At Midnight, All the Agents...
Part 2
Kimberly awoke then next morning to a hand gently stroking her hair. As she snuggled further into her husband's side and yawned, the events of last night came rushing back to her. She jumped into a sitting position, startling Adrian.
"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked frantically, sitting up as well and pulling her into his arms.
"Oh, I'm sorry Oz, I didn't mean to startle you," she said, wrapping her arms around his torso, and placing her head in the crook of his neck. He eased them back into the pillows, pulling her tighter against him.
"Are you alright?" he asked, brushing some loose strands of her red hair out of her face.
"I – I guess so. It's just – I feel so sad. I'm probably the only one who cares, and that just makes me even sadder," she sighed, closing her eyes.
"Darling, if you're the only one who cares about the Comedian, maybe you shouldn't. I mean, they don't hate him for nothing. He's done some really bad things."
"Who hasn't done things they regret?"
"It's more than that, Kimmy! The man tried to rape Sally Jupiter, and he killed women and children for no reason! Hell, he impregnated some Vietnamese woman and then shot her, unborn child and all! How can you defend a man like that?" Adrian said, his voice rising with each sentence.
"Because that wasn't him, Adrian!" she said, pushing away from him.
"What do you mean, 'that wasn't him?' Who else was it then?"
"Not literally! That wasn't who he was as a person!"
"He was barely a person! What kind of a man does those kinds of things?!"
"A confused one! One who feels like he's been pushed in a corner and there is nothing else to do! I'm not saying he made the right choices, nor am I saying that what he did was excusable; I'm just saying that he wasn't as bad as everyone thinks!" Kimberly said, getting out of the bed. She went to her discarded costume and began picking up the pieces and putting them away.
"I – sometimes, I don't –" Adrian began, putting his face in his hand with a sigh. He then got out of bed and walked over to Kimberly, placing his arms around her from behind. "Listen, Kimmy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, it's just – I don't like seeing you sad. I especially don't like seeing you sad because of a man who doesn't deserve your tears." She turned around in his arms, placing hers around his neck.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you," Kimberly said. After hearing those words, Adrian smiled and placed a light kiss on her lips. He then pulled her into him and rested his cheek on top of her head. After a few minutes of standing like that, Kim pulled back.
"Not that this isn't fun Oz, but don't you have work to do?" she asked, looking up at him. He stood maybe five inches taller than her.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" he replied with a smile.
"Me, try to get rid of you? Why would I do a silly thing like that?" she said, fluttering her eyes playfully.
"Because you're a rotten, cranky old woman, that's why," he joked, rubbing his nose against hers. She pulled her head back and gasped in mock indignation.
"You're calling me old? What does that make you, ancient?"
"Oh, you're going to pay for that one," he said with a mischievous grin, sweeping her up in his arms, and walking over to the bed. He threw her on the mattress and she let out a quiet 'hey!' in protest.
"Plus," he added climbing on top of her, "I'm not that much older than you."
"Eight years? I think that makes a difference," she smirked.
"I'll teach you to call me old," he said with playful scorn, before kissing her thoroughly.
"What about work?" she asked, pulling away from his kiss.
"Screw work," he replied, kissing her again.
"Don't you mean 'Screw me?'" she retorted with a playful wink. A wolfish grin spread across his face.
"Don't mind if I do," he said, before kissing her again.
It was around 1:00 pm, and Kimberly had nothing to do. She didn't officially have a job, deciding instead to dedicate her full attention to crime fighting, and occasionally helping Adrian with various things for his company. Adrian was in a board meeting, discussing some new book or a new action figure, she didn't really know. She had already cooked and ate lunch, tidied up a few things and gone through her daily exercises. Kimberly knew that she couldn't stay unoccupied for too long; if she did her mind would start wandering towards the unpleasant happenings of Friday night, and she didn't want to think about that any more. It hurt too much.
Kim made her way to the study, and over to a bookshelf. As she browsed the contents, a ratty brown spine caught her attention. When she pulled it out, she realised it was a photo album. She walked over to the large bay window and sat down in the small, burgundy, velvet clad window seat. She opened the book to the first page and decided that looking though an unmarked photo album was a mistake. Staring up at her from the first page was the smug grin of the man who she didn't want to think about; the Comedian. It was the group photo of the Minutemen.
