Our twilight zone acid trip to the, uh, phantom prison...
That place was...
- Kryptonian. - Mm.
And that horny-toad-looking thing that crashed Chloe and Jimmy's wedding?
- Kryptonian. - Mm.
And the spaceship that I found in the woods near the dam.
Also Kryptonian. That wasn't mine. It was my cousin's.
Sorry about the third degree. It's not every week a girl learns her boyfriend's an...
Alien?
And you're still okay with that?
Lois: Are you kidding me?
It's like dating a god or bono.
At least we're on a story in the boonies, and I get to play 20 questions...
Without our nosy little kitty cat sniffing around.
It's lucky that Tess sent us out here to cover the cherry festival.
Clark Kent doesn't believe in luck.
What'd you do, Clark?
I didn't want you in the middle of tonight's anti-hero protest.
Clark, that should've been my story. Why did you chop-block me?
Your articles in support of the blur put you in the eye of the anti-hero storm.
So you're gonna lock me in a castle tower like I'm some damsel in distress?
Lois, I just wanna make sure that you're safe.
Clark, I love that an intergalactic powerhouse wants to protect me...
But this earth girl can take care of herself.
[Thud]
I don't even see what we hit.
Two flats and only one spare.
Looks like a job for...
And there's no reception.
Want me to change that tire for you?
[Clark chuckles]
Lois:
[Chuckles]
Thank you.
Girl: Oh, praise the lord.
You're okay.
That's okay. There's nothing a mechanic can't fix.
Do you know where there's one nearby?
- Um, up the road a bit, in meeker Springs. - Clark: Thanks.
All right, Lois. Well, if we leave now, we'll be back in a flash.
Oh, but, Clark, I'm such a delicate flower.
I will—— I will wilt in that heat.
- I think I'll just stay with, uh... - Charlotte, ma'am.
I got some fresh-squeezed lemonade, if you like.
Ah. Lovely. So we will have big glass as we damsels in distress wait for Clark...
To come rescue us.
Lois, is there a problem?
Okay. First, it's not safe in the asphalt jungle and now I'm at risk in green acres?
We're in the middle of nowhere.
Think horse-and-buggy girl will hurt me? Is she gonna dimple me to death?
Charlotte: Here you go.
- Thank you, Charlotte. - Mm-hm.
Now, why don't we watch while my knight in shining armor...
Saves the day.
It's gonna be a long walk, Lancelot...
But we will be right here waiting for your triumphant return.
Still watching.
[Car beeping]
Clark. Lois?
No service.
[Car approaching]
[Grunts]
[Car door opens then closes]
Ah!
Ellis: Something I can help you with?
My girlfriend, she's missing.
I went into town to get a flat fixed and now she's gone.
We were in an argument when I left, I thought maybe she was mad at me...
But I can't find her. You know, I've searched everywhere.
Better wrap that. Cut looks pretty nasty.
How bad was your little argument?
Well...
No, this is from the rim of the tire. That's where I cut it.
There was a girl here. She might know.
- Girl? - Charlotte. She was about 12 years old.
She was selling produce. She had a horse and buggy.
We're in the middle of nowhere. Never seen anybody set up shop here.
There's not enough traffic.
I know what I saw, all right? I'm not making this up.
- Why don't we go to the station? - Not going anywhere till Lois gets back.
Mister, calm yourself down.
This must be what we ran over.
If our blowout wasn't an accident, someone could've done this on purpose.
I think you better get a move on before you get yourself in trouble.
- Just trying to show you... - I'm not gonna say it again.
Those are tracks from the buggy.
Now, if there was no girl, how do you explain those?
They do look fresh.
Run up the logging road a bit.
All right, you proved your point. Let's take a hike.
If your girlfriend is out there, we'll find her.
Charlotte: Hyah.
Captain, come on.
Look at you drive that horse.
At your age, the best I could do was drive my dad crazy.
Lucky for me you were around.
How much longer before our carbon-free hayride gets us to the train station?
Oh, not much. But I'm not allowed to go into town.
My father will give you a ride from here.
Lois: As long as I can make the express back to cover the rally, I'm happy.
I won't miss out on a story just because he thinks I can't take care of myself.
So your town is quaint.
- How many people live out here? - Our whole congregation.
We're believers. Father bought this land long before I was born...
And moved his flock here from Idaho so we could all live together.
Charlotte: Whoa.
Looks like you're having some sort of shindig.
It's the harvest festival.
Whole town comes out to celebrate.
Bless us, child.
How'd you bring a guest to our home unannounced...
When we're unprepared to welcome them? I'm Ruth.
Ruth Cavanaugh.
Lois Lane.
Miss Lane just needs father to give her a ride to the train station...
So she can get back to the city.
I don't mean to impose, Charlotte just offered.
