Judge Dredd - The Thread

[Yoc]

Selina

The black cladded woman presses the buzzer on the apartment door. A moment later, the door slides to reveal a large silver robot standing there.

"Good morning, Miss Selina." its metalic voice says evenly.

"Good morning, Michael. Is your master in?"

The robot moves away to allow her admittance.

"He is indisposed at present, Miss Selina. But I will inform him you are here."

Selina finds herself a comfortable seat while the robot glides off to find its master.

Minutes later, Mortimer Humes enters the room, busily tying up his robe.

"My dear Selina. What an unexpected pleasure." his face hard.

She looks at him with distain. Even from where she is sitting, it is obvious what Humes had been up to a few moments before.

"I just come from Weaselly. He tells me that you have dispatched an Assassinator to kill Dredd."

"That's right, my dear. I thought it would be prudent to eliminate him as soon as possible." replies Humes.

"Then you didn't read the last Communiqué from Control. If you had then you would have known that we have plans for Dredd which does not include killing him. Not yet in any case."

Going over to door, Selina presses the control to its right and the door slides open. Standing in the doorway is a Judge.

Humes's blood turns cold. It is Dredd...

 

[The GrandMage]

Weaselly

He wasn't exactly thrilled with developments. He stood up, ripping the tie off his neck, and throwing the jacket onto his chair. He rolled up the long sleeves of his shirt, and went to the door of the small room.

He didn't bother with it, it was locked, he tried only moments before. But, he had to get there. He drew himself to his full height, and jumped, grabbing a small opening in the roof. He opened it, and lifted himself into the small tunnel.

He squirmed along the tunnel, and finally reached the vent overlooking a very startled looking Mr. Humes. He could enter the room at any time by kicking open the vent and falling in, instead, he settled himself down to watch, his eyes drawing into a focus for one of the few times in his life.

 

[THEBRAT]

Inez

As I watch the people coming and going outside of Humes place I beleve my eyes as I see that someone has recaptured Judge Dredd again!



ooc I have Jury Duty starting on the 19 of September!

 

[Yoc]

Humes

Humes suddenly finds himself on the floor, kissing dirt with Dredd's boot on the back of his head.

"Stay down, creep!" snarls the Judge.

"Dredd to Control. Have managed to track down perp but unfortunately he tried to escape. Had no choice but to terminate him."

What? Humes' heart almost stops.

He's going to kill me!

He then feels the pressure of the boot to be replaced by two synthi-leather-clad hand, which pull him up and shoves him against the wall."

"Y-you can't just kill me in cold blood!" he protests.

"Why not?" retorts Dredd, "As far as Control is concerned, you are already dead."

"B-but that's murder!" gibbers Humes.

"Tell that to the people you have already killed. That includes Judges!"

Humes closes his eyes and he feels the mussel of Dredd's lawgiver being pressed against his temple.

"Stop!" shouts Selina.

Dredd immediately redraws and then stand to attention.

Feeling Dredd no longer pressing him against the wall, Humes slowly turns round to see Dredd just standing there, motionless and Selina smiling truimphantly.

"Meet our latest clone!"

"Clone?" realisation slowly dawning, "Then y-you managed to get some of Dredd's genetic material." he says, still clearing his throat.

"Of course." she says, as if surprised that Humes had any doubt. "Is virtually identical to the 'real' Dredd. Has the same looks, memories, personality makeup (except he obeys us). His reflexes should be at least as good as Dredd though we have enhanced his physical abilities."

"Impressive." says Humes, though keeping his distance.

A movement catches the Dredd clone's eyes and within seconds, he had ripped of the ventilation cover and pulled out a rather funny looking man by the scruff of his neck.

"What are you up to, creep?"...

 

[The GrandMage]

Weaselly

Weaselly, much to his dismay, was ripped out of the ventilation shaft. He shreiked, a shrill, high-pitched sound. He immediately tried to curl up into a ball, and was begining to whine.

"Mr. Humes! Oh, Mr. Humes, help me! Mr. Humes! Please, please help me Mr. Humes!" He was squirming, trying to crawl off into a corner. The man stared at his employer, pleading.

"Mr. Humes, please, call him off! Help me, Mr. Humes!" He shut his eyes tight, calling up the picture in the small computer room where he lived. It was a picture of Mr. Humes and a man that seemed the exact opposite of Weaselly. The man in the picture was well dressed, and resembled a hawk.

It was a picture of Weaselly's genetic origional. A man whom had made the unfortunate mistake of crossing Mr. Humes. After playing with his DNA to make him a little more subservant, the man had been cloned to form what had to be the most rodent like human there was.

