"Captain, new contact on long range sensors." "Creaver battleship closing fast." "Demagnify." "Oracle..." "Chances for crew survival if we engage?" "Our weapons systems are disabled." "The alien vessel has superior firepower." "Chances of survival... 0.1%." "That's a rosy prediction." "We will live to fight another day." "Prepare for flash warp." "Captain Max, Lieutenant Chloe hasn't teleported back from Ariel's moon." "Hold flash warp." "We're not leaving without her." "But, sir, if we don't warp in time, all of humanity will be lost." "And if we don't wait for Lieutenant Chloe, our humanity will be lost." "Captain, the Creavers have fired ion torpedoes." "Shields up." "Man battle stations." "Impact in nine seconds." "Status on Lieutenant Chloe." "She teleported, sir." "She's back on our ship." "Initiate flash warp." "Warping in three, two... one." "Warp successful." "Lieutenant Chloe, you're back." "And so is my Thorian blaster." "Ohh!" "No!" "Why?" "I'm with the Creavers now." "And this ship..." "Is under my command." "Whoo!" "That was so freakin' cool." "Thank you for serving under me today on the "Nebula-9" fan experience." "Please return to the dressing rooms and leave your uniforms with the attendant." "And may fortune..." "Guide your journey." "Check out the oracle pod." "Man, the oracle looks so real." "I think she is real." "And I think she's dead." "And here you go." "Thanks." "I'm your number-one fan." "Thanks for coming." "How far they fall." "All right." "Where do you want it?" "Could you sign my chest?" "Wow." "That actually caught your attention." "What are you doing here?" "You'd know if you'd answer your phone." "Listen, if you want your very own signed copy of "Storm Season,"" "I'd be happy to arrange a private signing." "Cap your pen, Castle." "There's been a murder here." " Here at SupernovaCon?" " Mm-hmm." "Shiny." "You gotta admit, this is a genius place to commit a murder." "I mean, you don a costume, strike down your intended target, and then melt into the crowd unseen." "You sound like you've actually thought about this, Castle." "I used to come here a lot." "Alexis and I would come here every year and dress up." "You should've seen her, like a little pint-sized princess Leia." "And you were?" "Oh, Darth Vader, of course." "So who is our victim?" "Did Doc Ock finally catch up with Spider-Man?" "Think more TV starship." " Oh!" "Um, borg attack." " Mnh-mnh." "Cylon skinjob?" "Please say Number Six." "Nope." ""Nebula-9."" " Really?" " Mm-hmm." "I'm sorry." "How is "Nebula-9" worthy of all this?" "I mean, they were canceled over a decade ago after 12 episodes, which was 12 episodes too many." "I thought you would be a fan." "I'm a fan of good Sci-Fi..." ""Star Trek," "Battlestar,"" "that Joss Whedon show." "But "Nebula-9"?" "No, no." "It's all phony melodrama and lifeless acting." "Wow." "Okay, this is a cool ship." "The show is still lame, but this is a cool ship." " Yo." " Hey." "So who's our vic?" "Anabelle Collins." "She's, uh, 28." "Looks like she was killed and then stashed in that pod." "She's the one who put together this whole "Nebula-9"" "fan experience re-enactment thing." "An impressive if misguided effort." "With you, bro." "Give me "Blade Runner"... a bleak, dystopian future with sexy replicants." "Right?" "How about you, Beckett?" "What do you..." "Have you found next of kin?" "Actually on my way to do that." "Perlmutter, good to see you." "Ah, if only the feeling were mutual." "So when was she killed?" "Well, based on liver temp, last night between 10:00 and 11:00 P.M." "The bigger issue is how she was killed." "Now I believe death came by way of this rather fascinating small-diameter puncture to her heart." "Stab wound." "Oh, Castle, think." "How would that explain the first-degree burns on the skin around the wound?" "That could be powder burns from a close-range gunshot." "Yeah, but the burns should have gunpowder stippling, particulates seared into the flesh." "Uh, not only that, there would be blood spatter." "So what caused the wound?" "No clue." "Never seen anything quite like it." "I should know more once I get her on the slab." "Hey." "So I just finished taking witnesses' statements." "Uh, none of these folks knew the victim or were here during the time of death." "Yeah, we're gonna have to find witnesses that were." "Someone must have seen the killer entering or leaving the ship last night." "Yeah, but how would we