Diego made it to the airship, dressed as Eddie Lebold once again, and had no problem getting past the Justice Corps that surrounded the airship. He could only hope Charlie would find a way to get aboard without being seen, but Charlie wasn't stupid—naïve, but not stupid. If there was a way to get aboard the airship unseen, Charlie would find it, or make it. Diego looked around the airship, empty and in disarray from the raid when the Justice Corps came for the Flying Squad. His own office door had been broken into, and Diego found himself staring at the damage done. The Justice Corps had torn everything apart, finding the hidey-holes though they were already empty if (Name) had anything to do with it. Diego shook his head and moved on. If Charlie's invention would be anywhere on the airship, it would be in his lab. He made it to Charlie's lab, untouched by the Justice Corps by some miracle—or maybe they just didn't recognize anything valuable among the organized chaos. A noise startled him, and Diego turned to see Charlie had entered from the other side of the lab.

"Where did you come from?" Diego asked.

"A hidden entrance from the bottom of the airship." Charlie answered. "I got past the Justice Corps when a group of them moved to deal with a disturbance of some kind."

"Since we're both here, let's find your tracking device." They searched the lab for what seemed like hours. Charlie finally found the tracking device when they both heard footsteps heading towards the lab. Before they could leave through the opposite entrance, Lawson himself walked into the lab carrying two of Rose's guns.

"Mayor Lawson!" Diego cried, disguising his voice as Eddie Lebold. "What a surprise! I was just about to arrest this traitor!"

"Is that what you were doing?" Lawson asked. "I gave orders for the Flying Squad to be killed on sight!"

"Oh, you did? I heard one of them was a young mother—"

"Killed on sight, no exceptions."

"This would also include young baby Dupont, who was arrested alongside his parents when they took the Flying Squad, of course. That's understandable, butI fail to see how a day-old infant would fit in the guillotine…"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lebold, of course I wouldn't kill children! The Dupont baby is currently in St. Gerolamo Eminali's Children's Home, which will be shut down once its inhabitants have been relocated to the new school I'm planning. One that will teach the children the values of justice and make sure their loyalty lies with Concordia alone!"

"How…how very enlightening!"

"Wait!" Charlie cried. "It wasn't their fault, Mayor Lawson! I'm responsible—I was the one working with the resistance! The others had nothing to do with it!"

"Is that so, Dupont?" Lawson asked. "What's that in your hand?"

"I…it's a bomb! One I planned to use to destroy the guillotine!"

"I see. Lebold." Lawson gave Diego one of the guns. "Kill him, and I'll spare the others."

"What?" Diego whispered. Charlie couldn't be saying what he thought he was saying! Kill him? To save the others?

"You heard him!" Charlie said. "Do it! Kill me, in the name of true justice."

"No…no, you can't mean that!"

"But I do! Please…do what you must! Save my wife and son!"

"For true justice." Diego said, with tears in his eyes. The airship was surrounded, they were cornered in the lab by Lawson himself…really, there was only one way out of this. He pointed the gun and fired. Lawson stared at him in shock; more importantly, Charlie stared at him in shock.

"You…you missed." Charlie said.

"You idiot!" Lawson shouted. "I will bring you up on treason charges!"

"I would dispute those charges, Your Honor." Diego said, pointing the gun straight at Lawson. "Treason implies I had any loyalty to you in the first place."

"You—you would dare?!"

"In the name of the justice you betrayed, I dare all."

"I will see your head roll for this!"

"Says the man who ignores state law regarding the death penalty." Lawson drew the second gun and fired when Rasputin leaped from a beam he was on and landed right on Lawson, causing him to miss. Diego returned fire only to find the gun was empty. Lawson managed to tear Rasputin off of him and tossed the cat to the side.

"Damn cat!" Lawson shouted, then looked at Diego. "Did you think I was born yesterday, Lebold, that I would give you a fully loaded gun?" Diego responded by tossing the gun at Lawson and tackling him. Diego knew that he had twenty pounds on Lawson and hoped it would be an advantage, especially as the tackle caused Lawson to drop the gun. They struggled on the floor and during that time, his disguise fell off.

"Del Lobo!" Lawson snarled as he managed to jab Diego in the belly with his fist. The move caused Diego to roll off of him, and Lawson used the opportunity to reach for the gun, only for Diego to pull him away from it.

"Charles, run!" Diego shouted. "Get out of here while you still can!"

