Original Air Date on February 26th, 2010

Clark: Faora? It's not a good idea to advertise you're from another planet.

Faora: You may feel more human than Kryptonian. This is who I am.

Clark: Just when you're out in public, it's better to keep those tags hidden and play it safe.

Faora: How can you be safe when someone destroyed our tower? It could have been brought down by anyone. I don't even know who to trust anymore.

Clark: I know how much that tower meant to you, to all of you, but you can't change what happens in the past.

Faora: Zod told us it was our salvation.

Clark: And he was wrong. Trust me, the future will be much brighter without it.

Faora: Only one thing gives me hope. You found my sister and brought her back to me.

[Smiles, and hugs Clark]

Vala: Kal-El.

[Clark sighs]

Clark: It's Clark, remember? You both need to call me by my human name.

Vala: Clark. It just sounds so alien.

Clark: I came by to check on you both. I understand how difficult it can be, adjusting to a new home.

Faora: Without our powers, adjusting will be even more difficult.

Vala: Faora, we have nothing to fear anymore. He'll protect us.

[ Siren wailing ]

Vala: Go. They need you too.

[ Air whooshes ]

[ Sighs ]

Faora: Sister, don't get your hopes up. He's in love with a human. Close up and meet me across the street. You can drown your sorrows in one of their cappuccinos.

[Sighs]

[ Door closes, bell dings ]

Vala: Sorry, we're closed.

[ Rattling ]

Vala: Hello?

[ Floorboards creak ]

[ Door closes, bell rings ]

[ People chattering ]

[ Screams, labored breathing, gasps ]

[ Credits roll in ]

[ Computer beeps ]

[ Cellphone chirps ]

Clark: Lois. What are you up to?

Lois: Oh, you know, just juggling deadlines like I'm trying out for Cirque du Soleil. What about you?

[ Chuckles ]

Lois: You look like you have a few pins in the air, yourself.

Clark: Just making sure I don't drop any assignments.

[ Almost bump into each other ]

Clark: Hello.

Lois: You know, since we started seeing each other, we never really ... see each other. Maybe we should stop and smell the roses.

Clark: Well, I know where we can find some. Across the street, romantic café.

Lois: Mm. I see a table for two in our future.

[ Clark Chuckles ]

Faora: Clark?

Lois: Who's the femme fatale?

Clark: An assignment that I can't put off.

Lois: Guess we should just h*t the pause button on our rosy rendezvous.

Clark: Thanks. I'm sorry.

Lois: It's fine. No problem, Smallville. Go win a Pulitzer.

Clark: I thought we agreed, the Daily Planet's off limits.

Faora: I had no choice. I didn't wanna risk Zod finding out that I was contacting you.

[ Sighs ]

Faora: He doesn't trust you, Kal-El. But I think you're the only person that can find my sister.

Clark: Vala? What happened?

Faora: She's been kidnapped.

Oliver: Well, judging by the grim look on your face, I'd say you're not here for the peepshow. Who died?

Tess: My billion-dollar dream for an energy-efficient solar tower. And given what it's cost our company, I wanna know why you're not grieving.

Oliver: Um, because I think we can come up with a more fiscally responsible way to, uh, make the future brighter, greener.

Tess: Really?

Oliver: Yeah.

Tess: Or maybe you're not shedding any tears because you're happy that somebody torched that tower.

Oliver: I hope you're not pointing a finger at me. Because I think the investigators concluded that it was a, uh, freak accident, right?

Tess: So it's just a coincidence then. There was a time when I could stare into those big brown eyes of yours, and believe anything you told me. Those days are history.

Oliver: Well, believe me or not, I did what I did because you were bleeding the company dry.

Tess: Well, I'm glad to see that you suddenly care about staying in the black.

Oliver: Oh, yeah.

Tess: Because my divisions aren't the only ones wrecking the bottom line. I had breakfast this morning with the CFO, and he revealed that somebody at one of your subsidiaries is embezzling funds. So I suggest that you find the money drain. Stop the leak.

