Author's Notes: By now I have figured out that there is a "reply" button in the reviews section, but I just like putting these notes in to annoy everybody.

Vaudeville -- I'm not certain, though I think he is nineteen or close to it. I'm sure Sally will get in the way in some form or another.

MK08 -- I have ideas in my head, but I can't force the characters. I'm worried that I will have to write thirty chapters before Rorschach stops being a stubborn bastard. Looking forward to your story.

Kairan1979 -- I'm glad you like him. He's going to make more appearances later on.

-----

Ch. 7

"It's so sweet of you to plan on spending your birthday with your mother instead of your friends," said Sally.

Laurie went up to her room, trying not to laugh at her mother. She had no friends to spend her birthday with. Though, Laurie supposed she would have somehow spent the day with her mother regardless, seeing how unbelievably pushy she was with many things.

Laurie tried to imagine how her upcoming birthday would be if things were more... normal. For some reason all she could think of in her mind was Rorschach showing up with a wrapped gift, then Ozymandias with Nite Owl II showing up to invite her to his birthday celebration, which was bigger and better and more exciting.

No, that was ridiculous. Rorschach would never wrap a gift himself. Was it sad that he and the two others with whom she had only spoken to once, were her idea of friends? Thinking of her life in this manner, she realized just how much like her mother's it was. Laurie was disturbed by the parallel, though she was intrigued by this train of thought nonetheless. If these new costumed heroes were equivalents of the people her mother worked with, who would their individual counterparts be? Laurie kept trying to compare Nite Owl II to the original Nite Owl, and it just wasn't working out in her mind. She thought of Ozymandias and Nite Owl II as closest to the only two people in the Minutemen who regularly teamed up -- Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis. She couldn't decide who went with who, though. Was Ozymandias more like Hooded Justice, or Captain Metropolis? How about Nite Owl II? She was going to have to ask Rorschach for his opinion later. Now, Rorschach, he didn't have an equivalent. Come to think of it, she didn't really, either.

Feeling better, Laurie spent the time reading the newspapers while she waited for nightfall. Her mother came up briefly to hand her some tea before she retired for the night. Sally liked to stay in her bedroom and watch television until she fell asleep.

"Say Laurie, you sure are taking an interest to the papers nowadays."

"I'm so caged in, mother, it's my only contact with the outside world," Laurie said solemnly.

Sally laughed.

"Oh you're such a funny little thing," she said, kissing her daughter on the cheek and leaving the room.

Laurie sat still and waited for ten minutes before leaping up and getting dressed. She was earlier than usual, but when she went to their usual meeting place, Rorschach slipped out of the shadows. She wondered how he always knew when she was around.

"Good evening, Rorschach," she said, smiling. She was glad to see him.

He nodded at her. He had been acting strange since yesterday, but she just assumed he was busy thinking about the case. The pair of them went where Rorschach led them, through alleys and loading areas. All empty. There were two men smoking cigarettes outside a warehouse, but they looked pretty ordinary so Rorschach didn't even bother with them. Suddenly, he stopped. Laurie, close behind him, had to grab his shoulders to keep from crashing into him. Rorschach twisted about to point something out to her. It was a limousine that was quickly getting out of sight.

"Oh!" said Laurie, not thinking too much, just reacting. She grabbed Rorschach's hand as she went to the street and put out her arm. A taxi pulled up a few moments later.

"Where to?" asked the cabbie, squinting at them. Laurie jumped in, Rorschach holding up his hands in disbelief but following anyway.

"Follow that limousine, please," said Laurie. "Hurry!"

The cab driver drove out into the street and followed her instructions.

"You kids late for a party or something?" he asked.

"Err, yes," said Laurie. "They didn't have enough room for us in the limousine."

"Or you didn't have enough room for them, eh?"

The driver laughed, Laurie joining in nervously. Then just silence.

Laurie worried about the cab fare. She did have a few dollars with her, but not that much. She was hoping Rorschach had something on him. She looked at him and realized he was staring at her.

"What?" she whispered.

"Taxi?" he said.

"Well, it beats Nite Owl II's flying contraption, doesn't it?"

"Hrmph."

"Come on -- it's working so far. What were we going to do, run after them?"

Rorschach said nothing, so Laurie assumed he was in agreement. Laurie turned to look at the back of the driver's head, then at the limousine, which was two cars ahead. Laurie smiled.

