Author's Note:

I'm sorry there was a delay -- my computer finally gave its last shuddering breath before it relinquished its mechanized life force and went on its journey to silicone heaven. I ended up going into the office to use my work computer to type these up. I'm going to have to do this until I can find an alternative, so updates may be scarce; but believe you me, I'm working the best I can under the circumstances. Next update will probably be Tuesday. Enjoy!

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Ch. 59

The days flew by and come Friday, the day of the conference, nothing truly noteworthy had transpired. It really had become a vacation -- one where the lazy days blurred past in time spent on the beach or socializing with friends.

"Guess what day it is today?" Nelly sang out that morning as he walked in. Laurie, Dan, and Walter were in the living area, with Dan in the armchair, reading; Laurie and Walter were stretched out on the couch, Laurie with one hand on Walter's shoulder, the other on his head as she stroked his hair. Walter himself was looking through the newspaper he held out over his chest, his head in Laurie's lap.

"The day Agent Orange takes over New York?" Walter grumbled as he shook the newspaper. He had been checking up on Agent Orange's activities through the various sources from New York ever since he discovered a news stand a few blocks down the street that carried papers from all major cities across the country.

"Unlikely," said Nelly, in a good-natured tone.

"How about the day you guys leave me alone?" sniffed Dan. He had contracted food-poisoning a few days before and had been miserably sick up until the previous night. He said he was fully recovered, but he was left tired and in a bad mood that made him far from sociable.

"Well, aren't we a happy bunch right here?" Nelly laughed. "Come on -- it's the day of the conference, remember? We can't walk in and present ourselves as New York's finest fighters of crime by putting on our frown masks."

"Augh," groaned Dan, as he threw his head back and placed his book over his face. Walter gave Laurie a look as if he had just heard Nelly declare himself the Queen of England.

"I just can't wait to get this done and over with, that's all," said Walter, as he gave Laurie a knowing glance.

"If it's that important to go back to New York," Nelly began, as he crossed the room to claim the remaining armchair. He sat down with a groan before he continued, "Then we can leave tonight, right after the conference."

"Sounds good to me," said Laurie, after she waited for the other two to respond. They didn't.

"All right," said Nelly as he drummed his fingers against the armrests. "Don't forget to pack up tonight."

Nelly stood up and nodded at them before he left the room. Dan completely ignored this exchange and continued to look into his book with a scowl on his face. Laurie felt sorry for him.

"Do you want to pack now?" Laurie asked Walter, as she leaned down close to whisper to him so as not to bother Dan.

"No," he admitted. "But we should."

Walter sat up and shoved the newspaper aside. He briefly leaned his head against Laurie's shoulder. Laurie touched her cheek to his forehead and smiled. She thought he had taken this whole Agent Orange ordeal quite well. Walter had remained fairly quiet about Agent Orange's activities in New York and managed to keep his temper in check. With Dan in such a foul mood, Walter looked like an angel in comparison. Laurie put her arms around Walter's shoulders and kissed his temple in an affectionate manner. She was rewarded with a cheeky look from Walter, who stood up and crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it at Dan as he walked by. Dan merely rolled his eyes into a glare in Walter's general direction before he resumed reading his book, forgotten paper still resting on his shoulder. Laurie took the paper away as she went to her room to pack.

Laurie pulled out her costume for inspection before she packed it up, frowning at it as she recalled the night from a couple of days before. Leland had offered them a tour of Los Angeles city, costumes required, of course. She and Rorschach and gone out, leaving behind Nelly who was technically retired and Dan who had just become sick the day before. What Laurie had expected to be a learning experience had turned out to be a more of a lesson in survival. It was, in one word, insane out there, and that was just putting it mildly. Laurie had previously wondered why the crime fighters of Los Angeles armed themselves so heavily. She quickly realized it was because practically everyone else in the city was armed like that. It had taken a full day to recover from the shock alone -- the sound of gunfire had rung heavily in Laurie's ears even after they had left the city. She had a new respect for the people who had to exist in a place like this. Despite the violence, she really admired the way the crime fighters in the city worked so closely with the police. No fewer than three instances in the full two hours they had patrolled had the cops walked right up to them and asked for assistance. Laurie wished they could have the sort of free reign they had here, back in New York.

