A Tinker of Fiction Story or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Suplex the Space Whales by Randomsumofagum (Worm × SI)

A Tinker of Fiction Story or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Suplex the Space Whales by Randomsumofagum

Summary:

Dying, dying sucks a lot. Things get worse when you wake up in the second closest place to Hell, Brockton Bay. Oh and just for shits and giggles you have a brain parasite that gives you powers from multiple dimensions, in exchange for wanting to fight literally everything that breathes and several things that don't. You just have to build them, avoid pissing off your cousin who is only slightly less dangerous than Contessa and survive several endbringers. Easy canon, easy life, right?

Or I got way into worm, in a very literal way.

Notes:Inspired by In Nuclear Fire by PoliamidaInspired by Kathy's Brockton Bay Adventures by HydraliskInspired by Tinker of Fiction by Monk Penguin

I own nothing! Except OC's, everything else belongs to the creators and license holders.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Exchange 1.1Chapter Text

Distorted Voice

Thoughts

Flashbacks

[Shard]

Exchange 1.1

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return."

-Alphonse Elric

-???,???, Shard Space-

I see an ocean of stars all around me, shining brightly and writhing as if alive. I feel the false earth beneath me give way again as I fall deeper into madness and see two giant worms dancing, crashing into each other as their bodies break and reform. I can feel the darkness of the universe twist and turn behind them. There's a piece of my mind that screams at me, I can't hear it over my own screams of pain. There's something wrong with me, I feel something dig into my skull and I hear voices? Sound isn't right, it is not enough to describe what I hear in my brain. 

Imagine pain having a sound. Imagine relief having a flavor. That's what I'm feeling/hearing/experiencing. It is alien and yet I can swear that it is familiar in a way that I cannot describe accurately, like seeing a random clip of something and your mind tugs at its memories until you remember. I can't feel my body, I can feel my body, I can hear the worms, I see their size, their shards, their intentions; I see it all and my mind cries in pain. The light blinds me as the darkness floods into my body like a river.

[Destination]

[Data]

[Destination]

[Agreement]

[Trajectory]

[Refusal]

[Data]

[...Acceptance]

[Trajectory]

[Agreement]

-March 4, 2011-

"I'm sorry…" Those were the last words I said before I closed my eyes and the very first ones I heard when I re-opened them. My head still felt like crap, the dull throb of a headache threatening to increase by the second. My back itches slightly as if the skin was raw. The room was white, and clean and the AC wasn't that bad in terms of temperature. The IV drip decorated my slim arm…

" That's not my arm ." I think even as my fingers moved slightly as if to mock my brain. The arm I remember having had a lot more hair, and some muscle, this was downright dainty in comparison, fuck are those painted nails? I damn well know I don't paint my nails. The nurse finally looks at me after talking to a rather tall man with green eyes. He looked tired, almost as if he hadn't slept for years, but outside of some shabby clothing he didn't particularly look badly off.

"Look, she's finally awake." He says, I turn my head to my sides. No one on my left, no one on my right. " Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck me sideways. " I start to panic even as I think that. The nurse rushes to me and tries to get me to calm down. I barely listen to her, I need a mirror, I need to see. "Mirror, give me a mirror please!" A voice comes out of my throat, I can't recognize it as my own even as the back of my mind says otherwise. Memories of a life I hadn't lived start flooding me, Mom packing our bags, Lustrum, a vacation, Brockton Bay… " Fucking Hookwolf!!!! " I think as the balding man hands me a compact. I have hazel eyes now, I'm a lot paler than before, my hair is still black but this time it is as dead as I feel now, I can't recognize myself, no scars, no broken nose, nothing I can use to recognize who I was, my breath quickens and my heartbeat becomes louder drowning out my thoughts as I begin to spiral.

"Kid, I need you to calm down." The nurse says again as she forces me to look at her, I listen for once, " I need time ," I think to myself and an idea pops up. I look into her eyes directly and say, "I need to go to the bathroom."

