Days of rain granted the blood-soaked streets a reprieve from the hellish weeks of mob violence. Cursed with paranoia, ambition, or bloodlust, the crime families of the six cities were plunged into a baptism of brutality that was quenched only by a near-total decimation of the world we knew before. Titans and hirelings alike fell until only a fraction remained. These few, who banded together to root out the former regime and the menace from Chicago, now wield an exceptional opportunity- and responsibility.

The foundation has been re-laid for a new order- an order bound not by otherworldly cliques but by a simple, mutual interest to do better. Better than what? I don't look upon the actions of Magnolia, Chong, and Wayne with rose-tinted glasses, they took what they wanted because they judged themselves to be better than those they replaced. And each paid a heavy price for that belief.

But in their legacy a series of questions lingers. Chong's role in both seizing control and then putting down the first major threat to that control by working alongside agents from each of the other cities granted in him tacit authority and in his fellow city heads a camaraderie that I hope and expect to last for some time. We have, for the first time in quite some time, a true nationwide coalition.

However, with stability and the urgent termination of our world's rebuilding comes inevitable disruptions. In some ways, it's already started. With expensive hits placed on Chong's head, it's clear that there are still groups who detest the success of this group and yearn for chaos and disorder. I hesitate to call these individuals "rogues," as they want what Chong, Wayne, and Magnolia wanted. They just can't act to secure what they want. For now. Instead, I'll call them radicals. No interest in loyalty or cooperation, only to use whatever resources and advantages they can find.

This may seem like a curse, and each city will continue to pay a price for their leadership. But beyond the lost friends of yesterday and the millions of dollars of hits, it is also a blessing. A showdown has begun; a conflict in each city, district, and perhaps even HQ between the members of this coalition and the radicals who want to see it crumble.

Were it not for these radicals, it may be easy for this new coalition to struggle to trust one another. To be bitter, and spiteful. However, at any moment, each of the city heads, district heads, and crew leaders can see with creeping clarity in the rear-view mirror the dangers that lurk in the coming generations. They know that uniting that coalition is their best chance to fend off the radicals' inevitable strike at revival.

It is a rare thing to see such simple cooperation, and while I admire its abundance I hope also for its duration. Magnolia and Wayne are gone, and it is now up to those who have emerged from their tragic departures to secure our future. And perhaps to rebut the screaming heads, the hitlists, and the inevitable turmoil our present peace will face, I am thankful for each who have risen to meet this challenge.