"No, I won't leave you!" Charlie said, grabbing the gun. Diego focused on Lawson, managing to slip the tracker in his pocket as they continued to struggle. A gunshot caught Diego by surprise and Lawson pushed him off. A shrill whistle sounded, as though steam were escaping.

"Oh, hell…" Diego said. Charlie had shot the boiler and it looked ready to blow. Diego delivered one last punch to Lawson, disorientating him, while he and Charlie cleared out of the lab. Charlie brought Diego to the entrance he spoke about, and they came out from the bottom of the airship.

"That was a good shot back there." Diego said as they crawled out.

"I was aiming for his leg." Charlie said. "Diego, why didn't you do as he said? Why didn't you kill me?"

"We'll discuss that later. Do you have the tracking device?"

"I do, but it's—" They were interrupted by a series of gunshots. Diego turned and saw Maddie and Isaac taking on a group of Justice Corps.

"Mon Dieu, Madeline!" Charlie cried as he raced towards them. Diego followed close behind and a shout from the square caught both their attention and that of the Justice Corps, enough so that the gunfire had stopped. Diego saw that Tradewinds, brandishing a bottle with a cloth in it, was beside the guillotine.

"Hey, Justice Corps! I got a message for your bloody mayor!" Tradewinds shouted as he took a match from his pocket and lit it, using it to set the cloth on fire. "DOWN WITH LAWSON! LONG LIVE CONCORDIA!" He then threw the flaming bottle at the guillotine, which caught fire upon the bottle's shattering. The Justice Corps fired at Tradewinds in response. Maddie and Isaac returned fire and took down the Justice Corps attacking by the time Diego reached Tradewinds' side.

"I've got you, old chum." Diego said, then saw that Tradewinds had been hit. "Isaac!"

"I'm here!" Isaac said, coming to Diego's side. They helped Tradewinds in the waiting MadMobile. "Maddie, get us out of here!"

"Charles, you better drive." Diego said. "Maddie can give us cover fire." Maddie nodded and let Charlie into the driver's seat of her MadMobile. Diego was amused to see Rasputin had followed them off the airship and hop right into the car. As they drove off, people began coming out of their homes and engaging the Justice Corps, fighting them in the streets while the guillotine burned. It took six months, but the city was no longer afraid of Lawson and his cronies.

It was about time.

They arrived at Prospect Gardens in record time, and there were several more people there, many of them children.

"What in the world…?" Charlie asked. Diego and Isaac helped Tradewinds out of the car. They were spotted by Rose, who ran towards them from the door.

"What happened?!" Rose asked. Then she saw Rasputin and picked him up in a tight embrace. "Rasputin, you're here! You're safe!"

"Naturally." Diego said. "That gato del diablo uses his nine lives well!"

"Save it! We have a lot of catching up to do!"

"Rose, where's (Name)?" Maddie asked. "Have they…"

"They found George. He's with your mother right now."

"Thank God…thank God!" Maddie and Charlie raced ahead to their son while Isaac and Diego carried Tradewinds to the living room, converted to a war room by the resistance. Rose, who let Rasputin go to explore, had already informed (Name) and Chief Wright that they were back and that there were injured. Diego took note of Chief Wright going into the war room with Rose while he and Isaac carried Tradewinds into the hospital room.

"Lay him here." Dick told them. "I'll do what I can for him, but it doesn't look good."

"That's all that can be done." Isaac said as he and Diego laid Tradewinds onto a cot; Miss Rochester was in an opposite cot, being tended by Viola. "If you don't require assistance, we'll be in the war room if you need us."

"Stay strong, old chum." Diego said as he and Isaac followed (Name) into the war room. Inside, Diego saw Charlie and Maddie reunited with their son, while Chief Wright was updating Mister Johnson on what's happened in Concordia since he left.

"This is getting out of hand." Mister Johnson said. "Lawson has to be stopped! He can not continue this outright abuse of his power and the blantant disregard of state law!"

"He won't, sir." Chief Wright said. "Charles, Diego, you two had a contingency plan?"

"We have, Chief, but the tracking device I built was broken!" Charlie said, bringing out from his satchel the tracking device…which was in pieces. "We managed to board the airship, but were accosted by Lawson after we found the tracking device and…"

"And? Diego, would you care to continue?"

"In regards to our journey to retrieve the tracking device, I have good news and bad news." Diego said. "Which shall we start with?"

"Best get the bad news over with." Chief Wright said.

"My cover as Eddie Lebold was blown. Lawson exposed me during a struggle aboard the airship."

