Two Years Ago
High school football player Jefferson "Jay" Jackson wins the game and the coach tells him that the big league scouts were watching. The particle accelerator explodes in the distance and Jay yells at everyone to run. He helps his friend get inside and is hit by a blast of energy as he closes the door.
Now
Martin goes into convulsions and Caitlin tries to stabilize him. They put the Firestorm stabilizer on Martin's chest and the energy dies down. Cisco warns that most of the energy from Harrison's wheelchair is depleted, and they only have a few days. Caitlin suggests that the unstable dark matter molecules in Martin's body need something to bond with to stabilize. Now that Ronnie is gone, the molecules are running crazy. Caitlin has done some potential research and found two candidates that might be compatible with Martin. One is Jay Jackson and the other is Henry Hewitt, and both are a blood match for Martin. Barry collects blood samples from both men at superspeed and returns to S.T.A.R. Labs.
At home, Iris is looking at photos of herself as a 2-year-old. Joe tells her that she doesn't have to meet Francine, and Iris says that she needs to meet her and everything will be fine. Joe leaves for work and Iris stares pensively at the photos.
At the station, Patty finds Barry and shows him shark teeth that they found in an alleyway. A witness said that he saw a man-shark, and Patty figures that there may be something to it. She suggests that they work together on a case, and Barry claims that metahumans aren't his thing. Joe comes in and hears them talking, as Barry says that he'll run a test on the teeth. Once Patty leaves, Joe suggests that Barry is flirting with Patty. Barry insists that he isn't, and Joe explains that Iris is nervous about meeting Francine. Cisco pages Barry to meet them at the lab.
At the lab, Martin tries out a power cane that Cisco has created for him to stabilize the matrix. Caitlin says that Jay and Henry are both potential matches. Henry is a summa cum laude with a double major in applied physics and bioengineering. Jay is a closer match physically, but Caitlin figures that Henry as a scientist would be more open to the idea. Caitlin goes to call Henry while Barry and Martin meet with Jay. As Cisco goes to his workshop, Harrison watches him from the shadows.
Martin and Barry go to the garage where Jay works. They claim that they're with the Department of Safety and are compiling data on metahumans. Jay doesn't want to waste more time on how he was changed, and explains that he had a busted-up leg and his chances of playing pro ball were gone. Barry gives him their number and leaves with Martin.
At Jitters, Iris comes in and meets with Joe and Francine. Iris is less than warm to her mother, and wonders why she's there after 20 years. Francine says that she's sorry for walking out on them, and that there's a lot they don't know about what happened to her. Iris says that it isn't the right time to get back with her mother, and says that they should continue living separate lives.
Henry looks around S.T.A.R. Labs and Caitlin explains what they intend. Barry and Martin come in, and Caitlin introduces them to Henry. Henry knows all about Martin's studies. Barry says that Jay is reluctant to come in, and is surprised that Caitlin told him what they have planned. Martin and Henry are talking science, and Caitlin insists that it will work. Cisco puts a splicer on Henry's chest and he touches Martin. There's a flare of energy but no merge. They try a second time and there's no flare. Cisco figures that they're not compatible and Henry is clearly disappointed. He angrily tells them to get their act together before they get someone's hopes up and walks out. As Henry gets into the elevator, his hand briefly flares.
At Mercury Labs, the alarm goes off and Tina accompanies a security team to the lab. They spot Harrison and he walks out of the other side of the lab before they can stop him.
The next day, Joe and Patty arrive at Mercury Labs and Tina tells them what happened. Joe is shocked to hear that Harrison was the thief, and insists that he's dead. Tina says that Harrison is walking again, and offers them full access to the facility. Once she leaves, Patty wants to call Barry in. Joe explains that Harrison is the man who murdered Barry's mother. His partner warns that she's not good at lying.
When Joe and Patty return to the station, Francine is waiting. Joe talks to her privately and tells Francine to go home and live her life. Francine explains that she's dying of MacGregor's and wanted Francine to know her before the end.
Jay goes to S.T.A.R. Labs and figures that they have technology to fix his knee. The group explains that he has superhuman capabilities, and can process fission and fusion energy. Jay figures that it's crazy and says that he has no interest in being a superhero. Caitlin points out that she saw his college stats and figures that he's the type who fold, and Martin figures that it wasn't meant to be. Once Jax leaves, Barry points out that they're asking him to sacrifice everything in his life, and Caitlin goes to get Henry back so they can try again.
