Page 71 of The Misplaced Warrior

“So it did it for me?” Gen asked, holding up the small cube.

“It’s the Weapon of War,” Emperor answered. “It has no problem killing and in this case, it was necessary. But you are in a vulnerable position and couldn’t be guilty of such an act.”

“But this is my weapon,” Gen insisted. “How will this not come back on me?”

“Because you aren’t a snake and Charlie Sloane fell to his death,” Emperor stated. “I saw that clearly and I can’t lie.”

“Wow,” Gen said, letting out a breath, clasping Bellumferrum in her hand, a silent message of gratitude to it. “Then it’s over.”

“Not quite,” Emperor stated, nodding at the workstation. “You have to stop the signal, but you still have time. Charlie Sloane was lying to you, saying that it was done. But you should call Alicia and get it shut down. There should be enough time.”

“Of course,” Gen said, rushing over to the computer station, pulling out her phone as she slid Bellumferrum into her pocket. “So everything will be okay? Once I get this shut down?”

Emperor glanced down to the ground where Charlie Sloane’s body would soon attract the attention of the authorities. “Yes, the people of Los Angeles will be saved, thanks to our efforts. And a bad man has been stopped. But I think we both know that the worst one is still out there…”

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

THE MASK WE WEAR

Dwayne Stone’s Office, Rogue Rider Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, United States

“What were you thinking?” Dwayne Stone asked, his knuckles on his desk as he leaned forward like he was about to pounce straight onto Gen.

She sat squarely in the chair on the other side of his imposing desk, looking up at him with a stoic expression. “I was thinking that I needed to go after the man who framed me for a crime I didn’t commit.”

His thin eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “It was Commissioner Sloane who set you up for stealing from MystTech Creations?”

Gen nodded confidently. “Yes, I learned that he was trying to get rid of me after I stopped the robbery at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art—which he was behind.”

He narrowed his tiny eyes at her. “What else have you learned?”

She pursed her lips together, ready to play this just as she and Emperor had planned. “I learned that Charlie Sloane murdered the old Commissioner of Los Angeles, Peter Stevenson. But you already knew that, didn’t you, sir? Because you knew who did it, but as you told the council at the House of Fourteen, you couldn’t release information because you were forced to play a political game? You were trying to take down Charlie Sloane, but stealthily, right?”

The leader of the Rogue Riders seemed to consider her, the vein in his head surfacing as it did when his stress mounted. He pinched his lips together and nodded—lying. With a sigh, he took a seat in the chair on the other side of his large desk. “Yes, I was aware that Charlie Sloane was the murderer and that’s how he got his position as Commissioner.”

And there was the first of many lies that Dwayne Stone would tell Gen. She didn’t give anything away, actually smiling with determination.

“Well, I learned when trying to clear myself of the false charges that Charlie Sloane was behind it,” Gen explained, expertly able to lie and not be detected. “Then I discovered that he had stolen the special virtual reality technology from MystTech Creations. That, of course, got me worried, especially since he had the billboard magitech.”

Gen went silent for a moment, studying Dwayne Stone. He was trying to figure out how to play this, which was perfect because she was already ahead of him.

“I know that you’re angry that I went off on my own and destroyed the transmitters, sir,” she continued. “But I was only trying to save the people of Los Angeles from an evil man’s plans and I knew that you weren’t in a position to do anything major, not wanting to create an enemy of the Commissioner before you could take him down strategically.”

He sat back. Swallowed hard. Averted his gaze. “You’re correct that I couldn’t act, not having sufficient evidence against the Commissioner. As a new leader to the Rogue Riders, I’ve come in at a very sensitive time and couldn’t put targets on our backs.”

And there was another set of lies…

“Right,” Gen said, nodding understandingly. “It seems that Charlie Sloane used the timing of your leadership to his advantage. Anyway, I didn’t have anything to lose and had made an enemy of Charlie Sloane. You told me to clear my name and I did, learning that he was behind a huge campaign to control and take advantage of the citizens of Los Angeles, all for his selfish gains.”

“But you killed him,” Dwayne said, shaking his head.

“I did not,” Gen stated. “He fired at me when I caught him red-handed, trying to send a brainwashing signal out to LA. If it went out then the people would become zombies. He’d look like a saint, with no crime, but people would cease to live their lives. I stopped that. And it was he who fell off the side of the building.”

“When your weapon struck him,” Dwayne Stone argued, the vein pulsing bigger. “It doesn’t look right that the Rogue Riders were at the center of this. You flew around the city and demolished property.”

“I stopped the transmitters which were broadcasting brainwashing messages to the citizens,” Gen countered. “I’ve turned all the evidence on Charlie Sloane over to Captain Neal. That man was behind the Federal Reserve Bank robbery attempt. He admitted that he wanted people to be shells and get out of his way because he hated them. What I did was necessary. And I was in the position to do it. You weren’t and I understand that, sir.”

He considered this. Considered what lie to tell next. “I will admit that this has gained us, the Rogue Riders, some accolades. The new Commissioner, this Captain Neal, is very grateful and has offered us many advantages managing the city.”

---