A/N: I don't own AR or Castle... If I did, Scorpia Rising would have ended differently and Castle would be on it's new season already... Power was out, that's why I haven't updated in forever... Sorry!
*The Next Morning*
(Castle)
I was ready a little earlier than usual because I simply couldn't sleep well. After all, a bomb going off in the middle of New York City, close to NYPD, was not a regular occurence. Alexis and mother were still asleep, surprisingly, so I went ahead and left after leaving a short note on the countertop. My mind was jumbled and racing with thoughts that would leave many people with a migraine. However, the only thing I couldn't figure out was where the location of the bomb was and who planted it. Terrorist? It seemed like a reasonable answer, but they would go for a larger target. Gang members? Nah, too risky for the entire gangs. Were any of them smart enough to plant a bomb anyway? Maybe... How about... Wow, I'm running out of ideas... Not good, I thought to myself. In a short time, I reached the NYPD station and went to the elevator that would take me to my final destination. I went straight to Beckett's desk and realized her two guests were with her along with Ryan and Esposito.
"You're up early for once, Ryan." I stated jokingly.
He yawned, "Doesn't mean I'm not exhausted. Couldn't sleep a bit, because I was thinking about the bomb ordeal."
"Same here." Esposito agreed, "We don't have a lot of bombings in New York City, especially not close to here."
Beckett interrupted our conversations, "Okay, so we know the bomb wasn't in the building, so why was-"
"It close to a small target?" I asked.
She nodded, "Why did they choose a small building when they could have caused more damage with a larger target?"
Everybody was silent.
Then, "It was a diversion." I said, then noticed all of us said the same thing.
"Or a warning." The teen, Alex, added.
Beckett nodded, considering the statements. "Then what was the warning or diversion for?"
Silence.
Silence.
More silence...
Alex was the first one to speak, "The helicopter."
I looked up, confused. "What helicop-" Then I remembered the helicopter leaving the area when the building was on fire. "It left as soon as the bomb went off."
"Which means, it could have had something to do with the explosion." Beckett stated.
"How can we be sure it wasn't randomly flying by? It could be a coincidence."
Alex added, "Or a conspiracy."
"There's another problem." I said, "I don't believe any of us saw the helicopter enough to identify it." My words sunk in to the others minds. I was right and they knew it. There was no way we would have a good image or definite proof that the helicopter was involved.
"Actually, there may be a way... There are cameras on the building over there." Alex was over at the window and he pointed toward a tall building. "Maybe one of them caught the helicopter flying away."
We all walked over to the window and saw the building Alex was talking about. It was tall building and there is a possibilty it may have caught the helicopter flying away. "Esposito, Ryan, go over to that building and see if you can get the video." Beckett ordered and the two men left hurriedly. "It's a long shot, but it may work."
Jack and Beckett sat down in empty chairs, but I stayed where I was. "Coffee break." I stated, "Jack, Alex, you want one?"
Jack's eyes lit up at the mention of coffee. Alex shook his head, "What is with Americans and coffee?"
"You don't like coffee?" I asked, shocked.
"It's bitter, no matter how much sugar or milk you put into it." Alex replied.
I grinned, "What is with British people not liking coffee?"
"I guess it's a teenage thing. If you drink coffee, it makes you feel older." The teen replied.
"I'm not that old!" I stated.
Alex shrugged, "You're older than me." Then he grinned and went to the coffee machine.
Then, I remembered something. "How did you figure out the bomb wasn't in the building? It takes somebody who knew a little about bombs to come to that conclusion."
He hesitated and, in that moment, I knew he was thinking of a lie. "My uncle taught me a lot about the military, including bombs. He told me a lot of things about how you can find the exact position of the bomb after it explodes and a lot of other details. There was no hole in the building, so I figured the bomb went off somewhere else."
"That's a lot of figuring for a teenager." I stated simply, wondering what the real truth was.
"A lot of people call me a strategist." Alex replied bluntly as he fixed Jack a cup of coffee.
I still didn't believe him, but I pretended to and let the subject drop.
*One Hour Later*
"There was only one camera that caught the helicopter leaving. The quality isn't too good, but you can tell who was in the helicopter." Ryan stated as he downloaded the video clip into his computer. When it finally downloaded, a large video appeared on the screen.
Right away, Beckett said, "Black Sand."
"Black Sand?" Jack asked.
Esposito nodded, "They're a criminal organiztion, one of the most dangerous in the U.S. but also the most hidden one. They hardly ever strike, which makes them impossible to find."
"But they've always attacked larger targets before, so I bet their planning to attack something else." Ryan commented.
Beckett nodded, "We have to find them before they strike again."
"Like finding an invisible needle in a haystack." I stated. "Wait, we forgot about the Henderson Street homicide."
Beckett nodded, "Captain Montgomery sent the case to other detectives so we could be free for this one."
"So, what do we do about the Black Sand? If they're impossible to trace, then do we wait for them to strike? What if they strike and just disappear in thin air?" I asked.
Ryan replied, "You forgot one thing Castle... They already attacked with that bomb."
I nodded, trying to think of a solution to the problem, but I came up blank. "So... we just wait?"
Beckett nodded, "For now."
"But that's so boring! For a criminal organization, they're not very exciting!" I voiced my impatience.
(Unknown)
"Set up for the next target. We strike tomorrow at 1500 hours 32 minutes." I said. The man in front of me nodded, then left the room. Sunlight streamed through the windows and a cup of coffee rested in my hand. Tomorrow would be interesting...
