Holidays - Souvenirs d’été Lyrics in English Pomme

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Holidays - Souvenirs d’été by Pomme from French to English.

These English lyric translations are not yet verified.

Fade in

1. ext. new york liberty island day

The statue of liberty stands watch at the mouth of the hudson. over

Scene, we super title

New york city july 1976

2. jersey city pier day

A live news update. network correspondent cindy chan stands at the

Edge of the dock, the statue plainly visible in the distance behind

Her

Cindy

Insist that the situation is under control. authorities have just

Agreed to the release of nine radical front prisoners in hopes of

Freeing the hostages

We repeat: terrorists have taken liberty island, and are holding some

Forty hostages including tourists and maintenance workers

Captive in the statue of liberty itself

3. ferryboat day

The ferry one of six anchored a half-mile off liberty island

Has been commandeered by a fully-armed swat team. the swat captain

Who's in charge of negotiations, speaks to the terrorists via

Walkie-talkie

Swat captain

Your demands have been met. the prisoners and the money are on their

Way. if you tune your tv to channel 4 you'll see the copters

Preparing for takeoff

4. int. statue that moment

The screen of a portable tv shows three helicopters lifting off from

Laguardia. we're in the observation room inside the statue's head

A terrorist holds a crowd of squealing tourists men, women

Schoolchildren at bay with an automatic rifle. two others stand

By the windows, scanning the harbor for signs of a double-cross; and

A fourth, the ringleader, speaks into a walkie-talkie

Ringleader

Good. we got forty innocent people here. one false move and

We blow her brains out

Swat captain

Blow whose brains out?

5. ext. statue that moment

Tight on the ring of observation windows situated just below the

Jutting spikes of the crown. camera pulls back rapidly to take in

The whole of the statue's head

Ringleader

Lady liberty, my friend. lady liberty's brains!

6. ext. ferry that moment day

Mounting tension among the swat team on deck

Swat cop

Sons of bitches

Swat captain

Relax. we'll nail 'em on the transfer. let's get those hostages out

First

Swat cop ii

Captain what the hell is that?

All eyes turn upward. in the distance, a tiny speck descends from

The clouds and drops, in a perfectly vertical line, toward the head

Of the statue. the swat captain hoists a pair of binoculars

Swat captain

Shit. shit fire!!

Swat cop

Sir! what is it?

7. pov shot through binoculars

A magnified view of the speck, which turns out to be a futuristic

Blimplike hovercraft the owlship

Swat captain

Christ almighty, it's the goddamned watchmen!

8. int. owlship that moment

In the cabin we find three costumed superheroes: the red-and-gold

Suited captain metropolis; rorschach, whose face is a shifting

Inkblot mask; and night owl, who's manning the instrument panel

Night owl

Okay, adrian, we're in position. what now?

He looks up at a monitor mounted over the controls. adrian veidt

Blond scientific wizard, answers pensively from watchmen hq

Veidt

Let's take out their communications. drop the scrambler

9. ext. head of statue day

A line drops from the owlship, and an electronic device lands with a

Thud on the dome of lady liberty's crown

10. int. observation room that moment

Terrorists staring at the portable tv screen; suddenly, it shows

Nothing but snow. the ringleader, suspicious, lifts his

Walkie-talkie

Ringleader

Hey. we got a problem here

He releases the button. no reply only loud, hissing static

Ringleader

Come in. do you read me? don't play around with us

Goddammit

11. ext. ferry that moment

The swat captain curses at his useless walkie-talkie. teeth bared

He glowers up at the owlship and paces the deck in a psychotic

Frenzy

Swat cop

Ignorant bastards! they've jammed us!

Swat cop ii

What do we do now?

Swat captain

We sit here with our thumbs up our butts. as usual

12. ext. liberty island that moment day

A hulking figure, outfitted in scuba gear, emerges from the water

There's an evil-looking rifle slung over his shoulder. as he

Swaggers toward the base of the statue, he peels off his wetsuit to

Reveal yet another gaudy costume underneath

Superhero #4: the comedian. he pins a badge to his leather

Breastplate; incongruously, it's a happy-face button and it

Matches his own nasty smile as he marches forward into battle

13. int. base of statue that moment day

A trio of terrorists standing guard near the entrance in the base of

The statue. they're holding a janitor at gunpoint. one of them is

Fumbling with his walkie-talkie, which has inexplicably gone

Haywire

Terrorist i

Base to head. base to head. come in!

I can't get shit!

Terrorist ii

What the hell is going on??

There's a sudden metallic clang behind them. they turn in unison

Just as the comedian struts into frame, assault rifle in hand

Panic. the three terrorists fall into a tight cluster at the base of

A long metal stairway. one of them grabs the janitor, holds a gun to

His head

Terrorist i

I'm not joking!!

The comedian shrugs: okay. he lifts his rifle and fires two silenced

Shots directly into the janitor's gut. the old man's body jerks twice

And he slumps to the floor, stone dead

The terrorists stand there aghast. for an instant they're too

Stunned to shoot. the comedian breaks into a dopey grin

Comedian

The joke's on you

And opens fire with a look of vicious pleasure on his face. as

The saying goes it's nice to see a man who enjoys his work

14. int. owlship that moment

Rorschach and capt. metropolis stand over an open hatch in the floor

Of the cabin. at the console, night owl hits a button. then

15. int. observation room a moment later day

A sudden boom. a flash of color. the startled terrorists turn to

The nearest window, and see a spectacular display of bicentennial

Fireworks bursting above the harbor a short distance away

While the terrorists are distracted, our attention shifts to a point

Behind them. through an observation window we see capt. metropolis

And rorschach sliding down a thin metal cable and landing on the

Statue's upraised torch

The terrorists turn back just as the superheroes disappear around the

Far side of the torch

Ringleader

I don't like this. go downstairs and see what's up

16. ext. statue on torch that moment day

Rorschach and capt. metropolis pry open a metal door on the torch

Rorschach

Got your flashgun?

Capt. metropolis nods. he puts on a pair of ionized sunglasses and

Goes through the door, into the torch. rorschach waits

Behind

17. int. base of statue a moment later day

The comedian is wandering around with a map of the statue's layout

He spots what looks like a manhole cover set in the concrete floor

Then strolls over and jimmies it open

Another figure in scuba gear climbs out. but this one's different

This one's a woman

Silk spectre

About time. it stinks down there

Comedian

B-team's upstairs. we gotta find that bomb

As the comedian saunters off, she strips out of her slime-drenched

Wetsuit. you guessed it a garish costume

Underneath

Silk spectre

Why do i get all the glamour jobs?

Comedian

A woman's work is never done

18. int. observation room that moment day

The terrorists tense up at the sound of footsteps. a moment later

Capt. metropolis appears on the stairs. the terrorists train their

Guns on him all but the ringleader, who grabs a

Ten-year-old-girl

Ringleader

I don't know who you are pal, but you just killed a little girl

Capt. metropolis

Please. there's something i'd like you to see first

He holds up what looks like an old-fashioned photographer's flash

All at once, the room goes white and by the time the blinding

Light has dimmed, terrorists and hostages alike are toppling to the

Floor, their nervous systems temporarily fried

All except capt. metropolis, who's wearing his special sunglasses

He pockets the shades and swiftly goes to work

19. int. statue near base a moment later

An edgy terrorist all alone, standing watch. suddenly he's grabbed

From behind and the comedian is holding the point of a bayonet at

His throat

Comedian

Okay, abdul. where's the bomb?

20. int. observation room a moment later day

Everyone's slowly coming around. by now capt. metropolis has the

Terrorists tied up; he's consoling a squawling three-year-old

Capt. metropolis

Don't cry, little one. you're in good hands

Now everyone. listen carefully. we're going out through the torch

He goes to a window, gives the thumbs-up sign to rorschach out on the

Torch. rorschach signals the owlship

21. ext. statue on torch a moment later

A metal ladder descends from the belly of the owlship. rorschach

Secures it to the tip of the torch

22. int. statue midsection that moment

Silk spectre and the comedian marching up a long metal stairway

Silk spectre

Should be just overhead. we have to distract them somehow

Comedian

Just barge in. while they're staring at your tits we'll blow their

Balls off

They look up. a terrorist is peering down at them from an overhead

Landing. the comedian lifts his rifle: thwip. before the terrorist

Hits the floor, the comedian has lobbed a gas grenade onto the

Landing

23. int. statue stairway landing a moment later

Gas everywhere. the terrorists' bomb, and it's a big fat one, sits

In a complicated housing at the center of the landing, with

Unconscious terrorists sprawled all around it. silk spectre and the

Comedian, in gas masks, march up the stairs to scope things out

Comedian

Well. they look distracted

Don't suppose you know how to disarm one of these babies

Silk spectre

Eddie

Suddenly panicked, she grabs his shoulder, points behind him. he

Turns

One of the terrorists still has some life in him. he drags himself

Over to the bomb and with his last ounce of strength flips a

Switch on the housing

A timer begins to count down. thirty seconds. twenty-nine

Comedian

Shit!

He hits a trigger on his belt, and a red signal light begins to

Blink. he spots an elevator door, runs over, and pries it open. an

Empty shaft; the car is some twenty stories below them

Silk spectre

What about the

Comedian

Fuck 'em!

There's a mountain-climber's carabiner on his belt; he fastens it

Around the elevator cable and drops. silk spectre hesitates only

A second before following suit

24. int. observation room a moment later

Capt. metropolis is herding hostages down the stairway. all at once

He freezes. there's a red signal light flashing on his belt as

Well

25. int. owlship that moment

Yet another red light is flashing on night owl's instrument panel

He looks up at veidt on the monitor

Night owl

Adrian!

Veidt

Yeah, i see it. mission aborted

Night owl

Well, good god, we can't just

Veidt

Mission aborted, daniel!

Night owl reluctantly agrees. he lets out the throttle

26. int. statue stairway landing that moment

On the bomb. the timer shows ten seconds to go

27. int. statue elevator shaft a moment later

The comedian and silk spectre plummet downward, their belt clasps

Throwing off sparks against the cable

28. int. observation room a moment later

Capt. metropolis at the window, petrified with fear, his hands

Pressed to the glass. he watches as the owlship flies away and

Rorschach, who's hanging onto the metal ladder, is yanked bodily off

The torch

29. int. statue elevator shaft that moment

The comedian makes a hard landing on the roof of a car. silk spectre

Touches down behind him just as he manages to pry a set of elevator

Doors open, and the two of them dive through

30. aerial shot moving over harbor a moment later

Rorschach clings desperately to the metal ladder as the owlship

Streaks across the harbor. behind him is the rapidly receding figure

Of lady liberty

Three beats later, a gaping hole blows open in her midsection

31. int. owlship that moment

A heartsick night owl pounds the control panel in frustration. on an

Overhead monitor, the upper portion of the statue is toppling

32. int. statue a moment later

Smoke everywhere. the comedian and silk spectre are pressed flat

Against a concrete bulkhead. an overhang protects them from falling

Debris which is raining down in copious amounts

33. ext. ferry a moment later

The furious swat captain watches in astonishment as the top half of

The statue disintegrates into rubble and tumbles to the ground. he

Turns away from the sight, shaking his head in vehement disgust

Swat captain

That's it. i quit

The water stirs. the boat begins to rock. on deck, all eyes turn

34. ext. liberty island that moment day

As a luminous blue-skinned giant, sixty feet tall, wades through

The harbor and steps up onto the island. he stares in dismay at the

Demolished statue like a modern-day colossus of rhodes

Wondering what the hell happened to his date

Meet the last and most powerful member of our happy band: dr

Manhattan

Down below, the comedian and silk spectre battered but intact

Are crawling out of the wreckage. the comedian looks up at the huge

Blue figure looming over them, and shakes a gnat-sized fist

Comedian

Asshole! what took you so long?!?

Cut to

35. int. tv studio night

The channel 4 newsroom, with anchors sheila shea and jim bradley

Sheila

In the face of mounting public pressure, the city of new york has

Revoked its contract with adrian veidt's super-team. local police

Have threatened a city-wide walkout if criminal charges against the

Watchmen are dropped

On the bluescreen behind them, red circles with diagonal crossbars

Surround six head shots of the individual watchmen

Jim

And in washington today, the senate introduced legislation which

Would ban all costumed adventurers nationwide. easy passage

Is expected

Well, sheila, it looks like the age of the superhero is officially

History

Dissolve to

36. credits sequence

Timepieces of every description pocket watches, grandfather

Clocks, travel alarms, all perfectly synchronized drift upward

Through a vast black void, ticking off the seconds. at the stroke of

Midnight, gongs sound, buzzers buzz, bells tinkle and without

Warning the clocks explode. as gears and coils and crystals cascade

Downward through the void, we super title

Watchmen

Fade through to

37. ext. high-rise night

Darkened windows glow with the dim fire of reflected neon as we tilt

Up the towering facade of a forty-story apartment building. a blimp

Drifts lazily through distant clouds; the sounds of traffic echo

Faint and dreamlike in the wind as we reach the penthouse where

Heavy curtains flutter behind the ragged matte of a shattered

Plate-glass window. super title

New york city ten years later

38. ext. street below that moment night

A ramshackle news kiosk. the owner, fat and stubbly, sits framed by

The garish covers of comic books and nudie mags, staring at the

High-rise across the street. three police cars oddly truncated

Bubble-shaped vehicles, recognizable from the flashing red beacons on

Their roofs sit on the curb amid a throng of onlookers

A customer picks up a copy of the new york gazette: 'new skirmish on

Afghan border. russkies walk out on peace powwow.'

Customer

Crazy reds don't know who they're messing with

What happened over there?

News vendor

Some guy went sidewalk divin' twenny-five cents

39. ext. high-rise street level night

A riot of noise and color. a plainclothes cop takes a statement from

The doorman as pedestrians, clustered around an nypd cordon, stare

With sickened expressions at a gruesome mess on the sidewalk

Patrolman

Stand back! move along!

We are not in new york as we know it; in this strange offshoot of

Reality, everything the clothes, the cars, the very look of the

City seems just a touch off. the patrolman, for instance

His standard-issue uniform consists of full riot gear, and his

Plastisteel breastplate is festooned with heavy artillery. he clears

A path for a squad of paramedics, who load a bloody parcel into the

Back of a waiting ambulance

Det. lt. burns climbs out of his car, squeezes through the crowd and

Buttonholes his colleague, hyde, the cop in charge of the

Investigation

Burns

Had a lot of blood in him

Hyde

You oughta see upstairs. it's a slaughterhouse

Burns

No idea who's behind this?

Hyde

Small army, from the looks of it. he put up one hell of a fight

Burns nods once and stares up toward the penthouse window

Burns

He would you might as well know. it's gonna get messy. we got a

Call from washington

Hyde

Washington?

Burns

They want in. seems our friend here was hardcore ctu

Hyde, suddenly wide-eyed at this new development, stares off after

The ambulance as it merges with the northbound traffic

40. ext. street another angle that moment night

Tight on a large placard: 'the end is nigh.' the bearer of the sign

A hunched street crazy in a ratty raincoat, plods up the sidewalk

Spreading his message of cheer; his back is to us, but we can make

Out an unruly shock of bright red hair

The news vendor eyes him suspiciously as he passes, then turns up his

Collar and looks pointedly away. a small black kid, leaning against

The kiosk with a comic book, spots him too, and makes a quick

Cross-eyed face. the street crazy lets out a low, hissing growl in

Response and plugs on

At the high-rise, a sanitation crew has just arrived to hose down the

Sidewalks; rivulets of water crisscross the street. as the street

Crazy wanders along, he spots something unusual snagged in the rain

Grate

It's a happy-face button. a tiny diagonal fleck of blood stains its

Surface, like the hand of a clock poised at twelve minutes to

Midnight

The street crazy bends to retrieve it. he stares off at the

Shattered window some forty stories above

Dissolve to

41. int. high-rise hallway night

Camera drifts from the penthouse elevator down a long, plush-carpeted

Corridor. the hallway is cordoned with thin plastic strips reading

'police line do not cross.' at the far end is a single door

Sealed off

42. int. penthouse apartment night

Moonlight shines on an obstacle course of broken chairs and

Overturned tables as we move inexorably toward the shattered picture

Window. at this altitude, the wind is fierce, and the curtains are

Flapping wildly

A rope drops into view. a dark silhouette lands on the ledge outside

Shards of glass crunch underfoot as this strange intruder steps

Inside. he wears a slouch hat, a heavy trenchcoat; his face is

Invisible to us as he snaps on a flashlight and sweeps it around the

Room

The apartment is, as promised, a slaughterhouse: smashed art prints

Gaping holes in the wallboard, and gallons of blood everywhere. the

Flashlight beam shines on the front door, where three deadbolt locks

And an electronic alarm system are still in place, undisturbed

The intruder turns suddenly. his beam strikes the splintered remains

Of a full-length wall mirror and there, in the cracked and spiky

Glass, we get our first good look at his face. or what passes for

His face

He has no eyes, no nose, no mouth, nothing but a strange and

Ever-shifting series of symmetrical patterns where his face should

Be. .a living, crawling inkblot on a luminescent field of white

We've met him before. he goes by the name of rorschach

43. int. penthouse kitchen that moment night

Rorschach's beam falls on the kitchen table. hungry flies walk

Dainty-legged through a sticky puddle of congealing blood

Offhandedly, he brushes the flies away; then he spots a sugar bowl

He tips it over, scoops up a handful of cubes, deposits them in his

Trenchcoat pocket

44. int. penthouse bedroom a moment later night

The beam shines across rumpled bedclothes, searches around the walls

And settles finally on the half-open door to a walk-in closet

Rorschach steps inside, examines rack upon rack of expensive

Suits

He shoves the suits aside. then, mysteriously, he begins to pound on

The wall with his fist, moving left, right, up, down: thump. thump

Thump

He pauses. he's found a hollow section. he feels his way carefully

Along the seams of the wall and floorboard until he discovers a

Concealed trigger. he presses it and a panel slides back, revealing

A second, secret closet, hidden inside the first

He reaches up, flicks on a light. inside the secret closet: a

Bizarre uniform helmet, mask and gloves, a gaudy-colored bodysuit

Rows of exotic weaponry. on the wall nearby hangs a dusty framed

Photograph

Rorschach examines the photo. it's a group shot, six men, one woman

All dressed in similarly garish uniforms. the man in the center is

Wearing the costume on the wall before us. .the comedian's

Costume

They're all there, all the watchmen: night owl. silk spectre. capt

Metropolis. dr. manhattan. adrian veidt. and of course, rorschach

Himself. as he eyes this quirky memento of days gone by, we

Dissolve to

45. ext. street corner brooklyn night

A light rain is falling as a weary figure emerges from a corner

Store. daniel dreiberg, 44, thickset and bespectacled, walks with

The heavy gait of an athlete gone to seed. he seems meek, defeated

Old before his time

He holds a hand to the skies, sets down his grocery bags long enough

To open an umbrella. then he turns down a deserted access street

46. ext. access street night

In an alleyway just off the access street, there's a mugging in

Progress: two young street toughs, their tinted hair tied up in

Knot-tops, rolling a middle-aged man. across the street, dreiberg

Sees what's happening; it takes some effort, but he makes a conscious

Decision to move on. then

Voice

Hold up, papa-san!

The knot-tops have emerged from the alleyway with their loot, and

Spotted dreiberg an unwanted witness. menace in their eyes, they

March toward him. he sets his bags down and turns to face them

Almost welcoming the challenge; and suddenly, without warning, we

Cut to

47. flashback processed footage

Slow-mo, double-frame, or sepia-tone; you call it. but whatever the

Gimmick, it should suggest that the events we're watching take place

In a stylized dream-time, midway between flashback and fantasy

It's out old friend night owl, duking it out with a gang of hoods in

An alleyway not unlike the one we've just left. there's a flurry of

Fists; the hoods topple, in quick succession--

And all at once a burst of blinding light bleaches out the frame

Transporting us back to

48. ext. access street night

Real-time again. our reverie's been interrupted by a shaft of

White-hot light sweeping across the street, past dreiberg, toward the

Alley

Loudspeaker

Halt! do not try to resist

The knot-tops run for it. dreiberg shields his eyes against the

Light which emanates from a police hovercraft hanging in midair

Some forty feet above his head. the craft swoops off in pursuit of

The kids

Dreiberg bends to retrieve his things and crosses to the mouth of the

Alleyway. he finds the old man slumped against a wall, obviously past

Help

49. int. dreiberg's apartment night

Three deadbolt locks slide back as dreiberg lets himself in. the

Security system is almost as impressive as the one in the comedian's

Apartment, but the decor is considerably less plush

Dreiberg sets his bags on the floor, removes his raincoat, and hangs

It carefully in a closet. then he gathers his groceries, heads for

The kitchen and stops in his tracks, confronted with a most

Peculiar sight

Dreiberg

Rorschach

50. int. dreiberg's kitchen night

Leaning back in a chair, his feet propped up on the kitchen table, is

The aforementioned rorschach. his inkblot mask is rolled partway up

Exposing a mouthful of bad teeth, and he's calmly eating a plate of

Baked beans

Dreiberg

How did you get in here?

Ignoring the question, rorschach greets him in a soft, rasping

Utterly emotionless whisper

Rorschach

Hiya, pardner. long time no see

Dreiberg

Did anybody follow you? see you come here?

