Eric gets right up in Clark's face as he speaks, but Clark doesn't back down.
Clark: What are you doing out of jail?
Eric: (Amused) Seems I've got friends in higher places that I didn't even know about. And suddenly, you're not so anonymous.
Clark: (Determinedly) I'll testify, if that's what it takes to put you away.
Eric: (Threateningly) Oh no, I'd think about that Kent. I mean, I know you're unbreakable, but people that you care about...aren't. I'd sure hate to think something happened to those wholesome parents of yours.
Clark gets a look of fear on his face and takes off down the hall as Eric walks the other way.
Cut to a shot of the Kent farm. Clark, in a blur of superspeed, races up the drive and into the barn.
Jonathan: (Off screen) Clark!
Clark looks around at the ransacked barn, looking for his father. He glances up toward the sound of Jonathan's voice and sees Jonathan and Martha tied against the railing of the loft. Martha is unconscious.
Jonathan: (Struggling against his bonds) Clark... Your mother.
Clark looks up at his parents in fear.
Cut to a shot inside the Kent barn. Clark, trying to straighten up the barn, is lifting up the wheel on one of the tractors, and he sets it down as Jonathan enters. Jonathan looks around at the debris littering the floor then walks toward Clark.
Clark: (Worried) How's Mom doing?
Jonathan: (Picking up some debris) She's got some minor cuts and bruises, but I still want to get her checked out. This pregnancy doesn't need any more complications.
Clark: (Guilty) I should have been there, Dad.
Jonathan: (Frustrated) Clark, you couldn't have done anything anyway.
Clark: (Tossing down some debris) Still...
Jonathan: (Insistant) I'm not going to let you beat yourself up about this.
Clark: (Worried) What happens if they come back?
Jonathan pauses, considering this.
Clark: (Continuing) I think you and Mom should go away for a little while, just till this settles down.
Jonathan: (Determined) Clark, I have never run away from a single thing in my life, and I'm not about to start now.
Clark: (Insistant) Dad, look around. Look at what they did to this place. You said yourself I can't protect you. You have to think of Mom. You have to think about the baby.
Jonathan: (Angry) I am thinking about Mom. I am thinking about the baby. I'm also thinking about you.
Clark: (Firmly) Dad, please! (Pleading) Please.
Jonathan stops at the pleading tone in Clark's voice and takes a deep breath, turning back to Clark. He pauses, considering the options.
Jonathan: (Calmly) All right, I'll take your mother to a doctor in Metropolis, and maybe stay with your grandfather for a couple days.
Clark nods in agreement.
Jonathan: (Worried) Son, I'd feel a whole hell of a lot better if you'd agree to come with us.
Clark: (Shaking his head slightly) I can't.
Jonathan studies Clark for a moment before speaking.
Jonathan: Clark, I'm not going to stand here and ask you to do nothing because you and I both know that I would not do nothing. (Putting his hands on Clark's shoulders) But I want you to remember something son. They have your strength, but they don't have any of your other abilities. You make sure you give yourself a fighting chance.
Clark nods slightly, and watches as his father heads back to the house.
Cut to a shot of the Luthor mansion. Inside, Lex walks down a hallway, talking on his cell phone. Clark enters the hallway behind him and calls out to Lex.
Clark: Lex.
Lex glances over his shoulder, and continues to walk down the hall as Clark follows.
Lex: (Into his phone) I gotta let you go.
Lex hangs up his phone.
Clark: (Slightly upset) I just found out you visited Eric Marsh in jail. Were you the one that bailed him out?
Lex: (Amused) I wasn't aware my visit was public knowledge.
The two men enter Lex's study.
Lex: (Continuing) What's Marsh have to do with you, Clark?
Clark: I was the one who phoned in the anonymous tip.
Lex turns to look at Clark, surprised.
Clark: (Continuing) Him and his buddies found out about it. They nearly killed my parents yesterday.
Lex: (Extremely concerned) Whoa, whoa, are they all right?
Clark: (Upset) They're in Metropolis. It's not even safe at home anymore. (Angry) I heard your father's come back to town. If this is some sick game between...
Lex: (Interrupting) It's no game. Clark, that truck was carrying a load of highly refined meteor rocks. If I'm not mistaken, I think my father has resumed his Level Three experiments.
Clark: What does that have to do with Eric Marsh?
Lex
Slightly apologetic) Look, I bailed him out, hoping he'd provide answers. Maybe even lead me to the meteor rock.
Clark: Where is he?
Lex: (Shrugging) I don't know. He beat up a security guard I had on him.
Clark: Well, there's got to be a way to draw him out.
