Once again, thank you for all the support you show my work. I hope you will appreciate this latest addition to the story as well. Whether you have complaints or positive reinforcements, feel free to leave a comment.
Thank you and have fun
Cinder
She spent five days in the hospital, which was wonderfully relaxing the first two and unbearably boring the other three. When Dredd stepped into the tiny hospital room, she sat on the uncomfortable hospital bed, her legs crossed underneath her and unenthusiastically ate a cup of the red-flavoured pudding, which was better that the green-flavoured one, but still worse that anything else ever deemed fit for human consumption. She looked up and a bright smile split her face.
„Please, tell me you're here to get me away from this place?" she pleaded.
„No."
„What?! No, you absolutely have to take me with you, I swear I will be useful." she whined and made an attempt to jump out of the bed. Unfortunately it turned into an awkward stumble as her feet got entangled in the sheets. She let out a little yelp and almost knocked over an infusion stand in a frantic attempt to steady herself. She ran her hand through her hair with a small embarrassed smile displayed on her face. „Okay, let's just pretend you haven't seen that, it's not exactly corresponding with the point I'm trying to make."
Dredd shrugged with a noncommittal expression, but she could practically feel a raised eyebrow under his helmet. „Anderson, you're not fit for duty." he stated.
„Sure I am. I mean, yeah, I got messed up, but they patched me together really well. I have about two pounds of titanium in my arm and they hooked me on the really good stuff. Seriously, you could saw off my arm and the only thing you'd hear from me, would be my criticism of your technique." she grinned. „ Also, if you leave me here now, I will die. Literally." she added dramatically. „Of boredom. I swear I slept over eighty hours for the past five days and I'm pretty sure it's physically impossible to sleep more. So don't you dare leave me behind."
Dredd regarded her with his signature scowl. „Fine, you're coming with." he said, his mouth twitching ever so slightly into a smile.
„Really? Well, that was easy. Also, yay. I don't know, what I'd do if I had to stay here for one more second. Now get the fuck out, I need to change." she started and a mischievous grin split her features. „Unless you want to stay, of course, in which case, I'm pretty sure no one will miss us for some fifteen-twenty minutes." she winked.
„Another time." Dredd responded, apparently unfazed by her impertinence. „You have five minutes, I'll get you released AMA."
Anderson waved at him as he left the room and then quickly changed. A stream of profanities spilled out of her mouth as the zipper of her uniform caught one of the tacks holding her injuries together and ripped it out. She placed sterile gauze square over the dripping wound and after consideration covered some other potential leaks. She holstered her Lawgiver, someone made the effort and found it in a pile of bodies. After a few hours of cleaning the trusty weapon was as good as new.
Dredd wordlessly handed her the release form to sign as she caught up to him. „Hope you know what you're doing."
„Always." she grinned. „So, what are we going?" she asked after a moment of silence, much to Dredd's amusement.
„The train's coming. You should know, it's from your head." he replied.
„Of course I know, just, only us two? Isn't that a little underestimating the situation?" she asked. One of the things she managed to pull our of the mutant's brain was the information, that a train would be coming via a hidden underground railroad and bringing several hundreds of mutants to the City.
Dredd shook his head with a bewildered expression. „Anderson, first off, the Holocaust squad and me are taking care of the train, you are just tagging along. Secondly, what the fuck did they lace you with? You don't seem at the peak of your... cognitive function."
She glared at him with a little pout. „Shut up, I am allowed to be dumb once in a while." she fell silent for a second. „I'm just glad there was nobody else to hear it." she muttered.
Dredd flashed his teeth in a fleeting grin. „You and me both."
„So... do we know, what the plan is?" she asked as they mounted their Lawmasters and left the hospital compound. Not waiting for a response, she asked another question. „And are we sure the train is coming? Because He knows that I know. And there's very little stopping him from changing the date or even the route. We could be walking into a trap."
„The train's coming, we have it confirmed. The plan is standard, clear the perimeter, storm the train as it arrives, secure the subjects and deal with them accordingly." Dredd's voice clipped through the com.
