7.15 Masquerade by KK & MR (Part VIII)

as retold by Maniac64 & PhantomChic

KK: We pick up right where we left off with the bullet heading for Lois. Naturally, we slow down as Clark superspeeds thru and grabs the bullet a few feet from Lois without slowing down.
MR: Back in normal time, Lois catches a blur out of the corner of her eye and turns enough to catch sight of Otis. As she's turning, Vic grabs her and pulls her around the corner. They hear the retort of the gun.
ED: "Nice reflexes."
KK: "Can't let anything happen to you. There aren't many people willing to seek the truth."
MR: We cut back to the lab. I take off the helmet and hand it to Hope. "Well done, Zabriska. I think we have a good start here."
KK: "Thank you." He looks very relieved. "We shall continue improving this suit until it has everything you wish."
MR: "You'll have to incorporate the upgrades into your next model. I'll be keeping this one, until the next is ready."
TW: What are you going to wear the battlesuit full time now?
MR: No, I'm just keeping it as an option. Though maybe Lex should keep wearing it since none of you will give him decent security.
JG: But Lex has never had competent security.
ED: It's just continuity.
MR: Careful, Durance. I can have that bullet connect.
KK: No you can't. I promised Erica we wouldn't kill Lois. She actually wants to stay on the show.
MR: Kristin!
KK: I let you keep the battlesuit.
MR: Fine.
KK: Back to Martha.
AOT: About time.
KK: Titian is ranting about the injustices his people have suffered and all the people they've lost as he paces around the room. Rick and Shane watch him with fanatical devotion. Mia is staring at Martha. Martha looks scared. She's held to the chair by invisible telekinetic bonds and can't move. She hasn't been harmed physically, but she knows she could be. This is a real acting moment for you Annette, you've got to show that Martha is terrified but that she's hiding that from Titian and his people. Very layered.
AOT: No sweat.
KK: Titian leans down into her face. "This alliance's time has ended. You offer us nothing to make up for the losses and injustices we suffer."
MR: The creepy little girl pipes ups with "If you try to use us again, you will regret it." It's not a threat. She's very calmly stating the truth.
KK: Shane tells her that they will make sure the mutant community knows that is responsible for Lucius' death and that she tried to blame Titian. The door opens and the four of them sweep out.
MR: Kristin, you're sure we're not going to get slapped with some copyright suit for these characters, right?
KK: They're sufficiently different that it'll be fine. Hell, with everything else going in this episode, I could probably argue that it's an homage. Beside I really don't think they'll care. These characters don't seem to be welcome. Martha is still frozen for moment after they leave, then the invisible bonds release and she rises shakily. As she turns to look after them we can see her drawing up her internal strength. Again, it's all about you selling this moment of silent acting, Annette.
AOT: How much of a recovery do you want to see?
KK: I want her to recapture her resolve, but still be affected by the experience. I trust you to judge the balance and how fast it happens.
MR: After an establishing shot of LuthorCorp, we cut to right outside the Vault Black Lab.
ED: Alright. Do we finally get to find out what's in there?
MR & KK: No.
JG: Have you even decided on what's in there?
MR: [defiantly] Yes.
KK: We have a very good idea that I think you will enjoy.
JG: I bet.
TW: Actually John, this will be something good, if we can pull it off.
AoT: Michael, Kristin, and Tom? Ok, now I'm intrigued. When do we get to find out.
TW: Next episode.
ED: Wait, I'm helping write the next episode right? [ED gets excited] That means I get to know!
[KK looks at TW worriedly]
TW: Yeah, we'll talk about that later okay Erica?
ED: That's fine.
MR: Back to the episode. After an establishing shot of LuthorCorp, we cut to right outside the Vault Black Lab. Someone is at a terminal downloading the Vault Black data. At first we just see hands as they move over the keys. Then we pan up his body to reveal that it's Lucius. A barely audible noise is heard. Maybe a single heel click. We see Hope turning the corner into the hallway. Immediately she draws her gun. "What are you doing here?"
KK: Suddenly Cut back to show a black man with messy hair and a bad overbite wearing a janitor suit and standing on top of a step ladder. He seems to have just screwed in a light bulb. "Please don't hurt me. My name is Dwayne Dinsby, I'm one of the janitors here. I was just changing a light bulb." He holds up a long fluorescent light bulb.
MR: "Let me see your ID. Slowly."
MR: Dwayne slowly steps down from the step ladder and hands Hope his ID.
KK: She looks at it closely to make sure it's real. She appears to be satisfied and lowers her gun and hands back the ID. "You can go Mr. Dinsby."
JG: Seriously, what kind of a name is Dwayne Dinsby?
KK: Apparently it's from some show Michael watches.
MR: Hey, you get your homage and I get mine. Dinsby grabs the ladder and walks out of the room.
KK: We see Hope check the terminal before staring at Vault Black. She just stands there for a few seconds and then shakes her head with a sigh and walks off.
MR: Cut to Dwayne walking around a corner and then tossing the ladder into a closet. As he shuts the door we seem him morph from Dwayne to Brainiac and the bulb turns into a flash drive.
ED: Brainiac? Nice.
JG: But if Brainiac is Lucius, then that means…
MR: He was playing Lionel and Martha.
TW: Is James available?
KK: Since it's just the one shot of him morphing and walking down the hallway it can be shot anywhere with a green screen. So he can do it in L.A. or Cardiff or wherever fits his schedule if he doesn't want to come up here that week. For our last scene, we're back at Vic's. He and Lois look over the new evidence they've gathered.
ED: "It's not enough."
KK: "You have to expose his involvement with the aliens. Chloe…"
ED: "…knew that you needed evidence. I am not going to sully her legacy by publishing a bunch of theories that we still can't prove. Not that my editor would let it go to press with so little corroboration."
KK: "We have the papers and the crystals and the files from his computer."
ED: "Which are incomplete. These papers may be proof but unless and until they can be translated we won't know. They could be gibberish. That's certainly what he'll claim."
KK: "He's behind all of it. You do believe that, don't you?"
ED: "I do. Which is why we'll keep watching him and gathering evidence. We need a magic bullet. Something that will prove beyond a doubt to everyone on the planet that it's Lionel. That's the only way to cut off his power."
KK: "So you're not stopping?"
ED: "Chloe wouldn't have stopped. So I won't either."
KK: She leaves and a phone rings. Vic pulls out a cell and answers.
MR: Cut to Lex in his office on the other end of the line. "Well?"
KK: "We didn't find anything more conclusive than what you'd already given me."
MR: "That's disappointing. And Lois?"
KK: "She's still onboard. She's determined now to keep looking until we find what we need to expose him."
MR: "Keep me informed. I'll be in touch." He hangs up and we end on Lex sitting in his darkened office looking at the battlesuit standing against the wall and smiling.

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