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The United States of America has an ever-growing problem of people trying to sneak all kinds of contraband items across the border. In an attempt to stem the flow of drugs and weapons into the country and protect the lives of innocent citizens, the border patrol was formed.

Filled with the spirit of these lofty goals is one man determined to make a difference. His name is Hector. He has worked tirelessly to keep us safe for the past 8 years, and if god is willing he hopes to continue his patrols for many years to come. Hector has been instrumental in stopping several gangs from sending their shipments of cocaine up from Mexico, and has even stopped the odd wheel of cheese and bottle of tequila. You can never be too careful. Besides, the law's the law. Hector had been brought up to respect the law, and did his best to follow it. His dedication to his craft won him many awards and the respect of his peers.

Unfortunately Hectors life was about to change. It was late one snowy evening after a particularly long shift. Hector was tired and was heading home to a much-deserved meal and nights rest. The roads were fairly deserted, as much due to the late hour as the day's ice storm.

As Hector carefully made his way through a particularly treacherous intersection, another motorist, probably in a hurry to get home, was driving a little to fast. Upon seeing the red light, the other motorist tried to stop, but was unable due to the ice. The car slid into the intersection and hit Hectors car broadside.

The crash left both cars as mangled wrecks, sliding across the ice, and knocking over a light pole on the corner. The car burst into flames. Hector barely managed to pull himself out of the car before it went up in a massive inferno. He blacked out before he saw if the other driver was rescued or even survived the crash.

Hector woke up almost a month later lying in a hospital bed with all manner of tubes and leads attached to his body. It wasn't long before Hectors body was racked with pain. Grabbing the call button, he mashed it down repeatedly. It was only a few moments before a nurse entered the room, but to Hector it felt like an eternity.

Clearly the nurse had anticipated this call, and made her way over to the IV and with a few button pushes, started the flow of a particularly potent painkiller. As the drug took effect, Hector breathed a sigh of relief, and fell back asleep. It was several more days before Hector was healed enough for the painkillers to be reduced.

When the doctor came in to talk to him, it was bad news. The accident had caused severe injuries. Hector had been in an induced coma for nearly a month while his body knitted it's self back together as best it could. He had been through nearly a dozen surgeries. They had fixed what they could, but there would probably be long term effects.

The doctor told Hector that they had done everything they could for him, and that he was ready to be discharged. He would need to be on a copious number of medications for a while, and should remain off his feet for the next couple of weeks until he fully recovered. Hector hoped his insurance would cover most of what he needed, and that his savings would be enough to live on for a few weeks.

Upon returning home, Hector could barely open his front door due to the build up of mail that had built up on the floor beneath the slot. It took all the energy he had left to shove the door open enough to allow him access. Once inside he collapsed into the couch looked at the mail.

Gathering up his strength, he scooped up the pile, and placed it on the couch. Since he was too tired to move much more, he figured he should at least sort it. A large portion of the mail was junk, but there were an alarming number of bills. Some of them marked Second or Third notice. Had he been away that long?

Hector grabbed a pad of paper from the end table and starting figuring what he owed. It wasn't long before he realized that he didn't have enough money in the bank to cover everything. He put little stars by the most important bills so that he would be sure to get them paid first. He could do without cable, but lights and heat were another matter.

It was getting late, and Hector still wasn't steady on his feet, so he decided to order himself a pizza. As he waited for the pie to be delivered, he thought about the best way to handle the next few weeks.

A knock on the door startled Hector out of his thoughts, and he made his way over to the door. As he expected it was his pizza, and soda, which he paid for with the last of the cash he had in his wallet.

After eating virtually all of the pizza, Hector had made up his mind. He had to return to work, whither he was up to it or not. He called his boss, and let him know that he was finally home from the hospital, and would be returning to his shift in the morning. His boss was concerned, and tried to talk Hector out of it, but he was hearing none of it. Finally he convinced his boss he was ready, and told him not to worry. Ending the call, Hector took a long hot shower and went to bed.

It took Hector several hours to find a comfortable position to sleep in. When his alarm went off, it felt like he had only been asleep for a few minuets. He was stiff all over and every part of his body ached. Somehow he managed to shut off the alarm and get out of bed.

Making his way to the bathroom, he looked in the mirror and wasn't sure he liked what he saw. Following his doctors orders he gulped down about a dozen pills, and hopped into the shower. By the time he was done, the meds had kicked in and he was beginning to feel a little more human.