[ Walks away ]

[ Papers rustle ]

[ Bell dings, door closes ]

Zod: You're too late. I'm taking care of this. I've made sure the police know nothing about it, and I've cleared up before the owner arrives. Why don't you go back to saving humans, Kal-El?

Clark: I'm here to find Vala.

Zod: Well, I don't want your help. If you hadn't demanded we assimilate, Vala wouldn't be in danger.

Clark: You can't blame me for her abduction.

Zod: You are to blame. For sending everyone away from me.

[ Scoffs ]

Zod: No, you wanted to drive a wedge between me and my people. And now Vala and the others are gone.

Clark: The others?

Zod: Yeah. Two other Kandorians are missing, taken the same way, their crest left behind as a warning to us all. Someone is hunting us. And we can't defend ourselves because you will not give us our powers.

Clark: I told you before, I can't just give them to you.

Zod: And you've made sure to seal our fate by burning down my tower!

[ Tries to h*t Clark but not possible ]

Zod: The police may have written this off as an accident, but you and I both know the truth. At least have the courage to admit what you've done.

Clark: What I did was right.

Zod: For the humans.

Clark: For everyone!

Zod: The Kandorians won't see it that way.

Clark: You'll never tell them. Because you don't know which ones have turned against you already. And the fact that that tower's down leaves you weaker than ever.

Zod: Think of me what you will, but know that, but know that because of your actions, our people's blood is on your hands.

[ Sniffs, walks away ]

[ Bell dings, door slams ]

[ Air hisses, panting ]

[ Gasps and whimpers ]

[ Machinery cranking ]

Vala: Ohh! No! Please. Please let me out. Please!

Bernard: Oh, I don't want you contaminating anything, alien.

Vala: I'm not what you think I am. I'm not.

Bernard: Oh, I know who you are. I thought all of you had vanished off the face of the Earth. But when I spotted you and the others living among us, pretending to be humans, I realized you wanna colonize our planet.

Vala: No, no, no, you're wrong. You're wrong, you're wrong. I'm human. I'm the same as you.

Bernard: Stop lying. I'm gathering undeniable proof. I'm gonna share it with the rest of the world. And when they learn the truth, all of you will be hunted down and exterminated!

[ Machinery cranks ]

[ Gasps ]

Vala: Oh, god. No! No. Oh, no. No, stop.

[ Sobbing ]

Vala: No, please! No! Oh, no.

[ Classical music playing over laptop ]

[ Door opens ]

Chloe: Just the interruption I was hoping for.

[ Oliver turns music up, rock music playing ]

Chloe: I like where this is going, Romeo, but you might want to put on some softer music.

[ Whispering ]

Oliver: This is not a booty call. I think Tess Mercer might be listening. She's up to something and it involves you. She came by my office today with evidence that someone's been siphoning money from my company. You're stealing from me.

Chloe: It's not like that.

Oliver: Right. A lot of women have used me for my money. I never expected it from you.

Chloe: I wasn't stealing from you, Oliver. I was borrowing the cash. I'm buying insurance for the entire planet.

[ Air whooshes ]

Faora: Have you found my sister?

Clark: Not yet. But I haven't given up. Now, Zod told me that three Kandorians were abducted. Is that true? What was Vala's connection to the other two?

Faora: They're what you call cybernetic engineers.

Together they were performing tests to get our powers. Perhaps these tests are to blame for her abduction.

Clark: You can tell me.

Faora: They were experimenting on humans.

[ Door opens ]

[ Soft accordion music playing ]

[ Lois Sighs ]

Lois: Pinot Noir, for one.

[ Chuckles softly ]

[ Sighs ]

[ Couple is speaking indistinctly ]

[ Lois smiles ]

[ Opens newspaper, sighs ]

Bernard: Miss Lane. I'm Dr. Bernard Chisholm. Forgive me for being so forward, but I have a news story that I think you should hear.

Lois: Sorry, doc, you just got me on a night when work is the last thing I wanna think about.

Bernard: It'll make your career. Aliens are living among us.

Lois: Okay. Tell you what, pal the next time that you want to get a hot tip to a reporter, just try an envelope and a 44-cent stamp. Okay?

Bernard: I did. Dozens of times, in fact.

