"this engine won't start." "i don't know how to fix it." "you're home from school early." "yeah, well, i sort of dropped out for the rest of the semester." "clark, how could you do that ?" "you need me here. there's too much work." " but..." " mom, it's done." "the governor's office wants to see me." "something about your father's senate seat." "it's the last thing i want to do, but i have to go to metropolis." "while i'm there, i... i thought i'd drop some of your father's clothes off at the homeless shelter." "maybe it's too early to get rid of them, but i... it's so hard seeing them in the closet." "i can still smell his aftershave on the shirts." "you should take a look, see if there's something you want to keep." "no, i'm sure there's someone who can use it more than i can." "oh." "i think your father would have wanted you to have this." "i... i remember the day he taught you how to tell time with it." "you should wear it." "well, if you're going to metropolis, you should go before it gets too dark." "hey, lady, need some help ?" "no, thank you. i can manage." "don't do that. don't !" "no !" "nice bling, red." "that was my husband's." "crazy bitch." "slit her throat." "i've been looking for you." "Hey !" "back off, freak !" "or i cut her." "don't worry. you're safe now." ""Vengeance"" "hey." "um, the muses weren't helping me with my astronomy paper, so i thought i'd come by and talk you into a frothy... i was on my way to the hardware store." "i've got to pick up some supplies." "are you sure it can't wait ?" "because i was really hoping we could talk." "clark... i understand." "you and your dad were really close." "iana ... you don't have to open up to me." "you just can't keep bottling this up inside." "thanks for coming by. i really have to go." "the hardware store closes in a half an hour." "hey." "i'm sorry." "no, you're angry." "and you should be, but don't keep hiding behind it." "trust me, i've tried." "i know you're trying to help." "thank you, but you don't have to worry about me." "i'm fine." "mom ?" "what happened ?" "oh, my god." "i was dropping off the clothes." "these two guys came out of nowhere." "are you hurt ?" "no, i'm all right. clark, somebody rescued me." "but not before they took your father's watch." "i just spent half the night at metropolis p. d." "there's not one person there who can tell me anything about who mugged my mom." "i've got that covered." "my mole down at the precinct said he'd fax me the police report as soon as he got it." "so, your mom actually saw the vigilante ?" "barely. she left just before the police got there." "there have been rumors about her flying around suicide slums for weeks, but i couldn't get a confirmed eyewitness until your mom." "now this has "front-page news" written all over it." "the vigilante is for real." "this is great, chloe." "i let my mom go down to suicide slums alone, she gets mugged, and you're cashing in on it." "clark, i was just trying to help." "you don't have to bite my head off." "i should have just accepted the watch, like my dad would have wanted. i couldn't even look at it." "now all i can think about is getting it back." "i'm sorry." "i'm sorry." "uh, they're today's obits." "thanks." "i saw your car out front." "looks like old habits die hard." "mrs. kent asked me to close up for the night." "they're going through a lot right now." "look... lana... lex, it's okay. you already said "i'm sorry."" "yeah, well, it means more when it's coming from someone who's not drunk." "you were pretty upset with clark that night. are things better ?" "none of that really matters anymore." "i just want to be able to help him through this difficult time." "how's he doing ?" "lex, we both know what it's like to lose a parent. he's devastated." "yeah, i tried to get ahold of him, but he doesn't want to see me." "well, as much as we both want to help, i think all we can do is really just be there for him." "he's, uh... he's very lucky to have you in his life, lana." "but when the time comes for you to lean on someone... you know i'm always here." "now this is what i need, clark... a catchy moniker for our new crime-fighter." ""miss death wish." no, that's lame." ""dirty harriet."" "no, that's too derivative." "i got it. i got it, clark." "so, your mom said that she swooped down from the heavens." "so how about "the angel of vengeance" ?" "chloe, police report." "right. i'm sorry, clark. once i go woodward and bernstein, i get carried away." "i'll go check the fax." "i heard you were asking around about me." "something tells me a front-page story could be a little bad for my health." "let it go. ¿comprende ?" "hey, what are you doing ?" "!" "stay out of my way. i'm one of the good guys." "clark !" "clark, are you all right ?" "Yeah." "i guess round one goes to the "x" chromosomes, huh ?" "and how about that costume ?" "how cool was that ?" "a little over