Hector shaved and found a clean uniform. As he was putting it on, he convinced himself that he could do this. Thinking back to the total on his pad, had to do this. Hector made himself a quick breakfast with what ever he could find that was still good in the kitchen, which turned out to be a box of his nephews favorite cereal. Lucky pebbles loops or something. They tasted as bad as they smelled, and almost made Hector wish he had some hospital food instead. Almost.

Heading out the door, Hector was half way to the garage before he remembered his car was slightly incapacitated at the moment. Being engulfed in flame has a tendency to do that.

Oh well, at least he wasn't that far from a bus stop. The ride into work was uncomfortable, as the seats were worn, and somehow seemed to be damaged in exactly the right spots to cause him pain. At least he was spared any screaming children.

Hector found walking the 100 yards from the bus stop to his office excruciating. Every move caused him pain. He did his best to push the pain into the back of his mind. By the time he arrived at his desk, he was doing a reasonably good job of acting as if he were in tiptop shape.

His boss came into his office and gave him a quick look. He appeared satisfied that Hector was ready to return to service. He assigned hector to bag inspection for the day. Hector knew this would require him to spend all day on his feet, and he wasn't sure he could hold out that long. Still he had to try. Those bills weren't going to pay themselves.

Hector did his best to make it through the day, but found as the day went on his medication was less and less effective. By lunch he could barely tolerate the pain enough to remain standing. He hobbled his way to the cafeteria hoping no one would stop to talk to him or notice how much pain he was in.

His midday pills helped with the pain, but the drugs in his system were making him feel more than a little woozy. As he returned to work, his friend Steve popped his head into the room and told Hector the boss wanted to see him. Hector broke out in a cold sweat. That was never good.

Hector made his way to the boss's office and knocked on the door. He was told to enter. Hector made his way into the office and sat in the chair in front of the desk. Hector was very clearly nervous.

The boss leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers together. “Hector, I have watched you work for years. You have been very dedicated, and are one of my best employees. That is why it pains me to say this. Some of those bags you searched were mandated tests. Unfortunately you missed too many of the planted items. Luckily it is only your first fail on this, so I can suspend you for a week. Next time it's a mandatory firing. I expected more from you. Maybe you weren't as ready to return as you thought."

Hector knew his boss was right, and while he was upset at being suspended, he was smart enough not to try and argue. Heck, he was just glad he hadn't been fired. Hector listened to his boss as he expressed his concern for Hectors well being and hoped he would be back to full strength quickly. Hector knew his boss was being sincere, but still some part of him wanted to be angry, not just with the boss but himself.

Steve was waiting outside the boss's office, and offered Hector a ride home. Hector was glad to accept. Hector didn't know, and likely wouldn't have cared had he known, that his boss had arranged for Steve to be there, and watched with genuine concern as Hector made his way out of the building to the parking lot.

Hector was quiet the entire ride home. He knew he had messed up, and was glad it hadn't cost him his job. Hector racked his brain trying to figure out how to make it up, not just to himself, but his boss. No answers were forthcoming, and that just made Hector all the more depressed.

When they arrived at Hector's home, Steve helped him to the door and made sure he made it inside to the couch before leaving. Hector thanked him for both the ride home and the assistance.

Hector was glad to be home where he could get back to the much needed recuperating his body needed. Before he knew it, Hector had dozed off and fallen into a dreamless sleep.

Several hours later, Hector was awakened by an unusually loud commercial on TV. He didn't even remember turning it on, but he chalked it up to the medications making him hazy and messing with his memory.

After watching an odd ad about a group of dogs trying to sell cars, Hector was about to get up and turn off the TV and head to his bedroom when something caught his eye.

At first it seemed like any infomercial. It was advertising a research study for a disease called hyperosmia. Hector thought it was some kind of sleep problem, but the commercial went on to explain that it was an increase in the sense of smell. They were researching the causes and treatments associated with it. What really caught Hectors attention was that they were offering a minimum of one thousand dollars to successful participants.

That money would go along way to helping him pay off the debts that had accumulated while he was in the hospital. Since he had nothing better to do for the next week, Hector grabbed the pad from the end table and jotted down the phone number and address before switching off the TV and heading to bed.

The next morning Hector woke still in pain. He made up his mind that he had to do something. He stumbled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to complete his daily routine. After taking care of the essentials, and downing a huge number of pills, Hector returned to his bedroom to dress for the day.

Hector started to put on his uniform before remembering he was suspended. The realization sent him into a moment of depression. He quickly snapped himself out of it and got up to grab some sweats and a t-shirt and get on with his day. As he moved around the bed he place his hand on the nightstand to steady himself. Looking down he saw the note he had made last night.

