7.21 Apocalypse by TW and AM (Part X)

as retold by Bill C

MR: Anyway, Lex looks down at Clark. "This Hail Mary plan of yours...what if it doesn't work? What if Darkseid comes anyway?"
TW: Cut to Clark looking up at Lex. "I'm counting on Darkseid's need for vengeance against all Kryptonians outweighing his plan to attack Earth. It's...all I can do."
JG: Which is still stupid.
KK: Actually, I think we've gone from stupid to [goofy voice] stoopid.
MR: Lex straightens up and shrugs. "We'll see. All the supplies have been loaded, and we're holding at T minus 45 minutes."
TW: Quick cut back to Clark, now clad completely in a white spacesuit.
ED: Hey, that violates Clark's fashion code!
TW [surprised]: It's...a spacesuit.
ED: It's Clark!
TW [louder]: It's a spacesuit!
ED [louder]: It's Clark!
AM: Okay, okay, kids. [scribbles in her script] We'll give the spacesuit some red trim. How's that?
ED [cheerful]: Happy now!
[TW thumps his head against the table]
AM: While Clark is finishing up his new duds, we cut to the interior of the orbital vehicle...just some generic three-person shuttle-style cockpit. Otis is there.
MR: What? Oh, bullshit! What is Otis doing there?
AM: Carrying a large duffel bag, wearing a LuthorCorp Orbital coverall and cap, and speaking into a headset microphone. "I'm in the ROV now. It should take a couple of minutes to set the charge."
TW: And we jump cut to Lionel, in his office. He's watching a view of the launch platform on the monitor on his desk, and he has a phone to his ear. "All right. Set the charge and get out of there before anybody notices you."
AoT: And Lionel is screwing Lex over again.
AM: Actually, he's screwing over Clark. Lex is just collateral damage.
MR: Splitting hairs, but I'll allow it.
TW: Back to Otis and some tense music as he takes a large, oblong device out of the duffel bag and attaches it to one of the side walls of the cockpit. He flips a couple of switches on it, pushes a small red button, and a color LCD display lights up with a countdown timer set for ten minutes.
AM: Closeup on the timer as it begins counting down, then pan over to Otis. "It's set, boss. Ten minutes and counting."
TW: Cut to Clark sitting in the now empty white room, head down in thought. "This has to work. This has to."
AM: And from offscreen we hear Martha's voice. "All you can do is try, Clark."
AoT: I was wondering what the hell you had done with her. Okay...Martha walks into the frame and sits down next to Clark. "I'm glad I made it in time."
TW: Clark looks at her. "Were you able to get your--"
AoT: "The quorum? No." Oh, damn it. "Everyone has been scattered across the country...I'll have to wait until most of them return to Washington. Assuming we have time."
TW: "Assuming this works." Clark stands up, leans over and grabs a helmet. When he straightens up, a very nervous expression is on his face. "Mom, I...I'm..."
AoT: "I know, honey." Martha stands up, looking stricken, and her voice cracks. "I'm...I'm going to miss you, son."
ED: If Lionel hadn't just fucked up his relationship with her, this would be the perfect time for them to finally get it on.
[total silence for a few seconds]
TW: Erica, you can't watch General Hospital any more.
ED [pouts]: Dammit!
TW: Wide shot as Clark hugs Martha tightly, then back to Otis in the ROV picking up his bag and heading for the access hatch. Cut to an exterior shot of the hatch as Otis gets to it and notices something off-camera; the camera pans over fast to show the catwalk itself and a door sliding open at the far end. Cut to a closeup of Clark walking through the door, helmet in hand, and then back to Otis freaking out slightly and scurrying back into the ROV cockpit.
AM: And back to the monitor on Lionel's desk, which is now showing a split-screen of the catwalk from approximately midway and the previous shot of the launch gantry. Lionel notices Clark walking down the catwalk at the same time we hear Otis's voice...
MR: "Boss, I'm a victim of Tom's bullshit 'dramatic license.'"
TW: Screw you.
AM: Nnnnno. "The charge is set, sir, but there's no way for me to escape without Kent seeing me."
JG: I've got this. Close shot of Lionel steepling his hands in front of his face. "The ROV has to be completely disabled...Clark can't leave Earth before I turn him over."
KK: The hand thing seems to be a sign of increased bastardness for Lionel. What's he going to do now, order Otis to blow himself up?
AM: Otis makes the relevant comment. "Sir, I'm going to disable the charge. There's no way out of here..."
JG: Lionel takes a deep breath, then reaches for his keyboard which is slightly out of frame and types something. On the monitor, a flashing red "OVERRIDE ENABLED" message appears in the middle of the screen. And he says, quietly, "I'm sorry, Otis..."
KK [stunned]: You're...kidding me.
TW: Quick cut back to Clark walking, then crossfade to Otis as he turns to reach for the bomb.
JG: And back to Lionel. "I'm so sorry." He hits a single key on the keyboard, which we hear but can't see.
MR: No way!
ED: Damn!
TW: Back to the closeup of the display on the bomb as the words "REMOTE DETONATION" and a two-second countdown timer appears. Almost immediately we cut from that to another explosive device attached to a huge white piece of metal...
MR: The booster rocket?
TW: Yes. The display there is also displaying the two-second timer, then it ticks twice. Cut back to the ROV bomb as it hits zero, then cut to a reaction shot of Otis as the device beeps.
AM: And then cut to a reverse shot of Clark walking towards the ROV hatch as it explodes. Clark goes flying backwards out of the shot in slo-mo, and we switch to a wide shot of the gantry as the bottom of the booster rocket explodes.
MR: Lionel just fragged his own minion!
ED: And destroyed a billion-dollar spaceship in the process!
AoT: Oh my.
TW: Cut to Mission Control, only now Lex and Martha are present near the center of the room. And they're staring in shock at something offscreen; the camera pans over to reveal it's the main wall display, which is showing the exploding rocket with faint audio.
AM: And back to the wide shot as the rocket begins to collapse onto itself in a growing fireball, then the entire ROV explodes and falls into it as well. Then the catwalk explodes. And finally we go to a shakycam overhead shot as the entire gantry assembly collapses upon itself, with explosions in various places, finally being consumed in a gargantuan fireball with debris flying every which way. A huge piece of jagged metal flies up out of the fireball and corkscrews directly towards the camera, and just as it fills the screen we go hard to black and then commercials.
MR: Wait a minute! Who set the other bomb?
JG: Lionel is enough of a bastard not to trust his most trusted lackey with this vital mission, so of course he would have a backup lackey.
ED: Or maybe Otis is just that damn good...okay, was that damn good...
KK: First Lionel kills Martian Manhunter...and now he sacrifices his own man just to keep Clark on Earth? That's a whole new level of bastard.
AM: You ain't seen nothing yet.
KK [gapes at AM]: What the hell did you two do?
TW [chuckles darkly]: All will be revealed...in time.
KK [after a few seconds]: I think I'm scared now.
JG: I'm not! Bring it on!

Continued...