Small Town Takeover
Note: Recently reading GH-X2 from Imagin8. I am using the world he created for the backdrop on this story. The world of Alpha’s and Beta’s will be explored through a small town untouched by the changes GH-X2.
This first chapter will simply explain the background of our two main characters.
Chapter 1 – Ben and Claire
As the sun crested over the horizon and hit Benjamin in the face the warm touch had him roll over in his bed and reach for his wife. Finding only sheets he rose up from his bed with the realization she wasn’t in bed.
“Honey?” Benjamin called out as he swung his legs over the end of the bed, planting his feet on the ground as he reached for his phone. Benjamin is a 6’3” physically fit 30-something with thick black hair and lightly tanned skin. He had remained physically in shape since high school and maintained a good balance of diet and exercise. Seeing it was Saturday it reminded him that today was finally the day he was able to spend worrying about nothing but time with his wife, Claire.
Benjamin walked out of his room and down the hallway to the stairs noting the crisp smell of bacon and the *tsk tsk tsk* sound of a whisk being swirled in a bowl. As he came down the stairs he took a moment to look out the front window. The sun was brightly shining on a beautiful morning. As his eyes adjusted to the sun, he noticed a large white sign erected in the corner of the lot across street.
Benjamin lived on the edge of town and past his home was the largest throughfare just passing town. 3 lanes on each side it was the Bi-way built in the last few years that brought a boon of businesses and people alike given the much more accessible nature of the town.
With a heavy sigh Benjamin walked into the kitchen with his wife finishing up breakfast and plating everything beautifully. Claire was his one and true love. Benjamin was one of the best basketball stars out of his high school. Claire focused on her studies in high school, focusing on getting into the engineering program at the nearby college. Claire was a tall and beautiful girl. Claire would have the attention of many men if she showed it off. Given the small town they lived in, she yearned to do something other than flaunt her femineity and marry someone local; so and instead devoted herself to her studies with eyes of making an impact on the world. They went to high school together for 4 years but never managed to meet.
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In college, Benjamin went to college on a basketball scholarship. His whole high school and college life he found success in being physically gifted and had a wonderfully bright future. That was of course until he tore a ligament in his leg that left him immobile for months. Basketball camp broke without him and as the team got ready for the season, he was eventually let go from the team.
His scholarship however was not rescinded and he, for the first time in his life, was going to focus on his education rather than sports. He had chosen Political Science as his major but during his first years was tasked with many core classes that had him looking into many different subjects as part of the school’s curriculum.
Benjamin was not a bad student. Or at least he had never found school that hard. Getting into college classes with students who came ready to start their next step in their education Benjamin found himself intimidated and out of his element. As he walked into his Geometry class, he thought felt a pain in twinge in his leg that had him thinking about the life he won’t get to live and the future beyond college seemed entirely blank.
The details of college, for Benjamin have faded over time. He remembers mainly two things. His terrible injury that changed the course of his life and the chance encounter and tutelage he found from a local girl he didn’t even know had lived down the street from him most of his life.
Claire was already a teacher’s aide even though she was a freshman due to taking college classes while finishing up High School. She was aware of who Benjamin was from going to the same school but held no romantic fantasies or interests from him that carried over. Benjamin having a rapid course correction after his injury and needing to do well in school enlisted the help of Claire and through that time, they developed a quick friendship that flourished quickly.
Benjamin found that the truly took him with Claire, was her focus. She was laser focused on engineering and had no desire to get distracted. Unfortunately for her, your true love can find you at any moment. Their bond built so fast and before they knew it they were doing everything together. Benjamin performed amazingly through college and Claire proceeded through her undergrad and immediately into a masters in engineering a year earlier than expected.
After graduation Benjamin proposed. Claire had dreams of leaving the small town to see the world, but ended up doing exactly what she thought she wanted to avoid. They moved back home. Benjamin began a career in local politics while Claire commuted to the engineering firm she interned for during her later years in college.
Ben and Claire have found themselves enamored with each other all through their marriage and to this day have never been more in love.
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Ben walked into the kitchen and under the cover of the sound of crackling bacon, swept in and put his arms around Claire’s waist lifting her off her feet. “Oh that just smell’s amazing.” Ben says into her ear. Claire laughing “I figured we would get a good breakfast for one of our rare days off.”
Ben put her down and spun her around to plant a longing kiss on his wife. “It’s been too long to have only us to worry about. Let’s make today special.”
As he says that, the smoke from the bacon starts to fill the kitchen and the smoke alarm starts going off.
*BEEP BEEP* chirped the fire alarm. Claire quickly removes the pan containing the bacon, and moves it into the sink, running water over. Ben opens the windows in the kitchen then walks back to the front of the house to get a draft going and to clear out the smoke.
As he looks out through the window, he notices construction equipment beginning to line up along the large vacant lot on the opposite side of the highway. In recent years it was not uncommon to see construction equipment in town as the by-pass led to a surge in growth.
What was uncommon with what he was seeing was the size of the equipment. They were massive, at least 2 lanes wide, the dump trucks and cranes being spread out over the lot were gargantuan in nature. They had an agreement with the construction company that during the night, they would have multiple lanes of the highway closed so they could safely move in the large equipment. While no people milled about, it was clear that this was not going to be a regular urban development project.
The sign from that morning was fully in view now. Benjamin was struck by the sheer enormity of the sign.
“Future sight of Sterling Heights. The best homes for the best kind of people.”
As Benjamin stood up at the window, Claire came over with a granola bar and a cup of coffee. Sighing, she knew the day was not going to be the joyous escape they had planned.