At Midnight, All the Agents...
Part 3
When Kim woke up she was wrapped in warmth, and on something much softer than the window seat she had fallen asleep on. 'Huh...what? The bedroom? How did I ge – Oz,' she thought, realising that Adrian must have found her sleeping and brought her to bed. She yawned and stretched, meaning to go back to sleep when she sat up with a sudden jolt. 'Shit! What time is it?' She looked over to the digital clock she kept on her nightstand. '7:25 PM' shone back at her in vibrant red digital numbers.
"SHIT!" she exclaimed, jumping out of the bed and rushing to the closet, not bothering to turn the light on. 'I was supposed to meet Rorschach at 6! And after yesterday when I just ran off on him? Aw crap.' She grabbed her costume, first putting on the partially striped, scale covered dark green and grey body suit, then the long dark green gloves and thigh-high padded boots. She grabbed her light, dark green leather armour and quickly strapped that on as well. She then twisted her red hair into a bun and shoved it under her hood, and then stuck the mask on her face.
Kim ran out of the room, and past Adrian's office, not thinking to stop and say 'Goodbye.' However, when she heard the gruff voice of Rorschach, she slid to a stop and peeked through the slightly opened door. Low and behold, Rorschach was there, talking with Adrian.
"– the Comedian's dead?" Rorschach asked.
"Yes, Kimmy told me. She was very upset," Adrian replied. Kim sucked in a deep breath and blinked back tears. 'No more crying,' she told herself.
"She left last night," Rorschach said before adding "Didn't show up tonight."
"Like I said, she's been very upset. I found her asleep and I didn't want to wake her. Surly you're fine by yourself," Adrian said somewhat testily. Rorschach grunted.
"Didn't come to talk about your whor–" Rorschach started, but he didn't get a chance to finish. Adrian had rushed over to the shorter man and shoved him against the large window, hands wrapped around Rorschach's throat.
"You take that back," he growled, squeezing tighter. Rorschach didn't say anything in response. Kim barged into the room, pushing the large, double doors so hard they hit the wall with a loud and echoing 'BANG!'
"Adrian!" she yelled, fury engraved in each syllable, "You release him now or so help me God..."
"Wha – Kimmy! I – he – do you know what this scumbag called you?" Adrian asked in astonishment, loosening his grip slightly but still not letting go. By now Kim had walked over to her husband, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Oz, Rorschach doesn't exactly keep his opinions of women a secret. I don't take offence by it and neither should you," she said to him, although looking at Rorschach. After a moment, Adrian let go of Rorschach and backed away, brushing the wrinkles from his purple suit jacket. He then rounded on Rorschach again, who was still standing in the same place he was before.
"You say something like that about my wife ever again and I swear Rorschach..." he trailed off. The two men stood still, neither moving nor saying anything. Kim knew Adrian was looking for some sort of apology or agreement, and that Rorschach – even if he did feel guilty, which wasn't likely – wouldn't give one. Deciding that it was time for some womanly intervention, she stood in front of Adrian, placing her hand on his face. However, he was still glaring daggers at Rorschach.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked softly, "You know I meet Rorschach at 6, and that I usually leave at 5." Upon hearing his wife's voice, his blue eyes locked onto hers, and she felt the same jolt of electricity as she did the first time she saw him 19 years ago.
"I didn't want to disturb you, especially when I found you with that photo album..." he trailed off, pulling her into a hug and forgetting about Rorschach completely. She nuzzled her masked face into his neck, before remembering their company and pulling back. He looked at her with confusion, but she didn't notice, having already turned around to face Rorschach. He was now looking at the Ozymandias action figures littered on Adrian's desk.
"Rorschach, I'm so sorry for not coming ton –" she started, but he cut her off.
"Not your kind of work. Would have split anyways," he replied gruffly.
"Not your kind –" she repeated, before coming to a realisation. "You weren't off in a bar or something breaking bones and intimidating answers out of people, were you?" she accused.