Dreiberg is mildly panicked. rorschach who couldn't care less

Emits his trademark hissing growl. he spoons more beans from a can

Onto his plate, tops it all off with a generous squirt of ketchup

From a squeeze bottle

Dreiberg

I can't believe you're back on the streets. good god, man, you're

Wanted on fourteen counts of murder

Rorschach

At least six of those are trumped-up. here

He reaches into his pocket, finds the happy-face button, and flips it

To dreiberg. dreiberg eyes it for a moment, automatically uses his

Fingernail to scrape at the small red stain on its surface

Rorschach

Look familiar?

Dreiberg

Sure. you got some kind of bean juice on it

Rorschach

Human bean juice

The comedian is dead

Dreiberg stares down at the button, suddenly getting the picture

His jaw goes slack

Rorschach

Had a real nice place penthouse suite, forty stories up

Beautiful view

Hope he enjoyed it on the way down

Dreiberg

Jesus. what. a burglar

Rorschach snorts: the possibility is too comical to consider

Dreiberg

Well, god, he'd been working with the ctu for almost a decade he

Must've had enemies

Rorschach

So do i. so do you

Dreiberg

Rorschach, that was a long time ago. i mean, that that's just

Paranoia

Rorschach's head jerks violently at the sound of the word. dreiberg

Blinks involuntarily, half-expecting some kind of reprisal. but

Rorschach merely stands, adjusts his mask, and starts toward the

Front door

Rorschach

Maybe. or maybe somebody's finally caught up with us. somebody with

A grudge

Thought you might want to spread the word

Dreiberg

Hey. hey. if you don't mind, use the back stairs, all right?

Rorschach growls, shakes his head in disgust but complies. he

Opens the back door, pauses, turns to dreiberg

Rorschach

You the sentimental type, daniel? brought you a souvenir

He reaches into his trenchcoat and hands dreiberg the framed photo

From the comedian's wall. a moment later, he's gone

Dreiberg sits down, unnerved. as he reaches for the wall phone

Camera zeroes in on a face from the photo: a blonde man, in a purple

Tunic and mask

51. int. office suite downtown manhattan night

A great shadowy jungle cat pads across acres of carpet. the cat is

Far from its natural habitat; in back of it is a glass-and-chrome

Desk outfitted with a computer terminal, and at the terminal is

Adrian veidt, the brains behind the watchmen. although he's

Dreiberg's age, his face is serene and unlined by worry. blond and

Pale, he looks thirty. when he's sixty he'll look forty

Veidt millionaire industrialist, and holder of over forty basic

Patents is also something of an egyptologist, and the decor of his

Office reflects it: ancient vases sarcophagi, busts of anubis, and the

Like. he keys a string of figures into the computer; the phone

Rings

Veidt

Veidt here

52. intercut dreiberg and veidt

Dreiberg

Adrian? listen, it's dreiberg. i just had a visit from rorschach

I had to call you before he

Veidt

Daniel, slow down. what's this about rorschach?

Dreiberg

The comedian. he's dead. murdered. that's all i know

Veidt

My god. murdered? what's this have to do with rorschach?

Dreiberg

It's he's got some kind of conspiracy theory. he thinks someone's

I don't know, stalking us

Veidt

Us. you mean the watchmen

The big cat purrs; it's a mutant lynx, genetically tailored, with red

Fur and long, tufted, antenna-like ears. veidt tosses the lynx a

Chunk of raw meat from a platter on his deak while he ponders

Dreiberg's words

Veidt

Daniel, rorschach is insane

Dreiberg

I know, i know, it's just he's back on the street, he smells

Blood

Veidt

You know how he is. he goes on these binges, kills a couple of thugs

Then he's satisfied. it blows over

Dreiberg

He's bound to get caught. i don't want my name coming out. not at

This late date

Veidt

If he comes here, i'll handle him. remember i've always protected

You. haven't i?

Do you need money?

Dreiberg

No. i just wanted you to

Veidt

You did the right thing, daniel. let's stay in touch, okay? good

Night

Dreiberg

Good night

Veidt leans back in his chair, reaches for a gold case and extracts a

Cigarette. it's 'matchless'; you ignite it guy striking the tip of

The cigarette against the edge of the case. he lights up and takes a

Long, slow drag

Cut to

53. ext. military installation night

Barbed wire, armed guards everywhere. a vehicle waits at the

Checkpoint; the guards wave it through, and a huge cast-iron gate

Rolls into place behind it. on the gate is a small, tasteful sign

Which reads 'rockefeller military research center.'

54. int. military installation night

Adrian veidt walks down a long, greenish corridor flanked by armed

Escort troops. at the end of the hallway is a foot-thick metal door

With a keypad off to one side; one of the troops punches in a

Six-digit access code, and the door slides back to reveal

Another door, this one outfitted with a simple

Doorbell. the troops ring the bell, stand rigidly at attention, and

Wait to veidt's great amusement

The inner door slides open. peering out is an attractive, big-boned

Woman in her mid-thirties: laurie juspeczyk aka the silk

Spectre

Laurie

Adrian

Veidt

Laurie! good to see you

She gives him a warm hug. the escort troops march back down the hall

In perfect lockstep as the giant metal doors ease shut behind them

Laurie escorts veidt into a huge laboratory space: great oversized

Machines, blinking computer terminals, advanced scientific

Paraphernalia of every description

Veidt

Nice. who's your decorator edward teller?

Laurie

Don't rub it in. i live here

Veidt

And how's life with the walking h-bomb?

Laurie

He's in by the superaccelerator. let me take your coat

She takes his coat and vanishes into the living quarters. veidt

Wanders through the lab with an envious eye. suddenly he stops. a

Smile crosses his face as he gazes up at the ceiling

Veidt

Hi, jon

Dr. manhattan

Hello, adrian

Dr. manhattan jon osterman to his friends is a big guy under

Any circumstances, but at the moment he's downright gargantuan

Forty feet tall, bright blue and buck naked, he's calmly adjusting a

Calibration atop his particle accelerator

Dr. manhattan

I think i'm about to detect a gluino

In case you were wondering, this blue-skinned superman can do just

About anything. he can manipulate matter effortlessly; the

Physical universe is his plaything. when it comes to the laws of

Time and space, dr. manhattan is a chronic offender

Any government would be glad to have him

Veidt

Supersymmetrical theory, hmm? say, i understand old schwartzmann

Caught a decaying proton in that german mineshaft

Laurie, who's just reappeared, shakes her head and groans

Laurie

Please, you guys, no shop talk

Jon, you're being rude. why don't you shrivel on down and join us?

Dr. manhattan shrugs and shrinks down to a somewhat more manageable

Six-foot-five. a pair of black trunks materializes about his waist

Preserving his modesty. satisfied, laurie turns to veidt

Laurie

Good to see you, adrian. what's the occasion?

He tosses a casual glance around the lab. a number of video

Surveillance cameras are mounted on the walls

Veidt

Are we being monitored?

Dr. manhattan looks at each of the cameras in turn. one by one, the

Little red 'on' lights wink out

Dr. manhattan

The bearer of bad news

Veidt

We've lost a colleague. the comedian is dead

Laurie

Blake? dead?

Dr. manhattan

Yes. i heard this morning. washington's asked me to attend the

Funeral as a matter of protocol

Laurie shoots an irritated look at dr. manhattan. this is the first

She's heard about it

Veidt

Rorschach's on the case. he's got dreiberg in a lather. he seems to

Think that someone is 'stalking' the watchmen

Dr. manhattan

The ctu suspects a libyan hit squad

Veidt

What's your theory?

Dr. manhattan

Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. they don't concern

Me

Veidt peeks at laurie, cocks an eyebrow: same old jon. but laurie is

Considerably less amused

Laurie

I could use a drink. how about you, adrian?

Veidt nods yes. dr. manhattan, meanwhile, has moved off to another

Part of the lab. he stands before a vast bank of machinery and as

We watch, a panel detaches itself from the front of the console and

Floats off to one side

A module of circuit boards, chips, and pin connectors slides out of

The hole. individual components detach themselves and hang in

Midair. dr. manhattan hasn't lifted a finger; he's dismantling and

Reassembling his equipment through sheer force of mind

Veidt has seen these parlor tricks before. he ambles up and resumes

The conversation without missing a beat

Veidt

I guess you'll be dismantling russian tanks soon

Dr. manhattan

You mean afghanistan?

It won't require my attention. what i'm doing here is far more

Interesting

The module, now fully reconstructed, slides back into place. the

Cover panel rises off the floor, settles over the hatch, and screws

Itself shut

Veidt

Well i wanted to bring you the news about blake, but as

Usual i can't tell you anything you don't already know. goodbye

Jon

Dr. manhattan nods just barely. veidt heads for the door, finds

His coat where laurie put it. he's just about to leave when she

Arrives with two stiff drinks in hand

Laurie

Adrian! don't leave so soon. i

Veidt

I'll take a raincheck, laurie

Laurie

Please

There's a note of desperation in her voice. veidt glances over his

Shoulder at dr. manhattan who's forty feet tall again, playing

With his superaccelerator

Veidt

He's a little farther gone every time

Laurie

Stay, adrian. i just every once in a while, i need to talk to

Someone human

He doesn't think like we do. he doesn't even feel what we feel. i

Mean he even scares the research teams

Veidt

Laurie he's the most powerful man who's ever lived. he's changed

The world

Laurie

I know. i shouldn't be saying this. he's happy, he's content, he's

Doing his work

Veidt

What about you?

Laurie

I suppose i'm serving my purpose, aren't i

I'll ring for the guards

She goes to the steel door, hits a buzzer. veidt watches her

Concerned. she coughs, violently, and he reaches into his vest

Pocket for a cigarette case

Veidt

Nasty cough. try one of mine

Darling, you need to get out of the house. why don't you give

Daniel a call? i'm sure he'd be glad to hear from you

Laurie

Maybe i'll do that

Veidt

I'm sorry about blake

He pats her on the shoulder. the door slides open and the troops

Appear to escort veidt back down the hallway

Laurie takes a long pull on her drink and gazes up at her superhuman

Lover. he tinkers with his equipment; then, satisfied, he turns and

Walks through a solid brick wall as if it weren't there

Cut to

55. ext. happy harry's establishing night

A decrepit waterfront bar in a particularly rough neighborhood

Popular with denizens of the underworld, accessible by a narrow

Stairway which dips well below street level

56. int. happy harry's night

The usual crowd, living it up. hookers line the bar. drug dealers

Hover at the entrance to the men's room. assorted goons and thugs

Stand clustered at the pool table, watching a topless dancer bump and

Grind. suddenly there's a terrible racket, and everyone turns

Over by the entrance, rorschach is hard at work ripping a pay phone

Off the wall. once he has it on the floor, he gives it a couple of

Vicious licks with a crowbar; then he strides casually over to the

Bar where the proprietor, happy harry, is nervously polishing

Glasses

Rorschach

Harry

Harry

R-rorschach

Rorschach

Phone's out of order. mind if i use yours?

He reaches under the counter, sets a phone on the bar. rorschach

Picks it up and flings it at a nearby table, scattering the patrons

And yanking the cord cleanly out of the wall

He turns and faces the assembled multitudes

Rorschach

Edward blake. friend of mine. fell through a window. might've had

Help

Thought maybe you could fill me in

Enormous toughs sit riveted to their chairs, staring up in horror as

Rorschach strolls past

Rorschach

You. gideon. whoremonger. nothing?

Johnny gobs. what's new at the schoolyard?

Behind rorschach's back, a shadowy figure is slinking furtively

Toward the exit. rorschach pivots suddenly, grabs him by the collar

Yanks him off his feet and slams him into a wall

Rorschach

Nicky the jap. in a hurry? you keeping secrets, nicky?

Nicky sits slumped against the wall, quaking with fear. rorschach

Extends a hand to help him up. he reaches out hesitantly

And rorschach grabs him by the wrist, pulling him off balance. he

Closes a gloved fist around nicky's pinky finger, twists it back and

Snaps it

Rorschach

Edward blake. who killed him?

No answer forthcoming. nicky lets out a horrible moan as rorschach

Grabs his index finger and repeats the process

Rorschach

Who killed edward blake?

Nicky passes out. rorschach releases his grip, lets nicky sink to

The floor, and reaches for his crowbar. he's standing poised to let

Fly at nicky's ribs when a voice in the crowd shouts out

Voice

Jesus! he's in shock!!

Rorschach

The comedian. who killed him?

By now harry's pulled a sawed-off shotgun from underneath the bar

Without looking up, rorschach spins and heaves the crowbar. it

Catches harry in the jaw, pitching him back into a rack of

Glassware. the shotgun discharges two harmless blasts into the

Ceiling

Silence in the bar as the onlookers await rorschach's next move. he

Looks at the bleeding harry, shakes his head in disgust

Rorschach

So many vermin so little time

He bends, pulls a topcoat off nicky's quivering frame, and tosses it

Contemptuously at the nude dancer. then he turns to go, pausing long

Enough to hiss at the crowd

Rorschach

Go back to your heroin and your child pornography. i'll be

Around

Cut to

57. int. military installation living quarters pre-dawn

The bedroom which laurie shares with dr. manhattan at the rockefeller

Research complex. it's not quite six a.m., still dark outside, and

Laurie is asleep. she tosses around under the covers, reaches over

To where dr. manhattan should be but his side of the bed is

Empty

Laurie

Jon

A luminous blue hand enters frame, strokes her cheek gently. laurie

Closes her eyes and sighs

Dr. manhattan

I'm here, laurie

Laurie

Is it time? d'you have to leave for the funeral?

Dr. manhattan

Not yet, there's plenty of time

A second blue hand strokes her hair. laurie stretches luxuriantly

Dr. manhattan kisses her softly on the throat

Laurie

Mmm. you feel so good. do you have to go?

The blue hand runs down the length of laurie's shoulder and arm

Toward her hip. she sighs dreamily

Dr. manhattan

Would you like me to stay?

Laurie

Mm hmm

Dr. manhattan

I could stay and go

Laurie

And just how would you manage that?

She leans up to kiss him. the second blue hand continues its

Downward progress, almost colliding with a third blue hand, which is

Massaging laurie's thigh

Third blue hand? wait a minute. laurie's eyes go suddenly

Wide. she sits bolt upright in bed

Dr. manhattan is stretched out beside her. he is also sitting at the

Foot of the bed. there seem to be two of him

Laurie

Aaaaaaaaaa!!

Dr. manhattan i

Laurie? are you

Dr. manhattan ii

Don't be upset

This unique menage a trois proves a bit much for laurie's

Fragile nerves. she climbs angrily out of bed and reaches for a

Dressing gown

Laurie

Jon, please. i don't enjoy these tricks. just be one

Person again, please?

The big blue twins stand up, spreading their hands in identical

Gestures of apology as laurie stalks past

Dr. manhattan i

Laurie, i did it to please you. i thought

Dr. manhattan ii

You would find it erotic

Laurie

All right, all right. it's just my nerves, i'm going stir-crazy

In this place, i

While fumbling in her purse for a cigarette, laurie happens to glance

Through a doorway, into the lab outside. to her utter astonishment

She sees a third dr. manhattan out there, calmly running an

Experiment on one of his oversized toys. she marches angrily through

The door

58. int. lab a moment later

To confront dr. manhattan number three

Laurie

You've been out here all along, haven't you? running one of your

Stupid experiments

Dr. manhattan iii

Yes, i thought i could finish up before i leave for washington

Laurie

So you sent your, your proxies in there to jon, really, how

Could you do this?

Dr. manhattan iii

You seem to feel i've been neglecting you. isn't that the case?

I thought i'd solved the problem quite elegantly

Laurie

That's all it is to you, isn't it? just another problem you

Can

She doesn't see the other two dr. manhattans, who have just entered

The room behind her. they speak in perfect unison

Dr. manhattans i ii

Laurie, please

Laurie pivots, lets out a little squeal of shock. she turns back

Slowly, steadies herself on a lab table

Laurie

Jon just go to washington, all right? and take them with you. i

Could really use the time alone

She storms back into the living quarters, past dr. manhattans i

Ii who pop out of existence as soon as she passes. the original

Dr. manhattan cocks an eyebrow, sighs, and returns to his

Equipment

Fade through to

1. int. rooftop restaurant night

A pricey joint in midtown. dreiberg and laurie, well-fed, are hard

At work on their second bottle of wine. she looks amazingly

Beautiful in full makeup and low-cut evening gown but it's largely

Wasted on her preoccupied date

At the moment, she's filling him in on life with dr. manhattan

Laurie

The government's really worried. he gets so flaky sometimes. i

Guess it's no picnic being the world's only superhuman

I have to keep him in line

She flexes her bicep and holds the pose, waiting for dreiberg to

Laugh. he doesn't. in fact, he barely even notices; his gaze has

Wandered off into a far corner of the room

Laurie

Excuse me where exactly are you tonight?

Dreiberg

Sorry, it's this thing with blake. i mean, you don't really think

Anyone's out to get us do you?

Laurie

Dan, are you really that paranoid? let's face it, eddie blake was no

Mother teresa

Dreiberg

Psychotic pig. he had it coming. mr. ctu

Laurie

Now wait. we all had the same option as blake. it was work for the

Government or do time

Dreiberg

Fine, but the civil terrorism unit? it's a fucking gestapo! dirty

Tricks political assassinations

Now he's got laurie nervous. she scans the restaurant quickly, then

Leans forward and speaks, in hushed tones

Laurie

Okay, okay. you made your choice. you went underground. some of us

Made other choices

Dreiberg

Yeah. that pig blake gets buried at arlington, full military honors

And i'm still in the psycho file with rorschach

Laurie looks at him a moment. she starts to chuckle

Dreiberg

What's so funny? have i got food in my teeth?

Laurie

I'm just wondering what you would've said ten years ago if you could

See yourself right now

Well, here's to the comedian. 'cause the fact is, he's dead

And we're not

Dreiberg makes a face and smiles despite himself

1. ext. rooftop outside restaurant night

Dreiberg and laurie have repaired to the romantic rooftop terrace

Which overlooks the manhattan skyline. they're holding big snifters

Of brandy, and they're both pretty well drunk

Dreiberg

The pisser is, nobody ever remembers all the good shit we did. i

Mean, we were heroes!

Laurie

Damn straight

Dreiberg

Damn straight! we were heroes

Laurie

Of course, we looked like idiots in those bondage outfits

Dreiberg

Well, that was adrian's idea. i know he's the smartest man in the

World and all that, but talk about publicity hounds

Laurie

Hey. you remember that nut in the hockey mask? with the asthma?

What was his name

Dreiberg

Yeah. the one that used to confess to everything? hoping we'd

Beat him up?

Laurie

That's the one. whatever happened to him?

Dreiberg

He pulled it on rorschach and rorschach dropped him down an

Elevator shaft

Laurie looks aghast for a second and a half. then her hand goes to

Her mouth and like dreiberg she's giggling helplessly. camera

Pulls up and away, isolating them on the rooftop, and we hear a

Stentorian voice over scene

Chaplain

In the midst of life we are in death

Cut to

59. ext. arlington national cemetery day

An american flag lies across the coffin of edward blake

Chaplain

And so we commend our brother edward blake unto god, who shall

Change our vile body that it may be like unto his glorious body

Tight on dr. manhattan, standing at graveside amid a tight know of

Mourners. there's no weeping, no gnashing of teeth; most of the

Attendees are bureaucrats or military men, obviously here for reasons

Of protocol. nearby is a cadre of riflemen, ready to send blake off

With the traditional twenty-one gun salute

Chaplain

According to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all

Things unto himself

A light rain begins to fall; umbrellas open all around. dr

Manhattan, of course, doesn't need one the raindrops vanish

Miraculously before they strike him. car horns sound in the

Distance, and he glances off at

60. ext. another part of the cemetery that moment

Sentries stand at attention. they've blocked off the part of the

Cemetery where the funeral is taking place, but the good doctor has

Been spotted nonetheless, and word of his presence is spreading like

Wildfire

Mourners and tourists are rushing in from every corner of the

Cemetery to get a look at the bright blue superman. with all due

Respect for the dead, arlington national's turning into a zoo

Gawkers are lined up three or four deep. the sentries have their

Hands full managing the crowd

A kid breaks free from his parents and sprints across the graves to

Join the excited throng. as he does, our attention settles on the

Vietnam war memorial

It's not the familiar stark black wall. it is, bizarrely, a chiseled

Marble representation of dr. manhattan; his eyes are turned skyward

And he's cradling a wounded american grunt in his massive arms

Pieta-style. on the pedestal beneath it, a bronze

Plaque bears the inscription

In memory of the brave americans

Who gave their lives

To achieve victory in vietnam

Below it are the names of the american dead. there are almost four

Hundred of them

61. ext. military installation night

The rockefeller military research center laurie's home sweet

Home. her car pulls up to the guard's booth and he waves her

Through. as soon as the chain-link gate rolls back into place behind

Her, the guard picks up a phone and punches in a number

62. ext. research center night

Laurie strides up a concrete walkway at the entrance to the complex

Fumbling in her purse for a mag-striped access card. she inserts the

Card into a slot at the door. nothing happens

She tries again. still no luck. just then, a long black car pulls

Up behind her and a uniformed officer, major adamson, steps

Out

Laurie

Major adamson, i can't seem to get in the door

Adamson

Laurie, i'll have to ask you to come with me

Laurie

Why? what's the problem?

