California Dreaming

Chapter 7

Head Writer Terence Adler is in Kevin Fligh's place when the Storming Walls meeting convenes. "Got the famous Kate Beckett and your daughter taken care of, Castle?" he inquires.

"Their guide took them off on the V.I.P. golf cart," Rick replies. "I'm hoping we can get through whatever discussions we have in time for me to join them."

"We'll do our best," Terence promises. "First, as to the matter of Storm's actions on the yacht. Liz has a list of options to offer."

Rick grins. "Glad to hear it. I want the viewers to understand why Greta reacts the way she does and why Storm would respond one way or another."

Precisely what I'm getting at," Liz puts in. "Greta is an extremely bright and talented woman who has been held to the bottom of her criminal organization for years due to gender. She finally took off to build an empire of her own. For that, she needs the uranium that has been hidden in a bunker in the desert. She believes Storm either knows where it is or can find it for her."

That's pretty much the way I portrayed her in my novella," Rick notes. "So, how does that play with the viewers?"

"It all depends on how well they sympathize with Greta's motivations," Liz explains. "If Storm escapes before Greta gets what she wants out of him, they could be disappointed. But they'll need to realize why if her henchmen shoot Storm, Greta will have them thrown overboard. However, if they can deliver Storm to Greta intact, they'll reap the rewards of her favor.

"No easy task for the henchmen," Rick interjects.

"No, it will take inventiveness," Liz agrees. "They could try to drug him or even hypnotize him."

Rick shakes his head. "I don't see Storm as being hypnotized."

"All right, forget hypnosis," Liz allows. "But perhaps he'd give in if someone threatens people he cares about, like the group of orphans he supports."

"That would be very Storm," Rick agrees. "He's like a baguette. Long and crusty on the outside and soft and warm on the inside."

Writer Chad Gomez snickers.

"Do you have a problem getting a handle on Storm?" Rick demands. "Because it's impossible to write for a character you don't understand. I hear the studio makes a lot of money off Peppi Piglet. Maybe you'd be better off penning adventures of swine."

"Kevin Fligh assigned me to this movie," Gomez retorts.

Rick smirks. "Yes, I'm sure he did."

Adler clears his throat. "Let's talk about what happens when Storm locates the bunker. Will there actually be any uranium there?"

Rick wiggles his eyebrows. "So now we're really getting to the good part. If the uranium is in the bunker in the game, it ends with the players at a low level. But if they figure out that Storm's boss pulled a fake on him, then they can continue into whole new branches and levels of play. It would be more compelling for the movie to go in that direction. So let's assume that both Storm and Greta were faked out, and the uranium was sold off to terrorists. That opens the plot to two possible villains: Storm's boss and the head of a terrorist cell. We also have to establish the relationship between the two and how Storm overcomes it."

"Which could bring us to the final action scene," Jack Bella suggests.

"Final action, but not final scene," Rick mulls. "Storm adventures always end with an interaction my readers can hold close, either with his father, rescuing a sympathetic figure, or a romantic interlude."

"How about combining the last two?" Adler suggests. "Storm has a romantic moment with the woman who keeps the orphans safe."

Liz blocks her bemused smile with her hand. "I suppose some of us didn't have time to finish reading the Storm collection. The character who kept the kids safe was a nun."

Adler reddens as Rick comes to his rescue. "The good sister could be working with a secular volunteer. The start of a romance could lead into the next movie or at least a new novella."

"All right, We'll be working toward that tentative ending," Adler recovers. "Any ideas relating to casting that role?"

"How about that Canadian actress, the one who walked out of the ocean in the second Craig Daniels spy film?" Rick proposes. "Daniels is my mother's husband. He told me he thought that actress had potential."

"Kevin would want to see how cheap he can get her," Adler considers. "I'll tell him what we came up with and see where we go from there. That's all for now, people."

"Mr. Castle," Liz suggests as the room empties. "If you call Clea, the V.I.P. guide, directly, she can come by with your family and pick you up. I've got her cell number."

"Liz," Rick declares, "you are a treasure, and I'm going to make sure the studio knows it."

"I can't believe it took Grey this long to get a team together," Nolan grumbles.

"A day isn't long. I've been in on operations where no team went in for months. In my last one, it was almost a year. We got lucky, John," Harper points out, "especially with Grey letting us in on the takedown, even if we are just holding the perimeter. He could have put us back on patrol. OK, it looks like we're moving out. You drive. I'll need all my attention to evaluate what we're getting into."

"Won't the detectives have done that?" Nolan wonders.

"I have more hands-on experience with drug operations than the team leaders put together. I'm more likely to pick up on something that doesn't smell right than they are," Harper claims.

"How about my sniffer?" Nolan asks. "I noticed you avoided mentioning it to Grey when we made our report."

"Use it, Nolan. It may not make any difference, and the team has its own equipment. But if you get a sudden high reading, it could mean a lab's rigged to blow. We'd want to get our people the hell out of there."

Nolan holds up crossed fingers. "Let's hope it stays in the green."

"Good meeting?" Kate asks as Rick joins his family and Clea.

"It seems like Fligh took a flyer. Maybe I scared him off. We got some work done. One of the writers, Liz Halpern, is very astute. And she's got a good feeling for Storm. I might pull a Patterson and pick her up as a co-author some time. But let's get to the essential matters. Has Lily seen the tank yet?

Cleo turns to Rick. "We're on our way there now."

Lily's eyes widen as the water-filled enclosure looms ahead. "Pegins?" she asks.

"No, but fish," Rick tells her.

"Nemo?"

"Nemo's father found him." Rick reminds his daughter. "Sometimes it's great to find family."

Wordlessly, Kate reaches over to squeeze his hand.

"What the hell!" Jack exclaims. The police are surrounding a building his target has been paying visits. The analysts have yet to consider why the Russians would be interested in the start-up of a new drug operation, but Jack has a guess. With their real estate investments underperforming, they need a new income stream. Perhaps they've decided to knock out the competition before it gains a foothold in areas where they have holdings. Considering the building is loaded with enough chemicals to blow it to kingdom come and then some, the Russians may be playing a dangerous game. But it could also be a very profitable one. However, he hopes the L.A.P.D. fully understands their raid's potential hazards. Jack spots John in one of the marked police units. That's a complication he doesn't need. He just hopes that Richard's lookalike is less trouble-prone than Richard is.

The tactical squad takes their positions with the lieutenant in charge on a nearby roof. "Move in," he orders.

As Jack monitors the L.A.P.D.'s communications, he holds his breath.