Chapter 1

Jason ("Jase") Stewart was absolutely beat! When he signed up for the track team to run cross country, he never thought that the training would be such a bitch! Coach Smith was a sadist! Jase thought that he was already in good physical condition, what with his running, swimming, and martial arts training. But Coach Smith still had him running his ass off. Well, the first meet was scheduled for next week, maybe the coach would back off a little if Jase could do well.

On top of all the physical effort he had to expend, Jase was trying to be at the top of his class. Since his father died in Iraq two years ago, Jase was trying to be the father figure for the family as well as make his mother proud of him in school. He knew that he didn't have to try to do so much, but, at 16-years-old, he felt that he had to set an example for his younger siblings and be someone for his mother to lean on.

Jase's mother, Judy, was working two jobs, one as a full-time legal secretary and the other as a part-time tutor for high schoolers who needed help with English and Social Studies. Her income, along with the pension she got from the government, was enough to keep them living comfortably, but left little for extras. Jase would still be working at his afternoon job at the local hardware store as a stockboy if his mother had not insisted that he go out for track.

Jase had taken a shower after he had finished his running at school, so, once he had finished his homework, he just stripped off his clothes and flopped into bed. As usual, he was practically asleep by the time his head hit the pillow.

Man, what a weird dream! This girl, no, woman, was a real dish, even if she was over 7 feet tall, had green hair, and pale blue skin. Jase was an avid science fiction fan, so he was only intrigued, not frightened, by such a figure standing next to him. He was particularly intrigued because she was naked! Of course, he was too, but he never thought of that, though little Jase did and stood to attention immediately.

This Wonder Woman incarnate said, "Jason, pay close attention to me. NO! Pay attention to what I say, not what I look like!"

"You stand there naked, and expect me, a teenage boy, not to notice? You've got to be kidding! What's your name, anyway?"

"Most people call me Number 7."

"Shit fire! If you're number 7, I wonder what number 1 looks like."

"Stop joking. This is serious. I am here on a mission. We need your help."

"Shit, lady! I'm only 16-years-old. How can I help somebody like you?"

"You are an avid science fiction fan, so you have the basic mind set we need. You are already in good physical condition, and are approaching your physical and mental peak. We will train you and give you some additional powers and abilities if you will join and help us."

"Look, I can't agree to join anything, even in a dream, until I know more about it. Exactly who are you, and what do you want me to do?"

"I am a member of the Milky Way Galaxy Ruling Council. I was chosen to approach you because I most closely resemble humans. The Council wants you to become a warrior on our behalf, helping us to police the galaxy. Specifically, we want you to become an assassin acting under our orders."

"No way! I don't go around killing people! You'll have to find somebody else to do your dirty work, even if it is in a dream."

"Do you know who Stalin was? Don't you think the world would have been much better off without him? How about Pol Pot? Or Akmed? Oops, he's not born yet."

"Yeah, you do have a point. But how could I do you any good. I'm just a kid."

"Don't worry about that. We will train you and augment your physical and mental abilities to the point that you could do anything we ask of you. We will also extend your life indefinitely; at least, you wouldn't die of old age."

"Yeah, just how old are you?"

Number 7 thought for a moment and answered, "In Earth years, I am 17,659 years old. However, it does get a little confusing, since we do travel in time as well as space. Otherwise, how could I have gotten here from near the center of the galaxy, even at my age?"

Jase whistled (something he had never tried before in a dream). "Out of curiosity, what would I look like after 10,000 years?"

"About 22 years old. Of course, you could pick another physical age if you prefer. I chose 79 years old."

"OK, now tell me the down side. There has to be one."

"Actually, there isn't much of a down side for someone who likes science fiction. Part of your time will be spent off Earth, mostly during your training. That, and the fact that it is conceivable that you could be killed while on assignment, are the only down-side points I can think of."

"I have to admit being excited by the prospect of the job you're offering, but I can't take it. I haven't finished high school, yet, and I'll need to go to college after that. Both of those are full time jobs"

"Remember, I said that we can travel through time. You can return home the moment after you leave, so nobody would even know that you had ever left. Also, you would not age while you were gone, so you won't be missed."