"It wouldn't have happened if you had killed me when he told you." Charlie said. Diego turned to the Swiss inventor.

"Ah yes, about that." Diego said, then slapped Charlie up the side of the head.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"For telling me to kill you!"

"You did what?!" Maddie cried, startling baby George whom she'd been holding. She crooned to him to soothe him. Charlie only rubbed his head where Diego slapped him.

"Lawson cornered us in my lab." Charlie said. "He said he'd spare you all if 'Lebold' killed me. I convinced him I was the only one against him."

"No you didn't." Diego said. "Nor was he going to let them live if I had killed you."

"But he said he'd spare them…"

"Spare them the guillotine, maybe, but not their lives. You're a brilliant man, Charles, but semantics aren't your forte. Also, you neglected to realize that in killing you, I'd be signing my own death warrant!"

"I don't understand."

"I would have been arrested for your murder, Charles, and no doubt any trial I have will railroad me into a first degree murder conviction because the prosecution would have exploited my old infatuation with Madeline. Nevermind I got out of the way when you and Maddie started going steady, or that the infatuation faded and all I feel for her these days is what I would feel for a sister. If I had killed you, Charles, I would have proven Lawson right—'once a criminal, always a criminal'. I'd have gotten a life sentence for your murder, which given my well-known status as a 'rat', I estimate to be about a week, a very long week I would spend living with your blood on my hands." Diego gave Charlie a few moments to think it over, and horror started to bloom on Charlie's face as he realized what could have happened.

"Mon Dieu! Diego, I am so, so sorry! I didn't think—"

"No, you did not. Be glad I 'missed' rather than believe a double-cross a fool wouldn't fall for, let alone someone of my past experience."

"Oh, Charlie…" (Name) said. "Of all the half-baked, pea-brained ideas you had, this was the worst! Especially since there was no way in hell Lawson would have kept his word!"

"He told me he would spare you all, and he was very adamant that he wouldn't kill children." Charlie said. "If nothing else, George would have been safe even if they tried to indoctrinate him and other children."

"Maybe Lawson wouldn't kill children, but I will tell you right now his inner circle—specifically that damned bitch Dora Umbright—would, and has tried. Charlie, when she took George, Umbright put him in Saint Gerolamo's…and then blocked all the exits before setting it on fire."

"What?!"

"She…these children…" Maddie said, paling and holding George closer to her.

"I'm sorry, Maddie, but there's no way to explain this except plainly." (Name) said. "Umbright set fire to the orphanage, hoping to kill George and everyone else inside, all because of her perceived notions about their circumstances. She thought because they were illegitimate, and here she includes George in that description, or born in prison to mothers serving a sentence, they were "mistakes to be erased"."

"But George…the children here…" Charlie said. "How did they escape?"

"With aid of Miss Rochester, who I hid in the orphanage. The house that served as the orphanage used to be her father's house, and it turned out he built a secret passage connecting the property to the Crimson River Parish church. Father Saccarelli, who ran the orphanage, sent the children and their caretakers out through the passage, while he stayed behind in case Umbright showed up; Miss Bernadine stayed with him. Umbright did show up, deposited George, and set the place on fire. Father Saccarelli got Miss Bernadine out with baby George, just before the passage caved in, trapping him inside."

"Mon Dieu…"

"Madre y Dios." Diego muttered, crossing himself. "Pardon me if I sound rhetorical, but did Lawson know about this? I mean, he admitted to having Saint Gerolamo's shut down once the inhabitants were relocated, but he couldn't have meant to burn it down!"

"Yes and no. Yes, as in he ordered the bitch to shut down the orphanage; no, as in he left the details of such up to her, and she decided the best way was to burn it down with everyone inside." (Name) said. "Now, you said you also had good news?"

"Yes, I did." Diego said. "I managed to slip the tracker onto Lawson while we fought, though given Charlie shot the boiler, I doubt he made it far."

"There was time for him to evacuate, even with the punch you delivered," Charlie said. "And I explained that I was aiming for Lawson at the time, to disable him. As for the tracking device itself, I need time to repair it."

"Do everything you can, Charlie." (Name) said. Dick came in at that moment, looking grim.

"Diego?" Dick asked. "Your friend Tradewinds has been asking for you. It's…it's not good. The damage is too great…I'm afraid it won't be long now."

