[Smash mouth's "pacific coast party" playing]
J“ get your motor running... j“
[clanging]
[Groaning]
[Jonathan] Son of a gun!
J“ if you got to work today get yourself a new vocation j“
don't use the upstairs bathroom. It's backed up. I have to snake the pipes.
- [Clark] Where's the leftover pizza? - Second shelf.
Or you could nuke the chili for dinner.
Some clue you actually heard me.
Upstairs bathroom off-limits after nuclear chili dinner.
Glad to see your hearing hasn't changed.
[Jonathan] Clark, can I get a hand out here, please?
Son, would you, uh...?
- Sure. - Thanks.
Sure picked one heck of a day to snap an exhaust hanger.
I left the number of our hotel on the nightstand. I think that's everything.
That ought to do it. I'm definitely raising your allowance.
- If you need anything... - [Clark] Call.
Morn, it's a couple of nights in Metropolis. I'll be fine.
I'm sure he'll be fine. And soon, madame, so shall we be.
Oh. I almost forgot.
Sorry.
Happy anniversary.
Sweetheart, bye-bye.
Clark, thanks for the card.
Think fast!
[Engine starts]
[Lullaby music playing]
Good night, little one. Shh.
[Thunder rumbling]
[Ominous music playing]
Don't worry.
Daddy's gonna get better.
[Baby crying]
Hello?
Is someone there?
It's okay, honey. It's just thunder.
[Ominous music playing]
[Gasping]
[Bush's "the people that we love" playing]
[Knocking]
Earl? What are you doing here?
I need to see Lionel Luthor.
- I know he's here. - Sorry, man, you know I can't let you in.
They did something to me at his plant in Smallville.
See, that's the talk that got yourself canned, all right?
- If you've got a problem, get some help. - I've tried. They can't do anything.
It's getting worse.
Please, let me in.
Earl, don't make me call security, all right?
Just go home and dry off.
J“ got to feel, when I touched your lips j“
j“ the things we do to the people that we love j“
what the hell? Earl?
[Earl screams]
What the hell you doing, Earl?!
- If I don't get an answer, I'll die. - No, we gotta get you to a doctor!
Look, they can't do anything. Nobody can.
[Will gasping]
J“ the things we do to the people that we love j“
j“ the way we break if there's something in the way j“
j“ destroy the world that we took so long to make j“
j“ the things we do to the people that we love j“
[theme music playing]
J“ somebody save me j“
j“ let your warm hands break right through it j“
j“ somebody save me j“
j“ I don't care how you do it j“
-j“ just stay, stay j“ -j“ stay with me j“
j“ come on, I've been waiting for you j“
j“ to stay with me j“
j“ I made this whole world shine for you j“
j“ stay, stay j“
j“ come on j“
What will you do now that you're officially home alone?
I was thinking of having a few people over.
Do my ears deceive me or is Clark Kent actually suggesting a party?
Small gathering. You guys, a few other people, maybe Lana.
With or without her posable action-figure boyfriend?
Eight o'clock.
- And remember, the keyword is "small." - Small.
[The cult's "my Bridges burn" playing]
J“ shaking your fist, yeah... j“
so this is what you'd call a small gathering, right?
Do you even recognize half these people?
Watch the glass...
[Glass shatters]
J“ flick the bird to the world, yeah j“
j“ 'cause the world is your plan j“
j“ don't stand still for no one j“
j“ don't take it, take it, take it... j“
dude, I think I'm gonna hurl.
[Handsome devil's "tie me up" playing]
J“ sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind... j“
[Lana] Pretty cool party!
Lana. Thanks.
It's kind of impromptu.
Sometimes you just have to kick back and blow off some steam.
If I had a hundred people trashing my house, I'd be a bit freaked out.
[Glass shatters]
After the first few dishes, you get used to it.
I don't think I'd be brave enough to risk it.
I don't know, Lana. I bet you're braver than you think.
