(DMZ #2, 3) - Zee showed Matty around the West Side, the 'Independent Artists' Collective Protectorate, and asked when he'd last been to the city. He said he'd been on field trips to museums and Times Square as a kid, before the war, and Zee told him that was all gone now. The Empire State Building still stood, but nasty things happened there, and the parks were a gauntlet to get through. She took him to a rooftop soup kitchen, and he said that outside the DMZ the rumor was that everyone in Manhattan ate rats and pigeons. She was insulted, and said plenty of people grew their own food in the city. Her friend Jamal had recovered all of Matty's recording equipment, and she encouraged him to document everything he saw. She went on morning house calls, and Matty was sick after seeing some children caught in the bombings from his extraction point, and Zee demanded he shape-up. She took him to a water tower to meet her friend who acted as a sniper keeping the neighborhood safe. He had a super-rifle that saw all the way to Jersey City, and had a long distance relationship with a Free States sniper there. Matty's journalistic instincts kicked in, and he got an interview, sending it in via laptop, but wondered if his network would have any use for the work he was doing, or if they'd just call in another air-strike. The network called Matty, and he convinced them he was up to doing Viktor's job, even if he was only an intern he was the only journalist in the DMZ. The network reluctantly agreed, and told him to get to South Street Seaport. They had a tip that the US Marines were preparing an invasion. Matty was late getting to the seaport, and was glad he was late when he saw it had been bombed out by missiles. He got a good vantage point for taking photos of military helicopters when soldiers surrounded him. He showed them he was a journalist, and they had him follow them. He saw Zee attending to the wounded, and the sergeant commanded he take photos without any distinguishing landmarks, and also ordered he not shoot any of the child casualties. He told Matty he could write a story about an insurgent invasion being headed off, but as Matty worked a bomb went off, scattering the soldiers. One injured soldier was suffering from shell shock, and an easy target, so the sergeant told Matty to get him, hoping he wouldn't be shot since he was press. He initially refused, but when he saw Zee jump into the fray to help the injured soldier, he joined her. Her work was for naught, as a sniper then killed the soldier. Zee thought Matty was hooked up with the militia, and told him to stay away from her. He tried to explain, but they were separated by FSA members who fought the US soldiers to a stalemate. Alone and hiding, Matty considered going home, but decided to carry his story through.

(DMZ #4) - Matty heard rumors of "The Ghosts," a special forces unit operating inside Central Park, and thought it worth investigating, but he soon lost his way, as the city was in the middle of a nor'easter. He was ambushed by men in camo suits and tranquilized. He woke up in the Central Park Zoo in a panda enclosure. The men who brought him there were former zoo employees led by Soames, and they cared for the park and the animals. When Matty brought up the "Ghosts" rumors they laughed at him. They only subdued him because they thought he was foraging for wood on their land, and they'd already lost too much of the park's shade. They showed him around their community, which boasted its own solar power grid and sewage system. They grew bamboo, and had plenty to trade for use as kindling and such, and asked Matty to get the word out. He agreed if they were willing to take him on a patrol of the park. They came across foragers who were armed, and a firefight ensued. Matty was bewildered by the violence, but Soames told him they'd tried every peaceful way to keep the foragers from destroying the park. Soames was hit and one of the patrol was fatally wounded before the foragers fled. The dying man gave Matty a key to his mother's apartment in Stuy Town, and told him to stay there and write their story. He confessed that they'd lied, that they were the Ghosts, and Matty said he knew.

(DMZ #5) - Matty set up shop in Stuy Town and found that he fit in, getting cred from the residents and lots of stories. Stuy was a gated community with access to a NYC power grid that occasionally worked, and Matty used the few hours of power to charge his laptop and check the radio, finding the best info was on the pirate stations. Someone broke into Matty's apartment, stealing his press badge and flak jacked. He ran after the thief, and ran afoul of East 17th, one of NYC's many private streets, clannish and usually controlled by tyrannical penny-ante tyrants. After some near encounters with lowlifes Matty caught up to the thief in Gramercy Park when he was clubbed over the head by a FSA soldier. He woke up to see Zee, who told him that her FSA friend detained the thief when he found Zee's contact information in his flak jacket. He's already fled, and Matty asked for help, but Zee brushed him off, telling him to go see his military buddies. The thief wasn't hard to track, because of his jacket everyone assumed he was Matty, or simply "the journalist" as he was known. Matty found his new celebrity disconcerting. The chase ended at the Lincoln Tunnel, controlled by the FSA. The FSA recognized Matty and told the thief to return his press gear or have his head blown off. The FSA told Matty they liked his journalism, and anytime he wanted to hear the turncoat's story, they were available for interviews.