Despite it being less than six in the afternoon, the day was dark, black bulbous cumulonimbi stretching all the way to the horizon. Tiny droplets splashed onto the visor of Anderson' helmet as the overcast sky began bleeding into the City. It didn't take long and an endless veil of water was pouring from the steel-grey heavens.
„Fuck this shitty weather." Anderson growled, more to herself than anybody else, as a stream of cold water found its way under the collar of her uniform and soaked the shirt she wore under.
Once they reached the designated location in sector 192, the men of Holocaust squad were already waiting for them. Anderson recognized the H12 and the remains of H7 accompanied by one other team. She felt a wave of hostility rise up as Wilson, leader of the H12, and some other members of the squad as they recognized her. An annoyed groan escaped her and she rolled her eyes in advance, since she could already tell, what Wilson's reaction to her presence would be.
„What do you want here?" Wilson barked, not bothered with greetings.
She stepped off the bike and pulled off her helmet. „I'm here for the ballet lessons, of course." she smiled innocently, absent-mindedly ruffling her hair. „Is there a problem, officer?"
He stalked over to her, forcing her to tilt her head back, if she didn't want to talk to his pectoral. „You think this is a joke?" he hissed. „This is a serious operation, I don't have time to play babysitter for little freaks."
„Then don't." Anderson shrugged. „I'll take care of myself."
Wilson scoffed and opened his mouth to insult her some more.
Dredd stepped forward, his face pulled into the work-mode scowl. „Save this for later. Anderson is coming."
With an absolutely livid expression, Wilson stepped back a little. „With all due respe-" he started.
„Mark, leave it be." another Judge interrupted him. „She did fine the last time."
Anderson looked up and recognized the other Judge as Harris from the H7. She offered him a little nod as thanks, a gesture he returned. „How's your knee?" she asked.
Harris shrugged. „Just like new. Probably because it is." He had a two large tanks strapped to his back, which Anderson recognized as napalm canister.
She laughed and Wilson glared at them both with unconcealed rage. „Fine, then you might as well be useful. How many perps are in the building?" he spat.
She cringed as her next sentence wouldn't help her case. „Okay, the thing's that, I can't really tell. I'm picking up at least fifty people, but most members of the Unbound have this mental resistance training and I can't read them, so I don't know how many are there exactly."
„Then what use are you?" he hissed with disdain and then raised his head. „Fine, everybody knows the plan. Move out!" he bellowed and led his force into a complex of half-razed buildings, that concealed the entrance to an old abandoned train station, that ended up underground, as new layers of city were build on top of it. It was still operable to some extent, weak light flickering in some parts and the hissing of hydraulics filling the interior. Rusty wagon and sometimes entire train sets rusted on the rails, like bleached skeletons of some prehistoric animals.
First resistance they encountered was a pair of machine-gun nests, their fire-ranges arranged into a right angle, effectively capturing the Judges in the crossfire. But the men of the Holocaust Judges were trained specifically for such situation. Almost nonchalantly two men with grenade launchers stepped forward and in a nick of time, both nests have been reduced to smoking rubble. And then all hell broke loose as a cacophony of gunfire roared and a hailstorm od bullets descended upon the Judges.
„Take cover!" Wilson roared and followed his own order, retreating behind a conveniently placed wagon. The rest of the force scattered, the trained Judges quickly finding strategic locations and answering the incoming barrage with their own.
Dredd and Anderson ended up crouching behind a tourniquet and firing in Hi-Ex mode in the general direction of the perps. Something slammed into the wall behind them and when Anderson turned around, she saw Harris pressed against the wall.
„Hey," he spoke up, only barely audible over the roar of gunfire. „There." he said and pointer slightly right.
She looked in the direction he pointed to and after few moments saw what he meant. An assembly of muzzles was jutting out of a nearby doorway, showering the Judges with bullets from the rear. She could hear the distinct whine of an auto-cannon and saw the electrically charged slugs mow down one of the grenadiers.
„Let's get 'em. My baby is useless from this distance." Harris said and patted the muzzle of his flamethrower.