"I hope you weren't just pointing out the limo because you thought it was nice," Laurie whispered.

He just looked at her again. Laurie turned her attention back to the road before turning to him again.

"Oh," she said, smiling to herself. She leaned in closer so he could hear her. "I was trying to come up with a parallel between the Minutemen and us -- you know, the new costumed avengers."

Rorschach made a non-committal noise, so Laurie continued.

"I couldn't think of anybody who was like you and me, and I just didn't think Nite Owl II fit with Nite Owl I, so I thought Ozymandias and him would be more like Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis. But I couldn't decide who was who."

"Depends on who beats who."

"What?"

"You didn't read Mason's book."

Laurie sighed.

"No -- my mother said I can when I'm older."

"Hrm."

"I know, I know-- it's strange. Well, actually, my mother used to be the Silk Spectre. Don't think it's shocking that I'm telling you this -- she likes to tell everyone else in the world... wait, I guess I just gave my identity away." Laurie laughed. "Oh well, it doesn't matter."

Silence. Laurie looked at Rorschach and wished he had a facial expression she could discern. Without thinking, she reached out and put a tentative finger on the edge of his mask. Rorschach flinched away and looked at her, the pattern of his mask swirling angrily.

"It's heat sensitive, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Yes. Next time just ask."

"What?" Laurie laughed. "It's not like I was trying to take it off."

Looking at him wickedly, she slowly put out her hand as if towards his mask. He grabbed her forearm and held fast.

"Hey, what are you doing back there?" asked the cab driver. Rorschach and Laurie jumped back to their respective seats, looking guilty, somehow. "That's better. No hanky panky in my cab."

Laurie tried to hide her smile as she turned her attention towards the limousine. The sleek black vehicle turned off at a private street.

"Uh, could you let us out here, please?" asked Laurie, before the cab could follow.

The driver looked at her suspiciously through the rear-view mirror, but he obeyed. Before Laurie could bother looking for money, Rorschach had thrown it at the driver and jumped out of the cab. She smiled at the driver, who was shaking his head, and followed. The two waited for the taxi to leave before making the slow and steep ascension up the street. Laurie worried if once they reached the top of the hill, there would be not one house, but several. Her fears were quickly abated, however. The only structure in front of them was a stark white, three-story mansion. The limousine was nowhere in sight, but Laurie couldn't imagine where else it could have gone to but to the house. The yard was vast and well-lit, forcing them to stick to the dense foliage of trees on the outer premises. When they reached the back, however, it was quite dark. Laurie felt the usual excitement build up as they crept forward. When they reached the back of the house, they paused and listened. Rorschach looked in the window, then felt around the door. He pulled out a tool kit and opened the lock with ease. Laurie was impressed.

Inside, the house was dark and silent. Laurie worried again that they had the wrong house, somehow. They sneaked through the kitchen, dining area, then the hall before they found two men standing on either sides of a door. Rorschach signalled for her to wait as he went to the other side. A few moments later she tackled the man on the left while he took care of the one on the right. The men went down without being given the chance to react to their presence. They paused for a moment to tie and gag them, then stuffed them in a cabinet before returning to the door the men had been guarding. Rorschach listened at the door then tried it. The door revealed a staircase that led to what appeared to be the basement. Rorschach tested the steps before making his way down. Laurie followed and crouched behind him when he paused close to the foot of the stairs. The basement was empty. Laurie was intrigued to find that this basement looked nothing like hers. Her basement was used for storing food, while this basement looked like it could be a study. There were desks, bookshelves, a large table, and even a lamp that was on. Books and papers were scattered everywhere. Rorschach swiftly made the rest of the way down and began looking through them.

Laurie found what looked like a closet and opened it. It was strangely empty, save for one coat hanger. She started to close the doors again before realizing that the coat hanger looked strange -- as if it were attached to the rack. She touched it. Her eyes widened as a panel swung open, revealing a passageway. At the same time, the door to the steps above them opened. Laurie didn't have a chance to react as Rorschach sprung out and pushed her into the closet and jumped in after her, closing the door. They were just in time. Several sets of footsteps made their way down the stairs. Someone cleared their throat.

"Not down here either. Where the hell did they run off to?" said a male voice.

"Who knows. Probably off drinking again." said another.

"Shit, you don't think they're raiding the boss' liquor cabinet again do you?"

"Who cares? He's down in the sewers wasting his time anyway."

