Decisions, Clark.
They're on the top of my to-do list.
With Lois out of town, you don't have any excuses.
These college application deadlines are coming up soon, Clark.
It was hard giving up football scholarships,
but you have to start making some decisions about your future.
I'll get it.
- Clark Kent? - Yes.
Sign here.
What is it?
It's from Dr. Swann.
Clark, Martha, I think you should see this.
We have breaking news from New York.
Here's our correspondent, Tom flores.
Thank you, Carol.
We have just confirmed that Dr. Virgil Swann passed away this morning.
No further details have been released.
The billionaire will be remembered
as one of the leading philanthropists of his generation.
Along with starting the Virgil Swann charitable foundation...
I don't understand. I just talked to him last week.
I'm sorry, Clark.
I truly am.
We both are.
There's still so much I needed to learn from him about Krypton and jor-ei.
We can be thankful for everything he did pass on to you.
"Kal-ei, I wish I could continue this journey with you...
But now you must seek out your father.
If I sheltered you from him for too long, forgive me.
Jor-ei sent you here on a mission.
He's the only one who can help you finish it.
I am returning something that is rightfully yours.
I know that it will lead you to your destiny."
Searching for intelligent life in the universe.
The world will remember his many contributions
and man will benefit from his gifts for generations to come.
I knew you would return, my son.
Why did you send me to find this?
Because you may be the last survivor of a great civilization.
A great civilization that destroyed itself.
As will yours if you continue to refuse your mission.
The knowledge of our civilization was encoded in three stones
brought to earth and hidden at the far reaches of the world.
Greed will drive others to hunt the stones,
but if a human should unite them before you,
they will not be able to withstand the temptation
and will drive the world to famine, war and the earth's ultimate destruction.
You must find the other two stones.
The fate of the world lies in your hands, Kai-El.
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“
- Hello? - Hey, it's Jason.
- Jason who? - Very funny.
That doesn't sound like campus. Where are you?
Uh, Metropolis. I have to stay here for a few days to oversee some things for Lex.
Didn't realize that your job required any overseeing.
Listen, I can't really talk. I just stepped out of a meeting.
But I wanted to call because I didn't get a chance to before I left.
- Is Lex with you? - No, I'm solo.
You better stay that way. I know what happens to people
when they run off to Metropolis.
What was that?
Nothing.
Listen, I gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Good night.
Night?
- Hello. - Ifl didn't know better,
- I'd think you skipped out on me. - Lex.
Yeah, uh, I was going to call you. Something came up, I had to leave work early.
To what, catch the next flight to Shanghai?
- What? - Why don't you turn around.
You didn't think I'd hire you, bring you into my life,
and not follow every step you take, did you?
- Lex. - I know my father gave you a map.
You figured out that it leads to a temple just outside the city.
But if you think you're gonna find that stone without me, you're mistaken.
Let's go.
We agreed that you would not go back down into the caves.
I couldn't just ignore Swann's message.
I know that you trust him, but, Clark, he doesn't know jor-ei the way we do.
I didn't forget who we're dealing with.
I'm afraid of what happens if we ignore him.
I realize that he's your birth father, all right?
But he's never had your best interest at heart.
But he's never lied to me either.
Maybe his trials aren't random.
Maybe he's trying to prepare me to find these stones.
Are you really sure you want to open all this up again?
The last few months, ever since you walked away from jor-ei,
it's like we got the old Clark back.
As much as I like playing football and being normal,
the truth is I'm not.
Look, I've already let one of these stones slip through my hands.
Even if you found the stones,
we have no idea what's gonna happen if you bring them all together.
I know, dad.
But if I don't find them, someone else will.
Miss lang.
Please, don't be shy.
You are looking for your elusive boyfriend, I assume.
Uh, yeah. I was hoping that Lex could get in touch with him for me.
He sent him to go catch up on this project
and I can't reach him on his cell.
I would imagine reception would be rather shoddy in China.
Lexis in Shanghai
and if I had to guess, I would say your boyfriend is there with him.
I'm sorry. I thought Jason would have told you what's happening.
Considering you are the one born right into the middle of all this.
You should know, miss lang,
how thoroughly Lex and Jason have studied Isobel Thoreaux,
your rebellious ancestor.
Looks like they aren't the only ones.
Isobel's archrival was a duchess, gertrude,
who was obsessed with finding three mythical stones.
She sent ships to the far ends of the known earth,
but all her agents could discover
was this map, somewhere in China.
What does this treasure map have to do with Isobel?
The map never made it into the hands of the duchess.
Isobel stole the document and hid it.
Gertrude had the exquisite young sorceress executed.
Isobel's looking for them too.
And she's working through you...
Using you as a vessel.
I gave a copy of the map to Jason as well.
