Castle couldn't care less about what the three retired agents, still on their way to New York, were thinking. After receiving a call from his father and learning that Frank Moses, the former CIA killing machine, had gotten entangled in the plot orchestrated by Montana Senator Charles Haan to divert attention to Vice President Andrew, Castle was asked to prepare a safe house and weapons for Frank. This was partly as a favor to his father, who had explained that Frank had once held Castle as a child.
After sharing this new intel with his partners Mozzie and Neal, Castle gleefully headed out to Times Square. There was no rush, as Frank and his team were still on their way to New York.
What was most important now was meeting up with Beckett and waiting for that fateful shot. Once that happened, Castle planned to catch Colonel Johnson's men, who were working for Senator Haan and executing the sniper mission.
Castle couldn't wait to see the usually overconfident Colonel Johnson lose it when one of his men inevitably cracked under police interrogation, unraveling the entire scheme.
Castle was curious to see if Johnson would remain as smug as he had been in the original timeline, where he even managed to remain defiant in front of the Attorney General. But this time, Johnson wouldn't be facing a bald attorney general; he'd be up against a furious Beckett, who had a personal grudge against anyone causing trouble in her precinct!
An hour before Vice President Andrew's meeting with the African delegation, Castle quietly arrived at the spot where Beckett, Esposito, and their team were hiding out. Wearing a designer suit, he looked more like someone heading to a cocktail party than preparing for an operation.
Esposito couldn't resist mocking him for a bit before Castle volunteered a plan to Beckett. "I'm going to head upstairs and scope out the room where Colonel Johnson's men are stationed. I dressed like this so I wouldn't attract any attention.
By the way, Bob Lee Swagger, our unfortunate sniper, is in position, right? Mozzie confirmed that both groups entered the building an hour ago through the security cameras?"
Beckett nodded in agreement with Castle's plan. She didn't argue against it, knowing that even if she objected, Castle would come up with countless justifications. Plus, he was more than capable of taking care of himself. So, after confirming that both Johnson's men and Bob Lee Swagger were inside the building, she said nothing more.
Seeing Beckett's silent approval, Castle grew excited. "I'll take Ryan with me. Of all your officers, he looks the least like a cop. Once we confirm Johnson's men's location, all we need to do is wait for them to fire.
Remember, don't let your officers hurt Bob. That fool is our best witness against Colonel Johnson.
I've discovered that when Bob first met with Johnson, he left a little 'insurance policy' behind. If we can get that evidence, Johnson and his backers are done for, even if they survive this."
Beckett nodded in agreement. "This time, I'm not sparing anyone. These bastards had the audacity to pull this off in my precinct. Even if their target isn't directly the Vice President, this kind of behavior is a slap in the face to the NYPD.
But are we really not going to interfere with the African delegate's safety? Is that wise?"
Castle could tell Beckett's professional conscience was kicking in again and responded firmly, "You have to understand, whether someone dies or not completely changes the nature of this case. Even if we go upstairs now and arrest Johnson's men, they could easily argue they were preparing for counter-sniper action. And honestly, what does it matter to us if the African guy lives or dies?"
Castle's bluntness was harsh but true. Whether in his previous life or this one, he held no particular affection for these "black uncles." In fact, remembering how his former country had tightened its belt to aid them in the past only made Castle angrier. Now, as a white man in this life, he cared even less.
In this country, black Americans didn't even see themselves as part of the same race as African blacks. They had coined the term "African-American" to distinguish themselves from their African counterparts, emphasizing the "American" part.
Since even the local black community didn't care about the African delegates, why would Castle—now a white man, and formerly Asian—care about the life of an African envoy or bishop?
As mentioned before, Castle had a cold detachment from the world around him, a kind of divine-mode indifference. He had no sympathy or empathy for NPCs, let alone for a random African delegate. The only people he still cared about were his friends and family. Otherwise, he felt nothing.
The only thing keeping Castle grounded and preventing him from turning into a complete sociopath was his love for Beckett. Were it not for his affection for her, and his natural laziness, Castle's skills and resources could easily plunge the world into chaos.
But thankfully, Castle was content being a layabout, following Beckett around. It was this very laziness that kept him from becoming a serial killer. Otherwise, with his mindset, the USA would be in for a world of hurt.
Beckett was like the Five Finger Mountain holding down the unruly Monkey King. As long as she remained Castle's moral compass, he would continue to be a harmless slacker. But if anything ever happened to her, even Castle didn't know what he might become.
For now, watching an African delegate get assassinated wasn't enough to make Castle change his plans. As he had said, while the assassination attempt would undoubtedly draw attention because of the Vice President's involvement, whether someone died would affect the intensity of the investigation and public interest.
Since the African delegate meant nothing to him personally, Castle was perfectly willing to let the plan unfold. He might even offer a silent prayer for the unfortunate soul, but that would be the extent of his compassion.
Beckett, not wanting to complicate things at the last minute, agreed to Castle's plan and sent Ryan with him to scout the area.
Castle's conversation with Beckett had been transmitted through a communications link to the Long Island estate, where Mozzie and Neal were busy preparing a safe house and gathering equipment for Frank and his team. Hearing Castle casually throw the African delegate under the bus didn't faze them in the slightest. These two weren't exactly saints either, and they actually agreed with Castle. Only if someone died would the public take notice.
This was, after all, the USA—known for its "freedom," where shootings were a daily occurrence. A simple Vice Presidential assassination attempt wouldn't grab as much attention as, say, "Vice President targeted by sniper, but sniper misses and hits wrong person." Now that would catch people's interest.
According to Castle's plan, the NYPD would only have a valid reason to arrest Johnson's men after they fired a shot and killed the African delegate. That's when Beckett could step in and arrest them, complete with their CIA credentials, which held no legal weight on US soil. Most of the CIA's domestic operations were off the books, with a good portion being personal side gigs.
So, to prevent them from slipping away, Castle needed them to fire the fatal shot. Only then could they be caught red-handed, leaving Colonel Johnson no room to play the CIA card.
Meanwhile, in another room, Castle planned to exonerate Bob Lee Swagger by retrieving the unused "Intervention" sniper rifle, which would prove Bob never fired a shot.
This was a high-level mission issued by the System!
To ensure the plan went off without a hitch and to secure his reward and Bob Lee Swagger's unbreakable friendship, Castle wouldn't allow any deviation from the script.
As time ticked away, Castle and Ryan reached Johnson's men's room, and soon after, the Secret Service escorting Vice President Andrew pulled up in their armored cars, bringing him to Times Square, completely unaware of the danger that awaited.
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