Team Flash gathered on the bridge of the Waverider, mingling with the Legends as they said their goodbyes.

"You're sure you don't want to come along?" Nate asked Wally. "You know you're always welcome on the Waverider."

Charlie, standing beside him, nodded. "You did seem a bit starved for action when we found you, mate."

"I was," he agreed, "but I think I'll stick around Central City for a while. I miss being on Team Flash. They're my family, you know? But hey, if you guys ever want to hang out or talk or anything, I had Cisco make some updates on my tech. You can call me from anywhere, even the temporal zone."

Charlie gave him a friendly punch on the arm. "Brilliant!"

"We will, man," Nate told him. "Count on it."

On the other side of the room, Mona stood by Caitlin, listening intently. "You see," Caitlin told her, "the key is not to be afraid of the thing inside you. Everyone has a role to play. Even ice metas and werewolves."

"Thanks, Dr…Caitlin," Mona said, still hesitating not to use the full title of Dr. Caitlin Snow. "I just hope I figure out what Wolfie's role is. I mean, I get that she's a part of me, and I'm a Legend, but I feel like there's still more to figure out."

"You'll get it eventually," Caitlin replied with a comforting smile. "Just don't let anyone tell you Wolfie's a monster. She's not. I don't know if anyone has, but I'm telling you now because if I'd learned that lesson earlier on, my journey would have gone so much smoother. Seriously. So much."

"You could say that again," Killer Frost's voice echoed inside her head.

Near the central console, Cisco addressed Ray. "I'm going to miss having another tech genius around," he said. "Make that two, actually. Zari's pretty chill. But, dude, seriously, stop by any time."

"You've got it," Ray replied, patting him on the back. "And thanks for all the help."

"Hey, what are superhero crossovers for, right?" Cisco joked. "Anyway, I'll see you around." He turned to walk toward Charlie, Nate, and Wally. Halfway there, Leonard Snart stood in his way, stopping him in his tracks. "Whoa, man," Cisco said, "I get that you just died, but you might want to dial down the silent, dark presence thing, okay?"

"Cisco," Leonard growled, "this is about Lisa."

"Oh…" Cisco took a step back. "Yeah…um…Lisa. Your sister. That Lisa."

Leonard crossed his arms and looked down at him intimidatingly. "Yes. That Lisa."

"She…uh…we're not exactly…together," Cisco stammered. "I mean, we weren't before. But we're super not now. Because I'm with someone else, not because I did anything…to her…or…uh…"

"Cisco," Leonard said calmly.

"She left town after the whole thing with your dad," Cisco explained, ignoring Snart's interruption. "That's all. I didn't break her heart, I swear!" He raised his hand as if taking an oath.

"Cisco," Leonard repeated, still completely calm.

"Nothing happened," Cisco continued, "which means you have no reason to hurt me."

"Cisco."

"But…please don't hurt me, Captain Cold."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "Cisco, I'm only going to hurt you if you keep talking."

"Oh." He fell silent.

Leonard relaxed his posture to look slightly less menacing. "Look," he said, "whether anything happened between you two or not, Lisa trusts you. If she ever needs help and can't find me or Mick, you're the one she'll go to." His tone grew less snarky and more serious. "Mick told her I died three years ago, and he doesn't know where she is now. If you ever see her, if she ever comes to you for help, tell her I'm alive, I'm with Mick, and I'm safe. Promise me you'll do that."

Cisco nodded solemnly. "I promise."

"Good." He hesitated before adding, "And if you do see her, find some way to tell me. I don't care how. You're the brain around here. Just…tell me."

"Hey," Cisco reached out as if to pat Snart's shoulder, but a cold glare from Snart made him retreat before he could touch him, "I get it, man. I had a brother. If Lisa turns up in Central City, you'll be the first to know."

Leonard didn't smile, but his face softened just enough for Cisco to notice. "Thank you, Cisco," he said.

Sara stood near the captain's chair, checking the controls to ensure the ship was ready to time jump again. Barry walked over to join her. "Busy already?" he asked.

"A Legend's work is never done, it seems," she replied, turning around to face him. She smiled. "Thank you, Barry, for everything."