She looked at the people from left to right, examining them all. The first was one of the four women who donned a mask. She was the third one to do so, and the first woman as well, Silhouette. Kimberly always had a certain respect for the woman; she was talented, strong, and without inhibition. It bothered her that the other Minutemen kicked her out of their group solely because she was a lesbian. It bothered her even more that Silhouette and her lover were killed six weeks later by a former enemy, but it was more than revenge; it was a hate crime against lesbians.
Next was Mothman, a man who she didn't know much about. What she did know, however, was that he went through some tough stuff, became an alcoholic, and was eventually admitted to an insane asylum.
Then came Dollar Bill. She wasn't quite sure what to think about him. He was hired by a bank as a gimmick, to 'protect' their money. Although she heard he was a nice man, it didn't change the small feeling of disgust she had whenever she thought of him. He didn't put on the mask to save or help people. He did it for the thing he was named after; money. He was killed at a very young age, being shot at point blank when his cape got caught in a revolving door.
After him was the original Nite Owl. He had retired, become a car mechanic, and gone on to write a book about his days in the Minutemen. Dan had always said he was a nice man, but Kimberly had never met him.
Captain Metropolis came next. He always reminded her of an actual comic book hero, Captain America. It wasn't his costume or anything; Metropolis was decked in red, while America was covered in the American flag, complete with stars and stripes. But it was his personality. He had started the Minutemen and the Crimebusters, so she had spent some time with him. He was kind, but firm, and just had this air of authority. Of course, he became nervous and jumpy whenever the Comed-
Moving on. After him was the Silk Spectre, clothed in barely anything. Kimberly wasn't one to judge people by what they wore – Rorschach did that enough for the both of them anyways – but she was never fond of the older woman. It wasn't necessarily the Silk Spectre's outfit (or lack thereof) but the reason why she wore it. The Silk Spectre may have claimed to join the brigade of masked fighters to help, but the real reason was publicity. She wanted to be a model, and she used the fad of real-life comic book heroes to further that career. It left a bad taste in Kim's mouth.
At the end was Hooded Justice. Nazi support aside, Kimberly had always held him in high regard. He was the first one to don the cape and mask, and for that she had always respected him. To be honest, if he hadn't started the trend, she doubted anyone else would have had the guts or even the idea to do so. She certainly wouldn't have. The only person she pictured in the exact same place now without Hooded Justice's role would probably be Rorschach, although she doubted he would be wearing the mask. He would probably be causing trouble for the police while saving those he deemed 'innocent' from the ones he deemed 'evil'. When Hooded Justice disappeared, she was really disappointed. It was more the fact that no one knew what had come of him. It would have been nice to know, even if he was dead. At least then he could be mourned. Like a certain someone she was refusing to think about.
Unfortunately, Kimberly's mind didn't always listen to her, and it led her eyes to the Comedian. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, but she couldn't get him out of her head. When she exhaled, she opened her eyes again, blinking away tears before focusing them on the young face of the Comedian. He was in his original outfit, the one he wore before the stabbing incident in '41, where he changed the flimsy yellow suit for thick leather. It was partly because of the Comedian that she designed her outfit the way she did. Kimberly had done a lot of research on the other masks before finally decided to become one herself.
As Kim stared into the Comedian's face, it brought her back to the first time she met him. It was at the first meeting held for the Crimebusters, the meeting that started with sexual innuendos, and ended up in ashes.
It was the first ever meeting of the Crimebusters. Kimberly was 19 at the time, and it was her second year as a masked hero. So far, she had been trying to clean things up by herself, and she was eager to join some sort of group. Although she hadn't been fighting crime for long, the isolation was hard. Having others who were doing the same thing she was, who knew what it was like to get dressed up in some ridiculous costume with the hope of changing the world was something she was greatly looking forward too, and it showed on her unusually tan face.
Due to her eagerness, Kim was one of the first people to arrive at the meeting. Captain Metropolis was there, looking a bit frumpy and awkward in his costume, despite being one of the only active members of the Minutemen.
"Hello Chameleon, it's nice to finally meet you!" Captain Metropolis said enthusiastically, grasping her hand in his, and shaking it softly yet firmly. She would later find out that the Captain did everything in that manner, which was one of the reasons why she liked him so much. It was also why she would later think about asking him to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, her father having died when she was 14.
"Hi," she said with a shy smile, brushing a strand of her long, bright red hair behind her ear. She had the hood off, not seeing a reason to wear the uncomfortable thing. She only had it so her hair wouldn't get in the way when she was fighting, and so chunks of it wouldn't go missing. She knew from experience that it wasn't very fun.
