While Castle, the eternal "12-year-old boy" and social butterfly of New York's elite circles, entertained the detectives of the 12th Precinct with his chatter, Finch was busy strategizing with his partner, former CIA operative Reese. Although Reese had little enthusiasm for Finch's plan to "rescue" the federal agent likely to face an attack that evening, he couldn't refuse. Finch, his employer, was riding a wave of moral zeal and exhilaration from their recent successes. Even though Reese sensed something was amiss, he had no choice but to comply.
Finch completely dismissed Castle's earlier warnings. Though Castle had been gaining notoriety over the past year, much of his influence remained under the radar. Finch was aware of Castle's heavily fortified estate and the media frenzy surrounding it after the mercenary attack, but that wasn't enough to make him take Castle seriously.
First, Finch believed that Castle's wealth was no different from his own.
Second, Finch saw himself and Reese as saviors, not lawbreakers. Castle might have a police chief girlfriend to back him up, but Finch wouldn't let that undermine his principles.
Lastly, Finch's unwavering faith in his creation—the Machine—made him confident that his technology was beyond Castle's capabilities. In Finch's mind, his Machine was unparalleled. This belief in his superiority blinded him to the possibility that Castle might outmaneuver him.
Finch acknowledged that their vigilante activities disrupted the NYPD's operations. However, he trusted his software, his control over Reese, and their ability to remain undetected. Thus, even after receiving Castle's warning call, Finch dismissed it as irrelevant. His focus remained on ensuring Reese didn't get mistaken for an attacker during the operation to save the federal agent, Peter Burke.
Meanwhile, Peter Burke had finally finished his meetings and turned his attention to the looming threat of an attack. While Peter had assured Neil he'd go along with the plan, his controlling and curious nature wouldn't allow him to sit idly by.
Peter wasn't just any agent—he was a high-ranking federal investigator and the presumptive next head of the FBI's New York field office. Even though he trusted Neil and Castle, he refused to rely solely on their "net" to protect him.
Sitting in his office, Peter briefed his two closest subordinates, Jones and Diana.
"What? You're telling me there's a high chance you'll be attacked tonight, and Neil wants you to pretend you know nothing while the NYPD plans to apprehend a vigilante trying to save you?" Diana exclaimed, unable to hide her shock.
Jones, the Harvard graduate, frowned in disbelief. "Boss, you're not seriously going along with Neil's harebrained scheme and letting the NYPD get involved, are you? We're the FBI. If one of our top agents gets attacked and the NYPD has to save him, how's that going to look?"
Peter spread his hands. "You think I want this? This isn't Neil's plan—it's Castle's. And their real target isn't me or the attacker; it's the vigilante who's going to try saving me."
"What am I supposed to do? Refuse? You both know what kind of pull Castle has. Do you really think we can afford to go against him?"
Jones and Diana exchanged glances, understanding Peter's point. They were well aware of Castle's influence, particularly after the recent cleanup operation targeting the Roxxat Organization, where Castle had played a significant role. Still, they couldn't understand why someone of Castle's stature would concern himself with vigilantes.
"Why drag us into his role-playing games? Are all these big shots into cosplay now?" Diana muttered under her breath.
Despite his reservations, Peter prepared for the evening's events. While he trusted Neil and Castle to handle the situation, he wasn't about to leave everything to chance. He was still an FBI agent with resources and a team at his disposal. His ego wouldn't allow him to rely entirely on the NYPD.
Interestingly, neither Castle nor Peter gave much thought to the actual gunmen planning the attack. Both sides saw them as minor threats. The only ones treating the situation with grave seriousness were Finch and Reese, who mistakenly believed they had the upper hand.
Finch wasn't foolish—far from it. Were it not for Castle's meddling, Finch might have been the undisputed master of big data-driven vigilance. But Castle's intervention had stripped Finch of his intelligence edge. Compounding this was Castle's decision to act under pressure from Beckett, pushing Finch and Reese unknowingly into a trap.
To Finch's credit, his motives were noble. Despite knowing that Peter Burke was a capable federal agent who could defend himself, Finch's moral compass compelled him to act. Even when Reese voiced his concerns about the risks of intervening, Finch refused to back down.
But no matter how virtuous Finch's intentions, they couldn't justify breaking the law. Castle's position was clear: vigilantes, no matter how noble, couldn't undermine law enforcement.
Castle wasn't eager to target Finch and Reese. However, Beckett's insistence forced his hand. Between Beckett's long legs and his desire to maintain harmony in her precinct, Castle had every incentive to intervene. And if he could "remind" Finch of his limits while earning points with Beckett, all the better.
All three parties were now preparing for nightfall.
Castle's plan was straightforward: observe Reese's actions when Peter was attacked. If Reese intervened to neutralize the threat, Castle would have Esposito's team apprehend both the attackers and Reese. However, if Reese held back, waiting for an opportunity to strike, Castle would allow Peter to handle the attackers while focusing entirely on capturing Reese.
As for what would happen after capturing Reese? Castle intended to let him go.
Yes, let him go.
The goal wasn't to prosecute Reese or Finch but to send a message: Manhattan was not their playground. Castle wanted Finch to understand that his vigilante antics wouldn't be tolerated in the 12th Precinct's jurisdiction.
Legally, Castle and Beckett didn't have much leverage. Reese had no criminal record, and Finch's team could deploy an army of lawyers to secure his release. The point wasn't punishment but deterrence. Finch needed to know that Castle—and by extension, the NYPD—wouldn't tolerate their interference.
As night approached, the stage was set. Peter prepared his team, determined not to let the NYPD overshadow the FBI's capabilities. Finch and Reese finalized their plan, unaware of the trap awaiting them. And Castle, casually joking with Esposito and Ryan while feeding the precinct's officers, waited for the game to begin.
From her office, Beckett watched Castle with a mix of exasperation and amusement. She still couldn't understand how she'd fallen for such a man-child.
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