"Lana." "I was hoping that you were up." "Is everything alright?" "It's about Jason." "I think I've made a horrible mistake." "Jason." "Lana, I'm not sure I'm the one you should be talking to about this." "Actually, I think that you're exactly who I should be talking to." "I've been thinking about it... the way we met, the way he followed me here, the way he got a job at my school." "I think that everything that Jason has told me has been a lie." "I'm starting to wonder if there's another reason he came to Smallville besides me." " Like what?" " I don't know." "But he's really starting to scare me." "Don't worry, Lana." " I'd never let anything happen to you." " I know." "And it's made one thing very clear." "I never should have given up on us." "I can lie to myself as much as I want... but I've always been in love with you." "I knew I couldn't trust you, Clark." "Jason, No!" "Haven't you hurt her enough already?" "Jason!" "Clark can't protect you from me." "Nobody can." "Jason!" "Someone call an ambulance!" "Jason..." "Jason, can you hear me?" "Hey..." "How's he doing?" "The doctors don't know." "His heart's beating a mile-a-minute, and they can't get his blood pressure down." "That's a little odd for someone who's unconscious, isn't it?" "They said he's in some sort of a "panic mode"..." "Like he's having a severe nightmare." "What happened?" "He came by the Talon to pick me up for lunch, and..." "I ran upstairs to grab a jacket." "And?" "And I heard a crash..." "that's it." "He's been perfectly healthy." "But the doctors say if they can't get his heart rate down... that he could have a heart attack." "They must have some idea what caused this." "I wish I could help them." "But he was just studying all morning before he came to the apartment." "The first time I saw him he was lying on the Talon floor." "Well let us know if there's anything we can do to help, O.K.?" "They need his insurance card." "It's in my apartment." "Could you guys go get it for me?" "I don't want to leave his side." " Yeah." " O.K." "Clark, I don't mean to go "Dr. Phil" on you, but don't you think you should admit they're in a relationship?" "Come on Chloe, I'm past that." "Yeah, I should have known by that crippling stare on your face since you walked into the apartment." "I just could have used some more time to ease into it, you know?" "Clark, you were in love with her." "That's not something you just "ease" out of." "It's just by the time that I found out, they were already this... serious thing." "Yeah." "But we all keep secrets for our own reasons." "I don't think I have to tell you that." "I don't think going through Jason's personal things falls under your "snoop jurisdiction. "" "I'll take my chances with the jury on this one." "I think maybe if we back-track through Jason's last couple of days, it might help." "Ooh." "Jason had a meeting at LuthorCorp this morning." "Why didn't Lana say something?" "Maybe she didn't know." " This place seems dead." " Yeah." "My dad used to work overtime on Saturdays." "This lot should be full by now." "Where do you think everybody is?" "I don't know." "But while you're talking to Lex, I'm going to give myself a "Backstage Tour. "" "Clark." "How the hell did you get in here?" "Yeah, the gate was open." "Your security seems a little "M.I.A." (Missing in Action) lately." " That's obvious, but this is a restricted area." " This will only take a second." "I need someone to escort a guest out." "Look Clark, I'm sorry but I just got in from Metropolis, I've got a lot to do." "Just now." "I thought you had a meeting with Jason this morning." "Not with me." "He was meeting with the head of my H.R. (Human Resources) department." "You giving him a job?" "Just some leads." "I felt guilty for getting Jason fired from the school." "He didn't even want Lana to know about it, I'm surprised he told you." "He didn't." "Jason's lying unconscious at the hospital." "Some sort of neurological stress." "Do they know what happened?" "No." "But your H.R. guy might have been the last person to talk to him." "Look I'll track him down but Clark, there could be a lot of reasons for Jason's condition." "There could also be a lot of reasons why this place is deserted half-way through Saturday's shift." "I'll call in a specialist from Metropolis to take a look at him." "Assure Lana that I'm doing everything I can for him." "I've been waiting for you Chloe." " Mom?" " You can't escape this, Chloe." "None of the women in our family ever have." "No!" "No!" "No, no!" "Standby." "With all our safety precautions, how the hell does a lab explode?" "Well, when you're dealing with meteor rocks, it's very difficult to predict how our chemicals will react." "Mr. Luthor, we're doing everything we can." "After the alarm sounded, we sealed the room." "All affected personnel have been quarantined, and we're trying to fix the damaged pipes." " You mean the bacteria's still leaking out?" " Only in that room." "Once the situation is under control, I want the project dismantled." "But, Mr. Luthor..." "Your father negotiated this contract with the military, we stand to make a lot if we can ever market the compound." "And exactly what is the market for toxins that evoke a person's worst nightmare before they fall unconscious, Dr. Ford?" "Think of the good." "We could disable the enemy without ever using violence," " We have statistics to prove..." " Statistics aren't lying in those beds!" "My employees are." "And I'm afraid they're not the only ones." "What do you mean?" "Someone who was visiting the plant this morning is in the hospital with the same symptoms." " Is he contagious?" " Oh no sir, no sir." "The bacteria can't be transmitted from one person to another, it has to be inhaled directly." "Then there's no reason to call the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and panic the