Smallville Season 8

The **eighth season** of *Smallville* began airing on September 18, 2008, on The CW television network, and concluded its initial airing on May 14, 2009 with 22 episodes.

### Odyssey

Four weeks later, in the Arctic tundra, LuthorCorp's special teams headed by Regan Matthews search for signs of their missing CEO, Lex Luthor. A helicopter lands and a woman in black snow boots named Tess Mercer gets out, demanding answers. She is a trusted employee of Lex's, who he has left in charge in the event of his absence. Suddenly, one of the scientists finds some human remains in the snow. Little do they know that they are being ambushed by the Justice League - Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Aquaman. After a brief battle, the League find Clark's jacket and decide to leave and head back to base.

Back at Lex's mansion, Lois Lane, disguised as a maid, is searching for clues on her cousin Chloe Sullivan's whereabouts. Suddenly, she is interrupted by Tess, who tells her that she has known about her for a while and that if Lex had Chloe arrested, then Chloe must have been guilty. She then has Lois escorted out of the mansion by security.

Meanwhile, in Black Creek, Montana, Chloe is being subjected to tests by a guy with glasses named Ray. It seems that the government wants to use Chloe's talents in exchange for giving her a lighter sentence for hacking into the NSA. Ray says that Chloe is smarter than the average human, to which Chloe responds that the change happened recently, revealing that she has another power: super intelligence.

The Justice League regroups at the Isis Foundation, searching Chloe's computer for information on Clark's whereabouts. It is then revealed that Clark is in Verkhoyansk, Russia, powerless and working in a slave labor camp. He tries to escape by truck, but someone shoots at him and he crashes. The owner beats him up and threatens him with death if he tries to escape again.

LuthorCorp finds an encoded signal from the Justice League satellite and plans to use it to track them down. Once they can decipher three cell phone numbers (using Chloe's powers), they can take them down systematically. Ray asks Chloe to decipher the phone numbers. She believes it is another test until she deciphers the third and realizes it is Oliver's. Aquaman is felled while taking a shower in Tromso, Norway. Black Canary is then taken down on a fire escape in Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland.  They succeed in capturing all but Green Arrow. Chloe then realizes that Ray is not from the government, but instead hired by LuthorCorp, and that he has been tricking her into helping him kidnap the Justice League. Chloe tries to escape, but gets captured again.

Back in Russia, Clark is saved by Oliver, who has tracked him down. Calling himself Roy Connor, Oliver pretends that he wants to buy black-market caviar. Oliver pretends not to know Clark and they start to fight. Oliver then "buys" Clark from the Russians and they leave in Oliver's private jet. Clark tells Oliver that the Fortress of Solitude collapsed on him and Lex. He laments that he should have listened to Jor-El because Lex now knows his secret. Oliver doesn't think Lex survived the Fortress collapse, but Clark points out that he did. Clark admits that he has made a huge mistake and that he feels responsible for what happened to Chloe, and that he will help Oliver find Chloe. Oliver says that Chloe is likely being held in Montana, but Clark is useless without his powers. However, Clark insists they go rescue Chloe anyway.

Back in Black Creek, Ray tries to get Chloe to tell him the last phone number, but she refuses. He has Arthur Curry (Aquaman) and Dinah Lance (Black Canary) strung up from the ceiling. Regan then injects Chloe with a serum they extracted from her mother's DNA, explaining that it has the ability to make a person temporarily follow any order. Her eyes glow green. He then commands her to tell him the last phone number. She obeys and they are shocked to discover they trace the phone number to the base.

Clark and Oliver have arrived. Oliver is in his Green Arrow gear, and Clark is unarmed, but he insists they split up. Clark is shocked to discover Lois also at the facility, where she is undercover as a guard. Lois goes off with Clark and he explains that he is trying to find Chloe. They team up and search for Chloe together. After Oliver gets captured by security guards, Regan injects Oliver with the serum and commands him to find out what happened to Lex Luthor at all costs.

Clark and Lois find Chloe, but Lois gets tasered by a guard. Clark knocks out the guard, frees Chloe, and they embrace. Clark explains that Jor-El took his powers. When Clark runs downstairs to find Oliver, Oliver is waiting for him there and shoots an arrow, which passes straight through Clark, seriously wounding him. Under mind control, he demands that Clark tell him where Lex is, then shoots him again straight through his chest. Chloe runs down the stairs to find a dying Clark. She tries to heal him, but it doesn't work. Oliver snaps out of it and Clark begins to die in Chloe's arms. As he lies dying, he begins having flashbacks of Lana, Martha and Jonathan, people who have left him in the past. The Martian Manhunter suddenly appears in Clark's dream, bathed in yellow light. Just as he actually materializes in front of Clark, Chloe, and Ollie, Clark dies. The Martian Manhunter picks up Clark's body and flies him off into space and into the direct heat of the Sun.

Later at the Kent barn, Clark wakes up to find himself perfectly healed. The Martian Manhunter tells him that the sun healed him, but also says it stripped him (Martian Manhunter) of his powers, as fire is his weakness. He says that that was the last time he could save Clark and that with the Fortress gone, he doesn't have Jor-El's guidance to help him. Clark responds, saying it is time he stopped holding onto a life on the farm that was gone a long time ago, and begin to accept his destiny.

At the Luthor Mansion, Tess' assistant brings her a briefcase containing something they found amongst the remains of the Fortress and a photo of a footprint, but it's not Lex's. She opens it and finds the Crystal of Knowledge glowing brightly.

Chloe is speed-reading the archives of the online version of the *Daily Planet*. She wonders aloud what has happened to her to give her this ability. She hears a noise and exits the apartment. It is Jimmy Olsen, who is glad to see that she is all right. Chloe wants to bring up his proposal, but Jimmy avoids the subject, saying it might risk what they have between them. But Chloe disagrees. She tells him that she spent a lot of time in prison thinking about what she had, and that she was holding onto things from the past that she has decided to let go of. She tells him that she will marry him. She kisses him and hugs him.

Clark is walking on the streets of Metropolis when he meets up with Oliver, Dinah, and A.C. again. They tell them that the League needs to disband because their identities have been compromised. Clark tells them that he wants to help. The League surmises that finding Lex is its top priority and they part ways. Later, at the *Daily Planet*, Lois is surprised to notice that Clark has appeared in the chair in front of her. He tells her that he took her advice and filled out the application, and is now the *Daily Planet'*s newest reporter, with the desk opposite hers. Lois looks a bit miffed, but after Clark leaves, she gives a faint smile.

### Plastique

When Clark shows up for his first day at the *Daily Planet* dressed in a plaid shirt, Lois gets him to change into a borrowed plain shirt inside a phone booth in the office. As he emerges from the booth, they hear an explosion from outside and are thrown into each other's arms. Clark quickly runs outside to investigate the noise.

Clark arrives on the main street, where a bus has exploded. He uses the cover of smoke to tear open the roof of the bus to allow the people inside to escape. As he is helping them out of the wreckage, he notices a red-haired woman still inside, and carries her to safety.

Meanwhile, Chloe notices a girl stumbling around, coughing due to smoke inhalation. She shouts out for an EMT to help, and through the thick smoke emerges Davis Bloome. He runs over to Chloe and begins to examine the girl. He gives her first aid and thanks Chloe for her help. Clark asks another EMT if the red-haired woman is okay, only to hear that she's been taken somewhere. Clark spots Chloe and comes over for a talk. He suggests that she should come back to the *Daily Planet*, now that Lex is no longer in charge. However, she declines and begins to tell Clark about the other changes in her life, before Clark is distracted by a text from Lois to Clark, asking where he went.

Back at the office, Clark comes in and finds Lois chasing down a story. He tells her about the police theory that the bomb misfired, but was too busy helping people to get a source. An aide comes in to escort Clark to the boss, who asked specifically to meet with him.

Upon entering what used to be Lex's office, he sees that the *Daily Planet'*s new owner is Tess Mercer, the red-haired woman he saved from the bus. Tess tells Clark that Lex has told her all about him in the past, especially his "thing for saving people." She asks for suggestions on where to find Lex, but he tells her he doesn't know what happened to him. Tess concludes by thanking Clark for saving her life, but as he leaves he tells her that he'd hate to see her life get consumed by the job the same way Lex's was. Tess' assistant comes in and asks if she should have someone keep an eye on Clark. Tess tells her she's going to watch him personally, because she believes he's hiding something.

Chloe brings food for Bette in the hospital waiting room. Bette explains that she's between homes right now with no parents. As Chloe goes to get a soda for her, Davis shows up and recognizes Chloe. When he hears that Chloe plans to drop Bette off at a street shelter, he talks to Bette and offers to get her into a home where he knows somebody. Chloe volunteers her house, under the condition that Bette will consider Davis' offer, and she agrees as long as she's not forced into anything.

As Lois and Clark go to the bomb site, Lois wonders about Tess talking to Clark. She denies being jealous of his meeting with the new owner, and Clark reassures Lois that Tess was just welcoming him to the *Daily Planet*. Lois attempts to charm an officer into gaining access to the bomb site, with no luck. Clark uses his super hearing and determines from the bomb unit that there wasn't actually a bomb on the bus. Lois is skeptical, but Clark wants to talk to Bette. Lois goes to talk to the other bus passengers and emergency personnel, while Clark heads for Chloe's apartment.

Bette is preparing lunch when Clark arrives (now back in his own red-checkered shirt) and he mentions to Chloe his suspicion that someone with a meteor power was responsible for the explosion. Bette overhears them and says she knows another street kid named Tommy. Bette says she can take Clark to find him, and knows where he hangs out.

They drive back to Metropolis and find Tommy hanging around a skate park, where Tommy recognizes Clark and attempts to run away. He runs down a back alley and Clark tells him he only wants to talk, but Tommy gets angry. Bette, behind Clark, begins to shoot fire from her eyes at some explosive barrels near Tommy, killing him. Bette pretends that Tommy blew himself up, but as soon as Clark leaves, she grins cynically.

Back at the *Daily Planet*, Clark tells Lois what happened and figures that Tommy's powers ran out of control, and ultimately killed him. She's recorded everything he said, but won't go with the story unless she has scientific evidence. She goes off to the hospital to get a coroner's report, after giving Clark the chance to do Tommy's obituary.

Chloe is at the Isis Foundation trying to replace a light bulb when Davis comes over with Bette's application for the home. Davis helps her with the light bulb and when they get fairly close, Chloe becomes a bit flustered and tells him she's engaged. Davis backs off and says he hasn't heard anything about Isis, but knows about "meteor types" and figures they can use the help. He suggests that Chloe help the meteor people, and Chloe reveals she has researched his past, discovering that he was a foster child and moved around to numerous homes. Davis advises her to hold on to real love, if she has indeed found it.

At the Luthor Mansion, Tess is reading a file on Bette when an aide comes in to report they're still unsure of the girl's whereabouts. The aide notes that Tess tried to approach Bette on the bus and things didn't go well, and that Lex would have terminated the girl immediately. Tess reminds him that she's in charge now, and things are going to be different. She orders the aide to bring Bette to her.

Lois sneaks into the coroner's room at the hospital, with a reluctant Clark outside holding flowers. Davis sees him and they introduce themselves to each other. Davis mistakenly assumes that Clark is Chloe's fiancé. When he realizes that's not the case, he asks Clark not to give away that he told Chloe's secret.

At Chloe's apartment, Bette is preparing to leave despite Chloe's objections. When Chloe doesn't stop, Bette makes an object explode using the explosive force from her eyes, and Chloe realizes that Bette has that power and not Tommy.

At the hospital, Lois gets the file which reveals that there was no meteor rock in Tommy's body. His rap sheet shows that Tommy was a major criminal, but never used explosives. They deduce that Bette was responsible and Clark super-speeds to Smallville.

Meanwhile, Bette explains to Chloe that she deliberately set off the explosions first to protect herself on the bus, and later to get revenge on Tommy when he betrayed her. Bette says she was locked up by some corporation at Black Creek until a week ago when they were released, supposedly after tagging, but she had avoided being tagged. Bette told Tommy, who sold her out. Chloe says she was there too and that she also had meteor powers, but they shouldn't kill, no matter what. When Bette threatens to dispose of her, Chloe makes a run for it. Bette aims a blast at Chloe, who falls down the stairs. Clark arrives just in time to catch Chloe and deflect the explosive blast, which bounces back and stuns Bette. Clark convinces Bette that he will help her no matter what she's done, and insists she is not a monster. He offers her his hand and she takes it.

Bette is sent to Belle Reve, and Chloe and Clark are cleaning up the mess in her apartment when she notices her ring has fallen off. Clark has found it and gives it back to her, and asks how long she's been engaged. She wonders if Jimmy told him, but Clark doesn't give up his source. He asks why she kept it from him, and she expresses her concern about the changes the engagement will force upon their friendship. He tells her that her happiness is one of the most important things in the world to him, and that she shouldn't worry about anything else.

Tess and her team intercept the prisoner bus on its way to Belle Reve, and Tess talks to Bette about coming back to LuthorCorp. Tess claims that she is trying to help her, and that she shut down the Montana facility where she was previously held. She says that Bette is a hero, and that she can be part of a team of heroes Tess is putting together.

Lois has gotten a front-page headline about the bus explosion, and thanks Clark for his help. She gives him back a corrected version of his first article, Tommy's obituary. They talk about Chloe's engagement, and Clark reminds Lois that she should be happy for Chloe.

When Chloe phones Davis, she gets his answering machine and leaves a message to thank him for helping her to decide to re-open the Isis Foundation. At that same time, Davis is lying unconscious in an alleyway, naked and trembling. As he slowly returns to his human self after mutating, he wakes up and screams.

### Toxic

Chloe and Clark are attending a rainforest fundraiser. Chloe wonders why Lois isn't Clark's date and Clark admits that Lois is already on Tess Mercer's bad side and is working late. He adds that Tess might work for LuthorCorp, but she's been civil to him. They notice Oliver Queen arrive with a woman and take a glass of champagne. Shortly after drinking it, he begins to stumble around. Chloe wonders if he's drunk, but Clark doesn't think so. He offers to take Oliver to the hospital, but Oliver refuses. He tells him he has been poisoned and has twelve hours to live.

Clark and Chloe take Oliver to the Isis Foundation and Chloe calls Davis Bloome to check on him. Clark still thinks Oliver needs to be in the hospital, but Chloe argues that she has learned to trust Oliver and there must be a good reason why he doesn't want to go. Davis arrives and declares that he can monitor Oliver's vitals, but if he worsens he must bring him in. Clark leaves to track down Oliver's date.

Lois is showing her latest article to Tess, who is unimpressed. Lois notices a sheet of paparazzi photographs featuring Oliver and asks about it. Tess tells her about how Oliver left the party falling-down drunk and that she was going to ask Lois to cover the story, but doesn't think she will be objective due to Lois and Oliver's past relationship. Lois insists that they broke up a long time ago and that she can cover the story.

Clark tracks down Oliver's date, but she is being taken away from the party in an ambulance. The EMT tells him that she was found in the bathroom unconscious and says she would be lucky to make it to the hospital alive. Chloe is at Oliver's side, but he is getting worse.

Oliver slips into a fever dream in which he

awakens, stranded on a deserted island. He is trying to forage for food, but isn't having any luck. Finally, he creates a makeshift bow and arrow and starts to hone his skills. Eventually, he hears someone else arrive on the island and goes to see. He pricks his finger on a flowering plant and passes out.

Lois arrives at the Isis Foundation looking for Oliver. She thinks he is hungover, but then notices the heart monitor. Chloe reiterates that Oliver insisted on no hospital and Lois is skeptical, but she agrees. Oliver begins to murmur in his sleep and Lois goes to his side.

Oliver on the island wakes up. A younger Tess is applying leeches to his chest. She explains that Oliver has been poisoned by a very toxic plant. She says she is a marine biologist and a hospital would have misdiagnosed him and treated him with adrenaline, which would have killed him, but she knows how to cure him. They are in a tent surrounded by armed men. She admits that she and her friend have been kidnapped.

Clark runs into Davis at the Metropolis General Hospital and Davis reports that they treated Oliver's date, Adrianna, with adrenaline and she is fine. He is on his way to bring Oliver to the hospital when Adrianna suddenly takes a turn for the worse.

Tess continues to tend to Oliver, who is getting better. She tells him that the men kidnapped her and her friend, Megan, who is tied up. Just then, one of the kidnappers (Marcos) approaches Oliver and tells him that he knows his identity. He knows that Oliver is a rich heir. He announces plans to ransom Oliver, then shoots Megan dead and almost shoots Tess too, but Oliver jumps in front of her. The kidnapper decides not to kill Tess.

Lois is at Oliver's side. She is upset that he is getting worse. She muses that she wonders if they should have stayed together. When Clark returns, Chloe tells him that she has researched the poison and its origins. Clark is stunned that she identified the plant, but Chloe brushes him off. She scans a LuthorCorp online database of plants and instantly locates the plant. Clark is upset that Chloe didn't tell him that she has a new ability, saying that it is the result of her attack from Brainiac. Chloe tells him that there is nothing they can do about it and she chooses to view the result as a gift. She gives Clark a printout of the flower and tells him to ask Tess about the antidote.

Clark goes to see Tess at her office in the *Daily Planet*, but she denies all knowledge of such a project at LuthorCorp. However, when Clark shows her the picture, she clearly recognizes the flower and gets Clark to tell her that it is Oliver Queen who is in danger. She now admits that the lab does exist, but has been relocated to Brazil and so there is no way they could get the antidote in time. But Clark looks thoughtful.

Davis returns to the Isis Foundation and tells Lois that Oliver will probably die. Lois tells him to do anything he can to keep him alive.

Oliver continues to dream about Tess and himself on the island. He tries to console Tess over the death of her friend. He tells her that he told himself that he would change and not waste his life if he ever makes it off the island. He and Tess get ready to board Marcos' boat, but Oliver has fashioned a dart. He throws it and it first hits one of the poisonous berries before wounding and poisoning Marcos. Oliver tells him about using the leeches, if he can find them. Oliver and Tess take the boat and leave the island.

Oliver's fever has spiked and Lois and Davis are performing CPR, when Clark arrives back from Brazil with the antidote, telling an incredulous Davis that it has only recently been developed by Queen Industries. Davis injects it into Oliver; his condition rapidly improves and he wakes up. He tells Clark that whoever poisoned him will target Tess next and that Clark should go and warn her.

Tess is leaving the *Daily Planet* and sees one of her tires has been slashed. Marcos attacks her from behind and, although she fights back, he eventually punches her out. Just as he is standing over her ready to kill her, Clark arrives. He uses his heat vision to make a power line fall and knock him out. Tess awakens, but she doesn't see her rescuer.

Tess is recovering at Luthor Mansion when Oliver Queen arrives. They argue about their past history and Tess remarks that he never said goodbye. Oliver wonders if that is why she summoned him. Instead, she hands him a folder and he reads the contents with a grim face.

Clark arrives at work and notices that Lois is not working on Oliver Queen's story. He correctly guesses that Lois decided she was too emotional over Oliver's near-death experience. Lois says she still thinks her break-up with Oliver was for the best and Clark offers support, saying that she is still allowed to feel for him. He admits that he watched the break-up video that Lana sent him more than once.

Chloe is surprised to find Davis at the Isis Foundation looking at her complicated plant research. She tries to shrug it off, but Davis realizes that Chloe's intelligence is a bit unusual. She admits that even her wedding seating chart has become strangely complicated and Davis guesses that her fiancé doesn't know about her ability. Davis tells her that everyone has a dark side they might not understand.

Clark finds Oliver tossing back liquor at the Ace of Clubs. He chastises him for drinking since he is just recovering from being poisoned. Clark asks Oliver why he didn't tell him that he knew Tess. Oliver is upset over the contents of the folder Tess gave him and gives it to Clark. It contains information that indicates that Lionel Luthor sabotaged his parents' plane and caused their deaths. Oliver thinks that because of Clark's relationship with Lionel, he probably already knew this. Clark admits that he did, but had been concerned about Oliver's possible reaction if he told him. Oliver counters that his time on the island made him strong enough to face his fears, but he thinks Clark is still afraid.

Marcos has made bail and is boarding a cab, preparing to leave town. Tess approaches him and scratches his hand with the same toxic flower. As he collapses inside the cab, she says that she bailed him out so that she could have her revenge. She tells the cab driver to take him to the hospital, fully aware that they will probably misdiagnose his condition and treat him with adrenaline – resulting in his death.

### Instinct

Inside the Luthor Mansion, Dr. Edward Groll is running a series of test on the Crystal of Knowledge, attempting to unlock its secrets. Dr. Groll informs Tess that after conducting extensive research he's discovered that the crystal is of alien origin. Tess is very skeptical about this news update, based on the fact that it doesn't explain the mysterious disappearance of Lex Luthor which took place in the Arctic on Earth not in outer space.

Dr. Groll believes that perhaps the answers Tess is seeking can be found within the crystal computer hard drive using a high frequency generator device. Activating the device the crystal emits a blue high energy pulse beam into outer space almost like a beacon, startling both Dr. Groll and Tess in the process. Tess asks "What just happened?".

