Over the Rocky Mountains and past the mutants tribes inhabiting the radioactive Cursed Earth lies the giant walls of Mega City One. Earth shattering artillery take their place inside the walls, ready to fire upon the horrors that threaten the safety of the sprawling metropolis. However the cannons would be nothing if not for the people that helped contain the city's crime rate.
Judges of the Hall of Justice, an elite police force of men and women who are judge, jury, and executioner, protect one of the last bastions of humanity from devastating block wars, mutant raids, Umpty dealers, and some of the most foul unlawful acts human kind can conjure up.
After fifteen years at the Judge Academy, and completion of the legendarily dangerous Hot Dog Run, Cadets are ready for their final test, completion of their first day on the job as accompanied by a senior street Judge.
Today newly turned Judge Andrew Grey will be assigned to Judge Dredd for his first evaluation of his skills honed after rigorous training in the Judge Academy. The question is whether or not he will make it through the day alive, let alone pass with Judge Dredd as his reviewing officer. Will Judge Grey be allowed on the streets dealing justice out to vile perps or will he fail like the tens of thousands before him?
Andrew hears the sound of the bugle awaken him from sleep at four o'clock in the morning. He rolls over and sits up on the edge of bed groaning at the sound of reveille, some traditions never die even after a nuclear apocalypse.
Andrew stands up and cracks his back as a chill runs down his spine, cadet's rooms are kept either freezing cold or blazing hot to train them to survive in any situation. Calmly he walks over to the closet where his street armor was placed last night while he was in slumber. He had passed his first test by disarming the armed Judge who had been delivering his armor, inability to wake up at the appropriate time would have resulted in failure of his final test and an additional three years of cadet training.
Andrew strips his sleep clothing off and folds it neatly before putting it away in the small cabinet next to his bed. Standing in nothing but his undergarments he takes the first part, a tight dark green t-shirt made to keep a judge cooler or warmer. On top goes a heavily reinforced vest that forms perfectly to his pale, muscled, scarred body. Andrew picks up a black leather jacket and zips it up. Next he grabs pants made exactly like his jacket and slides them up his legs.
Andrew looks at himself, seeing his progress so far, in the mirror. He looks like a biker punk, the leather jacket and pants coupled with the scar that runs from the corner of his left light blue eye over his lip rendering half of his face in a permanent scowl.
Andrew looks away and picks up the green boots and socks, sitting down in his desk chair and pulls the socks on before he puts the boots on and laces them up. Next is the belt, which is a darker green than the boots and socks except for a large yellow belt buckle in the form of a shield, he pulls it around his hips and clips it on. Next are the shoulder pads, on his left one is a yellow arch with long rectangular studs protruding every few inches, the right is an eagle spreading its wings. He secures the pads and then picks up his new badge. It is another eagle with his name on it in big letters. He slips it onto the empty space in his jacket and it magnetizes into place. The second to last part are the gloves which are the same shade of green as the boots. He snaps them on one at a time before reaching for the final part of his uniform.
The final piece is the black and red motorcycle helmet that covers half of his face. On the sides of his helmet are two red areas that come together in a red x centered in the front of his helmet. Above the x is a golden shield and below the x is his shaded visor to allow him to see through.
Andrew picks up the helmet but does not put it on. He must wait until he has met the famous Judge Dredd. After making sure every last part of his uniform was perfect Andrew exited his room for the last time. The door sealed shut behind him with a click and a hiss.
The hallway is deathly silent as Andrew's boot thumps against the hard ground. The younger cadets were allowed to sleep in to allow the new Judges free access to the armory without interruption.
Andrew walked in and greeted Judge Chives. Judge Chive was an old man with a potbelly. However he was still one of the best shots in all of Mega City One, and most of the Cursed Earth, plus his skill in making weaponry was unparalleled, allowing him to have a potbelly if he chose so. He was bald, with a multitude of scars and screw holes from various interrogations, with a flowing white beard on his face. However he always had a jolly old smile on his face which permitted him to play Santa Claus at one of the many churches that worshipped some religion deep within the cities bowels.
