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chibifukurouTitle: The World Ends With You
Fandom: Watchmen
Dan met Adrian at the door, hugging him tightly. He'd only been gone a week, but he looked like he'd aged a year. His usually smooth and ageless face was lined with exhaustion. There was no way that Dan was going to address Laurie's threat while Adrian looked so exhausted. "Adrian, are you all right? Do you want me to get you something to drink or maybe eat?"
"I'm fine, Dan." His briefcase dropped to the ground, and he stared at it for a second as though wondering why it had done that. "I just feel a bit unsettled."
That was an understatement if his exhausted behavior was anything to go by. "You probably just need sleep. Jet lag always plays havoc on your body. Why don't I help you to bed?"
Adrian nodded slowly, and Dan acted as if it was enthusiastic agreement, taking Adrian's hand and guiding him to the bedroom. He helped Adrian strip off his suit coat and shoes before easing him down onto their bed.
Adrian just sat there.
Until Dan sat beside him and pulled him into a hug.
It took a few minutes, but Adrian eventually relaxed and hugged him back. "It will be okay, Adrian. Whatever happened, we'll figure out a way to fix it."
Dan hummed to himself as he danced around the kitchen. Rock music played softly in the background. There were eggs in one skillet, pancakes in a second, and the griddle was full of sausages and bacon. He wanted to get everything ready before Adrian woke up.
"Dan? Can you come in here? We need to discuss what's going to happen over the next few days," Adrian called from the bedroom.
He took a few seconds to make sure that nothing would burn if he left for a minute or two, before running to the bedroom door and sticking his head inside. "We will. Once I've finished making breakfast. It will be a few more minutes, so you'll just have to be a little patient, all right?"
"All right."
A few minutes later Dan swept into the bedroom, carrying a tray overflowing with pancakes, biscuits, eggs, bacon, and sausage. The pile of plates was so big that it wobbled with every step Dan took. "I hope you are hungry. I made a lot, since you never eat enough when you are on a trip."
"I eat plenty, you're just obsessed with my weight."
"I wouldn't need to obsess so much if I couldn't see your ribs every time you took your shirt off."
"Now that is an exaggeration."
"Maybe, but you do have pointy elbows." Dan quirked an eyebrow at him. "So what did you want to talk to me about anyway?"
"I've decided to come clean about manufacturing and releasing the alien imposters five years ago."
Dan, who had just stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth, started coughing, hard. Once he finally stopped he sputtered, "Are you crazy? You can't do that!"
"Why not? It isn't like I'd be lying."
"No, you wouldn't, but you would be sacrificing yourself. And for what? Some small possibility that everybody will hate you enough that they'll stop fighting each other in order to get their revenge on you."
"I will admit that there is only a small possibility that this will work. But even that is enough to be worth the risk. You know I would do anything to save humanity from itself."
"Even give yourself up to be torn apart by an angry mob of people?"
"Even that. If I was willing to sacrifice you and half the world five years ago, what do you think I'd be willing to give up now?"
"Too much," Dan said, pulling away from Adrian and moving to get off the bed.
Adrian grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down onto the bed. "Come here. I know you are upset, but avoiding me won't help."
"What do you expect me to do? I love you, and you are just going to throw you life away. I have every reason to be upset." He couldn't believe that Adrian was actually considering this. It was bad enough that Laurie was trying to implicate Adrian in the creation of the alien horde. She didn't need Adrian's help.
"Yes, you do, but being upset won't change anything. You can't convince me to change my mind. Not when it's this important."
"Fine, I won't leave, but you have to promise me one thing." Adrian owed him at least that much.
"What's that?"
"I want you to promise me that you'll give me one last day with you before you turn yourself in." That would at least give him a chance to say goodbye.
It seemed like such a little thing, yet Adrian hesitated. "Time is of essence, Dan."
"I know. But it is not like one day will make much of a difference."
"I suppose not."
"Thank you, Adrian," Dan said, giving him a tremulous smile.
"It is the least I can do for the man I love." The smile Adrian gave him in return had an edge to it that Dan did his best to ignore.
After breakfast was finished and they'd gotten dressed, the two of them headed out into the city, dressed in plain clothes. Nobody looked twice at them, even when they started holding hands. Today they were just two average Joes instead of a billionaire and his eccentric partner.
They used their anonymity to their advantage as they wandered the city streets. Occasionally Adrian or Dan would pause at a shopping center where they'd stopped a heist or an old bank they had saved from a robbery. It felt good to reminisce about the good they'd done, back when they wore capes. Remembering back when they could save the world with the strength of arms or a little extra speed.
Now those times were forgotten. Governments denied the existence of Masks, and superhero comics were frowned upon. Everyone wanted to gloss over Doctor Manhattan's failure to save the world. Nobody wanted to take responsibility for humanity's folly. If they did, they'd have to admit that the only reason they'd survived was the alien threat.
Finally, they passed into the area of New York that had been damaged in the aliens' blast radius. This too was bittersweet, but for a different reason.
This was proof of Adrian's failure and the life he was going to give up. Adrian wasn't surprised when Dan grabbed his hand and dragged him down a side street and towards the newly replanted Central Park.
The meandering paths and overgrown bushes and new five year trees were a nice change of pace from the glass and metal of the city. It also gave respite from the memories that haunted them. There hadn't been much reason to patrol the park, even back when things had been at their worst.
Only two-bit thugs and muggers messed with the park, and the people who were stupid enough to go there after dark. Masks had more important things to worry about than petty thieves. Things like supervillains and world peace.
They stopped to buy a pair of hot dogs from a path-side cart before taking their hot dogs down to the lake where they could watch the ducks. Dan fed most of his hot dog to the ducks. They'd had a big breakfast, and it wasn't like he was going to starve. Thankfully, Adrian didn't comment. He just gave half of his own hot dog to Dan.
After their lunch, such as it was, Adrian led Dan back to their apartment. He'd made reservations, for the last date they would ever have, and showing up in clothes that smelled of ducks, city smoke, and decomposing leaves would be a bad idea.