In Metropolis, a young businessman sees a purple flash of light emitting from a nearby alley. In the center of the alley a symbol appears in the ground transporting a gorgeous woman with red hair. The businessman approaches the alley to find the woman who believes him to be the Kryptonian who summoned her with his beacon. She reveals her identity as Maxima, Queen of Almerac, who's been searching for a Kryptonian man. Taken back by Maxima's appearance the businessman pretends to be her chosen one and they begin to kiss passionately. As the intensity of their kiss heats up, the man begins to bleed from his nose. Upon noticing this, Maxima realizes that he's not Kryptonian after all and as a result is dying from her kiss. Maxima vows she'll find her real Kryptonian.

The next morning on the Kent Farm, Clark Kent prepares to leave for work after giving some breakfast to Shelby. He talks to Shelby about how he still hasn't gotten used to the idea of living on the farm alone. Clark reflects for a moment after taking out a small box which contains the remains of Lana's necklace, when he's interrupted by an incoming cell call from his work partner, Lois Lane. Lois calls from the *Daily Planet* inquiring his whereabouts due to a very busy work day in the newsroom. Clark informs her that he's "flying into the building now" as he super speeds out the Kent kitchen, leaving Shelby behind still unfed. In a split second, Clark returns to feed Shelby, then appears in a split second behind Lois at the Daily Planet bullpen two minutes early for work.

Lois asks Clark if he can take off some of her workload due to the fact the recently happily engaged Chloe and Jimmy are living together in the apartment above the Talon with Lois and last night, Jimmy's habit of loud snoring kept Lois from sleeping peacefully, requiring her to have to double up on coffee to stay awake. Lois mentions how she's jealous of Clark's living alone on the farm, which strikes up an interesting discussion between them about his love life style which is "sweet vanilla". To which Lois suggests Clark might want to try a newer "wild cherry" style. Feeling uncomfortable with where this discussion is heading, Clark decides to focus on the priority at hand, which is work.

Lois agrees and hands him the story of the day, about a 25-year old stockbroker who not only died of a heart attack, but had abnormal levels of endorphins and adrenaline in him when he died, meaning that he was extremely sexually aroused. Lois teases Clark about sex. Clark reads on and finds that the hormone levels found in the man were higher than any human could produce.

At the Talon, Chloe unpacks the last remaining items belonging to Jimmy, discovering his favorite TV shows and music interests. Chloe warns him that his music interest in ABBA won't score him any brownie points with Lois, who is a huge Whitesnake fan. Jimmy admits that lately his relationship with Lois has been in turmoil ever since he prevented her from investigating deeper into Lex's activities in the Arctic. Chloe tries to reasure Jimmy that in time Lois will forgive him and move on, accepting him into her family. As Jimmy places his collection of *Warrior Angel* comics on a shelf, he finds a pink piece of paper that falls to the floor. He picks it up and begins to read it and discovers it's the letter Chloe had written to Clark years ago, which breaks Jimmy's heart, feeling that no matter how hard he tries, Clark will always be the center of Chloe's life.

Tess receives a dinner invitation and luxurious green dress from Oliver Queen to join him at the Ace of Clubs. Tess playfully declines the offer. Suddenly, Maxima appears before her, demanding to know where the owner of the crystal is, but Tess asks her who that person would be. Maxima says that the crystal's owner is a Kryptonian and Tess offers to help her find him. But Maxima instead grabs her by the neck, claiming that Tess is trying to keep him all for herself as she knows the beacon came from that room. She throws Tess into the wall, knocking her unconscious; Maxima then takes the dress and the invitation and heads for the Ace of Clubs.

Lois and Clark head to the scene of the crime in the alley where they conduct their investigation using their own unique methods. While Lois talks with the police uncovering more details, Clark uses his X-ray vision to see an alien symbol scorched into the pavement. Lois informs Clark of a trail of dead men dying the exact same way as the stockbroker, from Metropolis all the way to Smallville. Lois believes this to be the work of a meteor freak on the rampage.

Maxima arrives at the Ace of Clubs, surrounded by dozens of couples engaged in erotic activities, except for one man alone at the bar. She approaches the bar and starts seducing Jimmy, mistaking him for the man she's been searching for. Back at the Talon, Chloe looks over photos of herself and Jimmy as a happy couple when Clark comes in, showing her a copy of the symbol he saw in the alley. Chloe says it's the family crest from the royal family of Almerac; she must have teleported to Earth recently using a bracelet, and the trail of dead men are the result of them not being able to survive her super-endorphin kiss, as only her intended mate would be able to, narrowing down her choices to Clark being her ultimate target. Clark shows concern over Chloe's super intelligence as a result of Brainiac, believing that the side effects could be too dangerous. Clark promises he'll find a way to cure her. Chloe tells him that he can't cure her and that another victim has just been found outside the entrance to the Ace of Clubs. She urges Clark to go stop this woman. At that moment, Maxima has taken Jimmy out onto the balcony and he tells her he's in love with another woman, but Maxima tells him that one kiss will change all that. As they lock lips, a super surge of endorphins enter Jimmy's body and he starts to bleed from the nose and Maxima tells him she's sorry, but he's not the one she's looking for. As Jimmy collapses and Maxima walks away from him, Clark enters the club and super speeds through the room to catch Jimmy, but he doesn't notice that Maxima has also seen him in action. She watches as Clark rescues Jimmy; with a smile, Maxima says "Now that's more like it".

As Chloe's leaving her apartment, she is greeted by Tess, who attempts to enlist her aid in hacking into a very unique supercomputer. Chloe refuses to associate herself with anyone connected to Lex Luthor. Tess tries to threaten Chloe into her service, but Chloe shows she's learned from her past experiences with the Luthors' tactical strategy of manipulation.

At the hospital, Jimmy wakes up and Clark tells him he got him there just in time; Jimmy then tells Clark about finding Chloe's love letter, which upset Jimmy and caused him to flirt with another woman who seduced him into kissing her. Clark says that everyone has moments of error in judgment and they have to learn to move on in life. He asks Jimmy about the woman he kissed. Jimmy says he doesn't remember anything and Clark tells him he must find the woman before she strikes again. Chloe comes in the room and Clark says that Jimmy got hurt at the club and the important thing is that Chloe and Jimmy are together again.

Clark heads back to the *Daily Planet*, where he goes over the security footage from the Ace of Clubs trying to determine the identity of Maxima, when the lights suddenly dim and then Maxima speeds into the room. She tells Clark her name is Maxima and she's been searching for him all her life. She pulls Clark in for a Kiss that causes him to unleash his built-up passion upon her as they go into the elevator to continue. Their passion intensifies until the elevator doors open and a shocked Lois stands before them. Lois' call to Clark breaks him free of Maxima's phenomonal entrancement. Maxima appears to be very upset that Clark has great concern for Lois and leaves Maxima's side to pursue Lois. Lois insists she doesn't care about whoever Clark wants to kiss. They turn and Maxima has disappeared. Lois storms out of the building to her parked car that she enters. An enraged Maxima appears in front of Lois' car using her super strength to lift the car, throwing it into the air, crashing upside down on top of other parked cars. Lois survives the crash, only to see Maxima in front of her intending to kill her because of the strong bond she claims to have sensed between Lois and Clark that broke her hold over Clark. As Maxima prepares to eliminate Lois, Tess’ personal security team arrives.

Clark heads over to the Isis Foundation with the photo of Maxima from the security cameras. He discovers Tess is there, having broken in. She wonders what Clark is doing there. He claims he’s writing an article on Maxima and came to ask Chloe for help. Tess glances at the photo, and tells him she had an encounter with Maxima earlier. Clark wonders why Maxima went to Tess in the first place; Tess says Maxima is looking for the owner of the crystal she found in the Arctic. She asks if Clark ever saw Lex with the crystal or whether he knows what it is, but he denies both.

Before she can pursue the matter any further, Tess gets a call from her security team that Clark overhears with his Super hearing. Clark runs to the scene as Maxima, having wiped out the whole security team, prepares to kill Lois. Clark hauls Maxima away at super speed back into the alley she arrived in. Maxima claims that Clark is the perfect mate for her, and she is the only perfect mate that he’s ever going to find. At first, it appears as though Clark has taken her words into consideration, until he activates her bracelet, forcibly sending her back to her home planet of Almerac.

The next day, Clark meets with Chloe, who tells him that Jimmy will be out of the hospital shortly. She realizes that Jimmy kissed Maxima, but understands why he did it. When Clark mentions the letter, Chloe shows it to him, explaining she wrote it when he was sick back during their sophomore year at Smallville High. She tells him that although he doesn't remember, when she had read it to him when he was dying he said "Lana." Chloe doesn't regret having the feelings and admits they helped prepare her to have the feelings for the perfect person, which she believes to be Jimmy. She asks Clark to give her away at the altar on her wedding day, to which he happily agrees. Clark reveals that he may have found a cure for her condition: since Jor-El created Brainiac, maybe he can delete Brainiac's program out of her system with a crystal located in the Fortress. Chloe thought the Fortress was destroyed, but Clark informs her it can be recreated by the Crystal of Knowledge that is currently in the possession of Tess. Chloe realizes it was the crystal Tess wants her to hack into.

Tess is sparring with her kickboxing instructor when Chloe arrives and confronts her about breaking into the Isis Foundation the night before. Chloe threatens to press charges and Tess backs down, then Chloe offers to take a look at the supercomputer. Tess informs her that the crystal was stolen and plans to find out who has it... and get it back.

Lois goes to see Clark at his loft and tells him that it appears that Maxima has disappeared off of the face of the earth. Clark thanks her for saving his life, claiming he would have died from Maxima’s kiss if Lois hadn’t interrupted them. He talks about what Maxima said and wonders if when the time comes, he might not recognize his destined soul mate, the same way he didn’t recognize Chloe’s love for him in their high school years. Lois assures him that when the right woman comes his way, he'll know. Clark wonders if Maxima said anything to Lois; she lies and doesn't reveal anything about the special connection she has with Clark according to Maxima. Lois tells him she's off to find a new place to live on her own, and Clark offers her her old room at the farm. Lois says "Being housemates didn't work out for us the first time, Smallville. Why tempt fate?" Clark smiles as she leaves.

Back inside the Luthor Mansion main den, Tess receives an e-mail on her laptop from an anonymous source who appears to have the crystal in their possession, based on photographic evidence, leaving behind a very cryptic message "You Are Not Ready Yet." with a red X as their signature.

### Committed

Chloe and Jimmy are having a party to celebrate their engagement, during which Lois gets drunk. Clark warns Lois off the drink and suggests she might be doing it because she is jealous. He encourages her to "show some support". Lois stands on a stool and makes a toast, insulting Chloe and Jimmy's "soulmate" status. Clark takes the microphone from Lois and delivers some heartfelt closing words.

Outside after the party, Chloe expresses her appreciation to her fiancé for overcoming his prior jealousy of Clark and Chloe's relationship. Suddenly the couple is blinded by headlights, and see a masked man standing in front of the car. They are both shot and fall to the ground.

The next morning, Lois wakes up on the couch in the living room of the Kent Farm. Hungover, she realizes she's wearing Clark's football jersey. Noticing her dress is on the opposite chair, she asks Clark if they slept together the night before. Clark is quick to assure her they didn't.

At the *Daily Planet*, Tess and her assistant discuss the e-mail from the person who stole the crystal. Her assistant tells her that they were unable to find the IP address, and that the message was sent from a ghost router that disappeared as soon as they saw it. She suggests that it could mean Lex is in fact still alive. Tess enters her office to find Oliver, who confronts her about the Star City towers that she bought right out from under him. He queries her obsession with Lex and questions whether he was only her mentor, but soon backs down and offers to take her to dinner. She tells him "Oliver always wants what Oliver can't have." After Oliver claims it's "just a meal," she accepts.

Lois and Clark arrive at Chloe's apartment, but find it empty. Rose petals are on the floor and bed, untouched mail lies in a pile just inside the door, and a message is on the answering machine that a drunken Lois had left the night before. Also on the voicemail is a message from Smallville Police Department Impound, informing Chloe and Jimmy that their vehicles were taken in for obstructing a street cleaner. Clark and Lois realize that the couple did not come home the previous night.

Chloe and Jimmy regain consciousness in a dark dungeon with a mysterious man who declares that he will determine if the two lovers are truly meant to be together. Seeing two corpses, they realize that they are not the kidnapper's first victims.

At the *Daily Planet*, Lois and Clark start to investigate Chloe and Jimmy's disappearance, and soon discover that they weren't the only couple to go missing recently. They find that all the victims are connected by the same three shops: a bakery, a jewelry store and a stationery shop. Clark suggests he should go to investigate the stationery shop alone, but Lois insists on making it a team effort.

Meanwhile, Chloe and Jimmy are attached to so-called 'lie-detector' machines and their chairs are connected to electricity. The kidnapper tells them it's his "duty" to determine whether their love for each other is genuine, and that not everyone is meant to be married. He then begins by asking Jimmy if he has ever cheated on Chloe. Jimmy declares that he hasn't but the lie-detector gives a negative indication. When Chloe is then given a shock, Jimmy quickly confesses how he kissed Maxima. The abductor explains that this test is intended to show that lies do not hurt the liar but the one they lie to. Chloe tells him she knows it wasn't his fault.

When the stationery shop leads the investigation to a dead end, Lois remembers that the kidnapper is targeting couples. She suggests they pose as an engaged couple in the jewelry store. While in the jeweler's, Oliver comes in and sees them together, which forces them to continue the lie and tell him they're getting married. As they then move on towards the bakery, Clark uses his superspeed to ditch Lois while her back is turned.

The kidnapper reveals his motivation to Chloe and Jimmy when he explains he was cheated on by his wife, and that he wishes someone had tested their relationship. He then continues his interrogation, asking Chloe if she has ever cheated on Jimmy. The lie-detector shows a positive reaction. He then asks if she is in love with anyone else, which Jimmy insists she doesn't answer. The masked abductor shocks him and insists Chloe answer the question, to which she calmly responds "no" and again there is a positive result, so Jimmy is not given a shock. They are congratulated by their captor, who then again tranquilizes them.

Oliver arrives at the Mansion to pick up Tess, but she tosses him a bo stick and attacks him. He fights back, and as they fight she questions his emotional state and drinking problem after the death of his parents. He dismisses the subject with a joke, and she tells him he's never been able to take anything seriously, including their former relationship. She demands an explanation for his affair while they were dating, wondering what it was he was so afraid of. He admits he was afraid of her, and they kiss.

On her way home, Lois is also kidnapped while leaving a voicemail for Clark, and the kidnapper is the jeweler from the store they had visited together.

Chloe and Jimmy wake up in their bed, and Chloe says she wouldn't have survived had she gone through the ordeal with anyone else. After Chloe and Jimmy kiss, they call the sheriff.

Later, as they tell their story to the sheriff, Clark arrives to tell them he can't find Lois. When they tell Clark what the kidnapper said to them, he realizes that it must have been the jeweler that kidnapped her.

Clark crashes into the basement of the store where he finds Lois restrained in a chair, and attempts to free her, but is weakened when the jeweler approaches him from behind, wearing a kryptonite watchband. He knocks Clark unconscious.

Clark wakes up in the electric chair opposite Lois, defenseless due to the kryptonite around them. The test begins, and the jeweler asks Lois if she has ever cheated on her fiancé. Lois denies it, which registers as a lie on the polygraph and so the jeweler shocks Clark, who notices his kryptonite watchband. Lois tries to convince the jeweler that they were only pretending to be a couple to investigate the kidnappings. However, he refuses to believe her and continues the test. He asks Lois if she loves Clark, and Clark, also knowing they were only pretending, urges her simply to tell the truth. So Lois, knowing the rules of the kidnapper's game and not wanting to have Clark shocked, painfully confesses her truth and says "Yes", which gets a 'true' result. But Clark is bemused, thinking she had lied and having tensed up for the electric shock which never came. The jeweler then asks Clark about his feelings for Lois, but, without answering, Clark pulls off the jeweller's kryptonite watchband and throws it down a nearby drain and then head-butts him. Next he uses his heat vision to sever the steam pipes so that Lois cannot see him free himself and knock out the jeweller. As Clark frees Lois, they both look confused and awkward.

Later, at the Isis Foundation, after everyone has recovered from recent events, Lois apologizes to Chloe for her drunken toast during the engagement party and chalks it up to her jaundiced view of relationships. She explains she just didn't want Chloe to go through the same heartache she has endured. Chloe reassures Lois that she knows in her heart she has made the right decision. Lois admits she's jealous, and when Jimmy arrives she gives him an awkward hug to welcome him to the family. As soon as Lois leaves, Jimmy admits a secret: his father is an alcoholic, and he has never actually met his mother. He explains that recent events have made him realize that they should not have secrets between them, and he apologizes for keeping them from her. She forgives and embraces him.

Oliver wakes up with Tess at the Mansion in a romantic mood. He wants to spend a weekend together, and reveals a diamond bracelet for her. She refuses his gift and tells him it was only sex and nothing romantic. He is surprised that she has changed so much from the person he met on the island. She explains that she has simply grown up and passes the blame to him for leaving when things started to get interesting between them after the island.

At the *Daily Planet*, Lois attempts to avoid Clark but accidentally runs into him at the elevator. Lois mentions that the jeweler had confessed, and then refers to the lie-detector test (when she said that she loved Clark), but then becomes lost for words and there follows an awkward silence. However, Clark lets her off the hook by congratulating her on being such a good liar, and Lois willingly plays along and claims she slipped the sensor off her finger. As she gets out of the elevator, Lois goes back on the offensive and asks where they'd be if Clark had answered that question. Clark says nothing but gazes after the retreating Lois.

### Prey

Chloe is moderating a counseling session at the Isis Foundation with a group of young meteor-infected people. One girl, Mary Pierson, tells a story about how her powers manifested. When a boy, Jesse, plays a trick on her by freezing her drink solid, Mary uses her power to control electricity to turn up the volume to maximum on his personal player. She then questions Chloe's motivations for holding the sessions, but admits that she would like support and friendship, but she doesn't think people want them to exist. Another kid, Randy, says that the group is good

for him because he doesn't feel alone. Chloe ends the session by asking them to sign in.

After leaving the Foundation, Mary hears a sound but sees only a fast-moving shadow. She tries to go quickly to her car but is dragged away screaming.

That night, Chloe is complaining because she asked Clark for dinner and a movie night, but instead they are eating fast food at Clark's desk at work. He is preoccupied listening to the police radio, listening for people to help. Clark promises to hang out with her soon but Chloe leaves him to his duties.

Clark is soon doing his rounds of the city: he stops a robbery and floors some bullies who are bullying a young boy, and then he hears a report about the Ace of Clubs and speeds to the scene. He makes a super-leap to the club at the top of a high-rise, and finds it has been badly damaged, with many badly injured people. Clark is shocked to find Davis among them and covered in blood. Clark rouses him, but Davis says he can't remember how he got into the club. Clark tells him to go to the hospital but Davis says he will take care of himself. Clark is then approached by Martian Manhunter, who introduces himself as John Jones and tells Clark that, now lacking his powers, he is working for the Metropolis homicide division as a detective so he can be closer to Clark and help him. Clark feels guilty that he wasn't there to stop the attack but Jones tells him he can't save everyone. Jones and Clark talk about this and other similar attacks and both admit they don't have any leads. Clark notices an investigator tag a cellular phone for evidence.

Jimmy Olsen is at the *Daily Planet* looking at police reports. Clark finds him and Jimmy says he is doing research for a story on an anonymous "Good Samaritan" that has been spotted around Metropolis. Clark looks alarmed and suggests it's an urban myth. Clark remarks that the Good Samaritan didn't save anyone at the club but Jimmy is not discouraged. He notices Clark holding the cellular phone from the crime scene and they play a video on it, but all they see is a fast-moving but extremely destructive force. They conclude that the killer is more than human.

Clark goes to talk to Chloe at the Isis Foundation. He tells her about the attack and that it was probably a meteor freak. He looks at the sign-in sheet for her counseling but Chloe takes it from him. She is annoyed, but Clark feels like the attack was his fault for not stopping it. Used to his guilt, Chloe doesn't back down.

Davis is showering at Metropolis General Hospital. He suddenly realizes that, although he has lots of blood on him, he has no wounds, and he slumps to the floor in distress at the implication that it must be the blood of the club victims.

In the hospital, Davis secretly takes a blood sample from himself. He is about to leave when Jimmy arrives and introduces himself and asks him if he knows anything about the club attacks. Davis denies knowing anything. Jimmy then asks if he can ride along with him in his rig so he can be first on the scene. Davis is reluctant but Jimmy gets him to agree by asking if he'll do it for Chloe.

Clark gives Jones a list of meteor freaks and admits that he memorized it from Chloe's record because they don't agree on the case. Pointing at Lois's vacant seat, Jones asks if Clark's "mouthy cohort" has been any help, but Clark tells him she is "on assignment, which is code for monster-truck rally in Lubbock". When Jones also points out that Clark's "super friends" are still disbanded, Clark gets annoyed. Jones notices the food boxes littering Clark's desk and warns him about obsessing over the case. Clark says he thought Jones would be happy that he is being more proactive. Jones takes the list of names but tells Clark that there have been at least five similar murders in the last few months, but one paramedic has mostly been first on the scene: Davis Bloome.

