When Roy had been young, and incredibly stupid, he had often wondered what it would have been like to have siblings. He had spent a great deal of time when he was child thinking about having a younger brother or sister. Someone who was always there. Someone who wouldn't shy away from Roy's idiosyncrasies. Someone who would have been just as much an outsider as he was.

He had even brought it up to his parents once or twice.

More than once or twice. It may have been an obsession of his for a few months.

Or years.

He tried everything. From pleading, to begging, to his earliest attempts at blackmail.

Didn't they want another child? All the kids in his class had at least one sibling. Some even had two or three. Which was a lie, but he was willing to risk it if it would convince his parents. How would it look having only one child? Wouldn't people talk?

Oddly, his feeble attempts never convinced them. Their answer remained frustratingly repetitive throughout his formative years.

They only ever wanted one child.

They had never planned to have any more. One child was enough for them. They were content to have him as their only son.

As he grew older, Roy had wondered if that was true. Maybe his parents had once wanted several children. One of those big families, with four or five kids running around. A whole gaggle of children, a large chaotic home. Full of noise and life.

But after Roy was born…after seeing how…defective he was...

Perhaps they had decided against it. Decided that one was all they could handle. They couldn't risk having another one like him.

Roy had never blamed them for that decision. If he was being honest with himself, his motivations for wanting a sibling had always been very selfish. He had never considered the financial burden another child would have put on his parents. Or the stress and time management a large family would entail. He gave no consideration to the real world implications of asking his parents to have another kid.

Having a sibling had never been about his parents. It was far more…childish a reason.

He didn't want to be alone.

A part of him had hoped that his hypothetical sibling would be born with the same condition he had. That he could have someone to truly talk to. Someone he could confide in. His isolation, his fears.

His fear that he was missing out on so much of the world.

That he would spend the rest of his life alone in a world of shadows.

After spending the past few weeks cooped up in the safe house with the Rogues, Roy no longer wanted to know what it was like to have siblings. He now realized the error of such a wish. He had been so focused on the idea of another child born with the same condition, it never even crossed his young mind that his brother or sister would be born "normal". That their personalities would be completely different. That they would fight and bicker, taunt and tease, or downright resent one another.

If he could go back in time and slap his younger self, he would. Young Roy didn't realize how precious his isolation had been.

Roy had thought he had gotten used to the lack of personal space. Gotten used to every other Rogue leaning into his bubble, or outright taking up residence in it, like Shawna tended to do. Thought he had learned to ignore the way Digger laughed far too loudly at jokes that only he found funny. Or Mardon's almost constant remarks on how powerful he was. Or how irritating it was to try and get either of the Snarts to give a straight answer. Thought he could ignore Hartley's caustic retort to simple questions, or Mick's unnerving stares.

Except that had been prior to all eight of them living under the same roof.

Prior to not being able to leave the safe house.

The entire city was still on a constant look out for them. The Rogues continued to take up a good chunk of the nightly news, and at least one of their pictures appeared daily on the front page of the newspaper. Roy didn't want to know about the number of blogs and online articles Hartley had mentioned were written about them.

Every detail of their lives was displayed for the world to see. All their crimes and actions since they had become metas was fodder for the daily news.

Oddly, Roy never saw anything about Jones or Collins in any of the headlines. Hartley said he found one small article stating that the company that had owned the apartments had gone under, and that they were being demolished by the new owners.

Roy wondered what the news would have said if the Rogues had died in that fight. Probably nothing. The Rogues would have disappeared and the world would have forgotten about them. Would have debated as to whether they had ever existed at all.

Amanda Waller was exceedingly good at her job.

Then there were the cops and their current obsession with finding the Rogues. Roy supposed it didn't look good to the general public that the Rogues not only broke out of the "secure" prison, but they also managed to take down the CCPD and the Flash in one swoop. Can't call your city the safest in the country, if there was a well-known group of criminals hiding out somewhere. Just waiting to rob the good people, waiting to strike at any moment.

Some police chief had even gotten up in front of everyone and declared the Rogues public menaces.

Called them cockroaches.

Criminals, who needed to be brought to justice.

Like the cops knew anything about justice.

Even the Flash had made a public appearance or two. Made sure to reiterate that the Rogues were dangerous. Not to be underestimated. That if you saw them, you shouldn't get involved. Call the special hotline set up for tips on the Rogues. Let the cops and the Flash handle it. Cold had said that the news treating the Rogues like local celebrities would work to their advantage. It was more likely people would pull out their cellphones to snap a picture of the Rogues than to call the cops on them.

Hartley had been able to tap into the CCPD, ARGUS, and the Flash's communication networks. If, by some slim chance, one of those organizations found out where the Rogues were hiding, Hartley's program would warn them instantly.

Not to mention all the anti detection software and devices the kid had going.

That didn't mean there weren't still some close calls. Shawna and Hartley had gone on a food run not too long after their jail break and had almost been caught by the Rogues Task Force.

