Rory sped down the busy streets, getting honked at by various cars and taxis. He screamed in frustration. His voice was drowned out by the sounds of the highway.

"Stupid!" he yelled in his loud, deep voice. "They're all idiots. The Flash, Lenny, Lisa, me. Every one of us."

He headed back to their apartment. For a moment, Mick considered just driving straight past. Never coming back. He didn't, he knew Lisa was following him even if he couldn't see her. She knew how do be discreet when trailing someone, more than Mick knew how to out drive someone.

The moment Mick stopped his bike Lisa sped into the parking lot. She stopped her motorcycle as Heat Wave angrily stomped away.

"We need to talk," Lisa called.

"Not listening."

"Come on, you're being ridiculous. It's just the Flash. Let it go."

Mick stopped and turned on his heels. "This isn't going to work out. I think I need to head out of town for a few days."

Lisa shook her head. "Don't be stupid, we're family. I don't know why Len let himself get captured Mick. Sometimes brothers are just stupid like that. Like how you're acting now."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. He held it in front of his face so she could see it. "See this. This is all I care about. I'm what people call a pyromaniac. Obsessed with fire. I burned my house down when I was ten years old, with my family inside it. One day, I'm going to burn you, and then Cold will kill me. Cold is going to end up killing me no matter what, so I think it's in both of our best intentions for me to leave."

Mick flipped the light on. He stared at it. He wanted to throw the lighter on the ground. He wanted to smash his foot into it and break it into a million pieces. He knew he couldn't though, you can never escape a flame. You just have to keep feeding it, before it eats you.

Lisa knew tears couldn't change her friend's mind. Nothing could change her friends mind, but she could try help but try. "You selfish psychopath. You think I care that you're dangerous? We're all dangerous. Len would never hurt you, even if he threatened it. You're as much as his brother as you are mine, and Len is mine. You just attacked the Flash because he took Len away and left me alone. Are you that much of a hypocrite that you think leaving too will be better for me?"

"I left you to die dang it!" Mick was a very loud person when he was angry or emotional. "This isn't about Leonard. This is about me. They took Len and knocked you out, and I saw them put the bomb in your head. Yet, I just left. I didn't care, just grabbed the cash from the job and drove away. I imagined the explosion, the fire that would follow it, and I smiled. I actually smiled Lisa," he said. "How can you call me a brother, how can you call me family? After what I did to you."

Lisa stood dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say.

Mick walked back to his motorcycle. He had enough money in his coat to last him for a month. "Goodbye. I'm sorry."

And he drove away. For some reason he didn't feel mad, like he had felt a few minutes before. He felt sick. He knew Lisa wouldn't follow, and it made him sicker.

Mick drove without stopping out of the city and deep into the woods. There was a small cabin he knew about. He had no doubt Cold knew about it even though he had tried to make it secret. Hopefully Lisa didn't know. Hopefully he could outrun her. Never hurt her or Leonard.

Mick hid out for two days before getting too hungry and wandering into the nearest grocery store. He picked up some beer, a packet of ego waffles, and a large container of syrup. As he was exiting, he saw a small stand selling some sparklers. He remembered playing with those as a kid on the 4th of July. He grabbed one and looked it over. It was $2.99, way more than it was worth. The sparkler was slipped under his coat.

As he walked back to the cabin, he held the groceries in one hand and the little firework in the other. When he got home he threw the waffles on a pan and put them over a rusty oven. His eyes never left the sparkler.

Obviously he burnt the waffles, he was Mick after all. He once burnt himself pouring a bowl of cereal. He ate his dinner in silence. No matter how much syrup he poured on them, they still tasted like charcoal. They didn't taste anything like pancakes.

"Why did you leave?" Mick asked himself out loud. He probably looked crazy, which he was. "Was it because you're selfish, because you know Cold is going to kill you when he finds out you almost let his sister get killed? Are you really afraid you're going to burn them, like you did your old family? Or is it because you're tired of being around the girl? Does she remind me too much of my little sis?"

He thought about the date. December 11th. Thirteen days until Christmas. There was no way Lisa would give up on the plan. She would try to do it herself, and end up getting captured in the process. And then Len would have another reason to kill Mick. Was Lisa serious, that he meant as much to her and Len as they cared for each other?

"Fine. Fine. Fine," he eventually said. "I don't know if I'm selfish or not, but I'm still not going back. I can at least help Len get out of Iron Heights." He picked up the firework and twirled it in his fingers. "I swear Lisa, I'm not going to die by fire or ice. You and Len will be the death of me."

Heat Wave hopped on his bike and drove back into the city. He happened to know of another firework shipment across town that had been ordered by some millionaire for a New Year's Eve banquet. It would be the perfect target.

He stopped by the apartment and snuck in. Lisa was out, her motorcycle wasn't in the garage. He grabbed his heat gun and some money from under his bed. He saw a small pile of fireworks in the corner of the living room. Pathetic. He pulled out the sparkler and dropped it in the pile.

He couldn't help but grab a beer from the fridge and a bag of Doritos. Lisa would know he'd been here anyway when she saw the heat gun missing. Grabbing a pen and the back of a coffee shop receipt, he scribbled down a paragraph.

"Hey kiddo. Had to come back for my gun. I'll be back with some fireworks later, but don't wait around for me. I've been out of town the past few days, I'm fine. Stay safe Lisa. We'll get Len out. Mick."

The note lay on the kitchen table. He wasn't ready to show his face again. He couldn't bring himself to see her after what he had done. At least he could write her a note. It was time for him to leave. There was a job to be done.