Meanwhile, at Eric's apartment entrance, he entered the building and headed towards the elevator. Eric ran into Cassius. A black man, Cassius Carter, a dirty and disheveled 51-year-old with long coiled white bearded hair. A resident also of the building, was sitting on the floor with a cigarette in his hand. He shouted out to Eric, startling him. "Eric!"
"Oh, hi Cassius! Didn't see you there," Eric responded. Cassius mumbled something incoherently. "Sorry, what was that?" Eric asked, but Cassius continued to mumble incoherently.
Ignoring Cassius's mumbling, Eric asked him, "Have you felt the gravity shutdown? It happened lately."
Cassius seemed surprised by Eric's question. "How do you know about my dream?! I dreamt about that!" he exclaimed.
"It wasn't a dream-" Eric noticed that Cassius was bleeding from his forehead. "Oh, you're bleeding," he said. Seeing Cassius in need of help, he went to him with his aid kit in hand. "Need help?" he asked.
Cassius seems to ignore the question given to him, continuing to talk about his dream, "I had this dream where..." Cassius said.
Eric not wanting to deal with any of it, crouched down with an exhale and started cleaning up Cassius's wound. "Let me clean that up for you."
Eric tried to explain to Cassius that what he experienced was real. "Cassius. It was real," he said straightforwardly.
Cassius shouted in disbelief, "What do you mean it was real?!"
Interrupting Cassius, Eric pleaded with him to let him clean his forehead. "Cassius, please let me clean your forehead. Things just turned on and off, it wasn't a dream," he explained.
"But I dreamed about it!" Cassius insisted.
Eric tried to calm him down. "I know, but it wasn't a dream. But there's no need to worry about it now, I think?" he said.
Cassius continued talking while Eric, fed up and tired, finished cleaning Cassius's forehead wound and stuck it with a bandage. "Well, I have to go now. Take care of yourself, Cassius," he said as he stood up.
Cassius seemed taken aback by Eric's sudden departure. "You're leaving? But we were talking!" he exclaimed as Eric exited the place heading towards the elevator, leaving Cassius sitting all alone and puzzled.
In Washington DC, timing before an impending disaster, the clear blue sky was painted with a kaleidoscope of fireworks. Bursts of blue, red, orange, pink, and purple greeted the throng of people attending a conference meeting between two major corporate agencies. The city was abuzz with anticipation and excitement.
A female reporter's voice echoed through the air, her words capturing the significance of the moment. "This is a historic moment for the city," she announced. "The security company PGA and Horizon Hospital are joining forces to ensure the safety of patients."
As her voice continued to narrate the unfolding event, the scene shifted to Horizons Hospital. In a private recovery room, Emmett Giles, a white man in his late 40s, lay on a bed. His gaze was blank and pale, a stark contrast to the vibrant atmosphere outside.
Back at the conference venue, Chief Angus Erdmann, head of PGA security company and a white man in his late 40s, was seen shaking hands with two directors - David Hammer, a black man in his late 40s, and Emily Tanner, a white brunette woman in her mid 40s. The room was filled with reporters and citizens alike, their cheers and applause punctuating the air as Angus signed the agreement.
Amongst the crowd sat Shane Sinclair. A white man in his mid 40s with tattoos of red bloody swords encircling his neck. His long black silky hair touched his shoulders, giving him an almost menacing appearance. Dressed in rocky band clothing style, he looked amused and relaxed amidst the excitement. He clapped along with the crowd while watching Angus sign the agreement.
A female reporter approached Chief Angus for an interview. "Chief Angus," she asked, "can you tell us more about how this partnership will work? What measures will be put in place to guarantee the safety of patients?"
Angus smiled confidently before responding. "We have a comprehensive plan in place that involves state-of-the-art technology and highly trained personnel," he said. "We're confident that this partnership will be a success."
Another reporter turned to David Hammer for his thoughts on the partnership. "I think it's a great initiative," David replied earnestly. "It's important to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care and protection."
The female reporter who had been outside earlier was now inside, reporting with palpable excitement. "With this partnership," she declared excitedly, "patients can rest assured that they will be safe and secure while receiving treatment at Horizon Hospital."
As her words echoed through the room, chaos suddenly erupted. Gravity seemed to shut down as people began floating in mid-air. Screams filled the air as panic ensued.
"This is unbelievable! People are floating in the air! What is happening?" The female reporter shouted into her microphone.
After a few seconds of weightlessness, everyone came crashing down onto the pavement. Shane hit his head on his seat while Angus landed headfirst at the signing table before hitting the pavement.
David Hammer, who had been knocked to the floor beside Emily Tanner, turned to check on her. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
Emily patted herself down before responding. "I'm fine," she assured him. The cause of the gravity shutdown was unclear, but it seemed like everyone was safe and not severely injured.
Shane looked around in confusion after landing. He then turned his gaze to Angus, who was regaining his composure while still seated on the ground floor, patting himself in fear.
The scene then shifted to a luxurious hotel. Detective Asher Marley lay on the living room floor, trying to open his eyes. He was in a daze, dizzy with a painful headache, and his vision was still a blur.
Officer Parker, worried and panicking, called out to him. "Detective Asher. Detective Asher, are you okay? Please answer."
Asher rapidly lifted his head with immense fear, finally getting control of his senses. He heard Officer Parker loud and clear. "Uh! - Argh! It hurts." he groaned feeling pain from his head.
Still sweating and clutching his head in pain, managed to compose himself. He turned to Officer Parker, his voice shaky. "How long was I -" he utters to ask.
"Couple of minutes," Officer Parker replied promptly.
Asher reflected on this for a moment. "It might have been just a crazy nightmare," he mused aloud.
He was about to ask Officer Parker another question when he was interrupted by the voice of a female news anchor on the TV. She was speaking about what Asher had thought to be his nightmare.
Before Asher could finish his sentence, a voice of a female news anchor spoke through the TV about what Asher thought to be his nightmare. "Now for the most serious topic of discussion. A sudden, or like the scientists now call it, gravity sudden shut-down!" she announced.
"Gravity what?" Asher asked, still dizzy.
Images of what was caught on camera showed in front of the TV screen. One of them was a woman, her mother and Daniel from earlier.
"Which made things float for a mere seventeen seconds, but enough to make people well aware of it," the female news anchor continued.
"Float?" Asher asked in disbelief.
"Yes sir," Officer Parker confirmed.
Before the news could continue any further, Officer Parker abruptly turned it off with a remote control. "Sir, I'm sorry..." he began, feeling guilty. His gaze fell to the floor as he continued. "...for not calling the ambulance early. It's just that... I was worried that Chief Angus would blame me if he saw the conditions you were in, so I waited to see if you would be okay as your heart was still beating."
But Asher dismissed his words. He was still dizzy and feeling pain in his right shoulder. "Call in -" he began before groaning in pain.
Officer Parker tried to stand but fell down. "Should I call in the ambulance! - Ugh!" he stuttered.
"Argh!" Asher groaned again.
Officer Parker tried again to stand up. "I'm calling! I'm calling! - Hello! Yes!" he panicked as he picked up the phone.