It was dark by the time they left the restaurant. The city was being awash with rain. The sidewalk was slick beneath Dan's dress shoes, and he kept his eyes on the ground to avoid puddles. Head down and attention elsewhere, he would have kept walking until he was out from under the restaurant awning's questionable protection if Adrian hadn't jerked him to a stop.
He glanced up and met Adrian's eyes.
Smirking, Adrian said, "Just wait. The driver will pull the limo around. There's no reason for us to get wet."
"We can walk." The limo was parked across the street and down a ways. It wasn't like a little water would hurt them.
"But I don't want to. It's a waste of time that we could put to better use."
"Oh?" He crooked an eyebrow.
"Kissing, for example." Adrian pulled him up onto his toes so that their lips could meet.
There was the hiss, pop of a silenced gun and Adrian slumped against him. The taste of copper filled his mouth. He fell to his knees, dress slacks and leather shoes soaked by the water that flowed across the pavement. There was another growing puddle joining the water, this one made of blood.
He was a too heavy weight when Dan pressed him against his chest. There was blood coating his hands and staining his coat. Hastily, Dan yanked his coat off and jammed it into a ball. He used it to put pressure on the wound. Adrian let out a choked off scream. It made Dan want to scream as well.
Dan looked up at the gathered gaggle of onlookers and gawkers. They stood in a circle around him, just outside of the spreading puddle of bloody water. "Somebody call the police," Dan begged.
Once he had Adrian positioned as well as he could, he looked around trying to spot the assassin. He was so busy looking for someone acting suspiciously hiding in the shadows and trying to blend in that he overlooked her twice.
It had been far too long since he'd seen her with unbleached hair, but it was definitely Laurie standing there dressed in a black and yellow skirt suit. A gun was clutched in her hand. She wasn't even trying to hide it, just standing there giving him that proud look she used to get when they went out in costume. The one that said she was saving the world and was happy to do it.
Guilt twisted his stomach into knots. This was as much his fault as it was hers. He'd known she was up to something, known that she had some sort of plan to undermine Adrian, and he'd hidden it. Even if he hadn't known she was planning something this drastic, he'd decided to be loyal to her, and he was going to have to stand by that decision.
He turned his attention back to Adrian, whose breath was stuttering to a stop. Blood bubbled out of his mouth. He still couldn't hear the sirens coming. At this point, it would take a miracle for Adrian to survive.
He held Adrian tighter, trying to force him to keep breathing by force of will alone. There wasn't much else he could do.
Dan sat on the couch in his bloodstained clothes, and watched the TV with hollow eyes. He'd been doing this since he'd gotten home five hours ago. It was almost midnight, and the special reports hadn't stopped yet. Every station was playing the same story. The assassination of Adrian Veidt by an unknown Russian operative.
Somebody had managed to find a security tape of the event. It didn't show Laurie; she must have known where the security camera was. It did show him and Adrian. It showed Adrian going down, and then his own pale face as he did everything he could to save Adrian. He watched it over and over again. It was the only footage available of Adrian's death and every news station was using it.
Exhaustion dragged his eyes closed and he slumped further into the couch, the smell of coppery blood and oil heavy in his nose. There wasn't any reason to stay awake anyway. Not with Adrian dead.
He woke up some undeterminable time later to the sound of the National Anthem. A picture of the White House filled the TV screen, then, after a few seconds, the president came into focus.
He was grim-faced and dressed in a dark suit. Despite the flag that had been pinned up behind him, Dan could still see gun metal gray walls held together by badly hidden rivets. The president and his family must have been hidden away in a bunker. A bad sign, since it implied that the army believed that there was an imminent threat of nuclear holocaust.
His hands clenched tight around the wooden podium in front of him, the president began to speak. "The Nuclear Doomsday Clock has been moved to one minute to midnight as accusations of government sanctioned killings and conspiracy theories are thrown back and forth.
"This seems to be the end of days, and now I don't see how we have any chance of surviving. There will be no last minute act of God this time. I urge everyone to go home and be with their family in this trying time. I will be following my own advice and spending this time with my wife and children.
"This will be my final address to the people until this crisis is over. So perhaps for the final time, I bid you goodbye."
The strains of the "Star Spangled Banner" started up again and a picture of the White House filled the screen.
A serious looking newscaster came on then. His mouth was twisted into a frown, and his jaw was tight with either anger or fear, but when he spoke, his voice was steady. Dan appreciated that.
"As the president announced, the Doomsday Clock has been set to a minute to midnight. Despite this we are committed to making sure you and your families have access to the news for as long as possible. Please stay tuned to see the latest special news reports as they come in. For now though, Pastor Jack Simmons has some words he'd like to say about redemption and life after death."
The first bars of "Amazing Grace" had just started when Dan threw the remote at the screen, cracking it in a shower of sparks. Dan left the smoking set there, not even bothering to unplug it. He didn't really care if it started a fire.
He went into the bedroom, opening the secret compartment that held his and Adrian's costumes. He put the Nite Owl costume on, relaxing into the familiar feeling of being incased in leather and latex, and strode out of the penthouse full of purpose. It barely registered that this would be the last time he saw his home of three years.
Archie was waiting for him, hidden away in a secret bunker beneath the Veidt tower.
The city was in chaos. Fire spilled out of shops and apartment buildings. The flickering light and floating sparks gave the smoggy sky a hellish cast. Mobs roamed the streets armed with guns, improvised Molotov cocktails, and whatever other weaponry they could scrounge up. Looters ran rampant, and everywhere the sound of sirens permeated the air.
In contrast, the area around the city morgue was deserted. At least people hadn't become desperate enough to start desecrating bodies.
The morgue itself was, empty and depressing, a maze of cinderblock walls and antiseptic air. The only signs that the building hadn't been long since abandoned were the sheet-covered bodies on the slabs, and the half-eaten sub sandwich that sat on top of a pile of paperwork.
