"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" "So far, but they're calling for storms later." "Well, you know the heartland, some things can change in a minute." " Is everyone assembled?" " Twenty-four hours isn't a lot of notice." "Will you give me a heads-up as to the nature of your remarks?" "Just one of my customary motivational speeches you've heard hundreds of times." " How are you?" "Good to see you." " How you doing?" " Good morning." "Good to see you." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Good to see you." " Thank you." "Fire up the troops!" "The plant made a profit this quarter for the first time in two years." "My people are expecting a pat on the back, and they deserve to get it." "I'll try not to disappoint them." "Thank you." "Thank you." "As most of you know you've all worked extremely hard this past year and you should all be proud of yourselves." "Just as a ship can only follow the course set by its captain any business is only as good as its leadership." "Due to management failures beyond your control this plant will be closing effective immediately." "Good luck to all of you." "You just fired 2500 people and blamed it on me." "One day you'll thank me." "Smallville isn't in your future." " It's just a brief chapter in your biography." " Don't do this." "We live in a meritocracy, Lex." "The weak get left behind." "The plant wasn't producing." "I had no other options." "Spare me the corporate barbarian spiel." "Those people have husbands and wives, children, mortgages." "We're in business to make profits, not friends!" "Don't let your emotions get in the way of making tough decisions!" "Don't lecture me about letting emotions get in the way." "This plant was showing a profit." "You're shutting it down because I wouldn't go work for you in Metropolis." "Lex, you may have felt that you found a home here, but you were mistaken." "This was just your training ground." "Well, your training is over!" "You're coming home, son!" "Pete, I need your opinion." "Classic black or traditional red?" "For what?" "My tie-cummerbund combo." "I gotta get my tux order in today." "If I were you, I'd stick with the traditional black." " This is no time to get adventurous." " You're right." "I don't know, Clark." "Red always looks good on you." "Then red it is." "Thanks." "Now I gotta go make a call and change my order." "I don't want people mistaking us for twins." "Yeah, because that happens all the time." "You seem really excited about the dance." "I am, but between the tickets, the tux and buying the flowers, it gets expensive." "You should try finding the right dress." "Guess the limo's out." "I'm actually thinking of asking Lex if I can borrow his." "Chloe says she doesn't care, but deep down I know she wants one." "I'm trying to surprise her, so keep it between us." "My lips are sealed." "Chloe?" "They're closing the LuthorCorp plant." " So you heard." " The Ledger rushed a special edition." "They haven't done that since the meteor shower." "I talked to Chloe." "She's pretty upset." "I spoke to her father." "He's in shock." "I don't blame him." " How's this gonna affect us?" " That plant was Smallville's biggest employer." "Shutting it down is gonna have a domino effect." "I can't believe Lex would run it into the ground in less than a year." "Why are you blaming Lex?" "His dad closed the plant." "Whatever issues Lionel Luthor has with his son have now cost half the town their jobs." "You should be happy, then." "It means Lex is going back to Metropolis and out of our lives." "The plant closing is gonna hurt a lot of people, Clark." "As much as I would like Lex out of our lives, I wouldn't wish that on anybody." "I know, Dad." "It's just..." "Lex cares about the town." "He said he had big plans." "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." "Okay." "Turn." "We're almost there." "All right." " Okay." " Stop." "Open your eyes." "Wow!" "Why are you being so mysterious?" " Can't a guy plan a picnic for his girlfriend?" " I'm not complaining." "It's just kind of spontaneous." "Are you saying I'm usually boring?" "I'm saying this is very nice." "I'm just wondering what the occasion is." "It's to thank you for everything." "It's been a difficult year, and you've stood by me." "I pushed you away, and you could have made other choices." "You didn't." "We've been together a long time." "I'd never abandon you when you needed me." "There's something I want to tell you." "Whitney, you know, maybe we should" " What's this?" " Read it." "United States Marine Corps?" "I enlisted." "I think it's the right thing for me to do." "When I found my dad's medals, I felt he was telling me which path I should take." " You can't do this for your father." " I'm not." "I'm doing it for us." "Please, don't be mad." "It's just so fast, you know?" "I need some time to process it." "I don't have a lot of time." "I ship out for basic training Saturday night." "What about graduation?" "The only thing I'm gonna miss in Smallville is you." "Will you wait for me?" "Clark, I got your messages, but I've been having a bad day." "Nice paperweight." "Yeah, very unique." "Sure you can afford being seen with the