Ch. 19
"So, I guess since we're working together, I might as well tell you my name," said Nite Owl II.
"You don't really have to," Laurie protested.
"No, I think it's only fair since Nelson gave your name out to everyone," insisted Nite Owl II. "I'm Dan."
"Nice to meet you."
"I've been wondering what it's like to work with you."
"Why?" Laurie was suspicious. She was also upset that all this had happened and she had been so stunned she hadn't been able to put her opinion on the table.
Her opinion was, that this was an obnoxious setup, and she would much rather be paired up with Ozymandias than with Nite Owl II -- Dan. Now she was stuck with him in his bizarre owl ship, feeling uncomfortable. She sat in the chair that she assumed must be where Ozymandias was usually seated and felt a little sad for the man. Ozymandias, that is. Not Dan.
"I don't know," shrugged Dan. "I've always wanted the four of us to be a team. You and yours and me and mine."
Laurie and Dan stared at each other. Laurie thought that was a very strange way to describe their relationships to their respective partners. No, that sounded odd, too. The way he said it and the way she had thought it, made it sound like they were all married to each other.
"Uh, so," said Dan. He must have realized the same thing. He seemed embarrassed. "What's going to keep Moloch from escaping if we find him again?"
"What makes you think we're going to find him?"
"I-I don't know, being optimistic, I suppose," Dan stuttered and suddenly seemed quite unsure of himself. Laurie decided to take advantage of this.
"So, what's going on with you and Ozymandias?" she asked him.
"What?" asked Dan, looking at her with his mouth open. "What do you mean?"
"Are you two going out?"
"No," Dan looked back out to where they were headed again. "What makes you think that?"
"I don't know, it just seemed like it, that's all. So you're not in a relationship with each other?"
"No."
Laurie studied Dan carefully, and he just seemed to be irritated by the question, not nervous or anything. However, she realized he hadn't even denied her implications of his sexual preferences. Then again, if he had gone out with the Twilight Lady, what did Ozymandias matter? Dan could just be a mild mannered individual and his lack of denial was just in his confidence that his negative affirmation to her question would be sufficient of a response. Or, he and Ozymandias had a lover's quarrel over Dan's indiscretions with the Twilight Lady. Laurie giggled at the idea.
Dan glanced over at her, but didn't pry. Laurie wondered if Dan ever thought the same thing about her and Rorschach and realized that it was too outlandish of an idea. Rorschach was far too formal, especially when in the vicinity of the others, and she simply mirrored his treatment of her. Why was she thinking about this, anyway? She and Rorschach as a couple was a ridiculous thought to begin with -- it would never happen. He was all business, and business partners didn't get together like that.
That idea made her very depressed, and she couldn't fathom why.
Much to Laurie's chagrin, Moloch's former hideout had been cleared before their arrival, probably hours before. By the time she and Dan made it there, there was only dust and a few unimportant papers blowing around through the wind from the open doors and windows.
"Wow, what a fruitless search," sighed Dan, after they had investigated the best they could with what resources they had on hand.
Laurie blamed Dan for their lack of findings. It seemed like he gave up far too easily -- Rorschach would have asked question after question until he got to the bottom of it. Sometimes, Rorschach's ever curious nature drove her up the wall, especially when they were looking for something that wasn't immediately apparent and she was stuck running in seemingly endless circles with him. At the same time, the very quirk that made him annoying was also what made him endearing. Laurie missed him. She wanted to be here with Rorschach and not Dan.
"We should just call it a night," he said, shrugging.
"I hate you, Dan," she couldn't help but telling him in response.
Dan looked shocked, then he hung his head and looked incredibly sad. Laurie was instantly contrite.
"I'm sorry," she told him, quickly. "It's just that I really hate being pushed into things I don't want to do. I'm just angry about this whole situation and taking it out on you."
Laurie wouldn't have to explain all this to Rorschach -- he would just understand her and her moods, just like she understood his. As a matter of fact, she could never imagine telling him that she hated him, especially not as easily as she had with Nite Owl II.
"Maybe we should look harder," sighed Dan. "It's just that I can do the technical stuff and help out with the fighting, but it's usually Ozymandias who does the directing. I wish he was here."
Laurie nodded. So he did know how she felt.
"Maybe he and Rorschach can solve their own case and stop by here at the end of the night and solve this for us too," she said.
The two of them couldn't help but laugh at the idea. Laurie decided she didn't hate Dan as much.