locate them?" "There's thousands of people here." "You know what?" "You could leave a message on the "Nebula-9" fan site asking for anyone that was here between 10:00 and 11:00 last night." "And just let them know that you're gonna meet them at the front of the ship." ""Nebula-9" fan site?" "Yeah." "I understand that they have a very loyal fan..." "Fan base." "Is that..." "Gabriel Winters, A.K.A. the real captain Max Rennard." "He knew the victim." "And?" "Oh, I tried to talk to him, but he said he needed a minute to "muse upon the fragile nature of human life."" "Well, his minute is up." "Hi." "Um..." "Mr. Winters, I'm, uh, Detective Kate Beckett and..." "I'm devastated, ravaged by sorrow." "I'm reminded of the moment when first officer Tate was sucked into that wormhole in episode six." "Except in this case, someone actually died." "Yeah." "Now I understand that you knew Anabelle." "Do you have any idea who could've done this to her?" "No idea." "Anabelle was spectacular in every way." "When "Nebula-9" was canceled... unjustly, I might add... she kept interest in the show alive." "How will I go on without her?" "Go on living?" "Go on doing the fan experience." "She contacted me a few months ago, asked me to be a part of this." "I was thrilled to give back to the "Nebula-9" community." "When was the last time you saw her?" "About 9:00 last night, after the fan experience ended." "Then I went back to my hotel, stayed in for the night." "Last time I saw Anabelle, she was alone on the bridge." "And may fortune... guide her journey." "But the show must go on." "When do you think we can get this back up and running?" "Soon?" "Ish?" "We'll let you know." "In the meantime, did you know any of Anabelle's family members?" "Nah." "But her friends Audrey and Davis run the "Nebula-9" booth down on the floor." "Dismissed." "It's just so awful." "She's been my best friend since high school." "She introduced me to Davis." "She's the reason we're together." "Yeah, we bonded over "Nebula-9."" "We all loved the show." "So... when Anabelle started the fan club, we helped out." "And it just kind of took off from there." "Did you notice any unusual behavior?" "I saw her yesterday morning, and she seemed really upset." " About what?" " I don't know." "All she said was that someone she had trusted had betrayed her." "Any idea who?" "Was she involved with anyone?" "Not that I know of." "Did Anabelle have any enemies?" "There were those fans, the ones that sent all the threats." "What threats?" "After the fan club took off, Anabelle bought the rights to the show for practically nothing and started making new "Nebula-9" webisodes starring the three of us." "You know, picking up where the show left off, like as a tribute." "Not everyone saw it that way." "Anabelle got some pretty ugly e-mails." "How ugly?" "Some were death threats." "Boy, Davis wasn't kidding about these e-mails." "Listen to this." ""Your so-called webisodes" ""desecrate the memory of 'Nebula-9' and you should pay the ultimate price."" "I don't know, Castle." "Do you honestly believe that Anabelle was killed by an angry "Nebula-9" fan?" "I think if you like "Nebula-9,"" "you're crazy enough to kill, yeah." "Whoa." "Why are you so down on the show?" "Uh, okay, well, let's see, because it's cheesy, it ignores the laws of physics..." "And good storytelling, not to mention..." "Okay, I got it." " It's Perlmutter." "He's got something for us." " Mm." "Kate Beckett?" "!" "K-Bex!" "I knew it was you." "Oh, Henry Barnett." "Wow." "It's been... years." "Since our first semester at Stanford." "K-Bex?" "Um..." "I, uh, I..." "Do you think we could catch up later?" "I'm actually here for work." "Oh, well, that explains why you aren't wearing your "Nebula-9" outfit." "You, uh..." "You have a "Nebula-9" outfit?" "Oh, she had a few." "She was a mega fan." "You should've seen her as Lieutenant Chloe." "Oh, wait." "You can." "Remember that photo we all took?" "I brought it to get it signed." "It's us from back in the day." "Ooh." "Isn't it frakin' awesome?" "It's frakin' something." "Henry, I need that photo." "What?" "Why?" "It's official NYPD business." "Don't make me ask again." "Thank you." "So I was "Nebula-9" fan." "Big deal." "Oh, you were beyond a fan." "You dressed up in costume." "You." "Okay, yes," "I was a Sci-Fi loving, costume-wearing geek, and you know what?" "Not ashamed of it or of "Nebula-9."" "Despite what you think, it