Judge Dredd (10 page)

“What is it? What do you—”

Vardis Hammond’s face was stricken with fear.

“Dredd! No, please—!
”

A quick flare of light in the Judge’s hand, a nearly-imperceptible sound. Hammond doubled over and fell. The Judge stepped over his body, walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

Judge Hershey drew in a breath and held it. Beside her, Dredd stared at the screen, unable to believe what he was seeing.

A low murmur swept through the Council Chamber. A full Tribunal was a rare occasion, and seating had been brought in to accommodate the crowd. Every off-duty Judge in Mega-City was on hand, and every Cadet from the Academy. Members of the media, who were seldom allowed in the Hall of Justice itself, let alone this chamber, had been alloted a special section today.

Judge Dredd stood on a raised dias before the table of Judges. Chief Justice Fargo sat in the center chair. Beside him were Judges Esposito, Silver, and Griffin. Judge McGruder, acting as Prosecutor, stood to Dredd’s left. Judge Hershey stood to his right. Fargo had expressed his concern when Dredd announced that he had chosen a Street Judge as his Counsel for Defense.

“I trust her,” Dredd had said simply, and that was that.

“Before we continue, I would like to make a personal statement,” McGruder said. “I have observed your career from the outset, Judge Dredd, and I have the highest regard for you. Nevertheless, you understand that it is my duty to prosecute this case to the best of my ability.”

“I would expect no less, sir,” Dredd said.

Fargo leaned forward. “The Court shares Judge McGruder’s sentiments. Proceed, please.”

McGruder nodded and faced the table of Judges. “The video you have just seen is
prima facie
evidence that the Defendant is guilty as charged. Mark it People’s Exhibit number—”

“Objection, Your Honor!” Hershey boldly stepped forward. “The video we have just seen is inadmissable as evidence. I ask that it be rejected as People’s Evidence.”

McGruder stared. “What? It is perfectly clear that—”

“If I may be allowed to explain, Your Honor?”

Judge Fargo nodded. “Please do, Counselor.”

Hershey gave Dredd a furtive glance. She had known McGruder had strong evidence, but she hadn’t seen the video before. The sight of that dark figure gunning Hammond down in cold blood, then watching a Judge walk into the apartment to murder Hammond’s wife . . . She hoped her emotions wouldn’t betray her, that none of the Judges had been watching her at that particular moment.

Taking a deep breath, she brought all her will to bear to keep from shaking as she drew a document from the thin case she held at her side.

“Your Honor, I have here an affidavit from Cadet Olmeyer, who is currently attending the Academy.”

From the muttering behind her, she guessed that everyone in the room was craning their necks to find one Cadet Olmeyer. Olmeyer would love that. He had an ego that was bigger than his over-educated head.

“By way of credentials, Cadet Olmeyer is acknowledged by all of his instructors to be an expert in the field of still and video graphics. He has been at the top of his class five years running in Computer Programming and Manipulation. He helped create and develop Central’s video analysis system. His affidavit states that the surveillance video in question is of such low definition that even after
all known
enhancements have been utilized, no possible identification can be made of the alleged killer shown in this presentation. Cadet Olmeyer, who is also experienced in micro-analysis of—”

“Prosecution will accept the Cadet’s credentials,” McGruder said wearily. “With the qualification that we
are
talking about a Cadet, here, a
student,
and not an experienced professional in the field.”

“Thank you,” Hershey said. She let her gaze touch each of the Judges in turn.

“Since the uniform of a Judge could easily be counterfeited, since the badge and every other accessory can be duplicated, and since neither video nor audio in Prosecution’s clip can identify positively the accused
in any way
—or anyone
else,
for that matter—I repeat my objection to this video being entered as evidence in this case!”

She turned to McGruder, then to the table of Judges. “I am asking for a ruling, Your Honor!”

No one in the great Chamber moved. Behind the Judges’ table, Judge Esposito leaned to his left to whisper to Judge Silver. Silver looked thoughtful, then shook his head. Judge Griffin looked right at Dredd, his eyes unwavering, as if he might somehow draw Dredd’s thoughts from his head.

