Silver-Green, Back Inside Charlotte

Paisley ran back and sat in the other chair. "They're fine."

"Now, there are more witnesses to maim," Commander Nickel said. "I don't want to kill...."

Mason grinned as if nothing was wrong.

"How did you figure I'm the goddess of the universe?" Commander Nickel asked.

Mason's smile collapsed into a frown. "You found out Gloria was safe when no one received that information, and your communications are down. Deb would have had to tell you. Rob visited you, didn't he?"

"I had nothing to do with this," Rob said.

Nickel shook her head, 'no.' "I'm Deb. Mason, please don't hate me. Will you visit me in prison?"

"I don't hate you."

Nickel stuttered. "Why do... you think that my beautiful... Tolbert allowed himself to be captured? I should've bribed you instead of trying to kill you."

"So, you tried to murder my son," Mason's mother yelled.

Commander Nickel didn't answer her. "And I admitted to it." Nickel slipped out her weapon, but she tossed them to the ground. "My laser guns don't work, anyway."

"I didn't know if it was you, Rob, or my mom, so I altered or hid all of your weapons."

"Shouldn't you be angry at your son?" Commander Nickel fell against the wall.

"I'd be angry if Mason excluded me too soon. Do you realize how untrustworthy I am?" Agent Lace leaned over Commander Nickel. "Where are the cultists hiding on the planet?" She pulled another weapon to Nickel's side, but Holbrook pulled it from her hands.

"Where did you buy this? This laser gun is deadly." Holbrook pulled three more weapons off of Agent Lace.

Nickel slumped over and didn't speak.

"Nickel went after my baby boy, and she'll kill us all," Lace said.

"Mother, you're untrustworthy. You know where the cultists are because it's your cult. Well, half your cult. Forcing Commander Nickel to confess was the perfect touch. She was sacrificing herself to save you. Nickel is only harmful to herself."

"No," Nickel said. "I wasn't saving her."

Lace held out her arm. "Give me a weapon that works, so I'm destined to finish Deb's Light and Nickel. She is not harmless. The psycho works for Tolbert, not the other way around."

The door to Mason's apartment opened, and General Allen walked out with his gun drawn. "You aren't going to murder her."

"Why do you care after what she has done?" Agent Lace asked. "You're in love with Nickel, and it's compromised the mission. My son is level-head, but you are not. My friendship with her clouded my judgment as well."

Mason pulled Nickel away and shielded her. "Mom. I replaced or stole most of your weapons because Nickel is your semi-brainwashed follower, not because I was so stupid that I didn't know who Deb was."

"I'm not brainwashed," Nickel mumbled. "No one gave me a choice."

"Babette, what are you talking about?" Lace asked.

Mason narrowed his eyes. "Rob paid you to sabotage Quin's ship. You both wanted money and revenge. You both lead this cult."

"I'm losing money," Rob said.

"But Vash kept warning me the chips were in the weapon or feeling guilty about Zander or Frank because they were never her choice," Mason said.

"Nickel must have altered the chandelier trap," General Allen said.

Commander Nickel mumbled. "Deb-Dagger is the light for all businesses. Deb is everything. No, it's not true."

Mason stepped back. "Why is the cult's money in Birdie's name, yet he can't access it? Everything points to you. I bet there are accounts in my name as well." Mason's eyes didn't show what he was feeling.

Commander Nickel spoke. "Deb created the perfect worker and corporate structure. Employees shut down without instructions. Her brightest lights paid her for the honor of working."

The general didn't speak, but he held Nickel to protect her.

"Dozens of companies pay me a fourth of their profits for my business seminars." Lace pulled a pin from the closest guard's badge and attempted to stab her son in jerking movements. Her eyes filled with shadows.

Holbrook overpowered her, and the jagged metal fell to the floor.

"No! No!" Lace grabbed at Holbrook.

Holbrook shot her, tucked her weapon away, and removed the cuffs from her purse to restrain Agent Lace.

"This isn't happening. It's unfair, and I think firing me is punishment enough. May I go home now? I'm rich enough to post bail." Lace stared blankly as the coils wrapped around her.

"No, Mother, the warrant doesn't allow for bail," Mason said.

Lace spoke to Mason. "You're not loyal and tried to destroy my business. You were my favorite."

"She was thirteen, but you abused her before that." He breathed deeply.

"Mason, I love her and only sent robots after her when she refused to help me rid the world of you."

Mason stepped back. "She wasn't loyal, and she wasn't exactly your number two."

"Nickel was so focused on saving you; she didn't realize I placed drugs in the pastries she gave to Zander. No one checked why she was in the infirmary because no one loves her."

"Agent Lace, you could have killed Nickel." Holbrook's hand touched her weapon.

