"Lex I thought we had an arrangement." "Why this sudden urge for a face-to-face?" "You don't look well." "Why did you pull me away from my research?" "I hate progress reports." "I hear you're having personnel problems at Cadmus Labs." "They quit when you turned violent, started throwing equipment." "No." "They were incompetent." "I thought our relationship was clear." "You write the checks, I have free rein to do my work." "I hired you to research the meteor rocks." "Instead of results, you provide potential lawsuits." "Frankly, doctor, you've become a liability." "Look, I'm afraid we've reached the end of our road together." "Now that I'm running my own company, I don't have time to pursue projects that don't bear fruit." "I suggest you see a doctor." "I'll take care of the expenses." "I don't need your doctor, and I sure don't need your condescension." "It's you who needs me." "You're just a little too myopic to see it." "Hey, man." "Are you all right?" "Clark, you're dreaming if you think you're gonna make a basket from there." "No, no, the ball rolled out here." " Wanna play a game of horse?" " Forget it." "We're borrowing your dad's truck." " For what?" " I'll explain on the way." "There's no time." " What's going on?" " You gotta see it with your own eyes." "Pretty mind-blowing, huh?" "What do you think it is?" "Oh, Clark, it's a spaceship." "What the hell else would it be?" "I didn't know if it was some downed specialty aircraft or a Russian satellite." "No, no, no, this thing's got extraterrestrial written all over it." "I bet there's little green guys running around the cornfield too." "I'm serious, Clark." "Have you ever seen anything like it?" "If aliens came, they'd find a place more exciting than Smallville." "No, no, think about it." "Crop circles, cattle mutilation." "They'd be like kids in a candy store here." "Come on, man, let's load it into the truck." " Wait, you're not just gonna take it." " Clark." "When the sheriff questioned me, I told him I couldn't remember where the truck went off the road, but it's only a matter of time before he shows up." "Come on." " Come on." " All right, we'll take it to my house." "No, Clark." "I know your dad." " He'll make us give it to the authorities." " He won't know it's there." "Clark, last time I checked, I found this thing." "You're acting like you got license and registration on it, man." "Lighten up." "We're taking it to my place." "Right here." "Lex?" " Are you in here?" " Yeah, Dad, I'm right here." "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you." "No." "Get out." "Is everything all right?" "Doctors tell me your recovery's going well." "Oh, it is." "So well, in fact, that Dr. Rawlings suggested I take a break from the rigors of physical therapy." "He..." "He thought that some time away from the stress of living and working in Metropolis would be more beneficial right now." "And of all the places you could have gone you decided to come here?" " We'll have a chance for some father-son bonding." "You've always told me I've been lax in that department, Lex." "How long you planning to stay?" "A few days." "Maybe a week." "Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable at the beach house?" "I think the sea air would be invigorating." "I'm getting the distinct impression, Lex, that you don't want me here." "No, Father, I just want what's best for you." "Stay as long as you like." "No." "Hey, Lana, I was just thinking if you moved those tables away from the counter, it'd open up space for extra stools." " More customers, more cash flow." " That's a wonderful idea, Dean." "I gotta go." " I'll see you tonight." " Okay." " Bye, Lana." " Bye." " Isn't he wonderful?" " Yeah." "He's great." " Hi." " Hey." " Hi, Chloe." " Hi." "Oh, how did the sleepover go?" "Did you two get a lot of studying done?" "I have to be completely honest with you, Nell." "We didn't study." "We had a Keanu DVD-a-thon." "Once you get lost in those brown eyes, geometry loses its appeal." "Well, I'm just glad you two had fun." "Don't let the grades suffer." " Okay." "Bye." " Bye." "Thank you so much, Chloe." "Sure." "If you'd given me a heads-up I could've come up with something a lot better than a Keanu DVD-a-thon." "Sorry, I had to get out of the house, so I told Nell I was staying at a friend's place." "You were the first person that came to mind." " Really?" " Really." "So where were you last night?" "Is there a new guy in Lana Lang's life?" "Yeah." "His name's Dean." "You passed him on the way in." " You're dating an older man?" " Relax." "He's Nell's boyfriend." "He's an insurance adjuster she met after the tornado." "He's always around, and they're in this lovey-dovey daze all the time." "Yeah, and you want to tell them to get a