The words "Twelfth Night" are delicately traced into an old gray book cover. We zoom out to see Chloe Sullivan with Shakespeare’s play in one hand and a pencil in the other. A red book-bag sits open on the table next to her, various papers and pencils poking out from inside the zipper. From behind her, the lovely Lana Lang walks by holding a server tray with two mugs on it.
LANA
Chloe adeptly steals a quick glance at a young gentleman, not much older than she, sitting across the Talon at another table. He is dressed in a dark suit, notably similar to something you might find a person of Lex Luthor’s stature wearing, silently reading one of the local newspapers.
CHLOE
LANA
CHLOE
Awkward silence.
CHLOE
LANA
Lana grabs hold of one of the mugs on the tray she’s carrying and places it in front of Chloe.
LANA
Chloe is indecisive, biting her inner lip as she weighs her options.
CHLOE
Smiling, Chloe grabs the mug, leaving the book and pencil behind. The pencil slowly rolls along the table, chattering as it rotates over its grooves. Lana stands up and smiles, eyeing Chloe’s approach, as the young owner of the Talon walks back behind her counter.
Anticipating her approach, the young gentleman places the newspaper down and smiles.
CHLOE
An awkward silence is intensified by the conspicuous quiet that echoes through the, nearly empty, Talon. To her credit, Lana attempts to look busy behind the counter as the gentleman spies her from behind Chloe’s outstretched hand and mug.
Realizing her mistake, Chloe again chews at her inner lip but is calmed as the gentleman graciously accepts the mug with a genuine smile.
BRUCE
Fearing any potential lull in their budding conversation, Chloe introduces herself.
CHLOE
BRUCE
Unfortunately, the pleasantries do little to avoid the break, and a short silence between them ensues.
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Chloe sits at in the seat across the table from Bruce. Bruce’s remarks enable the young journalist to break through her initial shyness, Chloe’s spry fervor slowly making its way to the surface.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Bruce’s challenge doesn’t go unnoticed as Chloe’s eyes open ferociously wide.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
Chloe’s voice carries, enough to tell Lana that their conversation isn’t going as well as she’d planned. She cringes from behind the counter and makes herself busy as Clark Kent innocently walks up to the counter, backpack wrapped over one shoulder.
CLARK
LANA
CLARK
Lana motions over Clark’s shoulder.
LANA
LEX
Creeping in from behind Clark, the suave Lex Luthor stares blankly at the two teens.
LEX
Lex jokes, moving one hand over the bare skin of his head.
CLARK
LEX
CLARK
Lana, just catching on to Lex’s initial statement, places the glass she’s cleaning down on the counter.
LANA
LEX
A silent, metaphorical, thud rings out as Clark and Lana’s jaws drop in unison.
CLARK
LEX
Clark swallows, removing his backpack from over his shoulder and placing it on the counter.
LANA
CLARK
Chloe continues to berate the billionaire as Clark Kent gingerly maneuvers his way over to their table. Oddly enough, Bruce actually appears amused by the verbal abuse Chloe continues to shell at him.
CLARK
Clark is careful to acknowledge Bruce, giving him a quick, and polite, smile and nod. Chloe merely shrugs him off.
CHLOE
CLARK
Chloe huffs, clearly not yet satisfied with her ‘appraisal’ of Bruce’s critique.
CHLOE
BRUCE
Chloe stands up and Clark carefully, but forcefully, places his hand on her arm and issues her a couple of steps away from the table. Chloe swats Clark’s hand away.
CHLOE
CLARK
CHLOE
CLARK
Another awkward pause as Chloe’s mind works at this new piece of information. She steals a glance back at Bruce. The young man merely smiles and waves from his seat.
CHLOE
Clark nods as the much shorter blonde hangs her head and brings up her fist, gingerly laying the side of it on his chest, as if to hold up what’s left of her dignity. She turns back to face Bruce, immediately falling into ‘pathetic grovel’ mode.
CHLOE
Bruce stands up, shaking his head and smiling.
BRUCE
Chloe brow contracts in confusion.
BRUCE
Bruce smiles again.
BRUCE
Chloe smiles, somewhat failing to conceal the embarrassment still embedded into her expressions. At this point, Lex seizes his opportunity and walks in from behind Clark, extending his hand to Bruce.
LEX
The practiced smile of the billionaire playboy flattens as he shakes Lex’s hand.
BRUCE
LEX
BRUCE
Clark and Chloe fight to suppress a laugh. Out of place, their feet simply aren’t willing to let the rest of their bodies’ miss this little sparring session.
LEX
BRUCE
Bruce smiles at Chloe, who blushes. Meanwhile, Clark whispers a near inaudible "oh please" under his breath which only Chloe seems to catch. Behind her back, she pinches him.
CLARK
BRUCE
LEX
BRUCE
LEX
CHLOE
CLARK
BRUCE
LEX
There is a long pause as the two businessmen stare each other down, daring smiles firmly entrenched on each of their faces.
LEX
BRUCE
LEX
Bruce laughs.
BRUCE
Lex is trumped as the two make their way towards the door. Before they exit, though, Chloe jumps and tries to get their attention.
CHLOE
Bruce immediately stops in his tracks, turning to face her.
BRUCE
Chloe smiles.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Rather presumptuously, Bruce walks up to her and smiles, waiting for an answer he seems confident he’s going to get. Clark is stunned and goes to say something, but Bruce maneuvers himself in front of the slightly taller farm boy. It’s not entirely clear if this was done intentionally or not.
BRUCE
Staring into playboy Bruce Wayne’s eyes and saying ‘no’ doesn’t appear to be an option at this point, not that the thought of declining appears to ever cross Chloe’s mind.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Bruce smiles and turns, walking back towards the Talon exit and right passed Lex. The young Luthor looks at Clark and, after the two stare at each other for a moment, simply shrugs. Lex follows Bruce at the Talon door.
Meanwhile, still standing in place, Chloe looks like she’s been shell-shocked. Although, to be fair, Clark seems just as surprised as she does... and a little bit concerned.
Outside the Talon, two sporty Ferrari’s peel off down the road as Jack, a mysterious onlooker with a suspicious smile, observes them from a safe distance.
EXT. NIGHT TIME RESTAURANT - NIGHT
A flash of light illuminates a green street sign, the name "West Adam Street" carefully bolded into the face. A long red carpet sneaks out onto the sidewalk beneath a well-lit overhang as a long black limousine pulls up in front of the extravagant restaurant entrance.
The street lights dart across the shiny black paint of the driver door as Alfred Pennyworth steps out of the limo. The elderly gentleman takes a moment to adjust his hat, the jet black gloves perfectly melding into its octagonal sides for a slight maneuver. Carefully, but briskly, Alfred walks around the front of the limousine and opens the passenger door, keeping himself behind it as it opens outward. Bruce Wayne, dressed in an exquisite Armani, steps out and takes a long breath of the crisp Metropolis air.
Ever the gentleman, Bruce lends his hand to Chloe, as the young farm-girl steps out of the limousine. Despite several lavishly dressed women littering the scene, Chloe’s simple but elegant navy blue dress and tightly wrapped hair prove that price does not necessarily equal taste or beauty.
Alfred shuts the door to the limousine.
BRUCE
ALFRED
Bruce looks around for a moment, as if surveying the entire block.
BRUCE
ALFRED
Slowly, Alfred makes his way back towards the driver side of the limo and gets in. As he drives away, Chloe looks at Bruce and smiles.
CHLOE
BRUCE
Smiling, Bruce raises his right hand to his waste, allowing his elbow to jut to the side.
BRUCE
Chloe returns his smile, slipping her arm underneath Bruce’s, allowing him to escort her inside.
A rather snobby looking maitre d’ stands guard in front of the dining hall.
BRUCE
Suspicious at first, probably because of their age, the maitre d’ scans down the list of reservations with a well bleached glove. Running his finger across the name Wayne, his expression immediately changes to one that is warm and welcoming, and he gestures for someone to come and seat them.
MAITRE D’
"Night Time" is a candlelit restaurant, with several small circular tables spread out across a massive dining hall. A small orchestra plays in front of a sheen dance floor where two elderly couples gingerly slow dance to some classical masterpiece. Beautiful centerpieces with light floral arrangements sit slightly off center at each table, as the young man escorts Bruce and Chloe to their table.
SEATER
BRUCE
The two sit, the young seater pulling out Chloe’s chair for her as courtesy. As the young man walks away, Chloe takes several looks around. Her expressions hint that something is clearly bothering her.
BRUCE
CHLOE
She isn’t a very good liar. Bruce raises an eyebrow.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Chloe smiles at her catching him. She took great satisfaction in that, especially seeing the billionaire hide behind the specials menu.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Chloe appears confused.
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
She smiles rather devilishly.
CHLOE
They laugh which, for a moment, ends the conversation. As if obsessively compelled to keep the conversation moving, Chloe leans in.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
He hesitates. For the first time, Bruce is the one who appears uneasy. Adeptly looking for an out, Bruce looks over to the dance floor and smiles. Taking her hand in his, he stands and steps next to her.