Davis is collecting samples under the fingernails of a male corpse in the hospital basement when Chloe arrives. She says she's looking for the coroner's report on a previous victim who was one of her clients, and Chloe feels guilty because it happened just after she left Chloe's counselling group, and also because some people now suspect that one of her clients is the attacker. Davis finally admits that he thinks he himself is the killer.

Chloe takes him back to the Foundation where Davis points out that he has been blacking out and waking up covered in someone else's blood. Chloe declares that he is innocent and they have to find the real killer. Davis tells her that he has had blackouts his whole life but they have been getting more frequent. Davis is very upset that he could be a murderer, and Chloe tries to reassure him. He seems surprised at her faith in him, and they share an awkward moment.

The rest of the counseling group hold a vigil at the place where Mary was killed. Chloe says she wants to catch Mary's killer and asks them if they know why Mary might have been attacked. Jesse says that they have all been questioned by the cops, and Chloe denies giving the police their names.

Clark approaches Davis at the hospital and says he suspects he knows more about the club attack than he is telling. He knows that Davis has a folder full of photographs of murder victims and has been first on the scene. Davis is defensive until he points out that Clark himself also arrives before any press show up.

Clark goes back to his office and is looking at Davis's test results when Chloe arrives. She is angry that Clark took the list of names from her despite her refusal. She says she is surprised that, since he himself has powers, he would assume that one of her clients is guilty. Clark counters that she should value their longstanding friendship more than loyalty to people she hardly knows, but she says that works both ways. Unconvinced, Clark shows her the test results and Chloe is shocked to see that it was Davis's skin under the victims' nails.

Jimmy is waiting for Davis to take him along on his ambulance ride. They set off but soon get a "4-11" call. Davis hears a noise in an alley. He instructs Jimmy to stay by the ambulance and goes to check it out. Jimmy thinks he hears Davis call out and gets a flashlight to follow him.

Back at the Daily Planet, Clark and Chloe are tracking Davis's activity to get enough evidence to give to Jones so he can be arrested. Chloe acknowledges that Davis is in a position to cover up the murders if he is the killer. They notice Davis's ambulance has stopped and are surprised to hear Jimmy's voice on the radio calling for help. Clark speeds away.

When Clark arrives at the scene, neither Davis nor Jimmy are around. Then Davis stumbles into view, covered in blood and injured. Clark asks where Jimmy is but Davis is pulled away by a fast-moving, smoky blur. Clark tries to track the two of them down and sees the blur choking Davis, but it flees when it sees Clark. Jimmy comes out of hiding and they look for the creature together. When Clark's back is turned, the creature pulls Jimmy away behind some dumpsters, where another victim lays. Clark sees the creature attack Jimmy and throws a tire to knock it out. The creature changes back into a person and is revealed to be Randy. Jimmy is shaken but not hurt. Davis is on his feet, but more seriously injured.

The next day, Clark apologizes to Chloe for taking the names of her counselling group, but he again asks how she can hand over her trust so easily to people she doesn't know. Chloe gives him a file of every meteor-infected person she's ever profiled and admits that she's never actually saved any of them, but says that, when she thought Clark was meteor-infected, she would also have done anything to protect him. Clark says that he worries she might put her trust in the wrong person one day.

Chloe meets Davis outside of a café. He thanks her for believing in him but she says it was easy because he is innocent. Chloe admits that "everything is easy" around Davis, and that it has only ever been like that once before. Davis assumes she is talking about Jimmy, but Chloe says not. He asks if she helped him simply because she helps everyone, or if there was more to it. Chloe says she hasn't done anything to feel guilty about, and that she feels like she needs to keep her distance from him for a while, and then abruptly leaves.

Clark is angry with himself that he was wrong about Davis and tells Jones that even though Randy was caught and has confessed to all the recent killings, there will surely be another killer soon. Jones tells him he will never catch them all, and points out that Clark needs to do more to ensure he does not get recognized, because he, Jones, has had to work hard running interference on the numerous Good Samaritan reports. Clark agrees to be more careful. Then Jimmy arrives and, noticing that Jones is a member of the force, he introduces himself and tells him that he thinks the Good Samaritan saved him the night before. Jones pointedly encourages him to get hard evidence of the Good Samaritan and Clark looks worried.

Although Randy is in police custody, he is visited by Eva Greer who asks him if he is interested in joining a group that her boss is forming. She says he is just a copycat killer and they have proof that he did not commit the recent murder of a nun, and she challenges him to say where they might find her missing rosary with its onyx crucifix. Randy says nothing. As Davis gets into his ambulance, hanging from the rear view mirror is an onyx crucifix.

### Identity

Jimmy and Lois are walking down a street in Metropolis and Jimmy talks about his theory of the mystery hero. Lois dismisses it, and Jimmy suggests that Clark might be interested in writing the story. While they are talking, a mugger appears and knocks Jimmy down. Lois tangles with the mugger, pulling his mask off, and tells Jimmy to take a picture of his face. Clark arrives just as the mugger pushes Lois into the road, and he super-speeds to knock out the mugger and save her from getting hit by an oncoming car. However, Clark saves Lois at the exact moment that the flash from Jimmy's camera goes off. Lois is a bit confused about what happened but thinks she floored the mugger. Jimmy then realizes he has taken a picture of his mystery hero.

The next morning, Clark meets Jimmy in Photographic Archives at the *Daily Planet*. After telling Clark that his life will never be the same, Jimmy reveals a picture of a red-and-blue blur saving Lois. When Jimmy tells him that it is front page news, Clark tries to dismiss the photo, claiming it could have been a passing cop car, but Jimmy is adamant it is the 'Good Samaritan'. Clark tells Jimmy that Tess won't publish the picture because it is out of focus but Jimmy tells him that she already agreed to run it on the front page and that Clark can write the article. Annoyed, Clark tells Jimmy that he should have asked him first, but Jimmy tells him that if he doesn't write the story, Lois is going to and that the two of them should make names for themselves instead of again being in her shadow. Clark promises to consider it, and Jimmy leaves, not noticing Clark's anxiety.

At the *Daily Planet*, a frustrated Lois talks on the phone to the police about her attacker who has recently been bailed. After an unsuccessful conversation, Lois looks up to see a young man who seems somewhat familiar to her. He introduces himself as the new city reporter Sebastian Kane, and when they shake hands, he is able to read her mind and see her memory of being on the phone moments before. They bond when he reveals that he was in Iraq as an embedded reporter with the Army and she tells him about her Army brat background. Sebastian then offers to take her out for the evening and she accepts.

At the Luthor Mansion, Tess is daydreaming about Lex Luthor when Sebastian touches her shoulder and sees her daydream. She sharply turns around and orders him never to touch her again. She asks if Lois stole the crystal from her, but he tells her that finding out will require more than a handshake, to which Tess says to do whatever it takes. When Sebastian is reluctant, Tess threatens him, pointing out that she released him from Black Creek but, because of his voyeuristic and murderous past, she could easily have him sent back. Tess promises him a fresh start if he finds the stolen crystal.

At the Isis Foundation, Clark goes to see Chloe and asks her if she has deleted the picture Jimmy took. When she tells him she hasn't, Clark insists that people will know he is out there saving others, to which she tells him that that may not be such a bad thing. She tells him that it gives him the perfect opportunity to obtain an alias, saying that the photo doesn't reveal anything about Clark Kent. She also explains that this could let the world know that there is somebody out there saving people and thus giving it what it desperately needs: a hero.

At the *Daily Planet*, Clark goes to see Tess and tells her that he doesn't want to write the story about the Good Samaritan. Tess acts surprised that he is passing up such a great opportunity but Clark says he doesn't want to put his name on a story that doesn't tell anything. She agrees to let him off the story but informs him that Jimmy is knee-deep in research, and will surely find a name, and then a face, thus making it a real story.

Clark super-speeds to Chloe and Jimmy's apartment where he finds Lois getting ready for her date. When she questions what he is doing, he tells her that he is picking up Jimmy's bag for him and turns to leave. Before he can, Lois asks him to help zip up her dress. Hesitating at the sight of her dress undone at the back, he tentatively zips her up and asks where she is going all dressed up and why she is wearing so little. She teases him about her date with the new reporter, until Sebastian arrives with flowers. Lois introduces Clark, but when Sebastian goes to shake his hand, Lois comes between them and pushes Clark out the door.

That evening, Clark is at home piling up all of his red and blue clothes, but when Jimmy arrives, he swiftly hides them. Jimmy says his research has revealed that his mystery hero has been saving people ever since Clark and Chloe were high school freshmen. He believes that Clark must have gone to school with the hero. Jimmy also points out that more rescues have since been happening in Metropolis. Clark suggests that it should be the hero's decision whether to go public, but Jimmy's attention is now elsewhere as he notices a family portrait of Clark wearing his red jacket. He compares it to the blurred picture and suddenly realizes, to his amazement, that Clark must be the hero and that Chloe has known the whole time.

At Isis, Chloe is performing super-computing using her Brainiac abilities when Clark super-speeds in and tells her about Jimmy's discovery. Then Jimmy also walks in and is amazed that Clark beat him there from the farm. Jimmy tells Clark that his secret is safe with him, but when both Clark and Chloe insist that Clark is normal, he says he understands that they don't trust him. Jimmy leaves, stating that he will just have to prove it to them.

Clark goes to Oliver's jet where he has to interrupt Oliver and some young women partying. Clark tells him about the photo Tess plans to print, and Oliver is unsympathetic to the ordeal until Clark points out that everyone who has learned his secret has had to face the dangerous consequences of it, and that Jimmy doesn't deserve to do the same. Clark insists that Oliver is the only one who can help him.

Over dinner in the Ace of Clubs restaurant, Lois and Sebastian discuss his experiences in Iraq and she asks him about his last few years as a reporter. Anxious to change the subject, he asks her if she has ever had her palm read. He then takes her hand and studies her memories, which go back to her earlier experiences of the day, such as secretly smiling as Clark zipped up her dress, and that afternoon when she used the flashdrive of Black Creek and figured out that she had seen Sebastian's file as a former patient. After realizing that she knows about his past, Sebastian receives a phone call from Tess and excuses himself to go to her limo outside, where he tells her about the flashdrive Lois has, which Tess already knew she had stolen. Tess, knowing that nothing on the flashdrive can implicate LuthorCorp, informs him that his being discovered is his own problem, to which he implies that he will kill Lois in order to keep his secret. Tess then phones the mugger she bailed out, who previously attacked Jimmy and Lois and is now with an accomplice, and tells them to get Jimmy Olsen.

Sebastian takes Lois home and asks to go in for a nightcap but Lois excuses herself. However, as she opens the door, Sebastian pushes her inside and pulls out a gun, saying that nobody can know who he is and demanding the flashdrive.

Clark, Chloe, and Oliver have set up a scheme in which Clark will step in front of Chloe's car and Oliver, dressed in red and blue, will swoop in and save him, all in front of Jimmy. They are confirming the arrangements via cell phone as Jimmy arrives to meet up with Clark.

Meanwhile, Lois tries to talk Sebastian into trusting her, but even when she gives him the flashdrive, he says he doesn't trust anyone and again threatens her with the gun.

As Clark prepares to set Jimmy up, Lois knocks the gun out of Sebastian's hand and they fight. After being tossed across the floor, Lois quickly pulls out her cell phone and speed-dials Clark.

Just as Chloe sets off to drive at Clark, he receives the call from Lois asking for help, so abandons their scheme by quickly walking Jimmy across the road out of Chloe's path. Getting away from Jimmy, Clark then super-speeds to save Lois by grabbing Sebastian's gun hand and punching him out.

Tess's mugger now grabs Jimmy and forces him to walk towards the accomplice's car. Oliver sees this from his post on top of a nearby building, quickly grasps the situation and swoops in and saves Jimmy from the mugger just as Clark arrives back on the scene. Jimmy immediately thanks Clark for saving him, but Clark says it wasn't him and points out Oliver, who is standing tall on top of a building with a red cape blowing in the wind. Clark notices that other people in the street are also excitedly looking at Oliver.

The next day, Clark comes into work, where everybody is reading the article about the hero with the headline "*Faster than a speeding bullet*" written by Ron Troupe. Clark congratulates Jimmy on the story. Jimmy admits that he thought the hero was Clark because he knows he can always be counted on. Lois tells Clark that she wasn't on a date but working undercover and she knew who Sebastian was and that he was dangerous. When Jimmy returns, she also says that, having been saved twice in two days, she now believes the story about the red-and-blue "Superdude". She then tells Clark that she won't rest until she lands the first exclusive interview with the hero.

At Oliver's plane, he tells Clark he is surprised by the amount of press he got and Clark notes that maybe his destiny is more than secretly saving people, that maybe it's to give people hope. Oliver says that he is giving up the partying and is headed to Europe to meet his team because saving Jimmy reminded him of his true identity as the Green Arrow. Then he tells Clark that he now understands why Clark didn't tell him about Lionel having his parents murdered, to which Clark responds that Oliver's parents would certainly be proud of the person he's become. Oliver suggests that Clark should try wearing a cape like the one he wore, but Clark says, "Not in this lifetime".

Chloe is wearing black gloves as she visits Sebastian who is a patient in Metropolis General Hospital. She tells him she was also in Black Creek and knows about his ability. She asks how much he knows about Clark, to which Sebastian implies that he will have no problem revealing Clark's secret. Chloe informs him that the human brain is like a computer: download too much and it crashes and loses data. She then takes off her gloves and touches him, resulting in overloading his brain with Brainiac information and flatlining him. She quickly leaves, clearly distressed about what she just did.

### Bloodline

Clark is surprised to find Lois Lane knocking at his door holding a box of various things. She announces that she is taking him up on his offer and moving back in. Clark wonders if it will be too much working and living together, but Lois says the Talon apartment is too crowded with Chloe and Jimmy.

Lois gives Clark a package that was on his doorstep. There is no return address, and inside Clark finds the Crystal of Knowledge. It glows when he picks it up. Lois thinks it's a paperweight. The house starts to shake and Lois grabs Clark's arm, telling him to drop it, while Clark tells Lois to run. Before they can, they are trapped inside a Kryptonian Phantom Zone disc that whisks them away, smashing through the window.

Chloe arrives at the farmhouse carrying some more of Lois' things. Surprised that Lois is not around, she notices the broken window and a large blue crystal on the floor. She quickly realizes it must be Clark's missing Kryptonian Crystal of Knowledge, so she puts it in her bag. But immediately she turns to find Tess Mercer standing behind her. Tess is skeptical of Chloe's explanation of the broken window and abruptly demands "Where's the crystal?" Her suspicions are further raised when Chloe refers to a "NASA-caliber rock", since Tess has never told Chloe that the "supercomputer" was a crystal. Tess says she has just registered an energy surge at the exact spot Chloe is standing, and Chloe queries why Clark, the copyboy at her newspaper, would own or want a supercomputer. Tess directly accuses Chloe of covering up for Clark.

Chloe goes to the Isis Foundation to try to contact Oliver Queen about the disappearance of Clark and Lois, when Davis Bloome enters. He tells her he remembers that she is keeping her distance but his blackouts are getting worse. He says he is trying to find his birth parents in hopes of answers but cannot find anything about the first three years of his life. He asks Chloe to use her reporter skills to help him and gives her a file of his information.

Clark and Lois wake up in the Phantom Zone. Lois thinks they have been abducted by aliens. Clark suggests they should stay moving and stick together. They walk for hours and Lois is getting tired and agitated. She stumbles onto a dead body and starts to panic. Clark tries to calm her down just as a cloaked figure leaps on them and knocks her out. The figure attacks Clark but he grabs its wrist, and is shocked to recognize the silver cuff bracelet. It is Kara's. He calls her name and she recognizes him.

Kara explains that she attacked because she thought Clark and Lois were phantoms. She is standoffish and wary, finally admitting that she is aware of an escape portal, but fears other phantoms will escape if she opens it. Clark is in awe that Kara has willingly chosen to stay trapped in order to protect Earth. Kara is still unwilling to open the portal, but Clark says Lois should be sent back.

Chloe finds Oliver in his jet and tells him that Lois and Clark have disappeared. She shows him the crystal, but Ollie is reluctant to get involved. Chloe tells him she needs him to steal a generator for the crystal, to enable her to hack into it and see if it reveals Clark and Lois' whereabouts. Oliver thinks Chloe is getting in over her head, but Chloe insists she can handle it. She tells him that the generator is in the hands of Tess Mercer, and Oliver is suddenly eager to help her out.

Clark, Lois and Kara make it to the portal and Clark volunteers to stand guard while Kara and Lois go through. Kara activates the altar, but Lois wants to wait for Clark because she can hear him being attacked outside. Kara pushes her through the portal just as a phantom flies in. Kara tries to fight it off, but it escapes through the portal behind Lois.

Lois awakens on Earth, confused and disorientated, and the phantom arrives shortly afterwards to take over her body.

'Lois' goes to the *Daily Planet* and views the news archives. Tess arrives and 'Lois' says she is looking for her son, who was attached to a Kryptonian spaceship when it was sent to Earth containing a child called Kal-El. Tess gets interested and tells her she can help her, saying she's looking for a Kryptonian artifact. 'Lois' thinks she is lying and superspeeds away, leaving Tess wide-eyed with astonishment.

Clark is injured but makes his way into the altar. He finds Kara is trapped under a boulder and tries to free her, but she urges him to make his escape. Clark refuses to leave her because she is family.

Chloe is waiting for Oliver to bring her the generator when 'Lois' appears. Chloe hugs her, but realizes she is not herself. 'Lois' tells Chloe that Clark will die in the prison his father created, and that she needed Lois' body as a vessel. She tells Chloe that her name is Faora, wife of Zod. She has tracked Chloe down, after finding her name in the archives, to ask her what she knows about the ship that landed in Smallville. Chloe tries to run, but Faora catches her and chokes her, until she drops a folder she was holding. Inside it, Faora sees a photograph of Davis, releases Chloe, and leaves.

Oliver, in his Green Arrow gear, gets into the Luthor Mansion and prepares to steal the generator, but Tess catches him. She holds a gun on him and asks him what he knows about the crystal. Green Arrow hits her with a temporary paralysis dart and leaves with the generator.

Faora finds Davis at Metropolis General Hospital, but is surprised to see that he is a health care worker, caring for humans instead of killing them. Davis doesn't understand why 'Lois' is acting strangely. She tells him she is his mother and Davis looks even more confused.

Oliver takes the generator to Chloe, but he is skeptical as to how it will work. Chloe connects the crystal, which begins to spin and glow. Her eyes glaze over white and her nose starts to bleed. Oliver is alarmed and tries to stop her, but she pushes him with one hand across the room and knocks him out as the energy continues to build.

Clark is still trying to free Kara when the energy from the crystal connects to him and begins to pull him out. He convinces Kara to grab his hand and they are both pulled away. They transport into the Isis Foundation, now unharmed. Clark goes to check on Chloe, but she doesn't explain how she did it. Clark asks if Lois is okay and Chloe tells them about Faora. Kara knows who she is. Clark instructs Kara to go contact John Jones and obtain his crystal and goes to find Lois.

Davis thinks 'Lois' has taken something and gives her a cup of coffee to sober her up. Faora continues to explain that she and Zod created Davis, and that his body is still evolving. Davis is surprised that she knows about his blackouts. She tells him that he will evolve into Earth's ultimate destroyer. Davis is still not convinced, so Faora decides that he is too weak to take over the planet. She tears a metal bar from a gurney and impales Davis on it, then withdraws it, leaving him bleeding and seriously if not fatally injured. She tells him that that which kills him makes him stronger.

Clark finds 'Lois/Faora' in the hospital and tries to get through to the real Lois. He apologizes to her and Faora sees his concern. She taunts him and throws him through a wall. Clark lands on an ambulance, crushing it, and Faora and Clark fight until she is hit by rays projected from the John Jones' crystal being held up by Kara. Faora's phantom is ejected from Lois' body and returned to the Phantom Zone. Lois is left unconscious.

The next day at work, Lois tells Clark that Tess gave her a raise. Clark wonders if Tess encountered 'Lois/Faora' and is suspicious. Lois just says she can't remember anything after arriving at Clark's house. Clark says he is glad he can keep an eye on her, but Lois announces that she has changed her mind and will get her own place since she can now afford one with the raise. They are interrupted because Tess has now summoned Clark.

Tess tells Clark that Lois mentioned a "Kryptonian spaceship". Then she shows him a photograph of a footprint her team collected in the Arctic and tells him it matches his own, and insists that Clark was the last person to see Lex Luthor alive. Clark denies it, but Tess knows that Clark is hiding something.

Clark arrives home that evening and Oliver is waiting for him. Clark thanks him for helping Chloe get them back, and Oliver brings up Chloe's behavior with the crystal. He tells Clark that Chloe pushed him across the room. Clark tells him that Chloe has been infected by Brainiac and Oliver asks what he is doing to correct the situation. He says that Chloe is getting in too deep with situations that humans can't understand and he is concerned that she will get hurt. Clark looks worried.

