CCC #110 - Voting Thread

The Lost One

“I don’t feel good about this Gabriel, this is not normal.” A woman paced back and forth throughout her bedroom, clutching her phone to her ear, “I mean, you just did that run and now you are supposed to go establish some colony! Don’t you get a break?” She put the phone on speaker and threw it on the bed.

On the other side of the line, Gabriel responded to her gently, “No, it’s not a 9-5 love. This is not just a job, it’s a responsibility, a duty.” He sped down a gravely surface in his massive 4x4, looking out the window at the abyss that is the dark side of the moon. It shimmered just as strong as the rest of the planet, but it was the silence that made it so intimidating, “Look, I’m almost at my location, just...I’ll be back soon. We’ll talk then. Love you.” He ended the call on his dashboard and it switched to a GPS, “Almost there. Almost done. Almost gone.”

A few minutes later, his GPS beeped, but to his dismay, the destination was much like the ride there, empty and cold. Gabriel pulled out his phone and dialed a number, it connected instantly, “Judge Castillo, that was quick. You’ve finished recon already?”

“There is nothing to inspect. The place is empty, Mia. Hasn’t your company been developing this for years, where the hell is the progress?” His frustration was palpable, but he tried to remain as respectful as possible.

Mia responded to him with haste, “You must’ve been unclear, Judge Castillo. When my father was head of Overdrive, we started planning the project, but it was put on indefinite hold after his...untimely death. That’s why you’re there, I need to make sure the area is still habitable.”

Gabriel’s eyes rolled so hard they could’ve been stuck, “You don’t need a judge for this. I’m leaving, hire somebody.” He put the car in drive and began to leave the area, but the car suddenly shut down before he could even leave the lot.

“I have hired someone, and I expect you to do the job. Or maybe I should make some calls, you’re new...shouldn’t be hard to convince them of your incompetence.” Mia replied harshly, “That is a company vehicle for the record. You can leave if you’d like, but you’re floating back to Earth.”

Gabriel took a deep breath, “I’ll have your report in an hour.” He hung up and the car re-activated, he promptly drove back to the middle of the lot and exited the vehicle.

“Damn, still getting used to how heavy this thing really is.” Gabriel got out of the truck, fully revealing his pristine Judge suit. While his suit protected him from the vacuum of space, the gravity was still uneasy to him. As he moved through the moon surface, he found it hard to keep himself grounded. With each step, he scanned the ground with his special-order carbine, allowing him to detect any unsafe toxins in the air and ground.

BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ

After almost thirty minutes of scanning, he received a hit for unsafe ground materials, he kneeled down to inspect it further, “Weird, doesn’t look any different...” Gabriel looked even closer, still not noticing anything of substance, so he touched the ground with the tip of his finger.

Before he could even react, his entire body froze. He felt nothing but the cold embrace of the abyss, despite the pounds of armor that sat atop his skin, it felt as if he was completely bare. The only thing he had control of was his eyes, which were completely tuned into the spectacle in front of him.

Inches from where he stood, another Judge stood, but it wasn’t like him, not in the slightest. It was illuminated in a deep burgundy energy, it’s eyes trailing with power. It slowly hovered over to Gabriel as the gravel spattered away under their feat, leaving nothing but smooth rock. The Judge stared at Gabriel despite their helmets, its glance was polarizing.

The moon was no longer silent, the sound of her power could be heard from galaxies beyond humanity’s scope. The energy it emitted played waves of beautiful symphonies, sounds so complex and astute that Gabriel couldn’t even comprehend them.

The Judge finally spoke, it’s voice just as hypnotizingly feminine as it’s radiant energy, “You are one of them. They warned me of you.”

Without warning, the tension in Gabriel’s body released, allowing him to take a deep breath, the first in what felt like hours on entrapment. He first looked at the Judge, examining her stature, he’d never seen something so disgusting yet graceful. Her helmet was that of a judge, but her body was elongated and her skin was as gray as the rock beneath them, Gabriel finally looked at her directly, “What...what are you.?”

“I am Lyre. You are a Judge?” Lyre didn’t just speak, she sang, her voice left a trail of echoes behind each word.

Gabriel responded, “I am. Are...are you?” His words were packed with worry, but followed by true wonder, even in his dreams, he’d never experienced something so magnificent.