"I see." Diego said, shaking inside while appearing calm. "Have you told him?" Dick shook his head. "Well, then. Charlie, you better get started on that tracking device. If the rest of you will excuse me, I need to pay a deathbed vigil." Charlie nodded as Diego left the war room to follow Dick. Diego entered the hospital room alone, and went to Tradewinds's bedside. He looked opposite to Miss Rochester, who was sound asleep.

"I gave her a sedative to help her sleep," Viola said. "I doubt an earthquake could wake her at this point, and she needs her rest."

"One of Dick's concoctions, no doubt." Diego said. "Viola, if I could be alone with Tradewinds…"

"Of course." Viola left the room then. Diego looked at Tradewinds, his eyes closed as if asleep. Diego noted the tray next to the cot holding a tea cup and a plate full of crumbs.

"I know you're awake, old chum." Diego said. "We're alone."

"No such thing as alone, Mister Wolf." Tradewinds said, opening his eyes. "Walls have ears, you know."

"True, but we can trust the ears of these walls. I had just spoken to Dr. Wells—he says you're going to be just fine." Tradewinds just smiled at him.

"You've been on the straight and narrow too long, dearie." Tradewinds said. "You know better than to lie to a liar like me."

"Tradewinds—" Diego said, but Tradewinds shushed him.

"I know I've bought the farm, dearie. You see the blood from this wound, how dark it is? That's kill blood there. The bastards hit something vital and the doc can't fix it, not enough to save my life. Even his cockamamie idea of putting more blood into me won't help. I'm done for, and will be burning in hell soon enough."

"No, you won't."

"Mister Wolf, I ain't exactly headin' for those pearly gates. Don't be sad for me, dearie, I've lived a good life—not an honest one, but a good, long life."

"You'll see the gates of heaven, old chum, after some time in purgatory."

"Perhaps. But until I get there, dearie, you still owe me a story. I already got the tea and ginger biscuits, so no need for you to worry about that."

"Yes, I have noticed the tray. Our story begins long ago, back when Prince Charming was a humble prosecutor. He met a woman named Abigail Baines, they fell in love and made plans to marry. But two days before the wedding was to take place, as Miss Baines picked up her wedding dress, two members of the Irish gang accosted her, and killed her. Lawson was devastated, naturally enough, and was livid when the killers obtained mere prison sentences rather than the death he believed they deserved. That rage has existed inside him for six years, and he has kept it repressed…until he became Mayor."

"Bloody hell…he's using his position to take revenge, and he don't care who gets hurt in the crossfire."

"Exactly. He plans to execute her killers last, after killing everyone else he holds responsible for her death one way or another as well as his own political dissents."

"It won't be enough for him, even if he slaughters the entire city as he's hell-bent on doing. But you already knew that."

"Those brutes could be drawn and quartered, cremated in the city square as an example to others and the ashes poured into a cesspool—it still won't be enough for him. Nothing would be. Maybe, if things were different…if she had lived, she could've tempered his darker impulses."

"Or maybe the brutes did her a favor when they killed her before the "I dos". We can't know what could've been, Mister Wolf, and speculating on such will guarantee you would go mad with despair and regrets. That's no way to live, dearie. Lawson himself is proof of that."

"You're right." Diego said. Lawson spent six years mourning his intended, and what their life could have been, and kept it buried so deep inside himself even he didn't see the darkness festering; he still can't see it, so certain that he was in the right on everything and convinced that those of his inner circle share his ideals, when their either had their own interpretation of said ideals or simply went along with it and used them to achieve their own ends; maybe even both.

"I made arrangements when we first got here," Tradewinds said. "I left instructions with that Wright fellow in case anything…well, for just this occasion. You know, that one is all right…for a copper."

"Chief Wright is known to value his integrity above all else, even with occasional stumbles now and again. He and Miss Rochester will make a good match."

"I do believe they will. You know, dearie…no man's an island, and wolves could only be alone for so long. Lone wolves, if they live long enough alone, either form their own pack with other lone wolves, or they find an established pack that takes them in, accepts them for all they're worth…all their strengths…all their weaknesses…I'm glad you found your pack, dearie. You lot will need each other…" Tradewinds felt pain, and Diego stayed with him until the old fence stopped breathing. Diego felt his heart break at the sight, the belly wound was just too great for Dick to heal. Diego took the Saint Dismas medal he kept and laid it on Tradewinds's body.

"Good-bye, old chum." Diego whispered. "May you one day reach Paradise, as the Penitent Thief did." Diego then pulled the sheet over the body, and laid two shillings on his face, one over each eye. He then recited the story of Saint Dismas before leaving the room to join the others so they can stop Lawson once and for all.