Rorschach's Diary.
October 26th.
rain.
The city is rotting, reeking of a mixture of garbage and lies.
The company calls this an opportunity.
I was brought to this world several years ago, and I originally thought I would gradually become powerless, weak, and eventually grow old.
But no.
They call me the deputy head of the Internal Security and Risk Control Department.
A joke.
Risk itself is a commodity they create.
Tonight's task is to handle a small matter.
This was my own request; I didn't want to sit in the office all day doing nothing.
A Class C product called "Bright Light" went out of control during a performance and burned down half a street in Hell's Kitchen.
Three civilians were seriously injured.
The public relations department needs a perfect on-site report proving that everything was an accident and that the product team did everything they could.
My job is to find factual evidence for this report.
Rain soaked through Rorschach's trench coat as he stood on the edge of the rooftop, the pattern on his ink-stained mask slowly shifting.
" Rorschach, any progress?"
Selene Kayle's voice came through the earpiece.
" Bright Light is a piece of trash, a drug addict who can't even control his own energy."
Rorschach's voice was hoarse.
"Oh? The PR department doesn't see it that way. In their articles, 'Bright Light' will be a tragic hero who, under extreme pressure, still chooses to sacrifice himself to protect the people."
Selene chuckled softly.
"Therefore, we need some details from the scene to support this story. For example, did he burn his arm to change the direction of the energy beam? Or did he shield most of the shockwave from the explosion with his body?"
"Lie."
"It's about narrative, dear. Narrative needs material."
The target has arrived; Rorschach cuts off communication.
He locked himself in the Shadow at the street corner.
A man dressed in cheap clothes, looking flustered, is shoving a USB drive into the hand of a female reporter.
According to intelligence, that was the original recording of Bright Light losing control.
The photographer is a resident of an apartment building across the street, who is now trying to exchange the truth for money.
A dirty deal.
Rorschach did not hesitate at all.
He fell from the edge of the rooftop, his grappling hook gun firing and embedding itself into the opposite wall.
His body swung like a pendulum across the street and landed in another alley.
Rorschach walked between the dumpsters and the back door, the rain drowning out all his sounds.
The female reporter who received the USB drive had just stuffed it into her handbag and was about to leave when a gloved hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed her wrist.
Before the female reporter could even scream, her mouth was quickly covered by another hand.
She was dragged deep into the alley.
Rorschach pressed her against the damp, cold brick wall, bringing the ink-stained mask close to her face, the flowing black patterns on it seeming alive.
"Thing."
His voice was flat.
The female reporter trembled with fear, her eyes filled with terror.
She shook her head frantically.
Rorschach didn't waste any words.
He reached into her handbag with his other hand and pulled out the USB drive.
Then, he let go of her.
The female reporter collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, and cried out in a tearful voice, "Who are you? One of Vought's men? You can't cover up the truth! I'll expose you!"
Rorschach looked down at her, his eyes behind the mask colder than the rainy night.
"The truth? The truth is you make a living by selling other people's tragedies."
"The truth is, this city deserves all the evil it possesses. And you are just another, screaming link in the food chain."
He turned away, ignoring the woman sprawled on the ground, and disappeared into the darkness.
A dozen minutes later, he found the man who had sold the video.
In a bar that reeked of urine and cheap alcohol.
Rorschach walked straight up to him.
The man sobered up halfway when he saw the ever-changing ink-stained mask.
"Who... who are you?"
Without a word, Rorschach grabbed his wrist, dragged him off his seat, and pulled him out of the bar like a dead dog, throwing him into the puddles in the back alley.
"Ah! My hand!"
The man screamed in agony.
What did you sell?
Rorschach stepped on his chest.
"I... I didn't sell anything!"
Rorschach pressed down slightly with his foot, and the man felt his ribs about to break.
"A USB drive! A USB drive!" he cried, tears streaming down his face. "I was wrong! I need money for my daughter's medical treatment! The Bright Light' burned down my house, I..."
"So you sold the video of your neighbor's death to the media to get money for your daughter's medical treatment."
Rorschach stated calmly, without a trace of sympathy in his tone.
"Using someone else's blood to buy your own medicine is perfectly fair."
He released his foot.
"Get out! If I ever see you again, you'll wish you were dead in that fire."
The man scrambled and disappeared into the alleyway.
Rorschach stood in the rain, clutching the small USB drive in his hand.
The truth is inside.
This is the original record of the Bright Light who lost control after taking drugs and burned innocent civilians to a crisp.
The company's order was to destroy it and then forge a report.
He turned on his communicator.
" Selene."
"Not bad." Selene sounded cheerful. "Was the stuff destroyed?"
"I have the evidence," Rorschach said. "The original video, unedited."
"Very good, crush it."
"I refuse."
There was silence on the other end of the communication.
A few seconds later, Selene's voice rang out.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I refuse," Rorschach said, emphasizing each word. "This evidence will be used in the trial, Bright Light must be held accountable for his actions."
" Vought Kovax."
Selene's voice was cold.
"Have you forgotten your place? You're the deputy head of internal security; your job is to control risk, not to uphold justice. Justice is a commodity, and you don't have the power to set its price."
My justice has no price.
"Ha," Selene laughed, "You're hilarious. Much funnier than my little kittens who only steal and wag their tails."
"What do you think you can do with this USB drive? Take down a C-level hero? And then what? Make Vought's stock price drop by a fraction of a percent? Make the PR department work overtime to write a new crisis PR statement?"
"You're like a child trying to set the ocean ablaze with a match. Naïve and ignorant."
I will put him on trial.
Rorschach repeated stubbornly.
No, you won't.
Selene's tone suddenly became lighter.
"But you can handle him."
Rorschach's brow furrowed beneath the mask.
"What's the meaning?"
"The company doesn't need a product that's out of control and tainted. Instead of going through the trouble of cleaning it up, it's better to just scrap it and replace it with a new one."
"The public relations department needs a hero's sacrifice to end this story, and the Strategic Operations Department happens to have a high-risk, dirty job that needs manpower."
"Isn't it a more perfect narrative to let a tragic hero sacrifice himself gloriously in a greater undertaking than an accident?"
"You want me..."
"I don't want anything. I'm just giving you a choice," Selene said. "According to procedure, you should destroy the evidence and submit false testimony."
"But now, I'm giving you an exception. Go, Rorschach, handle this the way you want."
"I authorize you to be fully responsible for the assignment of follow-up missions for the Bright Light' and... the final evaluation."
"Beep-"
The communication was disconnected.
Rorschach stood there, rain streaming down the brim of his hat.
He looked down at the USB drive in his hand.
Selene didn't order him around. She gave him a knife and watched with interest as he considered whether he would use it to carve artwork for the company or to stab it into the company's heart.
A test.
A game.
Rorschach slowly raised his head and looked in the direction of the Vought Tower in the distance.
His personal terminal vibrated; an encrypted file had been sent to him.
[Name: Mark Little ( Bright Light )]
[Ability: Manipulation of light and heat energy (unstable)]
[Psychological assessment: Narcissistic personality, drug dependence, potential violent tendencies]
[Safe house address:...]
[Common drug suppliers:...]
At the end of the document was a quote from Selene Kayle.
Don't make it too dirty.
Rorschach put away the terminal and put the USB drive in his pocket.
He did not destroy it.
That will be used as evidence in court.
He strode into the depths of darkness.
Rorschach's Diary.
October 26th.
Continued.
They gave me a leash with a vicious dog on it, wanting to watch a show.
They will see.
But it's not a play.
It is a trial.
Rorschach will never compromise.