town pariah?" "I'll take my chances." "What happened, Lex?" "The two theories seem to be I either ran the plant into the ground through incompetence or did it deliberately to go back to Metropolis." "Your dad already offered you a job in Metropolis." "Just tell people the truth." "Then I get stuck with the incompetence rap." "Being reviled is the lesser evil." "I guess you're going back to Metropolis, then." "That's why my father orchestrated his coup, but this isn't over." " You have a plan?" " Maybe." "You have a lot of work to do." "Clark, thanks for stopping by." "It means a lot." "What are friends for?" "Thought I'd find you here." "My dad and I can't really do the whole depressed thing together, so..." "If you're not up for Saturday night, I'd understand." "You kidding me?" "It's the only thing I have to look forward to right now." "Besides, I want to enjoy all the quaint Smallville High customs while I still can." "Why?" "Where are you going?" "My dad's talking about moving us back to Metropolis permanently." "What about the Torch and all your friends?" "I can't even think about it right now." "Clark, I'm not exactly psyched about having to fight my way through the high school hierarchy all over again." "You're gonna miss me, right?" "Do you even have to ask?" "Just promise me Saturday night's gonna be great." "It'll be a night you won't forget." "I appreciate you coming." "My father doesn't know about this meeting, and I'd like to keep it that way." "When I first came here people assumed I was just another glaring example of nepotism unskilled and promoted over the heads of the more competent and deserving." "But I'd like to think the people in this room feel differently." "If we can raise the capital for an employee-led buyout..." " ... we can keep the plant running." " Buyout?" "I can raise nearly 90%% of the capital." "What about the rest?" "We're supposed to mortgage our houses?" "It's a risk, I know." "But in exchange, the investors will become minority owners." "Doesn't your father control the board?" "Why would he go along with a buyout?" "I know a couple of members I can convince, and I don't need a unanimous decision." "I'm offering you the chance to take control of your own destiny." "Stand with me, and we'll win." "Clark." "Out wandering the streets of Smallville?" "What is it?" "I just found out that Chloe might be leaving for good." "Not sure I really believe it's true." "I know what you mean." "You do?" "Whitney's going off to join the Marines." "That's intense." "He told me he was doing it for us." "Asked if I'd wait for him." "Really?" "What did you say?" "Nothing." "I kind of just stood there in stunned silence." "One day he's worried about his English paper and the next, he's putting on a uniform and saving the world." "So you didn't commit?" "I told him I wasn't sure." "When does he head out?" "Saturday night." "Guess you don't have to worry about your dress." "I can't believe both Whitney and Chloe are gonna be out of our lives." "Me neither." "Guess we get left behind, Clark." "What do you think caused the explosion?" "Son, my guess is it was a leaky fuel line." "The fumes must have ignited the fertilizer in the truck." "I should have checked it better." " I'm glad it was me and not one of you guys." " Oh, sweetheart." "The truth is, I barely felt the heat this time." "And the debris didn't leave any bruises." "As you get older, your body must be getting stronger." "You're not in a hurry to pack?" "That's because I'm not leaving." "Accept your fate, Lex." "It's time to move on." "I'm forcing a vote of the board of directors to accept an employee buyout of the plant." "What are you gonna do?" "Convince the employees to take out a second mortgage?" " Cash in their IRAs." " Something like that." "Even if you sell all your stock and drain your trust fund you still come up short, Lex." "What will you do about the rest of the money?" "Take the buyout now, and you can keep your dignity." " That's more than you left me." " That's very gracious of you, son." "You might wanna look at this first." "You've bought the Smallville Savings and Loan." "Go ahead, lead your buyout." "But remember, I own your employees' mortgages." "As soon as they begin missing payments I won't hesitate to foreclose on each and every one of them." "They'll be homeless, and it will be your fault." "You ready to accept that kind of responsibility?" "If you're going to take me on, son you're gonna have to bring your game up to a whole different level." " Where have you been?" " I went to pick up my dress." " We have a problem." " You can't go." "I just can't pick you up." "My transportation kind of went up in flames." "I was gonna ask Lex if I could borrow his limo, but with the plant" " Clark, I'll drive." " Ruins the whole Prince Charming vibe." "Cinderella was never my role model." " Why the Marines?" " I don't know." "It's just something I gotta do." " So Whitney's off to fight evil for Uncle Sam." " I heard." "That technically makes Lana a free agent." "He asked her to wait for him." "Long-distance relationships never work." "People change, have different experiences." "It's kind of like us, you know?" "After