868. Chapter 868

After The Human Factor

Episode 5.23

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: No robot wrote the following, nor did anyone who owns Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Rick and Kate discussed their current case as they walked down the street. "The story just doesn't fit, Beckett. It makes no sense."

Kate grinned at her partner. "Have you considered the possibility that the story doesn't fit because we don't have all the parts of the story yet?"

Castle suddenly turned down an alley. "We can cut through here and save five minutes." He said, stopping to look back at her.

Kate looked at the filthy alley Rick had entered. "Okay, but if I get anything on my new boots, you're cleaning them off."

Castle smiled. "Aren't I always willing to help you out of your clothes?"

Kate rolled her eyes and followed him. "Castle, we don't have all the parts to the….What the hell is that?"

A silvery light was headed towards them, changing shape as it went. In a second it was past them. Both of them turned to look for it, but the odd shape was gone. "What was that?" Kate asked.

"Steam, maybe? Coming up from the subway grates?"

They continued down the alley, which Kate was happy to see was much cleaner than the other part. They stepped out on the street and stopped in shock.

"There aren't any people." Castle said.

"Just machines. Lots and lots of machines."

"Hey, buddy! Ya wanna move it! I got work to do."

They turned at the sound of a New York accent to be confronted by a six foot tall silver robot. Kate opened her mouth but no words came out. Castle, however, knew exactly what to say.

"What year is it?"

"What are you? Some kind of comedian?" The robot asked.

"Just tell us. Please?"

"Okay, pal. It's May 6, 2113. Now can I go?"

As the robot elbowed its way past them they saw a logo that read FedUp on its back. As the robot passed a building it took a brown parcel from its insides and threw it through a fifth story window.

"Some things never change." Kate said, bewildered.

"We've gone almost a hundred years into the future, Beckett. A century! That must have been a time ripple we walked through."

"What are we going to do, though?"

"We're not far from the loft. Let's go see who lives there."

"I'm sure it's not us after a hundred years."

Castle stopped. "That would be so cool. Imagine meeting an older me. A ruggedly handsome older man and his gorgeous wife."

"Come on, old man." Kate took his arm and pulled him to the loft. Once there, they found a robot standing outside and a large bronze plaque on the building reading: Castle Residence, New York Historical Society.

"May I help you humans?" The robot asked, politely.

"Can we tour the Castle residence?" Rick asked quickly.

"By yourselves?" The robot asked, obviously shocked.

"How else would we do it?" Kate asked.

The robot managed a shrug. "Most humans would send their robot and then have it download the experience."

"We'd like to see it in person."

The robot nodded and let them past. Once on the fourth floor they were greeted by a robot docent. "My, my. Two actual humans come to visit the residence of the famous Senator Katherine Castle. How unusual. Well, please come in. The whole loft is exactly as it was in their day."

The loft was nothing like what they had left that morning, being rather girly. "What happened to the office?" Rick asked.

"It's exactly as Senator Castle left it. There on that very desk is where she wrote he first draft of the Economic Readjustment Act and the Comprehensive Middle East Peace Accord. And, the famous Doctor Alexis Castle wrote up the discoveries that won her five Nobel Prizes. The Castles always were a close knit family. In fact, Martha Rodger's room is upstairs and has the computer on which she wrote the first of her many self help books. She truly changed the world as did the other Castle women."

"What about Senator Castle's husband?" Rick asked, becoming angry.

"Alexander Castle? He was a minor twenty first century author. Fiction of some sort, I think."

"Alexander! Her husband is Richard Castle, not Alexander."

The robot chuckled. "Oh, I see we have a Richardist among us. Well, although a great deal was lost in the Great Data Dump of 2077, all reputable historians agree the Senator's husband was named Alexander."

"Richard Alexander Rodgers was my birth name. I changed it to Richard Edgar Castle when I started to write. Look at me. I'm Rick Castle. This is Kate Beckett."

