Original Air Date on October 1st, 2003

A sh*t of the night sky. There are a few thin clouds and the full moon is shining brightly.

Screen Text: Three Months Later

We lower down from the moon and see the rotating globe on the top of the Daily Planet in Metropolis with several large buildings in the background. We soar slowly over the globe, then sh**t straight down the side of the building to the street below, heading straight for a figure walking along the sidewalk. With a blast of loud music and the sound of passing cars and people, we get to the figure and see that it's Clark Kent. He is wearing a black shirt and jacket and blue jeans and he is strutting along the sidewalk with the smallest hint of a dangerous smile on his face. He clenches his right hand into a fist for a moment. The red kryptonite ring shines on his finger.

He stops outside of a car shop called Metropolis Luxury Auto. Through the display window he sees a sleek, and obviously expensive silver convertible rotating on the turn table. He walks closer to the window and looks in at the car lustily.

Cut to Clark punching through an ATM machine at the Bank of Metropolis. He reaches in and shovels handfuls of bills into a leather bag. Next to him are a whole row of ATM machines that he has already broken and the ground is littered with cash. Clark smiles as he puts a few more large bills into the bag and then zips it shut.

Cut to the showroom of Metropolis Luxury Auto. He walks past the car, rubbing his hand over the spoiler. A sexy blond saleswoman approaches.

Clark: I like this car. How much is it?

Woman: If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Clark: [Still looking at the car] Try me.

Woman: $240,000.

Clark: [Whistles, then unzips the leather bag] This should cover it.

The woman looks into the bag, shocked.

Clark: Let me take it for a test drive.

She looks into Clark's eyes and smiles.

Cut to an issue of the Metropolis Inquisitor lying in the street. There is a picture of Lex Luthor and an article entitled "R.I.P. Lex, Search Called Off - Funeral Friday." The silver convertible squeals to a stop with the tire right over the Inquisitor, and Clark and the woman step out of the car. They are outside a flashy nightclub. Clark takes her hand and leads her through the crowd of people waiting outside, and the valet parking attendant comes to Clark.

Attendant: Cool ride, Kal.

Clark: You like it? It's yours. [He tosses the attendant the keys and continues toward the door of the club] Keep it.

The attendant watches him go with wide eyes and a shocked smile.

Cut to Clark leading the woman into the club through a mass of scantily clad dancers, flashing lights, and loud dance music. A sign hanging above the bar says Atlantis, which is the name of the club. Clark and the woman stand next to each other at the bar.

Woman: So, Kal. Where you from?

Clark: Someplace I'm trying to forget.

Woman: [Standing closer to him, flirting] Me too.

She leans in and kisses him. They kiss hungrily for several seconds as she rubs her hands up and down his chest. When they finish kissing, she sees that the top button of Clark's shirt is undone and she notices the top of the Kryptonian symbol that was b*rned into his chest.

Woman: What is that?

Clark: It's a birthmark.

Woman: [Rubbing his chest] Ooh, it's pretty big for a birthmark.

Clark: [Grabbing her arm violently] Don't touch.

Woman: Ow! That hurt! Jerk.

She walks away. Standing behind the bar, the bartender watches her go.

Bartender: What's the deal, Kal? Every night you roll in here with a babe, but you always leave empty-handed. What are you, a monk or something?

Clark: What's the point of starting something if it's just gonna end badly?

Clark drops a 100-dollar bill on the bar.

Cut to the street outside Atlantis. Clark is walking across the street away from the club, when he suddenly doubles over in pain, gasping and clutching at his chest. He makes it across the street and stumbles into a nearby phone booth, leaning against the inside window as his pain intensifies.

He suddenly rips open his shirt and the Kryptonian symbol is glowing red hot, burning him.

Clark: Aaah! Aaaah!

He collapses on the floor of the phone booth and finally rips off his kryptonite ring. The symbol immediately stops glowing and his pain is gone. He looks up at the telephone.

Cut to a phone ringing on a table. Martha Kent answers it.

Martha: Hello?

Clark holds the receiver to his ear, breathing softly.

Martha: [Gentle, hopeful] Clark. Is that you?

Clark continues to breathe, a look of anguish on his face as he hears his mother's voice.

Martha: Please, come home.

Clark stays on the line a moment longer and then abruptly hangs up the phone, near tears.

Martha hangs up her phone as well.

Clark then turns around and puts the ring back on, sending red through the veins in his arm and up his flexed bicep as he clenches his fist in front of his face. He closes his eyes tightly and takes a deep breath of relief as the ring takes its drug-like effect. He opens his eyes and they glow with red.

[Opening credits]

A sh*t of the Metropolis skyline. Day. There are dozens of skyscrapers with the Daily Planet right in the center.

Cut to a man wearing a hideous almost demonic clown mask in the bank.

Man: Everyone on the floor now!

People gasp and scream as they fall to the floor. The man, along with several others wearing similar masks, run around yelling and pointing large g*n. Another of the thieves drops several thick stacks of bills into a bag.