was an awesome show." "Hmm." "I'll tell you what," "I'll forgive you your terrible taste if you..." "Try on that "Nebula-9" costume for me." "In your dreams." "Look at my life." "My dreams come true." "Perlmutter." "Detective Beckett." "Perlmutter." "And non-detective Castle." "So do you have a cause of death?" "It was a burn, a burn that penetrated tissue, muscle, and bone, leaving this perfectly cylindrical hole." "Well, what kind of burn does that?" "Well, one created by high levels of infrared radiation." "The...the blood vessels were cauterized from the intense heat." "Are you saying..." "She was killed by a phaser?" "Well, as much as it pains me," "Mr. Castle is..." "Marginally correct." "She was killed by a high-intensity laser beam." "A real Sci-Fi murder..." "At a Sci-Fi convention." "Just keeps getting better." "How is it possible that she's killed by a laser?" "Easy." "Someone shot her with a laser gun." "Real ones don't exist, Castle." "Actually, they do." "There is an advanced tactical phaser that could melt a hole in a tank from 5 miles away." "Read about it." "It's as big as a truck." "Yes, well, obviously someone has constructed a portable, hand-held version." "Like who?" "Let's go back to the e-mails of the crazed "Nebula-9" fans." "And when I say "crazed fans,"" "I'm..." "I'm not referring to you." "You... are a mega fan." "Nice one coming from the guy with a life-size Boba Fett in his bathroom." "Point taken." "Anyway..." "Perhaps one of these fans, enraged by Anabelle's blasphemous webisodes, somehow fashioned a functioning Thorian blaster and, in an act of divine retribution, said killer shot Anabelle with the very weapon featured on "Nebula-9."" "Interesting theory, but we have interviewed all of those crazed fans, and they all have alibis." "Okay, well, then maybe it wasn't a crazed fan." "But..." "The fact is, someone did zap Anabelle with some kind of..." "Laser blaster." "I will talk to ATF and see if they've heard of anyone possessing a..." "Laser blaster." "A functional laser weapon." "In the meantime, hopefully, Ryan and Esposito have found some witnesses by posting on the fan site." "Her name is Anabelle Collins." "Did you see her in this area between 10:00 and 11:00 P.M. last night?" "Um..." "let me repeat the question." "First of all, ma'am, I must ask you, uh, how are you keeping those leaves on there like that?" "Why don't you pull on one and find out?" "Did you see her or not?" "He only speaks Mersatonian." "Maybe you could translate for me." "I'm not really that fluent." "Next." "Did you see her here last night between 10:00 and 11:00?" "Nope." "But..." "If there's anything else I can do for you..." "Here's my number." "Call me." "You took my pen." "Let me begin by asking if you speak English or not." "Obvi." "Okay." "Did you see this woman between 10:00 and 11:00 P.M. last night?" " Yeah." " You did?" "Yeah." "My friends and I were totes pissed at her because she told us that the fan experience was closed, and then two seconds later, she brought someone inside here." "Could you describe who she was with?" "I can do lots better." "I can tell you her name." "Stephanie Frye... the actress who played your personal hero" "Lieutenant Chloe in the original "Nebula-9" series?" "A witness saw Anabelle and Stephanie walk on to the spaceship set around 9:45." "Well, did she see either one of them after that?" "No." "Stephanie's a big movie star now." "She's not even involved with "Nebula-9."" "What possible motive could she have?" "All I know is that she was one of the last people to see Anabelle alive, so I have to talk to her." "I'm sad to hear about Anabelle." "I've met her a few times at conventions like this." "She seemed lovely." "We have witness that saw you and Anabelle go into the ship just before she died." "You don't think..." "We're just trying to figure out what happened." "Nothing happened." "We talked." "It was a quick conversation." "I had to be on the red carpet 10:00." "What did you talk about?" "Ugh." "She asked if I'd be part of this weekend's "Nebula-9" fan experience." "Yeah, but you'd distanced yourself from the show." "Didn't you?" "I... heard that you did." "Well, don't get me wrong, playing Lieutenant Chloe was my big break, but..." ""Nebula-9"?" "Not exactly a career launcher." "I know." "Now that I'm finally being taken seriously as an actress," "I couldn't go back." "It would harm my image." "So I told