"Let me go." "What do you want from me?" "The truth." " Can I see some ID?" " You must be new here." "Hey, it's okay, let him through." " Thanks, Kasich." " No problem." " She's cute." " She's engaged." "What do you think?" "It's loud." " How's the VIP room tonight?" " I think we can make some room for you." "I hope you didn't feel obligated to entertain me." "Jude's only gone for a couple days." "I don't believe in obligations." "Besides, your fiance did me a favor." "I wasn't looking forward to a night out on my own." "Something tells me you wouldn't have been alone for very long." " Two apple martinis." " Coming up." ""Zero consequences."" "That's quite a promise." "Only if it's kept." "To my good friend Amanda on her engagement." " Cheers." " Cheers." "What is it?" "What are you doing?" " Amanda." " You said you had to go away on business." "I can explain, okay?" "Just wait." "Amanda, wait a sec" "I can explain, Amanda." "Just wait." "Amanda!" "You son of a bitch." "You did this on purpose." "You did it to yourself." "Amanda deserves better." "Liar!" "That's what it said in the papers, but that's not what really happened." " It's the truth." "Read the police reports!" " I know you covered it up." "I don't know how you did it, but you're gonna pay." "Who are you?" "Don't you remember?" "You killed me." "Daddy can't save you this time, Lex." "There is nothing like 50 minutes of Mr. Austin's English class..." " ... that works up an appetite." " Nothing like a student biography..." " ... due Monday to help me lose mine." " The biography part or the fact that our student subjects were randomly assigned?" "Pete's convinced that the drawing was fixed." "There are a dozen ladies in our class, each worthy of lengthy interrogation." " I get stuck with Stan Gibson?" " The manager of the student store?" " I hear he's very" " Efficient?" "Very funny." "I'm about to learn more about the art of selling "Go Crow" pennants than any human should have to endure." "You haven't stopped smiling since we left." "Who's your victim?" "The illustrious Mr. Kent himself." " Me?" " I take it back." "Chloe's the one with the challenge." " Excuse me?" " No offense, Clark but digging up six pages of interesting on you..." " ... is gonna require serious excavation." " I do stuff." "Yes, and I'm sure that once I deploy my journalistic skills on you I'll unearth a skeleton or two." "You know, Chloe, this is a class project, not a corruption scandal." "Relax." "It's not like you have anything to hide, right?" "Come on, Clark, cough up." "Who'd you get?" "Don't tell me." "Lana Lang." "Just look at his face, you don't even have to see it." "Like I said, definitely rigged." " I assume you'll start your paper ASAP?" " It's all gonna work out." "I'm helping Lana at the Talon getting ready for the opening." "Surrogate boyfriend does the heavy lifting while Whitney works at his dad's store." " On that note..." " Wait." "When are you gonna sit down to do my interview?" "Right." "I'll be around." "Did he just blow me off?" "One step forward, two steps back." "Come on." "You promised everything would be ready on time." "That was before the plumbing started leaking." " Hasn't been replaced in years." " How long will that take?" "I can't really give you a straight answer, not until I crawl up there." "You resurrect the past, you get the problems that come with it." "Lex Luthor's going to be by later." "He's going to need numbers and a timetable and a better explanation than that." " Sorry, we're not open yet." " It's about the assistant manager position." "I know I'm late, but if I can get an application..." " Yeah, yeah, just give me a second." " Great." "Really appreciate this, Miss...?" " Lang." " Lang." "And just to warn you, my aunt's not taking any more interviews until next week." "Well, that's all right." "I happen to have all the time in the world." " I'm Jude Royce." " Hi." "So I understand that Lex Luthor has a stake in this project." "Yeah, he's one of the owners." "Why?" "Do you know him?" " A lifetime ago in Metropolis." " Must have been interesting." "Well, let's just say there's a reason he's in Smallville." "You know my advice?" "Stay away from him." "When Lex gets involved, things usually turn out badly." "What are you doing here?" "We had an understanding." "After that night, we were never to have any contact." " I saw him, Lex." " Who?" "Jude." " We both know that's impossible." " Listen to me!" "He's alive." "Everywhere I go, I see him." " He's stalking me." " Kasich." "Calm down." "I'm not