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2000AD The Musical! The 9th 2000AD Forum Short Story Comp.

Started by locustsofdeath!, 19 April, 2010, 07:40:30 AM

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Paul faplad Finch

It doesn't mean that round my way
Pessimism is Realism - Optimism is Insanity
The Impossible Quest
Musings Of A Nobody
Stuff I've Read


The Enigmatic Dr X

Lock up your spoons!

Zarjazzer

The Justice department has a good re-education programme-it's called five to ten in the cubes.

Kerrin

BRAVO! BRAVISSIMO! Brilliant Lady F, just brilliant.

locustsofdeath!

All right music lovers...a scant few hours until our show is over. If any of you bards have a song left to sing, best compose it quickly - 1800 is our last dance.

Dash Decent

A shambling figure hunches over a microphone, cackles "Vid slug quotation number one" and launches into --

I am a democrat
I am no one's doormat
I know what I want but
don't know how to get it
I wanna restore the vote for all
'cos I
wanna be
Democracy!
Got a Democratic Tendancy!

Democracy for M.C. One!
It ain't gonna come unless we help it along
Hyman called time on the Judges line
Join with the Dems and stick it to them

'cos I
I wanna be democracy!
Not an absentee!

I wanna be democracy!
Can their hipocrisy!
Know what I mean?
And I wanna be a democrat
Electoral List EMPLOY!
- By Appointment -
Hero to Michael Carroll

"... rank amateurism and bad jokes." - JohnW.

The Enigmatic Dr X

Alas, my Park Life/ Droid Life masterwork will not make the deadline.
Lock up your spoons!

locustsofdeath!

Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 15 May, 2010, 05:40:50 PM
Alas, my Park Life/ Droid Life masterwork will not make the deadline.

Do you need extra time, Dr X? I can extend this a little while - I haven't gotten mine finished either...but I wasn't going to extend the deadline for me. That would seem like cheating.

The Enigmatic Dr X

Nah. It wasn't working - I just like the idea more than anything else. It was not going to be as good as Superfiendian Rhapsody
Lock up your spoons!

Lady Festina

Too kind, Dr X - I wanted to know what you were going to do about feeding the pigeons....!

The Enigmatic Dr X

"Rationing the droids"


It was to be about Tharg's sanctions and oil for thrills. Not one double entendre or double meaning. No way, guv. 

Actually, I'm making it sound way better than it would have been. I'd have taken the offer of more time if I thought it any good.
Lock up your spoons!

locustsofdeath!

Allllllllll right, comp's closed. I'll have the voting thread up in the morning (so if anyone sneaks a story or song in tonight, what the hell...).

strontium71

That , Lady F , was very cleverly done - the clear winner! How many of you were humming the original tune to those new lyrics? The words actually made sense as well , rather than just shoehorned in for the sake of it. I'm so envious of people who have talent - why is it some people can come up with this and i can't eh?   
The winner , Ladies and Gentlemen!!!  :D
...because I hate you.

blakaam kaplow

Bugger I missed the Deadline.
Great story Lady F congrats,
But I posting my entry anyway .
What else am I gonna do with it?)

Dearg Doom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmP9fZNfae8
Three days out of the academy, Provisional Psi Judge Duncan had not expected to be called to a war zone so soon.

He gunned the  Lawmaster (borrowed from sector 7s motor pool, his had yet to be assigned) past the civilian barricades.

Pulling up to the East Gate Detention Area Duncan  could smell the residue of a heavy firefight.

Smoke from multiple law givers hung in the air mixing with the ozone smell from discharged laz-guns.

Charred headless corpses barely identifiable as judges lay in the looming shadows of the city wall.
Helmets  melted onto the scorched flesh of dismembered skulls.
It was dark, power had been cut to this sector Duncan  could see the sky above lit with stars, a novelty amongst the  plascrete canyons of Mega City 1

Duncan expected to be just back up maybe crowd control, engaging whatever brute or mutant caused this slaughter was a job for senior street judges not a green behind the ears rookie whose only experience till now was of tightly controlled hot dog runs.

Control whispered in his ear
-Report to the Senior Judge on site. A Judge..." a rustle of paper caught by his   helmet comm "...McGinity"

-Control there's no one else here, they're all dead
As green as he was Department training  kept the panic  from his voice.

-Belay that
Relief flooded him he felt the H wagon's presence before he saw it rising from behind the wall like an iron shadow

-Duncan to H-Wagon ..." squinting to make out the ships markings already blackened from the fire fight ".... JDH-154"

No response

Duncan reached with his mind Concentrating he could see the points of light emanating from the wagons crew. They shined  in his mind  bright specks of consciousness beneath the metal beasts hide

"Control, something's wrong"

"Rodger" No help there

The crew's minds were too bright, a blinding yellow. The colour of fear, of terror.

The ship swayed in the air,  Duncan caught a psi flash.
Something dark something red.

There was something else in there with the crew


Uh control ....  the air was taken from his lungs the wagon crashed into the city wall the explosion pulled the air from Duncan lungs

The helmet comm spilled static into the darkness of Duncan's helmet.
He opened his eyes.
His head was against  the upended tire of his bike.
His lawgiver lay use less and twisted some distance from him

His left leg had a piece of shrapnel embedded in it above the knee pad
(A psi flash the the shrapnel was the femur of the H wagon pilot his last moments (terror, heat) trapped within it) He pushed it down suppressed it using academy approved methods.



Training kicked in first aid, compress the wound, radio control:
-Control
-Control respond

No answer just more static.