Dredd nodded and they made their way to the door, pressed flatly against the wall, trying to not attract attention to themselves. Once the distance between them and the doorway was less than twenty meters, Harris handed Anderson a frag grenade. „Seven, three." he said and she nodded an affirmative. She counted to three and then threw the grenade into the room. An explosion echoed, followed by the wailing of the injured and some of the fire died down.
„Go! Go!" Harris yelled and charged through the door, Dredd bolting in right behind him.
Anderson followed suit, leaping into the room and immediately somersaulting to the side. With one quick glance she overlooked the situation in the room. Round ten corpses lay few meters behind the door, the frag-grenades reducing them to heaps of shredded flesh. The remaining perps, maybe twenty people, retreated further into the room, which seemed to be some kind of machinery works. Sporadic fire echoed, as the perps regrouped and took cover behind one of the many engine units.
Harris turned to the two other Judges and nodded curtly. He stepped forward and without any previous planning Anderson knew exactly what his plan was. While he drew their fire to himself, she and Dred swiftly and inconspicuously made their was around to flank the perps. Once in position, she opened fire and took down at least five people, before falling back into cover, Dredd doing the same from the other side. As expected, the perps redirected their attention to them and barrage of shots showered the spot she where stood just a moment ago.
And that was all Harris needed. She heard a soft huff and the perps had only moment to realise their situation, before the aerosol ignited and their hiding spot erupted in flames. Tortured screams resonated in the hall and the few remaining criminals turned to run. Eventually they found themselves cornered in a narrow hallway.
Having nowhere to run, the perps charged the trio of Judges in a desperate attempt to break through. A flurry of shots hit Anderson square across the chest and the cumulative force of impact threw her to the floor. A little shaken she pulled herself back up, rubbing her damaged sternum, just as a perp swinging around a buzzsaw was jumping over her. The perp tripped, but regained his footing in a moment and leaped at Harris. The Holocaust Judge hit his attacker with a splash of blazing napalm, but the perp's momentum carried him forward and Harris only managed to lift his left arm in defense, before the buzzsaw connected with flesh.
Harris uttered a horrible, animalistic howl and Anderson heard a wet thud as a fountain of blood erupted from the other Judge's arm. The now horribly burned perp swung again, this time aiming for Harris' head, but was mowed down by Dredd before the blow landed. The rest of the perps used the momentary distraction and fled.
„Take care of Harris! I get them!" Dredd yelled.
She barely heard the words, immediately leaping to Harris' side. The Holocaus Judge knelt in quickly spreading pool of blood, the life-giving fluid gushing out of his severed forearm. Anderson cursed and fumbled at the medi-pack clipped to her belt. She pulled out an artery forceps and clamped the ulnar artery, then repeated the process with Harris' own medi-kit, treating the radial artery as well. Even though she managed to stem the high-pressure arterial bleeding, the vital fluid kept seeping away. The standard-issue sealing gel with all its coagulation capabilities wouldn't be enough to the massive venous hemorrhage and she didn't have any more clamps.
A stupid, brilliant idea formed in her brain. She tugged at the straps of the napalm canister and practically ripped the flamethrower from Harris' hand. Tightening the regulation valve, she concentrated the flame into a relatively narrow stream and then bathed Harris' stump in the fire. He uttered another horrible scream, but when the flame died down, most of the bleeding has stopped, being replaced by massive blisters and lymph secretion. Anderson resumed her place at Harris' side and applied the sealing gel on the moist, amateurishly cauterised wound.
He was still conscious which in on itself was a feat of strength, but he was deathly pale from the massive blood loss and an a persistent shiver shook his form. With his remaining hand he fumbled at his helmed and wrestled it off, taking deep shuddering breaths. His sight wandered to the mangled remains of his arm and he let out a helpless whimper. His eyes rolled back into his skull and uncontrollable convulsions wrecked his body as his mind fell into shock.
Without thinking, Anderson slapped him across the face. Hard.