entire town." "Now where are we with the antidote?" "This will clarify when it reaches 1000 degrees Kelvin, and then we can test it." "What's the E.T.A. (Estimate Time of Arrival)?" "Another 5 hours." "8 other people have just come down with the condition that Jason and Chloe have." "The doctor's haven't found anything in common?" "Didn't you say that Jason and Chloe were both at LuthorCorp today?" "Yeah but half the victims in the hospital weren't." "Whatever this is seems to strike completely at random." "There's no way to tell who's going to be next." "Sounds contagious." "In the air or the water?" "Then maybe it will show up in some environmental quality report." " Lana." " Come on in." "I'm sorry to show up like this, I just didn't know where else to go." "Clark told us about Jason." "Has something happened?" "One of the other infected people just died." "Lana, do the doctors have any idea at all what's going on?" "Just that a person's body can only sustain a level of panic for so long before their heart gives out." "I can't just sit in that hospital any more, just..." "just watching Chloe and Jason die." "I want to help." "I hope we didn't separate you from your flock." "I understand your cynicism, Warden Stone, but I assure you I truly am a changed man." "Oh." "Or just a smart one." "You know, ever since you proclaimed this sudden conversion to our resident "St. Paul", there hasn't been a single attempt on your life." "I want only to be of help to others." "What is the value of my sinful life, unless I use it as an example to shepherd fellow sinners?" "to lead the away from the allure of hedonism, and mistrust and greed." "To follow a better way." "Uh-huh." "Well I'm afraid you're going to have to change congregations." "What do you mean?" "The appellate court overturned your conviction." "Overturned?" "My appeal doesn't come up for months." "It's not possible." "You'd be surprised what's possible in this judicial system." "I've done everything to work the system." "I hired the best lawyers in the world, I tried to pay off everyone from the bailiff to the President of the United States, and I was told, categorically, I was never going to see life outside these walls again." "You do not want to be telling me things of this nature." "Yes, I do." "I'm guilty." "Not of the crime I've been imprisoned for, but... so many other crimes, which should have landed me in here years ago." "This is where I belong." "It's where I can do the most good." "You... you want to stay in prison?" "Yes..." "I do." "I've found my... my mission in life." "Contrary to your deluded point-of-view, this is not the Ritz Carlton, where you can check in and check out at your leisure." "Somebody did you a favor by getting you out of this place." "I'd say be grateful." "But who?" "Who could do that?" "Obviously someone more powerful than you." "As soon as this paperwork is finished..." "you're a free man." "We know that Jason was in town by 9 o'clock." "According to the hourly satellite images, we had clear skies all morning." "Hourly?" "Can we get it a bit more specific than that?" "I'll try." "I just don't understand why Jason wouldn't tell me that he had a meeting at Luthorcorp." "It might have been a blow to his pride." "Accepting Lex's offer." "Well maybe that's what all of this has been about." "I've been getting this feeling lately that there's something he hasn't been telling me." "Maybe he thought you'd see him differently if you found out." "Do you really think that I'm that shallow, Clark?" "It might take him a while to get to know you as well as I do." "Look at that." "It's like that cloud came out of nowhere." "And then it's completely gone 5 minutes later." "It covered 2 miles before it dissipated." " Why would a cloud just appear like that?" " Maybe it's not a cloud." " Maybe it's pollution or smoke or something." " If that's the county line, Chloe's house is right in the middle of it." " So is LuthorCorp." "Mom?" "Dad?" "Jason!" "Lana..." "Lana." "They're all going to leave you." "And there's nothing you can do about it." "Lana!" " I need you to hold him, get over here!" " Yes, sir." "Mr. Luthor, we have never tested this antidote, I urge you to try it on a lab animal first." "One of my employees is about to die." "Do you see any other options for us right now?" "No sir, I don't." "But please remember, this is like a flu inoculation, it contains traces of the infectious element." "Is that your way of telling me the patient's going to get worse before he gets better?" "Assuming it works." "Mr. Luthor, you can't go in there!" "You must keep exposure to the toxin to a minimum!" "I'm responsible for this plant and everyone who works here..." "I'm going with you." "I understand you're treating a patient named Jason Teague?" "Lex, I've got my hands full right now." "We're watching Mr. Teague, along with all the others in his condition." "The others?" "Are you telling me all these people have the same symptoms?" "Unfortunately." "We have no idea what we're dealing with." "It's a synthetic toxin." "A pressure tank exploded this morning at my plant." "We thought we had it contained but the toxin release must have escaped into the atmosphere." "It's possible all these people were exposed at the time." "And you're just telling me this now?" "I have to call the center for disease control." "I don't know how much they can do, but there's an antidote my project manager's been modifying as we speak" "How close is it?" "The first trial was unsuccessful, but I assure you we will have the situation under control." "It's too late for that." "I need a doctor." "I need a doctor!" "Did you know about this when I talked to you earlier today?" "Clark, other than Jason, I had no idea anyone outside of LuthorCorp was exposed, you have to believe me." "What is this, though?" "It all makes sense." "Lana." "Help