“One more chance,” Fergie said. “One more, that’s it…”
The “romance” of history often overshadows the more accurate, though pedestrian, picture of the past. Even though a relatively few years have passed since the era of Judge Dredd, legend and myth have already begun to blur actual events.
Was there a Herman Ferguson? Many sources mention this name as associated with Judge Dredd. He plays a major role in J. Ward’s famous holo opera, The Tragedy of Rico, and is mentioned in numerous fictional treatments of the time. M. Karen, in her Judge Dredd: a Definitive Study (Kasey & Keith, 2146), mentions a “Ferguson” or “Fergie” as if he had some official connection with both the criminal element and the Judges as well. As R. Breazeale mentions in The Dredd Mystique (Lubbock & Wink, 2160), “It scarcely seems likely that an ordinary lawbreaker would be tolerated in the company of one such as Joseph Dredd, who exemplifies the spirit of the Law as no other in the history of the Judges.”
The most likely answer to this historical anomaly is the obvious one: Herman Ferguson was probably a character composed of a number of colorful individuals of the time. Many such characters, such as the Reverend Billy Joe Angel, Mean Machine, Link-Link, and Junior Head-Dead—who represent the “evil forces” of the time—are clearly fictional representations.
Though history is rich with real heroic figures, such as Judge Fargo, Judge Hershey, and the courageous Judge Carl Esposito, writers will likely continue to create the “Fergies,” “Ilsas,” and the like.[2]
THIRTY-SEVEN
“There’s nothing to keep us from going to fully operational status,” Griffin said. “There is no longer any Council, and the city is in chaos. There is only one authority left that any government personnel will listen to. Me.”
“Yes. That narrows it down, doesn’t it?” Rico raised a questioning brow. “What you didn’t do was kill Dredd when you had the chance. That was not a good decision, Mr. Chief Justice.”
Griffin had years of experience in keeping his feelings to himself. He might have murder in his heart—as he did at that moment—but he would never let it show.
“He’ll keep the Street Judges occupied while we work on Janus,” he said. “It’s not a problem, my friend.”
“I do hope not. I don’t like problems. I like things to go smoothly and quickly. I like things to flow.”
Rico cocked his head slightly, without taking his eyes off Griffin. “Isn’t that so, Ilsa? Rico likes things to flow.”
Lisa laughed lightly. “I believe you have said so on occasion, yes.”
She stood behind Rico, hands at her sides. Griffin thought her features had an almost alien beauty in the flickering blue light of the Janus lab. It seemed inconceivable, almost a sacrilege of a kind, that such perfection stood so close to Rico’s giant robot, that relic of forgotten wars.
Yet, he decided, if Ilsa was indeed perfection, she was a cold perfection, much like the silver monster itself. Maybe they belonged together, along with Rico, who was perfection of a sort himself.
“I’ll be back,” Griffin said, glancing at his wrist. “Someone has to mollify those fool officials. They think the sky is falling down.”
“And indeed it is,” Rico said.
Griffin rose from his chair. “You don’t need me for routine initiation. You know the drill. Central… prepare the Janus facility for full operations. My command…”
“Janus… operational.”
“One more thing.” Rico stepped into his path. “I believe you promised… ?”
“What?” Griffin paused, then understood. “Yes, of course. Central, appoint Judge Rico to the Council of Judges. Appointment to take effect at once.”
Central paused for a full second. “Unable to comply.”
“Why not?”
“Legal difficulties. Judge Rico is listed as officially executed nine years, three months, fifteen days ago.”
“Your listing is obviously in error.”
“Central does not make errors. Judge Rico was sentenced and executed.”
Rico grinned. “Obviously, I got better.”
Griffin gave him a chilling look. “Correction of records, Central. Authority is Chief Justice Griffin. Correction is as follows: Central is not mistaken. You were given incorrect data. Judge Rico is alive. Please correct and carry out my command.”
“Data corrected… Judge Rico is alive… Judge Rico is approved as a Council member as of this date… Entered.”
“Thank you.” Rico bowed slightly from the waist. “I accept, and I will carry out my duties to the best of my ability.”
“I have things to do. Get hold of me if you have to.” This time, Griffin made no effort to hide his irritation. He turned on his heels and stalked across the room.
Rico watched him go. Ilsa walked up beside him. In the silence, Rico could hear the soft fabric of her dress against her legs. She laid a hand gently on his arm.
“You shouldn’t anger him like that. There is no reason for it.”
“Yes there is.”
“What?”
“I like to.”
Ilsa frowned. “That’s a childish thing to say. It doesn’t become you. You don’t have to—Rico!”
She drew in a breath, tried to pull away. His fingers pressed into the soft flesh of her arm until she closed her mouth against the pain.
Rico let her go. “You don’t want to say things like that, dear. Griffin thinks I’m insensitive because of what I am. He’s wrong. I have feelings. Don’t I, Fido?”
The big robot made a rumbling noise at the mention of its name.
“All—all right. I’m sorry.” Ilsa rubbed her arm. She looked at him, let him see her own strength, the fury and determination there. Told him with her eyes that there were places he couldn’t reach, places he couldn’t hurt.
“You and I should not be in conflict, Ilsa.”
“No. We should not.”
He touched her cheek. She didn’t move, didn’t take her eyes from his.
“Then we won’t, will we?” Rico smiled. “We will work as a close, smoothly-running team. I do so like for things to run smoothly. I said that, didn’t I?”
Ilsa didn’t answer. Rico turned, and walked to the computer bank, gazed at the thousand blinking eyes.
“Status of Janus Project, Central.”
“The DNA samples have been removed from frozen state. Operation is on-line. I am prepared to begin the cloning procedure upon command.”
“Put that on hold, Central. Slight change of plans. I wish to purge the DNA samples you have on hand.”
“What?” Ilsa stepped forward, reached out to touch him, then drew back her hand. “What are you doing, Rico? What is this?”
Rico didn’t answer. “Proceed, Central.”
“DNA samples… purged.”
“Central, activate the DNA sampling console.”
“Sampling console activated and ready.”
Ilsa clenched her fists at her sides. The robot warrior whirred, swiveled its head an inch to the right.
My God, it knows… it can sense my sense my emotions, heartbeat—something!
She watched, too frightened now to move, as Rico walked to the dark metal wall. A panel opened with no sound at all. A ceramic shelf appeared. It was antiseptic white, slightly concave. Rico ripped his sleeve away and placed his bare arm in the hollow. A shiny tube whined out of the wall, split itself into eight gleaming needles, clawed for an instant at the air, then plunged its silver fingers into Rico’s arm.
2
The author can certainly vouch for one particular “character” of the era, Cadet James Olmeyer, who was the author’s paternal grandfather. As every reader will likely know, “Cadet” Olmeyer became Judge Olmeyer, Council Judge Olmeyer, and, finally, Chief Justice Olmeyer.