[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qp1vuRy.png[/img]
[sub][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y4Sz8_Oq1M]far from home[/url][/sub][/center]
[indent][color=silver]Central Park wasn’t something that the corpse-child associated with whales.

Instead, a pod of humpbacks were the traffic that the hellspawn encountered over the streets of New York. Schools of minnows darting in and out of apartment windows. An eel slithering through the interior of a yellow cab that was flipped upside down, resting against a pile-up of cars that had been pushed up against the side of a building that only partially remained.

A vibrant community of aquatic life was thriving, in part because there was plenty for the creatures to feed upon. Bloated corpses, the saltwater leeching the skin from off the bodies, were present by the hundreds of thousands. Whatever had happened, it had been long enough ago that the waters had settled, but not so long that the sea had claimed its dead.

One thing was certain, no one had seen it coming.

Sediment clouded visibility nearer to the ground, but the child was still able to navigate as he explored the streets of New York. Collapsed building facades and storefronts shattered by cars and other debris made for quite an apocalyptic tour of the Big Apple. 

A vending machine lay on its side, punched through the interior of a convenience store. A pair of chains snaked along the front, before pulling the front off of the frame. Rummaging through that, the boy gathered up a few intact pouches of snacks and bottles of water.

Drifting back from out of the ruins of the storefront, the small form of the shackled hellspawn ascended toward the surface of the dark waters. In many respects, this was [b]nice[/b]. He was [i]free[/i]. He was in [i]control[/i]. He’d lost track of time in Mojo’s bloodsport games. He’d nearly lost [i]himself[/i] to the games. Escaping here -- wherever [b]here[/b] was -- was still liberating. A chance to try and redeem even some mere shred of humanity.

Diving for food and water probably wasn’t [i]quite[/i] enough to redeem an [b]agent of Hell[/b], but what was it that Garfield had said to him? 

[i]Small steps. It all begins with small steps.[/i]

The corpse-child crested from out of the ocean. Billowing from out of his slight frame, the black-and-red cape unfurled from out of his very being, flaring outward like a demon’s wings as the boy drifted a meter above the surface in mid-air. Water dripped from off his body, which was shackled and burdened by chains that hung from off his arms and legs. The rustling sound they gave seemed haunted, invoking the memories of countless millions crying out for justice from beyond the grave.

As he approached the spire of the Empire State Building, he called out to the group that he had escaped with. [color=#ffffff]“It’s true,”[/color] the child announced. [color=#ffffff]“We’re in New York.”[/color]

Well, [b]a[/b] New York, most likely. Just like he was dealing with [b]a[/b] Miss Martian or [b]a[/b] Flash. Six didn’t know the Flash well, other than by reputation, but the Outsiders had crossed paths with the Martian enough to where she ought to have known who he was. Instead, she’d had to ask his name.

And the other two, Six had no idea about. The Martian seemed to know the one named Steve, but seemed equally as confused by him. [color=#ffffff]“Whatever happened, it happened quickly. And recently enough that there’s still bodies floating down there,”[/color] the young hellspawn added. 

Probably not a detail they were wanting, but with the bodies breaking down, one or more was likely to float up to the surface. Best to prepare them now for that happening. Especially with three of them literally [i]swimming[/i] through a sea of corpses.

M'gann closed her eyes and drew her breath in slowly. Her head turned slightly to the right, then to the left, as a brief frown flashed across her features. 

Opening her eyes, the alien explained, [color=#ffffff]"My race has the ability to reach out and touch the minds of others. For us it is an intimate act, an extension of our purest selves, and not something we do often nor lightly. At the barest level, without intruding on another's thoughts, I am able to sense the presence of other sentient minds in my immediate vicinity."[/color]

She hesitated briefly before continuing. [color=#ffffff]"But try as I may, I am unable to find another mind outside of those here. I can feel [b]no one[/b]. Not a single soul in all of Manhattan. I fear those bodies you found are only a few among many millions."[/color]

So, this Martian had the same abilities as the one familiar to him. That made sense.

Glancing over at the bald woman, the child merely gave a nod in agreement. He was inclined to agree. If anyone was alive nearby, he should have been able to sense fear, doubt, hunger, or any other negative parts of humanity.

The child’s cape unfurled outward, revealing wet caches holding bottles of water, tins of spam, and a few intact, sealed pouches of snack mix or chips recovered from vending machines. The chains seemed to animate themselves, as they offered out a bottle of water to each of the four.[/color] 

“It’s not gourmet, but I was able to dig these out of the ruins.”[/indent]