In the medbay on Waverider, Ray tells Martin that Gideon is keeping Nate under sedation after his recent injuries. Ray explains that he modified the Nazi serumt hat he injected Nate with. Vixen attacks and knocks them both out. She then goes to the bridge and knocks out Sara, and then finds and knocks out Jax.
In the mess hall, Rory is looking for knives when Vixen puts a knife to his throat from behind. She accuses him of killing Rex, and Mick tosses her off. Vixen channels the strength of a gorilla and comes at him, finally knocking him down. However, a steel encased Nate stops her, his armored skin turning aside her knife blows. He knocks her out and admits to Mick that he doesn't know what happened to him.
In the library, Nate explains what his new abilities are once he reverts to normal. He takes the name Steel, and Sara tells Ray to teach Nate how to use his abilities. She goes to the brig to talk to Vixen, who promises to escape and finish what she started: killing Mick for killing Rex. Sara insists that Mick didn't do it, and explains that they've been tracking someone who is altering history. She asks Vixen to promise not to hurt Mick out, and releases her once she does, and they shake hands.
Jax and Ray take Nate to the cargo hold and figure his powers activated because of a heightened adrenal result. Ray puts on a blaster and shoots him.
Sara tells Vixen that they can't go back in time and save Rex, so they have to identify who they're up against. Vixen refuses to go back until Rex's kill is brought to justice, and they hear energy blasts from the cargo hold. They find Nate in steel form, shrugging off Ray's blast and enhanced strength. He then shoves Ray back, knocking open the cargo door. The decompression knocks him out, and Ray flies after him.
Sara and Vixen go to the bridge and try to stabilize the ship, while Jax makes repairs. Once the ship steadies, Gideon warns that they can't put too much strain on the station-keeping thrusters.
Kansai Region, Japan: 1641
Nate falls out of the timestream and lands in a field. He sees a castle in the distance and realizes that he's in the Edo period... and then passes out from the strain.
Ray crashes down elsewhere and samuri warriors surround him. They assume he's a warrior as well, and Ray explains that he's looking for a friend that fell from the sky. Another warrior knocks him out from behind.
Nate wakes up on a cart and the young girl with the cart, Masako Yamashiro, says that she found him lying at the bottom of a crater. He claims that he sailed there and they continue on. Nate figures that they're near Kyoto and he has studied Japan for years. They come to her farm and her father Ichiro comes out and asks why she's talking to a foreign stranger. He warns that the Shogun will be angry when they help a farmer, but Masako convinces Ichiro to help and they take him inside.
The Shogun and his head question Ray, demanding to know where he found his armor. Ray says that he made it, and the Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu says that it is his now. The physicist warns that the armor is designed specifically for his body, but Tokugawa has his men take it away.
Masako bathes Nate and treats his wounds, and Nate says that he's from the United States. He realizes that Tokugawa is the shogun of the period, and points out that he's viewed as a brutal warlord. Masako explains that she is to be married to Tokugawa the next day and then her life is over.
Sara prepares to depart Waverider with Vixen and Mick. Vixen points out that Mick is a thug, and Mick says that he's risking his life for people who would do the same for him. Sara finally orders them to stop bickering or she'll maroon them, and they continue on.
Jax continues making repairs and Martin has Gideon run a diagnostic report. The AI confirms that all 36 compartments of the ship are in optimal condition, and Jax points out that there are only 35 compartments as far as he knows of. They realize that Rip had a secret compartment, and Martin has Gideon bring up the ship's schematics.
Tokugawa's samuri arrives at the farm and calls Masako out. The samurai says that they found a foreigner in the woods and Tokugawa sent him to search for any other foreigners. Masako says that she hasn't had any strangers, but Nate steps out and says that Tokugawa's wedding has been cancelled. The samurai kicks him, and Nate is unable to armor up. Nate insists that Masako doesn't want to wed, and the samurai stabs him in the stomach and walks off with his men.
Ichiro tends to Nate's wound and confirms that the sword didn't cut any vital organs. Nate tells Masako that he was just trying to help, and she warns that nobody can help him as he passes out.
That night, Sara, Amaya, and Mick track the ATOM suit's signal, and Mick figures the ninja will attack at any time.
Martin and Jax find a hidden hatch with a sequencing lock. Jax figures that Rip locked it for a reason.
The trio enters the castle and finds a man in the ATOM suit. They assume that it's Ray, but Tokugawa turns and reveals that he's wearing the suit.
Ray attacks the guards when they check on him. He breaks free and goes to find his suit.
The samurai tells the trio that they have already been defeated, and Sara attacks him. Amaya finally takes on a lion's ferocity and knocks him back, and Tokugawa opens fire on them with the suit's blasters. The trio has no choice but to flee, and run into Ray in the hallway. He runs with the rest with Tokugawa comes after them.