You flying solo tonight?
You mean, what am I doing here without Whitney?
I am capable of enjoying myself without him.
Fireworks!
- You're full of surprises tonight, Clark. - Tell me about it.
- [Chloe] Whoa. - Clark, man, how cool is this?
Pete, why didn't you just call the cops? It'd be easier.
I can't claim credit. It wasn't my idea.
[Lex] It was mine.
Call it a party gift. I hope you like it.
- It's great, it's just... - Forget the police. It's covered.
This kind of party can make or break a reputation.
I wanted to make sure yours was a hit.
- I hear you're taking a tour of my plant. - It's a class field trip.
- What'd you do wrong? - It's that bad, huh?
Sorry I took so long. Someone overflowed the bathroom.
I'm officially dead.
[Ringing]
There's no answer.
He's fine, he's fine. We have to trust him, Martha.
- I do, but I still worry. - I know.
Metropolis...
Do you...? Do you miss it?
- Sometimes. - Yeah?
But I didn't move to Smallville for action and glamour.
I moved because a certain man told me we'd never be rich
or travel the world, but he'd always love me.
How could I pass up an offer like that?
[Bad Ronald's "bad idea" playing]
J“ but I had to follow through she had no idea what / wanted to do j“
j“ it was a bad idea but I had to hit it anyway... j“
hey.
- [Lana] Whitney, what are you doing here? - Looking for you.
Why didn't you tell me you were coming here?
It was kind of last-minute. I didn't realize I needed your permission.
Lana, can we talk outside?
Oh, my gosh! Did...?
Lana, what's going on?
I told you when we got back together that I needed some breathing room.
So you sneak off to a party without me?
I didn't sneak. I walked.
And why are you mad at me?
Is it because it's Clark's party?
I'm starting to get the feeling that you don't trust me.
[Rattling]
[Suspenseful music playing]
[Lana] Clark! Clark!
You better get out here.
Kent, get up here.
- Got him! - [Clark] Earl.
Back off, I know him.
Earl, what are you doing here?
I came to see your dad. He's the only one I can trust.
He's out of town.
What's wrong with you?
Call an ambulance.
[Indistinct chatter]
- This guy should be in a detox center. - He's not on drugs, Chloe.
Then why was he shaking like a junkie?
Earl worked on the farm for six seasons.
I spent twelve hours a day with the guy in the fields.
He even tried to teach me how to play guitar. He says it impresses women.
We're all a sucker for a guy with a six-string.
How come I've never heard you play?
I kept snapping the guitar strings. I think Earl got sick of replacing them.
Just because you spend time with someone
doesn't mean you know their darkest secrets.
- He was like family. - Then why'd he leave?
He took a job at the LuthorCorp plant.
It was full-time and the pay was better.
- Where can we find Earl Jenkins? - [Woman] Exam room 3, down the hall.
Excuse me. I'm a friend of Earl's. Is he in some kind of trouble?
Oh, yeah.
[Man] We need help in here!
[Man groaning]
[Dramatic music playing]
[Clark] Earl!
[Quirky pensive music playing]
Hi. You're home early.
We called six times last night, spoke with six different people,
none of whom knew who you were.
It was supposed to be an intimate occasion.
- Clark, where have you been? - The hospital.
- I'm never leaving home again. - Who got hurt?
Nobody, but I found Earl Jenkins hiding in the loft.
He was looking for you, dad. He's all messed up.
- What's the matter with Earl? - I don't know. He's wanted for murder.
Earl?
What'd he say for himself?
- I couldn't get close. - How come, the police?
Because when I got near him, I got sick.
It was weird.
Every time I stood next to him, it got worse. It's kind of like...
Like what?
It's kind of like the way I feel around meteor fragments.
[Ominous music playing]
[Jonathan] What's wrong with him?
Well, to be honest, I haven't the faintest idea.
It's amazing his body's been able to survive the seizures this long.
Here. Take a look at the x-rays.
