As Kowalski and Wily surveyed the wreckage of the Futsie’s vehicle, an automated Justice Department traffic incident control team arrived. Rapidly, heavily armoured droids deployed armed detour signs, ready to take out any civilian vehicle that came too close to the wreck and thereby worsen the incident. In accordance with Departmental protocol, the Judges moved to a nearby Watching Bay to consider their next move. As they watched the wounded perp being winched out of the wreck to receive medical care before dispatch to a kook cube, they considered their next move. The revelation that a bomb was ticking down in Bruce Springsteen Block mean that their course was clear. Kowalski spoke calmly into her helmet mike above the ceaseless roar of traffic: ‘Control: possible explosive device at Bruce Springsteen Block. Dispatch Tek Squad pronto, and we’ll rendezvous on-site. Kowalski out!”.
Revving their Lawmasters mercilessly, the two Judges roared towards Springsteen Block. En route, Judge Muller was retasked to a nearby hit and run to dispense instant justice. No doubt, he would catch up with his Tac Team later. As they approached their destination, they noted numbers of block residents going about their business. Almost to a cit, they wore the ripped denims, check shirts and red bandanas of a loyal Springsteen Blockers. The Judge’s honed senses also identified members of the local gang clustered around a number of vehicles, lovingly customised to resemble pre-Atomic ‘convertibles’. Seeing this, Wily instructed Kowalski to join up with the arriving Tek Squad and deal with the explosive device whilst he address some no-doubt serious vehicle safety infractions.
Kowalski raced to the futsie’s hab, where her psionic powers had shown Mrs Fink chained to a large bomb. As she arrived on scene, she met up with Tek Judge Amos who was engaged in surveying the site. Using a spider-like droid, they were able to see that Kowalski’s report was correct. The bomb was there, as was a hysterical Mrs Fink, and time was running short! After directing the Assistant Teks to clear neighbouring appartments, Kowalski attempted to calm the chained citizen, but her skills did not run to friendly reassurance and Mrs Fink soon dissolved into a gibbering wreck. Seeing that time was of the essence, Kowaski burst into the hab as the timer registered 60 seconds to detonation! Although the floor was now mainly clear, the explosion would be immense.
Meanwhile, on the tween-block plaza Judge Wily was lecturing a group of insolent juves as to the importance of vehicular safety. Unfortunately, his nervousness must have shown through and the juves were happily answering back without fear of reprisal. Realising he had no time to lose, Wily pulled out his Lawgiver and stunned the most vocal of the perps into submission. The others quickly surrendered and allowed Wily to cuff and sentence them. Turning on his heel with the sense of a job well done, Wily looked up just in time to see huge cloud of dust and flame blossom mid-way up the block, triggering the closure of blast shields all over the front of the block.
As Kowalski and Amos had surveyed the situation in the apartment, Kowalski made a snap decision. Ordering Amos to prepare to free the cit, she had reached out with her Telekinesis ability to hold the rocker device in the bomb steady, preventing an immediate explosion. Grimacing with exertion, she had tried and failed to grip the device with her mind. Finally, she’d summoned up all of her mental reserves and managed to secure the device. Whilst Kowalski stood transfixed, Amos had released Mrs Fink, thrown her over his shoulder and headed for the stairwell. As the strain on her psyche became too much, Kowalski ran after Amos and made it to a safe area just as the bomb exploded with a massive ‘FOOOOM!’. Picking herself up, Kowalski then assisted Amos in bringing the now-comatose citizen to ground level.
By the time that Wily entered the block, Kowalski had reached the foyer. Fire crews were already on site, and the fatalities from the explosion were already on their way to Resyk. After updating each other on their relative contributions to enforcing the Law, they quickly decided on their next course of action. The unexplained disappearances in the area of Kimmi Kardashian Block remained forefront in their minds, so they headed on over to dig up some more information. As they reached KK Block, as it was known locally, they received a call from Control reporting a burglar being caught red-handed by a KK resident. Dutifully, the Tac Team went to investigate. This block was in stark contrast to Bruce Springsteen Block; rather than the brutalist lines of the pre-war blocks, this one had the smooth, curved lines so prevalent in newer blocks. The residents were likewise worlds apart from their blue-collar neighbours. The KK Blockers prided themselves on their ultra-fashionable appearance, with ever-more extravagant cosmetic surgery being the main past-time for the locals. Indeed, the pursuit of the perfect ideal of ‘booty’ had led to the ‘Rear of the Year’ contest being the cause of several riots and murders before a crackdown by the Judges. Still, the fashion for larger buttock inserts had meant that many residents had now co-opted the well-known Belly-Wheel and turned them into supports for their frankly ridiculous rear ends; the near ubiquitous ‘Bum Wheels’.
The foiled robbery had taken place at the hab of one Ethel Stoat, an Eld who still adhered to the KK ideal of form before function when it came to personal grooming; her foot-long fingernails attested to that. The would-be burglar turned out to be one Rock Beauchamp, a once in-demand beautician whose star was fading with age. Under tag-team interrogation from Kowalski and Wily, it became clear that the perp had developed an Adifax habit in an attempt to fend off the effects of ageing. As a result, he had fallen into debt, and had turned to a body-sharking racket to fund his addiction. He had tearfully handed over his most beloved companion as security to the ‘sharkers; a revolting rat of a hound called ‘Poochums’. In the course of the interrogation, it also became clear that Beauchamp had planned to steal a stash of contraband 20th Century fashion magazines that Stoat had been concealing, confident she wouldn’t report their theft. Handing down harsh sentences all round and calling for a Pat-Wagon, the Judges wondered whether the disappearances were connected with the local ‘sharkers, or whether something more sinister was in progress…
Making the most of their time at KK Block, Kowalski and Wily conducted a search of the habs of Hilary Swank and Eustace Glover, the cits who had disappeared without a trace. After a detailed review of the Tek Squad findings and a check of the PSU files on each, it became clear that the only thing they had in common was regular attendance at a local beauty parlour, rather ominously called ‘Racked’. It also turned out that many of the local beauty parlours were owned by the Radley family; Agnes Radley was also the Chair of the Block Committee, and arbiter of fashion through her control of the S13Vid Channel. A pattern of behaviour reminiscent of racketeering rang alarm bells for both Judges.
Still, in the interest of building a complete picture of the case, Tac Team Wily headed off to visit the Saturn Hotel, where two itinerant spacers had disappeared. But on the way, the unpredictability of a Judge’s existence on the streets was driven home as they were diverted to deal with a Wrecking in progress. As they rolled in on their Lawmasters, all guns blazing, Kowalski called it in: ‘Control, Judges on scene. Request at least one more helmet as back-up; the Wreckers mean business!’
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