Dan went right to the bodies, looking for Adrian. The first body was that of a young woman with a bullet wound to the temple, the second an elderly woman with wrinkled skin and a peaceful smile on her face. He finally found Adrian under the third sheet.
He pulled his glove off and ran his fingers over Adrian's cheek. It was cold and waxen, stiff beneath his fingers. Dan sat down beside him, running his fingers through Adrian's hair, trying to make sense of seeing Adrian dead. He'd expected to lose Adrian, but it was supposed to mean something. This was just senseless.
"I had to do it."
Dan jumped and spun to face the door.
Laurie was standing there, her chin held high.
"No, you didn't. Killing him was never part of the plan. You said you were just going to tell everyone what happened five years ago."
"Nobody would have believed me if I had explained. Veidt was too popular."
"They wouldn't have had to believe you. He was going to come clean himself. Give himself up to bring peace to the world, and you took that from him. There was no meaning in what you did. You didn't even announce why you killed him." Dan turned away from her and began running his fingers through Adrian's hair again.
"Did you really think he was going to do that? Were you really that stupid?" She sounded more panicked than angry. Dan wasn't the only one who believed Adrian would have sacrificed himself to save world.
"No, I wasn't stupid. I just knew Adrian."
"If you really think that, then there is no saving you."
Dan nodded. "You are right, there is no saving me, no saving any of us."
"What!" Laurie's voice held a mixture of outrage and panic.
"Haven't you heard? It is the end of the world, one minute to midnight." Dan stood up and wrapped Adrian back up in the sheet. Picking his body up, he clutched him close to his chest.
He walked past Laurie, forcing her to press herself up against the wall to avoid touching Adrian's body. "I understand why you did it, Laurie, but that doesn't mean that I forgive you. If I had a second chance, I'd tell Adrian about your visit in a heartbeat. I'd let him kill you if it meant he'd be alive."
"You don't –"
"I do mean it." He'd do anything to have Adrian back. Everything was easier for Dan to handle with Adrian at his side. "I was loyal to you because you were a fellow Mask. I thought you were capable of putting the world's needs before your own need for revenge. I was wrong."
Laurie didn't reply, and Dan didn't wait for her to get her voice back. He just kept walking, heading out to the parking lot where Archie waited.
Dan kept the radio on as he piloted Archie south across the Atlantic. It kept him from thinking too much about Adrian's body in the cargo hold. Listening to "Sweet Bye and Bye" and "Rock of Ages" was meditative in some ways, like Christmas Mass when he was a child, but it was the news reports that he was really listening for.
He wanted to know when the world ended even if it wouldn't matter to either him or Adrian.
The Arctic compound was just like they'd left it, the ceiling left open like a gaping wound surrounded by jagged teeth of glass and steel. Dan parked Archie inside, nestled safely like an egg in a nest.
He turned Archie off, and gave the dashboard an affectionate pat. Archie deserved better than the burial he was getting, abandoned in the Arctic, but it was the best Dan could do for his faithful companion.
He went into Archie's cargo hold and knelt next to Adrian's sheet clad body. "We're back where we started, Adrian. Fitting, don't you think? I thought so anyway. That's why I brought us here to watch the world end. Won't that be fun?"
He wasn't expecting an answer. Really, he wasn't.
At least that's what he told himself despite the fact that he kept waiting a beat between sentences, like someone was going to answer him.
"Anyway, we'd better get going. It'd be a shame to miss the fireworks." He scooped Adrian up in his arms, carefully, making sure the sheet remained in place.
When he stepped out of Archie, he sunk into snow that reached all the way up to his knees. He fought through it, the weight of the snow on his cape dragging him down.
The area around Adrian's control chair was mostly clear, having been sheltered by what remained of the ceiling. He slung Adrian's body over his shoulder so that he could brush the accumulated snow off the seat.
Once it was clear, he set the body down. Sliding the sheet down, he uncovered Adrian's face and upper body. He looked like a sultan of old, lying in repose with the sheet wrapped around his lower body. Dan couldn't resist kissing his unresponsive lips.
The remote for Adrian's wall of televisions was nowhere to be found. No doubt lost under some snowdrift in the struggle five years before. He turned them on by hand instead. The fact that most of them were still functional was a testament to Adrian's technological abilities.
Most of the televisions showed static or images of church services from around the world, but the few that didn't showed destruction. Fire and chaos reigned from Russia to the United States.
It was only a matter of time until the end came.
He sat down next to Adrian's chair, leaning against the side with his head resting on the arm. He was feeling sleepy. A side effect of the extreme cold, though not one he minded.
The hymns from dozens of church services acted as a lullaby. His eyelids just kept getting heavier. Then the music cut off with a sound like a sonic boom. He forced his eyes open. Fire and explosions filled every screen before the transmission cut off and there was just static.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face and his hand wrapped around Adrian's. It seemed a fitting way to go out, lying next to Adrian and falling asleep to the sound of the world ending.
Fandom: Watchmen
Beta: csad21 />
Artist: nyargles
Rating: R
Pairing:Dan/Adrian
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level snow stretches far away.
It's five years later and the world peace
is falling apart. It's Eleven minutes to
Midnight again, and this time Adrian won't
be able to give the world a reprieve.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Ao3 | Art
nyargles Rating: R
Pairing:Dan/Adrian
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level snow stretches far away.
It's five years later and the world peace
is falling apart. It's Eleven minutes to
Midnight again, and this time Adrian won't
be able to give the world a reprieve.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Ao3 | Art
* * * * * * * * *
Dan leaned on the horn.
"You realize that honking won't do anything, right?" Adrian asked.
"It makes me feel better anyway." Dan hit the horn again, smiling when a nearby cabby leaned out the window to yell curses at him. He loved New York.
"And you wonder why I don't let you drive on a regular basis."
"You don't let me drive because you like the impression you make when you show up in a limo." And possibly because he never got them anywhere on time.
"I like showing up to an event on time and in one piece."