Adamson

I can't tell you that. it is quite urgent

Laurie

I would like to use the bathroom

As she speaks, two armed guards come marching up the walkway

Adamson

The access code's been changed. your card won't work anymore

Laurie

What?!

Adamson

Please

The major puts a firm hand on her elbow and leads her off. the

Guards stand at attention, then fall in behind them as they pass

Adamson holds the car door open. laurie's climbing inside when she

Sees something which turns her confusion into outright panic

The entrance to the research center has just opened and emerging

From it, onto the walkway, are a half-dozen men in full radiation

Suits

63. int. medical lab night

Laurie enters with full military escort. the troops hand her off to

A team of doctors and lab technicians, then drop back to stand guard

At the door. a brusque nurse presents her with a short white

Gown

Nurse

Miss juspeczyk. put this on, if you would

Laurie

What

Doctor

Drink this

The doctor hands laurie a glass full of iridescent green fluid. she

Stares at it, still somewhat nonplussed

Doctor

Drink it

64. int. medical lab anteroom night

Technicians monitor a series of computer screens. on the screens are

Shifting, multicolored graphics patterns representing the interior of

A human body as seen from a variety of angles. a leaded window opens

On

65. int. medical lab night

We're watching what looks like an electronic sarcophagus. a

Donut-shaped housing traverses its length repeatedly, head to foot

Foot to head, sending a three-dimensional readout telemetrically to

The anteroom

Through a glass panel in the sarcophagus we see laurie, he head

Wedged into a fixed metal brace, eyes darting fitfully left and right

As she wonders just what the hell is going on

66. int. doctor's office night

A man's hand slides a photograph across a table

Laurie

That's col. brent dabbs. jon's military liaison

Laurie, still dressed in the white gown, is seated at a table

Surrounded by government agents in three-piece suits. chief agent

Schmidt nods at his cronies and replaces the photo with another taken

From a thick sheaf

Laurie

Dr. candelaria. he works on one of jon's research teams. the

Quantum-whatever

Schmidt lays a third photo before her. it's a group shot of the

Watchmen the same picture that hung in blake's closet. laurie

Hesitates

Laurie

That's jon. obviously. and me. adrian veidt

Rorschach

Schmidt

Their real names, please

Laurie

I don't know their real names

Schmidt

You're lying, miss juspeczyk

Laurie

I don't know their real names!

Schmidt

You're not 'protecting' anyone. these people's lives may depend on

The answers you give

These are all former associates of dr. manhattan

Laurie

Then why don't you ask him?!?

Furious, she pushes herself away from the table and moves to a nearby

Window. the agents exhange cool glances. like all experienced

Torturers, they understand the value of patience

Laurie

I want to get dressed. and i'd like a cigarette

One of the agents pulls a pack from his coat, shakes a cigarette out

For laurie. as he's lighting it a perfect gentleman the door

Opens and a lab technician enters with a clipboard

He passes the clipboard to schmidt, who examines its contents and

Tilts an eyebrow. laurie, looking on, is about to burst with

Curiosity

Laurie

Someone had better tell me what's going on here!

Schmidt

Sit down, miss juspeczyk. as i mentioned, the people in this file

Are all close associates of dr. manhattan. they have something else

In common as well

They've all developed a fairly exotic form of lymphatic cancer

Laurie

What are you saying? that jon is radioactive?

All at once, the obvious hits home and laurie's face goes

Bone-white. schmidt nudges the clipboard toward her. trembling, she

Takes it. .then sets it down, staggered by what she's read

Schmidt

I'm terribly sorry

Laurie

What does this mean? what does it

Schmidt

Six to eight months. that's with treatment. perhaps now you can

See why it's so vital that we locate your friends

Laurie

That's it. this is all a trick, isn't it? some kind of horrible

Joke to make me

She scans the room. no one's laughing. schmidt gets up, signals to

His comrades, and heads for the door

Schmidt

Take a day or two. if you 'remember' any names do give us a

Call

The agents leave, and laurie sits alone in the office. she reaches

For the clipboard and takes another long hard look. then, quaking

She buries her face in her hands

67. int. observation room that moment

A darkened room just off the office; laurie is visible through a

Two-way mirror. the door opens, and major adamson who's been

Watching all along is joined by schmidt

Adamson

Poor kid

Schmidt

We'll keep her in isolation awhile. she'll give us some names

Adamson

To hell with those costumed idiots. i'm worried about doc

Manhattan

Schmidt

What do you mean?

Adamson

She's his last link to humanity. once she's gone god knows

Which way he'll jump

Dissolve to

68. int. hotel room washington, d.c. day

Dr. manhattan stands in front of a full-length mirror. he's wearing

A navy-blue double-breasted suit, a white shirt, and a maroon necktie

With an irregular mauve pattern

The tie doesn't quite suit him. his brow wrinkles, and the tie

Magically transmutes into a more sedate wide-red job with diagonal

Gold stripes

Too staid. dr. manhattan frowns, and the tie transforms itself into

A handsome royal-blue number with tiny hydrogen atoms for

Decoration

It does nice things for his complexion. satisfied, he turns from the

Mirror, starts for the door, and dematerializes

69. int. television studios day

Technicians running to and fro. a harried director checks the green

Room, where the staff is beginning to panic

Director

We're on the air in five minutes. where the hell is

That big blue son of a

He stops, wisely, in mid-sentence. dr. manhattan has just

Rematerialized inside the studio, two feet from the director's

Face

Dr. manhattan

I'm sorry. am i late?

Director

No problem. we'll have to head straight for the set. i'm

Kent turner, the director

The director shakes dr. manhattan's hand and marches him down a

Hallway. within seconds they're joined by a government liaison

Liaison

Dr. osterman. i've got a list of taboo areas here we'd like you to

Steer clear of. obviously, afghanistan will come up, but if you'll

Just play it cool

Director

Doc, that blue of yours tends to wash out on camera. could you give

Us something a little darker

Dr. manhattan pauses briefly. his skin tone darkens two shades

Dr. manhattan

Will this do?

Director

Perfect

Liaison

Now doc, please on this afghanistan thing

But the good doctor is already at the edge of the set, surrounded by

A cluster of sound men, production assistants, etc., who are

Hurriedly prepping him for the telecast. the frustrated liaison

Hangs back and glances up at an overhead monitor. the 'abc news

Special report' graphic is already onscreen, with theme music

Underneath

70. insert tv monitor

Stock footage. we open on a shot of terrified viet cong racing for

Their lives through a dense jungle; the camera whip pans to the right

And takes in an extraordinary sight

A towering, ninety-foot tall dr. manhattan strides blithely through

The jungle, occasionally directing a blast from his fingertips at the

Greenery below. american hueys hover behind him, spitting out bursts

Of automatic fire, performing mop-up duty as this one-man defoliation

Crew does his apocalypse thing. a superimposed title reads

'vietnam. 1965.'

Announcer

Dr. manhattan: the nuclear titan spawned in a freak scientific

Mishap. for more than twenty years the 'manhattan option' has been

The linchpin of america's conventional strategy

We cut to prague, where russian tanks are rolling through a broad

Thoroughfare. dr. manhattan, only forty feet tall this time, rounds

A corner and emerges from behind a municipal building

His eyes gleam eerily, and the lead tank begins to heat up, the grey

Gunmetal turning red before our eyes. the hatch springs open, steam

Hisses, and terrified russian soldiers clamber out only to be met

With a barrage of rocks thrown by the local citizenry. title reads

'czechoslovakia. 1968.'

Announcer

In trouble spots from vietnam to czechoslovakia to nicaragua: a

One-man cavalry coming to the aid of our democratic allies, holding

The communist menace in check

Daniel ortega, in sandinista drabs, sits at a table across from

American secretary of state g. gordon liddy. the two men shake

Hands, hold up a signed treaty for the camera. dr. manhattan, in a

Three-piece suit, stands behind them, presiding over this historic

Accord. title: 'nicaragua. 1979.'

Announcer

In the famous words of general william westmoreland, 'yes, virginia

There is a superman and thank god, he's american.'

71. int. soundstage a moment later day

A sparse, businesslike talk-show set: two chairs, a table, a backdrop

Of the washington monument, and a gallery full of media people. jaded

News vet david brinkley is manning the host's chair

Brinkley

For this live question-and-answer session we'll be joined by

Correspondents from all three networks. but since i am moderating

I'll ask you to keep your questions short and snappy

Now let's welcome our special guest, jonathan osterman better

Known to the world as dr. manhattan

Applause from the crowd. angle widens to include doctor m, seated at

Brinkley's right. he nods in acknowledgement

Brinkley

I suppose the topic on everyone's mind this week is afghanistan

Where russian tanks appear to be poised for a massive invasion. now

Since you've dealt successfully with similar situations in the past

I'll ask you point-blank: has the administration requested that

You intervene?

Dr. manhattan

I will not intervene in afghanistan

A hubbub goes up among the crowd

72. angle on military liaison

Looking on from offstage. he rolls his eyes in frustration

73. angle on set brinkley and dr. manhattan

Hands are already shooting up among the newsmen in the audience

Brinkley ignores them

Brinkley

You're saying you would refuse a direct request?

Dr. manhattan

There will be no request. i will not intervene

Brinkley

Well, doctor, it's widely understood, or rumored, that you can

Actually see the future. does you answer indicate that the

Hostilities in afghanistan will blow over?

74. angle on military liaison

He's steamed, but like everyone else in the studio he's hanging on

Dr. manhattan's every word. he turns apprehensively to a colleague

In the shadows behind him and snaps his fingers once

Liaison

I want a phone line to the booth. now

75. angle on brinkley and dr. manhattan

Dr. manhattan

I see the future only as it relates to me. i have no control over it

I can only repeat that there will be no request. .and i will

Not intervene

He sits there like a big blue buddha. brinkley shrugs and presses on

Brinkley

Well, then i hope we can take that as an optimistic sign. i'll

Open up the floor to questions now. doug?

Reporter

Dr. osterman, i'm doug roth of nova express. i'd like to read

You some names: col. brent dabbs, dr. j. m. candelaria, wallace m

Weaver do these names have any meaning to you?

Dr. manhattan

All friends, yes. associates of mine

Roth

Let me go on. stephanie boris, william charles batts, susan white

Are you aware that these 'friends' and 'associates' of yours have all

Been diagnosed with terminal cancer?

The crowd noise begins to build. even brinkley's taken aback. he

Gapes at dr. manhattan who sits there silently, his inhuman face

An unreadable mask

76. angle on military liaison

Eyes wide, hand cupped over the in-house telephone

Liaison

Jesus

I want this broadcast killed. i'll run out on that goddamn set if i

Have to!

77. angle on set brinkley, roth, dr. manhattan

Roth

I have here an official list of sixteen names, all similarly

Diagnosed. now, for the record, doctor is there a

Connection?

By now, the crowd is about to erupt roth is shouting to make

Himself heard over the din. brinkley, who's just gotten a message

From the booth, touches his headset and announces

Brinkley

I'm told it's time for a break. we'll be back after this brief

Message

Within seconds the military liaison has rushed out onto the set

Flanked by two colleagues in mirrorshades

Liaison

That does it! no more questions! show's over!!

The three of them all but yank dr. manhattan out of his seat. then

Pandemonium breaks loose as eager newsmen bolt the gallery and mob

The set

Random newsmen

Dr. manhattan! are these allegations true? do you cause

Cancer??

Dr. manhattan

I don't wish to answer any questions

Random newsmen

You see the future! did you know in advance

Liaison

The doctor will not answer your questions. now step

Aside!!

The liaison and his boys form a wedge in front of dr. manhattan, but

The mass of bodies and microphones is all but impenetrable

Random newsmen

How long have you known why is the government concealing this

Information

Dr. manhattan

Please get out of my way

The liaison throws an elbow, knocking a reporter to the floor

Scuffling breaks out. just as it's getting vicious, dr. manhattan

Lets out a thunderous shout

Dr. manhattan

I said leave me alone!!

In the wink of an eye, the soundstage is empty no newsmen, no

Microphones, no cameras nothing but the lone figure of dr

Manhattan and, still sitting in the chair behind him, brinkley

Brinkley swallows hard and fidgets with his necktie. a moment later

There's an angry flash of white light and dr. manhattan vanishes

Leaving brinkley alone on the deserted set

Cut to

78. int. research center living quarters night

The place has been pretty well torn apart; major adamson is

Overseeing a crew of technicians in white suits as they post

Quarantine notices at the entrances. he's not altogether surprised

When dr. manhattan rematerializes at his side

Dr. manhattan

Where's laurie?

Adamson backs off slightly. he's not wearing a radiation suit, and

He's understandably reluctant to get any closer than absolutely

Necessary

Adamson

She's been relocated, jon. it's strictly precautionary

Dr. manhattan

There's no need to lie. i assume she's been tested. were the

Results positive?

Adamson hesitates the briefest of seconds

Dr. manhattan

Don't bother. i already know what you'll say

He watches impassively as what's left of his home is dismantled. his

Mind is already a million miles away

Adamson

Jon, i know this is presumptuous, but if you wanted to

Could you cure her?

Dr. manhattan

I don't know. i only know that i won't

There'd be no point. it's finally begun

Adamson

'begun?' what's begun?

Dr. manhattan

I've seen this day. it's the day i've been dreading all these years

You see, major adamson, laurie juspeczyk was the only human being i

Cared for

Adamson doesn't know what he's talking about, but a chill runs down

His spine nonetheless

Dr. manhattan

My work here is finished. god be with you, major

And with that, he vanishes. his double-breasted suit he leaves

Behind; it hangs in midair for a moment, then crumples into a pile at

The major's feet

Adamson

Good lord

Cut to

79. ext. outer space

And it's about as exterior as you can get. we're a few

Hundred miles above earth; the curvature of the globe is readily

Apparent from this height, and the surface looks placid and eerily

Beautiful

Oceans and continents overlaid by a pattern of shifting white

Clouds. from frame right, a blue figure swings into view, eclipsing

Our planetary vista and disappearing again off frame left

It's dr. manhattan. he's in a lotus position, sitting on

Nothingness, calmly scanning the globe from his orbital vantage

Stars twinkle behind him as he looks down on the planet he's about to

Leave, his normally-inscrutable features tinged with regret

80. ext. arizona desert night

Black sky hangs over an empty stretch of desert so desolate, so

Barren and otherworldly that it could pass for mars. could, that is

Until we see the residue of man's presence on the landscape: ruined

Quonset huts, roofless, long since abandoned to the elements

Half-buried in drifts of sand; military vehicles, little more than

Husks now, rusty and gutted; and a sign, dangling awkwardly from a

Rotted upright gila flats test base

A gecko skitters across the sand and pauses. above it, a sudden

Rupture appears in the night sky, bathing the sands in blinding blue

Light. the gecko runs wildly as dr. manhattan steps through the rift

In the sky and descends gently to earth

The rupture heals itself, and the desert is dark and peaceful once

More as dr. manhattan trudges through the sands toward the ghost town

Of gila flats. he wanders through the ravaged doorway of what was

Once a canteen: tables are overturned, bottles broken, but the long

Mahogany bar, though pitted and scarred, stands intact

A desert rat scurries down its length as dr. manhattan looks on. we

Move in on his emotionless glowing eyes and

Dissolve to

81. int. canteen day

It's twenty-odd years ago, and we're looking at dr. jonathan osterman

A big, boyish, clean-cut guy of twenty-six, dressed in a necktie

And a white lab coat. he's at a table sipping a mug of beer, wearing

A dopey smile as he gazes out of frame at his lunch companion

Janey slater

Nineteen million for the intrinsic field disruptor. you'd think they

Could at least make us a decent hamburger

Jon laughs, looks sheepishly down at his hands. he's utterly smitten

With dr. janey slater, his colleague at the test base; she's a couple

Of years older than he, and pretty, in a heavily-coiffed way just

Close enough to laurie that you'd notice the resemblance. and she's

Probably the only one in the room who can't see just how bad a crush

Jon has on her

Jon

I'll say. if we ever get off this looney-tune project, i'm gonna

Head straight for civilization and buy me a big thick steak

Janey

With lots of ketchup?

Smiling, she indicates jon's plate. he's emptied at least half a

Bottle on his french fries

Jon

Nothing wrong with ketchup

Janey

Jon osterman, you don't act like a princeton boy. what's a big lug

Like you doing in a place like this?

Jon

Anything for science, i guess

Janey, there's something

Janey

We should get back

What?

Jon

Nothing. what were you going to say?

Janey

We should get back to the lab

You okay, jon?

He stares at his hands, afraid to meet her eyes. after a moment he

Pipes up

Jon

Yeah. you go ahead. i'll be right behind you

The lad seems a little screwy today. janey shrugs, gets up and heads

For the door. jon takes a moment to collect himself, then looks after

Janey. she's paused in the doorway to unbuckle her wristwatch

His face goes a little pale. he screws up his courage, rushes up

Behind her

Janey

Stupid watch. stopped again. do you have the

Jon

Janey, will you marry me?

She turns and looks him squarely in the face. he's wearing the

Pained expression of a convicted murderer waiting to hear the

Verdict

Janey

Jon what?

Jon swallows hard, and the two of them stare at each other, eyes

Locked. for a moment it's as if they're the only souls in the

Canteen. but just then two scientists come bustling through the

Door, clipboards in hand, deep in a conversation of their own; and

One of them dr. wally weaver walks smack into the startled

Janey, causing her to drop her wristwatch

There's a loud crunch. jon and janey snap out of their private

Trance as wally bends to retrieve the watch

Wally

Christ, janey, i think i stepped on your watch

Janey

Wally, don't feel bad. it was cheap, it never worked anyway

Jon

I can fix it

Janey

What?

Jon

My dad's a watchmaker. i'll put it back together for you. better

Than ever

He holds out his hand. their eyes meet for a long moment

Wally

Take him up on it. it'd make me feel better

Chuckling, wally and his colleague head off to find a table. janey

Hands jon the watch; his hands close around her, and he gazes at her

With basset-hound eyes. she realizes he's still waiting for his

Answer

But before she can speak, jon produces a small box from his pocket

He thrusts it abruptly into janey's hands

Jon

Here. i'll trade you

And hustles off. she opens the box, finds an engagement ring

With a little smile she tries it on, and turns to show jon but

He's already gone

She stares at the ring. her smile broadens

82. int. laboratory day

Jon's at a lab table, papers stacked all around him. in the center

Of the table is a piece of black velvet strewn with jeweler's

Tools

It's his lunch hour, and he's fixing janey's watch. he tightens the

Central screw which holds the hands in place, then fits the crystal

Into its housing and gives it a light tap

With a big, childlike grin of satisfaction the boy's in love

Remember he gets up and starts for the door. the lab is jammed

With oversized, arcane machinery; the centerpiece is a concrete test

Chamber with two-foot-thick metal walls. mounted on either side of

It are particle cannons great bulky devices which look like

Anti-aircraft guns encircled by huge plexiglass coils

He stops, spots his lab coat hanging on a peg in the corner, and

Walks over to grab it. as he's putting it on, he hears a tiny squeak

From the direction of the test chamber

Mounted above the chamber is a digital clock hours, minutes

Seconds, tenths of seconds. just now it's 13:58 and change. jon

Eyes the clock, hesitates briefly, then grabs a broom and steps to

The reinforced steel door of the chamber

Inside, the chamber is empty but for a concrete block mounted on a

Low platform and a mouse, which scurries into the corner when it

Hears jon coming. he steps inside, sets janey's watch on the

Concrete block, and swings the broom at the mouse

Jon

C'mon, little guy, outta here

The mouse legs it out the door. jon follows, smiling, broom in

Hand

Jon

Don't wanna screw up a million-dollar experiment

He stops. feels around in his pocket. realizes he's left the watch

Inside

He looks at the overhead clock again 13:59:30 and counting

Agitated now, he races back toward the chamber, pauses in the

Doorway, spots the watch resting where he left it on the far side of

The concrete block. he dashes inside, circles around the concrete

Block, reaches for the watch

And freezes at the sound of three warning beeps behind him

White-faced, he snatches at the watch and ducks around the concrete

Block too quickly. he nicks his shin on the projecting edge of

The support platform and tumbles to the floor of the chamber

Before his eyes, a massive steel door is sliding into place

Trapping him inside

He lurches toward the door, gets a hand through. the door keeps

Sliding. he jerks his hand back a half-second before the door slams

Shut

83. int. lab entry that moment

1300 hours sharp. a half-dozen scientists stroll into the lab. one

Of them is passing out goggles to his colleagues and a pair of

Military bigwigs who are obviously on a walking tour of the

Facilities

Scientist

Actually, we don't know what happens when you disrupt the

Intrinsic field. all we've managed to do so far is blow a few

Concrete blocks all to hell

General

No danger of fallout, is there?

Scientist

No sir. the chamber's radiation-proof once it's sealed. that's why

We waited outside

The translucent coils on the particle cannons have begun to glow a

Dull red

The crowd draws closer, goggles in place. there's a dim, distant

Thumping

The scientists look at the chamber and go slackjawed in perfect

Unison

General

What's the matter?

Scientist

Sweet jesus

We dolly in rapidly on the observation panel mounted inthe wall of

The test chamber leaded glass, two feet thick. behind it is the

Terrified face of jon osterman pounding frantically on the glass

Screaming soundlessly

Pandemonium in the lab as the scientists rush right and left

Punching buttons, twisting knobs to no avail. the general comes

To a belated and painfully obvious realization

General

Say, there's a man in there!!

