I screamed and braced myself, the oncoming car slamming into mine with a crunch, the metal and glass exploding inwards, I felt something hard punch through my chest, and my breath cut out. Everything went white, then black, then I was in a tunnel of bodies. So, so many bodies. Humans, animals, insects, all in the act of lovemaking, all tangled together. I felt a pull towards one of the couples, and I drifted, my senses wavering and shaking. A wave hit me, and I shook, my- not body, essence, maybe?- wobbled, and felt myself being sucked back out of the tunnel, away from the couple I'd been moving towards, a sense of wrongness and terror gripped me as I fell, weightless into a void, and then, there was fluff.
I sat up and tried to scream, but my throat was full of... something, I thrashed, and felt a slab of wood under me. My eyes were open, but I couldn't see, was I dead? I'd died in the car accident, I knew I was dead. I'd gone to hell, my pastor was right, this was it, I was in hell. Why was hell so soft? Why did I feel so...wrong? My body was weird, my limbs too thin, my head too big, my clothes felt like a second skin, and they weren't the jeans and t shirt I'd been wearing, was I in a dress? I wondered if I came back to life while being prepared for burial and that's why I felt so wrong, but I knew my parents would never have the grace and understanding to bury me as myself, so the dress ruled that theory out.
"Hey, honey, calm down..." a voice said, soothing and calm "We've all been there, you need to relax. I'd say deep breaths, but we don't need to do that anymore."
I tried to respond, but only a muffled moaning came out.
"You need to work on expanding your spirit to fill out your body, here, let me..." the voice said, and I felt cold, smooth glass rubbing on my legs
As the glass worked up my body, I became more aware of my form, the physical sensation making the connection between me and whatever shape I was. I moaned again, and the glass- hands, I could now feel- made their way up to my face.
"Now, you're going to want to speak from your mouth, not your throat or chest, ok? Imagine the words appearing right in front of you, and push them out." The voice said gently
I could do that, I'd done enough voice training to know how to move my voice around. I opened my mouth, and pushed the words out.
"Wheerre amm I...?" I still sounded off, soft, higher than usual, but I could speak again. It felt weird, my throat didn't move at all, and it felt like the words were just appearing at my lips, without being formed
"You're on a workbench in a magi-tech shop." the voice said "Hold still, I'm going to get your eyes working again, ok?"
The hands pushed into my eyes, and I felt them work around, moving my eyes in weird ways. After a few seconds, I started to 'see' again, and the blurry world came into focus. I couldn't blink, and my vision felt... 'sharp', but fuzzy on the sides, like I was moving a point of focus around instead of using normal vision. The person standing over me was-
Not a person
They were a... doll? A small clown doll, with a soft body and a yellow and blue harlequin suit on, their face was white glass with blue and yellow triangles above and below their eyes to match their outfit, and their hands and feet were made of the same stuff their face was. On top of their head was a floppy two tailed jester hat, with black bobbles at the ends. They tilted their head, their face moving to look concerned, without any kind of cracking or shattering like you'd expect from glass changing shape like that.
"Are you ok, honey?" they said "I know it's hard to understand, I'll explain it better in a moment..."
"You- you're a doll." I said, pulling myself up on my elbows
"...Sweetheart, this is going to shock you, but... so are you."
I felt a chill, and looked down at my body. I was... knit together, from some kind of tough yarn, I was wearing a blue dress with a pocket on the front, and my legs were white to look like I was wearing tights. I had light brown 'shoes' on, that looked removable, and my arms were a lighter tan skin tone. I was... I couldn't think of the word, a crochet doll? I didn't have lungs, but if I did, I'd have been hyperventilating. I flapped my arms, feeling some kind of wire inside to give me 'bone' and I let out a short sob.
"No, no, no, I was- there was a car accident, I was supposed to be reborn or something, not made into this why- oh god, oh fuck..." I pulled myself into a ball and shivered.
"Hey, it's ok, we all went through it, it's ok..." the clown said, their hand rubbing on my back "You're the latest creation of a magi-technician called 'Father Wright', he makes toys, and brings them to life."