Never an imposition to help those in need.
But my husband likes his supper promptly at sundown.
He'll take you right after we eat.
You know, if you point the way, I'm sure I could just hoof it from here.
Don't be foolish.
If you're not familiar with these parts, you could get lost in those woods.
Stay. Break bread with us.
Mother always makes more than enough.
Rally's not for another couple of hours.
And I could really use a home-cooked meal.
Good, good.
Go fetch your father, Charlotte, tell him the ham needs carving.
This way.
Mr. Cavanaugh: Good. That's nice.
Did you see her, father?
Good work, child. You've saved us all.
Kids: Happy birthday, Alexander.
[Cheering]
- Happy birthday. - Kids: Happy birthday, Alexander.
Happy birthday.
[Kids chattering and laughing]
Thank you. This is the best party ever.
You're welcome.
[Door opens]
I have work to do, so make sure you save me a really big piece of cake, okay?
- Okay. - Okay.
My team is still searching for a remedy...
But I don't wanna make any false promises.
All our tests indicate that his condition is irreversible.
If the accelerated mitosis persists, his body will eventually give out.
I'm very sorry.
He's aged four years in two weeks, so sorry isn't good enough.
He needs to be at the facility where we can study him.
Alexander stays here with me.
I want him to believe he is like any other child.
But we both know he's not normal.
And no matter how many parties you throw him, he never will be.
I just wanna protect him.
I wanna give him a second chance.
Dr. Lamell, I know that you had a hand...
In the horrors that Lex Luthor committed in his labs over the years.
And I chose you to run this team...
Because I know deep down in your heart...
You wanna make things right.
- More than anything. - Okay.
You find me a cure to save Alexander and I promise you...
I will not let him become that monster.
[Thudding and kids shrieking]
Girl 1: Help! Help! Someone come quick.
- Girl 2: Oh, my god. - Alexander.
Do something. Help him.
Clark: Lois?
Lois.
Ellis: Mister, I think we're barking up the wrong tree.
There's nothing out here for miles.
These tracks are probably left by hunters.
They bring in carts to haul out game all the time.
Do they also leave spikes in the road to give people flat tires?
Two-by-four probably fell off a passing truck.
Look, it's only natural for you to be worried about your girlfriend.
- She's the most important thing in my life. - You said she was upset with you.
You go back to Metropolis and I guarantee she'll be waiting.
- There are crystals in this water? - Ah.
Meteor shower of '89. A couple of meteors hit the spring.
- Blue meteor rock? - Yeah.
Killed one local and destroyed acres of crops.
But it did give us a gift.
Best drinking water in the county.
Meteor seems to purify it.
And everyone here is okay?
Because I grew up in Smallville.
The green meteor rock has been harming people for the last 20 years.
Not here. Been drinking this water my whole life.
I haven't had so much as a common cold. Ha, ha.
Yep, we're all just fine.
[Bell ringing in distance]
If there's nothing out here, what was that?
Something I wish you hadn't heard.
I'm sorry I ruined the party.
It's not your fault.
I know that something's wrong with me. I'm a freak.
No. No, you're not. You're a beautiful little boy...
And I promise you that I am going to make everything okay.
Okay?
You have to tell me something.
Right before you blacked out, you were drawing this.
How do you know this symbol?
It... it's just a drawing.
Alexander...
I found these hidden in your closet.
Please tell me what they mean to you.
It's the symbol of the bad man.
He comes into my dreams to hurt me.
I'd never let anyone hurt you.
- You can't stop him. - You're safe here.
No, he's the strongest man in the whole world.
- You can't protect me. - I'd never let anything happen to you.
He wants to kill me!
I know this is hard for you to believe when you're so frightened, but...
Alexander, I'm here for you.
Alexander?
Alexander.
Yummy.
And to think you fixed this all without a kitchenaid or costco.
We believe in living a simple life.
No modern technology and no worldly temptation.
We keep to ourselves.
Helps us stay on the righteous path.
Uh, speaking of paths...
Isn't it time we hit the road?
Our teachings say when people come together to eat...
You make time for your fellow man.
Trust me, you don't forget Sunday school on the military base.
You should finish your dinner.
It would be bad luck for a guest to leave our table early...
On the night of the harvest celebration.
Yeah, as long as we hit the road as soon as we're finished.
I would love to stay and see the festivities one day.
Bet that's a lot of fun.
Mr. Cavanaugh: Fun has nothing to do with it.
We glorify the day we were shown the lord's sign.
What exactly was the sign?
The fire came from the heavens...
Tear down our village.
And our daughter, Esther, was taken from us.
She was ringing the town bell to warn everyone of the danger.
She was struck down where she stood.
Oh, I am so sorry.
That's awful.
Mr. Cavanaugh: Before that, we suffered terrible drought...
