The man's left arm reached out from underneath his desert-dusted poncho to grasp the cold glass the bartender offered him. Taking a gulp of the fiery drink, the man turned to survey the scene around him. The saloon was filled with the sounds of gambling and laughter. The man watched with little interest.
The saloon's patrons fell into the silence as they heard dozens of hooves galloping down the road outside. The man at the bar chuckled as his right hand traced the silver rattlesnake inlaid in the grip of his Colt Single Action Army. Things were about to get interesting.
The hooves stopped outside the saloon and were replaced with the rhythmic thumping of boots. The metronome precision of the footsteps told the man in the poncho that the people outside were soldiers.
Sure enough, several men in blue uniforms marched through the saloon's gates with rifles slung over their shoulders. They formed a protective aisle leading from the gate straight to the man's barstool. A soldier, his uniform showing him to be a colonel, pushed through the saloon's gates. He walked down the aisle of soldiers until he stood in front of the man.
"Good afternoon, sir. I'm looking for someone," said the colonel. "Someone you know well. I'm hoping you can help me."
The man took another swig of his drink. "Always happy to serve the fine, upstanding men of the US Army," he answered. "What's his name?"
"His name's a bit of a mystery, I'm afraid," said the colonel. "I know him only by his accomplishments. He brought ruin to the Rojo and Baxter clans. He brought down dangerous bandits like El Indio and Angel Eyes." The general looked pointedly at the man. "Know of him?"
Tired of the banter, the man nodded. "You've got him. You can call me…" The man paused, as if trying to think of a name. "Joe Manco. And what about you?"
"Colonel Henry Fleming of the United States Army at your service. Perhaps you'd like to come outside where we can speak in private."
After a moment's consideration, Joe Manco abandoned his drink and followed Colonel Fleming outside where several horses, more blue-clad soldiers, and a stagecoach were waiting. Fleming pulled open the coach's door and the two men went inside, sitting on benches opposite each other.
"I never liked traveling by coach," said Fleming. "More used to the saddle than to cushioned benches."
"What's this all about?" Manco asked, ignoring Fleming's attempt to make conversation. "What is it that brought a colonel all the way out here to find me?"
"I'm putting together a special team," said Fleming. "A team of people with extraordinary talents."
"You want me to join it?"
"I want you to lead it."
"I don't shoot for free."
"You won't have to."
"Well thank you, taxpayers."
"So you're in?"
"Yeah."
"Excellent!" said Fleming. "Now I won't have to draft you." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. "This is a list of people I want you to recruit. They'll be your future teammates. Be careful, as not all of them are as, erm, upstanding as yourself."
Joe Manco looked over the paper. The first recruit lived only a day's ride away. Tipping his hat to Fleming, he stepped out of the coach and left.
XXXXX
Manco's first recruit was easy to find. All he had to do was follow the loud trumpeting sounds in the distance. At first, Manco had thought that the great booms that shook the tall trees were earthquakes, but he found that they happened too regularly. No, it was a human voice. As Manco got closer, he could hear the word that it formed. "Timber!"
Having left his horse in town, Manco felt out of his element. He was used to the prairie and the desert. He was used to wide open spaces, hot sun, and dirt. The cool air of the tree-shaded woods felt alien to him.
Soon Manco found the man he was searching for. The lumberjack was perhaps fifteen feet tall with a black bushy beard. He swung an axe longer than Manco was tall, cutting down several trees with a single swing. Nearby, a giant blue ox grazed on grass and leaves.
Manco craned his neck upward. "You're Paul Bunyan." It wasn't a question.
The giant lumberjack turned to see the bounty hunter. He gave a great friendly smile behind his dark beard. "That I am, little man!" he boomed. Manco felt Bunyan's voice making his bones vibrate. "And who are you, friend?"
"I'm Joe Manco. The US military wants us for a special team."
Bunyan's smile faded. "The military?" His expression grew nervous. "Don't that mean, y'know, killing?"
"There could be a lot more killing if we don't get your help," said Manco. As he spoke, he felt slightly queasy. It felt dishonest pretending to care about protecting people when his only interest was a the thick wad of taxpayer dollars that would be given to him.