Lace struggled with her cuffs and moaned in pain. She stopped struggling, and they relaxed. "So what? The snot refused to kill for me. The lights in my inner circle will do anything for Deb. Tolbert and my gunners proved themselves. Her attempt to receive the blame is worth something."

Nickel spoke. "You were my friend, and I didn't really know you were Deb, though I suspected. And I found out information through Tolbert. He was never as bright as he thought he was, but I doubt even he knew the real you."

"The fact that I knew she'd go to prison for Deb is why I didn't kill her for her malicious compliance when it comes to the men I tell her to date. I own her."

Nickel sat up on the stretcher. "I did it for Mason, not you." She collapsed. "I'm okay."

"What did you do to her?" General Allen asked.

"I tried to change every aspect of her personality," Lace said.

"What about what you put Birdie through, and how could you have Tolbert cut Holbrook and Dina?" Mason asked.

"Birdie, like you won't understand. You're not even upset that I attempted to slaughter you, but I maimed a couple of rats." Agent Lace's eyes frowned. "I raised you better."

"But Mom, you didn't raise me. Your parents did. I'm disappointed in you," Mason said.

"You sound like my mother," Lace said.

"Wish you did." Mason stepped back.

"No non-cultist woman will love you because of me," Lace said.

Holbrook winked at Mason. "He still has me because my birth father was a loser even before he joined your cult. Judging him because of you would make me a hypocrite."

"Holbrook was the first person I told, and she had no problem. I have another question. Why did you kill Kay's ex?"

Lace grinned. "He was a member of my organization, but he stole from me, so I had to remove him from this world. My partner will make a better ruler. Our cultists will free us, and we'll win. You were always meant to die if you crossed me."

Mason stepped away from her. "Or did your partner kill him like he killed the retired Apollo? No, I bet you both did that together. At first, I thought your partner was your husband, but he was genuinely duped. Rob was too trusting with Zander, but he wasn't a trusting person. His cuffs aren't for show."

An officer took Rob aside and read him his interstellar rights.

"Holbrook, I cut those who need to stay in their place. I never thought you and Dina were a real threat. That's why I sent the siren to harass you." Lace stepped back.

Dina cupped her ear. "I didn't have anything to do with my mother's thefts, and I gave back your pension from my pocket."

"The murder is not about a pension," Holbrook said. "Your mother paid her off for years."

"I have double jeopardy on Quin's murder and on being Deb. You can't arrest me twice. Why do you think I allowed myself to be jailed? No one can prove Dina's faulty evidence was originally from me." Lace stared at her son.

Mason stiffened. "But they only charged you for Quin's death, not August's. You can't be charged with being Deb, but you can be charged for her crimes since your last arrest."

The color left Lace's cheeks. "Mason, you judge me, but you had a choice to rule over entire planets," Lace said.

"Shut up before I slice your ear!" Holbrook yelled.

"That violates my rights." A smug look appeared on Agent Lace's face. "I'll claim a conflict of interest with Mason and my arrest."

"Not when you dragged him on board," Allen said. "And every bit of information he gathered, I took a court order in advance for, but nice try."

"Dina, I'm sorry... that I didn't back you. You're the one who raised me because Mom hated her children," Shanna said.

Dina hugged her. "I'll always love you."

"You don't understand. All my lights will destroy themselves without me," Lace said.

Shanna broke away. "If you have been imitating me, I'll... do the same, and I'll tell her followers to stand down and receive help, and they'll wake up. My voice is fake, anyway. I'm an imitation as well."

"You are playing hero now. No, my followers will freeze without me. If I am not speaking through my AI in the next hour." Lace's lip trembled.

Holbrook recited her rights to her. "By interstellar law, you're arrested, have a right to an attorney, and two monitored phone calls. Anything you have said may be used in court, so I advise you to no longer incriminate yourself. This is a no-bail bounty, meaning you cannot request bail because you didn't turn yourself in within the allotted time frame."

"Workers shouldn't be paying the company." Holbrook located Deb's phone, and her voice changer used Agent Lace's fingerprint to break in.

Shanna imitated her voice. "I want you all to find employment elsewhere and no longer work for me. Please don't buy my products or take my courses, and I'll send you further instructions. I've been imitated by fakes. You're faithful. None of you are rats. Form honest businesses. Pay your workers and yourself. Highly processed junk food disrupts workflow. Rats hacked into my AI, claiming wind power was evil." She turned off the phone. "I'm not wrong, am I? And I need to give them something."

Kay met them at the door. "Where is Nickel? Does she know who killed my ex?"

"I didn't do anything," Rob screamed.

"My mother and Rob killed him." Mason pointed to Commander Nickel on the floor. "She confessed in an attempt to stop Mom from killing me."

