In his office, Diego went over the precautions he had been preparing since Lawson became Mayor. The idea of leaving the Flying Squad, of leaving his friends, produced an ache he wouldn't have admitted to two years ago when he first met them, but if Lawson found a way to get rid of him—and with his criminal past, Diego knew it was only a matter of time before that happened—he had to be ready to run, and to make sure the others were taken care of. They would be safe, Lawson wouldn't have any reason to go after them, but he still had to provide for them somehow and if that meant hiding funds they could use in his office, then so be it. (Rank) (Name) would find the hidey holes in his office, they were good at finding things. He had to trust that, if nothing else. Trust…how ironic that he would turn to that particular notion, after years of not trusting anything or anyone. He had just finished writing a letter to (Name) explaining things in case something happened when he heard meowing. Diego looked towards his door and saw Rose's cat, Rasputin, sitting there.

"I have no fish today, gato del diablo." Diego said. "Go find Evie or Charlie, they're usually more inclined to give you a treat other than your mistress." Rasputin just blinked, and Diego rose from his chair to stretch, then went out of his office and locked the door. There was no worry anyone would sneak in, considering he changed the lock after Lawson's inauguration. Another precaution against the mad times they were in. Diego already planned to give the key to (Name) the first chance he had, but so far the opportunity hadn't come up. He was walking down the hall when he heard a crash coming from Viola's lab. Diego rushed in and couldn't believe what he saw.

"Charlie!" Diego cried. "Charlie, what are you doing?!" Of all the things he expected to see, Diego did not expect to see Charles Dupont, mild-mannered inventor, smashing the Detection of Necessary Attributes, or DNA, Machine. Charlie didn't hear him, he just kept smashing the machine. Diego grabbed Charlie's arm to stop any further damage.

"Release me at once, Diego!" Charlie cried.

"Not until you tell me what this is about!" Diego said. "Charles, you don't want to destroy your own invention!"

"I don't want to, but I have to! I won't let it be used to condemn innocent people!"

"What are you talking about?" Charlie wretched his arm from Diego's grasp, and Diego saw Charlie was shaking.

"Dora Umbright, Lawson's new Deputy! She…she sent orders! Tha—that—oh, what's that word Maddie uses to describe an unagreeable, sour-disposed creature of the female gender?"

"Harridan?"

"That's the one! That…harridan ordered the use of the DNA Machine to track the bloodlines of all Concordians! She plans to use it to track those with "criminal blood" in them and to—to make sure parentages are properly sorted out!"

"She does have a reputation of disregarding anyone not born of a good, legitimate line, and God help the girl who becomes "damaged goods" in any way if Umbright gets to her—at that point, who else can?"

"I didn't design the DNA Machine for this! She has no right, who a person's parents are is not her business! Mon Dieu, if they investigate Viola's parentage…"

"They won't find out." Diego paced, needing to think. Dora Umbright was a sadistic shrew who believed in blood guilt and caring more about punishment than of actual justice. She was also very devoted to Lawson and his way of doing things, and hated bastards and prostitutes—the actual ones as well as any woman with a hint of impropriety—with a passion; the words Diego had to describe her weren't fit for polite company. Ordering the use of the DNA Machine to trace bloodlines was just the sort of thing she would do, and naturally Lawson gave his full support. The bad news of this is the revelation of certain parentages, such as Viola's, which could destroy her if the regime found out the truth, extenuating circumstances and the rejection of her sire be damned, her and anyone with what Umbright would call tainted blood based on the circumstances of their birth or whether or not the parents had criminal records.

"Charles, I need you to listen to me very carefully." Diego said. "The orders you received came from the Mayor's office via his Deputy, so when those orders aren't carried out, there will be an inquiry as to why. The Justice Corps will question you, and when they do, you are to tell them that I was in the lab when the DNA Machine was destroyed."

"What? But why—"

"I was in the lab when the DNA Machine was destroyed. That is all you say, no matter how many times they question you or how they ask the questions."

"You were in the lab when the DNA Machine was destroyed."

"Yes. They might order you to rebuild it."

"I can't. The plans for the machine are in the furnace. There is no rebuilding it."