"But I've never killed anyone before," said Bunyan.
"Don't worry," said Manco. "You get used to it."
Bunyan was torn. He didn't want to kill anyone but he hated to think that there would be deaths he could have prevented. Finally, he nodded. "I'll go with you."
XXXXX
Colonel Henry Fleming led his men down the overgrown path through the woods. According to their information, their next recruit lived with his family in an isolated cabin, hidden from society. It was difficult to find, but now they stood outside the house.
"Is the Tuck family home?" Fleming called.
Four people came out to greet the soldiers, one older-looking man, a woman who Fleming knew to be his wife, and two "young" men. "Angus Tuck at your service," said the man.
"Colonel Henry Fleming at yours and your family's. Your country needs you and your unique abilities."
"Why's that?" asked Mae Tuck, Angus's wife.
"Tensions with Britain have been rising," said Fleming. "The aid they gave the Confederacy during the rebellion didn't help our relations with our former overlords. Now we know they've developed a new material that allows them to make flying ships. They could be able to destroy entire cities by bombing them safely from the air. I am creating a special team to help fight against this new menace and I want at least one of you to be a part of it."
Angus pursed his lips, thinking. "I need a minute to talk to my family." Without waiting for his answer, the four Tucks went back inside their house.
The four of them sat down in their living room.
"Tuck," Mae said to her husband. "I think I should be the one to go with them…"
"No," Angus cut her off. "I think it should be Jesse."
"Why Jesse?" Miles, the Tuck family's older son, asked.
"I know why," said Jesse. "It's because I'm the only one who tried to give the spring water to someone else and you want me as far away from it as possible."
"Jesse," said Angus, "I know livin' forever can get lonely. But we can't pass this curse on to anyone else."
Without answering, Jesse rose from his seat and went outside to the soldiers. "Colonel Fleming," he said, "I'll go."
"Wonderful!" said the Colonel. He handed Jesse a train ticket. "Your new colleagues should be on their way to Kansas by now. If you take this train, you should be able to catch up with them.
XXXXX
Manco and Bunyan, who'd had to travel on an open flatbed car, got off at a train station in Kansas. Manco led his horse out of its boxcar.
"Mr. Manco?" asked a young boy.
"Yeah. And you are?"
"Jesse Tuck. Colonel Fleming sent me."
"Oh yeah. You're on that list he gave me. You as strange as ol' Paul here?"
Jesse looked up at the giant Bunyan. "Stranger, I'll bet," Jesse answered. "What are we doing here in Kansas?"
"There's a girl we're to meet with. Miss Dorothy Gale."
Dorothy Gale lived on a farm with her aunt and uncle. The three men approached the farm and saw a man about to enter his house after a long, hard day of work.
"Pardon me," said Manco. "My name's Joe Manco. These are my associates Mr. Bunyan and Mr. Tuck. We represent the United States army and we're looking for Dorothy Gale."
The man looked at him suspiciously. Joe Manco was an unsavory-looking character. "You don't look like any soldiers I've ever seen. You're not getting anywhere near my right this way please." The man opened the door and led the trio inside, Bunyan crouching down to fit.
"Wha?" said Jesse, echoing Manco's thoughts exactly.
As if hypnotized, the man led them into the house. "Dorothy!" he called. "Some people are here to see you."
A young girl in a blue dress, her brown hair in pigtails, bounced down the stairs. "I'm coming, Uncle Henry." She put on a perfect little smile, the perfect picture of a young Midwest lady, but froze when she saw the hard scowl of Joe Manco. "Um, what can I do for you gentlemen?"
Manco was suddenly unsure of what to say. How could he tell a girl in her early teens that the US government needed her to join a covert military unit?
Jesse stepped forward. "Dorothy, your country needs you. Do you have any unique abilities or experiences?"
"Well, yes," said Dorothy. "But what good can I do? What could the government want from me?"