Chief Justice Fargo folded his hands on the table before him. He looked at himself in the dark, polished surface of the wood. It was a ritual he had practiced from the first day he had presided over the Council. The answer was always there. It was always the truth, it was always the Law, for the two were one and the same. Sometimes, the answer didn’t match his deep, personal feelings, the wisdom and insight he had gained from a lifetime of serving the Citizens of Mega-City. Still, it was the right decision, and he took great comfort in that. It was the one thing he could count on, the one thing he could trust in a dangerous and rapidly changing world.

Fargo slowly raised his head. He looked past the defendant and Hershey, past Judge McGruder and the media and the black-clad Judges. His gaze came to rest on the Cadets, the young men and women who held the future of the city in their hands. The Truth, the Law, his decision, was for them.

“Objection . . . sustained. I find the Prosecution’s video evidence inadmissable in this Tribunal.”

For a moment, the crowd seemed to hold its collective breath. Then the Chamber exploded in a burst of sound. Fargo’s gavel struck again and again, but no one seemed to hear. The cheers went on unabated, and the most raucous yells of all came from the Cadets.

Hershey leaned close to Dredd so he could hear her above the sound.

“Go ahead, tell me. I don’t mind.”

“Tell you what?”

“Admit it. You’re impressed.”

“Thanks. I’m impressed,” Dredd said.

“Hey. Unbound enthusiasm. I can hardly stand it, Dredd.”

Dredd looked straight ahead. “You think he’s through? You think that’s it?”

“No, I don’t think he’s
through,
I didn’t say that. Nevertheless—”

“Thanks, Hershey.”

“You already said that.”

“Now I’ve said it again.”

“What for?”

“In case you do something else.”

Hershey gave him a curious look. Did he mean that? Was he serious?
Of course he is,
she told herself,
he’s Judge Dredd.
Either that, or Dredd had made a
joke.
That, of course, was unthinkable, and she dismissed it from her mind at once.

J
udge Dredd was right. The Prosecution wasn’t finished. McGruder was just getting started.

Chief Justice Fargo called a brief recess, and McGruder quickly went into a huddle with her staff. Hershey watched from the dias. She didn’t have any aids; there was no one to talk to but Dredd, and Dredd was stiff as a statue, looking straight ahead. She wondered what he was thinking. There had to be
something
going on in his head . . .

The sound of Fargo’s gavel echoed through the Chamber. The room went silent at once. McGruder stepped back up on the dias. She glanced calmly at Hershey, then faced the Judges’ table.

“Your Honor, in light of your ruling regarding evidence presented in this Tribunal, I am forced to move to
technical
evidence which I believe is of a most critical nature. I will need the Court’s permission to access documentation marked ‘Judge Secret’ from the Central Computer.”

Hershey felt something cold at the back of her neck. Dredd didn’t move. At the Judges’ table, Griffin leaned over to speak to Fargo. Fargo listened, then turned to Silver and Esposito. Finally, he spoke to McGruder and Hershey.

“The request is granted. You may proceed, Prosecutor.”

A slight, almost imperceptible shadow crossed McGruder’s face. Hershey caught it, and knew it for what it was at once.

She doesn’t want to do this. She doesn’t, but she can’t back away from what she’s found . . .

“Central, are you on-line?” McGruder said.

“On-line, Judge McGruder.”

The voice was feminine; it was a calm, reasonable, and soothing voice, that instilled both confidence and authority.

“I want you to access weapons schematics,” McGruder said. “Please describe the working of the standard Judge’s firearm, the Lawgiver Two, and especially its improvements over the earlier Lawgiver One.”

A rotating schematic of the Lawgiver, stark white on blue, appeared on the big screen at once.

“Seven years ago, the Lawgiver Model Two replaced the Model One. The difference between these models lies in two areas: The computer chip and the ammunition coding. Like the Model One, the computer chip in the Model Two recognizes the palmprint of its owner. An imposter’s hand will activate the weapon’s alarm
. . .”

The schematic dissolved into an animated figure. The figure pressed the trigger of a Lawgiver and was promptly blown to bits in a clean, computer-generated explosion.

