The Debrief After Extradition, Undercurrents in the Director's Office

In the White Bone Hall, the door to the Director's Office was silently pushed open.

This is the power center of the Negative Zone Management Committee, and the air is filled with an absolute silence filtered through rules.

Lynn sat behind her large desk, calmly watching the person walk in.

Gwen Stacy walked at the front, her steps as precise and restrained as ever, like a finely programmed instrument. Behind her were Hela and Wanda.

The two stood on either side, clearly separated, as if an invisible wall separated them. Hela's aura was like solidified ice, while the Scarlet in Wanda's eyes resembled volcanic lava about to erupt.

Their gazes passed over Gwen Stacy and landed directly on Lynn, and the Red-haired Woman was being "escorted" at the back by two Stability Maintenance Office officers at a distance.

Natasha.

She changed into a gray standard uniform from the Liaison Office, her hair tied back, and her face washed clean of all the grime, showing no sign of dishevelment. She simply followed quietly, like an ordinary cadre awaiting the organization's decision.

"Sit."

Lynn's voice broke the silence.

Hela and Wanda each sat down on a single sofa in the reception area, leaving enough space in the middle for two more people to sit.

Natasha was led by Gwen Stacy to the chair directly opposite Lynn's desk. This was the briefing area, which also served as the questioning area.

"Director," Gwen Stacy stopped beside the desk, adjusting her glasses, "Based on your approval, special witness Natasha Romanoff has been safely extradited. Now, according to procedure, this is my office conducting a preliminary report."

Lynn nodded slightly, said nothing, but simply made a "start" gesture.

In the office, only the faint hum of the equipment could be heard. Hela leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed, as if resting, but everyone could feel her Blade- sharp perception enveloping the entire room. Wanda, meanwhile, rested her fingers on her knees, a faint Scarlet light flickering between them.

All eyes were on Natasha.

"Director, esteemed leaders," Natasha began, her voice steady and her volume moderate—the standard tone of a work report honed through professional training.

"Regarding the E-616 Abandoned Timeline, the S-rank security incident that occurred at the ' Red Room ' base, as the sole Survivor at the scene, I hereby report the situation as follows."

"The immediate cause of the accident was that a miniature antimatter Arc Reactor, reserved at the base's lower level, activated an emergency self-destruct procedure left over from TVA for unknown reasons. This procedure was codenamed ' Winter Cradle '."

Lynn's pen, which was spinning, paused for a fraction of a second.

His expression remained normal, but out of the corner of his eye, one could see Wanda's knuckles tighten slightly.

Natasha's report continued, her wording precise and clear, perfectly conforming to the format of a standard accident report. She described in detail the changes in Arc Reactor energy readings, the sequence of structural collapse, and how she, thanks to her familiarity with the base's old pipelines, had managed to escape to an abandoned ventilation shaft at the last moment of the explosion.

"... Throughout the entire process, Internal Communications at the base were completely jammed by strong signals, making it impossible to establish any contact with the outside world. Based on my experience, I judge that this jamming pattern is 93 percent similar in technical characteristics to the situation we encountered when handling the ' Red Shoes ' incident in Budapest."

Lynn's left hand, resting on the table, unconsciously tapped the surface lightly with its index finger.

Just this once.

Hela's eyes were tightly closed, and her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly. She opened her eyes, and in her dark green pupils was a bottomless, icy pool.

She might not understand the specific meanings of "Winter Cradle" or "Red Shoes," but she could clearly sense that in this office, under her and Wanda's watchful eyes, Lynn and this new woman were engaged in a conversation conducted through encrypted codes—a conversation they couldn't intervene in.

It was a feeling of being excluded.

Wanda didn't look at Hela; her gaze was fixed on Natasha's face, as if trying to read the secrets deep within her soul through Chaos Magic. But she failed. Natasha seemed to be surrounded by a solid barrier woven from rules and procedures, making all her attempts to probe her emotions futile.

This unspoken, unspoken understanding, which seemed impossible to penetrate, caused the atmosphere in the office to gradually drop to freezing point.

"... Ultimately, before the base was completely Oblivion, I was fortunate enough to be captured by the investigation team's emergency teleportation protocol and survived." Natasha's report came to an end. "That concludes all the information I have. Report complete."

She sat upright, her hands on her knees, awaiting Lynn's judgment.

A suffocating silence filled the office.

Lynn picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of water, and did so unhurriedly.

"The report is very detailed." He put down his teacup, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Director Gwen Stacy, your department is fully responsible for the subsequent detailed record-keeping and cross-verification. Make sure the facts are clear and the chain of evidence is complete."

"Yes, Director." Gwen Stacy nodded in agreement.

"As for Comrade Natasha's temporary arrangements..." Lynn began, but his words trailed off.

"Director," Natasha interrupted him again.

All eyes were once again focused on her.

"If I may, I'd like to add a personal suggestion."

As she spoke, she took a small Data Pad from her uniform pocket, held it with both hands, and respectfully placed it on Lynn's desk.

"Although this ' Red Room ' incident was classified as an accident, it also exposed significant loopholes and risks within our Management Committee regarding Discipline supervision, enforcement of Confidentiality Regulations, and management of historical assets."

Her voice remained calm, but the weight of her words sharpened the eyes of both Hela and Wanda.

"Based on the management experience of the Red Room, I have ventured to draft a plan for strengthening internal Discipline. The most crucial point is to suggest establishing an Internal Affairs Inspection Office within the existing Management Committee structure, independent of all departments and directly under your leadership, Director."

On the Data Pad, the file titles were clearly displayed.

"Draft Proposal on Establishing an Internal Affairs Inspection Office for the Negative Zone Management Committee"

The air in the office seemed to freeze completely.