The Edge Of Town

Chapter 9

In the next few hours I was asleep, Smith had received the biggest news of his life. He rushed into the room, shaking me awake and squeezing my upper body tight because he was so excited. I sat there and watched him explain excitedly, his hands moving all over in the air, his face resembling the one of a child. Apparently, the commander had been fired from his job, his boss finding out the things that he had been doing to the citizens. The commander was fired on the spot and therefore, Smith was called upon. He took the job without hesitation and then came running to tell me. The first thing he said was, "Meet your new leader!" His smile was as wide as it's ever been and he walked over to the bed, squeezing me tight. He told me all of his plans, everyone of them including making things better for the citizens of the ship. He finally gets to do things his way and not be shadowed by his father who follows his every move, waiting for him to make a mistake. Inside his heart, he knew that he could do it and I did too.

"Of course you'll be by my side through it all," he says quickly. "We'll be highest in command and we will make the decisions. Honestly, we don't have to go to battle anymore. That was the commanders idea, not anybody else's!" He gestures wildly before sitting back in his seat, running his fingers through his hair. "I mean honestly, wouldn't it be so cool to make life better for everyone around here? They're all so miserable, being trapped in here for so long. Maybe we can finally let them out to see the world." I nod slowly, knowing that there are downfalls to this, they could easily get killed or get lost in the world where the humans are everywhere. "What's wrong?" he asks.

I clear my throat and say, "Well don't you think they should stay inside? I mean what if people saw them in town, they would have to know that something is up. They would never get to live a normal life." He sits back thinking about this before popping up from his chair quickly, pacing back and forth as if trying to form an idea.

"What if-" he starts, "What if we make a machine to where they can change into a human. If they want to be a human and live their life then they can and if they want to stay an alien then they can. I think it would be incredible, they could finally make the choices that they want and become somebody." He puts his hands on the bed, his face close to mine. For a few seconds he just stares at me before stepping back, taking in a deep breath. "There's just so much to do," he whispers. "I can't do it by myself, I need you there." I nod to him, there's no way I would leave his side anyways.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, Smith got himself situated in his new office and passed his first law, No More Punishments. The citizens of the ship cheered as Smith and I stood in the middle of the arena, the people gathering there because they thought they were coming to see a punishment. Instead, they got the good news that they were waiting for, they no longer had to worry about their death coming too soon. Smith also got started with Doctor Two (one of the seniors which I found out is somebody that has a higher education than everyone else) on the plans for a Human Transformation Machine, which everyone seemed to think was a good idea. He also let everybody out to see the world, showing them everything and the wolf robot who decided to make an appearance just for dramatic effect. Everything seemed to be going well, Smith was incredibly happy now that he was able to take over and make his own decisions, the right decisions. He was right, he wanted me by his side, helping him through everything so he didn't mess a single thing up. I could tell that he had been getting closer and closer to me, becoming friendlier by the day. It was nice to see him this way instead of what I had been used to. Although, these were all good things, I knew they wouldn't last for long.

"What was that?" Smith asks, reacting to a loud bang from the top of the ship. We're on the top floor, watching the soldiers go through their battle training. Being in battle was out of the question but Smith said that we still need to be prepared. The banging is continuing as if something is walking on top. The soldiers have noticed it too, stopping what they're doing to look up. "Come on," he says to me, "Let's go outside." We reach the bottom floor to see people crowded at the window, a concerned look on their face. Smith quickens his pace, opening the door with the hand scanner. He shields his eyes from the sun when he steps outside, looking around him for any sudden danger but finds nothing. And then it happens, I hear a voice that sounds stronger than it normally does. The person belonging to this voice is normally quiet, only speaking to me when I got home from school and before I left. He's yelling at Smith now, I step outside to see my father standing on top of the ship, holding a shotgun in his hands.