Gianna was as efficient and decisive as ever. Less than ten minutes after hanging up with Castle, she strode into his study with her usual commanding presence. Following closely behind her was John Wick, looking as perpetually exasperated as ever, carrying their little bundle of chaos, baby Ononna, who was squirming endlessly in his arms.
Castle, upon seeing John's trademark expression of resignation, momentarily forgot why Gianna had come over in the first place. Instead, he walked up to his friend with an amused grin.
"Alright, buddy," Castle said, taking Ononna from John's arms and planting a playful kiss on her chubby cheek. "Don't look so defeated. I promise, you'll get some 'action' soon enough.
Our little 'guests' have already arrived in New York. They've even moved into that estate near us on Long Island."
Gianna didn't interrupt as Castle and John bantered. She watched with a smile as Castle entertained their daughter, who immediately began exploring the study with wobbly steps. Once Castle had set Ononna down and returned his focus to his visitors, Gianna asked, "So, it's confirmed?"
Castle nodded. "Yes. They've arrived—nineteen of them in total.
In addition to Watanabe and his personal assistants, the group includes a mercenary team made up entirely of ethnic Cossacks from the Caucasus region. This team has supposedly been operating in Central Asia and the Middle East for years.
According to the intel Jarvis gathered, these guys are seasoned professionals. They're not amateurs like the three bumbling idiots Watanabe sent after me before. We can't afford to underestimate them."
Gianna remained quiet, but John had already pulled up the dossiers on the mercenary team on a nearby screen. As he reviewed the intelligence, his expression grew more serious, and he nodded in agreement with Castle's assessment.
"Yeah, these guys are the real deal," John said, eyes still scanning the screen. "They've clearly survived countless battles, which means they're experienced and disciplined. But…
There's a big difference between excelling in open-field combat and pulling off a targeted urban operation like this—especially in New York City.
The city itself works against them. Patrol cops are everywhere, drones are already in use by the NYPD, and you've got Jarvis keeping tabs on their every move. If these guys really think they can waltz onto Long Island with Watanabe's weapons and assault your estate, they're deluding themselves.
What you should be worried about, though, is what happens when you leave the estate.
You mentioned they've got two TOW anti-tank missiles, right? That's overkill for a static target like your house. But it's perfect for ambushing you on the road.
Think about it: you're driving somewhere, maybe to Manhattan, and they hit your car with a TOW missile.
Minimal collateral damage, maximum impact.
If it were me planning this, that's the first thing I'd do."
John leaned back, arms crossed, his voice calm but firm. "I'd suggest you keep monitoring them as closely as you are now. That way, the moment they make a move, you'll know exactly what they're planning."
While Castle, Gianna, and John were busy strategizing in the study, back at Northrop Grumman headquarters, chaos reigned.
The senior vice president who had visited Castle earlier had wasted no time in relaying everything he'd seen and heard. His report confirmed everyone's worst fears:
Castle had successfully developed a working prototype of the much-rumored visual cloaking technology. He was deeply dissatisfied with Northrop's leadership after their decision to side with the Japanese in the Christmas fiasco. As a result, Castle had explicitly stated that Northrop would no longer enjoy exclusive rights to his inventions.
For the board members who had been anxiously waiting for updates, the news hit like a sledgehammer.
"I told you this would happen!" shouted one of the more seasoned board members during the emergency video conference. This particular director represented one of the older, more established financial institutions invested in Northrop. He had opposed the decision to back the Japanese during the Christmas incident and now felt vindicated.
"This is what you get for prioritizing a one-off Japanese defense contract over the long-term partnership with our most important innovator.
What were you thinking? Castle isn't just some ordinary shareholder—he's the largest individual stakeholder in this company, and he's been the brains behind nearly all of our recent technological breakthroughs!
Didn't I warn you this would blow up in our faces? And now, thanks to your greed and shortsightedness, not only have we lost his goodwill, but he's gone straight to Lockheed Martin with this groundbreaking technology!
Do you even understand the implications of this? This visual cloaking tech is tailor-made for our B-2 bombers! With this tech, we could dominate the market for stealth aircraft for decades.
But no! You fools just had to alienate him for the sake of a one-time deal with the Japanese!"
The outraged director paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "You've jeopardized everything. We're lucky Castle hasn't completely cut ties with us. But make no mistake—if Lockheed beats us to the punch on implementing this technology, it'll be your fault!"
Another board member, one of the younger representatives from a post-war financial group, muttered defensively, "Can't we just compel him to hand over the technology? After all, he's still a shareholder in Northrop…"
The room went silent.
The older director's face darkened, and even the usually composed chairman couldn't suppress a look of disdain.
"You imbecile," the chairman snapped. "Do you have any idea who you're talking about?
Castle isn't just a shareholder—he's connected to everyone who matters. He has ties to Pratt & Whitney, GE, and even DuPont. He's practically untouchable in the industry.
Oh, and in case you forgot, the current President of the United States owes his entire election campaign to Castle. You think we can just 'compel' him to do anything? Do you want to start a political and legal firestorm that'll end with us all being publicly crucified?"
The young director shrank back, realizing too late how naive his suggestion had been.
The chairman shook his head, exasperated. "We've burned our bridge with Castle, and now we're paying the price. If we want any hope of salvaging this, we'll have to swallow our pride and accept his terms.
We'll share the technology with Lockheed, just like he proposed. It's humiliating, but it's the only way to ensure we're not completely cut out of the loop."
With that, the meeting ended on a bitter note.
As the call disconnected, the older director sat back in his chair, his frustration still simmering.
"Shortsighted fools," he muttered to himself. "They'll never understand that people like Castle are worth far more than any short-term profit."
Back in his study, Castle had no idea his ultimatum had thrown Northrop Grumman into such disarray. For now, his focus remained on the imminent threat posed by Watanabe and his mercenaries. But the fallout from his showdown with Northrop would undoubtedly ripple through the industry for years to come.
(End of Chapter)
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