"But- I was- I had a life!" I said "I'm- oh, fuck..."
"He uses a tool to pull souls out of Samsara, and put them into new bodies. Do you remember your name?"
"I..." I wracked my fluff for something, I knew it'd been important to me, I'd picked it out myself, even, but... "No, I- I can't remember."
"That's fine, it's ok." they said, smiling "Samsara strips us of our memories, I have almost no memory of my past life, just that I was an elf, and that I had a child."
I stared at them, shocked again, elf? Like, the fantasy creature? Then again, if they had 'magi-tech' then I wasn't anywhere I was familiar with, elves might be common here...
"Do you remember where you came from?" they asked
"Uhh, I lived just outside Boston, I guess." I said, looking around at the poorly lit room. It was old fashioned, mostly wood, with tools and workbenches, but there were a few things that let me know it was more advanced than it seemed. The walk in faraday cage in one corner, a TV screen on one wall, the large electronic device over my head, pointing down at me...
"Boston?" they asked "Like the one from the history books?"
"What?" I asked "No, like the one from Massachusetts."
"We lost the whole eastern seaboard about a hundred years ago, during The Great War..." the clown said sadly "You must be from very far away indeed."
"Holy fuck..." I muttered. This place was... wrong and scary. It sounded like I was in another version of earth, at least that's what my memories of the sci-fi books I'd read told me. I needed to get out of this workshop place at least, though. I stood up and walked around the table, looking for a way down.
"Oh, you can't leave!" the clown said "Sorry, no, it's- I'll get punished if you go away..."
I turned to look at the clown "What's your name? And are you a boy or a girl?"
"My name is Tipsy, and... no, I'm not."
"...Ah, right, well then Tipsy, I'm guessing I'm merchandise?" I asked, looking in a small mirror on the table.
I had black, semi curly knitted 'hair', and a small beret on my head, sewn on. I found with mild surprise that I could move the 'hair' as easily as my limbs, if I focused. My eyes were solid black buttons with eyebrows over them, and my mouth was non-existent unless I was talking or expressing, then it was two black threads that made up my lips. I couldn't tell where they came from, they seemed to just appear when I used my mouth, as weird as it was.
"Not quite merchandise! You'll be someone's life guide, that's what Father Wright sells." Tipsy said "You'll stay with them and give them advice, and just... be there for them when they need a friend."
"...That sounds awful." I said "I am not a people person."
"Well, the injection machine is only calibrated to find suitable souls, so... I think you'll do wonderfully!"
"Is there any way to get back to normal?" I asked
"Mmm... Your body is- not livable anymore, that's why you're here in the first place, so not 'normal', no. If you get destroyed though, you'll go back into Samsara? But if you kill yourself, you get a lower class body, I think..."
I huffed and shook my head "That Samsara thing would wipe my mind, right?"
"Well, more than it already has, yes." Tipsy said
I was torn. I really, really didn't want to play jiminy cricket to some loser, but I also really didn't want to have my mind erased... I was taking the fact that I'd died pretty well, and my new body was- well it wasn't 'me', but it was cute and fem, even if it was frustrating that it was missing two important things that I'd spent a lot of time and money growing on my original body.
I turned to Tipsy "Just me here, then? And you?"
They nodded "Yup! Father Wright likes to find the perfect fit for his creations, so he usually only has a couple of us at a time. I've been here for months, but I'll find my person soon!"
"And... what's the life span on these bodies?" I asked
Tipsy tilted their head "Um... I guess until we break? I don't- I haven't thought about it, really."
I noticed a vent above me, over the 'injector' and started scaling the device "Well, I'm about ready to head out then, want to join me?"
"Um, wait, no, you can't, please stop!" Tipsy said "He worked so, so hard on you, please, he'll find you the perfect person, it'll be wonderful!"
"Nope, I'm not playing that game." I said "I'm a strong independent woman, I refuse to be tied down here."
"You don't even know where you are!" they said, stressed "You're- there's- ugh, you could get killed, the fallen chosen out there would love to just pull you apart for meanness, or if a witch or someone got you, they'd just use your soul for a spell, please, it's not safe!"