room, but it's her house." "After I caught them slow dancing, I decided to stay at the Talon." "Next time you need to clear out of the love shack, you don't have to lie." "You can stay at my house for real, anytime." "Thanks." " This thing weighs a ton." " I know." " I'm gonna go call Chloe." " Wait, wait, don't." "Why not?" "To her, this thing's like the Holy Grail." " She'll write an article." " That's the point." "We'll be famous." "We'll write a book, go on all sorts of talk shows and then we'll sign a big movie deal." "Don't you think we should keep this between us till we know more?" "Why are you gun-shy?" "We gotta move before the driver tells someone else." "Suppose we tell Chloe and it turns out to be some high-tech crop-duster or something." "She'll never let us live it down." "Exactly." "We'd be the subject of her next "Eat Crow" column for sure." "I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to risk it." "Well, how do you think you open it?" "I'm not sure." "Here." "You work on that." "I'm gonna go see if anyone's put up "missing spaceship" flyers." " I'll meet you back here tomorrow morning." " All right, cool." "So where is it now?" " In Pete's tool shed." " He hasn't told anyone about it?" "I convinced him to hold off the press conference." "Very funny." "We're just gonna have to get it back." "What are we gonna do, Dad, just steal it?" " What if he asks me where it went?" " You'll have to play dumb." " I'm sick of lying." " You don't have much of a choice here." " Well, I can tell Pete the truth." " Clark." "He's not gonna tell anyone." "Look, people slip sometimes, even the most trustworthy of friends." "This information is too dangerous for Pete." "We understand that this secret is a huge burden but if you share it with Pete you might be giving him a responsibility he's not ready to take on." "I know this isn't the type of bizarre cellular mutation I normally call you with but I knew you'd be interested." " What's the room number?" "You know, the interest on my med-school loans is killing me." " You really should have that looked at." " What's the number?" "Who are you?" "Dr. Hamilton." "How do you feel?" "Like my head got bashed in by a bulldozer." "Dr. Glenn tells me you saw a spacecraft in a cornfield last night?" "Must have been babbling." "They got me pumped full of morphine." "Who else did you babble to?" " What's it to you?" " Let's say I have a professional interest." "I went to the field, I saw the impression in the cornstalks." "Whatever made it is gone." "Damn." "I knew I should have kept my mouth shut." " Someone must have taken it." " You did see a ship last night?" "Who else knows about it?" "No one." "Oh, the kid, the one who pulled me out of my truck." "Pete Ross." " Have we met before?" " I don't think so." "You were out on the road last night." "You're the crazy son of a bitch who forced me off the road." "Nurse!" "What are you doing?" "Nurse!" "I don't believe it." "Someone must have gotten here before us." "Well, we're not gonna find out who it was tonight." "Pete." " Hey, I was just gonna come talk to you." " Really?" "About the ship..." "Someone broke into my shed last night and stole it." " Really?" " Yeah." "Did you tell anyone it was there?" "No." "Did you?" " No, my lips have been sealed." " You're such a liar." " What do you mean?" " I saw you and your dad driving away." "I kept telling myself, there's gotta be some explanation." "Clark Kent would never do this." "Pete, I swear, we didn't take the ship." "And all these years, I used to think you were my best friend." "Pete, wait." "You don't understand." "What don't I understand?" "Go ahead, explain it to me, Clark." "That's good, really illuminating." "Wait till Chloe hears about this." "I can already see the headlines:" ""The Real Clark Kent Exposed."" "Pete, we need to talk." "So you're some sort of...?" "What, you're not a human?" "I don't know what I am." "I don't know where that ship brought me from." "I grew up in Smallville and everything and everyone that I care about is here." "If you care about me, how come you never told me?" "Believe me, I've always wanted to tell you." "My parents thought it was too dangerous." " Not just for me, but for anyone who knew." " You didn't think I could handle it?" "Can you?" "Another reason I didn't say anything is because I knew people would look at me the way you're looking at me." " Yeah, how's that?" " Like a freak." "Pete, I've tried my whole life just to blend in." "I've tried to be more normal than anyone else." "Look, just say something." "Call me..." "Call me an alien, call me a monster." "I don't care, just say something." "It's like I don't even know you." "Yes, you do." "I'm the same kid who used to camp in your backyard." "We