Previously on "Castle"...
------------
[In the park : Beckett & Castle]
Beckett : Oh, my God. You're proposing!
Castle : Okay. You're surprised.
Beckett : I got the job.
Castle : In D.C.?
[Beckett’s apartment in Washington DC : Beckett & Castle]
Castle : Is this your case? What's it about?
Beckett : It's classified.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Rachel, Richmond & Chef]
Rachel McCord : Someone gained access to Cybertech's clean room... And stole a highly classified hardware security module.
Chef : What do we know about our thieves?
Richmond : Jack Bronson, 35. Recently retired marine force recon.
[In the street and in Jack’s car : Castle & Jack Bronson]
Jack Bronson : We're gonna walk over to my car together, and you're gonna get in like you know me. You were at the golf course with the feds. Did they... say anything about Valkyrie?
Castle : Hey, man, are you okay?
Jack : Going... to Dream... World.
[In the interrogation room in Washington DC : Chef]
Chef : Valkyrie? What's Valkyrie?
[In the precint : Esposito, Ryan & Castle]
Esposito : I don't know about "Valkyrie," but "Dreamworld"... it's a highly classified special operations base in the Gulf. Beckett's into something way bigger than she realizes.
[In the interrogation room in Washington DC : Beckett, Rachel & Jack’s girlfriend]
Jack’s girlfriend : You don't understand. Jack was being set up.
[In the interrogation room in Washington DC : Beckett & Castle]
Beckett : It turns out that something else was stolen from another lab in that building. It was a chemical agent. That toxin was used to kill Jack Bronson. It was placed in the ventilation system of his car.
Castle : I was in that car.
Beckett : Based on the amount found in your blood stream, you have less than a day to live.
------------
[In the interrogation room in Washington DC : Beckett & Castle]
Castle : What about an antidote? There has to be an antidote.
Beckett : The only existing vial was stolen with the toxin.
Castle : They can make more, right? They have to be able to make more.
Beckett : It would take too long to synthesize.
Castle : How long?
Beckett : A week.
Castle : That's too long. Are you sure I was exposed? I mean, I... I feel fine. Maybe they were... wrong.
Beckett : Look, there's a doctor coming in from Waiter Reed. He's gonna be able to answer any other questions that you might have.
Castle : Yeah, well, I think you already did that.
Beckett : Hey. We're gonna find whoever's behind this. And when we do, we're gonna get that antidote, 'cause I'm not letting you out of our engagement that easily.
Castle : All right. So where are you in the investigation?
Beckett : We're looking into every possible lead.
Castle : That's what you say when you're nowhere.
Beckett : Castle...
Castle : The guy who abducted me...
Beckett : Yeah. Bronson.
Castle : Right. Was he military? Special ops?
Beckett : Marine force recon. Why?
Castle : Okay, because before he died, he said something.
Beckett : Valkyrie. Yeah. We've been looking into it. There's nothing in the databases.
Castle : Not that. He said something about Dreamworld. Now I didn't think it was anything, but according to Esposito, "Dreamworld" is the code name of a special ops ghost base somewhere in the Middle East.
Beckett : And you think that that somehow relates to the theft of the toxin?
Castle : I... think Bronson thought it did.
[Knock at the door]
Doctor : Sorry to interrupt. I'm Dr. Goldberg, here to check on Mr. Castle.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett & Rachel]
Rachel : How's he doing?
Beckett : Better than I am. Where are we?
Rachel : Well, we know whoever's behind this framed Jack Bronson for the break-in and then used the toxin to kill him.
Beckett : Which means they would have had to have crossed paths with him in order to deliver it.
Rachel : Exactly. Hendricks and his team are retracing all of Bronson's movements to get a who and a when. It's a needle in a haystack, but maybe we'll get lucky.
Beckett : Anything on Valkyrie?
Rachel : Nothing that connects. Analysts are still working on it, though.
Beckett : Have you ever heard of something called Dreamworld?
Rachel : What's Dreamworld?
[In the interrogation room in Washington DC : Doctor & Castle]
Doctor : The pralidoxime and atropine will stave off the effect of the toxin and buy you some more time.
Castle : How much more?
Doctor : An hour, maybe two. I'll give you another shot every four hours, but eventually it won't be effective.
Castle : And then what?
Doctor : Towards the end, you'll start to feel weak, experience shortness of breath.
Castle : Why did Bronson die so quickly, and I'm still alive?
Doctor : Bronson was in the car for hours, so he got the mother lode. You were in the car just for a few minutes. Ingested in liquid form, you go down in seconds, but based on your blood work, you have at least another 10 to 12 hours.
Castle : So then... apart from the fact that I'm dying, I'm fine?