It looks like mineral poisoning, but it's not a mineral I've seen before.
Is that why he's shaking so hard?
Mineral fragments are embedded under his skin.
- His body is trying to push them out. - How did they get there?
He claims there was an explosion at the LuthorCorp plant six months ago.
- I didn't hear about that. - That's because it didn't happen.
I pulled the plant's safety records. I checked with osha and the epa.
- Can I go in and talk to him by myself? - Better hurry up.
Metropolis pd will be here any minute to transfer him back to the city.
- I wanna go with you. - No.
Listen, you said that you felt sick when you got around him, right?
I bet what he was exposed to has to do with those meteor rocks.
I don't want you passing out around here.
It'd bring us a whole other set of problems.
Jonathan.
Am I glad to see you.
Hey, look.
Clark. Can you hear me?
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...
I'm fine. Don't worry about it.
All right, Earl, what's going on? I can't believe you'd wanna kill anybody.
It was an accident. I was trying to see Lionel Luthor.
- —Why? - Find out what they used on level 3.
Earl, you're not making any sense.
When I got that job at the Smallville plant,
I was assigned to clean level 3.
They were doing these hush-hush crop experiments.
A new kind of fertilizer supposed to make corn grow twice as fast.
There was something unstable in that fertilizer.
There was a huge explosion. I was cleaning at the time.
This stuff, it got under my skin.
And the next thing I know,
they shut it all down and I was transferred to Metropolis.
Then two months ago, the jitters started.
- [Jonathan] Did you see a doctor? - [Earl] I must have seen 50.
But nobody could tell me what was wrong.
They needed to know what I was exposed to.
But when I went back to the plant, they told me that level 3 didn't exist.
That it never had.
I got to find out what they were using. That's why I need your help.
You gotta get me out of here.
Earl, you're wanted for murder.
You don't understand. I can't control it. I'm running out of time.
The jitters are getting worse.
It's already cost me my job, my marriage, my baby.
I gotta get back into that plant, or I'm gonna die.
Help me.
You get some rest, Earl.
My baby.
- Do you think he's telling the truth? - I have no idea.
I have a field trip to LuthorCorp today. Maybe I could look around.
I know you're worried, but Earl has more trouble than he can handle.
And I don't even know if he's in his right mind. So, please, don't do anything.
[Ominous music playing]
Mommy, I don't wanna go to the doctor's. They're gonna give me a shot.
- They're not gonna give you a shot. - That's what you said last time.
Mommy!
[Policeman groans]
Hello, everybody, I'm Gabe Sullivan, plant manager and proud father.
- Hi, sweetheart. - Hi, dad.
Welcome to LuthorCorp: "Where we give a crap."
Okay, somebody kill me now.
[Gabe] Little fertilizer humor there.
Before we go inside,
I need you to remove all your cell phones, pagers, jewelry.
Anything thatjangles, dangles or rings has to go in these plastic trays.
Any other questions? Yes.
I heard there was a third level to the plant. Is that true?
Yeah. That's where we do the alien autopsies.
- [Laughs] I think we'd better get started. - Don't encourage him.
[Gabe] This way, everybody.
All right, people, let's stay together.
[Suspenseful music playing]
This can't be. This can't be. This can't be.
This can't be happening.
Where is it?
Where's the elevator?
Watch out for these babies. 260 degrees, they get hot.
All right, stay together, please.
This is it. The plant's mission control.
100,000 tons of animal waste to process here every year.
Trust me. The results can be pretty explosive.
So if any of you had beans for lunch, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
[Chuckling]
Among his peers, he's considered witty.
Uh-huh. Where's Clark?
[Rattling]
What the heck? Excuse me.
- [Earl] Don't move! - [Gun cocks]
Take me to level 3.
- Dad. - Now!
[Clamoring]
When we send our kids on a field trip
- we'd like to believe that they're gonna be safe. - [Horn honks]
[Man] Lex Luthor!