"That's one less thing to worry about." Charlie couldn't tell a lie to save his life, but at least he knew how to keep his mouth shut. Diego knew very well that Charlie's memory was infallible when it came to his works, so even if the plans were destroyed he could rebuild it without them; thankfully, the regime didn't know this and would assume the destruction of the plans meant an end to the DNA Machine. Diego felt sorry for Charlie, he knew the inventor was idealistic when it came to people, all he wanted was to build inventions to help others. Hopefully seeing how one of those inventions can be used in a dark way would make Charlie a little more wiser to people. Diego stayed and watched Charlie destroy his machine beyond any hope of salvage and helped him toss away the scraps. They had just reached the main area of the airship when they, and the others as Rose and (Name) had come back from aiding Florence Samuels, heard shouting from Chief Wright's office.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked. Diego could guess and hid in the corridors.

"Lawson found out about Florence Samuels." Maddie answered. They heard Lawson shout at Chief Wright, and at (Rank) (Name) who told Lawson to take his grievances to the Assistant Attorney General if he had a problem with Miss Samuels being transferred to state custody. Diego was surprised to hear that Lawson wasn't going to shut down the Flying Squad, but not that the price was his position and being cut from everyone. Diego stayed hidden as Lawson stormed off the airship, with Chief Wright and (Name) coming out of the office in shock.

"(Name), I can't quite believe what just happened!" Chief Wright said. "If we don't sack Diego, Mayor Lawson is going to shut down the Flying Squad!"

"You can't seriously consider this, Chief!" (Name) cried.

"I'm well aware of all that Diego has done for us, (Name)," Chief Wright said. "But there's no question of allowing the Flying Squad to be shut down, especially now!"

"I fully understand." Diego said, coming out from the corridor. "We all heard what Lawson said. I'll go, (Name)."

"What?! We can't allow Lawson to order us around like this!" Maddie said. "It's wholly unjust!"

"Yes, it is, but I don't want to endanger the Flying Squad in any way! And with my past, it was only a matter of time until Lawson came after me!"

"But what will you do now, Diego?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know what I'll do. But don't worry about me, I'll figure something out." Diego said. "Lawson told you to sever all ties with me, and he'll be watching closely, so for your own safety, don't come looking for me, (Name)."

"But how will we know you're all right?" Evie asked.

"I know how to take care of myself. But you have to take care of each other now. Stay vigilant!"

"Diego, wait!" (Name) said as they grabbed Diego's arm. "You keep that badge. No matter what anyone says, you are one of us. Never forget that." Diego gave a smile at (Name)'s earned declaration.

"I suppose you can always say I stole it, on principle if nothing else." Diego said, taking (Name)'s hand and slipping the key into it. "Good-bye, (Rank) (Name)."

Then he left, slipping off the airship and walking away. He opened his pocket watch as he did, and saw in the mirror he kept inside the lid that he was being tailed. Lawson's goons weren't wasting any time, Diego mused, and kept walking as he pretended to be oblivious, turning into an alleyway and going through an open doorway. Diego hid behind the open door as he heard footsteps coming towards the doorway. The shadow that formed got bigger and bigger until Diego saw a man in a Justice Corps uniform enter the room. Diego planned to shut the door and take on the goon behind closed doors, but the rusty hinges on the door gave a loud squeak, alerting the Justice Corps officer, who turned and fired his gun. Diego flew back into the wall, the door closing most of the way, but he noticed that there was no blood, no wound where he was hit. He would have to figure out why later, for now he would lie there playing possum.

"I did it…" The officer said, and Diego recognised the voice as that idiot Blanton. "I finally did it! I took down del Lobo!" Diego waited until Blanton was closer before he swung his walking stick out, knocking the gun out of Blanton's hands. Diego took advantage of Blanton's shock and lunged at him. The two grappled with each other, with Diego's walking stick between them.

"Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you Georgie?" Diego asked. Blanton pushed back in response.

"Stop calling me Georgie!" Blanton snapped. "Surrender, and the rest of the Justice Corps may spare you! I have reinforcements coming as we speak!"

"I don't know which I find more pathetic—your attempts to apprehend me, or your attempts at lying. We both know no one else is coming. You came after me on your own, and you want the collar all to yourself, especially after all this time!"

"You helped a criminal escape, and corrupted (Rank) (Name) to do it!"

"You don't have proof I did any such thing!"

"I saw them with Florence Samuels, and that madwoman with the rabid cat who tried to kill me!"

"You tripped over that cat, that's why he clawed at you, and Rose wouldn't have tried to kill you if you hadn't shot at Rasputin!" Diego and Blanton kept struggling with each other until Diego felt himself backed into a wall, with Blanton pushing the walking stick towards him.

