An Episode That Might Have Made A Somewhat Nifty Season Premiere - Part One By Caroline Baker (baker@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu) Summary: A continuation of the episode "And the Answer Is..." in script form. This is my version of ATAI's continuation. I didn't write it because I think it's better than what the show's doing, but rather because I had most of the plot and a lot of the scenes worked out way back in June. I never actually wrote it all down until a couple of weeks ago (coincidentally at the same time I heard about the script-writing contest). I swear to God that none of it has come from the season 3 eps. It glosses over a lot of the issues I'd like to see on the show and I didn't get to include everything I wanted to. And since it's a transition ep, nothing much actually happens. Still, I kinda like it. Please let me know what you think at baker@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu. Keep in mind that I'm just a kid and this is my first fanfic, unless you count one very silly Dr. Seuss poem. Huge thanks go to Jenn for her feedback and offering to partner with me on this, back when I thought I'd get it done this summer; to Zoomway for helping me with the script format; and to everyone on the IRC for putting up with my questions and babbling. *** Cast: (abridged version :) Clark Kent/Superman - Dean Cain Lois Lane - Teri Hatcher Jimmy Olsen - Justin Whalin Perry White - Lane Smith Martha Kent - K Callan Jonathan Kent - Eddie Jones Nigel St. John - Tony Jay Bill Church, Jr. - Bruce Campbell Flunky - Michael Landes Lex Luthor - John Shea TEASER: INT. LOIS' APARTMENT -VIEW THROUGH LIVING ROOM WINDOW TO EXT- 1 Superman and Lois, with her arms around his neck, come into the shot as he descends and opens the window. It's the same night that ATAI left off, but it's no longer raining. INT. LOIS' APARTMENT -LIVING ROOM- CONTINUOUS 2 Superman opens the window and steps in. He sets Lois down, but he keeps his hands on her waist and she keeps her arms around his neck. He kisses her near her ear. SUPERMAN Oh ... Wait a minute. He winces, then rubs his head vigorously. Miraculously, the grease disappears, and he has his normal, extremely attractive CK hairstyle back. SUPERMAN (CON'D) That's much better. LOIS Cute, Kent. Superman takes Lois' hand and brings it up to his lips. Lois steps even closer to him. LOIS (CON'D) Where did you get this ring? SUPERMAN (looking as if he's still preoccupied with kissing Lois) I returned all the diamonds to Mazick's, if that's what you're asking... Lois lightly smacks his chest, like she often does when they're talking. (Who can blame her?) LOIS I know that. I was just wondering-- SUPERMAN (shyly) I made it for you. LOIS Really? SUPERMAN I wanted it to be special ... LOIS Oh, you're so sweet. She grabs him and engages in what could be called a "tonsil hockey" kiss. He becomes pretty involved and doesn't notice that they've started to HOVER A FEW INCHES ABOVE THE FLOOR. Lois opens her eyes. LOIS Clark... SUPERMAN Mmmm? LOIS You're, um, levitating. SUPERMAN These tights-- Oh. Off the floor. Right, sorry. HE LOWERS THEM BACK DOWN while Lois tries not to giggle. She reaches up and plays with the hair at the back of his neck. LOIS (seriously) Clark, you know I love you. But there's still a lot I need to think about. SUPERMAN I understand. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the Planet? LOIS (smiling) Yeah. They kiss once more. SUPERMAN I love you. Good night. LOIS Good night. He quickly reslicks his hair, running his hand through it. He FLIES AWAY. Lois stands at the window for a moment, then shuts it. ACT ONE: INT. LOIS' APARTMENT -KITCHEN- 3 Lois is on the phone, wandering around the kitchen, looking for food. LOIS ...thanks, Lucy... I want you to be my maid of honor, okay? She rummages through the fridge and pulls out a container. Her eyes widen and she quickly throws it in the trash. LOIS (CON'D) ... Very funny. I think you meant to say, "Who's the lucky guy?" Yeah, all right. .. Well, you remember that bus you told me to chase? (giggling a little) ... I never said that! ... Well, okay, but I meant "hack from Nowheresville" in a good way. ... I did! ... Yeah, gorgeous. Mmmm ... No, that doesn't qualify as gushing, thank you very much. Lois opens and closes cabinets and disgustedly shakes the empty coffee package. She tosses it aside and notices a box of oolong tea. A dreamy expression crosses her face. LOIS (CON'D) I wonder what he's doing right now? INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT -BEDROOM- 4 Clark is FLOATING above and to the left of his bed, asleep. When his alarm clock rings, he CRASHES to the floor, perhaps bouncing a few times. He reaches up to fumble with the alarm, then staggers to his feet. He mumbles to himself. CLARK Why do I do this to myself? Every single day ... He makes his way over to his hidden closet and pulls out a Superman costume. He sighs and uses his HEAT VISION to iron out the wrinkles in the cape. CLARK Nobody commits crimes this early in the morning... Why can't I do this, like, in the afternoon? ...Yeah, that would sound good. "Chief, sorry I missed that staff meeting. I was flying around the city." He carries the suit with him into the bathroom. There are OS WATER RUNNING AND WHOOSHING NOISES. He comes out a few seconds later, wearing the tights and generally looking much fresher. SUPERMAN Probably just going to end up rescuing cats from the evil clutches of trees again ... He catches his reflection in a mirror, makes a face, then wipes the toothpaste off his chin. INT. LOIS' APARTMENT -KITCHEN- 5 Lois is making her tea, still talking on the phone. LOIS Well, I wouldn't call him romantic, exactly ... But he's just so sweet. More earnest than romantic, I guess... But being earnest is important too! Know what I mean? EXT. SKY -ABOVE METROPOLIS- 6 Superman FLIES over the city, scanning for trouble and looking quite the hero. His SUPERHEARING focuses in on OS DESPERATE MEOWING. He rolls his eyes. SUPERMAN This sounds like a job for Superman. INT. LOIS' APARTMENT -KITCHEN- 7 LOIS ...No, we haven't set a date yet. In fact, there's a lot of things we need to talk about... No, things are super. There's just some stuff we need to work out... Well, for some reason I was thinking of November, but that's just so soon ... (laughs) That's not true, we went on a few dates... Yeah, June really is the perfect month, but somehow the idea of May appeals to me...Yeah, we have to talk about it. ... So who's this Bruce guy you're seeing? INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT -BEDROOM- 8 Clark is standing in front of his wardrobe, looking pleased with himself, cordless phone propped on his shoulder. He picks up two ties. CLARK (to himself) Hmm. Dinosaurs, or eggplants? (out loud) Thanks, Mom. INT. KENT FARMHOUSE -KITCHEN- 9 Martha and Jonathan each have a phone. JONATHAN Oh, we're so happy for you, son. MARTHA Clark, this is wonderful-- you did tell her that you're Superman, didn't you? (said in a sort of "answer this correctly if you want to be called my son" voice) INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT -BEDROOM- 10 Clark finishes getting dressed as he talks. CLARK Well, I tried to... MARTHA (heard through phone) Clark! CLARK But she already knew. INT. KENT FARMHOUSE -KITCHEN- 11 JONATHAN But how did she ...? INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT -BEDROOM- 12 CLARK (grinning) You know Lois. No one gets to the story