Clark is in his barn contemplating the crystal when Kara arrives. He tells her that he doesn't trust the crystal to rebuild the Fortress. Kara asks if he told Lois his secret, but Clark says he hasn't because it would put her in danger. Kara thinks Lois could handle it. She then says that she is leaving Smallville because while in the Phantom Zone, she heard rumors that Kandor might have survived. Clark wants to go with her, but she tells him that his destiny is on Earth. They hug goodbye and Kara flies away.

In the hospital, Davis has fully recovered from his wound. He takes a large knife and tries to stab himself in the chest, but the knife shatters into pieces.

### Abyss

Chloe awakens to find that Jimmy has brought her breakfast in bed. He tells her that Lana is one of those who have not responded to their wedding invitations. Chloe looks confused and Jimmy explains who Lana is. He is concerned because Chloe has seemed forgetful lately, but Chloe says she just has a case of pre-wedding jitters. He reminds her about their engagement party and she remembers the evening. However during the memory, things start to change and disappear. Jimmy's face blurs until she can't recognize it and she snaps out of the memory. Jimmy is worried that she blanked out for a second, but now Chloe cannot remember him at all.

Jimmy goes to the Kent Farm to tell Clark what has happened to Chloe and how it has now got so bad that she was actually afraid of him until he showed her some photos of them together. He mentions her meteor infection and is not surprised to learn that Clark knows about it. He asks Clark to talk to her.

Chloe is on the way to the hospital library to research memory loss when she runs into Davis Bloome. She remarks that he looks exhausted and remembers that she was going to help him investigate his past. Davis says that he is no longer interested. He wants to talk some more but Chloe says she is in a rush. He asks if something is wrong with her and Jimmy, but Chloe tries to pretend that she is fine. Davis tells her that he is there for her, but he looks upset that she did not want to talk with him.

Chloe is at the Isis Foundation researching amnesia when Clark arrives. He asks her if she is all right, but Chloe claims Jimmy is over-reacting. She rattles off a list of Jimmy 'facts' and Clark recognizes that she is acting strange. He says he heard her close the computer bay and when he doesn't believe her lie, he forces it open. Chloe has plastered the walls of the room with notes to remind herself about her life and the people in it. She admits that she has been losing her memory, but comes there to remind herself. Finally, she admits that she has to face the reality that Brainiac is slowly taking over her mind.

Davis goes to Chloe's apartment with his RSVP, but is really hoping to see her again. However, Jimmy opens the door and Davis tells him about Chloe's behavior that morning. After he asks and Jimmy tells him how much he loves Chloe, Davis says he won't be able to attend the wedding.

Clark takes Chloe to his barn and asks her about her amnesia. She tells him that when she focuses on a memory, it is replaced by Kryptonian code. She draws a symbol which keeps recurring in her mind and Clark translates it as meaning 'doom'. Clark tells her he wants to use the newly recovered Crystal to rebuild the Fortress of Solitude to help her. Chloe says the crystal is dangerous, but Clark tells her that he will not let his secret destroy her life. Chloe tells him that knowing his secret changed her life for the better. She then recounts the memory of Clark catching a car, but it ends abruptly and is replaced with code. She snaps out of it to hear Clark calling her name. She thinks the memory wasn't lost but, when Clark asks her if she remembers his abilities, she doesn't recognize the terms 'Kal-El', 'Krypton', or 'Brainiac'. Chloe realizes from Clark's reaction that she has forgotten something important, and Clark is now convinced that he must rebuild the Fortress and ask for Jor-El's help. He instructs her to stay in the barn, but she doesn't want him to leave her, so he gives her a school yearbook to jog her memory and super speeds away. Chloe looks confused and tearful at his rapid disappearance.

Clark arrives in the Arctic and watches as the Fortress is rebuilt.

Jimmy arrives at the barn and Chloe pretends to remember him, but Jimmy is not convinced. He wants to take her to the hospital, but she tells him that she wants to trust Clark, who asked her to wait there. Jimmy shows her photographs of them as a couple to persuade her.

Clark rebuilds the Fortress and talks to Jor-El who explains that he did indeed program the Fortress to self-destruct and strip him of his powers if he became a danger to Earth. Clark tells him that he better understands his role to protect people and that Jor-El can trust him. Clark asks him to cure Chloe and he agrees, but warns that Brainiac is highly unpredictable and poses a tremendous threat to all of them. He asks if Clark is ready to take that risk.

At Metropolis General Hospital, Chloe prepares to get an MRI scan, but when the machine starts up, it stimulates her to see flashes of memories with Clark, until she views their first meeting as eighth-graders, in which a young Clark shows her his loft. Chloe as a child admits that she doesn't make a lot of friends because her mother left their family. She mentions a book she lost in the move, so Clark super speeds to fetch a copy from the library and pretends he had it all the time and that they share an interest. Chloe is touched and she kisses him but the memory begins to fade. She takes Clark's hand and runs into another of her memories, the chaos in the basement office of the *Daily Planet* during Dark Thursday, hoping it will preserve her memory of him. In her memory, she is approached by Clark, but this memory also starts to fade. Chloe clings to Clark and pleads for him not to leave her. Clark assures her that he never will, but moments later, he is pulled away into oblivion. The remaining details are sucked away until Chloe sees herself and the symbol for doom. When the chaos of the memory has faded, Davis appears. The MRI machine continues to overload and the technician removes her. She tells them that she has to find Davis.

Chloe finds Davis outside in the ambulance bay and tells him that all she remembers is him and her name. He wants to call her friends, but she is afraid since she doesn't know who her friends are and says she only trusts him. Davis again tells her he will be there for her.

Clark returns to the Talon, but only Jimmy is there. He confesses that Chloe went missing from the hospital. Both men are feeling guilty for leaving her alone. Clark suggests they work together and tells Jimmy to contact John Jones to locate her while he covers the streets.

On his way out, Clark finds Davis arriving with Chloe. However, Chloe, who only remembers Davis, is fearful of Clark and also Jimmy when he arrives. She starts to panic, so Davis injects her with a sedative and leaves. Clark tells Jimmy they will take her back to the hospital and instructs him to get her things. When Jimmy exits, Clark picks up Chloe and speeds off with her to the Fortress.

Clark tells Jor-El that he believes Chloe wouldn't have been hurt if she had never known his secret. He tells Jor-El that he doesn't want her to remember anything about Krypton or his abilities. Jor-El agrees, and Clark addresses Chloe, who is still unconscious. He tells her that she has been his best ally, but he wants to protect her from the danger of knowing his secret. He kisses her forehead and a bright light flashes. A black substance which is Brainiac moves out of Chloe's eyes and oozes from her ear, and soaks into the surface of the Fortress.

Chloe is back in her flat, fully recovered and excited to be planning her upcoming wedding with Jimmy. Clark arrives and it becomes clear that Chloe does not now know his secret.

Chloe leaves to head to Metropolis for more wedding planning when she is approached in the alley behind the Talon by Davis. Chloe thanks him for helping her when she was sick. Davis admits that he lied about having to work during the wedding, and says that he can't bear to watch her marry the wrong man. Chloe is alarmed at his straight-forwardness, and tells him that there might have been an attraction when they first met, but now she is sure of her feelings for Jimmy. Davis pushes harder and kisses her. Chloe backs away, but Davis tells her that he is not ready to let her go. Chloe looks apprehensive.

Clark goes back to the Fortress to talk to Jor-El. He asks him about Chloe seeing the symbol of doom. Jor-El explains that the symbol represents a virtually-unstoppable Kryptonian creature that has made its way to Earth. Clark realizes that Brainiac was trying to contact the creature through Chloe. He vows to take it on. Jor-El supports him and Clark exits when finally calling him " Father". Brainiac then appears from hiding in his natural liquid form and climbs onto the console and begins to infect the Fortress. As the entire Fortress turns black, Brainiac announces that the House of El will fall and that Doomsday is coming.

### Bride

Clips from events leading up to Jimmy and Chloe's wedding video are seen. In the video, Clark and Lois offer their congratulations. It then cuts to Clark walking Chloe down the loft stairs to the altar where Lois and Jimmy are waiting. Jimmy and Chloe are then pronounced husband and wife and kiss. After Lois introduces them to the guests, the newlyweds start cutting the cake, but stop when there is a loud noise outside. Suddenly, something bursts in the barn, terrifying everyone. Jimmy is seen lying on the ground, being comforted by Chloe as the attacker approaches and kidnaps her.

**Eight hours earlier**

Lois is preparing the barn for the wedding. Jimmy claims to Lois that he isn't nervous and tries to play matchmaker for her with Clark, but Lois doesn't believe Clark is interested, despite Jimmy's insistence. Jimmy goes back to his and Chloe's apartment, where Chloe is preparing for the wedding. He thinks it is bad luck to see her before the wedding, but Chloe reassures him. When she is alone, Chloe checks her voicemail from Davis, saying he needs her to call him, but she deletes the message.

Oliver meets Clark at the farm to tell him that he believes that Lex is alive. Oliver has been trying unsuccessfully to track an e-mail trail to Tess. He asks Clark to steal Tess' router so he can track down Lex once and for all. Clark refuses as he says that Chloe is a higher priority on her wedding day. Oliver suggests that the real reason is that Clark feels guilty for not allowing her to remember his secret. Oliver convinces Clark when he warns him that Lex will make his move and he's more dangerous than ever now that he knows Clark's secret.

Clark arrives at Oliver's jet with the router, but when he sees Oliver looking at a picture of his parents, he is reluctant to hand it over in case Oliver is seeking revenge. He tells him he will keep the router until he can go with Oliver on the mission, after the wedding. Once Clark leaves, the pilot emerges from the cabin and says he secretly downloaded the information by wi-fi while they were talking.

Chloe is in Clark's loft when she receives another message from Davis. She tells Lois that Davis is nice, but he has the wrong idea about their friendship. Chloe remains focused on the wedding and starts to look for something borrowed to complete the tradition. Chloe jokingly suggests putting a piece of meteor rock in her bouquet just as Clark arrives. He starts to feel the ill side-effects and encourages her to put it away. Instead, he produces a boutonniere out of a yearbook, telling Chloe that he kept it after she gave it to him freshman year.

In Cuba, Green Arrow breaks into a seemingly-abandoned factory and sees a man that he thinks is Lex. As he shoots the figure with an arrow, he realizes it is a mannequin and reads a message attached to it saying, *"Sorry I missed you."* Suddenly, Oliver is attacked and his disguise knocked off. The figure steps into the light to reveal Lana Lang. She states that she tracked down the factory when large amounts of LuthorCorp info ran through a server two hours ago. Oliver mentions the note, but Lana dismisses it. She believes Lex is dead, but is concerned when she discovers Lex knows Clark's secret. Oliver invites her to Chloe's wedding. Lana is reluctant as she thinks it's too complicated, but he notes that Chloe is her best friend and encourages her to go.

Lois and Clark prepare for the wedding in their formal wear. They share a moment where they both admire how nice the other looks. Clark asks Lois to help him with his cufflinks. Afterward, she hands him Jimmy's vows for the wedding. As she turns away, Clark begins to say very romantic things about how he knew he loved her from the moment they met, and Lois smiles happily at Clark's words. But as she turns around, she realizes that Clark is just reading the vows. The camera man interrupts the awkward moment to film their best wishes for Chloe and Jimmy.

Meanwhile, Davis Bloome and his ambulance are covered in blood. As he frantically tries to wipe the blood away, he calls Chloe again, leaving a voicemail admitting he has done something horrible. It soon becomes apparent that he is disposing of human remains. He turns around to find a security guard who sees the blood on Davis. Davis, feeling himself about to transform, desperately tries to warn the guard to go, but after the guard instead looks in the dumpster, he draws back in horror. He says to Davis he isn't going anywhere until the cops arrive. Davis transforms and attacks the security guard.

Back at the wedding, Clark dances with Chloe. Clark tells her how she has always been his best friend, but she realizes he's talking as if something has changed. He covers and she admits that she's recently felt as if a great weight has been removed and she can move on. Jimmy cuts in and Clark starts dancing with Lois instead. During the dance, the moment becomes increasingly romantic and they lean in to kiss. However, they are interrupted by Chloe's exclamation at Lana's arrival at the wedding. Clark draws back, and Lois, obviously surprised, backs away.

Feeling rejected, Lois retreats to the farmhouse and Oliver offers her someone to talk to. She says her feelings snuck up on her, but feels that the guy she's interested in doesn't need her. She is quite emotional and Oliver easily guesses that she is talking about Clark. He says it's possible Clark could need her.

Lana is in the barn loft, reading a text message asking if Green Arrow believed her. Clark comes over to say that Chloe is glad Lana came, but he could have used some warning. Lana admits leaving was difficult for her, but she read about the Good Samaritan in Metropolis and is glad he's becoming what he's destined to be. Lana admits to him that she had always pictured herself as the bride at a wedding on the farm, and Clark wonders if it would have been better if she had not discovered his secret. He admits erasing Chloe's memories of his identity. Lana is shocked and says she never would have forgiven him for taking away the memories of him because they made her into who she is and that she's happy with where she is now. Their conversation ends when she suggests that the two of them may not have been meant to end up together.

As the newlyweds cut the cake, Clark notices the punch bowl ripple and Chloe and Jimmy hear a noise outside. Suddenly, Doomsday bursts in and begins looking for Chloe. Lana is injured as the crowd panics, and runs out of the barn. Clark tries to punch Doomsday, who catches his fist and throws him into the loft where he is weakened by the kryptonite that rolls out of its lead box. Jimmy tries to stop Doomsday too, but he rips open his chest with one blow. Chloe gathers Jimmy into her arms and Doomsday approaches them, growling Chloe's name. Chloe screams, then faints, and he carries her away. Lana runs to Clark's aid and puts the kryptonite away, but Oliver reports that Doomsday has escaped with Chloe.

Clark goes to the hospital to check on his injured friends. He tells Lana that Oliver is tracking Doomsday down. Lois sees them talking and quickly walks away. Lana encourages Clark to join Oliver in the search for Chloe. As he is leaving, he runs into Lois. He asks how she is holding up. She informs him that Jimmy is in critical condition and is being taken to a top surgeon in Star City and that she is going with him. Lois begins to cry and Clark offers a comforting hug. He promises they'll get Chloe back, but Lois wonders what will happen if they can't. Lois departs with Jimmy, looking back at Clark sadly.

Doomsday arrives at the Fortress of Solitude with an unconscious Chloe in his arms. As he lays her down, Chloe's eyes are turned silver and she smiles as Brainiac takes control of her body.

The wedding video is watched in a darkened room by Lex, surrounded by hospital tubes and wires.

### Legion

Lana Lang arrives at the wrecked barn, crying, when Clark arrives. He reports that he has been unable to locate Chloe or the thing that took her. He tells Lana that Jor-El warned him about an "Ultimate Destroyer." Lana decides to go to the Isis Foundation to help look for Chloe. When she is gone, there is a flash of light and a masked man with a big metallic, glowing axe appears in the loft and he smashes his axe through a large trunk in the loft. Clark confronts him and asks who he is and the man attacks a surprised Clark, wounding him in the side with the axe.

They continue to battle just as three more people appear. One man uses his power over magnetism to disarm the attacker, a blonde woman in red clothes practices some sort of telepathy, and another man strikes the attacker unconscious with a bolt of energy from his hands. The first hero takes a ring from the fallen attacker's hand and the attacker disappears.

Clark is stunned and finally asks who his three saviors are. They call Clark "Kal-El" and explain they are the Legion, from the 31st Century. They introduce themselves: the woman is Imra; the younger man is Garth, who is very excited to meet Clark and tells him that they know his future as a great superhero; and the leader is Rokk, who cuts Garth off from revealing too much information about Clark's future and says that they came to save him from the man who attacked him. He was the Persuader, who stole one of the Legion flight rings to come back in time and kill Clark. Rokk is ready to take his team back to the future, but Clark says he doesn't care about their team or the future because his best friend is missing. Imra reads Clark's mind and learns that he is thinking about a woman named Chloe Sullivan. Garth knows that they are in the day in history when Brainiac was defeated, but Rokk notices that the Martian crystal needed to trap him, which Clark was keeping in the trunk smashed by the Persuader, is now broken. He decides that they cannot leave because they must help Clark to finally defeat Brainiac.

Davis Bloome, half-naked, wakes up in the Fortress of Solitude. He sees Chloe and is relieved to find her there. However, Chloe approaches him, acting strangely. She examines Davis and says that he appears undamaged. Davis asks what happened to her, and she says that she is not Chloe, but the Brain InterActive Construct. Brainiac explains that Davis is merely the human guise for the Ultimate Destroyer and must be locked into a chrysalis to fully and permanently transform him.

Clark is super-speeding to the Fortress to ask Jor-El to help him find Chloe. The Legion members catch up with him through flight. They tell him that, since they have never heard of Chloe Sullivan, she must die in the process of defeating Brainiac. Clark angrily declares that Chloe won't die and speeds away.

Imra goes to the Isis Foundation and meets Lana. Lana initially thinks she is a meteor freak seeking assistance, but Imra starts to inform her of Brainiac taking over Chloe and asks her if she will convince Clark to kill Chloe. Lana insists she would never ask Clark to kill anybody. Imra tells Lana that she thought, based on what she knows of history, that Lana would help.

Imra meets up with Rokk and Garth, where they go through Chloe's work at the Isis Foundation. They note that she has gathered many years worth of information on people with abilities. They cannot figure out the reason why, if Chloe Sullivan is so important to Kal-El, they have never heard of her in any of their known history. The Legionnaires conclude that they must stop Brainiac themselves.

Clark goes to the Fortress to speak to Jor-El, but finds it corrupted, with Brainiac in Chloe's body absorbing information from the crystals. Brainiac reveals his plan to take all of Earth's information and knowledge, then have Doomsday destroy it. Clark grabs Chloe/Brainiac and shoves him against sharp crystals, but he can't bring himself to kill Chloe, despite Brainiac's taunting. Brainiac says he chose Chloe's body because he knew Clark wouldn't harm her. He then picks Clark up, tosses him across the Fortress, and speeds away. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Fortress and unbeknownst to Clark, Davis is locked in an ice chrysalis.

Clark explains to Lana how Brainiac has returned and that some people are convinced the only way to stop him is for him to kill Chloe. Lana tells him that a woman came in before saying the same thing. Clark wonders if killing Chloe might really be the only way. Lana is shocked by this and points out that the Clark she knows would insist that there would be a way to save both Chloe and the world. Just then, the computer indicates a power surge. Lana pinpoints the surge to the *Daily Planet*. Brainiac's symbol suddenly appears on Lana's computer screen, hypnotizing her. Clark calls her name, but she does not respond, so he rushes off to the *Daily Planet*.

Chloe/Brainiac arrives at the *Daily Planet* to absorb the information stored there. He hacks the wiring and slowly steals everybody's knowledge by hypnotizing them with his symbol displayed on every computer screen. The Legionnaires arrive and, while Imra distracts him as he is about to attack, Rokk and Garth attack Brainiac with an electromagnetic blast, temporarily disabling him. Garth reveals a knife and is ready to stab Chloe/Brainiac, saying he took an oath to protect anyone and is ready to do that. But he cannot bring himself to follow through, so Rokk takes the knife and is about to wield it when he is stopped by Clark. Clark tells them that Chloe is still inside, and that he believes he can defeat Brainiac without killing anyone. He asks Imra if she can connect with Chloe. Imra attempts it and can hear Chloe asking for Clark's help.

Clark and the Legion take Chloe, still unconscious, to the barn, a long way from computers. Clark encourages the others to work together to take Brainiac out of Chloe: Garth will create an electric burst to keep Brainiac at bay, while Rokk will use his magnetism to pull the metallic nano-bytes out of Chloe's body, and Clark and Imra will hold her down and connect with Chloe. When Brainiac re-activates, Garth blasts him down while Rokk pulls him out, in the form of a black metallic sphere, from Chloe's mouth. Chloe regains consciousness and says that she is fine and can tell that Brainiac is gone.

Back at the Fortress, Davis awakens.

The next day, Clark visits Chloe at her apartment, to find her memory completely restored, including his abilities and his alien origins. Chloe tells him that the next time something like this happens, she wants Clark to do what is best for the world and not for her, because if it were the right thing, she'd understand. Clark tells her that won't happen as long as he's around, and Chloe looks at him worriedly. She continues packing her things because she is going to visit Jimmy and Lois in Star City.

Lana and Imra meet again at the Kent house, and Imra refrains from telling Lana details of her future, but tells her she has a special destiny. As Clark, Garth and Rokk fix the barn, Imra comes in with the Brainiac sphere in her hands. Rokk says that they will try to re-program Brainiac into something useful, and Imra hopes that "Brainiac 5" will be a little more friendly. Clark gives Garth his legendary baseball, which when young, he had hit to the other side of Smallville, and burns his initials on it with his heat vision. Rokk gives Clark a Legion ring only good for time travel, and the Legion takes Brainiac back to the 31st Century with them.