Sometimes I hate my brain, I'm pretty sure it hates me back, it's a mutually satisfactory relationship. I still can't believe it worked though being wheeled into the bathroom while the nurse stays nearby isn't a fun experience, but it works to my advantage.

" Alright me let's break this down so you can panic later:

I died, I'm 99.9% sure I did at any rate. Getting shot in the chest does kill people. That or I'm experiencing a psychotic break, either way I'm fucked.I've been reborn, in another world. A world I know a little of due to reading it way back when I was a teen. It was Worm. I'm likely in earth Bet and I think that's Danny Hebert.I am now a girl, 12 if my mind isn't lying and if my memories aren't complete crap. Assuming that they aren't, my name is Marie Flynt. I can freak out about this later.My mother was Annette Hebert's sister, making me Taylor's cousin. I'm in Brockton Bay. In Worm...I'm fucked. Depending on when I am I have to deal with Teacher, Echidna, Coil, Jack and his groupies, Simurgh, Mr. Fucking not Godzilla, the other Endbringers, Scion and Cauldron. And Khepri… Fuck Khepri, I need to run.Water, 35 liters. Carbon, 20kg. Ammonia, 4 liters. Lime, 1.5kg. Phosphorus, 800g. Salt, 250 g. Niter, 100g. Sulfur, 80g. Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g. Silicon 3g. And fifteen other elements. Are necessary to create an adult human body… Wait, how the fuck do I remember that?"

That calms me down instead of making me panic, I know alchemy… Fuck me I'm a Parahuman and I know alchemy. Is this my power? Am I destined to be short? I ask my shard these questions, nothing responds. " Oh right, I need to be unconscious to talk to the shitty alien. " I almost slap myself in the forehead when I remember I have a damned IV in my arm. The nurse, who had given me some privacy entered the bathroom and asked if I was done, I said yes and I cleaned myself soon after. How I managed it without blushing or anything similar to embarrassment I hope to never know. 

Danny is standing next to my hospital bed when I get wheeled back, his voice is rather deep and solemn as he says, "Hey Marie, I'm your uncle Danny. I'm sorry for not arriving sooner, I was told about you being here today. It's a bit sudden but I want to know if you don't mind moving in with us." He doesn't say that they're my only choice in terms of blood relations, I know that Annette's mom, or Gram as Taylor called her, wasn't capable of raising me; he's also trying to not look or sound depressed. I can see it clearly in his eyes, he's hoping that I say yes, if anything because Taylor could use some company. I briefly consider human transmutation in an attempt to revive Annette, but I discard it just as quickly. I'm not losing my body for a fake, and it would be too cruel. 

[Data] A voice? Static? Something says in the back of my mind. Numbers appear in my head, algorithms for possibilities of conflict, all the choices I could make. A desire for action floods my mind, and yet I rebel against that path.

" Fuck off you shitty alien shard I'm not going to do something so evil so you can get off!" I angrily think at it even as I force my face to look as if I'm considering Daniel's offer. To me there is no choice, I need to do this, the alternative is foster care or an orphanage. Plus being in warlord Skitter's good book is a plus… My to kill list is going to grow as the day goes on, isn't it?

"If you'll have me, I'll move in with you and Taylor." I manage to reply with a voice that isn't my own. But is beginning to feel familiar as more of her memories flood my mind. I idly wonder if Tattletale or any Thinker feels the same, my life before now slowly fades into the back of my mind, so I focus on retaining as much of the plot of Worm as I can remember and some basic skills. It was a mental trick that I learned in college, how to organize my thoughts and memories, it helped clear up space in my brain. I focused on things that I wouldn't need, my memories of my childhood, my family and friends were the first to go. Then I focused on retaining some practical things like cooking and how to lockpick. Then again I never managed to use that outside of it being a fun trick to pull with friends, it's easier to just break the lock itself nine times out of ten. After a few minutes, I'm given a fresh set of clothes while Danny signs papers, the nurse asks me if I need help and I accept with a slight blush.

After a change of clothes, I'm wheeled to Danny's car and as some light rain falls I wonder what I should do with my power.