before she does. INT. LOIS' APARTMENT -LIVING ROOM- 13 Lois is settled comfortably on her couch, sipping her tea and smirking at the women's magazine she's reading, particularly at one of the more lurid articles, "How To Turn Your Man Into A SUPERman." She's not paying any attention to the LNN report on her TV. CLOSE UP: TV LNN REPORTER (in front of prison) Reporters flocked to Metropolis' Men's Prison this morning to hear the statement released by Lex Luthor on the death of his one-time butler and alleged killer Nigel St. John. We'll be bringing that to you later this morning. And now, back to the studio. LNN ANCHORMAN (in studio) Thank you, Gloria. It's 8:49. Here's Mark with the weather ... DIFFERENT ANGLE Lois' head jerks up, and she checks her own watch. LOIS Oh, damn! She hastily puts her mug down, tosses the magazine on the couch, turns off the TV, and gathers up her things, rushing out of the apartment. INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT -KITCHEN- 14 Clark's wrapping up his conversation. He glances at his watch. CLARK Ooh! I gotta be at work... Sure, I'll ask her. Thanks... Yeah, I love you too. Bye. INT. DAILY PLANET -FIRST FLOOR- 15 Lois and Clark are waiting in front of the elevators. Lois jabs at the button a few times while talking to Clark. LOIS So did we completely miss the boat on this Luthor thing, or what? CLARK Well, Applegate and Siegel were there covering it ... He gives the button a poke of his own. LOIS What happened? CLARK Actually, nothing. Luthor didn't have anything new, or even anything particularly interesting, to say. (shrugging) It sounds like he just misses getting attention. LOIS Hm. Say, how do you know all this, anyway? You just got here. The elevator doors open; Lois and Clark get in. INT. DAILY PLANET -ELEVATOR- 16 Clark waits for the doors to close. He clears his throat. CLARK Well, ya know ... (tugs on his ear) Lois stares at him for a moment, then shakes her head. LOIS (deadpan) Of course. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 17 Jimmy is standing up, going through some papers on his desk. He looks up to see Lois and Clark come in. JIMMY Hey, guys! Congratulations! Everyone looks at the couple and starts applauding. Lois and Clark are a bit confused. LOIS Jimmy, how does everyone-- JIMMY (doing a decent Perry impression) This is a *news*room, Lois! Perry comes out of his office. PERRY Hey, hey. It's about time, you two. Watchin' the two of you has been like waitin' for Elvis to get his discharge from the Army. He shakes Clark's hand then gives Lois a hug. JIMMY (to Clark) Perry says Alice told him the news. CLARK Alice? PERRY Well, let's get back to work. This is a newsroom we're running! Jimmy tries not to crack up at his prescient imitation. PERRY Something funny, son? JIMMY No, Chief. In fact, I had an idea I wanted to talk to you about. PERRY All right, then. They go into Perry's office. Lois and Clark go to their desks, amused. CLARK So what happened to that article on the museum opening? LOIS Boring. But it's just about done. Any new angles on the factory explosion? CLARK No, it's pretty straightforward. I-- Clark gets that "superhearing just kicked in" look on his face. CLARK (CON'D) Um, Lois, I have to go-- LOIS (grinning) Buy me some flowers? CLARK Right. He dashes off. Lois watches him, then starts typing. Perry emerges from his office. PERRY Lane! Kent! Get in here! Lois gets up. PERRY Where's Clark? LOIS He's checking out a story. What's up? PERRY Well, uh, come on in here. INT. DAILY PLANET -PERRY'S OFFICE- 18 Perry sits down at his desk. Jimmy is standing in there, looking a little frightened. PERRY Now, Jimmy, why don't you tell her what you just told me? Jimmy winces. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 19 Clark strolls in. He sets a bouquet of red roses on Lois' desk. One of the reporters calls out to him. PLANET REPORTER Hey, Clark. Perry's looking for you. He's in his office. CLARK Thanks. INT. DAILY PLANET -PERRY'S OFFICE- 20 Clark walks in. PERRY Clark. What's this story you were checking out? Lois glances over at him. CLARK Oh, Superman just put out a fire in a building nearby. Nothing especially newsworthy. PERRY Ah, well, Jimmy here has a theory that I need your input on. As Perry is talking, Lois quietly sidles up to Clark and wipes some soot off his cheek. He mouths "Thanks" to her. PERRY (CON'D) Jimmy? JIMMY Well, I was thinkin' ... Lois and Clark look surprised. Jimmy doesn't notice. He holds up a copy of the paper with the article about Mazick killing Nigel on the front (was shown in ATAI). JIMMY (CON'D) See, if you look at this picture of Nigel-- LOIS (interrupting) Chief, shouldn't we have all of these old papers stored on computer? I mean, we are fully automated. PERRY Huh. I never thought of that. JIMMY Well, anyway, this picture looks a lot like a head shot. You know, for an actor? The picture does, indeed, look like a head shot. CLARK Yeah, so? JIMMY And I was thinking about how weird it was hat Nigel, this great spy, got tricked by someone as dumb as Mazick. So maybe ... Nigel hired an actor who looked like him and got the actor killed. LOIS So you're saying Nigel found an exact double of himself just in case Mazick wanted to poison him. JIMMY Why not? You, Superman, and the Invisible Man had doubles. CLARK That's true ... LOIS Have you gotten the autopsy report, Jimmy? Compared that with what we know of Nigel? JIMMY No, it hasn't come in yet. But-- PERRY Well now, stranger things have happened, but I wanted you two to find out from Superman whether it's at all likely. Wasn't he there when Nigel died? LOIS I think Superman might have rushed off before he found out all the facts. CLARK (protesting) He was probably concerned about getting you unfrozen. JIMMY I bet you're right, Lois. He seems to do that a lot, doesn't he? CLARK (mumbling) I'll talk to him about it. PERRY Lois? Do you remember anything about it? LOIS I was frozen, Perry. I didn't really notice whether it seemed like the real Nigel. PERRY Okay. Well, Jimmy, if you can find out anything to back this up, you can work on it. But it's pretty flimsy. JIMMY Gotcha, Chief. PERRY So what's this about a lens cap? Ah, Lois, Clark, thanks. CLARK Sure. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- CONTINUOUS 21 CLARK What did he mean, "he seems to do that a lot"? LOIS (after a small pause) Sometimes Superman seems to rush into things without really thinking them through. Not that I should be talking, I do the same thing and Superman has to rescue me, but when he does it-- Clark valiantly tries to keep up. Lois takes a deep breath and smiles. LOIS (CON'D) Well, remember that time he set off a nuclear bomb because he was sure he would be able to disarm it? He ended up using it to make a field goal. CLARK ... You're right. I've never really thought about it. I guess I-- (glancing around) he just feels so invulnerable in the suit that he never considers the consequences of using his powers. LOIS (touching his cheek) He seems to do all right. She sits down at her desk and starts typing again. Clark acts like he's working on something at his desk too, but he's really just watching her. Lois rummages around for some notes and sees the roses. She smiles and plays with them a little, then catches Clark staring. They grin at each other. Their fellow workers wink and nudge each other. INT. DARK ROOM 22 A figure stoops down next to a broken grate (as seen in ATAI) and puts something in his jacket pocket. He pulls