[disclaimer - Wildbow owns Worm, I don't own Worm]
You'd think that tinkering powers couldn't help with locating shelter, right? You'd be wrong. Tinker powers are good for all kinds of things, more specifically seeing the ways in which technology works and ways to disassemble and analyse it. To aid in my shelter-finding task, I began crafting some relevant specialisations together - two charges into infrastructure and urban tinkering (which let me see the many, many, many flaws in Brockton's building designs and infrastructure technology that went into creating the dank, dark alley I was currently hiding in), one into home construction for purposes of identifying appropriate buildings or other containers to stay in overnight, one into lock tinkering to identify places I could disassemble or break the locks on, and one into furnishing tinkering to help identify places I can make cozy, because fuck if I was going to go without at least a bed of some kind.
I knew I was missing something, and realised I probably should have asked the Wards for a map of Brockton Bay. Because I didn't, I now had to sneak around pretty much blindly (though I did know that there were lots of abandoned places near the docks, so heading towards the sea was probably a good shout) while trying to avoid any kind of gang attention at all. My massive knowledge of city infrastructure helped more directly identify the direction that the sea and more specifically the docks were likely in - along with the ocean smells, of course - which was at least a consolation prize.
And so, the journey began. Honestly, it was rather boring most of the way, though I did see at least one light streaking through the sky, which was probably Purity if I had to take a guess, and I heard a couple explosions in the distance and screaming which unfortunately there was little I could do about right now in a city with capes about. Goddamn Nazis being all Nazi-ish. As twilight approached, I was lucky to finally see the ocean, and the frankly magnificent (if gaudy and out of touch, in my view) Protectorate Rig floating over the bay. My tinker power was tingling at a warehouse across the street out of the alley I was crouching in, showing that unlike several of the surrounding buildings, it was a more reinforced structure, clearly designed to survive low-level cape fights. It also had a lock that I could see exactly how to break, and as such, I decided to cross the road, poking my head out in each direction of the alley, found it clear, and dashed across the road, as close to the ground as possible, and immediately hid again behind a wall next to the abandoned warehouse I was interested in before someone saw me.
That was a good thing too, because next thing I knew, Glory Girl (I could tell by the emotional aura, which was... wow) came barreling out of the sky towards the alley I had just been in. I discovered why, as not a minute later two capes (both wearing E88 colours) and some skinheads came out of the back of the alley I was just in, dragging a black woman by the hair. Just seeing it made me want to fucking throw up, thinking about what they were probably going to do. What made it worse was being completely unable to help, stuck there, having to watch them spew slurs and threaten that woman who was unfortunate enough to get stuck near Empire territory. Judging by the way the two capes looked at each other, and the frequent taps by one on the other, I guessed they were Victor and Othala. That's what they would do to me, to anyone like me, if they had the chance, I thought to myself. I don't think I'd ever hated Nazis so much before as in that moment, which is a fucking impressive feat.
Luckily for the woman, Glory Girl had come across the little Empire "Initiation drive" and was busy smashing the skinheads into the ground, maybe a little violently but frankly I didn't give the slightest fuck about their wellbeing at that point. I was hiding just behind the warehouse I had picked in a combination of terror (from the fucking Nazis), horror, and awe (from Glory Girl's aura, which was beginning to dissipate) - I curled up on the floor silently leaking tears as Collatoral Damage Barbie finished making Nazis into Intentionally Damaged Skinheads, zip-tying them and calling the PRT to take them away. After almost half an agonising hour, she finally left along with the PRT (carrying the unfortunate woman to her apartment), and I got to work on the warehouse after uncurling myself from my little "oh fuck" ball.
Picking the lock was trivial and I opened the door as quietly as possible, ensuring that there was no-one inside. Then, I shut the door behind me, and turned on the lights (apparently this place was just leeching off the grid, which my tinker power seemed to be rather fond of given the random dust coated machinery I could see around here that could be used to manufacture railway infrastructure). Unfortunately for my tinker power, I wouldn't be making any of that tonight, but that was simple enough to resolve - I simply pushed all my charges into home modification and it became trivial for me to manipulate pieces of machinery into turning some of the raw iron on the floor into explicitly structured flexible foam that I used - in combination with spare fabric lying around - to construct a mattress, pillow, and cover. I also get to see what a tinker-fugue felt like, and I have to say, it was pretty trippy, moving completely automatically with no conscious control like that.
It took me barely an hour to construct a lusciously comfortable bed, illustrating the absolute ridiculousness of tinker powers, which I then threw myself onto. It was at this point I finally had some personal space and a comfortable position, and I finally, finally had that breakdown I knew was coming the moment I was out of immediate danger, and I silently cried and almost screamed (though I still had some restraint), hugging the cover trying in futility to overcome the loneliness and abandonment that was invading my thoughts and the all consuming dread and hopelessness that was almost an inevitable infection coming from the state of Earth Bet, the constant unyeilding body discomfort that permeated anywhere the bed touched my skin, the feeling of squirming dysphoria.
I did eventually fall asleep, and I was lucky that I don't tend to remember dreams.
[end of chapter - nya~]