~*~

"So we're going to have another conversation?" Dan sat down and crossed his arms.

"I felt it was important to meet again as soon as possible in the light of your recent incident."

Dan scoffed. "What a spectacular waste of time."

Dr. Long tapped his pencil on the table. "The police tell me that you haven't been cooperative or forthcoming with information."

"I have nothing to tell them. I know now that they were lying about getting my partner. How many did he kill on the way? Did they tell you that?"

"You can be sure that your trial won't go well if you don't give over information now. You're only helping yourself by doing so."

"Trial? Don't be absurd."

Dr. Long sat back. "Did they tell you they brought Hollis Mason in this morning?"

For the first time, Dan twitched. "What business do they have with him?"

"They're charging him with conspiracy. You can see how ugly this is going to become unless you cooperate."

For a moment he saw the brunette seem to waver and Long thought he would talk. Then his face settled into an expression of resolve. "You're all bluffing. And even if you're not, Hollis knows how to handle himself."

"If you would be willing to deactivate the security on your house they might be persuaded to drop the charges against Mason."

"If you weren't a fat, indolent slob with a sham profession I might respect you. Anything else you'd like to futilely add to this discussion?"

More to ease his nerves than anything else, Long flipped to a new sheet of paper. "I'm still working on your pathology. You spoke last time of spilling blood that needed to be spilled. You see yourself as some sort of judge, I take it? Have you always felt this way?"

"Judge? I see problems and I solve them. That's all. And no, there was a time when I thought that I was only helping out as part of a system, as part of something larger than myself. But that was foolish. Blind. We are all alone; or at least most of us are. And that means when a problem has to be solved, you must do it by yourself. You can't rely on anyone else to fix the matter."

Long nodded as if it meant something. "And does Rorschach espouse this same view?"

"He thinks as I do, knows what needs to be done. We learned together. Side by side like we always did."

"Yes, I see that you teamed up very early on in both of your careers. What made you team up with him to begin with?"

"We had similar goals. Similar ranges we patrolled. I… I thought I could learn something from him." Nite Owl looked at the blurry wall, remembering the early days. "I approached him. He hesitated but relented. I was useful to him. I still am."

"Useful. I see. And does he still teach you?"

"He reminds me. Everyday with his mask he reminds me of how we need to be. Reminds me that even in shifting, black and white must be maintained. Can't stop or give up, not ever. We owe it, if not to the world, then to one another."

"You hold yourself responsible?"

"Only for my need to act or failures to do so." He frowned. "It is not a difficult moral code. I don't see why you struggle so much with it. There is evil. Evil should be punished. And so I do. It is a simple equation. You sully your thinking with complications."

Long paused. "Perhaps we should focus on something more positive. Tell me, Mr. Dreiberg, what sorts of things do you like or enjoy?"

"Your little file doesn't tell you? Well, I'll admit to having a fondness for owls. Metal. Indian food."

"Metal? Like music?"

"Metal like iron. Steel. Bronze, even. Cold and beautiful, unrelenting, useful. Clean and shining." He paused. "I like older songs, songs with melody. Not this modern nonsense. Should I list some records I have? Will that tell you what you want to know?"

"The picture is becoming slightly clearer," Long said as he scribbled. "You know, I thought you would be more reticent to talk."

"I was. Then I remembered I wasn't long for any of this so it didn't really matter."

~*~

"Do either of you see him yet?" Laurie spoke into the two way radio.

"Nothing so far," Nelly's voice crackled. "No, wait, I take that back. I think HJ spotted… to your left. A few streets over."

"Thanks. Let's go." A little roof hopping, a mad dash, and she'd caught up with him enough to drop behind him in the alley. "Rorschach!" She hissed.

"Get out," he growled.

Nelson and Rolf showed up a moment later, Nelly puffing from the exertion and looking like he was about to have an asthma attack. "She doesn't mean any harm, okay?" He huffed.

"Hooded Justice?" Rorschach said slowly; he didn't care for most others, but there were some he admired even if it meant contradictions in his outlook.

"Hollis is caught," Rolf growled.

"Know. Will help."

"Not alone you won't."

Rorschach stood still for a moment and the duo watched his blobs shift. "Will hold me back. Too old."

"We can help with the ship!" Nelly protested. "Surely you'll need someone to man it while you go into the prison? Right? Maybe?" He asked hopefully.