Another new idea by the police chief. The RTF as he had called it, were equipped with the best anti-meta-human devices available. He had all but guaranteed that the RTF would capture the Rogues within six months.

Roy thought was all a bit odd, there had to be worse criminals in Central City. Sure the Rogues killed, but only if they had to. Wasn't like they were out there killing people and cutting out their tongues. That killer had been on the news for a few days now. Where was the task force to catch that sociopath?

Still, the RTF had been an annoyingly persistent adversary. Hartley had been rechecking his programs since their close call. Trying to figure out how the RTF had managed to find them on such an innocuous trip. Hartley had taken it as a personal offense. He had dedicated an unhealthy amount of time trying to figure it out.

Cold seemed to think the STAR Labs kids were using some kind of satellite tracking. Or they had found a way to detect meta human energy signatures, outside of the way that Hartley and the others knew about.

Whatever it was, it forced Cold to order them to lay low. No one was allowed to leave the safe house, unless it was an absolute necessity. Food and recon missions were the only legitimate reasons in Cold's mind.

Which had been fine for the first week.

And the second.

Even the third.

But by the end of a month, the Rogues had realized just how much they needed an outlet for their pent up aggressions. Hell, Digger and Mick had gotten into a fist fight over a poker game the other day.

It had started innocently enough, up until Mick had accused Digger of cheating. Digger hadn't denied it, and it escalated from there. Mardon had joined in after a few minutes, Roy assumed simply out of boredom. No one had used their powers, and Mick hadn't touched his weapon, so the safe house remained remarkably intact. Aside from the general disarray of course.

Neither man seemed to hold any grudge, even though Digger had broken Mick's nose. Roy sometimes envied that about the others. That they could just "fight it out" and be done with it.

Hartley spent a great deal of time working on his weapons or playing chess with Cold or Lisa. Although sometimes Roy thought the kid was going out of his way to antagonize Digger or Shawna. Even Hartley seemed like he was itching for something to do. His boredom causing him to fall back on his more caustic ways. Insulting those around him as a way to pass the time.

Roy was content to ignore them. Content to stay out of all the pointless bickering, and simply shut himself in his room and paint. He had to lock the door, otherwise one of the others would burst in and insist on talking to him. They would even get annoyed when he would reveal that he hadn't been listening to whatever pointless rant they had been going on about for the past few minutes.

Why should they get offended? They were the ones interrupting him.

Painting was not something he would ever be bored with. A concept several of his fellow Rogues couldn't quite understand. Mardon had asked him dozens of times now.

"How the hell can you look at that same thing for days and not want to pull your hair out?"

Roy had tried explaining it the first time. Tried to articulate to Mardon what it was to see an imagine in your mind, to know it has to be brought to the world. For your hand to know the motions without even having to think about it. To be able to communicate with people not through words or ideas, but through your blood put to canvas.

Mardon's eyes had glazed over halfway through Roy's explanation.

Now Roy simply replied…

"I just don't."

It was simple enough. At least in Roy's mind.

Which brought him to his current predicament.

He was out of paint.

He had only brought the supplies he had with him from the cabin. He hadn't realized they wouldn't be allowed to leave. That they couldn't buy anything online that might lead someone to find them. Buying only black or white paint might trigger some kind of internet search alert that the STAR Labs kids or the RTF was running.

Cold had refused Digger's impassioned plea for another trip to the liquor store yesterday. How would their leader react to Roy asking if he could go buy paint?

Especially considering that the cops and by proxy, the Flash, knew about Roy's painting habits. They might have local supply stores under surveillance. Or Cisco might have set up their facial recognition software to constantly scan art stores for any sign of Roy. Facial recognition is how Cisco had found Roy the first time around. Which was another example of legally dubious means of capturing meta humans. Roy simply added that to the pile of illegal things the Flash was allowed to get away with.

Cold was a pragmatist. In his mind, and the minds of all the other Rogues, paint was not essential. They didn't need paint to live.

Roy did.

Roy would just have to sneak out on his own and get supplies. Roy was a thief after all. He had managed to leave the city without being detected. Had managed to avoid capture when the others couldn't.

He shouldn't have to ask permission to go out and get something he needed.

Roy sighed. He should run it by Cold first.

He walked into the living room. Cold and Mardon were in there, looking over what looked like blueprints.

"Roy, come take a look at this."

Roy followed Mardon's invitation and walked towards the table.

The structure on the blueprints looked familiar, there was something about it…

Roy glanced up at his two cohorts.

"It's the CCPD."

That couldn't be right. Why would they be looking to break into the police department?

"It is in fact. There is some information in lock up that we need to acquire. Although this job will take more finesse than brute strength."

"Still say we should just blow the whole damn building away."

"A suggestion you keep making Mardon. I'll take it under advisement. But until then, we need to steal information without anyone knowing that it has been taken, or that we are the ones that have taken it."

