Just hearing the voice behind me almost caused me to drop the vile-tasting brew I was holding, as I spun around. Sophia was awake, blinking owlishly in the dimmed light of the hospital-room and on her face was an expression that was both sad, disappointed and a little angry, all at the same time. I felt my mouth open and close, like a fish on dry land, as my mind tried to come up with the right thing to say. It was as if I was struck dumb, my mind not working right, or at all, taking far longer than ever to parse information.

Finally, I managed to make sense of her words and it caused me to blush and blurt out, “It’s not like that!”

My denial might have been the worst thing to say, Sophia’s scowl got even worse and she sounded like she was biting the words off, “Not like what? Not like you made an armour for her? Not like, you stand around all cozy next to my bed? Not like you never even contacted me, after you vanished?!”

“Stay calm so you don’t aggravate your wounds.” Technica gently ordered Sophia, cutting into her rant. My mind was simply blank, trying to come up with the right words and failing. It was like watching a train-wreck in slow-motion, only that I was one of the wrecking trains.

“And, while there are many things I could tell you to explain the situation between Metis and me, I think I’ll go with the easiest and most encompassing.” Technica continued, raising her hands to her neck and I heard a soft clicking noise, just before she pulled off her helmet.

“To introduce myself, I’m called Technica when in armour, a councillor of the Powered Human Association Guild. I’m also the one who, some two decades ago, gave birth to the girl who later became Metis. Yes, I’m her mother.”

Now, Sophia was looking very similar to myself, at first she had looked confused when seeing Technica’s face, there were a lot of similarities between my own face and hers, the fact that we were related obvious. But when Technica introduced herself, the anger had drained from Sophia, leaving only confusion and embarrassment behind.

“With that said, I know the two of you have some things to talk about, least of which the events of this morning. If Sophia can stay calm during your talk, I don’t think there will be problems, if not, I’m afraid you will be kicked out quite soon, Metis.” Technica continued, before putting her helmet back on and leaving the room. I think I heard a soft giggle coming from her as she went, but it might have been just my imagination.

After the door closed behind her, the awkwardness in the room could have been cut with a knife and served with bread, it was that thick. I couldn’t look Sophia in the eye, not after what had happened. Part of me wanted to just run away, to flee the awkwardness, but the part of me that worried about her was stronger, forcing me to stay. I took a short peek at her, before looking away again, focusing on the machines that monitored her.

“Can you tell me what happened today? I only remember parts, bits and pieces.” Sophia asked, her voice soft and calm.

“I am so sorry.” I blurted out, apologizing for what had happened to her. “You were kidnapped because of me, and tortured because of me. I am so, so sorry.”

“Cat, you are not making sense. I think I remember that they asked about Metis and Alexandria King, but why now? And why me?” Sophia asked, sounding confused. I was quite thankful when Galatea pushed a little against my mind, helping me by supplying a formulated explanation that I simply had to say out loud.

“Right, I need to start at the beginning. After I discarded my original identity, there was an investigation into that event, by the Heroes’ League. One of their Powered has a Power that lets them capture hints by way of metaphor, similar to the power of your brother and similarly misleading at times. In that event, they somehow pierced together that the vision hinted at Metis, but it was too much conjuncture to do anything with the information, at least officially.” Sophia looked a little confused at me starting that far in the past, but it was important, at least Galatea thought so. And there were a few things she did not know, things I had found out after we I had fled from her.

“I later investigated a bit and found out that there is a bit of an connection between Skylar and the Shadowbroker, a friendship or something like that, anyway, I assume that Skylar asked the Shadowbroker to investigate, which he did, back when we met. You remember, when you watched my back at that nightly park-meeting? He asked me about it and had someone with him that had a power to ascertain truthfulness. With a little warning, it would be easy to get around something like that, but without warning it is more difficult. Not that I needed to lie, I certainly didn’t kill Alexandria after all.

“But the report, with the suspicions and the conjecture written in it was made, made and apparently sealed to the higher-ups of the League, some sort of secrecy-classification. It’s existence did not matter, until a couple of weeks ago, Skylar was ousted as Leader and Battlemaster managed to get into a position that would have trained him as Leader. I am reasonably sure that he gained access to the files at that point and found the file that connected Metis to Alexandria’s ‘death’. A week ago, he tried to get me here, or rather he did not just try, he came this close,” I held up a gauntleted hand with two fingers almost touching, barely a millimeter apart, “to killing me. That I survived is entirely because I was lucky enough to have had a breakthrough a few weeks back. I cannot stress just how lucky I am to have survived.”

Sophia looked worried at that revelation, worried and apprehensive. But she did not interrupt, so I continued my tale.

“Afterwards, I went to the Guild, it is their Island after all. My injuries were bad enough to make them listen, despite the fact that I was able to walk, something that made them question the truth of my injuries and my powers. Clark had some lawyer-type there, protesting his innocence, but the whole process was short-circuited when Technica intervened. She, just like me, had no idea about the other, I was just one of thousands of new students and we were far removed from the other. Until I made that complaint and she noticed just who was behind the mask of Metis.” My voice caught and, once again, the whole tangled mess that was the relationship between Technica and myself caused me mentally freeze up. I could not even try to explain my emotions, what she had told me, her reasons and everything, it was just too much. Shaking my head a little, I jumped over most of the details, continuing on without them.

“To make a long story short, she intervened and made me her apprentice, which gives me some standing in the Guild. It is not just because of the relationship between her and me, at least according to her. Honestly, I am not quite sure what that relationship is and will be, so much happened that makes it a tangled mess.” I let out a long sigh and was silent for a moment. Sophia patiently waited for me, until I continued.

“Anyway, that part does not really matter. What matters is that Battlemaster, Clark, decided that I was responsible for Alexandira’s death and that he wanted to punish me, or so I think. But I was no longer in reach for him, he had his attempt and failed, so he had to know that another attempt at getting me would be doomed from the start. Especially with the new position as an apprentice to one of the Guild’s councillors. But he was not stupid, he understood that there was a relationship between Metis and Anath during the relevant time so he set his sights onto you. I am not sure how he found you, but he did. He used some sort of knock-out gas to sedate the whole dorm you lived in, before breaking in and capturing you. I think he wanted to know the real identity of Metis, maybe to acquire some leverage against me, or for revenge, I simply do not know. But he went after you, hoping to get the information. He tortured you, likely using some drugs in the process, which explains your fuzzy memories, while I managed to enlist Technica to rescue you. She is scary when she gets serious, let me tell you.” I looked up again, noticing that Sophia was no longer listening, her eyes had closed again and, now that I was no longer talking, could hear her soft snores.

I had to smile, despite my own exhaustion and pulled up a chair to sit at her bed until she woke back up. We had quite a bit to talk about.