"In this case it's a private jet. It's not going to take off until you arrive." He stuck his head out of the window. "Come on already! Move it."
Adrian shook with laughter. "It never ceases to amaze me how violent you get when you are behind the wheel. Particularly because you are usually so insistent on acting nice."
"There's nothing nice about New York city traffic. Everybody is in the same rush. It's like standing in line for a cup of coffee."
"True, you do get extremely territorial when coffee is involved."
Waggling his finger at Adrian, he said, "Besides, I'm not as nice as you like to think I am."
"You are just as nice as I think you are. Or did you think I didn't know that you've been donating all of the money from your job to bird sanctuaries?"
Dan blushed despite himself. "It's not like I need it. You pay for everything."
"Which means that I have enough money to fund every bird sanctuary in the United States, but I don't."
"That's because you prefer cats. I know you've been funding the efforts to recreate every extinct subspecies of feline. Not to mention paying for the efforts to bread more Bubastis lynxes."
"Cats are logical creatures. They deserve a second chance at life." Adrian looked out the window so Dan couldn't catch his eye. Most likely embarrassed about being found out.
Dan smirked. Adrian never liked it when people brought up his charitable efforts. "You are a good guy, Adrian. Even if you don't believe me."
"You are deluding yourself, Dan. I have not been a good man in years. I gave that up for the sake of the world."
"If you are not a good guy, then why are you trying so hard to make these peace talks work? It's already been a week without any progress, but you are still going to Russia for the next week of talks."
"It is the least I could do to make up for my previous failure."
Dan reached over and grabbed Adrian's hand. "That wasn't your fault. You are not going to help anybody if you keep blaming yourself. It is not your fault that humanity didn't live up to your expectations."
"Then whose fault is it?"
"Nobody's. Sometimes these things just happen."
"You are being too nice again, Dan. I might not be the only one at fault, but I share the blame."
"So do I, but you aren't blaming me. You need to stop feeling so guilty." He used his grip on Adrian's arm to pull him closer. He leaned over to kiss him, only to end up jerking back when the annoying cabby from before hit his horn.
"Damn it!" Dan glared out the window.
The cabby gave him a cheeky grin.
He stuck his tongue out in response. Adrian started laughing again. Dan bit his cheek to keep from smirking. It was good to see that he still had the ability to lighten Adrian's mood.
"You realize that honking won't do anything, right?" Adrian asked.
"It makes me feel better anyway." Dan hit the horn again, smiling when a nearby cabby leaned out the window to yell curses at him. He loved New York.
"And you wonder why I don't let you drive on a regular basis."
"You don't let me drive because you like the impression you make when you show up in a limo." And possibly because he never got them anywhere on time.
"I like showing up to an event on time and in one piece."
"In this case it's a private jet. It's not going to take off until you arrive." He stuck his head out of the window. "Come on already! Move it."
Adrian shook with laughter. "It never ceases to amaze me how violent you get when you are behind the wheel. Particularly because you are usually so insistent on acting nice."
"There's nothing nice about New York city traffic. Everybody is in the same rush. It's like standing in line for a cup of coffee."
"True, you do get extremely territorial when coffee is involved."
Waggling his finger at Adrian, he said, "Besides, I'm not as nice as you like to think I am."
"You are just as nice as I think you are. Or did you think I didn't know that you've been donating all of the money from your job to bird sanctuaries?"
Dan blushed despite himself. "It's not like I need it. You pay for everything."
"Which means that I have enough money to fund every bird sanctuary in the United States, but I don't."
"That's because you prefer cats. I know you've been funding the efforts to recreate every extinct subspecies of feline. Not to mention paying for the efforts to bread more Bubastis lynxes."
"Cats are logical creatures. They deserve a second chance at life." Adrian looked out the window so Dan couldn't catch his eye. Most likely embarrassed about being found out.
Dan smirked. Adrian never liked it when people brought up his charitable efforts. "You are a good guy, Adrian. Even if you don't believe me."
"You are deluding yourself, Dan. I have not been a good man in years. I gave that up for the sake of the world."
"If you are not a good guy, then why are you trying so hard to make these peace talks work? It's already been a week without any progress, but you are still going to Russia for the next week of talks."
"It is the least I could do to make up for my previous failure."
Dan reached over and grabbed Adrian's hand. "That wasn't your fault. You are not going to help anybody if you keep blaming yourself. It is not your fault that humanity didn't live up to your expectations."
"Then whose fault is it?"
"Nobody's. Sometimes these things just happen."
"You are being too nice again, Dan. I might not be the only one at fault, but I share the blame."
"So do I, but you aren't blaming me. You need to stop feeling so guilty." He used his grip on Adrian's arm to pull him closer. He leaned over to kiss him, only to end up jerking back when the annoying cabby from before hit his horn.
"Damn it!" Dan glared out the window.
The cabby gave him a cheeky grin.
He stuck his tongue out in response. Adrian started laughing again. Dan bit his cheek to keep from smirking. It was good to see that he still had the ability to lighten Adrian's mood.
* * * * * * * * *
Dan leaned against the doorframe, doing his best to look casual while still blocking the door to the penthouse. "What are you doing here, Laurie? I thought I'd made it clear that I wasn't interested in helping you with your plan."
"You did, but I'd hoped you'd seen reason."
"And what possible reason would I have to change my mind?"
"We're a week and a half into the peace talks, and the world governments are still at each other's throats. Don't tell me that you actually believe that Adrian still has a chance to turn things around."
"I still think he has a better chance of turning things around than anybody else." If Adrian's commentary on the talks was to be believed, then everybody else was pretty much hopeless. Not the best sign for world peace.
"How much of a chance is that? I'd say we have a better chance of seeing pigs fly."
"And how is ratting Adrian out going to make our chances any better?" He pushed off the door frame and leaned over so their noses were less than an inch apart.
Instead of looking intimidated, she looked amused. She took advantage of the fact that he wasn't blocking the door to skirt past him, running her fingers over his body as she went. "Knowing what really happened will give everyone something to concentrate on besides starting a war."