crazy." " This man say what he wanted?" " Yeah." "The truth." "Listen." "I keep an apartment in the city." "It's very secure." "You stay there and wait for my call." " Hey, Lex." " Hey." " Who was that?" " Nobody." "I hear we sprung a leak." "Is everything all right?" " Just a little weirded out." " Relax, it's just a leak." "No, a friend of yours came by, applied for the assistant manager position." "He told me to stay away from you." "What was his name?" "Jude Royce." " What is it, Lex?" " When did he leave?" "Just before you came in." "Lex, who's Jude Royce?" "Trust me, Clark, I have no idea who Lana met today but it couldn't have been him." "Don't worry about it, Clark." "I'm not." "What's going on?" "I don't know!" "Feel under the dash." "Looks like someone decided to get creative while I was inside." "What were the screams?" "I assume it's someone's twisted idea of a joke." "And a successful one." "We've managed to draw a crowd." " Lex." " Clark, this really doesn't concern you." "Hello, anybody home?" "Hey, pull up a microphone, son." " Chloe, what's going on?" " Since I couldn't find you I decided to start my biographical inquiry at the beginning." "Unlike a certain so-called friend of mine your parents gracefully agreed to be interviewed." "Chloe's been asking us some very interesting questions, Clark." "Thank you." "Now, we just have a few more to go, so..." "We were talking about the early days." "Now, what was involved in adopting Clark?" "Well, it was" " It was just like any normal adoption, I guess." "Can you take me through the process?" "Did it takes weeks or months?" "Did you guys use a lawyer, or did you go through an agen-?" "Shoot." "I'm out of tape." "That's okay, I've got some extra C-90s in my car." "I'll be right back." "Chloe's researching your life for a school project?" " When did that happen?" " We just got the assignment today." "I didn't know she was gonna go Mike Wallace." "We don't mind talking about you but if she starts asking questions about the adoption..." "What about the adoption?" "Is there something I should know?" "Well, of course, we had to make up a story but it's more complicated than that." "Let's just say it's a subject we would rather not have anyone explore." "Sorry." "Am I interrupting?" "Clark, now that you're finally spinning in my orbit I have a couple of pertinents for you too." "Actually, this is just a pit stop for me." "I'm on my way to meet Lana to work on my paper." "You know, Clark, not to strike a paranoid note, but are you avoiding me?" "Tomorrow, I promise." "Okay, this isn't an official question and I don't want you guys to take it the wrong way but has your son always been this strange?" " How does it feel?" " Feel?" "To single-handedly bring the Talon back from the brink of becoming a parking garage?" "It's nice, you know, being counted on, having responsibility." " People treat you differently." " Like you won't break." "Finally feel like I'm shedding that fairy-princess costume." " Lex, what are you doing here?" " Contractor called." "Said he had an estimate, wanted me to meet him here." "What the hell?" "Are you okay?" "Yeah." "I came in the back door and some guy jumped me and forced me to let him in and bashed me over the head." "Did you see his face?" "No." "Look." "That wasn't there when I locked up." "I'll go call the police." "Lex, your name's on it." "Zero consequences." "How you holding up?" "I was fine... until it showed up." "Yeah, stupid question." "What kind of a sick person would do a thing like that?" "I don't know." "But I've never seen Lex so freaked out before." "Join the club." "That guy warned me." "He said everything Lex touches ends badly." "How much do we really know about him and his past?" "I want you both to know how truly sorry I am about this." "I promise this won't affect the grand opening." "We're going to be infamous before we even open the doors." "Do you know who he is?" "The guy in the..." "You know." "Max Kasich." "And yes, I knew him a long time ago in Metropolis." "Do you have any idea who might have done this to him?" "Not at all." "What about your old friend Jude Royce?" " I doubt it could have been him, Clark." " Why?" "Because he's been dead for three years." "The only information I got from the Kents was the earth-shattering admission that Clark hates peas." "A body part shows up at the Talon and all you can talk about is Clark?" "Where are your priorities?" "Lex Luthor must be mixed up in this." " I know you've got issues with the Luthors" " More than