All In The Genes
by Castlefan6
A/N: This is the sequel to "Only Just Begun ((from a READER'S PROMPT)." Please read that first. This picks up immediately after that story ends, and it will be a casket ending revealing some family secrets and events. It is a love story between Caskett and the next generations of castles and how they deal with their grandparents' history. The story is TOTALLY AU, and PLEASE DO NOT refer to actual episodes for events. For Kenny, Thanks for the prompt.
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I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only.
Chapter 5
NYPD Police, 12th Precinct
45 Minutes Later
A few minutes later, Roz returned to the conference room, followed by Kyle and Kevin Castle, none of whom looked very happy. Roz said, "I think we are ready to continue, Ryan, so please, let's get this started again."
"Yes, Madam Mayor, we have reviewed the plan and timeline submitted by Kyle and Kevin Castle and are all impressed with the level of detail it outlines. It actually spells out by days, hours, and weeks the approach of tasks to be performed by this task force, and what is truly impressive is that they have overlaid it over Senator Bracken the Third's schedule."
He powered up the projector, and the complete plan appeared on the screen, with alternate views of Brackens's schedule as well as that of the task force.
Kyle looked at Kevin, almost to say, "See, it was worth the effort. "Kevin smiled, then spoke up: "We want everyone to realize that what is depicted in the slide presentation was the tentative schedule of the Senator as of three days ago, and dates, locations, and times COULD change. Our plan is laid out in work days so we can easily manipulate our tasks once they are finalized to merge with the Senators."
"This is quite impressive, Agents Castle," Director Curry said, taken aback at the level of detail and forward planning that had been mapped out.
Once again, in unison, they said, "Thank You, Sir. It was what we would expect if we were directing this operation," and then smiled at each other. They knew they were in sync, but to the outside audience, it was more than that. It was almost like a shared brain, as Lanie Parrish had described their Grandparents' abilities several years earlier.
"Let's dig into the timeline if we may. Kevin or Kyle, would you guide us through the thought process? Then, the other one can describe the detailed responsibilities for each of the segments of this task force," Mayor Karpowski said.
"I'll explain the timeline if I may," Kevin Castle said. He explained that they had created a computer model to simulate activities, recording the amount of effort required for each sub-task and, finally, the complete set of tasks they called Groups.
"As you can see, the Group position reconnaissance units are comprised of many tasks and subtasks and are one of the larger groups. The sum of the efforts is to have our forces not only in the correct location BUT also to have the right mix of units: legal, SWAT, tactical, and Computer Support, to name a few.
He looked toward Kyle, who then added, "We all know that the Senator is not going down without trying every dirty trick in the book, including invoking his rights as a citizen, his immunity statute, and others, which is why it is critical to have the correct mix as well as the number of resources able to strike, regardless of the takedown point."
Each team had at least one person with expertise in each of the fields outlined in the plan. Kevin and Kyle were to appear as if to take on the task of working cold cases, those that had lingered for more than a decade, as part of a new initiative by the Mayor's office to fulfill a campaign promise. Roz may have made it as part of her campaign, but deep inside, she ached with each case that had gone cold without justice for the family.
They would indeed be working cold cases, but most of them had ties back to the Senator, who had inherited his Grandfather's mistrust for even his closest associates. Many of the unsolved murders were attributed to a common factor: they all worked for or were associated with the younger Bracken. When they had served their purpose, they were eliminated.
The IT Support person, Torry Ellis, was an intelligent and beautiful young lady, definitely Kevin's type. However, romance would need to wait until after the case. She had made no secret of her approval of the new Eye Candy visiting the precinct.
"Kevin, you're lucky you saw Torry first. She's more into my type, the more intelligent and interesting brother," he kidded Kevin during a break. When they first saw Torry in the hall, there was no doubt that there was an instant connection between Kevin and her, just by their eyes meeting.
Kevin Ryan saw and just thought to himself, "Here we go again. I just hope Torry isn't as stubborn as Kate Beckett was back in the day." The entire precinct knew of the connection between Castle and Beckett, but she did everything in her power to destroy it. Who said lighting didn't strike twice in the same precinct, he thought, but wisely kept the thought to himself.
The meeting progressed very smoothly once they had examined the details of the Castle Plan, as Director Curry had named it. They were now tabulating the resources and expertise they would need for the mission; it would be up to Commissioner Hastings, with Mayor Karpowski's approval, to allocate them AFTER the FBI had vetted them.
Director Curry excused himself for a few moments and then addressed the team. "Kyle, Kevin, this is turning out to be a much larger initiative than I first envisioned. I am concerned that we are stretching you two far too thin, so I have talked to the Assistant Director, Jordan Shaw, to assist you in administering your plan.
"She will be setting up an office in the large conference room Commissioner, and her cover is that she will review all cases to ensure that the proper jurisdiction is taking the lead; we can't violate anyone's rights, even criminals." He looked in the direction of the Castle twins, and Kyle responded.