Lois: Well, considering your story's alien angle, those letters probably never made it off the wacko pile.

Bernard: I can prove my claims. I've captured some of them. They're under lock and key at a safe location outside the city. Come with me, Miss Lane. I'll show you. Help me spread the word. Together we'll defend the human race.

Lois: You're very convincing. I just need to call my editor and let him know that I'm following a hot lead.

[ Sighs ]

Lois: Damn cell phone. Never a signal when you need one. Just ... I'm gonna try out there. Just stay here, okay? Don't go anywhere.

[ Door opens ]

[ Telephone ringing ]

Operator: 911, what's your emergency?

[ g*n cocks ]

Lois: Never mind. False alarm.

Bernard: I'd hoped you'd enlist to fight our w*r, but I guess you'll have to be drafted.

Bernard: This blood confirms my suspicions. These things are alien. Now, I've kept copious notes about my findings. But if I try to share them, they'll be dismissed. If they come from a legitimate news source, the public will listen. And that's where you come in.

Lois: Listen, Agent Mulder.

[ Chuckles ]

Lois: I will write your X-Files exposé. But I'm telling you, no one will believe it.

Bernard: They will when they receive the body parts I've harvested. I'm sending samples to medical experts all over the world. When they see the proof, they'll come. Cryogenically preserved specimen waiting for them.

[ Chains lock ]

Lois: Okay, uh, uh, buddy, you just went from creepy critter to full-blown nut-job. You need to get that girl out of that Ziploc and turn off the deep freeze now.

Bernard: You're not appreciating the magnitude of my discovery, Miss Lane. It's an alien!

[ Sighs ]

Bernard: Look what they did to me.

Lois: Oh, my god.

Bernard: The last thing that I remember, I died of a heart att*ck. But they brought me back to life. They, implanted these into my brain.

Lois: Wait. You are doing this to her because she saved your life? You should be thanking her, not turning her into a popsicle.

Bernard: That thing didn't save me! When I died, I was at peace. But then, whatever they did, it's like I can't shut off my brain. You know, it ... I can't stop thinking. And I have thoughts that a person should never have. The invasion has g*n, Miss Lane, and it's our job to save mankind.

Clark: The nurse said the medical examiner will be with us any minute. How many people did Vala and the others work on?

Faora: All I know is they stole the cadavers from the morgue to perform their tests. When the tests failed, they left the bodies behind for the authorities to find. They didn't k*ll anyone.

Clark: That doesn't make it right. These people didn't agree to be guinea pigs in your quest for power. d*ad or alive, Zod should never have allowed it.

Faora: Zod didn't know.

Clark: Given the way I've seen him command his troops. I find that hard to believe.

Faora: You've only known the man a few short weeks. You've no right to pass judgment on him.

Clark: Let's just say I know him better than you think.

Faora: Really? Were you by his side in the Argo Valley, where he almost died defending us all? He ran behind enemy lines alone to carry a young cadet to safety, withstood laser scars and shrapnel wounds to bring her back home. That cadet was me. And if it wasn't for Zod, I wouldn't be alive today. He's always been a hero, ready to give his life to protect his people.

Clark: Like the way he protected my father?

Faora: Regardless of their differences, I know, in his heart, Zod always considered Jor-El one of his truest friends.

Clark: I guess that's a side of Zod I never knew existed.

Faora: You may think you have insight into Zod, Kal-El, but I assure you, you don't really know the man.

Zod: Hey, four eyes. Help out a visually impaired compadre, hmm?

Molly: What can I do for you, Magoo?

[ Laughs ]

Zod: Well, I have been writing an article on extraterrestrial conspiracy theorists. People who believe aliens roam the earth, that kind of thing. And, um, I've checked with the police, local FBI, and Internet groups, and I haven't found what I'm looking for yet, so, um I figured if anyone wanted to tell the world they'd seen little green men, they might contact us.

Molly: Seems the town's full of UFO nuts. Be right back.

Zod: Why, thank you.

[ Hinges creak, Molly leaves ]

[ Zod places heavy box down, throwing glasses down. Checking the mail ]

[ Door opens ]

Oliver: Kryptonite w*apon? This is what you've been spending all of my money on something that could k*ll Clark?

