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3rd P.O.V.A light breeze washes over the nine unconscious bodies that lay on a rooftop. Abducted from all over the world by a British man in a trench coat. The heroes, vigilantes, and criminals drifting back to the land of consciousness. Raymond Palmer pulls his helmet off as he jerks awake, meeting the gaze of a disgruntled Mick Rory.“My head.” Mick groans, his head in pain from the collision the man in the trench coat caused by rendering him, Ruby Baxter, and Leonard Snart unconscious in the middle of a freaking police chase.“Anyone get the number of that cob car?” Ruby slurs as she tries to figure out how that trench coat guy got the Rogues away from the pigs to wherever this roof is.“Stein?” Leonard Snart asks, recognizing the elderly man from the few occasions he and Ruby broke into Star Labs, without Team Flash knowing because they were bored and beating the 'complex' security system was fun. And they found spying on Team Flash entertaining. “What the hell are you doing here?”“I’m as ignorant as you for once.” Martin Stein fires at the famous supervillain, pushing his aching back off the rough rooftop. “Where are we?” The former assassin known as Sara Lance asks. She shoves off the ground trying to figure out who's ballsy enough to kidnap her and eight other people. And capable of pulling it off. “Why don’t you ask the dude who knocked us out and kidnapped us. You know, British dude with a flashy thing ring any bells?” Jefferson ‘Jax’ Jackson says, drawing the eight confused people’s attention towards him. “The names Rip Hunter,” The British man makes himself known as he struts towards the group of nine. “I am from East London. Oh, and the future.” “Nice to meet you Rip.” Heatwave grumbles reaching for his gun as he and the others stand. “Uh, while you were, uh, incapacitated. I may have tampered with your weapons and given everyone with powers a sedative to temporally shut down them.” Rip nervously explains trying to move past it. “You roofied us?!” “What?!” “Excuse me?!” “You what?!” “Then it’s a good thing sedatives don’t work on me.” The young black woman with a short wild mane of curls drawls as she smiles sweetly. The smile on her glossed lips dropping, her chestnut eyes turning a piercing gold, her forehead and nose becoming more prominent and animalistic, her canines sharpened into fangs, and her short nails grow into dark pointed razors. “What the hell?” The masked Hawkgirl, Kendra Saunders, swears at the sight of the strange transformation. “Astonishing.” Stein gasps, eyes widen, as he studies the change. In seconds she moves in front of Rip, using one hand to lift him two feet off the ground causing everyone’s (but Leonard and Mick) eyes to widen in a mixture of fear and shock. Sara moved to a defensive position. Jax, Stein, Kendra, and Carter jumping back in shock. Hawkman moving an arm in front of Kendra to draw her behind him. “Bloody Hell!” Rip chokes, clearly shocked, fearing for his life. “What are you doing?!” Ray questions stepping forward, even while deeply confused by what’s going on, he won’t allow someone to violently threaten or torture someone. “I assembled you all here because I need your help to save the world!” Rip gasps as he tries to pry Ruby’s tightening talons off his throat. “Now, please put me down, Ms. Baxter!” The girl releases an animalistic growl and shouts, “how do you know my name?!”, while tightening her iron grip, her talons drawing blood. The Rogues had always made sure that the name never made it to the public. Her face was barely publicly known, but to those who did know it knew she was a Rogue. She is only known as the Hellhound, the Wolf Woman, the Bloody Bitch, the Throat Ripping Psycho, and other various nicknames and fake names as Michelle Richards, Shuri Ado, and more. But never Ruby Baxter. Hell, even the Flash and his team only know her by Hellhound and her collection of fake names. “Hell, put him down. We all want answers and that can’t happen if you kill him. And if he’s lying, then you can kill him,” Captain Cold orders strutting towards the pair with a suspicious Heatwave by his side. She growls and throws the time traveler across the roof. Rip quickly scampers to his feet, rubbing his bleeding neck. “Talk!” Ruby snarls her eyes flaring a sinister yellow as her face and fingers return to their human appearance.