From the very next day, Castle—having learned his lesson—began his flight training in earnest. However, news of his development of the world's most advanced flight simulator had already reached several major aircraft manufacturers.
So, after an entire day of training—during which he practiced takeoffs and landings in a far more "primitive" six-degree-of-freedom flight simulator provided by the training center—Castle received an unexpected visit from representatives of Lockheed Martin.
They didn't come empty-handed.
Along with a team of engineers, they had brought a test pilot.
Castle wasn't particularly thrilled about their sudden arrival—especially given how quickly they had sniffed out what he was up to—but considering that these were the same people who had been working tirelessly to upgrade Stealth Bull and Tactical Turkey, he had no choice but to entertain them.
With a sigh, he left the airport, taking his security team with him, and even brought little Onona along. While John enjoyed his VIP solo lessons, Castle entrusted the child to her beloved Ramsay, who happily took her off to play with the estate's four dogs.
As soon as Castle arrived home, one of Lockheed Martin's representatives—a corporate PR executive—immediately stepped forward with a beaming smile, his words dripping with flattery.
"Mr. Castle, please forgive our urgency, but we were thrilled to hear that you've completed your simulator. Our company is extremely eager to see this masterpiece in person.
"It is truly an honor to have a partner and shareholder like you…
"Would you be willing to give us a demonstration?
"Our test pilot is particularly eager to evaluate its capabilities firsthand."
The delegation included not only engineers and the test pilot but also a high-ranking corporate liaison tasked with managing external partnerships.
Knowing he couldn't avoid this, Castle plastered on a polite, insincere smile and led the group to the simulator building. He made a show of having Big Ivan and his security team remain outside, deliberately reinforcing the illusion that his Russian bodyguards were not allowed near the simulator—an explicit requirement from both the U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin.
After all, even if it was just for appearances, he had to play by the rules.
Since Castle had already agreed to share the simulator technology with Lockheed Martin and two other companies in exchange for research funding, he upheld his professional integrity.
For the demonstration, he called in the chubby kid—who had been vetted and accepted as his technical assistant by all three companies. The chubby kid provided a detailed breakdown of the simulator's software, particularly his revolutionary simulation system.
Castle, meanwhile, focused on explaining the hardware and engineering aspects to the lead engineers.
But, as both sides knew, the real highlight of the visit wasn't the discussion.
It was the test flight.
After a brief introduction, everyone agreed to cut the talk short and let the test pilot experience the simulator firsthand.
This wasn't just any test pilot.
Fully equipped in an anti-G flight suit and a state-of-the-art flight helmet identical to Castle's, this veteran had logged countless hours flying the F-22 Raptor and was actively involved in the testing of Lockheed Martin's latest project: the F-35A Lightning II.
Before stepping inside, the pilot double-checked the simulator's limits. With everything in order, he climbed into the cockpit.
But despite his extensive experience with military-grade simulators—including those for the F-22 and F-35—this cockpit looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
As he settled into the sealed cockpit, the pilot's admiration for Castle grew.
From the outside, the simulator looked nothing like any he had ever seen.
And based on what he had heard, this one machine could accurately simulate nearly every fighter jet in the world.
But how did it handle cockpit layout differences?
For example:
Third-generation jets, like the F-15, had their control stick between the pilot's legs. Fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, like the F-22 and F-35, had side-stick controllers, mounted to the right side panel.
How could one simulator accommodate both setups?
He was about to find out.
The last person to use the simulator was the chubby kid, who had crashed an F-15 Eagle in the most ridiculous way possible. Because of that, the cockpit still reflected the F-15's layout.
The pilot instantly recognized the classic F-15 control arrangement the moment he sat down.
For his first test, he selected Lockheed Martin's own F-35A, a jet still in development.
As soon as he tapped the F-35A option on the selection menu, something incredible happened.
Right before his eyes, the entire cockpit transformed.
First, the control stick between his legs retracted seamlessly into the floor, vanishing completely. The surface closed perfectly, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.
Then, the right-side panel split open, and a side-mounted control stick extended outward, sliding into position.
The test pilot's jaw nearly dropped.
He knew this design—it was Lockheed Martin's own flight control system, the same one used in both the F-22 and F-35.
The purpose of this layout was to free the pilot's legs for better control, while keeping the throttle on the left and the flight stick on the right for optimal maneuverability.
Even the rudder pedals adjusted automatically to match the aircraft model.
Castle had perfectly accounted for the differences between third- and fifth-generation fighter cockpits.
The pilot was stunned.
Even before takeoff, this simulator had already exceeded his expectations.
He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. He had seen a lot in his career, but this?
This was next-level.
From the outside, Castle and the others watched the pilot's reaction closely.
Then, as the external displays activated, the real magic began.
The moment the cockpit screens and flexible exterior displays lit up, the pilot felt as if he was actually inside a real fighter jet.
He had never seen a simulator with such high-fidelity visual immersion.
Most current VR flight simulations were decades behind what he was experiencing right now.
The view from the cockpit perfectly matched what he would see in a real F-35A.
Even Lockheed Martin's most advanced simulators couldn't match this level of realism.
Castle smirked as he watched the pilot's astonished expression.
It was clear why Lockheed Martin had been so eager to see this.
This simulator wasn't just ahead of its time.
It was science fiction brought to life.
Inside the Simulator
The pilot took a moment to absorb the experience before reaching for the controls.
He had been briefed that this simulator could generate up to 5 Gs of force, significantly higher than most military-grade simulators, which typically maxed out at 3 Gs.
To put that into perspective:
For an untrained person, even 3 Gs was incredibly intense. But 5 Gs? That was on par with actual combat maneuvers.
The pilot's heart pounded.
This was going to be one hell of a ride.
Outside the Simulator
Castle crossed his arms, watching Lockheed Martin's engineers exchange wide-eyed, excited glances.
They were seeing the future—and it was his creation.
"Now do you understand why you guys need me?" Castle thought smugly.
After today, one thing was certain—
Lockheed Martin would do anything to get their hands on this technology.
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