(Join my patreon to access advanced chapters & faster updates here: patreon.com/Kramq)
"I really don't get what those idiots are thinking! Stupid pigs! Wasting taxpayers' money!" The little beauty Natasha complained, sounding no different from a regular American—cursing the White House, the FBI, just your usual daily rants.
Bella actually felt sorry for her. She was just walking down the street when some robbers tried to snatch a toy car from her, then she got caught up in something even bigger. Was the Black Widow cursed or something? Maybe it was safer to stay away from her.
Thinking of the toy car, she couldn't help but ask, "What was inside that thing anyway?"
"A missile's main control circuit board. You've heard of Stark Industries, right?"
"Yeah, I know that one."
Natasha hugged a pillow as she sat cross-legged on the bed. From Bella's angle, the curve of her back looked especially smooth and soft.
Natasha turned to look at her, eyes shining in a way that could probably charm both men and women. "You know their newest type of tracking missile?"
Why do you sound so excited about missiles, girl?
After spending some time with her, Bella figured out Natasha's age. She was actually a year younger—a very pink-cheeked baby Black Widow.
Among people her age, Natasha was seriously well-read. Mechanical engineering, biomedical stuff, orbital mechanics, quantum physics—she could chat a bit about anything.
She liked new things. Liked thrills. That was just who she was—no hiding it.
"I don't know much about missiles. You explain it."
"Sure!"
Natasha was basically an off-brand military nerd. She explained all the details she knew about the missile.
In 2000, the internet wasn't that developed, and even if it was, you weren't gonna find top-secret tech details online for civilians to see. So she could only talk in broad strokes.
Bella didn't get missiles, but she understood people.
"I get what the FBI is thinking now. They're something else."
The next day, her guess was confirmed. A department manager from Stark Industries verified the chip's authenticity, and then the FBI released a preliminary report combining speculation with facts.
Someone had stolen a missile control board and hidden it in a toy car, but during baggage claim, they grabbed the wrong bag. That was Natasha's side of the story—everything clearly laid out.
Bella's side, though—the plane crash—was way more complicated.
There were a bunch of theories, but the FBI's early conclusion was: missile attack. Why?
Wasn't there a group caught stealing missile parts? If they could steal the circuit board, maybe they could steal a whole missile. Maybe one of their partners realized the board theft was exposed and attacked the plane to cover their tracks.
So the report came out, full of words like "possibly," "suspected," "unconfirmed," and "maybe."
Final conclusion: the four guys who tried to steal the toy car were major suspects in Flight 180's crash. One of them was still at large, and with a buyer behind them, this could lead to more clues.
And that was good enough for the authorities.
Stark Industries figured it'd be a win if the government stepped in with resources to help catch the mastermind, so after a bit of hesitation, they approved the report.
As for victims and survivor compensation? Not their problem. That was the airline's mess.
After two days of investigations and negotiations, all parties were more or less satisfied. Case entered Phase Two. Bella and the others were free to go home.
Many of the students on the flight were minors. To sign release papers, they needed a legal guardian present.
Bella's mom was on vacation in California with her phone off, so they had to call her cop dad to come sign.
What does my dad even look like again? Bella suddenly realized—she'd never met this guy before. It had only been five days since she transmigrated!
She deliberately waited around, letting the other students reunite with their parents first before walking out of the room.
Now the only man left outside should be her dad, right? He was probably anxiously waiting. As soon as she showed up, he'd run over and hug her, and this part would be done.
That was the plan anyway… but something small went off script.
"Hahaha, gotta say, your town's pretty good, Samantha. In Fox Town, I'm the only sheriff." A middle-aged man with a mustache was chatting with Natasha's mom.
Natasha's mom was also pretty hot. Great body too. She laughed brightly, "Pete's kind of dumb, honestly. Not much help. There are bears outside Fox Town? That's wild!"
The mustached man spoke with a bit of pride, "Not just bears. One of my old pals is Native American. He says you can even spot wolves in the winter."
"That's really interesting!"
"Yeah, last time we went into the woods—"
When Bella and Natasha walked out, they saw the two sheriffs deep in conversation. Just one sentence and they'd hit it off. Just one move of aiming a gun and they were both grinning. If there weren't so many grieving relatives nearby, they probably would've burst out laughing already.
"That your dad?" Natasha tilted her head.
I honestly don't know if that's my dad! This is my first time seeing him too! Bella tried to remember the guy from the photos—he'd looked younger in them, a bit moodier, not as mature as this middle-aged man.
But close enough. And there weren't any other similar-looking men nearby.
She shrugged. "Isn't it obvious?"
Both of them sighed.
"Your dad's pretty good-looking. Why'd he and your mom split? Bad relationship?" Natasha asked.
Bella thought for a bit, trying to recall what was in the original girl's diary. "She thought he had no zest for life. My mom loves everything about big city life—parties, shopping, beaches. My dad only likes fishing and hunting. Totally incompatible."
Natasha put her index finger to her lips. "Makes sense. Your dad's hobbies are a lot like my mom's."
They'd talked about family before. Natasha's mom's first marriage was a mess. Her ex was hot, but a drunk, violent, and unemployed. After Natasha was born, they broke up pretty quick.
Her second husband—now stepdad—was just a regular office worker. He had a son, she had Natasha. They got married and soon had a kid together—Natasha's bratty little brother. A blended family with no blood relation was nothing unusual around here.