1 Week Later
Zane crouched behind a dumpster, peeling open a suspiciously dented can of beans like it was a rare delicacy. The smell wasn't great, but it beat starving.
"Alright, Papa Roach," he whispered, glancing sideways at the scruffy raccoon rummaging through the trash beside him. "Dinner time. You keep watch for Cadmus. Or better yet, keep them busy."
The raccoon chittered, probably agreeing. Zane liked to think they were partners in crime now. Maybe even in survival.
He eyed the small crowd gathered near the corner bodega. His plan was simple: throw a brick two blocks away, distract the cashier, sneak around the back, and grab whatever edible treasure he could find.
Easy, right?
The brick flew with a soft thwack, and a surprised shout erupted. Perfect.
Zane darted toward the fire escape, ignoring a startled yowl from a second raccoon — General Crunch — who'd just discovered a pile of spoiled chicken parts.
"Gentlemen," Zane said with a smirk, scaling the wall, "try not to get yourselves killed while I do the real work."
Within minutes, he'd snagged a half-empty bag of chips and something that looked like it once was beef jerky. It wasn't gourmet, but it was food, and tonight that was victory.
He settled on the rooftop of an abandoned laundromat, the city sprawled beneath him like a grimy playground. Nearby, a broken vending machine sat silent, a perfect monument to his newfound kingdom.
It's only been a week since he left that cabin, but he was already all healed now.
No broken ribs, no bruises and no pain.
It seems that he developed some sort of discount healing factor that needed way too much calories to work. Kinda like the flash's.
Not that he's complaining, his power seems to be evolving or rather unlocking. He guessed it had to do with the more he dies?
Maybe he's starting to understand it more, the more he experiences the rewinds.
Well whatever, he'll figure it out eventually....
"That's prime real estate you got there, kid."
From below, a familiar voice was heard.
Zane glanced down to see Jacket Dan, a homeless man with a permanent grin and a collection of mismatched clothes. He was holding a battered lawn chair like a treasure.
"This your throne now?" Dan asked.
"Looks more like a Fallout side quest," Zane said, grinning. "But hey, I respect the hustle."
Dan climbed up and plopped into the chair. "This city's rough. You gotta learn the rules. Step one: never trust a guy who says 'I'm just passing through.' They're always trouble."
Zane laughed. "Trust me, I'm trouble all the time."
They spent a few minutes swapping ridiculous fake backstories. Zane claimed to be a secret agent on a magical pizza delivery mission. Dan insisted he was a retired carnival stuntman who once wrestled a bear.
When Dan asked if Zane had seen anyone strange, Zane shrugged. "Other than the raccoons, no. They're the only ones who listen."
From the corner of his eye, Zane spotted a flicker of movement across the rooftops—a shadow passing swiftly, then vanishing. He tensed.
"Probably nothing," he muttered. But a small voice inside told him to keep his guard up.
---
Time: Shortly after the collapse of the Cadmus facility
J'onn stood alone on the Watchtower's observation deck, Earth a quiet blue marble beneath him. The silence was welcome—until the alert pinged.
He turned toward the monitor as a satellite feed blinked into focus: a plume of dust and fire rose from the outskirts of Blüdhaven. The Cadmus site. Or what was left of it.
"What happened down there…?"
He tapped in commands. Sensor data scrolled across the screen—seismic spikes, internal power surges, heat signatures, and then… silence. No life signs. No transmissions. Just a crater where a facility used to be.
J'onn narrowed his eyes.
They'd always known Cadmus existed. Government black ops. Genetic research. The usual mess wrapped in national security clearance.
But this?
This looked like a warzone.
He brought up the last few frames of satellite imagery before the collapse. A blur of movement—skillfully moving throught the falling debris, into the distant woods.
His brow furrowed.
"We knew Cadmus played in gray areas... but this was off-books. Even for them."
He quickly noticed a something else, it was hard not to with how huge he was.
A different figure—larger, distorted by motion blur and low light. The hallway walls were warped, twisted. Whatever it was... it wasn't too fond of that place.
J'onn leaned back, arms crossed.
"Two unknowns escaped Cadmus just before it imploded."
The League would need to investigate. Quietly. If this was another Doomsday-level threat, they couldn't risk public panic.
Still, something about it gnawed at him. The first figure… human, maybe. Moving like they were running for their life.
Or someone else's.
"If anyone made it out alive... they're either in danger....or they are the danger.
He closed the feed and turned back toward Earth, eyes shifting as he used his telepathy to try to find a trace of the two figures.
---
Back on the ground, Zane unfolded a tattered map drawn hastily on pizza boxes, with circles and crosses marking food spots and danger zones.
He stared at it like a general planning a battle.
"Step one: stay off the radar.
Step two: find food.
Step three: don't die.
Step four: profit?"
He paused and smiled.
"Screw it. Add raccoon diplomacy to Step two."