Chapter 2
Illusions
"Sir, we might have a small problem."
"What do you mean there's a small problem."
"A couple of Judges busted our Sector 13 hub. One of our guys was killed… it was Anderson and Dredd."
"Fascinating, and what of the survivor?"
"How do you think I got this information."
"Hmm, where is he now?"
"He went to the secondary safe-house in Sector 13… what do you need me to do?"
"Dispose of him. Make sure there's no trace of our presence."
"B-But Gabriel is one of our top men in the Sector. He's still useful for our cau-"
"I said DISPOSE OF HIM! He's only useful for attracting attention to us. A lose end that needs tying up. Don't make me repeat myself!"
"A thousand apologies sir. It will be done."
"Excellent. I'll call you later to discuss our next move."
"Yes Sir, I'll see that our problem is swiftly dealt with."
"You better for your sake."
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
November 19, 2101
12:09 a.m.
Sector 13
Anderson unzipped her jacket and lazily threw it on the couch; instantly feeling better. The uniform for Judges was heavy and cumbersome at times. The harsh conditions of Mega-City One warranted it though. The blazing sun and the blazing fire from the guns of criminals a constant threat. It was a worthy tradeoff, being uncomfortable is infinitely better than death. "But Ranz didn't think that..." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose; held it a moment, and exhaled through her mouth. Feeling a little better, she decided a shower would do her justice.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
Anderson walked out of her tiny bathroom fifteen minutes later. Feeling a headache coming on, she went to her nightstand and grabbed a couple pills. Standard issue pain relievers from work. Many times better than regular pain meds civilians can get. Another perk of being a Judge. She rolled the pills in her hand before swallowing them, chasing it with a glass of cool water.
The fridge was almost bare; except for leftover pizza and some juice.
"Pizza again… why not?" Not like there was another option. Anderson was definitely not going back out again.
She reheated the remaining two slices and slid down onto her couch, and proceeded to look up a movie in the archives.
'Star Wars Episode VIII'
"Episode VII was good. Can't wait to see what happens next."
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
Thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk…..
The only sound Anderson heard while she ran down the hallway. It was dark, only the dim red emergency lights on. She heard a scream and a couple gunshots; Anderson quickened her pace even more. She rounded a corner to see Dredd standing over the body of a man. She looked at the dead mans face, instantly recognizing it. It was Ranz, only he didn't have the calm look on his unmoving face like in the parking lot. Instead there was the look of pure horror.
Anderson began to feel dizzy, the hallway turned pitch black and she started to feel dizzy and weightlessness. She was falling, falling to the black abyss with no end in sight. Anderson started to feel a sharp ringing in her head. She grabbed at her head in agony, trying to stop it anyway possible. Then everything changed. She was no longer falling, but sitting on the ground. It was the parking lot from earlier. There was a man standing in front of her.
"You can make it stop, Cassandra. You know how to." Anderson looked up to see Ranz. He wore a smirk and crossed his arms.
"H-h-how do make it stop!" Anderson yelled and clutched the sides of her head even harder.
"Don't be naive, the answer is in your hand." Ranz chuckled in amusement.
She didn't know when she drew her weapon, but she held it tightly in her hand.
"No, there's no way I'm doing that." She muttered between clenched teeth. The pain getting worse."
"Oh come on now. My situation wasn't even that dire and I took control. That's what you need to do, Casandra. Take control of your life! Be the one that decides your fate. Or other people will decide it for you."
"Like me." Anderson barely spoke.
"Exactly! Look where that's got us. I'm dead and your sitting her unable to take control. It's real fucking easy."
"NO, no no no no….." she started to panic and the pain got even worse. It felt like her head was on fire now. "JUST MAKE IT STOP!" Anderson screamed at Ranz. The only thing she saw was the calm smile on his face.
"If you want to prolong the agony then lets try this." Anderson felt weightless again. It was a moment before she recognized where she was. It was the pent house suite of Peach Trees. Ma-Ma's inner sanctum.