Throwing on his clothes, Hector grabbed the scrap of paper and took it into the kitchen with him. As he waited for his breakfast to cook, he dialed the number on the paper, half expecting it to be a hoax.

Hector's call was answered by a woman who obviously had one of those excessively cheerful personalities. Hector meds still hadn't kicked in yet, so he wasn't really in the mood for someone that perky. He was about to hang up when for some reason he could never quite explain, he suddenly felt like he could tell her everything, and started feeling completely at ease.

After a surprisingly lengthy phone call, only interrupted by the overwhelming smell of his food being cremated, Hector found himself registered for an experiment he wasn't quite sure he understood all of the details for. It took him almost half an hour for him to process everything he had agreed to.

Glancing at his watch he realized he would need to leave in the next couple of minuets or he would be late for his appointment. Well, that ruled out breakfast. Not that it was really edible at that point anyway.

Hector picked at the charred black mass of his breakfast for a few more seconds, then drew in as much strength as he could muster. Tossing the food, and the plate it was on in the garbage, Hector made his way to the bus stop.

Mercifully, the ride was short and all the pills Hector had taken started to kick in. The closest stop was about a block from the address Hector had been given. The weather was nice, so the walk was for the most part pleasant. There are, after all, always a few obstacles to avoid when walking in the big city.

The building at the address Hector had been given was a medium sized one that looked like it had been built fairly recently. It had all the hallmarks of some of the more artsy styles of architecture. You know- all the little bits that hung off at weird angles, and things that seemed to hang out with no means of support. When looked at individually the elements were absurd, but somehow they worked together to form a nice pleasing appearance.

Hector made his way to the front door, and entered the building. The interior was much the same as the exterior. He had never been a fan of this type of decoration, preferring something a little simpler, but Hector had to admit that somehow it all worked. It was professional looking, while still giving off that comforting feeling of being at home. As best as hector could tell, the research company owned most, if not all of the space in the building.

A large reception desk was set up in the entryway. The lone receptionist looked happy to be there and gave off the air of someone who really enjoyed their work. She must have been the one Hector talked to on the phone. As Hector approached, her eyes lit up. She came around the desk and shook his hand, guiding him back to a small room just off the lobby.

The room was filled with some of the most comfortable looking couches Hector had ever seen. At the receptionist's urging, he picked a nice spot and sat down. Hector sank a few inches into the cushion and felt like he was sitting on a cloud. He let out a contented sigh, which made a smile cross the receptionist's face.

The receptionist welcomed him to the facility, and told him that the scientists would be with him shortly, but first he needed to fill out a few forms. She ducked out for a second and came back in with what looked like a phonebook. She plopped it down on the table in front of Hector and handed him a pen. Hector could have sworn he felt a small earthquake when the book hit the table.

Hector eyed the forms with skepticism. Oh well, he thought. He had come this far. Besides, he worked for the government, so he was used to forms. He even had to fill out forms just to get authorization to fill out more forms!

He grabbed the pen and started making his way through the forms. They were mostly straightforward and he made his way through them at a brisk pace. Hector was thankful that the receptionist had dropped off a plate of doughnuts, pastries and a rather large cup of coffee for him.

Before long, much to his own surprise, Hector had made short work of both the forms and the doughnuts. The receptionist must have been watching, because she came in shortly after he finished, and with not a small amount of effort, took the forms away for processing.

As the receptionist walked out one door, another Hector hadn't noticed slid open, and a man in a lab coat walked in. He walked over to Hector and extended his hand, which Hector shook vigorously. They talked for a while, going over what they hoped to see and find with the experiment. Most of what he was saying was over Hectors head, so he just listened and nodded in the right places.

When the preliminaries were finished, Hector was lead through the door in to the lab proper. He glanced around taking it all in. Everything was well kept and clean. Hector was impressed with the array of machines and tools that lined the walls. Several other researchers were busy scurrying around the room tending to other people in various stages of their respective trials.

The researcher led Hector to a small cubicle containing a desk with a computer, a chair, and an examination bed. Hector was told to hop up onto the bed, and after confirming a few details, was given a series of injections. Hector had never cared for needles, but the tech had been giving them for a while, and was very good at his job. Hector hardly even noticed, and felt little pain. After one last check of his vitals, Hector was given a date to return for a follow up, and a number to call if there were any problems. He was then sent home to allow the chemicals to take effect.