Anabelle no." "She understood." "Well, I'm not sure I do." "Why would she even ask if she knew you'd refuse?" "She was desperate." "She said she'd have to shut it down if she didn't have an original cast member." "Yeah, but what about captain Max?" "Gabriel, uh, Winters..." "she had him, didn't she?" "Gabriel is a complicated guy." "I mean, she didn't go into detail, but she was having problems with him." "She was having problems with him all right." "Word is that Gabriel was showing up late to the fan experience, and drunk." "Captain Max was drunk?" "Among other transgressions." "He was actually a no-show to the "Nebula-9" yesterday, and Anabelle had to rouse him from his hotel room, where he was passed out naked with two Lieutenant Chloes." "I think fortune was definitely guiding his journey." "Just because he exhibited some bad behavior doesn't mean that that was motive for murder." "Well, except that I just spoke to Gabriel's agent." "Anabelle called her yesterday, threatening to fire him." "And so he killed her?" "Well, here's the thing, the guy is a washed up actor." "He's barely worked since the show was canceled." "He does, what, 20 fan experiences a day at 500 bucks a shot?" "If Anabelle took that away from him, he'd have nothing." "Okay, guys." "Thanks." "Anabelle said she was betrayed by someone she trusted." "Maybe that was captain Max." "Oh, my God!" "Alexis?" "Dad?" "What are you doing here?" "What are you doing here dressed like that?" "We're Havacura." "It's a tribe of female assassins who..." "Don't wear clothes?" "You're overreacting." "And you're embarrassing me." "Oh, I'm embarrassing you?" "I'm the one who's dressed." " Dad!" " Castle, come on." "Let's go." "Captain, new contact on long-range sensors." "Are you kidding me?" "Do you see what she's wearing?" "Yeah, it's not that bad." "Not that bad?" "How am I gonna unsee that?" "Oracle... chances of crew survival if we engage?" "Our weapons systems are disabled." "The alien vessel has superior firepower." "Chances of survival... .1%." "That's a rosy prediction." "We will live to fight..." "Ah, we have visitors..." "Wearing 21st century garb." "Do you come in peace..." "Or is this more Creaver trickery?" "NYPD." "Sorry, folks, we're gonna have to cut this short." "Everyone out." "This is outrageous." "I included you in the "Nebula-9" experience, and you ruined it." "Mr. Winters, where were you last night between 10:00 and 11:00?" "And don't say your hotel room." "You can't be insinuating" "I had something to do with Anabelle's death." "I told you everything I know." "Then you wouldn't mind relinquishing your weapon." "This Thorian blaster was given to me by the vice chancellor of Loron when I helped save the queen..." "Oh, for the love of Pete." "Zap, said the lady." "You are so busted." "Hey." "So our ballistics guys got together with..." "Perlmutter and tested the blaster." "It's definitely our murder weapon." "I want to build an iron-clad case against this guy." "Have tech look at the gun, find out where it came from." "As you wish." "Well..." "I can see how Anabelle felt betrayed." "Some guys have no business commanding a spaceship." "Just goes to show you, sometimes people aren't what they appear to be." "For Alexis' sake, I hope you're right, given what she was wearing." "Castle, she is a full-grown woman." "Who, as we speak, is being ogled by thousands of sweaty, lecherous fan boys." "It's just so... wrong." "Can I just point out the fact that the costume that she was wearing is not so different from the one that you are asking me to wear?" "Don't say that!" "That..." "It's confusing and disturbing." "Look, I have no idea where that blaster came from." "That's funny, since it was on your hip." "I grabbed it off the props table when I suited up, just like I always do." "I didn't know it was real." "Wait." "You guys think I killed her and then kept the murder weapon on me?" "What kind of idiot does that?" "Why didn't you tell us that you were having problems with Anabelle?" "I played a lawyer in a well-regarded film that didn't come out." "I know about the legal system." "That would've just made me look guilty." "As opposed to how you look now?" "Look, here's what I think..." "Anabelle got tired of your drunken carousing and threatened to fire you from the only job that you had, so you killed her." "None of that is true." "Except maybe the carousing part." "So she didn't threaten to fire