"Why have you brought me here?
"So you can take control. This is the place where you first took control. You and Dredd took down Ma-Ma. That was no easy feat. I thought a familiar place of success would strengthen you. You can't run forever.
Anderson struggled to stand, but managed to. She looked around and saw the ledge that Dredd threw Ma-Ma off of.
"Come on Rookie." Anderson felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Dredd standing there. "There's one more thing you have to do." he then led her to the ledge, both looking down to the bottom."
The pain intensified once more and she cried out."It hur-rrts! Make it stop!"
"Do you want my help?" Dredd showed no emotion.
"YESSS! PLEASSEE!"
The weightlessness was back. Only this time she could see. She saw Dredd's helmeted face as she slowly fell. She was scarred but that only lasted a second.
"Wow really? You needed help. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Ranz' voice filled her again and she started to panic. She opened her eyes in time to see the ground rapidly approaching.
Pure terror consumed her as she screamed out. She closed her eyes tightly and heard Ranz' laugh echoing in her head. She wanted it to end. "Why wouldn't it end!?" Anderson blurted out and looked one last time. Long enough to see the ground meet her.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
Anderson screamed as sat straight up on her couch. The end credits to the movie rolling down the screen.
She rubbed her head, and gathered her thoughts as reality quickly took over.
"Just a damn dream." She reached over for her drink but it was empty. Deciding that her bed was better suited for sleep, she got up to use the bathroom, washing the sweat off her face and taking a long cold drink of water. She crawled into bed and went back to sleep.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
November 19, 2101
10:22 a.m.
Sector 13
Hall of justice
"Dredd to Anderson." Dredd's voice was crisp in her ear. Thanks to the state of the art equipment.
"Go ahead." Having forgot the night, Anderson was strictly business.
"Meet me in the main lobby. We might have a lead on that number."
"On my way." This was some good news. After that SNAFU yesterday, they needed this badly.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
Anderson saw Dredd standing in the center of the lobby, arms at his side, wearing his signature neutral half-angry face.
"Intel says the number is from a Mega-block here in Sector 13. Dredd handed her a data-pad with all the info they needed.
"Of course it would be a mega-block." Thinking back to Peach Trees. Her nightmare skimmed over the top of her mind for a second. She quickly brushed it off.
The number was registered to an apartment on the 122nd floor.
"Lets hope the elevator works." She handed the pad back to Dredd.
"We're burning daylight." With that Dredd started toward the motor-pool, where they kept their bikes at.
Anderson watched Dredd walk away for a moment, then quickly move to walk next to him.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
They reached the mega-block a half hour later. Bikes parked and secured, they begun the trip inside the concrete jungle of Willow Springs Mega-block.
As per usual, they got the mixed looks from civilians. Some were happy, some were nervous, and some were angry. Anderson could feel their thoughts so it had a bigger impact on her. They continued to the elevators, people that were queued up moved without hesitation for the two judges. It was best to stay out of their way. Not worth risking three years in the cubes for obstruction of justice.
They reached the 122nd floor soon enough. Willow Springs was in better shape than Peach Trees. The slums weren't nearly as bad.
The telecom address was for apartment 23. Anderson gripped her weapon and brought it up to a ready position. Dredd doing the same. When they rounded the corner they knew something was wrong. The door to 23 was open. No one leaves the door open in a Mega-block.
Dredd signaled for Anderson to go wide, so they could get a better look without going inside. She didn't see anything, but she did feel something. It was pain and anger.
"There's someone in there." Anderson walked to the door slowly peeking inside.
She saw someone on the floor, with a pool of blood gathering around it.
"He's alive, but not for long." Anderson turned to Dredd and he readied his weapon, and walked in with her right behind.
"CLEAR!" Dredd's booming voice echoed in the bare room.
"CLEAR!" Anderson replied and joined Dredd back at the dying man.
