Everyone had their tasks: Castle would take the chubby kid to Andrews Air Force Base under the guise of a technical inspection to act as an "undercover"; Ramzi would stay at the supercomputer lab on Long Island to provide real-time information and intelligence support; Gianna and John would take their child to Washington to evacuate the First Lady and Benjamin's son under the pretense of a parent-child exchange, ensuring they wouldn't be harmed during the attack on the White House; Mozzie was already in the White House and would join Steve, Bob, and possibly Booth in defending against the militants' assault; and Neal would start building positions in the stock market in New York in preparation for Le Chiffre's upcoming scheme, ensuring he had enough leverage when Le Chiffre made his move.
Thus, almost everyone in Castle's small group was mobilized for this operation, except for Beckett, who had to continue working at the NYPD since she had no legitimate reason or jurisdiction to participate.
The coordination with Lockheed Martin went smoothly. Upon learning that Castle wanted to visit an Air Force base near New York equipped with active F-22 fighters to study whether his visual deflection stealth system could be adapted to the U.S. military's most advanced fighter jet, both Lockheed Martin and the Air Force expressed great interest. While the Strategic Air Command hoped Castle would temporarily ignore the F-22 and instead visit Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to see if the stealth system could be installed on the three B-2 bombers already modified by Northrop Grumman, both Lockheed Martin and the Air Force provided Castle with substantial support.
The Air Force even agreed to Castle's request to bring along the world's only drone equipped with the visual deflection stealth system, issuing a military identification code (IFF) for Castle's "private" drone. This effectively transformed the drone's operational scope from merely flying over New York to being able to roam the skies across the entire U.S.!
With the Air Force and Lockheed Martin's approval, Castle was even accompanied by an eager Air Force brigadier general, who would oversee all of Castle's activities at Andrews Air Force Base.
This gave Castle even more confidence, as a LockSat mole was currently the deputy commander of Andrews Air Force Base. When the C-130 sponsored by the Japanese for Amir Barkawi entered Washington's no-fly zone, the brigadier general by Castle's side would undoubtedly countermand the deputy commander's orders to delay fighter takeoffs, ensuring that the AC-130 gunship, which had caused significant casualties in the original plot, would be shot down immediately.
In fact, Castle's primary reason for bringing his drone was to deal with this gunship, whose location Jarvis had already discreetly identified. Although small, the drone was equipped with the latest technology and weaponry. Castle's plan required the gunship to take off, as this would provide irrefutable evidence of the Japanese intelligence agency's and the LockSat members' treason. However, knowing the devastating firepower of the gunship's Vulcan cannons, Castle insisted on bringing his drone as a precaution to minimize casualties.
Moreover, Castle had a strong justification for bringing his drone: it was the world's only prototype capable of visual stealth, which gave him a solid excuse when applying to the Pentagon.
On March 7th, Gianna, accompanied by her husband, child, and the anxious Lieutenant Commander Steve, headed to Washington. Gianna also had an important mission: to assess whether Special Agent Seeley Booth, recommended by Peter from the FBI's New York office and working at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, could be persuaded to join their small group in resisting the militants' impending attack on the White House!!!
Surprisingly, after Gianna, holding little Eunoa, found the highly praised Agent Booth and briefly explained why they had approached him, Booth agreed to join their plan without hesitation. Perhaps it was because Dr. Brennan had recently given birth to their adorable daughter, but Booth's decision was immediate.
Coincidentally, Booth, like Steve, also knew Bob Lee Swagger, who had already arrived at the White House with Mozzie. This made it easy for Gianna to assemble two super snipers and a Navy SEAL commander skilled in close-quarters combat (CQB).
Castle even joked that Booth hadn't been convinced by Gianna but by little Eunoa in her arms.
Now, Castle's defensive side was fully prepared, waiting only for the right moment…
Meanwhile, the offensive side—Amir Barkawi, the Japanese intelligence agency, and the LockSat organization—was also ready. Kim Yeon-ka, responsible for the "center bloom" tactic, had successfully infiltrated the South Korean Prime Minister's delegation to the U.S., even becoming the Prime Minister's interpreter. How could the background checks for the entourage of a Prime Minister who believed the entire universe belonged to their country be so lax?
Castle, accompanied by the reluctant chubby kid and an Air Force brigadier general, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base. As soon as he arrived, Castle sensed the well-hidden hostility of Colonel Clark, the deputy commander and LockSat mole. If Castle hadn't known Clark's true identity, he might not have noticed that this man was a deeply embedded key member of the LockSat organization.
But with Castle already aware of Clark's background, this was all useless.
However, after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base, Castle couldn't help but admire the LockSat moles' skill in conspiracy. According to the duty roster, on the day of the attack, Colonel Clark would be on duty, while the base's highest commander would be away at a meeting. In other words, Clark would effectively be the highest-ranking officer at the base that day. If it weren't for the brigadier general Castle had brought, it might have been impossible to wrest command from this traitor.
Although U.S. military discipline was notoriously lax, Castle had to admit that when it came to emergencies, the unconditional obedience to the highest-ranking officer present was something the U.S. military did well. So, with a brigadier general by his side, Castle was confident he could seize command from Colonel Clark when the time came.
After all, the U.S. military had strict discipline in this regard, so Castle was grateful that the Pentagon had inadvertently helped him overcome this major obstacle. Although the Pentagon didn't know that sending a brigadier general to accompany Castle to Andrews Air Force Base would earn them praise from Benjamin afterward, at least Castle now had no more worries. All he needed to do was keep the brigadier general close and, when the attack began, immediately strip the traitor Colonel Clark of his command.
Before the attack on the White House, the U.S. Strategic Bomber Wing, the 509th, followed the same course as in Castle's previous life. In early March, three B-2 stealth bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, flew tens of thousands of kilometers to North Africa, and bombed Gaddafi's air defense facilities and military airfields, adding fuel to the ongoing "Arab Spring."
Coincidentally, these three B-2 bombers were the ones upgraded by Northrop Grumman, with one even being personally guided by Castle during its modification.
In the original timeline, these three planes took over thirty hours to complete the bombing mission. However, with the most modern upgrades, particularly the engine enhancements, the bombers completed the tens of thousands of kilometers in less than twenty-four hours.
Despite multiple mid-air refuelings, the B-2s equipped with Castle's semi-automated flight control system showed significant improvements in both speed and comfort.
After completing this bombing mission, the Air Force became even more attentive to Castle, who seemed to produce black technology at every turn. Thus, at Andrews Air Force Base, Castle received even more support…
(End of Chapter)
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