At the moment, the most pressing concern for Castle wasn't dealing with Finch—the tech-savvy man aspiring to be a superhero—or his sidekick Reese's vigilante activities. Instead, Castle needed to finalize and release version 1.0 of the deflection cloaking system.
Although Castle had explained during the recent visit of representatives from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and the Air Force to his estate that industrial-scale production of the technology still faced some challenges, Lockheed Martin and his old employer, Northrop, were growing impatient.
After Castle's "accidental" visit to Andrews Air Force Base to inspect the F-22 fighter jet coincided with the White House attack, the shrewd executives at Lockheed Martin knew there was an unspeakable secret behind Castle's request to visit the base.
However, instead of pressing him about it, they subtly hinted multiple times:
"Look, buddy, we didn't ask why you wanted to visit Andrews Air Force Base, but now that you've done what you needed to do, seen what you needed to see, isn't it time for you to share the tech you've already equipped your drones with?"
Networking is about mutual assistance, and when someone as influential as a Lockheed Martin executive makes such a suggestion, how could Castle refuse?
After returning to New York, with the matter involving Le Chiffre now fully handled by Gianna and Neil, Castle found himself with ample time to focus on completing the final touches to the deflection cloaking technology.
The control code, managed by the chubby kid and Ramsey, was nearing completion. Once finalized, it would enable the world's first subsonic aircraft to achieve visual invisibility, making the technology ready for deployment.
However, immersed in his research, Castle temporarily overlooked—and perhaps Northrop and Lockheed did too, for reasons unknown—the massive waves this technology would stir once it was unveiled.
Castle's mind had been preoccupied with Benjamin's situation and the White House attack, causing him to forget the uproar sparked months earlier when a TV news helicopter broadcast footage of him using a cloaked drone to fire missiles at mercenaries invading his private beach. That video, captured during the Watanabe Consortium's attack on Castle's estate, had created a global sensation.
Since then, Castle had faced constant turmoil. After the estate attack, he was abducted by an inept kidnapper using a honey trap and taken to Montenegro. Upon returning home, he became embroiled in Benjamin's conspiracy involving Amir, Japanese intelligence, and the domestic rogue group Roxette.
All this chaos left Castle no time to consider the implications of his technology—derived from Marvel-style "black tech"—and how desperately other nations coveted it.
It wasn't just adversaries of the United States; even allies like the UK, France, Germany, and Australia had their eyes on Castle's work, each eager to seize a glimpse of the cutting-edge tech.
For reasons unclear, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman failed to remind Castle of these risks, perhaps trusting his security arrangements. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force was too preoccupied with uncovering Roxette operatives infiltrating their bases after the White House attack.
This confluence of factors left no one—not even Castle, who should have been the most vigilant—paying attention to the danger brewing around him.
While Jarvis provided Castle with a robust digital security system, he wasn't omnipotent. Limited by this world's hardware capabilities, Jarvis couldn't operate at the 100% efficiency he once had in the Marvel universe. Despite Castle's investments in advanced supercomputers and server arrays to enhance Jarvis's capabilities, there were still limits.
As a result, while Jarvis was aware of the global interest in Castle's cloaking technology, his computational resources had been stretched thin helping the FBI hunt down remaining Roxette members. This left him unable to detect the growing storm in New York.
The FBI, tasked with countering foreign agents on U.S. soil, was similarly preoccupied, inadvertently providing foreign spies in New York with a relatively lax environment to target Castle.
Castle remained oblivious to the fact that multiple foreign intelligence agencies were closing in on him.
Among these, none were more determined than the French. Why? Because, aside from China, with its 5,000-year history, France arguably had the world's most advanced aircraft manufacturing capabilities, rivaling even Russia. Dassault and Airbus stood as perhaps the only serious competitors to U.S. aerospace giants like Boeing.
Given China's strict policies, their J-20 stealth fighter was not for export, leaving France's Rafale as a key contender in the global fighter market. Similarly, in the realm of commercial aviation, Airbus was one of only two dominant players alongside Boeing. In this context, French aerospace manufacturers saw Castle's technology as a potential game-changer.
Previously, French companies had sought to collaborate with Castle. News of his partnership with Gianna's Italian aviation firm—granting it the only flight control system license outside Northrop—was no secret. This company's ability to secure EU military contracts had already drawn attention, especially after the U.S. military adopted Northrop's new-generation drones.
Initially, companies like Dassault and the Eurofighter consortium hoped to establish a cooperative relationship with Castle.
However, their plans were derailed by Pompeo, a reckless scion representing France on the Eurofighter board, who resorted to kidnapping Castle in Montenegro. Although Castle emerged unscathed, the incident disrupted these companies' strategies.
France wasn't the only country targeting Castle. India was also keenly interested.
After Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was rebuffed by Castle during an earlier outreach, the Indian side felt slighted. In their eyes, Castle's refusal was nothing short of insolence. How dare a mere writer reject the olive branch of Asia's leading power?
Even though HAL's aircraft had a long history of crashes, the company blamed such incidents on fate rather than their engineering. Without crashes, how else would the government justify funding for new projects like the domestically produced Tejas fighter?
When news of Castle's revolutionary cloaking technology broke, HAL saw a golden opportunity.
With Tejas still under development, acquiring Castle's tech could allow them to surpass China's J-20 stealth fighter. After all, while the J-20 boasted electromagnetic stealth, HAL envisioned their Tejas equipped with true visual cloaking, solidifying India's dominance in Asia.
Determined, India dispatched agents to New York with clear orders: Castle must be brought on board, willingly or otherwise.
"Castle, if you know what's good for you, you'll cooperate with us. Otherwise… don't blame us for what happens next."
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