Pogo cleared his throat.

"Now," he said, "You…you can't let Sir Reginald know that I told you this. You have to promise. He…he…well I'm not sure what exactly he'd do to me, but I know that it would be quite painful."

"Like I'd talk to him," snorted Kraken.

"Maybe we…yes," sighed Space.

Mom pressed the off switch on the back of her head so she wouldn't record anything. That was the same thing as a yes for her.

"Yes," Rumor answered.

"This probably isn't a good idea…but alright," conceded Horror.

"Why the fuck not?" cackled Séance.

Sighing Pogo folded his hands together.

"You all know how you were born…or at least you have an idea."

Rumor nodded. Everyone did. Hargreeves had told them about the forty-three children with the mysterious births and amazing powers many times.

"However, there are many things that you don't know. Back then I was just an aide working for Hargreeves, his first ponigdae experimentation," said Pogo, "But I was brought along on many of his trips to find you. The things I saw…"

He paused and rubbed his temples.

"I…I'm getting off of the subject. What you don't know is how many of you were…acquired," continued Pogo, "Some of you he found in orphanages, abandoned. But…not all of you were found that way. For many of you he had Ajihad and I shuffle through old hospital records. That was because some of the mothers…decided that they wanted to keep their children even if they were…anomalies."

Rumor looked at Pogo like he'd just told them that the sky was purple. Their mothers hadn't wanted them. Hargreeves had told them that time and time again. Or was it just one more lie? Apparently it was.

"None of them were terribly resolute," admitted Pogo, "which they might've been if they'd known what was going to happen to their children once they gave them away. However, don't judge them too harshly. You must keep in mind that almost all of them were single women, some even teenagers. Still, from what they said they had thought initially to go it alone and raise their children themselves. But…he…he offered them money."

"Bitches," commented Séance.

"Klaus," Pogo said sharply.

"No, he's right," said Kraken sarcastically and with a touch of bitterness, "Being sold is so much better then being put in an orphanage. Just how much do people sell their children for these days?"

"Seventeen million dollars," Pogo said blankly, "and that was simply the minimum amount. Now some of these women came from incredibly poor households. Some of them already had other children and were unemployed…once again a bit off subject though."

She felt like she was going to throw up. All of her life Rumor had believed that she had simply been abandoned. Now it turned out that she had probably been sold. Instead of being unwanted, her mother had sought to make a profit off of her. That was worse, much worse in her mind. Despite what Pogo was saying she found herself judging her mother hellishly harshly.

Rumor wished that she didn't know this. She wished that Pogo had never told them. She just wanted to go up to her room and forget all about it.

"Look," Kraken said, "This is all very depressing but what does it have to do with Vanya and these freaks with the checkers and the dice and the cards and-"

"I'm coming to that," said Pogo, "If you'd just let me finish."

Kraken glared at him, but said nothing.

"Good," Pogo said, "Not all of them accepted his offer. But…he arranged things so…it's nothing I'm proud of…"

Pogo's voice trailed off, lost somewhere in memory. After a minute he shook his head and continued.

"Now there was one mother who was a good deal more…resolute then the others. She was married and had a fair set-up. As it turned out, her husband and she couldn't have children. They viewed their child as a miracle, and they refused to let it go, even for millions of dollars."

"Hargreeves must've been totally pissed," smirked Séance.

Pogo rubbed his hands together nervously.

"Sir Reginald was more then that. He was livid. It was the last child to collect. The other thirty six just…it was like they'd fallen off the face of the planet. So he knew that he'd only have six if he couldn't get this one. He threatened them with everything under the sun. She wouldn't budge. She had military connections in Russia, where they were from, and she figured that they were quite safe. She just…wouldn't give up. This…this woman was Vanya's mother."

There was a shocked silence.

"He just couldn't get her. So he decided to resort to…decidedly more illegal means then he had before."

"Like?" Kraken snapped.

Pogo looked ashamed.

"Like I said I'm not proud of what happened," he said, "and I'm not proud of the fact that I never told anyone. But…he sent a few people in there and…they killed the woman's parents, and her cousins and their spouses who happened to be staying there. There were some children in there too that they never found. It was a family reunion, and the baby's parents were out…but Hargreeves said no witnesses. So they killed them and…they just took her…"

Once again there was a stunned silence.

"It was never spoken of again," he said, "But…from what Russian I could understand…it appears that she's returned for her child."

Looking over at Kraken she saw that he was struggling to comprehend it all.

"Then…then…why not just tell her and take her away?" Spaceboy said wonderingly, "Why go through all this…this…this and do all this other stuff in the process? Why just kidnap her though? Wouldn't she want revenge on Hargreeves?"

"I don't know what she wants besides Va-" Pogo started.

Red lights turned on around the mansion. Everyone's head shot up as they looked around. The sign specially installed for the occasion; VILLAIN THREAT MESSAGE had lit up.

"Pogo, go get Hargreeves. It looks like we're going to find out what they want soon," Space said, "aren't we?"