Early Morning Decisions

 The sharp sting of the alarm clock cut through the silence of the early morning, dragging Dean Voight out of a restless sleep. The room was still dark, the quiet broken only by the low hum of the city waking up outside. The weight of his job was already pressing on him, but it was just another day to him now. He'd been up at this hour more times than he could count, his body running on autopilot.

Dean stretched and tossed the covers off, the cool air of his small apartment hitting him like a wave. A few blinks later, he was already pulling on his shirt, his mind shifting from the grogginess of sleep to the clarity of routine. Another day, another assignment. It wasn't glamorous, but it was necessary.

Grabbing his jacket, he left the apartment and stepped into the early morning light, the city streets still empty. The faint glow of streetlights reflected off the slick pavement, a sign of the rain from earlier. The air was crisp, the kind that made you feel like the day was fresh, waiting for something to unfold.

Dean slid into his car and started the engine, the low rumble of it filling the cabin as he pulled out into the still-quiet streets. His destination was clear—work. But it wasn't just any day at the office. Today, he was expected at an important briefing about Thalia's Gang, the latest assignment the agency had handed him.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It had been like this for the past few days—this gnawing sense of unease that wouldn't go away. But he buried it. He had a job to do.

As the car sped down the road, the city around him began to wake up. Morning joggers, delivery trucks, and the first signs of commuters filled the streets. He turned up the radio, trying to clear his mind. Work was waiting. And whatever the day had in store, Dean would face it head-on.

There was no room for hesitation in his line of work.