“. . .
Model Two is somewhat different. It is coded to the personal DNA of the Judge using the weapon, via the skin’s contact with the grip. A failsafe security precaution
. . .”

Hershey turned to Dredd. “Did you know about this?”

“No.”

“Neither did I. I don’t think anybody did.”

“. . .
The DNA is obtained from my medical files and upgraded automatically every time the weapon is reloaded. Each time a round is chambered and fired, the projectile is tagged with that relevant DNA
. . .”

No, no!
Hershey could see the whole thing now, see it all coming together.

“Chief Justice,” she said suddenly, “the Defense was unaware of this information. I’m sure everybody else here is unaware of it, too.”

“Let the Prosecution finish, Judge Hershey,” Fargo said calmly. “I’ll hear from you later if you so desire.”

Hershey’s shoulders fell. McGruder nodded her thanks. “Were the bullets recovered from the bodies of Vardis and Lily Hammond so DNA-coded, Central?”

“Yes, Judge McGruder.”

“And what was the result of the computer check of the DNA coding of those bullets?”

“The DNA is a perfect match for Judge Joseph Dredd.”

“That’s a lie! This is a setup!
I did not kill those people!”

Dredd dug his fists into his palms, drawing blood. The cords stood out in his neck. He stared at Chief Justice Fargo. Fargo met his eyes, hesitated, and looked away.

A terrible cry started deep in Dredd’s throat. He didn’t care about the rest of them, they could believe him or go to hell. But Fargo, if Fargo doubted him, if he thought for an instant that he had done such a thing . . .

He turned on Hershey, gripping her shoulders hard. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t do this.”

“I know that. I know you didn’t, Dredd.” His fingers dug into her arms but she didn’t complain. “I believe you, but I don’t know what to
do
for you. The DNA evidence . . . it’s
irrefutable.
He’s left us without any case at all.”

Dredd dropped his hands. “Everything he’s saying is a lie. I’m telling the
truth.
What kind of case is that?”

“It’s the Law,” Hershey said. “McGruder may be wrong, but the Law is right, Dredd. You, of all people, know that.”

Dredd didn’t answer. He looked at Hershey but didn’t see her. He couldn’t see anything at all.

“Your Honor, the Prosecution rests,” McGruder said.

Under the judicial system of the Way Back When, crime not only took its toll on the individual Citizen, it also created an enormous financial burden on the community as a whole. Though it is difficult to imagine, it was the Citizen himself, through the payment of taxes, who supported lawbreakers when they were apprehended and sent to prison. Thus, food, housing, health care, and even entertainment were provided by the very people the criminals had victimized.

Under the modern penal system of the Judges, it is the inmates who bear the cost of their incarceration. If a prison is to be constructed, it is built by prison labor. Only the cost of the materials is borne by the Mega-Cities. Much of this cost is recovered through COPP—Confiscation of Prisoners’ Property. When a prisoner is committed, all material goods such as real estate, vehicles, credit accounts, etc., are forfeited and cannot be recovered, even after the prisoner’s sentence has been served.

Further costs of incarceration are borne by the prisoner during his sentence. Prison industries manufacture goods which are sold at a profit on open market. All food consumed in prison is grown by the inmates themselves. Clothing is manufactured within the system. Power and sanitation services are purchased from prison industry profits. A small percentage of those profits is allocated to prison “entertainment,” which is restricted to health-related activities such as rigorous exercise that would aid the inmate in maintaining the proper conditioning for performing his duties.

Prisoners do not receive wages for their work, as they did in the distant past. Upon release, each man is given the equivalent of one month’s income based on current minimum wage standards. A man who has served six months, or thirty years, receives the same amount upon his release. He is expected to use these funds wisely and sparingly, to rehabilitate himself at once, and obtain gainful employment.

It is unfortunate that approximately seventy-eight percent of prisoners released eventually commit the same crimes they committed before, and find themselves sentenced once again. However, it should be noted that this figure does not accurately represent those lawbreakers reincarcerated. Under the Judges, sixty-three percent of prisoners convicted receive sentences calling for execution arrest—either for the severity of the crime, or under the “Second Offense” rule. This relatively low rate of imprisonment results in a penal population that remains at a controllable level.