That night, Barry tells Patty that the shark tooth has human DNA on it. She stammers over her current case and Barry realizes that something is wrong. Patty quickly leaves and Barry goes to find Joe. Joe explains that Francine is dying and Iris doesn't know. Barry asks him about the case, and Joe says that he was just checking up a lead and doesn't go into details. He points out that there's something going on between Barry and Patty, and Barry says that they have a lot in common but she's not Iris. Joe points out that Iris was Barry's first love, and says that he'll never feel the same about someone else... but Barry can't let it stop him from exploring something new.
Henry is watching a news cast in his lab when his superior comes in. He demands results and says that Henry will be out if he doesn't shape up. Henry bursts into flames and yells at his boss to get out.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, the group sees a newscast about Henry's actions. They figure that the attempted merger triggered Henry's powers, and if he doesn't stabilize soon then he'll explode. Henry has a long history of violence according to his sealed record. Martin briefly wavers and goes to lie down, and Cisco helps him. Caitlin blames herself for the entire situation, and tells Barry that she doesn't believe Jax has what it takes. Barry says that they have to be open to exploring something new.
At home, Joe tells Iris that Francine is dying. He assures his daughter that if she wants to have a relationship with Francine, it's okay with him. Joe is sure that Francine is telling the truth, but Iris isn't convinced. He assures Iris that he has her back no matter what she decides.
Caitlin goes to the garage to apologize to Jax, and says that they really need his help. She explains that her husband Ronnie used to be Martin's other half... and died saving Central City. Caitlin says that Jax can be a hero, and he says that he didn't want to be a hero. He was going to be a football player until he was injured, and Caitlin says that now he has the opportunity to be part of something bigger. The lights flicker and Henry steps out. When Jax speaks up, Henry blasts him away and says that Caitlin merged him. Jax stuns him with a thrown can and they run out to Caitlin's car. They drive away as Henry recovers and comes after them.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco warns that the stabilizer has run out of power. With time running out, Jax agrees to merge with Martin. Barry warns him that there's no going back, and Jax assures them that he does. They help Martin up and attach the stabilizer to Jax. He and Martin touch and merge into Firestorm, and Martin speaks inside of Jax's head. The alarm goes off and Cisco confirms that Henry is recharging at Jax's high school football stadium.
The football players run in terror as Henry electrifies the field and drains the power. Flash gets them out and Cisco cuts the power to the field. Firestorm and Flash enter the field, and Henry is furious that he didn't get the Firestorm Matrix. He blasts Firestorm back, and Martin talks Jax through stabilizing himself. Caitlin figures that like a tokamak control rod, the more powerful Henry becomes, the more unstable he becomes until he explodes. She tells Flash to make "Tokamak" angry, and Flash and Firestorm work together to taunt their enemy. Tokamak finally loses his temper and tries to blast both of them. His energy dissipates and Firestorm knocks him down, and Martin admits that they make a pretty good team.
The next day at Jitters, Iris meets Francine and admits that she did some checking. She's confirmed that Francine is telling the truth, but says that Francine is still keeping secrets. Iris has learned that Francine has a son born eight months after she left Central City, and asks if Joe was the father. She then says that she doesn't want to know and tells Francine to stay away from her and Joe. If Joe learned that he had a son, it would crush him. Angry, Iris walks out.
At the Stein house, Caitlin reports that Henry has drained himself and they'll keep him in the pipeline until he agrees to keep their secret. Martin is going to meet his wife Clarissa in Pittsburgh, and he has a colleague that has agreed to teach the two of them how to reach their full potential. He assures Caitlin that Ronnie will never be forgotten, and Caitlin gives Jax a compass that he used to find his way home. She assures him that he's a hero, while Martin privately tells Cisco to let the others know about his power. He then merges with Jax and they fly for Pittsburgh. As Joe and Barry leave, Joe points out that Jax took a leap of faith and it worked.
Flash speeds to Jitters.
Caitlin erases Ronnie's photo from the Firestorm file and replaces it with Jax's.
Firestorm flies through the sky.
Iris sits in the dark at home.
Flash stops outside of Jitters and sees Patty inside. A giant man-shark grabs him and says that Zoom wants him dead, Patty comes out and sees them, draws her gun, and orders the man-shark to surrender. The creature advances on her... and someone shoots him with an energy gun. Flash speeds off after his defender... and realizes that it's Harrison.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 28, 2015