“Your name is Ruby Baxter, a world-class thief. A member of the Rogues for 12 years, nicknamed the Hellhound. Other nicknames include Ghost because when you would steal, your victims wouldn’t realize something was missing until you were gone. You discovered your powers when you were 4, your 4th birthday to be more precise.” Ruby releases a fierce rumble through her growing fangs, some blood dripping from her closed fists. "Watch it." Mick snaps, him and Leonard looking ready to start throwing punches. Leonard subtly shakes his head, signaling Rip to not go down that road if he wanted to live.“As far as the Flash and his friends know, you’re a meta-human.” Rip quickly finishes trying to avoid the wrath of the Rogues. The Brit turns from a simmering Hellhound to meeting the chilling glare of Captain Cold. “Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, a world-class thief, leader of the Rogues. An IQ of 192 and an eidetic memory." Rip turns his 'confident' gaze to the hothead. "Mick Rory, aka Heatwave, world-class thief, pyromaniac and arsonist, and member of the Rogues. Didn’t you two meet in Juvie at fourteen and sixteen?” Rip points back and forth between Cold and Heatwave.“Why isn’t Lisa here?” Leonard questions.“Yeah, what’s up with the three out of four of the best thieving team ever?” Ruby snaps.“I would have invited Ms. Snart as well but her lack of participation on your …uh … recent jobs … made it seem like she was getting out of the... business." Rip finishes turning to the blank-faced former assassin. "Sara Lance, aka the Canary, the original Canary to be exact. You were found and trained by the League on the 2nd year of when the world believed you were dead. Last year you were killed, but several months ago your sister, who became the Black Canary after you died, brought you back to life using the League’s Lazarus Pit.” The Brit spins towards Ray. “Raymond Palmer, aka the Atom, former CEO of Palmer Tech and the inventor of the Atom suit which allows him to shrink. Also currently believed to be dead." Rip struts to the professor and 20-year-old. "Jefferson 'Jax' Jackson and Professor Martin Stein, an auto mechanic, and physicist, affected by the Particle Accelerator who can combine to form a nuclear-powered superhero called Firestorm." The time traveler turns to the last people on the roof, the reincarnating pair in their warrior hawk costumes. "Kendra Saunders, aka Hawkgirl, and Carter Hall, aka Hawkman, soulmates who have been reincarnating for over 4,000 years and are the only people capable of killing the immortal Vandal Savage. Who, by the way, can regrow himself from a single cell if one of you is not responsible for the death blow. That is why he is still alive and is the reason I was tasked with forming a team to travel through time and space and capture Savage before he becomes a director who will conquer the world." Rip finishes with some flare before releasing a huff. Waiting a moment to let the personal information and his pursuit to be processed by the stunned nine. Raymond and Professor Stein’s minds are dancing with the wonders of time travel. Jax is wondering what mental facility he escaped from. Kendra and Carter are trying to process that Savage could still be alive and going to destroy the world. Sara is wondering what an undead ex-assassin could do to stop an immortal. Leonard, Mick, and Ruby’s minds are focused on the information about reincarnation and immortality.“So, are you all in?” Rip’s question snapping them back from in their heads.“You’ve got the wrong guy. Hero ain’t on my resume.” Leonard snarks, being the first to break the silence as he starts to walk away."Or ours," Mick states referring to himself the snarling Ruby, whose eyes have not lost their golden hue, but no longer bears her fangs and claws, as they follow Cold. “I know this is difficult for you to fathom, but where, when, when I’m from, the year 2166. You and everyone on this roof, aren’t just considered heroes.” Rip pauses for dramatic effect; his speech causing the Rogues to stay and listen, purely just to see what crap he spews. “Your legends.” Ruby, Mick, and Snart not buying the legends schtick he is trying to sell. Why would he come and recruit ‘legendary’ criminals or people who have yet to do the great things they’re legendary for on a deadly mission? The Rogues know he’s blowing nothing but hot air at this point.“Legends?” Ray smiles like he won a prestigious award.“I hate to knit pick, but doesn’t a legend have to be dead.” The older half of Firestorm sasses."Yeah, that's a deal-breaker for me." Jax snaps, making up his mind then and that there is no way he’s going on this mission. He can’t risk abandoning his already widowed mother and he doesn’t see how a twenty-year-old mechanic can save the world from the apocalypse.