Nora assures Barry and Iris that she's their daughter from the future, and greets each member of Team Flash by name. She says that she made a big mistake by helping them save Central City by destroying the satellite, and now she can't go fast enough to travel back to her own time. Jenna starts crying and Cecile says that she's not hungry... and realizes that she might still have her powers. Nora says that she's stuck there and hopes that the team might know what to do.
Later at STAR Labs, Nora runs around the track as Barry and Iris stare at her. Barry takes in the fact that Nora is their daughter, and wonders if she's lying to them. Nora joins them and they warn her not to talk about the future. Cisco and Caitlin come in and give her an implant to link her up with their biometrics. Once Nora speeds back onto the track, Caitlin confirms that Nora's DNA is similar to Barry and Iris'. They confirm that she has Speed Force in her system, but not enough to time travel. Cisco is busy processing his break-up with Gypsy and still drunk. As he passes out, Barry gets a text from Singh and asks Wally to check with the Legends to see if they can take Nora to her own time.
At the station, Singh tells Barry that he's officially reinstated. He says that there are a few cases waiting for him and leaves. In his lab, Barry looks around the lab and Nora speeds in behind him. Nora says that she's a forensic scientist as well and offers to help Barry get through the backlog, and immediately goes to work. Barry takes the file away from her, and she talks about the same ice cream that Barry got when he was a kid. It's both their favorite desserts, and Barry tells her that she shouldn't interfere in the timeline by helping.
A radio goes out as a meta attack, and Nora gets him his old suit from Cisco's closet. Barry tells Nora to stay put and let him handle it, and speeds across central City. He takes out a masked meta who is blasting policemen back, and then gently sets the policemen down. The meta, Gridlock, laughs and gets up to his feet, just as Nora arrives in her superhero identity, XS. Gridlock blasts Flash a few blocks back into the river, and XS speeds over to check on him.
Later at STAR Labs, Nora says that she didn't think Gridlock was a major concern. She explains that she saw Gridlock in the Flash Museum in her time, but the curator scrubbed all of the villains' real names. Nora says that in the original timeline, the team beat Gridlock in their first encounter. Now because of Nora, they're on the run and the timeline is screwed up. Barry assures her that he's made bigger mistakes and says that they need to get her home before she alters time further. Caitlin suggests that they use the tachyon absorption enhancer that Thawne used, and Barry agrees.
Ralph comes in with a whiteboard and says that he figures that if Nora can create parallel timelines, a whole other universe could explain. The others finally tell him that they already know about parallel worlds, and point out that he's met people from other Earths. Barry goes to CCPD to see what he can find out while Iris stays with Nora.
Iris takes Nora to Jitters, and Nora asks if Barry is going to be back soon. Her mother says that it gives them a chance to connect, and says that she wants to know Nora better. Iris asks her questions about her life and tells her to blink twice if Iris is right. Nora finally confirms that she's a CSI like Barry, and she and Iris don't talk much. and soon suggests they go to help Cisco and Caitlin.
Later at STAR Labs, Nora puts on the tachyon enhancer and Barry puts on another suit. Nora says her goodbyes and impulsively hugs Barry while ignoring Iris' attempts to reach out. The two speedsters go into the track and run around the perimeter, while Wally arrives in the lab and says that they have to stop Barry.
A portal opens but then Flash and XS are repelled and knocked unconscious.
Later in the cortex, Wally explains that he found the Legends and they had Gideon scan Nora's blood sample and found negative tachyons. They slow people up instead of speed them up, and no one at the Time Bureau knows how they're created or where they come from. If negative tachyons come near the Waverider's time drives then it will cause an explosion. Cisco thinks that they can set the tachyon enhancer to negate the negative tachyons. The TV runs a news report about Gridlock and figure that they've lost all of their ability to scan for meta with the satellite's destruction.
Cisco, Ralph, and Caitlin check the crime scene. Ralph suggests that Killer Frost might be able to find out something, and Caitlin says that Killer Frost is still gone. She explains that Cisco used his vibe power to show her that she has been a meta since she was a child, and her father is dead. Cisco finds increased dark matter levels and determines that Gridlock's levels increased when Flash punched him. They realize that Gridlock absorbs kinetic energy, which increases his powers. If he keeps moving then he becomes unstoppable.
