Sirius Zero: Building A Corporate Kingdom After Being Expelled
Chapter 38: The FBI comes calling

Chapter 38: The FBI comes calling

Natasha monitored the security camera feeds with a knot of uncertainty in her stomach.

Aaron had instructed her to watch the feeds while he had gone into the mine to work on the reactor.

She shook her head and chuckled to herself: "I can’t believe I’m pining to be by his side. Ugh! I need to focus and protect the compound!"

She took a deep breath, and focused on the feeds, her eyes scanning for any signs of trouble.

A small red flash from the feed window of a camera monitoring the main access road caught her attention. It showed a black SUV approaching the security checkpoint.

She quickly switched focus to the security checkpoint camera, picked up her phone, and called Andre.

"Mr. Esposito, you better come quickly. We have the FBI paying us a visit," she said as the SUV pulled up to the security checkpoint, its driver window rolled down and a woman in a black formal pantsuit showed the checkpoint guard an FBI badge.

"Dammit! Stall them! I’ll be there in five minutes!" said Andre.

"Got it," said Natasha, hanging up.

She clicked open the intercom to the security checkpoint. "Checkpoint Alpha, direct the agents to the temporary office."

"Copy that, Ms. Parker," replied the guard, as he directed the SUV to the temporary office.

----

Natasha came out of the temporary office as the SUV pulled into the parking lot.

Two agents got out of the SUV, a tall blond woman with distinctly Eastern European features, wearing a sleek black pantsuit and low heels that hugged and emphasized her toned form and graceful curves.

And a petite brunette with a pixie cut, wearing a loose-fitting men’s style suit that made her look even smaller, and a pair of well-worn sneakers.

"Well, well, well. Special Agent Rochelle. What brings you out here?" asked Natasha, recognizing the brunette from her CIA days.

"It’s Raven! And what the hell are you wearing Natasha? Are you Zakhrov’s new dominatrix or something?" asked Rochelle, her voice dripping with contempt and indignation.

Natasha just smiled coldly, and sauntered closer to Rochelle, the ten centimeters of high heel enhancing the height differential, and forcing Rochelle to look up in order to maintain eye-contact.

"Hey, strong silent girl. Can you tell me why you fine ladies are here?" asked Natasha, ignoring Rochelle.

"How dare you dead-name me and then ignore me! You’re under arrest for obstruction!" shouted Rochelle or Raven, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

Natasha smirked, and clenched her fist, activating the electric shock function in her glove. Rochelle flinched backwards at the crackle of electricity.

The blond agent, who had been silent until now, stepped forward between Rochelle and Natasha, and gave Rochelle a firm chop on the head.

"Knock it off, will you," she admonished Rochelle, before turning to Natasha.

"I’m Special Agent Olga. We got a hit from your company performing a background check search for one Hakim Hussein. He is on our terror watch list, and would like your cooperation in bringing him in for questioning," replied the tall agent in a slight Slavic accent.

"I see, does he have any known associates?" asked Natasha cautiously.

"Yes. We know he is associated with a Mustafa Al-Sadiq, previously known as Mario Gonzales. We suspect that they are part of a terror cell called Osirak-Jihad, their agenda is to revive Iraq’s nuclear program and build weapons of mass destruction," replied Olga.

"And we have a warrant to tear this place apart for any evidence of their activities! If your boss is involved in nuclear terrorism, then we will find it!" piped up Rochelle angrily.

"Quiet pipsqueak! Adults are speaking," snapped Natasha.

Rochelle went for her side-arm, but Natasha beat her to it, and had both her guns pointed directly at Rochelle’s heart, before Rochelle could even pull hers out of the holster.

"Tsk, tsk. The FBI training standards have started to slip," mocked Natasha, as Olga facepalmed.

"Ms. Natasha, stand down. No amount of Mr. Zakhrov’s political connections will save you if you shoot my partner," warned Olga firmly.

"Then muzzle this bitch! I’m not going to tolerate her baseless accusations," snarled Natasha, her guns still drawn.

"Raven, wait in the car," said Olga, as she stepped between Natasha and Rochelle.

"Olga, you can’t be serious!" protested Rochelle.

With a small smirk, Olga moved with lightning-quick speed and twisted Rochelle’s arms into her handcuffs, securing her wrists behind her back. Then, ignoring her screams and threats, lifted her like a child and carried her to the SUV.

She threw Rochelle’s kicking and screaming form into the back seat, slammed the door shut, and locked it with the key-fob.

She then turned back to Natasha who had holstered her guns, and was watching with a bemused expression.

"I’ve always wanted to do that," chuckled Olga.

"Alright, shall we discuss this further in the office? It’s rather hot out here," said Natasha.

"Please," said Olga, just as Andre raced into the parking lot in his Corvette.

"Alright. What’s going on here?" he asked, getting out of the car and looking at Natasha and Olga.

"Special Agent Olga here is looking for a Hakim Hussein, who is on the FBI’s terror watch list. She claims that he is associated with a Mario Gonzales, who is also on the watch list," said Natasha.

"Well, I suppose that makes this a little easier. Natasha, show her the security footage first, then we can show her what’s in the conference room," said Andre, as he walked over to the temporary office.

"Sure, follow me," said Natasha, leading Olga into the office.

----

"I don’t know who is more scary. The Osirak-Jihad or your boss," said Olga, as she inspected the bomb vest on Mario’s corpse.

"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.

"Well, what about this bomb vest? We can’t take it off without triggering it," said Olga, looking at the vest with a frown.

"Mr. Zakhrov, has authorized the demolition of the conference room, so we can just blow it up with the vest still on him," said Natasha.

"If only our other investigations were this easy," chuckled Olga, snapping photos of the corpse with a DSLR camera.

She carefully placed Mario’s severed head into an evidence bag, and stood up.

"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, and that you’ve successfully contained a security breach from a terror cell," 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 conference room.