used to ride bikes, play basketball with your brothers." "Nothing has changed." " Yeah, right." " Pete." "Back off, man." "Pete, I would never hurt you." "Too late." "There it is." "Right there." "Listen, I thought I made it clear that our business together was over." "I've come for my severance package." "The octagonal disk that I found in the field, Lex." " Why?" " What does it matter to you?" "I don't have it." "It disappeared during the storm." "Liar!" "It's a key!" "I know you have it!" "This isn't over." " Mr. Luthor?" " Yes." "I'm Dr. Steven Hamilton." "I've been doing confidential research on the meteor rocks for your son at Cadmus Labs." "All right, you've got my attention." "Well, unfortunately, Lex has become shortsighted and impatient." "We've severed our relationship." "But you..." "You have a reputation as a..." " A man of vision." " Apparently, doctor you haven't noticed that I'm blind." "A man like you doesn't have to have eyes to see the future or to recognize a opportunity." " Don't flatter me." "Get to the point." " I discovered something that can only be described as earth-shattering, and I'd like to show it to you." "Come on." "Hey, Pete." "Look, I know you freaked out." "Don't you think I freak myself out sometimes?" "All right, look, you have every reason in the world to hate me but I need to find that ship." "The guy you pulled out of the truck must've told someone." "I thought maybe..." "The other day, when we were moving the ship, you said it was heavy." "You were lying." "You'd miss the bus and end up at school ahead of me." "You said you got a ride, but you never got rides, did you?" "Our whole life, you were the person I could tell anything and I did, all my secrets." "But you, everything you ever told me was a lie!" "Maybe I was right in not telling you, the way you're reacting." "Clark, you don't get it, do you?" "I don't care if you're from the moon." "You never trusted me." "What kind of friendship is that?" "Hey, guys." "Why didn't you tell me about the superhero deal?" "Pete pulls a guy from a mangled truck and rushes him to the hospital?" "That's got Torch exclusive written all over it." "So how about an interview?" "Maybe later." "Your reluctance wouldn't be part of a vast conspiracy designed to cover up a whole spaceship thing, would it?" " What?" " My source from the medical center called." "He said the guy was rambling on about some spacecraft that landed in a cornfield." "You don't really believe that, do you?" "I don't know, not unless Pete can corroborate the story." "Sure, Chloe, I saw a spaceship." " I even met an alien." " Really?" " Would you like to describe it?" " Actually, he looks a lot like Clark." "I thought aliens were little and green." "I guess things aren't always what you think they are." "Okay, what's up with him?" "It's just guy stuff." "You're not really looking into this story, are you?" "It sounds like Inquisitor stuff." "Maybe, but if there is some truth to it, that's front-page news for the Daily Planet." " Lex?" " Your mom said it would be okay if I waited." "Yeah, what's up?" "I just needed to get out of the mansion." "It's getting crowded." " Doesn't it have, like, 75 rooms?" " Well, my father takes up a lot of space." "When's he going back to Metropolis?" "Not soon enough." "Is he really being that difficult?" "Just the opposite." "He's the picture of civility." "Says he wants to work on our relationship." "Is that such a bad thing?" "He's lied to me so many times, it's hard to believe he doesn't have an ulterior motive." " Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt." " No, no." "If a person's deceived me, I find it hard to give him a second chance." "By the way, you remember that paperweight I had on my desk, the octagonal one?" "Kind of, why?" "Came up today, made me wonder what happened to it." " When did you lose it?" " During the storm." "Probably got carried away with all the other debris from the mansion." "You know?" "Yeah, I'm sure you're right." "Good luck." "Forgive my skepticism, doctor, but for all I can tell, this could be a postmodern coffee table." "Why should I believe you that it's a spacecraft?" "The alloy you're touching is composed of elements not on the periodic table." "Certain chemicals in that alloy are present in the meteor rocks." "Get me the proof." "Here." " Feel this?" " Yeah." "There's a piece missing." "Lex and I were investigating a meteor site, and I found an octagonal-shaped disk that is the exact size and shape of that impression." " And you think it was...?" " It was a key that opens the ship and will provide the proof you're asking for." "Unfortunately, Lex won't give it back to me." " Maybe Lex doesn't have the disk anymore." " Where else would it be?" "If