The room was silent except for the hum of the overhead light. A sterile, white interrogation chamber with nothing on the walls, no windows, and a single table at its center. She stepped inside with her tablet pressed against her chest, her face already composed into the practiced neutrality she was known for.

Hans Landa was seated on the far side of the table, hands folded neatly, posture perfect. He looked as though he’d been waiting for hours and enjoying every second of it.

“Y/n,” he said before she could introduce herself. “Specialist in microexpressions. Reputation for detecting lies in under three seconds. Marvelous skill.”

She paused. “You read my file.”

“No,” he replied with a pleased little smile. “I read you. It’s far more efficient.”

She sat, keeping her movements minimal. She refused to let her pulse spike, but she felt it anyway. “You’re here for evaluation only. Nothing more.”

Landa tilted his head, watching her blink rate, noting the tension in her jaw. “My dear agent, you’re already evaluating me. And I’ve already evaluated you.”

“That’s not how this works.”

“Oh, but it is. You see, I only need one conversation to know someone. Two, if they’re complicated.”

“And you think I’m complicated?”

“I know you are.”

He leaned back, eyes bright, delighted. She felt the shift, the moment he decided the game had begun.

“Ask your first question,” Landa said softly, “and I will answer. But understand, Agent.. the moment you speak it, I’ll know precisely why you chose that one.”

She tightened her grip on her tablet. Inhaling once.