Doctor : You're asymptomatic. I'll try to keep you that way for as long as possible.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett, Rachel & Chef]
Chef : A ghost base in the Middle East?
Beckett : Look, I know this is a long shot, but Bronson may have been trying to communicate a message.
Rachel : Or it's just the ramblings of a dying man. Look, we checked the government and military databases. There's no official reference to Dreamworld... if it even exists.
Richmond: Uh, I think it exists.
Chef : What did you find?
Richmond: A name just popped in a Pentagon archive. Brad Parker, a reporter for "The Washington Union."
Chef : What's a reporter got to do with this?
Richmond: Six months ago he tried to publish an article called "inside Dreamworld,"but it was quashed over national security concerns.
Beckett : What does the article say?
Richmond: I don't have the text. They've classified it. I have the title.
Chef : I'll call my contact at the Pentagon and see what he can dig up. In the meanwhile, track down this reporter. Find out what he knows.
Castle : You could also check Bronson's phone records. He and this reporter might be connected.
Beckett : Castle, you should be resting.
Casle : There's plenty of time for that later... apparently. Um, if it's all the same, I'd rather be helping.
Chef : Mr. Castle, I understand your desire to be involved, but...
Castle : No one is more motivated than me to solve this, and if it doesn't work out, I'll... be out of your hair by the end of the day.
Beckett : Y... you know, sir, Castle is the only one that has firsthand experience with Bronson. He might be an asset.
Chef : Okay. But, Agent Beckett, he's your responsibility.
Beckett : I know.
Richmond: Sir, it looks like Bronson and the reporter are connected. His phone records show calls to and from "The Washington Union" around the time the article was written.
Rachel : Bronson must have been a source for the article.
Chef : Go. Find out what he knows. Uh, Mr. Castle. You can assist us, but only from inside this building.
Castle : Right. Mm.
[In Rachel’s car in Washington DC : Beckett & Rachel]
Beckett : Look, uh, thanks for backing me up with Castle.
Rachel : Was he always such a character?
Beckett : Yeah. It's one of the things that I love about him, too.
[Brad Parker is going out of his apartment]
Rachel : There.
Beckett : Mr. Parker! Mr. Parker, excuse me. We're from the Attorney General's office. We need to ask you a few questions about an article you wrote... "Inside Dreamworld."
Brad Parker : Really? We're gonna do this again? You people are unbelievable.
Rachel : Excuse me?
Brad : I wouldn't give up my sources when you killed the article, why would I give them up now?
Beckett : Because it looks like one of your sources was murdered.
Rachel : Do you recognize him, Mr. Parker?
Brad : Bronson. He was murdered?
Beckett : Yes, and now other people's lives are at stake. Now tell us everything you know about Dreamworld.
[OPENING]
[In a cafe : Beckett, Rachel & Brad]
Brad : The first time I heard about Dreamworld was in '03. I was serving with the 173rd in Kandahar at the time. The story stuck with me, so about a year ago I started poking around. Found out it was a forward operating base in northern Afghanistan, launching pad for covert special ops in the region.
Beckett : Did Bronson work at that base?
Brad : Yeah. Yeah, I'd heard his name a couple of times, so I approached him.
Rachel : And what'd he tell you?
Brad : Nothing at all. In fact, he seemed pretty freaked out that I knew he was stationed there... Asking me how much I knew... about him, Dreamworld... about what he'd done.
Beckett : Wait, what... what did he mean by that?
Brad : He never told me. Whatever it was, he sure as hell didn't want it getting out. Next thing I know, my editor's killing the story... at the personal request of Defense Secretary Reed.
Beckett : These conversations that you had with Bronson... did he ever mention the word "Valkyrie"?
Brad : No. Why? What's Valkyrie?
Rachel : Wait. The Secretary of Defense himself called to kill the story? That's unusual.
Brad : Try unheard of. But I'm guessing that the subject matter struck a nerve. Look, prior to his appointment as Secretary of Defense, General Reed was in charge of Central Command, which ran all missions out of Dreamworld.
Beckett : Are you suggesting that the Secretary of Defense is hiding something?
Brad : You have another explanation?
[In the street in Washington DC : Beckett & Rachel]
Beckett : So a stolen military toxin and a secret government base. I mean, what do you think this is all about?
Rachel : I don't know, but I have a feeling Bronson did.
Beckett : Where are we headed?
Rachel : To talk to the one person who might actually know what's going on. Former Commander of Dreamworld... Defense Secretary Reed.
[In the Pentagon : Beckett, Rachel and Reed]
Rachel : Mr. Secretary.