“He’s from 150 years in the future. Of course, you’re dead by then.” Hellhound snarls, not even containing her eye roll.“It’s dangerous for any of you to know too much about your own futures,” Rip starts, ignoring the she-wolf’s comment. “But I’m here because each of you, as individuals, is destined for greatness.” Rip lies so well the Rogues almost start believing the bullshit coming out of his mouth."I can get behind that," Ray exclaims, ecstatic at the idea of inspiring others and saving lives. Rip struts past the Rogues towards the corner of the rooftop. Ruby hopes he decides to throw himself over the edge.“And, if you don’t follow me, this is what is in store for your world 150 years from now.” Rip announces as he activates a hologram of 2166 to try and layer on the guilt of the destruction of humanity on their shoulders to get them to join his crusade. The future technology creating the hologram erasing some of the doubt that he’s lying about being from the future.The hologram reveals the burning of collapsed buildings, explosions, a spaceship flying above firing lasers at the ground. Screams of adults and children filling the air. Ash and still burning embers being carried by the wind, falling from the sky like rain. A burning wasteland.“I could have chosen any time and any place. Of all the people who ever lived, I chose you nine. I certainly hope you won’t let me, and the world, down.” Rip quickly moves away from the edge, past the Rogues towards Professor Stein handing him a piece of paper with an address on it. “If your answer is yes, meet me at this address in 36 hours.” Rip Hunter struts away from them, leaving the nine on the roof of some building in a city that none of them knew the name of, to decide if they should join him on an impossible mission.“So, what do you think?” Ray breaks the silence, trying to find out who will be joining him on this endeavor through time.“I think that’s five minutes of my life I’m not getting back.” Snart fires off looking like he doesn’t give a damn, but really, he just wants to get away from these people. More specifically Kendra, to think about this. So, he, Mick, and Ruby can decide what to do. He caught a glimpse of the address when Hunter walked by, so they know where to go if they decide to join.“He just showed us the entire world in flames!” Stein yells, not understanding how anyone could ignore that. “You can’t turn your back on that.” “Watch us you old-ass gasbag.” Ruby sasses as she and the other Rogues leave the group to decide their fate."Well, I think we can all agree that the mission will go a lot better without those three." Ray sighs, wondering what Rip Hunter was thinking inviting three criminals to this opportunity of a lifetime."I haven't signed on yet," Sara states, trying to figure if she should go. She wants to save people but doesn't think she is capable of doing such good or capable of controlling her bloodlust.“And I’m not signing on at all.” Jax exclaims, who honestly thinks they’re all insane for wanting to go on this suicide mission.“Jefferson-” Stein tries to reason with the young man.“No. I’m not going off to die in some apocalyptic future. I’m staying right here in the present.” The younger half of the nuclear duo states as straight forward and clear as possible and quickly leaves to try and find a way off the roof.“Let me talk to him,” a fidgety Professor quickly mutters handing Ray the paper with the address on it, having already memorized it, heading after his partner.“I’m just gonna leave,” the blonde assassin states wanting to get to Star City and talk to Laurel. “Anyone know what city we’re in?” The remaining four look at each other, realizing they have no idea where the British time traveler took them. —————————————————————— Lisa Snart’s feet repeatedly crash into the metal as she races to the basement door. After she got the phone call from her brother about him, Mick, and Ruby being kidnapped and offered a weird job she ran to her car and used her drag racing skills to break every traffic law in existence to get to the safe house the four agreed to meet at. It was a warehouse just outside of Central City, they had turned the basement into a hideout back in 2009 and messed with the blueprints the city had a copy of so no one knows the basement exists. Lisa may have decided to leave the criminal life behind and live off her nest egg until she found her new path, but that doesn’t mean she is going to stop spending time with and worrying about her family.