7.21 Apocalypse by TW and AM (Part V)

as retold by Bill C

TW: We come back on a reverse shot of Martha walking urgently through a hallway, then into her office in Washington. Clark is sitting on the corner of her desk.
JG: Spreading the gospel of crazy.
MR: We've been doing that for seven years. Where've you been?
JG: Damn good point.
AoT: Hush. So Martha stops and goes, "Clark? What are you doing here?"
TW: Clark looks depressed.
KK: As usual.
TW: "Lois called me. Mom, why aren't you in the bunker at NORAD?"
AoT: "I had to come back. I have to fix something Senator Chandra did."
JG: Right before serving him his own balls on a plate with garnish.
ED: Garnish! Ew!
JG: And yet you don't mind the entree...
ED: The what?
TW: "Senator who?"
AoT: "It's not important. I don't know how up to date you are on current events--"
TW: Clark looks down at the floor. "I heard about Fairbanks, Mom."
AoT: Martha nods. "I heard about it on the plane back. My God."
TW: "Is it true that Lex went up there?"
AoT: "Yes, he's running a new government project. It's an anti-alien unit called Athena. That's why I came back...this Senator Chandra slipped a provision into the bill that funds Athena allowing for--"
JG: Exposition hell.
AoT: "--the conscription of metahumans."
TW: Quick cut to Clark as Martha talks. He looks like he's got something on his mind.
ED: Pie?
TW: No.
KK: Lana?
TW: Hell no.
MR: Chloe?
TW: No--well, sort of.
AoT: Back to Martha. "So I have to try to get a quorum together to get the provision eliminated, but with Congress being scattered to secure locations around the country it's going to be very--"
TW: Back to Clark, as he looks up at Martha. "I'm going to leave Earth, Mom."
KK: And take your planet-sized angst with you, bitch!
AoT [after a beat]: "What?"
TW: Clark stands up. "I've got to get away--"
MR [sings]: I want to flyyyyy--
TW: Shut up. "I've got to get away from here. First Smallville, and now Fairbanks. It's all because of me."
AoT: "Honey, it's not your--"
TW: "Mom, don't tell me it's not my fault. I followed Zod to Apokolips. I antagonized Darkseid. If it wasn't for that...none of this would have happened."
AoT: Martha walks up to Clark and takes him by the shoulders--
JG: And smacks him like Vito Corleone in The Godfather. "Be a man!"
AoT: ...can she do that?
TW: No!
AoT: Come on, he needs a good slap!
KK: All in favor of Martha smacking the taste out of Clark's mouth?
[KK, MR, JG, and AoT raise their hands]
ED: Uh...pass.
TW: No, Martha does not slap her own son! What do you think this is, General Hospital?
ED: If it was, Jason Morgan would have killed Darkseid and saved the planet by now.
[Everybody looks at ED]
ED [after a few seconds]: Well, he would have, dammit!
AoT: ...okay, zoom in on Martha as she takes Clark by the shoulders. "Between Zod and that Hasaad fellow...this may well have been inevitable, Clark. You can't beat yourself up about it."
MR: "So get a fucking grip, bitch!"
TW: Reverse shot, Clark looks sadly at Martha. "But it's my responsibility now. No one else on Earth can stop this now."
AM: And we cut hard to a stock shot of the LuthorCorp jet in mid-air, then to the interior. Lionel is sitting in a chair, and a hologram of General Steppenwolf is in front of him.
ED: Okay, is this the suspense part or the cliche part?
MR: Still cliche.
AM: John, would you mind?
JG: Okay. Lionel is actually...yelling? Lionel doesn't yell, people, he speaks firmly and with a purpose!
AM: He's yelled before, John.
JG: But not often!
AM: He's yelling now. Get over it.
JG: Dammit. "I told you I needed more time!"
AM: Steppenwolf looks unimpressed. "General Kanto was...impatient. Several units were deployed ahead of schedule."
MR: Another general?
AM: Yes, but we won't actually see him.
JG: Lionel frowns. "Was the attack on our city necessary? A simple show of force--"
AM: "Your needs are not our concern. Deliver the criminal, Kal-El, and the destruction of your planet will cease."
JG: "But these attacks are ruining everything! Can't you see that? You may never get him now!"
AM: Steppenwolf's glare turns down another few degrees, if that's possible. "Do not presume to question the judgment of Lord Darkseid, human. We will have Kal-El. The only variable...is whether the planet Earth will still be present to witness Lord Darkseid's victory." The hologram disappears in a blur of multicolored static.
KK [laughs]: It's always good to see someone give Lionel the "shut up, bitch" treatment.
JG: Watch it, Kreuk.
TW: After Lionel is shut up [chuckles] we cut to a closeup of a hand opening a ringing cellphone. The cellphone's display shows the incoming number as "Ted."
MR: Bitsy!
TW: Pull back to show it's Lois's hand, as she stands in a cul-de-sac in an empty concrete hallway and puts the phone to her ear.
ED: I got this. "Ted? What's going on--what? What happened to Fairbanks?"
TW: Cut to a shot of the TV in the bullpen at the Daily Planet. It's currently showing aerial footage of the mostly destroyed city. Bittleman leans into the foreground of the shot, a handset to his ear, and the camera refocuses on him. "It's gone nuclear, Little Bo-Peep. And I'm pretty sure your lost sheep Kal-El is to blame for this one."
ED: Back to Lois as she turns white. "The Gen...my dad was up there."
TW: Back to Bittleman, though his voice softens a bit. "Apparently he was kicking plenty of ass up there, Lois. Nobody knows exactly what happened yet--we're just now getting reports--but it seems like Darth Ugly's demon hounds quickly busted out the nukes."
ED: Lois. "Ted, is there--"
TW: We hear Bittleman via Lois's phone. "Look, I don't know anything yet." There's a nervous pause. "Could you find Kal-El if you had to, Lois?"
ED: "Uh...maybe. I've been searching..."
MR: In NORAD?
KK: It could happen.
TW: Now we cut to Bittleman. "If we don't find him and turn him in...we're talking end of the world, Barbie. Game over. I know he's your boy and all, but think about it."
ED: Back to Lois as she does appear to think about it for a minute.
JG: Or--
ED [quickly]: Ten, shut up!
[JG chuckles]
TW: "Is there anything you have that could lead us to him--"
ED: Lois gathers her resolve. "Ted, find out if my dad is okay."
TW: "Lois, I--"
ED: "This conversation is over, Ted. Don't call me back until you know something...anything...about the General." Lois firmly closes her phone, closes her eyes for a moment, and continues to gather herself.
KK: Oh, this relationship is so dead.
MR: This sucks! Lois's first adult...well, sort of...relationship and you're blowing it up?
AM: Well...it's being sacrificed for Kal-El, so it's okay.
MR: No, it's not. Kal-El's never going to call her on her shit or call her Major Blonde or anything like that.
AM [to TW]: He's got a point.
ED: Yeah--hey!
TW: We'll try to manage. Quick cut back to Bittleman as he hangs up the phone, and he looks kind of down.
KK: Yup. Dead.
ED: Cut to Lois as she walks out of the cul-de-sac and down the hallway.

Continued...