Judge Rico Dredd (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
truefaceofthelaw) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
legionworld2017-07-06 03:20 pm
truefaceofthelaw) wrote in legionworld2017-07-06 03:20 pm
[OPEN] Getting to grips
Who| Rico Dredd, and anyone!
What| Rico's getting adjusted. Discovering sugar and telling people to move out of his way.
Where| Mess Hall, Observation Deck
When| Before Bodies for Rent
Warnings/Notes| Rico's an asshole. Warning for violence, fighting, blood, threats of bodily harm, and treating sugar like an addictive substance (i.e. drug talk). Will match formats.
[A: Mess Hall]
[It had taken a long time for Rico to get adjusted to his new surroundings. After the expected violent outburst after waking up, he was upset. Not because he was just faced with the knowledge that his entire universe was in danger, that Mega-City One was in danger. No. It was more that he was yanked out of his world by the scruff of his neck, and had a lot of schemes he'd spent time and effort setting up. A lot of fingers in a lot of different pies whose outcomes he was just waiting to realize.]
[But Hell, the only saving grace is that at least he might just get a kick out of all this. So he took the oath, if only for them to get off his back about it. Time would tell whether he felt like following it or not. But for now? The Mess Hall would be where he could get a feel for the social dynamics that run through this place. And he'll be damned if Rico Dredd never comes out on top. And he's hardly going to let a little thing like being dropped into a completely unfamiliar environment alone and without backup hold him back.]
[He strides into the mess hall with a natural arrogance, a swagger to his step that could be mistaken for confidence. Of course, with how packed it is, and how he isn't making any attempt to move out of anybody's way - fully expecting them to move for him - somebody might accidentally jostle him and his rather bulky and pointy eagle-shaped shoulder pad. If that happens?]
Hey!
[He barks out sharply in a gravel rough voice, in a tone that demands immediate attention. He cocks his head to the side, overhead lighting reflecting a glint off his black visor where his eyes should be. He crooks a finger, beckoning them to come closer as his mouth twitches up in the beginnings of a smile.]
You gonna apologize for that?
[B: Mess Hall]
[Rico is sitting at a table with his back to the wall, with a baton kept loosely in his lap, staring at an unopened packet of sugar in the palm of his hand. He knew that The Legion had different practices, different laws but this was really something else. He tears the packet open with delicately pinched fingers, spilling the white crystals onto the table, and sniffs. He takes off a glove, dips his finger in the pile, brings it up to his face for careful scrutiny, then licks it.]
Oh, what the drokk? [He murmurs under his breath as he pulls back, confusion and tentative excitement mixing in his voice.] They can't be serious.
[He starts picking up more packets, one by one, and ripping them all open. Soon, there's a veritable pile of sugar on the table. But if someone were to come a little later and perhaps want a sugar for their coffee or tea this morning...? Well too bad. It's all been confiscated. If you reach out for one, expect to be impeded by a black baton.]
Sorry. [He doesn't sound very sorry at all. Actually, he almost sounds a little gleeful. He's well aware he has very little authority here, but that's not going to stop him from pretending that he does. Also, he might have slipped a packet or two into his own pockets.] Restricted substances. Mind your own business and move along.
[C: Observation Deck]
[The Observation Deck. Rico leans forward against a railing, looking down at the view. It's mostly empty for now, and he enjoys the rare peace. No shouting citizens, no endless, pointless chatter, or explosions. He's been a Mega-City boy all his life, never been to space, and despite his best efforts not to be impressed, it still captures his attention like nothing else.]
[Rico feels the prickle of a stare bouncing off the back of his helmet, and working on an instinct that every Street Judge has - or at least, the ones that aren't dumb as dirt and still alive - he fingers the baton by his side and says out loud without turning around;]
You looking at me, creep?
[D: Wildcard option!]
What| Rico's getting adjusted. Discovering sugar and telling people to move out of his way.
Where| Mess Hall, Observation Deck
When| Before Bodies for Rent
Warnings/Notes| Rico's an asshole. Warning for violence, fighting, blood, threats of bodily harm, and treating sugar like an addictive substance (i.e. drug talk). Will match formats.