The rest of the day was fairly normal. Hector rode the bus home, and went about his business. He felt a little more tired than usual, but he chalked that up to the injuries and medication. He ate dinner a little earlier than normal and headed to bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Hector awoke the next day to sunlight streaming in through the window. Looking at the clock, he noticed it was almost eleven. The alarm had been going off for several hours and he hadn't even noticed! He almost gave himself a heart attack before he remembered he was still on suspension. Relaxing a little he shut off the alarm and got ready for the day.

Hector wasn't quite sure what to expect from the injections. He figured he probably wouldn't see any effects. Nonetheless, he made sure to note everything that happened to him in his journal. Most of what he recorded on the first day were probably nothing more than his imagination, but Hector had always been always followed through with his promises, so he took careful notes.

As the week progressed, it became harder and harder to deny that something was happening. It started small at first, a few extra notes when he smelled his coffee or food. Then as hector went about his day, he started to notice that he could tell where the people he passed had been earlier that day. Later he could discern even more. He could tell where people had been even days before. He even found some of the things he had lost in his house just by following their smell.

Hector carefully noted everything in his journal. Before long, he had filled 2 books and was well into a third. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. For the most part, the enhanced sense of smell was a blessing.

There were some downsides though. There were always homeless people that he passed, he thanked god that he wasn't one of them, and people who didn't clean up after their dogs. With a little work and a lot of effort, Hector was able to control how strongly he smelled each scent. In essence he learned to mute the ones he didn't want to smell. It took a lot of concentration, but it was worth it.

When he finally returned to work, Hector was called into his boss's office. They spent most of the morning making sure Hector was fit to return to work, and reinforcing that hector was still on probation. Any foul ups would lead to his immediate termination.

Hector knew this was coming and did his best to make sure that his boss knew that he understood, and was really up to returning to work. His boss had managed to arrange a light duty shift just to make sure there were no problems.

Hector was stationed at an x-ray machine, where he could be seated and watch the bags roll through the scanner. At first he was bored, but he quickly noticed that he could detect things that weren't picked up on the scanner. The agent he was working with thought Hector was crazy the first time he stopped the machine. Hector turned out to be right, and a small lead lined compartment in the bag held a small quantity of drugs.

As the day went on, Hector caught several more inventively hidden pieces of contraband that would have otherwise passed through the machines undetected. As he had to file a report for each one, the discoveries didn't go unnoticed.

The next morning, Hector was again called into his boss's office. When he entered, he noticed that there were several people there who he had met only briefly. He wasn't sure exactly who they were, but he knew they were some pretty important people. Hector immediately got nervous.

For most of the day, Hector endured a seemingly endless stream of questions about how he was able to detect contraband with such accuracy. Hector squirmed in his seat because he knew he was bound by the NDA he had signed at the clinic. He did his best to answer without really saying much. He could tell his inquisitors were not happy with his responses. He was afraid he would end up getting himself fired.

The questioning lasted late into the afternoon. When they were finally finished, Hector was sent to a room to wait while they discussed what to do with him. He was so worried and nervous he nearly passed out. After what seemed like an eternity, Hectors boss finally entered the room. He took a seat across from Hector and looked at him seriously.

He told hector that the situation had been discussed at length. Thanks to his nearly spotless record, they had decided not to fire him or punish him. Instead he was to be transferred to baggage inspection. That meant he would, at first, concentrate on all the bags that came through and do a preliminary inspection on them. If he continued to be as good at finding contraband, then he would get a promotion and a raise.

Hector wasn't sure he liked what was being implied. All the baggage screening was done by dogs. Hector was told he could either take the new post, or receive a black mark on his record and be fired. He needed the money desperately so he had no choice but to agree.

The next morning Hector reported to work at his new assignment. He was introduced to all the dogs and handlers he would be working with. They were then assigned areas to work. Hector found the work boring but easy. He had no problem finding things that even the dogs were likely to miss. He worked for nearly two weeks before one of the handlers filed a complaint with the union.

It seems that Hector was too successful, and he was making the other handlers look bad, and hurting their chances of promotion. One of them figured the only way to stop him was to get him out of there was to complain.

The union rep went over the rules, and found that Hector was doing work that could only be done by a dog according to the contract. Supposedly the rule was to protect the employees and prevent them from being taken advantage of.

Hector would have to either be sent somewhere else or fired. Hectors boss didn't like that one bit. He didn't want to lose hector as his hit rate made his whole division look really good. Now that everyone had gotten the lawyers involved, something had to be done.

