Silo 7
"There are half a billion people in my city, Dredd! You can't just wipe them out!"
The Sov commander was shaking with fear. A bead of sweat drew a slug trail down his temple.
"Half my city is burnt to ash," Dredd replied, "and you're begging me for mercy?" He turned his back on the terrified Sov and crossed the ops room to the missile control panel.
Something felt wrong. For a moment he thought he heard footsteps on either side of him. The fluorescent lights flickered, and everything went black.
***
Dredd opened his eyes. He was in a bare room, tied to a chair. The chair was screwed to the floor, but the bolts were loose. With enough force, he might be able to -
"Don't waste your time," said a voice, and Dredd looked up to see a young man and a woman, wearing trenchcoats and sunglasses. Indoors.
"You're not Sovs," said Dredd. "You sure as hell aren't Justice Department. Whoever you are, I'm not talking."
The woman pulled back a sleeve, revealing a wristband studded with brightly-coloured buttons. She pressed one of them and smiled. "This isn't an interrogation, Dredd. It's an intervention. You're about to launch a nuclear strike that will obliterate East-Meg One and kill 500 million people."
Dredd looked at her. "And?"
The young man kicked him square in the chest. "You're going to murder half a billion human beings, you monster!"
Dredd grimaced. "We're at war. The Sovs are slaughtering us. The response is appropriate."
"They're civilians, not soldiers! 500 million men, women and children, and you're killing them for revenge!"
"This isn't about revenge, it's about ending a war. It's about crippling the Sov army and protecting my city."
The man made a fist, but the woman held him back. "Your actions won't protect anyone, Dredd. The Sovs will retaliate."
"Of course they will. But it'll take them years to recover. We'll be ready."
"No. You'll never see it coming. They'll kill millions more. And after that things only get worse."
"You're talking about this like it's already happened."
"It has. For us, eighty years have passed since the Apocalypse War."
"Time travellers. Great," Dredd muttered. "So you've come back to kill me?"
"No," said the woman. "We're giving you a choice. You can press that button and condemn the human race to decades of bloodshed, or..." She trailed off, looking at Dredd's impassive expression. "Please, Dredd. At least think about it."
***
The lights flickered. Dredd was standing at the control panel, finger poised over the launch button. To the Judges and Sov technicians, perhaps it looked like Dredd paused for the briefest moment at the controls. Perhaps they dismissed it as a trick of the bunker's failing lights. If he had paused, it was surely for dramatic effect. Anyway, they agreed (if they spoke of it at all in the days that followed), when the time came to press the button, he didn't hesitate. Not even for a second.
"Request denied."
"There are half a billion people in my city, Dredd! You can't just wipe them out!"
The Sov commander was shaking with fear. A bead of sweat drew a slug trail down his temple.
"Half my city is burnt to ash," Dredd replied, "and you're begging me for mercy?" He turned his back on the terrified Sov and crossed the ops room to the missile control panel.
Something felt wrong. For a moment he thought he heard footsteps on either side of him. The fluorescent lights flickered, and everything went black.
***
Dredd opened his eyes. He was in a bare room, tied to a chair. The chair was screwed to the floor, but the bolts were loose. With enough force, he might be able to -
"Don't waste your time," said a voice, and Dredd looked up to see a young man and a woman, wearing trenchcoats and sunglasses. Indoors.
"You're not Sovs," said Dredd. "You sure as hell aren't Justice Department. Whoever you are, I'm not talking."
The woman pulled back a sleeve, revealing a wristband studded with brightly-coloured buttons. She pressed one of them and smiled. "This isn't an interrogation, Dredd. It's an intervention. You're about to launch a nuclear strike that will obliterate East-Meg One and kill 500 million people."
Dredd looked at her. "And?"
The young man kicked him square in the chest. "You're going to murder half a billion human beings, you monster!"
Dredd grimaced. "We're at war. The Sovs are slaughtering us. The response is appropriate."
"They're civilians, not soldiers! 500 million men, women and children, and you're killing them for revenge!"
"This isn't about revenge, it's about ending a war. It's about crippling the Sov army and protecting my city."
The man made a fist, but the woman held him back. "Your actions won't protect anyone, Dredd. The Sovs will retaliate."
"Of course they will. But it'll take them years to recover. We'll be ready."
"No. You'll never see it coming. They'll kill millions more. And after that things only get worse."
"You're talking about this like it's already happened."
"It has. For us, eighty years have passed since the Apocalypse War."
"Time travellers. Great," Dredd muttered. "So you've come back to kill me?"
"No," said the woman. "We're giving you a choice. You can press that button and condemn the human race to decades of bloodshed, or..." She trailed off, looking at Dredd's impassive expression. "Please, Dredd. At least think about it."
***
The lights flickered. Dredd was standing at the control panel, finger poised over the launch button. To the Judges and Sov technicians, perhaps it looked like Dredd paused for the briefest moment at the controls. Perhaps they dismissed it as a trick of the bunker's failing lights. If he had paused, it was surely for dramatic effect. Anyway, they agreed (if they spoke of it at all in the days that followed), when the time came to press the button, he didn't hesitate. Not even for a second.
"Request denied."