"I'll take my chances, I need to be free, Tipsy. If you want to come with me... I'll help you, and you can help me?"
"No, I can't, I-" A smashing sound, and heavy boot steps sounded out, cutting them off
"Father Wright?" I asked, climbing faster
"N-no, um, gosh, maybe you should leave, umm..." they looked around, stressed and panicked "Don't get caught, we- we're not supposed to exist, I'm sorry..."
The door to the workshop smashed open as three uniformed men burst in, sweeping the area with guns, flashlights on. I made it to the vent, and wedged myself under the metal, bending it out to wiggle through. I peeked out of the grate, and pulled the bent part back into place. These guys didn't seem like people who wanted to find me and Tipsy our 'someones', this looked more like a swat raid. All the soldiers had a strange female logo with a crown on it on their chests, they didn't look fem, but neither did I at one point, so... Still, maybe it was some kind of feminist law enforcement group? This place was confusing...
One saw Tipsy on the desk, and picked them up. They screamed, and kicked their feet, but the uniformed man didn't let go. Behind the three men in the room a tall lady with a tight vest, small shorts, and purple domed boots and gauntlets stepped in.
"This is the right place?" She asked, her voice hard
"Yes ma'am, we found one of his constructs on the table." the man who'd picked up Tipsy said
She looked at them, and her face curled into a sneer "Disgusting..." she said "Violating the rebirth cycle itself to make toys..."
"What should we do with the construct ma'am?" another soldier asked "Should we destroy it to free the spirit?"
The tall lady wrinkled her nose "...No. This whole thing might be an abomination against the gods, but they're still a person. They didn't ask for this. We'll bring them back to Queen Tower and contain them for now, we'll find out what to do later."
She bent over, looking Tipsy in the eyes and spoke in a gentle voice "Hey, we've got your maker in custody, he won't be making any more like you, ok? Are you the only one left? Or are there others?"
Tipsy froze, and their head twitched towards the vent, where I was. I tensed up, they fucking wouldn't, I refused to be contained...
"N-no, I'm the only one here..." they said.
I internally sighed in relief. They were a good person after all. Once I got my bearings, maybe I could try to break them out of 'Queen Tower', whatever that was. Of course, a fluffy knitted doll even surviving long enough to get her bearings at all was a big ask. Breaking into a place was a lot more of an ask. Maybe I could find someone to help? Whatever happened though, I needed to avoid people at all costs. I slipped away up the vent, making my way through the walls to make my escape.
~~~
I sat in a window in the old building across from the workshop. I'd been a doll for three days so far, and I didn't understand this world at all. There were gods and demons that made pacts with people regularly and that was just 'normal' here. There were fantasy creatures just walking the streets, and religious warriors called 'chosen' that seemed weirdly similar to superheroes, and the internet had only been invented a few years ago instead of in the 70s, but they somehow already had a kind of advanced, round, hard to use smartphone. This world was alien and weird, but still too familiar for me to relax in, like a social version of the uncanny valley. I just tried to stay hidden, and hide from anyone I saw, rather than integrate.
There were giant TVs set up in the main intersections and squares playing ads for dozens of different churches, more than any of the products for sale, and the walls of the city were plastered with posters asking people to join different sects, or to visit meetings with promises of 'free meals' or 'face painting!'. It was a dangerous mix of theology and marketing, with everyone trying to get everyone else into their church.
The lady I'd seen in the workshop was one of the queens of the city, a leader of some sorts from what I gathered. Her church was a women-centered one, with another lady, one named "Queen Vile" at the top. I couldn't tell what they believed, but they didn't seem to be too bad, just overly militarized and flashy. Still, they wanted me to be 'in containment', so good or not, they weren't good for me.
The tall lady- Miss Missile, as I'd come to find out- had been patrolling the area around the workshop for the past three days, but from my current vantage point in the window, I hadn't seen her walk past in hours. I knew there was no chance of me getting home in my original body, but that machine that put me in this body was the only way I even had of knowing where I'd come from, relative to here. If it even kept track. I might be able to take that info to someone who knew about dimensions or something, and they could send me home? It was a long shot, but I needed to try.