Later, Clark and Lana discuss the future and how their lives may turn out, whether or not they are together.

At the Fortress, Davis has morphed into Doomsday and broken free of his ice chrysalis.

### Bulletproof

John Jones is out on patrol in Metropolis pursuing an escaped convict. Jones catches the crook, and other members of the Metropolis Police Department take the convict back to prison. Jones gets back into his car, but comes under fire from an unseen shooter. Bullets riddle the car as he attempts to get out and take cover. As he does, a bullet pierces the door and catches Jones in the chest. He falls to the ground, bleeding. Up on a rooftop, the unknown gunman puts away his high powered rifle; there is a Metropolis PD crest on his jacket.

Clark is in the Metropolis General Hospital, when Lana arrives. They talk about the thing that took Chloe. Meanwhile, John is brought in and doctors start to work on him, as Clark watches from outside. Oliver then arrives, revealing to Clark that he knows that John is a Martian, and that John has saved him from problems with the police. When Clark asks if he knows what John was working on, he says no, and suggests they split up to investigate, saying "teamwork's never really been our strong suit".

Tess is at the Mansion, training in martial arts, when Lana comes in and says that she wants to thank Tess, because her arrival in Metropolis has *not* been published in the *Daily Planet*. Then Lana says she knows that Tess has spent a lot of Lex's money on a project called Prometheus, and that Lex is, in fact, alive. Tess says that Lana doesn't know Lex the way she did. Lana replies "For your sake I hope you're right". Lana then leaves, and when outside checks the WiFi in her bag.

Clark arrives at the Isis Foundation, and Chloe tells him that Jones has been investigating some officers in his own precinct. She says she is happy to be "Brainiac-free", but misses how useful it was. Clark says he is just glad everything's back to normal, which Chloe takes to be a reference to Lana's return and warns him not to involve Lois in the Clark/Lana triangle. When Clark looks quizzically at her, Chloe says "Yeah, it's that obvious" and asks Clark to not "slam my cousin in the door". Changing the subject, Clark notices from the police files that the bullet which hit Jones has gone missing and they conclude that it must have been a police officer from his own precinct that shot Jones. Chloe says that Clark will need more than just a press pass to get on the inside, and starts working on her computer.

At the police station, an officer called "Danny Boy" by the other cops is about to go on patrol with his new partner "Joe", who is Clark now working undercover.

"Joe" and Dan set off on patrol and soon receive a call to action. As they arrive at the location, a thief is seen running out of a pharmacy. Dan tells Clark to make sure everyone is okay, while he personally chases the thief. He follows the thief into an alley. The thief hides, and comes up behind Dan, aiming his gun at him. Dan hasn't noticed anything yet when he hears a bullet firing, turns around, and sees the thief bouncing against the wall and Clark standing there. He then sees the smoking gun and arrests the thief. He realizes that Clark just saved him, and says "Guess I owe you one". After Dan leaves, Clark opens his hand and checks out the bullet which he'd caught to save Dan.

At a barbecue at Dan Turpin's house, "Joe Fordman" (Clark) meets Dan's son and wife. Dan's son is running around in a homemade costume. Clark asks who he is supposed to be and the child replies "The Red and Blue Blur". Clark looks to Dan, who remarks that he doesn't like his son emulating vigilantes. The son then falls over and gets hurt and Dan goes over to help him. Dan's wife starts talking to Clark. During their conversation, Suzie tells Clark that Dan's previous but now deceased patrol partner was his ride-along since they both graduated the academy. Clark then talks to the men and asks questions about the shooting of John Jones, but all they will say is that nobody in Dan Turpin's squad, which John was part of, liked him. The cops then get a call and Clark leaves with them.

Lana is at the Isis Foundation, using a USB with the computer. She is talking to someone, telling them she stole information from Tess' computer. As she downloads the data, the contents of the USB (Tess' files) seem to be linked to another server as well. Tess then arrives and tells Lana that her judgement of Lana's character may not be as good as she thought it was. They get into an argument and then, as Lana moves to the door, Tess pulls a gun on her. Lana manages to knock the gun out of Tess' hand and a fight ensues, with Lana eventually getting the upper hand when she manages to pick up the gun and aim it at Tess.

The cops have captured a man who apparently killed Dan's old partner, but somehow beat the rap, and Dan starts beating him up in a rage. One of the other cops makes a comment that justice will be served. He then throws Clark a tire iron and prods Clark to "help" his partner. Before Clark is put in a difficult position, Green Arrow swoops in and knocks out most of the gang with shock arrows, although Clark catches the arrow meant for him. Oliver is surprised to see Clark masquerading as a cop. Clark tells Green Arrow to leave. They are unaware that Dan, who is still semi-conscious, has seen everything that happened.

Still holding Tess at gunpoint, Lana takes her into the surveillance room and asks Tess if she was this devoted before or after her accident in the South Pacific, slightly impressing Tess with her detailed knowledge. Tess tells Lana that Lex saved her life, so she owes him everything. Lana reveals to Tess how a Luthor repays that kind of loyalty: she shows her a live feed on the screens of everything Tess is seeing, explaining that Lex had a nano-transmitter wired to her optic nerve, which means that she has been Lex's eyes and ears ever since. Tess watches the screens in horror as everything she sees is shown and everything she hears echoes. Lana says that Lex may have saved her, but he never trusted her. Tears fill Tess' eyes.

At the hospital, Clark finds out that Jones is holding on, but is still in critical condition. Clark is then confronted by Dan Turpin about what he saw and he demands to know who Clark is working for. Clark says he knows that one of Dan's squad members shot Jones, and he asks Dan to come back to the side of justice.

Clark is sitting in his kitchen when Oliver arrives and rails at him about condoning the beating. Clark insists that not all of them are all bad, but Oliver tells him the man Jones was chasing after never arrived into custody, but instead ended up at the bottom of the river.

Back at the police station, Dan reveals to one of his fellow cops that "Joe" is not who he says he is.

Clark arrives at the Simmons house and uses his x-ray vision to find the sniper rifle in the trunk of a car. Suddenly, Turpin arrives with the rest of his squad and they tell Clark they are arresting him for the attempted murder of Detective Jones. After Clark is driven away, Talbert tells Dan that Dan will be the one to take down Green Arrow.

Talbert sits on a nearby roof with his sniper rifle as Dan arrives with the thug who robbed the pharmacy and he starts beating him. The thug screams for help and Green Arrow arrives. Dan gets the drop on Green Arrow, but hesitates to kill him. Ollie tells Dan it's not too late to go straight and Dan lowers his gun. Talbert then takes matters into his own hands. A red laser dot appears on Dan's chest. Green Arrow notices and tackles him out of the way, behind some cover. Dan tries to move, but gets caught in the shoulder by Talbert. Clark arrives and disarms Talbert, but Talbert pulls a gun from his back pocket and fires; the bullet bounces off Clark and wounds Talbert. Talbert asks how that could happen, and Clark simply replies "Like you said, always wear a vest." Other police arrive just as Dan is arresting the other officer. He tells them "Don’t shoot. I'm one of the good guys", as Clark looks on and smiles.

Clark and Oliver visit Jones in the hospital. Clark asks John why he didn't contact him sooner. Jones says it was the same thing that keeps Ollie and Clark from asking for help: pride. Jones mentions that when you have had so much power, you get used to not asking for help. Clark talks about how he saw the brotherhood that policemen have, how it is good to have someone who has your back, and sometimes you can't do it alone, no matter how powerful you are.

Later, in the Luthor Mansion, Tess sends a message to Lex via the transmitter attached to her optic nerve, looking into a mirror so he will be able to see her. She tells him she respected and trusted him, but not anymore. She threatens to cut him off from the world and make him disappear. She presses a switch to activate a scrambling device that blocks the signal from her to Lex. As she does so, she says she loved him. At the same time, Oliver walks in, and Tess, quickly recovering her composure, tells him she would like to discuss a merger over dinner. As they leave, Tess leaves the Daily Planet newspaper on her desk with the headline "Lex Luthor Declared Dead".

At Dan's house, Clark and Dan talk about Dan's job as a police officer and how hard it is to put his wife and son through what he does every day. He says he does it to keep them safe and it would be harder not to do it. He questions Clark, asking if he has someone who makes it all worth it. Clark thinks a while, and then gives a little smile.

Arriving at the Talon, Clark finds Lana. He asks why she's still in Smallville, and she says leaving is harder than she expected it to be. Clark says the important thing is that she is here today. They kiss.

### Power

In a laboratory, Dr. Groll is preparing a procedure during an experiment and his assistant warns him that they aren't yet ready for human testing, but Dr. Groll insists that they are. He begins the procedure and the device bursts into flames and the subject is passed through the flames. Emerging from the flames, Lana screams.

Chloe enters the Kent Farm house to find Clark watching Lana's "goodbye" DVD. He tells her that he needs to remind himself of why they broke up and why Lana left, and mentions that he and Lana kissed the night before. Chloe asks why Clark acts as if it is a bad thing and he says that he has moved on so much towards his destiny since they broke up. Chloe suggests that he should talk it over with Lana, and tells him that she will be at her apartment. Clark speeds off.

Clark arrives at the Talon to find the apartment ransacked and then Tess emerges from the bedroom holding a gun. Tess puts the gun down when she sees it is Clark, and says she came to warn Lana, who was investigating some LuthorCorp technology. Tess tells Clark that Lana showed her who Lex really is. She then tells Clark the real reason why Lana left Smallville.

Lana is speaking to the video camera with Lex's men holding a gun to her before they take her away, with Tess in charge. They put Lana in a van to transfer her to a 'safe' location, but she fakes illness, disarms the man covering her, and then picks up the gun and shoots him in the shoulder, before ordering the driver out. She drives off to a gas station where she goes into the bathroom and uses a razor to cut her long hair into a short style.

Hearing this, Clark yells at Tess and pushes her against a wall. Tess apologizes, saying Lex told her it was for Lana's own good. Clark then interrogates Tess on the names of the Luthorcorp guards who kidnapped Lana, and Tess says that they're dead and Lex is now using new employees.

Clark spots a phoenix medallion in a drawer and Tess identifies it as belonging to her strategic advisor, Carter Bowfry. Clark goes to the Mansion and confronts Carter, who shows Clark that he has his own medallion on him and explains that he gave it to Lana the previous spring.

Lana offers Carter money to train her and eventually convinces him to help. He puts her through a very severe training regimen designed to improve resistance to pain and torture. He gets her to admit that she's still holding onto Clark, and tells her to overcome her previous life and become a new person. After her training is complete, she says she needs power, which she had before but wasn't ready for it emotionally. Carter warns against it and then gives her a phoenix medallion to remember the lessons she learned.

Carter tells Clark that Lana returned to Metropolis and he tracked her down, considering Lana his chance at redemption. She continued to investigate LuthorCorp against Carter's advice, so he took a job with Tess to provide Lana with information. Carter mentions that Lana contacted Chloe while she was in Metropolis.

In his laboratory, Groll is grafting a layer of nanites onto Lana.

In Metropolis, Tess meets with Lex's trusted employee Regan Matthews and confronts him over the fact that he broke into Lana's apartment. Regan insists he's trying to save Lex unlike Tess. She offers him a job and when he refuses, informs him he doesn't have a choice and demands the Prometheus technology, or she'll take it by force.

Once the regeneration process is complete, Groll removes Lana from the machine and puts her into quarantine.

Clark finds Chloe in Smallville and asks why she didn't tell him about meeting Lana. Chloe says Lana asked her not to tell Clark, and she wouldn't betray her trust, just as she did for him. Clark insists that Lana doesn't have the abilities he does and she needs help.

Chloe finds Lana in the Isis Foundation office and they embrace. When Chloe asks, Lana says she is only there for a short stay and won't see Clark but has been pleased by what she has read about his activities in Metropolis. She tells Chloe she wants to track down information on Lex's Project Ares, but Chloe advises against it. Lana insists that she's going to do it, and she'll tell Clark when the time is right. She makes Chloe promise not to say anything to Clark.

Chloe explains to Clark that the program was mothballed a year ago, and then wonders why Lana didn't contact Clark if she was forced to make the DVD. Clark figures that it was because Lana was busy planning her revenge on Lexeven though she was indeed protecting Clark by keeping an eyes on Lex and preventing him to get super powers to match Clark's.

Tess returns to her office at the *Daily Planet* and finds her security guard dead in her chair. Regan is behind her and reveals that he killed the man after forcing him to give up the location of Lex's lab. Tess says she has security cameras that will have recorded her guard's death, and Regan boasts that he viewed some of the recordings Lex made of her. Regan prepares to shoot her but Tess disarms him, fells him and then kicks him as his blood splatters on her face.

Chloe and Clark return to the Isis Foundation and she tells him there is another classified Luthercorp project called Prometheus which she has not been able to hack into. Clark uses his x-ray vision to discover that Lana has a safe hidden behind a radiator. He pulls open the safe door and finds a hard drive. Chloe hooks it up and brings up files of Lana talking to Dr. Groll.

Lana contacts Groll and compliments him on creating Prometheus and wants him to provide her with the skin graft, capable of providing super powers. She warns that Lex is too dangerous to have it and she is a better choice. Lana convinces Groll to use his legacy to improve mankind and offers him space to set up his laboratory. She tells him to tell his co-workers that Lana is Lex's guinea pig.

Chloe and Clark conclude that Lana wants to use the Prometheus technology on herself.

In Groll's laboratory, Lana stabilizes as they attach the suit. Tess then arrives and demands to know where the Prometheus technology is. Groll warns that opening the chamber could kill Lana, and claims it was Lex's orders to put Lana into it. Tess says Prometheus must be destroyed. Groll again warns that destroying it will kill Lana. Nevertheless, Tess pulls out a gun and prepares to shoot, and Groll lunges for the gun. A shot goes into a control panel, and Tess downs Groll and then shoots at Groll. But before it hits him, Clark enters at super speed just in time to see Lana use super speed to burst out of the containment chamber, catch the bullet, knock out Tess, and smile at Clark before speeding away.

Later, at the Mansion, Tess alerts her people to find Lana before she finds Tess, but then enters the study to find Lana there, burning all the research files on Prometheus. Tess tries to run but Lana cuts her off and says she's there as a friend. She warns that Tess's anger against Lex will doom her and leave Lex still in control of her. Lana tells Tess not to be a victim any more, then leaves.

At the Daily Planet, Clark is searching police reports for information on Lana when she contacts him via his super-hearing and asks him to meet her on the roof. He tells her that he's concerned that the power she now has will overwhelm her but she insists that she can handle it now cause she prepared herself. Lana says he doesn't have to worry about her any more because she can protect herself. And it means she will no longer be a distraction for him, and together they can make the world a better place. Clark agrees that's what he wants, but knowing this is too perfect to be real worries that normally dreams don't come true. Lana assures him there's never been anything normal about them. They kiss passionately.

### Requiem

A toymaker is having a conversation with a ventriloquist's dummy about the joy of toys.

Meanwhile at the LuthorCorp Plaza, a meeting of the LuthorCorp Board of Directors is occurring. They are discussing the way Tess Mercer is running the company. Oliver Queen arrives unexpectedly and states that with Tess Mercer's assistance, he has purchased controlling interests in LuthorCorp, to the dismay of the Board. Oliver suddenly spots a Newton's cradle which has begun to swing back and forth and its movement is increasingly rapid. As he dives for cover, he shouts for everyone to get down, and the bomb explodes.

Clark and Lana are in bed discussing how they've always wanted to be together and now they finally can. (Humorously, now that Clark doesn't gave to worry about hurting Lana, their love making ended up breaking the bed frame.) Clark wants to do romantic things together but Lana asks him to take her patrolling. Chloe arrives and tells them about the explosion and that everyone but Oliver was killed, and he has been hospitalized.

Oliver is in the hospital pondering his situation when Lana and Clark speed into the room and ask what happened. Suspicions arise that Lex was behind the attack, and Clark and Lana promise to investigate.

Clark and Lana arrive at the crime scene and discover kryptonite embedded in a chip made by Queen Industries, Clark is visibly weakened and when Lana handles it the kryptonite loses its power. Lana thinks that Oliver is trying to kill Lex, and Clark agrees that he can't be trusted.

Oliver is in the hospital flirting with his nurse when Chloe Sullivan arrives. Oliver tells her that he suspects Winslow Schott, a former Queen Industries employee, of being behind the bomb: Schott was fired when he became psychotic and Oliver thinks he has now been hired by Lex to kill him. He asks Chloe to track him down because he probably knows Lex's location. Chloe is hesitant and wants to tell Clark, but Oliver tells her not to because Clark won't agree to killing Lex.

Clark arrives to see Oliver on his jet, only to find Chloe, who is searching for clues as to where Winslow may be. Chloe doesn't want to tell Clark where Schott is because Lex knows Clark's weakness and she thinks he will be in danger. They have a tense conversation in which Clark finally gets her to admit that she is helping Ollie track down Lex. Clark wonders if she is helping Oliver kill Lex because he himself won't do it. Chloe doesn't answer and Clark reminds her that he could have killed her when she was infected by Brainiac, in order to save others, but he didn't, and she shouldn't let Oliver have the right either. Chloe relents and shows him what she has found about Winslow.

Clark and Lana are at the farm trying to locate Winslow, but they cannot find him. Lana finds her necklace and Clark puts it back on her. She explains that Dr. Groll told her that she absorbed the kryptonite radiation from the bomb at LuthorCorp and knowing Lex created the suit as a weapon, she wonders if he actually created it on the purpose to match and win over Clark. He is quiet since she is wearing the suit now, but Lana is concerned since this means that Lex had plans to kill Clark and he will most likely try again . Winslow is in the hospital delivering "balloons and presents" to Oliver. He chains Oliver to his bed and states that Oliver will pay for the way he treated Schott when he was ill. Oliver tries to sarcastically dismiss him but it doesn't work and Winslow states he is working for Lex for vengeance. He activates a toy monkey which will bang its cymbal 53 times - the same number as the number of patents he registered for Queen Industries - and it will then detonate. Oliver manages to free himself and extort the information from Winslow and he disarms the bomb. He ties Winslow to the hospital bed.

Chloe goes to talk to Oliver but only finds Winslow, being freed by an unsuspecting nurse. Before she can stop him, Winslow pops the balloons he's delivered, filling the room with a gas that knocks Chloe and the nurse unconscious.

Clark picks Chloe up from the hospital and takes her back to the Isis Foundation. She helps him locate Winslow's hiding spot and makes him a device so they can track Lex down as well.

Clark and Lana arrive at the place, an abandoned warehouse filled with toys and a replica city of Metropolis showing the *Daily Planet* building in ruins. Now knowing that the *Planet* is the next target, they head there and find a bomb made entirely out of kryptonite on the roof.

Lex watches this and speaks to them, saying that they are the reason he lost everything, Lana has to make a choice between Clark and the people of Metropolis. If Lana absorbs the kryptonite radiation, the city will be saved, but Clark can never come near Lana again. After one last kiss with Clark, Lana absorbs all of the kryptonite radiation and deactivates the bomb.

Clark uses Chloe's GPS device to locate Lex. It takes him to a truck with Lex presumably inside. He declares that Lex will never hurt anyone ever again but as he approaches the truck in a rage, Lana speeds in front of him. As she tells him that killing Lex would cause Clark to lose not just her, but himself as well, Clark looks on in shock as the truck holding Lex explodes.

Chloe reviews security footage of the hospital and sees Oliver leave with Winslow's toy monkey bomb, realizing that Oliver blew up the truck. Oliver arrives and Chloe confronts him, revealing that the remains in the truck were identified as Lex. He responds by telling her he knows she killed Sebastian Kane. Chloe claims Brainiac killed Sebastian Kane, but Oliver presses by asking her if she was truly sorry Lex is dead. Chloe admits that she is not. Oliver asks her not to tell Clark of the true reason why Lex died.

Clark revisits the exploded truck in which Lex died and spreads a handful of ashes.

Oliver contemplates a ripped-up photograph of Lex and holds his kryptonite ring.

Chloe and Lana wordlessly hug in the Talon apartment.

Clark meets Lana in the loft and she explains that Dr. Groll has told her that he is unable to reverse what has happened to her. Clark cannot approach Lana without becoming sick. They talk about their love and their life. She tells him that they both are driven to preserve life, even if they can't do it together. Clark asks her to stay. She says she is not strong enough to be around him but not be with him. Clark suffers through the radiation sickness to reach Lana and share one last kiss. They passionately kiss until he falls to his knees from the pain. Lana, remembering their first conversation in the graveyard, tells him that as long as they keep each other in the heart, they will always be together. Lana leaves in tears after a last "I love you". Clark, in pain from the kryptonite, answer her back in a whisper.

### Infamous

Lois gets out of a taxi in the pouring rain with two suitcases, and when Clark shows up, she complains that she waited 3 hours for him at the airport. Clark apologizes for not having been there.

