Judge Dredd

“I did what?”

“You said maybe it wasn’t thirty seconds. You said it was maybe something else.”

“So what?”

“So it wasn’t thirty. It was maybe thirteen.”

“It wasn’t thirteen.”

“You don’t know, you don’t know that. It might have been twelve.”

“Shut up,” Dredd said.

THIRTY-THREE

He shut out the fury, turned it aside. Cast a blind eye to the carnage, to the chaos, to the oily smoke from the city’s funeral pyres. A sky-lite bus had hit a barge head on, two-thousand feet above White Quad’s famous Crystal Dome. The explosion rocked the heights of the city. Twisted shards of molten metal, plastic, glass, and body parts ripped through the Dome, tearing, shredding, bringing razor-death to the naked fun-seekers below.

He ran down the alleyway behind Two-thousand-twenty-third Street, Fergie close behind. There were screams from the street, the sound of breaking glass. A looter with dragons tattooed on his face raced by with a holo set.

Now and then he saw Judges. Some of them were holding back the crowds. Some of them were dead. He used all the courage at his command to keep from jumping in to help, to fight beside his friends. He knew he couldn’t do it, that he had to stop Rico if he could. Besides, he was a fugitive. Even men who knew him might kill now.

That hurt. That hurt a lot. Almost as much as watching the people of the city tear his world apart.

Getting into the Hall of Justice wasn’t hard. Every veteran Judge knew how. Fergie didn’t want to come. Stay outside, Dredd told him, go anywhere. Fergie kept quiet after that.

The Judge in the locker room turned, startled. It was clear that he recognized Dredd. Dredd hit him carefully, a point below his neck. The man sagged. Dredd eased him to the ground and began stripping off his uniform. It wouldn’t quite fit, but that was fine.

“Oh, hell, why not?” Fergie rolled his eyes. “What else can they do to me? I’m dead already. They catch me, they can’t kill me twice.”

“Don’t count on it,” Dredd said.

THIRTY-FOUR

THE SETTING:

The lighting is subdued in the Council Chamber. The massive marble carving of the eagle and badge of the Judges is almost lost in shadow. Perhaps this somber atmosphere reflects the mood of the Justices themselves. They know this is not a time for secrets or evasions, for half-truths and Council politics. This is a time of reckoning, of honest exchange, of sharing the strength, the wisdom, and the craft that brought them where they are. This is a time when they will perish or survive.

JUDGE ESPOSITO

This is the latest casualty report: Ninety-six Judges have been assassinated. I’m sure that’s a conservative figure. Our lines of communication are severely disabled. Property loss, civilian deaths… we can’t keep up with that.

JUDGE McGRUDER

Whoever’s behind all this is familiar with our every procedure. They have our security measures… they even know our scrambler frequencies. Nothing’s safe! They know everything we do!

JUDGE ESPOSITO

With only a handful of Judges on the street, riots are breaking out all over Mega-City. We don’t even have emergency personnel anymore—we don’t have anyone to send. The situation is critical!

[Judge Silver studies a sheaf of papers. He crushes them in his hand and lets them fall to the floor.]

JUDGE SILVER

It’s more than critical. It’s a disaster! We cannot replace these Judges. Even if we put the Cadets on the street—an action I cannot bring myself to think about—we would not be at full strength for years.

JUDGE McGRUDER

We don’t have years, my friend. I doubt very much we have days. And mark my words, with nothing to control them they’ll be up here, at our doors next. You can bet on that.

[The Judges glance at One another, then quickly look away. This is a horror that each of them has experienced, alone, in the safe and guarded havens of the Heights… the nightmare of the horde, the swarm, the Citizens of Mega-City free and unleashed, the havenots of the overcrowded warrens down below, thinking of the wonders, of the dream, of the beautiful toys of the few they have only glimpsed on their videos… Silence. The Judges can hear the hiss of sterile air. Chief Justice Griffin looks at his hands, stands, and turns to the others.]

CHIEF JUSTICE GRIFFIN

There is a solution, you know. It’s there. And perhaps this is exactly what it was designed for. Project Janus.

[The Council erupts in babble. The explosion of anger, astonishment, fear, and disbelief echoes about the vast room. Judge McGruder comes to her feet.]

JUDGE McGRUDER

Chief Justice Griffin. The mere mention of that name, that abomination, is intolerable—and grounds for impeachment!

JUDGE SILVER

No. It is unthinkable, sir. Out of the question. This Council tried to play God once before. It almost destroyed us then.

CHIEF JUSTICE GRIFFIN

And if this wholesale slaughter of Judges continues, then what, Judge Silver? We shall surely be destroyed if that occurs. What possible purpose would that serve? If we bring Janus into play it can—

JUDGE ESPOSITO

It can what? A new batch of test-tube babies won’t solve this crisis, Chief Justice. We do not need reliable Judges twenty years from now. If we are going to survive, if this city is going to survive, we need help this minute, today!

(The lines of age and weariness are deeply etched into Judge Esposito’s face. The skin is dark and blotched beneath his eyes. Last night he heard the sirens wailing far below. When he finally slept, he dreamed of men with