out a cellular phone. When he speaks, it is obvious that he is Nigel. NIGEL Mr. Church? ... The kryptonite has been obtained. .. Yes, green this time. Righto. He folds up the phone and puts it in his jacket. He stands up, satisfied. There is, of course, OMINOUS MUSIC in the background. ACT TWO: INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 23 Lois and Clark are sharing lunch at his desk. Clark is typing something while Lois is looking at some papers. Jimmy is scuttling about in the background, desperately trying to look competent. LOIS (pointing to the screen) Oh, right there, you should change that. Here. Clark looks at the paper she hands him. CLARK Oh, right. Thanks. Hey, Lois, do you (lowers voice) want to have dinner with my parents tonight? They'd really like to see you. LOIS What, in Smallville? I'm going to have to get used to this ... Yeah, I'd love to. CLARK Good. JIMMY Um, Lois? CK? LOIS What is it, Jimmy? JIMMY Are you really busy this afternoon? Cos I was wondering if you could check out this thing with the Nigel look-alike. CLARK You can't do it, Jimmy? JIMMY No, Perry has me covering a, um, well, a dog show. CLARK I see. Lois looks down and covers her mouth with her hand. CLARK Well, we know that guy-- who was he, Sammy?-- who had a look-alike agency. We could ask him if he knows anybody. LOIS Yeah. We can check with Bobby Bigmouth too. We'll get to it after lunch, okay? JIMMY Aw, thanks you, guys. I just want Perry to take me seriously, ya know? LOIS Of course you do. Jimmy heads off. CLARK You don't really think there's something to this, do you? In the background, Jimmy spills a box of pencils onto the floor. Lois just looks at Clark and raises her eyebrows. INT. INTERGANG LAIR 24 This is the room last seen in "Individual Responsibility", complete with the large "INTERGANG" map on the wall. Bill Church, Jr is pouring drinks. The kryptonite chunk from ATAI is sitting on a table. CHURCH, JR Cigar? NIGEL No. Church lights one for himself. He uses it to wave at Nigel's lapel. CHURCH, JR Nice flower. Nigel glances down at the fairly extravagant flower. NIGEL Yes ... odorless, though. CHURCH, JR (indicating the map) My guys did a nice job redecorating this place once the cops went through it, eh? NIGEL Lovely. CHURCH, JR So. To a new partnership. NIGEL Indeed. They drink. INT. SAMMY'S OFFICE 25 This is the same office that was in "That Old Gang of Mine." SAMMY Hey folks. From the Daily Planet, right? CLARK That's right. They sit down. Sammy looks hard at Clark. SAMMY Tell me, are you interested in show business? I had to let Barry go a while back, and I really think you could fill in for him. CLARK Barry. SAMMY Oh yeah, my Superman look-alike. You're perfect for the part! Clark looks dutifully flattered and taken aback. CLARK Me? Go on ... LOIS You know, Clark, I think he might be right. Same coloring, that cute determined jaw ... Clark glares at her briefly. LOIS (CON'D) And look! You'd expect lasers to shoot out of his eyes when he does that! CLARK I think Superman's a lot taller than I am. SAMMY Hey, doesn't matter, you can't really tell in the pictures anyway. Look, here's my card. CLARK (dryly) Well, thanks, I'll keep this in mind. SAMMY So what can I do for you? LOIS We were wondering if you know anyone who specializes in finding look-alikes for non-celebrities. Is there anyone who does that? SAMMY Hmm. I don't know of any agencies that do that kind of thing, but if you have enough resources, it wouldn't be that hard to find someone who looks like you. Also, using makeup, imitating mannerisms, and so on, can do a lot. Heck, I even remember a guy who doubled for Lex Luthor a couple years back, and they didn't look anything like each other. I wonder what happened to him... CLARK We think that an actor may have been hired to impersonate this man. He takes out a picture of Nigel. SAMMY Hey, that's the spy who was killed by that jewelry guy, right? LOIS Yes, Nigel St. John. But it's been suggested that the man who was killed wasn't really Nigel, but a look-alike. SAMMY Kind of brings a new meaning to the term "dead ringer", huh? LOIS ... Right. SAMMY Well, if this guy-- (indicating the picture) really is an actor, I know some people who would be able to recognize him. I'll check with them. Lois and Clark stand up. CLARK Thank you, we appreciate it. EXT. OFFICE BUILDING 26 CLARK Cute determined jaw? LOIS It is cute. Besides, don't you think it was funny? CLARK No, not at all. LOIS Just a little? CLARK (struggling not to laugh) Nope. LOIS (muttering) I guess you left your sense of humor in your other tights. A window in the building opens, and Sammy calls down to them. SAMMY Ms. Lane! Don't forget that I've still got an opening for the Madonna impersonator! Lois suddenly stops walking. CLARK (yelling back) Thanks, Sammy! Clark falls apart. Lois, trying to retain her dignity, hails a cab. LOIS (opening the taxi door) Get in, flyboy. CLARK Yes ma'am. INT. INTERGANG LAIR 27 Nigel is in the room, just being his villainous self. Bill Church, Jr enters. CHURCH, JR Hey, Nigel. Now, I appreciate your bringing the kryptonite. But I think the time has come for a real planner to take charge. Nigel regards him coldly. Oblivious, Church picks up the kryptonite and keeps talking. CHURCH, JR (CON'D) The first thing we have to do is kidnap Lois Lane. That always gets Superman's attention. Then we just hide some kryptonite in the room with Ms. Lane, and-- NIGEL No. CHURCH, JR Well, if you're bored with kidnapping, we can always involve Lois in a nice, staged disaster. We've got a lot of very talented bombers in the Intergang family-- NIGEL No. Billy puts down the kryptonite. CHURCH, JR No? Why not? NIGEL Superman may fly around in Spandex, but he is not an imbecile. The "save Lois Lane, dodge the kryptonite, and put the bad guys in prison" routine has probably become part of his weekly schedule. How long were you in jail? CHURCH, JR You have a point. NIGEL He has other weaknesses we can exploit. CHURCH, JR Oh? And what might they be? NIGEL Trust me. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 28 Jimmy is tagging after Lois with wide, eager eyes. CLARK Did you get that autopsy report yet, Jimmy? JIMMY No, I'm still waiting for it. CLARK (honestly trying to be concerned) Do you know what the delay is? JIMMY They said it wasn't a very high priority. LOIS Jimmy, listen. Unless that report shows something unusual, you don't have anything to base this on. JIMMY Yeah, you're right. (pause) So what'd Sammy say?! LOIS He said he's going to check with some people he knows. CLARK (quietly) Among other things. Lois lovingly elbows him in the ribs. JIMMY Okay. Thanks, you guys. Really. CLARK No problem, Jimmy. JIMMY Also... You, um, said that you might be able to ask Bobby Bigmouth about it? He cringes in anticipation of the answer. LOIS Oh. Right. Well, we were going to talk to him about that network conspiracy story, but Perry threw it out... I suppose we could see him about this instead. JIMMY Really? Thanks! He trots off to pester other photographers. Clark looks at Lois, surprised. She shrugs. LOIS It's a slow news day. INT. STABLES 29 Bill Church, Jr is talking to and brushing his horse (Halley). CHURCH, JR Well, Halley, I don't think things have ever looked better for Intergang. We've got kryptonite. And we've finally got someone competent helping me out with the management. Halley becomes skittish. CHURCH, JR (CON'D) Whoa, girl. Whoa. Halley calms down. CHURCH, JR (CON'D) Nigel's