As Lois walks into the Daily Planet, Linda Lake suddenly appears behind Clark. She reveals that there isn't a worse prison than where she's been. She says she's been living two years underground, and that she knows that Clark is the *Red-Blue Blur*, and wants to expose him. She shows Clark a story she's been writing, and threatens to blackmail him in order to regain her fame and critical acclaim. Clark tries to grab Linda Lake, but she turns into water and disappears.

Chloe visits Clark in his barn, and Clark tells her about Linda Lake's threat. Suddenly, after some thought and discussion of his options, Clark decides that he will reveal his secrets to the world, on his terms. When Chloe seems doubtful, Clark says that as the world accepted "The Red-Blue Blur", there's a chance that they will accept him. Clark says that for the first time in his life, he may actually be able to be himself. Chloe insecurely smiles.

At Metropolis Hospital, a nurse called Toni goes into the medicine storeroom and Davis is standing there. Davis has his pockets full of pills, and the nurse asks him what he is doing. Davis replies that he is an EMT. The nurse asks him to explain why he has taken so many pills, and he says that he is restocking his rig. The nurse reads the name of the pills: 'Anti-psychotics', used for treating people with multiple personality disorders. The nurse apologizes and says that she hopes that whoever needs it gets it. Davis says "So do I", and prepares to take the pills.

At the *Daily Planet*, Clark watches Lois as she works. He decides to ask her to write his story. He says that he didn't forget to pick Lois up at the airport and the reason he wasn't there was that he was protecting people and that he is the Red-Blue Blur. Lois laughs, disbelievingly thinking it's just an excuse and goes into a room to restock her papers. She steps up on a table and tries to reach for the paper, but she can't reach it. To demonstrate what he can do, Clark helps her by lifting up the table with one hand. Lois looks shocked, and when Clark lets go of the table Lois falls into his arms, and says "I guess I should stop calling you Smallville..."

Lois locks the door to the room she and Clark are in. She asks why she is the first person Clark told. Clark admits that Lana and Chloe have known it for years. Lois then begins to inquire what "guns" Clark has in his arsenal. Clark then tells her about his powers: that he can blast fire out of his eyes; he can hear a dog barking from 10 miles away; he can see through solid objects, which alarms Lois; and that he can run faster than the speed of sound. Once again, Clark asks her to write the story. Lois agrees, thinking he is a meteor freak, which prompts Clark to tell her where he's really from.

The very next day's *Daily Planet'*s front page reads: *"CLARK KENT: ALIEN FROM KRYPTON"*. Clark is walking down the street observing the reactions of people as they see him. A newspaper vendor gives Clark a paper for free, and a little kid asks him for his autograph. Everywhere Clark goes, people smile, applaud, scream and take pictures of him. One fanatical girl deliberately jumps from a balcony and calls out for Clark to catch her, which he does. Suddenly he is surrounded by the media, and Linda Lake appears and says that she will have the last word after he scooped her.

Chloe asks nurse Toni about Jimmy being transferred in to the hospital. Toni says that he isn't there, and says that the hospital is full because of the paparazzi following Chloe, the alien's best friend. Chloe sees Davis and asks to talk to him about "what happened" between them. Davis thinks that she is talking about when she was Brainiac-infected, but she meant when Davis kissed her. She admits that she deleted all the messages that Davis sent her on her wedding day without checking them. Davis says it's dangerous having the kind of relationship they have, and Chloe leaves. Another nurse comes by with that day's *Daily Planet* and incredulously asks Davis if he actually knows her, explaining that Chloe is the Kryptonian's best friend. As Davis heard from Brainiac-infected-Chloe that his destiny was to kill "the other Kryptonian", he silently mumbles "Kryptonian..."

Linda then goes to see the Daily Planet's City Editor, Randall Brady and tells him that she has a story for him. Randall dismisses her, saying that the Daily Planet does not care for gossip columns anymore and he suggests that she gets a new career. She says it's about the alien, which arouses his interest.

In the Kent farmhouse, Clark is talking on the phone to Martha, who warns she may be forced to go on leave as a Senator. Chloe makes her way through paparazzi at the door, and announces that Clark and Lois have been given penthouse offices at the Daily Planet. Then they notice a news broadcast on TV of an anguished mother whose husband died when Clark wasn't there, making Clark feel bad that he can't be there for everyone. Chloe reveals that Linda was held at Black Creek and her power can be neutralized by electricity. They suddenly see on TV that Linda has called a press conference, where she announces that Clark is the first wave of an alien invasion, not a savior. She tells the press that the real hero was Lex Luthor, whom Clark killed. Soon afterwards, federal agents arrive. Clark refuses to leave, and goes outside to confront them while Chloe slips out the back door.

The feds question Clark about how he came to Earth and the accusation that he killed Lex. He denies killing Lex, but the head agent tells him that they will need to run some tests on him. Clark gets angry and says that nobody will be running any tests. However, more agents come in to accost him and when he throws one across the room, they all open fire on Clark. He allows the bullets to bounce off his chest before he super-speeds away.

Clark catches up with Chloe and says that they need to leave Smallville and hide until the media fuss dies down. He says he will find her later and that he plans to use the Legion ring to go back in time. Chloe warns Clark that he may also change something else, but he insists he must stop Linda Lake before she can blackmail him. But Linda Lake is hiding in the undergrowth listening.

Randall comes down to the basement of the Daily Planet and shows Lois the story by Linda on the front page accusing Clark of the murder of Lex Luthor.

Lois gets in the elevator on her way to protest to Tess, but finds herself with Linda, who is thrilled that people have turned on Clark.

Lois barges into Tess' office, only to find the agents waiting for her, but before they can arrest her, Clark super-speeds her away.

They arrive at the barn, and Clark tells her that he can make everything go away by using the Legion ring, but Lois urges him to stay and fight back. She says that she understands his decision, but is disappointed that she will not know his secret if he resets the time, and suspects that he won't tell her the next time. Clark goes to find the ring in his toolbox, but is exposed to kryptonite planted by Linda, who comes out of hiding and knocks Lois out.

At Isis, Chloe is deleting all data from the computers and shredding papers. Davis stumbles in and says he can't stop it and says he's built up a tolerance to the anti-psychotic pills. He remembers that Brainiac told him it was his destiny to destroy Clark, and that he's a Kryptonian as well. Chloe now realizes that he is Doomsday, and Davis tells her to warn Clark. He then starts to transform and tells her to run. She runs.

As she runs along the street, Chloe phones Lois and leaves a voice message to Clark that Davis is Doomsday. She gets into her car but Doomsday has caught up and shakes the car about before he rips off the car door.

As Clark lies helpless on the floor of the barn, Linda shows him that she has the Legion ring and tells him that she plans to go into the future and find out big stories before they happen, which will restart her career. Lois then awakens and tackles Linda. They tussle until Lois knocks Linda out. Clark grabs the Legion ring as Lois picks up her message from Chloe, but she can only say "Davis..." before Clark disappears.

"Two days earlier", Clark reappears in his barn, now alone, and quickly leaves.

*[In a different version of the previous events]*, Clark goes to see Linda at her apartment and shows her the story he has written about the murders she committed and says she is going to jail. She attempts to escape, but Clark electrocutes her to neutralize her power and keep her in her human form.

Lois steps out of Clark's truck; this time, he has picked her up from the airport. He agrees that things got crazy during the wedding party and Lois suggests they forget everything they discussed there. She invites him for coffee later but says it'll be okay whether he comes or doesn't.

Clark, being the only one who remembers what are now the previous non-events, tells Chloe what happened and how he thought things would work out when he told Lois about his secret. Chloe suggests that he should create a separate identity to fight crime. Clark insists that this time he won't tell Lois, and says that he has destroyed the Legion ring. Chloe wonders what might have changed this time.

Nurse Toni goes into the medicine storeroom and Davis is standing there. Davis has his pockets full of pills, and the nurse asks him what he is doing. Davis replies that he is one of the EMTs. Toni then tells him that a patient is asking for him. He goes to the criminal containment room and finds Linda Lake. She says she knows his secret, telling him to unleash the beast and break her out of her chains. He warns her, but when Linda goads him, he begins to transform and smothers Linda to death before he stops transforming. He leaves the room and throws away the pills.

Lois waits for Clark at a table outside the coffee shop. Out of her sight, Clark is standing across the street, watching her. He sends her a text message saying he can't make it because he is caught up at work. She replies saying she couldn't make it either. Clark walks away as Lois continues to sit at the table with her coffee, dejected.

### Turbulence

Davis is in a church confessional booth. He is upset and tells the priest that he has a demon inside him that takes over. He explains that he drives the streets of Metropolis looking for criminals and when he stops them from committing crimes, it helps keep the beast from taking over. As he speaks, he visualizes actually killing the criminals and that prevents his transformation into Doomsday.

Chloe arrives at the Kent Farm as Clark is just off to work. She remarks that the papers are reporting the most saves in one night ever by the Red-Blue Blur. Clark is extraordinarily proud of this. He has even started actually slowing down so that traffic cameras can record him. Chloe thinks he is in danger of exposing his real identity, but Clark says he believes seeing the Blur gives people hope. He demonstrates to Chloe how he's gotten to be expert at changing into his red jacket and blue shirt in the blink of an eye, keeping his hero clothes in a knapsack. Chloe worries that all the knowledge Lex had on him is now in the hands of Tess Mercer, but Clark tells her that she should be worrying about Jimmy, who has been transferred to Metropolis General. Clark doesn't think Jimmy is doing well and feels guilty for not having protected him from the creature, but Chloe is hopeful that he is recovering.

Chloe arrives at the hospital to see Jimmy. She gently chides him for trying to give himself an extra dosage of pain medication. He tells her that he is in extreme pain and just wants to go home. Chloe suggests he talk to a psychologist. Chloe is worried about him but Jimmy thinks that since they made it through the attack at their wedding, they will stay together.

That evening, Jimmy has a nightmare about the wedding and his injury. He awakens and, getting no response to his calls for a nurse, goes into the hallway to ask for more pain medication. He is approached by a man frantically running down the hall. Jimmy follows the man to the end of the hallway and sees him caught by a hooded figure in an elevator. The figure kills the man and turns to face Jimmy, and Jimmy recognizes it as Davis.

Clark is at work at the *Daily Planet* looking for ways to save people when he is approached by Tess. She teases him about his school backpack and is just about to open it when Clark takes it from her. She tells him that she wants him to accompany her to a press conference in Los Angeles to announce the formation of the Mercer Media Group, saying it would be great for his reporting career.

Chloe is back at the hospital, having been summoned by the police. Jimmy tells her that he saw Davis kill someone. Then Davis arrives and says he has spent the past six hours being interrogated by police because of Jimmy's accusation. He explains that a drunk driving suspect was loose in the hospital after his arrest and that Jimmy was also found, wandering around and out of it. He says Jimmy's pain pump was faulty and giving him double doses. Chloe is skeptical and Jimmy denies it, but Davis says the doctors and nurses will verify it. He excuses himself and Chloe follows him out to apologize for Jimmy. Davis thinks Jimmy is targeting him because Davis kissed her, but Chloe tells him she never told Jimmy about that. Davis says he is moving on but will still be friends. Chloe starts to cry and admits that she wonders whether, if Jimmy had never met her, he wouldn't be having these problems. Davis gives her a comforting hug, as Jimmy spies them from his room.

Clark and Tess are on Oliver Queen's private jet on the way to LA. Tess mentions that she had the tracking device that Lex put in her removed. Clark asks if Lex talked about him and Tess reveals that Lex kept a journal, but doesn't tell Clark what it says. Clark gets the idea that they should share a drink.

Jimmy sneaks into Davis's ambulance rig and looks around. He finds the drunk driver's body stashed in the back. He is so shocked, he jumps back and crashes into a glass compartment, cutting his hand. Davis catches him snooping, wondering if he is looking for more pain medication. Jimmy accuses him of killing the drunk driver and stashing the body, and Davis implicitly admits it but counters that the driver had killed innocent people. Jimmy is shocked and Davis suddenly injects Jimmy with something to knock him out.

Jimmy awakens in his hospital bed, hearing Chloe screaming his name. He tries to find her in the hospital and finds her running for her life. She locks herself in an exam room and Jimmy watches in horror as the creature from their wedding seemingly murders her. Jimmy is screaming and pounding at the door when the doctors and nurses try to calm him down. When Chloe arrives on the scene, unharmed, he realizes that he was

hallucinating.

Clark and Tess are still on the plane, and Tess is a bit intoxicated so Clark asks again what was in Lex's journal, but she refuses to tell him. Instead she tells him about how her father was an alcoholic who abused her. Clark remarks that she was able to overcome a difficult childhood but Tess says that like Clark, she is just good at hiding it. Clark feigns innocence but Tess is convinced that Lex's obsession with him proves otherwise. She asks him to tell her his "deep, dark secret", as she has told him hers but Clark claims he doesn't have one. Tess moves away to speak to the pilot, and moments later there is an explosion and the plane depressurizes. Clark goes to find the pilot and sees the cockpit window smashed, while Tess goes and finds parachutes. However, she tells Clark that she cannot find any. She starts to pass out and Clark puts an oxygen mask over her face, while at the same time bending the tube to disrupt the airflow. When Tess passes out, Clark picks her up and jumps out of the plane, seconds before it explodes.

Davis is watching a criminal break into a building when he is hit on the head with a pipe by Jimmy Olsen. He is stunned and Jimmy handcuffs him to a chain-link fence. Jimmy confronts him and tells him he knows he wasn't hallucinating when he found the dead body in Davis's rig, because the cut on his palm is still there, and he again accuses him of murdering the drunk driver.

Jimmy has called Chloe because he wants Davis to confess to her. Jimmy thinks Davis is trying to steal Chloe away from him. Davis begins to transform and warns Jimmy to leave. He breaks one of the handcuffs. Jimmy prepares to hit him again but is tasered unconscious by Chloe. His back turned, Davis continues to transform, telling them to get way, as she checks on Jimmy. She tries to calm Davis down and lays a hand on his shoulder. Davis's transformation ceases and reverses.

Clark arrives at the Luthor Mansion to check on Tess. She says she is unharmed and knew when she woke up in the emergency room that Clark had saved her, but the pilot's body hasn't been found. Clark claims he found only one parachute and used it to save them both, but Tess knows he is lying because she had seen two. However, she says she hopes their experience has brought them closer. When Clark promises to keep her confidence, she tells him that he makes her feel safe. She also tells Clark that he can trust her and says that she may run his company and live in Lex's house, but she is not Lex. Clark says nothing and leaves.

At the farm, Clark talks to Chloe about his experience with Tess, saying that he thinks she knows his secret. Chloe thinks he should stay away from Tess by quitting the *Daily Planet* and making the Red-Blue Blur less visible. She thinks Tess is dangerous because she tried to kill Lana but Clark thinks she was only trying to stop Lex. He wonders if Tess can be trusted. Chloe warns him to be careful. She then changes the subject, saying she will be taking Jimmy home from the hospital. She thinks they have made it through the worst and will have their 'happily ever after'. After she leaves, Clark looks thoughtful.

Chloe gets instructions from Jimmy's discharge nurse about how to manage his pain medication but Jimmy snatches them out of her hand and goes to leave. She reminds him that he isn't alone but Jimmy angrily says he can take care of himself. Chloe tries to explain that Jimmy would have regretted assaulting Davis, but Jimmy is still hurt that Chloe took Davis's side over what has happened.

Aware that people can hear them, Chloe asks to continue the conversation at home and Jimmy snaps. Making a scene in the hospital hall, he yells that he's done trying to make them work, because Chloe has never trusted him. He refuses to leave with her and says that marrying her was the biggest mistake of his life, and then storms out. Chloe is left alone, in tears.

Jimmy barges into Tess's office at the *Daily Planet* and tells the security guard that he quits. He leaves a folder on Tess's desk containing a photograph of Davis and some murder victims, plus a handwritten note telling her to "meet Davis Bloome."

Clark continues his Red-Blue Blur duties.

Tess gives the pilot a case full of banknotes, revealing that she had staged the plane crash to make Clark use his powers to save her.

Jimmy is driving away, and takes much more than the recommended dosage of his pain medication.

Meanwhile, Chloe is at home, still crying.

Davis is standing out in the street in the pouring rain.

### Hex

Chloe is standing alone on the balcony at her birthday party at the Ace of Clubs. Someone puts a present from Clark in front of her, she turns around and sees Oliver who explains Clark's in Keystone helping Bart Allen with a crisis. Chloe finds that Clark has given her a copy of *Tales of the Weird & Unexplained*. Oliver notices that she's feeling melancholy and takes her back inside. Chloe sees Lois and admits she is feeling sorry for herself because Lois has the life of a reporter that she had always wanted, and because her own marriage is falling apart. Lois comes over and gives her a birthday cupcake, then apologizes for having to leave to cover a story in Mexico City.

As Lois goes, a magician, Zatanna, notices Chloe and Oliver talking. Oliver prepares to leave on an emergency as Zatanna approaches him, but he redirects her to Chloe. Zatanna invites Chloe to make a wish. Chloe gazes at Lois and then blows out the candle on her cake, as Zatanna's eyes glow.

Later, Chloe goes to bed alone. The next morning, she wakes up and looks in the mirror, and discovers she suddenly looks exactly like Lois. While struggling to get dressed, Chloe calls Lois, who says that everything is fine and she hasn't noticed anything weird.

At the *Planet*, Chloe quietly impersonates Lois. She goes to Lois' desk and does a web search on Zatanna, and finds the location where she's performing. Clark arrives and asks how she got back from Mexico so quickly. He comments that Lois called him several times from the airport the other night, and also notices that 'Lois' is not dressed in her usual fashion. Chloe resents that he called Lois, but not her. Not knowing he's really talking to Chloe, he admits he understands Jimmy's side of the story on their breakup. Clark sees a report on a police standoff and, puzzled by her strange behavior, drags Chloe with him.

In his new office at the LuthorCorp building, Oliver reads an article on Lex Luthor but is interrupted when Zatanna comes in. She asks for his help and notes her father was John Zatara, the world's greatest magician. Zatanna explains that she wants a book that belonged to her family and that Lex acquired the book at an auction. Oliver explains that Lex's lawyers won't let him near Lex's personal collection and he can't get the book. Zatanna offers to give him one wish and she promises to offer him anything he wants if he gets her the book by midnight. When he looks away for a second, Zatanna disappears.

Clark begins to notice that 'Lois' is acting oddly. When she trips over her high heels, Clark catches her and Chloe notices that Clark is looking at her strangely. They arrive at the address where a man is yelling in Latin on a loudspeaker. A policeman comes over and pays 'Lois' the money he owes her from Friday's poker game, then explains that the man, Yuri, is an antique dealer who has been shouting in Latin. Chloe translates it to mean that Zatanna cursed the man with magic, and Clark is surprised that she understands Latin. Chloe tells him to take her at superspeed to Zatanna's performance. When Clark tries to pass it off, Chloe rattles off enough information to convince him that she's really Chloe and knows his secret.

They arrive at the theater and Chloe admits that she understands why Clark defended Jimmy. They talk about his present to her and he admits that his life has become so weird that weird has become normal. He mentions that he wishes there were days when he could just be a normal reporter. They go to Zatanna's dressing room where she is assuring a photo of her father that it won't be long. They ask her to reverse the curse but Zatanna explains that it's what Chloe wants, and she won't change back until she no longer wishes to be Lois. Chloe insists she doesn't want it but nothing happens. Clark asks about the antique dealer and Zatanna explains that he wanted a deeper understanding of dead languages, and she granted the wish in return for his help in finding her father's book. When Clark confronts her directly, she wonders what *he* might wish for. Her eyes glow and she disappears, and Chloe wonders if Clark is okay. He insists that he's fine, but Chloe isn't so sure.

As they go outside, Chloe realizes that Clark once again thinks she's Lois. They spot a mugger and Clark simply stands there and watches. Chloe asks if he's going to do anything and is not totally surprised to see him get out his phone and call 9-1-1.

Back at the *Planet*, while Clark thinks that 'Lois' is trying to play a prank on him, Chloe realizes that Zatanna has changed him and tries to undo the effect. She hauls him to the roof, then locks the door behind them. She tells him to open the door and when he grabs the handle, it comes off in his hand. He thinks the door needs better maintenance, so she tries to get him to use his super-hearing. Clark concentrates and hears everything, but figures it's the acoustics. She tries to hit him over the head with a pipe but misses, and Clark still refuses to believe her, alarmed at her actions.

That night, two security guards are patrolling a LuthorCorp warehouse when they hear a noise. Investigating, they find an arrow that emits knockout gas. Green Arrow drops down and finds the crate containing Zatanna's book.

Outside, Oliver finds Zatanna waiting for him. She realizes that he is Oliver Queen and asks for the book in return for his wish. Oliver notes there's a lot of dark material in the book, and she admits she can grant anyone their wish except for her own.

While Oliver watches a nearby trashcan fire, Zatanna says the book is the only way she can bring her father back. Oliver considers it, then tosses the book towards the fire. However, the book is drawn to Zatanna and flies into her hands. Zatanna quickly opens the book and speaks a magic incantation, summoning magical chains to bind Oliver. She leaves, promising her father that she's coming.

