The Joint Working Group's First Meeting: Words from the Big Three
In the Negative Zone, a meeting room was temporarily constructed.
The material is cold, unpolished Obsidian. An excessively long conference table stretches across the center, its surface smooth as a mirror, reflecting the Eternity, deathly silence above. There are no windows, no doors, only three chairs, deliberately spaced apart.
There was no air in the air, only a stagnation at the level of will.
Hela, Wanda, and Chin had been sitting here in silence for an unknown amount of time.
No one spoke.
This was the first meeting of the Joint Working Group after Lynn issued his "Preliminary Opinions".
The meeting was initiated by Hela.
As the head of the Asgard Stability Affairs Office, she felt it was her duty to take the lead.
She broke the silence first, tapping her fingers lightly on the smooth tabletop. The sound produced was not a whisper, but a faint ripple of Death Force.
"Now that everyone is here, let's discuss it."
Her tone was as always, with a queenly command, as if this were not a meeting of equals, but a cabinet meeting.
"I'm sure you two have already studied Mr. Lynn's document. ' High-Dimensional Interference' —its nature and level are unknown. But the document mentions one term: 'regulatory risk.'"
Hela's gaze swept over the piano, finally settling on Wanda, her eyes filled with undisguised pressure.
"Any form of regulation constitutes a destabilizing factor. Eliminating destabilizing factors and maintaining absolute stability at the real level is the core responsibility of our Stability Maintenance Office. This is our inescapable duty."
She paused for a moment, then stated her core demand.
"To ensure the smooth flow of instructions and the efficiency of operations, I suggest that this special operation be led by our Stability Maintenance Office, with a unified command structure established. The Department of Technology and the Management Committee should provide operational support and report progress to the command center regularly."
These words sounded very dignified and proper.
Her speech was full of references and references, always staying true to the spirit of the documents and demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility. But the core message was clear: she wanted to be the leader of this group, and the other two companies would be under her supervision.
Jean Grey sat upright, her face expressionless, her Dark Gold hair remaining perfectly still in the stagnant space.
Upon hearing Hela's words, her fingers, which were resting on the table, twitched slightly.
"Director Hela's sense of responsibility is admirable."
She spoke, her voice calm and unreadable.
"I also believe that a swift and decisive approach is necessary to address this risk. However, I noticed that Mr. Lynn's document used very precise wording."
"'Led jointly by three responsible persons,'" Qin repeated the original text of the document, emphasizing each word. "The word 'jointly,' I think, wasn't just written casually."
She looked up at Hela, her gaze unwavering.
"This shows that Mr. Lynn hopes that the three of us can cooperate and pool our wisdom, rather than simply having a superior-subordinate reporting relationship. Isn't it a bit... hasty to establish a command center before fully understanding the specific situation?"
"Furthermore," Qin changed her tone, "The document requires us to come up with a 'specific response plan.' Deciding who will lead before the plan is even finalized is not in accordance with work procedures. Personally, I believe our primary task right now is to clarify the rules of procedure and cooperation mechanisms of the Joint Working Group to ensure the smooth progress of subsequent work. Procedural justice is essential to guaranteeing a just outcome."
His words were perfectly flawless.
It affirmed the other party's attitude while refuting them with the leader's original words. Every sentence was reasonable and entirely "for the sake of the work," but it subtly nailed Hela's intention to "forcefully seize the leading role" to the wall with the words "not in accordance with the rules."
Hailag's face darkened.
She hadn't expected that this woman, whom Lynn had always favored, would be so skilled at the poker table.
Just as the atmosphere between the two was delicate and about to reach a stalemate, Wanda, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
"Both Director ' considerations are reasonable."
Her voice was low, with a hint of barely perceptible urgency. Ever since she was reprimanded for harboring Mutants, her standing in Lynn's eyes had plummeted, and she desperately needed an opportunity to prove her worth.
She neither wanted to nor could get involved in the power struggle between Hela and Qin. It was a battle of gods; if she joined in, she would only be crushed to pieces.
She needs to produce something tangible.
"Frameworks and mechanisms are certainly important, but the problem right now is that we know nothing about this so-called 'intervention.' All the proposals are just empty talk."
Wanda looked up at the two of them.
"I believe that instead of wasting time on meetings and discussions, we should do something practical first. From a technical point of view, whatever the other party is, as long as it exists, it must have energy characteristics. Our department can immediately activate the ' Chaos Perception Matrix ' to conduct a full-coverage screening scan of the real world and try to capture abnormal energy fluctuations."
She took a deep breath and stated her purpose.
"With firsthand observational data, we can determine the source and form of the threat. Then, it will be clear whose solution is more appropriate and whose business is more relevant. This will provide factual evidence for subsequent work and live up to Mr. Lynn's expectations."
Hela and Qin fell silent after hearing these words.
Wanda's suggestion cleverly bypassed the question of who should be in charge, and directly put the ball on the table regarding "business competence".
This turned into a de facto quiz competition.
Whoever achieves results first will gain credit with Lynn and will naturally take the initiative in subsequent work.
Hela snorted coldly. She realized that Wanda wanted to bypass them and steal the credit for herself. But she couldn't object, because Wanda's suggestion sounded entirely like it was for the sake of the job.
Jean's gaze lingered on Wanda for a moment, a hint of scrutiny creeping into her eyes.
She seemed to have no idea that this Scarlet Witch, who was always driven by her emotions, would actually start to use business acumen to package her appeals after losing power.
Silence fell over the meeting room once again.
All three understood that this so-called Joint Working Group was never a monolithic entity from the start. Lynn had given them a vague task: to see how they would secure the best possible outcome for themselves in this new competition.
In the end, Hela spoke first, setting the tone for the meeting.
"In that case, proceed according to the document's requirements." Her tone was curt. "Within 72 hours, each company should submit its own proposal. As for that 'matrix' thing the Department of Technology wants to do, that's within your scope of business; we won't interfere."
The implication is that you can do it, but if problems arise, it will be your own responsibility. And don't even think about taking all the credit.
"Okay," Qin agreed succinctly.
"No problem," Wanda replied softly.
A preliminary consensus, though superficially agreeable, was thus reached.
The meeting has adjourned.
Without any polite greetings, Hela was the first to disappear from the meeting room, heading back to her Undead Base to prepare the plan.
Jean then transformed into a stream of spiritual light and returned to Xavier's School. She needed to utilize the global network of Mutants Psychic Network to find a breakthrough in this plan.
Wanda was the only one left at the Obsidian conference table.
She didn't leave immediately, but sat quietly, a hint of anxiety and confusion flashing in her Scarlet eyes.
She knew that while her suggestion had given her an advantage, it had also pushed her to the brink. If she couldn't produce any substantial data before Hela and Qin came up with a plan, Lynn's opinion of her would only drop further.
Just then, an extremely secretive, encrypted communication request, not belonging to the official channel of the Negative Zone, silently entered her personal Mind Link.
Wanda's body tensed instantly.
She cautiously investigated and discovered that the channel's encryption method was very special, possessing a dynamic quality she had never seen before, leaping between different realities.
She hesitated for a moment, but still approved the application.
A short message appeared in her mind.
Sender: Cross-Dimensional and Special Threat Liaison Office.
The content consists of only one coordinate and a sentence that has no beginning or end.
"If you want to make a name for yourself, come here to talk."