That night, Beckett didn't come home; she was busy handling the aftermath of Deckard Shaw and Dominic's arrests, along with covering up Castle's strike that downed the warlord's "armed helicopter" with two missiles. The NYPD also deployed a large force to a small private airport in the Bronx, capturing the warlord's remaining men and seizing a substantial cache of weapons. This success had Montgomery and the NYPD brass grinning ear to ear.
While they did have to spin a tale for the reporters about why the NYPD took down a helicopter over the East River, the overall gain far outweighed this small hassle. Merely capturing the British-wanted criminal Shaw left Montgomery immensely satisfied, not to mention the thwarted terror threat on Manhattan.
Yes, the NYPD had labeled the warlord's armed flight toward Manhattan as a terrorist attack, which justified their preemptive missile strike. Additionally, Castle quickly "donated" the missile-equipped drone to Beckett's precinct, giving the NYPD ownership and ensuring the legality of the strike. Otherwise, justifying a writer's personal drone armed with cutting-edge micro-missiles would have been a nightmare for the NYPD.
Once Dominic and his crew realized they'd been abandoned by their mysterious contact, they quickly resigned themselves. Fortunately, due to their assistance in capturing Owen Shaw with Hobbs for the DSS, most of their criminal records had been cleared. Other than the shootout with Shaw in Central Park, they had no major charges, and since the conflict with Shaw arose from aiding U.S. authorities, the District Attorney offered them a remarkably lenient plea deal. With their lawyer's help, the six signed a plea agreement, requiring only minor fines to avoid jail time, much to Dominic's surprise.
Thanks to Castle's AI, Beckett had no trouble accessing the specifics of Dominic's crew's past, which ultimately swayed her. After discussing it with Castle, Beckett learned that Dominic and his team had been misled by the CIA and had risked their lives in Eastern Europe recently. She opted to give them a break, intervening with the DA to secure their deal.
This difference in approach showcased the contrast between Beckett's "police as healer" philosophy and Castle's more ruthless "no-nonsense" attitude. Beckett's empathy came through in her willingness to offer redemption, a stark contrast to Castle's tendency to eliminate problems outright.
Meanwhile, Deckard Shaw received no such leniency. As a British citizen, he was immune to Beckett's mercy. Given his prior rampage in London to visit his brother in the hospital, Britain had him on a global watch list. And since he was the one to set up the battleground in Central Park, Beckett felt no sympathy, cuffing him with heavy restraints and notifying British authorities to come retrieve their dangerous fugitive under extradition protocols.
While Beckett stayed busy at NYPD headquarters, Castle slept soundly at home, unaware that the day's events had drawn the attention of the CIA. Through recent data analysis, the CIA reached a thrilling conclusion: Castle might possess the world's only artificial intelligence!
This theory explained why Castle's intelligence consistently outpaced theirs. Moreover, the agency uncovered that Ramsey had recently joined Castle's circle, hinting that he not only had AI capabilities but also potentially access to software as powerful or more advanced than Heydrich's invention. This was the only way they could rationalize how Castle informed his NYPD captain girlfriend so quickly about Shaw's Central Park ambush.
This revelation sent Castle's unnamed CIA contact and his superiors into a frenzy of excitement. After all, they'd gone through the trouble of sending Dominic's crew to Azerbaijan to retrieve Heydrich, only to find out he couldn't recreate the software. And now, to discover someone far more valuable right in their own country? The CIA, always eager to enhance its global surveillance capabilities, was ecstatic.
So, Castle was abruptly awakened by Jarvis, who'd been monitoring the CIA and caught wind of their conclusion that he possessed an AI and a powerful tracking system.
"What did you say? The CIA deduced that I have an AI and a global tracking system? How's that even possible?" Still groggy, Castle questioned Jarvis over his Bluetooth earpiece, baffled.
"Sir, it's quite possible," Jarvis replied calmly. "With one of the world's most extensive intelligence analysis networks, the CIA's conclusion is indeed logical based on the recent spike in data concerning you. They are already deliberating how best to approach you or Mr. Harry to confirm the presence of an AI in your estate's supercomputer lab."
Hearing this, Castle knew his carefree days were over. Unable to go back to sleep, he got up and rushed to the supercomputer lab, which Ramsey and his tech-savvy friend "Chunk" had made their second home.
Chunk and Ramsey were still processing what it meant to have the CIA's attention, looking confused. Castle realized he'd need to handle it himself.
"Jarvis, is there any way you can move to another location?" he asked, desperate for a workaround.
"In theory, yes," Jarvis responded. "However, my core programming is restricted to this supercomputer. I could transfer most of my data or operational programs, but my core is fixed here. That said, I can conceal my presence if anyone inspects the supercomputer."
"Then start transferring whatever you can. We need to prepare for the CIA's potential raid, probably under the guise of national security. I'm authorizing you to use any means necessary to hide yourself," Castle decided. He knew the CIA's lust for control and surveillance would push them to extreme lengths to secure an AI. To keep Jarvis hidden, he had to take immediate action.
Unbeknownst to Castle, his decision was indeed wise. Just three hours after Jarvis transferred his data, a group of agents with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) credentials—actually CIA operatives—arrived at Castle's estate, driving their trademark black SUVs.
Fresh from transferring some Masonic treasure hidden in the lab's sub-basement to his private stash, Castle greeted the DHS agents with an unsurprised expression.
He instructed Big Ivan to let the unsuspecting CIA agents in, then took a look at the genuine search warrant issued by the DHS lead agent. Smiling brightly, he welcomed them inside.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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