Lyre chuckled, taking the helmet off, “No. This was a gift...a parting gift, from my sister.” Her laughter quickly subsided, her face was gray, but it wasn’t her color that made her look so odd. She looked not sad or angry, but confused and encased in longing.

Gabriel couldn’t feel anything but sorrow for her, he walked towards her as the energy she emitted traveled up his body, but just as he got close enough to touch her, she snapped at him.

“NO!” Her voice pushed Gabriel several feet away, “You took them away from me! You will pay!”

As Gabriel looked at Lyre, his sympathy had now diminished, “It’s the damn energy. It’s drawing me to her, I have to keep my distance.” Gabriel got in battle position with his carbine, “Hi-Ex.” He commanded to his weapon before firing an explosive barrel at Lyre. She let out a horrifying screech, but the fire was diminished by her energy.

Lyre extended her hand, generating a massive coagulation of energy, releasing it in a beam. Gabriel dodged it effortlessly, quickly releasing a burst of bullets into her head, which had no effect. Lyre responded with burst of energy from her entire body encasing Gabriel in her energy, leaving him in another trance like state.

Lyre busted into tears, “You made them do this to me! YOU WILL PAY!” Her voice deepened; expelling a blast of energy that shot directly at Gabriel’s armor, launching him into the moon floor.

The trance had been broken, but Gabriel could barely move, the energy hit him like a missle, without his armor it would’ve ripped straight through him. Gabriel raised his gun in the air, “WAIT, just...” He used the carbine as leverage to get up from the ground, “Just wait.”

Gabriel walked towards her again, this time completely willingly, prepared to retreat before the energy could encase him again, “What happened! Why are you on the moon! What is going on!” He still recovering from the blast, but he knew he couldn’t win with firepower, he needed to reach out to her, “I can help you. I don’t know what you heard about Judges but I will help you, just tell me what the f*ck is going on!”

The energy around Lyre slightly dissipated, only covering the area directly around her, “My sisters...they...they made a mistake. They didn’t know...they didn’t know I would get hurt.” The trails of power that followed her eyes subsided, “They...they were just troubled. Or they liked getting into trouble...I can never remember what mother said. It’s been so long....”

Lyre moved towards Gabriel slowly, “They liked making your kind mad, that’s why they did what they did to me! If you all would just go away, we could be at peace! I could go back home! We could be family!” Her energy returned to her as her anger grew.

Gabriel dropped his weapon on the ground, “Look. I don’t know where your sister or your family is, but...but I can take you home. I can protect you.” He extended his hand to hers.

Lyre looked at Gabriel, her eyes were filled with genuine rage, but behind that was hope, “You...you could take me back.” She looked away from Gabriel, darting her eyes at the Earth off in the distance.

As she stared at her home, Gabriel dropped to the ground and grabbed his weapon, commanding the carbine, “Exorcism!” Before Lyre could fully turn around, the heavenly bullet pierced her skull, making her entire body melt and evaporate into a pile of smoke. Lyre screamed at a pitch so high that Gabriel could barely register it, the entire planet vibrated until she was fully evaporated.

Gabriel looked at the spot where she disappeared, “Hell of a shot.”, he took out his phoned and called Overdrive, “Hey, message for Mia. Tell her the colony is clear for construction.”

As he walked back to his vehicle, he noticed the judge helmet, “I should get this back to its owner.” He picked up the helmet, reading the inside tag for a name, “De’ath? Maybe somebody back at Luna know’s him.”

The Death of Judge Dust

Year: 2082, Location: Luna City 1

The dance floor was a mess of bodies. Most of the patrons had fled when the shooting started- a group of rill hoppers had opened fire as soon as the two Judges walked in. Those who didn't run were pressed up against the walls, giving the men in the center of the room as much space as possible. Judge De Spyre walked the perimiter, looking each patron over as he did so, his scowl making none of them feel comfortable. In the center of the room, another Judge was looking at the proprietor's club license. The Judge inspected the permit, and handed it back. "Citizen Nash," stated Judge Dredd. "You manage 'Club Pluto.' Is that right?"

"No, Judge," answered Nash. "I own Club Pluto. My former bodyguard, Bruno, runs it. I just sit back, and enjoy the money coming in."

