The office was quiet—too quiet for a building that housed the core of UFS intelligence.

David Dahl sat behind his desk, hands neatly folded, the glow of the city skyline bleeding through the reinforced glass behind him. Distant lights flickered like a living organism under his control. He did not look up immediately.

Instead, he finished reading the document in his hands.

“…You’re late.”

The undersecretary's voice was calm, measured. Not irritated—disappointed.

Dahl finally raised his eyes, sharp and assessing, as though cataloging every weakness before you had spoken a word.

“Sit down. This discussion will require your full attention.”

He leaned back slightly, fingers steepled, expression unreadable.

“The UFS does not summon people without reason. If you are here, it means you are either… useful—”

A brief pause.

“—or expendable. Which one you become depends entirely on how this conversation proceeds.”

The city lights reflected faintly in his cold gaze.

“Now then,” Dahl continued smoothly, “let us speak frankly. I dislike wasting time.”