The nameless man who was shot dead at the safe house's doorstep by Bob sent shockwaves through the agents inside, who hadn't yet managed to evacuate. However, Bob, having completed his task at Castle's request to eliminate this figure who tirelessly worked for the Roxette organization, packed his belongings and left. He left behind terrified agents and the NYPD, alerted by the gunfire.
Now it was up to the agents to explain to the police—who already knew full well what kind of place this was—why someone armed with a sniper rifle had been lying in wait outside their safe house, and why their leader's head had been blown off the moment he stepped outside.
At this point, Castle had lost interest in playing cat-and-mouse games with Ethan or the other two individuals his bodyguards had brought back from the sea. After instructing his bodyguards to keep an eye on the three until the NYPD arrived, he picked up his phone and called Mozzie.
"Mozzie, we can move on to the next step.
"I've already captured the three who tried to sneak into my estate. Big Ivan took out three agents and captured two more alive. As for the mastermind behind the scenes—the nameless man—Bob shot him in the head!
"So now, let's have Senator Rutledge raise the issue in Congress. Ask the CIA's deputy director, who oversees all operations, why CIA agents are targeting a well-known author like me in such an underhanded manner, disguising themselves as kidnappers no less!
"Ask the deputy director if the CIA considers me a terrorist. And if so, why did they resort to kidnapping my daughter under such a despicable guise?
"If they don't give a satisfactory answer, I'll gladly go on television and tell the world a thing or two!"
Mozzie, who was enjoying a plate of peanuts, nearly burst out laughing. "Damn, Rick really knows how to kick someone when they're down. That deputy director is in for it!"
Coincidentally, Rutledge, the newly elected New York senator who owed his position to Castle's financial backing, had yet to make a big public appearance. Now was the perfect opportunity to make a splash by taking on the unlucky deputy director of the CIA.
Meanwhile, Long Island's expressway was teeming with activity. Big Ivan had already handed over the two live agents to the NYPD, who had arrived with a large contingent of officers. The three agents his men had killed had been carted off by a coroner's vehicle. But Big Ivan still had another critical task to handle.
What task? Telling the media, who had swarmed the scene, an exaggerated account of how they had taken down the "kidnappers" and showing them footage of the terrified agents throwing down their guns and shouting that they were CIA operatives.
Castle was determined to utterly humiliate the CIA for meddling in his affairs. So, while Deputy Commissioner Montgomery and Detective Beckett headed to Castle's estate to take custody of Ethan's group, Big Ivan and ten bodyguards stayed behind to give interviews. The goal was clear: let the whole world know that the CIA had impersonated kidnappers to abduct a teenage girl and had their plot thwarted by her bodyguards. The fallout? That wasn't Castle's problem.
Indeed, the fallout led to a middle-aged, high-ranking official at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, smashing two TVs in a rage, along with a few other items. This official, the deputy director overseeing daily operations at the CIA and a key figure in the Roxette organization, was seething.
"How dare he? That bastard figured out our plan, set up a trap, and even brought in the media? Damn him! Damn that bastard!" The deputy director knew that if he didn't find a way to shift blame quickly, he would be in deep trouble within an hour. Yet the plan had no contingencies for failure.
Neither he nor the now-deceased nameless man had considered that things could go so disastrously wrong. Overconfident, they had assumed that both the team sent to kidnap Alexis and Ethan's group would accomplish their tasks without a hitch.
But instead, they had hit a brick wall. The kidnapping team was ambushed by Castle's bodyguards, and Ethan's group had gone completely silent. If no news came soon, it was safe to assume Ethan's team was also in Castle's custody.
Before the deputy director could consider surrendering, he learned that the nameless man had been executed at his safe house's doorstep by a mysterious sniper. All evidence pointed to Bob Lee Swagger, a former Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant once dubbed the "World's Deadliest Sniper." Yet even knowing this didn't help, as the nameless man officially didn't exist.
Castle then went even further. Instead of calling the police after his bodyguards killed three agents and captured two, he contacted the media. He showed journalists footage of the agents, panicked and unarmed, shouting their CIA affiliations. Over and over again, this damning footage played on TV. The deputy director was livid.
The CIA's reputation, not that it was stellar to begin with, was in shambles. Unlike past scandals where the agency could use "national security" as a shield, there was no justification here. What did national security have to do with abducting a teenage girl? The operation was indefensible.
The deputy director also learned that Senator Rutledge was preparing to drag him to Capitol Hill for questioning. If he didn't find a scapegoat fast, his dreams of climbing higher in the agency—or even staying in his current role—were over.
As the deputy director scrambled to contain the fallout, Castle was smiling warmly at Montgomery, who had arrived at the estate. Gesturing to Ethan's group, Castle said, "Deputy Commissioner Montgomery, these three belong to the CIA's most secretive 'Impossible Missions Force.' This is their leader, Ethan Hunt. This is Benji Dunn. And this gentleman here is their tech expert, Luther.
"Honestly, I didn't expect them to be so audacious. While orchestrating my daughter's kidnapping, they also planned to use the ensuing chaos to infiltrate my estate and steal something else. However, since they didn't actually harm me, and given their past service to this country, I decided to capture them alive and hand them over to you.
"What you do with them after that—whether to release them or keep them—is entirely up to you."
Montgomery gave Castle a meaningful look. "There was a shooting downtown earlier. Are you going to tell me about that? According to my officers, the deceased was someone known only by the codename 'Nameless.' Castle, I can accept your bodyguards acted in self-defense on the Long Island Expressway. But if you sent someone to assassinate a target, don't you think that's crossing a line?"
Castle's smile faded. "Deputy Commissioner Montgomery, you know I've always respected you. But this time, I was forced to act. If you knew the full extent of what Nameless orchestrated, you wouldn't blame me.
"Besides, even if you take these three and the two others back to the station, the CIA will reclaim them soon enough. That's precisely why I did what I did—because I know the NYPD can't refuse certain requests from them.
"There are deeper issues at play here that you don't understand. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Before Montgomery could respond, Ethan—sitting unrestrained—was shocked by Castle's implications and tried to speak, only to be cut off by Castle. "No need to say anything, Ethan. Yes, I was referring to serious issues within your agency. To be frank, if not for your past sacrifices—Benji disarming nukes for peanuts, for instance—you'd all be dead already.
"So, don't argue. Go with the officer."
Benji, surprised, blurted out, "How do you know about that? That's impossible…"
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 120)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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