"Not people, scum," he replied, growling out the last word. Kim never liked it when Rorschach would torture the information out of people. After watching him beat a man almost to death she had told him she never wanted to see him do that again. So they would go their separate ways on these occasions.
"Oh, well, still. I apologise. And for last night as well, I shouldn't have just ru –" but, like last time, Rorschach cut her off.
"Have to talk to Silk Spectre and Dr Manhattan. Silk Spectre was friend of yours. Will listen to you," he said picking up one of the action figures and moving its arm up and down before replacing it on the desk.
"I'll go talk to them tonight," she replied, nodding her head once. "But about what?"
"Comedian's death," Rorschach replied.
"But who would kill the Comedian, and why?" Adrian asked, bringing himself into the conversation.
"You were always supposed to be world's smartest man, Veidt. You tell me," Rorschach said.
"I never claimed to be anybody special, Rorschach. I just have some overenthusiastic P.R. men," Adrian replied with a sigh. Kim knew it had always bothered him when people threw that in his face whenever he asked a question. Not that he disliked being called smart, but it was just so overused. "Listen," he continued "Could it have been a political killing? Maybe the Soviets –"
"Dreiberg said same thing. Don't believe it," Rorschach interrupted. "America has Dr Manhattan. Reds have been running scared since '65. They'd never dare antagonize us. I think we've got a mask-killer."
"Not necessarily. The Comedian had plenty of other political enemies to choose from, even discounting the Russians. The man was practically a Nazi," Adrian said. Hearing her husband say something like that about the Comedian made Kim's blood boil. She knew that Adrian wasn't the Comedian's biggest fan – the Comedian was the only person she knew Adrian to hate – but to hear him say such things when he knew that she and Eddie were close, when he knew how much sadness she felt over his death, it just hurt.
"Ad –" she started, but she wasn't heard because Rorschach had started talking at the same time.
"He stood up for his country, Veidt. He never let anybody retire him. Never cashed in on his reputation. Never set up a company selling posters and diet books and toy soldiers based on himself. Never became a prostitute. If that makes him a Nazi, you might as well call me a Nazi, your wife too." Kim's anger at her husband rushed out of her and was replaced by shock. 'Was that a complement?' she thought. But as soon as that crossed her mind, another, more realistic one pushed it aside 'He's probably just saying that to make Oz mad.' Despite that, she couldn't help but hope it was the former.
"Rorschach, I know we were never friends, but even so, you're being unfair." Adrian started. "Nobody retired me. I chose to quit adventuring and go public two years before the police strike made the Keene Act necessary."
"Yes. Good timing. I came here to warn you about the mask-killer. So you didn't end up smartest man in the morgue. But I guess there's worse things to end up as. Be seeing you," Rorschach said, as be begun to climb out the window. "Coming?" he asked Kim, and she nodded her head.
"Yeah, right behind you," she said, waiting for him to climb down the rope. He nodded his head and started his way down.
"Kimmy, wait. Don't go," Adrian pleaded, stopping her as she tried to climb out the window.
"Why? So I can listen to you insult dead men?" she asked scornfully.
"Kimmy," he said like he was talking to a four year old.
"Adrian," she repeated in the same tone.
"Why do you always call me 'Adrian' when you're mad?" he asked.
"Because Oz is the wonderful man I fell in love with, and Adrian is the one who insults the people I care about, and extorts the public for every last cent they own," she replied, looking down at her feet.
"Kimmy – you don't mean that. You said – you said it didn't bother you that I gave up the mask, that I started trying to help the world in a more conventional way," he replied, hurt evident in his voice. When she looked up at his sad face, her anger crumpled.
"I – I know, and I'm sorry Oz. I just – every time you try to stop me from doing this," she said gesturing to her costume "it makes me wish you were dressed just as ridiculously as me, and we were out together. Like we used to be, when you understood."
"Oh Kimmy, I still understand," he said, placing his hands on her upper arms.
"No, you don't. Only Rorschach understands, and he hates me," she replied with a sigh.
"Is that what you want Kimmy? Do you want me out there with you? Because I'll do it, I'll do it right now if that's what you want. If that's what makes you happy." He took her chin in his hand and stared deeply into her eyes with a look of such smouldering intensity, she had to look away.