[Helicopter whirring]
[Siren wails]
Let these two in, just these two.
We'll check on Derrick and Jeff for you.
What's going on here?
There's a lunatic inside demanding to be taken to some place called level 3.
We've evacuated the plant, but he's taken the students hostage.
- Is anyone hurt? - Not yet.
- What's his name? - Earl Jenkins.
I know Earl Jenkins. He used to work for us.
Well, what's he doing in my plant?
He claims that LuthorCorp is doing some crop experiments
on a secret level 3, and that's what made him sick.
He's convinced it's the only place he can get a cure.
We've got a serious problem, because there is no level 3.
[Suspenseful music playing]
Where's Clark?
I swear, I don't know anything about level 3.
- You're lying. - [Clark] He's not lying!
I found these blueprints. There is no level 3.
Every night, I go down to level 2,
follow the red pipes down that long hallway,
go to the door, I open it
and I take the elevator down to level 3!
You're just like everybody else.
Get over there and you sit down!
Who's that?
My father.
- Mr. Luthor, we have a hostage situation. - I was briefed on my way down.
- How did you allow this to happen? - I didn't allow...
- Then how did this man get inside? - I think...
- You think? Why don't you know? - Can we focus on what's important?
- We've got innocent kids in there. - This is Jonathan Kent.
It's been a long time, but I never forget a face.
Kent's son is inside. They know the gunman personally.
What's your assessment of this lunatic?
[Jonathan] He's sick, he's desperate
and he blames your plant for his condition.
This level 3 nonsense...
I've assured everyone there is no level 3. That is the truth, isn't it?
Of course, it is.
People's lives are at stake. What will you do about it?
I'm going to let SWAT do their job.
When he makes a mistake, they'll move in.
What about the kids?
You need to get on the phone and talk to him!
Mrs. Kent, I understand how you feel.
I want everyone to walk out of there alive too.
- But I do not negotiate with terrorists. - He's not a terrorist!
He's sick and he needs help!
If you won't talk to him, then Jonathan will!
You're not the one he blames.
Is he, dad?
[Phone rings]
[Lionel] Gabe, it's Luthor.
[Gabe] Lionel Luthor.
Speaker.
I've finally got your attention, haven't I?
Earl, why don't you come out? We've got a lot to talk about.
Just tell me what you were using down on level 3.
You're sick, Earl.
Let everyone go, we'll get you help.
- [Clark] Earl. - [Lana] Clark!
Are you okay?
[Gas hissing]
[Earl] Oh, no.
See what you made me do? See what you made me...?
See what you made me do?
Way to go, dad. I see you haven't lost your touch.
[Earl] The methane gas valve just broke. The whole place is gonna go up.
- We need to do something. - That's not a good idea.
The man's nuts. He's not listening to the cops, and that gas is gonna blow.
- He's sick, but still strong. - I don't want you to get hurt.
I'm not putting my life in that man's hands.
The two of us can take him. How about it, Clark?
I can't.
It's okay.
Vvhhney.
I trusted you. You told me you were trying to help people.
What are you doing?
[Earl] Get back!
It's all your fault, Luthor.
We've got shots fired, one hostage down. Full alert.
What was he thinking?
He's a teenager who's been waiting for someone to take the initiative.
There's a hostage situation and a potential bomb.
- Somebody's gotta do something. - You're right. I'm going in.
Lex, don't be foolhardy. This is no time for mock-heroics.
You said this is my plant. It's my call.
I won't allow it, Lex.
Don't ever do that again.
[Commander] Take your positions.
Tell him Lex Luthor's coming to see him.
- I wouldn't advise that, sir. - [Lex] Make the call.
Give me your vest.
What kind of man sends his own kid to do his dirty work?
I'm not doing anybody's dirty work. This is my plant.
- How is he? - He needs a doctor.
What are we gonna do about these kids, Earl?
I never meant to hurt anybody.
