7.19 Confession (Part XI) by TW and JG

as retold by Bill C

AoT: Well. Another long weekend for me, I guess. Fine. I'm assuming, Tom, that you'll soothe this insult by making sure--
TW: Don't say it, Annette. Don't say it. I know, okay?
AoT: Just making sure.
JG: Believe me, Annette--he knows.
AM [to AoT]: How fast can you get "Never shall we die" T-shirts made up?
AoT: I'll check later.
TW [grumbles]: So...the last scene in the episode opens with Lois and Bittleman in the bullpen at the Daily Planet.
ED: Post-mindwipe Lois. This sucks.
TW: Bittleman is thus a little cranky. "God, Major Blonde, how many times did I tell you--take a backup copy, not the master! How the hell did your friend erase the tape?"
JG: Lois throws up her hands. "I have no idea! Damn, there goes my big--"
TW: "Don't say it."
JG: "--Kal-El story!"
TW: Bittleman shakes his head and starts typing on the keyboard at his desk. Cut to Clark walking into the bullpen and over to his and Lois's desks, looking thoroughly depressed. "Hey, Lois. Ted."
JG: Bittleman looks up and just grunts before going back to his typing, but Lois spares him a few words. "Oh, hey, Clark. What's up?"
ED: Clark's got his jacket on by now, doesn't he?
TW: Yes, Erica, the arm porn is over.
ED: Aww.
TW: So Clark goes, "Lois, what do you know about those armored soldiers of Lex's?"
JG: Lois frowns. "Not much. I had a tape of one of them at the Slab, but it got erased before I could do anything with it."
TW: Cut to Bittleman interjecting, "Because someone was stupid."
ED: It wasn't her fault!
JG: As if that matters.
MR: Come on, make it "galactically stupid"!
ED: Shut up!
TW: Back to Clark as he nods. "Do you think you can find out anything about them?"
JG: Lois shrugs. "Other than that they're Stormtroopers with a color swap? Tell you what--if we find out that they're all really clones of some angsty dead mercenary, you're first on my speed-dial. But right now, we've got an article to work on."
AM [after a few seconds]: You just couldn't stop at the Neo bit, could you?
[TW points at JG. JG chuckles]
AoT: Oh, that figures.
JG: Bittleman pipes up again. "Yes, we do have an article to work on."
TW: Clark leans over Lois's desk and whispers at her. "I know now, by the way."
JG: Lois looks typically confused, and also lowers her voice. "You know what?"
TW: "Chloe. And Lana. She told me."
JG: Lois thinks for a minute--or ten, shut up, John--and finally looks suitably remorseful. "I'm sorry, Clark. But I couldn't tell anyone...not even you. Definitely not after the whole death thing. I had to protect Chloe."
TW: "You had to protect her from me?"
JG: "From everyone, Clark. Perhaps most of all, I don't know, your BFF Lex? He kind of started it, after all. I'm sorry, but it was for everyone's own good."
AM: Yes! Positive reinforcement!
MR: Oh, bullshiiit.
TW: Clark looks pissed. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Lex knows."
ED: And Lionel. What about him?
JG: He's got bigger problems to deal with. "What? Oh, that's just great." Lois scowls and bends over her keyboard as Clark turns and walks out of the bullpen.
MR: Can Lex flip out and come kill Lois?
TW: No.
MR: Goddammit, Tom.
TW: Cut to outside the bullpen as Clark heads for the stairs, and then his cellphone rings. He stops, fishes it out of his pocket, and answers it. "Hello?"
JG: And we hear Pete Ross's voice. "Hey, Clark, it's Pete."
AM [amazed]: Pete? Seriously?
KK: Okay, how the hell did you pull that off?
TW: Clark's face brightens almost immediately. "Pete! Hi!"
JG: And we cut to the Talon, where Pete is sitting at a table by the front window with a big grin on his face and a phone at his ear. "I got your message, Clark. I suppose even men of steel need a friend sometimes, huh?"
TW: Back to Clark as, for the first time in the episode, he looks happy and relieved. Some light, chipper music hits in the background while this happens.
AM: Saving it for the end of the episode? So Pete gets to help Clark out in the next ep?
TW: You....could say that.
JG: Cut to Lionel's office. Lionel is sitting at his desk, hands steepled in front of his face, and we do a slow zoom on said handsome face while some quietly dramatic music cues up. What we can see of it appears to look very concerned about something.
ED: He looks concerned about everything.
JG: It's a gift.
TW: Lionel looks up slightly as his face is illuminated by a brief red glow, and we cut to a reverse shot of the desk. Martian Manhunter is standing in the middle of the office. "Lionel Luthor. Kal-El said you wished to speak with me."
KK: Okay, when--oh, never mind.
JG: Lionel leans back in his chair, hands still steepled in front of his face. "Thank you for coming, J'onn. I wanted to talk to you about something that's been on my mind."
TW: "The safety of Earth."
JG: "Well, yes. I...I'm increasingly convinced that Clark will not be of any help to us."
AoT: He's been helpful before?
TW: MM looks puzzled. "I do not understand. Kal-El is the strongest being on Earth, and he cares about it as much as any human. Why would he not help defend it?"
JG: "Well...the problem is that he's not infallible. There are some traits he has picked up here, and one of them is the ability to feel--or rather to feel too much--when something affects him personally. And that can drive him to impulsive acts that may very well undermine any efforts we undertake." Lionel pauses for a moment. "For instance, finding out that the woman he loved had been killed by his best friend."
TW: More puzzled MM. "Lana Luthor was killed by--"
JG: "Chloe Sullivan, yes, yes."
AM: And yet she's still getting onscreen and getting laid.
KK: Oh, shut up.
JG: "And if Clark doesn't know about it yet, he will shortly. This will no doubt affect him deeply--as well as his ability to help defend Earth."
TW: MM considers that for a moment. "Humans often demonstrate an ability to compartmentalize deep emotional wounds in order to achieve objectives. I have seen Kal-El do this. I fail to understand how this situation will be any different."
JG: Lionel leans to one side slightly, still with his hands steepled in front of his face.
ED: Okay, what's with the supervillain schtick? You couldn't find a white cat?
AoT: I was about to ask about that myself.
TW: We're getting to that.
AoT: Whenever you say that, I worry.