“I can’t believe your thinking of hooking up with the Englishman!” Mick’s yell echoes out the door as Lisa throws it open. Mick tosses the grinder down grabbing his beer. Leonard is laying across the new black leather couch, flipping through a magazine, while Ruby reclines in her worn burgundy leather chair with a bowl of popcorn and deer jerky on her lap, as she drinks straight from a half-full bottle of vodka. "Do you mean sexual or taking whatever this weird job is?" Lisa's comment shocks Leonard and Mick as she walks down the stairs into the filthy dungeon, that they had spruced up with a few recliners, a coach, a few tables, a beat-up rusting refrigerator, a workbench for Mick, an old car trunk they use for storage, some magazines, and a couple of new lights. Ruby heard her as soon as Lisa arrived, thanks to her enhanced hearing and just decided not to tell them. Relief washed over Lisa’s body the second she saw them physically unharmed. Hearing they were fine over the phone in the same sentence as they were kidnapped was not good for her blood pressure. “Big brother, I love you, but either way, you can do better than a psycho kidnapper.”“First off, he’s British and the accent is not sexy on him, so I am not dropping my pants," Leonard explains as he throws the magazine on the trash covered, small, black plastic crates that they used as a coffee table. “An accent wasn’t sexy?” Lisa laughs in disbelief. “It’s true,” the pyromaniac states as he plops into the light brown fabric of his recliner. “He’s got the scuff going for him, but the air of ‘know it all’, ‘control freak’ and ‘righteous asshole’ kills it.” “If I were into dudes I would be able to gauge this better, but I’m pretty sure it’s like how some people look ridiculous in hats, it works on a lot of people, but there are some that just don’t have what takes to rock it.” The youngest states as she tosses popcorn into the air, catching it with her mouth. “Why do people even wear hats anyway; all hats are stupid? I mean, using it to hide your face makes sense, but what else are they good for!” "Second, he's too pompous, so not my type," Leonard explains ignoring Red's last comment on hats hoping it will stop her from spiraling into another hat hatred rant as he heads towards the fridge. The hinges squealing as he grabs a cold one for Lisa.“He’s possibly a pathological liar, he definitely can’t be trusted.” Ruby gurgles as her teeth tear into the dried meat waving the piece in her hand around as she does. Leonard throws the Lone Star towards Lisa who catches it while barely paying attention to it. Both of the Snarts take a side of the couch and melt into the cool leather. “I could tell from the shifty, slightly desperate, crazed look in his eyes.”“Third, its time travel, do you have any idea what we can with that?” Leonard interjects hoping to stop Ruby from going on another long and passionate rant about how Rip Hunter is definitely crazy.“Time travel?” Lisa coughs, beer and air fighting in her throat. “I thought we had a no more weed pact going on?”“The British dude is Rip Hunter from East London.” The pyromaniac starts before rising his beer to his lips and stopping for a second pretending to be in thought. “Oh, and the future.” Then he takes a big swig."You're kidding." Lisa snorts. They've seen some incredible and impossible things, metahumans, that black hole above Central City, Ruby’s powers, but time travel? There’s got to be some limits.“Wish he was.” The eldest Snart sighs, revealing the conflict and confusion he’s trying to bury."Apparently, he's from 2166 sent to recruit a team to stop a dictator from taking over the world." Mick calmly explains with obvious disinterest."You sure he's a real time traveler and he isn't some crazy or an over the top prankster or both?" The brunette's face contorting in a blend of confusion, suspicion, distrust, and sci-fi nerd curiosity.“Yes.” “No one has a reason to prank us like this or these six other people.”“I’m still on the fence about the time travel thing, but he’s definitely an escaped mental patient either way.” “Then why wasn’t I invited to this?!” Lisa screeches. Eyes burning in rage. She may be out of the crime game, but that doesn’t mean she lost her thieving skills or the knowledge on how to get it done. Why take three out of a four-person unstoppable thieving team?!