"We're coming with you if you like it or not," Laurie said, stepping forward. "Before you and Dreiburg really cause some destruction."

"Nite Owl does nothing unnecessary," Rorschach protested.

"Nite Owl is a sadist!"

"This isn't the time!" Rolf barked and punched the alley wall. "Bicker later! You know where the ship is?" Rorschach nodded. "Then let's go and get Hollis and you can tear one another apart after we're done."

Grumbling, Laurie fell in behind Nelly with Rolf bringing up the rear as they followed Rorschach down into a sewer and from there through a pipe to a large hangar.

"What the hell is all this stuff?"

"Daniel's. Airship is there." Rorschach pointed to a large ovoid machine. "Have key." He lowered the platform with a button from Dan's remote and the stepped inside.

"I can help drive," Nelson offered. "Though I'm not sure what all these buttons do."

"Don't press these." Rorschach pointed to a row of buttons. "Not unless needed. Will press when needed."

"Alright then." Nelly sucked in a breath. "Guess we'd better get this show on the road then, hunh?"

~*~

"Don't I even get a lawyer?" Hollis crossed his arms. "You can't hold me like this, it's illegal."

"Yeah, well, given what you're here for I don't think any judge is gonna mind," a young blond cop sneered.

"Never woulda figured you for somethin' like this, Holl," a cop with greyer hair sighed.

"I promised him long ago to keep his secrets." He stared at the wall, as though it would have the answers. "Even if I didn't agree with his methods, he only ever went after the guilty, the violent. He kept you safer because of what he did. And admit, you let him work. If you'd wanted to, you could have stopped them long before this. He was doing your work for you."

"When he wasn't killing us," the blond shot back. "I had friends on that team that went to arrest Rorschach and got killed by Nite Owl."

"I wonder how that happened." Hollis turned his head. "Do you want me to say I regret this? Alright, maybe I do. But what's done is done." He paused and listened to the echoes coming from further down in the jail. "So tell me, when can I expect to get placed in with the general population?" It was tantamount to asking how much longer he had to live.

"Soon as we can get you processed," the blond sneered.

"If you won't give me my call, I'm surprised you haven't shoved me in there already," he remarked.

"Hollis, you have to know we don't want to do this." The older one walked up to the bars. "Most of us, anyway," he said with a glance to his partner.

"Then why arrest me?"

"Dreiberg isn't talking. We thought…"

"I'm leverage?" His jaw clenched. "Stupid. Daniel won't do anything unwillingly. He does as he pleases. Has for years."

"I'm sorry," the cop whispered.

"Not nearly sorry enough."

~*~

"What about your parents?"

"Not in my file? A housewife and a banker. Didn't care much for what I did but left me everything nonetheless. They're dead now," he shrugged.

"Did your father ever strike your mother?"

"My father never lifted a finger. He was never at home to do so."

"So you were lonely as a child."

"Now you're assuming." He smiled. "I had my birds."

"Yes, your birds." Long flipped through the file. "You seemed obsessed with birds, although it says here you have a history of violence against animals when they're at a crime scene. Dogs in particular."

"They're disgusting creatures. Filthy beasts, will eat anything."

"And yet you like owls."

"Birds are different. Birds fly. They're above the mess and filth that plagues this planet."

"You think this planet is filth." Long chewed on the pencil's eraser before jotting down a few more notes.

"I know it is."

"And yet you still try to save it."

"One does what one must." He lifted his shoulders and let them fall. "It's about the principle of the thing," he said and Long cringed at the tone, unused to being talked down to.

Then a soft wail could be heard coming from somewhere far away and men began rushing about, including the ones who were supposed to be monitoring their session. Long twisted around to look out of the interrogation room's window.

"What's that?"

"My ride. Told you he would come for me. He always comes for me." Long gurgled as he felt a point press into his gut. "Don't do anything stupid. And leave if you can. Otherwise… well, you've been through my file. I'm sure you know."

Long only nodded and watch Daniel walk out of the door and into the hall already echoing with frenzied howls.

~*~

A/N: A rather talk-heavy chapter but there will be more action chapter, promise. Also, if you like this fic, I've got one in the crossover section too (with Marvel comics) that I'm excited about as well. Very Dan and Adrian heavy. So check it out if you like, leave what feedback you please, and I'll update as I can. :)