Title: The Shelter Part 1/2
Author: Dancing Star
Crossover: PSI Factor / Castle/ Sue Thomas FBEye
Pairing: Connor / Lindsay, Jack / Sue, Rick / Kate
Rating: 12
Category: AU, Mystery
What happens: The Earth is invaded by machines. Jack, Sue, Rick and Kate seek refuge in the mountains.
Notes: I don´t want to praise myself, but sometimes this story frightens me so much that I don´t dare to leave my home alone... :-)
Dedicated to my cats, Nikki and Candice. :-)

The Shelter Part 1

"...What is the reason for your visit?", Clara Thomas asked curiously as she and her husband were sitting in the kitchen with Sue and Jack on an autumn Sunday.
Sue grabbed Jack's hand, smiling. "Mom, Dad, "she began," We have decided to get married. "
"My goodness," her mother jumped up and hugged her warmly, "That's wonderful. I'm very happy for you." Even Sue's father nodded in agreement because his wife left him no chance to speak. "It has taken a long time until you decide to take this step..."
"We thought we wanted to get married next spring," Sue looked at Jack and he nodded, "We hope that's okay and..." She was interrupted by a noise that came directly from the sky. They put their heads back and saw a large metallic disk with lots of lights hovering above the city. Jack had no idea what it was- at the same time, he knew it. And suddenly he was freezing.
"What is it?", Clara Thomas asked.
The disc hovered silently over them, but then a blue light blinded them so much that they could barely see. When the light was gone, Sue noticed a strange drill at the window, she had never seen before. The window shattered and strange metallic tentacles shot inside towards her and her family. The wiry little arms were reaching for Sue's parents and Mrs. Thomas screamed.
Only fleetingly she realized how Jack clutched her hand. "Run," he called to her and pulled her with him. Sue reached for Levi´s leash. They ran as fast as they could to Jacks car and got in. Levi sat on Sue's lap, but she ordered him to jump into the back seat. "The car won´t start!", Jack yelled when he turned around the ignition key and not a single light inside the car switched on, but then he had an idea. He short- out the vehicle and breathed out relieved when the motor started.
"What about my parents?", Sue wanted to know.
They turned again to the house and when it burst into flames, Jack started the engine of the car. He drove away as fast as it was possible. Sue in the passenger seat began to cry. "I'm so sorry, honey," he said to her, though he knew she couldn´t hear him. Then he focused to escape the ruined city and the dangerous, unknown machines.

Kate Beckett and Rick Castle spent the weekend at his vacation home in the Hamptons and on Sunday afternoon Kate wondered why Rick sat transfixed in front of the TV. It wasn´t unusual he behaved like this: He was an author and some issues on television excited his interest. Since they were together he sometimes had behaved like this..
She sat down next to him and froze when she saw the news: CNN showed images of spaceships which hovered over New York City and other major cities in the world.
"What is it?", Kate asked.
"An alien spaceship."
She smiled. "No. This is only a gag."
Now Rick got up and walked to the window. He knew that her eyes would follow him. Before the big glass window, he stopped. "Does this look a gag to you?", he asked and now registered only from the corner of his eye, how Kate got up and came to him. She stayed right beside him and saw the spaceship that circled over New York and which was so big she could even see it from this distance.

"...Promise me you´ll leave the city immediately," Rick Castle said to his daughter on the phone while he walked around restlessly in his living room. Alexis said yes.
"And promise me that you´ll call grandma... And that you´ll call me every hour."
Alexis said yes again. Then she had to hang up. At that moment, he hated she had stayed in the city, because she wanted to go out on with her friends on weekends. Rick put his phone back into his pocket. "Kate?", he then cried excitedly. He wondered where she was, because they had considered if they should continue traveling away from the city. For safety.
"I'm coming," she called to him and put her gun in her waistband. Kate was a police officer in New York and at the same time his muse. So they had met each other years ago.
"You have your gun with you?"
She rolled her eyes, but she suddenly widened in shock: "Castle, watch out!" She pulled him aside at the last moment. A car sped through the front yard and directly through the wall. Finally, the car came to a halt in the middle of the living room. A young couple got out. The woman even coughed and wiped some splinters of wood from the front window.
"Who are you?", Kate yelled. The man and the woman lifted their hands, trembling. "Are you hurt?", Rick asked instead and only now he realized what they had done to his house.
"This is Sue, I'm Jack," the dark-haired man said out of breath, "I'm sorry that we literally invaded you, but..."
"Well, you´re not the only one today", Rick said.
"We have just returned from Ohio," Sue added and grabbed the collar of her dog, "A spacecraft is circling over Cleveland..."
"We know from the news," Rick agreed and Kate put her gun away, "There´s a spaceship over New York City, too." These two didn´t make the impression they could harm someone and Kate pointed to the spacecraft, which circled at a distance. They also stated they were on the road for hours.
"Please help us. We have heard of a shelter in the mountains."
Jack now also lowered his hands. "Our car broke down. If you help us, we´ll take you to this place."