His eyes shot open and he directed a pained accusing look in her direction. „My arm..." he whispered, his voice that of a scared child.
Awkwardly, she patted his head. „Yeah, I know. I know."
„My arm..." he whimpered again, a twinge of hysteria resonating in the words.
She followed his line of sight and saw that his eyes were fixed on the amputated part of his physiology laying beside him. She grabbed him by the shoulder and shook lightly, forcing him to look away. „Come on, get up." she smiled and stood up, helping the other Judge to his feet as well. She took his flamer and slung it over her shoulder, the weight of the canister pulling her down a bit.
He took few steps before the knees gave out beneath him. „My arm... it's gone." he spoke slowly, as if the realisation only hit him in that very second.
Anderson helped him to his feet again and laid his right arm around her shoulders for support. „Yeah, it is. But hey, it's not that bad, they will give you another one." she assured him. „Nice new shiny arm. You could even get one where you can change the appendages. Like, you know, there would be the hand part for everyday use, but you could switch it up for, like, a hook if you felt like scaring kids. Then there would be the housekeeping parts like a wrench, a broom and whatnot, I don't know, I let the cockroaches do the cleaning for me." she spoke just for the sake of speaking, offering Harris something other to focus on than his missing limb.
„Then there would be the parts for leisure like a beer opener, uh, a golf club and, uh, i guess, a buttscratcher. You could even get some vibrating appendages, you know, for all the ladies, you'll be picking up now." she rambled on and, to her immense relief, heard him chuckle weakly.
A dark figure stepped out of the shadows and Anderson raised the flamethrower, but then lowered it almost immediately as the person turned out to be Dredd. A crusted layer of blood covered his chest and face, none of which seemed to be his own. He greeted the two other Judges with a curt nod.
„How's he?" he inquired, motioning to Harris.
The Judge in question let out a barking, just a little hysterical, laugh. „Never been better. According the Anderson I'll be drowning in women from now on."
She gave him a little nudge in the ribs. „Totally. You can play up the wounded veteran thing, mysterious, rugged, devilishly handsome, all that crap. Chicks dig that."
„I'm none of that." Harris objected with a confused frown.
„Well, then you just leave the helmet on. It adds to the mystery and most of the girls won't mind, trust me." she shot him a knowing grin.
A wicked smirk appeared on Harris' face. „I'll just take you with me to a bar. You have the potential to be the perfect wingman. Also if we find me none, I just take you home instead."
Anderson threw head back in laughter and delivered a semi-soft punch to Harris' ribs. „I think you want to lose more than just the arm, asshole. It's forbidden as fuck and I refuse to be made responsible for your inaptitude to pick up women. Also, you're so not my type."
His face went blank as his eyes darted to the disfigured stump and Anderson gave herself a mental scold for calling attention to it. But then Harris looked up again, looking a little less tense. „So what is your type anyways?" he asked.
„Well, I like my men how I like my work. Grim, dangerous and kind of badly paid." she winked. „Also, I'm still a chick, so mysterious, rugged and devilishly handsome still applies."
„So, just like Dredd then." Harris laughed.
And with that Dredd stumbled and Anderson choke on her spit.
„I think he just flirted with you." Anderson giggled in-between coughs.
„I noticed." sounded the gruff answer.
Harris shot a confused look at Anderson and raised his eyebrows, but whatever he had to say, was forgotten when they stepped back into the main hall of the train station. Corpses, mostly gang members, but one could see the uniforms here and there, littered the floor and blood slowly seeped away through the drains in the floor. The whole place stank of blood and gun powder.
Wilson set up a defensive perimeter, the main force assembled around him. He was without the typical full-face helmet and a fresh gash across his right eye made him weep crimson. He looked up and surveyed the approaching Judges. „What happened?" he asked as he caught sight of Harris' amputated stump.
„A group wanted to flank us. We grilled them." Harris explained with a feral grin, that would never indicate that he was on the verge of a breakdown just few minutes prior.
„They were too well prepared." Wilson shook his head. „This place is rigged with traps and explosives. I lost twenty men. Someone must have snatched." he snarled, balling his hands into fists and directing a deadly glare at Anderson.