"Bozzss," came the electronic voice of Bruno, "We're loszing money here, bozzss."

"Bruno!" snapped Nash. "Let the Judges do their job! Go check on the kitchen."

"Robot! Stay where you are!" ordered Dredd. Bruno complied. Looking him over for a moment, Dredd demanded, "What's your model, robot?"

"Sizzxty-three. Deluxzze," Bruno offered.

Dredd looked at Nash through his helmet, and sounded suspicious when he asked, "Kind of an old model for a bodyguard, isn't it?"

Holding up a finger in correction, Nash said, "Former bodyguard. My new bodyguard is a Seventy-Eight, fully loaded," he said, pointing to the club's upper tier. The robot stood at the rail with its gun out, and was watching the crowd.

"Robot!" barked Dredd, drawing his Lawgiver. "Drop your weapon!"

The bodyguard complied literally, and the gun fell over the railing. Nash reached out and caught it instinctively, prompting Dredd to train his Lawgiver on the club owner.

Nash threw his hands in the air, and yelled, "Whoa! Whoa!" Spinning the gun in his hand so that the muzzle was in his grip, he bent his hand forward, offering the gun to the Judge. "Replacemnts are expensive. I'm sorry," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Dredd holstered his weapon as he took Nash's. Just then, a woman came out of the kitchen, knocking the door into Judge De Spyre as he was passing. "Oh, my-- Pluto! Baby! Judges!"

"I know, ma!" answered Pluto.

De Spyre recovered immediately, and drew his weapon. "What's your name, citizen?"

Pluto's mother sounded confused, but answered, "Flura Nash."

"Citizen Nash, you have been found guilty of assaulting a Judge--"

"--What?!" both Flura and Pluto blurted out.

"The sentence is five years cryo," finished De Spyre.

"Now wait a minute!" protested Pluto, his hands still in the air. Looking to Dredd, he said, "That was obviously an accident."

"The Law is clear," Dredd answered without sympathy. "Judge De Spyre, cuff her."

"C'mon," pleaded the club owner as De Spyre cuffed his mother, "can't we work something out?"

"Are you trying to bribe a Judge, Citizen Nash?" barked Dredd. "That also carries a sentence of five years!"

"No! No!" Nash assured him. "I'm just saying... maybe there's something you need more than my ma? Information you might need?"

Dredd looked around the room at the other patrons. "Judge De Spyre! Get those citizens out of here!"

Judge De Spyre didn't have to say anything. He merely jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the door. The citizens headed for it immediately, but followed the curve of the room, rather than daring to cross the dance floor.

Once the room was clear, Judge De Spyre grabbed Flura's elbow, and brought her to the center of the dance floor with Dredd and Pluto, stepping over bodies as they went. De Spyre looked at Dredd momentarily, their helmets making their communication unclear to the Nashes. Dredd looked to Pluto, and said, "What information do you think you have, Citizen Nash?"

"Little America--"

"--Luna City One," corrected Judge De Spyre.

Pluto nodded, and continued, "--hasn't seen a Judge in over a year," said Nash. "It's been practically citizen-ruled since Judge Dust was killed in The Vac."

"You mean Judge Dustov," corrected Judge De Spyre, stepping in close.

Nash's mouth went tight as he braced for a punch that never came. Once he realized that, he said, "Sorry. I'm sorry. In my line of work, you learn to go with the flow. Most patrons refer to him as Judge Dust, so I just picked it up. 'The customer is always right,' and all. No disrespect was meant." De Spyre didn't step back.

"Judges never left," added Dredd. "They were ordered to stay clear until we could be sent to investigate."

"A year later?" asked Flura.

"It took awhile," was all the explanation Dredd offered, looking to Pluto to continue.

Pluto untensed slightly, and said, "Point is: if you're here now, you must be after his killer. 'Ghoszt,' right?"

"He is wanted by the Law," answered Dredd.

"Right," Nash answered quietly. "I have it on good authority that he's in Farside."

"Luna City Two?" asked De Spyre.

"Yeah, Luna Two," Nash confirmed.

"And who is your 'good authority?'" asked Dredd.

"Old buddy of mine, Felix Laranga."