"No problem," he said. "I'm always happy to help." He glanced over his shoulder at Leonard, who had finally stepped out of Cisco's way and joined Mick along the wall of the parlor. "And I'm happy for Snart, too. I've always believed there was good in him. Now, he's got another a chance to let that good side out. You know, be the hero I always thought he could be."

Sara smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "Bet it's nice to be able to take credit for that, huh?"

"Ha!" Barry laughed. "I wish I could, but partial credit is the most I can accept."

"Why's that?"

"Because I may have started him on the path to becoming a hero," Barry explained, "and I will happily claim that victory for myself…" He leaned in toward Sara with a knowing look in his eyes. "…but I don't think I was the one who kept him on it."

Sara quickly turned her attention back to the controls. "That's what teams are for," she said, intentionally misunderstanding him. "Friendship, bonding, helping each other survive. Being on a team really brings out the best in people."

Barry noted her deflection with an amused grin. "It really does, doesn't it?"

Sara looked back at him impatiently. "Not to rush a speedster, but we've got a mission to get to."

Barry conceded, "Okay, you're right. I'll get my team out of your hair. Good luck, Captain!" He turned around to gather the rest of Team Flash and lead them back into S.T.A.R. Labs.


The Legends gathered around the central console, a hologram of the timeline projected above its center. The map showed many red circles of varying sizes scattered all throughout the timeline. "So," Zari asked, "what are we looking at?"

Sara zoomed in on the map, looking carefully at each circle. "These dots are the rifts that have been detected," she explained. "I think we should start with a simple one. That will give us more time if there's some unexpected twist to closing these things."

"As there always is," Leonard commented. He slid into the space closest to her and leaned forward against the console, lowering himself to Sara's height. "Where to first?"

Sara searched the map carefully, trying to find one that seemed relatively manageable. She focused on one and selected it, displaying the details on the hologram. "Here's one: Malibu, California, 1966."

"Right in the middle of 60s surf culture," Nate said. "Beach Boys, anyone?"

Ray grinned, then sang, "Everybody's gone surfin'…"

"…Surfin' U.S.A.!" Nate sang back, finishing where his friend left off. He reached over and high-fived Ray. "Whoo! Surf's up, dude!"

Sara tapped on the console, grabbing their attention. "We're not going surfing," she said. "We're searching for the rift and whatever anachronism came out of it. The good news is, it hasn't caused a significant change to the timeline yet. If we can nab it quickly, we can prevent an aberration."

"It's nice to be ahead for once," Constantine said.

"Very true," Sara agreed. She tapped on the console and ordered, "Gideon, plot a course for Malibu, 1966. Legends, grab your sunscreen and flip-flops because we are heading to sunny Southern California!"

The Legends took their seats and strapped themselves in. Sara took her place at the front. Leonard found a seat beside Mick. "Does she always do introductions like that now?" he asked him.

"Yeah," Mick answered, "but they're usually better."

"I heard that, Rory," Sara called back from her seat. She placed her hand over the lever powering the time drive. "Hang on!" She pushed it forward, sending the Waverider flying into the summer of 1966.


The Waverider jolted into a scenic area, parking itself in a hidden position in the brush-covered hills overlooking one of Malibu's more popular beaches. The Legends unlocked themselves from their seats. Leonard squinted. "Felt weird that," he said. Hearing his jumbled words, he immediately shut his mouth.

It was too late. Mick had already heard it. "Ha!" he laughed. "You got that time-lingo-thingamajig!"

Ray's eyes widened. "You haven't time jumped in three years," he said, "which means you're experiencing side effects again and need to readjust to time travel. Wow, that really is astonishing!"

Leonard glared at him. "Up shut, Raymond."

"It'll wear off in a few minutes," Sara reminded her teammates as she stepped toward them from the captain's position. "In the meantime, we need to go over the plan. The rift should be nearby, but there's still a lot of ground to cover. Splitting up will make it go faster."

"In a rush, are we?" Charlie asked, regarding Sara quizzically. "No time for a little fun in the sun?"

"No," Sara answered seriously. "I like a beach vacation as much as any of you – except maybe Rory – but this is a mission. We've got a lot of rifts to get through and we need to make sure we can do that smoothly and effectively." She walked closer to the group, then asked, "Ray, how's your device coming along?"

