192. Chapter 192

After Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind, Yet Again

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I'm not even close to owning Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

November 2010

Tilgreth Espel discarded his human disguise as soon as he entered the apartment. He at once adopted the positon of third level subservience towards the Master.

"Is it done?" The master asked.

"It is." Espel allowed fourth level satisfaction to show.

"The humans are none the wiser to what the female Subbarao found in addition to their crude radio transmissions?"

Espel boldly allowed third level confidence to show. "I believe that even the Subbarao being was unaware that she had recorded our vessel. Certainly no one else is aware of the truth."

"One should hope." Replied the Master, showing second level confidence. "At least we can leave now. It has been difficult to be in such a…place." Second level distaste was clearly shown.

Espel allowed fourth level disbelief to show and stared at the pile of discarded pizza boxes beside the Master. The smell of anchovies was overpowering to him.

The Master tried to cover fifth level embarrassment. "We cannot say that there are no saving graces in this place."

Espel nodded, showing first level awe and adoration. "Indeed. For I have been privileged to look upon Her face."

The Master openly showed first level envy. "You are truly blessed, as She has blessed us all."

May 2014, New York City.

Senator William Bracken was a happy man. His problems with Beckett were over. In a few minutes, she'd be dead and he could continue to his predestined rise to the Presidency. He reminded himself to contact Orantis Solutions to make sure their two operatives were successful. He was not the sort of man to leave anything to chance. He must be sure Beckett was dead.

The Senator suddenly inhaled a sweet aroma. He stopped and his face went slack for just a second. Then he began walking again.

Senator William Bracken was a happy man. His problems with Beckett were over. He had witnessed her death and he could continue his predestined rise to the Presidency. There was no real reason to contact Orantis Solutions to make sure the two operatives were successful. He had left nothing to chance. Beckett was dead.

May 2014, Santa Monica, CA.

Meredith checked herself in the mirror one last time. I am gorgeous. She thought. How dare that skinny bimbo Beckett not invite me to the wedding? My own daughter is being the best man! I'm sure that idiotic idea was hers. Trying to drive a wedge between dear, sweet Alexis and her real mother. Rick and I may have had some problems in the past, but I am still family. Thank God Gina told me all about this. I'll show up and let everyone know that I'm still part of the family and deserving of the help that Rick has so generously offered to me in the past. Rick would never freeze me out like this. Why, Beckett probably lied to him about not inviting me! I'll show that cheap slut.

Meredith inhaled deeply. She found the tang of the salt air from the Pacific Ocean was so bracing! And there was something sweet mixed in with it. She leaned against her dresser for a second as her face went blank. Then she checked herself in the mirror again. I'm not bad looking, but I can see why Rick chose Kate. She's not just beautiful, she's intelligent and a success in a man's world. I envy her. I bet she thought of making Alexis the best man at the wedding. So imaginative of her. And it binds their new family together so well, too. Meredith suddenly noticed the packed suitcase on her bed. Why would I pack a suitcase? I'm not going anywhere. She began unpacking while wondering if she couldn't do such a good job at her temporary secretary position that they'd want to keep her. I'll show up for work tomorrow and show my boss just how hard I can work. After all, I have to support myself.

Outside her window, a small object rose, momentarily blocking the stars.

November 2014, Rural Pennsylvania.

"What's the ME say?" Sheriff Duggan asked his deputy.

"Not a whole hell of a lot. He's sure it was a man and a woman, but that's about it. Somebody sliced and diced them like nothing he's ever seen. Said if he didn't know better, he'd think it was one of those Star Wars light sabers or something. It chopped them into little bits and pieces. Then they were dumped into an acid bath. No prints, no dental, and damned little chance of any usable DNA."

"What about the sludge we found?" Dugan asked.

"They had all kinds of high tech surveillance equipment, but all of the hard drives and printouts that might have told us who they were spying on are gone. Not sure how."

"A couple of country boys like us aren't going to solve this any time soon, are we?" Duggan asked.

His deputy just shook his head. "Nope."

Less than a hundred meters away, Tilgreth Espel, completely undetectable to any device known to mankind laughed. Doubtlessly the Goddess would not approve of our actions here, but serial killers deserved little of her well known compassion.

November 2026, New York City.

The blonde anchorwoman noticed the change in the teleprompter. "We now are ready to call the New York Senatorial race. We show that Katherine Beckett-Castle has won in a landslide and is the new senator-elect for New York."

The view behind her showed a sea of happy people holding Beckett-Castle for Senate signs. "We expect the new senator-elect to make her victory speech soon." The blonde said. However, she couldn't refrain from making one of the many catty remarks going around about the newly elected senator. "In spite of her insistence that she hasn't had any work done, viewers will note that Senator elect Beckett-Castle looks younger than her daughter, the famous Dr. Alexis Castle."

As Kate and Rick walked towards the ballroom and her chanting supporters, Tilgreth Espel carefully dosed the two with the latest Series 12C nanites using a shielded delivery system. There. The Goddess and her consort will have the benefit of nanites that will clear their arteries, regenerate old tissues, repair the ravages of time and give them the long life they deserve. And the life we so desperately need.