(DMZ #6, 7) - A heat wave affected the city, and Matty waited in line in Little Italy to buy clean drinking water at exorbitant prices. A suicide bomber destroyed the truck selling the water; the merchants hadn't gotten approval from a local tribal boss. Matty covered the disaster and the loss of life, breaking down in tears. When his cell rang he threw it into raw sewage. He thought witnessing all the atrocities of the DMZ was enough of a burden without having to talk to people. He later regretted his decision and fished out his phone. Liberty News tried to convince him to let someone more experienced step-in, but he refused once again. He got a call from the FSA for their interview and agreed. The FSA had set him up, and after a rough kidnapping they tossed his phone and drove him to their territory in Weehauken, NJ. They had him identify a hostage, who turned out to be Victor Ferguson. They told him to let his bosses know who they had hostage, and kicked him out of Jersey. Matty was extracted by the military, and sent to Brooklyn for medical care. At his father's insistence he went through a few rounds of interrogation about the FSA and Ferguson. Col. Harriman suggested that Matty was their best source of information about the DMZ, and he could aid in rescuing Viktor. Matty's father objected, but Matty agreed, as long as he could get out of his father's sight. He reentered the DMZ through the Battery Tunnel, and recognized one of his military escorts as Eve Lindon, a girl from his home town. She embraced him and gave him her number, saying there weren't too many people left alive from their old neighborhood. Matty thought the coincidence suspicious, and he was convinced he'd been bugged to act as a tracking device in the DMZ. He called his Stuy neighbor Wilson, who looked over his new military equipment, and told him to use his old laptop, and suggested he could have been bugged from the antibiotics he was taking from the dysentery he'd picked up in the DMZ. Matty contacted Zee to get medication to flush his system, and met his FSA contact on the 4th of July. The FSA had been watching him, and approved of his civil disobedience, saying they'd make a patriot of him yet.

(DMZ #8) - Matty met with the FSA to take a picture of Viktor as proof of life, and called Eve with the FSA demands, a spot on Liberty News, millions in ransom, and ceded the West Side to the FSA. The FSA dropped him off while Eve told him there was no way those demands would be met, and Viktor told him he'd get the death penalty for abetting the enemy. Matty chilled in his apartment with Wilson, and told him he suspected the FSA's outrageous demands were an attempt to provoke more hostilities. Wilson said Viktor wasn't worth it, he was an icon once, but Matty was the new face of journalism, he was scared of dying but not afraid of his bosses. Wilson had a collection of pre-war New York Times, and Matty did some research on the rise of the FSA and their asymmetrical war. He met with Zee for lunch to compare notes, and learned that Manhattan's citizens had been virtually abandoned in the lead up to all-out war. Eve called Matty to tell him he was in trouble, and he said he never trusted her anyway. The government refused to negotiate Viktor's release, and painted Matty as a target of the FSA, using this as an excuse to resume hostilities. Military coppers came to get Matty, but Zee helped him flee.

(DMZ #9, 10) - Matty passed out for a day from mental exhaustion and his illness, and Zee took care of him. She told him Liberty News announced he was dead at the hands of the FSA, and the US was preparing a retaliatory strike. Matty freaked out, but she said she was used to how the media distorted what happened in the DMZ. He was convinced he had a tracking device in his gut, but she told him he was just paranoid and mentally fatigued. He started walking home to get his spare phone that Wilson had bought for him when a mod attacked him. They would have torn him to shreds if Wilson's grandchildren hadn't shot one of the attackers. Wilson sent them to escort him home, and they told him people saw him as the cause and only remedy against the coming US invasion. After a talk with Wilson he decided to enlist the FSA to help him make a broadcast, showing he was still alive. He also hoped they'd free Viktor so the US would have no excuse for the invasion. Matty needed to prove to himself that he wasn't bugged, so he went to the roof of his apartment building, and stood there long enough to become a sitting duck. Since no one killed him, he decided he was good to go. Wilson's grandsons drove him to the Lincoln Tunnel, but the FSA commander revealed that Viktor was gone, a mole in his group took him and drove off. They immediately pursued, and Matty called Zee to set up a roadblock to hinder Viktor's escape vehicle. Military copters approached, and Wilson's grandson shot out the escape vehicle's tires. Viktor ran out of the car, but was gunned down by the US copters. Matty realized there was now no hope to avoid the coming invasion. The US spent a week shelling the DMZ in preparation of a ground attack, and Zee and Matty took refuge with a number of other civilians in the Times Square subway station. Matty was found by Kelly Connolly of Independent World News, and she intended to do the same job in the DMZ Matty was doing. Zee distrusted her, but Matty said she was a well respected liberal journalist, and he had fond memories of how IWN made his father insane with their lef-leaning politics. Matty told her he documented the military killing Viktor, and she promised her news would publish the pictures. Matty made copies of the photos, and sent copies to Wilson, Jamal, and others. Matty called Eve and told her he was going to expose what the US had done, and she went into a tirade threatening him, telling him sacrifices had to be made in war, and threatened to have him killed. She was relieved as his contact by. Col. Harriman, who realized threats wouldn't stop him from exposing Viktor's death. Harriman was willing to negotiate with Matty, in exchange for not publishing the photos he promised a withdrawal from the DMZ. Kelly would have killed for the story, but understood Matty's need to protect his friends. Under pressure from Matty, Liberey reported that he was still alive, and that Viktor died in a friendly fire incident. With their intel deemed bad the US pulled out of the DMZ. The US awarded a contract to repair key parts of Manhattan to Trustwell, Inc. which the government had previously used to clean up Afghanistan and Iraq. Matty and Kelly spent the night together, and she left the next day.

(DMZ #12) - Kelly asked for a guidebook to the DMZ, and Matty was happy to comply. After dealing with Liberty, which was only interested in politics, he was finally able to write about the neighborhoods, the people, and the lives they carved out after the war.