you?" "Yes, sure, all the time." "But she'd never go through with it." "I'm the face of "Nebula-9."" "I'm the reason all those lunatics line up for days outside of the convention." "Yes, well, perhaps now they'll line up outside Sing Sing." "Anabelle and I clashed on certain..." "Lifestyle choices." "But we had an understanding." "I even got her and her boyfriend into the opening night party on Wednesday." "Nice try." "She didn't have a boyfriend." "She told me she did." "Look, the fact is, you had means, motive, and opportunity." "And we checked with your hotel." "You left at 9:45 P.M. and returned at 11:00." "That's the exact time window of Anabelle's murder." "I was busy handling a personal issue that I would rather not discuss." "You are facing a murder charge." "Okay, look, we already know about the threesome with the Lieutenant Chloes." "How bad could it be?" "Well, let's just say, my, uh..." "Weakness for fleeting romance left me with a burning desire to see my doctor last night." "And it just got worse." "So the doctor confirms his alibi." "He was dosing Gabriel with antibiotics during our time-of-death window." "Gabriel said that Anabelle went to the party with her boyfriend, but there's no evidence that she was in a relationship." "There's nothing in her e-mails, phone calls, or texts." "And the very next day, she said someone had betrayed her trust." "Maybe she meant the secret boyfriend." "Whoever he is, he never came forward, and that is suspicious." "Yo." "Our tech guys caught a break." "They took apart the gun and they traced the serial number on one of the components." "The manufacturer shipped it to an address in the Bronx." "All right, Castle and I will go check this out." "You guys go to the convention center bar where the party was being held and see if you can ID who Anabelle was with." " Right on." " All right." "Better with you, man." "I'm telling you." "This is like the Halloween from hell." "Oh, yeah, this is probably too lowbrow for you, huh?" "You're probably into that boring-ass intellectual kind of Sci-Fi, like "Gattaca" or "2001."" "The monolith... what the hell was that?" "Don't ask me." "No, no, swords and sorcery, that's more my thing, like, uh, "Lord of the Rings."" "Yeah, I could probably see you as an elf or a hobbit." "Yeah." "Served her and her date in a private room." "Looked pretty cozy, but then, uh, later she was alone at the bar, crying her eyes out." "This date of hers, can you describe him?" "Sure can." "Looked like that." "A Creaver?" "A who?" "The evil alien race from "Nebula-9."" "Nasty creatures." "They'll eat you face off while you're still alive and then serve your organs to their young." " Good to know." " Is that all?" "Had one of these purple VIP badges." "Pretty exclusive." "Can't be more than a few hundred of them." ""Danger." "Do not enter."" "Well, that is just the sort of sign you'd expect to see on the lair of an evil laser-gun-making genius." "It's pitch-black inside, but the door is partially open." "I would say that's an invitation." "Wouldn't you?" "Just in case it isn't." "NYPD." "Anyone here?" "Perhaps we should have heeded that very wise sign." "Raise your hands!" "Prepare to die!" "NYPD." "Put down your weapons." "Did you see that?" "It worked perfectly." "It's modeled on the targeting system of a Machbarian star destroyer." "So I take it we're not gonna die." "From remote-controlled laser pointers?" "No." "But it's perfect to scare away intruders." "You shoulda seen the UPS guy." "He almost wet himself." "Excuse me." "Mister..." "Donnelly." "Benjamin Donnelly." "Purveyor of Sci-Fi hardware for the discriminating enthusiast." "So what can I interest you in?" "A Klingon batliff, perhaps?" "A Cylon laser pistol?" "A double-bladed lightsaber?" "You have a double-bladed lightsaber?" "Actually, we're looking for a Thorian blaster." "Oh." "The woman has taste." "Plasma pistol with a tri-skellium core... accurate down to the last detail." "Including its ability to kill?" "Excuse me?" "We're investigating a murder, and we traced the weapon back to you." "I created this for entertainment use only." "I never intended for it to hurt anybody." "Thorian blasters don't kill." "People do." "I can't be responsible once they leave my shop." "Yes, well, that is an amazing piece of weaponry..." "That I never want to fire again." " Wait." "You fired it?" " Oh, yeah." "Were you wearing proper