Ch. 16

Rorschach was surprised to find Nightshade waiting for him. He was early enough as it was, and it wasn't often when she arrived at their meeting place before him. She was standing with her back against a wall, her head hanging slightly. This image of her concerned him.

"Hi," said Nightshade, as he approached her. She looked tired. "I didn't sleep at all last night."

Rorschach hadn't either. In the morning, Walter had to go to work. He worked long hours that day. Sometimes, given his two lives he didn't get much sleep in between.

"Your mother?" he asked her.

"Yes. Yes, my mother," said Laurie, shaking her head. "She was going off this morning as if she was crazy, Rorschach. She told me to get out so I did."

Rorschach paused.

"Just for today?"

"I... I don't know. She was drunk. I'm sure she didn't...didn't mean the things she said. I still don't know what happened back there."

Rorschach nodded -- Sally was many things, but she wasn't the type of mother to abandon her child. He was more than certain that she had not meant to play at kicking her own daughter out.

"Everyone thought I was visiting them," laughed Nightshade, who seemed to be a little delirious from lack of sleep. "Well, just two, actually. I went to Nelly's house this morning. He thought I had just gotten up early to visit him. I was hoping I could get some sleep at his place but he likes to talk your ear off, and I couldn't really tell him... I had to leave after lunch so he wouldn't stop and wonder why I was so keen on spending time with him all of a sudden. I ended up going to Hollis' house. He actually noticed that I was in costume. I just told him I had wanted to show him -- we talked about the old days; well he did. And Nite Owl II. Then I left and came here."

Nightshade wiped at her eyes. She wasn't looking at him. Rorschach said nothing for a long while -- he really didn't know what to say.

"I'm sure things will be fine," he said.

"But what if they aren't?" she said. "She said awful things, about you and me, a-about the...my...my dad, I think... I don't know. I really... I just didn't understand it. She was so angry."

Rorschach nodded, wishing he was a better conversationalist than this. He really didn't know how to comfort women.

"I'm sorry," Laurie said, finally. "Why don't we just do our thing? I think I need to take my mind off of...of everything. I'm sure things will look better after tonight."

Rorschach nodded again, relieved. This, he knew how to do.

"Need to investigate Moloch's remaining two lairs," he told her. "Find the connection with Twilight Lady."

Nightshade smiled at him. They began to walk through the streets, and he heard her sigh with exhaustion. He nervously wondered if she needed a place to stay. No, she could go to Captain Metropolis' house, worse came to worse. He felt guilty, as if he was dumping her onto the man, but Captain Metropolis was safe, and she had known him since childhood, hadn't she? She called him Uncle Nelly, after all. No, she would be fine.

As they approached the building that had been closed during the night of the Comedian's attack, Rorschach saw something on the roof and stopped Nightshade. He saw a figure leap down from up above and emerge from the shadows below. Rorschach groaned inwardly. It was Ozymandias. No sign of Nite Owl II, however.

"Hello friends," said Ozymandias, smiling, though he seemed a little uncertain.

"Ozzy?" asked Nightshade. She sounded like she was half-asleep. "Where's your boyfriend?"

Ozymandias looked shocked, a bit too shocked.

"If you mean Nite Owl II..."

"I'm sorry," Nightshade laughed. "I was joking... lack of sleep, I don't think I know what I'm saying, really."

"Oh." He looked a little relieved, but not quite. "That's all right."

Damn. Rorschach was hoping to watch him squirm as he tried to come up with an explanation.

"I suppose it would be redundant to tell you that I am on the lookout for Moloch," said Ozymandias. Had he been crying? No, it was just the way the light from the lamp post was reflecting against his eyes.

"I suppose," said Nightshade.

"I uh... actually found a link between him and the Twilight Lady."

"We have too."

Ozymandias nodded. He seemed very uncomfortable, and he kept glancing over at Rorschach.

"I was thinking that perhaps -- if it isn't any trouble of course -- we could join forces for tonight." His eyes went steely for a second and Rorschach felt goosebumps on his forearms at the canned way Ozymandias spoke. "We should be able to capture the Twilight Lady once and for all, I think, if we band together. Just tonight."

Ozymandias was not approaching them because of his sense of camaraderie, Rorschach realized. He had a personal vendetta against the bondage queen. He knew it wasn't because of the way she dressed, either. Confused, Rorschach wondered if Ozymandias and Nite Owl II had been in some sort of homosexual relationship. But how was this possible if the Nite Owl II preferred women? In Rorschach's opinion, either you were one or the other. It wasn't possible to like both sexes in that regard. Was it?

Rorschach looked up and noticed Nightshade was looking at him. He glanced up at Ozymandias and realized that all three of them had gone silent since Ozymandias' proposal.