" Maybe I should start by building something like an alloy bracer to cover my arm and body… Automail is an option… Wait, how the fuck do I know how to install… Oh fuck, I'm a tinker! I'm not 100% screwed! Just 99.9%! Go me! " I giggled much to Danny's surprise, he gave me a smile and I closed my eyes.

Designs for various automail flood my mind, sure I can't install them, but I can build them, cheaper than the high end prosthetics they have now to build, and highly durable. Only issue is installation, can't numb it. Designs for guns also fill my mind. Thank goodness Amestrist was a war filled country for several years, plus the bastard that was the Iron Blood Alchemist had a lot of knowledge of guns. The trip is rather short as we stop in front of a high-school, Winslow. The shittiest high school this side of Carrie's, actually more since this one has actual Nazis.

" Oh fuck… I'm meeting Taylor. " I think, as a mosquito flies nearby. I feel like I'm being watched, I probably am. A tall, rather thin girl with a mess of brown hair accompanies Danny to the car, I force myself to not stare too deeply. Two things stand out to me,

Taylor definitely had some body issues, she doesn't look nearly as plain as she described. Sure not a supermodel or anything like that, but she's not ugly or that plain looking.She looks a bit like Marie's… I guess my mother…

A faint tear begins to form, I quickly move my hand and clear my eyes. I won't cry, I have no right to mourn her family. Even if her/my heart says otherwise.

"Hi, who are you?" She asks me as she enters the car. I open my mouth and no words come out, I take another breath and say, "Marie Flint. I'm your cousin, and I'll be staying with you." Nailed it, totally not robotic! 

I lie to myself a lot… She takes a second or so of thought as her mind seems to give her memories of Marie,

"Oh! Wow it's been years, last time I saw you was when you were like four years old. Is Aunt Catherine staying with us?" She says and Danny pales nearly as much as my face does. She sees him and starts to connect the dots as she looks back at my face. I'm not crying. I shouldn't mourn someone I never met. Yet her/my/our memories flood my brain. Taylor gasps and puts her hands on her mouth.

I don't cry… These are just sweat beads that pour from near my tear ducts. I hear Danny say things to Taylor but I don't pay attention to it, stupid emotions keep nagging at me, I can almost hear my old psychologist tell me to express my feelings, not analyze them at the moment. I ignored it back then and I ignore it now. 

We arrive soon after and Danny leaves us alone to go to Fugly Bob's burgers. My stomach growls with hunger as I think of a decent burger, I can't remember the last time I ate. Taylor looks at me somewhat worriedly, I think she's empathizing with me, that or I hope she is. She opens her mouth and closes it… It hits me like a brick, she doesn't know what to say or do with me.

"Uhm… Can you tell me what's there to do for fun around here?" I say trying to start a conversation.

"Well… There was a cinema, but that got blown up last week by Oni Lee, there's still the library, we can also go window shopping in… No, that's empire territory, the wharf is basically a junkyard at the moment. Actually the boardwalk near the Rig recently got some remodeling, so we can go window shopping there." She replies in a bored tone.

"Can I vote to go to the library?" I said with the most serious face I could manage. I really didn't feel like going out shopping and the familiarity of being stuck in a library for hours was very tempting.

"So you like books?" She said somewhat surprised, though I couldn't blame her. Out of the twins Annette was the more academically inclined. Catherine, (Mom a voice echoes in my mind) prefered to run, do gymnastics and the like. I suppose Marie also followed that school of thought, small glimpses of running with Catherine, of running up and down walls, or trying to at least, flash before my eyes.

" Like books? I love them, well I loved them. Marie preferred to play music. Something I have no skill in… " I think as my fingers start to twitch, I feel a need to create something. But I forcefully push it back despite the headache, I can't do anything while Taylor is around. She'd probably ask questions and I really don't want to try and deal with her early career…

Fucking Lung! Shit! She's going to eventually meet Lung! And Armsmaster. I need to kick both of them in the dick. But fuck, I forgot the undersiders, and her start as Skitter. Shit, Dinah will trigger soon and Coil will seek her out. I have so much to do and so little time…

"Marie?" Taylor asks as she sees my face become worried, "Is it something I said?"