One hour later, Jack and Kate sat in the kitchen, looking at a map and discussed the quickest and safest route to the refuge. Sue was sitting in the living room with Levi.
"This is a very nice house," Sue said to Rick, "You are Richard Castle, the author, right? You wrote the Nikki Heat- and Derek Storm- books."
"Yes, I am", Rick grinned, "Is that a hearing dog?", he wanted to know and then stroking Levi´s head.
"Yes, I´m deaf since early childhood," Sue replied, "But my mother has left no stone unturned to enable me to live a normal life." Her voice changed when she spoke of her mother.
"Where are your parents now?", Rick asked, "Do you have any idea where the two are?" He cast a worried glance at the screen of his cell phone and put it back in his pocket when he realized that neither Alexis nor his mother had called how they had actually promised. So he tried to reach Alexis but his mobile phone wasn´t working anymore.
"Jack and I have visited my parents and wanted to tell them of our planned wedding, when these creatures attacked us. My parents didn´t survive the attack, I think."
"I'm sorry," Rick answered honestly. He felt he had to do something to cheer her up. "There is a pond behind the house. You can even see it from here", he suggested and they got up, crossed the living room until they stood in front of a large glass window. "There are many fish in the pond and sometimes...", Rick broke off in mid-sentence because a group of dead fish drove on the surface. "It was probably a bad time to show you the pond," he apologized then.
"You think that's a coincidence?", Her voice was thin.
"Don´t know...," Rick answered honestly.
Something else caught Sue's attention. She felt a faint vibration under her feet, which was getting stronger. "Something´s wrong here," she informed him, then Rick saw a large, massive figure standing at the other end of the pond. The figure seemed to be made of metal and when it put one foot before the other, he also felt like the floor was vibrating.
"Kate!," he shouted to his girlfriend, "We have to get out of here!"
"What´s wrong?" Jack wanted to know. He and Kate were planning the route to the refuge and now came out of the kitchen. They also remained in front of the glass window and immediately saw what the problem was.
"Do you have your passport with you?", Jack asked, without averting his eyes from the figure.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"You will need them. We´ll flee to Canada."

They hurried to grab their most important things and put it into bags. Rick hurried and tried to call Alexis and his mother, but none of them answered their phones.
"Do you have everything?", Jack asked, who had already put his and Sue's bags in Rick's car. It was a sports car, so they would have to move together with Levi in the back seat a little.
They saw that the huge figure was walking along the street. Sue felt it because the character was so heavy that it caused vibrations with every step.
"I need my passport," Kate whispered, went upstairs to the second floor and crept down the corridor. Rick, Jack and Sue wanted to wait for her at the connection door to the garage.
Kate squeezed past the windows until she finally reached the bathroom. She had to cross it, if she wanted to reach the bedroom where she kept her ID.
The tall figure was standing right next to Rick's house and she could get a better look at it. It was definitely a humanoid shape. But the outer shell consisted of heavy metal. Kate suspected it might was a robot. She saw that the figure turned around and looked at the house now. She threw herself on the ground quickly to crouch in front of the tub on the cold tile so the figure couldn´t see her through the window. Kate held her breath when she felt the vibrations became stronger. The machine came closer and was now standing directly in front of the house, but she didn´t dare look. She had always laughed about Rick when he spoke of little alien beings. He was an author and had a vivid imagination. He earned his money with such things. Knowing he was right and they weren´t actually alone in the universe, scared her. And this machine- man meant her death, when he found her now.
She held her breath again and closed her eyes in relief as the heavy steps went away and the vibrations were finally gone. Kate even put both hands on the tiles, so she could feel better. But even as silence reigned, she didn´t dare to get up. She felt paralyzed. "You can´t be scared," said a voice in her head. Then she got up and hurried into the bedroom and took her passport.