BRUCE
She smiles up at him and stands.
CHLOE
Carefully, the two walk, hand-in-hand, over to the small wooden dance floor. Very gracefully, very softly, Bruce lays one hand on Chloe’s waste as the two slowly begin to rock to the ginger beat.
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
Bruce smiles, still hesitant. After a while, though, she becomes impatient.
CHLOE
BRUCE
There is a long pause as he thinks to himself. Finally, he looks straight into her eyes and very succinctly replies...
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Bruce pauses and silently laughs at himself.
BRUCE
CHLOE
BRUCE
Again, Bruce pauses, this time attempting to gauge Chloe’s reaction. Apparently satisfied with her having not run off and out the door, he continues...
BRUCE
Chloe nods, and smiles, listening intently.
BRUCE
They laugh a little.
BRUCE
Bruce swallows and hesitates.
BRUCE
Behind them, the two other couples on the dance floor, leave for their seats as the orchestra stops playing. Neither Bruce nor Chloe seem to notice, and they continue to dance to nothing.
CHLOE
BRUCE
She is concerned as she observes the hurt still clearly embedded in his eyes. He shrugs it away, though, attempting to make light of the matter.
BRUCE
Bruce and Chloe stare into each other’s eyes for a moment. Somehow, they seem to be having an entire conversation just with their eyes.
BRUCE
As if genuinely unaware of what he’s talking about, Chloe responds...
CHLOE
Looking over his shoulder, Bruce suddenly seems to realize the music has stopped playing.
BRUCE
CHLOE
As if snapping out of a trance...
CHLOE
Together, they go and sit down, passing by the maitre d’ as they make their way to their table. Meanwhile, the maitre d’ walks up to a specific table where a single well dressed man is seated, though we cannot see his face.
MAITRE D’
The mysterious man takes a long, deep, breath and then stands. Over the maitre d’s shoulder we now see that this mystery man is Jack, the same person who was previously seen outside the Talon
JACK
MAITRE D’
The maitre d’ walks off, escorting Jack out of the dining hall, directly passed the table where Bruce and Chloe are seated.
The logo for Wayne Enterprises sits proudly in the upper right hand corner of a laptop viewscreen. The rest of the screen shows a list of names of people and various companies with dollar amounts alongside them.
Lex Luthor reads the data on the screen with heightened interest, a very serious expression chiseled into his face.
LEX
INT. CLARK’S HOUSE
The Daily Planet’s front page headline reads "Ferris Aircraft Launches Historic Test Flight". Jonathan Kent carefully puts the newspaper down and lets out a frustrated huff. Martha merely rolls her eyes as her husband, once again, makes a trip to the bottom of the stairs.
JONATHAN
He waits for a moment, listening for a sound. Eventually, he gives up, merely shaking his head as he sits back down to his breakfast and paper.
JONATHAN
MARTHA
JONATHAN
A roar shoots over the house as if a jet were landing on the roof. Clark suddenly appears sitting at the table, hurriedly eating his breakfast.
CLARK
JONATHAN
Clark shakes his head as he struggles to swallow.
CLARK
MARTHA
CLARK
Jonathan and Martha exchange a worried glance, carefully disguising it from Clark.
MARTHA
CLARK
JONATHAN
Clark pauses.
CLARK
An awkward silence ensues. Clark sizes up his father’s expressions and recognizes them quickly.
CLARK
JONATHAN
Jonathan looks towards Martha for some help.
JONATHAN
He struggles to find a tactful response. Martha to the rescue...
MARTHA
CLARK
JONATHAN
CLARK
They hesitate.
MARTHA
CLARK
Silence. Clark’s eyes ask the question for him a second time.
Slowly, Martha takes Clark’s hand and leans in and over the table towards him.
MARTHA
Clark leans in.
MARTHA
It takes a moment to sink in. With a sigh, Clark relinquishes his hand and grabs his backpack, hurriedly walking towards the door.
Clark Kent runs outside his house and down the porch stairs, backpack slung over his shoulder. He sees the bus driving down the end of his road, clouds of dust in its wake, and sighs. With an arrogant grin, Clark prepares to dust the bus with his super speed when he suddenly stops himself, looking over his shoulder.
A red Ferrari pulls up alongside Clark. Lex Luthor rolls down the window, pushing the sunglasses to the top of his head.
LEX
Trees and fence posts dart passed the windows as Lex, apparently having forgotten Jonathan Kent’s suggestion from a year ago, speeds down some scenic roadway.
LEX
CLARK
LEX
CLARK
LEX
CLARK
LEX
CLARK
LEX
CLARK
Lex cringes at the question, as if offended he has to answer it.
LEX
CLARK
LEX
CLARK
LEX
Lex, once again, cringes. He even blushes a little.
LEX
Clark wears a wary expression as his Kryptonian brain processes the new information.
CLARK
LEX
Clark raises an eyebrow at the reference, but lets it go without objection.
LEX
Clark continues to ponder his thoughts as Lex’s Ferrari pulls into the High School parking lot.
CLARK
The Ferrari comes to an abrupt stop behind some buses discharging the newest class of freshmen, sophomores, and less fortunate upper classmen.
LEX
Clark carefully steps out of the Ferrari, shutting the door behind him with appropriate force. Lex leans across the passenger seat to garner Clark’s attention from through the open passenger window.
LEX
Clark nods and takes a deep breath, the proverbial "weight of the world" firmly placed upon his shoulders.
CLARK
LEX
CLARK
Lex drives away, leaving Clark with the daunting task of breaking the news to Chloe. The future man of steel suddenly looks very small.
Clark enters the Torch office, closing the door behind him. To his surprise, Bruce Wayne stands in front of Chloe Sullivan, his hands holding her arms affectionately. The billionaire smiles warmly as he gazes down into the eyes of the chipper, vertically challenged, young blonde.
BRUCE
She smiles and closes her eyes as he gives her a quick kiss to the cheek. Turning, Bruce barely acknowledges Clark’s presence until he has to pass him to get to the exit.
BRUCE
CLARK
Chloe lets out an uncharacteristic, openly conspicuous, sigh as she melts down into her desk chair. Clark utilizes his super strength to keep his eyes from rolling out of his head.
CLARK
CHLOE
Clark moves towards her and sits on the edge of the desk.
CLARK
CHLOE
She blushes, her cheeks sitting above the smile that stretches from ear to ear.
CLARK
CHLOE
CLARK
CHLOE
CLARK
CHLOE
Clark hesitates, surprised.
CLARK
CHLOE
Chloe begins shuffling through pages of notes on her desk, apparently the answers to some of the questions she asked Bruce for the interview. An eerie reminder of her youth, tiny hearts with the names "Chloe" and "Bruce" outline the border of each page.
CLARK
She continues to organize, something else clearly on her mind. She’s clearly only half listening to him at this point.
CHLOE
CLARK
This gets her attention, and her expression becomes very serious, though not yet defensive.
CHLOE
Clark’s eyes wander around the room as the super boy awkwardly avoids making eye contact.
CLARK
Chloe’s arms fold over in front of her and an eyebrow rises just a little higher on her forehead.
CHLOE
CLARK
Chloe rolls her eyes and shakes her head in disgust.
CLARK
CHLOE
CLARK
Chloe goes into full defensive mode, standing up as she continues to organize her desk.
CHLOE
CLARK
She stops, staring straight up into his eyes.
CHLOE
CLARK
CHLOE
CLARK
CHLOE
Very slight pause... Clark breaks it by turning the conversation back to Bruce.
CLARK
CHLOE
Clark clenches his teeth, the muscles in his jaw rippling over his face. For a moment, they stare at each other in silence. Carefully, Chloe allows her hurtful glare to change to one of regret as a sign of regret for saying what she just said.
The school bell sounds.
CHLOE
She grabs her bag and starts for the door, avoiding making eye contact with Clark as she does.
CHLOE
Chloe takes an abrupt, frustrated, right turn out the Torch door. After a few seconds, Clark heads for the door as well, pulling it open with a force of slight agitation. Clark, though, turns to the left, suddenly stopping in his tracks upon seeing Bruce Wayne standing silently, directly, in front of him.
Bruce, his hands down at his sides, looks at Clark sternly.
BRUCE
Clark makes no apologies, merely nods, and starts to walk off passed Bruce. As he does, though, Bruce stops him, grabbing him by the left arm. The two fiercely stare into each other’s eyes, each searching for a sign of intimidation that never shows its head.
BRUCE
Clark goes to say something, but thinks better of it. Instead, he elects to merely shrug the slightly shorter man’s hand away, and continues down the hall towards whatever class beckons his attendance.
Bruce stares down the hall for a moment, before entering back through the Torch door to retrieve his forgotten keys.
Lex Luthor’s Ferrari drives up the long driveway of the Luthor estate. Shutting down the ferocious engine, Lex appears slightly confused as he walks by a BMW 7 series sedan parked in his driveway.