Cut to a police helicopter making its way through the sky.

Man: [To someone on the floor] Stay down! Face down! h*t the floor!

A security guard crawls up behind the thief, attempting to surprise him. The thief turns around and opens f*re on the guard. A woman screams and ducks, holding her head.

A man in a ski mask on a motorcycle suddenly crashes through the front window of the bank. He swerves to a stop, knocking over one of the thieves. We see the red kryptonite ring glowing on his finger. He gets off the motorcycle and we get a clear look at his eyes through the mask, revealing that it's Clark.

Thief: sh**t the bastard!

Another one of the clown thieves opens f*re on Clark, sending b*llet after b*llet. We see it happen in slow motion as Clark knocks the b*ll*ts out of the air with his hands and dodges them. Then he is suddenly behind the thief and taps him on the shoulder. The thief turns around.

Clark: Stick to balloon animals.

Clark opens his fist and several b*ll*ts fall to the ground. He then throws the thief across the room at the wall. Then Clark begins walking to the desk where the other thief has the bag of money. The thief sh**t Clark in the chest over and over and Clark just keeps coming. He grabs the thief by the neck.

Clark: Sorry, Krusty. I saw the bank first.

Clark lifts him up over the desk and throws him to the ground.

Outside a row of Swat officers lines up and aim their g*n at the bank.

Clark picks up the bag of money and walks to the door as the clown on the floor behind him takes off his mask revealing a tattoo on the side of his face. He watches Clark in wonder.

The police helicopter continues its approach and police cars wait outside the bank, the officers all pointing their g*n. Clark walks out onto the sidewalk slowly and turns around, looking at all the chaos. Several voices are heard through megaphones.

Woman: Fall to your knees!

Man: Put your hands up.

An officer Maggie Sawyer yells into her megaphone.

Maggie: Drop the bag! This is your final warning!

Clark reaches into his jacket and all of the Swat officers and the police begin sh**ting. Clark remains where he is as the b*ll*ts bounce off of him and his eyes suddenly turn red as he uses his heat vision on one of the police cars. The car jumps into the air as it explodes and officers all around drop to the ground.

Maggie gets back to her feet and holds her g*n before her as she runs forward. On the ground she sees Clark's ski mask. She holds it up and it is full of b*llet holes.

Cut to a back alley. Clark super speeds into the alley and comes to an abrupt stop with a triumphant smile.

Kent Farm. Night. Pete talks to Martha and Jonathan in the kitchen. Jonathan is holding an issue of the Daily Planet with a headline that says "Masked Man Continues to Rampage Metropolis."

Pete: His crimes just keep getting bigger and bigger.

Martha: We can't be sure it's Clark.

Pete: Look, I know you don't want to believe, but ... it's him. What are we gonna do?

Jonathan looks at the picture of Maggie Sawyer pointing her g*n at the masked figure of Clark.

Martha: There really isn't anything ...

Jonathan: [To Pete] Yeah. You get in the truck. I'm gonna get my coat.

Jonathan leaves the room and Pete starts to follow him. Martha puts a hand on his arm, stopping him, then she follows Jonathan.

Martha: Where are you going?

Jonathan: I'm going to get him.

Martha: He knows what red kryptonite does. He can take that ring off anytime.

Jonathan: Martha, I don't know that.

Martha: Jonathan, the phone calls. They're the first step.

Jonathan: I can't just sit around in this farmhouse and do nothing anymore.

Martha: Well, even if you find him, how exactly do you plan on bringing him home? It's been three months. We've been searching all that time. We filed a missing person's report, we have done everything we can.

Jonathan: Martha ...

Martha: [Loudly] The fact is Clark doesn't want to be found. [Quieter, holding Jonathan's shoulders] He'll come home to us when he's ready. We just have to have faith. Okay?

Jonathan: [In a whisper] Yeah.

Lana is working in the Talon. Day. She is carrying a tray of coffee to a table and Chloe enters.

Chloe: Hey. I haven't seen you in like a week. I was wondering if we still lived under the same roof.

Lana: I'm swamped here. Your dad said you spent the entire afternoon at the Daily Planet.

Lana puts the coffee down at a table.

Chloe: Yeah, as far as my editor's concerned, picking up his dry cleaning is more of a priority than meeting face to face with the junior columnist. I thought maybe we could have lunch.

Lana: I can't. With Lex gone the Talon's been relegated to LuthorCorp accountants who have no interest in a coffee shop in Smallville.

Chloe: Okay. Uh, well, if you need a ride to Lex's funeral I'm always available for chauffeuring and moral support.

Lana: Thanks. I'm going with the Kents.

Chloe: Have you heard from Clark?

Lana: [Shakes her head.] I was thinking of staying in Metropolis with Nell for a few days. I feel guilty I haven't spent more time searching for him.

Chloe: He's not lost, Lana.

Lana: You may have written him off, but I can't give up hope.

