Rorschach set up a base of operations and went onto the street to stop some crime. He walked amongst the thugs who dared not to look at him because they knew what would happen if they did. Casually strolling down the street, he saw people walking in the opposite direction, most likely avoiding a fight, but Rorschach wanted to be part of it. Continuing at a relaxed pace, he approached the fight scene; it appeared to be Daredevil and the Kingpin battling it out. The Kingpin had the upper hand due to his brute strength, so Rorschach decided to intervene. Concealing himself in the shadows, he waited for the perfect moment to ambush the Kingpin. The Kingpin, holding Daredevil in the air ready to strike a heavy blow, felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around with Daredevil still in his grasp and was met with a metal pipe to the face, shattering on impact. This stunned the Kingpin, giving Daredevil a chance to break free. Daredevil stepped back and asked Rorschach if he was on his side, to which Rorschach replied that obviously he was on his side, but they needed to deal with the Kingpin first, who clearly looked displeased. The Kingpin yelled at Rorschach, blaming him and Daredevil for ruining everything. Despite Kingpin's anger, Rorschach evaded his attacks and joined forces with Daredevil to deliver a series of powerful hits. Working together, they easily incapacitated the Kingpin, as he was no match for both of them. Even after the Kingpin was clearly unable to fight back, Rorschach continued to beat him. Daredevil intervened, kicking Rorschach away from the Kingpin. Rorschach stared at Daredevil and inquired why he didn't beat the Kingpin to a pulp, stating that he saw the desire for it deep down.
Daredevil told Rorschach that he was correct; he wanted to beat Kingpin to death. But the difference between him and Rorschach was that he had a line he wouldn't cross. If he ended up killing Kingpin, then what's to stop him from doing it to every criminal he fights? To put it simply, he isn't the judge, jury, and executioner. He didn't get to choose which villains lived and died. Rorschach got tired of Daredevil spitting out nonsense, so he left. But not before telling Daredevil that he was not going to kill Kingpin; he would leave that honor to Daredevil because eventually he is going to have to kill him for the greater good. Using the grappling hook, he grappled to the top of a building and went off into the night.
Rorschach finally got to rest knowing that the Kingpin was in jail, but he knew at some point he would be let free and he really should have killed him. However, he was going to let Daredevil do that eventually. Rorschach went back to doing his patrol of the city because even with the Kingpin locked up, it didn't mean the streets were safe; it just meant that the king's throne was up for grabs. He was jumping from rooftop to rooftop when he realized that someone was following him, so he decided to stop and ask the person who was following him to reveal themselves. The person who emerged from the shadows was a red-haired woman who looked like an experienced assassin. She introduced herself as the Black Widow and said she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. Black Widow told Rorschach that her boss was interested in him and wanted him to join S.H.I.E.L.D. She also mentioned the Avengers Initiative, which was a superhero group that would protect the Earth from threats. Black Widow said that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been watching him and that his abilities were impressive, to say the least. He had been able to sneak into government buildings with little difficulty and could fight on par with the best S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Rorschach looked at her to see if she was trying to trick him or something but found that she wasn't lying. So he told her that he would agree to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., but he would continue to do what he does and no one would stop him, not even S.H.I.E.L.D. He left without another word and started heading back home, but not before giving her his contact information just in case S.H.I.E.L.D. needed him. He entered his house and went to bed, knowing that agreeing to her offer would cause him a lot of trouble, which he was ready to deal with.
Black Widow reported back to Nick Fury informing him that she accepted his offer. Fury was intrigued by the masked vigilante the moment he heard of him, a man who shows no fear and delivers justice no matter what, a man who has the ability to make the hard choices when needed. Fury wanted to meet him in person so they could discuss his role in S.H.I.E.L.D. and what he would do. The fact he was able to spot Black Widow was proof that he was more than qualified for the job. Fury also considered putting him on the Avengers initiative because of his ability to make decisions no one else could make. So he told Black Widow to contact Rorschach to meet him so they could have a little chat.