Lex: (Frustrated) Clark, I don't have anything Marsh wants.
Clark: Except for the meteor rocks. Marsh has got to have a connection inside LuthorCorp that tells him when the shipments go out. If he thinks your father is bringing another load out of the Smallville plant...
Lex: I still have contacts at my father's firm. They can let the word out. Only this time, the truck will be empty. When Marsh hits it, my personal security team will be all over them.
Lex starts walking away to make the calls, but Clark calls out after him.
Clark: (Concerned) No, Lex, I've seen what Eric can do. You have to get the police in on this.
Lex: (Firmly) Just go home, Clark. I don't want you or your parents involved any more than they already are.
Clark just looks at Lex, not willing to take his advice.
Cut to a shot of a LuthorCorp plant at night. Several LuthorCorp semi trucks are parked outside, backed up to loading bays. The camera pans over to Lex, who is on the other side of the fence surrounding the lot, talking on his cell phone.
Lex: (Into his phone) Once Marsh and his friends have the truck, give them a lot of room. Nobody does anything until they lead us to the meteor rock.
Cut to a shot of a LuthorCorp van. A member of Lex's security team on a cell phone sits behind the wheel.
Security Guard: (Into phone) We're set, Mr. Luthor.
The guard hangs up the phone. Lex hangs up as well, before dialing another number on his speed dial.
Lex: The truck's getting ready to move. Wait for my signal before you start following. Nobody moves without my direct order---
Suddenly, there's a loud thud as Lex is struck from behind. He groans and falls to the ground, unconscious. As he falls, we see Clark behind him, having administered the blow that knocked Lex out. Clark glances at the lot, where the van is pulling up to the gate. The driver honks the horn, and the gate is opened.
Before the driver can pull out, however, the door is yanked open, and Eric attempts to pull the driver out of the van.
Eric: Change of plans!
The driver groans in pain as Eric tosses him to the ground. Eric pulls a cell phone out of his pocket and dials a number.
Eric: Okay, I've got the van. Get ready to make the switch.
Eric hangs up the phone and climbs into the van, squealing the tires as he pulls out of the parking lot.
Cut to a shot inside the foundry. The LuthorCorp van pulls up, and Eric drives the van into the warehouse. Eric's friend comes out of one of the offices, glancing at the warehouse door.
Guy 1: Anyone follow you?
Eric: (Exiting the van, inhaling some meteor liquid from his inhaler) I didn't see anyone, but we'd better hurry up with the switch. Luthor's bound to have it bugged.
Eric's friend reaches for the back doors of the van, when suddenly the doors fly open, knocking Eric's friend across the warehouse floor. Clark hops down from the back of the van and looks around.
Eric reaches down and grabs a metal pipe from the floor. He swings it at Clark and hits him, sending Clark flying. Clark crashes into the set of large windows of one of the foundry offices. Clark climbs to his feet, a bit shaken but unhurt. Eric's second friend grabs Clark and tosses him back out, sending him flying into the side of the LuthorCorp van, leaving a large dent in it's side. Eric watches, as Friend #1 picks up a large pipe and heads for Clark.
Clark struggles to get up after hitting the van, and finds that he can't. He slumps back to the ground. He glances up at Eric and his friends, all of whom are holding various pipes, and who have him cornered against the van with no escape. Clark stares back at them, planning his next move.
Eric grins and shifts his pipe from hand to hand, as he and his friends slowly move in.
Eric: How's it feel, Clark?
Clark glances at Guy #1, and looks up, noticing that he is standing right under a bundle of large metal pipes, held together by some metal twine. Guy #1 glances up to see what Clark is looking at, and Clark focuses his heat vision on the metal twine holding the pipes together. He melts the twine, sending the bundle of pipes crashing down on Guy #1's head, knocking him unconscious.
Eric looks on in disbelief. Guy #2 raises his pipe to bash Clark's head in, but Clark superspeeds through the gap left by Guy #1, and reappears behind Guy #2. He reaches around Guy #2 and grabs the ends of the pipe from him, bending it around Guy #2's body, pinning his arms to his side. He then turns the boy around and hits him in the chest, sending him flying across the room where he lands in a heap next to Guy #1.
Eric glances around and finds a large piece of concrete (It looks like something one would use on a bridge or overpass) nearby. He drops the pipe and heads for the concrete.
Clark: Eric. Eric, don't do this.
Eric reaches down and lifts the concrete piece over his head, walking toward Clark.
Eric: You don't understand Kent! It's done.
With that, Eric rushes toward Clark and slams the concrete over Clark's head. Clark raises a hand to protect himself, and the concrete shatters as it makes contact with Clark's head. Eric stares in disbelief at Clark, who is unhurt.
