[DRAFT] Dimensions I: Recruit

Chapter 1

John opened his eyes to see a large, bearded, bespectacled face looking down at him. The face's owner was also quite a size. He was about ten feet tall and slightly rotund.

"Finally awake, are we." said the giant, leaning back in his chair, "You've been out for a couple of days. I even had to call the physician." He gestured towards a small, withered... thing. It looked a bit like a grey-blue toy rabbit, but it had only one eye and it had a long, saurian tail. John had to assume this was the physician.

"I anticipate you have many queries, but first allow me to give a brief introduction. My name is Dr Cerebrum Parvus. This... institution... is called Dimensional Headquarters, or, as most people call it, DHQ. We have many facilities, including research, training, and general peace-keeping. There is at least one representative of every sentient species in the universe here, and you have been chosen to replace the previous human. You should feel honoured.

Oh, and I do apologise for this, but you don't actually have a choice. Our recruitment team has chosen you - they make the choice, not you."

John thought about this for a moment, and said "Oh"

"Anyway, please get changed into this uniform" - John was handed several sets of black leather clothes, each of which had the letters DHQ on the front - "and meet Professor Yrnopaew in the training fields for the first stages of your training."

Along with the uniform, John was given a bag of toiletries and a map. After changing he set off down the gloomily lit castle-like stone maze of corridors. The journey took a long time, but fortunately the building was laid out very systematically. He descended about fifty flights of stairs and emerged blinking into harsh daylight. When he looked up, though, he saw that the sky was not lit up by the sun, but an astounding view of three galaxies - like a close up view of the pleiades, with a spiral galaxy, reminiscent of, but subtly different to, the Milky Way, in the centre.

Looking back at the building he had just exited, he saw he had counted the stairs correctly, for it was at least fifty storeys. It was flat and even, with no spires or anything like that on top, as he'd expected. It had the appearance of a gargantuan block of flats.

He could see that he was in a vast quadrangle at the centre of the building - though he could only faintly see the other side. He was currently on a small patio but ahead he could see a path through a forest. After walking along this path for about half an hour - it was actually quite a pleasant walk - he came to a field.