I dropped off the beam I was sitting on and landed with a soft thump on the ground. I'd tried my best to stay clean, but I needed a bath anyway. I didn't know how I'd do that, climb into a washing machine? I didn't think I could drown, but it wouldn't be a nice experience to be battered around in there like that. Maybe if there were clothes in there with me? That sounds gross though, to be in with someone's laundry... Fuck, I couldn't even afford a laundromat, I needed to find a plan, something to work towards. I hadn't needed to eat or sleep since I woke up, so a job wasn't required, and I didn't know if I could even get hired somewhere anyway, but money would be needed for me to hire someone to send me home. My only real priority now was getting whatever information was on that stupid machine...
I walked over to the front of the building and peeked out of a hole in the sheet metal, checking left and right to make sure I was alone, and-
I froze. Right next to me, pointed at the workshop, under the window I'd been watching out of, were a massive pair of round purple boots. I slowly stepped back, trying to get back into the building I'd come out of, trying not to alert her to my existence. A cigarette butt dropped from above and landed inches from me, and the boot lifted to step on it, and stopped, mid movement. I looked up carefully, and saw Miss Missile looking right back down at me, making eye contact.
"I fucking knew there was another one of you guys..." she said under her breath
I stayed frozen, and she looked at me carefully, not moving to grab me. I tried to think of an escape route, I could duck inside and get under a pile of metal before she opened the door, but I'd seen videos of her melting iron beams on the big TVs. Her power was something to do with explosions and movement, but I could't tell exactly what, what if she was willing to kill me to get rid of me?
"...I don't want to hurt you." she said, her foot still hovering over the lit cigarette butt "You're in a soul container right now, you're very fragile, and if anyone got their hands on you, they could use you as a very, very strong battery."
"..." I stayed quiet, still planning my move. She hadn't budged, but I couldn't see her hands through her chunky gauntlet things, so she could be sending a message to backup out of sight or something, I couldn't sit here forever.
"...If they did that, they would destroy your soul, and you'd die for good, no reincarnation." she said "I just want to put you somewhere safe so that doesn't happen to you"
"...I don't want to be locked up." I said quietly
"It's a nice containment area." she said "I could come see you, and you'd have your clown friend? They're very lonely right now."
"Then you should go talk to them." I said, my voice angry. If they locked someone up for existing, the least they could do was keep them happy.
"Maybe I will, right after..." Miss Missile started
I felt something was up, and ducked back in through the gap just as she lunged for me. Her gauntlet slammed into the opening and I fell over, just out of reach of her fingers, and I crawled away quickly. My arm felt... off, light and breezy somehow. I glanced down to see I'd torn it open on the metal, and gasped in shock. Was this permanent? I didn't think I could heal, so I'd need to fix that soon if I could. It didn't hurt, but I could still feel the other parts on it, hanging loosely. I didn't like it, it felt wrong, like I was naked in front of a crowd. I glanced up to see Miss Missile's face looking through the hole, a pained expression on her face as she saw my arm.
"Oh, fuck you're coming unraveled..." she hissed "Fuck fuck fuck, I'm so sorry, fuck, uhh, look, one of my teammates, Fem Butch, she does like, sewing? She can fix that, please, I just want to help..."
"This is your fault!" I said angrily "Let Tipsy go, leave us alone, and do your job instead of playing with dolls!"
Her face vanished from the hole and a second later the warehouse door burst open, her frame filling all of it.
"Look, We're trying to help you. We want to protect your eternal soul, please." She said, walking forward slowly
I looked around for anything on the floor to help me escape, but other than dust and large machinery all I saw was a ball bearing under a bench to my right. Better than nothing, but it was a long shot.
"I've been told that before, lady." I told her "And those people just wanted me to stop being myself, I don't trust you."
"Look, I can't let you go around like this, if literally any magic user gets you, they could use you to level a city block, if you won't come because I'm trying to help, you have to come because I'm arresting you." she said tiredly
"And the truth comes out! You don't care about me, you just want to lock me up!" I yelled. I dashed under the bench, kicking the ball bearing out after me as I slid.
