Chapter Text
05/05/2045
It had been years since she had been back to Starling City and longer still since she had been here. But today was an important day, a day that needed to be honored properly and to do that, she needed to return home.
What was left of it anyway.
Starling City had once been a cesspit, a stinking pile of criminal activity and corruption. Then, he came home, back from five years abroad. Slowly but surely, the city had gotten better. Even after Deathstroke’s rampage through the city, Starling City had begun to show a better face. Not even Ra’s al Ghul had been able to tear that down.
Even after he had been forced to resign as Mayor, Starling City was almost unrecognizable from the city she had grown up in. On the day that the invasion started, Starling City had been one of the most reputable cities in the country, a beacon of hope for those who feared that the light would never overcome the darkness.
The city had largely been restored, although it never quite regained the power and lustre that it had at the end of the Age of Heroes. Of course, that had likely had to do with the lack of people in it. It had been the site of the final battle between the heroes and their alien invaders. For some, it was now a holy site, unfit to be populated by any. For others, it was a reminder of everything that they had lost in those ten dark years.
Now, the only part of the city that had not been restored were the ruins that had once been Queen Mansion, home of the Queen family for generations and the final home of Oliver and Felicity Queen. She hadn’t been there on the day of its destruction, hadn’t been anywhere, in fact. But years later, she had returned to see the carnage that the rogue Kryptonian had brought upon Oliver and his family.
However, there was one part of the Queen Estate that had been restored in a sense. On the far side of the property, all of the rubble had been removed. Now, the only stones that remained had been placed their intentionally to honor those that had been left behind.
Most of them were old, having been placed there almost forty years ago. But two of them were newer.
Oliver Jonas Queen
1985-2025
“He set us free.”
Felicity Meghan Smoak-Queen
1989-2025
“She was the light to guide our way.”
She stood over the graves, unsure what to do or say. This kind of thing had never been her strong suit. Ironically, if there had ever been two people who had a way with words, it was the two of lay in their graves in front of her.
“Sara Lance.”
Even to this day, most people didn’t manage to sneak up on her. It had been a long time since she had been an Assassin but that kind of training never really goes away. Of course, when the person sneaking up on you was former Special Ops, it made things a bit better.
Sara turned to see John Diggle floating towards her, the green of his suit shimmer slightly in the fading sunlight. John landed just a few feet from Sara, his costume disappearing into his regular clothing as Sara closed the gap between them, clutching him tightly.
It had been years since she had seen John, since the last time she had been home. Whether it was due to the powers he had gained from the ring or just good genetics, John didn’t appear to be a day over forty, impressive for a man almost seventy.
“How are you, John?” Sara asked once they broke apart.
“I’ve been good, busy. Haven’t been home much.”
“It’s the life of a space cop, right?”
“Something like that. Have you heard from the others?”
“No,” Sara admitted, “I don’t talk to the others much.”
“You and me both,” John replied sadly. “It’s amazing to think it’s been twenty years.”
“Feels like yesterday.”