"Talk? What's there to talk about?"
Brown didn't catch the hidden meaning in Dahl's words. If he had been calm, he might have noticed, but right now, he was seething. As the Director of the CIA, the head of a major US law enforcement agency and one of the world's largest intelligence organizations, Brown was used to a comfortable life where no one dared to cross him easily.
When had he ever been so insulted?
The IRS it was just a tax agency, right? Would he, Brown, be afraid of well, maybe just a little.
All in all, Brown was furious, and the consequences would be severe!
He decided to prepare for a confrontation with the IRS. As a spymaster and a former agent himself, he wouldn't just sit there and be bullied without fighting back.
Brown wasn't one to do that. While he still wasn't sure why the IRS had suddenly shown up to "dismantle" things, one thing was certain: they had brought a "knife" to his door.
He couldn't just stand there defenseless and let himself be butchered.
So, Brown decided to grab his own "knife."
"Let's just expose each other's secrets and stab each other," he thought. "Who's afraid of whom?"
"The CIA is a law enforcement agency, after all!"
"Even though you IRS guys have a lot of power, wide-ranging authority, and probably more 'dirt' on people than we do, and you have two armed forces and more funding, still still still."
Brown shook his head, choosing not to think too deeply.
Any more thought, and he'd just surrender.
He had to think this way: even if the CIA couldn't win, the IRS wouldn't get off easy either! A surge of youthful passion suddenly filled his chest.
It was like he was back in his younger days, before he was bald, full of ambition and reckless abandon, ready to take on the world.
"Go to the main data room right now and retrieve files 100 through 86," Brown ordered, his voice firm and passionate. "If the IRS wants a war, we'll give them a war!"
Dahl's face froze. "A war? How did this become a war?"
So the director had confirmed that the IRS was ready to tear off the mask and wanted him to get the files to prepare?
Dahl's mind raced, trying to figure out what Brown meant.
"...Are you listening?" Brown, who had just finished his impassioned speech, felt a bit deflated when he didn't get a response. It was like he was talking to himself. He
asked impatiently.
"Ah yes, I'm listening!" Dahl finally snapped out of it and carefully said, "But Director, I can't get into the main data room!"
Despite being the administrative director, Dahl didn't have much power. He certainly didn't have the clearance to enter the highly restricted main data room at CIA headquarters.
According to Ethan, only the main administrator, William Dom, could access it, and it required multiple authentications like iris scans, voice prints, and fingerprints.
"Can't you just get William to get them for you?" Brown asked in frustration.
"I need a formal order for that," Dahl replied, confused.
"...F***, then just keep talking to the IRS guy until I get there! I'm on my way!" Brown paused, then cursed in annoyance.
"Threaten him a little, preferably to make him back off.
Let him know what kind of retaliation we'll unleash if they decide to go through with this!"
"First comes a surge of energy, then a decline, and finally exhaustion." Brown's emotional journey over the past hour was a perfect illustration of this phrase.
First, he tried to call Chris to ask what was going on, but Chris didn't answer, and his anger peaked. Then he called Dahl and declared war, but Dahl didn't cooperate, which made things awkward and his momentum began to wane.
After that, he asked Dahl to get the files, but Dahl couldn't. Brown realized it wasn't Dahl's fault; he had been so angry that he issued an impossible order without thinking.
This latest setback instantly sent Brown's momentum plummeting. This was evident in his new command to Dahl: "Threaten him, preferably to make him back off."
This was a world away from his earlier "if he wants a war, we'll give him a war!"
After hanging up, Dahl thought for a moment and concluded that Brown's call was just him telling him to do what he was already doing.
He shook his head, realizing Brown was probably too angry to think straight.
So, he knew he couldn't cause any more trouble and had to follow Brown's orders.
He composed himself, put on his professional smile again, and pushed open the conference room door.
Morin, who had been playing with his phone, looked up.
"Are you finished, Mr. Dahl?"
"Yes," Dahl said, walking over to Morin.
"Mr. Morin, our director just called and explained a few things. But before that, I need to ask you, what is the purpose of your visit?"
He figured Brown would be there soon, so it didn't matter if Morin revealed his intentions now.
"My purpose?" Morin frowned, pretending to think hard.
"What was my purpose again?"
After a moment, he acted as if he'd just remembered. "I recall now. I'm here for a friendly exchange with the CIA!"
Dahl was silent, carefully and seriously considering if the words "friendly" and "exchange" had some other meaning.
Given the circumstances and Morin's demeanor, what could those words possibly mean? It couldn't be their literal meaning, could it?
"It's like this. We've found that we often run into problems when we're trying to catch tax-evading criminals. These problems involve many things, such as our equipment, technology, and even the professional skills of our agents," Morin said with a serious expression.
"So, our director thought about it and came up with the idea of talking to a fellow intelligence agency... oh, no, to you, the intelligence agency. Sorry, we're the tax department... um, no big deal, let's continue," Morin explained.
"We hope to have a friendly exchange with you on things like management systems, technology, and talent training to promote a harmonious and cooperative relationship between our two departments, so we can grow and improve together!"
"It's just official speak, you know? Is there anyone who can't do it?" Morin thought to himself. "If the situation was right, I'd bring up the concept of a community of common destiny for mankind."
He recalled the successful message he'd just received from Ethan and watched Dahl's smile completely freeze.
He found it amusing on the inside but maintained a serious, professional expression. His acting had to be on point.
At the same time, Morin silently said to himself, "Thanks for the cooperation!"
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