good at what he does. And he's really smart. He knows better than to try to doublecross someone like me. INT. INTERGANG LAIR 30 Nigel is sitting at Billy's desk, working at his computer. The room is dark except for the glow from the Intergang map and the computer screen. A flunky is waiting in the shadows. NIGEL This is ideal. Intergang real estate businesses have been anxious to buy this property on Hobbs Bay. But prices have been too high for Intergang to purchase. And what does a savvy Intergang businessman use to drive down prices? FLUNKY Bombs, sir. NIGEL Exactly. And there are many bombers in the (distastefully) "Intergang family." In fact, some of them have a... certain style. Something that rather declares them as belonging to the family. If one of their bombs were to go off, it would be hard to think that Intergang wasn't responsible. FLUNKY Yes, sir. (he pauses) I, er, did have an idea, though. NIGEL (shortly) What? FLUNKY Okay. Intergang owns MultiWorld Communications, which was interested in buying the Daily Planet. The Planet is also known for printing insulting stories about Intergang and the Churches. That's a motive. Nigel considers the thought. FLUNKY (CON'D) If something has to be blown up, I'd nominate the Planet instead of this Hobbs Bay thing. NIGEL No. It's too risky. Superman is rather ... close to the people and the goings-on at the Planet. He might catch wind of the bomb and stop it before anything happens, rendering the plan less effective. FLUNKY Well, maybe, but it's not like the guy *works* there or something... Nigel gives him the withering Look of Death, as only he can. FLUNKY (CON'D) (faltering) I just thought that maybe the extra publicity from an explosion at a major newspaper that does have connections with Superman would bring more attention to Intergang. Maybe make everyone a little more eager to catch them-- NIGEL We'll do it my way. FLUNKY Yes, sir. Nigel prints out a piece of paper, which he hands to the flunky. NIGEL Contact the name at the bottom. Tell him that Bill Church, Jr wants three good, Intergang-quality bombs set up at these locations, and quickly. FLUNKY Smooth. He leaves the room. EXT. STREET 31 Lois and Clark are walking back to the Planet, the former attracting some attention from passersby as she seethes. LOIS Arrgh! I don't believe Bobby stood us up! Again! It's just so inconsiderate... CLARK Well, the guy is a professional snitch, Lois. They're not the most reliable of people. LOIS Yes. But you would think he'd have learned his lesson after what happened to him *last* time-- CLARK Yeah, you really would. LOIS At least he's not one of these sources who demands lots of money, but still... CLARK Lois, we *are* living in a material world. Lois glares at him, then goes back to ranting. By now, they're very close to the Planet. LOIS And that Jimmy kid! He's the one who's been sending us on a wild goose chase all day. CLARK Aw, he's trying... LOIS He's a trial, all right. CLARK Besides, we got to "share" Bobby's chocolate gelatto. LOIS (relaxing) That's true. CLARK How was it, by the way? LOIS Pretty darned good. I-- EXT. DAILY PLANET 32 They're interrupted when Jimmy comes barreling out of the revolving doors. JIMMY Guys! There you are! Perry says he wants us down at the Hobbs Bay warehouses. There's a bomb threat and everything! Clark looks around, loosening his tie, trying to figure out how he should change into Superman. Lois hails a cab. CLARK I, ah... JIMMY (checking through his bag) Oops. Ha ha, I kinda forgot my film. I'll meet you guys there, okay? Jimmy runs back through the doors in the Planet. Clark opens the cab door for Lois, resting his hand of top of it. Lois puts her hand on top of his. LOIS Be careful. Clark nods, then dashes off, ripping open his shirt. Lois gets in the taxi and it drives away. EXT. HOBBS BAY WAREHOUSES 33 Jimmy gets out of a taxi. Lois is interviewing people who were evacuated from the warehouses. SUPERMAN IS FLYING IN AND OUT OF CORDONED-OFF BUILDINGS. As Jimmy starts to snap pictures, one of the buildings EXPLODES. ACT THREE: SUPERMAN USES HIS SUPERBREATH TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. Reporters across the street start clamoring as Superman approaches. LNN REPORTER Superman! Can you tell us what happened? SUPERMAN There were three bombs set to go off in these warehouses. We were able to evacuate everyone and defuse two of the bombs, but we ran out of time for the third. METROPOLIS STAR REPORTER Was anyone injured? SUPERMAN I believe that two officers suffered minor injuries from the debris... LNN REPORTER Can you tell us-- SUPERMAN I'm sorry, I have to go check whether the fire department needs any more help. Superman FLIES back over to the smoking warehouse. Lois takes notes; Superman soon SWOOPS down to talk with her. LOIS Everything under control? SUPERMAN Yeah, I think the city can take care of it from here. They both notice Jimmy, who is obviously eavesdropping. LOIS So, Superman... I suppose you heard that Clark and I are engaged? SUPERMAN Yeah! Congratulations. He kisses her on the cheek. LOIS Do you think you'll be able to make it to the wedding? SUPERMAN (sputtering) Ah... I certainly hope so... (recovers, folds his arms across his chest, and affects a deep voice) But, you know, a superhero can never tell where he'll have to be at a moment's notice. LOIS Of course. We understand. They both glance over at Jimmy, who clears his throat and turns towards the warehouses, hastily snapping pictures. Superman walks with Lois a little further from earshot and lowers his voice. SUPERMAN I gotta go take care of this suit at my apartment... LOIS All right. How about I phone this in and meet you there? SUPERMAN Sounds good. Oh! Hang on, I was supposed to be here, wasn't I? LOIS Er... SUPERMAN Back in a flash. Superman FLIES OFF into one of the buildings; Clark jogs up from the other direction and hands Jimmy some notes. CLARK Hey, Jimmy, will you take these back to the Planet? Lois and I have some more investigating we want to do. JIMMY Sure thing, CK. LOIS (looking up from her phone) I'll catch up with you in a few, Clark. Superman says "hi." CLARK Okay. Seeya, Jimmy. Superman FLIES OUT OF THE BUILDING AND ACROSS THE SKY. INT. PRISON -REC ROOM- 34 There are some tables and chairs set up in the mostly isolated room. A TV, bolted to a high corner, is showing the LNN report on the bomb. A few prisoners are playing cards; Lex Luthor is watching the TV. VOCAL PRISONER Hey, Luthor! Can I shine your head for a quarter? Luthor simply sneers at the TV; he's watching Superman answer reporters' questions. As the segment ends, he notices that a man is standing near him. It's Rollie Vale, his robotic limb from "The Phoenix" replaced with a wooden prosthesis. LUTHOR Mr. Vale. I thought you'd been killed. ROLLIE No, your psycho butler just wounded me. LUTHOR What brings you here? ROLLIE I got transferred to this wing after the guards and I had a little disagreement about the right to bear arms. Luthor grimaces, then gestures at a chair. LUTHOR Please, won't you sit down? Rollie does. ROLLIE I had a little information about Intergang that I thought you mind find interesting. LUTHOR And what do you know about Intergang? You're a former research scientist. ROLLIE B.C. Jr and I go way back. LUTHOR Really. INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT -KITCHEN/ LIVING ROOM 35 Superman is sitting in his suit, minus the boots and cape, at the kitchen table. He's polishing the boots; Lois is