Solar ; 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘸

thirty: time is of the essence

▂▂▂▂▂ act one , chapter thirty
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
Central City , 1990 ▂▂▂▂▂

❝you're welcome.❞

THROUGHOUT MOST OF the pasture on the outskirts of Central City, there was a chilled breeze blissfully gliding through the night; however, about an acre of land wasn't enjoying the luxury of the brisk evening air.

Up in flames was the Rory household — the once functional home (though most of its occupants would argue against the term functional) was burning to the ground, the fiery orange embers lighting up the eyes of the bystanders who watched in ghastliness. The peaceful night where the only sound came from the crickets chirping had shattered the moment flames erupted inside the two-story home, raging on and soon engulfing its victims.

Mick Rory was a pretty closed-off person, so Elle had no idea of the significance of this event playing out right before her earth-toned eyes, nor did she have any clue about the scars on Rory's arms that induced from this night. While it may not have been this fire that gave Heat Wave the extensive and brutal burns ranging from his wrists to his shoulders, they stemmed from this very moment. Being in this instant was hard for Rory, and it was a turning point in his life, but only a handful of people knew that, and Elle wasn't one of them. Yet, at least.

But what the teenager did know was that she had to find the younger version of the arsonist before the Pilgrim did.

After the Hunters failed to bring the team in, the Time Master's next point of action was initiating what Rory called the Omega Protocol. This protocol called for an assassin — the Pilgrim — to hunt down her targets. She wouldn't be going after the team now — she'd be going after the team in the past when they were kids, adolescent vulnerable kids. It was the most lethal route the Time Masters could go down.

The whole idea of this Pilgrim hunting a younger version of herself put Elle more on edge than she had been this entire trip. She couldn't bear the thought of her younger self facing this deadly assassin, being clueless and confused as to why she was being targeted.

But thanks to the resident AI, they could track the Pilgrim's temporal wake — whatever that was — and see who the assassin was targeting. It was Rory who, unfortunately for him, snatched the first spot, and that's why they were there in Central City. To search out for the younger boy that was the arsonist and grab him before the Pilgrim could kill him.

While Jefferson and Sara searched the inside of the flame-engulfed house, Snart, Rory, and Rip posed as local firemen, and finally, Ray and Elle were doing a sweep of the perimeter. The Anders girl was invisible to those surrounding her as she jogged frantically around the back side of the house, the tall grass rubbing against her legs. Her head was on a swivel as she looked for mini-Rory, but she was apprehensive that she'd actually be able to spot him, considering that she had no clue what a younger version of Rory looked like.