"I know," said a newcoming voice. Except for the mesmerized Uncle Henry, every head turned to see a young, black-haired woman slightly older than Dorothy. She held a box in her arms.
"And you are?" asked Manco.
"Morella," the woman answered. "I'm on your list. I figured I'd come here to meet you and save you the trouble of finding me." She held out the box to Dorothy. "I also have something that belongs to you."
Dorothy opened the box and gasped. Manco, Bunyan, and Jesse leaned forward to look inside and saw a pair of red shimmering shoes.
"I thought I'd lost them. Thank you, Miss Morella!" Dorothy said happily as she put them back onto her feet.
"You weren't experienced enough to control such powerful magic," said Morella. "That's why you lost them. But with me here to help you, you won't have to worry about that anymore." She turned to Manco. "Now, I believe there's one more person on our list."
"Yeah, if you can call him a person," said Manco. Morella chuckled in understanding.
"Our train leaves tomorrow."
"Actually, we can get there now," said Morella. "Dorothy can do it."
"How?" asked Jesse.
"What's the name of the town we're going to?"
"Sleepy Hollow," said Manco.
"Dorothy, you know what to do," said Morella.
Dorothy clicked the heels of her shoes together three times. "Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow."
XXXXX
The town of Sleepy Hollow was quiet, sparse, and almost empty. The town's sky was overcast and Manco truly could not picture it any other way. Despite being a small, dense town, there was no feeling of community. There were no friends sitting together laughing. No gossiping women. No playing children. Just the mechanical duties of day-to-day living. Everyone was quiet, as if there were some subject they were hoping to avoid discussing. Even as the strange group, including the giant Paul Bunyan, passed them by, they all kept their eyes on their work or on their ground.
"It will be nightfall soon," said Morella. "That's when the Horseman will appear. You will need me to subdue him."
As night fell, the group walked past the church graveyard and across an old wooden bridge. Morella led the way, holding a lantern.
"So how exactly do we find this thing?"asked Jesse.
"We don't find him," said Morella, the flickering light illuminating her grinning face. "He finds us."
And so the group waited. Over the next hour, their ears would perk up as they heard imaginary hoofbeats.
Dorothy let out a sob. It was cold, dark, and scary. Bunyan put a comforting hand on the girl's back.
"He's here," whispered Morella. Manco reached for his revolver, knowing it would be useless.
The hoofbeats grew nearer and soon, against the darkness of the night forest, they saw a shape that was darker than black galloping up the path towards them. Upon a dark horse was a man in black, a cape flowing behind him and a saber on his belt. With a harsh metallic sound, the Headless Horseman drew his sword and held it high, ready to take their heads.
Morella stood. "Halt, Horseman!" The black horse reared up on its hind legs and whinnied.
For a moment, Morella and the Horseman stood, sizing each other up. Then, they heard a deep laugh that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
"Do you think you can control me, witch?" said the Horseman.
"I know I can free you, Horseman," said Morella. "If you wish to venture beyond the bridge and leave the prison of Sleepy Hollow, then you will do as I say."
The Horseman let out a breath that sounded like a moan echoing in a cave. After several tense moments, the Horseman sheathed his sword.
Manco let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Dorothy, take us to the Library of Congress."
XXXXX
Deep in the bowels of the Library, hidden away from the public, the new team met with Colonel Henry Fleming, who would explain why the team was formed and brief them on their first mission. They sat down at a long table with Fleming at the head, Manco, Morella, and the Horseman on his left, Dorothy and Jesse sitting to his right, and Bunyan sitting at the other end of the table in a large, specially-made chair.
"The British have created a new material that repels gravity," said Fleming. "It is called Cavorite, named for its inventor Dr. Cavor. The first batch of Cavorite was stolen by a crime lord who used it to power a flying ship that he used to destroy Limehouse in London." Fleming placed a folder filled with photographs onto the table. Eyes widened and breaths caught in throats as they saw the complete destruction that these ships were capable of. "As you can see, these new airships give Britain the power they need to take back their colonies if they desire. The purpose of this team is to maintain America's independence. Your first mission is to find Dr. Cavor and bring him to us."