Not only had Mozzie, a former con artist from New York, transformed into the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, but Bell, who once drove black-market taxis, had also been recruited as a CIA agent. And let's not forget Henry, who, instead of being tormented endlessly by Adam, had resolved his past traumas, found love, and was now happily together with Jo Martinez.
Even Major Steve McGarrett in Hawaii had avenged his father and reunited with his mother.
These were all achievements that Castle could proudly claim after more than two years in this world.
If he looked even closer, sitting right next to him on the beach was John Wick, a man who, in another timeline, met a far worse fate.
And yet, here he was—living a peaceful life, occasionally exasperated by the antics of his tiny daughter, but ultimately happy.
The satisfaction of helping change his friends' tragic fates was more fulfilling than any personal success.
Castle had no grand ambitions. He never sought to dominate the world with his foreknowledge or the abilities given to him by the system. Even now, he still saw himself as just a lucky guy.
But the fact that he had rewritten the destinies of so many people around him?
That alone made him want to stand tall, hands on his hips, and declare: "Damn, I really am amazing!"
Meanwhile, back in Washington, President Benjamin Arthur had received urgent meeting requests from both the British and Turkish ambassadors, seeking to discuss their respective intelligence operations in New York.
Arthur, having already coordinated with Mozzie, saw this as the perfect opportunity to pressure the British government. After all, they had been uncooperative in America's efforts to stir up trouble in the European Union.
So, when the British Prime Minister himself called to offer a diplomatic apology, Arthur graciously accepted—but only after making it clear that the UK needed to "reaffirm" its partnership with the US in European affairs.
As for Turkey?
Arthur saw no reason to let them off the hook.
Unlike the British, whose agent had already been eliminated (making denial a viable option), Turkey had a living, breathing agent in FBI custody who had confessed everything.
Had Mozzie not preemptively forced the White House to expose the situation, Britain would have likely played the victim card, claiming their agent had been in New York for legitimate reasons and was unjustly killed.
But with the White House's press conference making everything public, that option was off the table.
Interestingly, the British government conceded surprisingly quickly.
Perhaps they realized that the US wasn't simply blackmailing them, but genuinely responding to an intelligence failure.
Plus, with Lockheed Martin and the defense industry exerting pressure, refusing to cooperate could result in serious economic consequences—like getting kicked out of the F-35 project altogether.
But Turkey?
They were in deep trouble.
Already on rocky terms with the US after cutting off water and electricity to an American military base in their country, Turkey had now been caught red-handed in an intelligence scandal.
Between government pressure and Lockheed Martin expelling Turkish engineers from the F-35 project, Turkey was boxed in from all sides.
Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, this incident would ultimately serve as a catalyst for Turkey's exit from NATO and its eventual political split from Europe.
But Castle didn't care about any of that.
He was far more interested in his latest project—his "big toy."
Yet, just as he was fine-tuning his flight simulator, unexpected political changes were unfolding in Eastern Europe.
In a small country, a civil war had erupted, toppling President Dukhovich—a man who had once believed his rule was unshakable.
Forced to flee, Dukhovich barely made it onto a plane to seek asylum in another country.
But the moment he landed, Interpol agents arrested him at the airport under charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, bringing him straight to The Hague.
Castle nearly choked on his drink when he heard the news.
"Wait a minute... Is this the start of 'The Hitman's Bodyguard'?!"
Dukhovich's downfall had happened way too soon.
Castle immediately had J.A.R.V.I.S. track Michael Bryce and Darius Kincaid—the two protagonists of the upcoming mess.
As it turned out, Kincaid was living it up in South America with Sonia, while Bryce had just suffered a major professional setback.
Specifically, Bryce had just botched a protection job in spectacular fashion—his VIP had been sniped right through a plane window just before takeoff.
Now, the so-called "elite bodyguard" was a laughingstock in the industry, struggling to find work.
Castle heaved a sigh of relief.
It seemed like he had some time before getting dragged into another chaotic adventure.
And besides, with Beckett seven months pregnant, there was no way in hell he was about to leave his wife to go watch the drama unfold in Europe.
If he did?
Beckett might just dump his body in the ocean outside their estate.
Having confirmed he didn't need to intervene just yet, Castle returned his full focus to his flight simulator project.
While the world was busy dealing with the fallout of the intelligence scandal, Castle and his team were putting the final touches on what was likely the most advanced flight simulator on Earth.
By mid-September, Harry had finally finished the software—a revolutionary universal flight control program.
Meanwhile, Castle and his Russian "laborers" had fully assembled and calibrated the massive, cutting-edge flight simulator.
Everything was ready.
The moment the software passed J.A.R.V.I.S.'s final checks, Castle eagerly suited up in a high-tech flight suit—courtesy of Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman.
Helmet on, gloves secured, he climbed into the cockpit with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning.
This was it.
The culmination of months of effort.
He was finally going to experience what it was like to pilot a fighter jet.
And then…
Three minutes later, he crashed.
Stepping out of the simulator, helmet in hand, Castle's expression was a mix of embarrassment and frustration.
"Yeah… turns out the system didn't give me flight training."
Harry and the others burst into laughter.
Castle grumbled, shaking his head.
"This is nothing like playing video games... Those joysticks and pedals actually matter."
Flying an actual fighter jet—even in a simulator—was far harder than he had expected.
Unlike in video games, where a controller or simple joystick could handle flight mechanics, the real flight simulator had ultra-sensitive controls, just like a real fighter jet.
Even small movements on the joystick resulted in drastic changes in the aircraft's attitude.
And since Castle had never flown a propeller plane before, trying to jump straight into a jet was a disaster waiting to happen.
Even when he downgraded to a third-generation fighter, it was still a nightmare.
Sitting on the floor next to the simulator, Castle sighed dramatically.
"Alright. Lesson learned.
Turns out...
I am not a fighter pilot."
______
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