More ~ part two

Mambathu - "... so at this point a trip to the library seemed wise."

Lilith - "Cliff notes."

Mambathu - "Among the most conspicuous differences was the hardest to research.  Cortes, having been ambushed by (smiles) ... 'unknown pirates' just off shore, is unheard of here.  Only a footnote warning others from the region, in the nautical archives.  One of many, apparently ..."

Lilith - "Not missed as a man in any world."

Mambathu - "True enough.  And so the Aztecs conquered northward, making the Rio Grande."

Lilith - "Makes sense.  Then what happened."

Mambathu - "Washington made treaty with the Natives of America, in exchange for toeing that line with them."

Lilith - "Better book than I thought.  Then what happened."

Mambathu - "The British were vanquished almost instantly, the Aztec territories were bordered and established while the Natives here keep the national forests as their patrol and home.  And so all these events and many more, all left the final borders exactly as they are, to us."

Lilith - "That ... is impossible ... tell me more.  My credit card's already out."

________

An apparent pawnshop and gold exchange called 'Dunstan and Clare's'.

Shopkeep - "Malverde ..."

Man - "What.  I said I was going to rob some banks up north and then I'd pay you with interest.  I did that and I paid you with interest."

Dunstan - "So why am I still suspicious.  I feel suspicious."

Man - "No idea."

Maiden - "Maybe you're a suspicious person."

Man - "She didn't mean that."

Maiden - "I did mean that.  I think he is."

Shopkeep - "I am a suspicious person.  Money's good.  Debt's cleared.  Not used to that.  Now what do the happy newlyweds need today ?  Better rings perhaps ?"

Man/Maiden - "No/Yes."

Man - "God damn you Dunstan."

Dunstan - Smiles ... "Clare !  Bring out the wedding rings."

Clare - From the back, "Go to hell !"
________

Mambathu - "I saved it for last.  The Bible was named in James' honor, but by Queen Sophia.  After he was blown to pieces along with British Parliament."

Lilith - "Fawkes really got through ?"

Mambathu - "Yes ... and the plague was cured more quickly this time." 

Lilith - "Elizabeth."

Mambathu - "So it would seem.  Shakespeare still edited the Bible and again, it is exactly the same.  Except for the Appendix to the royal edition."

Lilith - "That's ... really very impossible as well."

Mambathu - "Queen Sophia is rumored to have named it after James to comfortably secure her transition, and she was not pleased about it.  

Lilith - "The Sophia Bible.  Love it."

Mambathu - "No one else did.  But at least this time Marlowe was involved as well."

Lilith - "... good ... for him ?"

Mambathu - "Well yes.  He wrote the preferable Faust."  

Lilith - "... sure !"

________

The train passes into the mountain tunnel, extreme velocity.  Inside gaslights flicker on and turn up, the ride goes smooth and people begin mulling.  A knock at the cabin door.  "Tokens please."

Naamah - Opens a door and stifles a laugh.  "They were looking for your body, for a very long time."

Mars - "I was on the search team.  Tokens.  One each."

Naamah - "Gold ?"

Mars - Smiles and takes the sack.  "Old friend."  Turns out the door.  "We slow after the mountainside in a couple of hours.  Back to physics for recalibration.  That's when the bandits like to hit.  Be ready."

Naamah - "But why are you here."

Mars - "I built this train."
________

Mambathu - "... and the blasphemy to sneak his name into a holy book as he did.  In this world as well he did this."

Lilith - "You're not even Christian."

Mambathu - "Of course not but it's still extremely inappropriate.  To his own beliefs I mean."

...

Lilith - "... sure !"

... silence looking other ways ...

Lilith - "Didn't you help Morgan sneak characters into his stories ?"

Mambathu - "No.  She did that without telling me."

...

Lilith - "Unknown pirates ..."

________

Naamah - " 'On the search team' ..."

Mars - "Vulcan left a lot of journals in his frame that I'd never guessed I'd understand.  It took me around 20 years to read through his babble and madness ..."

Naamah - "All about Venus, I'm sure."

Mars - "Yeah I know way too much about her.  After transcribing away from all that, another 10 to understand the physics.  Lots of explosive micro-compression involved.  He ran it all on clay battery ignition.  Which is insane.  The level of micro networking of the signal as an actual field ... madness.  Or at least it seemed like it."

Naamah - "So a couple of aeons later ... and who's the engineer ?"

Mars - "Some dead train-hopper I found stupid enough not to know who he works for and dumb enough to do it for free."

Naamah - "Lucky find."

Mars - "An engineering genius, when his life depends on it."

Naamah - "Other lives ?"

Mars - "Toss a coin.  But his own ass sits on the engine, so we know we can at least trust that.  Where's your One."

Naamah - "Still trying on my clothes I think.  We're on vacation.  He loves digging through my luggage."

Mars - "Kinda do too.  Not yours."

Naamah - "None taken.  He's found the book you know."

...

Mars - "About damn time.  Be ready.  Tunnel out in just under an hour."  Door closes.

One - (heard) "Who the hell was that ?"

Naamah - Turns ... "That ... fits you better than it does me."

One - "I know it does."

Naamah - "You're an ass.  Gun up."
________

Mambathu - "... and Shakespeare's histories were far more propaganda than tale.  As soon as he tasted the queen's gold it was all over for him."

Lilith - "Mm hm."

Mambathu - "Still died poor in this world and he ..."