"Fine." Rorschach shrugged. Ozymandias was only going to be around for one day. Rorschach was more curious about two things, however: how the man fought, and the confusing dynamics between him and Nite Owl II.

"It's settled then," said Ozymandias, looking relieved. "I am so eager to detain her myself; I'm glad I didn't have to dispose of you two after all, for getting in my way."

Ozymandias laughed. Nightshade joined in, but she looked at Rorschach with wide eyes afterwards. For some reason, he only had seemed to be half joking. Ozymandias led them away from the building and a few blocks down, to a gaudy looking nightclub.

"Are we going inside?" asked Nightshade, apprehensively.

"Just the back," Ozymandias told her. "The club is just a front."

"Not to mention a cover," said Rorschach.

"Uh... yes," said Ozymandias, looking at him and not getting his point. He seemed nervous again. "Shall we go?"

Ozymandias shot up into the air with the aid of a grappling gun. Rorschach watched him. He really wanted one, too. He shrugged and started to climb the old-fashioned way with Nightshade. When they reached the top, Ozymandias had already pried the metal doors open. It looked like they had been chained together previously.

"Here, put these in your ears," Ozymandias told them. He was holding what looked like improved ear plugs. Nightshade obeyed. So did Rorschach, but he had to turn away from them to do it.

"What are these for?" whispered Nightshade, but Ozymandias just gave her a brilliant smile.

"No worry," he told her. He pulled out a foreign device as he began to lead the way down the stairs. The hall was dark, but Rorschach could see him pressing a button. Nothing happened. However, when they reached the bottom of the steps, they saw people writhing on the floor in the grips of what seemed like seizures. Blood trickled down from their ear lobes.

"They're not dying," Ozymandias told them, in a flat tone.

Nightshade turned and gave Rorschach a look that mirrored how he felt inside. If Ozymandias could do all this, why did he bother bringing them along?

"I think this room is soundproof," Ozymandias told them. He attached a small disc to the doors, then waved them over to stand behind the staircase. The doors caved in with a small bang that rang out as if someone had merely struck at the doors with their fists.

Ozymandias took the lead and the two of them followed. A woman screamed, but Ozymandias moved like lightning and swiftly silenced her with a blow to the head. It looked like there were only five men inside. Armed, but it didn't matter. They were taken care of in short time. They searched the rooms -- they were full of clients in various stages of drug and prostitution use. It was difficult to find the Twilight Lady in the room's haze, but Ozymandias seemed to know where she was. He moved as if with a purpose, and when he found her there was a brief scuffle as she tried to defend herself. She was soon on the floor unconscious, however. Ozymandias picked up her limp form, and Rorschach wondered if the man had just invited them along to perform a show for them. Rorschach felt like he had scarcely done anything.

"Thank you for the assistance," said Ozymandias, with that smile again. If it were anybody else, Rorschach might have suspected sarcastic intent, but he seemed to be showing genuine gratitude towards them.

"Uh yes, you're welcome," said Nightshade. She appeared to be practically sleeping while standing up. Rorschach shook his head. She really was in no form to fight tonight; he was actually a little glad that Ozymandias had showed up and taken over things. On any other day, however, this would have been aggravating. With a small sigh, Rorschach realized he was a little tired as well.

They exited the building and Ozymandias turned and waved at them. He said something about parting being sweet sorrow and other literary quotes Rorschach wasn't going to pay attention to. Rorschach watched Ozymandias leave and suddenly had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. About what, he had no inkling as of yet. But no, he couldn't worry about that right now. He glanced at Nightshade, who was swaying a little.

"Call it a night, I suppose," he told her. "You are in no shape to do anything else."

Nightshade nodded.

"Yes, I'm... I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

You were -- you were thinking about avoidance, that's all, he thought.

"I don't know what to do, Rorschach," she said. She shook her head. "Do I just go home? What if she's drunk again? I don't think... don't think I can handle it tonight. I'm just so tired. I can't deal with it."

Rorschach watched her as she rubbed her eyes and he couldn't tell if it was because she was wiping away tears or sleep. Of course, he could take her in, let her stay at his apartment. Shabby as it was, at least it would be shelter from the elements and any vagrants or those of ill-will that might bother her out here in the street. However, on second thought, an unrelated and unmarried man and woman living in the same home? That just didn't seem right. Naturally, he wouldn't do anything that would risk soiling her virtuous image, but it seemed like a bad idea.

"Go home, Nightshade," he told her.

Nightshade nodded, but she wasn't looking at him. Rorschach worried for her, but she seemed to be walking in the direction of her home. Finally, he couldn't stand just watching and doing nothing so he ran to catch up to her.

"Let me walk you home," he told her.

"Thanks."

Rorschach saw her off safely, but the uneasiness remained. He didn't sleep well that night.

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To be continued...