(DMZ #13, 14, 24 (fb)) - Wilson set Matty up with a secure Chinatown apartment, with his "grandsons" guarding Matty. Matty finally realized that Wilson was a crimeboss, and felt stupid for taking so long to realize this. Trustwell started a reconstruction project at Ground Zero, with their private security forces clashing with the U.N. peacekeepers assigned to them. Trustwell was known as corrupt, benefiting financially from US military conflicts, and Matty decided to go undercover as a reconstruction crew worker, hoping to expose them. Kelly came to visit him, and she agreed to use her contacts to get him a job as a day laborer in exchange for an exclusive story. The two also continued their physical relationship. Trustwell abused its workers, and after insurgents started setting off explosions to disrupt Trustwell activities the company's private security started torturing citizens to gain information. Matty scoped out a few members of his work crew that were insurgents. They realized he was on to them, but Matty witnessed them setting off explosives at Pier 23 and said nothing they came to trust him. They came to him with an offer to join their cell, and Matty accepted, wanting to learn more about them. He saw that the sense of community they provided made it tempting to be on their side, but he knew he couldn't trust them. Matty spent sleepless nights questioning his decisions, feeling himself subsumed by his cover and missing Kelly. After the latest bombing Matty was kidnapped by armed guards, who told him they realized his identity was a fake, and they tortured him for information. He refused to out himself as Matty Roth during the torture, but when he faced execution he started talking about the terrorist cell he knew. The guards unmasked, revealing themselves as the terrorists, and said he passed the test. They were suspicious of him once they found his cell and realized he wasn't who he said he was, but they were impressed at how long it took him to talk. The cell's leader said he was no fanatic, and promised to make Matty rich if they did business. Matty spent the night with a woman named Amina, and he woke the next day to her being equipped as a suicide bomber. The cells leader told Matty she was a fanatic, but they did have a use for her. Matty was supposed to escort her to her target, and was told he'd be paid $10,000 for playing ball.

(DMZ #15-17) - The US called a rare press conference in the DMZ with Trustwell and the U.N. Secretary-General, affirming the trust in Trustwell and their committment to rebuilding the U.N Building. This was Amina's target, and Matty was starting to suspect that Trustwell was behind the terrorist attacks. Matty couldn't let innocents die, so he made out with Amina to distract her, and stole her detonator. The cell realized Matty betrayed them, and put their backup plan into motion. An explosive planted on the Secretary-General's car led to his death and that of several U.N. peacekeepers. The U.N. withdrew from the DMZ, leaving Trustwell's private security in complete charge of Manhattan's reconstruction. Matty handed Amina over to Jamal so she could escape reprisal.. She was angry that it was he who saw her as a problem after he ruined what she thought was her life's mission. Matty said he knew she wanted to die for a cause, but Trustwell just wanted her dead because she put a kink nin their plans. With the UN gone Trustwell's security started acting as death squads, claiming to quell insurgent behavior. Even the mainstream media didn't trust Trustwell due to their track record. Matty contacted the FSA Commander for help, and met his man Danzinger, who was acting as a spy at Trustwell, and who confirmed that Trustwell operated the terrorist cell to have their way in the DMZ. Matty needed more solid proof, and feeling he couldn't turn anywhere else because all his enemies recognized his face, he called Kelly and spilled. A terrorist found him, and tried to kill him. He failed, and Matty fled, but he realized Trustwell had bugged his phone, and would know how much he knew after his conversation with Kelly. They would know about Amina and Jamal, and with dread he realized he just put his friends in harms way. By the time Matty got to Jamal and Zee Amina was safe, but Danzinger had kidnapped a number of Zee's workers, and he had to admit to Zee how badly he'd messed up. He met with the FSA Commander, and initially thought Danzinger betrayed him, but they assured him they had a plan. Everyone Danzinger had in custody was part of Trustwell's terrorist cell, and they'd use them as leverage, forcing Trustwell to pull out or be exposed. Matty interviewed the prisoners, and realized that while they had the potential to destroy Trustwell in the public eye, the FSA was only interested in getting Trustwell out of the DMZ. In this case Matty thought the FSA wasn't doing right by the DMZ, so he used his cell to record some interviews while sending the information to Kelly. The IWN exposed Trustwell, and the Commander put a gun to Matty's head, telling him he'd ruined a chance for an end to hostilities between the US and FSA. UN peacekeepers arrived and the commander was forced to flee. In exchange for his service to the public good Matty got Amina freedom from prosecution, although she admitted she didn't know what to do with freedom. Kelly came to see Matty, but his heart was no longer in their relationship. Two months later Matty saw Amina was now homeless, and scrounging to survive.

(DMZ #18, 19) - Matty used his new pull to work with Liberty again, covering the military trial of the "Day 204 Massacre" in Long Island City. In the first year of the war 198 civilians were massacred by the military, and Matty interviewed PFC Stevens, one of the men on trial. Stevens said that once he was on the ground in the DMZ attacks came from everywhere, he had no idea who the enemy was, and his superiors gave the order to kill anything that moved. On day 204 a large crowd of DMZ civilians, waving white flags, moved past Stevens military convoy. One soldier thought he saw a civilian reaching for a gun, and the massacre started. After this loss of trust in the US government the military left the DMZ and began peace talks with the FSA. Stevens was glad to tell his story, no one in military command was being tried, and no one had been willing to gainsay the military line, which was that the civilian did have a weapon. The trial opened old wounds, but Matty was glad to get more of the truth of the matter. Matty returned for another talk with Stevens, and found that his guards had beaten him for coming forward. Stevens was the only man not to fire a shot on day 204, realizing there was no weapon, and no threat. His comrades were suspicious of him, and put him on monitor duty. His sergeant Nunez had him beaten when criminal investigation began to make sure he'd remember their version, that the civilians were armed. Matty interviewed Nunez, who glorified the war, and lied through his teeth, but Matty knew Nunez thought he was in the right. Matty's father told him the military trial was about transparency, but they burned through testimony, and prepared to wrap up just as Matty's press pass expired and he was sent back to the DMZ.

