To Castle's surprise, when Harry learned that his Uncle Rick wanted him to take on the task of designing modification plans for the aircraft of three major defense companies, Harry didn't react with dread like Castle had expected. Instead, he cheered, shouting, "Awesome!" and eagerly accepted the task with glee.
This left Castle utterly baffled.
Fortunately, Harry, being a chatterbox, explained himself soon after.
Harry was a self-proclaimed tech geek. And like most geeks, he was obsessed with military equipment and fighter jets.
The last time he helped Northrop Grumman retrofit the B-2 bomber, he'd been ecstatic. However, Castle had only overseen the retrofit of one prototype plane before pulling Harry out, leaving him with a sense of unfulfilled excitement.
Likewise, during their trip to Andrews Air Force Base, while they were ostensibly there to study the F-22, their main objective had been to thwart the LokSat organization's plan to use an AC-130 gunship, provided by the Japanese, to attack the White House.
Although Harry got the chance to tinker with the F-22 during that trip, it only fueled his obsession further. It didn't quell his desire to explore and modify cutting-edge aircraft; it amplified it.
Now, with this new opportunity—essentially carte blanche to work on the planes of three major defense contractors—Harry felt like a kid in a candy store.
Meanwhile, Castle couldn't help but shake his head. The world truly had all kinds of people. What Castle found troublesome and tedious was, to Harry, the chance of a lifetime.
Excited, Harry immediately dove into the task. He pulled up the database and began reviewing technical schematics he'd secretly acquired for the Boeing 707 airframe and the detailed specs of the AC-130 gunship. The B-2's data was also available, though Harry saved that for last since he'd already had a chance to work on it before.
Castle, amused by Harry's enthusiasm, left the underground supercomputing lab to make some calls.
He needed to discuss his outsourcing plan with Lockheed Martin and Boeing to get their approval. While Northrop Grumman had no objections to the idea, it was still unclear whether the other two companies would agree.
To Castle's surprise, he discovered he'd underestimated both his own influence and the companies' desperation to outpace their competition.
Both Lockheed Martin and Boeing, recognizing that Castle had no intention of personally getting involved in this sensitive matter, were more than willing to accept his proposal to outsource the modification plans.
Boeing, in particular, went the extra mile. They not only agreed to provide Castle with the external schematics of the RC-135 reconnaissance plane—which he already had—but also promised to secure clearance from the Department of Defense to share highly classified internal schematics and systems layouts with him.
The internal documents would include detailed information about the RC-135's electronic systems, wire layouts, and sensor configurations, as well as a comprehensive list of all reconnaissance equipment onboard.
However, Boeing had one condition: under no circumstances could the internal schematics of the RC-135 be shared with Lockheed Martin.
The RC-135 had originally been developed from the Boeing 707 airframe. Boeing, as the original manufacturer, had certain advantages in understanding its structure and systems. It was because of these advantages that Boeing had managed to claw back one of the RC-135 retrofit contracts from Lockheed Martin.
Thus, to maintain their edge, Boeing insisted on strict confidentiality.
Castle had no objections to this condition. It was standard practice for companies to safeguard their proprietary information, especially when dealing with competitors.
Once Castle had secured agreements from all three companies, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The pressure he'd been under to choose sides was now alleviated. By taking on the role of an independent contractor and providing separate modification plans to each company, Castle had successfully positioned himself as a neutral party.
He now had a feasible way to navigate the treacherous waters of this high-stakes corporate competition without making any permanent enemies.
Meanwhile, Castle couldn't help but marvel at Boeing's willingness to share such sensitive information.
The idea of handing over classified internal schematics of a strategic reconnaissance plane to an individual—even one with the highest security clearance—was unheard of in most other countries.
But the U.S. military-industrial complex, where private companies often competed for government contracts, operated differently.
To Castle, this system was both impressive and alarming. On one hand, it incentivized rapid innovation and allowed for unprecedented collaboration between government and private industry. On the other hand, it also created opportunities for sensitive information to be passed around in ways that would be unthinkable elsewhere.
With the agreements in place, Castle's workload had effectively been passed on to Harry, who was more than happy to take it on.
All Castle needed to do now was oversee the process and step in only when absolutely necessary. With Harry's enthusiasm and the supercomputing lab's resources—including the ever-reliable J.A.R.V.I.S.—Castle was confident the job would be handled efficiently.
Feeling the weight lift off his shoulders, Castle turned his attention to other matters.
One such matter was Mark's earlier request for help.
Despite rejecting Mark's plea to stay at the estate, Castle felt a pang of guilt. Mark had been a good friend and had played a pivotal role in helping Castle establish his reputation in the industry.
Now that Castle had a moment of respite, he decided to offer Mark some assistance after all.
He planned to review the technical questions Mark had mentioned and provide detailed answers through encrypted emails or video conferences.
While Castle wasn't about to let Mark move into his estate, he was willing to give Northrop Grumman an advantage by offering them some "after-sales support."
Castle's reasoning was simple.
Among the three companies, his ties with Northrop Grumman were the strongest. Not only did he hold the most shares in Northrop, but the company had also made amends for their previous missteps by extending an olive branch.
Helping Mark and his team resolve their technical challenges would solidify Castle's relationship with Northrop and give them a slight edge in the competition.
And if Lockheed Martin or Boeing ever questioned his actions?
Castle could simply shrug and say, "They asked for help, and I provided it. You never asked."
After all, it wasn't Castle's fault if the other two companies hadn't thought to request the same level of support.
With a sense of clarity and a plan in motion, Castle decided to get started on his response to Mark's queries.
However, as he headed to his study, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something.
Then it hit him.
Harry was still in the lab, utterly oblivious to the mountain of work about to land on his shoulders.
Castle chuckled to himself. "Ah, well. He'll thank me later."
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