"What kind of information?"

"It may or may not surprise you to learn that several of the mob families went back on the deals I made with them when we were locked up. As such, there is a power struggle currently happening in the underworld. We need to restate our position within this new structure. And to do that, we need leverage. Inside a locked cabinet in the basement, there are several files. Files that contain information about dozens of police informants and members of the crime families. We get this information, we will be able to…extract the information we need from the informants to re-establish order to the underworld."

Roy looked at the plans again.

"You don't want us to use our powers?"

"No powers, no distinctive weapons. Nothing that can link the crime to us. We don't want the cops or the informants to get spooked. So we are going old school on this one. Hartley's even going to have to tone down his hacking skills so they don't get suspicious."

"I see."

"We will spend the next few weeks planning this out, learning schedules. Doing a few dry runs. They have our faces plastered all over the place, so we will have to plant cameras in strategic places. They have all their most sensitive information kept in a special area, one that is immune to meta human powers. Our friends at STAR Labs have managed to create a dampening field in the room. So there will be no easy way in and Shawna won't be able to get us out if things go sideways."

"The cop cars we stole will help with the charade. We will have to steal a few more things to make it believable. I have several police uniforms tucked away that we will be able to use to get us inside."

Sometimes even Roy couldn't believe the audacity of Cold's plans.

"We are going to dress up as cops and walk through the front door? Someone is bound to recognize us."

"Which is why half of our team is going to be creating a distraction on the other side of town. Drawing the Flash, and the cops to their location. The rest will infiltrate the station. We do this at night, there will only be a skeleton crew to begin with. If we are lucky, no one will be looking to closely at a bunch of officers milling about."

When had the Rogues ever been lucky?

"I assume you have a back up plan in case we get caught."

"I do. But that can wait until tomorrow. We will have a meeting in the morning to go over the particulars. Everyone will get their assignments."

Roy nodded. It was time for the Rogues to reclaim their position in the underworld. No doubt all of them would be relieved to finally have something to be working towards. Something that would allow them to leave the safe house.

Speaking of which…

"I've run out of paint."

Cold and Mardon stared at him for a moment. Mardon looked confused.

"So? Just wait a couple weeks til the job is done. No sense in risking anything for something so…"

Cold interjected before Mardon could finish that thought. Not that Roy didn't know exactly what Mardon was going to say.

Something so…unnecessary.
Maybe Roy would finally get to punch Mardon. Not that it would do him any good. It would only hurt his hand, and that could influence his ability to paint.

"Now is not the time to be taking risks Roy. As soon as we have our alliances in order, we can return to our usual activities. "

Roy swallowed any annoyances he felt at their dismissals. He wasn't asking to run out and grab his favorite beer or snack food.

He needed paint.

He needed it to be able to breathe properly. To be able to interact with the world around him. To take the things his mind couldn't understand and give them to his hands to interpret.

Painting centered him. It focused him.

Roy wasn't surprised that they didn't understand. The memory of his destroyed paintings still burned in his mind.

So he simply nodded.

"All right."

Mardon went back to the blueprints, Cold continued to frown. Snart opened his mouth as if to say something else but then Lisa and Mick barged into the room. Both of them yelling about some ridiculous thing. Cold's attention turned to his sister. Roy took the distraction as an opportunity to slip out.

He locked the door to his room and sat down on the bed. If he had run out of canvas he could have simply started painting on the walls. Roy supposed he could sketch. Find some pens and paper. There was bound to be extras of both just lying around.

He rummaged through the old desk still taking up space in his bedroom. He found several old ballpoint pens. He stared at them for a moment, his hand hovering over them. Roy hated the idea of not knowing if the ink was blue, red, or black. It wouldn't change the way he sketched, but it would change everything about how others saw it.

He hated that he was still influenced by the mocking of his peers in art school. Hated that he even cared what others would think if the colors "clashed." That term meant nothing to him.

He closed the desk drawer.

He could never get the shading right with pens anyway. Everything always turned out darker on the page than it was in his mind. If he at least had some charcoal…

It could take weeks, even months, for the Rogues to get back to where they were before. Dealing with mobsters takes time. Takes patience. Roy could be patient.

As long as he had an outlet.

He had gone weeks without painting before. The months he had spent in Iron Heights prior to becoming a meta human. But even then, they had "art classes". Supposed rehabilitation programs, meant to help them channel their emotions into something positive. Roy had often stolen paints so that he could use them in his cell.

But now…now he couldn't even access paint. The last time he had no way of getting paint…had been in the pipeline. Roy tried to ignore the similarities to his current situation.

He wasn't trapped in a small cell. He could leave the room. There was no one watching his every movement. He could walk out at any time.

He just couldn't leave the building.

It was different.

The idea of leaving, of just saying screw it, and sneaking off to the nearest art supply store crossed his mind. More than crossed it.

