Aphelion

I don't know why these get so few comments . . . maybe because they are what they are, and that's that.

I'm not sure what to make of the metaphysical aspect of this story . . . it seems a little out of place, but it worked.

Jeff needs to learn a little more about guns. In this installment, at the end, Simon is carrying a .380 in his pocket, and flicks the safety off with the gun still in his pocket.

For one thing, .380 seems too anemic a caliber for someone like Simon, but carrying a semi-auto pistol in a pocket (when it should be in a holster -- even a pocket holster) with the safety off is a recipe for disaster, as in shooting oneself in the leg. Standard procedure is to acquire the target before removing the safety.

I can't access last month's issue to check, but I believe that in Part One of this story, Simon was threatening Callow with a .44 Magnum, and flicked the safety off on that one. Although there are exceptions, the .44 Mag is a caliber usually found in revolvers, which don't ordinarily have safeties on them.

Here's a link for your firearms research:

http://thehighroad.org/

Oh, one other thing -- Callow needs to be killed, preferably in a way that leaves him screaming for his mommy until his last breath and/or drop of blood -- just make sure he stays dead.

As I recall, in that scene the .380 was chosen for its ability to be concealed.

Lots of more powerful guns are quite concealable; lots of 9mm's and some .38's, and I think someone even makes a tiny .45 ACP, though no one likes to shoot it. I think my choice would be a Ruger LCR. Revolvers have the advantage of being able to be fired from inside a coat pocket, if you don't mind replacing the coat.

The anemia of the .380 round can be addressed by the use of Hydra-Shock ammo

I've heard that those don't perform up to their hype . . . Remington makes their Golden Saber in .380 . . . upon expansion, the jacket opens up into a six-petaled flower shape, with extremely sharp points and edges, emulating the blades in a food processor . . . better expansion also, I believe -- I saw an expansion comparison chart somewhere.

Actually, I'm a little disappointed that no one jumped in to say, "Hey, James Bond used a .25 caliber Beretta!" Bond was a snake, though; he could be within arm's reach of his target before pulling the trigger.