With an audible groan she rolled her eyes. „And you think it's me, because..."
„I don't think anything. I just find it funny, how you suddenly appear in this carefully planned secret operation you were no part of. And you have a history of snitching." he growled, venom dripping from his words.
In disbelief she cupped her face in her hands and let out a hollow laugh. „Well, I'm pretty sure you're right about not thinking part. You just contradicted yourself better than I ever could. How, seriously think how, could I leak the information, if I wasn't part of the team and therefore didn't know how, or even whether, you would be leading a raid? Today, some two hours ago, I got bored in the hospital so I was allowed to tag along. So, tell me, when the fuck did I have the to rat anything out?" she talked in calm quiet tones, as if she was talking to a child.
A think vein bulged on Wilson's forehead. „I don't know how, probably some degenerate mutant bullshit. I know, you and them are one the same. Things like your kind stick to their own. You should have been put down at birth." he spat.
The weight of Harris' arm around her shoulders disappeared as said Judge moved to attack Wilson and cement the end of his career. Out of the corner of her eye Anderson saw Dredd's jaw tighten as he stopped Harris mid-step. „Leave it." he growled.
In anticipation of conflict adrenaline flooded Anderson's veins. „This conversation leads nowhere." she started. „We both know this is not about some information leak, that likely never even happened. Yes, you don't like me and believe me, the feeling's mutual, so just stop pretending you have valid reason to hate me and just get it over with, you pathetic excuse for a human being." she snarled, a clear challenge in her voice.
Wilson' face turned a vibrant rhubarb color and he stepped closer to her, his teeth gritted together. „Someone should put you in your place, mutie."
Involuntarily, a grin split her face and she looked straight into Wilson's eyes. „Try it. And I'll rip off you arm and shove it so far up your ass, it will classify as cannibalism." she sneered and readied herself to deflect a blow that would come in a moment.
„Enough." split the air around them like a crack of a whip. Everybody turned to look at Dredd, who surveyed the situation with his typical scowl. „Anderson," he turned to her. „You have no sense of self-preservation, do you?" he growled and turned to Wilson. „You. Blame your miserable strategy for the casualties not her. You are embarrassing yourself with every word you speak." he turned to the rest of the force. „Fine, now man the positions, I want this place under control."
A high-pitched sound, barely audible to human ears, pierced the air. Some of the Judges turned to find the source of it, others remained oblivious. Anderson expanded her mind to its limits and after few moments of searching, a feeling of hope and fear descended upon her consciousness.
She perched up. „They're almost here."
She delved deep into the mind of the train's passengers. Her sense of smell was overwhelmed by the repulsive mixture of blood, sweat and human waste. She could feel the heat and discomfort and she realised how full the train was. She brushed against a mind of a man whose next-seat neighbour died the first day of the journey and now her decomposing corpse dripped its fluids into his lap. Tremendous noise filled the train as the brakes screeched on the old rails. The sense of sight was the only one not yielding any information.
„Around two thousand people, four hundred from it are children. They are all gagged, blindfolded and tied to the seats. I can't pick out any guards or something like that, but that could have to do with their brain protection. That's all for now, I'll let you know if I get something more. " she recounted the information.
Dredd acknowledged it with a nod.
Wilson scoffed and thought something about deportation, but kept his mouth shut.
The sound from before rose in volume and the train came to sight, the brakes showering the area around it with fountains of sparks. An uproar of emotions erupted amongst the mutants, both fear and anticipation rising in intensity. Anderson felt a pang of regret that these people would be, if they survived, deported back to the nuclear wasteland that was Cursed Earth, to live and die like animals.
The train came to a screeching halt, the silence after such noise seeming almost eerie. The Judges moved out, carefully approaching the vehicle, their guns always at the ready. Anderson kept her mind pressed against the mutants' trying to make out something from inside the train. Several of the mutants managed rip off their blindfolds and looked around the inside of the train with a growing sense of unease and fear. The inside of the train was dirty and depressing, crudely drawn graffiti covering every square centimeter. Every two meters a hand-sized oval was clinging to the walls, green LEDs blinking in the centre of the device.