“Because you have a future.” “What?” The brunette mutters. She tries to comprehends what her brother just said. The thought that her brother who always protected her from their father and did what he had to, so they could escape Lewis and live. That Mick, who became another brother to her, who helped her, and Leonard find their way and has always had their backs. That Ruby, the fighter who survived hell, that Lisa believes they met because of fate, the little sister that completed their pack, their little messed up family. The four made a place, a home for each other in a system, a world, that had betrayed them and threw them out. The four of them against the world. So, to Lisa, there was no way that these three people didn’t have a future."The schtick he tried selling us and the other six, was that we're legends in the future and he's trying to recruit us to go on a dangerous and deadly mission to stop an immortal psychopath," Leonard explained knowing Lisa would get it, not because of their shared love of science fantasy shows that Ruby and Mick always sleep through, but because Lisa was extremely intelligent, her mind is a reason the crew had been able to pull off some of their more complex and dangerous heists. "I don't know what type of meds he's on, but if he thinks he can use my family as disposable pawns, he can say goodbye to cock!" The raging brunette screams as she launches herself off the couch and begins to pace. "How much do you think a gold-covered penis would sell for on the black market?" The other three bursts into chuckles at that. “And why he would recruit three thieves?” “Exactly!” Mick shouts. “We’re thieves, crooks, criminals. I have no desire to save the world, especially a hundred years after I’m dead.” The bald man quickly throws back his beer, quickly chugging it down, not understanding Leonard's desire to join these goody-goodies. “He said across time Mick, what about the years before?” The eldest Snart asks.“What do you mean?” The women ask in perfect unison.“Before fingerprints and surveillance, security cameras and DNA analysis.” Leonard elaborates. “Why did we become criminals?”“Because we hate working, we love money-” “And it’s fun to take from the world-" The brown-skinned woman interrupts Mick.“That has done nothing but screw us over.” Lisa interrupts finishing something all four of them believe in. Why try and work with a world that doesn’t want them and has done nothing but betray and hurt them.“We could steal the Mona Lisa straight off Da Vinci’s easel, snatch the Hope Diamond before it’s discovered.” The parka wearing genius lists causing the wolf girl’s eyes to widen in excitement as her mind wanders.“We could start the Chicago fire.” Mick lights up as Ruby starts listing possibilities. “Go to the Wild West. Steal a dinosaur and ride it down Manhattan. Punch Hitler. Knife the founders of the Ku Klux Klan. Go to Salem and say we’re witches!” One thread that’s in the back of all their minds, is the chance to go back in time and save themselves and each other from their pain.“Exactly, this is everything we got into thieving for in the first place. More than everything.” Leonard exclaims. A chance to travel, where no one can hurt them, and they can take what they want, unreachable and untouchable, safe, living, and raising hell.“I can get behind a few of those, but I’m not going to be anyone’s hero,” the pyromaniac states as Ruby hands him her vodka bottle.“I’m in too and I’m putting everything I listed on my bucket list.” Hellhound states before sharing a look with both Mick and Leonard, the two subtly nodding at her. “So, what do you say Lis, you ready to hit the time stream by storm?”“What?” Blue eyes widen at the question. “You want me to come with?”“You think we wouldn’t?” Her biological brother laughs.“So, you in, Goldie?” Mick asks the girl who is his sister in all but blood and legality.“Hell yeah!” She screams her smile almost splitting her face in two. “You bet your asses I’m in!” “Now that we have that out of the way, maybe we should talk about the reincarnating and immortal elephant in the room," Ruby mutters twitching, not wanting to have this conversation because it will open the door to Lisa and Leonard’s childhood agony.“What are you talking about?” The older woman asks, the reincarnating thing striking a cord.“That’s part of what we didn’t, or more accurately, I don’t know how to tell you.” Leonard tries to explain. The reincarnation thing hitting a deeper and darker hole for him because he remembers and spent more time with her. “We agreed we would tell you if decided to go.”