(DMZ #20, 21) - Matty photographed the site of 204 and Zee told him DMZ residents were touchy about talking about it, because everyone had lost a friend or family member that day. She introduced him to Dina, the lone survivor. Dina said they were waving a white flag and moved past the military convoy that day as a protest against the war. Zee patched her up afterward, but she had shrapnel in her head, and had seen all her friends die. She told Matty the soldiers responsible should be killed for what they did. Matty had dinner with Wilson and his grandsons, and asked him what he remembered about that day. Wilson said he didn't care because this war was not his war. The only things he cared about were surviving and making sure he'd come out on top in Manhattan when the war ended. He interviewed the Nation of Ferghus, who wanted all the US military dead for the incident, and the Soho sniper, who told Matty America, or at least its support for the war, died that day. Matty told Zee he was no closer to the truth than when he started, and she said maybe there was no truth beyond the fact that awful things happen in wartime. Liberty had Matty spend time with a military commander who admitted 204 was a bad call, but a necessary one, and that things went really wrong during an asymmetrical war. The tribunal ended with acquittals and dishonorable discharges.

(DMZ #22) - Widespread riots broke out in the DMZ after the acquittals. Matty tried to document the chaos, but he and Zee were attacked for their trouble. Matty stitched up Zee's head, wondering what his purpose in the DMZ was anymore, and losing themselves, they kissed. The military quieted the citizens by throwing Stevens the whistleblower into a crowd from a helicopter. The rioters tore Stevens apart, and Matty finished his story about the trials on that note. He talked to Stevens mother, and left her in charge of the manuscript. Matty wondered if a military culture that sent poorly trained young men into the DMZ was ultimately culpably for the 204 tragedy. Matty and Zee spent some more tender time together after all the horror.

(DMZ #23) - Matty and his neighbors had a war party, a raucous celebration of having survived the latest military bombing.

(DMZ #26) - Zee informed Matty that his old flame Kelly Connolly died while reporting on the DMZ. Since she had no close relatives her funeral arrangements were left to her co-workers and Matty. They saw her off with a Viking's funeral off the west end, and reflected on how she made them feel alive.

(DMZ #29-31) - Matty and Zee started dating, and she suggested they move in together. Matty was unsure, and left soon after to sign a new contract with Liberty News in exchange for a press pass to the normalcy initiative. The US was meeting the FSA and several other paramilitary groups at the UN building to discuss an interim government elected by vote. US military presence caused a good deal of pressure in the DMZ. The FSA agreed to a ceasefire, and their party was supported by the Nation of Ferghus, while the US party envoy was supported by Trustwell. Parco Delgado, an uptown community figure said it was a sham, the same old choices that voters ever had, and said neither the US nor the FSA spoke for the DMZ. Matty was impressed with Delgado, and scored an interview. Delgado seemed genuine in his dream to improve life in the DMZ, and announced his candidacy by pressure launching leaflets across Manhattan. Liberty rejected Matty's coverage; he threw a fit, and Zee told him it was because his piece was more or less an op-ed supporting Delgado. Matty complained to Delgado, who welcomed him to cover the Delgado Nation, but wanted him to be a member, and not a puppet of Liberty. Matty said he had journalistic ethics to consider, and Delgado said ethics and impartiality went out the window while the DMZ was still in danger of being bombed. Delgado said he was impressed by how Matty always stuck up for the people in the DMZ, and believed in him even if others didn't. Matty worried he was talking about Zee, but Delgado told him to calm down. Liberty, trying to discredit Delgado, claimed that Matty had sent them evidence that Delgado had insurgent ties, and fired Roth. The Delgado Nation were ready to turn on Matty, who pleaded his innocence, when he got a call from his dad, which Delgado had him put on speaker. Matty's father urged him to get back on Liberty's good side, and called Delgado a hood. His father refused to answer when Matty asked him if he was just being racist. Matty hung up on him, telling Delgado he stood with him, and then he got a call from his mother. Mrs. Roth met Matty in the DMZ, and he introduced her to Zee and Wilson. He'd told Wilson he hadn't talked to her since the beginning of the war, and he expressed his disapproval. His mother was there because the Delgado Nation reached out to her, and Matty was embarrassed to see her hail a cab, which was actually their Nation pickup, and act as though nothing had changed in NYC. He remembered his parents always arguing about politics, and wondered if his dad being so right-wing was a response to her cluelessness. At Delgado's rally the Nation assigned Zee security, and she was less than pleased, reminding Matty that she'd saved him numerous times and could look after herself. She also noted that his mother refused to share a car with her, and said it was a hard choice for her to enter into a relationship after being alone for so long, and she didn't want it to end abruptly. Matty couldn't convince her to stay, and he was scooped up for a news interview, with the station bashing Delgado and saying that the US envoy was the official representative of Manhattan. Matty fired back that the US couldn't agree to an election and then back out, and that there was no information on the envoy, not even their name, and they hadn't been in the DMZ as far as he knew. The reporter questioned if Delgado was using him, and why his mother was there, and Matty ended the interview. A sniper shot Parco, causing chaos.