Chloe: They're to protect all of us, including Clark, from Zod and all those other Kandorians.

Oliver: I don't understand. I thought you were helping set them all up with licenses and passports.

Chloe: All the I.D.'s I gave Clark have computer tracking chips in them. I want to keep an eye on the eye on the visitors from another planet.

Oliver: Welcome to 1984, the Sullivan edition.

Chloe: Look, Ollie, I'm sorry, okay? But I didn't have a choice. Our friend's moral compass has gotten us lost more than once. I'm not okay with just sitting back and trusting Clark again.

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

[ Computer clacking ]

[ Clattering ]

Lois: Look, Chisholm, if you're trying to freak me out, you've already won the Scream Award. There's no need for an encore. [ Muffled scream ] Ahh!

Zod: Shh! Shh.

[ Breathing heavily ]

Lois: Zod. How did you end up in my Nightmare on Psycho Street?

Zod: I'm with the FBI. We've been watching Chisholm for a while. Where are the others?

Lois: There's only one person left alive. She's over there. Here. [ Gasps ]

Zod: Vala. What has this monster done to you?

[ Machinery powering down ]

Lois: Chisholm!

[ Lois screams ]

Bernard: Stop wasting time! You have a deadline to meet.

[ Handcuffs come off ]

Lois: Agent Zod! Come on, wake up! Listen to my voice. Come on.

[ Groaning ]

Zod: You're alive.

Lois: I'm glad to see that you are, too, G-man. What do you say we take a look? Okay?

[ Zod Grunts ]

Lois: Okay. We're just gonna put some pressure on it, and everything will be as good as gold in no time, all right?

[ Zod clears throat ]

Zod: Chisholm will be back.

Lois: Don't worry. I won't leave until your FBI backup gets here.

Zod: Why would you do that? You don't know me.

Lois: It's what Clark would do.

[ Gulps ]

Zod: Lois, backup isn't coming. So you need to help that girl. And you need to get of here. You save yourself. Go! [ Gasps ]

Flores: I-I don't think I should be talking to reporters about hospital business. I need this job.

Clark: Dr. Flores, we already know that the bodies were taken from the morgue last September. I just need to know if they were recovered.

Flores: All. Except, this one.

Clark: John Corben?

Flores: Now you guys have to go.

Faora: Are there any witnesses? Someone who could identify the people responsible for stealing the bodies?

[ Clears throat ]

Flores: I have no idea. You'd have to ask the attending ME who was here at the time.

Clark: And when does he get in?

Flores: Dr. Chisholm was forced to take a leave of absence. Psychiatric reasons.

Clark: You're gonna have to be more specific than that.

Flores: I've said all I'm gonna say.

Clark: Fine. Then I'll have to make up the rest and quote you as the source, 'cause that's what reporters do when they don't have all the details. [ Chuckles nervously ]

Flores: Okay. Chisholm said he caught the body snatchers here in the morgue. But he was so freaked out by it that he had a heart att*ck and died. Then he claimed that they brought him back to life because they were extraterrestrials. Told everybody they experimented on his brain.

Clark: Give me a way to get in touch with him, and I promise I won't mention you in the article once.

Flores: Deal.

[ Paper rustles ]

Flores: Here's his contact info. But if he's talking to aliens, I doubt he'll want to talk to you.

[ Gasping ]

Bernard: Where'd she go?

[ Lois punches him, hitting him against the wall ]

[ Bernard hits Lois, causing her to fall down ]

[ Bernard notices Zod's dog tags ]

Bernard: You're one of them. It's worse than I ever thought. You aliens are everywhere. You've infiltrated our world. But you will not win. You don't belong on this planet. Your invasion stops now.

[ Air whooshes ]

[ Whirring ]

[ Air whooshes, Clark knocks out Bernard ]

[ Electricity crackling ]

[ Shivering ]

Clark: You're gonna be all right.

[ Groans ]

Clark: Zod?

Zod: You're gonna get what you wanted. I'll never see the sun rise on your planet again.