[A: Mess Hall]
[It had taken a long time for Rico to get adjusted to his new surroundings. After the expected violent outburst after waking up, he was upset. Not because he was just faced with the knowledge that his entire universe was in danger, that Mega-City One was in danger. No. It was more that he was yanked out of his world by the scruff of his neck, and had a lot of schemes he'd spent time and effort setting up. A lot of fingers in a lot of different pies whose outcomes he was just waiting to realize.]
[But Hell, the only saving grace is that at least he might just get a kick out of all this. So he took the oath, if only for them to get off his back about it. Time would tell whether he felt like following it or not. But for now? The Mess Hall would be where he could get a feel for the social dynamics that run through this place. And he'll be damned if Rico Dredd never comes out on top. And he's hardly going to let a little thing like being dropped into a completely unfamiliar environment alone and without backup hold him back.]
[He strides into the mess hall with a natural arrogance, a swagger to his step that could be mistaken for confidence. Of course, with how packed it is, and how he isn't making any attempt to move out of anybody's way - fully expecting them to move for him - somebody might accidentally jostle him and his rather bulky and pointy eagle-shaped shoulder pad. If that happens?]
Hey!
[He barks out sharply in a gravel rough voice, in a tone that demands immediate attention. He cocks his head to the side, overhead lighting reflecting a glint off his black visor where his eyes should be. He crooks a finger, beckoning them to come closer as his mouth twitches up in the beginnings of a smile.]
You gonna apologize for that?
[B: Mess Hall]
[Rico is sitting at a table with his back to the wall, with a baton kept loosely in his lap, staring at an unopened packet of sugar in the palm of his hand. He knew that The Legion had different practices, different laws but this was really something else. He tears the packet open with delicately pinched fingers, spilling the white crystals onto the table, and sniffs. He takes off a glove, dips his finger in the pile, brings it up to his face for careful scrutiny, then licks it.]
Oh, what the drokk? [He murmurs under his breath as he pulls back, confusion and tentative excitement mixing in his voice.] They can't be serious.
[He starts picking up more packets, one by one, and ripping them all open. Soon, there's a veritable pile of sugar on the table. But if someone were to come a little later and perhaps want a sugar for their coffee or tea this morning...? Well too bad. It's all been confiscated. If you reach out for one, expect to be impeded by a black baton.]
Sorry. [He doesn't sound very sorry at all. Actually, he almost sounds a little gleeful. He's well aware he has very little authority here, but that's not going to stop him from pretending that he does. Also, he might have slipped a packet or two into his own pockets.] Restricted substances. Mind your own business and move along.
[C: Observation Deck]
[The Observation Deck. Rico leans forward against a railing, looking down at the view. It's mostly empty for now, and he enjoys the rare peace. No shouting citizens, no endless, pointless chatter, or explosions. He's been a Mega-City boy all his life, never been to space, and despite his best efforts not to be impressed, it still captures his attention like nothing else.]
[Rico feels the prickle of a stare bouncing off the back of his helmet, and working on an instinct that every Street Judge has - or at least, the ones that aren't dumb as dirt and still alive - he fingers the baton by his side and says out loud without turning around;]
You looking at me, creep?
[D: Wildcard option!]
no subject
He had his first taste of freedom - literally - and it was sweet. The scowl comes naturally to his face, but he does what he's asked, hands by his sides and firmly off his daystick, and he turns around slowly to come face to face with the other judge. He looks her over with a critical eye, assessing her behind his visor.
"I haven't been a rookie in a year," he corrects, his voice a rumble of offence in his chest. "The helmet not obvious enough for you?"
no subject
...And it's still a pain to crane her neck up to look him visor-to-visor, a power move she doesn't usually feel the need for when dealing with what she assumes is his senior self. She shifts, planting one fist on her waist and letting her daystick lean on her eagle pad, tapping occasionally. "And in another year maybe you'll figure out that just because you're not wearing a white helmet, it doesn't mean you're not the new kid."