(DMZ #29, 32-34) - Matty and the Nation rushed Delgado to safety, taking him to a secure house where a doctor attended him. Candlelight prayer services went up around the DMz, and Matty's mother said she hoped Delgado recovered, but having become a sympathetic candidate his election was a slam dunk. She told Matty she was going by her maiden name Mastro, and he couldn't wait to tell his father to annoy him. The US asked for a meeting with the Nation, and offered to withdraw their envoy if Delgado signed on as the US candidate. The talks were interrupted by the FSA leader, who told Matty not to take the deal, and said he could hand him the shooter. The FSa delivered, saying all they wanted was for Parco to win. Matty's mother campaigned for Parco as he convalesced, saying he was a viable candidate. Matty got a new phone from Liberty, and his father called him, saying he was on forced leave, and feared the US would not let Parco get elected. He advised Matty to stay low until the election was over. Polling opened and Trustwell prepared to disrupt the election. Delgado was recovered enough to talk to his constituents, and he and Matty drove to a voting day rally. Mastro told Delgado he had the election won, and she didn't want him to be seen in his weakened state, but Matty said the people deserved a politician who spoke to them, and Delgado agreed. Delgado addressed the crowd, telling them he was proud that everyone voted even though Trustwell harassed voters and violence flared up at the polling stations. He knew the voice of the people finally had to be recognized, and said they should turn aside from revenge and focus on making Manhattan a safe place to live and not a warzone. Delgado won by a landslide, and there was little chance of a forced recount. Delgado said he needed Matty out of the public eye for a bit, but said he'd been contacted by the FSA, who said they could help him with Trustwell. He told Matty he needed his help running the DMZ, and Matty eagerly agreed to work with him.

(DMZ #35, 36) - Matty wanted to do a story on Staten Island, an often overlooked part of the DMZ which boasted the largest concentration of US troops in the area. Their sergeant agreed, but said most of what he'd learn would be off the record. Matty had been in the field with troops many times, but never saw them outside of their combat environment, and wanted to see what made them tick. the troops, mostly young grunts, were gung=ho alpha males, and one female soldier opened up to him, and teased him that she wasn't attracted to him because he couldn't kick butt. The sergeant let Matty in on their secret, they traded with the FSA, getting booze and entertainment in exchange for US military uniforms and dogtags. Matty wasn't sure if the FSA were interested in sabotage or defecting, but knew both sides refused to buy into the war. The FSA gave Matty a letter to Delgado from their leader, and he reluctantly put it in his pocket. Matty was woken up from sleep by the sergeant, who suspected some of the FSA traders of stealing a vial of ricin he'd gotten as a souvenir, and knew sniffer drones could wreck the good deal they had going in SA. The sergeant had some FSA suspects in custody, and was ready to execute them. Matty saw how insane and paranoid the sergeant was, and he threw his stress ball at Matty saying he must know something. The FSA / US arrangement came close to breaking when Brooklyn command buzzed SI because the sergeant hadn't reported in that morning. He had his prisoners tortured, until his men temporarily relieved him of duty. The FSA troops were released, and with no blame being assigned the vial was found. The sergeant shot one of the FSA soldiers, and when Matty berated him he said he had no idea what military life was like. He sent Matty away, threatening him not to reveal anything, and reminding him he'd only ever been a guest of the military. One f the soldiers rowed Matty out, and he asked for a nice place to think before returning to NYC.

(DMZ #37, 38) - Matty returned to the DMZ and learned that Delgado had ordered the US, the FSa and Trustwell out of the city. He'd set up security checkpoints, and required IDs for residents. Matty saw a note left in his apartment calling him a liar, and when he went to City Hall he was relegated to running mail for Delgado. He saw a riot, and learned that many citizens were already dissatisfied with Delgado. He was ready to quit, but Delgado met with him personally. He was still with Madeline, and said he appreciated how Matty spread the word in the DMZ, but he needed her connections to reach the entire nation. He told Matty that the rumors of Chinatown having a hoard of gold were true, and asked him to talk to Wilson, saying he needed funding for legitimacy. He said Matty was still on the pulse of the people in the DMZ, and that was enough for him to find Wilson for a meeting. Wilson said most people were smart enough to not ask about the Chinatown gold, and he was willing to deal with Matty, but not Parco. He had gold stashed around the city, but knowing where that gold was put people in danger. Armed men broke into Wilson's restaurant, and Wilson's men quickly disarmed them. Wilson assumed they were Parco's Plan B and said that's exactly why he wouldn't deal with him. He also wan't interested in a gang war, and allowed Matty and the men to take hundreds of gold bricks back with them. Matty asked if that wouldn't hurt Chinatown's finances, and he replied that Matty had no idea how much gold he had, but he'd better tell Parco that was the last of it. Matty and Parco's men came under fire on the way back to Parco's green zone, but were extracted by the FSA, who were now acting as Parco's soldiers.