The next morning, Nate realizes that the serum cured his hemophilia. Masako says that samurai are trained to expect death at any time, and admires him as a warrior who fought without armor. As they start to kiss, his teammates find him and Nate does the introductions. Nate refuses to leave and explains that Tokugawa likes to murder his wives. He warns that Tokugawa can use the suit to conquer the whole region, and the others figure that it's easy to defend a village than attack a castle. Nate warns that he's having problems accessing his powers, and Sara tells Ray to finish his training while she and Amaya see how they can defend the village.
On Waverider, Martin and Jax enter the compartment and find shelves of weapons. The lights come on automatically as a recording from Barry activates from 40 years in Barry's future. Barry says that he has a secret that Rip has to keep from the rest of his team.
Ray explains that the ATOM suit is impenetrable except for the alpha stabilizer. If Nate destroys it then the suit will overheat. Nate has to get close to Tokugawa, and ray starts hitting him with a stick to trigger his powers. Nothing happens, and Nate insists that he wants to activate his powers and save Masako and the village. Ray says that he spend years building the suit, and now he has to teach Nate how to destroy the only thing that makes him a hero. He admits that once they destroy the suit, he'll have nothing left, and walks off.
Sara and Amaya take the villagers to a temple in the forest. Amaya explains that the Totem was used to protect her village and it was passed down to her from her mother's line. The JSA recruited her and she realized that the world was larger than her village, and other people also needed protection. Amaya worries that there's no one to guard her village from people like Mick, and Sara assures her that Mick eventually does the right thing... usually.
Ray goes back to the farm and Ichiro says that he reminds him of his son. His son was a great samurai, and Ichiro built him the strongest armor and sword in all of Japan. Tokugawa resented his son's popularity so he ordered him to commit seppuku. Ichiro tells Ray that he would rather hold his son then his armor, and armor can be replaced. He then leads Rayinside.
Nate walks in the forest with Masako, who tells him that if he accepts death then he has nothing to fear. He worries what will happen to her if he dies, and Masako says that some things just come naturally. As they start to kiss, they hear horses and Masako goes to the temple. Nate confronts the armored Tokugawa in the village and sends his men to search for Masako. When Nate says that he needs a second, Tokugawa blasts him in the chest.
The samurai confirm that Masako isn't there, and Tokugawa tells them to find the villagers and kill them. He prepares to fire a final blast, but Ray steps out in samurai armor. He draws the katana that Ichiro forged, and Mick blats Tokugawa off of his horse with his flame gun. The remaining warriors go after Mick while Tokugawa vows to kill Ray.
Sara is waiting at the temple and challenges the samurai to fight. She defeats the first wave of warriors but the other surround her. Amaya attacks the second wave and both women tell the remainder to leave. When they don't, the two women fight.
Tokugawa attacks ray, who avoids his blow. The sword has no effect on the ATOM suit, and he hits one of the servos on the suit.
Mick
Burns the samurai attacking him, and sees ninja in the trees above him. They finally emerge and attack him, managing to disarm him. Mick takes down one and goes for his gun, but the others drag him back.
Nate wakes up.
Sara and Amaya are soon overwhelmed, and Sara wonders where Mick is. A ninja arrives and takes out the remaining samurai, and then Mick removes his hood and insists that ninja are real.
Ray disables the armor's cooling system, and Tokagwa knocks him back. Masako picks up the sword and attacks Tokugawa, and he easily disarms her. As he strikes, Nate appears in his Steel form and catches the blade.
The head samurai runs at Sara. They both strike... and he goes down, dead from the knife in her other hand.
Steel and Ray fight Tokugawa, and Ray tosses his sword to Steel and tells him to do it. Steel hits the weak spot... and the armor explodes. Nate reverts to his human form and goes to Masako, and then apologizes to Ray. Ray says that it's okay and he's proud of him for mastering his new power.
That night, Nate and Masako say their goodbyes. She realizes that he comes from the sky and that he has to return, and kisses him. Nate then says that the sword found a worthy owner: Masako. He tells her that her village will still need a protector. Meanwhile, Ichiro tells Ray his family name and Ray thanks him for loaning his son's armor.
Back on Waverider, Amaya approaches Mick and says that she's figured him out. She has realized that secretly he's not as bad as he acts, and says that he might have the makings of a hero. Mick says that she doesn't know him and tosses him a shuriken in case he needs proof that he met a ninja.
Sara congratulates Jax and Martin on fixing the ship, and they tell her that there are no secrets let on Waverider. Once she leaves, Martin says that Barry was clear about the team not knowing what he told Rip. He admits that there are some things that can't be unseen.
The team goes to the bridge and Gideon plays some takeoff music that Rip enjoyed. Sara tells everyone to shut up and let her do the flying, and they head off into the timestream.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 28, 2016