The coils on the cannons have gone from red to bright yellow. one

Scientist stands at the observation window and shouts

Scientist i

Stay calm, jon! we'll try and kill the power!

While another barks furiously into a wall phone

Scientist ii

Building six! kill the power! osterman's trapped in the i.f

Chamber!!

The general stands there looking rather nonplussed

General

Well why doesn't someone let him out??

Scientist iii

It's a timelock. it can't be opened once the sequence

Starts

What's the word?

Scientist ii

They're sending a crew to the generator building

Scientist iv

Twenty seconds!

In a glass box on the wall is a fire ax with the instructions 'in

Case of fire break glass.' wally weaver, jon's friend from the

Canteen, wraps his lab coat around his forearm, punches through the

Glass, and grabs the ax

Scientist i

Wally! what are you doing?

Wally

The power cables!!

And now another figure enters the lab the unsuspecting janey

Slater

Janey

Am i late for the

She stops in midsentence at the sight of the frenzied action in the

Lab. scientist iii spots her, grabs her, tries to push her back

Through the door

Scientist iii

Janey! get her out of here. get out!

But she resists. she's just spotted wally with his ax, poised to

Take a swing at a thick black cable on the floor. the cannon coils

Have just gone from yellow to a brilliant, luminous white

Janey

What in the name of where's jon?

Scientist iii

Janey! please! go!!

Wally strikes at the cable. nothing. he takes another whack, and a

Sudden jolt of current knocks him off his feet and throws him into a

Wall

Sparks fly, but the process continues. the room is full of white

Light. janey, fighting her way past the scientist, gets a good look

At the observation panel and the blood drains from her face

Janey

Jon

84. int. test chamber that moment

Jon backs away from the glass panel, a look of disbelief on his

Face. he blinks; his hands fall limply at his sides; the watch

Which he's been holding all along, falls on the floor and shatters

And everything in the room goes blue

85. int. lab that moment

The scientists slowly cluster around the observation panel, unable to

Tear their eyes away. janey, past hope, wanders up unsteadily behind

Them

Janey

Jon

Jon!!!

86. int. test chamber that moment

Jon's back is arched. his arms go up. his face is a mask of

Unbelievable agony

A moment later, his skin is gone. a black skeleton like a

Photographic negative stands in his place

Then the skeleton bursts. into its constituent atoms. the

Iridescent blue light has quite literally taken jon osterman to

Pieces

And then, the test chamber is empty. the blue light begins to dim

And we're looking through the window panel at the stagger faces of

The scientists. one by one, they back away leaving only janey

Who gazes into the chamber with a blank, soulless stare

Dissolve to

87. int. ruined canteen night

The desert rat chitters on the bar. on the partially collapsed wall

Behind it hangs a broken clock, which stopped some twenty years ago

At 11:48 pm

For a moment dr. manhattan, even more abstracted than usual, watches

The rat. then he turns and walks through more drifted sand out the

Door of the canteen

88. ext. desert night

Dr. manhattan walks aimlessly through the rubble of the compound

89. int. men's room night

Two scientists washing their hands at the sinks. they glance up into

The mirror simultaneously, and blanch. behind them, a hideous

Thing is coalescing in midair a brain, eyes, a dangling spinal

Cord, wriggling neurons a gruesome, disembodied central nervous

System

They pivot, shrieking, just in time to see the creature evaporate in

A haze of shimmering blue light

90. ext. desert night

Dr. manhattan keeps on walking

91. ext. test base night

Horrified sentries fire their rifles, then turn and run. a

Partially-muscled skeleton stands by the perimeter fence and screams

For several seconds before vanishing altogether

92. ext. desert night

Dr. manhattan keeps on walking

93. int. gila flats mess hall night

Dinnertime. janey and wally at a table

Janey

I can't help it. i'm going to quit this place. it feels it

Feels haunted

Wally

It'll be all right, janey. you need time, that's all

Do you hear some kind of whistling?

Indeed she does, and within moments it builds to a deafening whine

Odder yet, wally's hair is standing on end and so is janey's

Everyone in the mess hall seems to be experiencing the same freakish

Phenomenon

Utensils rise from tables and drift magically into the air. without

Warning, the overhead lights blow out and a brilliant blue glow

Suffuses the room. all eyes turn toward the source of the glow

The fully formed figure of dr. manhattan, floating above them

Nude, hands spread like some majestic blue messiah. metal trays and

Utensils hover in midair around him, throwing off sparks

Janey gapes at his face. she recognizes it instantly. her hands go

To her mouth and she lets out a horrible, endless shriek

Janey

Jon-n-n-n!!!

Dissolve to

94. ext. desert night

The shriek dies as dr. manhattan stares up into space. he turns

Stares at the ground. nothing but sand. he stoops nonetheless and

Begins to dig

A couple of inches down, he finds what he's looking for: an ancient

Tattered photograph, faded almost beyond recognition. young jon, and

Janey slater. she's holding up her hand, showing off her brand-new

Engagement ring

His fist close around the snapshot. his eyes slowly shut

95. series of shots

Quick, almost subliminal visions of the past and future

Jon's black skeleton, bursting to atoms in the test chamber

Janey shrieking in the mess hall, her face bathed in blue

Light

Laurie at a breakfast table, drinking coffee, reading the paper

There's a sudden flash of light; the windows shatter inward; a

Terrible blast of heat chars the skin off her bones

A city demolished by a nuclear blast, the inevitable mushroom

Cloud rising swiftly, blotting out the sky

96. ext. desert on dr. manhattan

Fists still clenched, he stands grimacing, distraught, alone in

The ghostly calm of the desert. he rises into the air, slowly at

First, then faster finally disappearing in a sudden blue

Starburst a mile above the ground

97. ext. outer space

All at once, we're back in the starry void, hurtling away from earth

At unimagined speeds through empty space, past the moon, on

Toward mars

The red planet looms larger and larger, finally dominating the frame

As we descend toward the chaotic terrain of the martian surface

Individual features of the landscape grow gradually more distinct

Vast canyons, oceans of fog, volcanoes the size of missouri

Herschel's famous canali. and finally, the argyre

Planitia, an enormous shallow crater, its rocky rim encircling

Two jutting blue mountains and, to the south, a ragged, semicircular

Ridge

Two eyes, a big broad smile. it looks uncannily like a

Happy-face

Many miles below us, a tiny rupture opens in the martian

Atmosphere. blue light spills out an instant before we

Cut to

98. insert television screen

The late news, with highlights of dr. manhattan's press conference

As the throng of reporters shove microphones at him, we zoom in on

His angered face

Dr. manhattan

I said leave me alone!!

Then there's a sudden cut. we see the same reporters, in the same

Positions, only dr. manhattan is gone and they're all standing on

The white house lawn, in the midst of a torrential downpour

Pull back to

99. int. room govt. security complex night

A restless laurie watching the broadcast from an overstuffed chair

She's in a big open room with a bed and kitchenette; except for the

Big metal door and the bars on the windows, it could pass for a comfy

Furnished studio

Tv anchorwoman

In washington, where an irate dr. manhattan teleported

A crew of reporters into the midst of a rainstorm on pennsylvania

Avenue!

Tv anchorman

Well, katie, i know some politicians who'd like to learn that trick

Laurie turns at the sound of keys in the door. a moment later

Schmidt enters, followed by a pair of federal agents

Schmidt

All right, miss juspeczyk. pack your things

Laurie

Am i free to go?

Schmidt

You're free to do whatever you goddamn well please. let's move

It

Laurie

I don't know why you've been keeping me here, but you're in deep shit

Schmidt

I am, honey. you see, russian tanks are crossing the afghan

Border this very minute. and we are all of us, every living

Soul, in deep, deep shit because our number-one strategic

Weapons has finally flipped out

Laurie

Jon?? you mean he's

Schmidt

That's right. your meal ticket's flown the coop. that blue bastard

Has apparently left the planet

Cut to

100. ext. newstand day

The same headlines scream from every edition on the rack

Dr. manhattan leaves earth

Russian tanks advance

President vows 'maximum force'

Where is dr. manhattan?

And on the street, tensions are running high. the familiar news

Vendor is engaged in a heated exchange with one of his customers

News vendor

I'll tell you what the problem is. we shoulda been building tanks

Bombs, icbm's! instead we been relying on that big blue son of a

Bitch

Customer

Anyone ever tell you you're full of shit?

News vendor

Kiss my ass, buddy! keep your goddamn quarter!

Voice

New frontiersman, please

The news vendor turns suddenly, finds himself confronted by an old

Friend: the red-haired street crazy with the end-of-the-world sign

He rolls his eyes this is all i need and reaches under

The counter

News vendor

Here you go, pal. two bucks

Well, i see the world ain't ended yet

The street crazy eyes the lurid cover of his magazine. 'exposed: red

Plot to frame dr. manhattan!'

Street crazy

How do you know?

Cut to

101. ext. tenement building night

A row of decayed walk-ups in a fringe neighborhood downtown. a

Drunken couple a gaunt, middle-aged man and a blowsy, overweight

Woman totter down the street arm in arm. neon signs blink on and

Off as they mount the front steps of a seedy building, exchanging

Tipsy giggles

102. int. tenement apartment night

A three-room hellhole, decor by goodwill. a door opens, and the man

Ushers his date inside with exaggerated formality. her name is lucy

His is edgar william jacobi, but for reasons soon to be revealed

We'll call him moloch

Moloch

Now. what was milady drinking?

Lucy

Gin. straight up

With a little twist of lime

She laughs convulsively, as if she's just told the world's funniest

Joke. moloch lifts a single finger and starts toward the kitchen

Moloch

I think i can oblige

103. int. kitchen a moment later night

Moloch freezes in the doorway, his face taut with apprehension. the

Contents of his refrigerator have been strewn all over the kitchen

Floor overturns milk cartons, broken eggs, the like. it's a

Disaster area. as he steps inside to investigate, lucy appears in

The doorway behind him and snorts

Lucy

Jeez, honey! you got some kind of animal in here?

On cue, the refrigerator door kicks open and out pops rorschach

He grabs moloch by the lapels, pins him back against the kitchen

Table

Rorschach

Moloch. did you miss me?

Lucy

Willie! jesus! what's going on?

Rorschach

Who's the welfare mother?

Moloch

I don't know who you are buddy, but i swear to god, you got the wrong

Guy

Rorschach

Edgar william jacobi, aka william edgar bright, a.k.a. moloch

Moloch

You're making a big

Rorschach lifts moloch up slightly, then slams him down hard against

The table repeatedly, to the beat

Rorschach

Terrorist. radical agitator. stool pigeon

Moloch

All right! all right!! how'd you find me?

Lucy

Willie, what's he talking about?

Rorschach backs off, allowing moloch to slump to the floor

Rorschach kneels beside him

Moloch

Look, i don't know what you want, but i been a private citizen for

Ten years. i

Rorschach cups one gloved hand under moloch's chin and pulls him

Close. then, for lucy's benefit, he explains

Rorschach

Turned state's witness in '75. earned himself a brand-new face

Hnnrh. butt-ugly then butt-ugly now

He shoves moloch back onto the floor, then stands. there's a sugar

Bowl on the table; rorschach spots it and pockets a few cubes as

Moloch gets up to dust himself off

Rorschach

Comedian dead. dr. manhattan in exile. obvious connection. who's

Behind it?

Moloch

Rorschach, you're talkin' heavy duty stuff. i got nothing to do with

Rorschach

Worked both sides of the fence. ask your old buddies in the ctu

Moloch

Ctu? jesus. you don't think

Rorschach

Don't know. ask around. i'll be back

Lucy, still unsettled, crosses to moloch's side and grips his arm as

Rorschach opens a rear window. he's climbing through the frame when

He stops suddenly and points a finger at the frightened pair

Rorschach

Word of advice for the lady stock up on penicillin

And he's out on the fire escape and gone. lucy looks suspiciously

At moloch, who shrugs, embarrassed: i don't know what he's talking

About

Cut to

104. int. pentagon war room day

The familiar set from dr. strangelove: top brass seated at a

Big round table, with a huge mercator-projection map of the world

Looming in bg. the afghan-pakistani border is highlighted in red; a

Military analyst paces in front of the big board with a penlight

Pointer

Highlighting areas of strategic importance

Analyst

Our projections show pakistan falling within the week. from there

It's sixty percent certain they'll try to take western europe

General

Respectfully, sir, out nato allies are getting itchy. they're

Quizzing us about the possibility of a first strike

Move in on a tall chair at the head of the table the back of which

Bears the seal of the president of the united states

President

First strike

I'd like to view the simulation

The analyst hits a button on a remote control device

Analyst

Optimally we could expect to wipe out some eighty percent of

Their retaliatory capability before they knew what hit 'em

On the big board, blue arrows emanate from selected points in the

Pacific and the arctic circle and veer toward russian turf

Blossoming in yellow-and-black radiation

Symbols as they strike their targets

President

What about our end?

Analyst

Well, sir in a worst-case scenario we'd assume that

Twenty-five percent of the russian birds get through

On the board, red arrows inch westward from mother russia

Analyst

Britain down germany down

President

What kind of time frame are we talking about?

Analyst

Thirty minutes maximum. of course, i assume we'd be in the fortified

Command bunker at the time of the launch order

Radiation symbols sprout over new york, baltimore, washington

Denver, los angeles, san francisco

President

Of course

By now, both coasts are pretty well blotted out. the analyst, a

Dedicated optimist, turns to announce

Analyst

As you can see, we may be able to salvage a good-sized chunk of the

Farm belt

President

What about the aftermath? this so-called 'nuclear winter'

Theory?

Analyst

We don't really know, sir, but bluntly, our survival capability

May depend on a quirk of the weather

President

The weather. i see

Keep me posted. i want hourly forecasts and a full report on optimum

Strike conditions

The secretary of state our old pal g. gordon liddy pipes up

Secretary liddy

Dick, before we act hastily, we should consider dr. manhattan

May decide to return

With a heavy heart, the chief executive pushes himself away from the

Table and we get our first good look at him. his face is lined

And tired, his hair is flecked with white, but he's none other than

That beloved statesman richard m. nixon still vital and robust at

74

President

Good god. at times like this i wish i'd never come out of

Retirement

Cut to

105. int. doctor's office reception room day

A private practice in midtown manhattan. laurie emerges from an

Examination room, grim and hollow-eyed; the doctor hangs back in the

Doorway

Doctor

I'm sorry, miss juspecyzk

Laurie

Not at all, doctor. i appreciate your honesty

106. int. gunga diner dusk

A greasy indian restaurant in a village storefront. in a booth near

The entrance we find laurie and dreiberg munching on chicken

Tandoori

Dreiberg

Christ yes, i went in for a cancer scan first thing. gave me a

Couple of rough nights, i'll tell you

How about you, laurie?

Laurie

Yeah. they gave me a clean bill of health and then booted me the

Hell out

No expense account. no place to live

Dreiberg

You'll find something. i should go. you and me, seeing each

Other, someone might put two and two together

Laurie shakes her head and laughs mirthlessly

Laurie

They're not following me, dan. i mean jon's gone, we're

Right on the brink of world war iii. nobody cares about the

Watchmen

Dreiberg

Maybe not, but why take chances?

Laurie

Dan, what are you so scared of? i mean, me, i've spent

All these years keeping jon together, and now that it's over i feel

I feel glad. i'm finally free to, to go out and live my own

Life, and

And she's dying of cancer. the irony of it hits home, throws a

Damper on her little burst of optimism. depressed again, she starts

To get up

Laurie

I'm just running on, dan. thanks for dinner. i'd better go find

Myself a cheap room

Dreiberg watches on, paralyzed by indecision, as laurie heads for the

Door of the restaurant. then, submitting to impulse, he gets up and

Chases her down

Dreiberg

Laurie, wait. i've got a spare room. it's empty. if you'd like

Laurie

Daniel, thanks, but i couldn't. you'd just be all nervous about

Dreiberg

No, screw that. what you were saying before, it's absolutely

Right. i'd love to have you stay

Laurie

You're sure?

He nods. she smiles and takes his arm as they walk out of the

Restaurant

Through the window of a nearby booth we watch them passing on the

Street outside. the occupant of the booth, whose face is out of

Frame, fidgets restlessly with a menu and a squeeze bottle of

Ketchup

He inverts the ketchup over the menu, squirts out an upside-down

Question mark, then closes the menu and mashes it shut. when he

Opens it again, he's got a makeshift rorschach blot

107. ext. alley behind gunga diner sunset

A short-order cook empties garbage into a can outside the restaurant

Then disappears inside. two beats later, a dark silhouette strolls

Casually down the alleyway

He moves a garbage can, finds a sheet of plywood tacked to the

Crumbling brick wall behind it. he pries the plywood loose, finds a

Small recess in the wall, then extracts a slouch hat and a

Shifting inkblot mask

108. int. dreiberg's apartment night

The guest bedroom is furnished in a somewhat grandmotherly style

Flowered wallpaper, an old brass bed with a frilly comforter, etc

It's small but cozy, and laurie lets out an appreciative as

Dreiberg ushers her in

Laurie

This is so nice of you, daniel. i really do appreciate it

Dreiberg's lugging her suitcases. he sets them on the bed and stands

There for a moment, looking vaguely expectant

Laurie

Are you waiting for a tip?

Dreiberg

No. sorry. i'll be right down the hall if you want me i

Mean, if you need some aspirin, or

Laurie

I'm gonna take a warm bath and sack out. you've been really

Sweet. sleep tight, okay?

She gives him a sisterly peck on the cheek, then returns to her

Unpacking. dreiberg watches her for a second, then turns to go

109. int. hallway on dreiberg

As he closes the door, he get a quick glimpse, from behind, of laurie

Unbuttoning her shirt. he quickly averts his gaze and pulls the door

Shut

110. int. dreiberg's bedroom night

Dreiberg, in pajamas, climbs into bed and kills the light. he folds

His hands behind his head and stares up at the ceiling

111. flashback processed footage

Another quick glimpse of derring-do. this time it's silk spectre

Laurie in the midst of a gang of thugs. she fights them off

Valiantly, but she's heavily outnumbered. she turns and runs

An oblong shadow falls across the ground, and night owl swings into

Frame; he's clinging to a rope ladder which hangs from his airship

Overhead. in one smooth motion he swoops into laurie's path and

Snatches her into the air, safe from the clutches of her pursuers

112. int. bedroom on dreiberg

His head turns at the sound of water running in the bathroom

Adjacent. he's going to be awake half the night thinking of

Laurie

Cut to

113. ext. street day

Early morning. across the street from us is a bubble car parked in

An alley. its occupants: moloch, and a straitlaced guy in a suit and

Crewcut. he's got a definite ctu look about him

Moloch gets out, scans the street, and crosses toward the gunga

Diner

114. int. gunga diner rest room a moment later

A twitchy moloch locks himself in a stall, sits on the throne, and

Pulls out a bundle of white powder. he takes a couple of hits up the

Nose, then dips his finger in the stuff and rubs it around the edges

Of his eyelids

His eyes water. he sniffles. he reaches for some toilet paper

Bizarrely, a small business card falls out of the roll. he picks it

Up

There's a hand-scrawled rorschach blot on its face

A low, hissing growl from overhead. moloch looks up suddenly and

Sees rorschach peering at him over the stall partition

He gasps and lunges for the door. rorschach's arm snakes out and

Holds the stall door shut

Rorschach

Two things i hate. street mimes users of recreational

Drugs

Moloch

No, no. you got it all wrong. i been on the case, rorschach, i got

Something for you

A long pause. rorschach growls again: let's have it

Moloch

There's a big bunch of research scientists missing. blake was on

A case, trying to track 'em down

It's big, rorschach. something to do with doc manhattan. that's all

I've been able to find out

Rorschach

Drug habit. highly illegal. hnrrh

Let it go time. in future just say no

With that he disappears over the edge of the stall. moloch sits

There a moment. he reaches for the stall door, rattles it. it won't

Open

Moloch

Hey!!

Rorschach's stuck a broomstick through the door handles on the

Adjacent stalls. as moloch pounds on the door in frustration, we

Cut to

115. int. veidt's penthouse suite day

A plush reception room in his veidt industries pyramid; it's

Decorated in the same egyptian motifs as his office. veidt sits in

An overstuffed chair, surrounded by video cameras; he's in the

Process of charming justine james, a fawning barbara walters-figure

Who's prepping a segment for her next celebrity-chat special

Justine

Now adrian, i guess there's one thing everyone wants to know

Are you the world's smartest man?

Veidt

My, yes. and the best-dressed

A round of chuckles from the video crew. wotta smoothie!

Justine

You're certainly one of the richest. holder of over forty

Basic patents including products that have changed our everyday

Lives

If you had one achievement you were proudest of what would that be?

Veidt ponders for a second, then reaches into his jacket and pulls

Out his gold cigarette case

Veidt

Sphinx brand

When i got out of weapons design, i wanted to move into a more

Humanitarian area. i was thinking: what would do some good

In the world? and i thought: why not a genetically-altered tobacco

That no only doesn't cause cancer but cleans out your lungs

As you smoke it?

In fact i think i'll have one now. care to join me?