"Mr. Humes!"

 

[THEBRAT]

Inez

I am listening to what is going on inside of Humes place of residence through my hidden Nano Probe!

So they have been successful in Cloning Dredd now to get my information to the one that employees me!

 

[Yoc]

Humes

"Oh pull yourself together, Weaselly." growls Humes, appearing to forget that moments before he was doing something similar.

A quick word from Humes and the Dredd clone drops the struggling little man and then goes and stands by the wall.

"If only the real Judge Dredd was like that." he mutters to no-one in particular.

"So how are we going to capture the real McCoy?" he asks Selina.

"I will allow Weaselly to tell you all that." she replies, her manner offhanded despite Humes being her superior.

Humes looks at her through slitted eyes. He won't forget in a hurry what has just happened between himself and the clone. Selina will pay for humilating him like that.

But not just right now. he concludes.

Both he and Selina turns to Weaselly for a full explanation on how they plan to abduct Dredd...

 

[The GrandMage]

Weaselly

He stood, brushing himself off. He gave aglance at the clone, and then looked at the others. He bowed humbly before his employeer.

"It's quite simple actually. When the real Dredd leaves the Grand Hall of Justice, he will be attacked by the Mark III Assassinator droid sent after him earlier. Once he's disposed of it, which my probabily reading shows is what is most likely to happen, he'll trace it back to us. The trace will lead to the subdepot on the other side of town. Once he gets there, the clone will proceed to eliminate him."

He glanced around, then gave a look to Mr. Humes, and then Selina. He motioned towards Selina. "You will then order the clone to replace Dredd, and the main plan will go into action. If anything should go wrong, I do hope you can take care of yourself."

He took a small step forward. "And I do hope that you will be able to tell the clone from the real thing, because when push comes to shove, you'll be on your own."

The rodent-like man turned, and sped from the room.

 

[THEBRAT]

Inez

I start my Nano Probe working in reverse in Weaselly's Head and I quitely walk away into "The Shadows!"

"I contact my employer!"Yes sir it is as you thought they have made a Clone of Dredd!


"Sir do you want me to start getting Operation Switchback up and running!"

 

[Yoc]

In a darken room, a figure listens to Inez's report.

"Yess!" it answers...

 

[Yoc]

Humes

"Is that the plan, my dear?" he asks Selina. "To pit the clone against Dredd and hopes that it wins?"

"Of course!" she says.

"And this is your plan." he asks.

"Yes! Why? Do you see a problem?"

Humes looks at her incredulously.

"What if Dredd beats the clone?"

Selina snorts.

"The clone is four times as strong as Dredd. Its reflexes twice as quick. Plus it has the same personality, attitude as the original. Our clone will win easily."

Humes walks over to the drinks cabinet and helps himself to a large malt whisky. He offers Selina a glass. She shakes her head.

"I assume that you haven't read Dredd's dossier. If you had, then you would that this man has come up against greater odds before and won. For Grud's sake, he almost single-handedly destroyed a city. The man's a human wreaking machine."

As he says this, Humes is studying Selina's face. Her expression confirms that she hasn't read Dredd's dossier. For the first time, she looks unsure.

"Mortimer sweetheart, you make him sound like he is some sort of supernatural force. He is only a man and men can die."

"Then why go through all this trouble to eliminate him?" Humes savours the taste of his drink as he continues. "If he is only 'a man', why not kill him along with the rest of the Judges when we take over the city? Selina, I suggest you read his dossier and not to implement your plan until you have."

Selina takes one look at Humes and then leaves the room, following in the same way as Weaselly.

No doubt wanting to talk to him. Humes thinks to himself...

 

[The GrandMage]

Weaselly

He scurried through the halls, going back to his darkened room. He sat, looking at the gentle glow of the monitor, and stared blankly at a wall. His thoughts were swimming. This plan wouldn't work, he knew it.

He'd run the statistics. There was only one way to watch Dredd die, and that was to be there when he passed away of Nature's own accord.

 

[Exosus]

OOC: Finally I posted!
IC
Judge Kenritsu strolled into the bike depot, ready to go on patrol.

He slid onto his Lawmaster, nicknamed Edge, checking that all the systems were ready, and he was about to exit the depot when the familiar voice in his head spoke up "Wait for the unfeeling one..."

"Hmm. The unfeeling one? Who could that be?" He deactivated Edge and leaned down on it, waiting and waiting

 

[Yoc]

Selina

Selina puts her hand against the sensor and the door slides open.

The room inside is almost pitch black and the smell almost wants to make her gag.

Taking a deep breath, she walks in.

