Castle was still confused.
"That Turkish agent you guys captured—hasn't he been in custody for a long time? How could he still provide intel on other agents inside the U.S.?"
Jo Martinez, ever patient with Castle's lack of intelligence training, explained:
"Rick, you don't get it. Just because we've had him for a while doesn't mean his intel is useless. There's a lot of classified techniques and operational knowledge involved that I can't explain. But trust me—this guy is still valuable to us."
Castle wasn't really looking for a deep dive into espionage tactics—he just wanted to confirm whether the Turkish agent's claims about a new plot against him were credible.
Still, he had to admit—it was eye-opening that Turkey had reverted to paper documents and in-person couriers for transmitting orders.
Then again, he could understand their caution.
After all, his advanced hacking technology wasn't exactly a state secret anymore.
At least in New York, the NYPD's 12th Precinct had been using a weaker version of his God's Eye system for a while now.
Initially, the precinct kept it a secret—but as their case-solving rate skyrocketed, rumors started spreading among officers in other precincts.
At this point, at least 20,000 of New York's 30,000 cops probably knew that Beckett's famous author boyfriend had gifted them a game-changing surveillance tool.
Now, imagine you were a foreign intelligence officer looking at the situation:
- Every time your agents make a move against Castle, their plans somehow get exposed.
- Someone with insane hacking capabilities seems to be monitoring their communications.
- Combine that with public knowledge of PRISM (the U.S. government's mass surveillance program), and it all adds up.
It wasn't hard for intelligence agencies to connect the dots—
The U.S. probably had an advanced cyber intelligence program that made internet and phone communication too risky.
So, they went old school—using paper memos and human couriers to send critical orders.
Castle didn't bother hiding his next move.
He activated his third-gen smart wristband and connected to Jarvis, giving him a new order:
"Full priority: Investigate any intelligence activity from Turkey, Japan, and India that might be targeting me."
Jo watched quietly but didn't try to stop him.
Once Castle finished, she finally spoke:
"Rick, I get that you want to verify this intel. But once you do, I really think you should let us handle it—just like last time."
Castle understood why she was saying that.
Jo wasn't just an FBI agent—she was now a high-ranking leader in the Joint Task Force Command Center.
She was looking out for him.
But no matter how calm Castle tried to be, learning that these three nations were STILL coming after him pissed him off.
Yet, he also wasn't stupid.
No matter how powerful he had become, he was still one man.
If he went up against any of these three nations alone, he wouldn't stand a chance.
A single individual—no matter how resourceful—simply couldn't match a nation-state's intelligence apparatus.
Especially these three:
- Turkey was a regional military power with aggressive expansionist ambitions.
- Japan had a dangerous history of espionage and a long-standing grudge against him.
- India was militarily weaker, but their intelligence community was massive and deeply involved in foreign operations.
Against the U.S. government, they were small fish.
But against an individual like Castle?
They were a real threat.
Castle exhaled slowly.
"Fine. I'll verify the intel, then turn it over to you guys."
At this point, Castle had fully adapted to his new status.
He wasn't some rogue player anymore—he was part of America's elite.
There was no reason for him to fight alone.
After all, the U.S. was a corporation disguised as a country—and Castle had already become one of its valuable shareholders.
So why not use the company's resources?
His best move was to gather evidence, then let the professionals handle the dirty work—
Instead of playing vigilante like before.
Especially now that he had a newborn son.
Castle had too much to lose to take reckless risks.
Having settled the matter with Jo, Castle decided to enjoy the Christmas party—there was no need to let a few petty intelligence agencies ruin his holiday spirit.
---
But Jo's intel was real.
While Jarvis worked at full capacity, scanning all possible intelligence leaks,
A high-level secret meeting was taking place in South Asia.
Specifically, in Bangalore, the so-called "Silicon Valley of Asia."
There, inside a heavily guarded private villa, a high-ranking Indian military intelligence officer was hosting two groups of foreign guests.
One delegation consisted of:
- Well-dressed Japanese officials—led by a senior intelligence officer from the Naikaku Jōhōshitsu (Cabinet Intelligence Research Office), Japan's secretive spy agency.
The other group was:
- Deep-eyed, sharp-featured Turkish officials—representing Turkey's Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MIT), their National Intelligence Organization.
The host?
A high-caste Indian military officer—who was also a key figure in India's intelligence community.
The reason for this highly secretive meeting?
They had one common target—
A certain American author currently throwing a Christmas party in New York.
---
Of the three nations, Turkey was the most desperate.
Their government was currently at war with:
- Western-backed Kurdish forces.
- A U.S.- and UK-supported Syrian army faction.
- Multiple anti-Turkish militias receiving weapons from NATO.
They were losing ground fast.
So when Japan and India offered an alliance, Turkey had no choice but to accept, despite knowing they were being used.
As for Japan?
Their hatred for Castle was even stronger than Turkey's.
- Castle had single-handedly taken down the Watanabe Zaibatsu, killing both father and son.
- He had used superior hacking to steal classified intelligence on Japan's post-WWII espionage network in the U.S..
- His actions had exposed dozens of Japanese spies in Hawaii, forcing the U.S. to purge Japan's entire intelligence presence in the Pacific.
And if that wasn't bad enough—
Castle's best friend, Mozzie, had been playing Japan's government like a fiddle using trade deals and financial leverage.
As a result, Japan had been humiliated repeatedly.
Now, India had stepped in, eager to join the fight.
India's grudge against Castle wasn't as personal—but they still had reasons to hate him.
- The death of Rajad, an elite Brahmin industrialist, had humiliated their government.
- Castle's involvement in exposing India's corrupt aerospace sector had ruined their high-speed rail deal.
- India's intelligence failures in the U.S. had been exploited by American agencies—and they blamed Castle.
So when Japan approached India, proposing an intelligence alliance, India was more than happy to join.
The goal?
- Turkey wanted to strike back at NATO.
- Japan wanted revenge for its spies.
- India wanted to restore its bruised pride.
And in the center of it all—
Their primary target was Rick Castle.
______
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