"I don't know who is more scary. The Osirak-Jihad or your boss." said Olga, as she watched the security footage of Mario's attempted smuggling operation.
"Well, at least Master Zakhrov is on our side." said Natasha.
"Thank the heavens for that! If those guys had made it past your security, then we'd probably be looking at a proliferation nightmare." said Olga, shaking her head.
"We still have the truck wreckage, and the what's left of the bombers. You guys can take them, and close the case." said Natasha.
"If only our other investigations were this easy." chuckled Olga, as she stood up and shook Natasha's hand.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Parker. I will make sure that my superiors know that Sirius Nuclear is not involved in any nuclear proliferation activities." she said.
"Of course, we appreciate your understanding." replied Natasha.
Olga smiled, pulled out her radio, and called for a Crime Scene unit to come and collect the truck wreckage and the remains of the bombers.
"Alright, I will be on my way now. And Ms. Parker, I love your employer's taste in uniforms." said Olga, giving Natasha a wink.
"Thank you, Special Agent Olga. I will pass that on to Master Zakhrov." replied Natasha, blushing as Olga walked out of the office.
"Well, that went better than expected." said Andre, flopping down into a chair.
"Don't get too comfortable, Mr. Esposito. Olga's partner is one of Senator Goldberg's plants in the FBI. She'll be out for blood." warned Natasha.
"Great! Just what we need. A federal investigation into our nuclear reactor." said Andre, running a hand through his hair.
"I'll see what I can do to keep them off our backs. But get some legal plausible deniability ready, just in case." said Natasha.
"Yeah, I'll get on that right away." said Andre, getting up and heading for the door.
Natasha watched him go, and then turned back to the security camera feeds. A fury that she had never felt before welled up inside her.
"Monica Goldberg. You're not going to take down Master Zakhrov. Not while I'm here." she vowed, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the feeds.
----
"I should have gotten rid of Mario weeks ago." thought Aaron, as he fixed the sloppy welds on the reactor core using the welding drones.
He clicked the intercom, and called James. "James, I need you to contact the steel mill and have them send over three new prefabricated reactor components. I'll build out the entire fleet. We've wasted enough time as it is."
"Sure thing boss. I'll get right on it." replied James.
Aaron refocused on the drones, guiding them as they welded the primary coolant loop to the reactor core, ensuring that every joint was secure and leak-proof.
The intercom buzzed, and Natasha's voice came through: "Master Zakhrov, we had a visit from the FBI. They were looking for a Hakim Hussein, who is on their terror watch list. I showed them the security footage of Mario's attempted smuggling operation, and they took the truck wreckage and the remains of the bombers for evidence."
"I'm assuming that means that we are in the clear?" asked Aaron.
"Yes sir. Special Agent Olga was very understanding, however, one of Senator Goldberg's plants in the FBI was her partner, and that might need a little handling." replied Natasha.
"Since you said handling, I assume you are taking care of it?" asked Aaron.
"Yes sir. I'm taking care of it. I'm just keeping you informed." said Natasha.
"Good girl. I'll leave you to it." said Aaron, before hanging up.
----
"I'm already walking a damn legal tightrope here with my ass on the line, and you are not making it any easier by trying to send your lapdogs in to blow my cover!" snarled Natasha, barging into Monica's office.
"Well, I wouldn't have to if you keep hiding developments while giving me next to useless info!" shot back Monica, taken aback by Natasha who was still in her uniform - albeit unarmed and without her gloves.
"And what makes you think you can spin a successfully foiled nuclear proliferation attempt into some disaster? They had a problem, they caught it just in time, and then hired me, an ex Army Ranger and CIA operative to oversee security so that it doesn't happen again. How would you spin that Senator?" spat Natasha.
"Well you didn't mention that in your report yesterday! Have you turned turncoat Natasha? Because from the way you just defended your 'boss' it sounds like you did?" sneered Monica, as two of her security guards emerged and grabbed Natasha.
Natasha regarded Monica coldly, unfazed by the guards holding her. "Aaron Zakhrov isn't as dumb as you think he is Senator. He didn't trust me with that information until the FBI came knocking at the gates, and even then, it was only because he wanted me to prove my loyalty to him. And believe me, if your little Rochelle or Raven or whatever she calls herself these days had decided to mouth off and try to search the compound, then the FBI would have been sued for illegal search and seizure, and you would probably be facing a senate inquiry yourself." she said, her voice steady and firm.
"Is that a fact?" asked Monica, her voice cold and calculating.
"Let's compare notes shall we? Osirak-Jihad terrorists radicalize one of Sirius Nuclear's employees, and then with his help, try to smuggle a canister of heavy water that Sirius Nuclear is legally licensed to produce. They are killed while attempting to escape the compound, the heavy water is recovered, and Sirius Nuclear brings me in to conduct a full security audit, before reporting the results of the investigation to the FBI. Go ahead, bring this up in a full senate investigation. You might as well give Aaron Zakhrov a medal of valor and carte blanche to do whatever he wants at that point." replied Natasha coldly.
"Alright. But consider this your last warning, hag. If I get so much as a whiff that you've forgotten who you really work for, you won't live to see the light of another day." said Monica through gritted teeth, motioning to her guards to release Natasha.
"Now for the dirt that you wanted. Sirius Software is investing heavily into a new fashion start-up that aims to build ergonomic and comfortable high heels, with plans to roll them out as part of the Sirius Software dress code and brand image." said Natasha.
"High heels? What the hell does that have to do with anything?" asked Monica, her voice dripping with contempt.
"Well, this is the Sirius Software official dress code for female employees. And I'm legally bound to adhere to it. Make of that what you will." said Natasha, pulling out a copy of the dress code and handing it to Monica.
Monica took the document, and her eyes widened as she read through it.
"This violates so many labor laws! You're telling me that this is real and not fake?" she asked, her voice incredulous.
"Take a long hard look at my boots, Senator." said Natasha, casually sitting down and propping her booted feet on Monica's desk.
"Cute, but they don't look anything special." scoffed Monica.
Natasha smirked, raised her feet, and stabbed them into the desk, the titanium alloy stiletto heels ripping through the wood like tissue paper. The guards recoiled in horror, and Monica was shocked speechless.
"These are not just cute boots, Senator. They are titanium reinforced combat boots, and Sirius Software is going to be mass-producing slightly less lethal versions of them for their employees, and the public. They don't pinch, they don't make you wobble, and they can be worn all day without discomfort. I estimate that you have a week to farm feminist outrage before Aaron Zakhrov engineers it into irrelevance." said Natasha, getting up and walking out.