And years of bad crops.
People were hungry and sick.
But our daughter gave her life so that we could all prosper.
Ever since, our crops have been bountiful and our people never get sick.
Amen.
And you think this happened because your daughter died?
I'm pretty sure that didn't make it into the good book I read.
I don't expect you to understand.
You're not a believer.
But every year, since her death, we have offered our lord a sacrifice...
And he has rewarded us.
- If you're done, I'll clear your plate. - Oh, yeah. Stuffed.
Thank you.
It was lovely.
Psst. Charlotte.
I'm a little squeamish when it comes to the slaughtering of the fatted calf...
So just tell your parents thank you, okay?
I'm gonna go.
We'll never let you leave.
- What? - You've been chosen.
Just like my sister.
This was your last supper.
Woman: There she is.
[Grunting]
[Lois panting]
Mr. Cavanaugh: Rejoice, my people.
We have our sacrifice.
All: Praise the lord!
Lois: What is wrong with you people?
Lois: Clark.
Clark, wake up.
Lois.
What happened to you?
I really stepped in it. I was steamed you kept me from that rally scoop.
I ended up trapping us in the village of the damned.
I've been looking for you for hours. I'm just glad you're okay.
Won't be for long. These holy rollers from hell wanna make me a sacrifice...
So they can grow bigger tomatoes.
I promise to eat a helping of crow when we get home.
But right now, do your super-speedy thing...
Because this fair lady needs some rescuing, big time.
I can't.
Clark, now is not the time for jokes.
The water is contaminated with blue meteor. They've been drinking it for years.
Maybe that's what makes them so healthy, not to mention wackadoodle.
It's infected their bodies. When I'm around them, I don't have my abilities.
I've got to get far enough away from them so my powers can come back.
Meteor rock.
Maybe that's why when I pulled that blue dagger out of you, you healed.
You did that?
Lois, you didn't just heal me, you brought me back.
You saved me.
Well...
Sometimes even a hero needs a guardian angel, Clark.
I wish you had wings that could fly us out. The house seems to be surrounded.
Our best chance is for me to get past the guards before they fire a shot.
I hate to burst your bubble, but without your powers...
You won't be able to outrun their speeding bullets.
[Floorboard creaking]
But maybe there's another way out of dodge.
Clark.
If this leads to a cellar, there might be a way out of here.
Clark.
[Clark grunts]
I can't.
Whenever the general grounded me, I always found a way to escape.
This army brat has picked more locks than Harry Houdini.
Change your clothes or you're gonna stick out like a stripper in a seminary.
Why are we never some place romantic when he takes off his shirt?
Thank you for locating him. I'll take it from here.
- Alexander. - This barn is just like I remember.
But you've never been here before.
Yes, I have.
Do you see his bow tie? It was the first one he ever wore.
And I tied it for him, here.
- That was probably just a dream. - No, it was real.
Right here, he told me that we'd be friends forever...
That he wanted to be my brother. And at the window...
I told him that our friendship would be the thing of legend.
Alexander, if that's what you want...
You have a chance to make that happen.
How can I ever trust Clark again? He made my father hate me.
He took away everything that I ever cared about.
And the last time I was up here...
I begged him to tell me the truth about himself.
But as always, he denied who he really was.
Clark is not the bad man, Alexander.
Lex is.
He used you just like he used me.
And you don't deserve what's happened.
You don't have to buy into his memories.
I will help you.
Why? So you can feel good about yourself?
So you can exorcise those demons deep within your soul?
Isn't that what you've always wanted?
To save the world so you could redeem the evil inside you.
Stop it.
But you couldn't do it alone, so you clung to powerful men.
Enough.
First Oliver queen, then me...
Then Zod. And now, Clark Kent.
I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that.
I just wanna help you. I know that I can do this. I know that I can save you.
How can you save me when there's so much you don't know about yourself?
Please.
- Alexander... - Don't call me that.
My name is Lex.
[Murmuring]
Sandra: Sister.
You don't have flowers for the celebration.
Thank you, sister.
It's you.
Well, I guess you can't get the city out of this country girl, huh?
- Let's go. - Woman: Are you all right?
Don't let them get away!
Stop them! Stop them!
[Horse neighs]
Man 1: Hold them. Hold her. Lois: Clark.
Clark: No. Lois: Hey.
- You will be offered up tonight. - I won't let you hurt her.
You're a mere mortal...
And you will not defy the will of our lord!
[Grunts]
Lois: Clark.
No! Clark. Clark!
Clark! Clark!
No! Clark!
You didn't have to kill him.
He would have told others about us.
No one can keep us from our holy task.
Our lord has shown us the light.
The light?
You justify this by calling it a sacrifice, but you know it's murder.
Whatever happened to "thou shalt not kill"?
