This rough knowledge of the future was a powerful tool. If this parallel timeline didn't deviate too much from his own, it gave Henry a perspective on international and domestic affairs that was far beyond that of his contemporaries. It meant he was unlikely to make any major strategic errors. It was how he knew about the existence of "City Bosses" in the first place.
It allowed him to think beyond his current station, to see the entire board.
This was a world ruled by capital. If Henry wanted to achieve anything of substance, he had to become a capitalist himself.
He was confident he could eliminate the McKinley family, both the branch at Dwyer Manor and the main house in Denver. But taking over their businesses and industries was another matter entirely. The mines around Frisco would be the foundation of his power; he could not let them slip through his fingers. He would need a loyal team and reliable partners.
He had a preliminary plan in place. Now, he just had to see how events unfolded. Of course, good intelligence was crucial. But if he couldn't get it, that was fine too. He had his own unique methods.
He did a quick mental tally. In the past few days, he had "released" forty-four assassins and outlaws, plus Barrett and that man Louis. The town should be relatively clean of ill-intentioned strangers for now.
Billy the Kid awoke on the third floor of the Aurora Saloon feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
He'd had a good night. The whiskey was strong, and the saloon girl, after some powerful persuasion in the form of a twenty-dollar gold piece, had been exceptionally accommodating. He was satisfied. The deep sleep after a night of wild release had brought him to his physical peak.
He checked his pocket watch. It was nearly 11 AM.
After washing up, he went downstairs and ate a steak and some oatmeal, stopping when he was about half-full. He went to the stable, carefully saddled his horse, and then rode toward the town entrance. He'd been questioned by two deputies on his way in yesterday, but his lean frame had made him seem non-threatening, and they had let him pass.
Just as he'd expected, two deputies were on guard. As he approached, they grew alert.
One of them was Thor. He raised his rifle, the barrel angled slightly downward. "Halt! State your business!" he called out.
Billy the Kid just smiled. "Send one of you to tell Sheriff Henry I'm waiting for him at the town entrance. The other can stay here and keep me company."
Thor immediately leveled the rifle, aiming it directly at Billy.
BANG!
Billy's single-action revolver was in his hand, as if by magic. From over ten meters away, a single shot struck the front of Thor's rifle barrel. The shock of the impact tore the weapon from his left hand, sending it spinning upward.
BANG!
A second shot followed instantly, hitting the rifle again near the trigger guard, blasting it completely out of his grip and sending it flying several meters away.
Thor was frozen, stunned into silence by the impossible display of marksmanship.
The other deputy, Hank, had just started to raise his own rifle, but he stopped cold when he found Billy's revolver now aimed squarely at his head.
"Don't worry," Billy said with a grin. "I'm not interested in your lives. Go and get Henry."
Hank, with the gun still pointed at him, spurred his horse and galloped toward the Sheriff's office, 300 meters away.
Billy holstered his pistol. "Come on," he said to the still-frozen Thor. "Let's go wait for your Sheriff over there. You don't make any trouble, you'll be fine. You disobey, you die."
Thor looked at Billy's smiling face and felt a chill run down his spine. He obediently rode alongside him to a patch of open ground at the edge of town.
Hank reached the Sheriff's office just as Henry was stepping out. "Sheriff!" he cried. "There's an outlaw at the entrance, a skinny fellow, but he's an incredible shot! He's taken Thor hostage and says he wants you to go to him!"
"Get off your horse," Henry said. "I'll take it."
He went back into his office, retrieved the "One of One Thousand" rifle, and then mounted Hank's horse, galloping toward the town entrance.
When he arrived, a crowd of a dozen townsfolk had already gathered, drawn by the gunshots. A hundred meters away, a skinny young man sat on his horse, his hands empty, a rifle in his saddle scabbard. Ten meters to his right, Thor sat on his own horse, unharmed.
When Henry was about fifty meters away, the young man called out. "Sheriff Henry! Please, halt your horse."
Henry pulled on the reins. He wanted to hear what this man had to say.
"Very good, Sheriff," the man said. "I'm not here for the bounty on your head. My name is Billy the Kid. The law in New Mexico has a five-thousand-dollar price on my head."
"I heard tales of your skill with a gun, so I rode nearly two hundred miles, just for the chance to face you in a fair duel. Will you accept?" He glanced over at Thor.
Henry understood. If he refused, Thor would die instantly.
"I accept," he said without hesitation. "What are your terms?"
"Pistols. It's high noon, so it's fair. We dismount, walk twenty paces toward each other, and then stop. This deputy here will fire a signal into the air, and then we begin."
"Fine," Henry said, and swung himself down from the saddle.
"Thor!" he called out. "You'll ride to the midpoint between us. When we're in position, you'll call 'ready,' then fire a single shot into the air. Do nothing else. Absolutely nothing. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" Thor replied, his voice loud and clear.
"Very good," Billy said, a look of genuine respect on his face. "I was right about you, Sheriff. You are an honorable opponent." He dismounted as well, facing Henry.
"Let's begin," Henry called out.
"Begin," Billy echoed.
They both began to walk, their steps measured and even.
By now, the crowd had grown to over twenty people. They had heard the exchange and were watching, their hearts pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement. Some of them knew the name.
"It's Billy the Kid! He killed twenty-one men in Lincoln County, including two lawmen!"
"I heard he was betrayed! That he used to be a lawman himself!"
"To think he came all the way here… five hundred miles! Sheriff Henry's fame is spreading far!"
"A shame. Billy the Kid is a dead man."
"Damn it! No time to place a bet!"