Defense Secretary Reed : This must be damned important if the Attorney General's personally asking me to take this meeting.
Rachel : It is. Three days ago, a lethal toxin was stolen from a government lab. Our investigations led us to the murder of an ex-marine named Jack Bronson. Do you know him?
Reed : It's possible. A lot of men served under my command. Why? You think he was involved in this theft?
Beckett : No, but he may have known who was. We believe that this is connected to a military base named Dreamworld.
Reed : Well, I hate to break it to you, but Dreamworld's a myth. It's military legend. It doesn't exist.
Beckett : Are you kidding me? Are we actually gonna play this game?
Rachel : Sir...
Reed : Agent Beckett, was it?
Beckett : Whoever that toxin, if they use it, there will be mass casualties, so if you know something...
Rachel : Sir. Someone was writing an article about Dreamworld. You personally had that story killed. Why?
Reed : Why? Because the enemy reads newspapers, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna risk American lives by handing out operational details about a special ops base... if such a base existed.
Beckett : What about Bronson? What's his connection to that base? If it indeed does exist.
Reed : Everything I'm about to say is off the books. Are we clear?
Rachel : Yes.
Beckett : Yes.
Reed : Bronson was an outstanding marine. But he only worked one mission out of there... a high-value air strike in Jalalabad that took out Anwar Zawari... Al-Qaeda's number two.
Rachel : What was Bronson's role?
Reed : He was our man on the ground. Set up in a nearby building. He reported when Zawari went in the house. Then, when the air strike was launched, he painted the house with a laser to guide the missile.
Beckett : Did the word "Valkyrie" have anything to do with this strike? Was it the name of a mission or a code name?
Reed : No. It's not familiar. Look, that operation was a big win for us. It crippled Al-Qaeda's entire command structure.
Rachel : Was there any talk of Al-Qaeda retaliating?
Reed : There was chatter. Always is. But we took out Zawari a year ago, and they never hit us back.
Beckett : Unless they just did. And this is just the beginning.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett, Rachel, Chef & Castle]
Chef : I have homeland tightening security at every likely D.C. target... government buildings, tourist attractions, transit hubs.
Rachel : The bad news is the toxin's versatile. It can be deployed through the ventilation system, it could contaminate a reservoir, it can be detonated with a bomb and release a toxic plume over part of this city. And if that happens, we'd be dealing with a lot more than just a couple of deaths on our hands. And I am so sorry.
Castle : No, it's... your job. And if we stop the next attack, it might mean saving me. But if this is Al-Qaeda retaliation, how did they know about Bronson?
Beckett : He was on the ground during the air strike. He might have been seen by locals or Zawari family members.
Chef : Well, let's check for any Zawari family members, friends, or associates in the D.C. area. If Al-Qaeda is about to strike, they must have people on the ground.
Rachel : I'll be in the tech room.
Beckett : Look...
Castle : I'm okay. I... It's my mother. She's been calling all morning. I can't, uh, avoid her forever.
[Answer to his phone] Hello, mother. To what do I owe the pleasure?
Martha : Richard. You were ushered out of here last night like a common criminal. You don't answer my calls. What the hell is going on?
Castle : No... mother, I'm... I'm fine.
Alexis : Dad, did they arrest you? Do you need us to bail you out?
Pi : Ooh! What about a lawyer, Mr. C.? I know a guy at the A.C.L.U.
Martha : Oh, please.
Castle : No. Uh, I just had some, uh, special knowledge of a case that Beckett's working on. She had them send an escort, that's all.
Martha : Oh. Well, thank God. Um... oh, Gina called this morning. She has, uh, a bunch of books for you to sign for some company V.I.Ps.
Castle : Right. Um... they're in my office at the, uh, back bookcase. If I'm... if I'm not there tomorrow, she can come pick them up. And, mother... Thank you.
Alexis : When's he coming back?
Castle : Let me talk to Alexis.
Martha : He wants to talk to you, honey. Uh...
Alexis : Hey, dad.
Castle : Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow morning. And, um... you know I love you, right?
Alexis : Of course.
Doctor : [He whispers] It's time for your next shot.
Castle : Already?
Alexis : Dad? Everything okay?
Castle : Yeah. They're calling me, so I have to go.
Alexis : Okay. See you tomorrow.
Castle : Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow.
[In Castle’s apartment : Alexis & Martha]
Alexis : Did dad sound weird to you?
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett, Hendricks, Chef, Richmond & Rachel]
Beckett : Sir, we've got something.
Rachel : Turns out you were right about Zawari's family. We identified six members of his extended family living in the U.S... Four in California and two cousins right here in D.C.
Beckett : We were in the process of running them down when Hendricks found this.