Justine

Thanks, no. but it's a wonderful product. now adrian your

Old colleague dr. manhattan has just left the planet amid rumors

Veidt

No. no. cut. justine, we agreed. no questions about the

Watchmen

Justine

Sweetheart, just a quick one

Veidt

No. we laid out very careful ground rules

Veidt is interrupted by a growling noise from his office adjacent

He glances quickly over his shoulder, then gets back to business

Veidt

We agreed specifically

More growling from the next room over. the camera crew's getting

Curious. veidt gets up from his chair

Veidt

Excuse me a second

He goes to the office door and slips inside. the usually-smiley

Justine shoots a look of disgust at her crew: what a prick

116. int. veidt's office day

Veidt is shocked to find rorschach down on the carpet, wrestling with

His mutant lynx. he claps his hands twice

Veidt

Kitty!!

One last nip, and the cat backs off. rorschach gets to his feet

No visible signs of damage, except for a severe bruise to his

Dignity

Veidt

How the hell did you get in here?

The curtains are flapping; a breeze hits veidt across the face. he

Looks up, sees a neat round hole cut out of his plate-glass

Window

Rorschach

New information

Veidt

Ever see one of these before?

Rorschach

Too important for telephone. comedian dr. manhattan. all linked

Up

Veidt

What is that ungodly smell?

Rorschach, abashed, lets out a timid version of his trademark

Hiss

Rorschach

Bigger than i thought. ctu involved

Veidt

Yeah, i've heard all about your conspiracy theories. now i've got a

Roomful of cameras in there. i want you out. now

And whatever you're doing, knock it off. you're making us

All look bad

Rorschach

Fate of the world at stake, adrian. can't get too worked up over bad

Press

He makes for the window. veidt frowns, adjusts his tie and exits

Cut to

117. int. dreiberg's kitchen night

Dreiberg and laurie cooking dinner. dreiberg burns his fingers on a

Broiling pan, which prompts a sudden round of stamping and

Cursing

Laurie watches for a minute, then shakes her head. she pours a full

Glass of wine and thrusts it at him

Laurie

Daniel drink this. immediately

I swear, you are acting like a kid on a date

Sucking on his burnt fingers, he reluctantly takes the wineglass

Dreiberg

Okay, i'm nervous. it's an odd sensation. i've always had to think

Of you as dr. manhattan's

He catches himself too late. laurie glowers at him

Laurie

His what?

Dreiberg

His whatever

Laurie

I'm not his whatever. okay?

She spears a couple of steaks, drops them on plates, and heads toward

The dining room

Laurie

Look, i just want to eat dinner and get drunk. let's not make it any

More difficult than we have to

118. insert television screen

The latest bad news from half a world away

News anchor

Meanwhile, in afghanistan, the fighting continues to escalate

On a televised map of afghanistan, red russian arrows are working

Their way slowly but inexorably toward pakistani territory

News anchor

With russian forces approaching the border, pakistan today called on

The us to intervene. president nixon has placed america's european

Military installations on full alert

Camera pulls back, placing us in

119. int. dreiberg's apartment night

A dining room table littered with crumpled napkins and dirty

Dishes. dreiberg and laurie have just finished dinner. he stares in

Dismay at the tv screen as he opens a fresh bottle of wine

Dreiberg

Good lord. with jon out of the picture it's a whole new ball

Game

Laurie's already a little tipsy, and the broadcast doesn't much

Interest her. wine glass in hand, she's wandered over to the stereo

Cabinet

Laurie

That's right, daniel. a whole new ball game

God! i haven't seen on of these in fifteen years

She's referring to dreiberg's ancient turntable. shelved beneath it

Are row upon row of lp's these days, they're obsolete collector's

Items

Dreiberg

I told you i was a little bit out of step. a lot of the old stuff i

Listen to it never came out on crystal

Laurie

I'd say you stalled out about forty years ago

Nellie lutcher louis jordan i've never even heard of these

People

Dreiberg

Play one. educate yourself

Laurie chuckles. her head turns at the sound of a familiar

Commercial theme. on the tv, a young woman sits at her vanity and

Gazes lovingly at a wedding picture framed in silver

Laurie

Look. it's adrian's ad

Tv chorus

My darling, it's incredible

That someone so unforgettable

120. int. tenement flat night

Moloch's apartment. the same commercial is blaring from the tv as

Rorschach lets himself in

Tv chorus

Should think i am unforgettable too.'

Rorschach

Moloch?

No reply from moloch, who sits in an easy chair, his back to camera

Seemingly glued to the tube. rorschach casts a cautious glance

Around the room and advances stealthily toward the chair. onscreen

The woman at the vanity opens a jar and smear lime-green goo on her

Face

Tv announcer

The years melt away with nostalgia. use it once a week and

Wrinkles vanish overnight. medically tested, non-habit-forming

Nostalgia is the patented beauty cream that actually reverses

The aging process

Rorschach

Moloch?

He creeps up behind moloch, lays a hand on his shoulder

121. reverse angle on moloch

Staring at the tv screen with sightless eyes. there's a neat round

Bullet-hole in the center of his forehead. rorschach sees it and

Spins on his heels, anticipating an ambush

Tv announcer

For the smooth young face he'll never forget

122. int. dreiberg's apartment that moment night

Laurie is still flipping through records. dreiberg chuckles at the

Tv ad

Tv announcer

Turn back the clock with nostalgia from veidt industries

Dreiberg

No wonder adrian's rich. you use that stuff?

Laurie

Sure. it works. i mean, look at this face, daniel. i'm

Thirty-eight years old!

Dreiberg

I don't mind getting older. i'm obsolete anyway. why try to hide

It?

Laurie

I like the way you look

It's strange with jon. he doesn't age. his face doesn't change

But you, daniel, you look

Dreiberg

Old?

Laurie

Not at all. you look very dashing

Here, you pick one

Dreiberg

What?

Laurie

Pick a record. i feel like dancing

Her tone is unmistakably flirtatious. dreiberg hesitates then

With a noncommittal smile, he moves to the record cabinet

123. int. tenement flat night

Rorschach making a hasty exit. an amplified voice booms out

Loudspeaker

Rorschach! this is the civil terrorism unit. you have one minute to

Come out

He goes to the window and peeks through the blinds. on the street

Outside, bubble cars are massing, blocking off the intersection. a

Ctu swat team prepares to raid the building

Loudspeaker

You won't be harmed. come out. it's all over!

He's walked into a trap. as he lets the blinds fall, all sound dies

And a bouncy, tinkling piano theme comes up underneath

124. int. dreiberg's apartment night

The piano music emanates from dreiberg's stereo: an old fats waller

Tune, 's'posin'.' he's slow dancing with laurie, their faces

Illuminated by the cold blue flicker of the television. with a smile

She reaches up to remove his glasses, then deposits them in his shirt

Pocket

Dreamily, she rests her hand on his shoulder. her nearness is making

Him nervous. she pauses in mid-step and takes his face in her

Hands. he tries to look away, but she pulls his face around so

That he can't avoid her gaze any longer and plants a soft kiss on

His mouth

The piano intro ends, and fats' teasing vocal begins

's'posin' i should fall in love with you

Do you think that you could love me too

125. int. tenement that moment night

Song continues underneath, cheerful soundtrack accompaniment to a

Horrific silent movie. rorschach races out of the bathroom carrying

A plastic mop bucket, plus an armload of bottles and aerosol cans

Ordinary household supplies. he enters the kitchen, rummages around

Under the sink, finds another handful of bottles: cleaning fluid

Rubbing alcohol, drano

Almost as an afterthough he moves to the gas stove, turns on all the

Burners and blows out the flames

's'posin' i should hug you and caress you

Would it impress you

126. int. tenement front stairwell that moment

A contingent of armed ctu men rushing silently up the stairs

'or would it distress you? hmm?'

127. int. tenement that moment

Rorschach dousing the living room carpet with charcoal lighter and

Rubbing alcohol. there's a pile of bottles only half-emptied

Resting next to the front door. the ctu cops are pounding on the

Front door, trying to break it down. rorschach crouches in the

Hallway just outside the living room

The door finally gives way, and the cops tumble in. rorschach

Strikes a match and holds it to the nozzle of an aerosol can

Creating a minature flamethrower. the cops heads swivel just as the

Puddle on the carpet catches and a moment later, the pile of

Bottles explodes, engulfing the doorway in flame

's'posin' i should say for you i yearn

Would you think i'm speaking out of turn?

128. int. dreiberg's apartment night

Dreiberg and laurie horizontal on the sofa, their clothes in

Disarray. laurie kisses him hungrily but he's distant, panicky

Unable to respond. it's been a long time for him. it's not going

Well

's'posin' i declare it

Would you take my love and share it?

I'm not s'posin', i'm in love with you

He wriggles beneath her. she takes his hand, presses it onto her

Breast

129. int. tenement that moment night

Instrumental bridge continues underneath as rorschach backs through

The kitchen with his bucket. smoke billows in from the living room

He empties two bottles of cooking oil on the linoleum floor. then he

Ducks through a door into the back stairwell

130. int. stairwell landing a moment later

Rorschach opens a bottle of cleaning fluid, stuffs a wad of newspaper

Into its neck. the first wave of cops coughing and hacking from

The smoke makes it into the kitchen just as he ignites his molotov

Cocktail and tosses it inside

The cops pitch backward as the bottle blows up. by the time they hit

The floor, the cooking oil has burst into flame

Rorschach bolts up the stairs; by now, another squad of ctu men is

Coming up with back way behind him

131. int. kitchen a moment later

Charred cops, leaping flames. camera zeroes in on the gas stove

132. ext. tenement that moment night

A gaping hole blows open in the front of the building. fiery rubble

Hails down on the ctu units outside. re-enter fats on vocals

's'posin' i should hug you and caress you?

Would it impress you?

133. int. dreiberg's apartment night

Laurie is fumbling with dreiberg's pants. finally he can't stand it

Anymore and with a pained, stricken look he pushes her away and

Sits up on the sofa. his head sinks into his hands. at first she

Doesn't understand; then her face softens, and she moves to his side

Embracing his shoulders, gently stroking his hair

Or would it distress you?'

134. int. tenement back stairwell that moment

Rorschach huddled on the uppermost landing, just below roof level

By now the whole building is ablaze. two flights down, a pair of ctu

Cops are fighting their way through the inferno, still on his tail

He still has his mop bucket; it's half-full of water. he reaches for

His last can a can of drano and empties it into the bucket

Where it begins to hiss and sizzle

's'posin' i should say for you i yearn

Would you think i'm speaking out of turn

The cops are almost on him, racing upward two steps at a time. he

Steps out in front of them, and before they can hoist their

Weapons heaves the bucketful of boiling drano into their faces

The cops shriek soundlessly and topple backwards into the flames as

Rorschach turns tail and bursts through the door to the roof

135. ext. tenement roof a moment later night

Rorschach emerges and a blinding light catches him full in the

Face. hovering not twenty feet overhead is a police airship a

Blimp-like craft of the sort we saw earlier. a spray of machine-gun

Fire peppers the roof

's'posin' i declare it

Would you take my love and share it?

Rorschach scuttles along the edge of the roof, finds a rickety fire

Escape, and dives over. unfortunately, he's now exposed on the front

Of the building pinned to the wall by gunfire from the swat team on

The street. tongues of flame dart from nearby windows. he turns and

Tries to climb back upward, but more cops frm the just-landed

Airship are already spilling over the edge of the roof

'i ain't s'posin', i'm in love with you.'

The song ends. and on the last note, rorschach emits an ungodly howl

Of fury diving over the metal railing, plunging to the street

Below

136. ext. street that moment

Three stories down, he crashes into a cluster of garbage cans and

Lies there, spent, twisted, wracked with pain. the ctu cops are on

Him instantly, kicking him, pummeling him with billy clubs and rifle

Butts

Cops

Get him! get his mask! let's see the little fucker's face!!

Rorschach

Gnaaaahh!! no!! no!!

In seconds the inkblot mask is off revealing a pocked, doughy face

Topped off with a shock of matted red hair. it's a familiar

Face the face of the street crazy who haunts the newsstand

With his placards announcing the end of the world

Cop

Christ. he's got five-inch heels. the fuckin' runt wears

Elevator shoes!

Rorschach

No!! no!! give it back!!

He kicks and claws at the cops as they drag him unceremoniously off

To a nearby van

Cop ii

So that's the terror of the underworld. that ugly little zero

Rorschach

Give me back my face!!!

The van doors slam shut on rorschach just as the first fire trucks

Arrive to turn their hoses on the flaming skeleton of the tenement

Cut to

137. int. dreiberg's apartment night

Dreiberg and laurie stretched out on the sofa, under a blanket. he

Stares up at the ceiling, still troubled

Dreiberg

I'm sorry, laurie. i

Laurie

It's all right, dan. i just want you to hold me, okay? just hold

Me

For a few moments she lies nestled peacefully against his chest. his

Gaze drifts over to the tv. suddenly he blanches

Laurie

Daniel. what

On the tv screen is a huge bluescreen closeup of rorschach. daniel

Reaches for the remote control to turn up the volume

Tv anchor

A ten-year manhunt ended tonight with the capture of the masked

Vigilante known as rorschach. eight ctu men died in the violent

Confrontation at a downtown tenement

The news report cuts live to the smoking wreckage of the tenement

Laurie

Eight cops? great. a jury's gonna love that

Dreiberg

Are you kidding? if they put him in jail he's dead. he'll never get

To trial

Now the screen shows side-by-side closeups of the inkblot mask and

The acne-scarred face beneath it. laurie looks on, transfixed

Tv anchor

Identified as walter joseph kovacs, 44, a transient with a

History of psychological disorders. a former landlord described

Kovacs as a self-confessed loner and political extremist

Landlord

All kinda weirdo literature, paraphernalia you shoulda seen that

Place when i threw him out. talk about pigpens

Laurie hits the mute button, settles back and lets out a low

Whistle. dreiberg, distracted, pours a glass of wine and gets up to

Pace the room

Laurie

I just realized. i'd never seen his face

I guess it was just a matter of time. he's totally daniel?

What's wrong?

Dreiberg

The comedian jon now rorschach

He stares at her, obviously wondering: who's next?

138. ext. news kiosk evening

The familiar news vendor peddling papers. a feisty little black kid

The same one who made a face at rorschach sits on the pavement

Nearby, reading a comic book

The news vendor nudges him, indicates the comic book: a patriotic

Little number entitled 'colonel north and his howling commandos.'

News vendor

Hey, this ain't a lending library. i expect you to pay me for

That

Kid

No way. this one sucks

A customer 50, black, on the tubby side stops at the

Newsstand. his name is dr. malcolm long

Dr. long

Gazette, please

The news vendor hands over a copy of the gazette. the cover

Bears side-by-side photos of rorschach and his alter ego, kovacs

With the banner headline: 'ctu apprehends masked killer.'

News vendor

'dyou see this? this guy's a customer of mine!

I mean, i always knew he was a little flaky, but wild, you

Never know

Long hands over a quarter, unfolds the paper and begins to read as he

Wanders off down the street

139. study night

Dr. long, who happens to be a police psychiatrist, sits at a big desk

With a vast heap of paperwork which includes a mug sheet of

Rorschach and a neatly-typed arrest report from the

Nypd

Name: kovacs, walter joseph

Address: transient

Born: 3/21/43

Mother's name: kovacs, sylvia j

Father's name: unknown

By now long is working on his third pot of coffee. his wife, sylvia

Wanders in behind him, dressed for bed in her robe and slippers. when

She rests her hands on his shoulders, he nearly jumps out of his

Seat

Dr. long

Sorry. i didn't hear you

Sylvia

How much longer?

It's that vigilante, isn't it. that

Dr. long

Rorschach

Kovacs. incredible case. blinded two children at the age of ten

We pulled his record from the juvenile home

Without looking up he shoves a sheaf of papers in sylvia's

Direction

Dr. long

No father. mother a prostitute. some evidence of systematic child

Abuse

Classic case of misplaced aggression. you know, these vigilantes

These 'watchmen' there's never been a systematic study to find out

Just what makes them do it

Sylvia

Malcolm, don't get too overwhelmed by all this

Sylvia picks up a blurry xerox of a child's drawing: two hideous

Figures, male and female, with wild eyes, fangs, and matted hair

They're conjoined like siamese twins at the mouth, belly, and

Crotch. this twisted vision of coitus bears the crayoned title 'my

Dream by w.j. kovacs, age 13.'

It's too strong to look at for long. she sets it down with a

Shiver

Sylvia

Why don't you come to bed?

Dr. long

I'd like to get my hands on some of the others. explosive

Material

Mother died when he was fourteen. when they told him, he had one

Word of comment: 'good.'

Sylvia shoots him a hard look, shakes her head almost imperceptibly

And gives up. she turns and pads silently out of the room. long

Goes right on talking, unaware that his audience has left

Dr. long

Still, he's not stupid. in some ways he's got an

Extraordinary mind. i think i can reach him

I can reach him

Cut to

140. int. prison interrogation room day

A bare, windowless chamber, 10' by 10'. long and rorschach sit in

Folding chairs on opposite sides of a square table. the doctor

Reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a stack of cards

Dr. long

Now, walter, you obviously know what these are. i want you to look

At each card in turn and tell me what it reminds you of. all

Right?

Rorschach's face is bruised, bloodied, and blank. dr. long turns up

The first card, a symmetrical inkblot, part of a rorschach test

Rorschach

Butterfly

Long nods, makes a notation on a pad, turns up the next card

Rorschach

Some nice flowers

Long eyes him skeptically, makes another note, turns up the third

Card. rorschach stares at it for a long moment

Rorschach

A doggy. a big old floppy-eared dog

He shows the hint of a smile. dr. long heaves a sigh of

Frustration

Dr. long

Walter

Rorschach

Don't call me that

Dr. long

Walter you're just telling me what you think i want to

Hear

Rorschach

Wrong answers?

Dr. long

There's no right or wrong. but if you don't give me an honest

Response, i can't help you

I want to help you. i want to know all about you

Rorschach

Hnnrr. like to masturbate. shit once a day

Long knows the standard procedure for intransigent cases like this

He shrugs indifferently, reaches for his briefcase, then gropes under

The table and presses a buzzer to summon the guards

Dr. long

Well, then. have it your way, walter. let me know when you decide

To cooperate

Two prison guards enter through a steel door. rorschach gets up to

Leave. he pauses in the doorway

Rorschach

Doctor. you don't want to help me. you just want to find out what

Makes me sick

You'll find out. you'll find out

Cut to

141. int. veidt industries pyramid day

A huge open atrium on the ground floor, with marble columns

Fountains, eucalyptus trees an egyptian pleasure garden

Justine's hanging out with her video crew; they spot veidt on the

Central escalator and swing into action

Justine

Adrian! adrian! can you give us a comment of rorschach?

He's not at all happy to see her. his flunkies bodyguards and

Secretaries form a wedge around him as he tries to push past the

Cameras

Veidt

No comment

Justine

Did you know he was back on the streets?

Veidt

I did not. now get out of my way!

Justine

Isn't it true that you

He keeps walking, with justine in hot pursuit. then, wide-eyed, he

Stops in his tracks. an armed gunman has stepped out from behind a

Pillar directly into veidt's path

Assassin

Veidt!

Veidt dives. the assassin's bullet catches justine in the gut and

Comes out the other side in a spray of blood. with a gymnast's

Agility veidt rolls to the right and comes up with a brass ashtray

In his hands

He swings it into the assassin's ribs, knocking him backward into a

Fountain. the gun skitters off across the marble floor

As the security staff races up, veidt steps into the fountain and

Slams the dazed assassin's head into a decorative bust of king

Tut

Veidt

Son of a bitch. who sent you?

Arms flying, the two men grapple. veidt grabs hold of a assassin's

Hair and thrusts a hand into his mouth

Security guard

Stand back, mr. veidt! we'll handle it!

Veidt

He's got some kind of poison capsule. don't bite down, you

Scum, i want to know who sent you!

The assassin gags and goes limp. his lifeless body slumps down

Into the water. veidt steps out, shaken and breathless

Veidt

Goddammit

Security guard

Who'd wanna kill you, mr. veidt?

Veidt

I don't know. i don't know. get an ambulance for miss james

Cut to

142. int. dreiberg's bedroom dusk

Tight on a portable tv tuned to the evening news

Newscaster

Third day of rioting in major european capitals amid escalating

Fears of nuclear war. in london, six people were trampled outside

St. paul's cathedral when overflow crowds were turned away from

Morning mass

A phone rings. dreiberg, who's sprawled on his bed watching the tv

Reaches for the receiver

Dreiberg

Adrian! what's up?

143. intercut veidt and dreiberg

Veidt

In have something to tell you. i wanted to call before you heard it

On the news

Someone tried to kill me today

For a moment dreiberg says nothing. he's not altogether

Surprised

Dreiberg

Who?

Veidt

I don't know, but in the wake of all that's happened, i'm

Starting to think rorschach may have been right. is laurie okay?

Dreiberg

She's with me

Veidt

Good. be careful, daniel, don't let up your guard

Look, i'm going to head south for a while hole up at karnak until

All this blows over. you two would be welcome to join me

Dreiberg

Thanks for the offer, adrian. i'll let you know

He hangs up and weighs his options while he stares at the box

Laurie enters from the hallway, dressed in a bathrobe, toweling off

Her hair

Laurie

I could use some dinner. who was that on the phone?

