Judas: Chapter 4
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DISCLAIMER: Most of these characters are not mine at all, but they are memorable. Thank you, Mr. Marlowe. The others? Yeah, they're mine
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10:03 a.m. West Coast Time on Thursday, April 26, 2012, at The Z at the Castles Complex in Sausalito, California
"I'm Richard Castle," the visionary behind the campus greets her. He offers his hand, which she shakes amiably.
"And I'm Lindy Matthews," the blonde woman from the video greets her. She does not offer a hand.
The blonde's eyes – gray ocean blue – give nothing away. Elena Markov recognizes when she is being sized up. She is barely able to stifle a smile of admiration. She has often wondered if she would ever encounter her equal, or her better.
Today, she realizes that question has been answered.
For her part, when Richard Castle saw Elena Markov walk toward the woods, he quickly asked Lindy to accompany him. He knows there is something about the newest resident of these Castles. And if both Mike Monroe and Lindy Matthews say that this new resident is a killer, then he is going to believe them.
There is no way he is going into the woods after this woman without one of them. That Lindy was closest to him at the time is – in his mind – pure providence.
"I hope I am not off limits wandering out here," Elena begins, recovering quickly from the surprise visit. "I was just walking and –"
"Nothing is off-limits here, Miss Markov," Castle replies.
"Elena," the dark-haired European corrects him.
"Elena it is," Richard Castle smiles affably. "And again, nothing here is off-limits. You are free to wander wherever, and free to come and go as you please."
"This place," Elena continues, pointing at the large structure. "What is the story here?"
"Penny Zimmerman," Castle replies solemnly.
"She didn't make it, here," he tells her. "She called. She called for help. We got to her too late. It caused us to rethink how to get women here once they call for help."
There is a pause between the three in the woods. The wind rustles through the trees high above.
"You cannot save all of us, Mr. Castle," Elena tells him.
"Unacceptable," he replies.
"Unreasonable," she counters.
"These are not reasonable times," Lindy Matthews interjects, her eyes boring deeply into the eyes of the European assassin.
"You will find that we will do anything – legal or otherwise – to protect women like you, once you are here," Lindy tells her. Her dual message is not lost on Elena Markov.
Lindy, for her part, also realizes that the woman in front of her is sizing her up as well. Two assassins recognizing their twin in a mirror, so to speak.
"We built this monument in Penny's honor," Castle continues, sensing the unintentional conflict in the air.
"We built this to honor her, and to remind me that it is just as important to get a woman here as it is to protect her once she arrives."
"That is . . . an honorable intention," Elena admits, once again sensing the depth of passion and commitment from the architect of this place.
"You are safe here, Miss Markov . . . Elena," Castle corrects himself. "Take in as much of this as you want. We won't bother you."
With that, Castle and Lindy execute an about-face and walk away from the clearing, leaving Elena Markov to her now even-more conflicted thoughts.
She watches the man and woman walk back into the tree line and waits until they are out of sight before sitting back down on the bench and glancing down at her phone once again.
There is a text message waiting for her from Sergei Shestak.
Sergei: I know you don't want to hear this, but be careful, Elena.
The woman simply smiles and nods her head. No, she does not like the word 'careful'.
Disciplined? Yes.
Cautious? Absolutely.
Yet, the previous phone call with Sergei, combined with the video and redacted file he has shared, and the meeting of the past few moments have crystalized things considerably in her mind.
She offers a text response that she knows will catch his attention.
Elena: I will, my friend.
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10:22 a.m. West Coast Time on Thursday, April 26, 2012, at the Castles Complex in Sausalito, California
Richard Castle and Lindy Matthews walk silently along the path, waiting to speak until they reach the clearing at the complex buildings, as if by silent agreement. Once they hit the sidewalk that begins outside the forest area, Castle begins.
"Thoughts?" he asks.
"Our assessment is spot on," she tells him. "That is one dangerous woman. I was sizing her up, and she was sizing me up."
Castle barely contains a shiver, as he considers what this could potentially mean in the very near future.
"Who in the world could do that to her, then?" he asks.
"I think you're asking the wrong question, boss," Lindy tells him. "The question isn't who did this? The question is why did she allow it?"
"What?" he asks, his mind now racing with possibilities. "You think this was intentional on her part?"
"I am all but positive," she replies. "No ordinary joe is going to do that to her. She allowed it. Which means . . . "
"Which means she is a plant," Castle finishes her thought.
"And who do we know that might want to plant someone here, to do us harm?" she asks.
"To do you harm, Rick?"
To his credit, Castle just stares at the woman for a few seconds before stuffing his hands back in his jacket pocket and continuing to walk toward the administration building. He sees Kate Beckett and Mike Monroe walking toward them. Both remain silent until the foursome connect midway between the first resident building and the admin building.
"Well?" Kate asks.
"We've got trouble," Richard Castle tells her. "But I'm not sure what kind of trouble this means. Only it's not good."
