The live stream glowed on Victoria's tablet, propped against the cardboard sign on the folding table. On the small screen, Thompson Sr. stood under the stage lights with his cane in one hand and the whole hall cheering for him. His voice came through the speaker a little late, as though the words had to travel a long way to reach the corner by the restrooms.Mrs. Hayes stared at the screen with her purse pressed against her stomach. Her knuckles were white. She turned to Ethan, who sat in his plastic chair with his hands folded as calmly as a man waiting for a bus."Ethan, I have to ask," Mrs. Hayes's voice was low and tight, and her eyes darted toward the stage again. "How did you know they would do a live test? You told Victoria this morning that they would, before anyone said a word. Thompson Sr. has never done such a thing in thirty years.""Because he has to," Ethan's tone was quiet and even. He kept his eyes on the screen. "Those nine companies stole nine formulas and rushed the

The spotlight swung across the stage and settled on a long white table at the center. Three items sat on it under a black cloth. A man in a bright blue blazer walked to the microphone with a wide smile and a clipboard tucked under his arm. His name was Gordon Pierce, the professional host the conference had hired for the day, and he had the kind of voice that made every sentence sound like the start of a magic show."Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to see real medicine at work?" Gordon Pierce swept his arm toward the table. The audience clapped and whistled. "Three tests. Three challenges. Three products. And not a single trick."He pulled the cloth away with a flourish.On the left stood a large glass basin filled with clear water. In the middle sat a metal bowl heaped with bright red chili powder. On the right was a black iron cage the size of a shoebox, and inside it a thin brown snake with pale rings coiled in the dark. Its head rose slowly, tongue flicking, and the first rows

Ethan finally moved. He uncrossed his arms and turned his head toward the restroom doorway, where Sophia stood in her tank top with a thin, triumphant smile still on her lips."Thank you, Sophia," Ethan's voice was calm and even, and it carried the faint warmth of someone thanking a waiter for a refill. "Your text was the most useful thing you have done in four years."Sophia's smile froze. Her fingers tightened around her phone."What are you talking about?" Sophia's voice came out thin and sharp. Her eyes darted from Ethan to the tablet on the table, where the stage lights glowed."Your warning made Thompson Sr. nervous," Ethan said, and he nodded toward the screen. "So he swapped his samples for the premium first batch, the one his best chemists made with the most care. He thinks the oldest and finest product is the safest. He has no idea what he just did."Doctor James looked from Ethan to the tablet and back again. His wire glasses slid down his nose. Mrs. Hayes pressed her hand

Thompson Sr. stood under the spotlight with his swollen, blackening wrist raised high, and for one long second the whole hall held its breath. Then he turned his head toward Ronald Harlow, who was pressed against the edge of the stage with sweat running down his temples."Now we need a second witness," Thompson Sr.'s voice carried a hard edge beneath its smile. "Mr. Harlow volunteered to join me. A man must keep his word.""Mr. Thompson, I only said I would stand beside you," Ronald stammered. His eyes darted to the cage, and his face went the color of paper. "I did not agree to be bitten. Please, I have a family name to protect.""Not any more, you do not," Thompson Sr. muttered under his breath, and he gave a small nod to two broad shouldered men in dark suits at the edge of the stage. They were Thompson family guards, and they stepped forward and seized Ronald by the shoulders."Wait!" Ronald shrieked, thrashing like a dog dragged to the vet. "Let go of me! You cannot do this!"The

The nine bosses of Chicago lay in a heap in front of the Harlow Pharmaceuticals booth, groaning and shaking on the cold floor.Thompson Sr. hung onto the leg of the folding table with his swollen black arm, and every breath he drew came out as a wet rattle.Mr. Fuller pressed his ruined face against the carpet. Mr. Mercer coughed up thin threads of black blood into his sleeve.Preston Wells crawled forward on his elbows with his hair stuck to his forehead, and beside him Tamara Watanabe knelt with both hands pressed to her cheeks, her cold composure shattered into small, shaking pieces."The antidote," Thompson Sr. wheezed. His eyes rolled up toward Ethan, bloodshot and desperate. "Give us the antidote, Cole. I know you have it. Name your price.""Please," Mr. Fuller sobbed, and pus dripped from his chin onto the floor. "My face is rotting. Please help me.""Ethan, they are dying!" Doctor James cried. He wrung his hands so hard his knuckles cracked, and his glasses hung crooked on his