Laurie shook herself out of her thoughts and packed her costume neatly. She did not have very many things out so she quickly finished up and went out to the living room again. Walter, apparently done before her, seemed to be making a quick sweep around the living room, ignoring Dan as much as he was ignoring him. Walter winked at Laurie and did a little dance as he made his way over to her. Laurie giggled, then covered her mouth when Dan glowered at her. Walter made an exaggerated motion of silencing himself with his finger before he put his arm around Laurie and accompanied her out the door.

"Lunch?" asked Walter, as he studied her face.

"Sounds good," said Laurie, placing her hand on his waist. "Should we get Dad?"

"Of course."

Walter and Laurie made their way down to the second floor, where Blake's room was located. Blake had finally received word from the president himself -- not a personal phone call or anything, but a telegram, still pretty exciting -- the president noted that though Blake's presence was missed by some GI's that were working closely with him, on the whole nobody really knew that he was out of the country. He surmised that Blake could gain something from attending the crime fighter conference, and told him that he would have an appropriate way out of Los Angeles at the end of the day. Blake was well suited for this decision and had spent most of the time either with Laurie or Walter, or out of the way in his room -- reading the newspaper in a similar fashion to that of Walter (although he was not looking for Agent Orange specifically), but with the television on in the background. This was how Laurie found her father when she knocked on the door and on the prompt from Blake assuring her that it was open walked in with Walter in tow.

"Hey kids," said Blake, grinning at them from over his newspaper. He set it aside and turned off the television. "Is it time to eat, or are you here to tell me I'm too old to hang out with you two?"

"No," Walter replied, with false enthusiasm, "We're here to tell you that today's the day of the conference. Isn't that exciting?"

Laurie laughed as she hugged and kissed Walter. Blake raised an eyebrow as he stood up.

"I guess Nelly's gotten himself into some kind of frenzy over it," Blake observed.

"Of course," said Walter.

Blake put his arms around both of them and ushered them downstairs, where they had a quiet lunch. Despite it being a business day, the hotel restaurant was quite empty.

"I'm sad about leaving California," admitted Laurie, towards the end of their meal.

"I thought you hated it here?" Blake asked, as he wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"Well, Los Angeles more or less, yes," Laurie clarified. "But Huntington Beach has been nothing but wonderful. And I'm sure there are other places here that are just as nice."

"Ah well," Blake shrugged. "Don't care much for the hot weather, but it sure beats being in 'Nam."

"I'm sad about that too," said Laurie, frowning. "About you going back tonight, I mean."

"Hey, I'm not going there indefinitely." Blake patted her shoulder. "I'll be back before you know it, annoying the shit out of you two like in the good old days."

"I'm sure we'll only annoy you in return," said Walter.

"Me? Never. Your mother, on the other hand, is a whole different can of beans," shrugged Blake. "You should make it a point to bug her when you get back to New York. I'm sure she'll love it."

Walter gave Blake a strange look for a moment, but turned and smiled at Laurie with a twinkle in his eye.

After lunch, Blake returned to his room while Laurie and Walter went down to the beach for one last walk.

"Are you excited about going back home again?" Laurie asked a particularly thoughtful-looking Walter.

"In a way, yes," he told her. "Not so much the car ride back, however."

"Is Dan going to be able to help Nelly drive, the way he is?"

"I'm sure he will insist on it."

Laurie nodded, then paused for a moment as they stood to watch the waves rolling across the beach.

"Do you think we'll find ourselves changed when we get back?" she asked. "Like Dan said?"

"It's only been a week and a half," Walter told her.

"But so much has happened in that time, hasn't it?"

Walter turned and gave her a small smile.

"Yes," he said.