"Great," the scientist answered, "but I'm still running a few tests."

Sara thought for moment, formulating a plan in her head. "Okay. Ray, you can stay here. Keep on the comms in case we need a QB. John?"

"What, love?" Constantine replied. Leonard stiffened but tried to hide it. He now understood that "love" was practically a universal term for the strange Englishman and knew that he had no reason to think any more about it. All the same, he still wasn't particularly fond of hearing Constantine say it to Sara.

"You go inland," she told him. "There are lots of places to hide in shops, restaurants, hotels, and even the hills and brush. Look around for anything unusual. Take Mona with you in case you need an assistant." She turned toward her remaining teammates. "The rest of us can hit the beach. We'll probably need to split up further, but we can decide how once we get down there and have a better look at what we're dealing with." She looked at each face surrounding her carefully. "Everyone good?" A series of nods answered in the affirmative. "All right, then let's head to Malibu."


Sara, Nora, Charlie, Mick, Snart, Nate, and Zari emerged from the Waverider. Charlie, Sara, and Zari were dressed in era-appropriate bathing suits and high-waisted shorts. Charlie embellished her look with a pair of aviator sunglasses. Nora wore a short, navy blue sundress. Mick and Nate both wore swim trunks with button-up shirts, neither of them fully buttoned. Additionally, Nate carried a large beach bag concealing the heat and cold guns under layers of towels. Snart wore dark jeans, a black shirt, and a dark leather jacket.

Nate turned to Snart. "Dude, we're at the beach."

"And?" Snart replied.

Nate studied his appearance. "It's, like, eighty degrees."

"Hm…" he paused, thinking about the temperature of the air around him, "yeah, that sounds about right."

"You're not going to blend in, man," Nate warned him. "We need to look like we belong here."

"Pretty sure people wore leather jackets in the 60s," Snart pointed out. "Ever heard of greasers?"

"Not when you're at the beach and it's eighty degrees outside," Nate insisted. "Why don't you just dress like me and Mick?"

Leonard shrugged. "I don't do shorts."

Zari stepped in between them. "Boys, boys," she said calmly, "are we going to spend the mission arguing, or are we going to find our rift?"

Leonard said nothing. Nate mumbled, "Find our rift."

"That's what I thought," Zari replied. She turned to Sara. "What's the plan, Captain?"

Sara pointed to a small building at the end of the nearest parking lot, right on the edge of the beach. "Judging by the number of patrons," she said, "that place looks pretty popular. It's probably a bar or restaurant of some kind. I say we head in and ask around if people have seen anything strange lately."

Charlie adjusted her sunglasses and smiled. "A beachside bar? This might be our best mission in a while."

"Got that right," Mick agreed.

"Keep a low profile," Sara added, eyeing Mick and Charlie. "The timeline hasn't significantly changed yet, but it could any second. We don't want to endanger it more than it already is."

Mick held up his hands. "Yeah, yeah, no burning stuff. Whatever."

The group walked downhill, crossed the street, and made their way through the parking lot to the building. Upon closer inspection, it was definitely a bar, populated mostly by young adults who seemed to be either on their way to the ocean or recently returned from it. "Remember," Sara whispered as they approached the door, "low profile."

As they entered, they were greeted by the sound of a jukebox playing, "Surfin' U.S.A." by the Beach Boys, a rack of surfboards lying against each wall, and the smell of the ocean wafting through the open windows on the opposite side. Sara looked around, taking in the scene, then led the group to the bar, where several seats had just opened up.

The bartender, a middle-aged man in a Hawaiian shirt, waved at them. "Welcome," he said. "Can I get you started on anything?"

"Beer," Mick answered immediately.

Charlie opened her mouth to order. Sara started speaking before she got the chance. "Actually," Sara said, "this is our first time around here. We were wondering if there are any locals who can tell us more about the area."

"Well, you came to the right place," the bartender replied. "I've been here for about ten years now. I know this part of the coast like the back of my hand. What did you want to know about?"

Sara began her interrogation, keeping her demeanor as casual and relaxed as possible. "Would you say this beach is usually pretty busy? It seems like there are a lot of people here."