Lex gingerly walks up the stone walkway to the mansion entrance. As he comes upon the massive, elegantly textured, wooden door he stretches out his hand to grasp the handle. Promptly, the handle disappears as the door opens, revealing a well dressed man behind it.
Dressed in a light blue suit, a dark ugly tie, and a full rimmed hat, the elusive Jack grins devilishly at the bald billionaire. Lex stares back silently.
INT. CLARK’S LOFTT
Clark inhales deeply, careful not to breathe as he lowers the small plastic ball onto the tiny stub. Apparently satisfied with the appearance of the formerly headless miniature man, Clark leans back in his chair and admires the diorama.
Footsteps... Clark turns to find Pete coming up the wooden steps.
PETE
CLARK
PETE
Pete walks over to Clark and grabs a seat by the window. He points to the diorama...
PETE
CLARK
PETE
CLARK
PETE
Pete smiles and jokingly punches Clark in the arm.
PETE
Clark smiles and rolls his eyes.
CLARK
PETE
They sit in silence for a moment as Pete looks for some other topic of random conversation before broaching the real reason he came. Eventually, he just gives up.
PETE
CLARK
PETE
CLARK
PETE
CLARK
PETE
Now, Clark gets defensive.
CLARK
PETE
CLARK
PETE
The broken record continues.
CLARK
PETE
Silence... Neither knows what to say, although Pete clearly doesn’t regret saying it. To be polite, he apologizes anyway.
PETE
Clark rolls his eyes, but Pete persists.
PETE
CLARK
Pete takes a deep breath and smiles, shrugging away any tension.
PETE
CLARK
PETE
They share a laugh and conspicuously honest nods. Pete stands and puts his hand on Clark’s shoulder.
PETE
CLARK
PETE
The two friends head down the wooden stairs, leaving the diorama behind.
The character of Christine and Raoul serenade each other during the finale of Act I of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. In the audience, Bruce Wayne and Chloe Sullivan sit side by side in sheer awe of the inspired performance.
Chloe leans in over Bruce’s shoulder and whispers something in his ear. He nods and stands, moving himself into the aisle allowing Chloe to stand and slip passed him. As she walks up the aisle, towards one of the theatre exits, Bruce sits back down to admire the performance on stage.
CHRISTINE
RAOUL
Silently shutting the door behind her, Chloe sneaks through the waiting area and down a thin hallway, towards a door marked "Ladies Room". Despite being outside the main theatre, the sounds of ‘Phantom’ dominate, as the characters of Christine and Raoul continue to sing.
Bruce Wayne admires the performance, quietly, from his seat despite the vacancy immediately to his left.
CHRISTINE/RAOUL
The characters of Christine and Raoul gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes.
CHRISTINE
RAOUL
CHRISTINE
Bruce shifts in his seat, straightening his tie slightly.
RAOUL
CHRISTINE
Bruce’s intense stare has a thoughtful purpose. He leans back in his seat.
The music continues to play. A pale blue door opens wide. Chloe steps out of the stall and walks over to the mirror. She smiles and bats her eyes, posing for later on. Unhappy with something, she removes her purse from over her shoulder and begins sifting through it, looking for something.
Raoul and Christine hurry off stage as the orchestra begins to play a very slow, very dreary, piece. From behind a statue, the Phantom emerges.
PHANTOM
Over the Phantom’s singing, Chloe continues to sift through the contents of her purse when one of the stalls silently opens behind her. From his reflection in the mirror, a man can be seen standing in the open stall, dressed in a dark suit and full rimmed hat. The rim of the hat covers his face, but it’s obvious who it is. The Phantom continues to sing.
PHANTOM
As the Phantom sings the words, the man slowly lifts his gaze, and the rim of the hat slowly rises above a wide toothy grin. Jack stares at Chloe from inside the stall but she remains oblivious to his presence.
PHANTOM
Triumphantly, Chloe silently applauds herself for having found the lipstick in her purse. She removes the cap and prepares to apply some to her lips when she looks into the mirror, puckering her lips. She jumps at the sight of the man staring at her from behind and turns in terror.
PHANTOM
Bruce watches the performance intently.
RAOUL/CHRISTINE
The music begins to rumble loudly as the Phantom reappears above the stage, hanging from a magnificent chandelier. He appears angry and points accusingly at Raoul and Christine below.
PHANTOM
Jack rushes and grabs Chloe, turning her around. She drops the lipstick and her purse as she struggles in his arms, but he covers her mouth with a white cloth in a gloved hand, muffling her cries. Her eyes begin to glaze over.
PHANTOM
Chloe struggles a little more, but to no avail. Her eyes roll back and she slumps back in his arms.
Bruce’s eyes open wide as the Phantom swings the chandelier, dangerously, back and forth.
PHANTOM
Overcome with rage and desperation, the Phantom of the Opera begins to laugh maniacally, his evil cackle echoing throughout the main theatre.
The Phantom’s hideous laugh appropriately coincides with Jack’s maniacal grin and wide eyes.
Bruce looks on as the Phantom shakes the chandelier violently from above. The characters of Christine and Raoul look on in fright.
The masked madman points to Christine and commands her from above.
PHANTOM
The chandelier suddenly breaks from its hold and falls towards the stage below, the masked madman left hanging onto the ceiling above.
Jack drags Chloe’s lifeless body from the bathroom. The helpless young girl’s purse, which had been teetering on the edge of the sink, falls off of the counter and to the tiled floor just as...
The chandelier slams to the stage at Christine’s feet, narrowly missing the startled character. Act I ends and the audience stands up and applauds, including billionaire Bruce Wayne.
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - WAITING AREA
Bruce Wayne leans silently up against a wall in between two of the doors leading into the main theatre. A crowd of well-dressed opera-goers mingle amongst themselves, making it difficult for Bruce to survey the crowd for his missing date. He doesn’t seem to be able to find her and steals a glance down the hall towards the ladies’ room. Confused, he inspects his watch, but it yields no solace.
A uniformed usher steps in front of him and attempts to gain everyone’s attention.
USHER
Slowly, the crowd files passed Bruce and through the large theatre doors. Bruce places a hand in each suit pocket and watches everyone as they go by, carefully checking each face to make sure Chloe doesn’t slip passed him. As the majority of the crowd now rests within the theatre, Bruce appears disappointed with no Chloe in sight. He hangs his head a bit and exhales softly.
He takes one last look inside the theatre, to see if he’d missed her, but she’s not there. He takes out his cell phone and opens it up as he begins walking towards the exit.
BRUCE
Without bothering to listen for a reply, he closes the cell phone and puts it back in his pocket in one abrupt motion. Hanging his head, Bruce makes his way towards the exit when a woman, who is conspicuously carrying two purses and a lipstick, suddenly comes rushing out of the ladies’ room. Bruce doesn’t appear to notice her as she makes her way towards the usher.
WOMAN
USHER
WOMAN
Forgetting herself, the woman starts to head towards the entrance to the main theatre when she remembers the items in her hands.
WOMAN
She walks back towards the usher.
WOMAN
Bruce stops in his tracks and looks up, but doesn’t turn around.
WOMAN
Bruce steals a glance back as the woman hands the purse and lipstick to the usher. He immediately recognizes them as belonging to Chloe. Strangely, though, he only quickens his pace out through the exit.
USHER
WOMAN
The woman hurries back into the main theatre and the usher closes the doors behind her. For a moment, he looks the purse and lipstick over, carefully examining them. Taking a quick glance from side to side, the usher slips the lipstick in his uniform chest pocket.
Returning through the doors he just exited through, Bruce walks back into the theatre waiting area and walks straight towards the usher. As he approaches the man, trying to make a big deal out of it, he points to the purse in the usher’s hands and exhales deeply.
BRUCE
The usher appears confused, but Bruce merely throws an arm over the man’s shoulder and continues talking.
BRUCE
Bruce pretends to cough and playfully slaps the usher in the back.
BRUCE
Bruce laughs and slaps the usher on the back again. The poor man is thoroughly confused, and somewhat uncomfortable.
BRUCE
Bruce whirls the usher completely around so that they are now facing the direction of the ladies’ room.
BRUCE
Bruce makes a rumbling sound and bends over a little as if he’s going to throw up.
BRUCE
The usher appears very confused.
USHER
Bruce gingerly slaps the guy in the chin.
BRUCE
Bruce grabs the purse from the usher’s hands and shows it to him.
BRUCE
Bruce laughs and jokingly hits the usher in the chest with the purse.
BRUCE
Bruce slowly begins walking backwards towards the exit.
BRUCE
Bruce points to the usher and smiles, doing his best Deniro impression.
BRUCE
Bruce abruptly turns and walks through the exit.
Stunned, the usher remains silent. From inside the main theatre, the audience begins clapping as the second act begins. Once again, though, Bruce Wayne comes marching through the entrance. This time, he walks right up to the usher, sticks his hand in the man’s chest pocket, pulls out Chloe’s lipstick, and again turns and walks straight out the exit. The usher is speechless.