They walked back to the hotel, hands held in a way that was so familiar now. Nelly was waiting with Dan to have dinner with them, and though Dan was still quiet, he seemed to be less moody and bit more exhausted than cranky. An hour after dinner, Nelly and Dan walked ahead with Blake, who caught up with them. Laurie and Walter followed closely behind, still holding hands. Laurie was surprised to find that she was quite nervous. She wanted to tell Walter, but he stopped walking just as she made her mind to talk to him. Laurie gave him a bewildered look, but Walter excused himself and assured her that it would be brief and to save him a seat. Then it was a quick kiss from him before he was off in the direction of the hotel with Laurie staring after him.

"I'm getting something," he told her as he glanced back. Laurie frowned and took a peek at Nelly and Blake, who seemed to be having an argument. Dan watched them with a sullen expression his face. Laurie tried to listen to what they were discussing, but suddenly she felt uneasy again. She couldn't figure out why she was feeling this way -- she had met most of the crime fighters, after all -- the Los Angeles based ones anyway. After a quick run through her mind she realized that she was afraid that they might make her speak in front of everyone, and she didn't really feel prepared. Maybe she would sit next to Dan and he could speak for all of them. Given his mood, however, who was to say that he would want to talk tonight? And Walter certainly wasn't the sort to make speeches. Maybe Nelly had one. Why was Laurie so upset about this, anyhow? It was just a conference, not life or death.

Trying to take herself away from her racing thoughts, Laurie went into the conference room. She was hoping that familiarizing herself with the room before the meeting began and while it was quiet would help her calm her nerves. Pushing past the heavy wooden doors, Laurie was greeted with stillness that almost instantly relieved her. There was a single person sitting at the far end of the table and Laurie glanced at them as she came in, the door closing behind her with gentle whoosh. She started to sit down, but froze as she realized she recognized the face of this individual and it wasn't anybody she had met during her stay at California. No -- she had seen this man before -- but back in New York City.

"Laurie," said Agent Orange, with an almost pleasant smile on his face.

Laurie tried to speak but was horrified to find that she had lost all ability to make any sort of sound. She tugged at her mind, trying to will herself up and away, out into the hall where she could tell the others, but she couldn't.

"Where is Rorschach?" he asked, as if Laurie had somehow finished exchanging pleasantries with him and he was merely progressing naturally to the topic at hand.

"Why aren't you in New York?" Laurie managed to ask him.

Agent Orange frowned.

"For Rorschach to catch me," Agent Orange pointed out. "You do know about our agreement, don't you?"

"But you were in New York," Laurie said. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Why would I be in New York?" he asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

"You were all over the news," said Laurie, feeling very upset and more frantic by the second. "Back in New York. Why on earth are you here, Agent Orange?"

"Ah." Agent Orange looked down, then at her, then at the far corner of the room as if someone was there watching them. Nobody was. There was a strange burst of sound coming from the other room, as if someone had ignited a small bomb. Laurie froze as she heard several muffled exclamations. Clearly Agent Orange's doing, Laurie was sure of it. He must have set off something in the other room, and they were hurt, somehow.

Laurie watched Agent Orange with an increasing dread. Her hands had gone cold, and she shivered uncontrollably as the chill went up her arms and up her spine, only to rest at the nape of her neck. Was this what he had planned all along? To lure her here to finish what he started; to finally kill her as he had meant to those many months ago?

"You know," said Agent Orange, shaking his finger at her. "Jack the Ripper -- good man, rid the streets of prostitution -- had a copycat. Perhaps I do, as well."

"There can't be two of you," Laurie whispered, but she knew he had a point. How else could he have been in two places at once?"

"They gave me the name Agent Orange," he shrugged. "But there are many other different strains of the same chemical out there, all named after an agent with a different color attached. You would think they could at least call this person something else to distinguish between the two of us. Agent Green, for instance."

Laurie made a wide-eyed sweep around the room and then straightened a little before she took a tentative step back. Agent Orange didn't move.

"Or Agent Purple," he said, in a monotone as if he were reciting passages from a particularly boring chapter of a textbook. "Even Agent Pink, if it's a female killer."

Laurie took another step back.

"You never really hear about female serial killers, do you?" asked Agent Orange, as he cocked his head to the side and regarded Laurie with a thoughtful expression, finger tapping his chin. "It's odd to think of myself as a serial killer, but that's what people say I am, so I suppose it must have some modicum of truth to it."