me." "The meteor shower." "You came the same day." "How could I be so stupid?" "The meteor shower is the reason I'm here." "I'm from a planet called Krypton." "Lana, I wanted to tell you." "But I didn't think you'd accept me." "You're not even human?" "No, please." "That stuff makes me sick!" "My parents are gone because of you." "I'm never going to see them again." "You killed my parents." "Mom." "Clark?" " I need to find my parents, where are they?" " They haven't been admitted." "Clark you're the first patient to come out of this, I think you'd better sit down." " No, I feel fine." " Clark" "Dad?" "Mom!" "Mom?" "Lex!" "I'll keep you updated." " You're running out of time." " How did you get past security?" "It's O.K..." "I don't understand, I left you in the hospital, what happened?" "My parents are in there now." "Clark" "Lana, Chloe, Jason, they're all going to die if you don't do something!" "What do you suggest I do?" "Use me." "I want you to use me." "Look, I came out of this panic state." "Maybe there's something in me that can help." "I'll give you whatever samples you need." "Look, even if your immune system could offer us some sort of insight, those kind of tests take months, years to analyze!" "No, no..." "He's right, Clark." "We have a new antidote that we can test in a few hours." "There's no time." "The antidote needs to be heated to 1000 degrees Kelvin until it clears, otherwise it's useless!" "This time we're going to test it first." "People's lives are at stake." "We're running out of time." "Look at them, Mr. Luthor." "You look at them." "Are you going to point the finger and decide which one of them is going to take the lethal injection?" "Whoever it is, you could be killing them." "Mr. Luthor, No!" " Clark?" " Thank God it worked." " I'm going to get the antidote to the hospital." " Lex, you're going to be O.K." "I should have known." "Clark." "Is there something bothering you son?" "No, it'll just take a few days before I can walk into that room, and... not get a flash of the two of you unconscious on the floor." "Thanks for cleaning everything up." "Somebody really did a number on that lamp back there." "Must have been some nightmare you had." "And we woke up to find that it almost came true." "Clark you walked right into Lex's office and almost gave up your secret." "Who knows what they would have done to you?" "I didn't see any other choice." "It's funny, because lately I've been thinking I've gotten closer to being able to tell someone the truth about me, but... now I'm convinced more than ever that I can't tell anyone." "Especially not Lana." "I know how much it would mean to you to be able to share your secret with her." "As far apart as we've grown..." "I think about it every day." "I hope our own fears haven't gotten in your way." "I would hate for you to look back, and regret not telling the people closest to you." "I mean, there is a chance Lana would understand." "There is." "But what if she didn't?" "Clark, look." "I'm not..." "sure that it's Lana..." "But I am sure that... someday there will be someone you can tell." "Egg-Foo-Yung to the rescue!" "So, if I'd waited around the Peking Duck, you'd have, what... been gone?" "No I would have been here." "Trying to figure out what to say." "I don't understand." "Is this because of your mom?" "You've been different ever since I met her." "No I've been different every since I came to Smallville." "6 months ago, I never would have gone to someone like Lex, and groveled for a job that I don't even want." "Worst part is, I was too embarrassed to even tell you about it." "Since when have you ever been embarrassed around me?" "Exactly." "I don't like this person that I'm becoming, Lana." "And I don't want to wait around for you to resent me as much as I resent myself, so..." "That's not why you're leaving." "The one thing I learned from my relationship with Clark is when someone isn't being honest with me." "Jason." "Just tell me the truth." "Be careful." "I can't get a statement from LuthorCorp." "A huge chemical explosion causes everyone to relive their worst nightmares, what is that?" "!" "?" "And there's no sign of a lawsuit, it's like this whole thing is being completely forgotten about!" "What?" "What?" "WHAT!" "I've seen you worked up before, but this is more than amped, even for you." "I guess it's just displaced anxiety." "I found my mom, Clark." "Wow, that's..." "Chloe that's great!" "Yeah, I put my "feelers" out for years and something 3 months ago finally came through, so..." "And it turns out she's... she's not exactly "M.I.A." (Missing in Action), so to speak." "She's in a mental institution." "I'm sorry." "The real kicker is, it's hereditary." "Listen, hey.." "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you're not destined to follow in your parent's footsteps, alright?" "O.K. Thanks." "So, popular question of the day." "What is Clark Kent's worst nightmare?" "When I woke up." "Everyone that I knew was gone." "I was completely alone." "I wish I could say that I'll always be there for you, but... somehow I get the feeling that may not be a promise I can keep." "You were the only one that came out of it, Clark, and..." "I don't think it's because you've been taking your vitamins." " Chloe." " Look, you know what, you don't have to tell me." "I know that I gave you my word that I was going to stop all this prying, but..." "In these last few months I got a taste of what it was like to keep my mom's secret... and I've never felt more alone." "It's weird when people think they're so close to you, but have no idea what you're really going through." "Yeah." "I'd hate to live my whole life like this." "But, after "fessing up" it's amazing how quickly that feeling of loneliness disappears." "I mean, if you can't tell your best friend, who can you tell?" "Right, Clark?"