A young couple, pushing a stroller, strolled along the riverwalk, chatting and laughing. They stopped about ten meters away from Alexis and the veiled woman, leaning on the railing to take in the view of the Hudson River.
The veiled woman glanced over her shoulder but, seeing nothing amiss, turned back and spoke seriously, "You must prove your dedication by following our instructions to the letter."
Seeing Alexis's tense expression and quickened breaths, she softened her tone. "'Greenbird' sees great potential in you, but if you can't show your sincerity, he won't be able to take you."
"I promise. I'll do whatever you ask," Alexis cut her off, her words spilling out as if afraid the woman might change her mind.
The veiled woman smiled knowingly, as if she'd expected such eagerness. "There's an indoor parking lot at the intersection of 134th Street and 7th Avenue in Harlem. Behind the parking lot, there's a dumpster. Everything you'll need is in a bag taped underneath it."
"Go! Now!" Jubal's voice rang out through the earpiece.
The young couple, who had been leaning on the railing, suddenly moved. The female agent, disguised as the young mother, rushed to Alexis, covering her protectively and swiftly guiding her away from the river.
The male agent reached into the stroller, pulling out a handgun and aiming it at the veiled woman. "FBI, hands in the air!"
Hannah, who'd been stationed behind a tree, sprinted forward to help escort Alexis, while other undercover agents who'd been posing as picnickers and balloon vendors closed in, surrounding the woman.
"Turn around and face away from us!"
"Hands behind your back!"
Two agents moved forward, cuffing the bewildered woman. A female agent quickly checked her for weapons.
"It's over." Jack stowed his Remington 700PSS rifle and patted Castle, who was watching with wide eyes.
"That... that was it?" the famous writer stammered. Despite watching the whole operation unfold, he still hadn't realized how many agents had been hiding in plain sight.
"This isn't a spy novel. Facing the nation's resources, this is the result," Jack replied as he dismantled the rifle and placed it in its case.
Jack had temporarily switched back to a Suburban. As he drove Hannah and the Castle father-daughter duo back to the FBI building, the veiled woman was being secured in an interrogation room.
After handing the Castles over to a team for safe transport to a new location, Jack and Hannah quickly made their way to the command center, where Jubal stood waiting by the big screen.
As the two entered, he gave a brief nod and began reading aloud, his voice filling the command center.
"Nita Kayali, 25, born in Iran, raised in Connecticut. Parents deceased, no siblings, single, currently residing in the Upper West Side and pursuing an MBA."
Jack frowned at the profile displayed on the screen. "She doesn't seem like the mastermind. What else do we have so far?"
The likelihood of a 25-year-old MBA student also being skilled in organic chemistry was low—not everyone could be a genius like Reid.
Jubal clicked a remote, bringing up another set of images on the screen.
"The ERT (Evidence Response Team) found a black sports bag at the address she mentioned. Inside was an address to an upscale hotel, which was their target for Tara's planned attack, along with a TTX-laced spray bottle equipped with a similar trigger mechanism."
"Do we have any intel linking Nita Kayali to any ISIS affiliates?" Hannah asked.
"Not at the moment. We checked with the NSA, CIA, and DIA, but so far, we've only found connections to 'Dark Jihad,'" Jubal replied, shaking his head.
Jack felt a wave of relief. He'd been worried about any chance of leaks within the FBI that could somehow endanger Castle and his daughter. Although unlikely, the thinking patterns of terrorists could be unpredictable. Now, as long as they dismantled the "Dark Jihad" cell, this case would be closed.
Jubal raised a pencil, signaling for everyone's attention. "ERT just finished searching her residence, and thanks to Nita Kayali's lack of expertise, we managed to retrieve login access to that site from her computer."
"Can we trace 'Greenbird' with that?" Dana Moyer asked.
"Not yet," Jubal responded. "After Nita Kayali's capture, the 'Greenbird' ID stayed active briefly before disappearing, likely because the other party noticed her arrest. But our tech analysts are comparing digital signatures from the site's creator. They're close to identifying him."
"I've instructed them not to alert anyone, and once they confirm his identity, they'll initiate full surveillance. The site's creator and 'Greenbird' must have a connection, and we may be able to locate him that way."
"Good work," Dana nodded, satisfied. "For now, let's consider Nita Kayali as a messenger. They avoided sending attack information online, so..."
She turned to Jack. "Get her to talk. I need to know if there are any other girls set up for poisoning operations, and if so, I need their identities."
"Got it." Jack signaled an okay.
Five minutes later, inside the interrogation room.
"I'm 'Greenbird.' I masterminded all of this." Nita Kayali smiled, her handcuffed wrists resting on the table. Her smile twisted her otherwise attractive face, giving it a slightly deranged look.
"Then please, recite the molecular formula of TTX," Jack replied with a smile of his own.
She looked confused, prompting Jack to explain, "TTX is tetrodotoxin, the toxin you used for poisoning. Seems like you're not very high-ranking in this group if you don't even know that."
Nita Kayali remained silent, looking as though she had no intention of cooperating.
She's clearly not an expert, Jack thought, already forming his strategy. He continued to taunt her. "So, what do you actually do? Just deliver messages, lure naive girls to their deaths, and... keep the men company?"
"You heretic! We're devout followers, and I'll remain chaste until he becomes my husband!" Nita Kayali erupted in anger, hands clenched, clearly wanting to take a swing at him.
She's even more foolish than I thought, Jack noted, and he flashed her an unsettling smile, mirroring her earlier twisted grin.
"Chaste? Please. This is the morally corrupt America you despise. Do you really think you'll preserve that 'purity' here?"
Seeing her complexion pale, Jack pressed on. "Do you realize you've been classified as a terrorist? Do you understand what that means for you?"
"I've been prepared to sacrifice myself. We're destined to reunite in paradise," she declared loudly, though it was unclear whether she was talking to Jack or reassuring herself.
"Oh, no, you're misunderstanding," Jack said, pulling out a sheet of paper and reading from it.
"'By this winter, I'll bring you to Nangarhar Province. Everything there is reviving; the people there need your talents. The men there will compete for your attention, but I know you'll remain loyal to me.'"
"How could you know that? Those chats were deleted ages ago!" Nita Kayali's face drained of all color.
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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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