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Fort Sumner, New Mexico. It was a little town, mostly abandoned now, save for a few stragglers, but even they were packing up their belongings. A land shark recently bought up the land the town stood on, and seeing what was once a bustling town of settlers and travelers become a shell of its former self made America’s heart break. It never seemed to end. No matter how old he got, ever since he could remember, his citizens were always being pushed from their homes.
He shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts from his mind. He was here on work, not to mourn. To most who did spot him in the town, he was just another traveler passing through on his horse.
In truth, he was looking for an outlaw; but his goal wasn’t to arrest him, but to recruit him. His government had sent a covert job offer months ago, but it went unanswered, and so America volunteered to go look for him. He swears, it’s not because he’s been wanting an excuse to get out of his stuffy office in DC so he could travel and ride through what was becoming known as the Wild West, no… But it was times like this he was glad he was technically immortal; it made convincing his boss that he was the best man for the job when confronting the sharp shooter in question. Now, if only he could find him.
He'd tracked him down to Fort Sumner, the outlaw’s hometown. But with barely anyone around and the only people left keeping to themselves, it was hard to get any information.
He came to a stop when he got to the town square. There was a coffin standing upright, leaning against the budling America assumed was town hall, and inside was a man, beaten and cut as if he’s just been through Hell and back; his flesh was also starting to rot due to being out in the elements for so long. Nailed to the front of the coffin was a sign that read “This is what happens to Sheriffs around here”. America gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. If he weren’t here on business and the land sharks hadn’t moved on, he would’ve done something that definitely would’ve gotten him in trouble with his boss.
“It’s almost unbelievable that this all happened.” An old man said as he walked over, staring at the corpse sadly. “That there used to be our town’s Sherrif; his name was Garret, he was still only a boy. He’s hardly recognizable…”
“I’m sorry for what happened here… If… if I’d gotten here sooner then maybe I could’ve helped him.”
“He was the one who offered himself up to save the townsfolk. The men who did this were given a reason to attack us all when some people decided to try fighting back.”
“…Sir, I’m actually here trying to track someone down. His name’s William H. Bonney. I have a job for him.”
“Ah, you mean Billy. Sorry to say, but you’re too late. He and Garret used to be pals, but this whole mess with the land sharks caused them to disagree to where they had a duel. Billy was shot and sent over the cliffside.”
“I… I see.” America frowned as he processed this information. “I suppose I’ll be moving on then.”
And move on he did, but not before he did some exploring. Fort Sumner was a town that was spread out enough to where you’d have fields in between some buildings further away from the main road. He wandered from abandoned house to abandoned house, almost like he was visiting them to say goodbye as he tried to figure out how to break the news that Billy the Kid was dead.
Then, as he approached a bigger house, he saw movement in the windows. Putting a hand by his pistol, he approached more cautiously.
Looking into the building, he didn’t see anyone. Whatever was valuable or able to be repurposed was long gone, ransacked or taken by whoever had lived here. He saw some crates scattered by the walls, almost like makeshift furniture, but other than that it was barebone empty. He went inside, eyes scanning the darkness of the house, settling in now that the sun had begun to set. He heard a floorboard creek behind him and he whipped out his gun and spun around, pointing it forward, only to see the barrel of a gun opposite pointing right back, aiming between his eyes. The person holding the gun was shorter than him, his face almost resembled that of a child’s, but he held his weapon sturdily and without restraint, The boy had light brown hair that shown almost pink in the light coming through the holes of the wall meant for windows and the door, and his overcoat seemed just a smidge too big for him.
The two stared in a deadlock for what seemed like hours, seeing who would flinch or dare to pull the trigger first.
It was the kid who spoke first. “Who are you?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same?”
“You’re the stranger to these parts.”
“Touché.” America cocked an eyebrow. “The name’s Alfred, Alfred F. Jones. I’m just in town looking for someone.”
“Who?”
“Billy the Kid; but I was told he’s dead, so I figured I’d do some exploring, take shelter in one of these houses for the night before heading towards home in the morning.”
“Why’re you looking for him?”
“My boss sent him a job offer, but he never replied. We just wanted an answer, no trouble.”
It was the kid’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “You’re from the feds?”
“You could say that.” America said. “Now then, who are you?”
The boy looked at him, then lowered the gun. “I’m William H. Bonney.”
“You’re Billy? Wow, they were right, you do look like a kid.”
“Comes in handy sometimes.” Billy said, rolling his eyes as Alfred also lowered his own gun. “So, you found me. Now what?”
“Now, you give me an answer. Take the job, or no?”
“I don’t know.” Billy said after a moment.
“You don’t know?”