He was mentally calculating when the best time to leave the safe house and return without being noticed would be. He looked up distances to the nearest store on his phone.

Roy sighed and rubbed his eyes. He put his phone back in his pocket and laid down on the bed.

Cold was right. They couldn't be taking risks right now. Not when they were planning to break into a police station. They needed to be smart.

His painting…it could wait a few weeks.

He had gone longer without painting, he would survive this agonizing separation. He…he would find something else to distract him. Something to keep his hands moving and his mind in order.

Digger had offered to show Roy how to throw a boomerang. Even knowing exactly how that exercise would end, Roy considered it.

He could borrow books from Hartley. Lisa could teach him how to play chess. Watch some trashy reality show with Mardon. Have Shawna show him some basic first aid.

He would find a distraction. That was it. He probably wouldn't even notice how much time had passed. A few weeks. That was nothing.

There were other things to focus on now.

He would barely even notice the time passing.

Breaking into a police station was no different than breaking into any other building. There were security loopholes to exploit, schedules to learn, time tables to memorize. It was just the stress of it that made it any different. Here was an entire building filled with people who were trained to shoot you. Who had your face on a wall when you walked in. Who could pull a gun and kill you before you even had a chance to react.

That was bound to make anyone a little nervous.

Not that you could tell by looking at Mick. The man was as silent and confident as ever. Striding purposely forward through the entrance of the police station.

Fifteen minutes ago the rest of the Rogues had started robbing a bank across town. They had "accidentally" tripped a hidden alarm. A specially designed meta human alarm. All the banks around town had taken to buying things of that nature. Shelling out thousands of dollars on ridiculous looking systems.

Roy thought they should get into the business of making meta human alarms. He was certain who ever was making them was making a killing playing on people's fears. Hell Roy had seen people selling such devices on the street the last time he had gone out on a recon. Claiming their alarms would keep the people safe from any meta human.

Snake oil salesmen.

Didn't matter if they were in a fancy building or selling the devices out of the back of a van. None of them would do the average person any good. Knowing a meta human was nearby wasn't going to do anything to stop them from using their powers.

And what if it was just some law abiding meta? One who didn't use their powers? The cops would be called every time some Joe Schmo tried to deposit some money into the bank.

Hartley had spotted the alarm a week ago, but the plan was to provide a distraction. To keep all eyes focused on the bank robbery. So no one would notice anything odd about two cops pulling into the parking garage underneath the precinct. Nothing suspicious. Just two police officers who hadn't heard about the fight across town. The one that had dozens of cops streaming out of the station a few minutes earlier to go and help with.

The parking garage had been almost completely empty. They flashed their fake credentials to the officer at the check in. They had made sure to pick a time when a new cop would be manning this entrance, one who didn't know every single cop in the precinct. One who might not think to double check on them. Not when there was something much more exciting happening elsewhere. The cop was more focused on listening to the police radios, trying hear all the juicy details of the big meta human fight.

It was wearing a police uniform that bothered Roy the most about this whole thing. More than the dyed blond hair that was mostly hidden under his police hat.

Mick, well Mick looked like he belonged in a uniform. He carried himself with that rigid line that most cops had. This strange sort of bravado that Roy always assumed came from the fact that they carried guns around. That they could flash them around whenever they wanted to keep people quiet. Mick could do that with a look, he didn't need the gun on his hip.

He was certain the moment they walked in someone would take one look at Roy and know he didn't belong there. Even with a gun, Roy couldn't fake that cop swagger.

"Just pretend you are a rookie."

Lisa had found Roy and Mick dressed as cops particularly hilarious. She had even taken a few pictures with her phone. She mentioned something about posting them on the internet. After the plan was all done of course. Just to make the cops look even more like fools.

"I'm a little old to be a rookie."

"Welllll, maybe…Officer Martin was a late bloomer. Decided to switch careers late in life. He wanted to pursue his life long goal of helping people and…"

"We don't need to invent backstories."

"Mick! Of course you need backstories. What if some oblivious cop asks you about your life while you are standing in an elevator. You can't just grunt at him like you normally would. Officer Banks would talk about his wife and three kids. How his youngest daughter is learning to play the piano. And how his wife…"

"Is screwing every guy on the block?"

"You're not helping Hartley."

"What? I mean, we can't give them ridiculously happy background stories, otherwise people will get suspicious. Roy, how about you were a carpenter, but then your wife was murdered and…"

"This isn't a low budget action movie, it needs to have more realism. More emotion, I think they…"

That conversation had lasted one hour and twenty-seven minutes.

By the end of it, Roy was certain that Lisa and Hartley had created life histories for Mick and Roy's false identities that were more realistic and detailed than most autobiographies.

Not that Mick or Roy memorized any of it. If all went according to plan, they were going to get in and out without having to do more than nod at anyone who passed by. If they did get stopped, the person talking to them would probably notice they weren't who they said they were.

