Castle was secretly pleased with Beckett's concern for his personal safety. It showed that she had started to see him as someone irreplaceable. However, he was somewhat defiant in the face of her worried yet scolding tone. "You wouldn't believe it, but this guy let me approach him from a hundred meters to about thirty meters without actually shooting at me. I think they did a bit of research on me before attempting to kidnap the kid and didn't want to escalate things. That's how I managed to get close enough to tranquilize him.
Also, I didn't want to use a real gun because I wanted to keep them alive to interrogate them about their origins. The other three are just techies with no combat skills, so I managed to subdue them all."
Castle knew that even if he handed these four men over to Beckett and they were taken to the precinct, General Atomics wouldn't let it slide. Therefore, he concealed the fact that he had gone to the private airport in the Bronx to rescue the kid. Castle was confident that even if these four woke up in the precinct, they wouldn't divulge anything. The fact that the kid was still at home, unconscious but not kidnapped, indicated a failed kidnapping, which was different from a successful one. The lawyer from General Atomics would understand this, and Castle believed the four wouldn't get a chance to be questioned by Beckett before being whisked away by the powerful company.
Fortunately, Beckett, overwhelmed by Castle's convoluted explanations, didn't notice these omissions. Instead, she began scrutinizing Castle's earlier statements. "So you and this chubby kid developed a drone that caught the attention of General Atomics, and they decided to kidnap him to get their hands on the technology?"
Castle nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what happened."
Beckett was frustrated. "Do you know how busy I am right now? Thanks to you, the entire NYPD is working overtime tonight, and you're adding to my workload?"
Castle felt a bit wronged by Beckett's outburst. "How was I supposed to know these guys would be so impatient? They didn't even bother to contact us for a possible collaboration. They just went straight to kidnapping. I never said I wouldn't work with them, but who knew they would resort to such measures?"
Beckett was incensed. "What exactly did you and Harry create that made General Atomics so desperate?"
At this point, Esposito, who had been googling General Atomics on his phone, handed it to Beckett. That's when she realized the magnitude of the situation and asked her question.
Castle, now more cautious, continued, "Current drones require two people to operate, but the ones Harry and I developed can be controlled by a single person thanks to a new flight control system. This allows Harry to control at least two drones simultaneously for different reconnaissance missions. That's probably what caught General Atomics' interest. Our drones are also much smaller and more covert, with a wingspan and body length of just a few meters, making them difficult to spot from the ground at altitudes over two thousand meters. Moreover, our drones have inherent stealth capabilities, making them hard to detect by radar. So it's not just General Atomics; any arms company with some tech sensitivity would be intrigued."
Beckett, after hearing Castle's brief introduction of their drone, covered her head in frustration. She realized that Castle had caused an even bigger mess. Although he hadn't been causing trouble at the precinct recently, he had now created a much larger problem.
Beckett had no fondness for the country's arms companies, knowing they would do anything for profit, including instigating conflicts worldwide. Castle and his friend had silently developed such advanced drones? Beckett foresaw that not only domestic arms manufacturers but also foreign forces might target Castle and the kid. Why couldn't this guy just stick to writing novels instead of constantly creating trouble?
Knowing she was now involuntarily involved in Castle's predicament, Beckett, despite her reluctance, couldn't ignore Castle's situation. Yet, she was furious that Castle always dragged her into these unmanageable situations after they blew up.
Seeing Beckett on the verge of an outburst, Castle quickly threw out a distraction. "Harry and I didn't develop these drones just for fun. Once optimized, they could monitor all of Manhattan from an altitude of two to three thousand meters with just ten units. If our research succeeds, we could collaborate with a drone manufacturer and donate some to the NYPD, making your job much easier."
Beckett and her two subordinates scoffed at Castle's impractical suggestion, clearly a desperate attempt to divert Beckett's wrath. Esposito sympathetically remarked, "Even our efforts to install traffic cameras in New York face strong public opposition. You think you can use drones to monitor all of Manhattan? You're dreaming. We know this ridiculous idea is just to save your skin from Beckett's anger. It won't work, buddy. Good luck..."
With that, Esposito and Ryan looked at Castle with the same sympathy one might show at a funeral.
Beckett was almost driven mad by Castle's antics. She was about to lose her temper when the chubby kid's awakening saved Castle.
The kid had been unconscious for about three hours, from being drugged, taken to the private airport, rescued by Castle, and lying on his sofa for at least an hour. The drug's effects were finally wearing off.
Before the action, the company's board had specifically instructed the operatives to use a safe and low-dose anesthetic on the kid, who posed no physical threat. The drug was designed to be safe with no lasting effects, just enough to knock the kid out for easy transport. As Castle faced Beckett's impending outburst, the kid began to wake up.
Still groggy, the kid saw his living room filled with people. Four men lay bound and unconscious on the floor, while his uncle Rick and a beautiful woman stared at him, along with two guys who looked like cops. Confused, he asked, "Uncle Rick? Weren't you gone? Why are you back?"
Seeing the kid hadn't retained his memory of the distress call, Castle didn't explain much but asked, "How are you feeling? Still dizzy?"
The kid, sitting up halfway, began to remember. "Right, Uncle Rick, I was pinned down by several guys and drugged. The last thing I remember is calling your emergency number..."
Castle, seeing the kid regain his memory, relaxed. He smiled and said, "Yes, these guys on the floor are the ones who tried to kidnap you. But you're safe now."
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