It's harsh. Harsher than she'd be with anyone else. But with a Dredd, with the Dredd, you needed to assert your authority first thing. Otherwise he'd work around you. She'd never dealt with it herself, but she'd heard stories from older Council of Five members and seen it in action with Herhsey from time to time. America wants to just snip any chance of that happening short here.
"Beeny," she supplies.
no subject
"Your advice is appreciated," he says, a little curtly. That stubbornness is just as present in equal amounts in Rico as it is in Dredd, and although he knows better than to say drokk off to her face, but who the hell does she think she is? "But my arrest records are well above average, and there's a reason for that."
no subject
And she graduated faster than any of them, anyway.
A hotshot. Of course Dredd was a hotshot. Start like you mean to go on, wasn't it? She wonders how much paperwork he got people to do for him back in the day. "I've been doing this for about ten years now," Closer to nine, but who's counting? "Arrest records aren't going to wow me. They're pretty much pointless here, anyway."
What with the lack of respect for their authority here.
no subject
Rico pauses, and a derisive scoff comes out of his mouth. His hand curls in on itself into a fist by his side, synthi-leather creaking.
"- lax system here, don't you think so? I saw at least twenty infractions in the time it took me to walk down this corridor I would've booked them in the cubes for."
That's rather underselling it a bit to a Senior Street Judge - assuming she is one, because there are still some details that need puzzling out - but he hopes the disgust gets across in his voice, and none of the glee. Testing the waters, so to speak.
no subject
"Extremely liberal." Her lips thin at some of the past arguments. "They'll accuse you of murder for an execution. We can arrest people, but no sentencing. For some reason they think that trial by jury is still fair." She taps her daystick against her shoulder again, then slips it back into her belt. She readjusts, both fists on her hips in the old Statue of Judgement pose, but it's more casual now. He knows his place, she figures.
She pauses, then cocks her head slightly. "This is going to sound odd, but what year is it for you?"
no subject
"I'll steer clear of the executions, then."
He admits this grudgingly. As far as he's concerned, and according to her words, he's still got arresting rights and the permission to use as much force as needed to get to that point. But Rico's neck prickles a bit at the classic pose. That was Joe all over it. Shows confidence, he'd said. Show the cits you've got nothing to be scared about. Establishes you as a symbol of the law. Well, drokk that. Rico had always found that a good swinging arm established just about the same thing.
"2080." Rico answers without hesitation. Then eyes her equipment. "Not as odd as you think. I think I can see where you're going with this."
no subject
"Just a heads up." She's still more than willing to pass out a few, but only if they fit the Legion's exceedingly narrow definitions of justified homicide. Best to warn Dredd about it before he popped someone because the kill shot was the safe shot.
She draws her Lawgiver smoothly, holding it parallel to the ground. Barrel away from either of them. It seems almost like a bulky brick compared to the sleek, classic lines of the Mark I. "2137, my time. There's been improvements all around. You'll need to give me the frequency range your helmet radio works on, in case the Legion communicators cut out on us." She'd suggest having him drop by the tech division to have a Lawgiver done up for him, but she doesn't want him getting used to that if he ends up going home and having to switch back to the older model again.
no subject
2137. There's a second of what could almost be surprise as he mulls over the date in silence. He's surprised that the Justice Department is still standing by then, and hasn't imploded under the groaning weight of itself. His eyebrows pinch together. He's almost disappointed. He was so sure that it would happen eventually.
"...Drokk." Rico says, finally, not even beginning to cover the strange twisting feeling in his chest. He idly wondered if he was still alive by then. Probably not. Definitely not. Though if she wasn't snarling in his face and calling him a disgrace to his lineage, it could probably be safely assumed that his activities were never discovered or punished, which was also, somehow, felt strange.
"That's further than I thought." Shaking his head, he takes a look down at the rather... different lawgiver. "But good to see that Tek-division hasn't changed at all. Those jokers need reigning in on a budget like that." Rico scoffs. The thing looks bulky, likely packed with dozens of features that would never be needed. But he casts an envious eye on it anyway. "What capabilities does it have? I'll send you the frequency range."
Whoops, she said 2139, not 2137. My bad.