Chloe: Clark ran away. He made a conscious decision to leave his friends, his family, and the girl he claimed to love.

Lana walks toward the bar, hurt. Chloe follows.

Chloe: Lana, I know we've said our piece about what happened and we can continue doing the avoidance dance we've perfected all summer, but the fact is I'm worried about you.

Lana: I'm the last person you need to worry about.

Chloe: Pining over Clark only leads to personal misery. Trust me, I wrote the book. Now you need to move on. He obviously has.

Lana: I don't believe that. I just think he's waiting for the right person to find him.

Lana walks away and Chloe watches her go, worried.

A row of penthouses in Metropolis. Day. Inside, Clark sleeps in a bed with satin sheets. He is shirtless and we see the symbol on his chest.

Two men enter the room. One is the clown thief who removed his mask in the bank. They both point g*n at Clark's bed and sh**t for several seconds, sending feathers from the comforter flying into the air. They stop f*ring and the bed is completely still. Coming closer to the bed, the man with the tattoo on his face pokes at the blankets with his g*n.

Clark suddenly pushes the blankets off of himself, grabs both men by the neck, and throws them across the room. Clark gets to his feet, playing with the ring on his finger.

Clark: Who sent you?

A classy middle-aged man with white hair, Morgan Edge, walks up. He wears glasses and is very nicely dressed.

Morgan: I did. Morgan Edge.

Morgan holds out his hand to shake, but Clark merely turns away and puts on his shirt.

Morgan: That's a hell of a scar. How'd you get it?

Clark: My dad's a real bastard. What do you want?

Clark sits on a couch.

Morgan: You came to my club flashing money, and then you interrupt my guys at the bank. I take it that was not coincidence.

Clark: [Laughing] Those clowns? They work for you?

Morgan: You've made quite a reputation for yourself. I set up this test so I could see with my own eyes if you were man or myth. And clearly, you're both.

Clark: Well, I'm glad I could clear it up for you ... Mr. Edge.

Morgan: I'd like to talk about a job opportunity.

Clark: Thanks. But I'm really not looking for work right now. I like to fly solo.

Morgan: [Sitting] No matter how many b*ll*ts bounce off you, Kal, you're still a kid, and I'm the biggest crime boss in Metropolis.

Clark: Well, I would think you could afford better help.

He looks over at the two thieves who are just getting off the ground.

Morgan: That's why we're talking. I got this one job. It'll make you Midas rich. So when you are tired of playing the little league, you know where to find me.

Morgan gets up, leaving Clark alone, thoughtful.

Chloe walks into the caves below Smallville. Day. She appears to be searching for someone.

Chloe: Mr. Luthor? Mr. Luthor?

She turns around several times and Lionel Luthor is suddenly standing behind her. She turns around and sees him.

Chloe: Mr. Luthor. I got your message. I admit I was surprised to hear that you wanted to meet today considering the fact that tomorrow is Lex's ...

Lionel: My son is gone, Miss Sullivan, and there is nothing I can do now but put his memory to rest and get on with the business of living.

He walks to the wall where the octagonal groove was. We see that it isn't there anymore.

Lionel: You remember there used to be an octagonal keyhole here.

Chloe: Vaguely. I didn't spend much time in this cave.

Lionel: Trust me, it was right here. It disappeared the same day as that ... inexplicable expl*si*n on the Kent farm. The same day that our young friend Clark went into exile. You haven't seen him ... have you?

Chloe: After the fight that Clark and I had, I'd be the last person he'd call.

Lionel: Mmm. [He holds up a newspaper] I've enjoyed reading your column, Miss Sullivan. You're a good writer. [Reading from the column] "The worst sin of age is to forget the trials of youth."

Chloe smiles at Lionel and he chuckles.

Lionel: I just wish that report you did for me on Clark Kent had the same kind of insight.

Chloe: Well, I gave you everything I had.

Lionel: But you came to me with such vigor, and now it seems your enthusiasm for our arrangement is, uh, waning.

Chloe: It's kind of hard to find information when the subject is M.I.A.

Lionel: It might help you to view that as a test of your reporter's mettle. You're such a promising young talent, I'd hate to see an opportunity like this vanish like the keyhole on this wall here.

Chloe: thr*at me, Mr. Luthor, isn't gonna make Clark magically reappear.

Lionel: [Reading from the article] "All decisions have consequences." Clark chose to run away from his. You gonna run away from yours too, Miss Sullivan?

Chloe swallows nervously. Lionel walks away from her, leaving the caves. The sh*t goes up the side of the cave wall showing us the pictograph of the two-headed creature. We focus on the head on the left. Then the sh*t fades into another. The outline of the head is replaced by the outline of clouds in the same formation above an ocean. The creature's eye is replaced by an island of the same shape, appearing tiny from so high above.

We sh**t down toward the island, going straight through one of the fluffy white clouds, and stop at the beach where we find Lex lying on his back. He has no shirt and his skin is cracked and dirty. The sh*t keeps spiraling closer until all we can see is his closed left eye.