He slammed the door and followed her to where she was lounging on the couch. How dare she invade his home without an invitation! "What's Einstein's definition of insanity again? Oh, that's right, trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
"Your point being?"
"My point being that Adrian already tried that. He gave them a common enemy to fight. One much more threatening than him. A whole imaginary alien horde to be on guard against, and five years later we're right back where we started."
"Then you admit that we're heading to nuclear apocalypse?"
"I never said we weren't. I just said that if anyone could stop it, Adrian could." This conversation was obviously going to take longer than he'd expected. He sat down on the coffee table across from the couch. His knees almost brushed against Laurie's.
"And now he's failed. Are you finally ready to admit that we need to step up and do something?"
"That depends on what you are referring to. If you have a plan that doesn't involve betraying Adrian, then I'm willing to listen. Otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?"
"You can get out."
"Make me."
Dan stood up and yanked her up off the couch. "I'd rather not, but I'm not going to let you come into Adrian's house and plot his destruction."
She pinched his wrist, forcing his hand open. "Like you could make me do anything. You are still made impotent by your belief in humanity's innate goodness and your foolish loyalty."
"I wouldn't complain about my loyalty if I was you, Laurie. It's the only thing that's keeping me from telling Adrian what you've been up to."
"So what? Am I supposed to be grateful? Do you expect me to thank you for being selfish enough to want me alive so that you don't have to keep Adrian's secrets by yourself?"
He grabbed her by the shoulders, barely resisting the urge to shake her. "I expect you to take the second chance I'm offering you and move on. I know that you never forgave Adrian for sending Jon away, but you need to get over it. While you still can."
"That's not what this is about."
"Then what is it about?"
"I already told you. He has to pay for what he did, for all the people he killed."
"And I told you that if you punished him, then you had to punish us too. I'm not buying your claims of finding redemption. If that was all this was about, you'd have told people the truth a long time ago."
Laurie clenched her jaw and glared harder. "I was willing to wait until his plan failed."
"It hasn't failed yet. At least not completely. So why aren't you willing to wait until there's no chance of Adrian making a difference?" He hoped she would. He didn't want to have to do something drastic.
"It might be too late then."
"Too late for what? For you to get your revenge?"
"My redemption."
"Whatever you want to call it, I'm not going to support your plan. If you are looking for approval, you'll have to find it from someone else."
"Fine then. You've had more than enough chances to see the light. If you end up getting hurt, it is not going to be my fault." She edged around Dan and headed for the door.
Just before she got there Dan said, "It is not me I'm worried about. If you are wrong, it won't just be me that suffers. It will be the world. Please, Laurie, just give Adrian a little more time, have some faith. For old times' sake."
"I had faith. Faith enough for five years. Now it is time for action. Either Adrian tells everyone what really happened five years ago or I will. That's the only reprieve I'm willing to give you, for old times' sake."
"Thank you," Dan whispered, though he doubted she heard him. She was already out the door.
"You did, but I'd hoped you'd seen reason."
"And what possible reason would I have to change my mind?"
"We're a week and a half into the peace talks, and the world governments are still at each other's throats. Don't tell me that you actually believe that Adrian still has a chance to turn things around."
"I still think he has a better chance of turning things around than anybody else." If Adrian's commentary on the talks was to be believed, then everybody else was pretty much hopeless. Not the best sign for world peace.
"How much of a chance is that? I'd say we have a better chance of seeing pigs fly."
"And how is ratting Adrian out going to make our chances any better?" He pushed off the door frame and leaned over so their noses were less than an inch apart.
Instead of looking intimidated, she looked amused. She took advantage of the fact that he wasn't blocking the door to skirt past him, running her fingers over his body as she went. "Knowing what really happened will give everyone something to concentrate on besides starting a war."
He slammed the door and followed her to where she was lounging on the couch. How dare she invade his home without an invitation! "What's Einstein's definition of insanity again? Oh, that's right, trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
"Your point being?"
"My point being that Adrian already tried that. He gave them a common enemy to fight. One much more threatening than him. A whole imaginary alien horde to be on guard against, and five years later we're right back where we started."
"Then you admit that we're heading to nuclear apocalypse?"
"I never said we weren't. I just said that if anyone could stop it, Adrian could." This conversation was obviously going to take longer than he'd expected. He sat down on the coffee table across from the couch. His knees almost brushed against Laurie's.
"And now he's failed. Are you finally ready to admit that we need to step up and do something?"
"That depends on what you are referring to. If you have a plan that doesn't involve betraying Adrian, then I'm willing to listen. Otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?"
"You can get out."
"Make me."
Dan stood up and yanked her up off the couch. "I'd rather not, but I'm not going to let you come into Adrian's house and plot his destruction."
She pinched his wrist, forcing his hand open. "Like you could make me do anything. You are still made impotent by your belief in humanity's innate goodness and your foolish loyalty."
"I wouldn't complain about my loyalty if I was you, Laurie. It's the only thing that's keeping me from telling Adrian what you've been up to."
"So what? Am I supposed to be grateful? Do you expect me to thank you for being selfish enough to want me alive so that you don't have to keep Adrian's secrets by yourself?"
He grabbed her by the shoulders, barely resisting the urge to shake her. "I expect you to take the second chance I'm offering you and move on. I know that you never forgave Adrian for sending Jon away, but you need to get over it. While you still can."
"That's not what this is about."
"Then what is it about?"
"I already told you. He has to pay for what he did, for all the people he killed."
"And I told you that if you punished him, then you had to punish us too. I'm not buying your claims of finding redemption. If that was all this was about, you'd have told people the truth a long time ago."
Laurie clenched her jaw and glared harder. "I was willing to wait until his plan failed."
"It hasn't failed yet. At least not completely. So why aren't you willing to wait until there's no chance of Adrian making a difference?" He hoped she would. He didn't want to have to do something drastic.
"It might be too late then."
"Too late for what? For you to get your revenge?"
"My redemption."