I tried talking to your father, but he wouldn't listen to me.
I know the feeling.
You say that everybody's been lying to you.
I'm gonna tell you the truth.
My father doesn't care about you.
He doesn't care about anybody in this room.
Because if we all die, his PR firm will spin it.
His insurance company will pay and you will go down as the bad guy.
I'm not the bad guy. I'm just trying to get better.
How are you gonna get better by killing a bunch of kids?
If you let everybody go, I'll take you to level 3.
You stop lying.
Let them go, and I'll show you where it is.
Earl, trust me. I'm a man of my word.
[Suspenseful music playing]
Get out.
Get out. Get out! Everybody, get out!
- Do you really know where it is? - Yeah, it's in his imagination.
There is no level 3, Clark. Now, get out of here.
Clark.
[Pete] Come on. Come on, man, let's go!
- [Officer 1] Come on, keep moving! - [Officer 2] This way, kids. This way.
The kids are coming out.
- [Martha] Oh, Jonathan! - [Jonathan] They'll come out over here.
We need to bring down the fire doors. The gas levels are too high.
Your son will be sealed inside. I'm sorry, sir.
Do it.
[Siren buzzing]
- [Pete] Come on, man, we gotta go! - [Clark] Don't worry about me!
- Pete. - [Jonathan] Did you see Clark?
Hey, Pete. Where's Clark?
He's back inside, Mrs. Kent. I tried to stop him. I'm sorry...
You have to open the doors.
They're safety locked and can't be opened until the gas levels go down.
My son is still in there!
So is mine.
[Dramatic music playing]
We're running out of time.
All right, I've done my part. Now it's time for you to do yours.
Earl, there is no level 3. It's all in your head.
[Lex groans]
I should have never trusted you. You Luthors are all the same.
[Clark on comm] I found level 3. They built a wall in front of the elevator, but it's still here.
- Stop playing with me! - [Lex] Get out of the building, Clark!
[Clark] Earl, it's here! Don't you want to see it? Lpromise.
Come on, I want you to see the truth.
Come on.
- Come on, come on! - [Lex] Ah.
- Sir. - Hold on.
The gas pressure is beginning to drop.
- How did that happen? - I have no idea.
Son of a bitch! How do you explain that?
I can't.
Two buttons. Two levels. I'm sorry, all right?
[Lex grunts]
I told you it was here.
Huh?
Where is it?
Where is everything? There used to be a...
It was a field of corn with sprayers all over it.
And every night, they'd spray this green mist on it.
What have you done with it?
What have you done with it?!
I don't know.
They lied to me too, Earl.
I had no idea this was here.
[Clark] Earl!
Let's go back upstairs and talk about this.
It's all gone. How am I gonna get better if I don't know what poisoned me?
I didn't know about this place. You gotta believe me.
- I believe you, Lex. - He's lying! He's just like his father!
[Dramatic music playing]
Clark!
No! Oh, god!
Clark!
[Groans]
Get to the elevator!
Clark, how did you pull us up?
I don't know.
Adrenaline, I guess.
[Martha and Jonathan laughing]
[Martha] I've never been so happy to see you in my life!
- You lied to me. - No. When?
I said level 3 wasn't on any plans. It wasn't.
- It's plausible deniability. - What were you doing down there?
It doesn't matter. It was a failure. We closed the door and moved on.
- You almost got me killed. - No, you almost got yourself killed.
It was your call, remember?
- Mr. Luthor! - I'll handle this.
What can you tell us about level 3?
I think you're referring to a redundant storage area at the base of the plant.
Mr. Jenkins is a very sick man who desperately needs medical attention.
That's why my father and I have pledged to find Mr. Jenkins the best medical care possible.
He was a LuthorCorp employee.
Here at LuthorCorp, we always put family first. Isn't that right, dad?
[Woman] Is the government going to shut you down?
No more questions, please. My son has been through quite an ordeal today.
[Theme music playing]