What happens to heroes when everyone else leaves or dies? This series of one-shots makes an attempt to explore that very question for the teams of heroes we all know and love.
Clark Kent was sitting in a coffee shop in Metropolis when Barry Allen came in. Barry and Clark hadn't aged much. But just now they were feeling their respective ages. They'd started this Superheroing gig over 3 decades ago. Even though neither of them looked a day older than 30.
They came to this particular coffee shop ostensibly because Barry was investigating a stream of violent crimes that had started in Central city, and Clark, as an investigative journalist, was going to interview him about how the crimes had now come to metropolis and why he was able to operate so far out of his jurisdiction. In actuality, however, they'd discovered this place had an area for conversations of a discreet nature, and had often used it as their meeting place for such conversations. As Barry sat down, Clark smiled and nodded. Barry just sighed as he locked the door of the small room and took a seat.
"Well, that was the last one for me. We've been at this for 30 years, Clark. I'm throwing in the towel, Ollie and Dinah are gone, Bruce too. J'onn went home to mars, Batson is still catatonic, Diana went back home and refuses to leave. We're really the only ones still doing what we do. The league is gone… I guess you'll still be doing this though…"
Clark shrugged. "It's what I'm good at. And it gives me some relief from the stress of work. At least Gotham has quieted down a bit with the absence of the bat family. I guess the best reason for me to keep going is the same as always. After all, I'm still the same man I've always been, Barry. A light for all mankind to look to for hope and justice. Or that's what I'm going for. And I've succeeded in being that light, mostly."
They sat quietly for a few minutes. "Clark… You do realize you aren't going to be around forever, right? I get that both of us are going to have lives so long that to everyone else we're functionally immortal, but eventually everyone has their time to go…"
Clark chuckled. "I know. But we have our legacies. Your son, Bart, and I've got Conner and John, of course. They carry on the light that we brought into being. Besides, I still have a long way to go before I'm even close to being done. And… this is how I cope with all the loss…"
Barry nodded. "I can understand that." He checked the time and chuckled. "Let's get this finished up, or I'll be late." They went through the interview, and, once they were done, they sat there in comfortable silence for several minutes. When they finally got up and shook hands, there was something very final about it. It was almost like the tolling of the last bell at a funeral. This would be the last time they saw each other in any capacity outside of being civilians. They both knew that. They paid the bill and went their separate ways.