Posted 27 Feb 2011

Previously:

Beckett yelled, "Freeze, let me see your hands!"

Before she could even finish her order, Coburn and the woman had guns drawn in return. Carmichael stood nervously in the middle of the four with his hands raised.

"Hey now! Hey now! Everyone just take a breath." Carmichael nervously prattled. "No need for anyone to shoot anybody."

The four armed people didn't flinch. Beckett and the blonde were aiming at each other as the two men did the same. The space was tight for the five, between the stairs, the widened hallway, and the entrance to the main room. Carmichael cautiously sidestepped between Beckett and the blonde.

"Chuck, what are you doing?"

"Sarah, I'm just trying to make sure Detective Beckett doesn't think about trying to shoot you. I wouldn't want her to end up dead. She is technically on our side."

Beckett interrupted, "Listen, I don't know who you really are, but you will drop your weapons. Right now!"

"Not happening, sister," Coburn responded.

"Casey, you don't need to antagonize her." Carmichael directed his comment to Coburn.

"Chuck."

"Come on. Our cover is blown. You know the only way we are getting out of this."

"I could always just shoot them both, and we could go out for a sandwich." Beckett and Esposito both clenched their guns at that comment.

"Casey, Casey, Casey. That didn't work with me several years ago. Why do you think it is going to work now?"

"They don't have Walker here backing them up." Coburn-that is Casey-responded.

Beckett tried to assert control again. "You have five seconds."

"Do we really need a countdown? I have an idea," Carmichael—that is Chuck-suggested. "How about we each lower our weapons, one at a time? Then we call our superiors to sort this out. Sarah, since you are the most deadly, and the most beautiful, you can go first."

With Chuck blocking her aim anyway, she shrugged and lowered her gun with a small smirk.

"Ok. You with the shotgun are next."

"I don't think so. We're in charge here."

"Please, Detectives. We can all be one big happy family."

"Not until they both drop their weapons."

Chuck sighed. "No trust from the NYPD, huh? Fine. Casey, you're next."

"Like that is going to happen."

"It's only a tranq gun anyway."

Casey tilted his head and rolled his eyes. After a moment's pause, he lowered his gun.

"Good, now both of you drop the weapons," Beckett asserted.

At that moment, a short, bearded man stepped out of one of the side rooms. "Hey guys, I couldn't find the security room, but lookie at what I found." He waved a small device in his right hand. "Whoa! What's going on here?"

Esposito turned his weapon to the new arrival. Beckett started to look that direction when she heard a beep from her belt. As she looked down, Chuck made his move. He took one step between the detectives, spun and kicked the shotgun loose from Esposito's grasp. At the same time he grabbed Beckett's gun. Before she could react, her weapon was in pieces, and the shaft of the gun was bouncing on the floor. Esposito struggled to regain control of his weapon, but before he had a chance, Casey drilled him with a tranq shot to the neck.

Beckett's momentary shock at her disassembled weapon abated, and she started to reach for her back-up gun at her ankle.

"I wouldn't, Detective," Chuck warned. "Her gun is real." Beckett looked up to see the other woman's gun pointed directly at her. She stood up slowly, refraining from raising her hands. She figured if they wanted her dead, she'd be dead already.

"Back-up will be here any minute," Beckett calmly stated.

"I cancelled it," Casey countered.

"I called again."

"Did you recognize the voice?"

Beckett hesitated, "No. It's night shift. That duty changes a lot."

"Well, tonight, it was covered by us."

That surprised Beckett. "Who are you guys?"

Before anyone could answer, Chuck spoke, "Morgan, please give me the device. We wouldn't want a repeat of the Buy More."

"Hey, I had two broken thumbs at the time. You blow up one electronics store, and you never live it down." Morgan handed over the device to Chuck. "That was really cool with the Jet Li Lethal Weapon 4 move, by the way."

"Thanks. I've been wondering if I knew that move for over a year now, but I've never had the right opportunity."

Complete confusion crossed Beckett's face. 'Wondered if I knew the move?' she thought. That made no sense. She had a more important question, first. "What is that device? It set off my radiation detector, just short of the yellow range."