Hendricks : In reconstructing Bronson's movements prior to his death, we were able to track him to here, a coffee shop in Dupont Circle. A few seconds after he leaves, this man follows him out.
Rachel : We've I.D.'d him as Waqas Rasheed, second cousin to Zawari.
Hendricks : And Agent Richmond is trying to track him down, but here's what we know... he has dual U.S./Afghan citizenship,is a graduate engineering student at Georgetown.
Beckett : And, sir, he was in Jalalabad the night of the Zawari air strike. Five of his other cousinsn were killed in the attack.
Rachel : Burying that many family members, that could radicalize anyone.
Richmond : Got him. We got him. We have a live feed of Rasheed walking east on 14th Street between "E" and "F."
Chef : Backpack.
Rachel : Could be the toxin.
Beckett : And the antidote.
Chef : Let's move!
[In the street in Washington DC : Beckett & Rachel]
Beckett : Stop!
Rachel : Stop!
Beckett : Federal agents! Stop! [She run after the suspect Rasheed and put him down] It's not here. Where's the toxin? Rasheed! Where's the toxin?
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett, Castle, Chef & Rachel]
Castle : What if he doesn't talk?
Chef : He'll talk. They always do.
Castle : What if he doesn't talk in time?
Chef : We have teams combing his apartment. If he has the toxin and the antidote, they'll find 'em.
Castle : Thanks... for letting me be a part of this.
Chef : When you write your next novel, maybe you'll find a place for a dashing Colombian-American federal agent.
Castle : Consider it done.
Chef : Anything at Rasheed's?
Beckett : We went over every inch of his place, and there is no sign of the antidote or the toxin. He may have hidden it somewhere.
Rachel : Either that or it's already out there, ready to be deployed.
[Moment of silence]
Chef : Break him.
[In the interrogation room in Washington DC : Beckett, Rachel & Rasheed]
Rasheed : So why am I here? What's this about? Huh?
Beckett : You're related to Anwar Zawari. Is that correct?
Rasheed : A man doesn't choose his family. Okay? I had nothing to do with Anwar or his beliefs.
Beckett : Yet you were in Jalalabad the night that he died.
Rasheed : Yes, but not to see him. I have relatives there. I was spending time with them for Ramadan.
Rachel : I understand that five of your relatives were killed in that U.S. missile strike.
Rasheed : And for that I blame Anwar, and them for being with him. Now why am I here?
Rachel : You studied engineering. Specifically, electrical system designs for commercial buildings.
Rasheed : You have a gift for making every fact sound sinister.
Rachel : Well, you'd be able to break into a secure facility.
Rasheed : I didn't break into anything. I want an attorney. I have a right to an attorney.
Rachel : Enemy combatants don't get attorneys... or trials.
Beckett : Where is the toxin, Rasheed?
Rasheed : I don't know what you're talking about.
Beckett : I think you do. In fact, I know you do. This is Jack Bronson, former U.S. marine. He was in Jalalabad the night of the strike. And this... is you, following him outside of a coffee shop. Three hours later, he was dead. You're not gonna tell me that that's a coincidence.
Rasheed : This is about him? Well, you have it wrong. I wasn't following him. He was following me.
Rachel : Why would he be following you?
Rasheed : He wanted to know if I talked to anybody... about our secret.
Rachel : Your secret? What secret?
Rasheed : The night of the missile strike, I was, uh, at my brother's home. It's just a block away from Anwar's. I heard the explosion. I ran out. The house was destroyed. And I was the first one there, so I wanted to see if there were any survivors. And that's, uh... that's when I saw Bronson, standing there in the rubble, holding a body.
Beckett : Whose body?
Rasheed : A young woman. One of the servants in the house. And when he saw me, he... drew his gun. And I thought for sure I was a dead man. But then he spoke. And he knew my name and where I lived and what I did. And he told me that if I told anyone about what I had seen, he would kill me. And then he left... with the body.
Rachel : He took away a dead servant's body?
Rasheed : I've done my best to forget about it all, until he found me in the coffee shop, and he kept asking me, "who did you tell? Why are they setting me up?" And I swore to him I didn't tell anybody. Okay, whatever is happening here, whatever is going on, I swear to you I have nothing to do with it.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett, Castle, Chef, Richmond & Rachel]
Chef : So none of the intelligence agencies can link Rasheed to known Al-Qaeda elements. And... He's got a solid alibi for the night of the break-in.
Rachel : He could still be involved. Is there any chatter about an imminent attack?
Chef : No more than usual. What's your take on Rasheed?
Beckett : I don't think he's our guy.His story. I mean, he said that he saw Bronson carrying a servant girl's body. I mean, the only way that he'd come up with a story like that was if it was true.