“No, I don’t. Before I just wanted to help people and traveling was one way I could, even if I had to do some things that the old me would’ve looked down on. Working for the government would’ve been counterproductive.”
“Even with the promise of your record being forgiven?”
“Even with that. But now, everyone thinks I’m dead and news is sure to travel fast.”
“All the more reason to join the Pinkertons. Come on dude, we could use your skills and you could get yourself a new identity.”
“Not until I find out what happened to Garret!” Billy shouted.
America took a step back. He’d seen this kind of fury before, both in other humans and other nations. “You… don’t know?”
“I’ve been hiding out here now for a little under a week, I think.”
“…Ok, start from the beginning, what happened?”
“I had this pal, Garret. His pa was the Sherrif and both he and I grew up wanting to be like him. Garret stayed here to become the next Sherrif while I traveled to help others. Then I got a message from the townsfolk that a land shark was trying to push everyone out so I came back to see if I could help. Garret was for everyone moving and we fought. We had a duel, and it ended in me falling into a gorge where there was rushing water. The only reason I didn’t die from the gunshot alone was this.” He held out an old Sherrif’s badge that had a noticeable dent in it. “Garret knew I had this as a symbol of our friendship and that I was most likely wearing it. I managed to crawl out of the water and made my way here to rest. We used to play and practice our sharpshooting here… I found some food and a note, both from Garret. It explained how it’d been his plan all along when I arrived, he’d managed to get the sharks to agree to let the townsfolk go if they left willingly, and I ruined his plan when I came back.”
America couldn’t find a reason to smile. “…Garret’s dead.” Based on Billy’s reaction, it looked like he didn’t know.
“What?”
“When I was in town, his corpse was on display. A lot of people left by then, probably because of it. One of the ones left told me some of them stood up to the sharks and it gave ‘em a reason to go after everyone. Your pal was a hero, sacrificing himself so they could live.”
As America said this, quietly and slowly, Billy stumbled and fell to his knees.
“Garret… it’s my fault.”
“What? No, Billy, it-”
“It is! If I hadn’t come back and told them that if we fought back then we could save our home, then they wouldn’t have tried, and Garret’s plan would’ve worked! Everyone would’ve been kept alive!” The sharpshooter cried out, his body shaking as the realization of his best friend’s fate dawned on him.
America approached and knelt down beside him, putting a hand on his upper back. He took a deep breath and focused on trying to calm him down. It was a trick Prussia had taught him years ago, back when they were fighting against England and witnessed some of the troops breaking down like this. Sometimes it was over the anguish of losing a fellow soldier, other times it was because they realized they’d have to fight a loved one that decided to stay loyal to a country and king an ocean away. But usually, if the citizen was theirs, a nation had the ability to reach out to them and calm them enough so that they didn’t spiral. It’d taken months for America to figure out how to do it himself, especially since he had still been so new at being a nation and not just a colony, but it came in handy for times like these.
Sure enough, Billy’s cries and shouts turned into hiccups and sniffles.
__________________________________________________
It was night by the time they’d managed to start a fire just outside of the abandoned house, contained using dirt, rocks, and the remains of some of the cans of food Garret had left.
Billy had calmed down by then, but he remained silent and listless as they set up their small fire and cooked some of the provisions America had on him and whatever Billy had left. They ate in silence too, and as much as America wanted to crack a joke to lighten the mood, a small part of his brain told him that now wasn’t the time.
Billy ended up speaking first. “The Pinkerton job… is it still available?”
“Yeah, it is. But you do have the right to say ‘no’. Freedom to choose and speak and all that.”
“And y’all can get me a new identity?”
“Since you’re considered dead by some and your record as Billy the Kid will need to be erased for you to work with us? Yes.”
“…I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure? Like I said, I’m not going to force you to come back with me.”
“I’m sure. With Garret dead and the town being lost, there’s no real reason for me to stay here.” He looked up from his can of beans, giving the nation a small, sad smile. “A fresh start might be what I need.”
“Ok. We’ll head for DC at sun-up. From there we’ll get everything figured out.”
__________________________________________________
By the time they made it to the other side of the country, America and Billy learned more about each other.
Billy learned just how much food the blond could pack in when he wasn’t rationing, as well as how loud he could be when excited. Likewise, America learned how much he seemed to really enjoy fruit and how good of a shot he was. He was 16 when he’d first left Fort Sumner and was 19 now. However, America kept his age ambiguous. Whenever he asked, the taller man just shrugged and told him he was “young”. He looked like he could maybe be around Billy’s age, and while he acted like a child, there were moments when his eyes looked so much older or he had the understanding of someone past their prime.
Washington DC was different than the western settlements and towns that Billy had known; there were more people, more businesses, more houses and carriages than he’d ever seen in one place.
