Heat Wave looked at the swarming chaos from a distance. He watched the waves of people in uniform from atop a building. There was a red streak of light and Mick Rory snickered. It was The Flash, but this time, he wasn't right on time as he usually was. He was too late to stop what the rogue had done. Mick laughed at the franticness beneath him and took it all in with proud eyes, recollecting the past events.

The day before, Mick Rory had been summoned to a mansion for a job. Rupert Thorne was the employer: a big mob boss who called in 'small favours' from crooks every now and then.

"Guys like me get hired by the mob to do the dirty work. It keeps their grubby mitts out of the situation, so It's not personal; it's not really on their hands." Mick Rory knew it was easy for them. Mob bosses always got away; their slate wasn't clean but there was never any evidence of their involvement. They all had big money that no one could take away from them because of their conniving and manipulation. Because the mob didn't have to do anything themselves, it made them virtually untouchable.

Mick was offered fifty grand for the gig right at the start. He was smart enough to know that with this kind of money, the job wasn't anything small or insignificant. 'Money talks', and every crook, sane and insane person knew that. Mick wasn't usually the type to take orders (except for the occasional instructions from his partner, Leonard Snart), but he needed the money, so he took the job anyway.

Mick made his way in the direction of his home after the visit with the ringleader. His home was more of a dump and temporary placement, but he still called it one. The best idea was to avoid the cops, but the only way to do that was to cut through the local school campus. If he went the the other direction from the mansion, he'd be noticed by people on the open streets. It was a bit of annoyance to him, as he disliked kids of all ages. "Lucky stiffs," Mick muttered as he travelled around the large vicinities.

He continued to sneak by through the back of the schoolyard, behind some trees, when he saw them. There were two kids far away from the building, almost out of sight. But Mick could tell they were not on friendly terms by their posture. There was a tall boy standing with a scrawny kid at his feet. Mick watched them for a long time, moving slightly closer.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The scrawny one yelled. His hands firmly grasped the dirt in tight fists.

But the big kid just looked down at him, "If it's not done by tomorrow, you're done."

"You're done." Those words were all too familiar to Mick Rory. The words were a promise he made to a classmate long ago, after he shoved Mick into a meat locker on a school trip.

Mick had been bullied for most of his primary school years, but Scudder was the worst bully of them all. Mick was trapped in the locker for hours because of some sick prank Scudder's friends put him up to. They all knew he didn't like the cold, but his fear and hatred towards it grew stronger after the event, making them get an even bigger kick out of it. The locker incident was the last straw. He swore vengeance on not only Scudder, but anyone who didn't treat him right. Back then, revenge never came easy, but as he got older he learned not to take anything from anyone.

Mick snapped out of his daze and made his way forward as the two figures were departing. Then he saw it: his face. He saw him. Mick saw the resemblance of someone who had been self entitled his whole life: a man who expected the world without even blinking an eye. It was Thorne he saw in that child, that bully. And for a moment he saw Thorne from a new perspective, he saw him for what he really was. Money was the bargain, the tease, the manipulation. It was simple to the rogue. The world seemed to be put in place.

Heat Wave followed the scrawny kid to make sure the other boy didn't change his mind and come back. He was back quite a ways but could hear the kid say, "Just one day off. Please." The young boy continued down the dirt path and Mick stopped following him. He watched for a moment and left in another direction to go his own route.

It was early Friday morning when the white flurries came down. They fell from the sky, their soft texture landing on the ground. Though there weren't many, Mick could still hear the press and news reporters scrambling to warn the city of the weather they were facing. "Due to harsh conditions, the Keystone district school has been cancelled, as it has been deemed unsafe to go outside," he could imagine.

Mick sat on the school's roof, smirking as the fluff landed on him. Though it was not cold, not at all. The white flakes came from a massive blaze that engulfed a nearby building. Rupert Thorne's mansion was in flames.

Mick watched it crumble from a distance away. He watched firetrucks and firemen arrive at the scene, and finally, The Flash. But the villain knew it was pointless. The firemen could put the fire out without his help, in fact, they could even check if anyone one was still inside. Though he probably had come looking for Heat Wave. Big fires don't normally happen at this time of year, and even if they did, they never lit up this quick or big by themselves. 'Probably thought it was some sinister plan,' Mick thought.

Rupert Thorne was sure to escape. With the money he had, a lot of people would risk their own lives to save him. Even with the life spared, Heat Wave had still won the battle. By now the mansion was completely covered in fire, and he knew The Flash was too late to stop it from burning to the ground. The flames danced on the building before the hero was even aware what Mick had done.

The ashes fell on his face, "Just one day," he said under his breath. "Heh," he laughed. Mick's feet dangled from the building as he soaked in the beautiful sight. He was probably worse off than he had been before, no money and even more enemies, but that was alright, because he had finally won. Mick always wanted to see the whole city burn, but he figured this would do for now.