(DMZ #39, 40) - Matty resented that the FSA Commander, who'd manipulated him and almost got him killed, still acted like they were best friends. The Commander told Matty he was impressed he was finally carrying a gun, but said he still wasn't a tough guy. They delivered the gold, and Matty started to realize that everyone except him seemed to know what Parco was planning for the DMZ. Parco told Matty he had one more errand to run, and Matty delivered a bag of gold to the Central Park Ghosts, and was given a nuclear device in return. Soames said he wasn't comfortable having the device, which he hinted was stolen from the US military, around, and Parco had given the Ghosts a 30 year lease on Central Park and its' surroundings. Soames praised Parco for obtaining a deterrent against the wolves at his gate. He told Matty to have a good long think about what he wanted out of his relationship with Parco. Matty drove the bomb to Times Square, turned off his phone, and waited for Parco to show up. Parco could tell he was angry, and asked him what he wanted. Matty said he wanted Parco to fire his mom, and let him replace her as press secretary, with full security and diplomatic clearance. Parco said he'd make things right, and Matty decided he finally got what he deserved. He bitterly thought that he was sick of relying on others, and didn't need Wilson, Zee or his parents anymore.

(DMZ #50) - A man came to Matty planning on opening an information hub in the DMZ, claiming it would liberate and educate the people, but Matty figured he was just out to make a buck. He wanted to purchase a loft under a warlord's control, and asked Matty to negotiate for him. Once they reached the apartment the warlord had his men cover the entrepreneur with their firearms. Matty told him he was taking his money and clothes, and that he didn't know how lucky he was to be alive. Matty said the DMZ didn't need to be liberated, educated, or bought by outsiders.

(DMZ #50) - Matty met a man of Museum Mile who'd protected NYC's valuable works of art from pillagers. He'd paid off local militias to protect him, but he was dying, and didn't want the world to lose the art he was caretaking, including most of MOMA's Van Gogh collection. He entrusted Matty with the collection, and Matty was amazed at the man's accomplishment and motivation brought on by his love of art.

(DMZ #50) - The FSA drove Matty to the NJ pine barrens to meet their supreme commander Townes. Townes said he'd be revealing a number of secrets, but it was up to Matty to decide what was true or false, and what to do with the information. The FSA had an amazing stockpile of wealth from raiding banks and reserves, and Chicago had so many agents and politicians in the FSA's pocket that the FSA thought of the state as a sleeper cell. The last secret he had were that four FSA divisions would come down from Canada in a month to storm NY, and Townes bet the US would lose. They proceeded to get drunk and shoot guns. Matty woke up with a hangover, but had slipped a SD card by the FSA, having the whole interview recorded.

(DMZ #50) - Wilson invited Matty to see his famous kitchen, spread across three city blocks, cooking fresh Chinese Morning Glory. He told Matty about the greenhouses he had, and the hydroponic stations located in the basements of Chinatown.

(DMZ #45, 46) - Matty assembled his security detail, including the sniper Angel he'd met early in his career. He gave a 30 second press conference announcing that the DMZ was a nuclear power, and would defend their independence if need be, saying they would allow no inspections, but giving the serial number of the bomb. Matty was told to leave Chinatown, and complied before meeting Parco at MSG. Matty said he was grandstanding, but Parco said every New Yorker dreamed of being on the courts. They agreed that Matty would deal with winning the hearts of the DMZ while Parco would negotiate with foreign powers. Matty said he needed to keep the local warlords from challenging his power, because if any of the insurgent groups got their hands on the nuclear device it would be all the excuse the world would need to turn against them. Parco told Matty to bring as many of the local tribes into the fold as he could, and gave him $500K of bribe money. Parco also said he wanted a NY news outlet of their own, since Liberty was no fan of his administration. Matty earned Angel's loyalty, arranging for his girlfriend to parachute in from NJ, leaving the FSA. They broke into a local lab, and opened up fire on it. Matty met with Danny, whose tribe ran the East Village, and offered him money in exchange for a ceasefire. Danny said his people needed food and supplies, not money, and he wondered whatever happened to the Matty he knew. Matty said he was sick of hearing that, and Danny replied that he should stop carrying around guns and being Delgado's tool. When they first met he thought Matty was going to be a symbol of peace for the DMZ, but now that Delgado had a nuke the whole DMZ were terrorists by association. Angel told Matty it felt like he was working for another warlord, and Matty reminded him that he was AWOL and no one else would have him.

(DMZ #47-49) - Matty practiced sniping, and was surprised to see Zee through his scope. Mr. Roth held a press conference; the US demanded that Delgado hand over the nuclear device, and himself so he could go on trial. The military would retake political control of the DMZ, and these demands were non-negotiable. Matty's father disowned him, saying he'd chosen a path of violence and the life of a thug. Matty was angry, but soon felt numb, and blew off steam by tracking down former members of Trustwell, who locals were happy to give up, and shooting them, with his mind flashing back to all the victims Trustwell had left behind. Delgado met with Matty, and said he had to know if Matty would have his back when trouble started. Matty assured him of his loyalty, and soon after Delgado went into hiding, and the US entered the DMZ with airpower in response. The military conducted block by block searches, with violence erupting sporadically. Delgado called Matty and told him to deal with the situation. Matty drove out into the city, but soldiers killed his driver, and gave him a severe beating, so he called his security detail, and told them to start killing every soldier they saw. Zee and her new friend Martel came across him, and Zee asked him what he'd just done. Zee begged Matty to call off the attack, but he said he didn't need her telling him what to do. Angel misheard the order, and his men fired at the first people they saw, a civilian wedding party. Matty was horrified, and told Zee happened. She told him to disappear forever. Matty went home, calling Delgado, then Wilson and his parents, but found himself a pariah. The US located the nuclear device at Indian Point, and dropped a bomb, detonating it.

