Reborn as Richard Castle in Criminal Minds

Castle's earlier suspicion became a reality with the chubby guy's call: the CIA indeed wanted to recruit Simon and the bomb-making genius Faris Tago. Castle had anticipated this outcome. It was obvious that anyone who could orchestrate such a meticulous plan to empty the Federal Reserve on Wall Street and create such formidable bombs using stolen chemicals would attract the CIA's attention.

But for Castle, there was no way he could let Simon and Faris Tago leave alive. If these two fell into the hands of the CIA, Simon, with the agency's intelligence support, would certainly find out about Castle's role in ruining his meticulously planned heist. This would make Castle the new target of Simon's vengeance, replacing John McClane.

John had only thrown Simon's estranged brother off the Nakatomi Plaza, and Simon used that to toy with the entire NYPD and nearly killed him. Castle had outright sabotaged Simon's intricate robbery plan. There was no doubt that Simon would hate Castle far more than John if he knew the truth.

Upon hearing the chubby guy's news, Castle instantly decided that Simon and Faris Tago had to die.

He quickly devised a plan that required cooperation between himself, John, and Zeus. In this plan, Zeus, being non-combative, would be the first to leave the scene. However, Zeus had a crucial task: under the cover of Castle's sniper rifle, he would steal a truck loaded with gold bricks. This would not only remove Zeus from the imminent firefight but also distract Simon's men, reducing the number of combatants for Castle and John to handle.

Castle immediately shared his plan with John over the phone: Zeus, under Castle's sniper cover, would sneak up to the parked trucks and drive one away. The pursuing enemies would be held off by Castle, while John would use the ensuing chaos to get close to Simon and kill him.

This plan was straightforward and brutal, but time was running out. The NYPD's ESU team was rapidly approaching by helicopter. Once they arrived, Castle and John would lose their window of opportunity.

John, being a man of action, readily agreed to Castle's plan. Zeus, however, was hesitant. Driving a truck filled with gold bricks away under the noses of over thirty heavily armed men seemed too daring.

Castle convinced Zeus with a single sentence, injecting him with the enthusiasm of a man on a mission. He told Zeus that he could keep a few gold bricks from the truck as compensation for his fear and stress. Castle and John would later explain to the police that they had no idea how a few gold bars went missing amidst the chaos.

John tacitly approved of this idea. After all, Zeus had saved his life and lost his hardware store to angry black residents because of it. John knew that despite Zeus's help, the NYPD might only give him a token medal. With Castle's cunning suggestion, although John, as an officer, couldn't openly endorse it, he saw no reason why Zeus shouldn't get some compensation.

With Castle's promise and John's implicit approval, Zeus charged toward the parked trucks, bolstered by the promise of a few gold bricks. Castle reminded him not to get greedy and hide the entire truck, as even Castle and John couldn't protect him if he did. The gold belonged to the Federal Reserve, and losing a few bars was one thing, but losing nearly ten tons was beyond their ability to cover up.

Zeus assured them he would only take two or three bars. After all, each bar weighed 12.5 kilograms, and his small frame could only carry so much.

With the plan set, the three took their positions. Castle, from his vantage point six hundred meters away, aimed his sniper rifle at Simon's men who were celebrating their victory. Simon, holding a bottle of champagne and standing on a truck, was oblivious to the approaching danger, still reveling in his success.

Through his sniper scope, Castle saw Zeus sneaking towards the trucks with surprising agility. He mused about the power of money, watching Zeus, who had no military training, stealthily approaching a group of ex-military men.

Once Zeus and John were in position, Castle didn't hesitate. He fired a shot at Faris Tago, blowing the bomb expert's head off. The CIA's desired recruit was now dead. Simon, standing next to Tago, was shocked by the sudden explosion of his colleague's head, realizing they were under attack.

Simon's men, trained and disciplined, immediately sought cover, knowing they were under sniper fire. In the ensuing chaos, Zeus started one of the trucks and drove it towards Castle's position, drawing further attention away from John.

Simon, in disbelief, watched as his men scrambled and one of his trucks was stolen. He couldn't comprehend how, after robbing the heavily guarded Federal Reserve, he was now being robbed himself.

As Simon tried to organize a pursuit, he spotted John McClane charging towards him. Simon was bewildered, thinking the NYPD had suddenly become so bold that they would attack without any warning or negotiation. He couldn't understand why there was no prior warning from his men about the police presence.

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