During a prior stock trade with Northrop Grumman, Castle had signed the Patriot Act to obtain shares, and as an active drone researcher for Northrop, he couldn't outright refuse the DHS agents—who were, in fact, undercover CIA operatives—demanding access to his estate. But Jarvis had already alerted Castle to this ploy, giving him time to secure the supercomputer lab and mechanical lab. Jarvis had also hidden or transferred most of his data, making it nearly impossible for these agents to find anything incriminating.
The supercomputer, having been privately purchased by Castle, was theoretically off-limits for inspection. Additionally, the supercomputer housed military secrets: backup files for Castle's drones, Jericho missiles, and even the synthesis formulas for powerful new explosives and micro-missiles recently developed for Northrop Grumman. Allowing the CIA access would be impossible, as Castle had valid grounds to refuse them entry.
Curiously, the mysterious CIA operative hadn't shown up himself; instead, a few tech staff arrived, clearly hoping to gain access to Castle's supercomputer. Castle denied their request with calm decisiveness and ample reasoning, not even allowing them to enter the lab's lower level, which housed the core of the supercomputer and display equipment.
He provided a straightforward justification: his supercomputer contained both personal and proprietary information from Northrop Grumman, including sensitive drone and missile technology. Access required official clearance from Northrop Grumman, which would be no easy feat for the CIA to obtain. Even if they did manage to get Northrop's approval, Castle could still deny them access by posing one simple question to the lead agent: If something happens to these technical documents, who's going to be responsible?
The CIA operatives hadn't anticipated that Castle's supercomputer contained crucial Northrop Grumman documents. Upon learning this, the lead agent realized their mission was essentially a bust. No matter how powerful the CIA was, they couldn't risk directly confronting a top-tier defense contractor like Northrop Grumman.
Before their arrival, the CIA had known Castle was a shareholder at Northrop and were aware of his recent and sudden proficiency in advanced technical fields. This was, after all, how he'd managed to become a Northrop shareholder in the first place: by designing a new drone and a semi-intelligent flight control system. That system had proven he had the technical foundation necessary to develop artificial intelligence or similar technology.
The CIA's investigations had also revealed that Castle's flight control system had helped Northrop defeat its long-standing rival, General Atomics, securing a defense contract for the latest generation of drones for the U.S. military. This had only fueled the CIA's determination to learn more about Castle, whose rapid technical rise was just too tempting for an agency eager to enhance its global surveillance capabilities.
In 2013, Castle recalled that Snowden's leaks had exposed the government's secret "PRISM" program, which had been operational since the Cold War, now exploiting internet infrastructure with alarming impunity. "XKeyscore," another monitoring program, had by then also come online, granting the CIA sweeping powers to access almost all online information. Originally, the agency had hoped Heydrich's software could assist in these efforts. But since Heydrich was now unable to replicate his software (thanks to some subtle sabotage by Jarvis), Castle, with his probable AI and advanced tracking systems, had naturally become their next target.
Frustratingly for the CIA, however, Castle was a prominent New York figure with strong social connections and growing political clout. His affiliation with Northrop Grumman also made it impossible for the agency to employ their usual underhanded tactics against him. For now, the CIA was as stumped as a dog trying to bite a hedgehog.
Consequently, this first encounter ended with the CIA's fake DHS agents leaving Castle's mansion empty-handed. After sitting in the mansion's main hall for a while, without so much as a cup of coffee, the technical team finally slinked away.
Watching the black Suburbans drive out of his estate, Castle breathed a sigh of relief. Since the CIA was operating domestically under the guise of DHS, it gave him ample leeway in deciding how to handle these agents.
He felt satisfied with the outcome. Dragging things out would only benefit him; all he had to do was wait four or five more months until Benjamin Arthur, the clear frontrunner in the presidential race, took office. Once Arthur was in the White House, Castle wouldn't have to worry about the CIA buzzing around like flies anymore.
The CIA had made one glaring error in this operation: they hadn't considered that Castle would store Northrop's critical drone and missile documents on his supercomputer. But for Castle, this was completely logical. After all, he'd spent a fortune setting up his supercomputer and server, and with Jarvis, Chunk, and Ramsey safeguarding it, it was arguably the most secure system in the world.
For Castle, it was also part of a grander vision: to live like Tony Stark, eventually offloading all mundane tasks onto Jarvis, designed to be a perfect digital butler. Once he developed smart glasses, he'd no longer need to rely on a wristband or earpiece to communicate with Jarvis. But for now, due to material and technical limitations, Castle couldn't yet operate like Tony, who had Stark Industries backing him. He would need to keep a low profile for a while longer.
All that mattered was that Arthur was elected in early 2024. With his "dark horse" political ally in the White House, Castle would gain some serious political backing. There was also Mozzie's proposal to support a New York Senate candidate from Arthur's party, which seemed promising. If they succeeded in securing a seat in the GOP stronghold, Castle would have undeniable influence in New York.
One more thing stayed in Castle's mind. Arthur's wife, Maggie, had tragically died on Christmas Eve, killed in a car accident on an icy road to a holiday event at Camp David. Her car had been struck by a falling tree branch and skidded off a bridge, drowning in the river below. Secret Service agent Mike Banning had managed to save Arthur but hadn't had time to rescue Maggie. The tragedy was a major emotional blow for Arthur.
But Castle, with his knowledge of future events, knew he could change this. As a "time traveler," the ability to foresee key events was his ace in the hole. With his intervention, Maggie's death could be averted. This wasn't just about playing the hero—it was a perfect chance to earn an invaluable favor from the future president of the United States.
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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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