"We oughtta nuke Russia, and let God sort it out."
I blink in confusion, my hands stilling on the newspaper as I stare at Bernie.
"I mean, I see the signs, read the headlines, look things inna face, y'know?" He throws his hands in the air. "I'm a newsvendor, goddamnit! I'm informed on the situation. We oughtta nuke 'em til they glow!"
He notices the look on my face, and scowls. "'Course, that's just my opinion." He shrugs. I smile as I give him two quarters. "Catch you later." I wave goodbye as I turn and cross the street.
"So… yeah, I dunno. It's been a weird few weeks."
Dan sighs on the phone. "This cold war's been affecting all of us, and we're just not ready to admit it."
"Hey, I'm admitting it. It's not fun. None of this is fun. Everything's going to shit."
"Yeah, you'd better believe it." He pauses. "Hold on a second, someone's at the door." There's the sound of shuffling fabric, and I hear his front door open on the other line. " Laurie? Come in. Are you okay? " Soft murmurings in the background; I strain to listen, barely making out the words "coffee" and "Hollis Mason". As footsteps near the receiver, there's the unmistakable sound of crying.
" Uh...Laurie? Hey...hey, what's the problem? "
" Uhuuhuhhuhhhh …. Oh, god, I'm so sorry ..."
"Dan? Laurie? What's wrong?" At the sound of my voice, Laurie starts openly sobbing, her muffled sobs filling my ears.
" I...uh... " Dan seems to be at a loss for words. " Laurie, you want me to...I mean, Lena's on the line...maybe you wanna talk to her? "
" I...I don't know how to...I dunno where to start…"
"Oh...I...well, that's okay." My brow furrows in concern. "I guess, whatever it is, we can talk it out. I'm here, Laurie." She sobs again in the background.
A pause. I hear Dan fumble with the phone.
"I left Jon." Laurie's voice is closer to the receiver now.
My eyes widen. "Laurie...oh. I…"
"I'm sorry," Laurie whispers, and she sounds close to tears again. "I'm sorry I keep...dumping all this shit on you two, I...I just don't..kn-know," her voice catches on a sob, "know anyone else except for goddamned s..superheroes…"
"Laurie, c'mon, kid, don't apologize for that." I frown. "You know we're not just superheroes, right? We're-Laurie, we're your friends."
"And Jon-I'm sure whatever's going on is…" Dan sighs, "y'know, maybe you're making too much out of one argument or something…"
I can almost imagine Laurie rolling her eyes. "You think this is our first argument? I-Living with him, you don't know what it's like...The way he looks at things, like he can't...remember what they are, and d-doesn't particularly...care…" She trails off miserably, muffling another sob.
"I mean, this world, the real world, I think to him is like walking through-mist, and all the people are like shadows." She grows quiet. "Just shadows in the fog."
I shake my head. "God. I'm sorry, Laurie."
"I mean-I mean, tonight? After twenty-some years, I walked out, and you know what I bet he's doing? He's either dressing up for his TV interview, or, or watching quarks get stuck to gluinos. Maybe both."
After a beat, Dan speaks up. "So, uh, do you-do you have a place to stay tonight?"
"Yeah, well, I guess I'll take up some hotel or someplace… somewhere normal." Laurie blows her nose loudly. "Look, Dan, Lena, I'm sorry. I've just-barged all in here in hysterics, while you guys probably have… you guys probably have something to do."
"C'mon, Laurie, no worries. Adrian's not home yet, and all I've got are-" I gesture, even though she can't see. "Just a bunch of papers to grade."
Dan continues. "I just wish you'd drop in more often. Don't worry about anything. I'm glad you came."
A beep sounds on the landline. "Wait, hold on, Dan, I'm getting another call from someone. Can I call you guys back later?"
"Sure, that's fine."
"Thanks. Bye, guys. Hey, Laurie, take care, okay, kid?"
I hear a sniffle from Laurie. "Mhm..."
"Bye, Lena." Dan says.
-Click.
"Lena?"
"Adrian? Hello?"
"Hello, darling. Just wanted to check in-I may have to stay late at the office tonight."
"Aw. Bummer."
His voice softens. "Don't stay up late waiting for me. You should sleep more."