"You have gotten away with too much for too long!" Blanton shouted. "I am going to bring you down once and for all, and Detective Bontemps will thank me for it!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Georgie." Diego said as he moved his hand towards the handle. He pushed a button on the handle and pulled it outwards a bit, revealing a blade. It was enough to distract Blanton, and Diego seized the opportunity to swing the walking stick to hit him, then finished extracting the blade hidden inside and pointing it at Blanton's neck once the fool was against the wall.

"Oh Lord…" Blanton said, staring wide-eye at the swordstick. Diego just stared at him.

"Don't move." Diego said. "I don't want to kill you, Georgie, but I will if I have to."

"I won't tell you anything!"

"You've already told me plenty—you saw (Rank) (Name) and Mrs. Zhao at the docks, where they turned Florence Samuels over to the Assistant Attorney General due to the latter finding an impediment in her death sentence."

"I saw them help her escape, and informed Mayor Lawson immediately!"

"Of course you did. And of course you told him of whatever part I played in."

"He already knows you had something to do with it and ordered your removal, among other things you deserve!"

"Guilty before innocent, is it? And here I thought it was the other way around."

"Is this the part where you kill me, del Lobo?" Blanton asked. "You won't bring Mayor Lawson down if you do! He will never falter!"

"I'm not going to kill you, Georgie." Diego said. "Not if I don't have to."

"Give me one good reason to believe you." Blanton said.

"I'll give you three. First, I was a thief, a grifter, a forger—but never a murderer. Second, bloodstains are almost impossible to get out of fabric and you know how fond I am of my wardrobe. Third, and most important of all, Georgie…you're just not worth the effort." Diego then slammed the handle into Blanton's face before the officer could respond and banged his head against the wall, knocking him out. Diego wasted no time as he searched Blanton, pulling out papers and a small book with a red cover. He set those aside as he found a wallet and helped himself to the remaining shillings, then looked at the papers, which were orders to every Justice Corps member to kill Diego del Lobo on sight for sedition.

"Lawson really isn't wasting any time." Diego said. He then glanced at his shoulder and saw the tear in his jacket. "Damn!" As if his clothing wasn't ruined enough by the bullet hole in his waistcoat. The door began to creak. Diego grabbed Blanton's gun and pointed it towards the door, which opened to reveal Katherine Woolf.

"Don't shoot!" Katherine cried. Diego sighed in relief.

"Katherine, thank God!" Diego said. "Close the door, before you're spotted with me." Katherine did so as Diego found handcuffs on Blanton, which he used to secure the idiot to a beam, then used Blanton's own tie to gag him before finding a cloth sack in the room to put over Blanton's head.

"Diego?" Katherine asked. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Trying to survive, and keep your voice down. I don't know how long he'll be out and I don't need him hearing your voice, especially in my acquaintance."

"But what happened?"

"Georgie here tried to ambush me after I was sacked from the Flying Squad, and I was just able to overpower him."

"Sacked?! No…they wouldn't kick you out!"

"Unfortunately, they were forced to dismiss me and sever all ties or be shut down by Lawson himself." Diego said. "He found out about Florence Samuels."

"Oh, damn."

"Katherine, I need your help. The Justice Corps have orders to kill me on sight, which means I can't reach my emergency stash in Concordia Tower."

"I can get it for you, Diego, just tell me what to look for."

"A carpetbag hidden in the base. Look for my insignia, I'll have drawn it on the hidey hole. It'll be faint, but it's there."

"All right, I'll—you were shot!"

"Oh, that." Diego said, dismissing the bullet hole. "A little present from Georgie, though I have no idea how—" He felt metal inside his waistcoat, and he pulled out his Flying Squad badge which had a bullet on it, and the smaller medal sandwiched between them. "(Rank) (Name) told me to keep this when I left, and it saved my life with a little help."

"What is that?" Katherine asked, pointing to the smaller medal, which was attached to a gold chain.

"That, my dear, would be the Saint Dismas medal that (Name) gave me when I officially joined the Flying Squad."

"The Pentinent Thief. All right, give me an hour and I'll bring your bag." Diego nodded then watched Katherine leave. He decided to pass the time by reading the little red book.

"'Justice Corps Guide'. Well, I suppose even a milita of brutes needs regulations." Diego said, then began reading. Diego frowned as he read, it was a bunch of rules and guidelines on how to behave, down to what to say and when to say it. If Diego thought Lawson a fanatical zealot, this book confirmed it. By the time Katherine came back, Diego had an idea on how to blend into the new regime.