"Thank you, Sir; we know Jordan, excuse me, Assistant Director Shaw, very well, and welcome her expertise on the case. She worked on his Grandfather's original case, so I'm sure she has inside knowledge that reports could never capture," Kyle said, and Kevin nodded in agreement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we are off to a great start, and unless there are issues you need to address with me, I will excuse myself and attend to other matters. Remember, when Assistant Director Shaw is on-site, SHE is in command." Director Curry said, leaving no doubt that his confidence was in his people and that the NYPD had better stay out of the way and assist when called upon.
"Sir, Yes Sir," Again came out of the Castle twins in unison, as Ryan just shook his head. He thought one Castle could be a pain; he hoped the younger versions didn't share ALL of the same traits as either of their Grandparents. Both could be a real pain in the ass.
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Same Time Frame,
Castle Residence,
SAFE ROOM
Albany, New York
The twins were spot-on when they said Rick would find out everything he needed to know about the mission, but it only took one call. His father, now deceased, had trained his replacement before he finally retired, and Rick's service, along with his Dad's, earned him entry to usually forbidden areas.
Agent Mark Fallon was described as a real prick by most people who had known him before he was assigned to understudy Jackson Hunt, Rick's Dad, in the deep, dark work of the Secret Agents. He remembered working a Dirty Bomb case with Kate and Rick; it had only been a couple of years since he lost his wife to the tragedy of the Twin Towers on September 11th.
Rick had saved his ass on the assignment, as well as countless lives that day, so when he called needing a favor, it was impossible to refuse him. The phone rang, not just any phone, but one he knew he had to answer the same day as the twins were prepping the NYPD.
"Hey Rick, it's been a while, but using this phone tells me this is not a social call. First, are you in a secure location, and has proper security protocol been followed?" He asked
"Roger that, Mark, and for the record, Kate is with me as well. We are in our SCIF in Albany, the one people think is our safe room. Hardening the software of the SOF (a software application that allows users to make and receive phone calls over the internet using a computer, tablet, or smartphone) phones in use has exceeded the proper protocol of NIST(National Institute of Standards and Technology) standards." Rick replied,
"I should have known, but you know I have to ask Rick, sorry," Mark Fallon said
"Nothing to be sorry about, Mark; you do your job every time, regardless of who the person is; that's how we keep this place somewhat safe," Rick replied,
"How can I help you, Rick?" the reply came,
"Mark, I know our twin grandsons are on a mission to take down the grandson of the same SOB Senator who almost killed Kate and was responsible for her mom's and several other's murders. You don't have to play dumb; the boys told us all they could, BUT they don't know the connection between the Grandfather Senator and the Grandson who is following in his footsteps." Rick paused and allowed Fallon to process the information; sometimes, there was as much as a ten-second delay in conversations as they were screened for National Security Risks.
"OK, I don't have to breach that protocol, so how can I help you? I take it you and Kate are going undercover to assist your Grandsons, totally off of the books, correct?"
"Well, something like that, BUT this is strictly between us. It's not that you would have reason to contact Kyle or Kevin, but we need to keep this in this circle. What we need is some Agents who are politically savvy about Bracken and his campaign and appear to be easily bought for large donations.
"We need them to rub elbows at fundraisers. I'll supply the cash for initial donations, but once we take him down, the funds need to be refunded. Their jobs, one man and woman posing as a power couple, need to make a connection with the Senator himself, not some lackey. If that doesn't happen, then we don't have a case against him for at least bribery or conspiracy." Rick said and then paused
"I think I have more than just the couple you need, and as a plus, they all HATE Bracken almost as much as the same people in the world do. Something tells me that's not the entire request, so let's hear it, all of it." Fallon replied.
"Well, this one is going to be tougher," Kate said as she looked toward Rick, "We're supposed to be going on a seventeen-day cruise in three weeks, but there's no way I'm leaving my boys. I know now that it was their ruse to get us out of town while they did the dirty work, but Mamaw saw through their trick.
"How well do you know the actors over at Barret Talent Agency, Mark?" Rick picked up the conversation,
"I would say pretty well; we use them all the time. Let me guess: you and Kate are staying home and need body doubles on the cruise in case anyone, friend or foe, is watching, right? Fallon replied,
"Well, we're not staying home, but we sure as hell aren't going to be in the middle of the God Damn Ocean when my boys are taking on that son of a bitch," Kate didn't swear often but put her boys in danger, and out would come the horns.
"Let me send you some photos; give me about an hour, and then I can arrange an in-person interview, which I know you are going to need," Fallon responded.
"Great, use my agency email. It's still active and meets protocol, especially if you are going to send attachments," Rick replied,
"Talk to you soon, same protocols, Out," and Fallon disconnected the call.