Castle : So aside from the name "Valkyrie," seems to know anything about, we pretty much have nothing, which means I'm a dead man.
Beckett : No, Castle. Not nothing. We have what Bronson told you, what Rasheed told us. We know that this revolves around something that happened the night Zawari was killed, something more than just the air strike. Now what we have to do is figure out what it was.
Chef : I'll have D.O.D. send over the mission documents. Maybe something in there will help shed some light.
Beckett : These are the mission documents?
Rachel : Is there even a sentence that doesn't have redactions?
Richmond : Not a complete one. Somebody is definitely trying to hide whatever went on here.
Beckett : I... I'm sorry, Castle. This is pointless.
Castle : Can you do a word search for "Valkyrie"?
[Richmond do a research]
Richmond : It doesn't appear in the document. Probably because it's redacted.
Castle : Right. But what about a search for blacked-out 8-letter words the same length as "Valkyrie"?
Rachel : Aren't all 8-letter words the same length?
Castle : Well, not in a proportional font like Times Roman. Um... each character will vary in size from the narrowest... a lowercase "I"... to the widest... the uppercase "W." So the combination of letters in the word "Valkyrie" will create a very specific length, not unlike a typographical fingerprint.
Richmond : I may be able to work with that.
Beckett : If we can find the blacked-out "Valkyrie," we might be able to figure out what it means from the words around it.
Castle : It's a long shot, I know.
Richmond : Not that long. We got some hits. These are thumbnails of the whole document. It's everywhere, highlighted in red.
Beckett : The last page seems to have the largest concentration. Can you enlarge it?
Rachel : "Target acquired." "Missile engaged." "Target destroyed." This is the transcript to the missile strike.
Castle : Maybe "Valkyrie" is the code name for Zawari.
Beckett : No, it's got to be more than that, but there's not enough context to piece this thing together. What we need is an un-redacted transcript.
Richmond : Or the original audio recording.
Rachel : What are you thinking, Richmond?
Richmond : For a strike in Jalalabad, they'd probably use an F-16 out of Bagram air base. I did a year as Chief Technical Officer at Bagram. Part of my job was dumping the fighter jets' flight data onto a central server. If I can access it, I might be able to get that audio.
Rachel : What are we waiting for, McCord?
Beckett : We played by the rules, and that's what they gave us.
Rachel : Do it.
[Beckett’s phone ring]
Beckett : Castle. It's your mom. What do you want me to tell her? [Castle doesn’t want that Beckett answers]
[Martha comes to Beckett’s voice mail]
Beckett : You've reached the voice-mail of Special Agent Kate Beckett at the Attorney General's office. Please leave a message.
[In the precint : Ryan, Esposito & Martha]
Ryan : I just always thought that you and I would have kids together.
Esposito : Really? Well, have you talked to Jenny about this?
Ryan : No, you know what I mean. They'd be on the same T-ball and pop warner teams. We'd co-coach.
Esposito : Co-coach?
Ryan : You want to be head coach?
Esposito : Yeah.
Ryan : Try getting a date first.
Esposito : Dude.
Ryan : Hey. Martha. What brings you here?
Martha : Look, I know you're busy, but I'm... I'm worried about Richard.
Esposito : Really? Why?
Martha : Last night, he was just whisked away by a couple of federal agent... thugs. Then when I talked to him today, he was nice, sincere, no smart-ass quips. So... something is definitely wrong. And Katherine isn't answering my calls.
Ryan : Well, uh, I'm sure there's an explanation.
Martha : And I need you to find out what it is.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Doctor, Castle, Rachel & Richmond]
Doctor : Any trouble breathing?
Castle : Yeah, but I... I think that's just anxiety.
Doctor : I can get you a sedative.
Castle : No. I... thank you. I think I'd rather stay sharp as long as possible.
Rachel : Oh, sorry.
Castle : No, no problem. We're all done here.
Rachel : You want a coffee?
Castle : Uh, no, I'd rather die than drink any more of that sludge. Too soon? [Moment of silence] Agent McCord, can I ask you a question?
Rachel : Yeah.
Castle : How is she doing... here?
Rachel : Beckett? She's good. She has a lot of potential.
Castle : So she'll be okay.
Rachel : Hey. She's gonna be great.
Richmond : Hey, McCord. I'm in. I cross-referenced the flight recording database at Bagram with parameters from the mission documents. If that information was accurate, this should be audio of the Zawari strike.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett, Castle, Rachel & Richmond]
Eagle : Alpha one, Eagle's contact target.
Reed : Copy, Eagle. Omaha, what's your status? Over.
