Chapter 5

The guard's hand clamped down on Alyssa's shoulder, but she didn't flinch. She calmly made one final, minute adjustment to the needle in Tansy's neck, then looked up at him with eyes devoid of all emotion.

"It's too late!" Kandy shrieked, her voice filled with victory. "You all saw it! She stabbed her! Call the police! Arrest her right now!"

Mrs. Pemberton, her face white with terror, leaned over Tansy, her hand trembling as she checked for a breath. She looked like she was about to faint.

At that moment, an older, distinguished-looking man in a tailored suit hurried out of the hotel. A badge on his lapel read: "Global Genetic Medicine Summit."

He was Dr. Martin Vance, one of the experts Kelley had flown in, leaving early for another appointment.

Kandy saw him and immediately ran over, grabbing his arm.

"Doctor, thank god! You have to help! This lunatic just injected our friend with some kind of street drug! She's dying!"

Dr. Vance frowned and walked over to assess the situation. His professional gaze fell on Tansy's condition, then on the precise, unconventional placement of the silver needles.

His eyes widened. His breath hitched.

He ignored Kandy completely and rushed to Alyssa's side. His voice trembled with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

"Is that... is that the Sheng-Men stabilization technique? I've only ever read about it in classified medical journals. It's a theoretical procedure for halting catastrophic autonomic failure!"

Alyssa met his gaze and gave a single, curt nod.

Kandy froze, her mouth hanging open. She didn't understand.

Dr. Vance knelt beside Tansy, his own fingers gently feeling for her pulse. He looked up at the stunned crowd, his voice filled with reverence. "This technique requires a level of precision and knowledge of human physiology that most of the world's top neurosurgeons lack. It's not a cure, it's a bridge. It buys time when there is no time left. Whoever did this... is a master."

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers. The doorman, the guards, Mrs. Pemberton-they all stared at Alyssa as if she had just sprouted wings.

"This young woman didn't harm her," Dr. Vance declared, standing up and fixing Kandy with a withering glare. "She just performed a medical miracle with nothing but a few needles. You should be thanking her, not accusing her."

Kandy's face turned a blotchy, ugly red. "No... that's impossible!" she stammered. "How could she know something like that? She's a broke nobody we kicked out of our house!"

Dr. Vance looked at Kandy as if she were a particularly stupid insect. "A broke nobody? Ma'am, anyone with this level of medical expertise has a mind that would likely dwarf everyone else's here combined. You may have just insulted someone very, very important."

As if on cue, Tansy Kelley let out a soft groan.

The violent blue tinge of her skin began to recede, replaced by a healthy pink. Her breathing evened out.

She slowly opened her eyes.

She was alive.

Mrs. Pemberton burst into tears of relief, throwing her arms around Tansy.

The crowd's expression shifted from scorn to shame, then to awe. They had just accused a hero of being a criminal. They had tried to stop a woman from performing a life-saving procedure.

Kandy started to shake. The weight of what she had done crashed down on her. Faced with the contemptuous stares of everyone around her, she let out a strangled cry, turned, and fled to her Maserati, speeding away in a cloud of shame.

Through it all, Alyssa's expression never changed. She calmly removed the needles, wiped them, and returned them to their case.

She packed the case away and prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Dr. Vance said, stepping in front of her. He held out a business card. "Miss... I am Dr. Martin Vance. May I have the honor of knowing your name? The medical community needs to know who you are."

Before Alyssa could answer, Tansy Kelley, helped by Mrs. Pemberton, struggled to her feet. She looked at Alyssa, her eyes wide with gratitude and overwhelming curiosity.