"Whatever you want to call it, I'm not going to support your plan. If you are looking for approval, you'll have to find it from someone else."
"Fine then. You've had more than enough chances to see the light. If you end up getting hurt, it is not going to be my fault." She edged around Dan and headed for the door.
Just before she got there Dan said, "It is not me I'm worried about. If you are wrong, it won't just be me that suffers. It will be the world. Please, Laurie, just give Adrian a little more time, have some faith. For old times' sake."
"I had faith. Faith enough for five years. Now it is time for action. Either Adrian tells everyone what really happened five years ago or I will. That's the only reprieve I'm willing to give you, for old times' sake."
"Thank you," Dan whispered, though he doubted she heard him. She was already out the door.
* * * * * * * * *
Five Minutes to Midnight
* * * * * * * * *
Five Minutes to Midnight
* * * * * * * * *
Dan met Adrian at the door, hugging him tightly. He'd only been gone a week, but he looked like he'd aged a year. His usually smooth and ageless face was lined with exhaustion. There was no way that Dan was going to address Laurie's threat while Adrian looked so exhausted. "Adrian, are you all right? Do you want me to get you something to drink or maybe eat?"
"I'm fine, Dan." His briefcase dropped to the ground, and he stared at it for a second as though wondering why it had done that. "I just feel a bit unsettled."
That was an understatement if his exhausted behavior was anything to go by. "You probably just need sleep. Jet lag always plays havoc on your body. Why don't I help you to bed?"
Adrian nodded slowly, and Dan acted as if it was enthusiastic agreement, taking Adrian's hand and guiding him to the bedroom. He helped Adrian strip off his suit coat and shoes before easing him down onto their bed.
Adrian just sat there.
Until Dan sat beside him and pulled him into a hug.
It took a few minutes, but Adrian eventually relaxed and hugged him back. "It will be okay, Adrian. Whatever happened, we'll figure out a way to fix it."
* * * * * * * * *
Dan hummed to himself as he danced around the kitchen. Rock music played softly in the background. There were eggs in one skillet, pancakes in a second, and the griddle was full of sausages and bacon. He wanted to get everything ready before Adrian woke up.
"Dan? Can you come in here? We need to discuss what's going to happen over the next few days," Adrian called from the bedroom.
He took a few seconds to make sure that nothing would burn if he left for a minute or two, before running to the bedroom door and sticking his head inside. "We will. Once I've finished making breakfast. It will be a few more minutes, so you'll just have to be a little patient, all right?"
"All right."
A few minutes later Dan swept into the bedroom, carrying a tray overflowing with pancakes, biscuits, eggs, bacon, and sausage. The pile of plates was so big that it wobbled with every step Dan took. "I hope you are hungry. I made a lot, since you never eat enough when you are on a trip."
"I eat plenty, you're just obsessed with my weight."
"I wouldn't need to obsess so much if I couldn't see your ribs every time you took your shirt off."
"Now that is an exaggeration."
"Maybe, but you do have pointy elbows." Dan quirked an eyebrow at him. "So what did you want to talk to me about anyway?"
"I've decided to come clean about manufacturing and releasing the alien imposters five years ago."
Dan, who had just stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth, started coughing, hard. Once he finally stopped he sputtered, "Are you crazy? You can't do that!"
"Why not? It isn't like I'd be lying."
"No, you wouldn't, but you would be sacrificing yourself. And for what? Some small possibility that everybody will hate you enough that they'll stop fighting each other in order to get their revenge on you."
"I will admit that there is only a small possibility that this will work. But even that is enough to be worth the risk. You know I would do anything to save humanity from itself."
"Even give yourself up to be torn apart by an angry mob of people?"
"Even that. If I was willing to sacrifice you and half the world five years ago, what do you think I'd be willing to give up now?"
"Too much," Dan said, pulling away from Adrian and moving to get off the bed.
Adrian grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down onto the bed. "Come here. I know you are upset, but avoiding me won't help."
"What do you expect me to do? I love you, and you are just going to throw you life away. I have every reason to be upset." He couldn't believe that Adrian was actually considering this. It was bad enough that Laurie was trying to implicate Adrian in the creation of the alien horde. She didn't need Adrian's help.
"Yes, you do, but being upset won't change anything. You can't convince me to change my mind. Not when it's this important."
"Fine, I won't leave, but you have to promise me one thing." Adrian owed him at least that much.
"What's that?"
"I want you to promise me that you'll give me one last day with you before you turn yourself in." That would at least give him a chance to say goodbye.
It seemed like such a little thing, yet Adrian hesitated. "Time is of essence, Dan."
"I know. But it is not like one day will make much of a difference."
"I suppose not."
"Thank you, Adrian," Dan said, giving him a tremulous smile.
"It is the least I can do for the man I love." The smile Adrian gave him in return had an edge to it that Dan did his best to ignore.
* * * * * * * * *
After breakfast was finished and they'd gotten dressed, the two of them headed out into the city, dressed in plain clothes. Nobody looked twice at them, even when they started holding hands. Today they were just two average Joes instead of a billionaire and his eccentric partner.
They used their anonymity to their advantage as they wandered the city streets. Occasionally Adrian or Dan would pause at a shopping center where they'd stopped a heist or an old bank they had saved from a robbery. It felt good to reminisce about the good they'd done, back when they wore capes. Remembering back when they could save the world with the strength of arms or a little extra speed.
Now those times were forgotten. Governments denied the existence of Masks, and superhero comics were frowned upon. Everyone wanted to gloss over Doctor Manhattan's failure to save the world. Nobody wanted to take responsibility for humanity's folly. If they did, they'd have to admit that the only reason they'd survived was the alien threat.
Finally, they passed into the area of New York that had been damaged in the aliens' blast radius. This too was bittersweet, but for a different reason.
This was proof of Adrian's failure and the life he was going to give up. Adrian wasn't surprised when Dan grabbed his hand and dragged him down a side street and towards the newly replanted Central Park.
