The Northeast side was where the miners went to blow off steam and burn away their paychecks. They came from all over the continent, desperate to get something out of their system, desperate to forget.

Eli found the casino. It was difficult to miss. The structure’s arches and spires loomed over the surrounding area. Its lights fought to enchant him.

A sign by the door informed the guests that weapons of any kind were strictly forbidden. The feeling of being watched returned. He wondered if someone monitoring an external camera had assessed him as a threat.

Beings from across the known universe entered the structure. The tadvash interpreted a hundred different ways of expressing excitement, half as many ways of showing shame. A doorman scrutinized them all. He even stopped and frisked a man who was dressed in especially baggy clothing. This guard was far too vigilant; Eli decided to look for another way in.

 

***

 

After completing two circuits of the casino, he discovered that one of the adjacent buildings was completely unguarded. He headed inside. None of the little office’s employees paid him any mind. They had their sense organs focused on computer screens.

After a few minutes of searching, he found a large window that was located close to a small balcony that looked to be on the fourth or fifth floor. Making sure that no one in either building could see him, he opened the window and leapt onto the balcony.

Eli peered through the sliding glass door. A set of heavy curtains had been drawn to the sides. It was an office. No one was in sight.

He tried the handle, found that it was locked. Letting out a hushed curse, he got out his multi-tool and started working on the lock. Through the glass he heard sounds, a muffled racket as machines labored to overload the senses of their victims.

The lock popped open. He paused, waiting to see if anyone heard it. Satisfied that he had gotten away with it, he gently slid the door open and entered. The office was well furnished. He crept across it and peeked into the hallway. After waiting for what seemed to him to be a clerk to pass by, he left the room.

Offices lined either side of the hall. Doing his best to keep a low profile, Eli made his way through the administrative area. He ducked out of sight when another noise joined the den of the games, this was a raised voice.

Eli carefully peered out from behind the corner. A pair of beings entered one of the rooms. One was a woman. Eli found himself picking out those features which were inhuman and weighing them against those that were. The most prominent was the pair of ivory horns that stood out against her dark hair. She wore a long black dress, with dark purple highlights, and a golden brooch.

The other was his target. He hadn’t done anything to change his appearance. Perhaps he thought that distance would be enough. His clothes were non-descript. He carried a big duffle bag.

“Passage to Ihanna can’t be that much!” Aydem shouted.

The woman responded calmly, “It is if you want it to be discreet. You’ve got thirty minutes to decide whether or not it’s worth it. The ship will take off with or without you. I suggest that you pass the time downstairs. Maybe you can earn what you need.”

“I’ve got enough” he said, more than a little bitterness in his voice, “I’ll be in the restaurant if you need me,” with that, he left.

Less than half an hour and his target would be on the move again. He looked at his wrist computer and took note of the time. The feeling of being watched returned. Chalking it up to the nerves that battle curses people with, he ignored the sensation. Aydem mentioned that he’d be in the restaurant, he probably meant the one that occupied most of the second floor.

Another being entered the room, something reptilian wearing a blue jumpsuit.

“Yes, Yorai?” he asked respectfully. Eli recognized the name. So, this was the woman that ran the casino.

“Sugamb, the plan’s changed. I did a little digging. His real name’s Aydem Lynard. He stole eighty thousand Pygram Work Hour Credits from the Hauk cartel. They’re offering to match that if he’s brought to them alive.”

“I’ll get a few of the guys. When he heads up stairs to board the shuttle, we’ll scoop him up.”

“Good. Send me a message when you’ve secured him. I bet that he has the money in that bag. It will be a nice bonus.”

Sugamb left. Eli snuck away, making a beeline for the nearest stairwell. He made his way up two floors. Finding a deserted corridor, he started trying to figure out his next move.

He’d have to get him when he headed up to the landing pad on the roof. The question was where Sugamb and his friends would ambush him. Would it be possible to head them off at the pass?

Eli stepped out onto a balcony and looked down at the main casino’s floor. Hundreds of beings sat around flashing machines or crowded tables. Coins, chits, and bills of every color moved around, piles of them. Glasses were lifted, powders snorted, vapors inhaled.

Above him, several enclosed walkways curved upward, connecting the upper floors to the ceiling. He could see where the outer edges of the lower floors ended, many of them in balconies that overlooked the main floor. Everything always led back to that yawing pit. The pit screamed endlessly, calling out in joy and despair.

He saw it just in time, a weird distortion. Thinking it was some kind of gas leak or dangerous energy field, he moved backward. The distortion seemed to follow him. And in better light, he saw that it had a distinctly humanoid shape.

Deciding that the potential benefits outweighed the risks, he shot the weird, transparent thing. The sound of the shot was dull under the weight of the racket coming from the casino floor.

Whatever hid it started to malfunction. The vague humanoid shape became easier to discern. He could make out a female form. Then the device failed completely.

The woman’s slender body was clad from head to toe in formfitting armor. It was dark grey, polished but marred by the occasional scratch. A few hints of color could be seen. Over her left breast there was a white bar with a set of curved wings above and below, like the biblically accurate version of an angel. A little red triangle on the side of her helmet. Small letters and analogs for UPCs were stamped or etched here and there.

A network of straps held the sculpted armor pieces together. On the inside of her legs and arms there was a sturdy looking black material that had a mesh pattern on it. A pistol sat in a drop holster, the long barrel looked like it housed an integrated silencer. Pouches on one thigh, a few more on her belt. A simple belly rig held an SMG and a set of pouches of the mags that fed it. A computer interface on her left wrist.

Her entire head was encased in a helmet. The face plate was grimly shaped, as if it was designed for intimidation, a mechanical horror inspired by vicious beasts and war demons. A pair of optic lenses were positioned where the eyes would normally be. These camera eyes stared at him coldly.

She held a curved sword, similar to a katana. This weapon didn’t look like it had been forged by ancient blacksmiths. It was the opposite, a product of precision engineering, cold and efficient. But the woman still held it as if she was a warrior of the old days, of the times of honorable bloodletting.

With no hint that she had recovered from the attack, she darted forward. Eli only just managed to put the shaft of the spear between the edge of the blade and his face. He stared into the optics on her helmet. She stared back, before breaking contact, dancing backward, weapon held in a defensive posture.

Eli pursued her, twirling the spear, bringing the ends dangerously close to smacking her. She dodged and parried, before reaching out and wrapping her slender fingers around the weapon. His military training had been heavily focused on weapon retention. He took a sudden step backward and attempted to jerk the weapon out of her grasp.

She had planned for this, perhaps counted on it. Thrusting a foot out, she tripped him up. As he fell to his knees, she kicked him square in the throat.