“How do you not get lost in all of this?”
“You just kinda get used to it.” America shrugged as they climbed the steps to the Capitol Building where they were supposed to meet with one of the guys in charge of the Pinkertons. “I get it, though. While the hustle and bustle of the city is great, nothing beats going out and exploring and feeling the sun and wind on your face. It’s kinda why I jumped at the opportunity to go after you.”
“Alfred, you try to act like a mature adult, but you’re really a child a heart, aren’t ya?”
“Ya got me!” America laughed. “Now, come on, let’s get you signed up and-”
“Mr. Jones, there you are.”
“Uh-oh…” He muttered before they turned around. A man in a suit stood behind them; he had black hair styled in a way to keep his bangs out of his face and brown eyes behind round spectacles. “Hey there, Luke, long time, no see.”
“Yes, it’s been three months since you were sent out west, and not a single telegram or letter to check in until two days ago.” Luke adjusted his glasses.
“There was nothing to report.”
“You know how we do things. You should’ve at least reported once in a while to let us know you were all right. I know you have… special qualities, but there are those who are unaware and thought you dead out in some brush.”
“Ok, ok, mom, I’ll think about it.” America rolled his eyes. “But hey, look who I found! The guy you Pinkertons wanted to recruit! He’s supposed to be dead, though, so you might need to get him a new name and such. Probably best he stays away from the New Mexico area too, at least for a few years. Maybe Arizona, Texas, and Kansas too, but that’ll be your call.”
“Luke Bellfrost, I work for the Pinkertons as intelligence and administration. Any missions that need to be assigned go through me and my department.”
“William H. Bonney, but most just call me Billy.” Billy said, shaking the man’s hand.
“So I’ve heard. Rest assured, Mr. Bonney, we’ll get you a new identity and help you get set up where you’ll be living when not out on missions.”
“Where would that be?”
“Most of our agents live all over the States, but we have an opening for New York, so you’ll most likely be assigned there. It’s a good place to go if you want to start out new or even vanish for a time due to how many people live there and how many come through the harbor from Europe. It’s also far enough away from where you had your exploits, so you’re less likely to run into people who know your face and voice.”
“Hey! I have an apartment there, I could visit!” America smiled.
“Yes, you could. But you’re needed at the Oval Office right now, Mr. Jones.”
“Aww, what?! But I wanted to help Billy settle in!”
“You have duties that you’ve been neglecting for three months, Mr. Jones. Might I remind you that there’s paperwork you need to look at, reports you need to go over, and you need to prepare for a visit from Mr. Honda and a delegation from Japan.”
“Wait, Kiku’s coming!? All right! This’ll be the first time he visits me instead of me going to visit him!” America got excited. “We’re gonna have so much fun! I’m going to take him to all of the greatest things this country has to offer!”
“Yes, well… while you go do that, I’ll get Mr. Bonney settled.”
“Right-o! I’ll catch up with you later, Billy! Gotta go see my boss and prepare for the funnest night out with one of my best buddies!” America shouted before running off.
“’Funnest’ isn’t a word- oh never mind, he never listens…” Luke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked to Billy. “Now then, shall we be on our way?”
They entered the building and Billy followed him to an office where he was invited to sit down. Luke sat opposite.
“I’ve already taken the liberty of assigning you a new name and public identity.”
“Y’all work fast.”
“You have to when it comes to this line of work. Don’t worry, I have faith you’ll adjust to how we do things around here. Your new name will be Henry Antrim. If anyone asks, you were born on a small ranch in Texas but moved to New York for work, and if you still wish to be called Billy, you can say that your middle name is as such. We’ll provide you with room and board, as well as an allowance to get you started there. Payroll goes out every first of the month, and you get a bonus for each job you complete. Any questions?”
“Yeah. What’s the deal with Alfred?”
“Deal?”
“Well, he’s been a big mystery of sorts. Won’t tell me his age and is always cryptic about what he actually does for the government.”
Luke let out a small laugh. “Mr. Bonney- sorry. Mr. Antrim, Mr. Jones’s personal information is classified as a need-to-know basis. If not that, then it’s his place to tell you all of that, not mine.”
“How can someone be classified that much? Did he kill someone?”
“He’s killed before, usually in wars. But he never likes to talk about it and it’s best to not bring that up. But that’s not the reason he’s secretive. Alfred F. Jones is… special. He holds a representative power that lets him onto the world stage and he does business with those like him. The most you need to know is that he’s in a position higher than the both of us.”
“But… you were just bossing him around a few minutes ago.”
Luke barked out another laugh. “My job is to keep him on task and was also to let him know the President wanted to see him.”
Billy still looked confused at this.
“You’ll have to ask him yourself and get him to answer if you really want to know.”