Japan / Nipon, 1543, the Hida Province:
The purple-hued night sky suddenly glows with a neon blue burst of energy, as a figure materializes from nowhere, leaving large markings in a field near a tall building.
That building is Amaru Castle, the summer palace of the most revered, admired and exalted Daimyo (Lord) Amaru Hideyoshi. Servants tend to Daimyo Amaru Hideyoshi, and a geisha whispers something into his ear. In his native Japanese, Lord Amaru tells her that she shocks him – and delights him, and that he looks forward to retiring with her.
Suddenly, a door into the chamber opens, and one of the men in the room asks 'Who is this devil?' while another declares 'Never mind who. How did he get in here?' and Lord Amaru calls out 'Well, dog? Speak!' The mysterious arrival wears a strange mismatched outfit – thigh-high brown boots, a red half-cape and a red and brown long top, with belts and other accessories. He replies 'Forgive the intrusion' and informs Lord Amaru that he seeks his assistance in finding something of great value to him.
'Assistance? Who are you to demand anything from our lord?' one of the men in the room asks as he and the other men get to their feet and raise their swords. 'Who I am is of no consequence. What matters is that I have much to give in return for your help' the mysterious man replies. 'Things of great worth... and even greater power'. Lord Amaru calls him “dog” and asks him what he could possibly want from him. 'Look around you! I already have wealth and power!' he instructs his ninjas to kill this fool and then find out how he got through the gates. The ninjas surround the mysterious arrival, who urges Lord Amaru to reconsider, adding that what he offers would benefit both of them. 'Enough!' Lord Amaru exclaims. 'Take this creature outside... and flay him alive' he instructs his men. 'This is regrettable, Lord Amaru. I sincerely hoped we could come to an agreement...' the mysterious man replies.
Amaru, the geishas and the man standing with him suddenly convulse strangely, while there is a strange noise, followed by the splattering of blood – the mysterious man has used a strange high-tech weapon to tear his way through the ninjas. '...but I'm sure I can find someone else' the strange man declares, standing over the bodies of the ninjas. He narrows his eyes, and Lord Amaru looks furious. 'I -' he begins, before the mysterious man turns and walks back through the chamber, out into a courtyard, where dozens of ninjas lay, already defeated. Once out of the palace grounds, he looks back up at the tall building – and it explodes.
'Isn't that Lord Amaru's castle?' a ronin asks from a hillside nearby where several are gathered. They look into the distance, where the night sky is lit-up by the explosion rising from the castle. 'Of course it is, fool! What else that size is around here?' another ronin asks. 'Certainly burns, I'll say that' one of them points out. A younger ronin supposes that it will be an accident, as he has not heard a whisper of the war between the lords. 'More's the pity' he adds, pointing out that they could fight their way back in – if there were, go from mere ronin back to being. There is a noise – a KRIK – 'Did you hear that?' one of the ronin asks the others. 'Someone's coming' the younger ronin declares.
One of the ronin points out that it might be Lord Amaru's men seeking vengeance – if they think it was the ronin who torched the castle. 'What if it's the one who did burn it?' another ronin asks, while the older ronin tells the others that it doesn't matter, and to be ready. They turn and see a strange glowing energy blade – and the mysterious man who torched the castle is holding it. He tells the ronin to stand down, and explains that he is just a humble traveller – with something to trade.
Two weeks later:
'We were told you would be a worthy opponent. An overstatement, apparently' the older ronin remarks as he and the other ronin stand over the one-armed Cable a.k.a. Nathan Summers, whom they have just fought and taken down. ...'unworthy of life!' the older ronin declares, preparing to bring the energy blade that he holds down on Cable – but Cable looks up, and grabs his own jagged knife that had fallen to the ground – and shoves itr through the ronins' chest. The ronin drops the energy blade, and Cable picks it up. He swiftly knocks one of the ronin off a horse, then leaps onto the horse, taking it as his own, he speeds off into the woods.
'Here! His weapon!' one of the ronin calls out as he picks up Cable's large gun, while others ready their energy swords. 'Let's see what it can do' the ronin with the gun suggests, opening fire into the woods, the energy blasts strike the trees near Cable – then a blast hits the horse, who topples to the ground, taking Cable down with it. The energy-blade carrying ronin amek their way into the woods as night still covers the land. 'Did you get him?' one of the ronin asks. 'Is he dead?' the ronin carrying Cable's cybernetic arm enquires. 'Find his corpse and you'll know' the ronin carrying the gun declares as the ronin spread out through the woods.
Suddenly, Cable drops down from the trees above, holding an the energy blade, he brings it down on two of the ronin. 'Back! Get back he's -' one of the ronin calls out before he is knocked over. Cable turns to the ronin holding his gun, raising the energy blade, he smirks at the ronin, then swipes forward with the blade, cutting the ronin to the ground, the ronin drops the gun. Cable knocks another ronin from a horse, while another ronin on a horse fires an energy arrow towards Cable, but the experienced warrior spins around and cuts the arrow in half with the energy blade, then hurls the blade to the ronin on the horse, striking the ronin through his chest. Holding his large gun, Cable calls out 'Now... by my count, there's just one of you thugs left. You' Cable turns to the younger ronin, who stands several feet from Cable, the forest floor covered in the bodies of the other ronin.
'I will not die quietly, nor meekly, devil!' the young ronin exclaims. Cable's left eye flashes, and replies that they will find out, but first – he wants back what is his, and fires a blast from the weapon, which strikes the ground where the young ronin stands. Energy rises up and tears the ronin's clothing to shreds, while Cable's bionic arm drops to the ground. Cable goes over and picks his bionic arm up. Cable re-attaches his arm, which connects to his shoulder with a strange effect, and he tells the ronin that he is lucky, he needs him alive – for now.
Later, 'It was all so simple' the ronin tells Cable as they stand on a small boat, out on a lake as the sun rises. 'Be quiet' Cable tells the young ronin, who paddles the boat with a large wooden pole. 'Our agreement with the man you are hunting – he said what he was looking for was under a waterfall at the base where two rivers meet' he explains, adding that they were supposed to be gods after that. 'Shut up, I said' Cable snaps. He tells the ronin to concentrate on where they are headed. 'I assure you, I have no need to... it's hard to miss' the ronin announces.
Shortly, Cable and the young ronin come to the spectacular waterfall, passing down a narrow river, they pull the small canoe-like boat to the shore, which is marked with strange patterns. The ronin informs Cable that it is here they last saw him, where the shape is now burned into the stone. 'He stood there and -' the ronin begins, but Cable interrupts him, 'Yeah, I know' and tells the ronin that he leaves him with his life – but no honor. The ronin shields his eyes as a blue energy engulfs Cable, who slides through Space-Time.
Cable falls through the ether of Space-Time, and eventually emerges through a portal, landing on his shoulder on a hard ground. 'Now, where have you taken us this time?' he wonders, the time and location determined to 97.5% as being the Yucatan Coast, South America in 1121, Mayan civilization, post-classic. 'Or, more likely...who have you sent to greet me?' Cable calls out as he shields his eyes from the blinding light around him, only to turn around and see Mayan warriors looming behind him, armed with glowing energy wings in the same technology that the ronin were using – and they don't look happy to see Cable!