issues." "You know what they did to my family." "One piece of investigative information at a time." " Now, about Clark..." " Chloe, what do you want from me?" "In a world of designer water, Clark's from the tap." "I know, but you've known him the longest." "All I need is just a little anecdote just a small piece of information from Clark's deep, dark past." "Well, there was something back in the first grade." "Thank you!" "That's more than I've uncovered the past two days." "Now, please, let's continue." "There was a bully three grades ahead." "This dude was determined to pound dents into every kid." "One day it was my turn." "He was just about to take my head off..." " ... when Clark jumped between us." " So Clark ran interference?" "Now, as kind as that sounds, Pete I don't think it falls into the "something amazing" test." " What test?" " I'm not finished." "Clark didn't just push Braindead, he put him through a door as in splinters and broken hinges." "How he did it, I still have no idea." " Guy was at least twice our size." " Clark, any comments?" "Well, we were, you know, 6 years old." "Twice our size was three feet tall." "If you need more ancient history, ask the source." "I've got an appointment at the student store." "Have fun." "And so the mystery that isn't Clark Kent deepens." " Mystery?" " Yeah." "Since you continue to play obstructionist I've had to find information through other means." "I found that your adoption was done through Metropolis United Charities but this is the strange part." "They were in business for six months and from what I can tell, yours is the only adoption they handled." "I can't believe you did this, Chloe." "You didn't know?" "I just assumed that your parents would have told you." " I mean, weren't you interested?" " Why would I be?" "My biological parents are either dead or didn't want me." " You're prying into my private life." " I was just trying to be thorough." "This is a class project." "I spent an hour yesterday with Lana, that's it." "That's all I needed." "I'm not some mystery for you to solve." "Clark, I..." "Talk to me, Mr. Raines." "According to the doorman, Kasich never made it to the apartment in Metropolis." " What about Royce?" " His parents died when he was young." "Car accident." "He was an only child, inherited everything." "And Amanda Rothman?" "Have you tracked her down yet?" "She moved, left no forwarding address." "When's the last time you spoke to her?" " About three years ago." " I'll go wider, but it could take some time." "It'd help if you tell me what's going on." "No, it wouldn't." "You're my head of security." "You find her and warn her she could be in danger." "That's all you need to know." "Make a path." "Police." "Excuse me, excuse me." "Police." " Who are you?" " Detective Sam Phelan, Metropolis P.D." "Are you what passes for security in this zoo?" " Yeah." " Don't go anywhere." "We'll talk." " Thank God you're here." " Lex, Lex." "You really put your foot in it this time." "Tell me exactly what happened." "Hey, if you fall apart on me, I can't help you." "Now what went down?" "That's exactly what happened?" "Good." "Here's how it's gonna go." "You were never here." "Your name will not appear in any papers or the police report." " How?" " That's what your daddy's money's for." "This one's gonna cost him." " What about Amanda?" " I'll take care of everybody's story but you are never to see her or talk to her again." "You got it?" "Call this guy, he'll take care of your shoulder." "No emergency rooms." "All right, get out of here." " Did you see what happened?" " Most of it." "Well, smile." "Because you're about to come into some serious money." "Nothing to say?" " I thought Lex Luthor had all the answers." " Look, you twisted son of a bitch." " I don't know what you want." " I wanna know what happened at Club Zero." "The cover-up." "You know the cop?" "The one on the report?" "Phelan?" "He's dead." "It seems that you were somehow involved in that too." "I find that very interesting." "Why don't you kill me now?" "Because it's more fun to watch you suffer." "Knowing that at any moment, bang!" "Tell me." "What really happened?" "Lex!" "Lex, you all right?" "Clark, what are you doing here?" "Your office told me you were here." "I thought I heard someone else." "No." "I'm all by myself." "Hey, I looked up Max Kasich." "I know what happened at Club Zero." "That he was shot and killed Jude Royce." "Everyone fits into this except for you." " What's going on?" " Please, Clark." "For our friendship, I'm asking