Bruce Wayne quickly puts some distance between himself and the theatre entrance, to discourage the usher from chasing after him if and when the man regains his senses. As Bruce reaches the edge of the sidewalk, he quickly begins examining the purse.
Opening it up, Bruce begins shuffling through its contents. A rather attractive couple walks passed him as he’s doing this and gives him a rather odd look. Eventually, Bruce finds something inside that seems to spark some interest.
From inside the purse, Bruce pulls out a folded up page of newspaper. Sticking the purse under his arm to free his other hand, he opens it up. Across the top of the page, in big blue letters, reads the header "Smallville High Torch." More importantly though, and what draws Bruce’s attention, is the headline across the top of the front page article. He reads it aloud...
BRUCE
Something specific about the headline also gets Bruce’s attention. The letter "o" in both the "Torch" and "Cop" have distastefully been turned into smiley faces with rather demented looking grins. The byline beneath the headline reads "by Chloe Sullivan."
Bruce goes on to read a section of the article which has been highlighted...
BRUCE
His brow tightening, Bruce looks up from the paper just as Alfred drives up in front of the theatre with the limo. He thinks for a moment, then folds the paper up and places it back in the purse along with the lipstick.
As if he’s done it thousands of times before, Bruce manages to open the door to the limo, slip inside, and close the door all in one motion.
BRUCE
ALFRED
Bruce hesitates, looking at the purse in his hands.
BRUCE
He swallows hard. The limousine moves off into the cold Metropolis night.
The Talon appears all but abandoned. Its young owner, Lana Lang carefully cleans up some stray dishes and mugs from behind the counter. After a short while, apparently satisfied with her tidying efforts, Lana flips a few switches behind the counter and most of the lights in the Talon turn off.
Moving around the counter, Lana moves towards one of the tables where a neatly folded white sweater sits next to a set of car keys. In one motion, Lana grabs the sweater and keys and heads for the exit, but a piece of paper flies out from under the sweater and grabs her attention.
The paper is no bigger than half the size of a sheet of loose leaf and glides back and forth before settling on the floor near Lana’s feet. Leaning down and picking it up, she begins reading the thick red text which has been written across the entire sheet.
LANA
Her own name is neatly signed at the end of the note to herself. She sighs, already visibly tired, at the prospect of having to make her way over to the High School at...
She looks over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. It reads as nine o’clock, plus seven. Rolling her eyes, Lana makes her way toward the door.
Lana zips up her sweater and locks the Talon doors behind her. Carefully, she approaches the edge of the sidewalk, looking in both directions before crossing. Satisfied, she tiredly makes her way across the street towards her car and gets in, taking a long deep breath as she does.
LANA
Suddenly, a bright light fills the interior of the car. Looking up, Lana is practically blinded by a pair of headlights that appear to be heading straight for her. Her eyes widen, as she momentarily freezes. The lights are growing bigger, and brighter, and the sound of a ferocious car engine slowly emanates from down the road.
Panicking, Lana hurriedly rushes to find the ignition key amongst various other keys and frilly keychains of numerous shapes, colors, and sizes. Successful, her small victory is short, as the task of placing the key in the ignition under the overwhelming pressure of the reverberating engine sounds of the oncoming vehicle proves meddlesome.
Her hand shaking, Lana seems all but incapable of finding the ignition, as the headlights of the oncoming car only further blind her. Finally, with one final scream, she manages to get the key into the ignition and turn it.
The sound of her car’s engine igniting is mute against the thunderous engine of the speeding roadster as it blasts by her car at incredible speeds. Prying open her clenched eyelids, Lana manages to steal a quick glance behind her, attempting to get a better look at the road menace which had just nearly killed her. Moving at impossible speeds, though, the vehicle is too far down the road to make out and Lana is left to merely shake her head and take a long deep breath, grateful to still be alive.
Crickets chirp in the background as Lana Lang’s car pulls up to Smallville High School. Peaking over the steering wheel, Lana becomes curious when she sees that there are actually two other cars parked in the parking lot. One of them is an old Acura of some kind. The other is a jet black Ferrari Enzo, which Lana spies curiously as she parks her car.
Quickly, Lana steps out of her car and around the front, taking a long glance at the Enzo’s license plate. It reads "W-A-Y-N-E."
Curious, Lana continues on to the school entrance, but when she gets there she finds that the door is locked. She doesn’t seem summarily surprised, but let’s out a frustrated huff none the less.
Before long, she decides to give up and turns to walk back towards her car, when the school door suddenly swings open.
REYNOLDS
Lana freezes, then turns.
LANA
Reynolds looks at his watch.
REYNOLDS
She smiles, sheepishly.
LANA
REYNOLDS
LANA
REYNOLDS
LANA
Reynolds stares at her for a while, rather condescendingly. If Lana could shrink herself, she would, but she settles for taking an embarrassed step back.
REYNOLDS
Reynolds opens the door and raises his watch to look at it again. Lana smiles at him as she scurries passed.
LANA
Reynolds huffs loudly and shakes his head.
Lana quickly hurries down the hall towards her locker. Upon reaching it, she very adeptly works at the combination lock to open it, when her attention is drawn elsewhere. The hallway is dark, all the lights turned out, except for a single flickering light emanating from the Torch office.
With the curiosity of a doomed cat, Lana forgets about her locker and approaches the light.
LANA
No response... A sound, and then a click... The light continues to flicker.
LANA
Her voice eerily echoes throughout the abandoned hallway. As she draws nearer, there is another sound, like a window being drawn open. Despite the warning from the chill running down her spine, Lana continues towards the office, coming upon the door.
Slowly, the door to the Torch office opens and Lana Lang peaks in.
LANA
The office is dark, except for a now steady light emanating from a large rectangular shape on a stand, facing away from Lana. Slowly, carefully, she approaches it and finds that it is a television that has been mounted on a large black stand with a shelf. On the shelf is a VCR, hooked up to the television, with a video cassette sticking out of it.
Lana reads the label on the video tape aloud...
LANA
Confused, Lana stares for a moment at the blue screen displayed on the television before she is distracted by the sound of squealing tires out in the parking lot. Reynolds can also be heard screaming after the assailant.
Concerned, and curious, Lana remains focused on the television, pushing the video tape into the VCR. The word "PLAY" begins to flash on the screen, when the picture suddenly changes...
The tape plays a hideous scream over the image of an enormous clown’s face. A large toothy grin is parted down the middle by a giant gap, as the cardboard face laughs hysterically to its self, giving it a very life-like appearance.
As the scream dies down, it is replaced by someone crying.
KIDNAPPER
Slowly, the clown face retreats and it is revealed to be a mask being worn by a man dressed in a suit and a full rimmed hat of some kind. Lana appears disgusted, but continues watching.
KIDNAPPER
Lana slams against the desk behind her in shock as the man moves to the side, revealing what’s behind him.
Tied to a chair, gagged, and blindfolded, Chloe Sullivan struggles at her bindings as the masked man leans down next to her. Her dress is torn, her hair frayed, and streaks of makeup run down her face where teardrops previously wore paths in the skin. She is crying.
LANA
The masked man runs a glove hand over Chloe’s face, mock calming her. He even giggles slightly from behind the mask.
KIDNAPPER
Apparently looking for an answer of some kind, the masked man pulls down Chloe’s gag.
CHLOE
The masked man laughs and reinserts the gag, allowing it to once again muffle poor Chloe’s cries for help. Standing, the man again turns to face the camera.
KIDNAPPER
Suddenly, the man in the mask rushes towards the camera and the clown face once again fills the entire screen.
KIDNAPPER
The picture fades to darkness and all we can hear are Chloe’s cries for help. Lana begins to cry, left all but helpless by what she has just seen.
EXT. PETE’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Pete quickly runs up the well lit steps to his front porch. Giving a quick look behind, Pete yanks the front door open and rushes inside.
A big smile is etched across Pete’s face. Out of breath, he stumbles into the kitchen, looking behind himself as if expecting someone.
PETE
Someone clears their throat. Turning, Pete realizes that Clark is already in the kitchen and shakes his head.
PETE
CLARK
PETE
Clark nods, graciously allowing Pete his small victory. Pete, meanwhile, walks over to the refrigerator and takes out a pitcher of water.
PETE
CLARK
PETE
They laugh.
Just as Pete goes to take a sip of water, the phone rings. Still out of breath, he shrugs and motions for Clark to pick it up.
CLARK
Lana, half hysterical, seems surprised to hear Clark’s voice on the other end of the line, but only briefly.
LANA
Concerned, Clark struggles to make out what Lana is telling him.
LANA (over phone)
Pete can tell something’s wrong just by looking at Clark’s expression change.
CLARK
PETE
Lana begins pacing with the phone in her hand, doing her best to avoid eye contact with the television.