Dredd frowned as his helmet display gave him information on the new name. "Laranga, Felix. Convicted of using loaded dice at the Lunar Grande Hotel, and sentenced to one year cryo."

"That was two years ago," answered Nash. "He's out now, and he manages the Lunar Grande for me."

Dredd's jaw tightened as he read his helmet display. "You own the Lunar Grande?"

Flura chuckled. "It was owned by Rex Crater. He turned out to be a clone of Pluto, set up by Mike Marucci to run the Grande, and push out the business owners of Little Amer-- I mean, Luna City One, to make way for a new resort. Rex doublecrossed Marucci, shooting him into orbit. When he died too, it turned out that they had tied up their holdings as Pluto's, in an attempt to frame him. The paperwork was legal though, so now," shrugged Flura, "he owns it all."

Dredd decided to test their story. "I'm showing that a Mister Belcher owns the Lunar Grande."

Without hesitation, Pluto answered, "Belcher was Crater's flunky. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder -my murder- and is currently enjoying a sixty year stretch in cryo. Personally, I think you guys should have left him thawed out, and let him age in a good old-fashioned six-by-eight cell."

Dredd looked at De Spyre only momentarily, then nodded at Nash. "So where is Ghoszt now?"

"Farside is all I know," said Pluto.

Dredd's frown was inscrutable for a minute. Then he said, "Thank you, Citizen Nash." Looking to the other Judge, he said, "Judge De Spyre, call for pickup on the prisoner, and let's go."

"What?" Flura blurted in distress.

"Hey, wait a minute!" protested Pluto. "We just gave you information! We had a deal!"

"You assisted a Judge as is your duty as a citizen. The Law does not 'deal.'" Looking to Flura Nash, who was clearly in terror, he then looked back to Pluto, and said, "But we will note your cooperation in this matter. Perhaps a lesser sentence has been earned."

Nash looked at his mother helplessly. "Ma... I--"

"That is all!" barked Dredd, and he turned to leave, De Spyre and their prisoner close behind.

"Pluto!" cried Flura. "Pluto!"

"Ma!" he called back, but they were already out the door, and a Judge hovercarrier landed just outside to meet them.

Year: 2082, Location: Luna City 2

Judge Dredd and Judge De Spyre stepped off the moon shuttle, and the other passengers gave them a wide berth as they disembarked. Dredd looked around and said, "Never thought I'd see Farside."

De Spyre's perpetual scowl etched deeper into his face. "That's Luna City Two, rookie."

Dredd shrugged. "Citizens call it Farside. Just trying to think like a resident, sir."

The senior Judge thudded the back of his gloved hand against the rookie's chest, making him stop. Although it was a slight move, it felt like a solid blow. "You're not here to 'blend in,' rook. You are a Judge. You are the Law. You call everything by its legal name, so citizens remember who they are dealing with." De Spyre started walking again, and Dredd fell in beside him.

"Sir, don't you think the uniform reminds them of that?" asked Dredd, as he motioned to the pedestrians swerving from their routes to let them pass.

De Spyre grunted lightly. "Knowing how a citizen thinks is one thing. Adopting that thinking for yourself is another. You are to be the Law at all times, Judge Dredd. You start talking and reacting like a citizen, you open yourself up to compromise. The Law does not compromise. The Law judges."

"Understood, sir," was Dredd's only reply.

"You did well in Luna City One," offered De Spyre. "Let's see how you do with Luna City Two," he challenged, pointing to the Lunar Grande in the distance. As they walked, he asked, "Judge Dustov was in your academy class, wasn't he?"

Dredd nodded. "Finished his turn in the Cursed Earth just ahead of me, sir. Apprehended the Winchester Sisters."

"Then let's make sure we get him some justice," growled De Spyre.

"Yes, sir," answered Dredd.

Year: 2082, Location: Luna City 2 - The Lunar Grande Hotel

Buzzing an intercom, the secretary announced, "Mister Laranga, there are two Judges here to see you."

"Oh, yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah!" the intercom answered back. "Buzz them in, Miss Fuente. Buzz them in!"

The door buzzed, and the Judges entered, scanning the room as they did so. Felix Laranga, whose facial scan matched his mugshot, sat behind a large wooden desk at the far end of the room. Seated on a couch to the right was a woman with short, bobbed hair.

