One

Chapter 25

"Something's still bugging you." Kim couldn't help but notice that Alexis was doing, well, basically nothing. She took a guess at what it was. "Your dad and Kate. But they're alive, so relax a bit."

"Yeah, but they wouldn't be if I hadn't gone forward in time to look. He wants them both dead, Kim, and he has power." Not to mention access to killers.

"But you did." Kim rubbed her arm. "If it's about the money, Jill didn't steal from anyone. The money sort of didn't exist before and does now. It's untraceable."

Alexis shook her head. "No, not that. I don't understand what's so special that he has to kill for it." What could be worth killing for?

Kim sighed heavily, knowing this was a bad idea. But she went ahead anyway. "Let's find out." Alexis stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "We'll find him and ask him. I have a way of getting people to answer my questions. How do you think I found out about him in the first place?"

Alexis wasn't convinced. "Just ask him? Is it really that simple?"

"Pretty much," Kim confirmed. She knew that if he didn't answer the question she could shoot him full of drugs then ask him like she did the guy that had shot Kate. Simple.

"This may take a couple of jumps." They had to find him first. "But I want to talk about something with you first." Kim was ready to ask for help. She was quiet for a moment, considering what to say. "You were suggesting that the people who took me had a real working time machine. To move my clones around in time." Kim was terrible at this and she knew it.

"You want to find it?" Alexis guessed.

Kim shrugged. "What I really want to know is if you would be interested in helping me find it."

Alexis started smiling widely as Kim played with her hands and softly bounced from foot to foot. It was sweet. "I would love to. Where do we start? …Provided we ask why he is willing to kill people next."

"Deal!" Kim jumped at accepting her condition since she was planning on finding out why regardless. "I was thinking that they would need lots of power to make it work so we could start with that."

"Sure, any ideas on where to begin looking?" Alexis didn't have a clue.

"Just one, follow me." Kim took her over to her bank of video screens. "Jill's connected to these screens and so is Jack. Just start asking him questions and he can show you places that meet your request." She began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Alexis thought she was going to help her, not do it alone.

"Just a quick errand. I'll be back before you know I'm gone." Kim tried to hide her smile.

"OH, funny!" Alexis stuck her tongue out at her which had her laughing. Alexis was facing the screens when she saw a flash of light.

"Okay Jack, what are the primary methods of creating power in the 51st century?" Alexis was betting it wasn't hydro or nuclear.

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Kim arrived right where she wanted to be. She touched a series of panels and vanished. "Now, are you home or somewhere else at the moment?" She walked up to the front door and found it locked which lasted only a second, thanks to Jill.

Half an hour later she had found an empty house. "Maybe we need something to enforce our point." Kim had an idea and vanished in a flash of light only to return in another flash, carrying a bag with her. She went through the house yet again only this time she left items behind everywhere she went. "That should make a nice mess." She was happy with herself. In her mind she was helping Alexis who was now her very best friend.

"Since you're not here, let's try somewhere else." Time for the next place.

Scoping out the new place, she went down a street cloaked with her invisibility. The target building had a guard. She walked right past and used her contact lens to gaze into the building before moving on.

Kim found a quiet place. "Jill, let's find a spot for us to go to." Using Jill she replayed what she had seen but hadn't looked really hard at. A moment later she vanished in a flash of light and arrived in another flash of light. "Now let's take their security down. I don't want them seeing me even by accident." She pressed a series of panels and waited a moment for Jill to complete her work.

She didn't have a problem with all of the stairs. She easily made it up to her target floor and started searching for the right door. She found it unlocked and went through it to find a small room with a little desk that was empty. There was, however, another door that had a light shinning through the frosted glass. Someone was home!

Kim opened the door and slowly stepped through. "I told you you could go home, Barbara," a male voice called out, sounding a little annoyed. She decided to lower the invisibility and pressed a series of panels to change what it looked like she was dressed in. "My apologies, but I'm not Barbara."

Hearing that, he glanced up and the look of shock vanished almost as fast as it showed up. "Detective Beckett. How can I help one of New York's finest?" He put on one of his best fake smiles.

"You can tell me why you want me killed. You have a 2 million dollar hit out on me."

He kept himself calm and composed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Detective. Perhaps you should go."

"The hard way it is, then." Kim was happy with that. "This won't hurt…much." She moved over to his desk, leaned and reached across, and pressed a device into his shoulder.

"OW!" Bracken clapped his hand over the spot. "What have you done?" He'd never expected this of her. His take on her was that she would always follow the law and never confront him even if she ever did find out.

"Now we wait." Kim knew it would take thirty minutes.

"You can wait with Security." Bracken picked up his phone but he didn't see Kim press a series of panels. He was shocked when his phone fell to pieces in his hand.

"Being interrupted is something I can't allow I'm afraid." She was there for answers.

Bracken stood firm in his denial. "I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but this action will cost you your job."