Clark: My father's last wish was to save your life.

Zod: That's what I'd expect from Jor-El.

Clark: Don't speak. We need to get you to a hospital.

[ Gasps ]

Zod: Kal-El. You, can't save me.

[ Grunts ]

Clark: Zod? Zod!

[ Cuts himself, groans in pain ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

Clark: Welcome back.

[ Chain breaks, doors open ]

Tess: You said they were in there.

Lenkov: Miss. Mercer, I-I showed you the pictures. Those crates were in this container, hundreds of them.

Tess: They're not there now. You wanted a higher pay grade, Lenkov. Prove to me you're worth it. Whatever they're spending that money on, you find it.

Oliver: Figured Tess was up to something when she gave me the tip about all the money that you, um, heh, borrowed. So I moved your stockpile.

Chloe: So, what other dirty little tricks do you think the amazing Mercer has up her sleeve?

Oliver: It's too soon to tell. Clark saw a future that we wanna run away from. You said Tess saw the same future. Maybe she wants to take us there.

Chloe: Which is why we need those w*apon now more than ever. Where'd you put them?

Oliver: They're in a safe place.

Chloe: Are you keeping me in the dark because I lied to you?

Oliver: Well, you know, Chloe, you can't have a set of rules for yourself and then a whole another set of rules for everyone else.

Chloe: Clark's in the Kandorian family now, and I don't want to let his loyalties lead us into another doomsday scenario.

Oliver: Neither do I.

Chloe: So do you really think we should tell Clark everything?

Oliver: Absolutely. But only when the time is right.

[ Elevator bell dings]

Lois: Lab, please.

[ Opens box ]

Lois: I need a blood sample analyzed.

Clark: Lois, what are you doing here? The first thing the doctor said when you got released from Met Gen was to take it easy.

Lois: No time, Smallville. I got Randall to let me pen my Silence of the Lambs remake. The bummer is, the support cast didn't show up to set. Our icy ingénue refused treatment at Met Gen and left no contact info.

Clark: Maybe she wanted to see her own physician Lois: What about Zod? Both the FBI field office and D.C. headquarters said they have no record of him.

Clark: Of course. It's because Zod works deep cover. The FBI would never even admit that he works there. It's top secret. That's why I didn't tell you that he was an agent.

Lois: That's the thing about heroes. No matter how brightly you shine the light on them, they always want to stay in the shadows. But still, something doesn't quite add up. You're hiding something, Smallville. Some other earth-shattering detail about Zod?

Clark: You want full disclosure? Great. It's a two-way street. You're gonna have to tell me what you're hiding in your desk drawer.

Lois: Ahh. Touché, Mr. Kent. Why don't we both just agree that a little mystery is good for the romance?

[ Cell phones beeping ]

Lois: You first.

[ Beep ]

Clark: Lois, I should, um ...

Lois: Follow up on an assignment?

Clark: Yeah.

Lois: See you on the front page, ace.

[ Lois smiles, opening desk drawer taking phone out ]

[ Lois seems confused, takes box out, revealing Checkmate ]

[ Rooftop Door opens ]

Zod: I trust Lois is well.

Clark: Thanks to you. She told me what happened. You saved her.

Zod: Well, she did a great job of protecting me too. I can see why you care for her.

Clark: And how are you feeling?

Zod: Like a changed man.

When your enemy becomes your savior, your paradigm shifts. Kal-El, how did you know that your blood would cure me?

Clark: I didn't. It must have healed you because you're Kryptonian, like me.

[ Grunting ]

Clark: You're still in pain?

[ Groans ]

Zod: Even though you healed my wounds, I was sh*t. And, unlike you, I'm not made of steel.

Clark: You'll be better than new in no time.

Zod: I am better. Because I was wrong about you. You do care about the Kandorians, and when you saved my life, I realized that I.. I can trust you.

Clark: And together we'll make sure that our people can call Earth their new home.

[ Zod smiles, groans, and both of them shake hands]

[ Siren wailing ]

[ Air whooshes ]

[ Zod flies ]
{"type": "series", "show": "Smallville", "episode": "09x14 - Conspiracy"}