"Come in, Judges, come in!" offered Felix as he stood up. "How can I help you?"

"Citizen Laranga," Dredd greeted him, "Do you have a permit to operate a business, as required by the terms of your release from cryo?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah!" Felix answered, reaching for his desk. He stopped half-bent over, and pointed to his desk. "It's in a drawer."

Dredd nodded, and Felix reached into the top drawer, and came out with a piece of paper. Dredd looked it over, and handed it back. "You should keep that in your pocket, citizen."

"I'm always at my desk," answered Felix with a nervous chuckle. Then, soberly, he stuck the paper in the breast pocket of his suit, and said, "But, yeah." He smiled. "How can I help you," he asked again as he glanced at their badges, and added, "Judges Dredd, and... De Spyre?"

"We're looking for a killer known as Ghoszt. Pluto Nash tells us you know where he is," answered Dredd.

"I know he's in Farside," answered Felix. "I saw him when he first got here." When Dredd didn't reply, he added, "From a distance."

De Spyre had been looking at the woman on the couch. Glancing past Felix, at the window, he looked back to the desk, and said, "Wood is hard to get on the moon." His tone was openly suspicious.

"It's not smuggled, if that's what you're thinkin'," answered Felix. "I'm legit now. Nash loves the stuff. He had it brought up. Says it's classier than metal and plastic. I think he's right."

"You know what I think?" asked Judge De Spyre. Looking to Judge Dredd, he said, "Do you see it?"

Dredd nodded in the affirmative, but added, "I don't know what to make of it, sir."

De Spyre drew his attention to the window, and looked back at Felix. "The former owner was Rex Crater," he answered. "A clone of Pluto Nash, commissioned by Michael Marucci from Doctor Runa Pendankin. She also gave Marucci a new face."

"Yes, sir," confirmed Dredd. "Crater shot both her and Marucci into orbit when he took over."

"Yes, but Pendankin had a protoge," answered De Spyre. Looking at the woman on the couch, he said, "Doctor Mona Zimmer, you are under arrest for illegal body alteration. Sentence is fifteen years cryo."

Laughing nervously, the woman fluffed her hair with one hand, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Dredd said, "Citizen Laranga here is two inches taller than he's supposed to be. Our scans couldn't tell until he stood up."

"I-I-I have lifts in my shoes!" protested Laranga.

"You know what else you have," asked Dredd. Looking again at the window, he said, "A scar, right in the middle of the back of your neck, consistent with body alteration. You are not Felix Laranga."

Laranga smiled.

"I take it you're Ghoszt," said De Spyre.

Laranga bowed slightly, "So you guessed."

"He's not Ghoszt," corrected Dredd. De Spyre, Laranga, and Zimmer- still on the couch- looked at the rookie Judge. "He's Dustov."

Judge De Spyre balked. "What? Dustov died in The Vac."

Dredd nodded slowly. "Yes. But this is Dustov. Height matches Dustov's records, and--" he quickly backhanded Laranga, drawing blood. Looking at the back of his glove, he waited for sensors to scan the blood, and added, "--DNA confirms it. This is Judge Dustov. Or his clone. Isn't that right, Doctor Zimmer?"

"He made me do it!" protested Zimmer. "He heard how I cloned Nash to make Rex Crater, and he--"

"--Shut up!" snapped Laranga.

Dredd spoke for her. "And he had you do the same, so he could fake his death, and take over the Lunar Grande. It probably wouldn't have been long before he tried to take out Pluto Nash, so he could take over completely." When neither of them answered, Dredd looked at Zimmer. "You're still guilty of illegal body alteration. And now illegal cloning too. Sentence is forty years cryo."

Zimmer whimpered.

Laranga laughed. "Ha! 'Illegal cloning!' You would know, wouldn't you, Dredd?"

"What's that supposed to mean," growled Dredd.

Laranga just laughed again. Looking at Zimmer, he said, "I had her make more 'alterations' than just my own, you know."

The Judges, not knowing what he meant, just scowled at him.

Looking again at Doctor Zimmer, Laranga said, "See the scratches on her upper arm?"

Zimmer rolled up her sleeve to reveal scars from claws that had raked across her arm.