(DMZ #51-54) - Matty went as far uptown as he could to a mostly abandoned neighborhood, and scrounged out an existence. Radio Free DMZ reported the dissolution of the Delgado nation and continued US presence in the DMZ. Matty witnessed an IED kill a man, and the people that responded to the noise ended up killing each other after a standoff. Matty kept thinking about the civilians who died because of him, and reasoned that his self-pity let him make it through the day, but if he stopped feeling sorry for himself he could win the war. He came across the crashed Blackhawk that first brought him to the DMZ, and took the personal effects of the dead soldiers in the wreck, following their paper trail for something to do. Matty thought the DMZ was on life-support, and didn't deserve to be saved. Matty made his way towards the 59th St. checkpoint, intending to offer himself up to the US. His travel was treacherous, and on Broadway he had to flee from an armed man and his pack of attack dogs. Matty found an abandoned building, and went to sleep, but was discovered by friends of the Delgado Nation, who dragged him away into their car. They tortured him for days, demanding Delgado's whereabouts, but Matty didn't now, and eventually they believed him. The leader of his captors introduced herself as Rose, Parco's sister, and asked if everything the media said about her brother was true. Matty told her he was a great man, and not a thug, although he harbored his own private doubts. Rose asked that he give her brother a fair shake when he told the story of the DMZ, and Matty thought himself foolish for never having thought of fully documenting his years in the DMZ. Matty staid up all night writing his narrative, and hit the streets the next day, only to witness the US military bomb Central Park and the Ghosts for supplying Delgado with his bomb. Soames survived, and when Matty told him he was turning himself in Soames pulled a gun on him. Matty said as far as the government was concerned Soames was a real ghost, and Matty said he had to be punished for his sins. Matty reached the checkpoint, and was surprised to find himself welcomed with open arms. He met with his father, who said he regretted disowning his son on national television. The world was watching the US involvement in the DMZ, and they needed proof of accountability in the form of UN presence and an embedded journalist. Matty was offered full amnesty and his job at Liberty back. Matty accepted the job, but confessed to his father that he was to blame for civilian deaths, and did not accept the amnesty; if he held others accountable for their actions in his reporting he needed to be accountable as well. Matty was placed back in the DMZ, and hoped this time he'd do the job right.

(DMZ #59) - The US commenced heavy bombing of the DMZ, and Matty hoped he would have something to say that would make the outside world understand what was going on. He found a bomb shelter, and offered use of his laptop, and cellphone to those inside. He talked to a former Ghost who said Soames was what destroyed Central Park, and one of Parco's men who was disappointed to learn that Matty had no idea where Parco was. He offered Matty a gun for protection, but Matty wanted nothing to do with it. He had a peaceful moment when a Juliard student played the guitar for him, and got into a heated argument with a man saying he was suffering more than the others because he'd lost his fortune when the war started. Spending time with a cross-section of the DMZ made Matty feel better, and he climbed to the roof to see NYC in flames, and hoped he'd recognize the city when the war was over.

(DMZ #62, 63) - The US had taken most of Manhattan, and a military commander wanted a chat with Matty. He saw Matty as a necessary evil to legitimize the invasion, and himself regretted that he'd always be remembered as the man who destroyed Manhattan. Matty accompanied the soldiers who were pushing forward to NJ to confront the FSA, who'd been noticeably inactive during the invasion. Matty knew he was supposed to be impartial, and hated that he was treated like baggage, but draw a map of potential dangers in the Bowery, not wanting to see the troops get slaughtered. Matty saw Chinatown's citizen's, who'd evacuated, and were being taken out of NYC. Matty asked where Wilson was, and learned he'd stayed behind. The US captured the FSA Commander, and he wanted to talk, but only to Matty. He said the FSA had found Parco, and asked Matty if he wanted to get the gang back together. He revealed that Parco had been hiding in the DMZ the whole time, and had evidence that his bomb never went off, the nuclear fallout from Indian Point was from the US airstrike. He told Matty Parco's location, and Matty left him, knowing he'd probably soon be dead. The soldiers asked Matty what they talked about, and Matty said it was of no consequence. He found Parco's safehouse, and Parco was thrilled to see him, but he was furious that Parco had been working with the FSA since the beginning, and he'd squandered the chance he had to make the DMZ livable. Parco gave him a jumpdrive saying the information would clear him and prove that the US had no justification for their invasion. Matty left Parco, plugged the drive into his laptop, and made the tough decision to make a phonecall.