LANA
Pete, obviously worried by the looks he keeps getting from Clark, grows impatient.
PETE
CLARK
PETE
CLARK
Lana stops and looks at the television for a second. She has it paused with the sadistic clown mask filling the entire screen.
LANA
Clark’s mind immediately goes to work at the new piece of information, but judging by the crease in his forehead, to no avail.
CLARK
PETE
CLARK
Pete and Clark think a while longer on the new information.
Lana begins to pace again and the cord to the telephone runs over the desk and knocks some papers onto the floor. Easily frustrated in her current state, Lana ignores them and walks to the other side of the office.
LANA
Clark is now, not only worried, but visibly angry.
CLARK
PETE
CLARK
Lana holds the phone to her ear but is now transfixed on the eyes of the clown face on the television screen.
CLARK (over phone)
Lana, shaking her head, tears her eyes away from the television screen by looking straight down at her feet as she begins to pace again.
LANA
She stops, her feet settling on one of the pieces of paper she previously knocked to the floor with the telephone cord. Looking down at it, Lana freezes.
The paper Lana is standing on is the same sheet of newspaper that Bruce pulled out of Chloe’s purse earlier, right down to the grizzly smiley faces. For a moment, Lana merely stares at the paper, more precisely, the front page picture that goes with the article.
After a long pause on Lana’s end, a worried Clark chimes in...
CLARK
Lana steps back, lifting her feet off the sheet of paper. Bending down, she picks it up and looks closely at the picture.
The picture is one of Chloe, triumphantly standing in front of the amusement park where the "Kidnapping Cop" had held her captive. Although the picture shows a large portion of the amusement park behind Chloe, one building in particular, far in the background, catches Lana’s attention. Painted on the walls of the building, are hundreds of balloons.
LANA
Clark listens intently and Pete stands close by, trying to move his ear to the phone so that he can hear Lana too.
LANA (over phone)
All is quiet in the amusement park. The various rides and attractions remain motionless. A Ferrari Enzo, with Gotham City license plates, sits just outside the main entrance to the park, a single occupant inside.
Bruce Wayne, sitting in the driver’s seat of the Ferrari, looks at the car’s onboard clock. Dissatisfied, he checks it with his own watch. The time’s match, but this only frustrates him more.
He looks outside, carefully spying the building with the balloons painted on its walls from a safe distance. After looking at his watch again, he relents.
BRUCE
He opens the door and steps out, not even bothering to close it. Taking a deep breath, he carefully and quietly makes his way through the amusement park entrance.
Bruce is very careful as he makes his way deeper into the park, hiding behind buildings and trees, making sure not to leave himself out in the open. Eventually, he comes upon a small building housing park restrooms, and he pushes himself up against one of its walls for cover.
He peaks his head out, scoping the entrance to his target building. Above the entrance is an enormous sign with two big clowns holding up a cardboard mirror. Above them, in big bubble letters, a sign reads "Funhouse of Mirrors". Satisfied, Bruce makes his way towards the entrance, quietly opening the door and stepping through.
Bruce quietly closes the door behind him, careful not to make a sound. Turning, he is startled by several men who appear to be standing all around him. He takes a fighting stance, only to realize that each man is just a reflection of himself.
The Funhouse of Mirrors is setup as an elaborate maze made up of hundreds of mirrors. With very little light, mainly due to the moonlight shining through a skylight in the ceiling, it is very difficult for Bruce to tell where there is a clear path and where there is a mirror.
Sticking out his hand towards what he believes to be an open pathway, Bruce is disturbed to find that it is actually only a reflection. His hand makes a firm imprint on the glass.
BRUCE
Slowly, and cautiously, Bruce attempts to move his way through the mirror maze. As he turns a corner, he spots something out of the corner of his eye and quickly turns to defend himself. It is only his own reflection.
Continuing on, Bruce finds himself in a particularly twisting and turning section of the maze. As he turns a corner, from behind him, we can see someone else’s reflection quickly dart by one of the mirrors. It is gone as fast as it came and Bruce doesn’t seem to have noticed it.
Turning another corner, Bruce comes upon a new reflection and takes a breath. This new section of the maze is a long, straight, corridor with mirrors on either side and one at the far end. The reflection on the far mirror belongs to Chloe. She is still bound, gagged, and blindfolded, and upon seeing her Bruce makes a hasty beeline for the end of the corridor.
BRUCE
Adeptly avoiding crashing into the mirror, Bruce makes a quick left at the end of the corridor. Chloe remains seated in the chair, surrounded by an odd formation of mirrors all around her. This section of the maze is shaped like a large octagon, but with open passageways at every other side.
Intent on saving Chloe, though, Bruce rushes to her side and quickly removes her gag and begins removing the blindfold.
BRUCE
Aware of his presence, but before the blindfold is completely removed, Chloe responds...
CHLOE
Once the blindfold is completely removed, Chloe is surprised to see that it isn’t Clark at all. Bruce ignores her error, though, and continues to untie her.
BRUCE
He frees her hands first, allowing her to help him untie the binds on her legs and feet. Once she is completely free, she gives him a quick hug and then looks up, for the first time aware of her surroundings. She cringes...
CHLOE
Bruce removes his tuxedo jacket and wraps it over Chloe’s arms, then grabs her hand and starts to make his way back the way he came.
BRUCE
KIDNAPPER
Bruce turns and is suddenly face to face with the kidnapper, still wearing the mask. Instantly reacting, Bruce swings around with his fist and slams it as hard as he can into the man’s face. The clown’s satanic grin quickly shatters into shards of broken glass, some of which embed themselves into Bruce’s hand, causing it to bleed.
Bruce cries out in pain, Chloe in fear, as a quick click can be heard from behind them. It is the all too familiar sound of a gun being cocked.
KIDNAPPER
BRUCE
KIDNAPPER
With his good hand, Bruce grabs Chloe by the wrist and pulls her behind him, as the kidnapper points the gun at them.
BRUCE
KIDNAPPER
The kidnapper motions towards one of the adjacent paths out of the maze with his gun.
KIDNAPPER
Skeptical, Bruce keeps his eyes focused on the kidnapper, the man’s eerie reflections in the mirrors behind him making him seem ten times as imposing.
BRUCE
Chloe stares at Bruce for a minute, and then back at the kidnapper. Each man is focused on each other, so neither seems to notice her.
CHLOE
BRUCE
Chloe shakes her head again and swallows hard.
CHLOE
Bruce now has no choice but to take his eyes off the kidnapper. He turns and faces her.
CHLOE
BRUCE
Her eyes begin to tear as she starts to panic.
CHLOE
Bruce grabs her by both arms and sticks his face right up to hers.
BRUCE
Looking back at the kidnapper, and then at Bruce, Chloe comes to the realization that her options have run dry. Trying to keep herself from crying, she merely gives in, and wraps her arms around Bruce for what she obviously believes will be the last time.
After a few seconds though, she begins shaking her head again and separates herself from him, wiping the tears from her eyes.
CHLOE
She continues repeating it, trying to convince herself more than anyone else. Bruce, to his credit, humors her by nodding his head and smiling.
BRUCE
Chloe backs her way down one of the mirrored pathways, still fighting back the tears.
CHLOE
She turns a corner, starts into a sprint, and disappears.
Bruce hangs his head and turns back to face the kidnapper.
BRUCE
The kidnapper remains silent for a moment, then raises his free hand, removing his mask. To no one’s surprise, Jack is the kidnapper.
Shaking his head, Jack smiles out of pity for the helpless billionaire.
JACK
BRUCE
Again, the sadistic Jack smiles, stealing a quick glance up at the moon, through the skylight.
JACK
Chloe, having found her way out of the Funhouse of Mirrors, makes a mad dash for main park entrance. Half in hysterics, she moves erratically, nearly tripping over a rogue garbage can on her way.
From down the road, Clark Kent runs towards the amusement park at super speeds. Seeing Chloe running towards him, Clark quickly slows down to normal running speed.
CLARK
Upon seeing him, Chloe stops and screams out...
CHLOE
They run to each other and Clark quickly wraps his arms around her, but she immediately pushes away.
CHLOE
CLARK
CHLOE
A gunshot rings out...
Everything goes silent and Chloe is frozen. Her expression goes blank. From around Chloe’s shoulder, Bruce’s tuxedo jacket slips, and falls down to the pavement.
Clark looks up towards the Funhouse. Using his X-Ray vision, Clark looks through one of the walls. The image isn’t clear, but he can see two human forms, one of them holding a gun. The other person, standing in front of the man with the gun, falls to his knees and then forward, lying motionless on the ground. The man with the gun slowly walks away and out the back of the Funhouse.
Chloe, still frozen in place, silently cries. Clark, not knowing what else to do, merely holds her.
INT. THE TALON
::whisper:: Chloe... that guy over there’s been eyeing you ever since you came in.
I know. I haven’t been able to get any work done. ::smiling:: Isn’t he gorgeous?
So are you going to go over there or not?
