Throughout the summer, Castle dedicated nearly all his time and energy to building his "big toy"—the highly advanced flight simulator. Apart from a ten-day trip to New Zealand with his daughter Alexis during her summer break, he was entirely consumed by the project.
Collaboration with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman progressed smoothly, and Boeing soon joined after catching wind of the endeavor. All three companies showed strong interest in Castle's project and trusted his technical expertise. Thus, Boeing quickly pushed to become part of the initiative as well.
However, Castle and his sidekick, Little Fatty, soon discovered that constructing a multi-axis, high-load, full-motion flight simulator was far more challenging than they had imagined. Initially, they had believed that the simulator was nothing more than a giant, high-tech game console. They figured it would simply require integrating mechanical systems to simulate realistic in-flight G-forces, swapping out different cockpit control setups for older and modern aircraft models—easy enough, right?
Reality proved otherwise. Once they got to the manufacturing and assembly phase, Castle and Little Fatty realized why so few countries and aerospace manufacturers in the world had ever successfully built high-fidelity flight simulators. This was no simple task.
Little Fatty, while brilliant with computers, was hopeless when it came to hands-on tasks. Castle had some mechanical expertise thanks to his system's "mechanical mastery" skill, but even he found himself overwhelmed. Building something that occupied half a basketball court and stood five to six meters tall was an entirely different beast from his previous small-scale projects.
Castle was reminded of the last time he had built something—a scaled-down drone prototype in a small rented workshop near Zeus Hardware. Even that endeavor, though significantly smaller, had been tough without external help. Back then, Castle could easily obtain small turbojet or turboprop engines under the guise of assembling hobby models. But now, the scope of this project was orders of magnitude greater.
Driven by their "go big or go home" mentality, Castle and Little Fatty pushed forward during the design phase with support from Jarvis and extensive technical data from the three aerospace companies. However, when it came time to manufacture and assemble the first prototype, they hit a wall.
Even with access to military-grade procurement certifications—allowing them to freely source components from subcontractors without restrictions—the integration of parts arriving at Castle's estate turned into a logistical nightmare. Castle began to understand what it meant to bite off more than you could chew.
The aerospace companies had offered to send technicians to assist, but Castle declined. Jarvis's existence had to remain a secret. If highly skilled experts came to his estate, there was no way to keep an advanced AI like Jarvis hidden. Jarvis was the world's only strong AI with emotional development capabilities, and Castle knew revealing its presence could spark a massive uproar.
With that option off the table, Castle and Little Fatty were left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, Castle's Russian bodyguards, led by Big Ivan, were also prohibited from participating. The U.S. Department of Defense and the aerospace companies had strict security protocols, particularly regarding personnel with ties to foreign intelligence agencies. Big Ivan and his men were former operatives of Russia's Interior Ministry, which had once been part of the infamous KGB—America's old nemesis.
Despite Castle's assurances, there was no way the U.S. would allow individuals with such backgrounds to handle sensitive defense technology. The fact that Castle was even allowed to work on the simulator within his estate was already an exceptional concession.
Thus, Castle found himself in a bind. With no outside help permitted, he was stuck assembling the simulator with only Little Fatty, who had a tech license but no mechanical skills, and Jarvis. Slowly but surely, they began piecing together the simulator using the smart equipment Castle had modified for remote control.
Even so, Castle's commitment to the project left him with little free time. He only managed to carve out ten days for the New Zealand trip to celebrate Alexis's high school graduation. Fortunately, Alexis made things easy for him by choosing to attend Columbia University in New York rather than going far away for college. This decision spared Castle from the anxiety of having her move across the country.
Her decision was influenced by a traumatic experience two years prior when she was lured to Hawaii by an undercover Japanese agent posing as a friend and subsequently kidnapped. Having seen the dangers of the world, Alexis now viewed New York as the safest place for her. Castle couldn't have been happier with her choice, as Columbia was only five kilometers from his Manhattan mansion.
Despite his packed schedule, Castle borrowed Gianna's private jet and organized the trip. Alexis, Little Fatty, and Ramsey accompanied him, along with a special guest: John Wick's energetic young daughter, who was delighted to join the adventure. John, as a full-time dad, naturally came along as well.
Meanwhile, both Beckett and Gianna stayed behind. Beckett, now visibly pregnant, wanted to ensure everything was in order at the 12th Precinct before her maternity leave. Gianna, on the other hand, was preoccupied with consolidating her various business ventures. She had decided to permanently establish her operations in New York. With her father, Don Antonio, rejuvenated and capable of leading the family back in Italy, Gianna no longer needed to return home.
Moreover, Gianna saw a unique opportunity for the D'Antonio family to establish a lasting foothold in America. As one of the U.S. President's trusted allies and a key player in Castle's growing empire, she was in a position to elevate her family's influence beyond Europe.
Having recently taken on executive roles, including representing Castle's and Neil's shares in Sky Aviation, Gianna was thriving. Sky Aviation's massive aircraft had made a successful maiden flight and was steadily gaining market share despite production constraints. As a major shareholder and a member of the board, Gianna wielded significant influence within the company, particularly with Boeing's support.
Thus, while Castle and his entourage embarked on their summer escapade, Gianna remained in New York, focused on expanding her empire.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.