Chapter 5

Kathy was waiting with bells on, or at least she was happy to see me. She put Mary into the healing chamber first and bathed me while we were waiting. I could learn to live with this kind of treatment.

I had my shot at the chamber next and when I came out Mary was sparkling clean too. We all went directly to bed and it didn't take long at all to have both of them hot enough to fuck, and buddy, did I?

It seemed like all I did for the next three weeks. Oh, we ate and talked and teased a little, but mostly we spent our time fucking. I was a little surprised when Mary came out of the bathroom one morning and told us she was pregnant.

Apparently the two of them knew what was going to happen next, but I didn't. Well I found out soon enough - once the Damsel said her rabbit was dead she left and it was time to for me to go. In fact Kathy shoved me back through the portal, naked as a jaybird.

I flopped onto the floor just past the end door in Cowboy Jack's little cabin and he was sitting in the same chair he'd been in when it all started. He looked at me for a second and then burst out laughing. It took him ten minutes to stop.

"I guess I don't need to ask you how it went," he said.

"Well it was damned sure interesting, but what was the deal at the last. She practically booted me out," I said.

"Once the Damsel is knocked up you're history until next time. You have about five minutes to get your ass out under your own power and your Caretaker probably realized she hadn't told you the deal right at the last.

"It's the one thing about a Caretaker you have to watch out for. Once they get started on the fuckfest after a mission they kind of lose it in a sexual frenzy. They'll lie around and keep ordering those restoratives until you drop if you don't watch 'em.

"You might as well let her get a little of it out of her system the first time or two, but you'd be wise to pull back on the reins a little after a few times. The Damsels are just as bad, or even worse. They think they're just living only to fuck their life away until they get knocked up.

"Surely you know by now she'll get just as pregnant from one fuck every other day. Come has a pretty good shelf life once you push it up where it belongs. Hell, if you want to be sure give 'em a good dose once a day, but that's all you need to get the job done. The rest of it is just fucking for fucking's sake. Come to think of it - that ain't all bad."

"Well, I wanted to ask her a few more things about the rules, but every time I tried to we were fucking again in no time."

"Yep, and it's the way it'll be every time, at least in the after mission fuckfest. If you've got a question you'd better ask it about the third day you're there - or at least before you go off on a mission. You'll have your caretaker fucked down a little and she'll be able to pay attention to something besides your dick.

"One thing I managed to do was ask Glenda for an instruction book. They've got several, but I don't even think the Caretakers read 'em close. They get a sort of orientation course and most of them just wing it from there. It's the way things work there. You've got to put up with a little inefficiency for the fine looking women and the good pussy," Cowboy Jack said.

"I'll have to ask about getting some of those instruction books next time," I said.

"Naw you won't. I've got the whole set, such as they are. I read 'em through after I got 'em, but I've probably forgot more of them than I remember. They're a little dry for my taste. You ought to read 'em through at least once, but if you're looking for loopholes there ain't many," he said.

"How long do I have to wait until I can go back?"

"The Caretaker will tell you a couple of weeks or so, but you can go right back if the portal lets you. Mostly you have to be in good health and your dick's sure got to be up to snuff. They don't need you if your dick don't work."

"Even I can see that. Say, do you know how this portal works?"

"Don't I wish? If I could build one to take me anywhere else I'd damned sure like to have it. So would this whole damned world as far as it goes. I built that one with some instructions I got from the guy who put me onto this. It really ain't very hard to do, but since you'll be buying into this place you can use the one that's here already."

"That's right. I've got to get the paperwork straight. Does the lawyer know how much the price is, or can you tell me?"

"Shit, don't worry about it. I got no one to leave it to, so I'll sell it to you for fifty grand and leave the money right here in the house, unless I need to buy something big. I've got plenty to live out my life already. Only thing I want to do is stay right here until I die. If you'll promise me that I'll just have the whole thing deeded to you now, or as soon as we can," he said.

It's just what we did. I drove us into town to his lawyer's place and I wrote a check for fifty thousand bucks. The lawyer said he'd get the paperwork settled and we could sign it in a week or so.

We went right back out to Cowboy Jack's cabin and he started in on lunch. I asked if I could help and he laughed.

"I spent ten years as a trail cook after I was too broken up to ride herd any more. I'd be in a hell of a mess now if not for the healing chamber at Crossroads. As it is there ain't nothing wrong with me 'cept for being too old. Nothing really hurts or anything - I guess I could go again another time or two, but really I just don't want to go again. Maybe it's something the portal does to you, but I just don't feel the need to go like I once did.

"How about you. I'm betting you'd just as soon jump right back on the horse."

"You're gonna have to bet with someone else, cause I know I would. I'd head that way now except I want to know a little more about it. I guess I'll just read the books and see if I can puzzle it out."

"Well hell. Why don't you at least ask me? You never can tell, I might know something you don't."

"Well you told me I couldn't take any weapons with me, but I don't know if I can take parts or not," I said.

"Parts? Parts of what?"

"Parts of a weapon," I said.

"You mean take a part now and then a part next time and then try to put it together later?" he asked.

"Yeh, kinda. I know a weapon I'd like to have there. Hell, I could make one there with time and patience. There are two parts that would be a bitch to build there though," I said.

"Well if it's part of a gun or something I don't think you can get any of it at all through the portal."

"Naw, it ain't a gun. It's a compound bow. It would be easy to make most of it even there, but the cams and the axles for 'em would be hard to come up with."

"I'll be damned. I've sat on this chair for hours at a time before -hours, hell days - trying to think of a better weapon to have there and never even thought of a compound bow. It would be as powerful as any of the crossbows they have there and a hell of a lot easier and faster to shoot. Hell, it isn't even as complicated as a crossbow."