you can answer that question, doctor you just might get your funding." "Lana?" "What are you doing?" "Just using your telescope to see if it's safe to go home." "Hiding from Nell." "Her new boyfriend, Dean." "Oh, you're not crazy about him." "Oh, long story short, not really." "But I'm a terrible liar, so I've moved on to avoidance." "Well, you've come to the right place." "What's wrong?" "Have you ever had anyone resent you for telling them the truth?" "Yeah." "Whitney, when I told him how I felt and we broke up." "Wow, you really did it." "I didn't think you'd follow through on that." "So do you think you'll ever be friends again?" "Someday." "I hope." "I just wish I'd been honest with him sooner." "Yeah, Pete and I, we had a big blowout." "I don't know if our friendship is gonna last." "What did you guys fight about?" "I wish I could tell you." "Typical." "What?" "Clark Kent starts a discussion about telling the truth, no less and when it's his turn to open up, everything is suddenly a deep, dark secret." "Well, the stuff about Pete is kind of personal." "Unlike what I just told you about Whitney." "Have you ever thought that some people are more comfortable opening up than others?" "I don't think it's ever comfortable for anyone." "But if you care about somebody, you owe it to them." "Then you should talk to Nell, tell her how you really feel." "You're right, Clark." "Hiding the truth only keeps people apart." "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" " There's a piece missing." " You stole the spaceship?" "It's octagonal in shape, the size of my palm." "Tell me where it is!" "I know you." "You're Dr. Hamilton." "You don't know who you're messing with!" "That spaceship belongs to someone a lot tougher than you..." " You know who it belongs to." " Look, I don't know anything." "Tell me." "Tell me who it is!" "I checked the papers, the police wires and UFO sites." "There's no mention of the ship." "I don't know if that makes me relieved or worried." "I was thinking about Ray Wallace." "If Pete visited him before he died, maybe..." "Maybe he told Pete something that could help us." "I assume it's a possibility." "Clark, I want you to talk to Pete one more time." "I can't." "Why?" "Pete's not speaking to me." "What happened?" "Look, I don't want you guys to freak out, all right?" "But I told Pete." "Everything." " I didn't have a choice." "He saw us..." " What do you mean?" " You could have come to us first." " And come up with another lie?" "Clark, at least tell us Pete's not gonna tell anybody else." "I'm not sure what he's gonna do." "He's upset." "Hello." "No, he's not here." "Oh, no." "Okay, whatever we can do." "Bye-bye." "That was Pete's mother." "He's missing." "This is a wonderful idea, Lana." "I realize we haven't had much time alone since I started seeing Dean." "Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." " Dean's a really, really great guy." "It's just..." " Let me guess." "You liked the tables the way they were." "Am I that transparent?" "Well, I've already had a long talk with Dean, and I told him you're very independent and before he goes offering any more unsolicited advice he should..." "Well, he should get to know you better." "Thanks, Nell, I really appreciate that." "Lana, your feelings are very important to me and they're important to Dean too." "That's why we'd both like to spend more time together." "The three of us, as a family." "Family." "Lana, Dean didn't want me to say anything until we were all together but, well, you know me, I can never keep a secret." "Lana, Dean's asked me to marry him." " What did you say?" " I said yes." "The spaceship, I need to know!" "Are you gonna tell me who this belongs to?" "Look, man, I was just fronting." "I was trying to scare you." " I have no clue whose ship that is." " You're lying!" "Look, you're sick." "Just let me go!" "I'll bring back help." "Sure." "You think anyone's gonna help me?" "The doctors don't even have a name for what's killing me!" " You're dying?" " Yes." "But not before I prove I am not some sideshow freak, a quack doctor who sells meteor rocks on the side of the road." "And if you don't tell me what I want to know, then you're dying too!" "Hamilton reports finding large concentrations of meteor fragments spread over a large area south of County Highway 17." "These fragments vary in circumference from 24 microns five to 500 and 62 millimeters." "Interesting reading, Dad." "Lex." "I didn't hear you come in." "I'm surprised." "Dr. Rawlings says he's seen improvement in your other senses since you lost your sight." "You spoke to Rawlings?" "Imagine my surprise when he told me how worried he was that you'd gone AWOL and missed your last several physical-therapy sessions." "In