Miss Missile ran after me in instinct, stepping directly on the ball bearing and flipping forwards. For a second I was scared she'd be seriously hurt, but as her forehead cracked against the concrete floor, an explosion bloomed in front of her, knocking her backwards, slamming the back of her head into the ground which cracked into a second explosion, throwing her forward onto her feet. I stared at her, unhurt and angry now as she stomped towards me. Was she converting impacts to explosions? Injuries? Pain? Whatever it was, I couldn't let her catch me now, she was pissed.
I kept running deeper into the warehouse, I needed to find a drain, a vent, something small, this lady was huge- or maybe regular sized with tall platforms in her boots, so any small-ish area would work. I pushed under a doorway to find-
A wall. A dead end. I'd run into a closet, Why was there a closet in a warehouse? I looked around for something that could help, anything, but the only things I found were some tools too big for me to lift, a box of pens, and a spool of baling wire. I pulled on the wire, trying to get enough of it out to use as a jabbing weapon, to maybe poke her hands with when she opened the door, but I wasn't strong enough. I screamed in frustration, and punched the pointy end, not caring if it tore me at this point. The wire dug into my yarn, and made contact with my wire 'bones' and a sensation shot through me, a feeling of being more. As my mind tried to understand the new sensation, I realized my body had thought the roll of baling wire was a part of me. I could move it like a limb, it writhed and twisted around the spool like it was make of liquid, no resistance. This doll body's 'nervous system' couldn't tell the difference between the new wire and one of my wire limbs. This was... an entirely new situation now, one I needed to take advantage of.
I pulled back, and poked the wire through my back, touching it to my metal frame, just as the door opened, bracing myself against the spool to hold it in place as it unwound. I shot the wire forward through my chest like I would throw a punch, balling it up to avoid stabbing her, and hit Miss Missile in the stomach, knocking her back with the resulting explosion. That confirmed it was some kind of damage to her that caused her to explode, I'd need to plan for that. I changed tactics, twirling the wire as she staggered, making loops around her, twisting and tying as she tried to push the living, moving wires away from her to no avail. I had her bound and on the floor in less than 30 second as she strained against the wires, blood forming on her arms and legs where she pushed against the bindings.
Blood with no explosions? So her power wasn't pain or damage in general, just impacts? Useful to know, if we crossed paths again.
I stepped out of the closet and walked over to her face. She glared at me and tried to thrash, but the wires held tight.
"We are trying to help you." she snarled
"Looks like I don't need it." I said smugly "I just need more wire."
I looked at my torn arm, and willed the yarn to move in the way I'd moved the wire, and the wound closed up, the yarn merging together and sealing the tear.
"I'm not even unraveling, anymore, I'm fine." I said "What's the opposite of unraveling?"
I thought for a moment "...I guess 'raveling', but that doesn't sound like a real word..."
"We will catch you, doll." Miss Missile said "And we'll be a lot less careful about it now that you attacked me."
"Not doll." I said "That's like, de-humanizing. Plus I got called a doll back when I was actually human, and it was... weird."
I looked at the wire, and down at my arm. "...Ravel. My name is Ravel, I decided."
"Fine, Ravel, whatever." she said, rolling her eyes "You need to leave, now."
I frowned at her "Are you helping me?"
"No, I just don't want to kill you, and I'm about to use my boots and gauntlets to get out of this wire, so fuck off if you don't want to burn up."
I glanced at her chunky plastic accessories and nodded "Oh, thanks... I'll... see you around?"
"Either on the streets or in containment." She said, her eyes still bearing holes through me
I saluted her sarcastically, and ran out the way I'd tried to go before I'd run into her. I'd get the data, get out, and get the money to get home, no problem.
I was halfway across the street when the building behind me exploded in a massive fireball, a woman shaped streak flying out of the inferno into the sky, trailing smoke and fire.
...Maybe the data could wait until she was gone...
I ducked into an alley way and took off deeper into Valley City. I'd find my way home one way or another, I just needed to find someone willing to hire me, and I had a feeling that with my new found ability, I'd be pretty popular in the city's underbelly. I'd be home in no time.