Dreiberg

One more down. someone tried to kill adrian

First time i've ever heard him scared

He doesn't say any more than that. he doesn't have to. laurie picks

Up on the implications immediately. she exhales sharply, turns away

From him and steadies herself against a bureau

Dreiberg

What is it

Laurie

I know what you're thinking. you'd be a lot safer if i weren't

Around

Dreiberg

Laurie

Laurie

I'm an open target, dan. if you're with me

Dreiberg

With any luck, the world'll end before we get ours

His sour wisecrack starts her trembling almost crying. dreiberg

Fed up with his own pessimism, climbs out of bed and walks over

Behind her

Laurie

I shouldn't be here anyway, daniel. there's something i haven't told

You

But before she does he shushes her, wraps his arms around her from

Behind

Dreiberg

Laurie, i'm not afraid. i want you with me. i want it more than

Anything else in the world

Cut to

144. int. prison mess hall night

Convicts lined up with metal trays at a long cafeteria-style serving

Area. rorschach enters in prison greys. as he makes his way toward

The dinner line, we pick up a chorus of comments from the nearby

Tables

Voice

Hey rorschach. you dead, man. just a matter of time now

Voice ii

Rorschach. better put some meat on that pretty ass of yours

Low, threatening chuckles all around as an expressionless rorschach

Picks up his tray. a trio of goons falls in behind him. the

Smallest of them outweighs him by a good forty pounds

Goon i

Didn't know he was such a tiny little thing

Goon ii

Little? naw, he's a big man. big man

Rorschach's face shows no emotion. he moves forward in the line. a

Server drops a gristly chunk of meat on his tin plate

Goon iii

I'd like to get his autograph. i got my autograph book right here

Goon iii reaches into his pocket and withdraws an icepick

Goon iii

Notched up some big names over the years

Suddenly rorschach spins, catching goon iii's head with the edge of

His dinner tray. the icepick clatters to the floor. goon iii

Follows

The others are on him in an instant, pinning him against the serving

Counter. instead of resisting, rorschach vaults backward. he brings

A knee up into goon ii's chine, grabs a fistful of goon i's hair, and

Tumbles back over the counter dragging goon i's head, face down

Into a steam tray full of bubbling soup

Landing on his feet, keeping his grip on goon i's hair, rorschach

Uses his free hand to bury a fork in a cafeteria worker's gut. goon

Ii lunges at him across the counter. he grabs a vat off a nearby

Burner and, with a single sweep of the arm, douses both goons with

Hot cooking fat

All this has taken five seconds maximum. whistles shriek as the two

Disfigured goons writhe on the floor in hideous agony, faces cracked

And smoking. cafeteria workers clear a path as prison guards rush in

With billy clubs drawn

As the guards haul him off, rorschach emits a ferocious hiss. it

Sounds uncannily like the sizzle of boiling oil on human flesh

Cut to

145. int. maximum security wing night

A prison trusty wheels a cart down a long, empty corridor

Delivering dinner to the prisoners in solitary confinement. some of

The cells are visible, through ordinary barred entries; others are

Totally sealed off, with sliding service trays mounted in solid metal

Doors

At a cell of the latter kind, the trusty knocks once on the door

Then throws back a small panel to reveal the impassive face of

Rorschach

Trusty

Hey rorschach. those cats you threw the grease on they're dyin'

Man

Their friends are talkin' 'bout it. say if those two go under

This whole place blows

Rorschach emits his trademark hiss and turns from the door. the

Trusty chuckles in anticipation

Trusty

I'd hate to be you, man. locked in here with the likes of

Rorschach

I'm not locked in here with them. they're locked in here with me

With that, the panel slides suddenly shut in the trusty's face

Cut to

146. int. prison interrogation room day

Long and rorschach have changed rooms. the new room two chairs, a

Square table is identical to the first, except for the reinforced

Wire mesh which spans its width, separating doctor from patient

Through a narrow opening in the wire, dr. long slides a card across

The table for rorschach's inspection. it's the same series of

Inkblots as before, the 'butterfly' leading off. but this time, the

Subject has decided to cooperate

Rorschach

A whore fucking

Dr. long

Who is she? do you know her?

Too obvious; no response. long moves on to card #2 the 'nice

Flowers'

Rorschach

Man's guts. falling out of his shirt

Long clears his throat almost imperceptibly and nods. card #3

Rorschach

Doggy. big old floppy-eared dog

With his skull split open

Dr. long

And what split the dog's skull open?

Rorschach

Why, doctor. i did

He was a bad dog

Rorschach is toying with him now. dr. long gets down to brass

Tacks

Dr. long

Walter. this compulsion of yours to punish transgressors. in

Your mind what gives you the right to judge?

Rorschach

God isn't there to do it

Dr. long

We don't know that

Rorschach eyes him for a moment, then nods sagely: yes we do

Dr. long

So the rest of the world is wrong, and you're right. is that it?

You tried to help people once. what turned you around? why

Would you want to kill a dog?

With long firmly on the hook, rorschach settles back to elucidate

Rorschach

One night i opened my eyes saw the world

147. ext. warehouse district dusk

Ruined buildings, broken windows. the streets are silent except for

The distant sound of dogs barking. rorschach's narration continues

Over scene

Rorschach

'75. kidnap case, the little franco girl. weeks dragged by no

Word. thought of little child, alone, frightened decided to

Intervene

The lone figure of rorschach emerges from the shadows and turns up

His collar. he strides deliberately down the sidewalk past a

Ramshackle wooden storm fence covered with obscene graffiti

Rorschach

Got a tip. abandoned dress factory in brooklyn

He peers through a broken slat in the fence. in a side yard, two

Huge german shepherds growl playfully, fighting over some unseen

Object

148. int. dress factory dusk

A door swings open and rorschach enters. he pockets a metal file

Flicks on a flashlight

Mannequins, decrepit sewing machines, rolls of rotting fabric. the

Light shines on a small, dank cot in the corner. rorschach wanders

Over. he finds opened tins of food, an overturned water glass and

On the floor, a rope

There's a pot-bellied stove nearby. rorschach crouches beside it

Sticks a hand inside, and sifts through the ashes; he pulls out a

Charred scrap of fabric from a child's pajamas, decorated with

Balloons and teddy bears

He stands. in the opposite corner of the room is a big wooden

Chopping block. rorschach wanders over and examines the surrounding

Paraphernalia: a cleaver, a bone saw, an assortment of butcher's

Knives. he stands there a moment, then moves to a wire-mesh

Window

Rorschach

Dogs wouldn't shut up. that's when i knew where the little girl had

Gone

149. his pov the yard outside dusk

The german shepherds romp in the dying light. we close in on the

Dogs until we see what it is they're tussling over: a big bloody knob

Of bone

Rorschach

Decided to wait for the owner

150. int. factory entry night

Keys in the lock. a moment later, the door swings wide; a fat man

Enters and whistles to the dogs

Fat man

Fred? barney? dinnerti--

Rorschach steps out of the shadows and bashes him over the head

151. int. interrogation room day

Rorschach, master of suspense, decides to take a break in the

Story. he leans back in his chair. finally dr. long, dreading his

Reply, asks

Dr. long

Then what happened?

Rorschach

Made a little trip to the butcher store. locked up tight. had

To break in

152. int. factory night

The fat man squirms on the floor, a gag in his mouth. he's

Handcuffed to an exposed pipe. rorschach strides into frame with a

Grocery sack

He kneels beside the fat man and loosens his gag. then he peels off

His glove and reaches into the sack

Fat man

What what are you d--

Rorschach silences the fat man by cramming a fistful of raw hamburger

Into his open mouth. he's got several pounds of the stuff, and he

Spends the next few seconds smearing it all over the fat man's face

Throat, and hands, stuffing the leftovers down his shirt. when he's

Done, he reaches into the sack for a big plastic bag full of steer

Blood and empties it over the fat man's head

Frantic scratching from outside. rorschach strolls over to the door

And as the fat man wriggles in helpless terror lets the dogs

Inside

Then he stands back and enjoys the carnage

153. int. interrogation room day

Dr. long looks on goggle-eyed as rorschach cheerfully wraps things

Up

Rorschach

When they finished eating, picked up a cleaver split their

Skulls. died happy. full bellies

See, god didn't kill the little girl. or the man that killed

Her or the dogs, or me. if god saw what any of us did

He did't seem to mind

Dr. long

That man, then, he was the first. the first you

Rorschach

Saw the world that night random, empty, hideous. god didn't make

It that way. we did. we make the world in our own image

What else can i illuminate?

Long's had enough. he reaches for the concealed buzzer and the

Prison guards file in. rorschach gets up; before he turns to go, he

Points a finger at long's inkblot

Rorschach

No right and wrong, doc. you said so. maybe not a dog. maybe

Just a man's face

See it now?

The guards drag rorschach out. dr. long, still queasy, empties a

Couple of pills from a bottle and gulps them down dry. after a

Second he reaches for his briefcase; as he's gathering his cards, he

Stops suddenly his gaze riveted to the random, symmetrical pattern

On top of the stack. its seems to shift before his eyes

Long blinks, swallows hard. we move in tighter and tighter on the

Rorschach blot, inky blackness filling the screen as we

Dissolve to

154. ext. barn toward dusk

A rural tree-lined area outside the city. a compact bubble-car pulls

Up outside a big ramshackle barn and stops; dreiberg gets out, goes to

The padlocked doors, fumbles in his pocket for a key

After a moment, laurie wanders up beside him

Laurie

Enough is enough, daniel. where exactly are we?

Dreiberg

Memory lane

He opens the padlock, ushers laurie inside

155. int. barn a moment later

Inside the barn is a huge oblong shape covered with a tarpaulin

Laurie

Daniel

Dreiberg

Gimme a hand with the tarp, would you? you take that side

She goes around and bends to unfasten the tarp. the two of them pull

It back to reveal

The owlship night owl's high-tech hovercraft. it's a bit

Tarnished from years of disuse, but it's still an impressive sight

Dreiberg stands back to admire it; an impressed laurie wanders around

To join him, wearing an ear-to-ear grin

Laurie

The owlship. i can't believe it

Dreiberg

I thought it was time for a routine maintenance check

156. int. owlship that moment

The two of them enter. dreiberg sits at the controls and turns on

The electrical system while laurie wanders through the cabin

Reliving days gone by

Laurie

Wow, this brings back some memories. does it still fly?

Dreiberg

I took her out a couple of summers back. scared the hell out of some

Cows. i wonder if she'd make it down to antarctica

Laurie

Antarctica??

Dreiberg

Adrian's headed down to his secret retreat. he invited us to come

Along

I've been thinking. if things do get nasty it wouldn't be a

Bad place to sit out a war

Laurie

Would you want to sit out a war? i mean what would be

Left

Dreiberg

You and me

He looks directly at her. suddenly uncomfortable, she averts her

Gaze, gets up, and begins rummaging around in the back of the

Cabin. dreiberg turns back to the control panel, feeling subtly

Rejected

Dreiberg

Yeah, you're right. probably wouldn't make it down there

Anyway

Behind him, laurie lets out a little squeal of delight. she's just

Opened a compartment door; inside it are a handful of gaudy costumes

Their old superhero togs

Laurie

Dan! the spare costumes! i can't believe you kept them

Dreiberg

Me neither. mine barely even fits

The thing is, i try to remember why we did it, and i can't. helping

People, or righting wrongs, or trying to save the world i don't

Know. it all seems so abstract

Laurie's holding her old costume up against her shoulders, eyeing

Herself in a small mirror above a sink

Laurie

God, you sound like jon. turn around

Dreiberg

What are you up to?

Laurie

Don't look. turn around

Smirking, he complies. laurie begins to undress in the back of the

Cabin

Dreiberg

This'd better not be what i think it is

Laurie

Okay!

Dreiberg turns around. laurie's in full costume, looking quite

Imposing and, in a perverse way, quite beautiful. he feigns

Shock

Dreiberg

My god, it's the silk spectre scourge of the underworld, defender

Of the weak!

Laurie

In the flesh

She ambles over to the control panel, embraces dreiberg from behind

And strokes his thinning hair

Laurie

Poor daniel. you really miss it all, don't you

Dreiberg

Saving the world? i guess i do

Maybe we can still save ourselves

Dissolve to

157. ext. south street seaport dusk

A massive peace rally downtown. thousands of citizens have turned

Out; placards and protest signs are everywhere. each remark is met

By cheers and chants, by raucous

Boos as well and while the crowd is split between pacifists and

Hawks, they're all frightened as hell

Things are much the same in london, berlin possibly even moscow

The end is nigh, and passions flare. it's anarchy waiting to

Happen

Man on stage

You know what the joint chiefs of staff are doing right now? they're

Sitting in the pentagon talking about a first strike. that's right

A first strike!

Voice in crowd

You think the reds ain't doing the same thing?

Man on stage

Then for the love of god let's negotiate. we can start a war. but

We can't stop it!!

Voice in crowd ii

It's pinko simps like you that drove dr. manhattan to mars!

Voice in crowd iii

Dr. manhattan was an inhuman fascist!

Voice in crowd iv

It's god's judgment! jesus is the way!

A heckler fights his way onstage and lunges for the microphone

Heckler

Russia's just been waiting for an opening. they won't show us

No mercy. i say nuke 'em now!!

Man on stage

You think this is some kind of grudge match?? we're talking the

End of the world!!

The two of them grapple at the mike, and the heckler falls off the

Stage. on cue, the crowd erupts. fights break out; cops start

Swinging rifle butts

As pro-nukers swarm the stage, our gaze turns upward. a trio of

Hovercraft hangs in the air above the seaport. their undersides

Outfitted with heavy artillery on turrets bear the initials

'ctu'

158. int. ctu hovercraft that moment dusk

Ctu men watch the nascent riot through a plexiglass canopy

Ctu captain

I've had it with these a-holes. drop the gas

159. ext. seaport that moment dusk

Panic amongs the crowds as tear gas canisters explode in their

Midst. the ctu ships descend ever closer to the ground

Loudspeaker

Cease and desist at once. we will not hesitate to use force

A couple of cops go down in the melee. rioters grab their rifles

Turn them on the ctu ships overhead. others in the crowd fling

Rocks, brickbats whatever's handy. hysteria rules

Cut to

160. int. barn dusk

Dreiberg walks around to the front of the owlship with a toolkit

Wiping his hands on an oily rag. he calls inside to laurie

Dreiberg

Guess that ought to do it. let's shut her down laurie?

No reply. curious, he climbs aboard

161. int. owlship that moment

Laurie's standing by the monitor over the instrument console. her

Face is distraught, agonized

Laurie

Daniel, you ought to take a look at this

Onscreen, it's total screaming chaos. cannons on the bellies of the

Ctu hovercraft swivel randomly, spitting automatic fire at the mobs

Below

Dreiberg

What the hell

Laurie

It's a peace rally. the ctu's just opened fire on the crowd

Dreiberg

Laurie. jesus. no

He turns away, paralyzed with horror. laurie watches awestruck

Laurie

They're just mowing 'em down

This is it. the end of the world. this is what it looks like

Camera moves in close on dreiberg's stricken face as we

Cut to

162. flashback processed footage

We're back in slo-mo sepia land, the golden age of superheroes. the

Owlship emerges from a fogbank and rises majestically into frame

Like the seventh cavalry arriving to save the day. as it draws

Closer, the perspex canopy coming into view, we can just make out

Night owl at the helm, with silk spectre riding shotgun

There's a frenzied mob below, racing right and left, their aimless

Motions stylized and surreal. they're beset by a sudden windstorm as

The owlship's powerful blowers clear the tear gas from this fantasy

Equivalent of the seaport plaza. faces turn skyward; fingers point

And suddenly, the footage we're watching undergoes a subtle

Transformation. colors bleed in; sound comes up; the pace of the

Action quickens. and when we cut back to the ship overhead, we're in

Full-color and real-time

163. aerial shot on owlship

Because the owlship is really there and by god, the

Watchmen are back in action a quarter-mile above the south st

Seaport!

164. int. owlship that moment

The three ctu ships are now visible through the cockpit dome

Dreiberg

Okay laurie, let's see if we've still got what it takes

On the panel, a computer targeting device homes in on a ctu ship

165. int. ctu hovercraft that moment

A radar man stares at his console in puzzlement

Ctu radar man

Sir, we've got an odd blip off starboard

The ship rocks violently as a sudden explosion

166. aerial shot on ctu hovercraft

Blows the cannon mount cleanly off its underside!! the ruptured

Ship wobbles, trying to right itself, but to no avail; jets

Sputtering, it lurches toward the harbor and slaps down hard against

The water

167. angle on crowd

Pointing at the skies in disbelief

Voice in crowd

Look! up there!

Voice in crowd ii

My god, it's

168. int. owlship on dreiberg

He barks into a microphone

Dreiberg

Attention ctu! cease fire immediately

169. ext. seaport that moment dusk

Ground level. from the midst of the bewildered crowd we watch as the

Owlship and the ctu talk some serious trash

Owlship loudspeaker

Or we'll blow your asses out of the sky!

Ctu loudspeaker

Unregistered craft. identify yourself

Owlship loudspeaker

Baby we're a blast from the past

The crowd's in a frenzy. most of them are taking it on the lam. but

A dozen hardy souls are standing stock-still, transfixed by the

Strange sight overhead

Voice in crowd

It's the watchmen!!

Excitement ripples through the crowd as the ctu ships bob in the air

Clumsily turning to face their attacker. soon the ships are hanging

Immobile in midair, squaring off face-to-face, a wild west

Showdown. on the prows of all three craft, missile launchers rotate

Into position

170. int. owlship that moment

Dreiberg with his hand poised on the throttle

Dreiberg

We're gonna have to shave this one close

An instant before the ctu rockets fire, dreiberg shoves the throttle

Full-forward

171. aerial shot on owlship

With a burst of flame, the owlship blasts off. the two rockets

Converge on the point where the owlship was hovering a millisecond

Before and collide. boom. the owlship, meanwhile, hurtles

Forward slicing directly between the two ctu ships. the crowd

Cheers

172. int. owlship a moment later night

Dreiberg rides the joystick. laurie watches a monitor showing the

Aft view from the ship

Laurie

They're following us

Dreiberg

All right. mission accomplished

He's no sooner said it than machine-gun fire peppers the rear of the

Ship. he arcs hard left and drops, taking evasive action

173. ext. world trade center night

The owlship streaks between the twin towers. a second later, the ctu

Ships rip past on either side

174. ext. street night

Astonished pedestrians gape at the bizarre dogfight above them. the

Owlship doglegs around a darkened office building. a ctu missile

Blows a hole in its facade

175. aerial shot on owlship

Firing two missiles aftward at the pursuing craft

176. int. owlship that moment

Dreiberg exhilarated. laurie, worried, checking the radar

Readout

Laurie

Missed 'em dan. you're aiming high!

Dreiberg

I don't want to take 'em out. just want to keep 'em interested

Laurie

They're practically on us

Dreiberg

That detroit shit? i'm so worried

He punches a button on the dash. it's labelled 'turbo.'

177. aerial shot on airship

The turbojets kick in and the owlship accelerates to 400 mph, leaving

The ctu craft in the dust

178. ext. holland tunnel night

A line of traffic enters the tunnel. the owlship swoops suddenly

And just clearing the arch enters above them

A moment later, the lead ctu ship tries to follow. bad move. the

Less-maneuverable craft rams into the lip of the arch and

Explodes

The second ctu ship hurtles toward a similar fate. but at the last

Moment retro-jets blasting at full force it manages to stop

Itself. it backs up slightly, edges up over the tunnel, and settles

For the airborne route

179. int. holland tunnel a moment later

The owlship zooms through the tunnel, mere feet above the tops of the

Cars. horns honk. brakes screech

There's an oversized truck directly in its path. the owlship nudges

Up slightly and clears the truck by inches, throwing off sparks

Against the roof of the tunnel

180. int. owlship that moment

The end of the tunnel is coming up fast

Dreiberg

Fog blowers on. activate radar shields

181. ext. holland tunnel opposite end night

The owlship emerges from the tunnel and noses upward at an

Almost-vertical angle, spewing dense clouds of billowing fog in its

Wake. a few seconds later, the lone remaining ctu ship arrives

But, seeing only fog and no trace of the owlship, it pushes forward

On a horizontal course and disappears into the darkness beyond the

Water

182. int. owlship a moment later night

They're in the middle of a cloudbank. dreiberg is wearing a look of

Intense satisfaction as laurie nervously checks the radar

Laurie

We lost him

He flashes her a smug little smile. laughing uncontrollably, she

Shakes her head and buries her faces in her hands

Laurie

Daniel we are in deep shit now

Fade through to

183. int. prison mess hall night

The usual assortment of jailbirds lined up with trays in the serving

Line. a prison trusty, in hospital-orderly whites, enters the hall

And falls in at the end of the line. he nudges the con in front of

Him

Trusty

Just left the infirmary. lost otis about twenty minutes ago

The con nods, and whispers to the man in front of him. the news goes

Through the serving line like wildfire. within a matter of seconds

It's reached the jailbird at the front of the line a hulk named

T-bone

Con in line

Otis went down

T-bone nods and carries his tray to a nearby table, where a cadre of

Six enormous thugs are munching away. presiding over them is the

Biggest man in the pen who happens, ironically, to be a midget

Little bigger

T-bone

Just heard, boss. otis bought it

Little bigger

Fuckin' rorschach

This joint goes up. tonight

184. ext. aerial shot on owlship night

Drifting lazily through a cloudbank. the blunt prow of the owlship

Emerges gradually from a shroud of fog and catches a shaft of pale

Blue moonlight

185. int. owlship that moment night

Through the cockpit window the distant city skyline glimmers, then

Disappears again behind wisps of cloud. we're taking a dreamy tour

Of the stratosphere, slow and elegant. somewhere, billie holiday is

Singing 'you're my thrill.'