They spent the next couple of hours studying the building's remains. Laurie stood off to the side while Dan hemmed and hawed over various devices that he used -- thermal scanner, radio waves, even a sonar for some reason. None of them revealed anything. Laurie was just amused that he was using these gadgets. She had a feeling it was his way of opening up windows for conversation. Whenever she pointed something of his out and asked him a question he would dive into the theory of physics and mechanics and ergodynamics and all the other things that would usually be found in a lecture hall and Laurie felt bored to death. She especially wanted to hang herself when he would go off on wild tangents until his subject matter had nothing to do with what they had started off with. Laurie thought they would be there forever until she realized that if she steered him in a direction as he spoke, he followed. She led them out of the building and into the ship. She wondered how Ozymandias dealt with the man without going insane. Maybe he was insane to begin with.
Dan dropped her off where she asked him to -- a few streets down from Edward Blake's house. She waved as he flew away and waited a few moments before she made her way back home.
Home -- it was strange to think of it as such. She was hit with a sudden pang of guilt as she thought of her mother sitting alone back in the place she used to call home. She wondered if her mother even realized she hadn't been back in two days. It made her sad to think that she hadn't; that she was still going on her drinking streak and not noticing her absent daughter.
Laurie came into an empty house, and it made her even sadder, somehow. She had not expected the Comedian to be back so early, but she was hoping that he would be by some miracle. She went into the kitchen and realized there was a note on the counter for her. She picked it up and read it.
"Kid,
Damn (The word was crossed out but still legible.) Moloch escaped but you probably know that already. Several leads so I'm going after his a (Another crossed out word with only the first letter in view.) hind so might be back really late. Don't want to find you dead from starving when I get home so left food. Eat any of the shit you want and leave the rest."
The letter wasn't signed, but had a drawn circle with a smile in it at the end. Laurie giggled to herself. She could imagine Blake hunched over the countertop scribbling out the profanities that flowed too freely from him and somehow forgetting to leave out one of them because the words came so naturally that he overlooked it.
Laurie obeyed the note and walked to the refrigerator and opened it. Her eyes went wide. It seemed like Blake hadn't been able to decide what she was going to eat, so he had stuffed the entire thing full. She looked in the cabinets and realized he had done the same for them too. Smiling, she helped herself and sat at the table to eat. She looked around at the house around her. It was a warm place, but she was still alone and for a moment she saw Rorschach in her mind and really wished he was here. Hopeful, she wondered if he would visit her somehow, but recalled that she had been unable to tell him where her new residence was.
Sighing, she glumly picked at her food, unable to eat. She forced herself, worrying about Rorschach at the same time. She hoped his adventure with Ozymandias had been more rewarding than hers with Dan. She washed her plate and fork and retired for the night.
The next morning, the house was still empty, and this time Laurie worried about her father. She made breakfast and left the house, hoping she would run into someone she knew. Mainly Rorschach, though -- maybe her mother. But Rorschach wouldn't be in costume, and he probably wouldn't talk to her if he saw her out of it. And her mother? Probably drunk. Soon, Laurie was browsing the shops as she had the other day, peering in the windows, but mostly at her reflection because she was lost in thought.
"Oh hey, aren't you Laurie?" asked a male voice.
Laurie turned, heart beating fast, but when she looked, the voice belonged to a fairly tall man with huge glasses. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and had his hands in his pockets.
"Yes," she said, suspiciously. She was hoping it had been Rorschach because there was nobody else out there who she wouldn't be able to recognize otherwise. But no, the height was wrong. And she couldn't imagine Rorschach wearing glasses.
"It's me, Dan."
"Oh, hi."
"I remembered when you showed up in that... outfit for the first Crimebusters meeting. You know -- the one that never went through? You didn't have a mask on then."
"Yeah, yeah... my mother made me wear it."
"Your mother was the first Silk Spectre, right?"
"Yes, and the only Silk Spectre."
"Right, sorry." Dan adjusted his glasses. "Say, do you want to go somewhere? You know, just on a walk or something."
"Sure, why not," sighed Laurie.
"I feel fortunate that I ran into you," said Dan. "I don't socialize much."
Laurie wasn't surprised. But she wisely kept her mouth shut this time.
"What about Ozymandias?" she asked him.
"Well, I know his name, but I've never seen him out of costume or anything. I have his number though. You know, for an emergency contact."
"Oh." Laurie looked around, wishing there was an excuse for escaping this conversation. She didn't find one. She ended up spending a couple more hours with Dan, browsing the shops and listening to him talk. They ate lunch at a diner and headed out afterwards, Dan on the subject of ornithology. Laurie sighed miserably. She was really bored.