...Still, he did seem more emotive than he did in his old age. Must have gotten jaded over the years.
She smiles. Joke was on them, a perp designed them. Played hell when he hijacked the self destruct frequencies. Still, best not to tell him too much about the future. "I'll bring it up at the next Council meeting." She turns it in her hand, offering him a heft. As if she hadn't casually mentioned attending Council of Five meetings.
It was heavier than the old version by a bit. "Explosive's still in the grip. Roughly the same range as the old Mark Is. Most of the rounds haven't changed much, except the armor piercing's a bit more effective. They finally managed to get the hotshots down to the size of everything else, so we can keep a clip full of them at all times. Voice controlled ammo selection, motion detector, better link to the HUD in our visors, better Fast Focus, optional silencer, no more juggling multiple magazines... No more strobe, though. They switched that out for a stun pulse that the Legion techs improved for me." She shrugs. "Ricochet rounds are no longer 'less than lethal'. It was a stupid idea, anyway. No more fiddling with all the velocities and such, just point and click. All that was a waste of time."
Look, if you want to take someone alive, shoot them in the legs. Or arms. Or hips. Or gut. Don't waste time with low-velocity gimmick rounds. At least, that's her opinion.
She continues, just filling the air while giving him time for his inspection. "Unlike the old Mark Is, the Mark IIs get full auto capabilities. Some clip-ons like the old heat seekers, but I used all those up before I got here and I have enough trouble getting the techs to give me standard execution rounds." Might help if she called them 'general purpose' like in the old days, but who said that anymore? "I'm about the only one who goes for normal bullets. Everyone else gets ray guns or taser rounds."
She draws a face. Honestly, it was an insult to her marksmanship to imply she'd accidentally kill someone she aimed at.
"They're working on a Mark III now, but it shat the bed when it was getting field tested." Dredd's review was... not complimentary.
no prob
"I thought you only had ten years on the streets?"
He's careful to keep the tone polite as he takes the gun carefully, keeping his hands well away from the palm sensors, thank you very much. He'll have to figure out how to disable that, if he can. Technically that knowledge for the Mark I was only available to Senior Judges, but Rico had his ways. He listens to Beeny's explanation of all the new and improved features with an attentive ear, only interrupting to mutter things like "that would've been helpful during the Bigs case", and some things a little quieter, such as "ricochets are perfectly useful if you know how to use them right".
Like, for example, shooting it at just the right angle in-between a perp's ribs for some non-lethal, but agonizing fun. It was a bit of a favorite of his, and there was something he liked about the skill it took to use them. He runs his finger over the solid lines and construction of the Mark II. There was still something he preferred about the Mark I, the way his thumb could flick through all his options to decide a person's life. He smirks a bit at the face Beeny pulls, though. That was a good sign. At least she wasn't a completely humorless lawbook on legs.
"I'll see about getting some upgrades then. Would've expected more for almost sixty years, though. Tek's getting lazy."
no subject
Just short of setting a record for fastest Academy graduation. Youngest ever to the Council of Five. She wasn't one to brag, though, and Dredd was smart enough to understand the implications there. She'd have gotten unwavering obedience earlier by introducing herself as such, but it seemed pretentious to do so.
She holds her hand out for her gun. "For what it's worth, I do miss the old Mark Is. I remember thinking they were cute when I was a Cadet. The Mark II's like a brick." A big, terrifying brick.
no subject
Rico hands her gun back and produces his own lawgiver with a flourish, with a little more drama than Beeny but still just as careful in doing so.
"Cute? They're not cute." Rico says, almost offended. If she wants to banter, then they can banter. Rico's not going to dictate how this goes. "They're compact and efficient. And just as good for intimidation." Case in point: He idly starts spinning it around his finger. It's not the only trick he knows. With a cocked hip, it certainly looks enough like lazy menace and the promise of violence to the average cit.
It comes to a solid stop with a thwack in his palm, and he offers it to Beeny to take her own look. He doubts you can do that with the Mark II.
no subject
Every time she starts to get a little suspicious, she has to remind herself that she got to know him after fifty years on the streets. No one would be the same after that length of time. Everyone started somewhere.