JG: "The situation is far graver than it has ever been, J'onn. Clark will fall into a deep depression, and be unable to fight, and where does that get us? You yourself said Darkseid is coming, this time with much more than a mere expeditionary force, and our most powerful weapon would be out of commission--or, worse yet, that weapon might do something that could hurt us as much as it could hurt Darkseid."
KK: Okay, that's a pretty blatant Clark diss. And I know John enjoys those. Tom, you hypocritical son of a--
JG: One, it's typically accurate, and two--temporary immunity. Hush. "Humanity itself is at stake, J'onn. For better or worse I have become the person who must do what needs to be done in order to ensure the survival of our entire planet."
MR: What about Lex?
JG: What about him?
MR: This sucks!
TW: Slow zoom on MM as he looks past Lionel for a second, then looks at him again. "What exactly must be done, Lionel Luthor?"
JG: Reverse shot, slow zoom on Lionel as he reaches with one hand for a control on his desk that is basically a red button with wires coming out of its base. "This."
TW: Back to the slow zoom on MM, as he notices the button. Cut to a shot of the wires trailing down in front of Lionel's desk, then back to the slow zoom as MM follows them with his eyes off to camera-right, then over to one of the walls--where one of the lightning-rod things from the last episode is now placed. Then a reverse shot as MM looks the other way, to see the other lightning-rod thing against the opposite wall, and finally back to the slow zoom on MM as it ends with his eyes widening in surprise.
JG: And then we cut to Lionel pushing the button.
TW: The lightning rods crank up, and we cut to a wide shot of the room as they both emit a sort of bluish-green chain lightning. The usual electrical noises fill the room, lightning strikes MM from both sides and he begins convulsing, almost immediately collapsing to his knees.
AM+ED: What the hell?
MR: Lionel is sending MM back to the Phantom Zone?
TW: ...not quite. Closeup on MM, his face twisted up in pain as he is electrocuted, and he slowly begins to get back on his feet.
JG: Cut to Lionel. "Otis."
TW: Back to the wide room shot, as Otis steps out of the alcove Lionel's vault is in holding some sort of absurdly large weapon. It looks like one of the ones Hasaad's thugs were toting around back in Exit. Cut to a reverse shot of Otis firing the weapon at MM, from behind, and MM gets hit by a big bolt of green energy and falls to the floor.
KK: Okay, Lionel's pissed about being used as Jor-El's emissary and decided to take it out on MM?
JG: Lionel finally rises from his chair, taking something from the far side of his desk and holding it behind his back. Pull back as he walks to stand in front of MM. "I'm so sorry, J'onn. This isn't personal...I had hopes it wouldn't get this far. But after Lobo failed to capture Clark..."
TW: Quick cut to MM looking up at Lionel, bleeding heavily from a wound in his chest. He manages to get out through gritted teeth, "You....you...."
JG: Lionel looks momentarily regretful. "But, to be blunt: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. The needs of Earth...are far more important than the needs of one man. Or two men."
[everyone is silent for a few seconds]
KK [screams]: OH, JESUS CHRIST, TOM!
MR: Lionel is quoting Spock while killing someone?
KK: NOOOOOOO!
ED [winces]: Dammit, Kristin, my ears!
AoT [astonished]: I...that...
AM: Holy shit...that's--
MR: That's awesome! That's...fucking...awesome! [to JG] I am not worthy!
[KK bangs her head on the table repeatedly]
AM: Lionel would never resort to a Star Trek quote, would he? [points at KK] But, hey, if it means we get that--go for it, guys.
KK: You...all...suck...so...much!
AoT [to JG]: Please tell me that wasn't your idea.
TW: His contribution is coming up.
JG: We switch to a from-below shot as Lionel brings one hand out from behind his back, revealing the thing he took from his desk--a large alien-looking pistol--and levels it at MM's head, slightly off-camera-right. "Clark is potentially a loose cannon of the worst kind, and he must be dealt with. Especially if it means that Darkseid's threat can be dealt with at the same time. And if it means anything, J'onn, I'm sorry. Sort of." And he fires, the pistol goes "choom," a green ball of energy zips off-camera, and whatever noises MM was making offscreen abruptly stop.
[everyone is silent for a few more seconds]
JG: What, you all never watched Brimstone?
AoT: So...Lionel has gone completely insane.
JG: It's fashionable in this episode. But he's always been a--
KK [weakly]: ...you...fucking...bastards...
JG: See?

Continued...