standing at the sink, dabbing at a corner of the cape. LOIS So, Clark. How did you learn to defuse bombs, anyway? SUPERMAN (not looking up from his boots) Trial and error. Lois openly gapes at him. SUPERMAN I'm kidding! LOIS Oh. SUPERMAN At first, I'd just fly the bomb to some place without any people and let it go off there, or I'd smother it with my body. LOIS Or you'd eat it. SUPERMAN Yeah... but it didn't take me too long to get to know the guys on the Metropolis Bomb Squad, and they taught me a bunch. LOIS So my little mild-mannered reporter has bomb squad buddies? SUPERMAN (reaching for a cleaner polishing rag) Well, they don't know *me*. But, yeah, they've invited Superman to a few poker games. Lois looks interested at his wording, but she doesn't say anything. Superman puts down the boot and pads into the living room for his shirt. Lois keeps working on the cape, but turns around to admire the view. SUPERMAN (blushing) What? LOIS Oh, I was just wondering something. Superman has picked up Clark's shirt from the couch and holds it in front of himself. SUPERMAN (apprehensively) What? LOIS Whose brilliant idea was it to put underwear on the outside of the uniform? What is the point of that? Superman picks up needle, thread, and buttons from the table by the couch and walks over to the sink. SUPERMAN Loissss. You know my mom made this suit for me. LOIS Clark, I love your mom. But she thinks welding a triangle is art. Superman laughs silently and drops the buttons on the floor. He brings them up to hand-level with his SUPERBREATH and catches them. He starts to sew them back on to the shirt. LOIS That's a neat trick. SUPERMAN Well, I hope you don't think I'd actually bend over in this get-up. Lois laughs. LOIS Really, what are those? Jockeys? Briefs? SUPERMAN Why don't we just drop it? LOIS Why, Clark... SUPERMAN I, uh, meant the subject. Drop the subject. LOIS Mm-hmm. (holding up the cape) Say, this looks pretty good, huh? Superman puts down the shirt and looks over the cape. SUPERMAN Hey, yeah! Thanks. He reaches for it, but Lois vampishly pulls it around her body and slinks over to the living room. Superman leans back against the counter and watches her. He smiles when Lois stops by the couch. SUPERMAN Strike a pose. Lois flops backwards onto the couch. LOIS You're never going to let that go, are you? Superman walks over and plucks the cape from her, wrapping it around his waist, towel-fashion. He settles down next to her. SUPERMAN Sure I will. Like, when our kids are in college. LOIS Heh. (after a small pause) Clark, do you think we'll even be able to have kids? SUPERMAN I'm... I don't know. My... birth father said that he and his wife-- my mother-- had searched the known universe for a planet that was biologically and physically compatible with Krypton. But I guess they couldn't know for sure either. LOIS But didn't you grow up in Smallville? How do you know this? SUPERMAN They sent me here as a baby, when they realized that Krypton was going to explode. I learned all this pretty recently, from the globe I found when we were investigating Bureau 39. LOIS Globe? ...I guess that would be the one I thought you stole from Superman. SUPERMAN Yeah. My father somehow programmed it to tell me about Krypton and why they sent me to Earth. LOIS God, no wonder you were upset when it was missing... wait. Did I refer to you as two people a minute ago? Superman seems relieved that the mood has been lightened. SUPERMAN It's habit-forming, isn't it? LOIS I can think of several other habits that I'd rather get used to. She takes his face in her hands and kisses him gently. He smiles at her, then kisses her more passionately. LOIS Physical and biological compatibility, huh? Superman makes it hard for her to keep talking. As they move about on the couch, Lois loosens the cape and it falls to the floor. Things have gotten as hot as this time slot gets when the phone RINGS. Lois starts a little; Superman doesn't even notice it. LOIS (amused) Your superhearing didn't pick that up? SUPERMAN What? He covers her mouth again. The phone keeps RINGING. LOIS That. When it continues to ring, he groans and picks up the phone. SUPERMAN Hello? ...yeah, this is Clark Kent.... Well, I usually don't have any problems contacting Superman. What's it about? Lois starts fidgeting: she wants to know too. LOIS (mouthing the words) What's he saying? Superman wordlessly hands her the cordless phone from the table. She holds it up to her ear, then starts pushing buttons and shaking it. SUPERMAN ... Okay... Yeah, all right... (quietly to Lois) Would you hold still? (aloud) Sure, I'll give him your regards... Okay, bye. He hangs up the phone. Lois hands him the cordless. LOIS Your phone doesn't work SUPERMAN (sheepishly) Sorry. He takes some batteries out of the end-table drawer and replaces the phone's dead ones. As Lois speaks, Superman gets up, putting the partially polished boots in the closet and taking out new ones. LOIS So what was that? Superman hops about, FLOATING FOR A FEW SECONDS, trying to get the boots on. SUPERMAN Joe, of the Metropolis Bomb Squad. They found some new information. His boots finally on, Superman steps in front of Lois and picks up his cape. He looks her in the eye. SUPERMAN (CON'D) He wants to debrief me. Lois maintains her composure admirably. LOIS All right, have fun, dear. She gives him a quick peck on the cheek. Superman fiddles with his cape, putting it on. SUPERMAN I'll meet you back at the Planet. I'm not sure how long this will take. LOIS Okay. Try to dig up some good stuff, will you? SUPERMAN Yeah, I know. Lois adjusts his cape one last time. He smiles at her, then leaves through the back door off the kitchen. Through the kitchen window, Lois sees him FLY past. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 36 Things are hectic; people are moving into the conference room for a meeting. Jimmy is hurriedly moving around the room, anxious to be helpful. PERRY Olsen! Jimmy stops suddenly and dashes up to Perry. JIMMY Yes, Chief? PERRY I hope you finished that article on the dog show. JIMMY Um, yeah. I just gotta... uh... Jimmy backs off to his desk. PERRY Okay, people! Let's get this show on the road. INT. DAILY PLANET -CONFERENCE ROOM- CONTINUOUS 37 Most of the reporters are already seated. Perry comes in along with a few stragglers. PERRY Lois. I believe you and Clark were there when the bomb went off. LOIS Yeah. Clark's-- Clark hurries in and quickly sits down next to Lois. CLARK I was just talking with some guys in the bomb squad. From the preliminary investigation, this looks like the same kind of bomb that was used in the attempt at the courthouse and the explosions at the Lex-Mart stores. LOIS Those were all allegedly done by Intergang. CLARK Exactly. PERRY This is great, Clark. Now, why would Intergang want to blow up a bunch of warehouses on Hobbs Bay? BOB Credential Realty has been wanting to buy that property for a long time. Credential also has a lot of the same stockholders that Costmart does. CARL We've been gathering evidence showing that Credential is really an Intergang-run business. If we're right, then it would be pretty consistent for them to use bombs to make the property cheaper. By now, Jimmy has wandered in. JIMMY But doesn't that seem kind of... obvious? Why wouldn't they just go with sabotage or something? He is met with stares. LOIS Gangsters aren't exactly known for their subtlety, Jimmy. PERRY Sit down, Jimmy. Thank you for that insight, Lois. Now, Bob and Carl. I need you to fill in Lois and Clark on this Credential puppy so they can work on the lead story about the bomb. I want you two to keep investigating so you can do a follow-up. BOB Sure thing, Chief. PERRY Ellen, I want you to hold off on that health care piece and write an analysis of the national rise in bombing incidents. Maybe you could tie it in with the pending legislature on weapons control. ELLEN Got it. PERRY All right, you guys, get to work. Lois, Clark, Bob, Carl, and Ellen rise and leave the conference room. Perry continues to discuss articles with other reporters. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 38 Lois walks up to Perry. LOIS Would it be okay if Clark and I took off a bit early today? We have dinner plans. PERRY Well, ah, where's my article? LOIS I think Clark's putting the finishing touches on it now. PERRY (looking at his watch) Whoo, you two are good. LOIS I know. Clark walks up to the two. PERRY So you're just about finished with it, Kent? CLARK Oh. Um, yeah. Almost done. (quietly, to Lois) I need all of your notes. LOIS Okay. CARL (from across the newsroom) Hey, Perry, will you come look at this? PERRY Yeah, be right there. Excuse me, you two. Lois gets her notebook from her desk and hands it to Clark, then walks over to the soda machine. Clark sits down in front of his blank monitor, then FLIPS THROUGH THE NOTES AND TYPES AT SUPERSPEED, filling the screen. He leans back, satisfied. INT. DAILY PLANET -LANDING- 39 Lois kicks at the soda machine. Clark comes up behind her and flicks it with his finger. The soda can falls into the dispenser and Lois picks it up. LOIS Thanks. You finished? CLARK Yep. I liked that quote you got from the dockworker. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- CONTINUOUS 40 PERRY (calling up to them) Lois, Clark, great job. I'll see you guys tomorrow. INT. DAILY PLANET -LANDING- 41 LOIS (calling back) Thanks, Perry. Good night. Lois and Clark turn towards the elevators. CLARK You ready to fly? EXT. SKY -ABOVE KENT FARMHOUSE 42 Lois and Clark have both changed into more casual clothes. CLARK IS HOLDING HER AS THEY FLY DOWN TO THE FARM. Lois is nuzzling his neck; Clark doesn't seem to mind too much. CLARK Mmm, Lois ... Lois, uh, I'm not going to be able to land if you keep doing that. Lois giggles and looks up. LOIS What? CLARK Ah, the ... He bends his head and kisses her. Lois tightens her arms around his neck. By now, CLARK IS SWOOPING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE GROUND. In fact, he's a couple of feet short of smashing into it. Clark looks up for a moment, and blinks a few times. EXT. KENT FARMHOUSE 43 HE SLOWS DRAMATICALLY AND LANDS CLUMSILY BUT GENTLY. Lois stumbles a little, and Clark takes her arm to keep her from falling. LOIS (laughing softly) My hero. CLARK (sheepishly) I guess we're going to have to practice that. LOIS Ooh. Clark grins and brings her closer. They walk together toward the farmhouse. Martha and Jonathan come out with enthusiastic hi's and hugs. INT. KENT FARMHOUSE -DINING ROOM 44 Everyone is sitting at the table, passing around food. MARTHA So did you guys have a good day? CLARK I suppose. It was really busy. JONATHAN We saw you on the news because of that bomb. Did you and Lois have to cover it? LOIS Yeah, and it looks like Intergang's behind it. It's always harder to write an article like that, because you have to be so careful separating the proven facts from what we think is the truth. CLARK Yep. So that took a while. And then Jimmy had us running around after this crazy theory of his all afternoon... LOIS Oh no, I was trying to forget that. CLARK Yeah, but at least when he's working on that, it keeps him from spying on us for Perry. It's nice to have a reprieve. LOIS (laughing) That's true. MARTHA So what was this theory? LOIS He's convinced that Nigel St. John was never really poisoned, and that he's alive somewhere in Metropolis. JONATHAN But there isn't anything to back it up? LOIS We couldn't find anything to even hint that Jimmy was partially right. Martha and Jonathan are visibly relieved. MARTHA Good. Clark and especially Lois look confused at Martha's seriousness. MARTHA (CON'D) The idea of it is really scary. CLARK I hadn't thought about it, but you're right. I mean, he knew that I'm Superman. LOIS He did? CLARK And just the fact that he hasn't tried to take advantage of that implies that he really is dead. LOIS Back up a minute. How did he know that you're Superman? JONATHAN Yeah, son, you never quite explained that to us. CLARK Well, it's a long story. And it really doesn't make much sense. Apparently, he found out from Mazick, who found out from some diary that was written a hundred and thirty years ago. MARTHA You're right, that doesn't make sense. CLARK (shrugging) Anyway, that's what I gathered from what Mazick said. JONATHAN Did anyone ever destroy the kryptonite that Mazick used on you? CLARK (wincing) No, with everything else going on, I'd kind of forgotten about it. MARTHA Clark, you've got to be more careful than that. CLARK I know. I guess Lois and I can look into it tomorrow. JONATHAN But you're sure that there isn't anything to this theory, right? CLARK Dad... this is Jimmy we're talking about. JONATHAN Okay. LOIS What kryptonite? ACT FOUR: INT. INTERGANG LAIR 45 Nigel is standing in front of the Intergang map. Bill Church, Jr is reading the latest edition of the Daily Planet, which has Lois and Clark's article prominently featured. CHURCH, JR What is this?! They practically accuse me of setting off that bomb! NIGEL Outrageous. CHURCH, JR I'm going to get the lawyers on this right away. No one can get away with this, especially-- The phone RINGS. Nigel picks it up. NIGEL Intergang Organizations, here to meet your laundering, loan sharking, and racketeering needs. Nigel listens for a moment, then hands the phone to Church, Jr. NIGEL It's your father. CHURCH, JR Hey, Dad. How's the old ticker? ... Wait, don't blame your blood pressure on me. Just because the Daily Planet runs some cockamamie story... Dad, Dad. First of all, I didn't do it.... I know... Switzerland?! Are you insane? Dad, I can't just fly out there and lay low until this "blows over." I have things I need to do. ... Yeah.... All right... Okay, I'll meet you there when my flight arrives. Bye. NIGEL Change in plans? CHURCH, JR Yeah. I need to go pack. Now, I can leave you to look after things? NIGEL Of course. Bill Church, Jr hurries out of the room. Nigel remains and smiles to himself. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 46 Clark walks in. He sees Lois sitting at her desk and smiles at her, intending to walk over to her. Instead, he bumps into Jimmy. CLARK Morning, Jimmy. Everything all right? JIMMY Yeah. Well, I guess. The autopsy report just came in. It shows that the guy who was killed is unequivocally Nigel St. John. CLARK (sympathetically) That's too bad, Jimmy. JIMMY It's so weird. Just last night, your friend Sammy called, sure that he was on to something big. CLARK Well, these things happen... JIMMY Yeah. (brightening) So how are you and Lois doing? Perry says you had big dinner plans last night... Clark rolls his eyes. CLARK You know what, Jimmy? You should check out this thing with Sammy. At least find out what he has to say. After all, doctors can make mistakes. JIMMY You think so, CK? CLARK I really do. JIMMY Wow. Thanks. Clark shakes his head and walks over to Lois' desk. INT. PRISON -REC ROOM- 47 Luthor makes his way in. The Vocal Prisoner, now silent and sporting a neck brace and a black eye, quickly moves out of his way and leaves the room. Luthor sits down; Rollie Vale approaches him. LUTHOR Mr. Vale. ROLLIE Luthor. Listen. Because of this bomb thing, Bill Church, Jr is supposedly leaving town. Luthor just glances at him. ROLLIE You don't want to do anything about this? Who do you think is going to be left in charge? Silence. ROLLIE You don't care? LUTHOR Well, Mr. Vale, it's an interesting bit of trivia. Rollie looks at him disgustedly and leaves the room. LUTHOR Very interesting. He pulls blueprints of the prison out of his uniform and spreads them out on the table, studying them. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 48 Jimmy walks up to Lois' desk. JIMMY Hey, Lois. So how's everything going? (looking at the vase on her desk) Those are really pretty roses. LOIS Thanks, Jimmy. Weren't you going to investigate that thing with Sammy? JIMMY I was planning to, but Perry said I should wait here so I can take this really important phone call that he's expecting. In a few hours. LOIS Oh. Well, you know what, Jimmy? Sammy's office is really close to this place I want to take Clark for lunch. We could stop by there to find out what Sammy wanted to tell you. JIMMY Really? LOIS Yep. (pointedly) But if I'm going to have time to do that, I need it to be very quiet so I can finish this. JIMMY Ohhhh. Okay. He tiptoes off. EXT. OFFICE BUILDING 49 Lois and Clark are walking to Sammy's office. CLARK You know, I thought the point of this little exercise was to keep *Jimmy* busy. LOIS Oh, don't be a fussbudget. This'll only take a few minutes. INT. OFFICE BUILDING -HALLWAY- 50 LOIS Hello? Sammy's secretary comes bustling out of his office. SECRETARY Barry! I thought you got a new agent. When did you get rid of your contacts? CLARK Um... I'm not Barry. LOIS I'm Lois Lane and this is Clark Kent. We're from the Daily Planet. Sammy said that he might have some information for us. SECRETARY Well, I wouldn't know anything about that. I think he mentioned something about it, but... (shrugs) LOIS Do you know when he'll be back? SECRETARY He won't be. He called me late last night and told me he was moving to the Caribbean. CLARK Just like that? SECRETARY I know, I don't understand it either. (indicating the shabby surroundings) Who would want to leave all this for a tropical paradise? CLARK Good point. LOIS But you don't know if there was anything he wanted to give us. SECRETARY Well, you're free to look around... INT. SAMMY'S OFFICE CONTINUOUS 51 They walk in. Files and papers are stacked on the desk, floor, and cabinets. CLARK This is all Sammy's stuff? SECRETARY Yeah. You guys can take whatever you want; I'm just supposed to throw it out anyway. Makes my job easier. (gestures to the hallway) I'll be out there. She leaves. Lois and Clark look at all the stuff stacked around the room, then look at each other and shrug. EXT. STREET 52 Lois and Clark both carry two gigantic bags as they walk back to the Planet. CLARK Man, I hope this Barry guy never needs a patsy for something. LOIS I just think it's funny that you're getting confused with him, while most of us never noticed your resemblance to Superman. I mean, taking off your glasses isn't much of a disguise. CLARK It makes a big difference! When I had amnesia, *I* couldn't figure out I was Superman. LOIS Incredible. CLARK Well, look at this. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a picture of GROUCHO MARX and a picture of CLARK GABLE, holding them up next to each other. CLARK (CON'D) See, one's wearing glasses, the other one has his hair slicked back, and they look completely different! LOIS Incredible. They both stop walking as they notice a mugging in progress in an alleyway. Three thugs are beating up on a guy. CLARK I'll be right back. He puts down his bags and DISAPPEARS AT SUPERSPEED. EXT. ALLEY 53 Superman SWOOPS into the alley. Lois hurries up to see what's going on. SUPERMAN Don't you boys know that three's a crowd? Superman does his little swagger over to the thugs and PICKS ONE UP IN EACH HAND. As he does so, his arm brushes against the third thug, knocking him off-balance and pushing him towards Lois. SUPERMAN (CON'D) Now that's not quite fair, is it? The third thug tries to run off, but Lois is blocking the way. He pulls out a knife and holds it up, trying to force Lois to move out of his way. Lois uses a martial arts move to kick the knife out of his hand. It's quite a spectacle, considering the brevity of her skirt. Superman, still holding the two thugs, turns his head and sees what happened. He TIES UP THE TWO THUGS AT SUPERSPEED using rubbish from the alley. He RUSHES TO THE THIRD THUG AND TIES HIM UP too. SUPERMAN (to Lois) Are you all right? LOIS I'm fine. Superman walks back over to the mugging victim. Lois pulls her phone out of her shoulder bag and calls the police. SUPERMAN You okay? MUGGING VICTIM Yeah. Thanks, Superman. You too, ma'am. The three stand around, Lois getting more and more impatient, while a couple of cops amble over from the donut shop across the street. COP #1 What's all this, then? SUPERMAN These three guys tried to rob this gentleman. COP #2 (to Lois) You a witness? LOIS Yeah. I was on my way back to work, actually, when it happened... COP #1 (to mugging victim) Okay, sir, if you'd come with us to the station so we can get your statement... Lois looks at her watch. LOIS Hey, guys, I can see you're really busy. Here's my card, you can call me when you need a statement. She hands her card to Cop #2. He glances at it. COP #2 All right. Ummm... (looks at Superman) Superman pats his suit up and down as if looking for pockets. SUPERMAN I don't seem to have my card with me...No... no... It's not here. LOIS I'll let him know when you want to talk with him. Right, Superman? SUPERMAN Okay. LOIS (to cops) I'll see you guys soon, I guess. Lois walks out of the alley and proceeds down the street. Superman FLIES OFF. COP #2 (grinning) I got her phone number. COP #1 Shut up, Johnson. He squats down next to the two thugs tied together. He struggles to untie them so he can put handcuffs on them. COP #1 (CON'D) What the heck kind of knots did he use? EXT. STREET 54 Clark jogs up to catch up with Lois and they continue to walk. CLARK Hey. LOIS Hey. What just happened back there? CLARK Well, we (gesturing back to alley) stopped a mugging. Y'know, fighting for truth, justice... LOIS Right. But... CLARK What is it? LOIS How do I say this. I know that just yesterday we were talking about how you don't want to use your powers recklessly, that it can lead to problems. CLARK Uh-huh... LOIS But, Clark, at the same time, you don't want to recklessly fail to use your powers. Clark blinks a few times. CLARK I don't get it. LOIS Clark, you had the ability to tie up those crooks when you first saw what was happening. Instead, you wait and do this macho, guy thing... CLARK That was not a macho, guy thing. LOIS No? CLARK No. No, it wasn't. I was sizing up the situation. LOIS I see. But do you understand what I'm saying? They're close to the Daily Planet building by now. LOIS (CON'D) I mean, as much as I enjoy showing off my martial arts skills... CLARK (smirking) And as much as *I* enjoy *watching* you show off your martial arts skills... Lois self-consciously smoothes her skirt. LOIS Oh, thanks, Kent. Seriously, Clark, while you were standing there talking to them, anything could have happened. You'll never be able to tell how dangerous a criminal will be. If they'd pulled out guns, or wanted to take someone hostage...it could have really gotten out of control. CLARK I guess. But, you know, you could be a little more careful too. LOIS What? CLARK Geez, Lois, you talk about me rushing into situations. What makes you think you have to get entangled in every life-threatening predicament you come across? EXT. DAILY PLANET BUILDING 55 Lois and Clark face each other underneath the Daily Planet globe. LOIS So you're saying I should have just waited on the sidewalk, while you took care of things? You'd make sure everything turned out all right, protect me from having to worry about breaking a nail? CLARK (sighing) Lois, I know you can take care of yourself. But my point is, if something goes wrong, *I* can't get hurt. LOIS And being invulnerable is an excuse for not thinking? Even though Lois' voice is low, Clark looks around. CLARK Do you think we could continue this later? For example, in a place where we won't be surrounded by reporters? LOIS (a little pissed) Count on it. They both walk into the Planet. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- 56 Lois walks up to Jimmy's desk, Clark trailing behind her a bit. LOIS Hi, Jimmy. Sammy moved to the Caribbean last night, but there might be something for you in here. She unloads stack after stack of papers onto his desk. JIMMY Oh. Thanks, Lois. LOIS No problem. She walks off while Jimmy stares at the mound on his desk. Clark approaches. CLARK Here, these are for you. He unloads a similar pile, then goes off to talk with Lois and Perry. Jimmy pokes at one of the stacks, wondering where to begin. A few moments later, Clark passes by again. JIMMY You headin' out again, CK? CLARK Yeah, I thought I'd go take a walk or something. Perry doesn't have anything for me. JIMMY Have fun. CLARK Thanks. JIMMY CK... what's it like... outside? Clark, thinking that Jimmy is joking, laughs and pats his shoulder. CLARK Seeya, Jim. EXT. STREET 57 Clark walks along, looking for a convenient place to change into Superman. He passes the alley where the mugging was, but doesn't notice what's going on in it. EXT. ALLEY 58 The two cops are still hunkered down next to the thugs, the mugging victim looking on with interest. COP #1 Oh, for God's sake! COP #2 I'll go look for some scissors. EXT. STREET 59 Clark ducks behind a post. SUPERMAN FLIES OFF. INT. KENT FARMHOUSE -KITCHEN- 60 Clark walks in. JONATHAN Clark! What brings you here? MARTHA (mock dismay) You got fired, didn't you. I warned you that Perry wouldn't put up with your constant disappearances. CLARK (laughing) No. I just didn't have anything to do at the Planet, and I thought Dad might want some help putting up that fence before you guys leave for Rome. JONATHAN Nothing to do at the Planet? That's a change. CLARK Yeah, Perry's been taking it easy on us for the past couple of days. MARTHA He's been really anxious for you and Lois to get together, hasn't he? CLARK I think his words were "itchin' like a bear on a fuzzy tree." I figured I'd take advantage of it, but Lois said she'd go insane if she didn't start getting some work done. JONATHAN Did you find out anything about the kryptonite, son? CLARK Oh yeah, Lois said she'd check it out. I wanted to go with her, but we decided I should stay away. MARTHA That's a good idea. CLARK So do you feel like tacking the fence, Dad? JONATHAN Sure. EXT. FIELD 61 Jonathan and Clark approach a partially built fence and start to work. JONATHAN Everything going okay with Lois, son? CLARK Well... it's all right. The Superman stuff is pretty confusing. I mean, she's already criticizing Superman, telling me what I should do differently and how I ought to fight crime and stuff. It's like she's-- JONATHAN (amused) Nagging? CLARK No... what's she's saying makes sense. But she doesn't know what it's like to be Superman or what I have to go through. JONATHAN Do you think that might partly explain why she's criticizing you? She has a lot to get used to. Have you two had a discussion about how Superman will affect you both? CLARK Kind of... no, not really. JONATHAN Clark, you have to let her know what's going on. You've never been a good liar... CLARK (ruefully) Yeah, those interrogations about X-ray vision when I was a teenager were brutal. JONATHAN ... but at the same time, it's hard to tell what you're feeling. You need to talk with her. CLARK Yeah. It's so great that she finally knows, and I want to tell her everything about me. But it's really hard too. I'm so used to keeping it a secret. I don't even know where to begin. JONATHAN Then tell her that too. Believe me, Clark, you don't want to force her to guess your feelings, and you don't want to be in the dark about her feelings. CLARK This, ah, sounds like it comes from bitter experience, Dad. JONATHAN Yep. CLARK Do I even want to know-- JONATHAN Nope. Clark chuckles. JONATHAN Laugh while you still can, son. THUNDER sounds overhead; it starts to RAIN. CLARK We should go in. Clark FINISHES BUILDING THE FENCE AT SUPERSPEED. He and Jonathan hurry back to the house. EXT. KENT FARMHOUSE -PORCH 62 Clark and Jonathan are drenched; Martha comes out and hands them towels. CLARK Thanks, Mom. I should probably head back to Metropolis... MARTHA Okay. You want to take some pie before you go? CLARK Oh, no thanks. Lois and I are still finishing off the cake her uncle Mike made us. I'll call you later. MARTHA Promise you'll avoid the lightning. CLARK I promise. Bye. SUPERMAN FLIES OFF. INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT 63 Jimmy is talking to Perry. JIMMY I thought it was pretty weird that Sammy would give up his job and move to the Caribbean in the middle of the night, so I called his sister. She had a no idea where he went, but she said that he sunburns easily and hates going to the beach. PERRY Huh. So you think he really did find out about Nigel and then something happened to him. JIMMY Well, I went through all of that stuff, and I found this. (holds up an old theater program) Justin Fluke was a small-time actor, best known for his portrayal of Polonius in a 1987 production here in Metropolis. And here, look at his picture. PERRY (holding it up to the picture of Nigel in the newspaper) I-*dent*ical! But what about the autopsy report? JIMMY I looked into that too. It turns out that the doctor who was in charge of it, Edgar Maroon, is the brother of Bill Church, Sr's cardiologist. And even for a doctor, it looks like Dr. Maroon makes an awful lot of money. So I'm guessing that Nigel has hooked up with Intergang. PERRY Well, Jimmy, this is a terrific job of investigation. JIMMY Aw, thanks, Chief. INT. DAILY PLANET -LANDING- 64 Lois comes out the elevator, looking worried. Clark comes up behind her from the stairs. CLARK Lois, we have to talk. LOIS I know. We do; we will. CLARK I want to say-- LOIS But not right now. (urgently) Clark, the kryptonite wasn't there. CLARK You're sure? No one else knew where it was. LOIS I looked for it... INT. DAILY PLANET -PIT- CONTINUOUS 65 Lois and Clark walk down the stairs. CLARK What do you think we should do? PERRY Lois! Clark! Come over here. JIMMY Guess what, guys! I found out that the autopsy report was forged and who the Nigel look-alike was! Nigel's really alive! LOIS Perry? PERRY I'm proud of you, kid. You know, persistence is the mark of a great journalist... Clark sits down quickly at Jimmy's desk. Lois puts her hand on his shoulder. PERRY Kent? You all right? CLARK (weakly) Congratulations, Jimmy. FADE TO BLACK THE END (script.txt)