My thanks to PamZ. Her transcripts contribute significantly to the creation of this story.

Every word you recognize from the series isn't mine.

Chapter 33

As soon as she hears the sound of a bell ringing, Victoria immediately understands what must be happening. She hears people shouting. "Fire, fire!" A fire while Diego was likely lurking nearby as Zorro could only mean one thing. She smiled. The diversionary manoeuvre seemed to be working.

In the past hours, two bored soldiers had stood guard outside her door, but now they had run off to see what was happening. Victoria took the small device she made out of a couple of hairpins. The lock on the door was old and looked flimsy. She knelt by the door and inserted the end of the device into the keyhole. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, but she knew the technique. She just had to concentrate more.

Victoria let her hands fall into her lap, closed her eyes, and waited for her heartbeat to slow.

Faster than she had thought possible, she heard a click. She allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief and then stood up. With a jerk, she opened the door.

In the hallway, she ran into the alcalde head-on. He, too, had come out of his room, which was wide open.

"Alcalde? Did you hear the alarm bell?" Victoria asks. She looks into the room appointed to the alcalde and sees something on the desk that looks like it could come in hand.

"Doña Victoria." The alcalde tries to stop her from rushing into the room.

She had seen it right. The alcalde had a map of the fort in his room.

She hears voices getting closer. Quickly, Victoria folds up the map and exits the room. "Come on. We must get out of here."

.

Victoria enters a poorly lit cell area. The map showed that the cells were located in the basement. So, she descended whenever she got the chance. The alcalde had gone in the opposite direction, somewhere halfway. He could help himself. Mendoza had said that her father was still alive. And she knows that Zorro is trying to rescue her father. She looks around and sees a few keys hanging on a nail, walks over and takes them.

She must be near the cells because Victoria hears voices calling out. "Señorita, help us."

The next thing Victoria sees the point of a sword. Rosalinda points a sword at Victoria's throat. "Did you really think I would get fooled so easily?"

"Señorita, por favor, my father is dying in one of these cells," she pleads with Rosalinda.

"Then your father is a criminal deserving to die. Just like you, just like your husband."

Her eyes scan the room, and Victoria spots a broom.

When lacking better options, use any weapon at hand. Victoria grabs the broom and attacks Rosalinda. "My husband is not a criminal," Victoria hisses between her teeth.

Rosalinda is momentarily confused. Then she launches her attack with the sword.

Victoria uses the broom to defend herself. She swipes the bristles at Rosalinda's rear end and strikes her again. Rosalinda stumbles, dropping her sword. The prisoners in nearby cells cheer Victoria on. Rosalinda bends over and retrieves her sword, aiming it threateningly at Victoria.

Good, she has succeeded in making her opponent angry. Diego had often told her that this could be a great advantage.

Rosalinda charges at her, and Victoria dodges the attack, hitting Rosalinda's rear end once again with the broom. Rosalinda falls against a cell door but recovers and attacks again. She raises her sword and swings at Victoria, but Victoria ducks and strikes Rosalinda's rear end again with the broom. Rosalinda collides with a wall but gets back up and attacks again. She swings her sword, and Victoria dodges the attack, hitting Rosalinda's rear end with the broom. Rosalinda falls against some crates on the ground.

.

More men enter the basement. Victoria spins to see and prepares to attack.

It are Ramon and Zorro entering the room. Ramon grins with satisfaction.

"An Escalante to her fingertips!"

Victoria is not surprised to see Zorro but is surprised by the man he has brought with him.
"Ramon!"
She drops the broom and runs to Ramon, embracing him. Then she looks at Zorro.
"I knew you would come."

Zorro replies, "Then you knew more than I did."

She realizes if they make it out of this place, Diego will want to have a serious talk. But that's a concern for later. She will explain everything to him, and he will forgive her. For now, there is only time to say what is necessary. "Zorro, the alcalde and Mendoza are here too. The alcalde is up to something."

Zorro nods, indicating he understands.
"First, let's try to get out of here."

All three run to one of the cells, and Victoria uses the keys to unlock the door.

Prisoners started shouting. "Hey! Let us out! Si! por favor! Señorita, señor, let us out."

