The night had deepened to its darkest hour now, and the moon shone the streets of O'Clock City's second level.
Only a few drunk fairies, vampires, and humans roamed toward their houses or the glow of a warm hotel. Fortunately for Rod and Catra, their escape from the Spellex warehouse had been successful and they slipped through the city's web of surveillance without being discovered at all. They even managed to secure a room in an unassuming hotel near the airport.
Inside the building, Catra walked through the main hallway and her mind replayed scenes of what happened. She was trying to reach the reception desk for food, yet, Aurora's words were just too distracting.
She had left her a trail of breadcrumbs… fragments of a truth she needed to understand before confronting her dad.
"She's a lying piece of trash… but what if she was telling the truth? She knew about things she shouldn't know… is something bigger happening in the background? Am I really that ignorant about what's going on?"
Those questions rained inside her head, only to stop in front of the reception desk. There, a small fairy with sparkling wings seemed to be half asleep in front of a small television.
The cheetah girl faked a polite cough to get her attention, something that didn't work.
"No… I don't want any more pancakes… I gained too much weight last week…" she murmured in her sleep.
"Ahm. Excuse me?" Catra gently asked and carefully touched the fairy's long golden hair.
That's when the small creature woke up and rapidly blinked.
"Mom? I'm sorry I lied to you… I'll train the weight off today… wait…"
Her startled eyes finally focused on Catra.
"Hi there."
"I'M SO SORRY! W-what can I do for you?" the fairy asked with overwhelming embarrassment.
"Could I buy some cheese pops please?"
"O-oh! Of course!" she squeaked before her tiny wings fluttered and made her fly toward a door behind the desk.
She returned less than a minute later, struggling to carry two bags of cheese pops.
"Oh, I don't really need two," Catra softly spoke.
"No, no. This one's on the house! Please enjoy! That would be 19 bronze coins."
After paying and offering a thank you, the cheetah headed back to her room. Even with that heartwarming interaction, the complete lack of movement from her tail reflected her confusion.
"Has dad been lying to me all this time? He told me he wasn't hiding anything from me. Was he also lying there? And mom… what does she have to do with anything?"
Suddenly, Aurora's words pierced her thoughts once more.
"All your life you've been thinking that your mother died from cancer, didn't you?"
That simple question compelled her to stop walking and freeze a few feet from her room.
"Mom didn't die from cancer? If not, then how did she? And why would dad want to hide it from me?"
It took some more seconds for her to snap out of her trance and continue. Though, she heard Rod's barely suppressed anger through the door.
The combination of her own thoughts and her father's words caused her body to shake. But even still, the girl took out her room key and opened the door.
"No, Alf. You better explain to me right now how someone had a machine specifically designed to nullify my goddamn powers! Oliver is nowhere to be seen, and the whole operation went to hell!" The Hero's voice boomed through the room, directed at the telyglasses.
Catra had never seen him this mad before. He seemed kind of possessed…
"Once I get over there, you better explain everything to me! You understand?! And yes, Aurora was there!" Rod finished and violently threw the telyglasses onto the nearest bed.
After a few seconds of heaving breathing, he turned to Catra, who was now sitting on her bed.
"How are you holding up, kiddo?"
To his surprise, Catra didn't respond. She didn't have to though… He could imagine.
"Look, tomorrow we're going back to Grand North's capital," he continued, "There, you'll be safe again. Just… hang on a little longer."
"Do you know what happened to Oliver?" she suddenly asked.
Rod instinctively rubbed his neck.
"I went back and looked for him, but he was gone. There was no sign of struggle though, so I think he was able to escape. We just have to wait for him to come here or contact us."
"Are we just gonna leave him?"
"I… We gotta head back to the capitol as soon as possible. With Aurora out there, who knows if there are any other assassins coming after us. All I know is that staying here is dangerous."
Her shoulders slump. She wanted Oliver to be safe, and Rod knew there was no way to ensure that right now.
"I'm sure he's gonna be fine," he added warmly, "He knows his way around the city, and I bet he also has friends here. Don't worry, kiddo, he's an intelligent man."
A second of quiet passed and the Gun Hero sighed, choosing to change into his pajamas. He needed to give her time… Though, to his surprise, a different comment struck him like a bolt.