a couple of weeks, you'll forget all about me." "Chloe!" "Okay, I just have this horrible nightmare that you'll rush to the bus station after Whitney leaves and profess your undying love for Lana, and I'll be waiting at the gym alone." "If you do that to me, Clark, I'll never speak to you again." "Okay, I said it." "Chloe." "I'm going to the dance with you not by default, but because I want to." "All right, I feel better now." "If I could just have one minute of your time, Clark." " How do you know my name?" " Roger Nixon." "I'm a journalist with the Inquisitor, and I would like to write a story about you." "Thanks, but I'm really not interested." "Why weren't you hurt in that explosion?" "You were in the truck on the farm." "I was nowhere near that truck." "Am I missing something interesting?" "Lex?" "You know my name, but I don't know yours." "Roger Nixon." "I work for the Inquisitor." "When is someone gonna put that bad excuse for a tabloid out of its misery?" "It was nice meeting you, Lex." "I'm sure we'll talk again soon, Clark." "What was that all about?" "He wants to do a story on me, make me out to be some kind of hero." "The Inquisitor's a rag, Clark." "If I were you, I wouldn't get mixed up with him." "I don't intend to." "If he gives you any more trouble, let me know." "Hi, son." "Something wrong?" "A journalist from the Inquisitor wants to do a story on me." "He knows I was in the truck." "I don't think it was an accident." "I think he set it up to test me." "How did he know you would survive?" "He must have seen me do something before." "Look, I swear, ever since Phelan, I've been so careful." "Clark, it's not your fault." " But what do I do?" " Carry on, go to school, go to the dance and if this reporter's really got something, I'm sure he'll come talk to us." "What else?" "I think Lex has a piece of the spaceship." "Are you sure?" "I saw it on his desk." "It's the missing piece." "He must have found it in the field." "I don't know if he suspects anything, but who knows what he'll do?" " We all know how persistent Lex can be" " He can't trace it to us." "Your mother's right, son." "We'll just keep our heads low." "So when you do your chores, don't use your abilities." "Whatever you do, stay away from that storm cellar." "You wanted to see me, Lex?" "I'm surprised you even remembered my name." "I warned you to stay away from the Kents." "Let me guess." "This is where you remind me of all the terrible things you can have done to me." "As I'm sure you're well aware, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment." "I don't have time to deal with your annoyances." "Well, what I have discovered is beyond you and your problems and your threats." "This newfound self-assurance doesn't suit you, Roger." "Be nice, Lex, or I may not let you bid on my discovery." "And I know you'll want to especially when you consider all your interest in the crash site and the Kents." "What was found out there has nothing to do with the Kents or with you." "Are you certain?" "Roger, for all your bravado, you have yet to show me anything." "I'll show you all the evidence you need tonight." "And you'll see for yourself." "There's a whole lot more to your friend Clark Kent than meets the eye." " I swear, if you harass Clark or his parents" " Who said anything about harassment?" "Maybe I'll just tell them the truth, that you turned me on to them." "And if you're not interested in what I have, I know of another Luthor who will be." "You are playing a very dangerous game." "You'd better pray you're not wrong." "Mom, can you give me a hand with this?" "Who's there?" "It's me, Clark." "Are you all right?" " Yeah, I'm fine." " Really?" "You seem a little tense." "It's just the dance and everything." "Come here." "I'm sure I've tied more of these than your mother." "Thought you were holed up in the mansion." "Well, I needed to clear my head." "Took a drive, ended up here." "I didn't mean to bother you on your big day." "I got a little time." "Chloe's picking me up." "That's very progressive." "What happened to the truck?" "A farming accident." "You know how it is." "So how goes the bailout?" "I'm not sure, Clark." "I think it's gonna get ugly before it gets better." "My father's dead set against me succeeding." "Why would your father be against the plant?" "We have a complicated relationship, Clark." "My father wants me to believe it's built on trust, but it's not." "It's built on lies and deceit." "Any relationship with that foundation is destined to fail." " Lucky we don't have that problem." " Lucky us." "I want you to know whatever happens in the next few days I'm still your friend, and that's never gonna change." " I hope you feel the same way." " I do." "What do you think's gonna happen?" "I don't know." "Just got a bad feeling like when you can smell the air change before a storm." "Storms are a way of life around here, Lex." "The trick is to not get caught out in the open." "Look after yourself." "It's hard to believe." "I thought my whole life was in that trophy case." "Now it all seems so trivial." "We should get you to the bus station." "My bus doesn't leave for an hour." "How about we go check out the