Back at my office with the silver case in possession, I had just enough time before the last two candidates arrived. A knock from the office door alerts me to their arrival. Ms. Saylor Swan brings in the two ladies. Britney Augustine and Stephane Colton stood beside her. Ms. Colton, the older of the two. Her dark copper hair is fashioned into an intriguing bun with braids and a ribbon. An aesthetically pleasing look. She stood calm and collected, observing me with her bright hazelnut eyes. Having a round face with narrow, angled eyebrows, she had a confident aura. A small regal nose and full lips gave her the air of noble intelligence. Ms. Colton wore a flashy pink double-breasted coat with a white blouse underneath and a tight pink skirt. 

 

The tan pantyhose had a fantastic synergy with her pink Mary Jane pumps. Her posture was perfect as she stood with her purse in hand. Her melons filled the top half of her chest, and that skirt was hiding a round tush. Milky smooth thighs peek out enough to admire with her long legs.

 

Then there is Ms. Augustine. The red-haired young twenty-something stood beside the other two lovely ladies. Of the three, she was the shortest, but not by much. Her wavy, fluffy, and bright red hair hung over her shoulders. An oval face, dazzling blue eyes, and smooth eyebrows make her a definite ten-plus. Her nose is feminine, with feminine lips and high cheekbones that complete her intoxicating allure. Ms. Augustine wore a black pencil dress that fit tightly to her body, with white pantyhose and shiny black heels. She was a knockout in all regards. Those sizable melons also amped her looks with that delicious rump, thighs, and legs.

 

"Welcome, Ms. Augustine and Ms. Colton. I'm happy to have you aboard. As Ms. Swan has probably told you, I'm the new Chief of Operations for the VP of Internal Operations. Ms. Augustine, you are my new assistant, and Ms. Colton, you are my new advisor. I know it's short notice, so I'll get to the point. Ms. Momota has authorized a business flight to an important Horizon Industries facility. We'll be departing at 10:30 pm tonight. That leaves us just under four hours to prepare," I explained.

 

"What's the nature of this business trip, if I may ask?" Ms. Colton questioned.

 

"Ms. Momota will explain during the flight. Any other information will be explained en route as well," I stated.

 

"Is there anything specific we need to bring?" Ms. Augustine asked.

 

"Not to my knowledge. There's information on your job titles in your stations in your shared office adjacent to this one," I said. "I know this interview hasn't explained must, but Ms. Momota selected just a handful of candidates for each position. You were the best out of those candidates. Ms. Momota required the best. So that's what I gave her," I explained.

 

"No need to explain any further. I'll prepare immediately," Ms. Colton said.

 

"Yes, I'll get to work as well!" Ms. Augustine said.

 

I nodded, and the two lovely ladies entered the room next to Mr. Schafer's office.

 

"I've got Ms. Soliz up to speed. She's handling a few urgent matters for you at the moment. We should be ready to leave for the airport by 9:45 pm or 10:00 pm. I assume you have packed as well?" Saylor explained.

 

"Yeah, I'm ready to go. Is there anything else we need?" I asked.

 

"Other than the suitcase you are holding, no," Saylor replied.

 

"Good, then I'll finish any loose ends here," I said.

 

With everything settled, Ms. Swan left. Everyone on my team is busy getting ready for the upcoming business trip. 'I wonder what this trip is about. Mrs. Momota was vague in her explanation.' I log on to my computer to clean up any loose assignments that may still need addressing. Small matters that any new hire, especially a new manager like myself, had to attend to.

 

 

____

 

 

Mrs. Momota boards the private jet last along with two others, a man and a woman, who must be her personal aides. Both were identical and presumably related. The blonde lady's eyes were blue, while the blonde man's eyes were green. That was the sole difference between the two other than the physical difference. They both work in pristine black dress suits with matching black-rimmed glasses. I got the sense they were legal aids as well. There was little time to address them or get a more detailed look before Mrs. Momota began talking. The jet took off mere moments after she arrived.

 

"This trip aims to access and identify misfeasance or malfeasance at the research center in Eastern Hill's territory. Several disturbing reports of criminal activity have occurred at the Ann Asher Research Center. This is a serious yet complex situation," Mrs. Momota explained. "I'll be visiting the nearby facility in the city and several satellite establishments in the surrounding counties. You, Mr. Nishimoto, will be responsible for conducting a thorough investigation of the Ann Asher site. Report back any and all anomalous behavior. I doubt you'll find any hard evidence, but in the event you do, Mr. Schafer will handle security," she said.

