Watchmen: Aim at the Moon

Chapter 4 ~ Conspiracy

A loud whistle echoed in the loud city of New York. Typical cat callers. I rolled my eyes, my whole mind was wrapping around this. I entered in my small house.

"Thanks Angela for watching Nottingham." I smiled. I handed here a twenty and she greedily took it.

"Anytime baby sis." Angela headed out the door, "Hey, you got a call. Someone named Lily Jupnit... some polish name." Angela pointed to my phone.

I sighed as she slammed the door. I looked at the phone, my sister wrote the number down. I decided to dial it.

"Hello?" A woman's voice was on the other line.

"Laurie, Laurie Juspeczyk?" I couldn't believe who I was hearing. After years of no communication, she calls me.

"Erin, Erin Ferguson. I haven't heard from you in years." Laurie's voice was shockingly pleasant, "Listen, I tried to call earlier but someone else picked up the phone."

"Oh that was my sister." I groaned putting my fingers to my forehead.

"Friendly type she is." The sarcastic tone in Laurie's voice.

"Ha ha, so why did you call?" Why did she call me? I thought it was quite strange.

"Well, I wanted to invite you to dinner with Dan and me. You were at work so.." Laurie had a tinge if guilt in her voice.

"Hey, is it true about the Comedian?" I wrapped the phone cord around my fingers with anticipation.

"Yes, the man was mental. I assumed Rorschach 'visited you'?" I could tell Laurie quotes the last two words.

"Not really important, do you know when the funeral is?" I asked.

"I'll have Jon send you that information." Laurie explained. I can tell she wanted to get off the topic.

"How are you and Jon?" I often forget that Laurie was dating that.. that question of a man.

"We're good, real good." Laurie's word's didn't seem convincing.

"Listen, Laurie... It was great talking with you, really, but it's a quarter to one." I didn't even have to finish my sentence.

"Well time slips by, it was good hearing you again Erin. It's good to know you're okay." Laurie's warm words made a small smile spread across my face, "Also it's just nice talking to another well female if you know what I mean?"

We bother laughed at this point.

"Have a goodnight Laurie." I hung the phone up. I sat in my broken chair for until the sun started to show through my window. Just thinking about what Rorschach said.

"Came to warn. You could be next." His words echoes through me.

I stood up and walked towards my book case. I pulled back the book, Tales of Robin Hood.

The book case clicked and slightly swung open. I pulled the rest of it open. Inside was my uniform along with my weapons. My bow and arrows. Beside them were two pictures, one of me with the Crimebusters. How they convinced me to be in the picture still boggles my mind. The second picture, is of my father. With him his uniform in his glory days, standing with his teammates, the Minutemen.

My pa was in a mental asylum in Oregon. I didn't have enough to send him to Maine. I wish I did, he would have been with Byron aka Mothman.

I grabbed my bow and my quiver full of designer arrows out of the display case. I swung the quiver over shoulder and they rested on my back. I walked towards the patio. As the sun rose, they shined in my crappy homemade targets displayed all over my property.

I took one of my duel tip arrows and placed it on my bow. I drew back the draw string and aimed my arrow at one of the targets. I shut my eyes for a millisecond and let all the tension go. It didn't take long for my arrow to hit my target. Smack dab in the middle.

"Pretty good shot." I didn't hesitate to aim another arrow at this stranger's face, "Whoa, relax!" The stranger had his hands in the air to show his surrender.

"Veidt?" I could see it was the little rich boy, Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias, who made billions, by doing what? Making us into figurings. "How the hell you get in?

"Not important, Laurie suggested I give you this."
Veidt handed me an envelope. Inside was a piece of paper with an address and a time, "It's Eddie's funeral arrangements." Veidt explained.

"You're just as bad as Rorschach." I grumbled.

"I'm not a psychopath that claims his mask is his face." Veidt chuckled to himself, "By the way, how is he holding up?"

"Like he always is, staying out of prison." I sighed. I placed my bow to the ground and held it like it was a staff.

"Well I must be off, I assume I should expect you at the funeral?" Veidt turned away with his hands in the pockets.

"Don't assume too much Veidt." I rolled my eyes. I looked at the sun rising and sighed...

The day of Eddie's funeral...

It rained hard that day, I mounted Nottingham and we strode to the location on where the funeral is being held. I arrived to see several men and woman gathering around. The rain rolled off my hat in the ground. I dismounted Nottingham and tied him in some cover.

I saw Dan, Jon, and Adrian standing together talking. I carefully walked towards them. I shook Jon's hand and hugged Dan.

As the funeral resumed, I watched as the casket was being lowered in the ground. I gazed emotionlessly at the ground, hands in my pockets. Memories flooded back in. One memory in particular.

It was another Crimebusters get together, more specifically a tribute to my brother. It was at Adrian's building. I remember following them. It was when I became an alley after I became an enemy.

"We put another drug ring in the ground, we owe that to you Rorschach." The Comedian gestured to the short man.

I remember shooting out all the lights except one. That one shined on the Comedian and a large portion of the floor.

"Comedian, I have a score to settle with you." I gritted my teeth and landed in the light. I drew my sharpest arrow, "This arrow will go straight through your fucking chest if you don't start talking."

"I'm all ears sweetheart." The Comedian took a sip of his whiskey. He smiled snuggly at me.

"You already know who I am, now give me the answer I'm looking for." I wasn't going to tell random strangers about my brother. Give too much information away.

"I told you sweetie, he asked for it. It took one bullet." The Comedian walked closer to me, "You're standing in a room where a murderer can beat the living shit out of you and a man that can blow you up with the snap of his fingers. I suggest you put your knock off weapons down and think logically."

I put my bow down, "You're not a hero, you're just publicity. Trying to give people the state of mind that you'll protect them. In the end, we'll see who's standing, who's laughing, and who's dead."

I still stood there angry, my hands in fists.

"What do we call you?" The Comedian put his hand to his chin.

I turned to walk away, I called out, "There's no what, I am Robin Hood. I will always be Robin Hood." I put my arrow back in my quiver and started walking towards one of the windows I snuck in. Like that I was gone.