#ottomo

“The what?“

“They’ve been kidnapping refugees from the No Man’s Land and keeping them in warehouses by the docks.“

He answered indirectly, not to dodge the question but out of surprise instead. “Did you not know?“

“No, not until tonight. I overheard one of the captains talking about it earlier. And from what it sounded, they aren’t being protected either. It’s slave trading.“

Of course Ottomo knew, having heard the details from Vitale’s meetings. But it sure didn’t sound the same way when she said it in that tone, especially remembering her origins weren’t far off from theirs.

“While I was fighting, I noticed something.“ She continued. “I thought those toony eyes of hers were just part of her act. But up close…I could swear they looked like empty sockets. I thought maybe Lab 8 did that to her, experimented on her like Black Dahlia said they did. But when I heard them talking about the warehouses….”

She took a breath.

“They said she might have been from there. We can all tell she hated the Medicis. And while I didn’t fight the Skullgirl one-on-one, I heard they share that idea.“

Ottomo said nothing, perhaps more telling than anything he could have said in response.

“It might be dumb, but I can’t stop thinking…what if Lab 8 weren’t the ones who took her real eyes? Or her arms? Or whatever other parts of that aren’t human anymore? What if they were only giving her what she needed? What if we…what if it’s our…?“

She couldn’t say it. To both of them, after years of devotion, the thought was unbearable. Almost betrayal.

“She’s just a little girl, Ottomo.“

“We…“ The hesitation in his voice could no longer be hidden. “We did what was best for the family.“

“Yeah.” She said with a deep tired sigh. “We sure did.“

The staff were now finishing their task of clearing the office of the defeated gang, carrying who they could muster and dragging the rest behind. Before the parade of thugs disappeared behind the elevator doors, one of Peacock’s eyes fluttered open. Only the two solemn observers seemed to notice.