"OK, that answers that problem, so what are these physical and mental augmentations you mentioned?"

"Your strength will be tripled, your agility will be tripled, and your reflexes with be sped up by a factor of four. It's hard to say how much your memory will be increased, because that's optional. We can increase that through your life, as necessary. You vision will be enhanced so that you can see radiation from the far infra-red through X-rays. Your hearing will be expanded in frequency range and in sensitivity.

"It's hard to describe just how your mental capabilities will be changed. You will be able to think faster and reason with more exactitude. You will have better control of your mind and much faster access to your memory.

"Now that you have heard the story, how do you choose? Will you join us? I need an answer now, I can't wait."

"From what you have said, I would be a fool to turn you down. OK, I'll join you. What do I have to do?"

"You have just done it. You are now officially a member of the Galaxy Police Force. Your training and augmentation will start immediately. Let's go."

There was a momentary blurring of Jase's vision, and they were standing in what had to be a hospital waiting room. Jase tried to look around, but Number 7 rushed him into a room with a bed. He was told to lie in the bed so that they could get started. He lay down, and his vision blurred again.

It seemed that no time had passed when he was told to open his eyes. He almost vomited when he tried to look around. He was sure that his vision was ruined—he saw in multiple colors he had never seen before, and he had the impression that he could see through the walls.

Number 7 said, "Jase, listen to me. Your physical changes are complete. Now you must learn how to control them. Very slowly and carefully seat yourself in this wheelchair. For a time, you must be very careful, or you will become completely disoriented. It won't take you long to learn how to control your new capabilities. Once you do learn, you will wonder how you ever got along without them."

"OK, but you don't have to shout. I can hear you just fine."

"I know you can. I am talking in a normal voice. Your hearing has just become so much more sensitive that it sounds like I am shouting. Just relax and let the chair take you where you need to go next."

The chair started moving and conveyed Jase to a room with display screens for three of its walls. The fourth wall, at Jase's back, contained a large two-way mirror, behind which stood three technicians charged with teaching Jase how to use his new abilities.

It took what seemed like about an hour to gain control of his hearing and a bit longer than that to do the same for his vision. Jase was told to stand and walk to the door he had come through to reach this room. He stood up and walked with no sign of dizziness or other disorientation. Number 7 appeared beside him and said, "You are doing amazingly well, Jase. Please come with me."

They walked through what seemed to be 3 miles of corridors without seeing anyone else. Jase was surprised that a building so large would have so few people in it, but he had no real way of judging what the ETs would consider "normal." Finally, they reached a door which Jase was told to enter.

He stepped through the door into what a normal human would find to be pitch dark. Jase shifted his vision to the infra-red and saw that there were two other people in the room with him. At least, he thought that they were people.

One of the people said something that Jase didn't understand. He searched his memory and found that he could translate what was said. He answered in the same language, "Yes, I am doing well, thank you. Number 7 was an excellent guide."

The other person of the pair said, "We are here to teach you how to control your new physical abilities. You should learn the basics in about 2 hours, after that it is just a matter of practice. Let us start. Raise both hands above your head as far as you can reach."

The instructions were very simple, but thorough. By the time the 2 hours were up, Jase had learned how to control his strength so as not to cause damage accidentally to other people or other things. He stepped out the door and readjusted his vision for human normal.

Number 7 appeared and beckoned him to follow her. This time she walked much faster; they switched to a run and Jase was able to pull ahead of her a little bit. She called for him to stop and said, "I am very impressed with your control. You are progressing much faster than is average for someone so newly augmented. Now, let's start you on your mental training."

They went to another "class room" which was very much like the first one the chair took him to. This room had a chair, a desk, and a funny looking helmet he was told to use as they progressed through the lessons. The first part of the lessons were a quick rundown of galactic history and an explanation of why he was the first human to be selected for the Galactic PD.

Earth was so far out in the galactic boondocks that no one even knew that it was there up until about 5 years ago. The intervening time was spent in learning everything they could about humans. Normally, the job of the Galactic PD was preventing the rise of despots like Stalin, etc., and that would be Jase's job once he was fully trained. The Galactic PD did not control a species' development, but just tried to prevent individuals from causing great misery to their fellows.