Clark and Chloe go to the sanitarium where Yuri is being kept. Yuri is once again capable of speaking English and realizes that they know what happened. Yuri warns them that the book is too dangerous, and that Zatanna will have to exchange someone else's life to bring her father back from the dead.

On the roof of the *Daily Planet*, Zatanna recites a ritual from the book, demanding that her father come back to life. Lightning flashes and a storm appears overhead. Clark and Chloe see the storm and rush to the *Daily Planet*. Chloe tells Clark that he doesn't really want to be a normal guy, and he needs to use the power he can feel to jump to the rooftop. Clark considers her words as he looks up to the rooftop, and then turns and sees that Chloe has reverted to her normal self. She explains that she no longer envies Lois' life because of what she has with Clark. Clark braces and then leaps to the rooftop. He tells Zatanna to stop the spell and asks what cost she is willing to pay and she says she is willing to sacrifice her own life to bring her father back. She walks toward the magical vortex but Clark stops her. She wonders what he can know about losing a father. Clark says losing his father was the worst day of his life, but he had to let him go. Then Chloe rushes out of the door onto the roof, but she runs straight into the vortex and is caught up. Clark asks Zatanna what her father would want her to do. Zatanna watches as her father appears in the vortex, then casts the spell to seal the portal. Chloe is knocked clear and Zatanna is left to think about what might have been.

Chloe awakens in her apartment the next morning, pleased that she looks like herself. Clark arrives with coffee and bagels. He thanks her for reminding him of who he is, and Chloe admits that she accepted her role to help Clark. Clark admits it was tempting to have a normal life, but realized that he really enjoys a life with responsibilities. He wonders why Chloe took so long to tell him what was going on, and she explains that she has had a rough time lately and is a bit jealous of Lois and Clark's partnership. She thinks Clark looks at Lois with "puppy dog eyes" and that Lois is a part of his life. Chloe wonders if he's afraid of being burned a second time, but Clark deflects it and asks if she's talking about her and Jimmy. She suggests that they both have to move on with their lives.

Oliver returns to his office and finds Zatanna waiting for him. She apologizes and says she wants to make sure something like that can't happen again. Oliver admits he respects her for making the tough choice, and she warns him that there are people with much greater magic power. Zatanna gives him a calling card and tells him to call her if he ever runs into them. She plans to do some catching up so she can make her father proud.

At the *Planet*, Lois, having returned from Mexico, watches Clark who is working on a story. She asks how long it took him to figure out who Chloe really was, and then asks to see his framed copies of her rules, and suggests they should hang it up. Clark says it's personal. Lois heads out for a date with a guy she met on the plane. Clark asks if she wants him to give her a call if anything comes up, and she points out he stood her up once before. Lois says they should just stick to a working relationship from now on.

At Isis, Oliver arrives and warns Chloe that she'll be leaving her old life as a reporter behind forever. Chloe says after a day in Lois' shoes, she's sure she now has the life she wants. Chloe goes into the computer center and begins coordinating Oliver's team of heroes as 'Watchtower'.

### Eternal

In the Luthor Mansion, Tess is looking at a drawing of a spaceship. The 1989 meteor shower in Smallville is shown. Jonathan and Martha are driving their truck when a meteor skids across the road ahead of them. Lionel is seen looking for Lex and finds him lying in the middle of a field with no hair. Then Jonathan and Martha chance upon young Kal-El and find his ship. Close by is a kind of egg, from which oozes a liquid which rapidly forms into a young boy. At the mansion, Tess realizes the truth: that another boy landed on Earth that day.

Clark visits Tess at the *Daily Planet*. He wants her to print his article about a recent rash of missing person cases. He thinks there are similarities between them but people are ignoring it. Clark wants the *Daily Planet* to be the first newspaper to publish the story so that the people of Metropolis can be warned. Tess explains that she needs proof so she can print it. Clark accuses Tess of sweeping it under the rug and Tess retorts that Clark is the one who constantly lies, not her.

Davis is cooking dinner at Chloe's apartment to thank her for recovering the data for his cell phone. They talk and Chloe admits that Jimmy refuses to communicate with her. She states that she thought they were best friends but now she guesses that there was some stuff beneath the surface. Davis accidentally cuts his finger with the knife, but after Chloe wipes the blood away, no cut can be seen and when she looks at him suspiciously he pretends nothing happened. Clark arrives to ask Chloe for help on his story and sees Chloe holding Davis's hand. Chloe and Davis arrange to have dinner another time.

As soon as Davis leaves the apartment, he starts breathing hard and doubles over, apparently in pain.

Later that night, Davis is in a muddy field with a bloodied shovel. He gets into his car and kisses the crucifix hanging from the mirror. He gets a call on his cell. As he answers it, he sees Tess Mercer standing in front of the car talking to him on the phone. She asks about a prayer for dismembering a body and then presses a button, which makes Davis's car explode.

Back at the Talon apartment, Clark and Chloe go through the missing person cases. Chloe finally asks Clark why he's staring at her and Clark admits that he does not like Davis and is suspicious. He thinks Chloe is moving on from Jimmy pretty quickly. Chloe doesn't want his advice and insists they are just friends. Their argument is interrupted when Chloe gets news that a car matching Davis's license plate was found burned out and abandoned.

Davis is covered in bloody bandages when he awakens in a bed in the Luthor Mansion. He is approached by Tess. She apologizes because she didn't expect him to end up like this, but actually she tried to kill him. Because he is badly injured, he barely speaks. Tess says she knows about his killing spree. She admires his selection of the victims as they were all criminals. Tess takes a book into her hands and explains she looked into Davis's background. She thought she had reached a dead end, until she found Lionel Luthor's journal. It´s about a boy, that came down the very same day the meteor shower happened, but she does not believe the boy came down alone.

Davis as a young boy watches Jonathan, Martha and Clark. Seconds later, Davis is seen by a couple of soldiers so he runs away. Nevertheless, as they follow him through the cornfield, he is soon trapped. Later, in the Mansion, young Lex Luthor is chasing his pet bird and he hears a child's voice behind a locked door. He unlocks it and meets a young Davis Bloome. They make friends quickly as they discover they both like "Warrior Angel". Davis says that a man brought him here a few days ago and put needles in him. Lex invites his new friend, who doesn't know his own name, to play with him.

Davis's injuries are already healing as Tess finishes her story by stating that Lionel sent a search party for the Traveler and he didn't realize that there were two boys that fell to earth that day, the Traveler and Davis.

Chloe and Clark arrive at the field where Davis's car is getting towed away. The driver reveals that no body was found and the police believe the truck was abandoned. Clark tells Chloe that this field is where his ship landed. Clark then x-rays the field and is shocked to spot dozens of buried corpses.

Davis wakes up, now fully recovered, and walks through the mansion, discovering old memories of sword-play with Lex. Davis asks about the little box on the desk in the library and Alexander explains that it is made of St. George's Armor and that he slayed dragons. Alexander shows us a bit of his true nature and commands that he is now St. George and Davis is the dragon, the beast, which wants to destroy the world and Alexander is the only one that can save it. Alexander opens up the box which is filled with meteor rocks, and Davis suddenly begins to scream in pain. Not realizing what actually happened, Lex closes the box and comforts Davis.

Back in the present, Davis remembers his reaction to meteor rocks and tries to leave. Tess appears and starts quoting parts from the bible which refer to Christ and Judas, and says that Christ never would have risen from the dead if Judas had not betrayed him. She tells Davis that there is a savior, whom he must betray. She implies that Clark and he are destined to kill each other. Davis's eyes turn red and he hits Tess so hard, she flies across the room.

Clark and Chloe arrive at the *Planet*, arguing about how Chloe was wrong to trust Davis. Chloe admits she was in denial and couldn't believe that Davis really was the serial killer Jimmy warned them about. They realize that Davis's victims were all criminals and wonder if he's on some sort of vigilante mission. Clark mentions that Davis wouldn't be stupid enough to abandon his car next to a field full of evidence, and thinks someone took him. Chloe says that someone has checked Davis's past before her and that he should question Tess.

Clark comes into Tess's hospital room and she reveals that she has Lionel's journal and that he wanted to possess the Traveler, which is why he was in Smallville on the day of the meteor shower. She also implies that Lex and Lionel got the whole idea of the Kawatche Caves wrong. She talks about the painting of a two headed creature - Naman and Sageeth - and how Lionel and Lex thought they were trying to become worthy adversaries of the Traveler, not realizing that there was another boy who came to earth with Clark that was destined to be his ultimate nemesis. Clark pretends he doesn't believe Tess's story. Tess replies that Lionel took Davis, but then the boys tests didn't match what they expected of the Traveler. After five days, Lionel had Davis put out onto the street after getting a phone call from Martha Kent asking for help with an adoption. Tess accuses Clark of being the reason for Davis being abandoned.

Chloe is at Isis researching the murders and waiting for Clark to return. She is surprised to be confronted by Davis instead. She tries to run but he grabs her and forces her to listen to him. Davis confesses that he is in love with her and wants her to help him. Chloe refuses to do anything for him until Davis says he wants her to help him die.

Clark arrives at Isis and realizes there has been a disturbance in the office and Chloe is missing. On her computer screen is a diagram of Dr. Groll's lab, so Clark superspeeds away.

At the lab, Davis is in a cell. Above the cell is a tank of liquid meteor rock. Davis has placed himself in the cage and is trying to convince Chloe to pull the lever. In tears, Chloe can't bring herself to do it. Clark rushes in and begs Davis not to kill himself, wanting to give Davis a second chance, because Clark now feels guilty about Davis's past. Davis argues that people always return to their true nature and that it's best for him to die, because he was sent to kill Clark. Davis begins to transform, his eyes turning red. When he lunges towards Clark, Chloe quickly switches the machine on. Davis is covered in the liquid meteor rock and flashes back to himself as a child, being dropped off by one of Lionel's workers. Young Davis becomes angry, transforms and kills the worker. In tears, Chloe watches Davis die. Then she rushes to the tank and puts her hand on the glass and Davis puts his hand against hers as he slowly stops breathing. Clark watches and seems to feel guilty that there was something between them.

Clark visits Chloe that night to see how she is. She is quiet and thoughtful, saying she has had better days. Clark has spoken to Oliver Queen, who has disposed of Davis's body and taken charge of the cover-up to explain Davis's disappearance. Chloe feels guilty about what she had done but believes she did it to protect Clark and his destiny as a world protector. Clark looks at a photograph of the two headed creature from the Kawatche Caves, remarking that he didn't have to fight the "ultimate destroyer" very hard. He throws the photograph into the fire. Clark states he always had a nightmare about never having been adopted, and Chloe points out that Clark's nightmare was Davis's reality.

Clark gets a visit from Tess in his barn. She hints about Clark saving people and reveals that she knows a bit more. Clark thinks she has the Luthors' obsession and states that he will never be that man she thinks he is. Tess thinks that Clark will never fulfill his destiny until he has met his greatest enemy. Clark retorts that Tess doesn't know anything about his life. Tess, knowing that Clark is lying, says she will wait for Clark to come to her. As he leaves the barn, Tess addresses him as Kal-El.

Back at the mansion, Tess unlocks a cupboard and takes out a suitcase. She opens it to reveal the orb.

As Chloe is arriving home, she hears a noise down in the Talon. In the basement, she is shocked to find Davis, alive and well. As Faora had told him, what kills him makes him stronger, so Davis says the meteor rocks have now made him invincible. Chloe realizes that Clark is again in danger and that Davis will try to kill him, but Davis states that there is something about Chloe that calms down the beast in him. He asks if she will stay with him. After a moment's thought, Chloe goes back up the stairs towards the door and locks the bolt.

### Stiletto

Lois is arguing with an attendant who refuses to let her into the Edward R. Murrow Press Society Presentation for Journalistic Achievements because Lois is not on the 'invited' list, and she claims to have never heard of Lois Lane. Although Lois tells her she works at the *Daily Planet*, the attendant still won't let her in. Chloe arrives and tells Lois that she will give her a lift home, and as the two walk to her car, Lois complains that she hasn't had a big story in a  while and that the Red-Blue Blur hasn't answered her public calling for an interview.

Chloe goes on ahead to get her car as Lois stays behind to rest her feet from her stiletto shoes. As she takes them off, she hears Chloe scream and witnesses her being mugged by A.J. and Bruno Mannheim. Lois whacks Bruno with her stiletto heels before kicking A.J. down; however, Bruno escapes with Chloe's bag and car, which contains her laptop. A beaten A.J. sarcastically asks Lois if she's some sort of superhero, to which Lois replies, "Call me Stiletto."

At Metropolis General Hospital, Chloe is on the phone with Davis, saying that she will get home soon and to stay in the basement, when a nurse advises her to stay and get checked. Chloe politely refuses. Then Clark arrives to see if she is okay and wonders where she has been recently. Chloe tells him she is fine and that she has been doing work for the Justice League and that she needs him to get her laptop back as it contains files on the Justice League that are encrypted, but potentially hackable. She then explains to Clark that she and Lois were saved by the mysterious 'Stiletto'.

At the Daily Planet, Lois is talking to Randall Brady, asking him to print her story about Stiletto but he refuses, saying that he won't publish anything without photographic proof and tells her to get some. Clark arrives and asks her about Stiletto as he picks up her story and notices a lot of quotes from Stiletto herself. He is surprised when Lois says she has her phone number as well. Clark asks to be put into contact with Stiletto but Lois says she can't, and suggests he talk to the thug she captured.

At the Ace of Clubs, Bruno walks in and asks the new bartender Jimmy Olsen for a drink. Jimmy asks him to ask the boss for an advance on his wages as he needs it for something, and Bruno says he will see what he can do. Ricky then approaches and tells Bruno the boss wants to see him. They go to a backroom, where counterfeit money is being made using kryptonite, and the boss Ron Milano asks Bruno what happened. He says that they no longer need to mug people and that they are going for high-ended crime, but Bruno says that they need to run the streets and that the heroes need to be shown who is in charge. With that, he shoots Ron dead, and announces he is taking over the business.

Lois busily works on a sewing machine in her apartment, making a costume out of leather.

Now dressed in her new costume, Lois meets Jimmy, who she has asked to take photographs of her as Stiletto and agrees to pay him. Jimmy, at first, laughs but agrees and takes the photos of her and asks why Lois is making up a hero story. She replies that the Red-Blue Blur will want to meet Stiletto and when he does, Lois will get his story and interview.

Clark arrives at the Isis Foundation and tells Chloe the mugger has already made bail. Chloe tells Clark the Red-Blue Blur has a fan site in which his fans think that he and Stiletto should get together, but Clark says he doesn't need a sidekick.

In an otherwise empty office, Clark and Lois are both at their desks, with bags close by in which they keep their costumes, while they listen in to police scanners. Lois asks Clark why he is working late, and Lois admits that Clark is doing better than she expected at the Daily Planet. Just then, a robbery is reported happening, and both make their excuses to leave.

At the Ace of Clubs, Jimmy arrives late for work. Bruno and A.J. notice he has his camera and take it away from him, admiring it before recognizing Chloe and Stiletto in his pictures. A.J. then shoves Jimmy onto the balcony where Bruno beats him, demanding to know where Stiletto is, before hitting him with the camera so that it falls over the balcony rail into the street. Bruno then tells A.J. to find out who Chloe is and tells Ricky to decrypt the laptop.

Stiletto arrives at the jewelry store to find the Red-Blue Blur has already been there and captured the criminal. Stiletto then shouts out to the Red-Blue Blur, but Clark the reporter arrives behind her, asking her if she is Stiletto, but then he recognizes that it's Lois. Lois tries to impersonate a British accent, but Clark doesn't let her leave and removes her mask. Clark realizes she made up Stiletto to get the Red-Blue Blur's attention, but he says that he doubts the Red-Blue Blur wants any sidekicks and that the mugger he went to question was released on bail. Lois suggests they should work together, but Clark refuses, telling her to drop it.

Chloe is coming down from her apartment to give Davis a glass of water when A.J. attacks her. She manages to break free, but A.J. catches up to her, pinning her against a wall with a knife and has started to cut her throat when Doomsday drags him away.

Later, Lois arrives and tells Chloe that the Stiletto story went nowhere and that she needs to find Jimmy so he can destroy the photographs. When Chloe questions her, Lois admits that she is Stiletto and that she did it to meet the Red-Blue Blur. Chloe suggests that maybe heroes don't want publicity and that Lois is in over her head.

Lois asks Chloe if she has ever questioned her integrity, which causes Chloe to realize that she is doing precisely that by hiding Davis. Chloe seems ready to confess her secret to Lois, but instead tells her Jimmy took a job working at the Ace of Clubs.

Clark arrives at the Ace of Clubs and, using his super hearing, hears the flicking of the counterfeit money and Bruno talking. He super speeds into the room but the kryptonite-laced money weakens him, causing him to slow down and allowing Bruno to see Clark, and he punches him to the floor, from where Clark notices Jimmy who is unconscious in a corner.

Lois arrives outside in her car and sees Jimmy's smashed camera on the ground. Thinking quickly, she heads onto the roof and finds a skylight, through which she sees Bruno kicking Clark. She tries calling 911, but her battery dies. Realizing what she has to do, she puts on her Stiletto mask and jumps through the glass, kicking Bruno, and sending him flying across the room.

She notices Jimmy and goes to check on him, but Bruno comes to and draws his gun, preparing to shoot her. Clark, weakened by the kryptonite-laced money, calls to Lois to warn her, and just as she turns around, the bullet is fired. Clark summons up the strength to make a mid-air jump and sail in front of the bullet, protecting Lois and getting shot in his side in the process. Bruno prepares to shoot Lois again when Jimmy tackles him, knocking his gun away, and they tussle until Lois smashes Bruno over the head, knocking him out. Both of them run to Clark's side, with Jimmy dialing 911 and a crying Lois asking Clark why he saved her. Clark tells them to get him out of the room so he can get away from the kryptonite, so Lois and Jimmy support him as they drag him away.

Chloe takes two large garbage bags, full of the remains of A.J., and puts them into a dumpster at the back of the Talon. When she notices the blood on her hands, she drops to her knees and begins to cry.

The next morning at the Daily Planet, Clark is pretending to be still recovering from his gunshot wound when Lois brings him a breakfast and has done his photocopying, to show her thanks for having taken the bullet for her. Clark is flattered and Lois admits that her enthusiastic journalism personality got the better of her but that she is no longer Stiletto. She then takes one of his pastries, and they talk about her front page story in that morning's paper about the arrest of the mobsters, and they thank each other for saving each other. As they continue to chat, she also takes his other pastry, saying he wasn't going to eat it anyway.

In a seedy part of town, Jimmy meets his drug dealer to buy some morphine and he pays him from a large wad of the counterfeit money Mannheim was printing in the basement of the Ace of Clubs.

Chloe is making a meal in her apartment when Clark comes in to return her laptop. Clark asks who she's expecting and Chloe claims she's started baking as a reaction to stress and the loss of her computer. Clark doesn't believe her, but Chloe insists she's fine. He assures her he's there for her if she needs him, but Chloe says that with all that's happened over the past few months, she just needs some space.

Lois has received a note from the Red-Blue Blur offering a meeting and she goes to the meeting place. As she stands waiting, a nearby pay phone rings, so she answers it. The caller identifies himself as the Red-Blue Blur. When Lois questions his validity, he super speeds by, dropping off the newspaper with the article Lois wrote, requesting to meet him.

Using a voice scrambler to disguise his voice, Clark admits there's probably a better name than 'Red-Blue Blur' and suggests she find one. He tells her she's a great reporter and doesn't need a gimmick, but Lois says she doesn't want the story, she instead wants to know what he needs. She tells him that being super can't save him from loneliness, and that if he ever feels lonely, he can call her for a "personal" conversation. Clark tells her that she'll be the first to know when he decides to tell the world his secret. As they hang up, Clark is watching Lois from a nearby rooftop, and smiles at this new side of her he's just discovered.

### Beast

Davis calls Chloe, telling her to come down to the Talon basement because he had a nightmare. When she goes, she finds that the room is filled with lit candles and flowers. As she is about to leave, Davis thanks Chloe for helping him more than anyone ever has. He hands Chloe a red rose and, while she tries to dismiss the gesture, he comes closer to her and kisses her. She kisses him back but then, noticing blood on the floor, she follows the trail and is horrified to see Clark's corpse hanging from the ceiling, his body having been ripped apart at the waist with a bloody "S" painted on the chest. Chloe gasps with horror. She wakes up and finds that it was all just a nightmare.

The next day, Chloe has a phone call from Davis, asking her to go the basement. Just then, Clark arrives with a copy of the *Daily Planet* and tells her that Tess has named Davis a serial killer. Chloe assures Clark that Davis is dead despite any "evidence" to the contrary, but Clark is concerned that there was another murder in the style of Doomsday after Davis supposedly died.

Oliver is in a business meeting at the Ace of Clubs when he is found by Jimmy, who asks for $600 to repair his car after being "let go" from his job. Oliver refuses, saying he thinks Jimmy wants it to buy drugs. Jimmy gets angry and leaves.