The meandering paths and overgrown bushes and new five year trees were a nice change of pace from the glass and metal of the city. It also gave respite from the memories that haunted them. There hadn't been much reason to patrol the park, even back when things had been at their worst.
Only two-bit thugs and muggers messed with the park, and the people who were stupid enough to go there after dark. Masks had more important things to worry about than petty thieves. Things like supervillains and world peace.
They stopped to buy a pair of hot dogs from a path-side cart before taking their hot dogs down to the lake where they could watch the ducks. Dan fed most of his hot dog to the ducks. They'd had a big breakfast, and it wasn't like he was going to starve. Thankfully, Adrian didn't comment. He just gave half of his own hot dog to Dan.
After their lunch, such as it was, Adrian led Dan back to their apartment. He'd made reservations, for the last date they would ever have, and showing up in clothes that smelled of ducks, city smoke, and decomposing leaves would be a bad idea.
* * * * * * * * *
It was dark by the time they left the restaurant. The city was being awash with rain. The sidewalk was slick beneath Dan's dress shoes, and he kept his eyes on the ground to avoid puddles. Head down and attention elsewhere, he would have kept walking until he was out from under the restaurant awning's questionable protection if Adrian hadn't jerked him to a stop.
He glanced up and met Adrian's eyes.
Smirking, Adrian said, "Just wait. The driver will pull the limo around. There's no reason for us to get wet."
"We can walk." The limo was parked across the street and down a ways. It wasn't like a little water would hurt them.
"But I don't want to. It's a waste of time that we could put to better use."
"Oh?" He crooked an eyebrow.
"Kissing, for example." Adrian pulled him up onto his toes so that their lips could meet.
There was the hiss, pop of a silenced gun and Adrian slumped against him. The taste of copper filled his mouth. He fell to his knees, dress slacks and leather shoes soaked by the water that flowed across the pavement. There was another growing puddle joining the water, this one made of blood.
He was a too heavy weight when Dan pressed him against his chest. There was blood coating his hands and staining his coat. Hastily, Dan yanked his coat off and jammed it into a ball. He used it to put pressure on the wound. Adrian let out a choked off scream. It made Dan want to scream as well.
Dan looked up at the gathered gaggle of onlookers and gawkers. They stood in a circle around him, just outside of the spreading puddle of bloody water. "Somebody call the police," Dan begged.
Once he had Adrian positioned as well as he could, he looked around trying to spot the assassin. He was so busy looking for someone acting suspiciously hiding in the shadows and trying to blend in that he overlooked her twice.
It had been far too long since he'd seen her with unbleached hair, but it was definitely Laurie standing there dressed in a black and yellow skirt suit. A gun was clutched in her hand. She wasn't even trying to hide it, just standing there giving him that proud look she used to get when they went out in costume. The one that said she was saving the world and was happy to do it.
Guilt twisted his stomach into knots. This was as much his fault as it was hers. He'd known she was up to something, known that she had some sort of plan to undermine Adrian, and he'd hidden it. Even if he hadn't known she was planning something this drastic, he'd decided to be loyal to her, and he was going to have to stand by that decision.
He turned his attention back to Adrian, whose breath was stuttering to a stop. Blood bubbled out of his mouth. He still couldn't hear the sirens coming. At this point, it would take a miracle for Adrian to survive.
He held Adrian tighter, trying to force him to keep breathing by force of will alone. There wasn't much else he could do.
* * * * * * * * *
One Minute to Midnight
* * * * * * * * *
One Minute to Midnight
* * * * * * * * *
Dan sat on the couch in his bloodstained clothes, and watched the TV with hollow eyes. He'd been doing this since he'd gotten home five hours ago. It was almost midnight, and the special reports hadn't stopped yet. Every station was playing the same story. The assassination of Adrian Veidt by an unknown Russian operative.
Somebody had managed to find a security tape of the event. It didn't show Laurie; she must have known where the security camera was. It did show him and Adrian. It showed Adrian going down, and then his own pale face as he did everything he could to save Adrian. He watched it over and over again. It was the only footage available of Adrian's death and every news station was using it.
Exhaustion dragged his eyes closed and he slumped further into the couch, the smell of coppery blood and oil heavy in his nose. There wasn't any reason to stay awake anyway. Not with Adrian dead.
He woke up some undeterminable time later to the sound of the National Anthem. A picture of the White House filled the TV screen, then, after a few seconds, the president came into focus.
He was grim-faced and dressed in a dark suit. Despite the flag that had been pinned up behind him, Dan could still see gun metal gray walls held together by badly hidden rivets. The president and his family must have been hidden away in a bunker. A bad sign, since it implied that the army believed that there was an imminent threat of nuclear holocaust.
His hands clenched tight around the wooden podium in front of him, the president began to speak. "The Nuclear Doomsday Clock has been moved to one minute to midnight as accusations of government sanctioned killings and conspiracy theories are thrown back and forth.
"This seems to be the end of days, and now I don't see how we have any chance of surviving. There will be no last minute act of God this time. I urge everyone to go home and be with their family in this trying time. I will be following my own advice and spending this time with my wife and children.
"This will be my final address to the people until this crisis is over. So perhaps for the final time, I bid you goodbye."
The strains of the "Star Spangled Banner" started up again and a picture of the White House filled the screen.
A serious looking newscaster came on then. His mouth was twisted into a frown, and his jaw was tight with either anger or fear, but when he spoke, his voice was steady. Dan appreciated that.
"As the president announced, the Doomsday Clock has been set to a minute to midnight. Despite this we are committed to making sure you and your families have access to the news for as long as possible. Please stay tuned to see the latest special news reports as they come in. For now though, Pastor Jack Simmons has some words he'd like to say about redemption and life after death."
The first bars of "Amazing Grace" had just started when Dan threw the remote at the screen, cracking it in a shower of sparks. Dan left the smoking set there, not even bothering to unplug it. He didn't really care if it started a fire.