"Funny seeing you in full Judge gear." Judge Chives told him in a deep voice.
"I thought the same when I saw your potbelly but I kept my tongue." Andrew told him hotly.
"Ah young Judges, full of blood hotter than an incendiary round. You won't be needing those pea shooters today, today you get the real deal."
Judge Chives bent over and picked up a long black box. He opened it up to reveal the Judge's personal choice of sidearms, the Lawgiver.
"A handgun capable of semi and automatic fire. Shoots six different kids of bullets and anyone but you that tries to use it gets a nasty surprise. But you knew that already didn't you rookie?"
"Of course. I've been looking forward to this since day one."
"Just pick up your knife, ammo, daystick, and varying grenades on the way out. I also heard you were assigned Judge Dredd is that accurate?"
Andrew sighed and looked at him while he stocked the rest of his equipment into his belt. "Yeah, I've heard not too many have passed his tests. Apparently when two out of ten people passed their Hot Dog Run with him grading them it was said he was going soft. "
"Just remember Dredd may be tough but he is still fair. Although I've heard of him passing students who earn his respect. Judge Anderson can atone to that."
Andrew nodded as he locked a clip into his Lawgiver. He smiled at Judge Chives as he waved him goodbye and went to the front of the academy, ready for his first day and final test.
Andrew walked through the academy, looking at all of the statues of famous Judges. Judge Giant Senior, Judge Giant Junior, Judge Anderson, Chief Judge Fargo and Hershel. Finally even Judge Dredd himself at the end of the hallway of Judge statues. He stopped for a second and looked at the statues for a moment longer. These had been his mentors and his idols. Andrew had not been permitted out into the city, except for on the day of his Hot Dog Run, never having experienced popular culture in its true essence he had seen it through cold eyes in the holo tomes of the academy library. He would make his idols proud and be remembered forever with a statue of himself alongside these great men and women of justice.
Andrew looked away and continued down the long hallway. Continuing through until he arrived at the front of the academy where senior judges were arriving and leaving with the rookie judges. Andrew looked around the large room, Judge Dredd had yet to arrive.
Andrew sighed and walked down the giant steps to the foyer. Looking around to see if he had missed him, he was nowhere to be found.
Then the hall became quieter, not silent but everyone began talking in a normal voice, as a pair of heavy boots walked into the room. Andrew turned to the footfalls to see who it was.
It was him. In all of his glory, all of his grit, all of his steel there he was a few feet from Andrew. Andrew swallowed and stood straight as Dredd walked up to him.
Dredd was as tall as Andrew at six foot one. His face wore a fierce scowl on his lips. His lips and his voice tone was the only way to tell if Dredd was conveying any sort of emotion as his helmet never came off of his head. He cocked his head to the side for a moment before he looked up and down Andrew.
"Adequate." Dredd growled in a voice that sounded as grating as a bone saw and as coarse as sandpaper.
Dredd turned walking off and Andrew followed. Keeping up with the senior Judge by matching his pace.
"I am your instructor for your final test." Dredd begins in his sawdust voice. "The following are rules that determine your passing or failing. Loss of primary firearm or being disarmed results in an automatic fail, failing correctly dispense proper sentencing results in an automatic fail, being captured results in an automatic fail, disobeying a superior officer results in an automatic fail, and allowing a suspect to escape intentionally results in an automatic fail. Most rookie Judges are exposed to firefights on their first day, one in five don't survive. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir." Andrew replies as he puts his helmet on as they approach their rides. He is nervous, everything rides on this one test.
"Are you ready rookie?" Dredd asks him.
"Yes sir."
"Your assessment starts now."
Andrew looks at the motorcycle in front of him. It is the ultimate riding vehicle for the twists and turns of the city. The Lawmaster capable of firing .50 caliber rounds from two mounted miniguns on the sides of the motorcycle, equipped with a smart A.I. and computer to assist a Judge in any way possible, and finally a giant cannon sitting in the front for blasting their way through obstacles.