Victoria opens a door, and she and Ramon rush into the cell. Victoria crouches next to a man lying on the floor.
"Papa."

Ramon crouches on the other side of Alfonso Escalante. The man is still alive, barely. It's evident that he is very ill.
Ramon places his hand on Alfonso's forehead.
"He's burning up!"

"Papa, we're here to save you." Victoria kneels beside her father. Zorro will know what to do next, and she will listen as promised.

Alfonso Escalante slowly opens his eyes and looks at Victoria. "My children. No, it's too late for me. Save yourselves. And these men. Just tell me..., Victoria, is there a man in your life?"

She couldn't help but blush and gaze at Zorro. "Yes, I am married to the man I love, and we have three children."

"I have grandchildren?" Where Alfonso found the strength, no one could say. His eyes light up upon hearing this news.

"Yes, a set of twins named Alfonso and Alejandro. They are almost eighteen months old. Felicia is the oldest, just turned four."

Using whatever strength he had left, Alfonso uttered. "Then Escalante will live on forever."

"Si, papa."

Alfonso's eyes rolled back, and he drifted away.

"No, papa, no. Don't die, por favor." Victoria sobbed.

Ramon briefly thought that Alfonso had passed away. To make sure, he decided to check if there was a pulse. It was weak. "Victoria, father is not dead yet. He's unconscious."

Zorro took charge.
"Ramon, help your sister and take your father. Go to that barn we found earlier. I'll meet you there.
Be careful. Soldiers will be searching for escaped prisoners."

At that moment, two soldiers entered the cell area. "Wait! There he is!" One of them shouted, pointing at Zorro.

Zorro bravely defended himself against the soldier's attack. He pushed the man against the wall and went after the other soldier, ordering the others. "Get the hell out of here!" He tried to make his way up the stairs. He fought against four soldiers. Zorro held his sword high and clashed swords with any soldier he ran into. With a powerful swing, he thrust his sword upward, and the soldiers fell backwards one by one. He then ran to the top of the stairs, where another soldier tried to stop him. Zorro knocked him down and continued.

"Mendoza!" Zorro called out when he saw sergeant Mendoza approaching. Mendoza was searching and failing to find an exit. It felt like he was going in circles. He can hardly hide his surprise when he sees the man. "Zorro! What are you doing here?"

Zorro doesn't have time to answer. "Here are the keys to the cell. Free all the prisoners."

As the soldiers on the stairs were getting back up, Zorro kicked the nearest soldier in the stomach, causing the others to fall back as well. Mendoza approached Zorro and asked, "But Zorro... How am I..."

Zorro interrupted him. "No discussion, sergeant. It may be the only way we can make it out of here alive."

Zorro continued fighting while Mendoza grabbed the keys to go down the stairs.

"Mendoza, take care of doña Victoria," Zorro called out as he fought. "I'll buy you some time."
With a powerful kick, Zorro sent the soldier tumbling down the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Manolo lay beneath an unconscious soldier. Zorro motioned to him and slowly distanced himself. Manolo got up and followed Zorro.

"Zorro, are you ready to die?" Manolo said as he approached Zorro.

.

Mendoza began descending the stairs but paused to strike a soldier blocking his path. "Oooh!" he groaned, shaking his painful hand. "We breed men of steel in Los Angeles," he proudly added before continuing on his way.

In the basement, Ramon tries to get Alfonso on a stretcher while Victoria crouches beside him. Suddenly, Mendoza comes rushing into the cell area.

"Let us go!" the prisoners shouted.

Mendoza walks to the door where several prisoners have gathered and unlocks it. Then he goes to Victoria and Ramon. Seeing the body of Alfonso, he thinks of the only possible option.
"Oh, Doña Victoria, Ramon, I'm so sorry," Mendoza apologizes.

"He's not dead. We need to act quickly," Ramon says, worrying about how to get his father out with the mere help of Mendoza and Victoria.

"There are soldiers everywhere," Mendoza warns.

Victoria retrieves a map of the fort from her waistband and opens it. "The alcalde had a map of the fort. There's a secret passage that leads somewhere," she explains, walking past Mendoza and looking behind him. "It should be that way. But first, we have to go back for Zorro."