"No! It's just…" Fuck, brain do something! "Mom and books and… Sorry I'm a mess right now." I feel like I should get a new brain and as I look at her face I start feeling twice as shitty. Taylor looks somewhat horrified, it's not her fault I'm an orphan. Does she feel guilty over it? Over reminding… Emma reminds her of Annette's death.

Oh God, she thinks that she's like Emma! 

Fuck, I have to deal with the dumbass trio. Canon Taylor left them alone, I'm pettier, by a lot. Part of my brain goes into overdrive thinking about how to make sure that accidents happen to Emma and Madison, preferably the type that include heavy disfigurement and mental scarring. Sophia is the only one that's an actual challenge and she's done with a taser… Actually if she turns into shadows, can I transmute her into a wall? Like permanently? Fuck, Marie, I mean me! Focus, help Taylor.

"It's not your fault, to be honest everything reminds me of her…" I start saying when she hugs me, tears start flowing from both our eyes. Danny chooses to walk in a few minutes later, he bravely goes to the kitchen and waits for the waterworks to stop. They do eventually and I'm left to admit that Fugly Bob's makes a decent burger, okay more than decent if I'm being honest top 5 at least, it's pure grease and meat but god dammit it tastes heavenly to my empty stomach. 

Over dinner Danny informs me of several things, including that I'm going to school next week and that at least tonight I'm bunking with Taylor while tomorrow we go shopping for a bed and school supplies. I excuse myself to take a bath, and holy fuck my hair is too godamned long, it reaches past my knees! After a few minutes Taylor gives me some old pajamas of hers and helps me with my hair. She tells me a bit more about the bay as she patiently brushes my hair which I'm tempted to cut. But something inside me rebels against that idea. Regardless of that feeling we were done in less than an hour and I pretended to fall asleep soon after. It takes me several minutes to realize that I'm going back to school.

"Fuck me." I mutter as I toss and turn on the mattress. Comfier than I expected to be honest, softer as well. I dream of a beach and a man covered in the colors of space playing with sand, bright spots surround his head, one lights up, more than the others, and the sand shifts around him building a castle. He looks at me and the castle shifts into a number, "11" I mutter out loud, then it shifts to 10. I can't see his face but I know he's smiling, I wake up with a scream in my throat, and rush to the bathroom. After nearly puking I decide to take a bath, I absently begin drawing a circle in the bathroom mirror until my conscious mind stops me. I force back the need again even as it grows. I sneak back into the room and fall asleep, the nearby bugs skitter around, making me feel both safe and watched.

-March 5, 2011-

Shopping was awkward, not because of any lack of money, Catherine was very thorough with her will and left Marie with a decent sum of money for personal use and a very generous trust fund for needs. No, it was awkward mostly because of my absolutely abysmal fashion sense, or so Taylor snarked. Which surprised me given that she's 80% hoodies and jeans all the time; but I'm not mentioning that anywhere near her. I do not want spiders in my cereal, thank you very much. So I ended up getting a lot of variations on shirts and jeans, with a few skirts, shoes and other unmentionables.

Danny, someone bless this man's patience with me, tried to get me some hero themed clothing. I refuse to comment on the Armsmaster shirts, the Alexandria brand underwear and the fucking Eidolion shoes. The triumvirate hoodie however was nice, even if I have issues with 2/3rds of them and wouldn't hesitate to turn them into chunky meat paste. Cauldron is a problem for me in the future, trying to see if I can fake a normal life is a bigger issue at the moment. And by normal I mean plan around a bastard that cheats by using timelines. I wonder if showing up to his house and turning him into a meat piñata counts as assisted suicide by Contessa? I look around for a fedora and find none, so I'm safe, probably.

