Sirius Zero: Building A Corporate Kingdom After Being Expelled
Chapter 31: Natasha’s Interview

Chapter 31: Natasha’s Interview

Natasha entered the office, feeling a little self-conscious about the sweat stains on her blouse and blazer.

"This is your employment contract and NDA. Read it carefully, and sign it if you agree to the terms," said Aaron, handing her a large tablet computer and stylus.

Natasha carefully kept her expression neutral as she read the documents:

The dress code mandate specified a minimum heel height of 8 centimeters, and a BMI window so strict, it would make a 1950s airline blush.

Every detail was micromanaged: only skirt-suits were permitted — pants were outright banned — and even her nails had to be painted in a specific sequence: base coat, two coats of regulation color, and a top coat.

Hair could be long, braided, or pinned into a bun, but heaven help you if you had a pixie cut.

Tattoos were forbidden. So were flat shoes, glitter anything, and any blazer not buttoned and tailored like it came from a military parade.

The kicker? All of it was monitored by biometric surveillance and AI dress-code scanners, with automatic fines for violations.

Repeat offenses led to termination—without severance, no less. And she’d need to agree to the terms before any offer of employment.

The NDA was extensive, and designed to keep extremely tight control over intellectual property and social media.

Employees were forbidden from unionizing, and from discussing almost anything related to Sirius Software, with severe financial and legal consequences for any breaches.

She considered pushing back that high heels and pencil skirts were impractical for a security guard, but decided against it.

Partly out of curiosity over Aaron’s motives, and partly because she was still a soldier at heart, and had learned to follow orders without asking too many questions.

She signed the contract and NDA, and handed the tablet back to Aaron.

Aaron swiped the tablet screen and handed it back to her.

"Enter your bank account details here, for crediting your salary. You will be paid $400,000 a year, plus bonuses for any successful operations you undertake," he said.

"Six figures is a lot of money for a security guard job," Natasha thought, as she entered her bank account details.

"Now for your biometrics. Place your hand in the scanner, your right first, and then your left," said Aaron, holding out a black handprint scanner.

The scanner beeped each time Natasha placed her hand on it, and Aaron nodded in satisfaction.

"Report here tomorrow at 0800. Welcome to Sirius Software, Ms. Parker," he said, as he shook her hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Zakhrov," replied Natasha, as she left the office.

----

Natasha fell on her bed, her emotions a mess.

She had been hired by Senator Monica Goldberg to infiltrate and destroy Sirius Software, and the first step to that mission was already complete.

She now had access to the Sirius Software compound.

However, the way Aaron had treated her, and the way he had designed the skill assessment, made her feel more alive than she had in years.

Despite needing to move in a hot and uncomfortable skirt-suit and toe-pinching pumps, the skill assessment had resurfaced the same thrill she had felt during her deployment in Iraq, where she had been an Army Ranger.

She stood up, went to her sink and splashed water on her face.

"It’s still too early. I shouldn’t be overthinking this," she thought, before changing out of the skirt-suit and pumps.

She was about to curl up and fall asleep, when her phone buzzed.

With a sigh she answered the call.

"Well? What have you found out so far?" demanded Monica Goldberg over the line.

"I just got hired by Sirius Software as a security guard, Senator. I start working tomorrow," said Natasha wearily.

"That’s it? You don’t have anything else? I thought you were the best in the business!" scoffed Monica.

"All right, here’s the more that you want. The guy running things seems to actually be Aaron Zakhrov.

He’s got hand-print biometric locks on everything, the security checkpoint has military grade retractable spike strips.

The compound walls are 20 meters high and 2 meters thick, topped with barbed wire and electric fencing.

So, unless you want to bring in the military and roll up in a tank, I suggest you let me do my job," snapped Natasha, hanging up before Monica could respond.

The phone buzzed again, and Natasha wearily answered it.

"Now listen here you old hag! I’m less than impressed by dumb kids who think they can play at being super-villains, just because they’ve got a few bucks.

I’m paying you to get in, find any kind of dirt you can, and give it to me, I’ll decide what to do with it. Fail, and you’ll never find a job again. Do you understand?" shouted Monica.

"Yes, Senator. I understand," replied Natasha, her head throbbing from the fatigue and Monica’s shrill voice.

"Good. And don’t get any dumb ideas, or I swear to God, I’ll destroy you along with him!" snarled Monica, before hanging up.

Natasha tossed her phone away and succumbed to sleep, too exhausted to think about what Monica had just threatened.

----

"Looks like we’ve got a little infiltrator on our hands," chuckled Aaron to himself, as he looked over Natasha’s information on his computer, one of the perks of bagging a military contract to secure their databases.

"Let’s begin operation convert the infiltrator!" he thought, and dialed Harry’s number.

"Harry, I’m sending you and Margaret some design specs. See if you can get them done by midnight," he said, as he sent the specs and Natasha’s measurements to Harry’s account.

"You’re giving me and my wife less than 16 hours to turn titanium and leather into an almost fetish-wear styled skirt-suit combat uniform monstrosity.

You really are a sadistic bastard, you know that?" replied Harry petulantly over the phone.

"Coming from you, that’s a compliment," chuckled Aaron.

"Hey, Master Zakhrov, after we’re done with this one can I make another for myself?" asked Margaret coming on the line.

"Of course you can Margaret. Just don’t try to sell it. That is a Sirius Software proprietary design," said Aaron.

"Of course I won’t. I just adore your taste in fashion sir," replied Margaret.

"That’s enough flirting with the kid, you little minx.

And don’t think titanium chain-mail will protect you from my belt!" growled Harry in the background as the sharp crack of leather hitting skin sounded, and Margaret let out a squeal that was part pain, part pleasure.

"Talk to you later, boss. I need to teach my wife some manners." said Harry, coming on the line.

"Alright, I’ll leave you two to it." chuckled Aaron, as he hung up.

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