Jack had to short- out Rick´s car so they could leave the Hamptons.
"How do you know of the refuge in the mountains?", Rick asked curiously, because to him it all sounded very much like science fiction. He steered the car and Jack was sitting in the passenger seat. Kate and Sue shared the back seat of the sports car with Levi. The car sped through a deserted intersection.
"Friends of us work in an organization which designed a rescue plan for cases like this," Sue said.
"The Men in Black?", Rick threw an excited glance in the rearview mirror.
"No."
"Who then?"
"We can´t tell you," Sue told them, "I'm sure we all get some answers when we´re there." She had to admit she didn´t know very much about the refuge. She and Jack had received GPS coordinates where they had to arrive within 24 hours after the invasion began.
After crossing the Canadian border, Rick switched places with Jack so he could rest a while in the passenger seat. While Jack refilled the car at a deserted gas station, Kate was willing to back him with her gun. Because the station was deserted and the windows were smashed, it was assumed the owner was either a victim of the now prevailing anarchy or the disappearance had other reasons. A Journal of the New York Times blew across the abandoned gas station, followed by a bunch of autumnal leaves, when Jack asked if he should put $ 20 on the counter. "American?", Kate asked, answering his question. They got in to the car and drove off without paying. During the journey, Kate couldn´t stop thinking of her friends in New York. She wondered how they were doing.
Dense clouds moved across the sky and colored it in sad gray when they reached a mountain range in the deepest Canada in the evening and Jack suddenly stopped the car on a hill.
"We're here," Jack now said and got out. In the distance he heard faint engine noise.
Sue, Rick and Kate also left the car. He pointed to a building in the distance, which was located at the foot of a huge mountain. Sue shielded her eyes, although there was no sun which could blind her. They stood there for a while and watched the building.
"This is not a shelter," Kate began, "This is a castle."
"A mansion, to be exact," now a voice said. They saw a dark-haired man coming up the hill where the car was parked. "One of our clients gave us the house for cases like this," he said and noticed that Sue and Jack, who he already knew, had brought two other people.
"I'm Connor Doyle," he introduced himself, "And you are?"
"Richard Castle and Kate Beckett."
"You are the famous author," Connor said and Rick was glad he had recognized him. But then the dark-haired man was serious again: "We should hurry and leave quickly. Staying outside so long can be dangerous."
They climbed back into the car and followed Connor, who also entered a vehicle at the foot of the hill and they drove to the facility. A door opened and the vehicles had to pass through a security barrier. Then they were allowed to park their vehicles.
After they got out, Jack, Sue, Rick and Kate had to show their passports to a security guard. Sue and Jack also showed him the written confirmation they were allowed to participate in the project Shelter. "What about them?", The security man then wanted to know when he saw Rick and Kate, "The two are not on my list."
"Then put them on the list," Connor told him. The two had helped Jack and Sue to come to this place. He couldn´t send them away.
The security man did as he was told and they passed the last safety check. They had to leave their bags, which was brought to their new accommodation in advance.
"Electricity is available", Rick noted. He didn´t know if he should be excited.
"Yes, we have an emergency generator, which is located in a protective bunker."
"How big is this plant?", Jack asked curiously as they walked along a corridor with no windows.
"I would be more interested in what makes this house so special that it has been selected as a shelter," Sue said. She emphasized the word Shelter especially because when she and Jack were selected for this project, they had expected something else- an underground system, for example. However, she had never expected that IT would really happen.
"A large part of the system is embedded in the mountain: laboratories, the in-house school, medical station, the command center, emergency quarters..." God forbid that they would ever need them. "You will learn further technical details in the meeting tonight."
"Aren´t you one of the people who work in the command center?", Sue couldn´t resist this question.
"Yes," Connor replied truthfully.
"This facility needed years of planning and preparation," Rick said, "Did you know the fact that we´re attacked one day?" He was amazed and looked at some people who walked past him. In addition, he thought, someone must have seen the spaceships before: Some hobby- astronomer must have noticed then with a telescope and the news had spread on the internet.