So they walked quickly and kept their heads down. Turning away from the cameras like they practiced. The entire point of this was to get in and out without anyone noticing that anything was wrong. So Hartley had hacked into the police camera system and made a few minor adjustments. The cameras moved at a regular pattern now. If anyone reviewed the footage, all they would see were two cops walking through the precinct.

It was just bad timing that you could never see their faces. That was all. No reason to be suspicious.

They made it to the basement where the files were kept. The security cameras here didn't move. They just stayed focused on the door. No way to hide their faces, or hide what they were after.

But that shouldn't be a problem in 3…2…1…

The power to the precinct went out. The entire basement pitched into darkness.

Not just the precinct. The entire city.

It was just bad luck that the bank the Rogues were robbing was so close to the Central City power grid. And how could anyone have predicted that Mardon would accidentally overload the grid with a lightening strike. Nothing more than a coincidence that the power went out at this exact moment. Just two cops, walking down in the basement as a part of the regular rounds.

The cops had put a great deal of thought into protecting this room from meta human attacks. Alarms, locks, anti-meta devices. Roy was surprised there wasn't a giant boulder above the door. But in the end, even the CCPD had budgetary restraints. They should have installed a bank vault door, or kept a permanent cop outside. Something in case all their pretty devices failed.

Thankfully they hadn't considered all the possibilities. With the power down and most of the cops out facing down the Rogues, all that was left was a single locked door.

Roy pulled the lock pick kit out of his pocket. He hadn't had to use one of these in awhile. Brute force or Shawna's powers were the normal method for dealing with locked doors. Roy moved the pins in the lock until he heard that old familiar click.

He had actually kind of missed doing that.

He had forgotten how satisfying it was to turn a handle to a door you had just unlocked. It was the simple things that had made being a thief so pleasurable for Roy.

"Forty-seven seconds."

Roy refocused on the task at hand at Mick's words. They didn't have much time before the power returned. They needed to have the files, and be back in position before the cameras came back.

They quickly found the files Cold had told them about and pulled out the papers they needed. They replaced them with blank pieces of paper. Mick stuffed the files into the hidden pocket sewn into the inside of his uniform.

They walked back into the hall, closed the door behind them, and waited for the lights to click back on.

Which should be in about…

"You guys lost?"

Roy raised a hand, as much to block the light from the flashlight pointed directly in his eyes as to attempt to hide his face.

Damn it.

This was all they needed. Mick kept his voice level, and his face slightly turned downward.

"Thought we heard something, didn't end up being anything."

"I got you, the basement is creepy on the best of days. With the lights out, it's even worse. The back up generators should…Ah, there we go."

The lights flicked on. Roy could see the young officer across from them. The man was looking up at the lights, his gaze not yet focused on the two men across from them.

Roy knew that using his powers was out of the question. If anyone found out that the Rogues had been here, it would ruin everything. So they were going to have to talk their way out of this.

Which wasn't exactly Roy or Mick's strong suit.

Digger had tried to convince Cold to let him tag along to the station.

"Come on mate, I'm the best talker you got…"

"The best bullshitter."

"Exactly, thanks Hart."

"I wasn't…you just don't want to stay in the car."

"That's not true, I mean…"

"Digger, Hartley, enough. The plan stays as is. Mick and Roy will be able to improvise if the situation calls for it. As long as the cops don't find out it was us, do whatever you need to."

Roy wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation. Both of them were carrying police issue guns, but a gunshot would bring a lot more cops running. Roy looked to Mick. The pyro had more experience than Roy, he was the lead here. Roy would just go with whatever Mick decided to do.

Mick pulled his gun.

Then pointed it down the opposite hallway.

"Did you hear that? There's that damn noise again Martin."

It took Roy a second to remember that he was Officer Martin. He followed Mick's lead and pulled his weapon.

The cop was staring down the hall.

"I didn't hear anything."

"Shit. If you don't hear it…"

"What?" The cop looked nervous now. He had pulled his gun as well. He aimed it in the same direction that Mick was pointing.

"There's been reports of this meta, can make you see things. Dresses like a damn magician. So far it's been low level stuff. Turning pencils into snakes, guy in the park said he saw a bird get turned into a puppet. Captain Singh hasn't added him to the meta list because the bastard hasn't done anything harmful. Just seems to like showing off. Martin, you take the left. Officer…."

"Richards."

"Richards, start down the hall. I'll cover your back, but…If Martin and I can hear it, then our judgment might already be compromised. You see anything strange you holler back. There are rumors that he can make people disappear."

The cop's hands were shaking slightly. The kid might not have ever gone against a meta human before. Roy turned his head to hide his smirk. Richards' eyes hadn't left the slightly darkened hallway in front of him. Roy doubted the man had even looked at the two incredibly suspicious thieves behind him. Hadn't even considered what they were doing down here in the first place. Too focused on the potential attack from a meta human.

