Reborn as Richard Castle in Criminal Minds

While Officer John McClane and Zeus were engaged in a fierce gunfight with Simon's henchmen at the Federal Reserve Bank's entrance, Simon had successfully opened the heavily guarded underground vault. Gazing at the neatly stacked gold bricks filling the entire basement vault, he let out a satisfied and maniacal laugh. His men were tensely and methodically placing powerful explosives on the walls adjacent to the subway tunnel, intending to blast a direct passageway to the outside.

At this moment, John McClane was still locked in combat with Simon's lookouts at the Federal Reserve's entrance. Due to the earlier subway station explosion, the bank entrance was effectively sealed off, with no civilians around, putting John in a mixed situation. It was advantageous because he could shoot freely without worrying about civilian casualties, but disadvantageous because he only had three magazines, totaling twenty-one bullets. John wasn't known for precision shooting; he relied on a spray-and-pray method to take down robbers. After eliminating a few of Simon's men, John and Zeus found themselves in a perilous predicament, with only five bullets left and more than five adversaries remaining.

Although the area was sealed off, ensuring no stray bullets would hit passersby, John and Zeus had nowhere to escape. Just as John thought he might not make it out today, a violent tremor nearly toppled him and Zeus from their cover behind a flower bed. This was the shockwave from the explosives Simon's men detonated to blast a passage between the bank vault and the subway tunnel. 

The explosion wasn't loud, thanks to the careful calculation and arrangement by Simon's Hungarian officer, Ferris Tagoe. He used a chemical concoction for a mixed explosive, which avoided the loud noise typical of traditional explosives like C4. Instead, a mere wave and tremor successfully opened the underground passage.

This shockwave fortuitously relieved John and Zeus from their predicament, as Simon's henchmen were also caught off guard, giving John and Zeus the chance to escape. The duo, true to the nickname Castle had given them, scurried back to safety like two burrowing animals.

Meanwhile, in the underground vault, Simon, overseeing the loading of gold onto forklifts, was informed about John McClane's unexpected appearance and awareness of their plan. Disappointed, Simon had intended to play more games and puzzles with John, whose physical prowess exceeded his intellectual capacity. Simon had even planted clues about the fake bomb in a subsequent game, aiming to divert the police's full attention, buying time for their heist. 

Who could have anticipated John McClane to stumble upon their real motive like a blind cat finding a dead rat? Nonetheless, the plan was proceeding smoothly, with the passageway successfully blasted open. Simon now needed to hasten the loading of gold and instruct his men to guard against John and any potential police reinforcements.

John and Zeus, panting after retreating to safety, discussed their situation. John expressed his realization: "I knew it… I knew these brothers were fake terrorists, only doing this for the money. We've all been duped by this guy!"

John deduced that Simon used bombs to distract the entire NYPD and other law enforcement agencies, seizing the opportunity to rob the bank while Wall Street was unguarded. Determined to inform Walter, his superior, John stated, "I need to tell Walter. Simon's alleged school bomb is likely a decoy!"

Zeus, contemplating, agreed with some of John's deductions but doubted the conclusion that the school bomb was a fake: "I agree Simon might be using explosions to divert attention for a bank heist, but I don't think the school bomb is necessarily fake. Think about it: after robbing the bank, Simon needs a way to escape. He could use the threat of the school bomb to negotiate safe passage if cornered by the police. Would the police risk letting the bomb go off just to catch him?"

John, persuaded by Zeus's reasoning, called Walter to relay his findings. Walter, upon receiving John's call, realized the situation matched the intel received last week from Captain Roy Montgomery of the 12th Precinct. Simon was indeed using bomb threats to stage a terrorist act while planning to rob the Wall Street bank.

What aggravated Walter further was that Simon targeted the Federal Reserve Bank, which stored gold bricks. This bank, unlike those belonging to private conglomerates like JP Morgan or Citibank, was essentially the USA's central bank and treasury, responsible for issuing currency and amassing global wealth.

Walter understood now why Simon bombed the Wall Street subway station. Simon intended to use the subway to blast a path directly to the Federal Reserve's underground vault. His initial bombing of the Fifth Avenue department store and the subsequent Wall Street subway station explosion misled the police about his true intentions, ensuring their focus on a supposed school bomb and leaving Wall Street unguarded for the heist.

Despite his realization, Walter found himself helpless. All his officers, including the entire NYPD, were frantically searching New York's schools for Simon's alleged bomb, urged by high-ranking officials with children in those schools. Compared to potential casualties from a school bomb, the loss at the Federal Reserve seemed minor. The officials cared little about taxpayer wealth compared to their children's safety.

Thus, Walter was in a predicament, unable to dispatch any support to John McClane at Wall Street. For now, it was up to John and Zeus, the dynamic duo, to handle the situation.

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