I did however buy notebooks, lots and lots of notebooks. Pens, pencils, even some chalk and charcoal sticks were added. I claimed I wanted to learn to draw as an excuse. During the afternoon we did stop by the library, Taylor stayed near the computers either logging into PHO or researching something, while I took some time to look up maps, some old ww2 weapon blueprints, and parahuman psychology books, the latter drew the attention of the librarian but when she saw me writing down page numbers she left me alone. A bit later we went back to the Hebert residence and had dinner. This time it wasn't take-out but I wasn't allowed to help make the pasta, so I went into my room and began to write. 

Alchemy recipes mostly, if anyone was a decent code breaker they could decipher it, but most people would think I was a culinary buff. Dantes and Father were bastards, but they knew their human transmutation, the process of creating Homunculi didn't interest me much, but the ability to install their skills into myself was a tempting proposition. It should be doable within the confines of human alchemy, the only issue was the cost. A stone could fuel it, but I'm not becoming a murderer as my first option. So I started thinking of alternate sources of energy; I kept writing and drawing, I was called down for dinner and by the time I came back I saw that the pages were different from the ones I left off.

" Taylor… " I immediately think as I see a spider in the corner of my room. It's small, perfect for spying. I slowly walk to it and say, "Hey little guy, I imagine that this is scary for you, but I live here now. So…" I grabbed a loose piece of paper and put it in front of the spider, "Get on top of it and I'll escort you out of here." I swear that the spider nodded and I kept my word, it skittered out quickly and I closed my door. 

The plan at the moment, if it can be called a plan, is simple: design a formula for human transmutation to allow for homunculus powers, or at the very least make my body into one fit for a homunculus. Ideally I want Greed (For brute rating and protection), Envy (Changer is good, full body change is better) and Pride ( bullshit shadow powered grabbag) as my main options. Lust, Wrath, Sloth and Gluttony aren't actually useful… Except vs Crawler, I could eat the fucker… No, I would need more than that to actually kill him. I will also need to somehow kill Jack despite him being able to sense me, I shake my head and focus again on the present not the future.

"All right, shard, let's see if we can make something useful." I whisper to the new notebook. I begin writing, words and designs flow as time flies, I'm barely aware of tossing one of my notebooks to the floor, it didn't matter I needed to keep writing to keep designing otherwise I couldn't build; I'm vaguely aware that the sun rises entirely because I left the curtains open. I ran out of notebooks, pencils, and pens as well, but in the last one I see it. The formula for human transmutation, version 5.8…

-March 6, 2011-

I hear a knock on my door and I pretend to be asleep, Danny tells Taylor to wake me up and she enters. She shakes me and I pretend to be waking up.

"Didn't know you were a cook." She says looking at the several opened notebooks. I'm somewhat amazed that I wrote that much, my hands and wrist don't feel tired, tinker powers are bullshit.

"Not all of them are food. Some are what I remember about her. About traveling the country…" I reply half asleep, I see a small spider sneak into the room behind Danny's right foot. I frown slightly and ask, "What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes. Come on kiddo, let's get you downstairs." Taylor replies, almost carrying me as I drudge behind her. Fucking hell I'm short (4'5 feet), or she's tall, my fingers twitch slightly as my head begs for them to transmute things. I drive that instinct down, I need a workshop first or an hour away from all insects.

Taylor stays near me during most of the day, I can barely get anything done, outside of designing my costume of course. I would need some raw materials but there are several dumps nearby, so that's not a problem. I can turn the fibers into spider silk for strength, a bit of steel mail to cover myself even more, a simple domino mask for now, a wig (though I could also use alchemy to change my hair color), a staff and more than a few knives. I also drew out Alphonse and Edward, Mustang and Hawkeye as well. Taylor complements my shitty drawings and the day passes lazily… 

I look at the calendar before falling asleep, a month or so until Lung, at least I'll have some free time after school. 