(DMZ #64, 65) - Matty gave the drive to Kelly Connolly's old courier, and then made a stop in the wreckage of Chinatown. He talked to one of Wilson's friends, and he realized he'd never even questioned Wilson surviving the law. even if he didn't really know Wilson he thought their relationship was the sanest one he'd cultivated in the DMZ. He realized how much he missed Zee, but his military contacts were unable to locate her. He returned to the command center, and was told the FSA Commander had given up Delgado. They asked if Matty had any particular opinion, and he said Delgado was an enemy of the state, even though he really didn't believe that anymore. The US extracted Delgado, and Matty spied on the Commander's interrogation room, and witnessed his summary execution. Matty wrote about the heavy handed tactics the US was using to stamp out any remaining holdouts in the DMZ, and how many locals had turned against the military after pictures of the murdered FSA Commander leaked. He attended the military tribunal of Parco Delgado, who was adamant that he never detonated his atomic bomb, and told them he had proof. Matty had the drive in his hands, deciding what to do with it, and got the military to locate Zee so he could talk over the moral quandary with her. She said his pursuit of the greater good was abstract, and asked him what would result in more dead bodies piling up, telling the truth or letting the war wrap up. Matty contacted his father, who got him a meeting with the President. Matty agreed to hand over the drive, and after the war the footage he had of Viktor Ferguson's execution in exchange for Parco and his sister being relocated outside of the US. He didn't want Parco to know he'd saved his life, in fact he never wanted anything to do with Parco ever again. Matty's father said he was proud of him, and Matty was hoping that with the end of the war Manhattan could be rebuilt.

(DMZ #67) - Reconstruction started, and Matty told Zee he was still feeling immense guilt, but she said he helped ending the war, and that was a good start at making things right. Matty was driven to the flatiron for an interview, and the military commander said he hated the idea of blanket amnesty for the DMZ locals and Matty getting an award, saying Matty never did anything except for his own benefit. During Matty's interview he said he did believe in permanant peace, but thought NYC had become more tribal, and maps might have to be withdrawn. He said the idea of a unified country was always a problem for New Yorkers. Matty was set up in an apartment, but detained for an upcoming trial. Zee was waiting for him in the apartment, and gave him the complete collection of his notes and tapes she'd saved. She said he might not deserve it, but he was the only real witness from the outside world who understood the DMZ, and she didn't want the DMZ locals to go down as traitors and terrorists in the history books. Matty started arranging his notes and working on them, and asked Mr. Roth if his trial could be put off for two weeks. His father agreed, and he promised that after that he'd give his full cooperation.

(DMZ #68) - Armistice Day saw the US President and the FSA Supreme Commander agreeing to peace. The new Manhattan was going to be redistricted, and it was being called the Five Nations of New York. Matty and Zee drove around to witness the reconstruction firsthand, with one of their stops being Ground Zero. They met a representative from the First Nation of lower Manhattan, who'd claimed massive swathes of expensive real estate. Zee called him a bloodsucker and a parasite looking to get rich off of the suffering of others, and he kicked them out. Zee introduced Matty to Oscar, who ran the only surgical unit in the former DMZ, and Matty talked to a former insurgent who said that he hoped lower Manhattan wouldn't push isolationism, because he'd already seen enough war. Matty boxed up his old notes, and sent them to his mother in France.

(DMZ #69, 70) -Matty got a call from someone saying he'd never understand the people, and the caller then blew up a bridge. Matty and Zee went to Chinatown, the Second Nation, for Wilson's funeral. One of Wilson's close aides wanted Matty to know Wilson considered him a friend, and talked about him often. Zee told Matty he needed some time to process and grieve, but Matty blew her off. They interviewed Lau, Wilson's second-in-command, who said he was not ready to fill Wilson's shoes. Their new stop was Parktown, the Third Nation that was building around Central Park. Jamal ran reconstruction efforts to make Central Park a nature preserve again, and Zee was thrilled to see her old friend. Soames staggered up to them, suffering from radiation poisoning and babbling. Zee again told Matty he needed to grieve, and he said he blamed himself for the loss of his friends through events set in motion the day he entered the DMZ. He said he had to tell her a story about the towncar and what was going down in one week's time. Matty and Zee visited a building that once belonged to a paramilitary group of first responders, and Matty tried to convince the last holdout that the war was over. Matty asked Zee how she'd staid sane through everything, and she said she never tried too hard, she wanted to heal people, and not make things worse, but she wasn't driven by unattainable goals like "fixing" the DMZ. she told Matty he tried too hard since day one, and that's why he lost it. Zee said the soul of NYC was gone, and she planned on moving upstate to see if any of her family was still alive. They stopped briefly in Midtown, home of the east and west factions that made up the Fourth and Fifth Nations. Matty's time was up, and holding hands with Zee, he handed himself over for his military tribunal. He pleaded guilty and was charged with crimes against humanity.

(DMZ #71) - Matty was tried in New York's supreme court, and as charges were read against him he remembered the circumstances behind them, but did not speak out. He was charged for his association with the Ghosts, Wilson, and even people like Zee who were seen as insurgents, but the most damning charges were for his association with Parco, and his complicity in acquiring a nuclear bomb. Matty's father told him he could have fought the charges, but Matty said he couldn't be the person who broke Trustwell, told Stevens story or helped end the war without being the man responsible for Parco acquiring his nuke, or the man who was responsible for civilian deaths. Matty was sentenced tpo life in prison, and carted off, but his guards were nice enough to take the scenic way out of the city so he could have one last look at NYC.

(DMZ #72) - Matty served his time in Dannemora Prison while his book "Wartime: The DMZ and the Second American Civil War" was published, with proceeds going to Zee's non-profit work. He gave the war a human face, and praised those who made life better in the DMZ like Zee and Wilson, and the people just struggling to survive. Matty said he deserved his sentence for his actions in the DMZ, and his book was the sum of his life's work, as he would never again be a member of society. He urged readers to visit the rebuilt NYC, but to never forget the DMZ.