Third Story begin.
Long Day
Megacity One.
Two words. Eleven letters. Eight hundred million people living within its boundary walls. Outside is a Cursed Earth, stretching all the way to Texas City in the south west, Los Angeles and Megacity Two on the West Coast. Nothing lives there, save for the mutants, and whatever primitive life that managed to cling onto existence. Inside the boundary walls could hardly be called better.
It is a Cursed City.
A thriving hive of scum and villainy, all hidden away among the innocent lives. Eight hundred million people scrambling through the ruins of the old world, and the Megastructures of the new one.
Mega Blocks. Mega Highways.
Megacity One.
The only ones protecting the innocent are the men and women of the Hall of Justice.
Juries.
Executioners.
Judges.
DREDD
Slow Day Part 2: Long Day
Dredd woke up at four a.m., same time as always. A heavy dose of stims cleared away the remaining grogginess from his mind as he suited up, once again ready for patrol.
And, just as two and a half months prior, an odd feeling coursed through him.
This time, however, it wasn't a feeling of slowness, no. This was a feeling of battle. Of blood and crime and unending weariness that spoke of endless recoil from his Lawgiver. A feeling... of a very, very Long Day.
But, this being Dredd, he quickly shook off the feeling, though he paid more attention to it than before.
Judges who didn't trust their instincts usually ended up being hauled away for recyc.
Meeting Anderson, who still wasn't wearing her helmet, on the way to the garage, Dredd offered a word of advice to his painfully green (though gaining experience rapidly) partner.
"Anderson."
"Sir?"
"Be careful, I've got a bad feeling about today."
"Yes sir!"
"Good, then let's go."
Roaring out of the garage on patrol, the pair was immediately directed to a local convenience store, not far from their position. The crime in question: a 211S, robbery in progress, silent alarm triggered.
Liang's Convenience Store, Sector 45
The epinonymous Liang cowered behind his counter as the felons continued to ransack his store, assault his male employees, drag away his female employees, and stain the floor with hundreds of credits worth of food, medicine, and printer cartridges (Because printer ink is damn expensive).
A stray thought questioning his priorities flitted through the heavyset Chinese man's head, before being swiftly crushed under the onslaught of Oh shit's, Bu hao's, and Where the hell are the Judges!?...'s.
He hadn't made the dangerous trip from Sino City One just to be murdered in his shop sixteen years later, dammit!
Flooded with adrenalin, courage, and a tiny bit of booze from earlier last night, Liang Yuan Zi Dan, three time champion in his home sector's lightweight boxing championships, master martial artist, and slightly unhinged (the stupid genius kind, not the angry drunkard kind) Chinese man swiftly pulled out the dual Glock 80s from under his counter, stood, and promptly gunned down three of the robbers before any of them could react.
At least, that's what he wished he could do. But Liang Yuan Zi Dan was just an average, somewhat overweight, guy. No guns at all, nor any mad martial arts skills. So he sat. And he cowered while his female employees were no doubt being raped, and his male workers were being battered in the aisles. Oh, and his printer ink was being spilled all over his nice, clean floors!
ETA: 30 seconds
Approaching the store, Dredd received a transmission from dispatch.
"Dredd, the 211 is now also a 217, a 240, a 261, a 217, a 217K, and a possible 187 in progress. Be careful."
"Understood."
Parking in front of the store, Dredd began his announcement.
"To the criminal scum inside! Surrender now, and I can guarantee you all a five year sentence in the Isocubes with no chance of parole! Failure to comply will result in death!"
No answers.
Then, a gunshot, a short scream, and a body was flung from the third floor, impacting right at the Judges' feet.
It was a female, obviously raped. Dead from a gunshot to the forehead, still bleeding. Naked, save for a few shreds of clothing that marked her as an employee. Judging from the battered name tag, also the owner's daughter, perhaps wife.
"Dispatch, we need a meatwagon on my GPS. One for recyc."
"Understood. Will you need backup?"
"Negative."
Marching up towards the doors of the convenience store, Dredd caught a momentary glimpse of multiple men running behind cover, before his view was blocked by something, presumable some kind of barricade.
"Anderson. Situation?"
"Sir, we've got at least twenty hostiles scattered throughout the first floor, three on the second, and ten on the third. I'm sensing at least twelve hostages, one of which is the owner. All of them are armed, mix of low and high caliber weaponry."
"Plan?"
"Gas and stun grenades?"
"On my mark."
Readying several grenades, Dredd silently thanked himself for packing at least three times as much gear today. No one had even questioned his taking a Widowmaker 2000, or an Arbitrator. Dredd was notorious for his overkill. And in a law enforcement agency like the Hall of Justice, that was saying something.
"High Ex!"
Launching forward, the explosive bullet tore straight through the barricade, peppering any exposed felon with shrapnel, and filling their sorry faces with fire.
Then the gas rolled in.
The felons fell like grass before the mower, not able to put up much of a fight, though some scored a few lucky grazes.
After cutting free the male hostages, and helping the female, Judge spoke again.
"Dispatch, send an ambulance to my GPS, multiple wounded. Twenty hostiles for recyc."
"Affirmative, sending ambulance and meatwagon."
Continuing on, Dredd and Anderson found the owner hunched behind his counter, already dead.
"Must have shot him after we blew the doors. Let's go."
"Sir!"
The rest of the building went much the same way, some casualties, but mostly in the case of the criminals.
Total time: thirty minutes, start to finish.
Dredd had a feeling it wasn't the last crime they'd have to stop that day.
A/N: This is a direct sequel to Slow Day. As you may have noticed, it is also a lot longer than Slow Day.
Not much else to say, though when I was typing the intro to the chapter, I physically had to stop myself from typing 'hundred' as 'hundredd' y'know, because it's a stupid pun.