protection?" "What?" "N-no." "Why?" "Wh-what... what kind of protection?" "You'll be fine." "How many of those have you sold?" "I only made two that were fully functional." "One in the case here." "The other, I sold to a collector Wednesday night." "Do you have a name?" "Sam?" "Seth?" "Simon?" "Something essey.." "You think you could describe him?" "No." "He was in costume." "Let me guess." "Creaver?" "Yeah." "He drove away in a white SUV if that helps." "I didn't get the numbers, but they were North Carolina plates." ""First in flight."" "What kind of protection?" "So Ryan and Esposito are running down everyone that was issued a purple pass to see if they can ID our Creaver." "We should have something by tomorrow morning." "I mean, it's just like you said, Castle." "That costume allowed our killer to strike unseen." "And of course he's gonna be a Creaver." "I mean, they're the sworn enemies of the "Nebula-9" crew." "Castle?" "Do I look different to you?" "No." "Why?" "Just, I feel so tingly." "Something's wrong." "I'm beginning to mutate like The Hulk or The Thing or worse, The Leader." "What would happen to my hair?" "I prefer Dr. Manhattan." "The blue skin... brings out your blue eyes." "This isn't funny." "What if firing that blaster made me infertile?" "You want more kids?" "Well, I'd like the option." "Well, I think you're gonna be fine, Castle." "All the same, I should decontaminate." "Take a silkwood shower." "Alexis." "What are you doing here?" "I thought maybe, after what happened, that you'd want to talk about it." "No." "Me?" "No." "You?" "No." "Yo." "Hey, so we found out that valet parking comes with those purple passes." "And there was only one attendee that had a white SUV with North Carolina plates." "Simon Westport." "He was on 295 heading South when state troopers pulled him over." "He had a Creaver outfit in his trunk." "Do you recognize this, Simon?" "It's a Thorian blaster." "You know what else it is?" "It's the gun that killed Anabelle Collins." "Bought by a guy dressed as a Creaver who was seen with the victim before she died." "This is not what it looks like." "I bought that for her as a gift." "You bought her a live-fire collectible laser gun" " as a gift?" " I did not kill her." "I didn't even know she was dead till the police told me." "What was your relationship to the victim?" "I met Anabelle at SupernovaCon, like, five years ago, and we just clicked." "Look, at the con, you can be anyone you want to be for a few days." "So we'd hook up." "It was a "same time next year" kind of thing." "So how does that square with you leaving her at the bar crying?" "Okay, something did happen at the party that night, but not with me." "I gave her the blaster." "She was thrilled." "I left to take a phone call." "I come back, and there's a guy hassling her." "About what?" "I don't know, but he tried to kiss her." "She slapped him in the face." "By the time I got to her, he had already taken off." "But she's all upset about it." "She tells me she needs space." "So she takes the blaster and leaves." "So I track her down the next day to see if she's okay, and out of nowhere she says that she's done with SupernovaCon and she's done with me." "So I checked out of my hotel and I left." "Can you describe this guy?" "Yeah." "He's the guy she did those webisodes with..." "Davis." "So sounds like whatever happened between Davis and Anabelle really did a number on her." "All of a sudden, she was ready to ditch Simon and the convention." "We talked to Davis." "He never mentioned any incident." "Which means he's hiding something." "Either that or he killed her." "Hey." "Tell me, you guys, do you think my hair is thinning?" "You're not losing your hair, Castle." "Okay, so if I wake up bald tomorrow, you'll still be attracted to me?" "Oh, my God." "You wouldn't." "I didn't say that." "No, but you were thinking it." "I can see it in your..." "With that pumpkin head?" "Dude." "Davis, what was your relationship with Anabelle Collins?" "I told you before." "We were friends." "Was friendship enough or did you want more?" "Witnesses saw you with Anabelle at the opening night party." "It sounds like she didn't respond too well" " to your advances." " And why would she?" "I mean, you were already in a relationship with her best friend." "Why would you risk it all by making a pass at her?" "Only one reason." "Love." "But you were with Audrey." "I was." "I am." "But it was always Anabelle." "Why