Beckett : That's Defense Secretary Reed.
Rachel : As theater commander, he'd be running the operation.
Bronson : Alpha One, Valkyrie still inside target.
Castle : That's Bronson's voice. So Valkyrie must be Zawari.
Reed : Eagle, prepare to engage.
Bronson : Alpha One, Valkyrie still inside. Signaling to get her out.
Beckett : Get "her" out? Valkyrie's not Zawari.
Rachel : Maybe it's the servant.
Reed : Omaha, Valkyrie needs to get out now.
Bronson : I'm signaling, Alpha One. No response. Stand by.
Reed : We're not missing our window. Eagle, this is Alpha One. Engage target.
Bronson : Negative, Eagle. We have an American intelligence asset in there, and we need to wait for her get her out.
Castle : An intelligence asset?
Bronson : Just give me two minutes.
Reed : Negative, Omaha. We can't risk losing Raptor. On my authority, you are clear to engage target. Over.
Eagle : Missile engaged.
Bronson : No! Valkyrie's still in there.
Eagle : Target destroyed. Eagle heading home.
Reed : Omaha, retrieve Valkyrie's body and get her back to Dreamworld. Protocol Boomerang. Over. Roger.
Castle : Valkyrie was the servant. She was one of ours.
Rachel : No wonder the transcript was so heavily redacted.
Beckett : Secretary Reed killed an American operative.
Castle : And then ordered Bronson to cover it up.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett, Rachel & Chef]
[Chef listen the record]
Eagle : Missile engaged.
Bronson : No! Valkyrie's still in there.
Eagle : Target destroyed. Eagle heading home.
Reed : Omaha, retrieve Valkyrie's body and get her back to Dreamworld. Protocol Boomerang. Over. Roger.
Chef : So what are we saying here? That Bronson was murdered to cover up the death of an American operative? With the implication that General Reed is behind it? The sitting Secretary of Defense?
Rachel : A position he got largely because of his success in taking out Zawari.
Beckett : His political star was on the rise. Maybe he couldn't afford to have damaging details out there.
Chef : But if he wanted to silence Bronson, why would he go through the trouble of setting him up first? And none of this explains the theft of the toxin.
Beckett : Sir, he lied to us about Valkyrie and about Bronson. Either he's involved, or he knows a hell of a lot more than he's telling us.
Chef : Only you have no proof. Listen, Beckett, I know what's at stake for you and for Castle, but... I can't let you go at him without concrete evidence.
[Beckett goes to see Castle]
Castle : Hey. So I'm guessing Villante said "no" to the idea of water-boarding the truth out of Secretary Reed.
Beckett : Yeah. Something like that. How are you feeling?
Castle : Ah. Good. I think I'm just due for another shot.
[Reed’s house : Beckett, Joseph, Mr & Mrs Reed]
Beckett : I'm Agent Beckett from the Attorney General's office. I need to speak with Secretary Reed.
Joseph : Do you have an appointment?
Beckett : No, this is a matter of national security.
Joseph : I'm sorry. If you don't have an appointment, I have to ask you...
Beckett : I... I understand. Just please get to the secretary. I told you, this is a matter of national...
Joseph : Ma'am, you need to step back.
Beckett : Secretary Reed? Secretary Reed, Agent Beckett...
Joseph : Step back.
Beckett : From the Attorney General's office. We met earlier today, sir.
Mrs Reed : Michael, who is that?
Reed : I'll take care of it.
Joseph : Ma'am, you need to step back to your vehicle right now.
Beckett : Sir, we just need to speak. This is a matter of national security.
Reed : Joseph. [Joseph leaves] You show up at my home? Who the hell do you think you are?
Beckett : I should ask you the same thing. You lied about Valkyrie. You obstructed a federal investigation.
Reed : I told you all you need to know.
Beckett : I need to know everything. What is going on, and what are you hiding?
Reed : You are barking up the wrong tree, Agent, and it's gonna cost ya.
Beckett : There's a deadly toxin out there. If so much as one person dies because you won't cooperate, then I...
Reed : You'll what? Look, whatever this is, it has nothing to do with me. You might wanna remember the first rule of combat. You don't ever start a war you can't win.
[Beckett’s phone ring]
Beckett : What?
Esposito : Hey, Beckett. It's, uh, Esposito and Ryan. Is everything okay?
Beckett : Fine. Why?
Ryan : Castle's mom came by, all worried about him.
Esposito : Come on, Beckett. What's going on?
Beckett : Everything's fine.
[In the room in Washington DC : Doctor, Castle]
[Beckett looks Castle]
Doctor : Keep taking it in through the nose, out through the mouth.