(Another flash of red longer this time, crimson like drying blood and cold like stone by the sea.)

Of it own accord his head swivelled to the crash site
Something there


Amongst the pops of cooling metal and secondary explosions deep below where the ship had penetrated the under city there was another sound.
A shout, a battle cry
-Two heads are better than none, One hundred heads are so much better than one.


Duncan was dizzy and confused from blood loss he couldn't  understand.
He doubted his ears he doubted his eyes when a burning man walked through the wreckage throwing aside heat shattered plastcrete as if it was nothing

Training: He focused his eyes on the figure registering any detail he could:
Tall and cloaked with the dark pelt of a creature Walcott could not identify
A spear strapped to his back.
Training: Did he have a permit for that?

He came closer Duncan could see a manic grin spread across the perp's face, a shield crimson again  with silver rim hung loosely at his right.

If he died here department necro-phonics could still use the information


Walcott spat blood and tried to growl
-Hold it right there creep.

It came out wrong not the order of a Judge instead  the pleading of a casualty, a victim.

-Creep?
His voice was light and melodious, a cloud of vapour rose from him like steam from a shower 
-I don't creep, I charge.
A sliver blade slipped from beneath his cloak, the grin was gone now
Training: Threatening a Judge, serious time

Duncan readied himself, teeth gritted, for a blow that didn't come instead relief at the rumble of a squad of Lawmasters approaching

They materialised out of the smoke from the crash in a standard defensive formation.
(Duncan just knew another bike bringing  up in the distance.)

The judge on point raised his law giver
-Dead or alive you're coming with us,  he roared
Text book, thought Duncan, straight out of Dredd's comportment

There was a flash of silver, gun fire and screams.
The perp was not in front of him any more
A wave of nausea hit him as he turned to see the perp amongst the now dismembered bodies of the Judges.
Radio comms crackled with emergency requests for updates from control.

Training demanded a response Duncan tried to count the bodies but it was no good he could feel the nausea taking again over his eyes were rolling back into their sockets

Training: Concentrate

As if form a long way away he could hear the Perp speak in the darkness,
-I m not a creep he whispered almost to himself

Body weak useless, blood oozing from the compress he forced his eyes open again 
Training: Focus identify the threat

Louder now more assured, straight he stood, his litany recited like a formal introduction

I'm a boy who was born blind to pain
Like a hawk, I swoop and
swoop again.

I am colder than black marble by the sea.
My heart is older than the Cold Oak Tree.


Pain: the perp pulled him face to face Duncan could feel the perp's breath oddly cool upon his skin, gold glinted from leather straps


His eyes shone.


-I'm Dearg Doom, he rasped
(A click as the universal translator in his helmet activates 'red' it beeped uselessly)

An explosion of pain as the perp dropped him, his mangled leg collapsing under him

-When you see me coming you had better run...run...run...

-I'm Dearg Doom he repeated

Sprawled on the ground Duncan saw the final lawmaster rise above the crest in the speed way

-"Less of the repetition creep"  A voice, hard and rough like gravel

Dredd.

He stood like a wall in the destruction, his battle scarred chin set firm
Silently he adjusted his lawgiver apparently paying no heed to the figure above Duncan


Dearg Doom's eyes widened.
Angry now
Careful thought Duncan.

-Still?
-Still you dare to flaunt yourself at me?

-Dare's got nothing to do with it creep

The whoomph of a Hi Ex round against Dearg Doom's chest threw him back

-Dredd he took down the H Wagon, I think....I think he killed everyone here

Dredd looked down on him expressionless behind the black eyes of his helmet
He said nothing but instead stepped over Duncan prone form


Strength lost to him now Duncan could not turn his head to follow
Dredd as he approached the Perp

-Still kicking huh, creep?

A cough
A grunt
A sound like wet munce meat hitting the foot path
Then a body impacts near Duncan

Dredd close enough now for Duncan to see the age lines mingled in with the scarring

Dredd's badge has been cleaved in two the bottom half now no longer attached.
Instead the Perp's sword tip protrudes from Dredd's chest
A groan so quite Duncan doubts he even heard it emanates from Dredd

Duncan heard the approach of footsteps from behind, a boastful tone:

-They speak in  whispers of the devils I have slain,
-By the fire of my silver Devil's Blade,

Again some one steps over him

Dearg Doom stands above Dredd now. He lifts him effortlessly off  the ground.

Pulling him close he whispers.

-When the stars go out
-You will  hear me shout I'm Dearg Doom
-I am the flash of hawkeye in the sun.

Dredd tries to speak but nothing audible comes out.
Derag Doom draws him closer to hear

Suddenly alive again Dredd roars spitting blood in to the Perp's face

-I am the law!

Pulling the perp closer in Dredd forces the blade protruding from his chest through Dearg Doom's stomach

Roaring the perp pulls Dredd from him, disembowelling himself in the process

(Where the blood lands flower sprout)

He staggers back hissing in pain, supporting himself on a boulder sized piece of rubble blood pouring from his wound.

Dredd business like again voice steady and in control

-Control we have two for the med wagons
-And  a paddy wagon to hold this perp while we work out what to charge him with


A flock of birds with plumage shiny and black like Judge Death's helmet alight on the body of Derag Doom

Provisional Psi Judge Duncan is transfixed he has never seen creatures like them before.
One explodes into a cloud of  blood and black feathers

-Strike the paddy wagon Control  just send a resyk unit and a mop.
?