the top. police reports ?" "oh, yeah, of course." "choke hold and everything aside, i've got to give the girl props for patrolling the streets." "now, i just wonder if we're dealing with natural-born-ninja territory or if she's just another garden-variety meteor freak." "whoever she is, she's got issues." "oh, come on, clark. you can't tell me you've never crossed any boundaries to protect your identity." "i'm gonna have to get to know her a lot more than i wanted to." "the police have no leads." "your angel of vengeance might be the only one who can i. d. the guys who mugged my mom." "well, after the way she chop-sockied you tonight, i wouldn't hold out for an invitation to tea." "i might not have to." "no !" "no !" "please, help !" " no, no !" " give me your purse !" "help !" "no !" "help me !" "all right, you know what ?" "we've taken this show on the road all over town, and this obviously isn't working." "you're not screaming loud enough." "clark, i have freaked out every alley cat within a four-block radius." "look, let's just go one more time. one more, come on." "take it, come on, ready ?" " go." " no. help, please." " come on !" " no. please, help." "you've got to give it some feeling, some passion !" "sto-o-o-p !" "you again." "look, i didn't come here for a fight." "well, i'm not wearing dance shoes." "well, if i had known you wanted to duel, i would have brought my own pistol." "oh, no. this isn't a weapon, lex." "this is a piece of history, a gift from a grateful overseas partner." "that's right." "a duel would require you to face your opponent." "you prefer to strike when they least expect it." "oh, yeah, the activity this morning in the asian market. is that what you mean ?" "i heard." "brokers were buying up shares of luthorcorp like they were half-price pot stickers." "come on, dad." "you're just using the chinese." "i know you're the one leading the apex group's hostile takeover." "and i didn't think you were paying attention." "i'm pleased to see that is not the case, huh ?" "wipe that smug smile off your face. i won't let it happen." "how are you gonna stop it ?" "leveraged recapitalization ?" "your campaign directly compromised luthorcorp's assets." "there's not a single bank that will give you the money you need." "so, what are you gonna do for an encore ?" "put a bullet in my head ?" "don't be so melodramatic, lex." "i would never fire this. it's priceless." "general macarthur wore this when he came back to the philippines." "what was it he said, son ?" ""i have returned."" "don't get ahead of yourself, dad." "you haven't taken the beach yet." "you want a show-and-tell, meathead ?" "why don't you go first ?" "i don't know." "i was born this way." "you're lucky." "the worst part is remembering what it was like to be normal." " then how did you..." " turn into a freak of nature ?" "when i got a heart transplant, six months ago." "a girl dies in a meteor shower, and suddenly i get a souped-up second chance." "you have no idea what it's like to know that someone's life has been traded for yours." "that's why i carry this... so i'll never forget." "I'm kind of alergic." "To a rock ?" "okay, whatever." "so, i guess you and sullivan have all the dirt you need on me now to write your little article." "i'm not here to expose you." "i need your help." "you saved my mom earlier tonight." "some guys were trying to mug her outside the east side shelter. they took a watch." "sorry, but there are people down here who need a lot more help than finding some missing timex." "it belonged to my dad." "you lost him, didn't you ?" "and you can't say goodbye." "what makes you say that ?" "because i've never been able to." "my mom and i were coming home from my gymnastics meet." "and these two guys mugged us." "i didn't even feel the knife go into my heart." "but when i looked up... i saw her lying there." "and they walked away... is that why you do this ?" "she dedicated her life to this group, akrada." "they fought the gangs, the dealers, even the suits who wanted to tear down our homes." "she was this... little woman, but she was a badass." "it's not fair." "it's not fair to have someone like that just ripped out of your life." "i can help you get the watch back." "but that's not what you're really after, is it ?" "you want justice." "just like me." "can you tell me where they are ?" "they're part of the 13th street gang." "but the guy you want has gone underground." "and his gang is all packing 9 mils." "but i'm in if you're in." "mrs. kent, what are you doing here ?" "looking for clark. have you seen him ?" "yeah. about an hour ago. he left me holding the bag, literally." "hey, you know, i heard what happened." "it's good to see that you're okay." "Yeah." "don't worry about clark. i'm sure he'll pop up again soon, or blur in, or whatever it is he does." "he's been gone all night." "he's not answering his cellphone. it's