The robot looked them over carefully. "You certainly are the most dedicated Richardist I've ever heard of. I can't see any sign of the surgery you must have had. And your Companion looks exactly like a young Senator Beckett."

"Companion?" Kate asked, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by that?"

"My dear, obviously, you were built to accompany this man and provide him with…Um, companionship."

"I am not some robot hooker! I'm Kate Beckett and I'm his wife!"

"You two are married? Whatever for?" The robot asked.

"Because we love each other. We want to be together and have children."

"Aha!" Cried the robot. "If you really were Mr. and Mrs. Castle, you'd know about your own children."

"We have kids?" They asked together.

"Of course. How do you expect me to take you seriously if you don't know that?"

"What about the kids?" Rick asked.

"Well, your daughter Lilly was never able to accept living in the shadow of her famous mother, older sister and grandmother. She hung around with her father a lot. Then her wild child period began. When she was elected president of the Visigoths Motorcycle Club, things went from bad to worse. She reformed in prison, or so they say."

"Prison?" Kate said. "I have a daughter who went to prison?"

"Then there are the two Castle males, Jake and Reese. Their band's concert in Berlin began the famous Berlin riots that eventually brought the European Union down. Spread anarchy all over Europe, and many Mediterranean countries as well."

"They had a band?" Rick asked.

"The Feral Cannibal Zombies. It's said their father thought up the name. He thought it was cool, an odd slang term of the era, meaning good." "Would you like to see the rest of the loft? I'm afraid the room formerly used by Lilly Castle is off limits until the EOD crews do another sweep and the EPA gives an all clear."

"I think we'll just leave." Kate said, again dragging Rick away.

"Next time send your robot. You'll get a better tour." The robot docent called after them.

They stopped outside. "Our daughter is in prison?" Kate moaned.

"I'm a minor author, and they can't even get my name straight?' Castle said angrily.

"Castle! Priorities! We're the worst parents ever. Our daughter goes to prison and our sons cause Europe to fall apart? We need to get out of here and do something."

"Hey, buddy." Whispered a voice from the alley. "Over here."

In the shadows of the alley they found a robot wearing a trench coat and with a fedora pulled down over his….visual receptors.

"What do you want?" Kate asked.

"We heard about you. That you're the real Kate and Alexander Castle."

"Richard! It's Richard Castle."

"Not so loud, pal. I'm with the resistance. Trying to put humans back on top again. Come with me. Our leader wants talk to you." They followed the robot to a nondescript house not far from the loft. Once inside, they got a surprise.

"Meredith? My ex-wife is the leader of the resistance?"

Meredith looked at Rick and Kate in awe. "The legends are true. You've come back to help us at our hour of need." She then glared at Rick. "Your first wife was my great, great, great grandmother by her fourth husband."

"Why does the resistance against robots have robots working for it?" Kate asked.

Meredith broke down and began crying. "It's just so hard to live without robots. I went to the store last week and the robots laughed at me for not being able to read a bar code to tell the prices. It was humiliating. Most people just sit back and let robots run their lives. They make sure we eat right, exercise and don't do things that are bad for us…"

"And are polite to everyone." The robot continued. "As well as thinking clean thoughts. Clean mind, clean body, you know."

"See what I mean?" Meredith said. "I don't know how I'd manage without them."

Kate took a deep breath. "Meredith, if you want to be free from being ruled by robots, you have to give them up. Or at least use them when they're under your control and not…" Kate stopped when she saw a shimmering light headed to them. "Meredith, you have to…" And then they were gone."

They looked around them and then ran out of the alley they had started in. Running to the end of the alley, they found the streets filed with people.

Kate hugged Rick and then kissed him. "I will never go into politics. When we have kids, I'm going to be the best mom ever. Our children will be great people when they grow up."

"And I'll make damned sure that my first name gets put in big letters on all of my books. He glanced at Kate. "And I'll make sure I'm always there for the kids. Except if they want to start a band."

"Shall we go to the famous Castle loft?" Kate asked, holding out her hand.

Rick took her hand and walked with her.