After the bombs fell, eradicating and irradiating the old world, what remained evolved to survive in the dying world. When the world changed, becoming more dangerous and deadly, so did the crimes. The brutality, the bloodshed, the sadists, all evolved to survive in the new world, evolving their ways. After decades of judging, sentencing, executing the perps of horrific crimes that plagued the new, there was little that caught the attention of Judge Dredd. Crime was crime. That was something that would never change. However, as he examined the mutilated body of his latest assignment-or what remained of it- Dredd found the state of the victim...unexpected.

The location itself was no more presentable than the body. A back alley road a good deal from major trafficking zones. The surrounding buildings were rundown and abandoned, limiting any witness accounts dramatically. The stench of a decaying creatures mixed with fouled water and other liquids mixed in the air. Steam rose from the underground vents, from old subway tunnels, heating the air.

The body-or what remained of it-was male. Height and weight...estimated between six foot and six foot four between two-ten and two forty. The clothes were saturated in blood, nearly choking the original color from the fabric. The body was covered in massive lacerations, intersecting, dissecting throughout the entire body. The left arm was barely connected to the torso, held only by small remains of the muscle and tendons. His ribs had been ripped open, protruding out of his body, exposing his internal organs for display. The right thigh and calf muscles were ripped from the bone, leaving ragged shreds of flesh, tendons, muscles, and veins exposed. The face was unrecognizable. Flesh hung from the skull. The eyes had been removed either before or after death. Teeth were missing, as was the bottom jaw entirely. Vicious, brutal, bloody, sadistic.

"Extreme, isn't it?" Dredd turned. The Chief Judge walked toward the crime scene. She drew her arms behind her back, looking down at the victim.

"I've seen worse." Dredd answered, looking back down at the body.

"Bullshit." she replied. "No judge on the streets has seen a body in this state, not even you Dredd."

"Is that what brought you out here sir?" Dredd asked.

"Not exactly." she answered. "This is the third body in similar conditions found in two days. Back alleys, away from the public, massacred, unrecognizable."

"What makes you think this is one of them?"

"Your partner seems to think they are."

Dredd turned to his superior. "Partner?"

The Chief Judge nodded. "That's right, partner. She's responded to the first two cases and come up with nothing. I want you two figuring out just what' the hell's going on in the sector. you stand a better chance do that by working together."

"I work alone." Dredd stated. His voice was hard and sharp.

"This time you don't." she replied. "You know better than anyone not every Judge is trustworthy. The council's running out of Judges we can depend on the streets. If it turns out that a Judge could be behind this, the councils asked to have the two of you on it."

Dredd grunted in response.

"Relax Dredd, you like this one." the Chief replied. She turned toward the alley entrance behind them. "Or at least, your equivalence of 'liking' someone."

He heard the approach before catching the movement to his left. "Mangled remains, inability to identify, found in low traffic geography. Fits the previous two victims."

Dredd turned to his left, already knowing who was standing beside him. Despite the years between sightings, nothing had changed her physical appearance. She stood erect a few paces from him, helmet on. Her attention was fixated on the body in front of them. Dredd turned back to the body. "Anderson."

"Judge Dredd." she replied.

"I'll leave you two on the case." the Chief finished. She turned quickly and walked toward the alley entrance.

Anderson knelt by the body, examining the remains. "Are you familiar with the previous cases?"

Dredd nodded. "One woman, one male. Varying in height and weight. murdered, mangled, and dumped. Forensics took samples of the wounds." His wrist comm suddenly beeped with a notification. Dredd lifted his wrist and read the results.

"Forensics?" Anderson asked.

"Yeah. DNA on our vic came back to your two bodies." he answered. "Confirms it wasn't any animal. Makes this a triple homicide. Also points us in the perps direction."

Even with most of her face hidden behind her helmet, Dredd catches the features of her face adjust to a frown. "How?"

"DNA also found saliva in the wounds. Human DNA." Dredd explained. "Only a handful of people have the ability to do this."

"We're looking for a mutant." Anderson finished. The sentence left a bitter taste in her mouth. her own status was withheld knowledge, even within the Hall of Justice. Only the Council, the Chief Judge, and Dredd knew of her status. But that didn't stop the feelings that most projected toward her. Feelings of disgust, hatred, and bitterness always surrounded them in her presence. Even Dredd was among them. Much to her surprise, his feelings were not a strong as the other Judges. It was possibly altered by working with her, or he simply didn't care. Whatever the reason, it changed nothing. Anderson felt the prejudice in her own way. To hunt one down, it seemed to feel like hunting ones family.

Dredd turned slowly, taking a surveillance of the area. They alley was empty of personnel. Littered with garbage, yet something was off. The body, though severely mangled, was missing a key piece in the dump. "Anderson, take a look at the body."

"Sir?" she asked, breaking from her reverie.

"Look at it." he repeated gruffly. "It's covered in blood, but the not ground."

"There's only a few sparse drops leading from the body down the alley." Anderson finished. "Which means the victim was killed somewhere else before being dumped here."

"And the other victims?"

"All found in the same state."

"Can't move a body in this condition too far without risking it falling to pieces, let alone three." Dredd mentioned. He surveyed the far alley entrance. "Perps need to be nearby or have some kind of transport to dump."

"No sign of vehicles present in either cases." Anderson explained. "My guess, physical dumping."

"Body wouldn't last more than a ten minute transport by foot." Dredd said. He lifted his comm. "Dredd to control."

"Go ahead."

"I need the location of two previous bodies discovered. Case files marked to follow." Dredd informed. He turned to Anderson.

"Case files 39756 and 39845." she conveyed.

"Locations obtained Judge."

"Map them out and add my GPS to the map." Dredd ordered.

"Compiled."

Control finished. "Transferring now."

Dredd looked at the map. Two red markers were fixated on the map. The third marker was green. What struck Dredd was the close proximity between the three sites. All that separated them was the massive, yet decrepit Mega-Block complex situated just two block east of their position. The coincidence of the case was a high concern for Dredd. "Map pinpoints the primary scene and possible location of perps. Let's move out."

alright first chapter!