His eye abruptly opens.

Fade to black.

Lex is on the island. Day. He sits up with a jerk. We hear the voice of Louis behind him.

Louis: Whoa, easy there, Lex.

Lex: Where am I?

Louis: Same place you've been the last three months. Paradise.

Louis stands to poke at the f*re with a stick.. He is wearing shorts and no shirt. He has long, unkempt hair and a beard.

Louis: You had another fever dream. Malaria's still got you. You were calling her name again.

Lex: [Still out of breath] Who?

Louis: That bitch who set you up.

Lex: [Crawling toward Louis] Louis. I appreciate everything you've done for me, but if you ever refer to my wife that way again, I won't be held responsible for my actions.

Louis: [Laughs] See I was just sitting here running through your story in my head. Now you wake up, Helen and the pilot are gone, and you're left to die.

Lex gets up and walks away angrily.

Louis: You've got to at least consider the possibility.

Lex: Don't you have anything else to talk about?!

Louis: All these years alone on an island? Not really.

Lex: Why don't you go work on the raft.

Louis: [Rising] Because I am not gonna let you commit su1c1de! You could end up drifting for weeks and die alone! Is that what you want?

Lex: [Crazed] I want to get off this island and find out the truth.

Louis: Oh, the truth. See the way I figure it, either your father set you both up, Helen managed this on her own, or the two of them were in league. Why are you in such a hurry to get back to a family that twisted?

Lex: Because my life is not here.

Lex goes to the raft and starts working on it.

Louis: Well, it doesn't sound so great back there. You've got to stop looking at this place as a curse, Lex.

Lex: Shut up!

Louis: It is a gift! Your life has been stripped down to its bare essence. [Placing a hand on Lex's shoulder] To the outside world you're already d*ad. Why not let your old self rest in peace?

The name Lex Luthor is etched into a tombstone in a Metropolis cemetery. Day. Lionel speaks to the people gathered for the funeral.

Lionel: I think the cruelest fate that a parent can suffer is to lose a child.

Martha, Jonathan, and Lana stand together, listening.

Lionel: Lex was touched with greatness. We'd only just g*n to see that potential. I-I can only imagine the heights he would have soared to if his life ... hadn't been ... cut short so tragically.

He turns away for a moment to compose himself. Over the next lines, Lana gets a strange look on her face and turns around. Through the group of people, she sees Clark standing in the distance, somberly listening to Lionel's speech. She gives Lionel one last look, then turns around to go toward Clark. When she finally gets to the back of the crowd, Clark isn't there anymore.

Lionel: These, uh, rituals are meant to bring closure, but there are so many unanswered questions about Lex's disappearance. Questions I hope that will someday be answered, but those answers won't bring him back. I would've searched for a thousand years if I thought he could be found. We can't hold onto the past. In my heart, I will be searching for my son forever.

Woman's voice: So will I.

The crowd parts and we see Helen Bryce carrying some flowers. She walks to the tombstone and puts the flowers in the vase.

Lionel: [Quietly] If you're here to grandstand for the paparazzi, I will have you escorted out.

Helen: I wish to pay my last respects to my husband.

Lionel: Then, Mrs. Luthor, allow me to leave before the hypocrisy begins.

Lionel walks away.

Clark is riding a glass elevator up to his penthouse. Day. He still looks unhappy as we see the ground getting farther away through the window. The elevator dings and the door opens. Clark sees Chloe outside his penthouse door, looking in the window. She turns to him when she hears the elevator.

Chloe: Clark, I need to talk to you about ...

Clark: [Coming toward her, backing her into the railing] Chloe, I told you to never come back here again! Who else knows I'm here?

Chloe: No one. Your secret's safe with me, but we need to talk

Clark: [He goes into his penthouse] I'm busy.

Chloe: [Following him in] Well, I'm coming in. Now what's your deal? You come to Metropolis and you're a completely different person.

Clark: Maybe it's the real me.

Chloe: Well, if it is then I definitely prefer the country Clark. Now... [Looking around.] how did you afford all this?

Clark: Why, Chloe? So you can put me in your column and write a big story about me? Maybe that's why you kept my secret.

Chloe: I kept your secret because you asked me to. I was hoping that if I left you alone you'd get a grip and come home. Now there are people in Smallville that still haven't given up on the search.

Clark: I've erased Smallville from my past.

Clark sits in a chair.

Chloe: Really? Is that why you're still wearing your school ring?

Clark touches his ring.

Chloe: You know, sooner or later someone else is gonna find you.

Clark: You were lucky.

Chloe: Maybe so. But what are you gonna do if one day Lana shows up on your doorstep, or your dad? How are you gonna explain this to them?

Clark: I'm through explaining myself to anyone!

Chloe: Clark, Lana is a wreck and your parents are losing the farm!

Clark: [Standing up and walking across the room] What do I care? I'm never gonna go back anyway.

