An exchange of interests after the accounting crisis, the special commissioner's forced compromise
Lynn did not turn around.
He simply turned to the side and looked at the young officer blocking his way. A fine layer of sweat had already formed on the other man's forehead, and his eyes darted away, avoiding his gaze.
The doors to the first conference room were wide open, and the few people inside were scattered about, each busy with their terminal equipment, no one looking towards the door. That silent isolation carried more weight than any words.
"Director Lynn..." The young staff member's voice was very low, with a pleading tremor.
Lynn shifted her gaze from him to the other end of the corridor. There was a small reception room, number three, which was rarely used and whose door was closed.
"Let her wait there."
After finishing speaking, Lynn didn't look at the other person again and walked straight ahead.
Gwen Stacy followed behind him silently.
Reception Room No. 3
The room was small and simply furnished, with only a square table and a few chairs. There were no extra decorations, and no light curtains were turned on. The air in the enclosed space was somewhat stuffy.
Ravonna was already sitting there.
She changed out of the uniform that represented the authority of the Discipline and Supervision Department, wearing only a simple black undershirt. Without her entourage and the condescending aura she once possessed, she looked like a weary woman in Extremis.
She looked up when she heard the door open.
Lynn walked in, Gwen Stacy followed behind him, gently closing the door behind her.
Lynn didn't sit opposite Ravonna, but instead pulled out a chair to the side and sat down, forming a right angle with her at a distance that wasn't too close or too far. Gwen Stacy stood behind him, like a silent shadow.
No one spoke.
The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the fresh air system.
Finally, it was Ravonna who spoke first, her voice a little hoarse.
"You win, Director Lynn."
Lynn didn't reply. He stared at the reflection of his fingers on the table, as if studying the grain of the wood.
"I'm just a pawn." A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Ravonna's lips. "The mess in the Battleworld is too big; someone has to clean it up. They chose me, and they chose you."
"However, I couldn't push you, this rock, into that pit."
Lynn finally raised his eyes and looked at her.
"Special Envoy, the hearing is merely in recess."
His voice was calm, as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.
These words caused Ravonna's body to tremble almost imperceptibly. Yes, adjournment. The sword hanging over her head could fall again at any moment. Forging official documents and framing subordinate agencies—either of these two charges would be enough to completely erase her from the data.
"What do you want?" Ravonna stopped beating around the bush and looked directly at Lynn. "Anything I can give you, anything that will get me out of this mess."
Lynn tapped his index finger lightly on the table.
"This isn't about what I want."
He shifted to a more comfortable position, leaning back in his chair.
"The Coordination Committee needs an explanation. The Inspectorate Office needs a flawless closing report. And the Negative Zone Management Committee needs a stable, undisturbed working environment."
He paused, then changed the subject.
"Of course, your Audit Team also needs to return with a satisfactory report."
A faint light rekindled in Ravonna's eyes. She understood the subtext of Lynn's words. This wasn't about forcing her to die, but about negotiating terms.
"I... I don't understand," she said tentatively.
"It's very simple." Lynn looked at her and said, word by word, "This audit still needs to produce results. However, the results need to be adjusted."
He looked at Gwen Stacy.
Gwen Stacy understood, took a Data Pad from her briefcase, and gently pushed it to the center of the table.
"This contains records of the disposal of some non-core assets left over from the early days of the Negative Zone Management Committee. There are some... procedural irregularities, and a few energy leakage issues that are incompatible with the standards of the old S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Lynn's voice sounded like that of a seasoned accountant explaining a routine account.
"The problem isn't major, but it's enough to write a detailed and substantial Audit Report. It should identify the issues, propose corrective measures, and require a follow-up audit within a specified timeframe. Once that process is completed, your task will be finished."
Ravonna's breathing became somewhat rapid.
She stared intently at the Data Pad, as if it were her only lifeline. Lynn was offering her a ladder, a ladder that would allow her to gracefully exit the situation.
She reached out to grab the Data Pad.
Lynn's hand gently pressed on the Data Pad.
"But, Special Envoy," Lynn's tone remained calm, but his eyes deepened, "I don't want this to happen again."
Ravonna's hand froze in mid-air.
"To prevent similar 'misunderstandings' from happening again, and to improve the overall administrative efficiency of the Coordination Committee, I believe it is necessary to address this issue institutionally."
Lynn tapped his finger on the Data Pad.
The screen lit up, but instead of displaying asset disposal records, it showed a draft application.
The title is. "Application for Including the Negative Zone Management Committee in the ' Cross-Dimensional Technology Cooperation Zone ' and Granting It ' Level-Two Inspection-Exempt Filing ' Qualification".
Ravonna's pupils suddenly contracted.
She instantly understood Lynn's true purpose.
Hand over some insignificant scraps to help her out of her predicament. In exchange, she, Special Envoy from the Discipline and Supervision Department, must use her authority to sign an official "get-out-of-jail-free card" for Negative Zone.
With this record in place, any routine audits and investigations of the Negative Zone within the Coordination Committee will be impossible to initiate. The Negative Zone will transform from a subordinate agency that can be manipulated at any time into a semi-independent kingdom with legal immunity.
This is when Lynn's true intentions are revealed.
"This... this is impossible." Ravonna's voice was hoarse. "This level of filing requires the approval of the Supreme Chairman's Council, and I don't have that authority."
"You have."
Lynn interrupted her.
"As the person in charge of this special audit, you have the right to submit supplementary recommendations to the committee regarding 'optimizing the supervision model of the audited entity.' These recommendations, after being accompanied by your handwritten signature, will be included as part of the closing report and will directly enter the filing process, rather than the approval process."
"This is a procedural loophole, one that you and I both know, but the oversight body is happy to see, and your superiors have nothing to say about it."
Ravonna was completely speechless.
Looking at the man before her, she felt a chill run down her spine for the first time. Every step, every detail, had been meticulously planned by him. He not only wanted to win, but also to use the other party's rules to turn the fruits of victory into a permanent contract.
A long silence fell over the room once again.
After a long while, Ravonna closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath, as if all the strength in her body had been drained away.
"I'll sign."
Gwen Stacy switched the files on the Data Pad, brought up the official protocol page, and then pushed the Data Pad in front of Ravonna.
Ravonna picked up the electronic pen on the table and wrote her name in the signature field.
Her hands were trembling violently.
After the agreement was signed, Ravonna stood up, not glancing at Lynn again, and walked dejectedly towards the door.
Lynn watched her retreating figure until the door closed again.
He picked up the already-effective agreement from the table, glanced at it, and then handed it to Gwen Stacy.
"Archive."
"Yes."
The crisis is over.
Lynn stood up and rubbed his throbbing temples. This war without gunfire had consumed far more mental energy than any real battle.
That evening, Ravonna led her Audit Team onto the returning Audit Ship.
Their arrogance and haughtiness upon arrival had vanished. When they left, only their disheveled state and panic remained.
Lynn stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the White Bone Hall, watching the spaceship disappear into the Dimension folds of Negative Zone.
"Director," Gwen Stacy's voice came from behind, "The entire Audit Team has left the country, and the headcount has been verified."
Lynn nodded without saying anything.
However, Gwen Stacy's next words made him frown slightly.
"However, there was one issue. In the last five minutes before they boarded the ship, one person's signal briefly disappeared from our monitoring network for thirty seconds."
Lynn turned around.
"Who?"
"The Special Envoy's deputy," Gwen Stacy pulled up a holographic image, "Sylvie."