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The More the Merrier

Mark Halpin

The title and flavortext are meant to point to Alan Moore's seminal 12-chapter graphic novel, Watchmen, one catch-phrase of which was "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?", or "Who watches the watchmen?"

The words given can be used to construct the long quotes which are used to close each chapter, minus a fragment of each quote, which is used as the chapter title itself.

Arrange quotes alphabetically. The first two numbers of each "equation" give the number of words in the quote - the number of omitted title words. Finally, modify the relevant issue number by the final amount, and interpret alphanumerically.

AND I'M UP WHILE THE DAWN IS BREAKING, EVEN THOUGH MY HEART IS BREAKING. I SHOULD
BE DRINKING A TOAST TO [ABSENT FRIENDS] INSTEAD OF THESE COMEDIANS
E. Costello
2+18=20/T

[AT MIDNIGHT ALL THE AGENTS] AND SUPERHUMAN CREW GO OUT AND ROUND UP EVERYONE WHO KNOWS MORE THAN THEY DO.
B. Dylan
1+7=8/H

AS FAR AS WE CAN DISCERN, THE SOLE PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE IS TO KINDLE A LIGHT OF MEANING IN [THE DARKNESS OF MERE BEING].
C. Jung
9-4=5/E

BATTLE NOT WITH MONSTERS LEST YE BECOME A MONSTER AND IF YOU GAZE INTO THE ABYSS, [THE ABYSS GAZES ALSO] INTO YOU.
F. Nietzsche
6+12=18/R

I AM [A BROTHER TO DRAGONS] AND A COMPANION TO OWLS, MY SKIN IS BLACK UPON ME AND MY BONES ARE BURNED WITH HEAT.
Job 30:29-30
7+6=13/M

IT WOULD BE A STRONGER WORLD, [A STONGER LOVING WORLD] TO DIE IN
J. Cale 12+3=15/O

ON HALLOWE'EN THE [OLD GHOSTS] COME ABOUT US AND THEY SPEAK TO SOME; TO OTHERS THEY ARE DUMB.
E. Farjeon
8+4=12/L

OUTSIDE IN THE DISTANCE, A WILD CAT DID GROWL. [TWO RIDERS WERE APPROACHING], THE WIND BEGAN TO HOWL
B. Dylan
10+15=25/Y

SHALL NOT [THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH] DO RIGHT?
Genesis 18:25
3+16=19/S

THE RELEASE OF ATOM POWER HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING EXCEPT OUR WAY OF THINKING... THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM LIES IN THE HEART OF MANKIND. IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN, I SHOULD HAVE BECOME A [WATCHMAKER].
A. Einstein
4+5=9/I

TYGER, TYGER BURNING BRIGHT, IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT. WHAT IMMORTAL HAND OR EYE COULD FRAME THY [FEARFUL SYMMETRY]?
Wm. Blake
5+14=19/S

Thus, the answer is THERMOLYSIS, confirmed a bit by "the heat dies down."