"Oh yeah," he answered. "This area's big, especially for the college kids. The waves are perfect this time of year. There are always parties, volleyball games, surfing competitions, and sometimes even concerts. Of course, if you wanted something a little quieter, all you have to do is walk up the coast a bit. There's an area with tide pools and caves. It's usually a little less populated because it's harder to lay out a towel on the rocks, but it's still nice."

"Good to know," Sara replied. "And has there been anything going on lately? Anything…unusual?"

He shook his head. "Not since a couple weekends ago. The kids had a bonfire to kick off summer vacation. But hey," he reached under the bar and pulled out a folded piece of paper, "I've got a spare map if you and your friends want to check out what's around."

Sara took the map from his hands and unfolded it. "Thanks," she said.

"My pleasure," he replied. "It's always nice to see new faces." He leaned in over the bar with a friendly grin. "Welcome to Malibu."

While the bartender retreated to fetch Mick's beer, the Legends crowded around the map. "Nothing on here looks incorrect," Zari observed. "The rift hasn't changed the beach layout, at least."

"Yeah," Nate said, "but think about all the people. It's the peak of the summer. With this crowd, it could be hiding in plain sight."

"Or, alternatively," Sara suggested, "it could be in the caves he mentioned. He did say fewer people go there. If no one's seen anything yet, that could be why."

"So, which is it?" Leonard asked.

"That's what we need to find out," Sara replied. She looked out the windows at the crowds of people enjoying the beach. "Charlie and Nora," she said, "come outside with me. The rest of you, stay put."

Leonard raised an eyebrow at her. "You're leaving? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see if any of these beachgoers have seen anything strange," she explained. "Zari and Nate, you two stick with Snart and Rory. This place looks like it gets a lot of foot traffic. If you hear anything, let me know on comms."

"You got it, Captain," Zari said with an obedient nod.

Sara led Charlie and Nora out toward the beach, leaving Mick, Leonard, Zari, and Nate by themselves in the bar.


Mona looked over a map of Malibu, marveling at it as she walked down the street behind Constantine. "This place looks so fun," she said. "I've always wanted to see the Pacific coast. Have you ever been here before, Mr. Constantine?"

"Just Constantine is fine, love," he corrected her, "and yes, I have, but under very different circumstances."

Mona continued to peruse the attractions on the map. "There's an art museum…hiking trails…boats…surfing lessons…Ooh! Is that an amusement park?" She turned the map to place the object she was intrigued by in front of her eyes. "Oh, it's actually a little bit farther south in Santa Monica. Still, though, maybe we can stop by there once we close the rift."

"We have to find the rift first, pet," John reminded her. "Now, if I was a hole in the fabric of time, where would I be?"

Mona closed the map and looked around at the various shops near them. Most of them seemed to be selling beach gear, although there was also a grocery store across the street. She stepped to the side and peered into the window of the nearest shop. "Just surfboards and touristy things," she observed. "I don't see anything that shouldn't be there."

The two of them walked to the next couple of stores. They checked the windows, then walked inside. Both times, they left emptyhanded. "Doesn't seem like it's hiding in any of these," John remarked, "unless it's disguised as a bottle of sunscreen."

"Could it be?" Mona asked.

"I suppose it might, but probably not. You saw how that vortex looked back in Central City. The others are most likely more subtle than that one was, but they're still ultimately the same thing: a big old tear in time and space."

"Hm," Mona looked at the ground, thinking. "I guess we could keep walking, or we could join the others at the beach…" she trailed off as she looked up, noticing the tall, brush-covered hills in the distance, "…or we could check over there."

John turned to look in the direction she was facing. "Up in the hills, eh?"

"Yeah," she said. "If it hasn't affected the timeline yet, then nobody's probably seen it, which means it's got to be hiding. Maybe it's in the brush somewhere."

John considered the idea. "It's as likely as anywhere else," he finally decided. "Let's give it a shot." He leaned over to see the map still in Mona's hands. "Ah, there's an entrance," he said, pointing to a marker on the map leading to a nearby hiking trail. "Straight ahead and to the right. Come along, love." The two of them headed out in the direction of the trail.


A/N: And now they're on their first mission with Snart! It'll be broken up over a few chapters, so this is just the first part. I'll have the next part ready soon!