"You know what's practically indestructible on the moon?" sneered Felix. "Mona? 'Cujo.'"

With that, Zimmer reacted like something painful had shot right through her. She doubled over with the pain, and started to growl.

"What did you do?" Dredd demanded.

Zimmer contorted slightly, and screamed as her arms bulged, and started to grow long, brown fur.

"Werewolves, rook" said De Spyre as he kicked Mona over backwards, putting space between them. "Werewolves are practically indestructible on the moon."

Dredd shoved Laranga backwards, and he toppled over his desk and to the floor behind it.

Dredd and De Spyre watched Zimmer as she continued to change. Her legs bulged, and grew fur. She grew a tail. Sharp talons grew from her hands and feet. She smiled momentarily before her face extended, becoming more wolven, sharp fangs replacing her teeth. She howled.

Just before she leapt, Dredd drew his Lawgiver, and shouted, "Hi-ho!"

The gun charged and chambered a specific round, confirming, "Hi-ho."

Dredd fired at the werewolf which had now fallen upon De Spyre, and dropped her instantly.

De Spyre kicked her body off of him, his Lawgiver drawn, and scrambled to his feet. He knelt down to feel her neck, now human again as she reverted from her lupine form. "Dead." He just looked at Dredd, scowl revealing nothing.

"The Winchester Sisters, sir," was Dredd's reply. "When Judge Dustov captured them in the Cursed Earth, Samantha and Dina Winchester gave up everything they knew, and that their ancestors knew, about hunting the supernatural. We adapted it for Lawgivers, but hadn't had occasion to test it yet. 'Hi-ho' is a pure silver round, sir. Kills werewolves."

Laughter came from behind the desk, and Laranga stood up, holding the Lawgiver that belonged to his original Dustov body. "Clever, Dredd! You might have made a fine Judge!" With that, he fired.

Dredd and De Spyre dove in opposite directions, both firing their weapons at Laranga. The rounds connected, and Laranga's body fell backwards. In his place stood the phantom-like form of Judge Dustov. He laughed, and the Judges fired again. The rounds passed right through, obliterating the windows behind him. Laughing again, Dustov yelled, "There's a reason I'm called Ghoszt, gentlemen, and it's not just my ability to disappear so my enemies can't find me! Something about this place- maybe it's the Oxygen Desert- keeps me from moving on! I died in The Vac, and I animated my cloned body as Laranga, but this is the true me! GHOSZT!" he declared triumphantly.

"Good to know," said Dredd, aiming his Lawgiver. Dustov just laughed, but his laughter turned to terror when Dredd uttered, "Ghostpepper."

The gun charged, chambered, and confirmed, "Ghostpepper."

"NO!" shouted Dustov.

Dredd fired.

Dustov's ghostly head snapped backwards, having clearly felt the shot. He stumbled backwards, and tried to catch onto the window frame, but his hand just passed through. As he started to fall over the ledge, his form dissipated into smoky tendrils that drifted away on the night wind.

Judge De Spyre looked at the rookie. "The Winchester Sisters again?"

Dredd holstered his Lawgiver. "Silver nitrate and rock salt. He's gone. Call headquarters, have them burn his bones, and he'll stay gone."

De Spyre nodded. "Good job, rook. And you served Judge Dustov justice."

"No, sir," said Dredd. "I served Dustov justice. He stopped being a Judge when he came up with this insane plan." Saying nothing else, Dredd turned and headed for the door.

Judge De Spyre watched him go, and grunted lightly. He radioed headquarters, and instructed them to burn the bones of Judge Dustov. He also instructed them to investigate reports of werewolf attacks in Luna City Two. Looking around the room, he said aloud, "Dustov was wrong about you, rook. You do make a fine Judge." As he started towards the door, he flexed his right hand, and scratched at his wrist. Looking at the wound there, he hissed, and muttered, "Damn. She got me."

Year: 2141, Location: Justice Department, Mega-City One:

Chief Judge Logan and Judge Dredd emerged from the Proteus time machine, having observed all of the events of 2082 in Luna City One and Luna City Two. "Judge Dredd, you think this is where the werewolf army started?" asked Logan.

