AN: I'm back. Time to climb the rankings. So, give me those powerstones. You'll get a stable update this week.
---[Ch: 212]---
[Next Day – LAX Terminal]
The terminal was busy as usual when Kate Beckett and Richard Castle stepped through the sliding doors. A woman in jeans and a leather jacket was standing in the parking lot. They knew who she was from the info they got from Gates.
Kate walked straight toward her, extending her hand. "Detective Chloe Decker?"
Chloe nodded and shook it firmly. "Detective Beckett. Welcome to Los Angeles."
Kate turned to her partner. "And this is Richard Castle, my consultant."
Chloe's polite smile froze for half a second. Her eyes flicked from Kate to Castle and back again, something unreadable crossing her face. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Castle."
"Pleasure's mine," Castle said with his usual charm, but he noticed the way Chloe kept looking at him, studying his face like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
After introductions, they followed her to the car and got in.
Halfway through the drive, Castle finally asked, "Okay, I have to ask. Did I spill coffee on myself, or are you staring at me for another reason? Wait! Are you perhaps a fan of my work?" He really looked excited for a moment.
Chloe blinked, caught mid-thought. "Oh. Sorry. It's just… do you happen to have a twin brother?"
Castle frowned. He wasn't expecting a question like that. "Uh, not that my mother ever told me. Why?"
Chloe hesitated, keeping her eyes on the road. "You'll see once we get to the precinct."
Kate shot Castle a look. "What did you do this time?"
"I haven't done anything yet," he said defensively, though curiosity was clearly written all over his face. "But now I'm dying to know what's going on."
..
[LAPD – Homicide Division]
The moment they stepped into the bullpen, Castle stopped short. Standing near the whiteboard, flipping through a file, was a man who looked exactly like him—same face, same build, same hair, even the same half-smirk.
The entire bullpen froze for a solid three seconds. Phones stopped ringing, conversations died mid-sentence, and someone even dropped their coffee.
Castle blinked. He rubbed his eyes before saying, "Okay, tell me you are seeing what I'm seeing."
Kate's eyebrows shot up. "Oh my God." She looked toward Castle and then back at Nolan. "Castle, you never told me you had a twin brother."
"Because I don't... I mean, I think so..." Castle stuttered.
Nolan turned around, noticing the hush, file still in hand. His face went from confusion to disbelief as he looked straight at Castle—his perfect copy, minus maybe a few wrinkles and a slightly more heroic posture.
Nolan blinked once. "Okay. What the hell."
Castle leaned toward Kate, whispering, "Evil twin? Clone? Secret government project? Maybe an alien abducted me and replaced me with him?"
Kate muttered back, "If they did, the aliens clearly have great taste in sarcasm."
Nolan finally stepped forward, setting the file on a nearby desk. "Alright, who's the comedian who hired my stunt double?"
Castle grinned. "Oh, I get it now. You're the other me. Nice to finally meet my backup plan."
Nolan gave a wry smile. "Backup plan? Buddy, I've been on duty since sunrise. If anything, you're the luxury version."
Castle gasped dramatically. "He's funny too! I love him already."
Kate sighed, rubbing her temples. "This is surreal. I thought one Castle was enough."
Chloe tried and failed to hide a smirk. "You see what I meant now?"
Nolan glanced at her. "You didn't tell me he looked exactly like me. I thought you meant similar hair."
"Yeah, well," Chloe said, folding her arms, "you try explaining that over text."
Castle circled Nolan like he was inspecting a mirror at a funhouse. "Okay, seriously, how are you doing this? Same height, same face, same rugged handsomeness. Wait!" he leaned closer, "You even have the same confused eyebrow twitch."
Nolan deadpanned, "You know that's not a compliment, right?"
"Oh, it is when I do it," Castle said with a smirk.
Kate finally cut in. "As fascinating as this identity crisis is, can someone explain why there are two of him?"
Before anyone could answer, Sergeant Grey stepped out of his office, stopped dead at the sight, and said flatly, "Nope. Not today. I am not dealing with twins."
The entire bullpen burst into laughter.
Castle extended his hand to Nolan. "Richard Castle. Mystery novelist, occasional crime solver, and apparently your doppelgänger."
Nolan shook it, still half in disbelief. "John Nolan. LAPD. And I guess your slightly older, better-trained version."
Castle grinned. "Older? Sure. Better-trained? We'll see about that. Ever tackled a murderer while wearing a tuxedo?"
Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Ever defused a bomb while getting yelled at by your sergeant?"
"Touché," Castle said with mock defeat.
Kate sighed but couldn't suppress a small smile. "I'm starting to regret getting off the plane."
"Don't worry," Castle said cheerfully. "I'm sure the universe will explain this eventually. Or it's just the multiverse acting up again."
Nolan turned to Chloe. "Please tell me he's joking."
Chloe shook her head. "I'm… not entirely sure."
The bullpen erupted again as Nolan and Castle stood side by side, two identical faces wearing matching smirks.
Kate crossed her arms. "Fantastic. Double the trouble."
Castle grinned. "You mean double the genius."
Nolan shot back, "Or double the headache."
And just like that, the entire LAPD bullpen officially descended into the weirdest day it had ever seen.
...
[Task Force Room – LAPD HQ, Los Angeles]
The atmosphere in the task force room was thick with tension and caffeine. A large screen displayed crime scene photos, maps of Los Angeles, and a few mugshots connected by red strings. The air smelled faintly of coffee, printer ink, and a dozen sleepless nights waiting to happen.