"No, Oz. That's not what I want. I – I just want it to stop, for it to fix itself so I don't have an excuse. I want to stop feeling like I have to do it, because there's nothing left to do, no problems left to solve," she finished, looking up at him once again. The expression on her face killed Adrian. He pulled her tightly into his chest.
"Don't worry Kimmy, it'll all be over soon," he whispered. He then pulled back and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Go, Rorschach is waiting for you." She just nodded her head, and climbed out of the window and into the rain. As she climbed down the slippery rope she left Kimberly back in the warmth of Adrian's arms, and let the cool head of the Chameleon take over.
"What took so long?" the gruff voice of Rorschach asked as soon as she made it to the ground.
"Apologies," the Chameleon replied as they began to walk. It was raining hard, but it didn't bother either of them. They had been through worse in the past.
"Why?"
"Even back when we were both active, Oz never liked leaving if we were mad at each other. He didn't want one of us to die with me mad at him, or with him mad at me."
"Hurm," was the only response she got. The pair made their way out of the city quickly and quietly, keeping to the shadows. They didn't make any specific stops on the way out, but stumbled across three muggings, one rape in progress, and a drug deal. Each time the pair stopped, fixing the problem; Rorschach providing a more...permanent solution than the Chameleon.
By the time the two of them reached the military base, it was around 9.
"Last door, at the end," Rorschach said, before taking off into the darkness. The Chameleon looked for the place he mentioned, and noticed about 10 armed soldiers between her and the door.
'This is going to be fun,' she thought with a sigh. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing herself. Then, she flipped a flat, hidden switch behind her breastplate which caused a small jolt of electricity to go though her body. When she opened her eyes again, every fabric covered portion of her body was invisible. Well, technically, it was blending in with the surroundings. If you looked closely, you would see the outline of her body where the rain was hitting it.
She pulled her hood further down her face, covering it completely, before stalking into the darkness. When she had first started off as the Chameleon, her costume had no powers what so ever. She had gotten her name from her ability to blend into any situation, and her stealth. However, after meeting Dr Manhattan, he made her a special leather like material that would change its colour according to the surroundings with the help of an electrical shock. She tried not to use the ability too much for two reasons. First, she didn't want to rely solely on being invisible. She had gotten around fine before the magical material, and she would get around fine without it. Secondly, the shock hurt like a bitch. Seriously. She only used it in specific situations, and 10 armed soldiers trained to shoot first and ask questions later seemed like one of those.
She went off in the opposite direction that Rorschach did. She understood the reason for their separation; if one got caught, the other was free. They were both confidant in their covert abilities, but that didn't make them cocky. She hid in the shadows of a building as a soldier marched by. When his back was turned, she made a dash across to the building parallel, and then onto the roof. When she looked over to her left, she saw the silhouette of Rorschach on the ground. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, passing seven more soldiers. Two more to go. The Chameleon dropped silently to the ground, but noticed she was at a dead end. The door was on the other side of the building on her left side. Spotting a wall of sandbags between her and the building, she quickly made her way over to them. Once there, she noticed a ladder. Climbing it quietly, she made it over the building and down to the other side.
She found a single door illuminated by a flickering light. The door had a window in the middle of it, with 'Special Talent Quarters' written on it in block letters. 'This must be the place,' she thought, trying to open the door. It was locked. 'Figures.' She looked around quickly before pulling down her hood a bit, and grabbing one of the bobby-pins she always kept in her hair. Just as she was about to start picking the lock, Rorschach came climbing down the ladder she had only minutes before.
"Too long," he said, before punching in the glass and opening the door from the inside.
"You're not a very patient man, are you?" she asked replacing the pin, although it was more of a statement. She followed Rorschach inside and down a few hallways, before they arrived in front of a thick, steel door. When Rorschach pushed it open, a soft blue light seeped through.