Laurie shook her head then nodded. She really didn't know how to respond to this man. She had taken a slow step by agonizing step backwards as he spoke, eyes never leaving his face and his cool stare. Laurie slowly reached behind her, shaking hand grasping the handle.

"What were the other colors? I don't remember," said Agent Orange, standing up. "Anyhow, where is Rorschach? I was expecting him to turn up, though if you're here I know he can't be too far off."

Agent Orange winked, and at that instant, the door burst open behind her and Laurie was so certain that he had done it. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she lept out of the way, surprised to find familiar faces. Blake entered, followed by a brilliant glowing blue man with Nelly and Dan behind them, looking startled behind belief.

"He's convinced he should be here," Blake told Laurie, shaking his head. He hadn't noticed Agent Orange so far. "Says he's still in 'Nam as we speak, so he's not really abandoning his post. Crazy talk, all of this, if you ask me."

"I am a superhero, and therefore must be in a superhero conference," Dr. Manhattan announced. Agent Orange was staring with eyes round with shock, but they weren't directed at Dr. Manhattan. They were directed at Blake.

"It's not really a 'superhero' conference, but more of a crime fighter sort of thing," said Blake, then he squinted at Laurie. "Hey kid, you all right? You look pale."

"I don't believe--" Agent Orange started to say in a voice that Laurie could barely hear, when Walter entered and Agent Orange went completely silent.

Walter's eyes first went to Laurie's face, and his brow curled in concern. Laurie quickly glanced in Agent Orange's direction before looking pointedly at Walter. Both Walter and Blake turned to regard Agent Orange and Walter flinched as if he had been slapped in the face. Blake's eyebrows were rising steadily as he looked at Laurie with what appeared like realization. Laurie knew her father must recognize him, remember him from the hospital. Blake was not a stupid man, and judging by the storm look that flew across his features, it was apparent that he had come to the right conclusion.

"You," said Walter, voice hissing from strain, even as Blake waved to Dr. Manhattan.

"Quick, get that guy," Blake said. "That guy's Agent Orange."

Dr. Manhattan paused and beheld Blake for one moment, neutral expression on his face quite unsettling given the nature of his sudden appearance and the weight of the information Blake had given him.

"Agent Orange," said Dr. Manhattan, in a mildly thoughtful tone, "Yes, I know him. He has been murdering people all across New York City."

"I know that," said Blake, waving his arm at Dr. Manhattan, even as Agent Orange approached, as if in a trance. "So do something about the guy already. Take care of him."

"Of course," said Dr. Manhattan, raising his own arm. "How inconsiderate of me."

"Comedian," said Agent Orange, "It's a privilege--"

Agent Orange's image was instantly torn apart as his own body incinerated around him, moving outwards into a brilliant splatter of flesh and gore. Laurie wanted to scream, but a thin spray of Agent Orange's remains hit her across the face. She turned away, afraid that it would get in her mouth and she would taste it there forever.

It was over in an instant. There was an unsettling smell in the air -- not that of charred flesh or blood, but a strange, hollow plastic stench akin to a hairdryer after extended periods of use. Laurie looked up with watering eyes to confirm what had just happened. The room was a mess, most of the Agent Orange stain covering the conference table, though there was still some that had managed to hit her and the others. It was only Dr. Manhattan who remained untouched, looking prim as if he had merely taken out the trash.

"What the hell," said Blake, the first one of them who managed to speak. "What the hell did you just do?"

"You asked me to take care of him," said Dr. Manhattan, blinking in Blake's direction.

"Yeah, in a normal manner," Blake shook his head as his hand found his face and came away covered in blood. "You just vaporized the fucker. What the hell -- we're covered in him, you jackass."

Leland walked in before anyone else could contribute to this conversation, and he stopped in mid-stride with his foot halfway through the door.