gym?" "Okay." "It's beautiful." "Where is everyone?" "Hour before the dance, the setup committee goes home to get ready." "You're missing the spring formal because of me." "We still have time for one last dance." "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before I enlisted." "I think you're very brave." "I know this is kind of sudden, and you're not sure how you feel about us" "Whitney, let's just dance." "Hi." "What do you think?" "Too pink?" "No." "You- You look beautiful." "Thank you." "You clean up nicely yourself." "What happened to the red tie?" "Instinct told me it was the wrong way to go." " Is that for me?" " Oh, yeah." "Oh, wow!" "It's beautiful." "Oh, I have yours!" "Okay." "Oh, did I get you?" "We should go." "Yeah." "Well, here we go." " I'll get the door." " Okay." " Thanks." "Looks like a storm's coming." " Yeah." " In?" " In." " This is crazy!" " I know." " You okay?" " Let's go." "Let's get inside!" "Wow, you guys look great." "Well, thank you, Ms. Rivers." "It's faux Wang." " Hi." " Hi, Erica." "Hey, Chloe, could you-?" " He wants you to take our picture." " Oh, yeah, sure." "I'll just be a sec." "I think he wants proof that this night actually happened." " Well, I guess this is it." " Good luck, Whitney." "Lana, can I have a minute alone with Clark?" "Sure." "I'll bring the truck around." "Thanks." "You and I have had a weird year." "I started out thinking you just wanted to steal Lana." "I'm not trying to make excuses, but I did some things I'm not proud of." "I'm sorry, Clark." "I appreciate that." "Listen, Clark, there's something I wanna ask you, a favor." "Okay." "Lana's not sure how she feels about our relationship right now." "But I am." "I need you to look after her until I get back." "I really don't know what to say." "Say yes." "Okay." "Clark?" "I promise." "Thanks." "Good luck." "What was that all about?" "Just guy stuff." "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" "Yeah, but frequent reminders are always appreciated." "Do you have everything?" " You're only allowed one bag." " I'd never make it as a Marine." "I want you to have this for luck." "I won't lose it this time." "Goodbye, Lana." "I loved you the first moment that I saw you." "I'll still love you when I see you again." "Oh, Roger." "Baby you are going to be filthy rich!" " Hey." " Hey, Chloe's having a great time." " I promised her a night she'd never forget." " I'm glad you finally stepped up." "Yeah, me too." " Hey, I like these guys." " Yeah." "Remy Zero!" "I love this song." " This is one of Chloe's favorite songs." " Why do you think I requested it?" "Now, that's what I'm talking about!" " May I have this dance?" " Of course." "The animals are all put away!" "There's nothing more we can do here!" " We gotta get to the storm cellar!" " What about Clark?" "The school's on the other side of town!" "He'll be fine!" "Mr. Kent!" " Who the hell are you?" " Roger Nixon, Metropolis In" "You're the reporter who threatened Clark!" " Don't do anything!" " Why not?" "He tried to kill our son." " Did you blow up that truck?" " I knew it wouldn't hurt him." "No, please!" " Who sent you?" "Lex Luthor?" "!" " Jonathan, please!" " Was it Lex Luthor?" "!" " I don't need Lex Luthor." " I'll tell the entire world about your son!" " You will not!" "No!" "Jon" "Get up, come on!" "Jonathan, look!" "Jonathan, the tornado!" "But he knows everything!" " I will not let him destroy this family!" " No!" "Please!" "Jonathan!" "Clark Kent, man of mystery." "Just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me." " How's that?" " The song, the tux tonight." " And I'm still here." " Yeah, you are." "Stop the music, please." "Excuse me for a second." "Can I have everyone's attention, please?" "Thank you." "The National Weather Service has just issued a tornado warning." "Three funnels were spotted heading towards Smallville." "Now, please, everyone, stay calm." "The twisters are gonna set down south of here, but for your own safety no one will be allowed to leave the gym." "The bus station's south of town." "Lana's there." "Don't worry." "I'm sure she's home by now." "You know what?" "I'll go call her on my cell, and you wait here." "Clark?" "Clark?" "Damn you, Nixon!" "So you're using your mother's stock to fund the buyout." "That's your secret source." "I must admit, it's a bold move, Lex, but it won't work." " You braved the weather to tell me that?" " It's suicide, Lex." "You may get the plant, but you're putting your employees' homes on the line." "Forfeiting your own future." "Or forging a new destiny free from you." "You're not my enemy." "You're my son." "I never saw the distinction." "When Alexander the Great was dying, his generals asked who he would leave his empire to if he would appoint a successor who would keep the legacy intact prevent generations of bloodshed." "His answer was simple:" ""I leave it to the strongest. "" "I believe the term is, "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. "" "I'll bury you and everyone in Smallville who takes your side." "No!" "Lex!" "Lex!" "Lex!" "Help me, Lex!" "Lex!" "Can't move!" "Help me!" "Lex!" "Son, please!" "Damn it!" "Clark!" "Lana!" "Clark!" "No!"