"Good evening, Rorschach, Chameleon," Dr Manhattan said. When the Chameleon entered the room, she noticed the doctor was currently as tall as the roof, and working on the device that would mimic his powers. Adrian had told her about how they were trying to mimic Dr Manhattan's powers to help as a sort of 'Missile Shield.' She then noticed Laurie behind him, wearing a vibrant red dress and black leggings.
"Good evening, Dr Manhattan," Rorschach replied. The Chameleon closed her eyes and relaxed once again, before flicking the switch, sending another electrical shock through her body, turning her visible.
"Hey Dr M, Laur. What's shakin'?" she asked, pulling her hood off completely.
"Kim! Oh my God! I haven't seen you in ages!" Laurie said running up to Kim and giving her a hug. As soon as they touched, Laurie jumped back. "Oh! You're all wet! Here, let me grab you a towel." As soon as Laurie turned around, she spotted Rorschach again, and a scowl crossed her face. "What are you doing here, Rorschach? This is a government base and I hear you're wanted by the police."
"Ehh. Good evening, Miss Jupiter," Rorschach replied monotonously.
"That's Juspeczyk. 'Jupiter' was just a name my mother assumed because she didn't want anyone to know she was Polish" Laurie said angrily. Dr Manhattan began to shrink himself back to 'normal' size. "You haven't answered my question."
"Apologies. Came to warn you both and bring bad news. The Comedian is dead," Rorschach explained.
"Yes. Since he and I are the only two extranormal operatives currently employed by the government, I was informed on Saturday morning," Dr Manhattan began. "I understand the C.I.A. suspects the Libyans were responsible."
"Have my own theories on that. Take it you're not too concerned about Blake's death."
"A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there's no discernable difference. " Dr Manhattan said. Behind him, Laurie put her head in her palm, an exasperated look showing on the visible parts of her face. "Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. Why should I be concerned?"
"Ennk," Rorschach replied. Dr Manhattan walked back over to the device he was working on when Rorschach and the Chameleon first entered. The Chameleon followed after him.
"Listen doc, I get your whole 'perception of death' spiel, really, I do. But it's not his actual death that's worth your concern. It's the reason behind it," the Chameleon explained.
"I should be concerned about the Libyans?" he asked, lifting up a rather heavy piece of the machine before placing it on top of something else. "What can they do to me?"
"Not the Libyans, and not only for yourself. Rorschach believes that ther –" the Chameleon started, but was interrupted by Laurie's yelling.
"Jon, get this creep out of here!" she yelled.
"You seem to be upsetting Laurie. I think you ought to go." Dr Manhattan said, turning away from his work and towards Rorschach.
"Oh, Laur, come 'ere," Kim said when she noticed the state her old friend was in. She walked over to the younger woman and pulled her into a hug. "Rorschach, why do you have to be an ass about everything?" she asked him, but he ignored her.
"With respect, Dr. Manhattan, I warned Veidt and Dreiburg and I intend to warn you and your lady friend. I believe someone is eliminating masked adventurers, possibly some old foe with a grudge. I believe–" Rorschach began, but was cut off.
"I said I think you ought to go," Dr Manhattan interrupted, an angry expression on his usually stoic face.
"Spent a lot of time getting in to see you. Not leaving before I've –" Rorschach started, but before he could finish, there was a bright blue flash and a gust of wind. When Kim looked over to Rorschach's previous position, she noticed he was gone. Dr Manhattan had teleported him out of there.
"He's gone. Are you still upset?" Dr Manhattan asked Laurie.
"Yeah. I just don't like Rorschach. He's sick. Sick inside his mind," she replied with a sigh, picking up something from the ground and throwing it into the garbage. "I don't like the way he smells or that horrible monotone voice or anything. The sooner the police put him away, the better."
"Don't say that Laur, I mean, he's not that bad," Kim said as she and Laurie sat down on a table. Laurie just gave her a look. "Okay, maybe he is that bad, but he's got some redeemable qualities." Laurie just raised her eyebrows some more. "No really, he does! I mean he – err – well he's – he just has to. If he didn't, why would he continue to help people?"