Angela Lopez stood at the head of the table, hands clasped behind her back. Her sharp eyes scanned the assembled team: Kate Beckett, Richard Castle, Chloe Decker, John Nolan, Lucy Chen, a couple of stone-faced FBI and CIA agents, and one man who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else—Raymond White. He was the youngest of them all, barely 19 or 21 years old.
Ray sat slouched at the far end of the table, boots propped up like he owned the place. His tactical jacket was half unzipped.
Angela Lopez stood at the front of the room. "Alright, everyone, listen up. Since we'll be working together, let's get introductions out of the way before we dive in. I'm Detective Angela Lopez, LAPD Homicide. I'll be acting liaison between the department and federal agencies involved."
She nodded toward Kate and Castle first. "Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD, and her partner, Richard Castle. They've had more encounters with Jerry Tyson than anyone else alive, so the higher-ups decided to let Kate lead this task force."
Kate gave a polite nod. Castle waved with a grin. "Happy to be here. Well, maybe not happy, considering the murderer part, but you know what I mean."
Angela gestured around the table. "This is Detective Chloe Decker and Officer Lucy Chen. You've already met Officer John Nolan. We also have Special Agents Price and Torres from the FBI and the CIA, respectively. Raymond White is here as our classified intelligence and field specialist. Don't let the age fool you. He's the best in the field."
Kate glanced around the room, then frowned. "I have to ask. This looks like an entire task force meant for an international terrorist, not a serial killer. Why so many agencies for one guy?"
The room went quiet. Angela didn't answer. Instead, she looked toward Raymond White.
Ray leaned back further in his chair, completely unbothered. "Because 3XK is just the tip of the blade," he said calmly. "He's a pawn in a much bigger game. The target is someone else."
Castle straightened. "A pawn? You're saying Tyson's working for someone? That's unlike him."
Ray nodded. "Tyson just wants to kill blond girls. Someone is using his obsession. They are giving him targets to kill, and then, as a reward, providing him with blond girls of his choice to kill. It's a messed-up situation."
Kate's brows furrowed. "Then who's the real target?"
Ray's eyes met hers. "Alex Wilson."
The room shifted instantly. Chloe looked stunned, Lucy blinked, Nolan's expression darkened.
'Alex is the target! Who is targeting him? Should I let him know? Wait! If things are this big, I'm pretty sure he already knows. Still... Yeah, I'll check on him after the meeting,' Chloe wondered. She was in a relationship with Alex, so it was obvious for her to worry about him.
Angela folded her arms. "We've received intelligence suggesting that Wilson's life is in immediate danger. Tyson is being used as a distraction, drawing attention while a larger organization sets the stage for an assassination."
Castle leaned forward, incredulous. "Wait, Alex Wilson? As in Hollywood's golden boy, billionaire, philanthropist, owns Titan Studios?"
"Exactly," Ray said. "And the people coming for him aren't amateurs. They're the kind of ghosts that make the alphabet agencies nervous."
Beckett exchanged a look with Castle. "So this isn't just about 3XK."
"Not anymore," Angela said. "This task force was originally formed to catch him, but the mission evolved once we found out who's really pulling the strings."
Lucy spoke up quietly. "So we're supposed to catch Tyson and his partner alive."
Ray nodded. "Alive. They're the only ones who can lead us to whoever's behind the hit. Kill them, and the trail goes cold."
Castle crossed his arms. "That's assuming Tyson doesn't try to kill us first."
Nolan replied dryly, "Then we make sure we shoot faster."
Angela shot him a look. "Alive, Nolan."
He sighed. "Shoot the kneecaps."
Kate looked around the room again, her instincts buzzing. "So let me get this straight. We have a serial killer on the loose, a billionaire target, and a shadow organization planning an assassination. And you're telling me we're supposed to juggle all that without killing Tyson?"
Ray gave a crooked smile. "That's the job, Detective."
Castle leaned toward her and muttered, "This is so cool. FBI, CIA, NYPD, LAPD, serial killer, Alex Wilson, and now a shadow organization. I think this case will help me break my writer's block. My next book will be Nikki Heat... Into the webs of shadows."
Angela turned toward the big screen. "Alright, people. Tyson and his partner are somewhere in Los Angeles, and Wilson's clock is ticking. Let's make sure we find the killers before they find him." She took a folder from the table and gave it to Kate. "This has all the information we gathered on Tyson and our investigation so far."
---
[Meanwhile...] [Titan HQ LA] [Evening]
Alex and Scarlett were sitting on the couch in the main office. Both of them were looking through the list of houses on a real estate site.
Then came a knock on the door...
"It's John," John's voice came from outside.
"C'mon in," Alex said, closing his laptop.
John entered the office, and he looked serious. More serious than his usual serious face. Alex knew that look very well. He sighed.
Alex looked at Scarlett and said, "Why don't you girls work together and shortlist a couple of houses?"
Scarlett noticed the tension. She didn't question anything since she knew the headaches and problems Alex usually deals with due to his status.
"Alright," She kissed him and stood up. "You coming home tonight, right?"
"Yeah. I'll be there by our usual dinner time," Alex replied with a smile and a reassuring nod.
Scarlett took the laptop and left.
"So," Alex looked at John. "Who is after my ass now?"
---[Spoilers. Upcoming chs names. Click to read.]---[1]
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[8 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
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[1] Ch: 213 [Power of Money] Ch: 214 [Interlude: 300 Million Dollars Bounty] Ch: 215 [Profits Up, Pants Down, EX-Ahead] Ch: 216 [When Karma Wears Handcuffs] Ch: 217 [Blueprints for the End of the World] Ch: 218 [Fair Chances and Unfair Outcomes]