Chapter 1

You guessed it; a little green man made me an offer at the end of my life.

I was 45 and had a bad heart. I guess years of eating red meat, cheese and fried foods finally caught up with me. The doctors had been after me for a few years to go on cholesterol medication but I wasn't about to depend on a daily pill to keep me going. Damn drug dealers...

I was at work in my office when it happened. I was sitting at my desk and felt a twinge of pain in my left arm. I ignored it thinking maybe I had slept on it wrong but when it increased to absolute agony, I couldn't kid myself any longer. My breath was coming short and I reached out to grab the phone on my desk to dial 911. As I reached, the world started getting blurry and I had no strength to even make it the 18 inches to the phone. The last thing I remember was sliding down in my chair and thinking I would have a word with housekeeping about the dust bunnies under my desk.

Time seemed to slow and then stop. That's when Andso appeared. At least that's what he said his name was. I figured it was a male by the lack of breasts but what do I know? I was too busy looking at the little green alien in my office. I had a flashback to the movie E.T. I almost laughed but found I still couldn't breathe.

"We don't have long." Andso said to me. "I'm here to make you an offer you can't refuse."

He proceeded to let me know that my life on this globe was over (no shit) but he could offer me another life if I wanted. The offer was good right now and wouldn't be offered again. He could take me to his ship leaving a dead replica of me behind and remake me from scratch in any fashion I wished. After I was remade, I would be given a small supply of weapons, tools and clothing and dropped on a planet that they were colonizing with transplants from this and other worlds.

He explained that the world they were sending me to was extremely underpopulated and due to the creatures that inhabited the planet, they were behind schedule. Andso also warned me that they had high attrition rates with transplants from our world due to the creatures inhabiting the planet and they needed more earth people to populate that world.

Of course, I agreed instantly. What did I have here besides the high probability of a painful death, three grown children that lived in another state and never called, bad credit and a couple of failed marriages?

What seemed like moments later, I found myself in a room that wasn't white or black but more of a silver color like stainless steel. I was horizontal to the floor and floating in a sickly greenish light.

I heard, "Good. You are awake. We are cleansing and improving your physical body and genetic structure. When the light goes to purple the first step in the process will be complete."

"Uh, who is there?"

"My designation is SMH-1011," said the disembodied voice.

"I'll call you Sam if that's OK. Sam, that other guy, Andso, told me that I would be remade from scratch in any way I wanted. Is that for real?"

"Absolutely"

"How much time do I have to decide on how I want to be 'remade'?"

"We will give you three standard days from the time the light goes purple to select for yourself what you would like and to decide upon certain equipment and other goods you will need. It's standard protocol."

"And it can be anything at all?"

"Anything within certain parameters that will be discussed after this first step is completed. You should rest now."

I closed my eyes and drifted into slumber debating on what I would ask they change about me when I was remade.

A symphony was playing when next I opened my eyes. It was beautiful music and seemed familiar. Bach, I think. There was a purple hue to everything I looked at and I knew the interesting part of this journey was about to begin.

A circular hole opened up in the wall to my left and Andso walked in.

"You will be happy to know that the first step in the process is complete and you are healthier than any human being has ever been on your planet."

I said, "I'm still reeling and not sure if this is even real but I'm going to go for it. I really had nothing to lose anyway."

"Glad to hear it. Let me explain what we did in the first step of the process and let you know what we can do for the next phase."

He explained, "First, we cleansed your body of all toxins, dead cells and pollutants. Then we rewrote your DNA sequences to eliminate any genetic flaws. Following that, your physical organs were brought up to maximum health and we rewired your brain somewhat so you would be able to cope better with the coming changes. Do you have any questions Frank?"

"I was wondering why I felt so damn good. I feel like a teenager, full of energy and it looks like you took out a good bit of fat and added some muscles too. I haven't looked this good since I was in the Army."

"Your body was rejuvenated to be as it was when you were in the peak of health. It gives us a better template to work with and gives you a better chance of not rejecting any upgrades that you might like to apply in the next phase."

The little green man then explained that the world where I was being sent was hostile. The aliens had wiped out the "Remade" humans on the planet because they became violent and predatory but there were apex predators that would see me as a meal. The most dangerous were the cave lions as they were vicious and hunted in packs.