"Same to you. Promise me you'll take a nap or something."
"Of course. Is something wrong? You sound worried."
I sigh. "Adrian I just… I dunno. Dan called and Laurie was there, and there's just this whole mess with Jon or something."
"What happened?"
"He and Laurie had some kind of argument, and Laurie walked out."
"That sounds terrible. Is she going to be alright?"
"Dan's with her at the moment. I think she can handle this. Whatever it is, Laurie's… you know. She's-"
"Wait. Hold on, Lena." Adrian cuts me off. "Turn on the television. Channel 5. It's Manhattan."
I fumble for the remote on the coffee table, and press the on button.
"-know that Jacobi also has terminal cancer?" A reporter is standing in the crowd, speaking to the talk show host and Jon.
The screen cuts back to Jon. "Moloch? I...no...no, I didn't know that." He seems to be struggling. "I'd rather not-"
"What's the matter, doctor?" The reporter's tone is vindictive. "Don't like this line of questioning? Am I starting to make you feel uncomfortable?" After a slight pause, he continues. "Then how about this one: Did you know that Ms. Janey Slater, romantically linked with you in the 60s, is currently suffering from lung cancer?"
Whispers break out; he allows the murmurs in the crowd to build up a little bit, before he speaks. "Doctors have given her six months to live. Notice any connection?"
"Hell, they're crucifying him, Adrian," I whisper.
"Because, from where I'm standing, it's starting to look pretty...conclusive."
"My god. It's like a kangaroo court."
"What the hell can Jon do against this? They're not giving him any ground to..." I trail off. A woman has just walked into the studio, the audience gasping in surprise. She's screaming something at Jon, about hurting her, about forgetting about her-and the camera cuts back to him, and the blank, shocked expression on his face.
"The studio must have planned this from the start. There's no way that this-this ensemble could have been a coincidence."
Adrian says something, but he's drowned out by the rising cacophony coming from the screen. Jon has stepped off the stage, amid a mob of reporters streaming down from the stands.
"-gave Ms. Slater cancer by sleeping with her?"
"No. Please. If you'll just...let me through…" He seems to be struggling, his face growing angrier by the second.
"Let him through. He's not here to answer questions on intimate moments!"
"How does it feel to know that you may have doomed hundreds of people?"
"Please. If everybody would just...go away, and leave me alone…"
"Dr. Manhattan, how often did-"
"I SAID, LEAVE ME ALONE !"
The transmission cuts off for a brief moment and then the screen shows the outside parking lot, the rain glimmering on the lens, cameramen picking themselves up off the ground.
"What the hell was that, Adrian?"
Adrian seems at a loss for words. "...They were asking him about-his past relationships. Friendships, even. They either have cancer, or have died from it, Lena."
"Jesus Christ. D'you really think- I mean, Laurie doesn't even know. She's probably still at Dan's…"
"She'll know soon enough. They're talking about it everywhere, now." He goes silent again, and I feel the weight of that statement sink in. My eyes close and I feel something inside me grow tired.
"Adrian, I… listen, I gotta go. Laurie's gonna return back to the base soon, and I don't want her to…" I trail off, glancing worriedly at the clock.
"I understand. Goodnight, darling."
"Love you."
-Click.
I stumble on the steps out the building, hurriedly walking down the lamplit street towards the newsstand. Bernie's already holding a brand new stack of magazines, and my blood runs cold when I see Manhattan's face on them.
"My wife, she'd fantasize about this creep!" Bernie cackled. "I suspected all along, you know." He sits down on his chair as I walk over and pick up the newest issue. The kid is still on the ground reading his comics, and he looks up at Bernie.
"Hey. It's raining. Lend me your cap, man, I'm gettin' wet."
Bernie scoffs. "No chance. I don't lend things. It's my philosophy."
"Suit y'self, jive-ass."
"In this world, you shouldn't rely on help from anybody. In the end, a man stands alone. Hey, you gonna buy it or what? Hot off the press!"
"No thanks, Bernie." I place the magazine back on the stack. "See you tomorrow."
"Hey, you're friends with that sick freak, aren't you, lady? Is it true?"
"Shut up, Bernie."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's all coming down anyways. 'The age of superheroes', huh? What a joke."
What a fucking joke.