I can’t, ::motions towards the book she’s reading:: I’m waiting for Clark.
... to show up so we can work on our report.
Well, I don’t see Clark anywhere, do you? You should go over there.
Here. He just ordered another coffee, dark. Why don’t you take it over to him?
::shrugs:: Yeah, why don’t I?
Hi, ::pause:: here’s your coffee. The waitress asked me to bring it over for her. She’s a little swamped at the moment.
I can see that, ::raises mug:: thank you.
I’m Chloe by the way.
It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chloe. I’m Bruce.
So... Shakespeare, huh? I’m guessing there’s an English teacher laughing rather sadistically in their office right about now.
It’s not so bad, really. I’d already read it six times so...
Six times? ::laughs:: Well then you have a higher tolerance for pain than I do.
What does that mean?
It’s not one of Shakespeare’s better plays.
How can you say that? It’s one of his best. It’s intriguing, suspenseful, and not only that it’s something that people can actually relate too today, even though it was written 400 years ago.
A story about a woman who dresses up like a boy and ends up falling in love with the man she works for?
::shaking her head:: But the real story is in how she’s torn apart by his love for another woman, and how there’s nothing she can do about it because of her secret.
Sure there is, ::slight pause:: she could tell him.
You’re oversimplifying the situation a little, don’t you think?. Things aren’t always as cut and dry as that.
You’re right ::nods::. It’s much more complicated then that, but only because of her lies, which mind you, she tells only because of her own selfish wants and desires in the first place.
Well, if that isn’t a male chauvinist attitude if I’ve ever heard one. You’d call her selfish just because she wants to have a decent job in a time when women are considered little more than slaves to an egomaniacal male population?
I don’t believe deceiving the people you care about is the way to get what you want.
So, I suppose you would’ve just let her slave over an oven the entire day. That is, in between hand washing loads of laundry, taking care of the children, and catering to her man’s every whim.
Hey, Lana.
Hey, Clark.
Is Chloe here? I’m supposed to meet her to work on our English project.
She’s over there... ::shaking her head:: about to bite that poor guy’s head off.
I didn’t realize you were adding "billionaire’s heads" to the menu, Lana.
Maybe I should quietly sneak out the back before anyone notices this one’s already been skinned.
I take it you know that guy.
Of course I know him, Clark. He’s in town to see me.
He is?
Wait a minute, did you say billionaire?
::nods:: That gentleman over there, whom your friend Chloe is currently in the process of ripping a new one, is none other than Bruce Wayne.
That’s "Little Boy Billionaire" Bruce Wayne?
Gotham City’s own, all grown up. Seriously though, Clark, if you could run over there and pull the leash a little ::pulls imaginary leash::, LuthorCorp’s looking into a possible partnership with Wayne Enterprises that could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. I think Chloe’s killing him might hinder that process just a bit.
Good luck.
Yeah, right.
Chloe, can I talk to you for a minute?
Just a second, Clark... And another thing, how dare you even suggest that...
::insistent:: Chloe, I really need to talk to you about something.
Don’t go anywhere, I’m not finished.
::smiling:: Wouldn’t dream of it...
What is it, Clark?
Chloe, do you know who that is?
Yeah, he’s a male chauvinist pig... Why?
Chloe, that’s Bruce Wayne.
::looking back at Clark:: Oh....... my god.
Mr. Wayne, I am so sorry. Had I known who you were...
You would’ve what, been less passionate about your arguments? Humored me, agreeing with everything I said just because of my name? Relax. You made some excellent points, almost all of which I happen to agree with.
Actually, Twelfth Night is one of my favorite plays. I own one of the earliest printed copies.
And I’ve read it eight times.
Bruce, glad you could make it.
::looks at his watch:: Same to you, Lex, you’re late.
Oh, you know how it is, Bruce, things always pop up at the office at the most inconvenient times. I am sorry, though.
Oh really? ::the smile returns:: So you’re sure you weren’t just letting me wait in an unfamiliar environment as long as possible so you’d have the upper hand?
I see you’ve read my father’s book.
Not exactly a page turner, but I managed. Luckily, this very beautiful woman showed up to keep me company.
::soft, shooting Chloe a dirty look:: Ow.
She’s very smart... she on your payroll?
No, but her father is.
Really? I wonder, if I doubled his salary, do you think he’d come and work for me?
::staring at Bruce:: Chloe, tell your father he just got a raise.
(to Clark) Ok, what just happened?
::shakes head:: I have no idea.
Don’t like to lose, do you Lex?
I wouldn’t know. I don’t have much experience in the field.
Well, since you’ve already had your coffee, perhaps you’d like a tour of the plant. Shall we go?
My car’s outside.
Really? I’ve got a Ferrari 360 F1 Modena.
Nice automobile, but I prefer something with a little bit of speed. I brought the Enzo.
Uh, Mr. Wayne...
Chloe, call me Bruce.
Ok, Bruce. I was wondering... I’m the editor of Smallville High’s newspaper, the Torch. I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot but, I was wondering if you’d be willing to sit down for an interview while you’re in town. It’d make a great article for the paper.
Well I’m sorry, Chloe, I’ve kind of made it a point not to do any personal interviews.
::disappointed:: Oh... I see.
Although, there’s a little restaurant in Metropolis, called "Night Time", I’ve heard good things about. If you’d be willing to join me for dinner, I might be willing to go on the record about a thing or two.
So, what do you say?
Sure, why not?
Great, I’ll pick you up here, at six. You don’t mind flying do you?
::confused:: What?
Well, I figured we’d take the helicopter. ::devilish grin:: It’s faster.
No... I... don’t mind at all.
I’ll see you tonight then.
EXT. THE TALON - DAY
Thank you, Alfred.
Of course, sir. Shall I wait for you here or back at the hotel?
There seems to be enough here to keep us occupied for a while. I’ll leave it to your discretion. The hotel isn’t that far anyway.
::slight nod:: Very well, Master Bruce.
Master Bruce?
::shrug:: I keep telling him he doesn’t have to call me that.
Shall we?
INT. NIGHT TIME RESTAURANT
Reservations for Wayne...
Ah yes, Mr. Wayne, we’ve been expecting you.
Your waiter will be with you in a moment, sir.
Thank you.
Are you all right? You look... uncomfortable.
No, no I’m great.
Ok... maybe a little overwhelmed. All this is just so extravagant. I guess Cinderella just feels a little out of place with her glass slippers she bought from Payless a couple of hours ago.
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.
::sarcastic but not mean:: Oh really? So you didn’t take me for a ride in your own personal helicopter and then bring me to the most lavishly expensive restaurant in all of Metropolis so you’d have the upper hand?
::blushing slightly:: Touché.
I just love these centerpieces. I wish I knew what kind of flowers these are.
Azalia - Tsutsuji.
What?
Azalia - Tsutsuji. They’re Japanese.
How did you know that?
Cause I bought ‘em in Japan.
I took a trip to the Orient last summer... business purposes. They were all over the hotel. I liked them, so I brought some home with me and had Alfred plant them in the garden.
Oh.
I’m sorry. I did it again, didn’t I?
No, it’s all right... really. I’m just not used to all this. Smallville isn’t exactly the culture hub of the planet.
It doesn’t seem so bad to me.
It isn’t. I just sometimes think that my only link to the outside world is through a modem and a telephone line. It’s kind of frightening.
How is it frightening?
Well, I mean as far as I know the world is just a high school surrounded by miles and miles of cornfields. Sometimes I wonder if the rest of the world is just some elaborate hoax put together by textbook writers and postcard distributors.
::barely audible:: Sometimes I wish it were.
What?
::shrugs:: Nothing.
Oh... Well, anyway, I just don’t know if life in Smallville is giving me the preparation I need if I want to be a reporter for the Daily Planet.
No one expects you to unravel major federal conspiracies or topple corrupt multi-national corporations with your articles in a high school newspaper, Chloe.
I know.
Still, that would look good on a resume.
So... What are you afraid of?
::confused:: What am I afraid of?
A question for a question. Now that we’ve discovered the deepest hidden fears of farm-girl, wannabe reporters, what do billionaire, playboy, businessmen fear?
Would you like to dance?
I’d love too.
This doesn’t get you out of answering my question you know.
I don’t suppose I can take the fifth.
I’m a reporter, not a lawyer, totally different type of scab.
Come on, let’s have it.
::deep breath:: Let’s see... What am I most afraid of...?
Myself.
::confused:: Yourself?
I have a temper that’s gotten me into a little bit of trouble in the past.
::curious:: For example...
You met Alfred...
::nod:: Your limo driver...
Alfred’s much more than just my limo driver. He’s the closest thing I have to family. Once, after a particularly bad day at school, I came home in a pretty bad mood. Alfred had been busy around the Manor and he asked me to clean up a mess I had left in the kitchen, from earlier that morning, that he hadn’t been able to get too.
I told him, "You’re the butler, you do it."
Harsh... Did he get angry?