People were so worried that a meta might kill them, they were taking their focus off of regular criminals. Ignoring the signs around them.

They were going to have to pull a few more low-key heists if it was going to be this easy.

Richards started down the hallway. His gun out, pointing it towards every noise, every flicker of a shadow. Mick nodded to Roy. The two of them turned and walked quickly towards the exits.

They made it back to the police cars without any further problems. Mick pulled the files out and handed them to Roy when they got in the car. They were halfway back to the safe house before Roy spoke to Mick.

"What if that kid tells someone he saw two cops that told him about a potential meta? Then they just disappeared?"

"What? You mean, what if that damn rookie tells his boss that a couple of other uniformed cops told him about a magician that was haunting the lower levels of the CCPD? Two cops who don't exist? A meta that doesn't exist? They'll write the kid off, tell him he was getting pranked by others. Or they won't believe him. Odds are, the kid realized how stupid the whole thing sounded a few minutes after we bailed and got wise. Kid won't want his bosses to think he's some dumb punk. My money says he keeps his mouth shut."

Roy could see the logic in that. Cops were little more than alpha male thugs most of the time. Richards wouldn't want to lose any standing in his friends' eyes, so he would lie to save face.

Roy wondered how many crimes went unsolved because of a cop's pride.

Roy smirked and eyed the files in his hands.

At least one more.

Shawna had to admit, seeing the boys in those uniforms had made her laugh. Roy had rolled his eyes, Mick had grunted and adjusted his tie. If there were ever two people in the world she couldn't imagine as cops, it was Roy Bivolo and Mick Rory. Roy looked so damn uncomfortable in the uniform. Like it was full of itching powder. She had resisted the urge to ruffle his bleached blond hair a couple times. Though it had been difficult.

Especially when he glared at her.

So adorable.

Mick looked like he was going to grind his teeth down to the molars in that suit. So damn rigid, man was bound to snap in two if she even thought about touching him. He had outright refused to wear a wig, so he was just sporting your standard issue cop mustache.

Circa the 1970s.

She was going to ask Hartley to Photoshop Mick's head on to a CHIPS poster later.

She was glad Cold didn't want her to go with them. She would have been giggling the entire time. She was definitely going to grab some of the pictures that Lisa took. Maybe blow them up, hang them around the safe house every so often.

Breaking into a police station wasn't something Shawna had ever thought she would do. And technically she wasn't doing it right now. Now she was teleporting large sums of money into the back of a stolen moving truck. Just because this whole thing was a distraction didn't mean they weren't going to walk away with a boat load of money.

Now there was an idea.

Maybe she would buy a boat.

She had never considered it before. But with the money they were pulling, she could actually do it. Growing up with nothing, it was strange to now have so much. Most of the time it didn't feel real. Hartley had created off shore accounts for them in some bank halfway around the world. Some nights she would pull up her laptop and just stare at the amount on the screen. Hitting the refresh button every so often, just to convince herself it was real.

The amount was downright obscene.

She could hardly contain her smile.

She didn't know how to drive a boat. Hell they pull a couple more jobs like this and she could buy a boat and hire a crew to man it. Then she could go wherever she wanted. Somewhere beyond the horizon.

Somewhere beyond her sight.

She had always wanted to travel. Her and Clay had talked about it so much back when they were still together. What they would do when they finally hit it big. When they finally had the cash to break free of the city. They were going to move somewhere warm, somewhere with a beach. Be the kind of people who moved to an island and opened a bar. Who watched the sun set over the sand at night.

When things calmed down a bit, after Cold said it was safe to move around freely, she might take a little break. Might just see what the world was like outside of Central. She'd never even left the city.

Even when she had dreamed of running away with Clay, there was always this part of her that didn't believe she would ever leave. That she would be stuck in the same city for the rest of her life. She would never have the money, or the strength, to leave.

But now…

Now there were so many avenues open to her. So much she could do. It was finally all happening. She could see all those places she had seen on tv. Or in magazines. All the places she had dreamed of seeing since she was a little girl and her dad had brought home those copies of National Geographic that the library had been giving away.

All those mountains. All those lakes and seas. Everything so full of color. Everything so big and open.

Of course, if she ran off to see the world, she'd be on her own again.

She'd be vulnerable again.

No one to watch her back. No one to keep an eye on her if she got spotted by some ARGUS agent. Just because Amanda Waller had backed off, didn't mean she had gone anywhere.

Maybe she could get one of the others to go with her. Lisa would definitely be willing to jump on a jet and see the world. She had been complaining the other day about having to buy a new leather jacket and not being able to find the right one in Central. How she would just have to fly to Paris to steal another one.

Cold wouldn't mind. He'd probably just make them check in every few days. Send text updates.

It wasn't like she was abandoning the Rogues. Just a little vacation.

That was it.

She just wanted a little vacation. Not like they all didn't deserve it after all the shit they went through last year.