She snorts at the display and holds her arm out, aiming at the huge target that is the Earth. Not by pollution and war, but hardly untouched. "It' cute. Curvy lines. Silver finish." She pauses, tilting the barrel up a tetch and giving it a quizzical look. "...Rather more phallic than I remember." Long barrel, bulbous tip, what were they thinking? Then again, with the 'Drokk the citizens' attitude some Judges tended to hold, it was probably on purpose.
America slides her hand over the ammo selector, almost humming as she did so. It was like holding an antique. She hasn't touched one of these since she was a little girl, but she still remembers drilling on the cadet version for hours before it was announced that they'd be upgrading.
no subject
"It's an extension of the law, ma'am."
With the neutral way he delivers that line, whether he's agreeing or disagreeing with her is hard to tell. With giving Beeny some time to inspect his lawgiver, he finds himself wondering if he should ask her anything about the future. But it's never been his style to ask so directly. Felt too much like showing his hand, whether it was necessary or not.
"...The Department still keeping on top of things in 2169?"
Opting for the roundabout approach seems like a good idea. Hoping to draw her into conversation, she seems willing to be approachable enough that she might say something useful. Nothing wrong with making a little small talk after all.
no subject
"I won't ask which extension," she comments dryly. She holds it out to him. "I'll stick to my brick." The Mark II is pretty much superior in every way, after all. What lunatic would willingly downgrade?
America snorts at his question and shakes her head. "You think there'd be a Judge in place if we weren't?" No, for better and for worse, the Justice Department still rules Mega-City One with an iron fist. What's left of it. She's uncertain whether or not to tell Dredd about the encounters she thinks he'd have, however. The population-ruining wars. Mutants being legal. Too much, too early, could screw up everything.
no subject
Rico takes his lawgiver back with a small nod and shoves it back in his boot holster, feeling a little less naked now that he's armed again. There's a personal attachment between a Judge and their lawgiver, and Rico is no exception. This is his lawgiver, different than any other, scratched up and dinged as it is. There's no particular reason for him to swap his own out, even for the fancy features. He's confident he's more than good enough to make up for any disadvantages it might have over the newer one.
"You're right. Doesn't mean that much though. Mega-City One could be crashing down around our ears and the Justice Department would still be hanging on by our fingernails." He even manages to say it like it's a compliment to them instead of an insult, and stands up just a little bit straighter. "I've just been hearing about the skyrocketing crime rates. Seems like the cits come up with crazier stuff every year. Can't imagine what craze'll be hitting by then. It'd be good to hear if anything we're doing manages to stick."
Like he was doing. If only they ever listened.
no subject
And, yes, that is her avoiding a response to Mega-City One coming crashing down.
"You know how it is. The more things change, the more they stay the same." Honestly, Dredd's probably a poor one to talk about that with, given the number of changes he's seen in his life, what with being so close to the birth of the Justice System and having participated in the overthrow of the old government, but the old homily still feels like it fits. "Still, things are a lot calmer around here. Trillions of citizens and most planets are civilized." Most. Her lips quirk slightly, thinking of the exceptions. "If you ever get homesick, just go to Rimbor."
no subject
"Rimbor? Sounds dumb. Besides, if I miss home -" he scoffs " - they cut out a slice of Mega-City One in the hab-deck for me. I've been looking around, but there's nothing off I can find - it's a perfect recreation down to the gang graffiti and the potholes. Don't know how they did it." He drums his fingers on his belt, frowning. It was a little uncomfortable, to be honest. "All I'm missing are the cits, and I sure as drokk don't mind not dealing with them."
A bit of a lie. But who cares?
Ugh. Seems she won't take a hint. He crosses one foot in front of the other as he leans back against the railing, going for a casual attitude. "You know, I heard Head Office is experimenting with some kind of new tranq gas. Apparently they blew their budget wad on it." Rico snorts in amusement, but it's to mask the tiny seed of irritation growing in the back of his head. Grud damn it, give him something. "Caused a couple of deaths, birth defects, and cases of cancers in the trial phase, but they're still insistent it'll be worth it. Might save us all a lot of trouble if I can come back and tell them if it turns out a drokking stommstorm or what."