Chloe meets Dr. Emil Hamilton in his car to ask him to find a cure for Davis. She gives him a sample of Davis's saliva and Emil, although doubtful, says he'll try. After she leaves Emil, Chloe is shocked to find Davis out of the basement. Davis tells Chloe that it is getting increasingly difficult controlling the monster in him and that the only way is for her to stay with him all the time.

They return to the Talon basement, where Chloe proposes that the best thing for everyone is for both of them to run away from Smallville. "You have done more for me in a couple for weeks than anyone else in all my life!" Davis says to her. Chloe replies that she must close a few accounts and close off any paper trails and that they can be on the highway by sunset.

Clark goes to Oliver and asks for his help with keeping Chloe safe from Doomsday. He says he went to the grave and saw that Davis had clearly dug his way out from the inside. Clark decides to go to the Fortress to see how to send Doomsday to the Phantom Zone, but Oliver tells Clark that he must kill Davis and finish him once and for all. Clark says he will not take a life, not even Doomsday, and that it is his problem and he will take care of it.

Chloe talks with Emil via webcam asking him how to help Davis. He says the nuclei keep mutating and that when he kills a cell, it somehow becomes stronger. Emil further mentions that serious body changes can be triggered by strong emotions such as love and hate, and tells Chloe that Davis's control rests in her hands. Just as she finishes her conversation, Clark comes in and tells her that he plans to lure Davis to the Fortress because he has a crystal that can open the portal to the Phantom Zone. Chloe objects to the idea of Clark using any item made by Brainiac and that Clark could even get sucked into the Zone himself. Realizing that he will not back down, Chloe sends Clark to Alaska on a false lead.

Oliver goes to Chloe's apartment and finds Jimmy there, stealing Chloe's money. Davis comes in and attacks them, then holds them captive in the basement. When Chloe calls, he tells her what has happened and Jimmy hears Davis talk about leaving Smallville with Chloe. Devastated, Jimmy begins to taunt Davis, but Oliver tries to cool them down. Davis grabs Jimmy and his eyes turn red as he starts to crush Jimmy's skull, but stops when Oliver shouts that Chloe would never forgive him for killing Jimmy. Instead, Davis knocks Jimmy unconscious and decides to kill Oliver instead. He grabs Oliver's neck and begins to choke him. Just then, Clark comes into the Talon looking for Chloe but, using his super hearing, he finds the three in the basement and, moving at super speed, he grabs Davis and runs off with him.

Later, Chloe comes in as the paramedics are taking Jimmy out on a stretcher. He tells her to stay away from "that monster." Oliver and Chloe argue when she says she has the situation under control, but he tells her that her plan was flawed and nearly got him killed. She explains that keeping Davis near her is the only way to keep him from killing people and Clark, but Oliver is still skeptical. He then tells her that Clark took him.

Clark arrives at the Fortress with Davis. Clark explains to Davis about the Fortress, and uses the black crystal to open a portal to the Phantom Zone. Davis declares that he will not be without Chloe and that if he is going, then he will take Clark with him. As they struggle, Chloe arrives, having used the key, and tells Clark that she won't allow him to condemn Davis to an eternity of hell. She deactivates the portal to the Phantom Zone and then leaves with Davis, again using the key.

Jimmy visits Oliver at LuthorCorp where Oliver offers him a job on his staff team. Jimmy refuses at first, but after Oliver compliments his courage for facing the monster, Jimmy accepts.

At the Isis Foundation, Clark is using the computers to find Chloe and Davis when Oliver comes in and tells him that one day Clark will have to make the tough decision because that is what every hero does. Oliver leaves.

The phone rings; it is Chloe calling Clark. She and Davis have stopped at a gas station and Davis is inside, and she tells Clark that she is okay. Chloe says that she doesn't want him to come to find her. Clark is upset and tells her she is in danger, but Chloe insists that she knows what she is doing. Clark asks if she has feelings for Davis, but she says she is doing it for Clark and is ready to sacrifice herself to keep him safe because the world needs him. Clark tells her that he will not stop looking for her. She ends the call and Clark smashes a filing cabnet in frustration.

Chloe quickly wipes away her tears before Davis returns. He gives her a heart-shaped lollipop, and they get in the car and drive away.

### Injustice

Tess is at her office at the *Daily Planet* talking to someone on her cell phone when Clark comes in to confront her over her running articles on Davis's killing spree. Tess points out that Clark is the one endangering people, and once Davis kills someone else, Clark will know where to find him and kill his arch-nemesis. Clark refuses to be Tess's white knight and tells her Chloe is a hostage, but Tess wonders if he's afraid to find Davis because he can't face what he'll have to do. She tells him to embrace the inevitable. With his super hearing, Clark suddenly hears Chloe calling his name and asking for help. He super speeds out of the office to investigate.

Someone is in pursuit of Chloe, chasing her in the woods. Chloe screams for Clark's help. Then, as she stands on a road frozen in the lights of an oncoming truck, Clark superspeeds in and saves her before she gets hit. Chloe hugs him as Clark assures her it's okay. He's unaware that a woman wielding electrical powers is watching from the shadows, along with Bette (aka Plastique) and two other men.

Later, at the Kent farm, Chloe explains that she and Davis were staying in a motel, but Davis wouldn't let her leave. When they left and stopped at a gas station, she ran away. However, Chloe says that even with Clark, she doesn't feel safe. She tells Clark that he needs to destroy Doomsday.

Plastique and one of the men, Parasite, are called in to help the woman with electrical powers, Livewire, who is with the fourth man, Neutron, who was recently killed by Doomsday. Tess arrives and reminds them that she trained the team of four to work together until she could call in the Traveler. Livewire wants to leave the team, but Plastique points out that Tess helped them all out and gave them a chance to do good. Livewire doesn't believe it, but before she can walk away, Parasite sneaks up behind her and absorbs her powers. Plastique promises they won't let Tess down. Livewire wonders what Tess is going to do with her.

Clark checks in with Oliver who says that his team hasn't found any sign of Doomsday. Clark thinks there's something that will work but he needs Oliver's help, and even Lex Luthor's help. He thinks Tess has the black kryptonite from Lex's research and asks Oliver to steal it. Oliver agrees to help and says that Clark can always count on him. He then talks about how they sometimes have to do what's necessary, no matter what.

Clark goes to the barn and removes the crystal from its hiding place. Chloe emerges and asks what he's doing. He explains that he plans to save Davis and wasn't going to tell her until afterward. Clark also says that Oliver is helping him but Clark didn't tell him his whole plan, which is to use the black kryptonite which Oliver is getting to split Davis from Doomsday, and then send Doomsday to the Phantom Zone. Chloe insists she was wrong when she stopped Clark from doing that earlier, but Clark insists the plan will work and he needs to find the last bit of good in Davis to save. Dr. Emil Hamilton sends Clark a message saying Doomsday has struck again.

At a garage in Granville, Clark & Chloe meet with Emil, who is digging out a bone spur from a wall. There are two corpses present, and Emil confirms that the bodies were both meteor-infected and hunting Doomsday. However, he points out that Livewire was killed by a small, temporal-lobe GPS implant that exploded and was triggered by whoever planted it. Chloe seemingly panics and says she's going outside, overriding Clark's concerns. Emil says that something else is going on and Chloe came to him looking for a cure.

Outside, Chloe calls Plastique and meets with her & Parasite. They confirm that Livewire was alive when they left, but Chloe warns that Tess may be lying to them. Parasite & Plastique defend Tess, but Chloe wonders if Tess chipped all of them, including herself, when they were at Black Creek. The others leave.

Tess is monitoring Chloe's call to Plastique when Oliver comes in and offers some really classy wine for a celebration of a new geo-thermal center. Tess says she doesn't care, and Oliver notes that she used to care about such things. Despite Oliver's best efforts, Tess tells him to leave. In the elevator, Oliver gets Tess's fingerprint from the wine bottle with a handheld scanner, and smirks.

At Isis, Chloe is going over photos when Clark arrives to ask why she left without telling him and ignored his calls. Chloe apologizes, but Clark wonders if he can trust her and asks what's going on. Chloe admits that she knew Livewire, aka Leslie Willis, and discovered she was part of a team assembled by Tess. One of them is Eva Greer, Tess's assistant who was meteor-infected and who Tess betrayed. Before Chloe can say anything further, Chloe clutches her head in pain and collapses and dies. Clark is grief-stricken over his friend's death, but then 'Chloe' transforms into Eva, and he calls in Emil, who explains Eva was a shapeshifter. He warns that the real Chloe could be caught in the crossfire as Tess tries to track down Davis, and that Tess may kill the other members of the team. Clark asks him to isolate the GPS signal, so they can track Tess's team.

In Metropolis, Plastique tries to get hold of Eva via cell phone but is unsuccessful. Clark tracks her down and offers her his help. He tells her that Tess killed Eva and Livewire, but Plastique doesn't believe him until he shows her the GPS tracker targeting herself. She vows vengeance on Tess, but Clark tries to stop her. Parasite then emerges and grabs Clark. He drains Clark's powers but is knocked back by the intensity. He remarks that he thought Clark's only power was super speed. Parasite is about to attack Clark again, but Plastique says that Clark can do nothing to stop them. He whisks Plastique away as a powerless Clark looks on.

Oliver as Green Arrow breaks into the Mansion.  He goes to Tess's room and opens the hidden safe using the duplicated fingerprint he retrieved. Inside he finds many of Lex's relics, including the black kryptonite. He then hears Tess coming down the hallway. Tess comes in and finds an undressed Oliver in her bed. She tells him to leave, and he gets out of the bed naked. He reminds her of a vacation they spent together where they were naked and suggests she still has some feelings for him. Suddenly the wall explodes and Oliver is knocked out by the flying debris. Parasite & Plastique come in and advance on Tess, who tries to activate their explosive implants, but nothing happens. Parasite tells her he used Livewire's power to knock out their implants. He then knocks Tess out.

Clark & Emil try to call Tess and warn her, but are too late.  Emil lends the powerless Clark a fast car to get to Smallville.  Tess wakes up tied to a chair in the study. Parasite tortures her, but Tess claims Eva & Livewire betrayed him and Plastique. Plastique wants the Black Creek files, so they can form their own league. Clark then comes in and warns them away. Plastique knocks Tess out while Parasite moves in. Clark tries to get through to Plastique, but is unsuccessful as she tells him she'd rather be with the bad guys.

Suddenly, Oliver shoots Plastique through the shoulder, swings in, and uses Lex's kryptonite ring to fell Parasite. He then viciously beats Parasite, but Clark calms him down and gets him to stop.  Clark tells Parasite he must give back Clark's powers to stop the pain. Parasite does so, and passes out from the strain. Clark turns to see Oliver carrying Tess out.

The next day, Clark visits Oliver at LuthorCorp as the latter is putting the black kryptonite in a drawer. Oliver explains that Plastique and Parasite are securely locked away. Clark wants to know why Oliver has the kryptonite ring, and Oliver explains that he took it from Lex after killing him. Clark wonders if Oliver plans to use it on him if Oliver disagrees with his decisions, but Oliver insists that Clark will do the same thing when he has to kill Davis. Clark tells him that he'll handle Davis in his own way and Oliver gives him the black kryptonite. Oliver realizes that Clark isn't going to kill Doomsday, but Clark explains his plan. Oliver wonders how many more lives he's willing to sacrifice, but Clark insists they can't descend to the level of the people they fight.

At the barn, Clark puts the black kryptonite away. Then, he goes to get the crystal, only to find it's gone. Then Tess appears, and Clark realizes that Eva told her about the crystal. Tess claims Lex implanted the chips and they malfunctioned, but Clark doesn't believe her. She tells him that she has destroyed the crystal so that Clark now has no choice, but to kill Davis, and insists she's doing it for Clark, so he can fulfill his destiny. Clark says that she's no better than Lex and walks away. Tess tells him that she won't turn her back on Clark the way that Lex did and that the decision is no longer Clark's. He wonders why she wants Davis dead, and Tess says an entire civilization's survival depends on it. Tess walks away, leaving Clark to wonder what she means.

At the Mansion, Tess notices a glowing purple light from the study. She goes in to find the orb glowing with energy. It lifts into the air and a voice asks if Clark is ready to fulfill the prophecy. The orb glows again and the voice tells her that she will be the savior of Kandor.

### Doomsday

Rokk Krinn returns to the present day and flies to the Daily Planet rooftop where Clark is waiting for him. Rokk tells him that the future he once knew has changed and that Clark is no longer alive in it. He also tells Clark that when they kept Brainiac-infected Chloe alive, they saved her connection to Doomsday, so that later she was the one who tried to kill him with green kryptonite but instead made him invulnerable to it, and who then stopped Clark from sending Davis to the Phantom Zone. As a result, Doomsday will now kill Clark, and Rokk tells Clark that tomorrow is the day he will die, unless he acts to change that future. He suggests a plan to send Doomsday to the future via a Legion ring so the Legion can defeat him, but Clark insists that he will deal with it and embrace his destiny even if it means he will die.

Chloe and Davis are in hiding in Edge City. He tells her about the myth of Persephone and how she chose to live underground with Hades, the dark prince, which is analogous to what Chloe has done with Davis. Davis suggests they might actually succeed in making a quiet life together.

Tess's team tracks down Chloe and Davis, and informs Tess. However, at the same time, Tess finds that the Orb has gone missing, the vault which contained it having been blown open. Tess orders her men to find out where it has gone. Tess says that the Orb is vitally important and is a threat to thousands of lives.

At the *Daily Planet*, Clark is at his desk mulling over the Legion ring. He puts it in a box in a drawer in his desk and finishes typing a letter to the 'Citizens of Metropolis' from the Red-Blue Blur, explaining himself and saying goodbye. Lois comes in, angry that Clark isn't out looking for Chloe. She notices he's busy typing and tries to look, but Clark quickly clears the screen. When Lois goes to get a cup of coffee, Clark slips out. A short while later, Lois's phone rings and she answers it. The Red-Blue Blur is on the other end, and he asks her to publish a letter he wrote, which he then delivers to her at superspeed. Lois wonders why, and he metaphorically tells her that he is going to die. She says she thought he was invincible and asks to meet him; he says it isn't a good idea, but Lois insists that he can trust her and she will be at a certain phone booth to meet.

Clark is at the barn when Dinah Lance enters, followed by a super-speeding Bart Allen, who has schematics of the Geothermal LuthorCorp facility. Clark explains that they have tunnels that are a mile deep under the earth, and he plans to bury Doomsday there before they destroy the tunnels. He then gives Bart the black kryptonite he got from Oliver and explains that it will separate Davis from Doomsday. Oliver enters and asks what happens when Doomsday is released with no conscience, and he again insists that they should kill Davis now. Clark tells Bart and Dinah that Oliver killed Lex Luthor and he is no longer one of them.

At the *Daily Planet*, Jimmy sneaks into Tess's office and is about to hack into her files when he finds Lois hiding under the desk. He asks her what she is doing and she asks the same. Jimmy explains that he is after Tess's files. He searches through them and finds the tracker on Chloe and Davis, and then leaves while communicating with Oliver. Lois then looks at another file, which is a video of Tess interrogating Regan Matthews who is warning her about the powers of the Orb and that it could be the end of the world.

Clark is at his desk when Black Canary tells him via audio message that they have located Chloe and Davis, and he uses his super hearing to find them. He superspeeds off and finds their car and also Black Canary and Impulse waiting for him. They tell him that what they're about to do is for his own good, whereupon Green Arrow shoots him with a kryptonite dart. Clark collapses and, as they leave, pleads with them not to do it.

Lois exits the elevator back into the basement, where Tess is waiting for her. Tess tells Lois that she knows Lois watched the video of Regan. Lois says that if Tess wishes to fire her then to go ahead, but she will do anything to find Chloe. Tess asks her where she put the Orb and, when Lois sarcastically implies she knows what she is talking about and doesn't care, Tess attacks her. The two struggle across the top of Clark and Lois's desks, until Lois, looking for a weapon, finds Clark's box containing the Legion ring and uses it to knock Tess out. The ring falls out and Lois picks it up, and she is transported away.

Chloe awakens at the geothermal facility to find Green Arrow, Impulse and Black Canary standing over an unconscious and bound Davis. Bart tells her that he knocked them both out at super-speed, and they brought them here. She realizes they want to kill Davis and notices the black kryptonite in Bart's bag. Chloe tells them that Davis won't change while she is there, but he awakes and says he can't control Doomsday anymore and that they are right to kill him. He then begins to transform, and although Impulse and Black Canary attempt to hold him, he flin

gs them away.

Chloe grabs the black kryptonite and touches Davis with it, separating him from Doomsday, who peers at Davis before leaving.

Jimmy arrives in Edge City looking for Chloe, and finds Clark with the dart in his back. Clark tells him to remove the dart, and when he does, Jimmy notices that the kryptonite glows the closer it is to Clark, who warns him away when he puts it close. The cut on Clark's face then heals and Jimmy notices it, realizing it confirms his previous suspicions that Clark is superhuman. Clark admits to being the Red-Blue Blur and compliments Jimmy on putting it all together, as well as being right about Davis. Clark tells him that he needs his help, and that he should get Chloe and Davis to a safe place - Jimmy's wedding present for Chloe. Then Clark super-speeds away, leaving Jimmy in awe.

When Clark arrives at the geothermal facility, he finds everyone unconscious. He goes over to Chloe, who tells him that she used the black kryptonite on Davis and that Doomsday is now loose. The others awake, and Clark asks if he can trust them to blow the tunnel if he can get Doomsday back here. He then uses his super-hearing to track Doomsday before super-speeding off.

Doomsday is causing havoc in Metropolis, and Clark gets to the street and phone booth where he was supposed to meet Lois but there is no sign of her. He catches a car that Doomsday has thrown, and then Doomsday grabs a little girl and throws her mother away into a shop window. Clark super-speeds to save the little girl, putting her safely on some rubbish bags, but then Doomsday picks up Clark and begins punching him repeatedly. He drops Clark and punches him again, sending him flying through several blocks of buildings. Clark rolls over from the rubble but Doomsday super-leaps over the buildings and lands over Clark. As Doomsday is about to punch him again, Clark makes a huge effort and grabs him and leaps across Metropolis, crashing into the geothermal facility where the heroes of the Justice League set off the explosive charges.

Jimmy takes Chloe and the unconscious Davis to his "wedding present" - a loft apartment overlooking Metropolis called 'the Watchtower'. He tells her he'd hoped it'd be a place where they could start their lives together, and Chloe says he is always there doing the right thing. Jimmy tells Chloe that he knows about Clark's secret, that he is the Red-Blue Blur. Chloe tells Jimmy that she only went with Davis to save Clark, and he says that he understands, and they embrace and kiss. Chloe tells Jimmy that she's sorry she went away with Davis but that she never really left him. Jimmy smiles and Chloe kisses him passionately. However, at that moment, Jimmy is stabbed from behind by Davis, who has overheard that Chloe wasn't really going to start a life with him, that all her actions were to protect Clark, and that she did not even love Davis. Out of his mind with pain and anger, Davis goes to attack Chloe, but Jimmy, using his remaining strength, tackles Davis onto a spike, killing him, before collapsing in Chloe's arms. Jimmy uses his remaining breath to tell Chloe that he loves her, and then dies. Chloe is distraught.

Chloe, Oliver, Bart, Dinah and Jimmy's family and friends attend Jimmy's funeral. Chloe places on his coffin some photo negatives of them together, and Jimmy's full name is recited as 'Henry James Olsen'. Jimmy's father and younger brother start to walk away, but his brother turns back to the coffin and breaks down in tears. Chloe goes up to him and gives him Jimmy's camera, telling him maybe he will follow in his older brother's footsteps. She then leaves with Dinah and Bart. Clark stands at a distance, having observed the funeral from afar, and watches as Oliver stands over the coffin alone, shedding a tear and knowing he was partly responsible for Jimmy's death. Then Oliver walks away, leaving Clark standing alone.

Clark goes to the Watchtower and looks at the spot where Jimmy died. Chloe, already there on the interior balcony, is pleased to see him alive and rushes down to hug him. When Chloe asks him how he escaped the explosion at the geothermal facility, Clark is unsure how he managed to get out. He tells her that he's looked everywhere but hasn't found Lois. When Chloe asks why Clark wasn't there for her at the funeral, Clark says he is the reason Jimmy's dead, because he placed too much faith in humanity, whereas it was the human side of Davis that killed Jimmy. He suggests that Chloe should leave the apartment and walk away, but she insists Jimmy is there and is watching over her. Chloe plans to use the place as a new Watchtower to bring back together the other three heroes who have all disappeared since the funeral. He tells her that he has realized his humanity is his weakness and that it gets in his way, causing him to make emotional decisions and get too attached, and that from now on Clark Kent is dead. He says goodbye to Chloe and leaves her alone in the Watchtower, fading away as he walks through the door.

Tess is in her bedroom when she sees a light outside flashing. Investigating, she sees the Orb floating and glowing, before it burns the Mark of Zod into the ground and releases Major Zod into the middle of the symbol, as voices are heard in the background whispering "Zod".