The thought genuinely upset Castle—what on earth was going on? Was this some sort of cosmic joke?
Looking around at his circle of friends and himself, it seemed like nearly every woman in their lives was far stronger and more capable than the men. Whether it was Beckett with him, John's mysterious powerhouse of a partner, or Henry Morgan's formidable counterpart, they all had partners who could metaphorically (and sometimes literally) eat them alive. Even Neal's partner, Kate, who seemed less intense on the surface, had her own hidden edge.
Was it possible that his group of friends embodied the old saying: birds of a feather flock together?
While Castle was stuck in his existential musings, Little Fatty finally caught onto the meaning behind Castle's earlier discussion with Ramsey. The realization struck him like lightning.
"Wait a minute," Little Fatty said, his voice tinged with alarm. "Doesn't this plan of yours mean we'll be putting President Benjamin Arthur in danger? If something goes wrong, how do we explain to him that we knew about the attack on the White House and still didn't warn him in time?"
He scratched his head, his expression growing increasingly anxious. "Sure, exposing the Lockset Organization's involvement in this plot could lock them down for good, but what if the President feels betrayed? What if he thinks we deliberately let him walk into a trap?"
Castle smirked at Little Fatty's rare moment of clarity and replied casually, "That's precisely why I need you and Ramsey to intercept and monitor the communications between Amir Barkawi, the Lockset Organization, and the Japanese government. I don't care if you have to brute-force hack into their satellite communications or use Jarvis to crash their systems. I want evidence—hard evidence—that these three groups are coordinating.
"As for Kang Yeonsak sneaking into the White House disguised as a South Korean aide, you don't need to intervene. Let the Vice President and the Pentagon handle him."
Castle's voice dropped an octave, his tone growing colder. "Our job is to make sure we have enough proof—after the attack—to present to Benjamin. If we show him undeniable evidence of their collaboration, he'll have no choice but to act against them."
Pausing for effect, Castle added, "Also, I'll personally ensure that Benjamin's wife and kids are removed from the White House before the attack begins. Without the added burden of worrying about his family's safety, Benjamin will have a much better chance of making it through this ordeal.
"And if he suspects later on that I knew about the attack in advance? Well, I'll remind him that I saved his family. He might not like it, but he won't dare push me too hard after that."
The complexity of the situation wasn't lost on Castle, but he saw no need to explain every nuance to Little Fatty and Ramsey. They weren't political operators like Gianna; they were tech experts, and Castle preferred to keep their involvement straightforward. Overloading them with details would only complicate things.
After reminding the two hackers of their responsibilities and how Jarvis would assist them in monitoring the situation in Washington, Castle left the underground lab. By now, the reporters who had swarmed his estate earlier had mostly dispersed. Apart from a few lingering media vans broadcasting live updates, the area outside his mansion was finally quiet.
This gave Castle the perfect opportunity to drive back to his Manhattan penthouse to check on Alexis.
Having anticipated the attacks days ago, Castle had arranged for Alexis to stay in Manhattan under heavy protection. He didn't want his daughter anywhere near the chaos surrounding his estate. Alongside the usual bodyguards assigned to her, Castle had stationed an additional team of operatives from Sean's security detail—professionals who had been humiliated by their failure during last Christmas's kidnapping incident. Determined to redeem themselves, they had doubled their vigilance, ensuring Alexis's safety was airtight.
Meanwhile, at three different locations—the Pentagon, Northrop Grumman headquarters, and Lockheed Martin's boardroom—high-stakes meetings were underway. The topic on everyone's agenda was the same: How do we prevent Castle's groundbreaking stealth technology from falling into the wrong hands?
Each group faced its own challenges. The Pentagon's brass, Northrop Grumman's executives, and Lockheed Martin's leadership were all scrambling to secure exclusive rights to the technology, fearing the consequences of losing it to foreign powers—or worse, rival corporations.
One particular concern was the potential for Castle's close friend, Gianna, to gain access to the stealth system. Gianna wasn't just a savvy businesswoman with stakes in European defense companies; she was also the heir to one of Italy's most notorious underground syndicates. Her influence stretched across both legitimate and illegitimate domains, making her a wildcard that neither the Pentagon nor the military-industrial complex could ignore.
Though her ties to Castle were well-known, the U.S. government and defense contractors had no intention of targeting Gianna directly. After all, her reputation as a formidable player in global politics and commerce made her more of an asset than a liability—provided she stayed on the right side of their interests.
Still, Northrop Grumman's board couldn't resist speculating. "What if we convinced her to change her nationality?" one director mused. "If Gianna became a U.S. citizen, we could leverage her connections without worrying about conflicts of interest."
For Northrop Grumman's CEO, however, today's meeting was primarily about damage control. He spent a significant portion of the session tearing into the board members responsible for siding with Japan during the last international military procurement fiasco. "Your short-sighted decisions alienated Castle, our single most valuable collaborator," he fumed. "If it weren't for your stupidity, we wouldn't have to grovel to him now—or share this technology with Lockheed Martin!"
Over at Lockheed Martin, the mood was markedly different. The executives there were practically glowing with satisfaction. After securing a verbal commitment from Castle earlier in the day, they felt they had finally leveled the playing field with their longtime rival, Northrop Grumman.
For decades, Castle had worked almost exclusively with Northrop Grumman, providing them with cutting-edge innovations like the semi-intelligent flight control system. But now, Lockheed Martin had successfully cracked open the door to Castle's inner circle.
Sure, Castle's stealth system was still in its infancy—it couldn't yet be adapted for supersonic jets like the F-22 or the F-35—but Lockheed Martin's executives weren't worried. As long as they had access to the first-generation technology, they were confident they could refine it for future applications.
In the meantime, they saw enormous potential in retrofitting the system onto existing subsonic aircraft. The sheer scale of the upgrade contracts alone would generate billions in revenue.
More importantly, the verbal agreement symbolized something much larger: Northrop Grumman's monopoly on Castle's genius had been broken. For Lockheed Martin, this was the true victory—a strategic coup that would ripple across the defense industry for years to come.
At the Pentagon, the atmosphere was one of barely-contained excitement. The military leadership had seen Castle's prototype system in action and were practically salivating at its potential.
Imagine a B-2 Spirit bomber—already the crown jewel of America's stealth fleet—outfitted with a system that rendered it invisible to the naked eye. The prospect of such a capability was enough to make even the most stoic generals giddy.
For now, the military brass had one priority: ensure Castle's technology stayed in American hands. Whether through coercion, diplomacy, or outright bribery, they were prepared to do whatever it took to keep the system out of foreign reach.
As for Castle himself?
He was blissfully unaware of the frantic scheming taking place in boardrooms and war rooms alike. At that very moment, he was cruising through Manhattan, humming along to the radio, and looking forward to spending some quality time with his daughter.
While the world scrambled to make sense of his actions and inventions, Castle simply did what he always did: stayed one step ahead.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]