Chloe: Clark, you were not forced into exile. You ran away from your problems. You are not being noble, you're being a coward!

Clark starts to grab at his chest in pain. He grunts and walks back to Chloe, grabbing her shoulders, pushing her to the door.

Clark: Chloe, get out! If you tell anyone where I am, I'll go so far away from Metropolis that no one will ever find me!

Chloe: [Pulling out of his grip] I don't even know who you are anymore.

Clark: Get out!

Chloe leaves. After closing the door, Clark rips open his shirt and the symbol is glowing again. He falls the floor and pulls at his ring, groaning with pain. His ring seems to be stuck as he pulls on it for a few more seconds, and then it finally comes off and his pain stops. He remains on the floor out of breath.

Helen enters Lex's study in the mansion in Smallville. Day. She is carrying several bags from department stores. From behind her on the upper level of the room, slow clapping is heard. She turns around and sees Lionel.

Lionel: The highlight of the somber affair was the performance of the grieving widow played to perfection by Dr. Helen Bryce in her first public appearance since her dramatic rescue.

Helen: [Putting down her bags] I want you out of my house.

Lionel: You can drop the act, Helen, you're among family. And it's not your house yet.

Helen: I'm sure you didn't come all this way for a condolence call.

Lionel: I won't give my condolences to a m*rder.

Helen: I didn't m*rder Lex.

Lionel: Oh, oh, that's right. Let me see if I can remember your account of the harrowing event. You woke up having been robbed, found the pilot jumping out of the airplane with only one parachute left. Lex valiantly offered to give it to you and went down to his death in the crippled aircraft. That's a wonderful piece of fiction.

Helen: I think the police would find it interesting that you hired me to spy on Lex.

Lionel: You m*rder my son. I won't rest till I've brought your duplicity to light.

He starts to leave, then turns back.

Lionel: You know, Helen, black widows may be powerful predators, but every predator is somebody else's prey.

Lionel leaves and Helen smiles smugly.

Lex is digging in the dirt on the island. Day. He pulls apart a soft piece of tree bark and underneath are dozens of small white worms crawling through the mud. He looks at them greedily and then hungrily starts picking them up and eating them. His eyes close in pleasure as if he hasn't eaten in days. He is interrupted, however, by the distant sound of a jet flying overhead. He gets onto his feet and runs out of the trees and into the open where he can see the sky and he sees the plane flying over the island.

Lex: Louis! Louis! Louis! Louis!

He runs out to the beach where the small f*re is burning. He lights the end of a tree branch on f*re and brings it to a large pile of wood, attempting to light the signal f*re. Louis is sitting calmly on the beach.

Lex: There's a plane! Did you hear it?

Louis: I heard it.

Lex: What's your problem? That's the first one that's flown over in months.

Louis takes the burning branch away from Lex.

Louis: Too late now. It's long gone.

Lex: That's great. That's just great!

Louis: You're wasting your time! They're never gonna see it.

Lex: Son of a bitch. I need to get off this island!

Lex lunges at Louis, attacking him. But Louis steps out of the way and Lex lands on the ground on his back. Louis places his foot over Lex's neck, pinning him down and Lex gags quietly as his airway is cut off.

Louis: You know in your heart this is where you belong. Now you can rage against it but ultimately you'll have to accept it.

Lex pushes Louis's foot away.

Lex: You stay away from me, you freak.

Louis grins in response.

Clark walks into the hayloft on the Kent farm. Night. All of his belongings have been packed up in brown boxes that are stacked everywhere. One of them is labeled "Clark's Loft." He slowly walks up the stairs and looks around. Next to him is an open box and he pulls out a framed picture of himself and his parents.

He hears Martha's voice behind him on the ground level talking to Jonathan.

Martha: I spoke to the bank. They still want us out before the auction.

Clark hides out of sight of his parents who have no idea he's there. They are packing more boxes into the truck.

Jonathan: You know, it's amazing how you can fit your whole life into the back of a pickup truck.

Martha: Is, uh, Bill Ross still okay with us storing our stuff in his garage?

Jonathan: Yeah, he said as long as we need it, it's fine with him.

Martha: Oh, Lana gave me the keys to the apartment over the Talon.

Martha pulls the keys from her pocket and hands them to Jonathan.

Jonathan: [Quietly] Great.

Martha: Yeah, it-it's small.

Martha starts to sob and Jonathan puts his arms around her.

Jonathan: [Whispering] It's okay, Martha, Martha, Martha...

Martha: It's just not fair. This farm has been in your family for three generations, four counting Clark.

Jonathan: It's sad.

Clark continues to listen silently.

Jonathan: Since when have our lives been fair anyway, huh? [They sit on the back of the truck.] You remember the day we found out we couldn't have children? You grabbed my hand and you told me not to worry. You said that we would have happy days again, and you were right. We have had happy days with Clark. But even though he's not here with us anymore, Martha Kent, I am here to tell you that we will have happy days again.