"Well since I've technically taken an extended leave of absence, it isn't really going to cost me anything. Besides you don't have any control over my job." There were 30 centuries of difference, after all. But I need time for the drug to work so I need for you to remain here, undisturbed." Kim came around his desk and in a few short moves had him on the floor and all tied up.

"This is going to cost you greatly." Bracken was going to see to it. "You have a family to consider."

Kim just smiled. "My mother, father, and my sisters are far beyond your reach. And to be honest, you're no match for any of them."

Then she pressed a series of panels and walked over to his hidden wall safe. "Let's see what he has, shall we, Jill?" Kim wondered if he would actually have something that would help.

"You'll never get it open." Bracken smiled knowingly; more than just a code was needed. He was stunned when a moment later, Beckett had it open and was pulling out all of the contents.

"What do we have here?" Kim pulled out one of those ancient drives that held data. "Scan this for me, Jill. I need you to make a copy and then wipe it clean."

Bracken wanted to yell, but if he did he would give away just how valuable the data was on that disk. He was even more taken aback at what he heard next. He also didn't understand who she was talking to. His first thought was that she was wearing a wire.

"Both actions are complete," Jill informed her.

Kim tossed the now useless thing back into the safe. "Now scan all of the papers for me and make a copy to be studied later."

"Action complete."

"You have illegally obtained all that information. None of that can be used in court." Bracken was mightily angry but still thought he was safe. It would take time to recover what he had already lost, though.

Kim found a lighter in one of his drawers and started burning all of the papers. Bracken simply sneered at her. Then he watched as she sat down in his chair and just looked at him.

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Alexis had just seen Kim leave and she was back a moment later. "That didn't take long." Alexis smiled at her and Kim laughed at her joke. "Did you find what you wanted?" Alexis inquired.

"I did and we need to talk later. Now let's get started on finding your time machine."

Alexis grinned. "Oh, good one." They used miniature time machines to get around with.

"So, Jack and I were just starting to try and figure out what it would take to power it. Maybe we can narrow down our search."

"Well since Jack and Jill use Quantum Singularities…" Kim thought that might be the place to start.

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Kate stretched, yawned, then apologized for sleeping through the entire flight. She was actually thankful that it was a non-stop flight. "We don't have a car." It was their first challenge as far as she was concerned.

"We can rent one for now or we can go straight to our new place and figure out what to do next. Maybe we don't need one. We haven't seen what they got us yet," Rick remarked, reaching up to scratch his head.

Kate pulled his hand back down. "Leave it alone, Cas…Dominic." She had to get used to using his new name.

"It itches, and Dominic, really? What was my daughter thinking?" He hated his new name and he hated the disguise his daughter had come up with for him. Besides Kate was the one with a contract out on her and not him.

"You're a spy and don't want to be recognized." Kate wasn't really taken with his silver hair, either. She still thought they had used too much color for his hair. She did have to admit that if she didn't know who he was, she wouldn't recognize him.

"A spy!" He could get onboard with that.

"Come on, spy-boy. Let's find a taxi. But can we mix up one of those powders first? My chest is killing me." She was blaming it on the bra that she was wearing and vowed to take it off first chance she got.

"Of course, but you should have told me." Rick didn't want her keeping it to herself and suffering.

"I am telling you." Kate didn't see the problem. She was sharing.

"How's the pain?" he asked quietly during the taxi ride.

"Almost gone. Where did Alexis get those powders?" Kate had never heard of them before. Shots yes, powders no.

"Alexis has been really mysterious lately. I don't know how she knows what she knows. It's so unlike her." He barely recognized her anymore and he didn't just mean the new hair color.

"She's a remarkable young woman who is all grown up. You should be proud of her. You did good with her." Kate bumped his shoulder.

"Of course I'm proud of her. Just don't talk about her growing up." He didn't want her to stop needing him.

"Everyone grows up, Cas…Dominic." Kate wasn't sure she was ever going to get that right.

"I didn't." Rick had no intention of growing up.

"True." It reinforced why she loved him.

"But you love me," Rick reminded her.

She was starting to have second thoughts. Then he kissed her and they all melted away.

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"WOW!" Kate got out of the taxi and looked at the building. It looked like it was mostly beige brick and windows. It was also six stories tall. "Think we have the top floor?" She was hoping for a killer view.

"Let's find out," Rick said and gathered up their bags.

Turned out they were on the third floor. "OH, CASTLE!" Kate gave up on their new names for now. They got the keys, learned what the place offered, and walked inside.

There was a gas fireplace on one wall. A massive white sectional in the living room with a half dozen varying shades of blue throw pillows. There was a small balcony that had glass on two sides. The floor was an oyster-white tile with a large square space at the sectional that was a white shag area rug.

The dining room had a simple small glass top table and six winter-white cushioned chairs. Though the carved wooden base had her attention. Then there was the kitchen.

"This is a little disappointing." Rick wasn't a fan. It was small, the cabinets were outdated, the wood was stained oak, and the counters were laminate instead of granite or marble. The only upside to the kitchen was that the appliances were stainless steel and looked fairly new.

