Dahl's smile stiffened so badly it was on the verge of cracking.
For a moment, he seriously suspected that the man in front of him was deliberately humiliating him-and by extension, the CIA.
A friendly exchange?
Between the IRS and the CIA?
In this situation?
If Morin were holding a knife right now, Dahl would have believed him more if he said, "I'm just here to borrow some blood."
"...Mr. Morin," Dahl said slowly, choosing every word with extreme care, "your explanation is... quite unexpected."
Morin nodded solemnly. "I get that a lot."
Dahl took a deep breath. "You're saying that the Internal Revenue Service wants to conduct... technical and managerial exchanges with the CIA?"
"Yes," Morin replied without hesitation. "In-depth, hands-on, face-to-face exchanges."
Dahl's eyelid twitched.
Face-to-face.
Hands-on.
Every word sounded increasingly dangerous the more Morin spoke.
"And," Morin continued helpfully, "since your agency has such rich experience in intelligence work, information security, covert operations, internal management, and counterintelligence-"
Dahl felt his scalp tighten.
"-we believe there's a lot worth learning from," Morin finished, smiling politely.
Learning?
You already dismantled half our internal security and walked into the conference room like it was a café.
Dahl instinctively wanted to ask: What exactly do you still need to learn?
But he didn't dare.
Because Morin's tone was calm. Too calm.
This was not the tone of someone asking for permission.
This was the tone of someone announcing a decision.
"...And how," Dahl asked carefully, "do you propose we carry out this 'exchange'?"
Morin brightened slightly, as if pleased he'd finally been asked the right question.
"Oh, that's simple," he said. "We start with observation."
"Observation?" Dahl repeated.
"Yes," Morin nodded. "We observe your workflows, your data management systems, your internal authorization logic, your response mechanisms-"
Dahl's brain began screaming.
"-and then," Morin continued smoothly, "we compare them with ours."
Dahl swallowed. "Compare...?"
"Yes," Morin said thoughtfully. "To see where we're lacking. And where you might improve."
Improve?!
Dahl felt like he'd just been told that a burglar wanted to critique the quality of his locks after breaking into his house.
Before he could respond, Morin added casually, "Of course, this is a two-way exchange."
Dahl latched onto that phrase like a drowning man grabbing driftwood.
"A two-way exchange?" he asked quickly.
"Naturally," Morin said. "We're very fair."
Dahl straightened slightly. "And... what exactly would the CIA gain from this?"
Morin looked genuinely surprised.
"Well," he said, "you'd gain peace of mind."
"...Peace of mind?"
"Yes," Morin nodded seriously. "Because once we fully understand your systems, there will be far fewer misunderstandings between our departments in the future."
Dahl: "..."
That was not comforting.
That was terrifying.
Before Dahl could formulate a response, the conference room door suddenly opened again.
A man with a shiny bald head, sharp eyes, and a visibly suppressed temper strode in.
Brown.
The CIA Director had arrived.
The moment he entered, his gaze locked onto Morin like a missile acquiring its target.
"So," Brown said coldly, "you're the IRS man."
Morin stood up immediately, his expression respectful and professional.
"Yes, sir," he said, extending his hand. "Morin. A pleasure to finally meet you."
Brown did not shake his hand.
He stared at it for two seconds, then looked Morin straight in the eyes.
"A friendly exchange," Brown said slowly. "That's what you're calling this?"
Morin nodded sincerely. "Yes, Director Brown. Friendly, constructive, mutually beneficial."
Brown laughed-but there was no humor in it.
"You walked into my headquarters uninvited, tore open internal defenses, scared my staff half to death, and now you're telling me this is friendly?"
Morin thought for a moment.
"...When you put it like that," he admitted, "it does sound a bit abrupt."
Brown's eyebrow twitched.
"But," Morin added calmly, "we didn't leak anything, break anything irreversibly, or arrest anyone. That already shows goodwill."
The room fell silent.
Dahl felt like he was watching two apex predators slowly circle each other.
Brown stared at Morin for a long time.
Then he spoke again, his voice low and dangerous.
"And if I refuse?"
Morin met his gaze without flinching.
"Then," he said politely, "this exchange will become... less friendly."
The silence deepened.
Brown's fists clenched.
Dahl's heart skipped a beat.
Morin, however, simply smiled.
"Relax, Director Brown," he said reassuringly. "We prefer cooperation."
Then he added, almost as an afterthought:
"But we're very good at unilateral learning, too."