There was a moment of silence between Rick and Kate as they both thought about the assignment that their Grandsons were taking on. Old memories of Bracken, his sneering face, and all the faces of the people he had killed flashed in front of each of them, almost real enough to make them want to shoot him in the head.
Rick's eyes met hers, and he gave a small, reassuring smile. "We've faced worse, Kate. We can do this, and the boys are on top of their game. It's not like the old days when we had to fight the cops, feds, and Bracken all those years." She gave him a small smile, but she was still worried about her boys.
As they waited for the photos to arrive from Fallon, they researched Bracken using the DARK WEB, only staying on for short periods and scrambling the IP address of their home computer system. Rick had the boys add it to their setup when they graduated with degrees in Computer Science. Kyle had written the code, and Kevin refined the app for the program to use on smartphones to scramble IP Addresses, making detection virtually impossible.
They had compiled a list of possible connections to Bracken that they could leverage once everything else was in place. Some of the names they discovered were surprising, such as names of judges, city officials, and even some state senators, who appeared to be silent partners for the young Bracken.
Their first task was to identify those they wanted to meet for face-to-face interviews. None would get the whole story and responsibilities until the final selection had been made. They were agents, had the proper clearance, and, for all appearances, appeared to be loyal to their country and oath.
Even that knowledge did nothing to relieve the tension the older Castles were feeling. They had always been the protectors of the family, especially the twins. Now, they had to trust others, some of whom they had no idea of who they were, with the safety of their boys.
The photos arrived less than twenty minutes later, and Kate and Rick began the tedious process of identifying who they thought would be able to pull off the ruse with Bracken and his cronies. The young man hadn't gotten this far being stupid. Like his Grandfather before him, he had developed a reputation for being ruthless and showed little, if any, mercy to those who he perceived had crossed him.
After what seemed like days—in reality, it was a little more than one hour—they had decided on a male and female, with two backups for each. Looking the part was only the beginning. They had to be totally convincing. Body language and how they carried themselves were also key to their success, which meant the safety of their boys.
"So, Babe, are you good with the final selection? I know it's tiring, but if you would like, we could take a break and come back," Rick said, still trying to take the weight of the world off his wife's shoulders.
"I'm good. The quicker we get these back to Fallon, the faster we can finalize this part of the plan." She said as Rick made his way to the safe room to send the response to the email containing their selections and open interview times for each of the candidates.
The interviews were confirmed within one hour, and finally, the first task was completed. Now, they had to select the body doubles for the cruise and finalize the plan Rick and Mark were formulating to ensure Bracken and ALL of his cronies were taken down in one sweep.
Selecting the body doubles proved relatively easy compared to selecting their fake benefactors; the modeling agency did a fantastic job matching each of their physical attributes. The real test would be when the Twins dropped them off, and they existed off the side not seen by the docks. The doubles would have to wave and act the way Rick and Kate would have.
They met the body doubles the next day and rehearsed the goodbye from the boat. The twins knew their Grandparents weren't public in displaying emotions, so the doubles had to simply wave. Kate Model would blow one kiss. Rick Model would shoot a thumbs-up and then turn away from the boys. No one in the Castle family ever let another see them cry; it had been that way the boys' entire lives.
The interviews for the actors playing benefactors proved a bit more challenging. Kate had dismissed choice number one but was satisfied with actor number two, while Rick was on his last candidate, and he finally was satisfied with the actor's skills. They had to be sincere about current political trends, not just sound bites from CNN or MSNBC, but actually the policy of the candidates.
Candidate number three finally knew the candidates' policies, especially that of Senator Bracken. Rick knew it would be easy for him to gain the candidate's confidence, especially with big contributions, but only with a promise of some favor, legal or not.
Mark and Rick worked on the plan for the grandparents after gaining a copy of the twins' plan and assignments from the task force. The last thing they wanted was for the good team to step over each other and jeopardize the operation. After a few iterations, it was finally set. Fallon had commented to Rick,
"This would have been a hell of a lot easier if your Grandsons were typical FBI Managing Agents looking for the easiest way out. They had the plan nailed down almost airtight." He smiled,
"One thing I could always count on, Mark, was that when those two took on a task, it would be done as best as they could, never slacking up or, as you say, taking the easy way out," Rick said, pride showing in his voice for both of his Grandsons.
"Well, Babe, this is going to be tough. I know we always taught the boys not to lie; I hope they can forgive us for this." Kate said as she laid her head on his shoulder,
"Sweetheart, I'm sure they will. They are professionals and know that sometimes not knowing things is better than learning and worrying about us. If Kevin holds out, Kyle will talk him out of his anger," Rick said as he kissed his wife; no matter how long they had been or would be married, they had never lost the passion for their love for each other,
"I hope you're right, Rick, but I know by now that worry won't change things. Besides, you owe me something." As she slipped her small hand into his and led him toward their bedroom, it never got old with the two of them.
TBC