Alfred’s not really the yelling type. He stopped what he was doing and came over and asked me what was wrong. I told him to "leave me the hell alone," and I stormed off to my room and slammed the door.
The thing was... he followed me. He’d never done that before. Alfred’s always been more of the kind of person to let you work your problems out on your own, but be there if you needed a shoulder to lean on or an ear to talk too.
When I got to my room, ::smiling:: as any normal testosterone driven member of the species would, I immediately looked for something to break.
So I grabbed this little statue that was on the fireplace and I turned around and I hurled it as hard as I could back at the door.
Now you have to understand, the room had actually been my parents’ room and my father had been a collector of rare arms and exotic weapons from all over the world. It was kind of his thing. Mounted above the door, in this glass case, was this old, extremely sharp, Samurai sword. The statue hit the case just as Alfred opened the door.
What happened?
The glass shattered. The sword fell. An inch or two to the right and it would’ve killed him.
Two-hundred and fifty stitches, five years of apologizing, and ::smiles:: several anger management classes later, I’ve learned that it’s true what they say about you being your own worst enemy.
You’re not going to write about this in your article, are you?
What article?
Well, it looks like the music’s stopped. Maybe we should go sit down.
Yeah...
I mean, yeah! ::smiling:: I’m getting hungry.
::to mystery man:: I’m sorry, sir, but we’ve just received a phone... Mr. Luthor regrets he will be unable to join you this evening, but sends word that you are more than welcome to indulge yourself. He will accept full charges.
::big grin:: Thank you, my good man, but that won’t be necessary. I think I’ve indulged enough for one night.
Very well, sir.
INT. LEX LUTHOR’S MANSION - LEX’S OFFICE
Well, Mr. Wayne, it seems you have been very busy.
Clark, hurry up and get down here. You’re going to miss the bus...!
...again.
He’s missed the bus before, Jonathan.
I know, but having super speed doesn’t give him an excuse for being lazy.
Sorry, Dad. I didn’t realize what time it was.
::sarcasm:: Something wrong with your alarm clock?
Pete and I stayed late at the Talon last night helping Lana clean up. You know how she likes to keep the place open later on the weekends.
I thought you were with Chloe working on your English project.
::shakes head:: She totally bailed on me to go out on a date with Bruce Wayne. I couldn’t believe it. You should have seen this guy, Dad, the way he was sweet talking her. All he had to do was mention the word ‘helicopter’ and she turned to silly putty.
Bruce Wayne?
Yeah, he’s in town negotiating some kind of business deal between his company and LuthorCorp. Lex was telling me about it.
I’m really surprised Gabe Sullivan would trust someone like that with his seventeen year old daughter.
What do you mean ‘someone like that’?
This isn’t another case of my dad having an innate distrust of anyone with a billion dollar bank roll is it?
No... It’s just that Bruce Wayne is...
Well, he’s just...
... so much older than Chloe.
He’s only two years older, mom. Dad’s got you by...
::interrupting:: The point is, Bruce Wayne just has something of a reputation, that’s all.
What kind of reputation?
Let’s just say that, for a nineteen year old, Bruce Wayne has already had some rather high profile relationships.
You don’t think this is anything I should be worried about, do you?
Clark...
...You just missed the bus.
EXT. CLARK’S HOUSE - MORNING
Get in, Clark, we need to talk.
INT. LEX’S FERRARI
Have you heard from Chloe since last night?
No, I haven’t. Why?
Listen, Clark, I want you to stay away from Bruce Wayne and I’d advise your friend Chloe to do the same if I were you.
I take it you don’t like him either?
Either?
::shrugs:: My parents.
Well, I haven’t necessarily agreed with every assessment they’ve ever made, but in this case they’re right. Bruce Wayne is bad news.
Could you be a little more specific?
The world is just a big game to him, Clark, and he uses people as his pawns. He’s a manipulating, conniving, self-serving son of a bitch.
You think he’s using Chloe? What for?
What do you think?
A girl in every port?
In his case two or three. Don’t let that phony smile and Armani suit fool you. I’ve seen them all, Clark, and Wayne is as bad as they come. Chloe’s nothing but a distraction to him, while he’s here in Smallville.
I don’t get it. I thought you said he was in town to do business with LuthorCorp. I thought you liked the guy.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
I know, it’s cliché, but the hackneyed and overused tend to be that way for a reason.
Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?
Honestly? Chloe’s never struck me as being that naive. She always seemed like the smarter stooge.
I figured she’d see right through his fake charm. ::disappointed:: Obviously, I was wrong.
I don’t know how I’m going to tell Chloe.
As soon as possible if you know what’s good for her.
Remember, the longer the snake bites you, the longer it has to infect you with its poison.
Thanks for giving me the heads up, Lex. You’re a good friend.
Just be careful around Wayne. He’s used to getting his way.
::nods:: I will.
INT. THE TORCH
I’ll see you tonight then.
::quickly but politely:: Clark, good to see you again.
::nods:: Bruce...
A little early isn’t it?
Don’t worry, Clark. He was just here for that interview he promised me.
I thought you were going to do that on your date last night.
I was... but by the end of it, despite spending nearly five hours with him, I realized I’d forgotten to ask any questions.
I take it the date went well then?
It was... ::long exhale:: perfect.
And you’re seeing him again tonight?
Yup, he’s taking me to see "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Metropolis off-Broadway theatre. It’s not one of my favorites, but I’ve never actually been to the theatre before.
And what about the fact that we’re supposed to work on our English project tonight? It’s due tomorrow you know.
::shakes it off:: No worries, I finished it this morning.
You finished it?
Yeah, after Bruce dropped me home last night I just couldn’t get to sleep for some reason, so I stayed up and worked on it. I’ll drop it by your house after school, so you can look it over if you’d like.
Chloe, we need to talk.
About what?
About Bruce.
What about him?
Chloe, I don’t really know how to say this. I’ve been hearing some pretty bad things about Bruce.
What do you mean? From who?
Well, my parents for one, and Lex.
Look, I think you really need to be careful around this guy. He’s not who he seems.
And exactly how would you know that, Clark? You just had your longest conversation with him. You barely know him at all.
And you do?
Yes, I do.
How? You’ve had one date with the guy.
Look, Clark, at the risk of sounding like a cheap harlot out of some lame paperback romance novel, Bruce and I really connected last night. He’s sweet, and caring, and what’s best of all is, at the end of our date, he was still there.
That’s not fair.
No, Clark, what’s not fair is you coming in here and basically telling me that you trust Lex Luthor’s judgment more than you trust mine.
Chloe, you know that isn’t true.
You know, I would hope not, because I’ve known you a heck of a lot longer than Lex Luthor and I think that should count for something.
Look, Chloe, this guy’s a player. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.
Oh, like that’s ever stopped you before.
I gotta get to class.
I’ll see you later.
Forgot my keys...
If you have a problem with me, you come to me. ::leans in closer:: Don’t... ever... do that again.
EXT. LEX LUTHOR’S MANSION - DAY
Hey, Clark...
Hey, Pete...
Your mom told me you were up here.
That your project?
Yeah, Chloe dropped it off a few hours ago. She stayed up all night working on it.
Looks pretty good.
Yeah, it does... ::shrugs:: now that Orsino’s head isn’t glued on upside down anymore.
::confused:: Chloe did that? It’s not like her to be that careless.
That’s more like something you would do.
It wasn’t an accident.
Oh.
So, you gonna tell me what’s going on between you two or what?
She thinks that I trust Lex more than I trust her.
Why’s that?
::hesitates:: Lex told me some things about Bruce Wayne. He says the guy’s a major player, that he uses people. My parents said the same thing... but when I told Chloe she got all defensive.
Well, Chloe really likes Bruce. How did you expect her to react?
::shakes head:: I don’t know.
Is she right?
About what?
Do you trust Lex more than you trust her?
What kind of a question is that?
One whose answer is obviously important to Chloe...
I just don’t want to see her get hurt.
Clark, you’ve been hurting Chloe for three years.
Look, man, I’m sorry. I think it’s just that, you’ve got all these powers and you’ve gotten so used to saving people, you thought you’d just swoop in and save Chloe from ‘Big Bad Bruce’.
You’ve made your feelings towards Chloe clear. You guys are just friends, so, now you’ve got to trust her to handle this on her own.
I know... I just don’t trust Wayne.
Hey, I like to think Chloe’s a pretty good judge of character. After all, ::puffs out his chest:: she picked us out didn’t she?
::laughs:: Yeah.
::jokingly:: Besides we’ve both seen Chloe on the warpath. If he tries anything, you’ll probably need to save him from her.
Now, come on, let’s go to my house. The game’s on.
Why your house?
Clark, my man, three words: Big - Screen - TV.
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - MAIN THEATRE
::singing:: All I want is freedom, a world with no more night... and you always beside me to hold me and to hide me...
::singing:: Then say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime... Let me lead you from your solitude...