The two of them made small talk, the Captain standing and Kim sitting on a desk, as the rest of the masks arrived. Dr Manhattan, wearing a tight black muscle shirt and speedo, came with his girlfriend, a pretty older woman named Janey Slater. At first, Kim had thought nothing of the woman's presence. However, when Janey pressed herself against Dr Manhattan and looked over at Kim, sending her a glare saying 'Back off, you dirty whore,' Kimberly decided that Janey was a rotten old bag, and shouldn't have been allowed to come.
Before Kim could voice her opinion, a young bleach blonde man, dressed in ridiculous looking purple robes walked into the room. At first she paid him no mind, instead playing with a strand of hair.
"Hello Captain Metropolis, Dr Manhattan," the blonde man said, nodding to each person in turn.
"It has been a while since we last spoke," Dr Manhattan said.
"Yes, it has. I believe it was at the charity event in the sum–" the blonde started, before pausing mid word. Upon hearing the abrupt stop in conversation, Kimberly looked up. Dark brown eyes met brilliant blue, and she let out a small gasp. The pair stared at each other, both of their mouths slightly agape. Kim felt her heart stop beating, her breath caught in her chest.
"Ehem, Ozymandias," the Captain said, clearing his throat to get the younger man's attention.
'Oz,' Kim mouthed, her eyes still trapped in his intense gaze.
"Ozymandias?" Captain Metropolis said again, although more like a question. He put his hand on Ozymandias' shoulder, which shocked the blonde out of his trance.
"Er, sorry about that," Ozymandias replied, shaking his head, and turning his attention back to the Doctor, although gazing at Kim through the sides of his vision. "What was I saying again? Oh yes, it was the charity event in the summer of '61. How have you been?"
"I have been well, yourself?" Dr Manhattan said, at bit like an automaton.
"I have been fine as well," Ozymandias replied. As the three men continued to make small talk, Nite Owl (the Second) and Rorschach arrived, shortly followed by the Silk Spectre II. When Kim saw the younger teen, she felt a flare of jealously. Kim herself had never been conventionally beautiful; she had a small face, large, dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, a medium sized nose and small but plum lips. Her skin was tan, with a few blemishes, which contrasted greatly with her bright red hair. Her mother was a redhead as well, but she had the freckled, pale skin that usually came along with the hair colour. Kimberly had always felt awkward because of her colouring, and while not ugly, she wouldn't be considered beautiful. Cute? Yes. Pretty? Sometimes. But beautiful was something she was not. The Silk Spectre, however, was not only strikingly beautiful, but undeniably sexy, even as a 17 year old girl.
Before Kim could think about this too long, the Comedian entered; the last one to do so. His eyes swept the room quickly, before looking at Kim and grinning, cigar in mouth. He was quite attractive, especially for a 42 year old man, and Kimberly felt herself blush as he stalked towards her, a predatory look in his eyes. He stood directly in front of her, placing a gloved hand on the bare section of her upper thigh. His eyes drank in her leather-clad figure, pausing a bit longer on her average sized hips and C-cup breasts, before looking at her in the face.
"Well hello, darling," he drawled, taking the cigar out of his mouth with his unoccupied hand. "What's your name, doll?"
"That's the Chameleon, and you would do well to keep your hands off of her," Captain Metropolis said sternly, rushing over to glare at the other man.
"Chammy? Cute. Name's Comedian, but you can call me Big Eddie," the Comedian continued, leaning forward and ignoring the Captain while stroking her leg with his thumb. Kimberly didn't know whether to be aroused or uncomfortable, but when he moved his hand even further up her leg, she chose the latter.
"I would appreciate it if you would remove your hand from my person," Kim said stiffly. The Comedian just smirked, taking a long drag from his cigar, before blowing the smoke to the side and placing it back in his mouth. When he started moving his now unoccupied hand to her other leg, she grabbed it, twisting his thumb painfully. He bit down a bit on his cigar and grunted, but moved his hand off her leg and onto the desk beside her.
"Feisty," he said once she let go of him "I like it a bit rough anyways." He winked and pulled out the chair from under the desk she was sitting on. He then leaned back, and rested his feet beside her, his eyes not leaving her the entire time.
"Can't you leer at somebody else?" Kim asked, shifting uncomfortably.