"What the hell do you have in this thing?" Katherine asked as she hefted the bag. Diego took the bag from her and set it down.

"Just bare essentials—clothes, money, new identification." Diego said. "I'm sorry to have asked it of you, but I didn't know who else to trust."

"If I hadn't come along when I did, you would've found a way to get it yourself."

"Yes, I would have. (Name) did once say that I need to trust more."

"I think you're learning. You know…we could use people in the resistance. You'd make a great asset."

"I could, but not as an official member. I could pass intelligence onto you, and I know just where to stash it. The Oak Park Cathedral is still open, yes?"

"It is…but how will I—"

"Go there and pray to Saint Dismas. You should go, now."

"You're not going to tell me your new identity? I thought you were being more trusting."

"I am; I'm also giving you plausible deniability. If you're caught, then they'll interrogate you. They can't force you to tell them what you don't know."

"Fine. I don't like it, but fine." Katherine said. "Anything else?"

"Take this." Diego said as he re-sheathed the swordstick and gave it to Katherine. "Get it to Evie as soon as you can."

"When did you get a weapon?"

"After that unfortunate incident in Crimson Banks where I was nearly drowned in the disused baths. Charlie offered to convert my cane into a weapon, and I told him to make a swordstick as I am better with a blade than a gun."

"Evie did say you fence in your spare time. I'll get it to her—you be careful."

"And yourself, Katherine." Diego watched Katerine leave; Blanton was still unconscious. Diego poured out the contents of the carpetbag and turned it inside out; it was reversible, so he could make it look like a different bag. Diego switched his current clothing with what was inside—a gray jacket, a brown waistcoat, a fake beard and a blue cravat. Once Diego was disguised, he took the new identification and placed it in his pocket. Then he stepped out of the room and walked out of the alley.

"You there!" A Justice Corps officer called out. "What are you doing in that alley?!"

"Officer, thank the Mayor!" Diego cried, pretending distress and disguising his voice. "There's a man trussed up in this alley! I was walking along when another man raced out of the alley carrying a gun and when I peeked into the alley, a door was opened and I saw someone bound to a beam in a room!"

"How do I know YOU didn't truss this man up?"

"Would I be telling you this if I did? We must remain steadfast! Tomorrow belongs to justice!"

"Indeed it does! Show me!" Diego nodded and led the officer to the room where Blanton was kept. They found Blanton struggling and grunting, and Diego stood back as the Justice Corps officer helped his colleague.

"Blanton, what happened?!" The officer asked as he freed and ungagged Blanton, after taking the cloth bag off his head.

"Diego del Lobo happened!" Blanton shouted. "He ambushed me and knocked me out! He even stole my wallet and gun!"

"Damnit, Blanton, you know you weren't supposed to apprehend crooks yourself!"

"I had to take del Lobo!"

"I don't care! He was ordered dead on sight for a reason!" The officer then turned to Diego. "The other man who raced from here, what did he look like?"

"He looked Mexican and was wearing a black suit with a gray waistcoat." Diego said. "He headed northeast, towards Century Mile."

"Mexican, you say?"

"He wasn't white, but was too light skinned to be a Negro."

"He could be heading towards the docks. Round up a search party and search every ship!"

"Yes, sir!" Blanton said, racing out. The officer then looked at Diego.

"You were a big help, Mister…" The officer started. Diego held his hand out and gave a big smile.

"Edward Lebold, sir, and I am happy to help!" Diego said, faking cheer and shaking the officer's hand. "Mayor Lawson shall never falter!"

"Indeed he won't! What do you do for employment?"

"Nothing at the moment. I am hoping to find something suitable in the classified ads of The New Truth."

"Don't bother! The government needs people like you, Lebold! In fact, I happen to hear the telegraph office needs someone to inspect it! I'll be more than happy to reccomend you for the position!"

"That…that would be wonderful! I very much appreciate this! We must remain steadfast!"

"Tomorrow belongs to justice!" The officer finished. Diego smiled on the outside, but felt sick on the inside as he repeated the drivel he read in the guide. On the bright side, securing a position in the telegraph office was a boon. It meant he could remain in contact with the state and pick up information. With any luck, he could advance his position and get close enough to Lawson to be of use to the resistance, maybe even deliver intelligence that could stop Lawson, or at least hold him off until the state can intervene.

Either way, he had to remain steadfast, if true justice were to be delivered.