"It's fine, it has all we need." Granted, it wasn't to her taste, either. "Let's see what else this place has." Kate moved on to look around. "Hey, Castle, this looks like your kind of place," she called out from an adjoining room. She'd found a den that was filled with books and it had a small office off to one side behind a large, very contemporary, sliding barn-type door.

"A little small, but I like it." It was also a little more modern than he would like but it was nice.

"The perfect place for Nikki and Rook to get into trouble," Kate teased which earned her a scowl that had her smiling.

"See, you're warming up to the name Nikki Heat," Rick replied smugly.

"Keep dreaming, Castle, just keep dreaming." Kate left him to find out what else this place had to offer.

"CASTLE! The master bedroom has a fireplace and a patio with a view…of the water!" She tried to open the doors to go outside.

She was standing at the railing when Castle finally caught up to her. "A view, Castle!" Kate loved it.

Together they found the master bedroom bathroom that had a large walk-in shower with glass doors and a vanity with an oversized rectangular vessel sink. Rick liked the shower. "Room for two," he leered. Kate just rolled her eyes at him.

They found two more bathrooms and another bedroom that had a Murphy bed.

"It's not bad; it's not the loft but I like it." Kate was good with it.

"You like the loft!? You didn't tell me that." Rick was pretty sure she hadn't said anything.

"Of course I like the loft. I'm pretty sure I said something." Kate hated getting caught saying something she hadn't meant to say.

This time, though, it had Rick wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. "We'll get back there eventually. You'll see." He kissed her again and only stopped when the door bell sounded.

Rick wanted to reach for his weapon but since they had flown there, he'd been forced to leave it behind. "We just got here." He couldn't understand who it could be.

Kate suggested a couple of possibilities. "Manager maybe? More paperwork?"

Rick went over to the door and used the peep hole. Who he saw surprised him greatly. It also had him fumbling to get the door open. "ALEXIS!" How had she gotten here? They had only just arrived.

"Hi, Dad." Alexis wasn't looking forward to this visit.

"Alexis?" Kate was more than a little surprised. They had left her in Montreal, so how was she here?

"Hi." Alexis began playing with her hands. "I've got news." She just didn't know where to start.

"You can start with how you got here, young lady. We only just got here." Rick was beginning to be done with waiting for answers.

Alexis ignored her dad. "I've found out why he wants you dead, Kate."

"What!" Rick was stunned.

Alexis walked closer to her and waited. "Apparently your mother had something on him. A recording to be precise, where he talked about having her killed."

"Why? What could my mother have possibly known? She never even talked about him." Kate didn't get it. That her mother was involved was a given, but not this.

"The recording will ruin his career and put him in jail for the rest of his life. And your mother isn't the only person that he's had killed." Kim had gotten a lot out of him.

"Wait, wait, wait." Rick had a question. "How do you know all this?" They were on the run because of what Alexis was telling them and it was past time for answers.

"I'm not the one that actually found out." Alexis knew she couldn't tell them much. "Kim gathered the information."

"Kim?" Rick didn't understand how or why she was involved.

"Kim's talented and has abilities that you wouldn't believe." Alexis needed to calm their fears. "I trust her. I trust her with my life and with yours. She hasn't been wrong yet." She took a step toward her father, her hands outspread. "You need to trust me, Dad. I don't want you to die. You or Kate," she quickly added.

Rick growled. This wasn't the daughter that he remembered. Something had changed.

Kate came up and rubbed a hand up and down his arm. "So where is it? This recording." If they had it they could end all this.

"He doesn't know. He's pretty sure that you don't know either. But he isn't willing to take the chance. He plans on being President of the United States. And to do that, that recording has to disappear. To ensure that, you have to die." Kim had found out that much.

"He also has a great deal of money. Enough to buy his way into the Oval Office." Alexis couldn't believe just how much.

Rick got it. "Enough to buy hired killers."

"Dad, you know how much money you have? Well…compared to him, you're broke. Your friend Patterson is just as broke." Alexis knew about his card games with other authors.

Kate wanted to say something but closed her mouth and thought about it all. "We need to find that recording. He honestly has no idea where it is?" she asked then shook her head. "Never mind. Of course he doesn't or he wouldn't be trying to kill me." She leaned up against Rick. "So how do we find it? He's not going to stop until we stop him."

"You're not going to like it," Alexis warned. They were looking at her, both of them upset and very concerned. "We let Kim do her job. She's why you two are still alive." Alexis meant not being dead like she had learned.

Rick stood up straight which had Kate looking at him. "What do you mean?"

Alexis had to think fast. She knew she had to share something. "I learned where Kate was being held from Kim. I told Javi and Kevin and they found you, Kate. She's also where I'm getting the powders you've been using. She's a friend. A good one, I promise. You'd like her if you gave her a chance." Alexis needed for both of them to like her and trust her.

"Not my twin sister," Kate smirked.

That had Alexis chuckling. "No, definitely not." Which was the truth. They weren't twins.