Suddenly, in rapid succession, the LEDs changed color to orange and then red. Anderson's eyes widened with horrific realisation. She opened her mouth-
„Get back! Back! BACK!" roared the Judge that reached the train door first. He turned to run and the rest of the force followed suit.
Anderson leaped in a frantic attempt to bring as much distance between her and the train as an explosion shook the station to its core and the blast wave sent her body flying sideways into a pillar. Colourful circles danced before her eyes as she blindly stumbled towards the exit. Secondary explosions echoed and showers of rubble fell from the already overburdened ceiling. A concrete slab came crashing down mere centimeters from her leg and she picked up the pace with a curse.
Tortured screams of those trapped in the train pierced the air and amalgamated into one hellish howl, as if the burning train itself was some dying demonic beast. The mutants, that didn't die in the initial explosion, now cooked alive in the iron coffin the train has become with mute and helpless screams. Panic and despair assaulted Anderson's mind.
...Benny? Benny?! Benny! Where are you, honey?! Benny?...
...Help! Somebody, help me, please! For the love of God, will nobody help me?... she thought and the tears that streamed down her face evaporated, as flames enveloped her form.
...Mom? Mommy? Where are you?...
...I'm sorry, Lena, so sorry... he cried as he clutched the body of his sister before being crushed by a steel panel.
...I don't want to die. I don't deser- aargh... his thought was cut short as his body was flung from its seat and his neck snapped.
...Mommy? Is that you? Mom, I'm scared, it's so hot in here...
...I should have been a baker... he laughed madly as the flames crawled over his uniform.
...Don't worry, honey, mommy is here. It'll be okay, It's okay...
The ceiling collapsed, burrowing the train and several Judges underneath it just after Anderson staggered out of the complex. She fell to her knees, her hands shaking uncontrollably, as she attempted to crowd out the agonized cries suffocating her brain.
...I have to get out! Out of my way!... she roared and clawed at the concrete, that slowly squeezed the air out of her lungs.
...Benny, don't worry, honey, mommy is here. It's okay, It's okay... she cradled her little boy in her arms as a steel pipe fell down and impaled her.
...Mom? Mommy? Mommy, what's wrong? Mom? I can't breathe...
Anderson pulled herself upright and fiercely shook her head in an attempt to sever the link to the dying people inside the now downfalled train station. She cursed profoundly and pressed her palms into her forehead with an exasperated groan. Even as the connection diminished slightly, the immense pain still overwhelmed her senses, fooling her nerves into sending distress signals to her brain.
Wilson, beaten up and frustrated, trudged past her and she could feel his urge to lash out at her as he spotted her.
„Burning is a horrible way to die, you know?" she asked him before he could open his mouth.
A look of confusion settled on his face. „Wha-?
Without clarification she continued. „I mean, sure, most die of the carbon mono- and dioxide poisoning, but they still manage to get burnt to some degree. Really unpleasant, as you can surely imagine." she let out a little distraught laugh.
„There are four hundred people burning under our feet. And, as much as I try not to, I can feel every single one of them. So before you say anything, and I know exactly what you will say, consider the fact, that I could make you experience the same thing to the very last detail." she broke off and tilted her head. „Well, now it's only hundred-fifty, so it isn't so bad anymore." she smiled weakly and looked Wilson straight into the eyes. „Your call."
He gulped heavily and broke the stare, thinking something about freaks and psychopaths as he left with the now significantly thinned out Holocaust Squad.
She let out another hollow laugh and crossed the distance to her Lawmaster.
„Anderson," sounded a deep voice. „You okay?" Dredd asked, concerned look on his face, or at least on the visible part.
She watched him for few moments with bleak expression. „No, but I will be." she shrugged and mounted her bike, but then turned back to the other Judge. „Hey," she called to get his attention. „I'm really glad you're alive." she smiled tiredly.
Dredd seconded her smile with one of his own. „Same."