In the central police garage the SUV's have arrived and are each being searched carefully by teams of CSU officers

The head of the team walks up to Esposito "Javi, these vehicles are off the books"

"What do you mean?"

"The VIN numbers indicate these vehicles have never been sold. They are not registered in any of the states"

"What is the mileage on the odometers "Ryan asks

"They each have over 10 thousand miles so they are not new unsold vans"

Esposito asks the next question "What about the weapons? Can you trace them?"

"They have no serial numbers" the office answers

"So the numbers have been ground off?"

"No. They have no serial numbers. The location where the number should be is blank. Like they were taken off the assembly line before they were registered"

"Just like the SUV's?"

"Exactly" the CSU officer responds

Esposito pulls his partner away from the other investigators "This is looking more and more like a Black Ops team?"

"What do you mean?" Ryan questions his partner

"These guys are contractors for some government agency that can't be tied to the operation"

"An agency involved in criminal activity?"

"Probably. And that makes them the most dangerous kind. They are answerable to no one

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The small in stature yet large in ability agents never reacts to the comment. Instead he indicates for the two Castles to join him at the table

"I cannot confirm nor deny any agency activity except to active operatives cleared for the level of the information. In this case Top Secret Ultra level"

Beckett looks at her husband "What did he just say?"

Castle does not look away "He just said he knows a lot of things and he has no intention of filling us in on us any part"

She responds "OH!"

The operative makes a comment that takes both of them totally off guard "I am authorized to discuss this case with active operatives already cleared to the Ultra level"

"What are you saying Agent Gray?" Castle asks while he can see Beckett has sat back up straight in her chair

"Mr. Castle you are still listed as an active asset on the books with you clearance current and after you married Kate Beckett, we have cleared your wife as well. You understand, for security reasons. Husbands and wives talk to each other…sometime pillow talk so we had to make sure security is maintained"

A tiny smile appears on Kate's lips as she looks over to Rick "You have been known to mutter women's names in your sleep"

"Jordan was not a woman"

"Whatever…" Kate comments then look at the visitor "Agent Gray what is going on here? What do you know and how long have you known it?"

Being cautious in his answers, Agent Gray begins his briefing of the two

Agent Gray is looking at some notes he brought with him

"Understand that almost all this data just was given to me in the last 24 hours. Mostly after the attack at the warehouse and the total destruction of the assault team by your friends" Agent Gray looks over to Rick

"So you know who is LockStat?" Beckett asks

"That is not a simple question"

"It is very simple" Beckett comments "It is a simple yes or no question. So do you know who LockStat is?"

"Yes and no"

"What do you mean yes and no?" Rick questions "either you know who it is or you don't know who it is"

"Before I answer that question I need to give you a little background first"

His delay is poignant with the knowledge going through his mind. It is obvious that Agent Gray is carefully considering the information he is planning on divulging to the pair

"Over the years the CIA has had numerous operations that, shall we say are best no publically known. Such as dealing with the ability of controlling the memories and thoughts of people"

"This goes back to the testing on human subjects with hallucinogens including LSD and other mind altering substance" Castle states

Beckett fills in "I read somewhere there were some patients that never returned to normal after the testing"

Agent Gray answers her comment "Yes. They discovered that by using those drugs they would basically drive the subjects into zombies. Therefore the name of the project became Project Z"

"Are you saying that the CIA is creating an army of Zombies to attack the city with scores of the undead?"

Both Castle and Beckett could swear they see a smile appear on the agent's face

"No. That project was scrapped after there were several subjects went into a permanent constant psychotic states…"

"I hear a, but in there somewhere" Castle comments

"You are very accurate Castle. That program was scrapped and replaced by another program still focused on mind manipulation. This time they focused on other methods such as hypnosis and other drugs. This time not of the mind altering type. More of the type I believe you have seen before".

"Such as Scopolamine?" Kate asks

"Exactly" Agent Gray answers "But that is not the only drug that was achieve their plan to create the perfect agent"

"Perfect how?"

"An agent that once given orders would carry it out without question. Would walk into a fire if that was the orders"

"That sounds like a dangerous place to be" Beckett comments"

"A very dangerous place" Agent Gray begins filling in more information "It was also a very expense project and with the Senate oversight of the funding the persons running the program had to find new and imaginative ways to come up with the money to carry out the operation"

"So LockStat started smuggling drugs and used the money to fund the project?" Castle inquires

"Along with funding Bracken's personal bankroll. He was paid handsomely to look the other way when any mention of Lockstat appeared in any of the appropriations programs"

Beckett considers the implications of this information "If LockStat's budget requests were not large, then no one would even notice the program and question what it was about"

"Exactly" Gray responds "but when you were in the AG's office and put out that search, it sent a lot of flags up and caused the current response"

Kate looks off from the group as she thinks then comments "I should not have done that search, but at the time we did not have enough on Bracken to take him down. We only got that later after I was back with the NYPD"

"Kate, it would not have mattered. This would have eventually all come to a head"

"Why is that? Castle asks "You have avoided the question but we have to know…Who IS Lockstat?"

The agent pauses once more "LockStat is not a single who. It is a unit. There are several people listed as part of LockStat"

Beckett has grown very impatient "Can you give us a name or a few names of members of this 'Group'?"

"That is one of the more difficult parts of this case. The members sometimes do not know the complete scope of the unit's activity they are involved in. Some are purely innocent and have no direct part of the illegal activities"

Castle has become very tired of the avoidance of an answer "Agent Gray, will you at least tell us the names or names of someone in this unit?"

"One of the names listed as a member of the team is Richard Edgar Castle"

OH MY!
Just a ahort filler