"Weaselly, we need to talk."...

 

[Yoc]

Dredd

Dredd leaves the Chief Judge's office, deep in thought (though you would not think it since his expression never changes).

On his way back to the bike depot, he almost runs into Hardsteen.

"Haven't you any work to do?" he growls, not stopping

"Ahem..I am just on my way."

Too damn nervous. Maybe he should speak to Personnel?

Once in the depot, Dredd makes for his bike...

 

[The GrandMage]

Weaselly

He turned to look at the intruer to his private sanctuary. It was Selina. The man turned, and looked at her with a sigh.

"Of course. What do you want to talk about? Perhaps you'd like to go somewhere else?"

 

[Yoc]

Selina

"I don't care where we go. Humes may have found a flaw with our plan and you know what will happen if we fail."

Unable to take the smell in the room any longer, she ducks outside...

 

[The GrandMage]

Weaselly

He stood up, and followed her out. "Oh, what's with this 'our plan' business? I didn't make the plan, you did. I think it's quite silly, actually. The easiest way to kill Dredd would be to put a halt to all crime. After a few months, he'd probably die of boredom."

The man glanced at the woman, and closed the door to the room, putting a lock on it. He looked at her, and then started to wander down the hall. "I'm going to get a shower and go to bed. I personally find all this Dredd business quite silly. If Mr. Humes wasn't adament about killing him, I wouldn't even bother myself with it. If you really want to talk to me, you can tag along. But I really think you should be on your way. The Assassinator droid will attack Dredd soon, and then you'll need to oversee your clone..."

 

[Yoc]

Selina

Despite herself, Selina feels the flush of anger fill her cheeks at the man's insolence.

How dare this little man talk to her like this!

However, he's also Control's most capable tactician.

Pressing up close to him, she sighs seductively as she runs a finger along his prodigious nose.

"You are right, of course." she breaths, "Humes is paranoid when it comes to this Dredd person. But he is Control's most senior operative in this sector and I don't think it is a good idea to go against him unless we are positive we are going to win, don't you agree?"

 

[The GrandMage]

Weaselly

He loked at her. My,my, wasn't this a development. She wanted something, and most likely thought she could just turn on the old charm and make him putty in her hands.

"Oh, no thank you very much. Besides, it'd be as hard to kill Humes as it would be to kill Dredd. They're a lot alike, when it comes to will, you know."

He looked at her. He wasn't liking where this was headed, but he didn't detach himself from her, either. "What have you got planned?"

 

[Guest]

Futsie

I cant take it anymore!

I'm not crazy! I'm just mad!!!!

I find myself in a large car park except this car park is full of bikes.

Judge bikes.

I look around and see a Judge sitting on a bike doing nothing.

That's makes me plumb crazy (not Im not crazy)!

"It's alright for him to sit there doing nothing. But the rest of us joes hafta work (or register for dole)."

Looking close, I can just make out the name on the badge Kenritsu

I laugh crazily (no I am not crazy) to myself.

"I'm gonna kill a Judge!"

Still laughing, I pull out my staple gun (well I aint got a real one) and run at him, firing!

 

[THEBRAT]

Inez

"Ok sir I will start operation Switchback!"

I walk into an alley and disappear threw one of My Secret Exits that go to "The Hall of Judges!"What nobody knows except for one person is that My Father was a Judge when he was alive!

I turn up by Dredd's Lawmaster and make some quick modifications! "Hey Creep what are you doing to My Lawmaster?"

I turn my head and say tring to save your Miserable Life for one thing and bringing you some Information!

Dredd Humes has made a clone of you there is an Assain coming here either to kill you or put you on ice for awhile!

I might like to see you get tortured Dredd but I don not want you to be killed!

 

[Exosus]

Judge Kenritsu saw Dredd enter and the spark of recognition flared "Dredd... He's an unfeeling bastard...That'll be the one."
Suddenly he heard a laugh, and saw a man running at him with a staple gun, firing wildly.

"Halt Creep." He drew his Lawgiver and pointed it at the fool "You will leave now."

 

[THEBRAT]

Inez

As I was talking to Dredd I looked up and I saw That one of The Judges was The Assain I withdraw my Lawgiver!

"Halt Creep" lay down your Lawgiver Judge Kenritsu or you are dead Judge or should I say a clone of Judge Kenritsu!

 

[Exosus]

Simon rolled his eyes and with a wave of his free hand pulled the Lawgiver out of the fool's hands, keeping his own trained on the fool with the staple gun.

"Assassin? Clone? What are you...nuts?"

He turned his attention back to the idiot futsie.

"Be your way, futsie. Go."