Castle : Like yoga.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Beckett & Chef]
Chef : What the hell were you thinking?
Beckett : Sir, I was just following a hunch.
Chef : Next time, follow orders. I had to go to the mat with the Attorney General to keep your job.
Beckett : Wait. Secretary Reed complained to the Attorney General?
Chef : If that surprises you, you're not as smart as I thought.
Beckett : No, sir, it's just, if Reed was behind this, he wouldn't have made that call.
Chef : Right, because he wouldn't want to call attention to himself. Is that why you went out there? To force him to show his hand? I'm impressed.
Beckett : Yeah, well, don't be. Looks like I just ruled out our only lead.
[In the offices in Washington DC : Rachel, Hendricks, Beckett, Richmond & Chef]
Rachel : Guys, I got something. I was following up on Valkyrie to see if there was anything more to the story. This is a family photo we got from Rasheed. He identified this woman... As the servant whose body Bronson took after the air strike. And we've identified her as Farrah Usman.
Hendricks : She's listed as a civilian contractor working out of the U.S. consulate in Kabul.
Rachel : It's a typical cover for an intelligence operative.
Hendricks : Now she was supposedly killed by a roadside I.E.D. The same night as the Zawari attack.
Chef : Well, that makes sense. The injuries from an I.E.D. look a lot like those from an air strike.
Rachel : That's not the story. Look at this. So Farrah Usman's body was shipped back to Dover two days later and was claimed by this man. You recognize that name?
Beckett : Brad Parker? The reporter?
Rachel : One and the same.
Beckett : I don't get it. How is he connected to Valkyrie?
Rachel : According to the paperwork, he was her fiancé. He's involved in this whole thing.
Rachel : As a combat vet, Brad Parker would have known his fiancée's injuries weren't from an I.E.D.
Beckett : That's why he was doing the story on Dreamworld and why he tracked down Bronson. He was trying to figure out how she actually died.
Rachel : And he's ex-military. He would have had the skills to pull off that heist.
Chef : So what are we saying here? That Parker stole the toxin because of his fiancée? That this is about revenge?
Castle : Well, the toxin would be perfect for that. It's deadly and undetectable via autopsy unless you're specifically looking for it.
Rachel : Which is why he tried to hide the fact that it was stolen by staging the other theft in the building and framing Bronson.
Chef : Where are we on tracking Parker?
Hendricks : He's not at work. No one's seen him all day.
Richmond : I can't get a trace on his cell signal. He must have turned it off.
Beckett : Sir, if there's the slightest chance...
Chef : Hit his apartment. Go. Castle. You stay here.
Castle : I was given less than a day to live just a little less than a day ago. If Parker has that antidote, I need to go with them.
Chef : Okay.
[Brad Parker’s apartment : Hendricks, Rachel, Beckett & Castle]
Agent : Clear!
Hendricks : Bedroom's clear!
Rachel : Clear. Where the hell is this guy?
Beckett : All right, guys, let's get to work. If that toxin or antidote are in here, I want them found.
Castle : These are blueprints of the research building the toxin was stolen from.
Beckett : And a confidential file on the toxin. Parker's our guy.
Castle : He's got a background on Secretary Reed. Research materials.
Beckett : Reed's his next target. He's going after the man that gave the order that killed his fiancée.
Rachel : And I think I know where. This is confirmation of Parker's press credentials for Reed's address at the Naval Academy. Reed's talking to new cadets at 5:00 P.M. today.
Hendricks : That's in 20 minutes.
Beckett : We gotta lock Reed down. Secure Parker and get that antidote.
[Naval Academy : Admiral Johnson & Reed]
Admiral : Thanks for coming, Mr. Secretary.
Reed : It's my pleasure, Admiral Johnson. It's nice to get out of the office.
Admiral : Hope you don't mind that we do the press line first.
Reed : Oh, that's fine.
[Beckett’s car : Beckett & Castle (Rachel & Hendricks are in a second car)]
Beckett : Do we want me to get a hold of Dr. Goldberg and have him meet us there?
Castle : He already gave me my last shot. The only thing that can help me now is the antidote.
Rachel : Naval academy's press department says Parker hasn't checked in yet.
Hendricks : Security teams are already on site looking for him.
Beckett : Copy that.
Castle : Doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't Parker be there yet?
Beckett : There's thousands of people there. Maybe they just haven't spotted him yet.
Castle : Why go through the trouble of getting press credentials if you're not gonna use them?
Beckett : Unless he's pulling another head fake. Like the encryption system was a cover for the theft of the toxin.
Castle : Military tactics. Always making sure we're a step behind.
Beckett : A step behind what? I mean, this has to be about revenge, so it has to be about Reed.