you to stay out of this." "Some secrets are better left alone." "Clark." "Come on, son, the cows aren't gonna feed themselves." " You have a late night?" " I was helping Lana." "She's not gonna let the whole body-part incident delay the opening of the Talon." "That's what happens when you get into business with somebody like Lex Luthor." "If it wasn't for Lex, the Talon would be a parking garage." "Son, he casts a very, very long shadow." "I just want to make sure none of you kids get hurt, that's all." "The past is in the past." "The best we can do is look to the future." "All right, you got me." "Speaking of that, how's Chloe's paper coming along?" " I assume she's done with her interviews?" " I'm not sure." "Look, Clark, if she mentions anything to you about the peas, I'm sorry." "It's the first thing that came to mind." "And if she mentions anything to me about the Metropolis United Charities?" "I used to think perseverance was an admirable quality." "Since I learned the real truth, I hadn't thought about the adoption." "Dad, Chloe told me the agency you used was only open six months and I was the only kid adopted." "Look, son the process is a really tough one even when you go through normal channels." "With you, it was just a little more complicated, that's all." " Is everything legal?" " Yeah, it's legal, it's just..." "Well, it required a higher level of access than your mother or I had." "What does that mean?" "Let's just say it's a long road between what's sitting in our storm cellar and what's written on your birth certificate." " You hear that?" " Hear what?" "The whole herd's just over that rise." "We ought to be hearing something." "What do you think happened?" "Why would LuthorCorp dump their stuff here?" "I'm gonna go take from some different angles." "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I have no idea how this could have happened but I'll do everything in my power to find out." "And I'll pay for your livestock, of course." "You think that's how you solve everything, don't you, Lex?" "You sprinkle a little money on it and hope the problem goes away." "Well, obviously, some things are a little more difficult than that." "I didn't think it was possible to fall any further in your father's eyes." "Obviously, I was wrong." "I'd never intentionally allow something like this to happen." "Does this have anything to do with Club Zero?" " I think so." " You need to tell the authorities everything you know." "This isn't just about you anymore." "Mr. Luthor, the C.E.P. guy needs to talk to you." "He's over there." "Looks like a black mark on your company's environmental record." " I'm gonna walk over and get the sheriff." " And tell him what?" "Just tell him that Clark Kent called." "Thank you." " Who was that?" " I'm trying to reach Lex." "He's not in the office." "He's not at the mansion and his cell phone goes straight to voice mail." " Where's Dad?" " Still supervising the removal of the cows." " Lex said he'd pay for that." " Clark, this isn't just about money." "We don't know what kind of health threat this poses to us or to our neighbors." "I don't think this is Lex's fault." "I think someone is trying to set him up because of what happened at the nightclub." "Look." " Until this is cleared up, I don't" " Lex has always been a good friend." "I know." "I'm usually the one who defends him but there are some things in his past that are a little shady." "In this family we don't look at the past." "Clark, I grew up in Metropolis, I know the Luthor world." "It looks glamorous and fun, but the kids grow up too fast and they can get into trouble." "Whatever's happening to Lex is starting to affect you." "Body parts in boxes and poisoned cows?" "This isn't normal." "What do you want me to do?" "Cut him out of my life?" "No, I want you to cool it off for a while until we know what really happened." "Your father and I just don't want to see you pulled into his problems." "Can I talk to you for a second?" "How you doing?" " That depends if it's on the record or not." " Okay, I deserve that." "Look, I didn't mean to ambush you with the whole adoption agency thing." "Hey, you saw a story and you went right for it." " That's what journalists do." " You're right." "I didn't think about how it would hurt you." "And, you know, as much as journalistic instinct rebels I'd rather have a friend than a subject so I'm dropping the whole thing." "Thank you." "Can I ask you a question?" "Totally off the record." "Do you ever wonder about your biological parents?" "Every