Lace grinned and stared at Rob. "Rob paid me to eliminate his mom, and I have proof. He and I were partners in Deb's Light from day one. He received money from short stocking his own company by abusing the market."

"Traitor," Rob said. "You must have used Nickel to keep your sons out of your business."

"I also used her to experiment on." Lace smiled.

"My cell is going to be a hotel room with room service. Lace came to me through Rag-And-Bone Merchants." Rob lunged at her but collapsed from the tightening coil cuffs.

"He paid half of what he promised, but luckily I wanted his mom dead," Lace said.

"Mom, I love you." Mason kept his distance.

"But you'd turn me in," his mother said.

Rob laughed. "No, I'm better than anyone else. My mother told me that since I was a child, and she took it away when I made a tiny mistake. I took her life away." He grinned.

"Oh, Mom, you and Rob's cult members weren't let through the field, and I expelled all others. You're alone," Mason said.

She struggled with her cuffs, and they tightened around her wrists. "Yes, but we're worshiped. The only reason you're alive is that she got in my way of killing you, including swapping the bottles. I didn't suspect her until my chandelier trap failed. Before it happened, I thought your father was behind your miracles. He's tried to save you before because he loves you, even though you failed us."

"Yes, I know." He stared at her.

"Deb is the light," Nickel mumbled, and she lost consciousness for a moment. "Mason, help me."

Medics rush in.

"Place Nickel on a stretcher and take her to the hospital. Protect her from the cultists and herself," Holbrook said.

"You and Mason know an awful lot. Who is Vash?" Dina asked.

"My name is Lexi," Nickel whispered repeatedly. "I'm Lexi."

"She's my sister. Vash Salamander, AKA Babette Nickel, AKA Lexi Even-Core, is my sister." Tears finally fell, covering Mason's cheeks. "Shanna gave me her DNA years ago. I knew we weren't related. I wanted to surprise my mom when I suspected Nickel was my sister. She was my mom's best friend. Wouldn't that be a cute story? When Shanna's second DNA test came, we knew something was wrong. Especially with how much Shanna resembled...." he paused.

"So you lied to me," Lace said.

"And you tortured and brainwashed your daughter. I only kept things from you after you broke my trust. I thought it was my father who got rid of her, but you gave her to the Salamanders, so you could exact revenge."

Guards came in and dragged Rob and Mason's mother towards the door, but Mason motioned for them to stop.

"Mason, I thought you'd be related to Shanna," Rob said.

"She had eye surgery, and her birthmarks altered to resemble Vash's. Even her fake voice mimics how my sister used to talk. How could you not know that? Shanna is your half-sister and also the half-sibling to my brother Birdie. You don't know why my mother hated Quin."

"I'm the reason," Shanna said. "If Birdie is my brother, everything makes sense."

"None of this was your fault." Mason stepped closer to Dina and away from his mother. "My mom killed both Quin and her first husband, August."

"August took the drugs willingly. All I had to do was up the dosage," Lace said.

Dina spoke. "I never realized that Vash wasn't a street kid. She first started appearing years after Mom claimed her on her tax returns. Mom and the old king were stealing from corporate orphanages, and I only found out days after her funeral. Rob, I'm glad I didn't receive any of that poisonous money. I wasn't fibbing when I said that I hoped she suffered."

"No, Shanna isn't Mom's kid. August was too low-caste for her," Rob said.

"The DNA test I secretly ran was proof they cheated," Lace screamed out. "That half-harpy adulterous creep slept with her. Quin was older than me and full of plastic. I even named my daughter after Shanna's middle name because I thought it was cute. How sick was that? And I didn't find out until I was pregnant with my second child."

"You didn't have to kill," Mason said.

"I rid the world of him first, but I waited to exact my revenge on stupid Quin. I even let her adopt my daughter and helped with her orphanage scams. But I wanted all traces of my husband out of my house."

"But what about Birdie?" Mason asked.

"Why do you think I ditched Birdie off at my mom's?" Lace smiled as if she had won. "Mason, you were born to a man who loved me, but Mother refused to let me see you anymore without supervision. She kept you from me. You might not believe this, but my selfishness helps the world. There are workers and leaders."

"Does your mom know what you are?"

"Your grandma knows I didn't want Birdie and told me if I didn't take both kids, she'd fight me for custody, and she won. Like you, my mother is unkillable. My children are nothing more than disappointments. You're mangy," Agent Lace said. "Your father can shift in more than a wolf, yet you have none of his abilities. My attempts to give you them made it impossible for me."

Mason's normally massive eyes narrowed. "Mom, I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're the narcissist. I bet you cheated on your first husband, too. All your life, teachers probably told you what a bright and special light you were. Grandma raised you better. It's all a lie, and I'm not listening."

"The world needs business owners like me."

Mason ignored her, and she wailed.