
Public enemy
In a gleaming 32nd‑century city where traffic streams three miles above the streets, newly minted Public Police Officer Brad Raynor spends his first days patrolling a world of automated order. Trained at Harvard and the University of Public Protection, he carries a badge, a sleek cruiser, and an arsenal that includes an atomic cannon and a concealed nerve‑gun—though most of his shifts are routine scans of quiet air‑cars. As boredom settles in, Raynor longs for the gritty heroics of old‑time detectives, even as he watches the city’s flawless façade from his lofty patrol.
That longing is shattered when a frantic dispatch alerts him to a violent robbery at the mayor’s residence, a murder, and a fleeing suspect speeding through the vertical lanes. Suddenly the quiet streets become a high‑speed chase, forcing Raynor to rely on his training, his futuristic gadgets, and his own quick thinking. The case thrusts him into the very action he’s craved, offering a glimpse of the challenges and moral choices that lie ahead for a police officer in a society that has supposedly perfected law enforcement.
Language
en
Duration
~19 minutes (18K characters)
Release date
Aug 4, 2026
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1910–1981
A versatile pulp storyteller, he helped create the masked hero the Green Lama and wrote across science fiction, crime, and adventure. He also found lasting success in detective fiction under the pen name M. E. Chaber.
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by Kendell Foster Crossen

by Kendell Foster Crossen