fact, he says the worst thing for you right now is to be away from your care providers." "Do you have any idea how degrading it is to be poked and prodded by therapists?" "How demeaning it is to be told by a Braille instructor, "One day, one day, all this will feel natural"?" "You want the truth, Lex?" "I was tired of being treated like an object, an invalid." "I had to get away from that." "You thought a couple days of oedipal mano a mano would make you feel better?" "Your analogy's apt but flawed, Lex." "Blind Oedipus was the son, not the father." "I'll go back to Metropolis." "So your sudden interest in Dr. Hamilton was really just a coincidence?" "I admit, I find his work intriguing." " He's sick, possibly delusional." "Never underestimate the value of eccentrics and lunatics, Lex." "Every Arthur needs his Merlin." "Hamilton said that he found some sort of disk and that you had it." " He's mistaken." " Oh, even so I think it may have been a bit rash to terminate his contract." "Why do you say that?" "Have you taken a look in the good doctor's barn lately?" "Hey, Chloe, have you seen Pete?" "No, but the weird-o-meter just kicked up another notch." "Hospital visitor log." "Yeah, I was looking into Ray Wallace's death." "It turns out he had a visitor just before he flatlined." "A Dr. Steven Hamilton." " The meteor freak?" " Yeah." " I thought he left." " So did I." "So Pete plays good samaritan, Dr. Hamilton visits the patient..." "Patient dies and Pete disappears." "It's not exactly smoking gun, but..." "It's good enough." "I'm gonna check out Hamilton." "He used to have a place down on Allentown Road, maybe he's back there." "Clark?" "Clark?" "Clark?" " What are you doing?" " See how my hand spasms?" "It's from prolonged exposure to the meteor rocks." "I'm gonna give you a dosage that's gonna make my tremors look like a mild twitch." "I told you I didn't know anything!" "I think you're lying." "You're protecting someone." " I hope whoever it is, is worth dying for!" " All right!" "You want me to talk, here's what I have to say." "Take that needle and stick it wherever, because I'm not telling you a damn thing!" "Pete!" " Put the needle down!" " Not till he tells me what he knows." "Clark." " What's wrong?" " I'm allergic to the meteor rocks." "This ship is yours, isn't it?" "Open it!" "Open it!" "Open it!" "Clark, come on!" "We gotta get you out of here." "We have to help him!" "It's too late, he's dead." "Come on." "We gotta get the ship." "So does it do anything?" "We hoped we might find some answers inside about Clark but we haven't been able to open it." "Clark, look." "I know I sort of went postal when all this started but after what happened to Hamilton I realized why you never told me and I'm sorry." "Well, I guess you had a good reason to be upset." "We're just glad you weren't hurt." "There's still one thing." "Hamilton tried to kill me, and he could have told the whole world about you but you still tried to save him." "I couldn't let you die to protect my secret, and I can't let anyone else die either." "No matter who they are." "Man it's not easy being you, is it?" "Well, good thing is, I got my best friend to watch my back." "Pete I'm proud of you." "But I hope you realize what a tremendous responsibility knowing this secret is." "And believe me, it's not gonna get any easier." "That's my dad's way of saying, "Welcome to the family."" "Does it look anything like Hamilton's description?" "What he says it was?" "There's nothing here, Dad." "They must have moved it." "Or someone took it." " Come on." "The helicopter's waiting." " No, I'm not going back, not just yet." " What about your treatment?" " I'm afraid those physical therapists will just have to come to me." "I hope you're not staying because of a sudden interest in alien spacecraft." "Of course not." "I'm staying because I want to spend more quality time with my only son." "Good, because this could all be a hoax." "Hoax or not, I'm not the only one who's suddenly interested in it." "So this super-speed thing, how fast we talking?" "Twenty, 30 miles per hour?" "Yeah, something like that." "What about the x-ray?" "Have you used it to look through a girl's...?" "It only works when I focus, and I do not use it to invade people's privacy." " Come on." " I'm serious." "So you're telling me, never once have you looked in the girls' locker room?" "Well maybe once." " That's my boy." "So you been holding back on the court?" "A little bit." "So, what are we waiting for?" "Show me what you got." " I don't think you want to go there, Pete." " Bring it on." " All right." " Now, we all know if I guard you, you're not getting near this hoop." "I don't care what kind of powers you got, let's go." "This is gonna be fun."