I wasn’t some kinda gun fanatic… But I had written quite a few of them in the past. Azrael or Ailyn; same soul, different incarnations. However, Azra was always my gun guru for stories. I can’t even remember all the fucking research I did on firearms, along with various other random technologies, in order to write that character properly.

The difference between double and single action revolvers is pretty simple. Single action revolvers are the old-timey, cowboy days type. The ones gunslingers used, where they could ‘fan’ the hammer with their other hand and fire off the whole cylinder in a second or two. When you pull back the hammer, the cylinder turns a bit, allowing you to fire off the next round by pulling the trigger. Of course, if you hold the trigger down, then it’ll make the hammer come down immediately, hence how that ‘fanning’ nonsense works.

At a certain point, they started making double-action revolvers. These were the modern kind, that allowed you to cock the gun and turn the cylinder with a pull of the trigger. There are obviously benefits to both styles and for me, the guy who had never shot a gun before, I was happy with anything.

By the way, people obviously still made single-action revolvers of pretty much all shapes and sizes. I had looked them up for research purposes before, plenty of times. The cheapest .357 magnum revolvers of that size I could find were about 400 to 600 dollars. More expensive ones could go up to a thousand. While the ammunition varied as well. Fifty rounds of the generic, lead bullets, that had flat heads… The kind I had a box of already. They probably cost about twenty dollars for fifty, though there wasn’t a price-tag on the box the gun came with. In fact, there was no bar-code or any writing aside from the caliber, type, how many were in there and the weight.

Hollow points are always super expensive, but that’s not because they cost more to make. It has more to do with the government limiting their accessibility. They’re meant to be used on people after all, so a dollar a piece isn’t really that expensive in the grand scheme of things. You gotta figure that you probably won’t have many times you’ll need to use them in self-defense. If you unload five or ten dollars worth of bullets to save your life, it really ain’t expensive at all.

FMJ or full-metal-jacket rounds are somewhere in between hollow-points and regular soft-point rounds. This is just a blanket statement, regarding all calibers of bullets that are commonly used. The rarer calibers might only be available in certain types, and rifle rounds are almost always going to be more expensive than pistol rounds of the same caliber. Mainly because rifle rounds generally have a much larger shell, even longer and wider than a magnum for a pistol.

Anyway, there’s no point getting into all the specifics right now. The point I’m trying to make is that bullets are expensive and recreational shooting is a money-sink. I didn’t even mention all the bullshit extra costs that various states enforce. For example, automatic weapons are legal in quite a few states, but there are all kinds of stipulations and ridiculous rules, along with exorbitant fees you need to pay. Plus, they probably put you on some watch-list for terrorists. It’s just not worth it.

“I’ll have to test it out to be sure, but this gun seems pretty nice. Thanks umm, ‘Infinity’? Do you have a name? Never mind, that’s probably some kinda breach of protocol, or whatever.” 

I snickered as I put the revolver back in the case and closed it again. Then I gathered up all three ‘items’ and moved them over to the living room. I also closed the locker back up and washed my hands with soap, over in the kitchen. Then I heard my phone beeping quietly and walked over to take a look.

[∞: We are unable to tell your our names, only that we are the observers tasked to Experiment-77. We are authorized to test you in various ways, but also responsible for your health and wellbeing. Puerta De La Muerta is not a paradise, or a prison. In the event that you decide to move back to the United States or to a different Headquarters, we are the ones who will make that possible and relatively easy. If you need supplies delivered to your home, we will send the drone couriers to fulfill your needs. Most importantly, in the event that your life is in serious danger, we will do everything in our power to ensure your continued existence.]

“Okay then…” I murmured, “How ‘bout I just call you guys Infinity? Hehe~…” As I said that, I started boiling water for tea again. That first glass I used was placed back in the cabinet where I found it, after I washed it off pretty thoroughly of course. Why didn’t I just leave it in the sink? Well, the stainless-steel sink probably would have shattered it, so long as the boat rocked hard enough. And it was definitely a lot shakier than it was in the Chesapeake Bay. Still, I didn’t reuse that ‘dirty’ glass, since there were still quite a few clean ones in the cabinet.

[∞: Very few people outside of ∞ know us by the alias, Infinity International Biotech Corporation. In fact, before Biotechnology was mainstream, we went by other aliases. Even we are unsure of how old the organization truly is… What is commonly known among employees, is that ∞ was deeply involved in both World Wars and various other proxy and shadow wars. The organization typically provides technology, or withholds it, depending on the situation. Unfortunately, that is all you are authorized to know at the moment.]

“Well, I’m glad you guys trust me enough to tell me that much already.” I snickered and shook my head, “What I don’t really understand though… Is why you want me to keep giving myself creampies? Do you want me to get pregnant or are you guys making porn?”

[∞: There are several reasons. First and foremost, we wish to observe the psychological impact being paid to perform a specific sexual task will have on you. Furthermore, your ability to avoid or induce pregnancy has not been verified yet. We will not know how well you can control your reproduction until you become pregnant intentionally or otherwise. Thus, there is a certain amount of risk involved, which is one of the main reasons we are paying you… As for the recordings of your sexual activity, they are for research purposes only.]

“I guess that makes sense. Awwwwhn~!” I suddenly yawned loudly and when I opened my eyes again, I could see the phone and the wall of the bedroom simultaneously. Then I grumbled, “Cuntballs… I wanted to try fucking my unconscious body… Oh well. Wow, I really gotta shit!”

The moment I got up off the bed, I wobbled around and almost fell to the ground. My ears and head were both pounding. I hadn’t realized how loud the crashing waves, clattering pots, pans and plates or the fucking engine was until I woke up with a throbbing pressure headache. Not to mention that both my bodies were dehydrated and really hungry.

Regardless of my other needs, the most crucial one at that moment was to use the bathroom. Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve described what the toilet was like at all. The shape of the seat was that ‘perfect’ kind, where it’s elongated and narrow, with an opening in the middle; allowing me to piss and shit at the same time if necessary. The toilet bowl used barely any water, at least until it was time to flush. Unlike the yacht toilet I used ages ago, when I was a teenager on my neighbor’s boat, this one was fully automatic. Then again, it was some kinda super-yacht that didn’t need a captain at all and could travel hundreds of miles without docking or refueling, so I wasn’t too surprised.

“Ugh… Fucking cunsauce…” I grumbled and groaned as I sat on the toilet. It was the worst kinda shit. The type that won’t come out, but still feels like your entire gut is just filled to the brim. You can’t fart, even when you know your intestines are full of gas. If you push too hard with your arms wrapped around your abdomen, it feels like you might throw up instead of shit. The shaking boat didn’t help the situation at all. It’s fortunate that there wasn’t much water in the bowl, because if just a tiny little splash touched my ass at that moment, the ‘giant’ lump of shit would have gotten sucked back inside.

After it was finally over, and I wiped my ass with some really thin toilet paper, I looked down and was amazed that it just looked like tiny rabbit turds. Anyway, enough of that shit. When I was done in the shower, Ana had finished making the second cup of tea. Thus, I was finally able to quench my thirst.

In my original, soaking wet body, I asked “So how far am I from Hellgate or whatever the fuck that island was called?”

[∞: The Gateway of Death… You are approximately 500 kilometers away. Off the coast of North Carolina. We estimate that you will arrive in 6 to 8 hours. What you do in that time is entirely up to your own discretion.]

“Well… In that case, I’ll eat something first, then try to entertain myself somehow.” I snickered and shook my head. I think it’s pretty obviously what I decided to do with my time.