Martha continues to cry and she kisses Jonathan. Clark starts to leave and as he goes, he knocks over the picture frame. Martha hears the clatter and looks up the stairs.

Martha: Clark!

She runs up the stairs and Jonathan follows her.

Martha: Clark! Clark! [Quieter] Clark.

They get to the top of the stairs and Clark isn't there. Martha runs to the window and Jonathan picks up the picture that fell.

Martha: Clark! Clark...

Jonathan walks up behind her and puts his arms around her.

Lana comes down the stairs of the Talon with her purse and a stack of fliers in her hand. Day. She sees Chloe seated at the bar and Chloe gets up to speak to her.

Chloe: [To a waitress] Thank you. [To Lana] Lana, hey, the other day I, uh, I didn't mean to push my own personal brand of self-denial on you.

Lana: It's okay, Chloe. We're all dealing with Clark in our own way.

Chloe: Yeah, and my way is to pull the emotional ripcord and pretend like it didn't happen. It's a force of habit when people walk out of my life.

Lana: [Pause] I can't give up on him without a fight. I already blew it once.

Chloe: Blew it? How?

Lana: When Clark was leaving he asked me to go with him. I said no, but I can't help thinking that if I had gone I could have convinced him to come home.

Chloe: Lana, you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved.

Lana: I love him. [She looks at Chloe guiltily]

Chloe: It's okay. Your feelings for Clark aren't exactly breaking news.

Lana: I saw him yesterday. Just for a second at Lex's funeral.

Chloe: Are you sure?

Lana: Positive. But he took off right away. I'm gonna go back up there and post these.

She shows Chloe the fliers. They have a picture of Clark and a message that says, "Have You Seen This Boy?"

Lana: Could you give me a lift?

Chloe: Sure. But you don't need the fliers. [Pause] I know where he is.

Lana: What?

Chloe: Yeah, okay, you're gonna totally hate me for this, but I found him two months ago. Some friends of mine from the Planet snuck me into this club and there he was, and I couldn't believe it was him. So I followed him back to his apartment.

Lana: You've known where he's been this entire time and you haven't said anything to anybody?

Chloe: Well, I didn't have a choice. He said if anyone else found out, he'd run away to somewhere no one would find him.

Lana: I can't believe you've been telling me to give up on him.

Chloe: Lana, he's not acting like himself. He could be dangerous.

Lana: Just give me the address.

Chloe: Well, I'll take you.

Lana: I think you've done enough already.

Chloe looks at Lana, hurt.

Lana looks in Clark's penthouse window in Metropolis. Day. He doesn't appear to be home and she starts down the stairs. She hears a motor on the street below and looks down in time to see Clark driving up on his motorcycle. She runs down the stairs and gets in front of him, forcing him to stop.

Clark: What are you doing here?

Lana: Looking for you. Clark, you need to come home.

Clark: Smallville's not my home anymore.

Lana looks at him for a long moment, then steps closer.

Lana: I am not letting your ride out of my life again.

Clark: Then get on.

Lana lowers her eyes for a moment, hesitating, then puts her purse strap over her shoulder and gets on the motorcycle behind Clark. They speed out of the alley and out into the street.

Fade to black.

Lex consults an antique rusted compass on the island. Day. He takes a few paces forward and finds a small pond. He bends over and splashes water on his face and cups some of it in his hands from which he drinks. After a few gulps, he sees something shining in the water. Resting on a patch of grass is a necklace with the letters LL on it. It is obviously expensive and the Ls appear to be studded with diamonds. He crawls forward far enough that he is ankle deep in the water and reaches for the necklace. He pulls it a few inches from the water to get a closer look with the chain still under water. He keeps pulling and suddenly a human skeleton comes out of the water with it. The necklace is around the skeleton's neck.

Lex: Aaah!

Lex falls backwards onto the land and the skeleton falls backwards into the water. Lex reaches forward again and pulls the skeleton up by the necklace. On closer inspection, he sees a deep crack in the top of the skull, resembling a hatchet wound.

Louis: [From nearby, pointing to the skeleton with a machete] Lex. I'd like you to meet my dad.

Lex: You k*lled your father.

Louis: [Eerily calm, coming closer to Lex] Yeah, it was inevitable. I had to do it. Only one of us could survive. See, back there, he was a rich and powerful guy.

Louis kneels in the water and holds the skeleton's face close to his own.

Louis: He was always criticizing me, never thinking I was good enough.

Louis lightly hits the machete against the skeleton's jaw in rhythm with the next line. He is becoming more agitated.

Louis: And it just kept chipping away, chipping away till there was nothing left.

Louis drops the skeleton in the water and looks at Lex for a long time, his face scrunching up sadly.

Louis: [Beginning to cry] I thought you and I were kindred spirits.

Lex: No, Louis. [Viciously] You're a psychopath.

Louis: Well ... there's one in all of us. I just let mine out. Aaah!

He jumps forward, swinging the machete at Lex and misses. Lex runs away.