day of my life." "Looks like I'm not the only one doing some digging." " What's Club Zero?" " Part of Lex's past he asked me to stay out of." "By the way, I brought by some pictures for your parents." "I figured they could use it for insurance purposes and stuff." "I'll see you later." "I gotta go." "Chloe it's the same guy." " Wait, but he's" " Dead." "Help!" "Somebody!" "Help!" "Help!" "Somebody!" "No word from Lex." "No one's spoken to him since this morning." "I pulled our alleged dead guy's license." "It's registered to a John Smith." "Original." "He has an address in Metropolis and does not work for the C.E.P." " How'd you do that?" " I hacked into the DMV database." " Sometimes persistence is a good thing." " Call Metropolis P.D." " Have them go to that address." " What's going on?" "I think Lex is in serious trouble." "You ready to talk?" "You're finally where you should have been three years ago." "Exposed in the spotlight." "What do you want from me?" "The truth about Club Zero." "Kasich." "Excuse me, did you find anyone else in there?" " Do you know where I can find Club Zero?" " You're six months too late, kid." " What do you mean?" " Well, it closed down." "It was an old warehouse on 78th and Main." "Liar!" "That's what it said in the papers, but that's not what really happened." " It's the truth." "Read the police reports!" " I know you covered it up." "I don't know how you did it, but you're gonna pay." "Who are you?" "Don't you remember?" "You killed me." "Daddy can't save you this time, Lex." "No more games, Lex." "It's time for the truth." "I know you." "You're the contractor from the Talon." "That's my day job." "Who are you?" "Amanda never talked about her family?" "She said she had a brother in Central City." "He was in prison." "She was the only person who kept in touch." "She was my lifeline when I was inside." "I never had a rich daddy to keep me out of jail." " I don't understand." "What do you want?" " What do I want?" "What do I want?" "I want vengeance for my sister." "What do you mean?" "Where's Amanda?" "She's dead, Lex." "She committed suicide a year ago." " I never knew." " That's because you cut her out of your life." "She was never the same after Club Zero." "Jude's death devastated her." "He was the love of her life." "You took all that away." "She had nothing to live for." "Who's that?" "Lucky break." "Couple weeks after Amanda's funeral, I walk into a greasy spoon in Bludhaven and there he is." "I couldn't believe it." "Short-order cook flipping burgers." "You know how they say everyone in life has a double?" "I had to look twice." "I figure if he can fool me, he can fool you." "Why'd he do it?" "He was on parole, needed the money, and that's when I got the idea." "You ruined Mandy's life, I'd ruin yours." "Mandy's finally gonna get the justice she deserves." "You were right." "You were right." "The newspapers, the police reports, what I told Phelan." "They were all lies." "You want the truth?" "I'll give it to you." " No, no, no." "You're twisting it again!" " That's what happened!" "That's what happened." "Amanda pulled the trigger." "She shot Jude." "I was just trying to protect her." "I'm through with you, Lex!" "Killing me won't bring Amanda back." " None of this can change what happened." " I don't care." "After tonight, you'll never hurt anyone else." "You can't escape your past, Lex." "Lex!" "Get down!" "There's a man with a gun up there." "Where?" "You mean that guy?" " What happened?" " I have no idea." "How'd you find me here?" "With a little help from my friends." " So, what do you think?" " I'm definitely surprised." "Me too." "Where's Chloe?" "She said she wanted to be fashionably late." "I got this for you." "Don't worry, it's not a body part." "It was in the attic." "It was my grandfather's." "It was taken just after the Talon opened." " Figured you could hang it above the counter." " Clark, it's amazing." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "I better get back to work." "How does it feel?" " Terrifying." "Don't tell anybody." " Your secret's safe with me." "I get the feeling you're avoiding me, Clark." "I just realized there's a lot I don't know about you." "You think my dark past is gonna rub off on you?" "I was trying to protect Amanda." "My father wouldn't raise a finger to help her but I knew he'd do anything to save his only son." "So you took the fall and everything was covered up?" "Is that really what happened?" "Is it the truth?" "The truth is, I'd do anything to protect my friends."