We follow his example.
Every year, for 20 years...
A young woman has been sacrificed with fire from above, just like Esther.
And for that, our lord has rewarded his devoted flock.
My daughter was the first to give her life.
You won't be the last.
I can't imagine the pain you must have suffered...
When you lost Esther.
But killing all of those women in her name was wrong.
She would be ashamed of how you've lead your people astray.
Silence!
You do not understand...
. "Because".
- You do not have faith. - I have faith.
Faith has nothing to do with blindly following this misguided Messiah.
I believe in knowing right from wrong, just like you all do.
Deep down, you know this isn't right.
She does not know what we suffered...
Before his fiery wrath rained down from the heavens.
But you remember those dark days.
If we let her live...
A vengeful god will smite us yet again.
And Mark my words...
This time...
He will take one of your daughters.
Ben, would you give up your daughter, Sarah?
Any of you?
I say, better to sacrifice a nonbeliever...
Than to lose another one of our own.
You don't have to do this.
- This won't bring her back. - Shh.
It won't.
God forgives you.
Sandra: You think he was still alive when we buried him?
If he was, he's dead now. Forced our hand.
Should've listened to me and headed back to the city when he had the chance.
Townspeople: Praise the lord!
Come on now, the ceremony's about to begin.
Mr. Cavanaugh: He takes vengeance on his adversaries.
Townspeople: Glory be to the lord.
Amen.
Let us pray.
Dear lord, accept this offering as our complete devotion to you.
Take her, so that your people may see another harvest of bountiful crops...
And another year without sickness.
Townspeople: Praise the lord.
Man 1: Praise the lord. Man 2: Praise the lord.
[Gunshot]
Get away from her.
Clark.
No, she must be sacrificed.
[Yells]
This is a trick.
Clark.
- Clark. - Look what he's been through, Joshua...
And he's still alive. It's a sign.
Man: It's a sign.
Yes, it's a sign.
Move back.
Way back, far away from him.
You are not worthy to be in his presence.
Drop your weapon and beg for forgiveness.
No, I don't think you get it.
He is a messenger sent from the heavens.
I don't believe you.
Lois.
Oh, you better believe it.
Because if you don't listen...
He will strike down upon thee...
With great vengeance and furious anger.
And he will use his heat vision to raze your village...
And his super-breath to smite your crops!
Amen.
What do you say you speed us away from these children of the corn, honey?
Is this all that you were able to make?
Considering we just found the research...
We were only able to synthesize a small amount, but it's a start.
You said Alexander's condition was irreversible.
That's what we believed.
But on your advice, we scoured the LuthorCorp database...
And came across Peter dinsmore's work.
He's the architect of Lionel Luthor's genetic engineering program.
He cloned his own daughter...
And encountered the same accelerated mitosis complication.
But I was able to use his research and formulate that serum.
A cure...
To save Alexander.
It's the breakthrough we wanted.
This could be the redemption we both have been praying for.
I wanted so badly...
To save that little boy.
Miss Mercer, what are you doing?
Destroy all of your research.
And in the morning, he'll be locked up again...
For everyone's safety.
If we don't begin his therapy, he'll be dead in six weeks.
That's the point.
Because he's not just a clone.
He is Lex Luthor.
Lois: Hey.
It seems our Stephen King's romp in the backwoods...
Bumped cat Grant's anti-hero crusade from column one.
Leave it to Lois and Clark to turn a quiet day in the country into a major scoop.
Friends at the bureau said our koresh wannabes were so low profile...
They weren't on anybody's radar.
I just wish we'd found them sooner. We could've saved so many lives.
I don't understand how believers would allow themselves...
To be led down such a dark path.
I guess there's so much chaos out there...
People are just desperate for something to give them hope.
Now more than ever, the world needs someone to believe in.
- I think I know where this is going. - Hear me out, Clark.
Hey, I wasn't a big fan of Ollie's coming-out party...
And I used to think that it was best for you to stay in the shadows too...
But maybe, someday soon, you'll have to step into the light.
You could be a symbol to inspire everyone that this planet could be a better place.
I'm not sure anyone is ready to believe in a stranger from a strange land.
If they know the real Clark Kent...
Then I am sure the rest of the world will believe in you as much as I do.
I'm sorry I was so overprotective. I was trying to keep you safe.
If it wasn't for you...
I would be a crispy critter in hellsville.
No. You held your own...
Even when I didn't have my powers.
Lois, you saved my life.
Guess there's enough danger out there for everyone.
We just have to trust that we'll always be there for each other...
When times get tough.
Which is why I want you to have this.
Lois: Uh...
The unabridged user's guide to all things Kryptonian?
It may fill in a few blanks.
I want you to know me completely, with no secrets.
Because you're the one...
You always will be.
[English - us - sdh]