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - WAITING AREA
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - MAIN THEATRE
::singing:: Anywhere you go, let me go too... That’s all I ask of you.
::singing:: I must go - they’ll wonder where I am... Wait for me Raoul.
::singing:: Christine, I love you!
::singing:: Order your fine horses. Be with them at the door!
::singing:: And soon you’ll be beside me!
::singing:: You’ll guard me, and you’ll guide me.
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - LADIES ROOM
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - MAIN THEATRE
::slowly singing:: I gave you my music...
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - LADIES ROOM
::slowly singing:: ... made your song take wing... and now, how you’ve repaid me: denied me and betrayed me...
::slowly singing:: He was bound to love you when he heard you sing... Christine...
Christine...
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - MAIN THEATRE
::singing:: Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime... Say the word and I will follow you... Share each day with me, each night, each morning...
::slowly singing:: You will curse...
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - LADIES ROOM
::slowly singing:: ...the day you did not do...
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - MAIN THEATRE
::slowly singing:: ... all that the Phantom asked of you!
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - LADIES ROOM
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - MAIN THEATRE
Go!
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - LADIES ROOM
INT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - MAIN THEATRE
Excuse me, pardon me. If you would all be so kind as to make your way back to your seats. Act two shall be beginning shortly, thank you.
Alfred, I’m going to need an early pickup.
Oh, dear me, I haven’t missed anything, have I?
No, ma’am, the second act is just about to begin.
::relief:: Oh, good.
Oh!
I found this purse and lipstick on the ground in the ladies’ room.
I’m not certain who they belong too.
Thank you, ma’am, I’ll be sure to place them in the lost and found.
Thank you...
Ah, thank goodness! Let me tell you, had we gotten all the way back to the hotel before realizing she had left that, there would have been hell to pay.
::talking fast:: You see Chloe, that’s my date, she’s come down with a bit of a cold. Well, I think it’s more like the flu, with the nausea and the hacking cough.
::talking fast:: But you know how it is, they just don’t want to admit it. "It’s just a cold," they say, "I’ll be fine." But then, they aren’t fine, and you’re stuck having to wait on them hand and foot and it just gets to be a real pain. That’s why they pretend like it’s nothing, after all, because they know if they say they’re coming down with something we’ll be out of there faster than spit out of a camel, ya know what I’m saying?
::talking fast:: Anyway, she went into the ladies’ room to powder her nose...
::talking fast:: ... And wouldn’t ya know it she starts to feel a little rumbling.
::talking fast:: Well, anyway, you know where this is going don’t you? I think you should really commend her though, darting out of here like that. She barely made it out the door, because she didn’t want to mess up your fine establishment here.
Excuse me, sir, but who are you?
::talking fast:: Keep up with me, buddy, will ya. Anyway, so she just barely made it outside, so if I were you I’d tell one of your janitors or gardeners, I don’t really know which department it would fall under at this point, but I’d tell one of those guys to get out there with a hose and a shovel and fix that up a bit. I just don’t think that’s what you want your patrons seeing, or smelling, when they walk up to the place.
::talking fast:: But anyway, she darted out in such a hurry - must’ve been the pork lo mein or something - she darted out in such a hurry, she just up and left her purse in the ladies’ room. Can you believe that?
::talking fast:: Anyway, thanks a lot for finding this, I really appreciate it.
::talking fast:: You are a good man, let me tell you... You...
You... You are a good man. Anyway, I’ll be seeing, ya.
EXT. METROPOLIS OFF BROADWAY THEATRE - NIGHT
::reading aloud:: Kidnapping Cop...
::reading aloud:: I left the medical center and walked to my car. A pair of gloved hands grabbed me. My attacker pressed a chloroform-soaked cloth against my mouth...
Bring me to the helipad, Alfred.
And the lovely Ms. Sullivan...?
She won’t be joining us.
INT. THE TALON
::reading aloud:: You forgot your backpack in your locker again. Go pick it up after closing.
EXT. THE TALON - NIGHT
::to herself:: If you weren’t forgetting things all the time, you could be going home now, but no. I swear I must have Alzheimer’s or something...
EXT. SMALLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - NIGHT
Ms. Lang...
Principal Reynolds, hi...
A little late, isn’t it Ms. Lang?
Yeah, I know.
What are you doing here so late?
I left my backpack in my locker.
The school closes down to students at seven, Ms. Lang, you know that.
I know, Principal Reynolds, I was kind of hoping to catch a janitor or someone to let me in.
::nods:: All right, Ms. Lang, you have five minutes.
Thank you, Principal Reynolds.
INT. SMALLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY
Chloe?
Hello?
INT. THE TORCH
Hello?
::reading label:: Help me...
Awe... Don’t cry, honey. Everything’s gonna be ok.
::upbeat:: You’ll see.
Chloe!
We just have to wait for the rest of our guests to arrive. After all, we wouldn’t want to be rude now, would we?
::crying:: Help me! Please, help me!
::gleefully:: Now just remember, the directions are on the invitation I sent you. It’s the house with all the balloons. You can’t miss it.
::deep and serious:: And don’t be late!
INT. PETE’S HOUSE - KITCHEN
Hah! Super speed my...
Man...
::smiling:: Too slow.
Yeah... well... I’m still better than you at math.
Next time I get the full two minutes.
It only takes you a minute and a half.
Yeah, and I’d still probably lose.
::answering the phone:: Ross residence...
INT. THE TORCH
::panicked:: Clark, it’s Lana, something terrible has happened to Chloe. I called the police and they’re on their way but I don’t know what to do. I called your house but no one picked up, and...
INT. PETE’S HOUSE
... I tried calling Mr. Sullivan, but he’s not home either and...
Wait a minute, Lana, slow down. What happened to Chloe?
Chloe? Isn’t she out with Bruce Wayne again tonight?
INT. THE TORCH
::panicked:: I think someone kidnapped her. There’s this tape here, in the office, and on it is a guy and he’s got Chloe all tied up, and she’s crying, and I think he’s going to hurt her.
INT. PETE’S HOUSE
What’s she saying? What happened to Chloe?
Chloe’s been kidnapped.
Again!?
Lana, tell me about the tape. Does it say where they are? Does he say where he’s holding Chloe?
INT. THE TORCH
::panicked:: No... I mean, I don’t know... The guy says something about a house with balloons on it.
INT. PETE’S HOUSE
House with balloons on it...? House with balloons on it...
House with balloons on it? What does that mean?
The guy who kidnapped Chloe said something about a house with balloons on it.
INT. THE TORCH
Clark, I’m really scared. I think this might have something to do with Bruce Wayne. When I got here, his car was parked in the parking lot.
INT. PETE’S HOUSE
I knew it. Lex warned me about him.
You think Bruce Wayne had something to do with this?
She saw his car in the parking lot. I’ll bet he was the one who planted the tape. ::into phone:: Now, Lana, is there anything else on the tape that might give you a clue as to where they are?
INT. THE TORCH
Is there anything at all that might indicate where he could be keeping her, where they might be?
::shaking head:: No, there’s nothing. It’s really dark. All I can see is Chloe and him. I just don’t...
INT. PETE’S HOUSE
::worried:: Lana? Lana, are you there?
INT. THE TORCH
Oh my god, Clark...
INT. PETE’S HOUSE
I know where they are.
EXT. AMUSEMENT PARK - NIGHT
They should have been here by now.
INT. AMUSEMENT PARK - FUNHOUSE OF MIRRORS
::quietly:: Wonderful...
Chloe...
::quietly:: Chloe...
::greatfully:: Clark!
No, it’s Bruce. Stay quiet, we have to get you out of here.
God, I hate amusement parks!
The police will be here any minute, but we have to...
I wouldn’t count on that if I were you.
Nice hook...
Bad aim...
I assure you, I won’t make that mistake.
Chloe, get behind me.
No... She can go.
She’s served her purpose. I won’t be needing her anymore.
The car’s parked outside the main entrance, Chloe. It’s unlocked and the keys are inside.
::shaking head:: No.
::forcefully:: Chloe, go.
No, I won’t...
I won’t go, he’s going to kill you.
Chloe...
::shaking head:: No, he’s going to kill you. He kidnapped me to lure you here and now he’s going to kill you. I won’t leave...
Chloe... Please... ::softly:: I don’t want you to see this.
No, you’re not going to die. I’ll go get help. I can go get help.
Go get help...
I’m going to go get help. I’ll be right back, I promise.
They’re not coming are they?
It seems there’s been a sudden outbreak of criminal activity in Smallville. ::grins:: I’m afraid it will probably take them quite some time to sort it all out.
You went to a lot of trouble getting me here. Who are you?
Just your resident devil in the moonlight...
EXT. AMUSEMENT PARK - NIGHT
Chloe!
Clark!
::hysterical:: We have to get help! He’s going to kill him! He’s going to kill him!
Who? Who’s going to kill who?
::hysterical:: He’s going to kill Bruce! We have to get help, Clark. He’s going to kill...