-March 7, 2011-

I dream of a golden morning, I see Scion killing everyone, Taylor loses her arm and bleeds out before me, I see the simurgh laughing cruelly. My heart is in my throat as I curse at the angelic bitch and try to rush her. A blast of energy tears apart my legs from beneath me and I wake up screaming this time. My fingers are around my throat trying to silence the screams, I can feel the nails bite down on my neck; Taylor almost breaks down the door and hugs me, I shiver even as the future I know can happen steps closer. I hate this fear, yet being hugged feels nice. 

I'm dropped off at Stonewell academy early enough to see some of the staff enter. The school doesn't look like a dump, needs a good coat of paint or two, but there's not that much dust and grime. Even the desks look more than acceptable, I eagerly sleep in my homeroom until the bell rings and class starts.

I hate school and I've only been here for 5 minutes, first class is math for some godforsaken reason and I'm the new kid. So awkward introductions occur, I try to focus on my class to see if I recognize anyone from their descriptions in the novel… Fucking hell I don't recognize anyone, I know Vista is blonde. And that's it. Fortunately the classes aren't hard, and up until the lunch break I get to enjoy some peace and quiet. Thoughts on how to dismantle Empire 88 fill my head as I eat what I hope is meatloaf. 

"So where are you from?" A tallish blonde girl with gray eyes asks me, snapping me back into the now. I almost ask where the fuck she came from, but I remember that I'm a kid and shouldn't curse outloud, so I settle for answering her question.

"I was born here, but due to mom's job we had to move often. She worked with parahuman psychology so she was always on call all across the country." I say after swallowing what I hope was meatloaf, meanwhile the memory of Marie's life played in my mind. The girl might have been in every state at least once in her short life, always moving and never stopping. 

"Must have been nice to visit so many places." She says wistfully, her eyes are earnest and she really seems like she's trying to get me to talk. Am I adopting an extrovert? Or is it the other way around? Wait, shit I need to respond!

"It kinda is, lots of different places to see and explore." I reply somewhat enthusiastically, there's pain in those memories but I think I don't let it show in my face. "What's your name?"

"Emily Cross." She says, I thank my luck for once that she's not Missy Byron and keep talking with her. She's not the biggest fan of capes, but that suits me just fine, not everything needs to be related to shards. She can actually play guitar and is in the music club, she asked me if I played. I wanted to say no, but Marie a part of me made me say yes.

"Really? What do you play?" She said excitedly, it was contagious to a point, I relaxed and said,

"Violin and I was learning to play guitar as well." My throat begins to hurt as a memory takes over my mind,

A woman, Mom , is bleeding over me, she looks like Taylor, her blood falls on my face, I can feel the cracked glass digging into my skin as she asks me to stand still and pretend to be dead. Hookwolf's claws cut open her back as he runs, he doesn't even notice us. She keeps bleeding over me, trying to not sound in pain, she says she loves me and that she's sorry, I hate that apology…

"Was?" Emily says as I feel myself come back from the memory.

"Yeah… Did you hear about Hookwolf's arrest? I was there. He destroyed a bus full of people while trying to escape from the PRT, and me and my mom were there." She looks horrified, and says she's sorry, I try to smile but for some odd reason I can't. 

" Nothing odd about not smiling when you're sad. " A voice that sounds like my own says to me, " Yet I'm not the one who should feel sad Marie is. I'm not Marie… " I respond even as Emily hugs me, I won't lie, hugs feel good. She quickly begins talking about music, about school, movies, I smile as I let her enlighten me about the life of a teenager. 

The bell rings and we head to class, history is as boring as always despite superpowers, fortunately I don't fall asleep during class and the day wears on. By the time the bell rings to signal the end of the school day I've managed to create a rudimentary idea as to what I need to do going forward. The most important thing is getting materials, which if I go dumpster diving, should be easy. Emily invites me to the music club meeting in a few days and I say yes, I don't have a workshop yet and club meetings can be used as an excuse to come home late. As I walked to the bus to get back to Taylor's house I began to memorize any abandoned buildings I could find. Hopefully I could find a decent place with a basement so I could begin transmuting any number of metals into gold and silver, as well as make a weapon or two. A gun would be useful,but a knife is easier to explain and conceal. 

