Castle continued speaking without pause, "It was only yesterday that I realized how outdated the weapons used by your precinct's officers really are. Most of them are only equipped with Glock 17s. Sure, these pistols are safe, reliable, and have a decent magazine capacity, but for your officers who often face criminals armed with automatic rifles and other high-powered weapons, it's simply not enough.
And I noticed that most of the patrol cars have Remington M870 shotguns as their support weapons, and even automatic rifles are pretty rare. Add to that the fact that their bulletproof vests aren't up to par with the increasingly advanced and powerful weapons used by criminals nowadays, and it became clear to me that the equipment needs a serious upgrade. That's why I'm planning to start by donating a batch of current U.S. military equipment to your Twelfth Precinct."
Beckett smiled warmly at Castle, who was passionately explaining his plans. "Why not donate to the entire NYPD instead?"
Castle gave her a look that said, Are you kidding me? "You're my girlfriend, and the Twelfth Precinct is under your command. Shouldn't I prioritize you and your team before dealing with the rest of the NYPD? After all, the officers outside have my back! Remember, they supported me when I took down those two hitmen outside the precinct without batting an eye. Of course I'm going to look out for them first!"
Beckett burst into laughter at Castle's playful antics. Once she had calmed down, she acknowledged Castle's good intentions and promised to discuss the donation with her superiors before moving forward.
After that conversation, Beckett was about to update Castle on the progress of the William Bracken case when Castle, growing impatient, cut her off.
He already knew the outcome, thanks to his trusty System. What did he care about Bracken's fate? It wasn't like he could take matters into his own hands and deal with Bracken or Nick Coonan the way he had with Vincent. Bracken, as a former senator, would certainly create a political firestorm if anything happened to him, and Coonan, as a key witness, was crucial to bringing Bracken down. There was no point in paying attention to these people anymore.
For Castle, they had no value beyond providing Beckett with the satisfaction of capturing them. Since they no longer interested him, Castle declined Beckett's offer to discuss the investigation further. Instead, he handed her the borrowed keys to the precinct's Dodge car, using the excuse that he needed to pick up his own car and get home early to cook dinner for Beckett and Alexis. With that, he made a swift exit from the precinct.
Castle hailed a cab and headed to Fat Tony's place. Mozzie was gone, and despite knowing that Fat Tony would once again slip into his usual routine of living off takeout, Castle didn't care. He simply reminded Tony to be cautious. Even though Castle had successfully connected with Northrop Grumman, there was still a chance that General Atomics, the company that had previously kidnapped Tony, might try something again.
Castle's concern only eased when Tony revealed that Gionna had already hired bodyguards to watch over him, given how fond she was of her obedient brother. Relieved, Castle left Tony's place in his Mercedes-Benz, heading home.
While driving, he called the senior vice president at Northrop Grumman with whom he had been working. Castle laid out his plan to purchase a batch of U.S. military-grade equipment and weapons to donate to Beckett's precinct. However, during their conversation, the vice president laughed and explained that Northrop Grumman didn't actually manufacture those types of items.
It turned out that the weapons Castle needed, such as bulletproof vests and automatic rifles, were outside Northrop Grumman's focus, which was primarily on aircraft and aircraft carriers. Fortunately, since they had connections with other arms manufacturers, the vice president reluctantly agreed to help Castle procure the necessary equipment through Northrop Grumman's name once he sent over the list. Castle finally let him off the hook after that.
Once that was settled, Castle dropped a bit of news that made the VP happy: the next day, Castle and his assistant would be heading to Northrop Grumman's high-level lab near New York to begin constructing the first full-sized prototype of their new drone. With both sides pleased, the call ended.
That evening, Castle prepared a lavish dinner for Beckett and Alexis, and after a romantic night with Beckett, he started the next day by dropping Alexis off at school and Beckett at work. Then, he headed back to Fat Tony's house, picking up a very excited Tony, who was eager to visit the high-level lab owned by Northrop Grumman.
They arrived at the lab, located in a small, heavily-guarded town near New York. Castle, well aware of the importance of not snooping where he shouldn't, quickly stopped Tony from giving in to his curiosity. They were greeted by the staff and led to the lab that had been prepped for Castle's project.
Inside the spacious lab, all the equipment Castle had requested was ready. His task now was to lead the team of skilled technicians, dispatched by Northrop Grumman, to assemble the prototype drone.
Castle, already familiar with the process, wasted no time and immediately began directing the technicians, who were clearly seasoned professionals. The drone's framework, built from Castle's designs by Northrop Grumman, stood in the center of the lab, and the assembly began in earnest.
Tony, tasked with providing support, quietly set up his laptop, ready to assist Castle with calculations and testing as needed.
As Castle transitioned from best-selling author to aviation designer, leading his team in assembling the full-sized prototype, Beckett, holding an arrest warrant signed by a Supreme Court judge, arrived at Senator William Bracken's New York office. There, she finally arrested the man who had ordered the murder of her mother ten years ago. The senator, pale-faced and resigned to his fate, was handcuffed by Beckett herself.
At last, the man who had eluded Beckett's grasp for a decade was brought to justice, thanks to her relentless pursuit and Castle's unwavering support. While a lengthy process of gathering evidence and undergoing trial awaited, and despite the uncertainties of how Bracken's political allies might try to intervene, it was almost certain that the former senator would be imprisoned for his crimes.
Castle had discreetly probed Beckett to see if she might seek personal vengeance, but her moral compass as a police officer had remained firm. She repeatedly dismissed Castle's veiled suggestions that Bracken should be eliminated, insisting instead that bringing him to justice through legal means was enough.
Since Beckett showed no interest in Castle's more extreme ideas, and eliminating Bracken would create a massive political backlash, Castle decided to step back, content that the senator's fate was sealed. With Bracken out of the way, Castle could now focus on his role as an aviation designer.
Currently, he was thoroughly enjoying his time at Northrop Grumman's high-level lab.
For Northrop Grumman, a company that could build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with ease, supplying a team of highly skilled and experienced engineers to assist Castle was no big deal. Moreover, they had already received Castle's detailed drone blueprints, so by the time he arrived, the drone's main framework was already assembled.
Northrop Grumman had even gone above and beyond. While Castle had previously been limited to using small jet engines for his drone designs, the company had supplied a state-of-the-art turbofan engine from Pratt & Whitney's Canadian factory. This new engine, compact yet boasting high thrust-to-weight ratios, left Castle completely awestruck.
It wasn't that Castle couldn't afford such advanced technology before; it was that military-grade engines like these were simply unavailable to civilians. Pratt & Whitney, which also provided engines for the U.S. Air Force's F-22 fighters, was one of the top three engine manufacturers in the world. Companies like theirs didn't just do business with anyone.
If it weren't for Castle's connection to Northrop Grumman, he would never have gotten his hands on such a high-performance turbofan engine.
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