My prior military experience was a bonus but would not be as important as the woodcraft I learned from my grandpa and Uncle Jim. Andso said that the world I was being assigned to was basically the same as earth about 30,000 years ago but without the ice age. The plants and wildlife had a great diversity including large predators that had no fear of men. Additionally, there were "Starter" people on the world that hadn't been remade other than going through the first phase which I had just completed. These transplants had their minds wiped of everything but primitive survival, language and trade skills.

It was explained to me that I could make any changes to my physical body that I wished within the limits of physics and that I could have two mental upgrades and one exceptional skill. I was going to be given a set of goods that would help ensure my survival as I would be expected to survive. I was given three days to come up with a list of the physical things I wanted to upgrade.

The next three days were a blur. After I sent my first request and was told that being superman wasn't possible with simple physical augmentation I understood why I was given three days to come up with my list of requirements. Well hell, it was worth a try wasn't it? Who wouldn't want to fly, have laser beam eyes and be invulnerable? After meetings and arguments galore with my "Sponsor" Andso, we finally came to an agreement.

I was now 6' 3" tall with long black hair, green eyes, 10% body fat, weighing in at a svelte 245 pounds, perfectly coordinated, ambidextrous, was able to see in low light and hear better than a dog. I could run as fast as any predator (surviving doesn't always mean fighting) for a short time and was as strong as any 5 men.

Further, I was immune to poison, bacteria and diseases, highly resistant to aging and had somewhat tougher skin than most people with the ability to heal myself of all but the most grievous wounds. The upgrade I liked the best and couldn't wait to try out was new my 9 inches of cock with a pair of heavy balls. Hey, they wanted me to help populate a world and I was determined to do my part.

For the mental upgrades, I had originally picked telekinesis and clairvoyance but was emphatically told no with an explanation that it was too much power for one person and that I would be corrupted like previous "remade" humans. I settled for having perfect recall of anything I have ever seen, heard or read and the ability to tame animals with just a touch (mind control on humans wasn't allowed either).

My exceptional skill was the ability to build anything I could envision with wood and I got a bonus of being able to play any musical instrument.

I thought the hard part was out of the way but I was mistaken. Andso tried to send me to my new home with a basic survival kit. The basic survival kit consisted of a long spear tipped in flint, a flint knife, light and heavy furs, a stone axe, about 10 pounds of jerked beef, 20 yards of sinew for cordage, some salt and furs to erect a teepee. We clearly weren't on the same page as to what "Basic" meant so we began to negotiate.

"I don't see why you are being so obstinate about this! " Andso said. "You will be as well-equipped if not better equipped for survival than any person on the planet with the basic kit we offered you."

"You must be crazy!" I said. "How can you expect me to survive if you don't make allowances for my survival? I am not asking for a machine gun here but there are other items I feel are NEEDED."

"Such as what?"

"Well, a fire starter would be helpful, so would a cooking pot and some hand tools. I'll need METAL to survive"

"You have 1 hour to put a list together for consideration. At the end of that hour, we will review your list and I will decide if what you are asking for is reasonable for your survival." With a wink, he said, "Remember that you will have to be able to carry everything that you request."

The glimmer in the little green bastard's eyes let me know he was secretly cheering for me.

An hour isn't a very long time to come up with a list of items that will help you survive but I gave it my best try. I included the fire starter, cooking pot, throwing knives, buckets, a cart with wheels (thanks for the hint Andso), a shovel, a spade, an axe, drill and drawknife, a bow and arrows with broad heads, metal spear tips, a combat knife, compass and tarps. I also peppered the list with items I knew he would reject like an ATV, tractor, shotguns, pistols, bathtub, portable generators, flashlights, landmines and a bunch of other stuff.

Before I knew it, my hour was up. After a "tough" set of negotiations, I got the pull behind cart with 4 wheels, an assortment of tools, buckets, tarps and cooking pots and utensils, the combat knife, some axes and the throwing knives. The big win was the bow and arrows. The bow was a recurve and it was custom made for me with a hell of a pull. After three shots, with my enhanced coordination, I could hit damn near anything I aimed at. All of the additional kit I got in this round of negotiations was made of some alien alloy that was basically indestructible. As a parting gift, Andso gave me a wooden flute and some modern boots that he said would wear practically forever and not leave tracks.

I was shown to a room that had all of my items in it and was told to pack up as we were in position for the transfer. I loaded my cart with all of the things I had, put on the buckskin clothing with the fur cape, added my belt with my combat knife and a nice hatchet, put my quiver on my left hip and bow over my right shoulder.