Clark grabs Eric's jacket and throws him into a rack of large metal pipes along the opposite wall. The pipes all bend in from the force with which Eric hits them. Eric slumps to the ground, unconscious.
Cut to a shot of the refined Kryptonite bars, lying in a hole in the ground. Dirt is being shoveled over them. As the camera pans up, we see Pete in the woods, burying the bars, while Clark stands a safe distance away, keeping watch. Pete shovels the last bit of dirt over the rocks, then walks over to Clark.
Pete: That's all of it.
Clark: At least for now.
The two boys walk quickly from the woods.
Cut to a shot of Luthor Mansion. Clark enters Lex's study, as Lex stands at the bar, pouring two glasses of orange juice.
Clark
Friendly) Hey, Lex.
Lex: Clark, how are your parents doing?
Clark: (Happily) Just fine. They got home from Metropolis last night.
Lex: (Handing a glass of juice to Clark) That must be a relief.
Clark: (Relieved) Yeah, and now that Eric's arrested, it looks like your plan came off without a hitch.
Clark raises his glass in a toast to Lex.
Lex: (Walking over to sit on the couch) So it seems. The intriguing thing is, my people had nothing to do with it.
Clark: (Following Lex) Then who did?
Lex: (Shrugging) No one knows. Marsh and his friends aren't talking, but they were found unconscious, (Sitting across from Clark) and the stolen meteor rocks are still unaccounted for.
Clark: (Curiously) Who do you think has them.
Lex: (Shrugs slightly and giving Clark a small smile) I have my suspicions.
Cut to a shot inside the Talon after closing. Lana sits at a table, sipping a mug of coffee as Henry walks into the room.
Henry: Lana? (Off Lana's look) Hey.
Lana: Hey, Henry, um, thanks for coming.
Henry: (Concerned) Your message said something regarding the horse show. (Sitting across from Lana) I hope you're still planning to ride.
Lana: To be honest, um, I'm not sure.
Henry: (Confused) I don't understand. I thought you were really looking forward to this weekend.
Lana: I was, believe me. (Pauses, looking down, then back at Henry) But I think it's more important that you spend this time with Jennifer.
Henry: Lana, she told me you two talked. If this is because of something she said...
Lana: (Shaking her head) No, I...came into your life out of nowhere and dropped a bomb on your family. I didn't know how our relationship was going to work out, but after a rocky start, I finally know that you love me.
Lana smiles bravely, as tears well up in her eyes.
Lana: I don't want to lose that.
Henry: (Confused) I don't know what Jennifer told you, but things between us aren't that bad.
Lana: (Sadly) Henry, she's hiring an attorney.
Henry: (Stunned) What?
Lana: (Insistant) You need to talk to her, tell her how you feel.
Henry just looks at Lana still shell shocked from the news.
Lana: (Tearfully) Whatever happens after that is up to you.
Henry: (Still shocked) You...you're my daughter. I just can't...walk away from...from that.
Lana: (Smiling through her tears) You're not. You know I'll always be here. (Pausing to compose herself) But right now, I think Jennifer needs you more.
Henry and Lana stare at each other for several moments, before Henry gets up and walks out. As he disappears, Lana's face crumbles, and she starts to cry for a moment, before taking a deep breath and pulling herself together.
Cut to a shot of the Kent farm, cows grazing in the pasture. Clark walks into the barn, carrying a bale of hay in one hand like it weighs nothing. He sets it down next to several other bales, and turns around as a knock sounds on the door.
Clark: Hey Dad. How's Mom.
Jonathan: Well, the doctor called. You'll be happy to know that both mother and child have gotten a clean bill of health.
Clark: (Smiling) Great.
Jonathan: (Putting his hands on Clark's shoulders) Look, son, I wanted to tell you...
A sound catches Clark's attention, and he and Jonathan glance over to see Lana standing in the doorway of the barn.
Clark: Hi Lana.
Jonathan: Um
(To Clark) I'm proud of you.
Clark: (Smiling widely) Thanks.
Jonathan leaves the barn, nodding to Lana on his way out.
Jonathan: (Amused) Miss Lang.
Lana: (Amused) Mr. Kent.
Clark: You must be here for Donatello. I'll help you saddle him up.
Clark turns to retrieve Lana's horse, but Lana stops him.
Lana: No, I'm not practicing, Clark.
Clark gives Lana a look of surprise.
Lana: (Continuing) In fact, I think I might drop out of the show.
Clark: (Sympathetically) I take it things with Henry didn't go so well.
Lana: I told him I'd always be his daughter, but we should put our relationship on hold until he gets his marriage back on track.