He went into the bedroom, opening the secret compartment that held his and Adrian's costumes. He put the Nite Owl costume on, relaxing into the familiar feeling of being incased in leather and latex, and strode out of the penthouse full of purpose. It barely registered that this would be the last time he saw his home of three years.
Archie was waiting for him, hidden away in a secret bunker beneath the Veidt tower.
* * * * * * * * *
The city was in chaos. Fire spilled out of shops and apartment buildings. The flickering light and floating sparks gave the smoggy sky a hellish cast. Mobs roamed the streets armed with guns, improvised Molotov cocktails, and whatever other weaponry they could scrounge up. Looters ran rampant, and everywhere the sound of sirens permeated the air.
In contrast, the area around the city morgue was deserted. At least people hadn't become desperate enough to start desecrating bodies.
The morgue itself was, empty and depressing, a maze of cinderblock walls and antiseptic air. The only signs that the building hadn't been long since abandoned were the sheet-covered bodies on the slabs, and the half-eaten sub sandwich that sat on top of a pile of paperwork.
Dan went right to the bodies, looking for Adrian. The first body was that of a young woman with a bullet wound to the temple, the second an elderly woman with wrinkled skin and a peaceful smile on her face. He finally found Adrian under the third sheet.
He pulled his glove off and ran his fingers over Adrian's cheek. It was cold and waxen, stiff beneath his fingers. Dan sat down beside him, running his fingers through Adrian's hair, trying to make sense of seeing Adrian dead. He'd expected to lose Adrian, but it was supposed to mean something. This was just senseless.
"I had to do it."
Dan jumped and spun to face the door.
Laurie was standing there, her chin held high.
"No, you didn't. Killing him was never part of the plan. You said you were just going to tell everyone what happened five years ago."
"Nobody would have believed me if I had explained. Veidt was too popular."
"They wouldn't have had to believe you. He was going to come clean himself. Give himself up to bring peace to the world, and you took that from him. There was no meaning in what you did. You didn't even announce why you killed him." Dan turned away from her and began running his fingers through Adrian's hair again.
"Did you really think he was going to do that? Were you really that stupid?" She sounded more panicked than angry. Dan wasn't the only one who believed Adrian would have sacrificed himself to save world.
"No, I wasn't stupid. I just knew Adrian."
"If you really think that, then there is no saving you."
Dan nodded. "You are right, there is no saving me, no saving any of us."
"What!" Laurie's voice held a mixture of outrage and panic.
"Haven't you heard? It is the end of the world, one minute to midnight." Dan stood up and wrapped Adrian back up in the sheet. Picking his body up, he clutched him close to his chest.
He walked past Laurie, forcing her to press herself up against the wall to avoid touching Adrian's body. "I understand why you did it, Laurie, but that doesn't mean that I forgive you. If I had a second chance, I'd tell Adrian about your visit in a heartbeat. I'd let him kill you if it meant he'd be alive."
"You don't –"
"I do mean it." He'd do anything to have Adrian back. Everything was easier for Dan to handle with Adrian at his side. "I was loyal to you because you were a fellow Mask. I thought you were capable of putting the world's needs before your own need for revenge. I was wrong."
Laurie didn't reply, and Dan didn't wait for her to get her voice back. He just kept walking, heading out to the parking lot where Archie waited.
* * * * * * * * *
Midnight
* * * * * * * * *
Midnight
* * * * * * * * *
Dan kept the radio on as he piloted Archie south across the Atlantic. It kept him from thinking too much about Adrian's body in the cargo hold. Listening to "Sweet Bye and Bye" and "Rock of Ages" was meditative in some ways, like Christmas Mass when he was a child, but it was the news reports that he was really listening for.
He wanted to know when the world ended even if it wouldn't matter to either him or Adrian.
The Arctic compound was just like they'd left it, the ceiling left open like a gaping wound surrounded by jagged teeth of glass and steel. Dan parked Archie inside, nestled safely like an egg in a nest.
He turned Archie off, and gave the dashboard an affectionate pat. Archie deserved better than the burial he was getting, abandoned in the Arctic, but it was the best Dan could do for his faithful companion.
He went into Archie's cargo hold and knelt next to Adrian's sheet clad body. "We're back where we started, Adrian. Fitting, don't you think? I thought so anyway. That's why I brought us here to watch the world end. Won't that be fun?"
He wasn't expecting an answer. Really, he wasn't.
At least that's what he told himself despite the fact that he kept waiting a beat between sentences, like someone was going to answer him.
"Anyway, we'd better get going. It'd be a shame to miss the fireworks." He scooped Adrian up in his arms, carefully, making sure the sheet remained in place.
When he stepped out of Archie, he sunk into snow that reached all the way up to his knees. He fought through it, the weight of the snow on his cape dragging him down.
The area around Adrian's control chair was mostly clear, having been sheltered by what remained of the ceiling. He slung Adrian's body over his shoulder so that he could brush the accumulated snow off the seat.
Once it was clear, he set the body down. Sliding the sheet down, he uncovered Adrian's face and upper body. He looked like a sultan of old, lying in repose with the sheet wrapped around his lower body. Dan couldn't resist kissing his unresponsive lips.
The remote for Adrian's wall of televisions was nowhere to be found. No doubt lost under some snowdrift in the struggle five years before. He turned them on by hand instead. The fact that most of them were still functional was a testament to Adrian's technological abilities.
Most of the televisions showed static or images of church services from around the world, but the few that didn't showed destruction. Fire and chaos reigned from Russia to the United States.
It was only a matter of time until the end came.
He sat down next to Adrian's chair, leaning against the side with his head resting on the arm. He was feeling sleepy. A side effect of the extreme cold, though not one he minded.
The hymns from dozens of church services acted as a lullaby. His eyelids just kept getting heavier. Then the music cut off with a sound like a sonic boom. He forced his eyes open. Fire and explosions filled every screen before the transmission cut off and there was just static.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face and his hand wrapped around Adrian's. It seemed a fitting way to go out, lying next to Adrian and falling asleep to the sound of the world ending.