Outrageous Fortunes: a Novel of Alternate Histories by Steven W. White

Author:Steven W. White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: scifi, california, science fiction, los angeles, alternate universe, alternate history, alternative, alternate worlds, sf, dimension, alternate, alternative earth, dimensional travel, alternate earth, historian, history american, wildfires, alternative scifi, alternative realities, physicist

Chapter 26

Do something, Randy told himself. But his mind couldn't get a hold of what he was seeing. Okay, so... human sacrifice.

The notion of it happening in the Americas made historians crazy. Some denied that it ever did, though there was evidence. The Pawnee Morning Star Ceremony. The writings of Bernal Diaz. The catacombs under Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral. The highest estimate Randy had seen for the Aztec body count was a quarter of a million people per year, with whole societies, whole neighboring civilizations, having their hearts cut out.

And here, in the twenty-thousand-year do-over that was Tar Pit World, it was happening again.

This is real, Randy thought. His heart was beating crazily and his legs were going numb.

As he gazed down from the Tucker's roof, the sabertooth shaman began a deep rhythmic chant.

"Time to say hello," Randy whispered. He moved to get up.

Sully grabbed his arm. "Now?"

"Now." But Randy didn't have the courage to pull free of Sully's grip.

"No way!" Sully hissed. "Look, they whack that guy and maybe they move on. They haven't seen us. Let's ride this out."

Sure, Randy thought. Right. Don't interfere with other cultures. After all, your civilization ain't all that princely, and, one might add, is hell-and-gone from here.

Plus, those harpoons are an argument all by themselves. You'd look pretty silly stretched on that whale bone, wouldn't you?

It would be better to wait.

Until they're done carving on that kid.

Like hell. Randy stood up, and he could feel his legs shaking.

Like hell like hell like hell.

"Ran!" Sully pleaded.

"It's okay. I'll just... ask nicely." Randy started awkwardly on the sand, urging calm into his legs.

They won't know what to make of me, he thought. It might go badly, but it might go well. Six feet of concrete. The Great Wall of China.

He smiled.

It took a long time to walk into range, and by the time he was close enough to see the firelight on himself, the one with the obsidian knife was kneeling beside the boy in a position where he would have some leverage with it, and the others had gathered around.

"Hi, guys," Randy said. He thought he sounded pretty calm, but he couldn't be sure.

All eyes fell on him, and he almost fainted. Even the boy stared.

Randy kept walking, holding up his empty hands. "Listen. That's our car, and we need it back now. Also, this kid--"

The sabertooth shaman hollered at him.

"Yeah, I can imagine," Randy said. "Sorry to barge in--"

The sabertooth shaman let loose again, this time to his friends. As he barked orders, Randy heard Sully's voice behind him, very faint, but not as far back as Randy had left him.

"Higglety-Pigglety," Sully said.

Randy must have heard it wrong.

A horde of deerskin-wearing harpooneers rushed to surround him.

Sully's voice, so faint, continued.

Old Archimedes of

Syracuse, scientist,

Greek through and through.

Polyhistorically

Built cranes and levers and

Possibly death rays and

Calculus, too.

It sounded like a children's rhyme. I'm scared crazy, Randy thought. I'm hearing things.

A second later, seven harpoons were pointed at him. He could see the bone points, each with an extra sliver of bone lashed on as a barb, the lashings secured with tar.

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