That night, Castle and his group spent their time in Long Island laughing and joking as they dug a trap for the Vice President and the mastermind behind the day's events, Senator Charles Hahn. Meanwhile, Beckett, at ease, chatted with Alexis, and FBI Director Hughes of the New York division fumed in frustration, having unwittingly inherited a political time bomb with those five CIA "agents."
It wasn't until Hughes brought the five agents back to the FBI office and ran their fingerprints and DNA through the database that he discovered they were indeed bona fide CIA agents from the Africa Division. This revelation also brought Colonel Johnson, the CIA's Africa Division chief, into the spotlight. Hughes then realized the mess he had stepped into wasn't some career-making case, but a political nightmare—a battle between two political factions where he'd foolishly become entangled. What a disaster!
But it wasn't just Hughes who couldn't sleep that night. Two other key players—Vice President Andrew and Senator Charles Hahn—were similarly restless, both fully aware that a political firestorm was brewing.
Colonel Johnson, the orchestrator of the attack, was perhaps the most bewildered by the sudden turn of events. His plan had been meticulous, so why had everything gone so wrong so quickly?
Now, with his men caught by the NYPD and handed over to the FBI—an agency with whom the CIA had a long-standing rivalry—Johnson began to panic. The FBI, a more powerful domestic agency with direct ties to the Justice Department, was no small obstacle. What was initially just a complication had now turned into a potential catastrophe, threatening to bring down both Johnson and his boss, Senator Hahn.
The CIA's director, furious and searching for answers, was also trying to figure out who had acted in the agency's name to carry out this foolish operation. Johnson's influence within the FBI wasn't strong enough to ensure his agents stayed silent. If his men broke under pressure, it could all be over for him.
With these thoughts racing through his mind, Johnson even considered fleeing to his long-established stronghold in Africa before the situation fully unraveled. But fear held him back. Senator Hahn had already called, demanding that Johnson clean up the mess. Hahn made it clear that if Johnson didn't fix things, there would be dire consequences.
Johnson still clung to one last shred of hope: according to intelligence reports, retired CIA operative Frank Moses had reunited with his old partner, Marvin, and had arrived in New York. If Frank and his team took the bait and believed that Vice President Andrew was behind the attack, they might go after Andrew, offering Johnson a chance to turn the tables.
Thus, Johnson boarded Senator Hahn's private jet and flew to New York, hoping to salvage the situation.
Vice President Andrew, meanwhile, was a bundle of nerves, torn between anger and fear. His eight agents, sent by his Chief of Staff to secure the key witness in the assassination case, had been surrounded and arrested by the NYPD. How had the police found the safehouse? Andrew didn't care about the answer anymore. He now realized that a web was closing in on him, and the dirty secrets from his time in Africa and South America were no longer safely buried.
For Andrew, these were skeletons that could ruin him—especially now, as he was preparing for a presidential campaign. If these scandals were exposed, it would destroy his career. Not only would his run for president be over, but even his position as Vice President would be at risk. Knowing this, Andrew found himself unable to sleep.
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on Andrew. Had today's events not unfolded the way they did, he might never have realized that the misdeeds of his youth were ticking time bombs waiting to explode, potentially taking him down with them. Now, it was clear: the whole situation was a scheme, orchestrated by Senator Hahn in retaliation for Andrew's rise to prominence after William Bracken's fall from grace. Hahn was trying to drag Andrew into the mud.
With the media in a frenzy, Andrew feared it was only a matter of time before his past was uncovered. And once it was, he knew he'd be finished.
In a tense meeting with his Chief of Staff and team, Andrew faced the one question he had been avoiding: How could he silence those who knew about his past?
The Africa incident was easier to manage, as there were few remaining witnesses, and most were aware of the unspoken rules. If they could fend off this attack from the Republican Party, they could survive. The real threat was in South America. How many people knew the full story? And could Andrew ensure their silence?
As events continued to mirror the plot of Red, Castle's memories of the movie played out before him. Like in the movie, Andrew's selfishness led him to make the call: "Better to betray the world than let the world betray me." After recalling that there were only 11 people who knew the full details of his South American escapade, Andrew decided to eliminate them. Among those on the list were Frank Moses and Marvin Boggs.
What Andrew didn't realize, however, was that while he was planning to take them out, Frank and Marvin were plotting against him. The Vice President, unaware that the two were nearby, was now the target of their plan to strike first.
Frank's team had learned that Andrew would be attending a fundraising gala for his presidential campaign in two days. They planned to launch a public assault during the event—not to kill Andrew on the spot, but to draw media attention and expose his involvement in multiple massacres during his time abroad. This revelation would destroy Andrew's carefully curated image as a "friendly and relatable" politician, ensuring his downfall and securing Frank and his team's safety.
But Andrew had no idea of this. He was too busy with his Chief of Staff, trying to recall the names of the people who had saved him in South America all those years ago…
As the sun rose the next day, everyone involved in the case knew that a political storm was about to break. The fight between the two parties was about to erupt, especially with the media stirring things up. The entire nation was now focused on the previous day's assassination attempt in Times Square. News outlets loyal to each party were ready to smear the other, gearing up for a full-scale political war.
That morning, Castle sat in his mansion's living room, laughing uproariously at the television. His laughter was so loud that it woke everyone upstairs.
Except for Mozzie, who had pulled another all-nighter, the rest of the group, including Bob and the two police officers, made their way downstairs.
Mozzie, half-asleep, asked, "Rick, what's got you so worked up this early?"
Castle, who hadn't even had breakfast yet, pointed at the news on the television. "The CIA is in deep trouble. The media's already uncovered the identities of the five guys the NYPD arrested and handed over to the FBI. And these brilliant reporters have already found out they're all part of the CIA's Africa Division. This morning's news just exposed Colonel Johnson, who's been hiding in the shadows."
Castle wasn't wrong. At that very moment, the CIA Director, watching the same news, finally knew who had been behind the entire debacle...
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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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