not like him." "there's a lot that's not been like him lately." "he's trying to find those guys, isn't he ?" "chloe, i know you have a lot of secrets you have to keep, but this isn't one of them." "he feels really guilty about the watch." "and me ?" "honestly, i think right now he's willing to feel anything except for the pain of saying goodbye." "but that doesn't keep it from being real." "the more he refuses to go through this, the worse it's gonna get." "i'm trying to do everything i can, but i don't think denial is that unusual." "but clark is." "he's got to take all those emotions out somewhere." "or on someone." "and when he does, i'm afraid of what might happen." "we both know what he's capable of." "yeah, but clark's always managed to keep things in perspective." "it's just that... jonathan was always there." "he always knew what to say." "mrs. kent, i don't think that he was the only one." "when he died i really didn't know if i could keep the secret by myself." "it's good to know you're here." "thank you." "he's gonna be okay." "we won't let anything happen to him." "that's the guy he's with." "sorry, this isn't a costume party." "whoa, there, jethro." "maybe you should put the brawn away and let the brains handle this." "looks like somebody got the best of you." "we're looking for that friend of yours." "you know, the one with the serpentine facial graffiti." "so, why are you talking to me ?" "because he's gone awol, and he's got something of mine." "we want it back. tell us where he is." "you know what ?" "just tell him we're looking for him." "what are you doing ?" "so much for brains winning out." "snake, it's ono. that chick showed up with some boy scout." "they said to tell you they're looking for you." "can you check the last number he dialed ?" "well, i guess my "go to" status has been reinstated." "for a while there, i thought maybe i'd been replaced by the leather-clad version." "do you always change in a phone booth ?" "the janitor was in the bathroom." "i thought the glasses were fake." "are you kidding ?" "i'm blind as a bat." "besides, the mask doesn't look so good with glasses over it." "hmm. acuvue to the rescue." "those were some impressive moves you used to jack that phone." "i could use a sidekick more often." "i'm not a sidekick." "we should find a reverse phone list." "yeah, and then maybe we can just bypass the log-on page." "got it covered." "chloe: that's why you work here, isn't it ?" "because nothing happens in metropolis without going through the daily planet." "way to put the pieces together, brenda starr." "unless snake's real name is beatrice krauss, i think he's using a stolen phone." "can you pull up the outgoing calls ?" "it looks like he's a proud supporter of fantasy phone." "more importantly, deep-dish pizza." "yes, i'd like to make an order for delivery." "my number is 555-1138." "1436 stanton street." "yes, that's my address." "thank you." "looks like it's time to call the police." " no." " no." "clark, don't you think you're a little too close to this ?" "chloe, if i don't use my abilities to stop lowlifes like this, what's the point in having them ?" "i really don't think that you should be go... don't worry." "i'll keep an eye on him." "how is it that trash like you is still alive and my dad's dead ?" "you better leave now, or you'll be dead, too." "you stole my dad's watch, and i want it back." "i don't know what you're talking about." "i don't have it anymore !" "i sold it !" "it was my dad's." "what are you waiting for ?" "he deserves to die !" "if you won't kill him, i will." "no." "sorry." "i have to do this." "you." "is this the knife you used to kill my mother ?" "no, he's not worth it." "you didn't have to kill her." "she gave you all the money she had." "it wasn't about the money." "i was told to make it look like a mugging." "it was a hit ?" "she was in their way." "whose ?" "who hired you ?" "!" "the suits. those apex suits. the ones that are tearing down the slums." "i want a name." "andrea !" "all i know is, the guy that hired me got a call from lionel luthor." "don't." "no !" "i see you've already moved in." "don't you think that's a little premature, dad ?" "the board doesn't meet on the bid until the morning." "i value efficiency, lex. you know that." "i hear you ran a hectic phone bank today." "it must be humbling to pull all those strings and find out they're attached to nothing." "especially when your father's the one holding the scissors." "you left the company vulnerable." "then i suppose i should be thanking you." "i mean, if you hadn't tried to take it, someone else would have." "exactly. what good is having a family if they don't watch out for each other ?" "on the off chance that unshakable family loyalty fails," "there's always those luthor closets to rummage through." "all right, let's skip the prologue, lex." "what ancient skeleton do you