Castle : Maybe he wants to do to Reed what Reed did to him... Take away the person he loves the most.
Beckett : His wife.
Rachel : Beckett, why'd you turn around? Is it Castle?
Beckett : No. We have a hunch.
Rachel : What kind of hunch?
Voice : Defense Secretary Reed's office.
Beckett : This is Agent Beckett from the Attorney General's investigative...
Voice : Hold, please.
Beckett : No, wait. Hello?
Castle : Kate...
Beckett : Castle, just stay with me. We're almost there.
[Reed’s house : Brad & Joseph]
Brad : Hi. Brad Parker. Here for the interview.
Joseph : Mrs. Reed's expecting you.
Brad : Thank you.
[Beckett’s car : Beckett & Castle]
Voice : Defense Secretary Reed's office. How can I help you?
[Reed’s house : Julie, Brad & Mrs Reed]
Julie : Excuse me, Mrs. Reed. Mr. Parker
- Reed :. Thanks, Julie. Please, make yourself comfortable, Mr. Parker.
Brad : Thank you, ma'am.
Mrs Reed : Can I pour you some tea?
Brad : Well, only if you're having some.
Mrs Reed : That's a deal. Do you take sugar?
[Beckett’s car : Beckett & Castle]
Voice : You've reached the Reeds. We're not available, so please leave a message...
Beckett : Come on. Damn it.
Voice : And your call will be returned promptly.
Castle : Kate...
Beckett : No, Castle, just look at me. Just hang on, okay? We're almost there.
[Reed’s house : Beckett, Castle, Julie, Joseph, Brad & Mrs Reed]
Beckett : Castle. No. No. Rick, look at me, will you?
Julie : Mrs. Reed? She's not responding.
Brad : Send an ambulance.
Julie : She's not breathing.
Beckett : Parker, drop the phone.
Joseph : What are you doing?
Beckett : Where's the antidote, Parker?
Joseph : Lower your weapon.
Beckett : He poisoned Mrs. Reed. Stay with her. [She goes outside] It's over, Parker! We know everything. Now give us the antidote before it's too late.
[Brad takes Beckett’s weapon]
Beckett : No, wait.
Brad : Did Reed wait when he ordered the strike? No. No, now it's his turn to see how it feels.
She's gonna die... just like Farrah.
Beckett : Please. Parker, she's not the only one that you've poisoned. My fiancé's dying. He needs that antidote.
Brad : No, you don't understand. Too late. It's too late.
Rachel : You better hope you're wrong.
[At the hospital, Castle’s bedroom : Beckett, Castle, Martha, Alexis & Pi]
Beckett : Castle?
Castle : Mm?
Beckett : Castle? Hey.
Castle : Hi. I had the strangest dream, and you were there.
Martha : Oh, thank God.
Alexis : Hi, dad.
Castle : Hey, you were there, and you were there.
Pi : Hey, Mr. C. I did some healing reiki on you. Looks like it worked.
Castle : And you were there.
Martha : I think he's gonna be all right.
Castle : Yeah, thanks to you.
Martha : Well, look, look, why don't we... why don't we give you guys a moment? Come on.
Alexis : We'll be outside if you need us.
Castle : Okay. Love you.
Alexis : Love you, too.
Castle : Hey.
Beckett : Hey.
Castle : How was your weekend?
Beckett : You know, uneventful. Yours?
Castle : Same. But at least I got to see you.
Beckett : I'm so sorry, Castle. This wasn't supposed to be this hard.
Castle : What, Washington or us? Sometimes... the hardest things in life... are the things most worth doing. Just because we haven't figured it out yet doesn't mean we won't. Tell you what, though. Next time I say I'm dying to see you, let's keep it metaphoric.
Beckett : Deal.
[In the hospital : Beckett & Rachel]
Rachel : How's he doing?
Beckett : He's okay, considering. What about Mrs. Reed?
Rachel : Uh, she will pull through.
Beckett : And what about Secretary Reed? What's gonna happen with him?
Rachel : What do you mean?
Beckett : He withheld information to save his own ass. People almost died because of it.
Rachel : Well, we both know it's not that simple.
Beckett : Well... there's gonna be an investigation, at least, right?
Rachel : You... want everything to be black or white. I get it. But... in this town, it rarely is, and to do this job, you have to make peace with that. But hey... that was a hell of a hunch about Mrs. Reed. You should feel really good about this.
Beckett : Yeah, well, that was Castle.
Rachel : But you were smart enough to act on it. That was your call.
Beckett : And you backed me up without even knowing my play.
Rachel : That's what partners do.
[Rachel leaves]
Beckett : Yeah. That's what partners do.