Instruments blink and peep on the panel. no one's at the

Controls

The ship lurches. a wine bottle tips and rolls noisily across the

Width of the cabin floor. a woman's hand reaches for it, sets it

Right

It's laurie, who's midway through a two-minute kiss with dreiberg

The pair of them are locking in a tight, post-coital embrace on the

Cabin floor, their clothing in heaps around them

Laurie

Better. much better

Dreiberg starts to say something, settles back with a serene smile

Instead

Laurie

I bet i know what made the difference this time

Dreiberg

What?

Laurie

The costumes. am i right?

Dreiberg seems mildly shocked by the proposition. then, despite

Himself, he starts to chortle. she pokes him playfully on the arm

Laurie

Come on. admit it!

Dreiberg

No way. i'm not that much of a pervert

Laurie

Yes you are

Dreiberg

No offense, laurie, but it was silk spectre i had the crush on

Tonight was the first time i've felt like myself in ten years

Laurie

That's because

Dreiberg

It's because there's nothing to be afraid of anymore. the world's

About to end

I feel like i could save it

He grabs his cloak, wraps it around him, and moves purposefully to

The instrument panel. he throws a few switches, arcs the owlship

Hard right

Laurie

You're full of yourself. what are you doing?

Dreiberg

Long as we're on the subject of perverts

I miss rorschach. let's spring him

Laurie

What??

Dreiberg rejuvenated, exhilarated, smiling ear-to-ear reaches

For the throttle and kicks the ship in to overdrive

186. ext. aerial shot night

Afterburners belch flame as the owlship accelerates, ripping through

The clouds above the city

Cut to

187. series of shots the prison

And as sly stone once said, there's a riot goin' on. sirens howl

As we get several quick glimpses of gleeful convicts running wild

Disabling guards, overrunning cell blocks, liberating weapons

Throwing food

188. int. owlship that moment

Dreiberg and laurie, back in full costume. dreiberg's eyes are

Riveted to a monitor over the controls

Dreiberg

I think we're just a trifle late

Laurie

Jesus, dan. out of the frying pan

The monitor shows a magnified view of the prison complex below

Them. the prisoners have taken the quad, and are exchanging fire

With the guards in the watchtower. it's an ugly, bloody mess

Dreiberg

I know he's totally bugfuck, but he saved my life a half a dozen

Times

189. int. cell night

Sirens blaring everywhere. rorschach sits on his bunk, his legs

Drawn up before him, his eyes darting swiftly around the cell

190. int. maximum security block night

Smoke and confusion; escaped convicts racing to and fro past

Sprawled, unconscious guards. in the midst of all the chaos, four

Menacing figures stride purposefully through the cellblock. it's the

Psychotic midget little bigger, with his three henchmen carlos, rafe

And t-bone

Wheeling an oversized electrical arc welder before them, they stop

Outside rorschach's cell and grin in anticipation

Little bigger

Find an outlet for this thing

Rorschach? i did fifteen years because of you. it's payback time!

Rafe finds an outlet and plugs in the arc welder. carlos is carrying

A big nasty meat cleaver; he slides back the panel in rorschach's

Door, rattles the cleaver noisily in the frame

Carlos

See this, runt? we're gonna take your puny little balls off

And pickle 'em!!

Aww! i think he just wet his pants!

Hilarity all around. t-bone shoves carlos aside and takes his place

At the panel in the door

T-bone

Lemme see. lemme see!

Little bigger

Relax, boys. everybody gets a slice of turkey but i get to carve

What's he doin' now?

No response from t-bone, who stands there with his face pressed

Tightly to the panel

Little bigger

You deaf? i said, what's he

He gives t-bone a nudge. t-bone's legs buckle and he topples over

Backwards, landing flat as a board on the floor. a soup spoon

Quivers ion the air, its sharpened handle buried deep in his eye

Socket

Rafe

Boss! jesus!

Little bigger

Son of a bitch! we're coming rorschach. we're gonna peel you like

A grape

Light the torch

Rafe ignites the arc welder and the boys go to work on the lock of

Rorschach's cage

191. int. cell that moment

Rorschach waiting patiently on his bunk. the metal lock on the

Inside of the cell door is beginning to glow a dull red

Cut to

192. int. owlship that moment night

Dreiberg hands laurie what looks like a pair of electronic

Earmuffs

Dreiberg

Okay, i'm turning on the screamers. we'll have to hit the roof

Running

He throws a switch on the control panel

193. ext. prison complex a moment later night

Windows shatter in the guard towers as a wailing ultrasonic screech

Splits the air. on the roof of the complex, paralyzed guards drop

Their weapons; escaped prisoners clutch at their burst eardrums as

The owlship descends and gently touches down

194. int. rorschach's cell that moment

The lock is bright red and smoking. over on the bunk, rorschach's

Face is lined with exertion. his back is wedged tight against the

Wall of the cell, his legs straining against the lip of his

Toilet

Grunting and groaning, he manages to knock the toilet off its

Mounting. the pipes spew. within seconds, the floor of the cell is

Flooded

195. int. cellblock outside door a moment later

Rafe kills the arc welder and stands back

Rafe

Okay, boss, that oughta do it

They give the door a shove. it swings inward, and gallons of water

Come gushing out. little bigger steps back in disgust

Little bigger

What the

Rafe and carlos gape into the cell. they see the broken toilet, but

There's no trace of rorschach

Carlos

Rorschach. company's calling

Rafe

Where is the fuckin' runt?

Carlos advances cautiously toward the cell, the cleaver in his

Fist

196. int. cell that moment

In answer to rafe's question, rorschach is hiding behind the door

He slams it shut on carlo's outstretched hand; the red-hot metal of

The lock catches carlo's wrist; he shrieks and drops the cleaver

Giving rorschach just enough time to snatch it up. he jumps

Monkey-like, and stands poised on his bunk as the door swings wide

And an enraged carlos charges in, clutching his scorched forearm

Carlos

You're mine now, you little

From the bunk, rorschach flings the cleaver. it strikes the floor

Between rafe and carlos

Neatly severing the power cord of the arc welder

Which is sitting in an inch of standing water. rafe and carlos do

A herky-jerky dance as 20,000 volts course through their bodies

And pitch face-down into the water. all lights in the cellblock

Dim and die

Little bigger backs off in gibbering horror as rorschach climbs down

Off his bunk, emerges from the cell and calmly steps over the bodies

Of the dead

Rorschach

Your move runt

The midget kingpin lets out a scream and tears off down the corridor

As fast as his stubby little legs will carry him

197. int. prison corridor a moment later

Dreiberg and laurie move down a dark, abandoned corridor, trying to

Get their bearings

Laurie

Where are we? what happened to the lights?

Dreiberg

Generators'll kick on in a minute. we should be close to solitary

Their heads turn toward the end of the passage, where a second

Corridor crosses the one they're standing in. as they watch, a

Screaming midget sprints past and disappears

Dreiberg and laurie blink in disbelief: a moment later, a

Familiar figure with bright red hair strides past

Dreiberg

Rorschach??

Rorschach pauses. he stares at his costumed colleagues for a second

And a half then keeps on walking

198. int. prison cross corridor a moment later

The terrified little bigger realizes he's just hit a dead end. he

Throws a glance over his shoulder, sees rorschach moving up on him

Desperate, he ducks into a men's room

Rorschach follows, his pace measured and deliberate. behind him

Laurie and dreiberg have just rounded the corner into the cross

Corridor

Laurie

Rorschach! is that you??

He turns and holds up a finger: one moment, please. then, calm and

Dispassionate, he enters the men's room. dreiberg and laurie stand

At the end of the corridor, mildly boggled

Laurie

What's he doing?

Dreiberg

I think he's going to the john

Laurie

My god! we bust him out of jail, in the middle of a riot, and

He stops to take a

Before she can finish, rorschach reemerges, wiping his hands on a

Paper towel. he wanders up to join them without so much as a

'howdy.'

Dreiberg

That was quick

Rorschach

Toilet clogged. short fat turd

Let's get out of here

Cut to

199. ext. airstrip night

A well-concealed runway somewhere in the heart of the rocky

Mountains. lights sweep the sky as ground crews run to and fro

Air force one is coming in for a landing

200. int. underground command bunker a moment later

Lots of activity: armed troops, top brass, and technicians milling

About. flashing panels on the walls read defcon 2

Secretary of state liddy watches as a metal door clangs shut, and

What looks like a golf cart comes toodling around a long metal

Ramp. president nixon's in the passenger seat, and there's an

Imposing pile of luggage in the back. he appears to be contemplating

A long stay

President nixon

Hello, gordon. have you seen pat?

Secretary liddy

She's all settled in. they want you down in the command room right

Away

Liddy hops aboard, and the golf cart turns down a seemingly endless

Corridor which leads deep into the bowels of the rockies

Secretary liddy

Weatherman says we're lookin' good. we've got a fourteen-hour

Window

President nixon

Fourteen hours

Secretary liddy

Fourteen hours. unless of course the reds decide to hit us first

Cut to

201. int. owlship night

Laurie's following the watchmen press coverage on an overhead screen

Newscaster

In a daring midnight jailbreak. earlier eyewitness reports place

The one-time superheroes at a peace rally in

While dreiberg and rorschach sit side-by-side at the control

Console, occupied by other matters

Dreiberg

I don't know if you heard. a hired gunman tried to off adrian

Rorschach

Veidt's a fool. tried to warn him about new information. sicced his

Mangy cat on me

Dreiberg

What new information?

Rorschach

Blake investigating missing scientists for ctu. dr. manhattan

Somehow involved

Strange that no one's tried to attack you, daniel

There's an unmistakable tone of suspicion in his voice. dreiberg

Highly offended, shoots him a look of supreme resentment

Dreiberg

I beg your pardon some gratitude

Laurie

Will you two lovebirds keep it down?

Still grumbling at each other, dreiberg and rorschach glance up at

The monitor laurie's watching. the face of adrian veidt fills the

Screen

Newscaster

The man behind the watchmen, high-tech wizard adrian veidt, was

Unavailable for comment. a spokesman claimed he had left for the

Antarctic to study a mysterious hole in the ozone layer

Rorschach

'ozone layer'?

Dreiberg

Christ. couldn't he just admit that he's scared??

Cut to

202. ext. antarctica night

The last rays of sunlight bleed toward endless frozen plains of

Pristine white. a private aircraft descends toward an incongrous

Strip of black, part of a massive complex of buildings centered

Around what looks like a nuclear power plant. (in fact, it is

One.) this is karnak veidt's antarctic retreat

203. int. karnak night

The entry hall is vast and lavish, appointed in the same egyptian

Style as his urban pyramid but on a grander scale. a fur-clad

Figure enters in a flurry of snow, followed by a genetically-altered

Lynx on the end of a leash; four asian lackeys appear to greet him

One of them takes his parka; a second serves him hot coffee from a

Silver tray; a third takes the leash, and brushes snow from the back

Of the lynx. number four is in charge of protocol

Lackey

Welcome, sir. we did not expect you so soon

Veidt

Feed bubastis. i'll have dinner when i've looked in on the world

They hear and obey. two of them fall in behind veidt and follow him

To

204. int. information center night

The room is empty but for a single chair, with a complicated

Remote-control keypad mounted on the armrest. across from the chair

Red velvet curtains hang from ceiling to floor

Veidt takes a seat, and his lackeys draw back the curtains to reveal

A towering wall of televisions 200 monitors in a 10x20 grid

Picking up transmissions from all over the world. it's far more

Informational than the human mind could possibly digest at one gulp

A hectic jumble of color and motion. veidt loves it. he settles in

And his eyes begin to rove

205. angle on video wall

Panning across transmissions of every variety commercials

Sitcoms, sportscasts we settle on a screen labelled 'london.'

Veidt hits the volume button on his remote, and a newscaster's voice

Comes up. on the wall behind her is a civil defense

Logo

Bbc newscaster

Best situated in a cellar room, as far away from windows as

Possible. cinderblock walls are preferred, but a makeshift shelter

Can be constructed of sandbags, or of boxes filled with

Flick, and the sound dies. veidt's gaze drifts several screens to

The right, to the monitor labelled 'washington d.c.' sound up

Newscaster

Amid rumors that top-ranking officials and military personnel have

Already been relocated to underground bunkers. white house spokesmen

Insist that no such precautions have yet been taken and that ongoing

Negotiations

Flick: sound down. now we shift to a closed-circuit monitor at the

Bottom right of the bank an exterior view of veidt's antarctic

Retreat as seen by a surveillance camera. flick: same subject, new

Angle. flick: a radar screen, which shows no activity; the skies are

Clear. flick

And now things get downright weird. because all at once we're

Watching dr. jonathan osterman, the earnest you scientist from

Twenty-some years ago; he's sitting at a table in the gila flas

Canteen, across from janey slater, and he's getting ready to

Propose

206. reverse angle on veidt

Eyeing young osterman with a strange, grave smile

Cut to

207. ext. aerial shot night

Low angle on the owlship as it descends slowly through the clouds

On its underbelly, a video camera grinds and rotates

208. int. owlship night

Dreiberg and laurie watch a monitor which shows an overhead view of

The city. he punches up a series of progressive magnifications

Gradually zeroing in on a single city block. it's been cordoned off

Police bubble-cars are parked up and down its length

Dreiberg

They've got my building surrounded

They must've been following you all along

She stares at him. the ship lurches as dreiberg kicks in the

Accelerator jets and takes off into the clouds

Dreiberg

So much for dan dreiberg, ordinary citizen

Laurie

Welcome back, night owl

Dreiberg

What now? fly south hook up with adrian?

Rorschach

Ctu. could be behind dr. manhattan frame-up

Dreiberg

What do you mean, frame-up?

Rorschach

Obvious pattern all ties in

Dreiberg

Are you saying that someone would risk starting world war iii just to

Get back at us?

What about all those poor shits with cancer?

Tight on laurie, who's listening to all this with mounting

Distress

Rorschach

How do we know they've got cancer? could be part of massive

Propaganda scheme

Dreiberg

Come on, rorschach. gimme a break

Laurie

It's not

Rorschach

Not what?

Laurie

Not 'propaganda.'

Christ, i'm one of them! i've got it

Dreiberg swivels abruptly in his chair and gapes at laurie, his face

Bone-white. she stares at the floor, afraid to meet his eyes, her

Grim secret revealed. for an awkward moment neither of them can

Think of anything to say

Then rorschach, his mind already back on the 'case,' breaks the

Silence

Rorschach

Hnrrr changes everything. let's get moving

209. ext. waterfront warehouse night

Rorschach is crouched beside an exterior wall of the warehouse; he

Pries off a couple of loose slats and digs around, swatting angrily

At a rat which scampers out of the hole. the owlship hovers

Above

210. int. owlship that moment

Dreiberg, disconsolate, holds laurie gently by the shoulders

Laurie

I should've told you, dan. i'm sorry. i just wanted things between

Us to be happy. for a while. i

Dreiberg

It doesn't change a thing, laurie. i love you

He tries to pull her close but she turns away, her eyes welling up

With tears

Laurie

I love you too, dan, i why don't you give me a minute to get

Myself together, okay?

211. ext. warehouse that moment night

A distraught dreiberg descends the rope ladder from the owlship

Rorschach has uncovered a spare blot-mask; with a hiss of

Satisfaction he pulls it on over his head. when he turns, he sees

Dreiberg staring slack-jawed at an inexplicable sight

Above their heads, the owlship has begun to glow bright blue

212. int. owlship that moment night

Laurie backs against the control panel as an iridescent blue corona

Resolves itself into the figure of dr. manhattan

Laurie

Jon. what are you doing here?

Dr. manhattan

I'm not here. i'm still on mars. i've come to collect you

Laurie

Collect me?

Dr. manhattan

In the immediate future we're on mars. i'm telling you goodbye

You're trying to convince me to cure your illness

Laurie

Jon, no i can't

Dr. manhattan

It will happen, laurie. i've already seen it. neither of us

Can do anything to change it

Dreiberg's frantically climbing the ladder. he pokes his head inside

The cockpit just in time to see laurie reaching out for dr

Manhattan's hand

Dreiberg

Laurie! don't

Hands touch. a shimmering blue halo surrounds dr. manhattan and

Laurie, and the two of them dissolve

Stunned, dreiberg clambers aboard. there's obviously nothing he can

Do. rorschach is only a second or two behind them

Rorschach

Where's laurie?

Dreiberg

I don't think she's coming with us

Dissolve to

213. ext. mars night

A blue slit opens in the sky, mere inches above the martian

Surface; dr. manhattan steps placidly through, and a moment later

Laurie tumbles out behind him. she takes a couple of halting steps

Then gasps soundlessly and pitches forward onto the shifting red

Sands

Dr. manhattan's gone several paces before he realizes there's a

Problem. eventually, though, he turns and spots laurie clawing at

The air, trying and failing to draw a breath. he walks patiently back

And extends his hand; laurie grabs it, and is magically surrounded by

A halo of oxygen

Dr. manhattan

The atmosphere. i'm sorry. these things slip my mind

Laurie

Jesus, jon, i nearly choked to where are we

Ignoring her, he turns. she hurries to keep pace with him. then she

Stops in her tracks

Before her, in the distance, looms dr. manhattan's new abode: a

Palace of glass, vast and resplendent, towering over the barren

Sands. at its heart stands a gargantuan, ruby-colored hourglass

Surrounded by an intricate system of gears and ratchets, spires and

Pendulums the guts of a clock, transfigured into a shimmering

Crystalline castle

Dr. manhattan

I live here now

He strides placidly forward. laurie, boggled, stumbles along after

Him

Cut to

214. int. owlship night

Tight on the distraught dreiberg, his pained face illuminated by the

Glow of the instrument panel. rorschach sits calmly behind him

Rorschach

Heading south. what's the plan?

Dreiberg

We're running, rorschach. we've got no place to go. we're

Hightailing it down to adrian's

Rorschach

Veidt's assassin. leads to follow. can't just

Dreiberg

Cases, leads they don't matter, rorschach. the world's about to

End. if someone is trying to kill us, it doesn't

Matter

Rorschach

Coward. giving up

Dreiberg

Shut up, rorschach

Rorschach settles back, lets out a soft, thoughtful hiss

Rorschach

Sorry, daniel. you've always been a good friend. i know that

Sorry about laurie

Dreiberg

Okay, let's just thank you

For a few moments they fly on in silence. rorschach can't leave well

Enough alone. deep in thought, he scratches his chin

Rorschach

Veidt's not stupid. could have angle. might be good move

Cut to

215. ext. mars dr. manhattan's palace night

Laurie follows dr. manhattan up a ruby-crystal stairway which spirals

Around the exterior of his great glass castle. off to her side, the

Enormous gears and ratchets which rim its core are shifting, meshing

Like the quartz movement of a fine swiss watch

Laurie

This whole place is ticking. does it keep time?

Dr. manhattan

Yes. in about thirty seconds, for example, you'll tell me

You're sleeping with dreiberg

Laurie

You you know about me and dan?

He gives her a cryptic smile and marches up to the next level

Dr. manhattan

Time is the key, laurie. if i can unlock the origins of time, i'll

Finally be able to reconcile quantum physics and relativity

Laurie looks at him crosseyed and heaves a sigh

Laurie

Jon, does anybody know what the hell you're talking about?

Dan's just an ordinary guy, but he talks to me. when he looks

At me he's seeing something more than just a a collection of

Atoms

Dr. manhattan

Then you're sleeping with dreiberg?

Laurie

Well, i just, you just said don't act surprised

Dr. manhattan

That's how time works, laurie. everything is preordained even

My responses

We're all puppets. i'm just a puppet who can see the strings

Thirty seconds

She groans in frustration as they reach a balcony near the pinnacle

Of the huge glass tower. the martian plains spread out for miles

Below them; above, the stars stretch to infinity. a chill, violent

Wind whips across their faces

Dr. manhattan

I'll be here for the next year or so. then i'm going to work my way

Out toward the edge of the universe

Utterly uncorrupted by man. isn't it beautiful?

She moves to the edge of the balcony, gazes off at the bleak and

Fissured martian surface. suddenly she feels very alone and

Frightened

Laurie

Jon there's something i have to know. did you love me

Once?

Dr. manhattan

Yes, i loved you. i left the earth when i lost you

Laurie

Yet you must've known all along that you'd give me cancer. just be

Being with me

Dr. manhattan

I didn't give you cancer, laurie. not you, not the others. i don't

Know what did

Laurie

But you knew that i'd die

Dr. manhattan

Memories of the future are just like any others. i've tried not to

Dwell on the unpleasant ones

You won't die of cancer, laurie. there won't be time for that

Laurie's blood runs cold as she realizes what he's telling her

Laurie

Then it's going to happen. the world's going to end. and you've

Always known

Dr. manhattan

Always. ever since the day i died

He walks a few paces up the crystalline steps and surveys the

Forbidding martian landscape. behind him, laurie buries her face in

Her hands

Dr. manhattan

Do you understand me, laurie? do you see what it's been like for me

These last years? knowing that everything i knew and loved would be

Destroyed and that by leaving earth, i would be the helpless

Agent of its destruction?