Anderson knelt down and checked his neck for a pulse.
"He's alive but barely." Dredd just stood there waiting for more.
The man started to cough and Anderson helped roll him onto his back.
She felt her stomach drop, it was Gabriel. What luck they have to find the man so quickly.
Gabriel opened his eyes is wide shock. He could barely whisper. "How did you find me?" he didn't try to move. He lost a lot of blood.
"Your friend was careless. Had this address on a piece of paper in his pocket." Dredd finally being vocal.
"That idiot.Told 'em t-to throw it away… What-what happened to him?"
"Killed himself." Dredd wasn't going to have pity for him.
"Figured as much." Gabriel wheezed with every breath.
"What happened here, please tell me." Anderson trying to be the good cop here.
"Cleaning up house." Gabriel started to cough harder.
"Stay with me now." She helped Gabriel to sit up, stopped when Gabriel started to groan in pain.
"Who did this?" Dredd taking over again.
"I guess it doesn't matter now. They already killed me." He moaned and blood leaked from his lips.
"We can help you. Just hang on. Anderson went to call control but Gabriel grabbed her arm. "No time for that, listen now."
Both Dredd and Anderson waited in silent anticipation, Gabriel didn't have long now.
"The men… the men that did this are ruthless. They 'ave an agenda that could wipe out the Jud-ges." He started to cough harder, more blood coming up.
"Where are they?" Dredd knelt down to look the man in the face. Gabriel only laughed, and then coughed again.
"I have no idea. They work in the s-shadows. I was hired by a third party."
"Hired to do what exactly? Dredd wanted answers.
"To sell to muties'. They said t-to only sell to muties'." Gabriel was almost gone.
"Why? Why to them? What are they planning to do the Judges? Dredd was getting frustrated now.
"Sorry Judge, that's ab-above my pay grade. Gabriel gave a weak smirk.
"Then how do you know this?" Anderson pleaded with him to tell her.
"The guy that knows shot himself yesterday." Gabriel was white as a sheet now.
"That explains why Ranz was so quick to kill himself. He was dead either way."
"Please Gabriel, do you know anything else?"
"Sorry darling, you'll have to figure out the rest. Besides, You wouldn't take me alive." Gabriel went into a coughing fit now. Anderson tried to calm him but it was too late. Gabriel took a few more forced breathes and went limp.
"Shit." She didn't swear that much. Seemed right to say.
"What now?" She stood up with Dredd.
Dredd surveyed the small apartment. "This place is dry. Whoever did this made sure to scrub the place."
He was right. Anderson stood to look around the room. Nothing but a table and a couple chairs. Nothing more but a broken fridge and the body of Gabriel.
"Report this to Control and call the med-center to take over. Maybe forensics can come up with something." Dredd looked the apartment over one last time.
"Right." She called control and joined Dredd outside the apartment.
"What now?" She turned to Dredd and composed herself a little bit.
"We let forensics take over. That's our best shot now." Dredd proceeded back to the elevator with Anderson behind him. The elevator ride down was quiet. The doors opening to a crowd of people. They quickly moved for the two Judges.
They mounted their bikes and drove back to HQ. This was going to be a fun debriefing.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
"First we screw up the deal, and then find out there's a conspiracy against the Judges. What else could go wrong?" Anderson pondered while they drove down the road. She looked over at Dredd riding beside her. He was confident, Dredd never feared anything. Even when he was shot in Peach Trees.
"Hmph', I'm glad one of us isn't worried." She turned back to look ahead at the road. Yes, things are going to be interesting now. She could feel it in her gut. She wondered if Dredd felt the same thing.
Dredd was ready for anything. So she'll just have to do the same. That's all they can do.
Author notes: One more down! I think this is my best writing yet. Its longer than the last chapter for sure. The plot is thickening now. We'll be getting into the meat of the story soon. As always, I love reviews and constructed criticism. Happy reading :D