'Cops'

Aldrich stopped his car by the side of the highway. The scene looked all manners of off. It was in the dead of night with the moon hiding behind a thicket of clouds. Most of the light around came from the harsh glare of reds and blues generated by the cop cars.

Dealing with cops was not really an issue. Police forces within cities, especially lower tier cities, were easy victims to corruption. Whether they were fed by the hand of a corporation or an organized crime group, the difference was minimal.

But highway cops were held to a much higher standard. The intercontinental highway system was crucial for maintaining transportation and supply lines through the wastelands where variants, villains, and nomads were all routine threats.

The Panopticon often managed the roads with drones in association with heroes from the Alterhuman Agency, but in stretches of highway like this, in remote areas with low variant activity, cops often made up manpower deficits.