“Apparently this Randall-” “Vandal!” Ruby shouts correcting Mick.“Vandal Savage is an immortal that can only be killed by these two people… um… Carson Holt-”“Carter Hall.” The icy klepto and beast quickly correct. “and Keira Sandson-”“Kendra Saunders.” They correct the pyromaniac once again.“Right, they were “recruited” too.” Mick stops talking looking at Ruby and Leonard silently begging them to take over.“And what’s so difficult about them that you don’t know how to tell me?” With the lack of information, the brunette wasn’t quite connecting the dots.“This Kendra and Carter are...” “They’re soulmates who reincarnate,” Ruby adds, taking over ripping off the Band-Aid for Leonard.“What?” This stuns the female Snart, falling on to the couch. She may not have been old enough to remember her mother, but she knew what type of person she was and what she did to her brother and what he stopped their mother from doing to her when she was barely two months old laying in her crib. “Like she claimed that... she could... would... and she lost...”"She was really crazy." Leonard cuts her off as he joins her on the couch wrapping an arm around her shoulder, her head falling on to his. "But maybe less than we thought." Red and Mick moving closer to them. "We don't know for sure it's her, there could others. There's is a lot of weird stuff out there." Mick lands on Lisa's right side snaking his arm around her waist. "One of the people on the roof apparently was resurrected. So maybe there are other reincarnated people out there or maybe she really was just crazy, and she wasn’t some reincarnating person or whatever.”“Lenny.” Lisa sighs. “Two people show up and say they reincarnate... mom was either completely off her rocker or she’s now this Kendra Saunders or maybe there’s the slim chance that there are more reincarnating people out there and she’s someone else.” Ruby joins the three by laying across all three of their laps. Surrounding Lisa with the support she needs to handle the shock and for Len to get some support and comfort he has been refusing since he found out about Kendra. "But I think we all know how unlikely it is that there are more people with this... power." They stay there for several minutes just lying in their little cocoon of comfort. “Are you two sure you want to do this?” Ruby’s showing concern for the first time since after the three murdered Lewis while Lisa had a bomb in her neck. “You guys have been hurt enough in your lives. And if this woman is who we think she is, she has the power to hurt you even more than any of realize?”"Are you sure you guys can handle it?" Mick low drawl continues. "That this time travel shit is worth it?” “Rubs, Mick.” The eldest Snart looks at the two with understanding. “I get it, you’re worried. But I’m fine. I doubt she’ll remember anything from her life as Barbara Snart. She was definitely too drunk or too high to remember anything from that part of 4000 years of memories.” Len admits sadly, clearly remembering his childhood, but leaving out the rare and short moments of sobriety. His father beating him and Lisa, using Lisa as leverage to get Leonard to keep his mouth shut and help on jobs. Barbara was nearly always drunk or high or shotting up on something. Never sober because she blamed herself for the death of her soulmate. So, she got into an abusive relationship with Lewis to punish herself for it. Barbara would always go on about how she would reincarnate and meet her soulmate in the next life. Barbara sometimes hit Len or worst and she once tried to smother Lisa in her crib, would have if Leonard hadn’t stopped her and gotten Lisa away from her. They have had enough pain already, she shouldn’t be able to cause them anymore. "And besides you guys will be there with us, if she is our mother and for whatever reason, it becomes too much for me or Len or both of us, we'll leave the mission." Lisa negotiates, hugging Leonard and Mick to her sides. "And if we don't see it then you can drag us away kicking and screaming.” “We got your backs Goldie and Coldie.” The three chuckled at the ridiculous rhyme that left Ruby’s lips. As Lisa and Leonard process the possibility and strong likelihood of Kendra being their reincarnated mother, Mick and Ruby plan ways to protect the Snarts from her. Because after all the shit the four of them have been through, they swore to always have each other’s backs and that’s something none of them will ever betray. The Hellhound and Heatwave won’t let Barbara Snart hurt either of the Snart siblings ever again.