This is the contest post: https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-402-5-minute-freewrite-monday-prompt-saving

I am going to make this freewrite a continuation to a story that began life here as a finish the story of "Spoon-fed Memories" by @calluna:
https://steemit.com/finishthestory/@blueeyes8960/finish-the-fiction-story-contest-week-36-bananafish

I continued the story in "Unexpected Consequences" as an offering to this contest:
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@blueeyes8960/day-401-5-minute-freewrite-sunday-prompt-hotel-story-by-blueeyes8960

Today's prompt is "saving" so here is my 5-minute-freewrite addition to the story:

Saving Susie

Susie stared as the red glow from the drawer got brighter and a humming sound could now be heard as well. The feeling of dread changed to outright fear as the drawer shot out from the dresser and landed on the floor with a thud. "What the hell," she exclaimed. "The damned thing IS cursed!"

That's when Susie noticed the tall man clothed entirely in black standing just inside the doorway holding a sinister looking metal wand with a glowing red tip. As she watched dumbfounded the brooch rose from the drawer on the floor and floated toward the wand in the man's hand, seemingly guided by the red beam. That woke Susie from her stupor and she shrieked at the stranger, "Hey, that's mine! Where'd you come from? Give it to me!" And she thoughtlessly hurled herself toward the brooch, thinking to snatch it in midair.

The man turned toward her and pulled another device from his pocket. He looked at her with pale lifeless eyes and calmly shot her with a bolt of bright white light. Susie went flying soundlessly across the room and found herself adhered to the patio glass next to the sliding door that she had left open just moments before. He spoke calmly to her in a mechanical sounding voice. "The Guild wishes to thank you for delivering the Covenant to us. Having observed your travels we are quite certain you were not followed and that no one knows of your theft of the Covenant right under their agent's eyes. You have saved us a great deal of trouble with your inept bumbling. However, unfortunately for you, we cannot allow you to live. I will give you a mental command and ten minutes after I leave the paralysis will wear off. You will finish your drink then "stumble" over the edge of balcony to your death.

Dead eyes snatched up the brooch, still hovering in midair, and slid it into a specially made titanium container. As he closed his eyes and prepared to send Susie the mental message that would lead to her death, a slim young woman inched in through the open door behind him. In her hands was a slim garrote that seemed to be made of a single glowing strand of thin braided rope. Silent as a shadow she crept behind the man, looped the strand around his neck and pulled tight. There was a zapping sound and an ozone smell, followed by two thudding sounds, one after the other. There was a head and body on the floor where the man had been standing, but instead of blood and gore, there were severed wires and cables.

Arabella went through the body's pockets and retrieved the titanium case containing the brooch. She looked at Susie, still pinned to the patio window in wide mouthed horror. Arabella said to Susie, "Don't worry, the toxin will wear off in 8 minutes and I got him before he sent you the death message. I'm not happy with you, stealing grandmother's brooch, but you don't deserve to die. You see, grandmother and grandfather weren't the only spies in the family."