"No, no," protests Mendoza. "He told me to make sure you escape. Those were his orders. Come on. We must do what he says. Quickly!"
Mendoza bends down and helps lift the stretcher, and Ramon prepares to grab the other side.

One of the prisoners in the cell Mendoza had just opened nudges his comrade. "Come on, Raoul. That old man wouldn't leave us behind either."

With combined effort, the four men lift the stretcher. Victoria leads the way outside.

Once they are gone, Rosalinda begins to wake up and stands unsteadily. At that moment, several soldiers burst into the room.

"Señorita!" a soldier calls out, trying to help her, but she pushes his hand away.

"Go! Follow me!" Rosalinda commands, and she runs past the soldiers, who turn and chase her.

.

In a room adorned with flags and weaponry, Zorro and Manolo engage in a fierce duel. Manolo pushes Zorro backwards, but Zorro effortlessly defends himself. With a swift move, Zorro grabs Manolo's right shoulder and throws him onto the table in the centre of the room. Manolo rolls off and quickly gets back up. He attacks Zorro again, but Zorro skilfully dodges and delivers a powerful kick from behind.

Manolo crashes into the wall. But recovers and stands, facing Zorro once more. The two men circle each other, crossing swords. Manolo raises his sword and charges at Zorro, but Zorro evades his attack and knocks the sword out of his hand.

Rosalinda and three soldiers enter the room, seeing her father struggle to stand up against the masked outlaw.
"Go! Go!" Rosalinda exclaims, waving at the soldiers and urging them to help her father.

The soldiers run past her and confront Zorro. He defeats two of them and kicks the third away. Then Zorro turns his attention back to Manolo, who has retrieved his sword. The soldiers get up and flee, abandoning their leader.

"Your men have deserted you. You led with fear, not loyalty," proclaims Zorro, staring intensely at Manolo.

Manolo stares back, his breathing heavy.

Zorro and Manolo continue their duel.

Victoria and Mendoza enter the room through a door, followed by Ramon and another person with the stretcher.

Zorro disarms Manolo once again. "Go ahead. You've defeated me. I deserve to die," says Manolo.

"Oh no, commandant. You deserve to live and endure your shame. And something to remember me by," Zorro replies.
He carves a 'Z' on the front of Manolo's uniform and slaps him across the face.

Manolo falls face down on the ground.

Rosalinda appears on a balcony above them, staring down in disbelief.

Zorro turns around and sees her, and they lock eyes. Zorro takes out the handkerchief she had given him and holds it up.
"I can't keep anything given by someone so treacherous," Zorro says as Victoria looks at him curiously.
He dramatically throws the handkerchief to the ground.
Zorro turns away as Victoria approaches him, and they embrace.

Rosalinda appears somewhat confused as she retrieves a pistol and caresses the barrel.
Manolo rolls over and sees her with the gun.
Zorro and Victoria begin to walk away.

"Rosalinda! Kill him!" Manolo shouts, waving his arm toward Rosalinda.

Rosalinda points the gun at Zorro. Someone shouts something unintelligible. It is Alcalde Ramon. He looks like he has gone mad. "Yes! Yes! Shoot him!" He yells.

Rosalinda turns around and sees the slightly deranged-looking Ramon behind her. "You! This is your fault!" says Rosalinda.

Ramon lunges towards the gun, initiating a fierce struggle with Rosalinda to gain control of it. With a forceful tug, Ramon manages to wrest it from her grip, causing Rosalinda to lose her balance and topple over the balcony's edge.
A deafening gunshot reverberates through the air, amplifying Rosalinda's cry of despair as she plummets downwards, hitting the ground with a resounding thud.

Manolo's eyes widen in sheer horror, his heart shattering at the sight of his lifeless daughter lying motionless on the cold ground. Overwhelmed by grief, he screams in anguish, his desperate footsteps taking him towards Rosalinda's lifeless form.

Zorro, his eyes filled with sorrow, gazes upon Rosalinda's lifeless body. As his attention shifts, he notices a red stain spreading across the commandante's jacket. The bullet intended for Zorro had struck Manolo Fuente in the chest. Manolo collapses just two yards away from his daughter, his arms outstretched in a futile attempt to embrace her.

