Reborn as Richard Castle in Criminal Minds

Although Beckett had long been aware of the conspiracy between her superior and Castle, it didn't mean she agreed with their actions. The cunning Castle hadn't revealed the exact location of the bomb to her beforehand. So, until Captain Montgomery had everyone at the 12th Precinct, including Beckett, rush to the school, Beckett genuinely had no idea that the bomb was planted so close to her precinct.

Fortunately, it was only 11 a.m., leaving a full four hours until the 3 p.m. deadline Simon mentioned. The police had ample time to defuse the powerful bomb. As of now, only Captain Montgomery knew the bomb was a fake. Since there was still plenty of time and the high-profile students' parents hadn't arrived yet, Montgomery planned to bide his time. Once the school entrance was filled with anxious parents, Montgomery would inform Beckett about the bomb's true nature, allowing Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan to defuse it heroically. This way, Montgomery and his team would gain the parents' gratitude and other significant benefits, just as planned with Castle.

Watching this unfold on the news, Castle laughed heartily, convinced he was suited to be a mastermind. After getting his fill of Captain Montgomery's interviews and close-ups of Beckett, the on-scene commander, Castle shifted his attention to Simon's situation, only to be surprised by the appearance of Officer John McClane and a stealthy Black man on screen.

John, unable to wait for backup, once again embraced his reckless nature and persuaded a younger sidekick to join him. After leaving Wall Street, John, ever resourceful, purchased ample ammunition and magazines at a Broadway gun store. With Zeus, the stealthy sidekick, he planned to sneak into the subway tunnel and surprise Simon's crew who were busy emptying the Federal Reserve's vault.

Seeing John and Zeus's sneaky approach through hidden cameras he had previously installed, Castle was exasperated. He hadn't expected John McClane to be so headstrong, venturing forward without police support, thus disrupting Castle's plans.

Reluctantly, Castle called Zeus: "Zeus, you and Officer McClane need to retreat immediately. There are at least thirty of Simon's men ahead. Do you really think you can take them on with just your pistols?"

Zeus, initially startled by the sudden call, calmed down upon recognizing Castle's voice but was furious. He was dragged into this mess by Castle's morning call, and now he was facing heavily armed robbers with McClane.

Zeus, gritting his teeth, snarled at Castle, keeping his voice low to avoid alerting Simon's men nearby. Even though he wanted to yell at Castle for getting him into this, he had to keep his voice down in the subway tunnel.

Castle, unfazed by Zeus's tirade, calmly waited for Zeus to catch his breath and then asked him to pass the phone to McClane, who was curiously watching Zeus rant.

"Hello, Officer McClane, I'm Castle, Richard Castle. I've been working with Detective Beckett at your 12th Precinct. This morning, I arranged for Zeus to assist you…"

Hearing Castle's introduction and explanation, McClane's suspicions eased. He knew from Zeus's complaints that Zeus had been sent to help him by a writer named Castle. McClane, now curious about Castle's call, asked why he wanted them to retreat.

Castle knew that without explaining the situation, the stubborn McClane wouldn't retreat. So, he straightforwardly laid out the facts: "Officer McClane, Detective Beckett reported this case to you and NYPD headquarters a week ago. You received two warnings from her, remember?"

Castle's words reminded McClane of the two warnings he had received but ignored due to his drinking. Today's events had been too fast and overwhelming for him to connect the dots.

Castle's explanation made McClane realize that Castle was indeed on his side. Relieved, he tightened his grip on the phone and asked Castle what he wanted them to do next.

Castle, seeing McClane's cooperation, was pleased and told him that while McClane would eventually catch Simon, now wasn't the time to fight. Instead, McClane and Zeus should follow the fourteen garbage trucks transporting the gold, ensuring Simon didn't escape with it.

McClane agreed, retreating further with Zeus. He then asked Castle: "What now? Should we just watch Simon's crew?"

Castle, calm as ever, responded: "No, I'm monitoring Simon through the bank's internal cameras. The outermost garbage truck isn't guarded. You can sneak onto it with Zeus. Or, you can use a car I've parked near Wall Street to follow the convoy. Your choice!"

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