This story takes place immediately after "The Dazzling Lady's Harem (Part 5) - Dalton."
Two pairs of green eyes stared down several barrels aimed at them. One pair belonging to Dazzling Lady was having trouble staying awake, feeling some narcoleptic substance coursing through her veins. The other pair stayed wide open, cautiously taking in every detail of the intruding men, aware of how she seemed to be the only alert woman in the room capable of fully addressing them, let alone doing anything about them.
"How...how are y-you...?" Dazzling struggled to utter angrily.
Gerald Brandt, the apparent true power behind both the Avery empire, and the armed "interns" stationed around the hotel hunting for hypnotists, smirked at the mercenary mesmerist who seemed to have trouble staying upright.
"How strong willed you seem to be. A dazzling effort...for a rather sleepy-looking lady," his arrogant voice made Dazzling rage momentarily, and his assertion prompted an unconscious yawn she couldn't stop. She glared at him in horror, trying to shake off the sensation to do it again.
"How stupid of you to think you had me so easily. But then again, hard to blame your assumption for not being in on cutting-edge chemistry," Gerald vaguely began answering the earlier question, pulling a small vial out of his suit jacket pocket. The contents of the vial resembled the color of lemonade. "A small, brilliant little concoction with a long, boring pharmaceutical name in dire need of a cool name. Being a key investor in this little wonder drug, I'm thinking of calling it 'Insomniac.'" He placed it carefully back in his pocket as he took a step forward, with every guard taking one in tow, making Dazzling stumble back until her ass landed on marble flooring. She winced upon impact, still dealing with growing drowsiness.
"You didn't...give me that," Dazzling forced out.
"Of course not; Insomniac is for those who need some wake-up juice from any nasty trances leaving them with consequences worse than hangovers. The lab rats smart enough to make Insomniac found a way to make a counterpart drug. The rats want to call it 'Somnotic,' but looking at you, I'm really inching towards 'Bad Hypnotist.' And don't bother trying to get up either; better to stay right where you are."
Gerald's suggestion prompted her to try to get back up in-spite the drowsiness, but to her horror, she stopped even trying after a few minutes, left wondering why she should even try.
Hannah stayed relatively still, watching everything unfold, hiding the depths of her concern seeing the executive reach nearly the same amount of influence hypnotists with years of experimentation and experience, and apparently a way to escape their deep-seeded trances.
"And you, Miss Hannah, I can assure you that you have nothing to fear."
"Why's that?" Hannah's tone was even and curious.
"Everything you've arranged here has been so helpful for today's turn of events, as any good employee should be."
The words struck Dazzling even more than Hannah. "You little..." anger flared from a sense of betrayal, as her torso bent forward to reach for Hannah's legs. Easily stepping out of reach, she looked at the still-waning Dazzling, and then back a Gerald. Eyes focusing on him a little longer, concentration extended outward, tapping into her lesser-known ability to read minds. Her target never noticed the mental intrusion as she quietly probed, trying to connect him to her memories. It didn't take long before a revelation flash in her mind.
"Ah hah, the man who came to me and requested a private show for Danielle, he works for you," a small, whimsical smile grew on Hannah's face. She turned her head to look down on the tranced Danielle.
***
Nearly a year ago, Hannah had done a magic show at a local club in the U.K.; it was a wonderful show, an effortless one for Hannah as usual. She often had one or two people come to her after the show, asking her to make an encore presentation or an appearance elsewhere, but one man who sought her out afterwards in the club's parking lot was unusually, expensively-dressed, piquing her curiosity. He called himself Ed, and was eager to chat her up.
"Wonderful show," he praised almost condescendingly as he gave it with a small smile and detached tone. "The air of magic in your show seemed palpable compared to others I've been to."
Hannah resisted the urge to raise a single, doubting eyebrow, unwilling to believe he attended many magic shows besides hers. Dressed like a tourist, he carried himself like a bouncer, or something more serious; a terrible attempt at looking incognito prompted a laugh she kept to herself.
"Thank you, I'm glad you felt something special in my performance."
"I feel there's almost more to it; you've got something most other shows don't."
Hannah smiled at Ed, and a wider smile to herself from wondering if he realized what he was eluding to.
"Oh?"
"I believe it, which is why I'd like to proposition you for a private show, for a rather private audience. A surprise for someone high-profile, who may really appreciate your talents."
"Sounds vague...and intriguing..." Honest words gauged the cagey information given.
"But I am curious...I know good magicians never reveal their secrets...but for this audience, I'm inclined to ask if these are just legitimate tricks or actually magic."