She could probably convince Roy to travel with her. Go see all the great museums of the world. Maybe steal a couple masterpieces. Sneak a couple of his paintings into a collection. He might like that.

Although he would probably like the time away from the others more.

He was…well Roy was always reserved. Always held back, but it just seemed like he was doing it more. Like there was still…

"Watch your sweet ass love."

Shawna simultaneously took Digger's advice and flipped him the bird. He would definitely never be invited. That guy was such a creeper. It made her hate him all the more when he saved her life.

She teleported directly into the moving car. Digger flashed her a smirk and she rolled her eyes. He handed her a tablet and started speeding the car away from the fight.

If everything went according to plan, the cops would seize the moving truck, thinking all the cash was still inside. The cops hadn't noticed that Cold had frozen the bottom of the truck, shattering the metal bottom, allowing them to drop all the cash straight down into the abandoned subway tunnel below. Lisa was waiting down there with one of those old mechanical pulley things. The Rogues were going to take the cash right out from underneath the cops.

Shawna kept an eye on the situation on the tablet. Mardon and Hartley were doing most of the distracting. Mark was blowing huge gusts of wind around, kicking up dust and debris. Hartley was keeping people back with his gauntlets. Blowing out car and building windows. Also emitting a high pitched noise that would distract any police dogs that tried to sniff them out later.

The cops had set up a perimeter around the bank. Seemed to be their default position. Sit on their hands and wait for the Flash to show up. At this rate, they would be gone before old speedy pajamas ever showed up.

Then there was the whole Rogues Task Force to watch out for. So far they hadn't done anything. Just kept gearing up. Pulling out all their gizmos and fancy toys. They'd try to take out Mardon first, he was always the one they focused on. Of course they will have noticed that no one had seen Digger, Roy, or Mick yet. Probably assumed they were waiting in the wings, waiting to strike when the Flash showed up.

Lisa had been front and center early on, but had faked being injured. It had allowed Shawna to teleport Lisa away without anyone questioning where the female Snart sibling had gone. Cold was also intermittently missing from the action. He had gone into the truck under the guise of moving the money.

The tablet switched to a view of the docks across town. She teleported there instantly. It was quiet, not a cop in sight. No one around except the birds and the fish. She would see a few fishing boats out on the water. She watched the way they rocked back and forth. Moving in time with the waves.

Yea. She was going to get a boat.

She waited a few moments, then teleported back into the still speeding car. It had taken a few tries for her to get to the point where she could teleport into a moving car from such a distance using the cameras on the tablet. Definitely had a few scraped knees and a bruised tailbone from her first attempts.

She repeated the pattern, teleporting to random locations around town. Each time she would reappear in the moving vehicle, Digger would change directions. She kept her eyes on the tablet.

The Flash had finally decided to grace them with his presence.

Shawna looked down as her watched beeped. Alright, that was enough fooling around.

She teleported down to the abandoned tunnels where Lisa was waiting. Lisa looked up with a smile.

"Boys just checked in. They've got the files. Time for us to make our escape."

Shawna nodded at Lisa's instructions.

"Just in time, the Flash just showed up. Cold and the others have it handled."

"I would hope so. I would hate to think we spent all this effort to just steal from some boring old cops."

Shawna smirked at all the money currently being moved towards down the tunnel. Digger should be waiting by the exit by now, with their getaway vehicle.

Mick had found an old school bus in a dump and had fixed it up. Hartley was able to create some kind of projection on the windows. Anyone who looked into the bus would just see a bunch of teenagers coming back from a football game. No way the cops would stop a busload full of kids, especially not with a bunch of dangerous meta humans nearby.

Lisa and Shawna moved the carts full of cash into the elevator. Digger was waiting for them at the top.

"Ladies. Your chariot awaits."

Shawna rolled her eyes at Digger's exaggerated bow.

"Finally found a job you can't screw up Digger?"

"I'll have you know that bus driver is a very noble profession. Takes a very zen mind to deal with screaming brats all the time."

The three of them started piling the cash into the back of the bus. Shawna's watch beeped again.

"Back in a flash."

She teleported and grabbed Hartley away from the scene. Cold was still distracting the Flash. The hero didn't even notice it was just Mardon and Cold left now.

It was funny. The Flash could easily run in and grab them all before they even knew what had happened. But he always slowed down. Always had to try and talk to them for a bit.

God knows why. Boy had a bit of a complex, always trying to save people. Did he really think any of them were going to listen to one of his speeches one day and join the good guys?

Pass.

Maybe the kid did it because he was a do gooder who didn't know when to give up.

Maybe it was because he knew that Cold always had a back up plan.

She teleported Hartley to the bus, then went back. She hid behind a nearby wall. Keeping an eye out for Cold's signal.

"…honestly Scarlett. I'm a little hurt. We've been robbing this place for nearly 20 minutes now. Did you have better things to do?"