"What on earth has happened here?" he exclaimed. Even now people crowded behind him and peered inside. Other crime fighters. Laurie felt embarrassed. She didn't know Dr. Manhattan, of course, but he was a product of their city, and it somehow seemed as if they were airing their dirty laundry for all the Californians to see. Leland frowned as he stepped tentatively into the room, giving the others behind him a better view of the scene. One man took off his sunglasses to survey the mess even as a girl with short dark hair covering half her face looked out from behind his arm. A man taller than the two, tanned with a blond coif seemed more interested in Dr. Manhattan, to whom he pointed.

"I know that dude," he exclaimed. "It's Dr. Manhattan."

Dr. Manhattan managed a polite nod and a smile.

Suffice to say, the meeting was canceled. After a quick clean up, Laurie still felt shaken. It seemed Dr. Manhattan did not find the fact that they couldn't carry on with the meeting very logical, and listening to the conversation between him and Blake made Laurie feel dizzy and sick.

"You messed up the place," Blake was trying to explain to him. "There's no way there can be anything done in that room until it's been cleaned."

"But there are certainly other rooms in this building," Dr. Manhattan reasoned, "Besides, I could always take away anything from that room if you wish. What would you like for me to clean up?"

"Called Detective Narlow," Walter muttered, as he joined Laurie's side. Relieved, Laurie tore her attention away from her father and Manhattan and instead fixed her eyes on Walter. He didn't look at her, and she realized he was just as shaken as she was. She took his hand and he gave her a watery smile before he hugged her. Laurie held Walter for a long moment, shuddering a little as she tried to purge the terrible image of Agent Orange's death from her mind.

"Ah hell, whatever," Blake said loudly, as he threw up his hands. "Hey Laurie, I'm going. Manhattan, take me back to Vietnam. See you all."

Laurie didn't even have time to respond before Blake was gone. She grimaced at the spot that her father had occupied just moments before. She felt sad given that she hadn't had a chance to say goodbye, and it unsettled her to watch him disappear from the room as if he had never been there at all. She remembered with great detail the way Agent Orange exploded out from himself and felt sick. She hoped that her father hadn't suffered the same fate, somehow. No, no -- her father had faith that Dr. Manhattan could do this, and he had successfully done this before, after all.

"Wait," said Walter, as he strode forth towards Dr. Manhattan. Laurie just now noticed that Walter was carrying a small traveling bag.

Dr. Manhattan turned to coolly regard Walter. As Laurie saw this view of the indestructible man she felt unbelievably frightened of him. Here was someone who could reduce a person to nothing and continue on as if it didn't matter. Agent Orange was the same way in a sense, but he still had the vulnerabilities of being human in the end. Dr. Manhattan was utterly alien and thus truly unpredictable, and much more difficult to comprehend.

"Could you take me to New York City?" Walter asked. "I need to investigate this person everyone is calling Agent Orange. Copycat killer probably. And La--"

Laurie gasped as Walter disappeared before he could finish his sentence. For a moment she was certain that he was dead. A clear image of him being wiped out from existence rang strongly in her mind, and Laurie covered her mouth to muffle a scream. Dr. Manhattan heard her despite the loud shuffling of the papers that flew about the room, carried on an unnatural current of energy that hung in the air.

"What did you do?" Laurie whispered to him, raising her hands as if to cover her ears. She was so sure that his answer would be too terrible for her to handle.

"I sent him to New York," he told her.

Laurie stared blindly into Manhattan's face until she found herself nodding. Yes, Walter was all right. He was fine, just like her father was. Of course -- why would she think otherwise? Laurie closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself.

"C...Could you," Laurie swallowed nervously before she opened her eyes again. "Please, could you take me to Walter?"

Dr. Manhattan paused to regard her with a curious expression almost akin to sadness. For a moment Laurie was certain that he would say no, or even let her suffer a similar fate to that of Agent Orange. Why was his death so upsetting to her?

"Of course," Manhattan said in a quiet voice before he became almost too bright to look at.

Laurie felt the floor lurch out from under her. There was ground at her feet again before she could even register that it had been gone to begin with. Buildings, tall ones, all around. One moment, the conference room in Los Angeles, next, she was in New York City again before she could even let out a breath of surprise. Then the nausea overtook her.

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To be continued...