Regardless of whether the Vice President of General Atomics is troubled by learning that Richard Castle has begun working with their archenemy, the Cat Corporation, or whether the younger versions of "Motherfucker Man" and "Big Mama Belle" are planning to join Castle, Castle himself is unaware of these developments. In fact, he has no idea that, right now, in the meeting room of the NYPD Headquarters, a large group of people are frantically trying to cover for him under questioning from the CIA and FBI, due to his impressive intelligence-gathering ability displayed during yesterday's New York heist.
The FBI has been under immense pressure due to their poor performance during the heist, similar to the awkward position of the CIA, which had initially aimed to recruit Simon and his gang but found only corpses when they arrived on the scene.
These two agencies, dissatisfied with the outcome, have been pressuring the NYPD to find out how they obtained such precise intelligence. However, the NYPD Commissioner, after hearing a detailed report from Captain Roy Montgomery of the 12th Precinct—who gained significant attention during the incident—realized that the detailed intelligence was due to the efforts of a well-known writer, Richard Castle, whom both he and the Mayor of New York knew. Castle's information was shockingly detailed, including specifics about Simon and his gang, and even details about the fake bombs they planted at the school. It was through communications with Walter and the supposedly comatose John in the ICU at Metropolitan Hospital that the Commissioner learned that Officer John McClane's success in thwarting Simon's escape with the stolen gold, and wiping out his gang, was due to Castle's secret assistance.
Upon learning these details, the Commissioner decided not to share this information with the FBI, who were desperately seeking a lifeline, or with the furious CIA, whose plans were thwarted by Officer McClane.
The fact that Castle had alerted the NYPD through the 12th Precinct twice could not be concealed; many within the police force were aware of this. Now, sitting in the headquarters' meeting room, the NYPD Commissioner was troubled by the situation. Earlier that afternoon, the CIA's New York office chief, who had previously been furious, received several mysterious phone calls and then left the NYPD Headquarters. This left only the FBI's New York branch chief, who was still pleading for a share of the credit for apprehending Simon's gang to relieve the FBI from recent media pressure.
Seeing the FBI chief's hopeful expression, practically begging for help, the NYPD Commissioner finally nodded, "Fine, you can claim that the FBI helped the police recover half of the stolen gold from the Federal Reserve. But you must stop questioning our intelligence sources."
The FBI chief, relieved, agreed, "Deal! We won't question your intelligence sources anymore, and we won't pursue the missing four gold bars! We understand that they were probably taken by the assistant who saved Officer John McClane, but since this person saved his life and helped stop Simon, we'll let it go."
The NYPD Commissioner retorted, "You're not pursuing the four missing gold bars? Even the Federal Reserve hasn't said anything about them. The real issue is the fourteen garbage trucks full of gold bars."
Satisfied with the agreement, the FBI chief quickly left to inform his team on how to present this news to the media to ease the recent pressure. The NYPD Commissioner, left alone in the meeting room, murmured, "It seems Castle's involvement can't be hidden from the CIA. They're likely already more interested in him than in Simon. I need to warn him."
Understanding the CIA's dissatisfaction with failing to secure Simon and the bomb expert, the Commissioner reluctantly called Castle to warn him.
In his study, Castle, sorting through novel material, was grateful for the Commissioner's warning and assured him that he wouldn't confront the CIA. After the call, Castle wasn't worried; he had recently started talks with Northrop Grumman, the third-largest arms company in the USA, who wouldn't let anything happen to him before acquiring his flight control system. Moreover, the CIA's operations in the USA are illegal, and even abroad, they only have investigatory power, not enforcement power. Besides, his father had a deep-seated vendetta against a secret CIA organization, 'Locksate,' so Castle had nothing to fear from the CIA.
Remember, Castle is a public figure, a wealthy man, and now, with advanced skills, he felt there was no reason to fear the CIA. He was also aware of the black technology from the Marvel universe thanks to Tony Stark. If the CIA dared to mess with him, he believed he could retaliate effectively.
Castle's father, in this world, wasn't hiding due to a powerful 'Locksate.' In fact, he was a significant figure with connections to a powerful organization. In France, Castle learned his father was part of the CIA's elite 'R.E.D.' operatives, commanding people like Frank Moses, resembling an older John McClane. Thus, Castle wasn't worried about his father being hunted as in the original story.
As for Castle, he felt secure. He was a public figure, had strong connections in New York, and had just established a relationship with Northrop Grumman. He believed the CIA, upon investigating his connections, wouldn't risk provoking him.
Thus, Castle thanked the NYPD Commissioner for the warning but put it aside. Rather than worrying about potential trouble from the CIA, he focused on his plans with Beckett. He realized his primary goal wasn't to play hero or savior but to win Beckett's heart. The recent events had taken too much of his time, time that should have been spent strengthening his bond with her.
He wasn't an ambitious person, nor did he feel obligated to serve this country, not his homeland. He was an ordinary person from another world, with no mission to become a big figure. Even his system's ultimate mission was simply to fulfill a personal dream from his previous life: to marry Beckett, a woman with incredible legs.
But when did things start going off track? It began when he went to Brazil for some excitement. Since then, a series of events had unfolded, but this wasn't what he wanted!
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