Andrew gives his half smile and mounts the cycle. He scratches underneath his helmet, not used to wearing it for long periods of time.
"Mega City One has a populace of over 800 million. Within that 800 million we get a call for over seventeen thousand serious crimes a day, with our current manpower we can answer up to six percent of those calls." Dredd tells him while he boots his computer up and pulls the list of crimes up. "Your show rookie, pick something."
Andrew listens through and is about to pick a crime when a van comes screaming past them. Andrew looks noticing they're over the required speed limit. "That one." He tells Dredd as his Lawmaster roars to life. Something small wouldn't hurt to start out with.
Dredd takes the lead and Andrew follows close behind him. Dredd flips his microphone down from his helmet.
"Citizens," he screams. "You are currently violating the law by being over the required speed limit. Pull over and receive judgement."
The van doesn't head the Judge's warning. Instead it runs over an unknowing civilian and kills him right on the spot.
"Administering use of deadly force." Dredd tells Andrew.
"Roger." Andrew replies as he pulls up alongside Dredd.
Dredd shoots at the van with his miniguns but the van replies with a hail of gunfire. Forcing Dredd into a different street which takes him up and away from the high speed chase.
"Drokk! Rookie you're going to have to stop that van on your own for now. Take it down with a minimum number of civilian casualties."
"Understood." Andrew told him as he unleashed a hail of gun fire onto the van. The people in the van shot back at him. Andrew needed to take these perps down and down quick.
Andrew stares ahead, there is a metal wall which would stop them dead in their tracks if he could nudge the van over to the left. Aiming for the right tires Andrew fired a few rounds and blew them out.
The rims squealed as metal rubbed the pavement. Sparks flew as the van cut to the left, colliding directly into the wall and folding up like an accordion. Andrew parked his bike and got off of it. Drawing his Lawgiver out of his holster.
Keep it together Andrew. It's just like an academy simulation. Andrew told himself as he approached the wrecked vehicle. Walking up to the passenger side door and pulling it off its hinges.
The perp who had been riding shotgun had not been lucky. A piece of glass from the windshield had gone through his eye and out the back of his head, He had been died on impact. Andrew ignored this and pulled his knife out of his boot. At least the perp had been wearing his seatbelt. Cutting the strap off of him Andrew pulled the dead body out and threw it onto the street.
Andrew crawled over the seat and into the van. The person who had been driving was dead as well so Andrew ignored him. However the criminal in the back was a a different story.
The person sitting in the back seat smiled at Andrew with a broken bloodied smile, or what Andrew thought was a smile as his jaw was half ripped off. This man was a motley assortment of tattoos and piercings. On his bald head was the biggest tattoo of them all. In big curving capital letters were the words PRAISE THE MOTHER MACHINE. The man pointed before gurgling and dying.
Andrew looked around before tapping the comm set on his small wrist computer that was built into the glove. "Control this is Judge Grey. Please send a meat wagon and a cleanup crew on 89th and Morrison. We have three dead bodies that need to be sent to Resyk."
"Affirmative Judge Grey. The crew will be there in fifteen, report to your commanding Judge and deploy from there."
"Affirmative Control, over and out."
Andrew slid himself carefully out of the van, attempting not to puke from all of the carnage. He had handled himself semi professionally but now that he had a minute to calm down from the adrenaline in his veins he could see how sick this truly was. The blood and gore was too much for the first day on the job.
'Rookie? Did they shoot your vocal cords or they blow your eardrums out?" he heard Dredd's dry, grating voice ask him.
"No sir, simply reflecting on the current situation, sir." Andrew responded as he went back over to his Lawmaster and mount it. "Where to next sir?"
"69th and Abbot. Two Judges are pinned down by gang fire and we are the only backup in the vicinity. Let's go." Dredd responded as he got onto his Lawmaster and gunned the engine, Andrew revved his engine and shot off after him. The two riding at a breakneck pace to save their cornered comrades.