Judge Dredd fanfiction! Having cleared the room with the warring juves, Judges Stone, and Asaji have to check another room for contraband.
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“Answer me something, Asaji,” Stone said as she and Psi-Judge Asaji walked down the hall. “Why the rubber bullet?”
“Don’t have to execute everyone,” Asaji said.
“Creep was getting fifteen to life anyway.”
“But he’d still be alive to serve it. And he hadn’t fired on us.”
“Yet,” Stone said.
The Judges stopped in front of the door to room one five zero two three three. The drugged man Stone had encountered still hang limply from the handcuff to the door handle.
“What are you thinking?” Asaji asked.
“This creep got his drugs from somewhere,” Stone said. “Best guess is we’ll find answers in this room.”
“I’m all psi-ed out, so we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.”
Stone glanced at Asaji. “You need a recharge?”
“Meditation. Best for a few hours, though I can pick up some strength in spurts too. Don’t think we have the time.”
Stone grunted and turned to the door. She hammered on it with the butt of her Lawgiver. “Judges! Open up!”
There was a long moment of non-responsive silence. Stone was about to beat on the door again when a peephole slot opened. Stone saw a pair of green eyes staring back at her.
“Is there a problem, Judge?” the female voice belonging to those eyes asked.
“I have a drugged and half-naked perp handcuffed to your door,” Stone said. “Any idea how he got that way?”
The green eyes flashed a hint of naughtiness. “I keep my handcuffs strictly in the bedroom.”
Stone’s lips formed an angry scowl. Asaji’s chuckle in the background didn’t help her mood. “Open this door, citizen!”
“Don’t you need a warrant or something?” the green-eyed woman asked. “Like in the cop holovids?”
Stone shoved the barrel of her Lawgiver in the peephole slot. The woman inside jumped back.
“This is my warrant!” Stone said. “Now open the drokking door!?”
Two seconds later, Stone and Asaji heard the locks clicking on the door. It pulled inward, dragging the unconscious drugged man with it.
The woman inside wore a nightgown that left little to the imagination. Her hair bore several different colors and was worn in no particular style. She looked down at the man handcuffed to her door.
A look of scorn marred her beauty.
“This asshole,” the woman said. “Doesn’t know an hour means an hour!”
“You a sex worker?” Stone asked.
The woman stepped back from the door, so Stone could take her in. With the curves of her hips and head-sized breasts, she looked as if she’d stepped out of a holo-porn.
“Would you waste a body like this?” the woman asked. “Paying for consensual sex is still legal, isn’t it?”
“For now,” Stone said. “You work with handcuffs. That’ll get you a month in the cubes for perving.”
The woman blinked. She then put on a seductive smile. “Or we could work something out.”
Stone’s scowl deepened. “Attempted bribery. Add ten years.”
Asaji stepped forward, partially blocking Stone. “Or you can tell us where this creep got his drugs.”
“The Law doesn’t —” Stone began, but Asaji held up a hand to silence her.
The woman looked from Asaji to Stone and back. She must have figured Asaji was the better deal.
“I hated him coming in all drugged up, but he said it made the sex better,” the woman said. “One time, he mentioned a guy named Worthless, over in the Tony Montana block.”
Asaji turned to Stone. “That is what we call a solid lead.”
Stone grunted.
“But if it doesn’t pan out,” Asaji said to the woman, “when you get out of the cubes fifteen years from now, don’t think your withered beauty is gonna pull in too many johns.”
The woman swallowed hard. “Another time I heard him mention Worthless hangs out with the Diamond Honey Badgers at the shuggy hall around the Tony Montana block.”
“We’ll check it out,” Asaji said. “Thank you for your cooperation, citizen.”
Asaji turned away from the door. Stone glared at the woman.
“Stay clean,” Stone said. She followed Asaji. The woman looked after the Judges for a moment and then closed the door behind her. She had to shove it to push the drugged man out.
“You know I’m coming back for that woman regardless of how this lead turns out,” Stone said.
“I don’t trust her either,” Asaji said. “If betting were legal, I’d put money down that the second we disappear she either calls someone or gets a visit from someone. I’d be interested to know who that someone is.”
Judge Parker joined Judges Asaji and Stone in the hallway. “Meat wagon’s on the way. I miss anything?”
Judge Stone answered. “You and I are headed to the shuggy hall near Tony Montana block. Asaji has volunteered to stay here and make sure this creep” — Stone pointed at the drugged man — “gets a pickup.
“And to watch this door.” Stone pointed at the woman’s door.
Asaji gave a mock salute. “I’ll be right around the corner!”
Stone glared at Asaji. “I don’t appreciate you stepping over my dispensing the Law, Asaji,” she began, “so you’d better hope this all turns into some serious arrests.”
“I’m sure you’ll get to execute someone else before the day is over,” Asaji said.
Stone took a hard look at the Psi-Judge. “I often wonder how you got into the Academy, Asaji.”
Parker could see the snarky reply at the tip of Asaji’s tongue.
“Let’s get to it, Stone,” Parker said. Otherwise, these two would trade barbs for an hour.
Stone threw one last glance at Asaji and then headed for the elevator. Parker shook his head at Asaji and then followed Stone.
Asaji went down the hall to stake out the green-eyed woman’s door.
“I had to give up Worthless,” the green-eyed woman said into her cell phone.
The woman on the other end of the line gave a short laugh. “Time he lived up to his name, I guess. The Judges can have the small fish.”
“Think Worthless can keep his mouth shut?”
“Knowing him, he’ll get himself killed. Which is even better.”
The green-eyed woman bit her lip. “Sorry I messed this up.”
“Random Judge activity,” the other woman said in sympathy. “Damned block war messed everybody up. But we need you free, so you did the right thing getting rid of the Judges.
“However, you may want to get rid of Theo too.”
The line went dead.
The green-eyed woman went to the bedroom to the nightstand. She picked up a vial half full of purple liquid and a hypospray. Thinking better of it, she put the vial down and picked up a full one.
The woman headed to the door.
The Judges turn a simple bust into an investigation into a potential conspiracy! What the hell is a shuggy hall? Find out next Tuesday!
With a little help from EN Publishing’s Judge Dredd RPG!
In addition to the Rebellion comic books “2000 AD” and “Judge Dredd Megazine,” I used EN Publishing’s “Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD” role-playing game to help put this together. Check them out!
