...)

While there are people who can go for hours, or even days without speaking in this sort of situation, Agent Stevens knows that the man doesn't have the right personality for that feat. His records seem to indicate that he's a man who enjoys talking. Not that he isn't clever about using his words to dodge around things, but the act staying silent completely for longer than Agent Stevens's patience lasts is probably beyond him. And probably even more so when it comes to his thoughts if they're properly directed.

When he finally talks, Phoebe is the first to respond; she rolls her eyes and mutters, "That doesn't help."

Agent Stevens purses her lips at that - not telling the man that fact might have made for a good option if Phoebe hadn't said so. Still, there's no real harm done. "Force can do her job from outside of the room, so your request is pointless," she replies idly, pausing again to see what the man thinks of that.

[crazyhorse9]

(OOC: I know I accidentally forgot)
" Exactly my point. She doesn't have to be here when she can listen outside.The fact that basically without her, you have no way of knowing if I'm lying or not is truly sickening. Besides from my file what makes you think I will lie about anything that I tell you. Didn't they train you to use intuition and evidence, not meta-humans." Whatever the agent was trying to accomplish it wasn't working. Why did it matter if they had a human lie detector. She was just being used. People lie every day.

" Your choice, I can give you answers to your questions without the girl, or I can stay silent and head back to my cell.''

[Deleted]

Narrowing her eyes at the man, Agent Stevens says, "No, what's sickening is that a man would turn his back on his fellow human beings for his own profit. And intuition and evidence are all very well and good, but using such methods are error prone even when applied by the most intelligent of minds. Errors which may not necessarily be in your favor, Mr. Cobblepot. It's not simply for my benefit to have her here, it's for the benefit of the truth. And had you been more forthcoming with the truth, we would not have been assigned to talk with you today."

She folds her arms and studies him carefully, though her thoughts are interrupted by Phoebe. "I want to be here," she says in response to one of Oswald's thoughts. Agent Stevens glances back at the girl, then looks back at the man with a raised eyebrow as she wonders what the man thought that prompted that reply. Of course, she could always ask Phoebe, but it looks like she wants him to tell her.

[crazyhorse9]

He was growing annoyed with the woman and the child. He sighed it was her choice to take the road, she would regret it though, if Oswald was in her position he would have taken the offer. He snapped back at the girl, " I'm sure you do, .'' Oswald showed no emotion and closed his mouth once again. They failed to make the right choice, now whether they were still going to get the answer was questionable.

He continued being silent closing his eyes and meditating. From five minutes to twenty and before he knew it was past and hour of waiting. He could be in his cell. He did all the things right, he offered them answers in exchange for one thing. But no, the truth would be false under Cobblepot. They could have follwed the information, but instead like to have the human lie detector double check things. God forbid he lies. In these situations he thought about how lucky it would be if your thoughts were so skewed and confusing that telepaths would have migrains trying to read you. Everyone bullshits their own mind when they say they aren't scared when they are. No matter what experience or power, fear is in all. Now if they didn't have the girl, then what good would their investigations be.

[Deleted]

Agent Stevens is certainly not going to make any concessions or deals with Oswald. That may be the way he's used to doing business, but this is not business, it's an interrogation. This operates under a different set of rules, and she knows better than to let him get his way. She and Phoebe are the only ones with any power or authority in this room, not him. She remains silent herself, and for all appearances she looks like she could go on waiting for hours and hours.

Phoebe, on the other hand, is a child. About ten minutes in she slides down the wall so that she can sit on the ground rather than lean against it. But after that she doesn't show much sign that she's going to be giving up soon either. She has Oswald's thoughts to keep her entertained, after all, and when he's being boring she has thoughts of her own to occupy her.

[crazyhorse9]

It had been two hours. Oswald looked at the agent, readying himself, " Where are you from Ms. Stevens, state and College will be ample enough." He eyed her and leaned forward, "Do you have any fears, any pressures or doubtful sins that your supervisor wouldn't want to know. I would be glad to hear them. I used to be a man of god, now I'm just an observer.'' He stared into her beautiful eyes, they were so fierce, almost put on. Probably building a rage that could destroy the entire complex. " If I didn't know better I would say you signed up for the job expecting a quick end to crime, hoping that things could be solved and doing what you can." Oswald stood up, "Then the government decided that it needed to cut the bullshit and get rid of people like me. They researched people like Telepathic girl over there and had you take care of her. Like a mother forced to do labor. But this girl must be fun, of course you know everything about her. Even things she doesn't know about herself. And at the end of the day it gives you comfort to know that she is safe from people like you and I." He was getting somewhere for sure.

Pacing back and forth slowly, " We are quite similar you and I, both humans trying to understand the world and solve it's problems. Granted we have different and effective methods, you with telepathic girl, me with my network, but we have the same job. To find the truth and bring people to justice for their evil.'' He prepared his last sentences carefully and said them with a serious clarity conntecting the ideas, "The truly sickening thing about your line of work.. is that you are setting this girl up for disaster, her life will never be the same. Your going to mess up to the point where it shatters the relationship and your career.. The funny thing is-" He quickly sat down and leaned all the way so that he was inches away from the agent, "You don't give a shit about it."

He stepped back into his seat, smiling and looking at the girl.