don't you tell us what happened?" "That night" "I'd had a few drinks, and I saw her with that..." "Creaver at the party." "And they were all over each other." "And it killed me." "I couldn't take it anymore." "I had to tell her how I really felt, and she..." "She said terrible things." "She said that I had ruined everything, that she was gonna have to tell Audrey." "And..." "I didn't know what else to do." "Davis, did you kill Anabelle?" "No." "No, I was halfway across the building when it happened at the masquerade ball." "You can check." "Look..." "I tried to make things right with her." "I told her I was drunk, and we should just forget about it, but she couldn't." "She said it was one thing to live a fantasy, but she wasn't gonna live a lie..." "And that this was gonna be our last con." "She was gonna end the fan experience?" "Not just the fan experience." "Everything." "She said it was time to move on." "She had decided to cash out and sell the rights to "Nebula-9."" "I mean, they were worthless when she first got 'em, but she..." "She made the show popular again." "They were talking about rebooting the series, maybe even doing a movie." "That would mean some real money." "Davis, who gets the rights now that Anabelle's dead?" "They go to Audrey." "Why?" "So Davis' alibi checks out." " Sort of." " Sort of?" "Yeah, organizers confirm that he arrived at the party at 9:30, but everyone was masked." "So he could have slipped out at anytime." "Hey." "So Anabelle was serious about cashing out." "She had an offer on the table from Epicscope Productions." "She'd been refusing to sell for months, but the day she died, she put in a call" " saying she was ready to make that deal." " For how much?" "$2 and a half million." "That's motive." "That's madness." "$2.5 mil for that God-awful show?" "But now that she's dead, they're gonna have to pay Audrey." "And she didn't even wait for the body to get cold." "The morning after Anabelle was killed," "Audrey put in a call to Epicscope." "They closed the deal today." "Yeah, I sold the rights." "I mean, so what?" "All this... this is all Anabelle." "What's the point in doing it without her?" "Except you weren't going to be doing it with her much longer, were you?" "I don't know what you mean." "You worked for years helping Anabelle bring "Nebula-9" back to life." "If she sold the rights, all this would go away, leaving you with nothing." "And you couldn't let her do that, could you?" "That is a disgusting thing to say." "She was my best friend." "Where were you the night that she was killed?" "I'm not gonna answer any more of your questions." "Let's make sure that history never forgets the name "Enterprise."" "Yeah, okay." "Thanks, Ryan." "So Audrey's hotel key card was used at 9:48 P.M." "And then it wasn't used again the rest of the night." "Well, she could've slipped out, left her door ajar." "That would have given her enough time to get down here." "Yeah, but, Castle, all we have is circumstantial evidence and soft alibis." "We've gotta get something more concrete." "I can't tell you how many times" "I have had dreams about being in this very ship." "Sexy dreams?" "You know, it's never too late to live out your fantasy." "You do realize that this is still a crime scene?" "Oh, right." "Ew." "Yeah." "You're right, okay?" "It was a stupid show." "It was cheesy and melodramatic." "I mean, a handful of academy cadets on a training mission, and suddenly, the earth is destroyed and they're all that's left of humanity?" "I completely understand why you hated it." "But, Castle, I also understand why people loved it, why Anabelle loved it." "It was about leaving home for the first time, about searching for your identity and making a difference." "I loved dressing up like Lieutenant Chloe." "She didn't care what anybody thought about her, and I kinda did at that time." "I mean, she was a scientist and a warrior, and that was all in spite of the way that she looked." "It was like" "I could be anything, and I didn't have to choose." "So don't make fun, okay?" "Okay." "Besides, it didn't hurt that my legs looked great in her outfit." "Oh, of that I have no dou..." "Oh!" "What's wrong?" "My hand." "I mean, what does that mean?" "That means you just solved our case." "Thank you, everyone, for coming in today." "I was under the impression I didn't have a choice." "You didn't." "I don't understand." "What are we doing here?" "Everyone in this