"And then I thought of adding the notes I made back in my field research days to-- Ow!" Dan stumbled a bit as he ran into someone in the street. "Gosh, I'm sorry mister."
The man Dan had run into didn't seem to be paying attention to him, but looking at Laurie. Laurie smiled, recognizing him.
"Walter," she exclaimed. "It's good to see you."
For some reason, he gave her a pained look at that. He glanced over at Dan, who was adjusting his glasses, then wiping his hands on his pants.
"Hi, I'm Dan," he said, holding his hand out. Walter took it as if it was a dirty rag. He was also giving him an almost murderous expression that Dan seemed completely oblivious to. "Are you Laurie's friend?"
"Uh, yes," said Laurie, not sure how to explain otherwise. And it seemed wrong to describe him simply as some man she knew.
"Nice to meet you," said Dan, smiling. "I'm really sorry about running into you."
Walter nodded and leaned in to say something to Dan that Laurie couldn't hear. Then he hurried off, giving Laurie one last haunting look before he turned away.
"What did he say?" asked Laurie, watching Walter as he disappeared into the crowd. She felt disappointed.
"Oh, that he was in a hurry or something. I couldn't really hear it."
"I think I should go home," said Laurie. She was suddenly angry at Dan, though she couldn't explain why. She just felt as if he had ruined things, somehow.
"Well, all right." Dan shrugged. Then he reached into his pocket and started writing something down. "Here -- here's my number and address if you ever need help with anything."
"Uh, thanks," Laurie stared at the paper, astonished at how freely he gave her his information.
"We crime fighters need to keep in touch!" Dan called out to her as he walked away, waving as he went. Laurie waved back, then stuffed the paper in her back pocket. She looked around at the street and realized she had somehow managed to steer Dan to the dress shop where Walter worked. She walked by it now, peering inside but knowing he wouldn't be there. He had been walking in the opposite direction. Laurie frowned.
Laurie returned home with her head down. She went inside and sat at the kitchen table, feeling glum. She had been sitting for the better part of five minutes before she looked up and realized the Comedian was standing at the sink, eating from a plate. He was giving her a measured look.
"Oh, hi," said Laurie, brightening. "I didn't see you there."
"Yeah, I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice," he said. He resumed eating. He must have come in only minutes before her, because he hadn't bothered to change out of his costume. Laurie thought that he looked very different when he was dressed as the Comedian. That, and he seemed to be struggling to hide an anger that she could feel even from this distance.
"What's the matter?" she asked him. The Comedian startled her by slamming his plate down on the counter top.
"Goddamn fucking Moloch," he said, eyes blazing for a moment before he gave her that measured look again. Somehow, that look was more frightening than his outburst. He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a cigar, which he lit. "Trailed the bastard yesterday but turns out he left the country."
"For good?"
"Who the fuck knows," he said, opening a cabinet to look inside. He pulled out a can and slammed the door shut, hard. It broke and fell onto the linoleum floor in two pieces.
"Hell," said the Comedian, laughing in spite of himself.
"Uncle Nelly paired me up with Nite Owl II yesterday," said Laurie, pouting. "We went to Moloch's hideout and all there was left were just useless remains."
"Oh yeah, saw your boyfriend last night with that freaky guy in the Egyptian getup -- The Ozy-Man," said the Comedian.
"Uh, he's not..."
"Was wondering if you broke up or something," he laughed.
"Uh, so," said Laurie, feeling so embarrassed she decided to change the subject. "Does this mean Moloch's escaped for good? Or do you think he'll try to get back in once the coast is clear?"
"That asshole better not consider coming back in here. If I find him..." he made a motion with his hands. Laurie realized he meant to break his neck, and shivered.
"Are you going to leave the country too?" she asked, feeling a lump gather in her throat. "To find him, I mean."
"Maybe -- probably," he said. "Seems like such a waste of time, though."
"Yeah." Laurie nodded and looked away. She was hoping he wouldn't go.
"Aw hell, I'm going to bed," said the Comedian. He messed up her hair as he walked by, surprising her. "Good night, kid."
Laurie smiled. It was only late afternoon. But of course, he must have been up all night. She got up and cleared her father's plate and washed it for him. She looked at the clock. If she got ready slowly, she would be in time for the Crimebusters meeting. She hoped that Rorschach and Ozymandias had fared better than she and Dan had so she could actually get back to working with Rorschach again.
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To be continued...