The Eyes of the Creator

by deathtap

Prologue

Adrian "Ozymandias" Veidt sat upon his pyramid shaped 'throne' cross-legged in a meditative pose. Ankhs of gold were delicately placed on each of the four sides, showing off Ozymandias' obsession with the ancient Egyptian king, Ramesses II, who was perhaps regarded as the greatest Pharaoh to have ever lived. He stared at the blue figure of Dr. Jonathan Osterman, or Dr. Manhattan; the world's only true 'superhero', but Veidt was not without his own talents. After all, it was because of him that the Cold War had now ended. It was because of him that he masterminded the grand plan that united the world powers together uniting the people together. It was because of him and his genius that saved the world. He had saved humanity.

"Jon... I know people think me callous, but I've made myself feel every death. By day I imagine endless faces. By night... well, I dream about swimming towards a hideous..." Adrian shuddered a little bit. Dr. Manhattan noted the change in his temperature, pulse, and a sudden change in his dopamine levels. Veidt closed his eyes and within seconds everything had returned to normal. "No. Never mind. It isn't significant. What is significant is that I know. I know I've struggled across the backs of murdered innocents to save humanity... but someone had to take the weight of that awful, necessary crime. I'd hoped you'd understand, unlike Rorschach..."

Dr. Manhattan walked around the large, floor standing star-globe revealing part of the known cosmos. He ran his hand over it, pushing his body sideways, using his body to study the way the molecules wove around his hand, how they pushed and pulled against one another. A part of him was slightly annoyed at how inaccurate the star-globe was, but he had always known that even before he saw it. He saw the universe and the millions of alternate variations that could have been, but would never be. It always made perfect sense, how everything fit. How one event could cause unforeseen circumstances.

This was not the universe he had seen beyond this system.

Adrian's voice had already spoken to him a long time ago, yet it had not happened yet. Jon had already given his reply, but he had not yet heard himself speak the answer. He had heard himself say the lines a million times in a million seconds, yet this would be the only time the words would actually leave his lips. This was the moment where and space and time coincided and in the nanosecond after this single moment it would lapse into an infinite past where he could see this one minor event happen, yet no matter what he did he could not change it. He could see the many alternate forms of his answer and how they would affect their respective futures, but those would never come to pass for they could never happen. He could not change what he was going to say or what he had already said. Had he already known what he was going to say, therefore that was why he would say it?

Time had long ceased being linear to him anymore.

"You needn't consider Rorschach. I strongly doubt he'll reach civilization," Dr. Manhattan stated as he saw himself tearing the masked man apart outside of Adrian's Antarctic hideout nine minutes forty five seconds ago. He tore him apart at the atomic level, destroying him in a manner that only left a slightly bloodied stain on the snow. He knew this because he had seen it before, could see it after, but no matter how many times he wanted to stop, he knew he could not or was it because if he did not then humanity would once again be in danger? Osterman was unsure. He never liked murder and the sight of ripping the masked man apart left a foul taste in his mouth. Jon might not have liked the vigilante, but he respected his desire for justice. Killing him was wrong... or was it? He could hear the voices of a million people cry out in anguish if Rorschach had lived, not that it could ever happen because he would kill him -- had killed him. The raw, uncompromising nature of his version of justice was his undoing. The others agreed to keep Viedt's atrocity a secret, but not Rorschach. Even if the face of Armageddon he was compelled to do what was right -- even if it was wrong. "But yes, I understand without condoning or condemning. Human affairs cannot be my concern. I'm leaving this galaxy for one less complicated."

"But you'd regained interest in human life..." Veidt stated slowly trying to gain more information from the god-like being. He knew Jon could see the future even if he could not change it. He would be useful to ensuring peace continued.

"Yes, I have. I think perhaps I'll create some." Jon walked into the star globe that had sparked a mild interest in him moments before. Sparked interest on various levels, including the metallic makeup of the device. How the molecules fit into one another, how the way the metal bent in some parts giving it the structural balance it needed to remain standing. Then, as quickly as it had come, the moment had vanished. It no longer concerned him nor interested him, just like he had known it always would. He had altered the composition of his body, changed himself at the atomic level to allow his own entity to move without obstruction. He did this without a thought, like blinking or breathing -- two things he no longer had to do, "Goodbye, Adrian."

"Jon, wait, before you leave... I did the right thing, didn't I? It all worked out in the end."

The future lay bare before him. Dr. Manhattan saw the many paths and crossroads available. He could see them unfold before him like many paths each leading away from each, constantly dividing into innumerable tributaries that continued for an eternity. An infinite amount of possibilities in an infinite number of realities spanning an infinite amount of time, yet he knew in an instant which ones this world would take. He always had, always will.

Jon saw it all, each outcome, each so-called 'destiny' for each living creature alive. And he felt nothing.

"'In the end'? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends."

"Jon? Wait! What do you mean by..."

He was gone. All that remained was a faint blue afterglow that faded quickly. This world's only real superhuman had vanished. Adrian sat back down heavily on his throne and stared at the star-globe in front of him for a long while, an uneasy feeling churning in his belly.

Jon Osterman, Dr. Manhattan, was gone.

Comments

[BenRG]

Probably the best novelization of the climax of Watchmen I've ever read.

I always wonder if Jon said those final words to torment Adrian - a petty revenge for all his sins, the sins he had forced on the others and the sins he would continue to force upon them. However, I don't think that Jon was human enough at that point to be capable of such emotions and desires. He lost his last scrap of humanity when he had to kill Walter Kovacs, Rorschach, to stop Adrian doing something horrible in an attempt to neutralise the threat he represented.

No... I think it was a warning. You see, he knew about Rorschach's diary and knew that history tends to push back against those who would control it, the one mistake Jon would never make. Once you start down the interventionist path, you can never stop. Once you tug against the puppet strings, you can never let them go slack again or everything will just fall flat. Adrian's punishment was to be a worse and bloodier villain for every day that passes of peace. He had created an artificial peace and he would need to constantly act to sustain it against the flow of history. In time, no matter how many lives he saves, the pile of innocent corpses that he has created will always be greater. In the end, he will look in a mirror and not recognise the blood-drenched monster looking back at him with an expression of primal horror on its face.

As for Jon...? He knew there was nothing left for him to do. There was no good he could do, so it was time to leave before his simple presence caused harm to the handful of mortals for whom he still had affection.

[lolpony33]

2203172 You make a good point there with all those things about the final words of Osterman to Veidt, for that you have my respect.
Also, I totally agree this is the best moment in the series.

[EverfreeSparkle]

I find it strange in that this is how I think about the universe...