Clark: Wow.
Lana: Yeah. (Pauses) How are things with Chloe?
Clark: I went to go talk to her, but I think this whole Torch thing put her over the edge. (Sitting on a bale of hay) She told me to go away.
Lana: (Reassuringly) You two will work through this, Clark.
Clark: (Sadly) I hope so. I miss her already.
Lana: (Encouragingly) I know what you mean, but I think we should remain cautiously optimistic that each of us will get a second chance.
Clark: (Smiling slightly) You know who's really the loser in all of this? Donatello.
Lana raises her eyebrows in amused surprise.
Clark: (Continuing) The poor horse worked so hard, and now he can't even strut his stuff.
Lana: (Smiling) I guess I can't disappoint him.
Clark smiles and shakes his head.
Lana: (Continuing) Besides, I wanted to share this with someone special, and I still am.
Clark nods.
Lana: You're still going, aren't you, Clark?
Clark looks at Lana, surprised. He nods, and smiles.
Clark: You can count on me.
Lana returns Clark's smile.
Cut to a shot of the Torch office. Broken furniture is piled in the middle of the room. Chloe walks around the office, picking things up. She kneels down and begins gathering papers from the floor.
Lionel: Miss Sullivan.
Chloe quickly stands up and turns around, seeing Lionel standing in the center of the office.
Chloe: (Surprised) Mr. Luthor.
Lionel: Your principal told me you might be here. I hope I'm not interrupting you.
Chloe: (Quickly) No. No, I mean I'm--I've never entertained a billionaire before.
Lionel chuckles and looks around at the damage.
Chloe: (Apologetically) Um, you'll have to excuse the destruction. I was recently vandalized.
Lionel: (Sympathetically as he walks around, surveying the damage) Ahh, so I heard. By the same men who hijacked my truck, I think.
Chloe: Actually, there's still a question.
Lionel turns back to Chloe, interested.
Chloe: (Continuing) Eric Marsh owned up to the robbery of the truck and the assault, but he said he didn't have anything to do with the Torch.
Lionel: (Nodding as he looks around) Hmm.
Chloe: I mean, why confess to the heavy crimes and deny that?
Lionel: (Walking around the office) Well, it's not easy to understand the criminal mind.
Lionel notices the remnants of the Wall of Weird and walks over to it.
Lionel: (Interested) What's this?
Lionel reaches out and touches an article titled "Local Teen Discovers Indian Caves", with a picture of Clark alongside it.
Lionel: Hmm...this is an interesting display.
Chloe: (Slightly embarrassed) Yeah, I call it The Wall of Weird.
Lionel chuckles.
Lionel: (Directly) I'll come to the point, Miss Sullivan. I'd like to help you rebuild. I've instructed the LuthorCorp Foundation to make a donation to your school--the funds are specifically earmarked toward rebuilding and updating the journalism department.
Chloe looks at Lionel, her expression a mix of joy and confusion.
Chloe: Mr. Luthor, I'm confused.
Lionel looks at her curiously.
Chloe: I mean, the struggling editor in me wants to just leave it at "Thank You" but...the journalist in me has to ask "Why?"
Lionel: (Smiling) I'm impressed with your, um, willingness to explore alternative ideas, options. You interned at the Daily Planet this summer, didn't you?
Chloe: Yeah.
Lionel: (Nodding) Hmm. Well, I have a little influence there. They certainly could use some new blood. Maybe, um, a column...
Chloe's eyes widen and she looks at Lionel, interested.
Lionel: (Continuing) To introduce your unique point of view.
A mix of joy, uncertainty, and confusion mix on Chloe's face.
Chloe: (Laughing nervously) I...I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but...I don't understand why the most powerful man in the city is interested in helping *me*.
Lionel: (Intensely) We're after the same thing, Miss Sullivan--the truth. You know, um, journalists are the midwives of history. Perhaps, with my help, we could, uh... (Hands Chloe his business card)...make history together.
Chloe takes the card and studies it curiously.
Lionel turns to go, and Chloe watches him as he starts to leave. As he reaches the door, Lionel looks back, and Chloe nods slightly. Chuckling, Lionel exits the Torch office. Chloe looks at the card again, then at the door, wondering what she's gotten herself into.
End show.
This Episode of Smallville featured music by:
"Room To Bleed" by Ben Lee
"Anybody Listening" by Marty Irwin/Peter Northcote
"The World Outside" by Paloalto
"Gone Away" by Stretch Nickel
"Swing, Swing" by The All-American Rejects
"Safe Enough To Wake Up" by The Ben Taylor Band
"No Blue Sky" by The Thorns
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Transcribed by: Shannen