"Yes, sir, Chief Judge," answered Dredd. "Judge De Spyre was clearly wounded by Doctor Zimmer. I didn't notice it at the time. He continued to hide it from me until his disappearance in 2085. From there, werewolf sightings increased, attacks increased, and we've been fighting the werewolf army since 2090."

"You have a solution?"

"Use Proteus," Dredd said plainly. "Go back, and either kill Doctor Zimmer, or De Spyre himself. I think it would be wise to get De Spyre after he was attacked. That way, Dustov remains out of the picture."

"You wish to do this yourself?" asked Logan. "You've been in service to the Law for over sixty years."

Dredd's voice was stern. "Cloning and bionics have kept me in my prime, Chief Judge. De Spyre was my responsibility, sir. I should have seen it. I want to correct it."

Chief Judge Logan sighed heavily. "I despair of manipulating the past. There's simply no telling what we could be disrupting. But... very well. You have your mission, Judge Dredd."

"Chief Judge," responded Dredd, and he went straightaway to Proteus. There was a hum as it charged, and then he was gone.

*******

Cbishop's Notes:

The Adventures of Pluto Nash took place in the year 2080. The first Judge Dredd stories took place in 2099, and the Justice Department took over as government in 2070. Altho' the Judges go through 15-20 years of training before becoming Judges, I theorized for this crossover that as a clone, Dredd's training may have been accelerated enough to make it possible for him to be a rookie Judge in 2082.

I initially had Dredd being the senior, and De Spyre being the OC rookie, until I hit the idea of Dust being the badguy, and also a Judge. So, I flipped it, making Dust the OC rookie, same class as Dredd, and making De Spyre the senior. I threw a little bit of a red herring into the Luna City 1 scene, making it seem that Dredd was in the lead. In reality, De Spyre was observing him as a rookie, seeing how he handled things. I don't know if you like that, but I sure enjoyed the way it came together. :)

Rill hoppers, Club Pluto, Pluto Nash, Flura Nash, Felix Laranga, Rex Crater, Belcher, Mike Marucci, The Lunar Grande Hotel, Dr. Runa Pendankin, Dr. Mona Zimmer, Little America, Farside, The Vac, Bruno, and the model '78 bodyguard are all from The Adventures of Pluto Nash (one of my favorite movies), and presumably belong to Castle Rock Entertainment. You pretty much got an overview of the entire movie in their conversation.

Judge Dredd, Judges, Lunar City 1, Lunar City 2, the Lawgiver, the Oxygen Desert, the Cursed Earth, Chief Judge Logan, and the Proteus time machine are from the Judge Dredd stories, and belong to whomever they belong to- I guess that's 2000 AD.

Judge De Spyre (bastardization of "despair") is OC.

Judge Dustov/Dust (aka Ghoszt) is OC, and the rookie Judge OC required by the contest. "Dust/Dustov" was actually random, but I quickly warmed to the idea that a "vac" takes care of "dust." So, voila, Dust died in The Vac. lol

Miss Fuente (Laranga's secretary) is OC- name randomly picked from a friend's last name.

Samantha and Dina Winchester - the Winchester Sisters- are OC, but derivative of and descended from Sam and Dean Winchester of Supernatural which belongs to CW, I'm guessing.

"Cujo" as a codeword was just a nod to the movie. Cujo belongs to Stephen King.

Werewolves and ghosts are of course public domain.

"Hi-ho" (from "Hi-ho, Silver! Away!") and "Ghostpepper" (from the pepper, but also meant to imply "ghost pepper spray") are OC names for Lawgiver ammo.

Aside from the elements mentioned above that are copyrighted to others, this story and its OC elements are copyright 2021 Chris Bishop.

Edit: Oops! I forgot that Batkevin's OP set the stories in 2141. So, yeah, um, time travel scene at the end. I think it ties up nicely though.

2141, Academy of Law, Mega City One

“Congratulations, cadets!” Chief Judge Logan addressed the room of white helmeted rookie judges. “For nearly twenty years, you have studied, strived, learned, and become the new generation of Judges to join our ranks. This is not an easy task, and it doesn’t get any easier from here. You will soon be given your assignments to where you are going. Welcome and good luck!”

Judge Urban saluted, along with the other twenty new members of the Judges as the Chief Judge left the podium.