If this conversation is turning a little pushy, or a little more insistent: well, it is.
no subject
"They've got a device called an Anywhere Machine. Lets them see anywhere, anywhen, as long as it's not your future." America gives a light shrug. It would be handy technology, if Brainiac 5 would loosen his deathgrip on the blueprints. "Usually no one can see it without your permission, but I guess they took your hab zone request as permission. I'd just warn you not to live there if you're expecting privacy. Anyone can enter a hab zone any time. Better to live in the private quarters."
She dumps it fast, in one burst. She's fully expecting some kind of explosion. Everyone seems to when they first hear about it, and it's best to just get the basics out of the way while they're still soaking it all in.
Her lips thin, not because she specifically remembers the program. No one can remember all of the Justice Department's atrocities. More out of irritation at the lack of care there. Birth defects, cancers, that's not justice. It's just sloppy.
Still. "Trying to take on Psi-Division's job, Dredd?" She's teasing, but at least it isn't outright mockery. "I will say we have a similar program. Less health risks, though. No sense in poisoning the citizens if they haven't done anything to deserve it."
no subject
Don't. Do. Anything. Rash. This changes everything. If she even saw a glimpse... It was all over. There was a very large, human shaped hole in his story and it looked an awful drokking lot like it was also on fire and screaming. And it wasn't the only one. If she ever took a mind to go looking - and there's no doubt that she will if he ever does anything stupid - well. He'd just better never give her a suspicion to. Act like boring, lawbook-on-legs little Joe, who would never have a reason to doubt the Justice department, or have any other thoughts in his thick, stubborn head.
And that means not killing somebody so let go of that drokking railing now, Rico -
He pries his fingers off the creaking metal, and breathes out. Then, turns around on his heel so he isn't facing Beeny. As long as they kept it to a simple snapshot of MC1. After a few seconds of internal rumination, he feels like he can make a measured response without screaming or threatening people. He leans slightly over the railing, hands clamped back on because his fingers are starting to twitch again.
"What the DROKK are they doing with that kind of technology?" He roars. Then he presses his jaw shut, grinding his teeth, trying to look as put together as possible. Don't look like you're losing it. Don't give her a reason. Don't look too invested. He'd stayed far away from Psi-Div for a reason. He'd come too far for just a stray thought to bring everything he'd built up crashing down. And that there was a machine that would let anybody do that? He puts very little stock in her reassurance that nobody would be able to see anything without his permission. Fat drokking chance Beeny wouldn't find a way if she really wanted to. She was a member of the Council, for Grud's sake.
And the news about the tranq gas really was just what he'd heard. Rico keeps an ear to the ground, and this is a particular rumor that he hasn't bothered to check directly but it wouldn't surprise him as something that they would do. Apparently poisonings are off the table if the cits haven't done anything to deserve it, but their regular sentencing, beatings, and killings weren't. Rico's getting antsy again, remembering that for all her jokes, she was just as bad as the rest of them. As he was.
no subject
This isn't Judge Dredd. He'd been off for a while now, but she was willing to chalk it up to youthfulness. A certain lack of control many young hotshots just out of the academy tended to pick up, before years on the street taught them the value of rigid self-control. This wasn't an extreme emotional outburst for a normal person, but for Dredd... practically unthinkable.
Who could it be? Not Judge Rico, he had no reason to play games. Judge... Kraken? No. 2080s. Before Kraken's time. This left... Rico Dredd. The original cracked mirror. Stomm.
This could be trouble. Or, if she played her cards right, it could be manageable. America doesn't know much about Rico, but he played the part of a Judge long enough to be nearly undetected. If he plays the good Judge here, if she can pressure him into playing the role... She'd need a moment to think on this. Rico wasn't someone to just toy with, and she wasn't a master manipulator. She might know a few different tricks, but they had roughly the same training. Some forty years apart.