"I could, but the only dames I've got to choose from are an old hag attached to Blue over there an' a kid. I'm a ladies' man, not a little girls' man," he answered with a wolfish grin, his eyes sweeping over her form once again. There was a huff of anger from Janey's direction.
"Well, could you stop then? I rather not be looked at like a piece of meat," she replied indigently.
"Hmm," the Comedian said, stroking his chin with the hand that was previously on her leg. "I guess I could, just this once. But only because I like ya, doll. Don't expect me to be so lenient next time though." Once again, he winked at her, before grabbing the New York Gazette off the desk and flipping through it.
When Captain Metropolis was confident that there would be no further sexual advances on the Comedian's part, he cleared his throat, and walked back over to the easel.
"Well, firstly, let me start by saying how pleased I am to see so many of you here," Captain Metropolis began "Very pleased. Secondly, for those of you who only know me as Captain Metropolis, the name's Nelson Gardner. Call me Nelson. Third, uh, I guess I should welcome everybody to the first ever meeting of the Crimebusters!" he finished enthusiastically.
The pages of the newspaper shuffled loudly as the Comedian flipped to a new article, and then he let out a rather loud burp, which caused Kim to look over in his direction. When she did, she caught him looking at her. He winked before returning his attention to the paper. Captain Met– Nelson ignored the rude noise, and continued to speak.
"Why 'the Crimebusters?' Well, as you know, this country hasn't had an organization of masked adventurers since the Minutemen disbanded in '49."
As Nelson continued to talk, Kim glanced around at the other people in the room. Rorschach and Nite Owl had their full attention on the Captain, a look of deep concentration on Nite Owl's part, and shifting black blots on Rorschach's. The Silk Spectre was surreptitiously glancing at Dr Manhattan, while he was openly gazing at her. Janey still had her arms locked tightly around his arm, and was whispering harsh words of disapproval at his open gawking, with an ugly scowl marring her face. Ozymandias was watching the Captain, but then turned his gaze in her direction. When his light eyes meet her dark ones, a jolt went through her, and she quickly looked away.
"Specialized law enforcement is standing still. Crime isn't," Captain Metropolis continued. "New social evils emerge every day: promiscuity, drugs, campus subversion, you name it! Now, by banding together the Crimebusters, we–"
"Bullshit," the Comedian interrupted.
"What?" Nelson said, a look of confusion riddling the observable parts of his face.
"I said bullshit. This whole idea, this Crimebusters shtick, it stinks. What it is Nelly, is that you're gettin' old and you wanna go on playin' cowboys and Indians!"
"Th-that isn't true–" Nelson continued, but again was interrupted, this time by Nite Owl.
"Uh, listen, let's not throw the idea out right away. Me and Rorschach have made headway into the gang problem by pooling our efforts..." he trailed off.
"Obviously, I agree," Rorschach began, picking up where Nite Owl finished "But a group this size seems more like a publicity exercise somehow. It's too big and unwieldy..."
"Surely, that's just and organizational problem? With the right person coordinating the group, I think–" Ozymandias began, but was interrupted by the Comedian.
"Oh, an' I wonder who that would be?" the Comedian asked sarcastically as he placed the newspaper back on the desk. He then rounded on Ozymandias "Got any ideas, Ozzy? I mean, you are the smartest guy in the world, right?"
"It doesn't require a genius to see that America has problems that need tackling–"
"Damn straight. An' it takes a moron to think they're small enough for clowns like you guys to handle," the Comedian interrupted. "What's going down in this world, you got no idea, right Chams?" The Comedian looked at Kim with a half-smile and an expectant look in his eyes.
"Er, well, I suppose that since you've been doing this longer than most of us, you'd have a better idea of it's like..." she trailed off. The Comedian smiled wide, and then messed up Kimberly's hair, rubbing her head in the same way one would a young child.
"'Atta girl," he said, gazing down at her. She gave him a confused look, but he just kept smiling at her.
"I think I'm as well-informed as anyone. Given correct handling, none of the world's problems are insurmountable." Ozymandias continued, not missing a beat. "All it takes is a little intelligence."
"Which you got in spades, right? You people are a joke. No offence babe," he said, directing the last comment towards Kim, who at this point was just amused, before continuing. "You hear Moloch's back in town, you think 'Oh boy! Let's gang up and bust him!' You think that matters? You think that solves anything?"
"Well, of course it matters. If–" Rorschach started only to be interrupted.