Victoria turns her face away, seeking solace in Zorro's embrace. Overwhelmed with grief, Zorro murmurs, "The Devil's Fortress has claimed its final victims."

The room falls into a heavy silence, everyone fixated on the tragic tableau before them. But Victoria's attention is drawn upwards. She looks up at Zorro, her voice trembling as she utters, "Zorro, look!"

Zorro follows her gaze and sees the alcalde peering down from the balcony, his visage even more deranged than before. Then, with a sudden disappearance, he vanishes from sight.

"Get out of here!" Zorro commands, his voice filled with urgency.
Without hesitation, Zorro dashes through the room, his steps quick and purposeful, ascending the stairs in pursuit of the elusive alcalde.

.

On the rooftop of the fort, cautiously walking through the door, Zorro emerges onto the roof. He approaches the rooftop edge, where a hand clings to the edge.
The alcalde seems to be attempting to climb down the outer wall. It is sheer madness.

"Just go away! Aaah!" He cries out.
As his right foot slips, he desperately grabs onto the edge with both hands.

Zorro moves closer to the edge.

"If you're not going to help, then stay out of the way, Zorro," Luis Ramon says.

Zorro unsheathed his sword, saying, "Good morning, Alcalde."

The two men lock eyes.

"The document, please,"

"Never," Ramon replies with a mocking grin.

"Never can come sooner than you think," Zorro says. The door to the deedroom had been open. Someone was in there during the commotion. It had to be the alcalde. He had stolen a deed. Zorro doesn't know which one, but it is probably the most valuable in the territory.

They stare at each other, and then Zorro taps Ramon's right hand with the tip of his sword.

"Huuh!" Ramon exclaims and quickly withdraws his hand.
His right foot slips again, and he must regain his grip. Zorro taps his left hand with his sword.
"Huuh!" Ramon exclaims and moves that hand, gripping the edge with his right hand.
Zorro taps his right hand again. Ramon moves that hand once more. Then Zorro taps his left hand, which Ramon pulls back. Finally, Zorro taps his right hand. Ramon moves that hand and clings to the edge with his left hand.
"Fine, fine. Help me up, and I'll give you the document," Ramon says, accepting it is a lost cause to get out without help.

"You haven't been paying attention, alcalde. The document first," Zorro replies.

Ramon nods and pulls himself up a bit. With his left hand, he searches in his coat while holding onto the edge with his right hand. He retrieves a rolled-up paper tied with a red ribbon. Zorro steps forward and reaches out to take the document. Zorro will never expect it. This is the moment he has been waiting for. Ramon extends his right hand and aims to get hold of Zorro's hat and mask, pulling it off his head.

Ramon and an unmasked Zorro look at each other.

"De la Vega?" Ramon says incredulously. His right foot slips, and because he is holding Zorro's hat and mask in his right hand and the document in his left hand, he falls backwards.

Diego rushes to the edge.

"No! I should have known!" Ramon exclaims as he plummets.

Diego helplessly watches as Ramon falls and lands with a dull thud on the pavement.

Zorro hurries to get out of the fort and into where Ramon's body is unseen. He is unmasked and knows he must avoid encountering anyone. All the soldiers seem to have disappeared from the fort. They have, either, fled now that the commander is dead, or they are searching for escaped prisoners. Zorro doesn't care which of the two it is.

He finds Ramon's lifeless body, squats down, and picks up Zorro's hat and mask. Then he stands up and walks toward Ramon's hand to retrieve the document from it.

Coming from the other side of the hedge he hears the voice of Victoria. She and Mendoza walk alongside Alfonso as he gets carried on a stretcher by Ramon and some prisoners. Victoria holds Alfonso's hand. Zorro emerges between two hedges as the others pass by.

"Zorro," she says, feeling only relief.

Zorro ignores her. "Sergeant Mendoza, if you would be so kind as to help me. Your alcalde is dead."

.

.

As I started working on the short summary for these episodes, I realized in this story there were several inconsistencies that needed to be addressed. Otherwise, it would raise many questions. Like, how does Victoria end up in the fort if she travelled with Diego, knowing he is Zorro? Why did he permit her to go to the fortness anyway?
Therefore, it has become an extended version of what could have happened.