"Yes, we have been working on this facility for a long time. That we will be attacked, we knew for half a year: a SETI employee has received signals from space and with the help of his colleagues he deciphered the signal. When we came behind where the signals come from and that it was a kind of countdown, the Kepler- telescope has sent some images. Then we had only to count one and one. Of course we were initially shocked and you may assume the government has a emergency plan for situations like this. They didn´t have a plan because no one believed in this scenario. So it was left to us to select the smartest people who can make the rebuilding of a civilization possible and they were sworn to silence. To avoid mass panic... "
"You mean, you have only selected the people who are worthy to be saved," Kate corrected him.
"We can´t save all the inhabitants of the earth," Connor said, "Believe me, there is no one who regrets that more than I do." The discussion was over for him. "This is Lindsay. She will show you everything." Connor left them alone with a blonde woman. Lindsay Donner was his girlfriend and she noticed his bad mood. Worried she looked after him, but then she smiled friendly to the newcomers. Sue and Jack already knew her because they had met for the first time one year ago. At that time, she and Connor and some of their friends had worked for the OSIR and they needed the help of FBI agents. Their choice were Sue Thomas and Jack Hudson and they had never regretted.
"I'm Lindsay, Hello. I would like to show you our facility, "she said.
"Yes, show us your Utopia," Kate murmured so softly that no one could hear. But she wasn´t sure if Sue had seen it: On the way here Sue told her although she was deaf she could read lips and therefore almost always knew what her interlocutor said.
"I have a question...", Kate started and caught up to Lindsay, "Are this really aliens who attack us? It could be another military power, which..."
"...attacks all countries of the world in the same time?", Lindsay finished her sentence. "The spaceships have been reported not only in America or Canada, but around the world. In addition, the spacecraft should answer your question. Have you seen them?"
"Yes," Kate nodded in agreement.
"How many people live in this facility?", Jack wanted to know.
To answer this question, Lindsay had to take a look at one of the information terminals with which the plant was equipped. The computers were almost everywhere. The number of residents changed constantly because currently many residents arrived.
"Currently, there are 105 women and 100 men and 50 children. 30% of them are over 12 years old. 51% of the residents of this plant are active in scientific professions, the rest is responsible for care and safety."
While Lindsay said this, Rick realized that he and Kate hadn´t received any "official invitation" to this system. Sue and Jack had brought them. Now he wondered if they could stay here. Lindsay seemed to have read his mind, because she smiled. "Don´t worry. Mr. Castle, you could contribute to our currently sparse entertainment and Miss Beckett, you would complement our security team. I have no doubt you will settle in here. We humans are designed to adapt to the behavior of our fellow human beings. If the rest of the group has become accustomed to, you will as well." Lindsay added they also could think about it, but Rick and Kate didn´t know a place where they were currently safer than in this establishment. Next, Lindsay showed them the medical station. They passed a conference room. Lindsay opened the door and introduced the men who were sitting at the table then they went on. They walked down a narrow stairway together and then reached the stables. Levi ran ahead as they entered the stables. The boxes were not only inhabited by horses, but mostly of cattle. One or two more boxes were filled with hay and straw. A cat was sitting in front of a horse box and Levi chased the cat away. In another stall three sheep and two goats lived.
"What is this? Is this Noah's Ark?", Kate asked as they walked down the long corridor, past cows and horses.
"No," Lindsay turned to her and smiled, "The ark would have to leave home at some point and this house can´t... These animals ensure our survival until we have adapted to the new situation. The cows secure our milk. The horses are useful if we need workhorses. There is even a greenhouse where vegetable is planted... Of course there are some rules we must follow." For example, they had to hold back with the consumption of some foods until a supply was guaranteed.
Lindsay had suggested they were intended hungry from the long trip and they ate a bite in the cafeteria, then Lindsay suggested, now to show them their room, which was reserved for them. It was about 20 square meters and included a bedroom and a small living area. A small bathroom adjoined the room.
The room of Rick and Kate was located at the other end of the corridor and looked almost identical. Kate noticed Rick´s worried face when they were alone. "What's going on?", she asked.
Rick stared at the screen of his cell phone. "I can´t reach my daughter," Rick admitted, "That's what worries me." It no longer mattered how much money he had in his previous life before the arrival of aliens. Here, they were all the same: they all had relatives out there, of which they didn´t know how they were doing.
Kate grabbed his hand and told him she was doing the same and he shouldn´t worry. Alexis would find a way how she could contact him. Kate hoped she wasn´t mistaken.

