'Said the stupid alarm clock.'
Thought the tired, annoyed man.
He got up, and noticed the alarm was going off despite it being too early, and the tone was different. Instead of the usual birds chirping, it was a harsh beep.
'Shit.'
He hurriedly put on mostly acceptable clothes, tripped on a broom his cat knocked over the previous night, and ran outside.
He was met with the cold air of the city. It was the middle of autumn, and ever since the battle a few years ago, it felt like winter. It felt like it was going to rain soon. His face was lit up with the purple, blue, red and white of the general landscape's lights. Billboards floated through the air, and a few food stalls were parked on his floor's outlook. He didn't have time to admire the view, or eat, however.
After running down the stairs, he met a suited woman, and quickly got into a large car with her. It weaved through traffic, and eventually reached a large, grey and white, formal looking building. A garage door opened, letting the two people in.
"What is it?"
Asked the man, speed walking through large hydraulic doors, each opening much faster than he remembered them opening before. Security was lacklustre this morning. Or maybe the situation was so bad it just needed to be bypassed.
"We're not sure, so at least 4th."
The woman said, her stern face pale.
The man didn't respond, but his fists clenched slightly.
Eventually, they entered a large room, dark except for the light of countless screens and displays- although some were malfunctioning.
"Marcus, thank God you're here. I trust Haylene told you some stuff- but we've found out a bit more."
Said a small man with glasses, his eyes struggling to stay open.
"About thirteen minutes ago a contractor woke up, name Charlotte. The dream was roughly 10 seconds long, and the grade is 4 or above. They're also subconsciously affecting our visuals and data systems, so at least a strong 4."
'Goddamn..'
Very rarely, people had 'dreams'. But not of the normal kind. A God could take a potential contractor- a person to harness their powers- into a dream-like state, and test to see if they met their standards. Most dreams took upwards of a week to complete, but Gods who occupied the fourth or higher dimensions, grade 4s or above, could compress time to make it shorter.
"Have we made contact with the contractor yet?"
Asked Marcus.
The man with glasses shook his head.
"We were waiting for your opinion. The calculation contractors said it's dangerous either way."
Marcus furrowed his brows and thought for a while. Eventually, he resumed his relaxed expression and nodded.
It was raining, and Charlotte stood alone in her small apartment. It was quiet. But she felt stares. She felt they were worried, wary, and above all, afraid. She didn't blame them.
"Hello. My name is Marcus, and I'm part of the GSC."
Said a man through a megaphone, outside. Charlotte looked through the window and saw a few floors down a singular man, looking up at her. His stare wasn't like the others, Charlotte thought. It wasn't afraid. Just cautious.
"Hello!" Charlotte shouted, lacking the benefit of the megaphone.
Marcus's shoulders relaxed a bit, and he cautiously spoke:
"Are you aware of what's happened to you?"
Charlotte nodded, before saying:
"Mostly."
The steps down felt unnatural. The lights were different. She was home now. But the basement- washing machine, mattress and knife- they were so vivid in her memory it was like she never left. She arrived at the ground floor and met Marcus. He was taller than average, and had light stubble on his chin. His hair was long, and tied up in a ponytail, although it was still a little awkward because it wasn't very long. His eyes were a deep gray, and he had an earpiece hanging from the top of his coat. He straightened his coat up after noticing Charlotte's attention.
"I have some questions for you. Please follow me."