room had a relationship with the victim." "Each of you had either motive or opportunity to kill her." "Uh, Ms. Frye, would you do me the honor of a little improvisation?" "Trust me, that woman needs a script." "I'm happy to help." "Ms. Frye will be playing Anabelle Collins." "I will be the killer." "Anabelle had the murder weapon on her the night she died." "Don't worry." "This one's just a toy." "Now the killer confronts Anabelle." "Anabelle, presumably to protect herself, drew her blaster." "They struggled for the gun." "The killer overpow..." " I-I need you to resist just a little less." " Oh." "Told ya." "And..." "Wrenched free the weapon." "Anabelle was slain by her own Thorian blaster." "Zap." "Ohh!" "Ohh." "Overacting much?" "Shut up, Gabriel." "At that point, the killer stashed Anabelle's body in the oracle pod, not knowing that by firing the Thorian blaster, they were leaving behind crucial evidence." "The energy emission from the gun left a superficial burn on the killer's skin..." "Which is visible under UV light." "Branding our murderer with the mark of Cain." "Or for you "Nebula-9" fans, the mark of Claderesh." "Simon, could you step forward, please?" "Could you hold out your hands?" "Thank you." "Davis." "Your left hand as well." "Thank you." "Audrey." "Mr. Winters?" "Look, I, um..." "I can explain." "It was you?" "No." "I have an alibi." "Alibis can be bought." "I didn't kill Anabelle." "Then why is your hand glowing?" "Because..." "When I found out some nerd was making real Thorian blasters," "I figured if anybody should have one, it should be me." "I'm captain Max." "So I tracked him down and I bought the last one." "This is from this morning." "I shot it in my hotel room." "There's a hole in the wall." "You can check." "Stephanie, where are you going?" "I was just gonna..." "Hold it right there!" "You heard the man." "This one's deadly." "Nobody moves or I put a hole in his head." "Am I the only one that finds this situation eerily familiar?" "Stephanie, why?" "Do you know how long I have worked to get away from Lieutenant Chloe, to get away from the stench of this show?" "The fan experience was bad enough, but she was gonna sell the rights, and it was gonna start all over again... the movies, the product lines," "Lieutenant Chloe bobbleheads!" "Do you know how hard I worked to make something of myself, to become a real actress?" "Oh, come on, Steph." "You can't act your way out of paper bag." "The only solace I have is, this time when I kill you, there is not an Andorian empath to bring you back from the dead." "I don't think so." "I've been waiting ten years to do that, bitch." "Nobody takes over my ship." "Oh." "It's a lot easier when the stunt guys do it." "Do you realize how lucky you are?" "You could've gotten yourself killed." "Not even." "I had it on stun." "Stephanie Frye, you're under arrest for the murder of Anabelle Collins." "Oh, oh, oh, oh, may I?" "And may fortune guide your journey." "The doctor says my hand's gonna stop glowing in a few days." "So no mutant powers?" "No, not this time, but at least my hair's not falling out." "What about you?" "How are...how are you doing?" "I'm fine." "Why?" "Well, it's hard to see your idols fall." "Oh, Castle." "Stephanie Frye was never my idol." "Lieutenant Chloe was." "And as far as I'm concerned, she's still out there fighting evil and saving humanity." "And no self-centered actor is ever gonna take that from me." "And you know what?" "If they do make a movie," "I'm gonna be first in line to see it." "Ah, such is the power of fantasy." "And... speaking of fantasies, how about we live out one of yours?" "What do you say to a little "Nebula-9" cosplay?" "Come on." "It'll be fun." "I'll serve you breakfast in bed for a week." "Pfft." "And I'll do your laundry." "Okay, fine." "Do you really want to see me in one of my old costumes?" "Yes, please." "Then you have to promise that you're gonna watch a "Nebula-9" marathon with me." "I..." "And..." "No making fun." "You drive a hard bargain, but okay." "I'll see you at your place." "Okay, promise not to laugh." "I promise." "Come on." "Quit stalling." "Come out already." "Ready?" "Ready." "Oh!" "Do you like it?" "Huh?" "That's not what you... that's not..." "You want to make out, Castle?" "Rawr." "No." "I..." "Isn't this what your dreams are made of?" "Rawr!" "Castle." "Are we gonna make out?" "Maybe we should start with the "Nebula-9" marathon."