Louis: Lex!

An outside sh*t of Atlantis in Metropolis. Night. Inside, the lights are flashing and the music blaring. Clark pushes through the crowd of dancers as he pulls Lana by the hand. Lana looks around nervously. A young waitress with a tray of drinks walks by.

Waitress: Hey! What's up, Kal?

Lana: [Yelling over the music] Why'd she call you Kal?

Clark: [Smiling] It's my secret identity.

They keep walking toward the bar. Lana stops Clark and turns him around to face her.

Lana: Clark. Clark! I have been worried about you for three months and you've been hanging around in nightclubs?

Clark: You're so cute when you're angry. [He pulls her by the hand to the bar.] Lana, if you keep talking about Hicksville, you're gonna be on the next bus going back. Now I thought you were here to have some fun.

The same bartender from the other night walks up behind the bar.

Bartender: What's up, Kal?

Clark: Hey, what's up.

They shake hands with an elaborate series of movements, ending in a snap. The bartender walks away.

Lana: You're right. I'm sorry. I'll go freshen up.

She starts to leave and Clark stops her.

Clark: Hey, why? I think you look great.

He leans in and kisses her. She returns the kiss eagerly until Clark finally pulls away.

Clark: [Seriously] I'm glad you're here.

Lana: Me too.

She walks away and the bartender returns.

Bartender: If she's the one you've been saving yourself for, I can understand the wait.

Lana dials the Kents on her cellular phone. Jonathan answers.

Jonathan: Hello?

Lana: Mr. Kent, I found Clark.

Jonathan: Lana, where are you?

Lana: A nightclub in Metropolis called Atlantis. He's acting really strange.

Jonathan: Lana, listen to me. Clark is not himself right now.

Martha enters the room with a box and puts it down and runs to Jonathan when she hears Clark's name.

Jonathan: I want you to be very careful. Now I'm on my way down there, but if he wants to leave, I don't want you to try and stop him.

Lana: Okay.

Lana turns around and Clark is right beside her.

Clark: Who you talking to? [He takes the phone from her] Who's this?

Jonathan: Clark, it's me.

Martha pulls Jonathan's arm toward her ear so they can both hear.

Clark: [Detached, condescending] Jonathan. How's the farm?

Jonathan: Clark, your mother and I love you very much and we want you to come home.

Clark: Is that right? Hey, what about not dwelling on the past and making a fresh new start? Come on, you can admit it. You're happier I'm gone.

Martha: Clark...

Jonathan: Son, that's not true.

Clark: I'm not your son! And you're not my parents, you never have been! You never will be!

Clark throws the cell phone to the ground.

Lana: Clark, what is the matter with you? Your parents love you! I love you.

Clark: Do you always betray the people you love?

Lana doesn't respond and Clark walks away.

Cut to Martha and Jonathan. Jonathan is still holding the receiver in his hand.

Jonathan: I've got to go get him.

Martha: How, Jonathan? If he sees you he could either run, or if he's angry enough he could hurt you. You can't stop him.

Jonathan: Martha, if I don't go and get him now, we may lose him forever.

Martha looks at him pleadingly, then finally nods her agreement. Jonathan kisses her, grabs his coat and exits.

Cut to Jonathan in the hayloft. He opens his toolbox and pulls out a bundled up rag. He opens the rag and pulls out the octagonal key to Clark's spaceship. He looks at it for a moment and then leaves the loft.

Clark is escorted into Morgan Edge's empty nightclub by the two thieves that sh*t him in his penthouse. Morgan is seated at a large dining table. Night. The room is large, full of tables and lit with a foreboding blue light.

Morgan: I'm glad you decided to consider my offer. But why the change of heart?

Clark: My past is catching up to my present. I need to disappear.

Morgan: Free tonight?

Clark: [Sitting next to Morgan and resting his feet on the table] My calendar just opened up.

Morgan: [Handing Clark a slip of paper] This is an account in the Grand Cayman. Here's how much is waiting for you.

Clark: [Whistles] That's a serious amount of zeroes.

Morgan: It's a serious job. I need you to break into a secure building. The office on the 60th floor has a very valuable package. It's in a titanium-reinforced steel safe. Not a job for mere mortals.

Clark looks at the two thieves, dropping the slip of paper on the table.

Clark: Sounds like easy money.

The thieves look at each other, annoyed.

Morgan: I haven't told you where you're going yet. [Pulls a card out of his jacket pocket and hands it to Clark]

Clark: LuthorCorp Plaza. You want me to break into Lionel Luthor's office.

Morgan: Will that be a problem?

Clark: [Smiling maliciously] No. It'll be my pleasure.

Lex runs through the trees, still being pursued by Louis. Night. Lex falls to his stomach behind some shrubs as he hears Louis's voice getting closer.

Louis: [Taunting] Lex. Lex. Lex. [Screaming] Lex! I know every inch of this island. [He scratches his back with the tip of the machete] Where are you going?