In the evening Kate and Rick were in their room and checked a few personal things they had taken to this facility: Photos of family members were among it and Ricks books he had stuffed into his bag in his home in the Hamptons almost in panic.
Lindsay was responsible for the organizing of shifts and Kate had already received her roster. Rick wanted to help her and he told Lindsay he couldn´t spend his day with the writing of books. She agreed and Rick and Kate could stay a team. Tomorrow they were responsible for the night shift for the first time. Rick had also received a new cell phone so he could try to reach his daughter.
There was a knock at the door and the visit it was Connor and Lindsay. "Good evening," Lindsay smiled as she entered, "Do you like the room?"
"Yes," Kate nodded, "Is almost like a five star hotel." When she saw Rick's look she quickly apologized. This place seemed equally fascinated and horrible: Because she knew this plant was a refuge for humanity, they wore different civilian clothes. Based on science fiction novels Kate had believed everybody in such facilities was wearing futuristic, simple clothes in cold colors.
"We came to apologize," Connor finally began when Rick offered them a place on the couch and when Rick didn´t understand the reason of apology, Connor added: "Because of our discussion today. You said to me that only the most important people have been selected to survive here."
"The decision is already made, right?", Kate sounded reproachful, "We can´t change anything about the fact that only about 250 people will survive the preemptive strike of the aliens."
Connor opened his mouth to answer, but Lindsay took his hands to calm him. For a split second, she smiled comfortingly, her long blonde ponytail danced across her shoulders. "Don´t forget we haven´t made all these decisions," she said, "And you will find refuge here as well."
Kate got up and Rick could see in her eyes she just wanted to ask if they should be thankful and what about the people who were originally intended for residents of this room. She fired her accusation like a weapon and was surprised when Lindsay didn´t respond angrily. "We have a sufficient number of replacement rooms," she reassured her, "Anyway, we wanted to let you know that we are worried about your well being." She looked at Connor and he nodded.
"You may think, we would be cold and distant," he began, "But we aren´t. We are sitting here in the same boat when the fight starts out there."
"Hold on!", Rick interrupted the conversation, "Does that mean, the terrible invasion isn´t over yet?"
"Mr. Castle..."
"Rick," he corrected, "Call me Rick...", he now turned to his girlfriend, "And this is Kate."
"Well," Connor gave in, "Rick, do you think these creatures traveled God knows how far for saying hello? They have already destroyed several cities. We can only speculate about the ultimate goal of their mission until now. Perhaps they have come to search for a new home after their own planet was swallowed by a black hole. The human race is standing in their way so they try to wipe us out and..."
"Which cities?", Rick asked. A strange feeling spread through his stomach.
"CNN in New York doesn´t broadcast anymore," Lindsay looked concerned now. She still held Connors hand. "They only broadcast a test image for two hours... We therefore assume...", she didn´t continue. For a moment there was depressing silence in the room. Rick took a moment to realize what that meant for Alexis and his mother. He got up and went to the window to stare into the darkness. There was no balcony to his and Kate's room. They had also learned today that none of the windows could be opened and consisted of shatterproof glass. Fresh air was only available through a ventilation system.
"Is there any sign of life from New York?", He asked, without looking at them.
"No. I'm sorry, "Lindsay noted it was better to leave them alone now and she and Connor got up from the couch. They went to the door, but before she left the room, Lindsay stopped in the doorway. "In addition, there are now 273 people who inhabit this plant. There have been a few new arrivals after you. And it is an international project which doesn´t only exist in North America but in every continent." Then she left.
It wasn´t Rick's way of crying like a little child, he said to her years before but at that moment he couldn´t help. He didn´t even calm down when Kate came to him and put her arms around him comfortingly.

After they left the room and had returned to their own, Lindsay sat behind her mobile information terminal. She called on the current status of all previously destroyed cities. Connor noticed her expression and sat down beside her. "What´s wrong?", he asked.
"New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Toronto, Mexico City, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Cairo, Mumbai, Sydney... It's worse than we thought."

To be continued...

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