June 2049, Washington, DC.

Kate stood in front of her mirror and closely examined her body. Her husband, also nude, stood beside her, openly admiring the view. "Babe, this is serious. I had a full exam at Bethesda-Reed. Inside and out, I am an unbelievably healthy thirty year old woman. But I'm pushing seventy. This can't be happening to us."

Rick kissed her neck and gently stroked her hair. "I'm not complaining. You're gorgeous and sexy and I love you."

She smiled at him. "I love you, too, but this is…"

The words froze in her mouth. They were standing in a close approximation of the bedroom in their Alexandria, VA home, but outside the window was the planet Saturn. And a bear was standing behind them.

"Who…What are you?" Rick asked, getting into a polite shoving match with Kate as each one tried to get between their loved one and the bear.

"My name is Rupert, Goddess."

"Your name is Rupert Goddess?" Rick asked. "You're a female bear?"

"No, male. Our Goddess is Kate Beckett-Castle."

"I'm worshipped by bears?" Kate said disbelievingly.

"And many others." Rupert said politely, if rather gruffly. "May I explain?"

Both Kate and Rick nodded.

Rupert cleared his throat. "We have been protecting you for years so that you could live to complete your most important legislative achievement."

Kate tried to imagine what a bear would think was her most important achievement. "Was it my successful Middle East peace initiative? The Renewable Energy Act? The World Hunger project?"

"No." Rupert said. "It's the DNA Alteration Act."

"The DNA Alteration…"Kate couldn't imagine why that would be important. But if a talking bear was here…

"Bear and human DNA were combined in 2107, leading to my race and others similar to us."

"Mad scientists created another intelligent race? Cool!" Rick said.

"Not mad scientists." Rupert said. "It was the Science Club of the New Kowloon High School. They were trying to impress the girls in the Canton High School for the Performing Arts. Do you remember Shakespeare's stage direction from The Winter's Tale? "Exit, pursued by a bear?" They thought that using a real bear would add realism to the play, but real bears don't take direction well. They thought about using an intelligent bear, and we're the result, and others like us."

"Why are you telling us this?" Kate asked.

"Without our help, you would have died of a brain aneurism in 2021, or cancer in 2032 and your husband would have died of heart failure in 2028. If he had died, you would have been unable to continue your political career."

"So how long will we remain…like this?" Rick asked.

Rupert shrugged. "We don't know. But a very, very, very long time. And I'm afraid you'll have to disappear now."

"Why?" Rick asked.

"Because it's time for us to die, babe. "Kate said softly. "It sounds like we've had more than our fair share of time."

"Do we have to disappear now?" Rick asked.

"Oh, no. You can have some time."

"But what will we do?" Kate asked.

"Your most important work is yet to come." Rupert said with a smile.

August 2049, New York City.

The anchorman repeated the words being fed to him through the implant in his mastoid. "The Coast Guard has announced that the bodies of Senator Katherine Beckett-Castle and her husband, have not been recovered from the tragic boating accident that we now know has taken their lives. The White House has released the following statement about this tragic…."

May 2124, Maui Offshore Metroplex, HI.

Rick and Kate walked out of their home and towards their personal transport pod. In the distance they could hear the amplified voices of the Humans First protestors. "Animal lovers! Stinking animal lovers!"

Rick put his arm around his wife's slender waist and inhaled the scent of her blonde hair. "What they say doesn't matter, Kate. We won. The Supreme Court ruled for us, and them. They're no longer animals that are intelligent, they're people with rights and responsibilities, just like us."

"I wonder if humans will ever really accept them?" She said softly.

"I'm sure they will." Rick said, then spoke to the pod. "Take us to the New York Metroplex, Law Offices of Spade and Archer."

Kate laughed at all the aliases that Rick had thought up for them over the years.

Fifteenmonth, 2216, Planet of NewHome, near the star Beta Crucis.

Rick and Kate walked through the woods near their new home. Some of the plants and trees were from Earth, but many were not.

"I think we made the right choice, Kate. We need a new start. So many people that we knew on Earth are long dead. I can hardly remember some of them. Ryan and Esposito, Sarah Grace Ryan, Meredith, the Montgomerys."

Kate nodded. "Alexis, our children, our grandchildren, our great grand-children. I miss them."

"Me too. "Rick said.

Kate suddenly felt someone pulling on her sleeve. She looked down to see a young, well dressed bear looking up at her. "Yes?" She said with a smile.

"Are you Kate?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm Kate Beckett-Castle and this is my husband, Rick."

"My name is George. Mydaddy says that you two are responsible for our new home here where people aren't nasty to us."

"We did help, but so did a lot of others." Kate said.

"Will you stay here with us?"

"Yes. For a long time." Kate answered.

"Do you have children?" George asked, curious.

"We have an entire planet full of children. "Kate said. "And I think that Rick and I will have more."

Rick and Kate each took one of George's hands and walked towards their home.

30766, Common Era.

Rupert, Tilgreth Espel and the Master viewed the scene occurring half a galaxy away. "She was a goddess, was she not?" asked Rupert.

"And she always will be."

Rupert nodded. "Always."