 

"The Director isn't expecting a visit from a high-ranking executive even. Or he expecting you, Mr. Nishimoto. That's going to give us an advantage. We'll be covertly investigating under the cover of site inspection from the United American Union," Mr. Schafer said.

 

"So they won't know we are with Horizon Industries?" Ms. Colton said. 

 

"No, it's the reason I had Mr. Nishimoto hired fresh faces. No one knows you are with Horizon Industries. It's imperative that Horizon Industries is responsible for preventing and exposing any and all corruption on our own. This practically makes us hated within the company, but that's what the CEO and shareholders pay us for," Mrs. Momota explained.

 

There was a sense of dominance in the room from the boss. Her explanation of this business trip is straightforward. Now that I've heard all the information. I know now why she hired me. Having all new faces would make it easier for us to pose as government officials. I just had a few questions.

 

"How are we to obtain government credentials?" I asked.

 

"You already have Mr. Nishimoto. Check the silver briefcase," Mrs. Momota revealed.

 

As she indicated, I keyed in the code and scanned my thumbprint. Inside, there were documents for all of us. Not forged credentials, official documents. With these, we would be authorized government agents. I picked up a package with my name on it. There was one for each of my staff. I passed them out to everyone involved. 'Department of Energy and Department of Justice.'

 

"How did you come into possession of these? It's hard to fake government credentials," Mr. Schafer said.

 

"These aren't forged and through a government-authorized program. You'll be acting in that capacity. As one of the Big Seven companies, the government basically deputizes personnel within the corporation for easier access," Mrs. Momota explained.

 

"So we report to you and the government?" I questioned.

 

"You report to me first, then the President. In that order Mr. Nishimoto. Any dealings with the President of Horizon Industries or the chief executive officer will also go through me," the boss said.

 

"Sounds straightforward enough. What happens if we get into trouble?" I asked.

 

"Then I assume these are government-issued sidearms?" Mr. Schafer stated.

 

He handed out a holster with a pistol. No one said a word as they took the weapon from the Chief Security Manager. Again, I looked at the badge in my hand. 'Department of Internal Operations.' Now I knew where the terminology for our division came from. We were both employees of Horizon Industries and special agents for the government. A clever way to root out corporate corruption. I can also see the potential for wrongdoing. Mrs. Momota wasn't the type to commit such unlawful acts. I'd have to put my faith in my new boss, and we'd all have to. This was an unexpected twist in the job requirements. I was here now, and so was the rest of my stuff. Our flight would take over a day before we arrived in the United American Union. We all have a lot to go over in our heads. 

 

"What's our plan B?" Ms. Augustine asked.

 

"Arrest the director and escort him off the premises," our boss said.

 

"What if he resists? Don't they have security at these centers?" Ms. Soliz questioned.

 

Her voice sounded uneasy. I couldn't blame her. She was no older than me. Her file included that she was a skilled marksman. Now that I think about it, everyone on my staff was proficient with handguns. Even me, I learned how to use one because of my Mom. Self-defense is a big concern of hers. Looking at my sidearm, I saw it was a chest holster. The ladies' holsters were tailored in a way just for them. Concealable and easy to draw. Having a group of office staffers would diffuse any suspicion. It's a good thing they all had extensive self-defense training. Ms. Momota didn't leave anything to chance. Any one of us had the brains to run this operation on the spot. Schafer passes out extra magazines for our pistols. I would say overkill, but we must know what we are walking into. He even provided backup firearms with spare magazines.

 

"These are all 3D-constructed weapons. Undetectable by conventional detectors. Barring a pad down, they wouldn't find them. They are meant to find these dumb sidearms," Mr. Schafer explained.

 

"These will be in plain sight?" Ms. Soliz questioned.

 

"Yeah, when we reach the front door, they'll probably ask for any weapons. Give them these, and we should be good to go," the Chief said.

 

"What's our plan C if we can't just walk out of there?" Ms. Colton asked.

 

"Don't let it come to that. If it doesn't, I will have a team ready to extract you. Remember, in your briefcase, there are arrest warrants for three individuals, including Mr. Nishimoto. The director is the main target, but if you can secure the others, then do so. Also, any person who is potentially a material witness would need to be secured. That's assuming you find evidence. The specifics are inside that case also," Mrs. Momota revealed.

 

"I understand what needs to be done. We'll carry out our assignments as instructed," I said confidently.

 

Being a special agent for the government was no less an intense position than the title I already had within the corporation. I'm basically an investigator. Everyone else settled in for a long flight. I'd use this time to familiarize myself with every bit of information I could. Luckily, everything I required was in this silver case.