"Are you lying to me?"
Rod's hands tensed… and even if such a question prompted a panic reaction, he forced himself not to. Not now.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb… You've been hiding something ever since you checked out that weird package at the sheriff's office… Suddenly going to the capital? Taking your old job back? What aren't you telling me?"
He took a step back.
Did Aurora tell her about Elena? Did she confirm he was hiding something? He couldn't reveal the truth about her mother… though perhaps something else? A different, more palatable secret…
"I haven't told you something important about me," he confessed, making Catra stare in suspense.
"Remember when you saw me kill that Ice Giant? How you were against the whole idea? You asked me if I'd done it before… I have. When I worked for the government, I wasn't just the public Gun Hero. I did things… that needed to be done… one of them being taking out whoever was a threat. I did what they asked of me to keep everyone in the country safe… I know I told you I hadn't and to not believe those kid's parents, but you were just a small kid… You weren't ready to hear it."
His strained voice delivered the partial truth… and Catra's face froze. She remembered all those times her schoolmates said her father was a killer… all those times she didn't believe them… All those times she stood up for him.
"You… you killed people?" she whispered in disbelief.
That's when Rod's eyes dropped to the floor with guilt.
"I have… I've never been proud of it, but I did… And when I got that package at the sheriff's office and they told me about the parasite in the Ice Giant, I remembered why I did those things. For the good of Grand North and its people. I had to go back and save who I could save. That's why we're here."
It was true she hadn't known this dark past, and due to that, a sharp pang of betrayal hit her. Yet even as the pain settled, she noticed something was off.
"Is this everything?"
"It is…" Rod's strained response was barely audible.
"Then why could I smell mom's scent in the package you saw at the sheriff's office? Does all of this have anything to do with her?"
Shock and silence.
Rod's eyes reflected a horror unlike anything before… He hadn't known she smelled her back then, and now it made sense why she was so suspicious.
What could he say? What could he do? It was too late now. Rod's silence was confirmation of her deepest suspicions, and she stood up because of it.
"What happened to mom? Did she really die from cancer?"
"You're tired, kiddo. Let's get some rest-" he tried saying as an attempt to deflect.
"NO! Don't try to run away from this! What happened to mom?!"
She needed something… anything… he just just didn't know what. The only way out was to confess or cling to the deception… and still… after remembering Elena's face and her plea for mercy…
He couldn't. He simply could not tell her.
"What did Aurora tell you to ask such a question? Of course she died from cancer… we both saw her sick… why would you ever think that something else did?" he spoke with strain.
The cheetah girl's eyes begin to water. Was he really telling the truth? Was Aurora the one lying?
"Catra, your mother was an extraordinary woman who I fell in love with. She just… got unlucky. I know losing her hurt you, but I promise, this has nothing to do with her."
Hearing the confession of his own sorrow made her heart break anew. Elena's smile and her love was now a picture in her mind… and it hurt more than anything.
She didn't want to talk about this anymore… because thinking of Elena suffering was an image she desperately wanted to erase from her mind, just like she did long ago.
"I… I'm sorry…" she whispered.
Rod quickly made his way to her bed and pulled Catra into a hug. He was really sorry for what he was doing… for the lies, for the pain…
"Oh, kiddo… you're tired. You have nothing to apologize for. Let's get some sleep. I bet you'll feel better in the morning."
Liar.
The girl saw her father's eyes while still nestled in his arms and understood something was amiss. In these emotional situations, he would normally be the one consumed by grief… the one shedding tears… Not this time?
"He's lying…" Catra thought.
And with that, a resolve hardened within her. She NEEDED to know everything… The whole truth.
Catra gently pushed her father away and his green eyes searched for hers. That's when he saw it… she wasn't convinced.
"I… I need to think," she murmured, "Maybe I really am tired… but… I don't wanna talk about this anymore."
Then, the girl slowly got into bed and turned her back to him, wanting only to shut off for a while.
"Kiddo… come on… whatever Aurora told you is a lie… you gotta trust me," he whispered, only for the room to remain silent, "I… I understand… We'll talk tomorrow… have a good night, kiddo."
A minute felt like an eternity. The Gun Hero turned away and his face transformed into a mask of panic. She knew…
"Shit," was the only thing he could tell himself.