"It don't matter squat. Here – lemme show ya why it don't matter," the Comedian said, taking out his lighter and setting the Captain's display on fire.
"Hey! Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, outraged.
"It don't matter squat because inside thirty years the nukes are gonna be flyin' like maybugs," the Comedian continued, ignoring Captain Metropolis' quiet exclamation of 'My display...' "and then Ozzy here is gonna be the smartest man on the cinder. Now, pardon me, but I got an appointment. See you in the funny papers."
After the Comedian left, things just went even farther downhill. Janey was complaining to Dr Manhattan about leaving, Nite Owl saying how the Crimebusters wasn't working out, and Nelson himself was trying to convince everyone not to go. Ozymandias was staring at the now charred display with a hard look of determination on his face. By now Dr Manhattan had teleported himself along with Janey to some other location, and Nite Owl, Rorschach and the Silk Spectre were leaving, despite Nelsons desperate pleas.
"Somebody has to do it, don't you see?" Captain Metropolis called out to them "Somebody has to save the world..." Nelson then sat down on a chair, and placed his head in his hands. Kim then walked up to the older man, and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry Captain, I'm sure we'll think of something," she said with a small smile, in a pathetic attempt to comfort the man.
"I wish I still had your optimism," he replied, returning her smile with a sad, defeated one. "Well, you should go I guess, the meeting already went to hell..." Kim just smiled at him again, sneaking a quick glance at Ozymandias, before leaving the room.
Once she was out of the mansion, she began to twist her hair into a bun, but when she was about to pull her hood onto head, a large hand grabbed her wrist, causing her to let go of her hair in shock. She tried to flip her assailant over her shoulder, but she wasn't strong enough, nor did she have enough momentum to do so.
"Relax," the smooth voice of the Comedian said, letting go of her. Kimberly turned around and looked at him questioningly.
"You look better with your hair down," he finished with a wink and a shrug.
"That may be so, but what kind of chameleon would I be with this hair? It's not exactly the most practical when it comes to blending in. Plus, being dragged by the hair is a painful experience, and so is having it ripped out. I like to keep my hair on my head, thank you very much," Kim replied, twisting her hair around again, beginning to pull her hood on. He stopped her once again.
"Well, Chammy, Big Eddie over here ain't about to throw you around the block. Why don't ya leave it down for me, hmm?" he smirked, pulling her by the arm into his chest.
"Listen Comedian–" she began.
"Eddie," he corrected.
"Fine. Eddie. I don't know where you got the idea that I was, er, attracted to you–"
"All the ladies want a piece o' this,"
"-but I'm not that kind of girl. So I would appreciate it if you stopped touching me so much. I barely know you," she finished, without missing a beat. He looked at her for a moment before letting her go.
"Like I said before, you're lucky I like ya," he replied. "Well, go on, hide that pretty hair of yours and scat."
"Aye, aye Capt'n!" she retorted with a mock salute.
"Go on, get lost," he said with a dismissive jerk of the hand, lighting up a new cigar. Kimberly smiled and rolled her eyes, before walking away into the night, her hair finally hidden.
Kim chuckled to herself as she thought about that first meeting. 'You always acted so perverted in front of everyone,' she thought to herself. 'But I guess you had an image to maintain.'
The Comedian was a confusing man, and that was mostly because of his pride. He was a 'manly man' in every sense of the word, or at least, that's what he wanted everyone to think. And so, he walked with an arrogant swagger, smoked the finest cigars, flirted and attempted to seduce any half-decent looking woman, and threw crude phrases and sexual innuendos into every conversation. It also didn't help that he didn't care about anything or anyone, well, except for one person, but every time Kim tried to bring her up, he would get violently angry, and so she stopped after a while.
Kimberly knew a side of the Comedian that no one really got to see, because he was too busy doing the somewhat cruel and unusual things he was paid for and did of his own accord. 'No one understood him,' Kim thought 'and he didn't care if they did or not. He didn't care for anyone, and so no one cared for him. No one cared for him, and now no one cares that he's dead.' She was startled from her thoughts when she noticed a quiet 'plop.' When she looked down, she noticed a wet spot on the photograph that wasn't there before. She wiped it off, but then there was another 'plop,' and another, and another. She brought her hand up to her face and felt wetness on her cheeks.
'I'm crying,' she thought. She then let out a loud sob, but muffled it with her hand. She lay down in the small alcove and hugged the photo album to her chest tightly, and cried herself to sleep.