The lawyers combed through the regulations, and found that indeed, only a dog was allowed to do the job. That sounded bad. They had more- there was nothing in the rules that prevented them from reclassifying Hector as a dog. Hector would, of course, have to agree for this to work.

Hector was called back into his boss's office where the plan was laid out. He could only keep his job if he agreed to be reclassified as a dog. He would be required to live as one, and would be housed with them. He would be assigned a handler who would take care of his needs, and would work with him while doing his inspections.

Hector couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was about to tell his boss where he could shove the job, when he realized that quitting would probably be a bad move. The government could blacklist him and prevent him from getting another job. He still had issues from the accident that never went away that would make it difficult to find another job that could pay enough to cover his bills. Reluctantly he agreed.

Hector was assigned Steve as his new handler and owner. Somewhere, they found a vet they could payoff to handle all the vaccinations and paperwork that would be needed to establish Hectors new identity. Most of Hectors possessions were either sold or put into long-term storage.

Hector was stripped of his clothing and after an embarrassing and humiliating exam, he was fitted with his collar and official customs vest. He was made to walk on all fours as he was led to his new assignment. All of the other handlers had been ordered under penalty of firing not to say anything to the public about Hector, and to treat him as if he were just an ordinary dog. For the most part they honored their instructions, though Hector could swear he could hear them talk behind his back.

Steve and Hector had been friends for years, so they got along well and worked together fairly seamlessly. Steve did everything he could to take care of Hector. Even sneaking Hector the occasional bit of human food.

The patrols were often boring, and as Hector was living full time with the dogs, and expected to behave as one at work, he would often let his mind wander. Before long, he found himself starting to think of himself as just another one of the dogs. Steve couldn't help but notice and get concerned as Hectors behavior became more and more like that of an ordinary dog.

One afternoon, during what was an otherwise ordinary patrol, Hector caught a scent. He practically drug Steve over to large suitcase. Hector whined and pawed at it until Steve dug out his master Key set and opened the suitcase. Much to his surprise, It contained a huge quantity of explosives. If this had made it onto a plane, or detonated here in the airport! Steve shook his head and shuddered at the thought. He was praising Hector as he called the incident in.

Hector started sniffing at the air, and before Steve could stop him, dashed towards the gate area. It was an incredible sight; Hector wearing nothing but his vest and collar, running on all fours across the terminal. Hector sniffed the air, and ran straight towards the man that still had the unmistakable smell of explosives on his hands.

The man wanted to run, but just stood there staring as Hector ran towards him. Before he knew it, Hector was on top of him growling. Steve was nearly out of breath when he caught up, and called for security to come and take the man into custody.

These days every one has a cell phone with video capabilities, so it wasn't long before the entire scene was viral on the Internet and all over the new stations. It took a lot of artful story telling, and a few payoffs to get around some of the more uncomfortable questions.

In the end it was revealed that the man had planned to detonate the bomb at a gathering of important dignitaries, in an effort to start a conflict that would bring down the United States Government and hopefully a few others along the way. The bomb was a new type that almost impossible to detect by most machines or dogs. It was only through Hectors enhanced senses that it was discovered. Who knows how many lives Hector had saved.

Hector was declared a hero, and was even presented with a medal by the president himself. It was quite an impressive ceremony, and Steve wore his dress uniform, and Hector wore a special dress vest as he was led to the podium to receive the award. No one said anything when Hector was allowed to receive the medal as the dog he now believed himself to be.

After a long night of interviews and celebration Hector and Steve returned home for a much needed nights rest. When they returned to work the next morning, Hector was offered the opportunity to return to his old job as a human, or continue this one as a dog.

Hector thought on this long and hard, and finally came to the conclusion that he was happier as a dog than he had ever been as a human. All those things that troubled him as a man seemed so insignificant now.

When Hector Finally returned for the follow up on the study, Every one knew what he had done. They were all buzzing around him trying to collect every bit of evidence and data they could.

Soon they were contracted with the border patrol to find a way to make all of their agents as adept with their sense of smell as Hector was. It may have been something unique to his genetics, or some interaction with the medication he had been taking, but they were never able to come close to replicating Hectors success.

Hector received many award and bonuses over the years, and He and Steve quickly reached the point where they could easily have retired quite comfortably. Steve seriously considered the idea, but Hector was still as dedicated as a dog as he was as a human. He wanted to continue until the world was safe. That, and he liked getting to eat the contraband food he found.

So next time you travel, Just remember the dedicated men, women, and Dogs who are out there working tirelessly to keep you safe, and maybe slip a bit of cheese into your suitcase.