Louis keeps walking and Lex jumps up from his hiding place, running in the opposite direction toward the f*re. When he gets to the f*re, Louis is already waiting there. Louis swings the machete at Lex three times, and Lex dodges all of them. On the third swing, Lex catches Louis's arm and pulls it around himself, trying to free the machete from Louis's hand. They struggle for a few moments and Lex finally punches Louis in the face, knocking him to the ground. Lex now has the machete.

Lex: Aaaah!

Lex swings the machete at Louis over and over as blood spatters his face.

Lex: [Screaming wildly] You can't k*ll me! Aaah! Aaah!

A Jamaican man comes up behind Lex with a flashlight.

Man: Hey, mon.

Lex stops and turns around slowly.

Man: What happened?

Lex: No. No. No. I had to do it. He was crazy. I had no choice. I had to k*ll him!

Man: k*ll who?

Lex: Him!

Lex turns around and points to Louis. But when he looks down, there is nothing on the beach but a pile of grass.

Man: There ain't nobody there, mon.

Lex raises his hand and sees that in place of the machete is a small tree branch.

Lex: No. No! [He falls to his knees, searching] Louis!

Man: These islands can mess with your head, play tricks, mon. You're lucky my captain saw your f*re.

Lex: No. It wasn't a trick. He was real. You have to believe me. He was real!

Fade to black.

Jonathan explores the underground caves with a flashlight. Night. He stops at the wall where the octagonal groove used to be. He steps toward it with the key and sees that the groove isn't there anymore. He taps on the wall and feels around, then pounds the wall in anger when he realizes the groove is gone.

Jonathan: He wasn't ready! But you, you had to keep pushing him anyway, didn't you? What kind of a race are you people? No wonder you destroyed yourselves.

He chucks the key to the ground and starts to leave. But the key starts to emit a soft high-pitched sound as the symbols on it light up. Jonathan turns around and sees the key float into the air and toward the wall, sh**ting directly into the center. The symbols on the wall light up and rotate in alternating directions as Jonathan watches. The key opens up and a blast of energy sh**t out, hitting Jonathan with brilliant flashes of light.

Jonathan: Aaah!

The voice of Jor-El can be heard.

Jor-El: I am Jor-El, the true father of Kal-El.

Jonathan: [Still surrounded by the energy] His name is Clark Kent! I am his father, I raised him.

Jor-El: You have fulfilled your function in Kal-El's destiny.

Jonathan: His destiny is whatever he makes of it.

Jor-El: His destiny is too great for you to comprehend. This was Kal-El's first test to see if he was ready to begin his journey.

Jonathan: He's too young! He needs more time!

Jor-El: This phase of Kal-El's journey is almost complete. It will be of no consequence if he returns to you ... for now.

Jonathan: You'll bring him home?

Jor-El: If you want him, you must retrieve him yourself.

Jonathan: I can't. He's too powerful.

Jor-El: Are you willing to sacrifice anything to get him back?

Jonathan: Yes! For my son I'll do anything.

There are more flashes of light as the energy blasts into Jonathan, growing in intensity with each second.

Jonathan: Aaah! Aaah!

The energy grows until all we can see is white.

An outside sh*t of Metropolis. Night. Inside the LuthorCorp building, Clark jumps to the floor through a removed panel in the ceiling. He turns to his right where there is a set of double doors that he walks through to the office inside. In the office he goes to a set of sliding doors on the wall and opens them, revealing a large safe.

Clark grabs the top titanium hinge on the door and it crumbles in his hand. He does the same to the bottom hinge and then lifts the door completely off the safe, resting it against the wall. Inside on a shelf there is a small metal box, about an inch tall and the length of Clark's hand. He takes the box and turns around to leave. Jonathan is there waiting for him.

Jonathan: Hello, Clark.

Clark: [Smiling] Jonathan Kent. Isn't it a little past your bedtime? How'd you find me?

Jonathan: Your biological father.

Clark: [Walking closer, thr*at] You two are working together now, huh? That's cute. But I didn't listen to him and I'm certainly not gonna listen to you.

Clark tries to leave and Jonathan puts a hand on his chest, stopping him.

Jonathan: Clark. You need to put all this behind you, son. Come on home to the people who love you.

Clark smiles and pats his hand on Jonathan's chest. Then he pushes Jonathan hard, sending him flying across the office where he crashes into the wall, denting it with his back and falling to the floor.

Clark: You should've stayed in Smallville.

Jonathan looks up at Clark from the floor and Clark looks back at him intensely, almost as if challenging him. Jonathan rises slowly to his feet.

Jonathan: [Calm, determined] Son, you're coming home with me. Now.

Clark stares in reply, barely lifting his eyebrows.

Without warning Jonathan runs toward Clark, his body blurring with super speed and grabs onto Clark, sending them both crashing through the 60th floor window and falling headfirst toward the ground.

End
{"type": "series", "show": "Smallville", "episode": "03x01 - Exile"}