Taylor arrives an hour later, I notice that she's not wearing the same hoodie she had during the morning. It could be many things, but she's at Winslow… " So bullying… Fuck I need to do something. " 

I shouldn't say anything, unfortunately for me I'm too much of an idiot to not try, "Hey Taylor!" I said feigning excitement, "How was your day? Mine was fine, I think I made a friend. And…" I keep talking, Taylor looks at me, her face changes from dour to amused and eventually smiles, the distraction was successful. Danny would arrive to try out what I managed to cook with Taylor supervising. And I didn't blow up the kitchen, already this new life was looking up. Taylor still didn't let me use the knives. Seriously, just because a knife is almost as long as my forearm doesn't mean that I'm bad at using it!

-March 8, 2011-

It was around midnight when I woke up, the itch was getting to me. I sighed as I took out some coins I had lying around. It's not much but it doesn't have to be for what I need, but first I need access to alchemy without circles. That means human transmutation, fuck me running I'm facing Truth. Sighing I draw a circle on my stomach and focus my power. I quickly activate the circle and feel the universe punch me in the gut.

The gate stands before me, that smiling fuck, that ever expanding darkness dressed in the white of the background called Truth, stares at me.

"Most curious… You know me and yet I don't know you human." His voice sounds… curious.

"I need the knowledge." I state, not letting my voice waver.

"So you do, so you do. You who understands the need for an equivalent exchange, what do you offer?" It asks me and I answer,

"What do you want?"

"Tell me your of old life A̴͎̥̣͖̻̣̼͗̈́̈́̀d̸̢͖͍̮́͌̅̉̇͌̐̄̐͋̈̍͊̆̕a̵̡͕̹͇͙̠̲͓̝̦̙̗͙̋̏̊̓̽͛͋̿͛̄͊̾͒͘ͅͅm̶̡̥̼̖̦̮̦̮͉̩̫̿̒"

I'm not sure when I start or stop talking, I remember screaming, I remember the gate opening, hundreds of hands falling on me, touching every inch of me and something inside me breaking. It feels like someone jabbed a knife in me and decided to mimic a blender inside my chest, bladed wires slowly crawling from my chest and clawing into my brain. Yet from that open wound information fills my mind. Everything is connected, everything comes back to zero.

I open my eyes and clap my hands and touch the coins in front of me. The formula appears in my mind as my fingers touch the metal I feel them change. The shifting of molecules and of the shape is almost instant, the light show that follows is less bright than I expected. I hear the crackle of electricity fade as a small ring lies in front of me. If anyone bothered to look closely at it they would swear that it was pure silver. If they cut it open they would see the circle inside of the ring. I put it on my finger and I tap the floor. A small electric pulse runs through the floor, I feel the entire house, every screw, every bolt and every bug inside. I resist the urge to laugh like a maniac even as my desire for sleep drops me on the floor.

I swiftly use alchemy to erase the circle drawn on my stomach and shift my hair back to its dull black. I dream of a life lost, faces gone, distorted voices, of happy times and sad times. An ocean of regrets and a sky full of possibilities. I dream of a man who tried to do the right thing in the end. I wish I could remember his name, I wish I could remember my name. I'm Marie? No, I know I'm not, yet who am I if not Marie? I refuse to answer that question even in my dreams.

-Stonewell Academy, later that day.-

"Hey Marie, wake up!" Emily says after the bell rings, history shouldn't be free nap time, but the teacher could make Scion fighting dinosaurs boring with his voice alone. Still extra sleep never hurt me, I shook my head slightly as I mumbled, "Not asleep. Just meditating."

"Right and I'm the queen of England." She replies as I raise my eyebrow at her. "Anyways, wanna go and hang out after school?"