"Why do you keep doing this Snart? We both know how it is going to end."

"With me and my crew leaving with all that cash? Considering our track record of escapes, I would say the odds are considerably in our favor."

"What do you want Cold?"

"Money of course. Or did the robbing the bank part not give that away." Cold turned to Mardon. "I thought our intentions were rather clear."

Mardon smirked.

"Oh come on Cold. We gotta spell it out for the kid. That mask he wears is too tight, cuts off the blood flow to the brain."

Cold turned back to the Flash.

"Next time, we will make sure to leave a detailed explanation. Perhaps a small thesis on the societal constructs of the criminal mind. I can also have everyone write out a list of what we intend to spend our ill gotten gains on. So as there will be no confusion. Wouldn't want people thinking we were the Robin Hood types. Mardon…"

"I'm thinking of buying a convertible. Or a small island. It could go either way."

"Enough Cold. There is nowhere for you to go. This ends now!"

"Oh Scarlett I agree, soon all of this will end...However, you know what they say. Those who fight and run away…."

Shawna appeared behind Cold and Mardon and placed a hand on their shoulders. She gave the Flash a wink.

The three of them were instantly back at the bus.

Mardon finished Cold's line.

"Live to steal a bunch of cash another day."

They piled into the bus and Digger drove them out of the garage. The streets were crowded with on lookers. Trying to get a glimpse of a fight between the Flash and the Rogues. A cop was frantically trying to get people off of the street. He waved their bus through the traffic quickly, never even giving it a second look.

It was weird to be looking out the windows, seeing all those people standing around. Seeing some of them turn and look right at her. She kept waiting for one of them to starting pointing, to yell that the Rogues were getting away.

But no one did. Shawna had to admit, Hartley was good at this tech stuff.

Mardon laughed and slapped Hartley on the shoulder.

"Damn kid. Can't believe this is working."

"Of course it's working. The reflective coating that I put over the glass combined with the cameras that will mimic what is actually happening outside…"

Cold turned to Lisa.

"Mick and Roy?"

"Should be back at the safe house before we get there. Mick said they got all the files without any trouble."

"Excellent, Hartley?"

Hartley stopped his explanation and flipped open a small computer.

"No signs of pursuit. Shawna teleporting to different locations earlier has them chasing after false leads. Aww, poor Cisco, sounds like he is frustrated. Take that you talentless hack."

Shawna smiled. Getting the cops and the STAR Labs kids to run around in circles was icing on the cake. She looked back towards the cash. The multimillion dollar cake.

They were back at the safe house in a no time at all. Each of them piling out, still hopped up on the adrenaline of a job.

Roy had already changed out of his uniform by the time they entered the main area of the safe house. Which was a shame, she had really wanted a picture with him in it. Mick was still in his uniform although the tie was noticeably missing. The files they had stolen were spread out on the table. Mick glanced up as they all entered.

"What's the take?"

Cold walked towards the table and spread some of the files around with his hand. Seemingly only glancing at all of them. Shawna was certain he was actually memorizing them.

"Roughly 2 million a piece."

Digger laughed and walked towards the kitchen.

"Honestly, it's like they want us to rob them. Putting so much cash in one place? What the hell were they thinking?"

Mardon scoffed.

"Probably that they had their new Rogues Task Force to keep their money safe. Not that it did them any good. Those idiots didn't even do anything. Just stood around with their thumbs up their assess waiting for the Flash to show up and take care of it."

Digger tossed Mardon a beer, and Mark flopped down on to the couch.

"No problems with the cops?"

Roy looked at Cold.

"We didn't have to use our powers. We can run through the security feeds later and make sure our faces were never seen clearly."

"Good, do that in the morning. We need to make sure there aren't any loose ends that need taken care of."

Roy nodded then walked towards the kitchen. Digger offered Roy a beer and the artist took it. Shawna wandered over and grabbed one as well. She leaned against the kitchen island and looked at the Rogues spread out around the room.

Mick, Lisa, and Cold were standing around the table looking through the stolen files. Mardon and Hartley were lounging on the couch, though Hartley was still looking through his programs. Checking again for any sign of a tail. Digger was rummaging through the fridge, while Roy sipped his beer beside her.

Shawna smiled. She loved this feeling. This moment of knowing that the job was done. That the money was theirs and nobody was going to take it.

Nobody could ever take this from them.

Shawna finally gave in and ran a hand through Roy's hair.

"I kinda like it blond. You should keep it this way Roy." Roy gave her a small glare then took a step away from her.

She grinned wider.

One day she was going to buy that boat. Sail away from it all. See the world outside of Central.

Leave all this criminal stuff behind.

Maybe in a couple weeks, a couple months.

Maybe in a couple years.

As long as they kept pulling jobs, as long as she got to always come back to this moment…

The world could wait.

A/N: I'm thinking this one won't be as long as the last story, but then I say that to myself every single time. So we will see.