Episode 16 - Flash Fanfiction - Gotham's Gladiators

Chapter 5

Cisco climbed out from the booth to go and greet their friends, on his way he almost bumped into another patron who was carrying drinks. "Oops, Sorry... Hal." He said reading the man's name on his pilot's jacket. Cisco excused himself from the man and made his way over to their friends that were sitting at the bar. Barry and Astrid shook their heads softly, "I swear, we can't take him anywhere." Astrid commented.

By the bar, Oliver turned and gave her a smile and a subtle wave, she smiled and waved back.

Suddenly, Felicity came darting over and hugged Astrid. "Oh my god! You guys are here! Thank god! This city is a little..." Felicity began.

Barry finished her conversation. "Yeah, it's really something else... It reminds me of a darker version of Star City!"

"Yeah... I see it! That's exactly it..." Felicity realized, she leant over and gave Barry a hug, making him blush. "Hi Barry!" she said.

"Hi, Felicity."

Astrid got to her feet as Cisco, Oliver and John approached them, she gave Oliver a hug and invited them both to sit.

"So, tell me? What are you guys doing here? Wait, aren't there normally more of you?" Felicity asked them, as she took her place, next to Barry.

"We're looking for Caitlin, Ronnie and DR Stein." Barry replied.

"Wow, them too." Felicity sounded shocked.

"What do you mean them too? Ollie, who are you guys looking for?" Astrid asked. Oliver just stared back at her with a stern expression on his face.

"I get the impression that maybe I shouldn't have said anything." Felicity said nervously as she noticed the tension between the two of them.

Oliver looked over at Felicity and then back at Astrid. "We received a message that someone, that you and I both know, may not be dead... and that this is where we might find her."

"That we both know?" Astrid repeated, with concern in her voice "Who do you and I both know?"

Oliver looked down at his hands, over at Cisco and then back at Astrid. "Sara Lance might be here."

"No, Oliver. You shouldn't lie about things like that! There has to be some mistake. Sara died on your father's boat. I went to her funeral!"

"That's what I thought too, Star. But if I managed to survive, maybe she did too."

"Ollie, no! That's just some cruel twisted joke! She's not alive. If she was, I'd know... I mean I'd have to know!" she drank the last of her drink and then swirled her straw around in her, now empty, glass.

Barry knew that name. Sara Lance. He had seen her in the alternate reality, and she had been a loyal assassin to Astrid. But there must have been more to her, than he knew.

"Who's Sara Lance?" he asked them.

"Dude... she's a ghost." Cisco said, mirroring Astrid's tone and finishing the last of his drink. "I don't think we ever told you how we all met, did we?"

Barry thought back, "Yeah... you said high school, and Astrid and Oliver met through their parents. But you never mentioned a Sara Lance..."

Cisco sighed and drank the final mouthful from his beer. "I'm going to get another round." He told them, "Don't start the story until I get back!"

It was clear that John and Felicity were also in the dark about this story.

Astrid took a mouthful of her drink, fortunately Cisco had bought her a scotch, she needed something strong at that point. "Well, don't keep us all in suspense, who is this girl? And why does Oliver go quiet every time he hears the name?" Felicity asked.