Laurie

Then why don't you do something about it!

Dr. manhattan

Because

Laurie

Because you can't, i know, it's preordained. so sorry. i forgot

Jon. this, this 'script' you're following who writes it?

Dr. manhattan

I don't know yet. i should be able to tell you in roughly six

Hundred years

That about tears it for laurie. she storms over and grabs him by the

Shoulders

Laurie

I can't stand any more of this. i want to go back. if i'm going to

Die i want to be with other people

Dr. manhattan

Please, laurie. not yet. i've got eons stretching before me, a

Universe to explore. i'll be alone

You're the last human being i'll ever see

Cut to

216. aerial shot on owlship night

The owlship streaking through the icy stratosphere above the south

Atlantic. suddenly it bounces in midair jerks to the right and

Begins to spiral downward into the clouds

217. int. owlship that moment night

Dreiberg is frantically throwing switches as they lurch to and fro

Finally he manages to get the ship righted. rorschach's taken a bad

Tumble; he picks himself up off the cabin floor and asks

Rorschach

What happened?

Dreiberg

The guidance system's fried. i had to switch to manual. some

Kind of massive electromagnetic shockwave

Rorschach

What caused it?

Dreiberg

Don't know. nothing i can think of

Outside of a nuclear blast

Dissolve to

218. ext. antarctica karnak night

Veidt's vast complex is little more than a dim glow, barely visible

Through a swirling blizzard

219. int. karnak information room that moment

Veidt sits before his video wall, sipping mulled wine from a goblet. almost simultaneously, two screens labeled ³moscow² and ³washington, d.c.² go to sudden blinding white

A second later, the screens show nothing but random video noise. veidt leans back in his chair and cocks an eyebrow, seemingly unperturbed

220. ext. antarctica night

The owlship streaks downward through a total whiteout

221. int. owlship that moment

Through the cockpit, karnak¹s visible for an instant. then, it¹s lost in the snows again

Dreiberg

I¹m taking her down

Radar¹s blown. i¹ll have to wing it. strap in, rorschach

The ship rocks with the force of a premature impact

222. ext. antarctica on owlship that moment

The owlship takes a hard bounce against the snow. the hull crumples as the craft tips sideways and plows into a deep drift

A hatch springs open, and dreiberg and rorschach dig their way out. they¹re slightly underdressed for the weather. spotting the lights of karnak in the distance, they turn up their collars and press on

223. int. karnak information room that moment

Veidt¹s eyeing the closed-circuit security monitor which shows the exterior of the complex. he spots two tiny figures slogging through the blizzard

As he watches, the screens for ³london² and ³paris² go white

224. ext. karnak a moment later

Dreiberg and rorschach, half-frozen and covered in frost, make it to the great metal entry doors and start banging. a video camera mounted over the door rotates into position. a soothing, computerized woman¹s voice announces

Voice

Welcome to karnak. please identify yourself

Dreiberg

Adrian! it¹s dreiberg. for god¹s sake open the doors

Nothing happens. dreiberg pounds against the doors

Dreiberg

Adrian! we¹re freezing to death out here!

He slumps to the ground exhausted, barely able to draw a breath. the snow lies in four-foot drifts against the door

Rorschach

He¹s not coming, daniel

225. int karnak information room that moment

On the surveillance monitor, rorschach and dreiberg shamble off. veidt stands, hits his remote. the picture dies leaving a mere 199 screens in operation

The wall is now checkerboarded with monitors showing nothing but video snow. as veidt strides calmly out of the room, ³prague² goes white

226. ext. karnak night

Dreiberg on his knees, half-buried in snow. he topples forward, unable to go on. a pair of gloved hands enter frame and yank him upward

Dreiberg

Can¹t move we¹re done for

Rorschach

Come on. found an exhaust vent

Rorschach drags the helpless dreiberg around the side of the complex, where snow blows in flurries at the mouth of a tunnel-like structure

Rorschach

Veidt. it¹s been veidt all along. he¹ll pay for this

227. int. karnak dining hall night

Veidt alone at a long table in his cavernous dining hall, coolly eating dinner. behind him, above the mammoth entry doors, hangs a tapestry alexander slicing through the gordian knot

Two battered figures creep silently into the hall

Veidt sits calmly, betraying nothing. at his side, the mutant lynx

Growls. his hand closes tightly around the scruff of the animal's

Neck: quiet, girl

Rorschach reaches into his trenchcoat and pulls out a rhodopsin

Flasher the same weapon capt. metropolis used in the opening

Scene. suddenly

Rorschach

Veidt!

Veidt whirls. he flings a platter, frisbee-style, across the hall

It catches rorschach on the chin and sends him sprawling. dreiberg

Backs against a wall in horror as the lynx comes sprinting toward

Him, teeth bared

Veidt claps his hands twice, and the cat relents. he reaches for a

Futuristic stun gun, which has been lying on the table all along

Part of the place setting and advances on his old colleagues

Dreiberg

Adrian. what are you doing? why wouldn't you let us in?

Rorschach

He's the one. he's been the one all along. stalking us

Dreiberg

Adrian you? you killed blake, and

Veidt

Yeah. see, i've been working on a little project. top secret, of

Course

Dreiberg

The missing scientists

Veidt

You might recognize the names. quite a few of them worked

At gila flats

Rorschach

Gila flats place where jon turned into

Veidt

Dr. manhattan, right. now if you boys care to join me, we'll go save

The world

228. int. karnak a moment later night

Gun in hand, veidt marches them through the halls of karnak

Rorschach throws an occasional glance behind him; the lynx is nipping

At his heels

Veidt

Blake thought the russians were trying to spirit off our researchers

To create their own nuclear superman. it wasn't russia

It was me. when he figured that out, of course i had to kill

Him. the rest of it rorschach's capture, my 'assassination'

That was just to keep you busy. all that really mattered was getting

Rid of dr. manhattan

Dreiberg

What??

Veidt

I couldn't let him interfere with my project

Rorschach

Veidt. you're the one who started world war iii

Veidt

No. i just hastened the inevitable

He's been ready to blow for years. i knew all it would take was a

Little push. so i, gave his friends and associates

Cancer

Dreiberg

Laurie? you're responsible for

Veidt reaches into his pocket for his gold cigarette case. he pulls

Out a smoke and strikes it against the box

Veidt

One thing i've learned about cancer it's much easier to generate

Than it is to cure

Dreiberg, enraged, charges at him. the lynx roars. veidt swings the

Stun gun across dreiberg's face, knocking him to the floor and

Levels the futuristic weapon directly at his head

Veidt

Let's get something straight. if you try that again, i'll kill you

Without a moment's thought

They've reached the entrance to veidt's information room. 200

Screens blink and flicker as he waves the gun, gesturing them

Inside

Rorschach

Call off the cat and i'll kill you, veidt

Veidt

Before you do that, you might want to look at what i've been looking

At

229. int. information room a moment later

Veidt points them over to the monitor in the bottom right-hand

Corner. onscreen, the young jon osterman sits in a lab at gila

Flats, reassembling a watch

Dreiberg

What is this? it looks like jon

Veidt

It is jon. twenty-four years ago. before he turned into dr

Manhattan

Dreiberg

Good lord. how'd you get it on tape?

Veidt

It's not on tape. it's live. we're watching it happen

Cut to

230. ext. mars dr. manhattan's palace night

Dr. manhattan peers off the edge of a balcony while, behind him

Laurie dines at a sumptuously appointed table. she feels as if she's

Hit the jackpot in some freakish contest win a dream date on

Mars

Dr. manhattan

I almost envy you, laurie. in my present form i can't die. it's a

Mystery i'd like to penetrate

Laurie

Jon, i do not want to hear it

Dr. manhattan

I'm sorry. look there's a gas storm on the valles marineris

Laurie

God. i'm no more than a bug on a windshield to you

Dr. manhattan

You're the only human being i care for

Laurie

Then do me a favor. if the world's going to end, it shouldn't matter

A bit

I want you to cure me

Dr. manhattan

I won't do that

Laurie

You have the power to do it. i want you to do it. please

Dr. manhattan

I explained this. i can't. that's not the way it happens

Laurie

Jon. if you ever loved me if there's anything human left in you

Then do it

Eyes wild, she grabs his great blue hand and thrusts it into her

Chest, where it disappears up to the wrist

Her fingers tighten around his forearm. their gazes lock. dr

Manhattan shuts his eyes and grimaces, as if he's got to make the

Hardest decision of his life. and then

A brilliant blue aura engulfs them both. it spreads and grows in

Intensity, suffusing the sky, finally blotting out the vast martian

Landscape altogether

With a sudden pop the aura begins to die. for a split-second we see

The figures of laurie and dr. manhattan suspended against a great

White void. then colors begin to appear; the crystal castle and the

Martian desert gradually materialize around them

The two of them stumble back from each other and stand there like

Statues, awestruck. neither one seems quite sure what's happened

Laurie

What am i

Dr. manhattan

Cured, yes

Utterly spent, he staggers to the edge of the balcony, grabs a

Handrail for support. he looks like a man who's just had a heart

Attack

Laurie

Jon, what is it? what's the matter?

When he looks up at her, he's desolate his face filled with

Dread

Dr. manhattan

Something. .incomprehensible has happened. it's all gone blank on

Me. i can't remember the future

Slowly very slowly she draws near and puts her arms around

Him

Laurie

Jon. let's go back to earth

Cut to

231. int. karnak lab area night

Veidt, dreiberg, and rorschach enter a lab space which puts the i.f

Room at gila flats to shame. in the midst of the massive whirring

Machinery sits a glowing blue dome a bubble of pure energy

Inside its shimmering contours is a little corner of gila flats. jon

Osterman tightens a screw, and sets the movement of janey's watch into

Its brass housing totally oblivious to the strange trio watching

Him from twenty-four years in the future

Veidt

Gentlemen, the past. unfolding before your eyes

Stand back from the field. it'll blow you to bits

Dreiberg

What is it? how does it work?

Veidt

It's a tachyon chamber. it generates subatomic particles which flow

Backward in time

There are other worlds, daniel, other timelines existing

Parallel to our own

Dreiberg

Adrian you've lost it

Veidt

I've seen them! i've seen them in there

In some of them only a few the human race survives. and it

Survives because dr. manhattan never existed

He draws closer to the tachyon bubble. off to one side is the camera which feeds the monitor in the video room and beside it, mounted on a tripod, is a high-powered telescopic rifle

Veidt

The creation of dr. manhattan was a flashpoint in history. he threw the world balance of power totally out of whack. and his absence for even a week virtually guaranteed a catastrophic war

Do you understand now? do you see what i¹m going to do? i¹m going to change the past!

232. ext. outer space that moment

Dr. manhattan and laurie materialize in orbit around the earth, enveloped in a bubble of oxygen. far below, the nuclear birds are already aloft; tiny pinpricks of light flash over new york and san francisco

Laurie

We¹re too late

Dr. manhattan

It¹s very strange. time¹s flowing backwards

Laurie

Jon what??

Dr. manhattan

The south pole. time¹s flowing backwards

233. int. karnak lab that moment

Inside the tachyon chamber, jon osterman fits the glass crystal back into place on janey¹s watch. veidt looks on in fascination

Veidt

At first we could only watch the past. now we can reach out and touch it

He steps over to the rifle, peers through the telescopic sight

Veidt

It ate up enough megawatts to light the eastern seaboard for a year and a half but last week i managed to open a dime-sized hole for almost three seconds

In a minute i¹ll do it again. and if my aim is true, i¹ll put a bullet through jon osterman¹s heart and dr. manhattan will never be born

Dreiberg and rorschach trade looks of disbelief

Rorschach

And they call me a fucking nut

Dreiberg

Adrian. it¹s too late. the world is blowing up as we stand here

Veidt

Don¹t be obtuse, daniel. if i kill jon in the past, none of this will happen. we won¹t even be here, will we?

Dreiberg

And what if you¹re wrong?

Veidt

I¹m not

Dreiberg

What if you¹re wrong??

Veidt

Then i¹ve been a very bad boy and you¹ll have to spank me. christ!

I¹m doing what i have to do to save the godforsaken human race!!

234. ext. antarctica that moment night

A pocket of blue haze materializes in the snow-swept skies above karnak. inside it: laurie and dr. manhattan

Dr. manhattan

That¹s it. that¹s the source of the time disturbance

Laurie

Jon, where are we?

Dr. manhattan

Veidt¹s complex

235. int. karnak lab that moment

Twenty-four years ago, jon osterman is packing his jeweler¹s tools, folding his swatch of black velvet. in the present, veidt is raving

Veidt

Your problem, dan, is a lack of vision. you spent all those years

Chasing after muggers, and drug dealers, and jaywalkers

As if the world was any better for it. as if any of it mattered

Dreiberg

You ruthless son of a bitch. you really believe this mad-scientist

Bullshit is going to save the world?

Veidt

We'd better hope so. it's almost time

He kicks a floor switch. giant nuclear generators begin to hum

Then he bends over the rifle and peers through the sight

236. veidt's pov through crosshairs

In the past, jon osterman is reaching for his lab coat when he hears

A squeak. he picks up a broom

237. int. karnak lab that moment

A luminescent white spot appears on the surface of the tachyon

Bubble. there's a hideous whine as a tiny hole begins to open up

Directly in front of veidt's rifle. his finger closes around the

Trigger

And with a terrible crash, the lab wall collapses behind him

Veidt dives backward, dodging rubble

As a blue giant, thirty feet tall, steps into the lab with

Laurie at his side

Dr. manhattan

What are you doing, veidt?

Veidt

Jon! get back! you don't understand

Dr. manhattan stares down at the tachyon bubble and sees

Himself his former self chasing a mouse out of

The i.f. chamber at gila flats. his eyes go wide. even he's

Surprised

In the ensuing panic, dreiberg dives at veidt. veidt manages to

Sidestep him, frantically trying to get to his rifle. the hole in

The bubble has grown to the size of a quarter

Veidt lunges toward the rifle. laurie's directly in his path. he

Shoves her aside; they grapple; he flings her to the ground and

Points his stun gun directly at her

And a millisecond later, he¹s aiming at nothing. dr. manhattan has instantaneously teleported laurie across the room, out of his line of fire

Veidt looks up in horror, just in time to see a blue bolt of lightning launching itself from dr. manhattan¹s outstretched finger

Veidt

No!!!!

And in the wink of an eye, he¹s vaporized. all that¹s left is a pair of charred boots, still standing upright

Dreiberg rushes over to laurie, takes her in his arms

Laurie

What was he doing?

Dreiberg

Trying to change the past. he said it was the only way to save the world

Dr. manhattan stares at the tachyon bubble, mesmerized. inside, the door to the i.f. chamber has just swung shut on a terrified jon osterman

Dr. manhattan

He was right

Rorschach, laurie, and dreiberg stare up at the blue behemoth in puzzlement. dr. manhattan begins to shrink to normal size. he runs his hand over the surface of the tachyon bubble; bright blue sparks shoot off in all directions

Dr. manhattan

He did it. veidt broke the code. it¹s so elegant. it¹s so obvious

Dr. manhattan¹s off in another world, as usual. he wears a beatific smile as he watches his own imminent destruction in the tachyon chamber

Laurie

Jon

Dr. manhattan

Space and time. i finally understand, laurie. i see it all now

Laurie

Jon for god¹s sake, what do you see?

Dr. manhattan

I see what the watchmaker made. i see the universe!

He lifts his arms; particles of light appear from nowhere and whiz

Around his body like superaccelerated fireflies. the lights in the

Room dim; it's as if dr. manhattan is absorbing all the power of the

World into his own massive frame

Dr. manhattan

My work here is finished

The others cower. they sense that something large is about to

Happen. in the past, jon osterman is pounding on the glass of the

Test chamber; in the present, dr. manhattan reaches out to touch the

Tiny

Hole in time

He does, and in a blaze of blinding blue light the tiny rift expands

Into a shimmering fissure. dr. manhattan peels back its edges and

Steps through into the past

238. int. test chamber that moment

Jon osterman turns away from the observation panel. to his utter

Bewilderment, a huge blue figure surrounded by sparks and smiling

Gloriously has materialized in the chamber behind him

Dr. manhattan

Don't be afraid, jon. i'll be here with you

A second before the particle cannons kick in, dr. manhattan steps

Forward and fuses with jon, their bodies becoming one

For a moment jon is still visible, with dr. manhattan's frame

Surrounding him, like a translucent shield of pure energy; then dr

Manhattan coalesces into a solid protective husk around him. as the

Chamber begins to glow, a network of hairline cracks spreads across

The shell of his body. blue light spills through the seams; he

Spreads his hands no in pain, but in triumph; and with a blinding

Flash, dr. manhattan explodes outward, a million fragments merging

With nothingness

To expose a dumbstruck jon osterman in his place. the blue

Light dims and the chamber reverts to normal. miraculously, he's

Alive astonished, but perfectly intact

239. int. gila flats test lab a moment later

The timelocked door pops open and jon staggers out into the midst of

His awed colleagues, who've seen everything through the observation

Panel

Scientist

What in the name of god

The scientists advance cautiously toward the chamber. janey

Sobbing, rushes forward and throws her arms around the dazed jon. as

She clings to him, her face pressed tightly against his chest, he

Looks down at his hands; his fist is still closed around

Jon

Your watch, janey. i fixed your watch

Scientist ii

Look!!

The scientist is staring wide-eyed at the rear wall of the chamber

Which isn't there. instead, there's a rippling, irregular

Rupture a pulsating hole in time and visible beyond it are

Three odd-looking and very frightened figures: dreiberg, laurie, and

Rorschach

240. reverse angle veidt's lab the present

Dreiberg, laurie, and rorschach stare through the rupture at the

Astounded scientists

Laurie

What happened

Dreiberg

He saved himself. he changed the past

Laurie

Where did he go?

Before dreiberg can suggest an answer, the cleft in time begins to

Throb and shimmer, slowly sealing itself off before their eyes. for

A moment everything's back to normal

And then, to their mounting horror, the room they're in begins to

Dissolve around them fading away into a blank white void

A sudden percussive pop. the white void seems to shrivel around

Them, collapsing into a protective bubble of force as they plunge

Into

241. ext. vortex effect

Dreiberg, laurie and rorschach spinning and tumbling through an

Otherdimensional funhouse of sound and color. if space and time

Could be compressed into a single extravagant e-ticket joyride, this

Would be it. their bodies contract and distend, warp and elongate

Their tortured mouths emit soundless shrieks; and then, before they

Know it, they find themselves deposited

242. ext. new york street night

Smack in the middle of a busy intersection. the three of them

Materialize from nowhere; a southbound van swerves to avoid them

Slamming into a row of parked cars, and a northbound taxicab does the

Same, knocking over a fire hydrant

Laurie

Dan, is this is this new york??

Dreiberg

Those cars. what year is this??

Laurie

Everything's changed

It's a disorienting world they've landed in. in fact, it's

Our world, our new york, and everything the cars

The clothing, the very look of the city seems just a trifle out of

Whack

Rorschach

Hnrrrrr we never happened

Bystanders cluster about, laughing and taunting, highly amused by the

Obvious puzzlement of the freakish trio in their midst. there are, of

Course, no costumed heroes in our world, and their sudden

Presence prompts a babel of speculation among the onlookers

Nuts? fruits? out-of-work actors?

Rorschach takes a swing at one of the curious, who gets a touch too

Close, and the mood begins to turn hostile. the crowd, now grown to

Several dozen people, is threatening to block the intersection

Altogether; a mounted policeman rides up on his stallion and blows a

Shrill whistle

Dreiberg

My god, they still ride around on horses!

243. ext. newsstand that moment

The same newsstand we've seen all along but luckily, here in our

World, the headlines are only mildly discouraging: 'russian summit

Talks collapse.' like everyone else, our old friend the news vendor

Is gapin at the ruckus on the street

News vendor

Jesus christ, it must be halloween

His sidekick, the small black kid who reads comic books, points to

The befuddled trio on the street and laughs in gleeful recognition

Kid

Shit, man! it's rorschach! and night owl!

News vendor

What are you talkin' about?

Kid

Superheroes! check it out!

He thrusts a comic book into the news vendor's hand and races off to

Join the growing throng of rubberneckers. the news vendor stares

Down at the costumed characters in the comic book 'watchmen'

Then throws a cockeyed squint at their real-life counterparts on the

Street

Kid

All right! they must be on a case

244. ext. street that moment night

Horns blare. all traffic has stopped. the intersection is mobbed

With curious onlookers. by now a half-dozen beat cops have arrived

To clear the streets and restore order

Cop i

Break it up! stand back!

Cop ii

Come on, you three. if this is some kind of publicity stunt

Dreiberg, laurie, and rorschach have fallen into a tight circle

They don't know what to expect and they're poised for a brawl. the

Taunting crowd gives them plenty of room; even the cops are hesitant

To advance

Laurie

Dan what do we do now?

Dreiberg

Wherever we are, it's better than what we left. backs together

Laurie

We'll tell them what's happened. they'll listen to reason, won't

They

Rorschach

They'd better

And on rorschach's final vicious hiss, we shock cut to black and

Fade out

The end

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