At STAR Labs, Iris asks Barry how his strong connection with Zora. She wonders why he's intent on sending her back, figuring that it's personal. Barry says that he always wanted a family, but Nora being there makes him feel like they missed all of their firsts as parents. He complains that his entire life has been out of order because of time travel, and he hoped life would let them have a child the normal way. Iris assures Barry that they're gaining something extra by having Nora there, and they'll be the best parents ever by the time they actually have a baby Nora. Barry suggests that Nora acts like she grew up without one of her parents, gets an idea, and leaves.
Nora is looking at a photo of Barry when he comes in and asks what happens to him in the future. She finally shows him the future headline and explains that he never comes back after vanishing during the future Crisis. Nora was born a few years before she vanished but doesn't have any memories of him, and Barry and Iris' wedding was the first time that she met him. Barry realizes that Nora isn't stuck there, and she explains that she used a device to emit negative tachyons and slow her down. Nora says that she's just selfish and bad at being a speedster, and doesn't know how to phase yet. She explains that she lied because she wanted to spend time with Barry, and Barry realizes that in the future he's not even there for Nora.
Caitlin calls Barry to the Cortex, and when he gets there Caitlin explains that Gridlock is William Lang and he's wanted for carjacking and murder. Cisco figures that they can hack Lang's cell phone and finds it by the airport: he's on a flight that just took off. Barry realizes that Gridlock is going to crash the plane.
On the plane, Lang notices a courier carrying a case handcuffed to his wrist. He shocks the courier unconscious and his energy flows through the plane and knocks out the engine.
The team realize that the plane is heading downtown and if Gridlock takes out the other engine, the pilots will lose control. Nora comes in and suggests that they phase the plane through the buildings, based on what she read about Barry's adventures in the future. Barry warns that it's too big for him and Wally... but they might be able to do it with Nora. Barry figures that when the plane starts descending, it will be at zero-g for ten seconds, depriving Gridlock of any momentum and negating his powers. Cisco would need to see the plane to breach the speedsters aboard. Nora gives Barry a ring from the Flash Museum, and he gets his costume from it.
Gridlock takes out the second engine, and the three speedsters head out. Cisco goes after them and changes into Vibe, while Flash, XS, and Kid Flash speed downtown. Vibe breaches onto a rooftop, breaches the speedsters onto the plane, and they arrive and Flash handcuffs the powerless Gridlock. Kid Flash punches Gridlock unconscious, and the speedsters touch the inside the plane and start vibrating. XS can't do it, and Flash talks her through it. Working together, they phase the plane through the buildings and a bridge, and the pilot brings it safely down into the water. The passengers applaud as Flash and XS hug.
Back at STAR Labs, the team watch a news report on Gridlock being taken to Iron Heights. Cisco and Caitlin finish working on a new tachyon enhancer, and Barry suggests that Nora stays. He claims that they should make sure her powers work before they send her home. Wally says that according to the Legends, there are "soft" events that being changed won't alter the future, and some that will. Nora agrees that she'll stay in the lounge, and takes the others to a room that Joe is napping in. He admits that he's been napping there since day one, but figures that he'll get to know his granddaughter. They talk about Wally's exploits with the Legends. Joe figures that Wally wants to go back, and tells him that Wally needs to finish what he set out to do. Nora says that she'll take care of Joe. Barry and Iris watch, and Iris says that she has another chance to connect with Nora now that their daughter is staying. They hug and Barry says that Nora is fearless just like her mother, and Iris figures that in the end they'll get their happy ending.
In the Cortex, Ralph tells Cisco and Caitlin that he ran down Caitlin's father's death certificate. Cameron Mahkent, the MD who signed off on the certificate doesn't exist... meaning that it's a fake.
Barry suggests to Nora that they get some ice cream, and Iris says that it's okay if they go off. The two of them speed off.
As Gridlock is transferred to Iron Heights by van, a bolt of electricity hits the van from a lightning bolt-shaped object on the road. Gridlock hears the police outside, shooting and then dying. A few seconds later, an armored figure--Cicada—enters the van and says that he wants all metas to die. Cicada steps forward and stabs Gridlock with his weapon.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 10, 2018