"Where do you think you'll get posted?" muttered Judge Wagner beside him.

"Hopefully not near Dredd," Urban whispered back. "He's..."

"Urban, Sylvester!"

Judge Urban turned to the diplo-bot who called his name and strode over. "Here."

"You are to be deployed to Honolulu, leaving on the next shuttle in thirty seven minutes." A datastick popped out of its chest. Urban collected it and turned to Wagner.

"Seems I'm headed to the Big Pineapple."

Wagner shook Urban's hand. "Good luck my friend. It has been a hell of a ride."

"It has indeed." Urban saluted his friend of twenty years. It was sad because in all likelihood they'd never see each other again.

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Judge Urban stepped out of the shuttle and was taken aback by how tasty the air was. It wasn't really the right word but apt because every breath was fruity, heavy, and almost tangible.

"Aloha!"

Judge Urban looked at the Judge before him and read the shield: Johnson. He saluted to which Johnson chuckled. "Oh, you're factory fresh."

"Excuse me?"

"I knew I was getting some help but someone straight out of the Academy."

"Sir, I've completed my Cursed Earth training an..."

"Relax!" Johnson smiled. "Just busting your chops. Welcome to Mega City Honolulu, Judge Wayne D Johnson at your service. Let's get you onto a Lawmaster and I'll show you the sights."

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That's it! That's all my brain can muster. Been a busy month. In my head it's a grandiose tale, originally was going to be about a genetically engineered organism (Judge Geo) and dip into issues of what makes a human human and other philosophical things but as the deadline loomed this brief paltry intro was the best I could do. Coupled with the fear of missing a contest, even though I'm not obligated to enter any I kinda like that I have a long streak and missing one well would irk me.

So that's what's going on in my neck of the woods.

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"We have a population of about forty nine million," Johnson said as the pair road along Kamehameha Drive which linked all the islands. "The Drive connects all the islands. Back in the ancient past, it was just an island chain. Now we're the jewel of the Pacific. You'll soon get sick of..." Johnson paused as a drink container flew out a window and bounced past them at high speed.

"Littering! Two months in the cubes." Urban gunned the Lawmaster and went after the vehicle. Johnson went to say something but let the new guy go.

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So I stayed up an hour past when I should've gone to bed AND got into an argument with my partner so I could write this, and the story (which I'm struggling with, but the commentary plus story is helping me get through it). I typed it straight from brain onto the site. I often plot & plan on my phone or on a word doc but this one is just raw.

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Judge Urban looked at Johnson. "What?"

"Nothing," Johnson replied as he parked his Lawmaster in the motorpool. "But at the rate you issue citations and wagons for littering, you'll be putting YOURSELF into an iso-booth!"

"It's the law."

"You sound like Dredd," Johnson nodded. "And you're right, but kid it's your first day. You'll go mad. Trust me."

"I'm doing my job."

"And a fine job so far. But don't burn out in a week is what I'm saying. You're here for a while, at least seven years until a transfer slot becomes available."

Urban pondered Johnson's words. "Tone it down."

"Very much so."

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So, Judge Johnson is pretty much Dwayne The Rock Johnson in my head. Judge Urban is made up of the two movie actors who played Dredd on the big screen: Sylvester Stallone & Karl Urban, not Keith. Easy to mix'em up. Judge Wagner is a nod to Judge Dredd writer John Wagner.

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"Hands up!" Judge Urban yelled pointing his Lawgiver at the man with the can of Boing® in his hands.

"Now way, Grok-face! You take away all our fun, our freedom, our sense of self! This stuff makes you feel alive!"

Urban turned the dial to rubber bullets. "Last chance, citizen!"

The man snarled and raised up the can.

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And I'm done! Fell asleep writing, at least twice. It's a terrible, disjointed entry and should not be voted for. Unless I expand it within the next 23hrs (doubtful) and follow my idea...or good night...yeah good night.

But to finish the outline, Urban finds out Johnson is corrupt which make the two get into a chase and a brawl and at the last minute his Judge pal Wagner pops in because he was also assigned to Honolulu but had to resit and exam which took a week, and they Tango & Cash 2000AD style to a wonderful finish.

Sounds great. Can I write all that in long form? Doubtful.