In 1985, it is the time of the Gathering, and the Kurgan is compelled to come to New York, where Connor now lives as an antique dealer under the alias "Russell Nash," working with his confidant Rachel Ellenstein. The director's cut reveals Rachel is MacLeod's adopted daughter, a child he rescued from Nazis during World War II. Brenda Wyatt, a metallurgy expert working for the police as a forensic scientist, finds shards of Connor's sword at Fasil's murder scene and is puzzled they come from a Japanese sword dated around 600 B.C. but made with medieval-era methods. Brenda witnesses the Kurgan attack "Nash" and the two fight briefly before police arrive, forcing them to flee. She meets with "Nash" twice afterward, hoping to learn about the paradoxical sword. Connor likes her, but tells her to leave him alone.