"Why the hell did he build a secret hideout in the sewers? It stinks down there."

"I don't know -- he's convinced that Ozzywhatsis guy and his pal can't bring their flying wahoo down there."

"Can't they just get out and walk?"

"That's what I'm saying! It makes no sense!"

The voices were starting to get closer, so Rorschach and Laurie slipped into the tunnel behind them. Laurie closed the panel gently, then sprinted after Rorschach, who looked around before pulling out a flashlight.

"Stupid," he whispered, "But too dark."

The light illuminated the tunnels behind them, and they practically ran ahead before they rounded the corner and waited for the men to catch up. They were loud, their voices echoing all around them as their subject matter turned to women with big bosoms. One man was deeply engrossed in giving out details of what his roving hands would do when Rorschach punched him down. Laurie sprung out and kicked another man, who had a surprised look on his face. She heard Rorschach handle another, and they were done. Laurie was a little disappointed that there were only three. Rorschach searched them but didn't seem to find anything of importance. They continued on through the tunnel, which led out into the sewers. Rorschach turned off his flashlight. The sewers were still pretty dark, but dimly lit with weak bulbs that seemed to stretch out in rows that went on forever. Laurie was amazed. Whoever set this up seemed to have limitless resources.

The sewers didn't give out for a while, though Laurie realized that if they had tried to reach the same area from an outside location, this would have taken longer. Up ahead, Rorschach paused, and gestured for her to wait. He slipped off on his own, then returned.

"Ambush," he said, in a low voice that gave Laurie a strange feeling that she had heard it somewhere before. "Some armed."

"How many?" she asked, shaking her thoughts out for now.

"Dozen."

"What do we do?"

"Take them -- just thugs."

Laurie was excited. This was unbelievable. Did he really trust in her ability to aid him in a crazy situation like this? They were armed. Rorschach didn't seem to think this mattered. He gestured with his head in a signal for her to follow him and they practically strolled into the next room. It looked like the room was under construction, and beyond that Laurie could see the beginnings of a foundation. The room was also filled with crates, more desks with papers, and a dozen men who looked shocked at their entrance. Behind them was a big man wearing a pristine white suit. Laurie had no doubt that this was Underboss.

"That's it?" asked Underboss. "Big Figure just sends in two goons?"

"Do we look like goons to you?" asked Laurie, offended.

He studied her for a moment, then Rorschach. He grit his teeth in what looked like a grimace of comprehension.

"All right, down 'em," he told his men, while simultaneously turning and slipping out into the back.

Even as Underboss' command left his lips, Rorschach was already in the process of disarming one man, then using him to push back two others. One man tried to grab at Laurie and she retaliated with a punch, then a kick to another man behind her. Underboss' men were overcompensating with Rorschach -- he must have looked like the bigger threat, and they seemed to be concentrating on him. They tried to restrain him while he moved at an impossibly fast speed. Meanwhile, they paid almost no attention to Laurie. She started to laugh as she swiped a man's rifle out of his hands and used it to knock him down. Half a dozen men were practically climbing over each other in an effort to get to Rorschach. Only a couple remained to stare in disbelief at Laurie as she beat them unconscious. When she looked up, it seemed that Rorschach was also finished. They took a quick sweep around the room before following the tunnel the Underboss had used. It led to a series of chambers, some in the process of being built, all of them holding crates, thousands of them. Laurie was dumbfounded. This man had an underground drug vault.

They took more of Underboss' men by surprise, and many turned up to aid their allies, but all of them ended up knocked to the floors of the makeshift hallway and its many rooms. When they finally reached the end, they emerged out of the side of a large hill. Underboss was nowhere in sight. They climbed further up to find a large, flat area at the top. Rorschach knelt down to study the ground. Sprays of dirt came out from where in the center were faint outlines of tracks. Underboss seemed to have had his own air transport. Maybe he got ideas from Nite Owl II. Laurie made a frustrated sound, though Rorschach didn't seem to be very bothered. He just nodded at her.

"Call this in at least," he said. "For the article."

Laurie started to nod without registering his words, then looked up.

"I... what? Really? You mean, by myself?"

"Yes."

"But what about you?"

"Need to investigate Big Figure." He paused. "It's all right -- don't worry, just call it in."

"What do I say?"

"Anything you wish."

Rorschach turned and looked at her briefly before going back inside.

-----

To be continued...