Controlling her voice, forcing it into the same conversational tone, she allows some disgust to creep in. "'Scientific research'. Discovering the birth of the universe, that sort of nonsense." ...Better keep piling on the bad news if she's going to play the helpful, clueless Judge here. "You're going to hate this next bit of intel. One of these machines has been stolen. No leads yet." She waits a moment, eying him. "Unknown members of the media have been using it to create bio-dramas, 'Legionnaire Legacies' of various members for the general public. Exposing past lives before we came here, from acts of vigilante heroism to crimes like attempted genocide. Legion leadership takes the approach that they need members too much to arrest them for anything done back 'home', though."
America could tell him that the Legion's own Anywhere Machine is free for use for the members. That it could be tied into the sim rooms. That she's been using it to solve her backlog here. But, if she's right, if he isn't the ally she thought he was, too much information like that could end up wrecking the timeline. Would that be enough to cause Helter Skelter? She's not sure, but this has suddenly become much more dangerous.
no subject
He'd never seen the value of hiding his emotions like Joe did. No point in keeping that stone cold poker face all the time. Always hated that training. Hates doing it on the rare occasion that he needs to. Never took to it very well. One side of him refusing to believe in the conditioning just as the other side soaked it in makes for some seriously drokked up emotional impulse control. He'd figured it was better to mask his true feelings with other ones anyway.
For now he swallows it down. It'll come out with a vengeance later whether he likes it or not; any interaction with him turning the crank on the metaphorical jack-in-the-box until it pops on some other unlucky drokker. But for now it'll have to do. Rico grabs that center where everything is blank and cold with both hands, and turns to face her with a smile.
And if Beeny wasn't entirely sure about her leap of logic yet, felt like it was too drastic of a conclusion to jump to?
Well. There it was.
"Of course it's the drokking media." he says slowly, like it's filthy to even say. "That's a lot of classified Justice Department info they could have access to. Especially if they know everything that you do. How do these creeps target these Legionnaires?"
Not because he's curious or anything. Honestly, everything she just said sends a frisson down his spine. Very important note about that amnesty. Though if they'd seen everything he did and they still took him... Might be valuable information on how this place runs. Might be more his kind of place than Beeny's.
"Need members badly enough to be putting up with criminals?" he demands, mock incredulously. Oh, the rest of the news is bad for sure, but he's delighted on the inside. He's having far too much fun at the revelation. "You would stand for this? You're telling me we could be working alongside them?"
no subject
This means trouble. Question was whether or not she should warn anyone about it.
At least he's somewhat in control. "Some small receiving device. Grabs your dimensional coordinates if you get too close." She shrugs. "I don't know what it looks like. Just that it's small and very portable, unlike the Anywhere Machine itself. Once they have your coordinates, they just skim through your entire life, pick out the 'sexy' bits, and add some cute commentary. I'm certain you can dig up some of the previously released episodes."
They get brought up often enough. And it was a good resource to get to know your teammates with.
She grunts at his mockery, eyes still narrowed behind her visor. If it were Dredd, she might pass it off as righteous indignation. Rico Dredd, however... No, definitely mockery. "One of our teammates attempted genocide. They make action figures of him." Three guesses as to her reaction when she found out. "I'm taking the stance that we're facing the end of the multiverse. Security of the City act gives me the wiggle room I need to wait until after the crisis is over to start laying down the Law."
It's not something she's mentioned to other people, other than the Legion Leadership. Her plan to bring these criminals in, that is. But even if Rico is... not right, he's still a Judge and he needs to know that she'll uphold their standards here.
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He wonders idly if they'll make action figures of him. Or if there are action figures of Beeny floating around. Daystick included, perfect for beating up suspects in custody! Rico mentally waves the thought away. Not important right now.
"I'll defer to your judgement, ma'am," he drawls, inclining his head. He could practically hear the capitalization in that sentence. Figures. "Even if I may have some... personal objections. I'll be your backup when it comes to that."
If only to shoot her in the back.
Still, she seems to be awfully lenient. Joe wouldn't have had any of it at all. Forget the end of the multiverse - he'd probably get in here and start cracking heads.
"Has the Justice Department become more... flexible, since my time?" he asks, careful to coach it like a casual joke, rather than something that he could have opinions on one way or another.
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