Reborn as Richard Castle in Criminal Minds

Both Castle and Simon, despite their meticulous planning, had overlooked a crucial detail. After 9/11, any case involving explosives automatically fell under the jurisdiction of the FBI, with the Department of Homeland Security joining in to investigate potential terrorist activities. When Simon received this bad news from his subordinates, he was just as stunned as Castle, who got the same news simultaneously.

"Damn... how did I forget this?" Simon raged in his command center. Indeed, he had forgotten that only in the USA would such a bizarre protocol exist, categorizing bombings as federal cases. Only in the USA would there be such hypersensitivity, given the unforgettable lesson from the bearded man's followers hijacking planes in Manhattan.

But now, with the plan already in motion, Simon had no choice but to continue. Stopping the plan was out of the question, even if he wanted to. Simon resolved to go all out, instructing his men to proceed with the plan while he picked up the phone to call the NYPD headquarters, which was still in the dark.

Castle, en route to Little Fatty's home, also received this news via the surveillance feed from Little Fatty. Castle was equally dumbfounded at first, realizing that this was the standard procedure in the USA for handling bomb attacks. Although he was familiar with police protocols, he was an outsider when it came to the FBI and Homeland Security's processes for dealing with suspected terrorist attacks. However, after a brief moment of confusion, Castle grew excited. He realized that the involvement of these two departments didn't necessarily change much for Simon's meticulously planned team. On the contrary, it might give Beckett a chance to shine in front of the heads of these departments. After all, even with the FBI and Homeland Security involved, their attention would still be drawn to the supposed 2,000-pound bomb at Chester A. Arthur International School that Simon had mentioned.

With the unexpected involvement of the FBI and Homeland Security potentially turning into an advantage, Castle continued his journey, undeterred, to Little Fatty's house. Today, Little Fatty's place would become Castle's front-line command center. Castle planned to intervene personally only when necessary to stop Simon's escape with the gold, otherwise, he would stay at Little Fatty's and guide Beckett to locate the fake bomb before the 3 PM deadline, and also intervene in the operations involving Zeus and Officer John McClane if the opportunity arose.

As Castle arrived at Little Fatty's house, Simon decided to stick to the original plan. As Castle stepped into Little Fatty's still chaotic living room, he heard the voice from the drone's remote laser listening device. It seemed Simon was on the phone, calling Officer John McClane's boss, Walter.

At the NYPD Detective Bureau, everyone was frantically responding to the explosion on Fifth Avenue. Walter, the head of the bureau, was loudly directing his subordinates, frustrated by the news he had just received. The FBI and Homeland Security were planning to take over the case, a notion unacceptable to Walter. If he allowed these federal agencies to take control, he knew the NYPD Commissioner would not be pleased.

Though Detective Beckett from the 12th Precinct was already commanding the scene and had successfully resisted the federal agencies' demands for jurisdiction, Walter knew he couldn't falter. He was preparing to head to the explosion site himself to support Beckett and retain the NYPD's control over the investigation.

In the midst of his preparations, Walter's secretary rushed in. "Walter, you have a call..."

Irritated by the interruption, Walter snapped, "Can't you see I'm busy? What call is so important? Let them wait…"

The secretary, undeterred, insisted, "You really should take this call. The caller claims responsibility for the Fifth Avenue bomb and says there are more bombs planted around New York!"

Stunned, Walter hurried to the phone, picked up the receiver, and said, "This is Walter, head of the NYPD Detective Bureau. Who am I speaking to?"

A calm voice with a German accent replied, "Simon says the Fifth Avenue explosion is just the prelude to many more across New York today. Simon takes full responsibility for this. Do you like my opening act, Officer Walter?"

Walter was furious but kept his composure. "What do you want?"

Simon, still composed, continued, "Simon says the bomb on Fifth Avenue is just one of many hidden in New York. If the police want to find the others, you must play a game with Simon. This game requires a specific NYPD officer named John McClane. You need to find him and have him join Simon's game."

Walter was taken aback. He recalled a report from the 12th Precinct's Captain Roy Montgomery last week about a group led by someone named Simon planning to distract the police with explosions before robbing a bank vault. Simon had a personal vendetta against John McClane, who had thrown his brother off a building in Los Angeles years ago.

At the time, neither Walter nor anyone at headquarters took the report seriously. But now, the caller's demands aligned perfectly with Montgomery's intelligence. This Simon wasn't a terrorist but a criminal using bomb threats to facilitate a heist.

Walter couldn't risk assuming the threat was a bluff. He had no choice but to comply, at least initially. "What do you want?"

Simon's voice remained calm, "Simon says you need to find Officer John McClane and have him play Simon's game. Otherwise, more bombs will go off in New York."

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