"Don't worry. Yes, it contains a radiation source, but it is low-level unless I set it off, which I have no intention of doing." Chuck replied. Morgan's hands went immediately to cover his groin. "Don't worry, buddy, it's safe. Why don't you go upstairs and retrieve Mr. Castle and the medical examiner? They are probably freaking out from watching the cameras." Chuck pointed to the camera at the corner opposite the stairs. Morgan saluted and hurried up the stairs. Chuck continued, "The doctor can check on the unconscious detective here, and we can make sure the writer doesn't try something stupid."

Beckett snorted at that comment.

"Let me guess. He never stays in the car when you tell him," Chuck suggested.

"Never."

To this Sarah snorted. "Tell me about it. Like you can talk, Chuck."

"Hey, I remember telling you it is never safe in the car."

With Casey covering Beckett, Sarah retrieved a backpack that had been dropped when this confrontation started. She took the device carefully from Chuck and placed it in the pack.

A moment later, Castle and Lanie descended the stairs. "Are you ok, Beckett?"

"I'm fine, Castle. Esposito was the one who was shot."

Lanie hurried over and began checking the downed detective.

Chuck continued his 'master of ceremonies' role with the suggestion, "It's getting kind of crowded here. How about we take this into the next room?"

Beckett resisted the suggestion. "I don't know who you guys really are, but until I'm told otherwise, that is my crime scene, and you are not disturbing it."

Castle chimed in from his position on the last step, "I can't believe I didn't see it before. Mob, ninjas, bounty hunters…I forgot my standby. They're CIA!"

"Why do I always get grouped with you two?" Casey groaned, directing his complaint at Chuck and Sarah.

"You are on our team, and we do outnumber you," Chuck quipped back.

"I knew it! Law of averages demanded that I'd eventually be right."

It was Beckett's turn to groan. "Since you're right this time, that means I don't have to listen to any more of your crazy CIA conspiracy theories in the future."

"But my gloating will not be denied."

Morgan started down the stairs but stopped when he saw he had nowhere to go.

"Come on everyone. Into the room," Casey ordered. "I'm sure you'll be surprised to see it is no longer a crime scene."

Sarah walked right in. Beckett begrudgingly followed after picking up the pieces to her sidearm. Chuck and Castle lifted up Esposito, and everyone else filed in afterwards.

Beckett looked around in shock. The broken lamps had been replaced with unbroken ones. Fallen and broken chairs had been replaced with new ones. The bullet holes in the wall and ceiling were gone. All evidence of a struggle was missing.

"Everyone get comfortable. Be careful of that wall. The paint is probably still wet. I'm calling for an extraction. You," Casey waved his gun towards Beckett, "get to stay in case we need to coordinate with NYPD. One of your choppers may be the fastest way out of here."

"Can I at least call for an ambulance for Javier?" Lanie sassed.

"No. This location is not secure," Casey answered tersely.

Lanie's face slowly twisted in anger when Chuck jumped in as peacekeeper. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Casey's shot me before with no lingering effects. Your friend, eh, boyfriend, eh, whatever will be fine in a couple of hours. In fact, Tyler Martin swears by Casey's unique brand of tranq dart."

"Isn't he half brain dead?" Castle asked.

"Well, maybe, but he took several darts without any additional problems."

Lanie didn't look very comforted as she had settled into a seated position on the floor, gently patting Esposito's head on her lap.

Casey closed his phone with a 'yes, ma'am', prompting Castle to ask, "So now what?"

"Now we sit tight. The General wants a military chopper, so she's making some calls to clear the airspace. We don't want a repeat of the Statue of Liberty flyover fiasco." Directing his next comment to his fellow agents, "We also want to avoid another Chandler/Panzer exchange fiasco. This could be a while. Maybe we should just tranq 'em all." Beckett and Castle stiffened.

"Come on, Casey," Chuck whined. With a slighting cheered tone, "We can all get to know each other until they show up."

"Two armed CIA agents, a grunting gorilla, and whatever that guy is," Castle quipped as he motioned to Morgan who just entered the room. "That won't be awkward. Not awkward at all."