"What he said," Lindy smiles.
"Let's take this back inside and debrief," Mike Monroe tells the trio.
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Same Time, 10:22 a.m. West Coast Time on Thursday, April 26, 2012, Back at The Z at the Castles Complex in Sausalito, California
Elena Markov is beginning to walk back toward the buildings in the complex, following the trail that brought her here. She has given Richard Castle and Lindy Matthews a two-minute head-start before she returns.
She reviews her mission in her head as she walks. Barry Adams was very clear. She is not to engage. Only to gather information. Adams is no fool. Richard Castle's security team decimated his own assault team filled with some of the most dangerous men Adams has ever known. That none of them – not one – made it out alive except Benny is nothing short of astounding. And knowing Sam Carlos, Benny probably wishes he'd died in that assault.
No, Barry Adams was very clear. There will be a time when he asks her to engage these people, but it will be on her terms, not theirs. It will be on her turf, not theirs. And it will be one-on-one, not when they are gathered together.
Right now, Adams just needs to know exactly what he is up against. And if Elena Markov, using her particular brand of guerilla warfare, can stir up a bit of internal conflict, then all the better.
What he could not count on, however, are the feelings of conflict within his chosen warrior, who right now is walking a mental tightrope. She is beginning to see, firsthand, the good being done at this facility. And she knows, without a doubt, that her employer, like his brother, is not a good man.
Her ringing phone interrupts her thoughts. Glancing down at the object, she is surprised at the identity of the caller.
"Curious," she tells herself, as she answers.
"Mrs. Bracken," she begins. "This is unexpected."
"I'm sure it is, my friend," Elizabeth Bracken replies, smiling on the other end. Mrs. Bracken has always been fond of the Ukrainian. In truth, the two women have – over the years – developed a distant friendship. Neither was ever in denial about the man one married and the other worked for. Both somehow used that connection to foster a friendship.
"You rarely call," Elena continues, "So I have to wonder if this is good news or bad news."
"Neither, really," Senator William Bracken's widow replies. "More of a heads up, from one friend to another."
"And this is regarding?" Elena asks.
"This is regarding my brother-in-law's insertion of you into a certain establishment out there on the west coast," Elizabeth tells her. "Barry told me of his plan with you."
"And you are here to talk me out of this also?" Elena asks.
"Hmmm," Elizabeth hums into the phone. "So, I can assume Sergei is no fan of this particular mission either?"
"He is not," Elena admits.
"It is your choice, my friend," Elizabeth Bracken admits. "But I know my brother-in-law, and his penchant for exaggerations, and his penchant for under-informing. Do not underestimate Richard Castle or his girlfriend. Do not underestimate the little cadre he has created out there."
"I am already here, Elizabeth, and I am seeing first-hand your reason for concern," Elena admits. "I come here with eyes wide open."
"And do not underestimate their relationship with the more criminal element in that city," Bracken continues.
"Yes, I am learning much about one Sam Carlos," Elena tells her friend. "There seem to be many players, many moving parts here."
"That is why I am asking you to keep your eyes open, even more than you normally do," Bracken continues. "I cannot imagine how or why Barry would risk one single person – the best we both know – to walk into the dragon's lair lonely and exposed."
"Ah, but I thought the dragon was your late husband, my friend," Elena counters. "As always, I am sorry for your loss, Elizabeth."
"As am I," Bracken counters. "And thank you. Just keep your eyes up and your head down. I do not want to lose you, my friend – and these people play for keeps."
"So, I understand," Elena agrees. "I heard what happened in New York these past few days."
"So, you know what they are capable of," Bracken concludes. "I won't say be careful. But be –"
Elena disconnects the call with a chuckle before Bracken can complete the sentence, knowing the woman on the other end will be laughing as well. But more and more, this mission is becoming no laughing matter. It will be important to play the wounded damsel role for a time, and then get out. She begins to understand the longer she remains in this place, the harder it will be to hide her true mission.
She takes a few more steps and is now out of the forest into the clearing. She sees the magnificent buildings ahead of her and makes a beeline for her building. Right now, she wants the warm waters of a shower to wash away the cold, and allow her to think more without any interruptions, her mind on the monument in the forest behind her, and the people who have built this campus.
Another woman – a stranger – waves in greeting as Elena approaches the buildings. She is struck by the outgoing nature of this one, compared to the very reserved actions of the previous mother she witnessed on the way out. She makes a decision here and now to get to know some of these women and hear their stories.
"What in the world could you have done to irk Barry Adams in such a dire manner?" she wonders aloud about Richard Castle as she makes the final steps to her new quarters.
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A/N: This sets up the story for where I want to take it. There are a number of moving parts here, and hopefully you will see how a few straggling thoughts from previous stories will rear their heads in a big way in this story.
As always, every time I write her, I wish fervently that the writers of the show did more with Elena Markov. Her arc was nothing short of stunning.