"He's not doing it to help anyone. He's just doing it for his own sick pleasure," Laurie replied angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. Kim knew that Laurie wouldn't budge, and so she decided not to press the matter further.
"Anyways, like I was saying before Rorschach's impromptu departure, if someone is out killing masks, it's not just yourself you have to worry about doc, there's Laurie too. You may not be able to die, but she can. I don't want to lose her," Kim said, looking over at her friend of 19 years. Laurie smiled and pulled the older woman into a hug.
"I can protect her," Dr Manhattan replied, re-arranging certain things on the machine.
"But can you protect her from something you don't know of? Can you say that you'll be with her all the time, for the rest of her life?" Kim retorted.
"I would know if Laurie died. I would have seen it," he said simply.
"And what if something happens to you, hmm?" she asked.
"I would have seen that too," he replied in that same tone.
"And you're so sure about that?" she prodded again.
"Yes," he dismissed.
"Alright, if you're that confidant," she said, getting up. "I should probably get going now."
"Oh no, don't leave! I haven't seen you in ages!" Laurie exclaimed, pulling Kim back down.
"I wish I could stay Laur, but I've got streets to patrol, Rorschachs to find, you know how it is," Kim said, getting up again.
"This is about Rorschach? Come on. I'm sure he won't know when you left here! You could say it took a long time to convince us or something!"
"As tempting as that is, I still have to go. When I left, Oz and I were having a bit of a tiff. I wanted to get back early tonight to make it up to him."
"Oh," Laurie said, raising her eyes suggestively "that's what this is about. Well, don't let me keep you."
"It's not that you perv," Kim replied blushing, shoving Laurie playfully.
"Sure. That's what you always say, but I know the truth. You want him to –"
"LAUR!" Kim exclaimed. The two of them burst into giggles. Being around Laurie made her feel like a teen again. When they calmed down Laurie began to talk.
"We have to get together sometime, have a coffee or something."
"Oh, defiantly. You know what I just realised? The doc over there and my hubby have been seeing each other more often than we have. We should go out the four of us, like a double date. Oz and Jon can talk about saving the world one highly sophisticated machine at a time, and you and I can catch up on the last eight years."
"If I can convince Jon to leave the room, that is," Laurie said dejectedly.
"Like I said before, we'll get them to go on the pretence that they're doing it for their child,"
"Their child?" she asked, laughing. "That's a good one."
"You realise I can hear you," Dr Manhattan said, interrupting them.
"Aww, come on doc, do it for Laurie!" Kim said with a giggle. He didn't reply. "Anyways, I should go. Call me, okay?"
"Defiantly," Laurie replied, hugging Kim.
"Do you mind teleporting me back home, doc?" Kim asked.
"Not at all. Goodbye, Chameleon," he said. Kim felt a tingly sensation all over her body, then a weightless sensation and a bit of nausea. Before she knew it, she the tingling stopped and she felt her feet hit the floor with a 'thud.'
"Kimmy? Is that you?" the voice of Adrian called out. A door opened, flooding the room with light. She realised she was in the bedroom.
"Yeah Oz, it's me," she said as she began to peel off her wet costume.
"You're back early," he stated, turning on the light and walking over to her.
"I didn't want to stay out too late. Plus, I missed you," she replied, pulling off one of her gloves before kissing him lightly on the lips. He smiled against her mouth and then pulled back.
"I missed you too. What about Rorschach? Was he mad?"
"He doesn't really know. We were talking to Dr Manhattan and Laurie, and Rorschach said something to upset her, so Jon teleported him out of there. I stayed back and talked to them for a bit, and then got the doc to send me back here."
"Well, it's only 11:30. What are you going to do with all your free time?" he asked, grinning at her as she peeled off another article of wet clothing.
"I was going to shower, and then I thought we could watch a movie together or something. We haven't really gotten a chance to spend time together."
"You know, I was thinking about showering, too," he said, pulling her into his arms.
"Oh yeah? Well, maybe we should have one together. It'll save some water," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yes, of course. We need to be more environmentally friendly anyways," he added, sweeping her up into his arms and walking towards the bathroom.