The robot slot machines fired, their bullets whizzing overhead, sparking overhead lights and walls, creating showers of sparks and small clouds of dust to erupt around the room.
One bullet even sped by the Ergosphere's head as he sat at the bar sipping his expertly-made rum and Coke, shattering bottles of liquor behind him.
The Ergosphere understood that this was a robbery and not a killing spree, and the gunfire was meant to frighten and control, not harm. It worked, though, as the casino-goers dropped to their knees in fear.
Then one of the machines took notice of the Ergosphere, aiming its weapon at him. The Ergosphere considered various options of how to escape this predicament, but then he felt an altogether different sensation, a slight tugging at the back or his head. He hadn't experienced this feeling in many an age, but he recognized it. It meant someone or something displaced from time was approaching.
With a gun aimed at his face, the Ergosphere chose to relax and see where this was going.
A beam of bright red light came from the side, slicing through the machine and causing it to fall in a smoking heap.
The Ergosphere was impressed, taking a simple laser and concentrating it to the point where it was effective as a weapon? That was truly futuristic.
The beam had come from an outlandish young woman who just burst through the casino's front doors. She was dressed head-to-toe in an authentic Old West gear, including cowboy hat, duster, and boots with spurs. Instead of Old West pistol, though, she held silvery laser weapons in each hand.
"Well, shoot," the girl said. "You're having a hoedown and you didn't invite me? I'm hurt, I am."
Another machine hovered toward her with its weapon drawn, but she was faster. A shot of red light burst from her gun, slicing the machine's gun arm off.
"Actually, I ain't never been to a proper hoedown," the girl said. "You modern folks seem to think that word's funny-sounding."
Several of the slot machines turned and rolled toward the girl. She raised her second gun and fired, letting out a blast of sound that shook the whole room, throwing another machine onto its backs and sorting it out.
Still on the stage, Sittman shouted, "Who the hell are you?"
"They call me History Girl," she said. "I'm ahead o' my time."
The Ergosphere finished his drink and set the glass down. He thought had come to Vegas for Donnelly and the void, but now he saw other events were in motion. He watched with amusement as Sittman sent the remaining machines after History Girl. Only for her to slice through them with the laser or rattle them with more sound blasts.
"Stick 'em up," History Girl said, not noticing the final surviving slot machine circling behind her.
The Ergosphere knew what he had to do. He set down his drink and sprinted to the machine, grabbing its left arm. Instead of pulling down and hoping for a fortune, the Ergosphere pulled the arm to the side, swinging the hovering machine around in the air. The Ergosphere aimed the machine at the nearest wall and let go. It spun around in the air for a moment and then smacked into the wall, leaving some cracks in it.
The Ergosphere saw the girl running at him with both guns held out straight. Her lips were open and teeth were clenched shut. Her eyes focused steely on the another machine as it drew its gun on the Ergosphere. She shredded it into debris with a few shots from her laser weapons.
"Not bad, kid," the Ergosphere said.
"Not bad yourself, stranger. You're the second fastest person I've ever seen."
"Second fastest?"
"God damn you!" Sittman shouted. He clapped his hands together twice and the four remaining machines flew out from the opposite end of the casino floor, where they had been guarding the rear exits.
The Ergosphere chuckled. "Does he have a clapper attached to those things?"
"A what?"
"You know, a clapper. From those old TV commercials?"
"You're talking about the moving pictures? Gave 'em a try. Didn't much care for 'em."
"Good for you. Now are we going to destroy these things or what?"
"Yee-haw."
She fired twice. The bright beams burst from her guns, tearing through the first two machines, which fell to the floor in smoking heaps. While she did that, the Ergosphere darted forward and grabbed the next machine's gun arm. As he gripped it, he could feel heat increasing inside it, so he swung the arm toward the fourth machine. A beam shot out of the arm, instantly slicing the other machine in half.
The Ergosphere then felt the cold metal of the machine's clamp hand grip the back of his neck and squeeze.
"Sonofabitch!" History Girl shouted, firing both guns at the machine. It took all of the Ergosphere's strength to duck forward against the clamp arm, even as the entire machine broke apart just above him.
The Ergosphere felt the machine's arm pull away from its body as it fell apart. The Ergosphere leapt forward to avoid the flaming debris but the machine's clamps remained gripped onto his neck, cutting off his air.
"Hhhcchhkk!" was all he could manage to say.
# # # #
Next: In pursuit.