think you've dug up this time ?" "well, it's not quite a skeleton yet." "more like a freshly laid corpse." "i wonder how martha kent would feel if she knew you had a secret meeting with her husband right before he died." "now, a transgression like that would test the virtues of even the most forgiving woman." "what do you want, lex ?" "i hope you enjoyed your stay." "sorry it was so short." "snake ?" "snake !" "you're a dead man." "you kicked people out of their homes so you could develop suicide slums for profit." "my mother stood up to you, so you had her murdered." "no one escapes justice, luthor... not even you." "listen, we're not as different as you might think." "like you know anything about me." "i do. i grew up on the same treacherous streets as you did." "i lost my parents just like you did, to a senseless crime." "it wasn't senseless. it was calculated." "andrea, stop !" "let the police do their job." "if he's guilty, he'll pay." "if your father was murdered, and you were face-to-face with his killer, what would you do ?" "what if you're wrong ?" "what if he had nothing to do with it ?" "andrea, listen to him. listen." "look, i know what's in your heart." "it's anger." "i feel it, too." "but killing him, taking his life, is not gonna change anything." "yes, it will !" "andrea, stop. think about your mother." "is this what she would want you to do ?" "let him go." "let him go, and everything will be okay." "i killed a man." "and i know you, clark." "you could never let me walk out of here." "it's time for you to be the real hero." "exceptional woman." "grossly misguided." "she's been through a lot." "why do i think you saved my life for her sake, not for mine ?" "whatever the reason... thank you, son." "martha, i'm sorry. i didn't mean to startle you." "it's all right." "i was somewhere else." "yes." "these days must be difficult to get through. i understand." "when my wife... when lillian died, i... i thought i'd never be whole again." "it takes a long time to let yourself heal." "well, i'm doing the best i can." "i hear the governor has asked you to take jonathan's seat in the senate." "i haven't even told clark about that. how do you know ?" "i make it a point to know things." "i...i wanted to find out how you were." "i'm not sure i'm going to accept the offer, if you came by to sway me one way or the other." "no, you're quite capable of making that decision on your own." "i'm only sorry that they burdened you with this. you've got so much to deal with now, martha." "i know that jonathan leveraged a good part of the farm." " that was his decision." " that was his pride." "so he could pay back the campaign contribution i made." "i can't accept it." "jonathan and i let politics and money come between us." "i don't want that to happen to us, martha." "if you need anything... please, i'm here for you always." "as a friend." "hey." "i found her desk like this when i got in this morning." "i called her home, her cell." "it looks like she pulled an amelia earhart." "she's never gonna let anyone find her now." "yeah, well, i guess exile is the price you have to pay when you play judge, jury, and executioner." "yeah." "clark, what really happened out there ?" "i should have listened to you, chloe." "you tried to warn me." "i had my hand around that guy's throat." "and i thought that if i just kept squeezing the life out of him, it would make everything right again." "god, clark." "but you didn't." "no." "what made you stop ?" "my dad's voice." "this is gonna sound weird, but i... i could hear him." "he was the one who always kept me from going over the edge when i was too close." "it's too bad andrea didn't step back in time." "i think metropolis could really use someone like her right now." "do you think you could ever do what she did ?" "play the mild-mannered reporter by day and a crime-fighter by night ?" "honestly ?" "i'm kind of hoping i can find a way to not have to hide who i really am." "i searched every pawnshop in metropolis for it." "i can't believe you found this." "iana... i'm sorry for the way i've been acting." "i know i should be able to move on, but life without him doesn't feel real." "it's like you're frozen, and the whole world is going on around you." "no matter how many people want to be there for you, you end up going through this alone." "it's not like you ever let me take the easy way out, either, huh ?" "put it on." "it looks great." "your dad would be really happy." "jonathan: here, go that way. make a figure eight." "please, be carreful." "don't worry, sweetheart !" "it's gonna be fine !" "always say..." " that way ?" " Make him tied." "what, are you kidding ?" "this young man is a man of steel !" "look at him." " make one more turn." " where he's going ?" "i thought i'd show our son the back 40. after all, it's all gonna be his one day, right ?" "clark, wave bye to mommy, son." "bye-bye."