"I want to, but I promised Danny I'd be home early." I say, sounding suitably disappointed. It isn't a lie, I did say I'd try to get home early this week at least. Plus I fully intended to go dumpster diving after school for materials to convert into a handgun. Or given the current state of the itch a handgun, a shotgun, several knives and a rifle. Fucking tinker needs, the thought of mass producing the analysis array rings also floated in my head, but I refused to address it. I don't have a team and it would take at least a day to set up a lab for fake stones. Or a few hours if I can get vats that are big enough and can use alchemy to accelerate the growth.

"Danny is your guardian?" Emily asks me as we head to science class. Oddly enough not my favorite given the lack of experiments, but lab safety is important I guess.

"Yeah, my uncle as well, works in the dock workers union." I reply as I slam into another girl. I lose my balance and fall on my ass, "Fu… I mean dang" I manage to get out as I see who I hit. Not tall, blonde, looks around my age, light green shirt and blue jeans, looks angry… Oh fuck I'm staring.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" I say after a few seconds. She looks annoyed,

"Yeah, but watch where you're going." She replies testily, I get up with Emily's help and offer her my hand, she doesn't take it and gets up easily. I stare at her as she leaves, " What's with me and blondes? " I think to myself as class starts. It wasn't bad, one of the boys, James, if Emily is right about his name, managed to create a stink bomb or something that smells like death rolled over us. Which got our class to leave early. I headed home, or pretended to at least. Instead I took the bus to the market and went window shopping. After an hour or so of exploring and writing down possible materials for me to borrow or buy later I left the market and headed towards the docks. If my memory was right I needed to go south and I'd get back home, however I was distracted. 

Thanks to that I ran into a tall blonde girl, she had freckles, her eyes widened as they saw me… " Oh fuck me, Tattletale? " I thought as I started running away as fast as my legs could take me. I don't hear what she says as I panic and run. I head into an alley about a block away from the house and transmute a door into an abandoned building. I hide the door and forcefully create a basement, a simple room beneath, adrenaline still rushing through my blood. I scan the building through alchemy, and transmute again. Everything inside the building is transferred before me in the form of blocks. Wood, metal, plastics, everything… 

My mind races through the options at hand, it wouldn't take much to make a handgun or two, but if I get stopped by a policeman or a cape, escalation is inevitable, so for now I discard it as an option. After a few minutes I clapped my hands and touched the ground before me, lightning formed and I saw it, a collapsible baton, Kevlar armor and a dark coat, and a pair of knives. I focused my thoughts once again and made a full face mask, not necessarily the most original, it being a dark blue and completely smooth with lenses in the eyes to protect from flashbangs, but it would have to do. 

My stomach grumbles in protest to the energy expenditure, and for once I listen to it. Looking at my watch I find that it's been half an hour since I ran into who I think was Tattletale. Taylor and Danny shouldn't be home for another 2 hours or so. I sigh as I change into my costume and place my clothes in my bookbag, barely fitting it in, the rest of the materials are placed even further below, much to my ever growing hunger's delight and I head back home.

The fact that I'm starting to refer to that house as a home worries me slightly, it is not my home, it is not Marie's home either. I know this intellectually but at the same time I stopped existing a while back or forward? Fuck time and dimensional travel is a pain to deal with.

The sight of a cape with a backpack leaping across rooftops is less than stealthy, but it's a common enough occurrence that outside of a few photos being taken, I don't see anyone following me. Quickly I go into another abandoned building and change clothes there. Hiding my costume in a wall I hollowed out, I leave. Just a kid walking through abandoned buildings, which is sadly normal in Brockton Bay.

The house is empty, I start to walk in as quietly as possible, I make it to the stairs when the spiders begin to fall on me.

I don't shriek, I'm too afraid to do so, a memory reminds me of how Alexandria died and makes me almost faint. Suffocating is not my favorite way to die. Taylor, wearing her mask and a partial costume comes out of the basement and asks me,

"Who are you?" 

1.1- end

Addendum:

Since I couldn't plug in every inspiration for this fic in the initial field I'm just going to mention the other fics that inspired this. My main inspiration is still In Nuclear fire.

Kathy's Brockton Bay adventures by Hydralisk

Tinker of Fiction by Monkfish

Both can be found in sufficient velocity.