I'm not surprised he didn't tell you about it.
Your kinship with Isobel may not be a secret,
but are you aware that Jason is a direct descendent
of the duchess, gertrude?
Going somewhere?
China? Are you serious?
And freaked out and mad and just about everything else you can imagine.
- Lana, what's going on? - Which part?
The immaculate tattoo,
the fact that I seem to be harboring a 16th century witch,
or that Jason and Lex took off with a map to uncover it behind my back?
- —Why? - I don't know.
But Jason said we'd figure this out together,
but it turns out he has a rather limited definition of "we."
Maybe he has a good reason why he's not being open with you.
Don't you think you owe him a chance to explain?
Clark, you know that I don't give up on someone that easily...
But I'm not gonna just let him lie to me, even if it is for a good reason.
You're gonna fly halfway around the world, just like that?
Lionel Luthor made the arrangements, and I'm taking the LuthorCorp jet.
And I know, Clark, that I can't trust him,
but he gave me the name of this professor that might be able to help.
Well, then I'm going with you.
I'm not gonna drag you into this.
I'm not letting you go alone.
Jason, you can't trust my father. He gave you that map for a reason.
You're leading him right to the stone.
I'm not working for your father or anyone else.
- Then why does the stone matter? - Until I find it, Lana's not safe.
- Safe from what? - From my mom, from Lionel, from you.
I don't know, Lex. You tell me.
Unless you hired your own Chinese security,
I think we've hit a bit of a snag.
What is this?
How did Lionel know these symbols were about you?
There are two answers to that question, and they're both three time zones away.
Clark, I'm sorry. I feel like you're the only person in my life right now
who doesn't have an agenda.
Whatever their motives are, I'm sure they still care about you.
It still doesn't change the fact that everybody
seems to know more about me than I do.
It's scary to think that someone has a plan for you,
but you don't know what it is yet.
Ever since that tattoo appeared,
I feel like I've been walking around with this huge secret.
Like everybody only knows what's on the surface,
but there's something inside of me so much more powerful.
You're afraid if people know about that part of you, they'll see you differently.
How could they not?
So, um, what'd your parents say about coming to China?
Nothing.
I didn't tell them. I left them a message.
Ifsfunny...
The two people I ended up trusting...
Are Lionel Luthor and you.
Well, boss...
Got any idea what we're doing here?
Since they took the map and brought us to the temple,
I'm guessing they're after the same thing we are.
You're pretty anxious to make me your sidekick, aren't you?
Don't you think it's time we dropped "who knows what"
and do whatever we can to get out?
If you want to start spilling our guts, you go first.
Okay.
We both know my father had every inch of this place scoured
and he didn't find the stone.
Come on, Jason. You wouldn't have lied to Lana and come all the way here
unless you knew the secret to reading that map.
- No, I lied to Lana to protect her. - Oh, right.
I forgot, Lana's new self-appointed hero.
She seems to have a way of attracting them.
Yeah, it looks that way.
I don't believe you're that naive.
You're either being used by my father or your mother.
Whoever's pulling the strings, don't think for they wouldn't sacrifice Lana.
In the end, I have a feeling I may be the one protecting Lana from you.
Okay. Okay.
You can't do this.
Where are you taking me?
Hard to believe we drove by cornstalks this morning.
We are definitely not in Kansas anymore.
So how are we supposed to find this professor sen?
Lionel said to just take this street, uh, until we find a green rooster.
You know, Lana, I'm not sure we should trust this woman.
Maybe we can do this on our own.
I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you spoke fluent mandarin
and knew your way around Shanghai.
Miss lang, Mr. Kent.
I'm glad you guys made it here safely.
Do you have the map?
I never really believed this existed.
You have no idea how many fortune hunters have searched for this map.
The temple seems to be located at the fork of a river.
That's odd. There's no river there.
But these symbols match those on the temple walls.
So you know where it is.
I know the place well. There's no mistaking that symbol.
Are you sure that this is the only temple with these markings?
On this continent, anyway. That's all part of the temple's mystique.
A myth claims an all-powerful god came from another world
and hid a treasure there.
The god left some kind of map to it,
but the map was stolen centuries ago by European bandits.
As far as we know, they never found the treasure.
- Can you take us to it? - Of course.
But don't show this to anyone.
As long as the stone is still out there,
there are fortune seekers who are willing to kill for it.
We need to be careful. Other people may know you're here.
Tell them whatever they want to know.
This isn't worth dying over.
Just scare him.
Find out what he knows, but don't hurt him.
I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor, I can't make such a promise.
We had an agreement.
There are people who have more money than you.
I never wanted anyone harmed.
During the cultural revolution, the government destroyed
most of the ancient temples, but for some reason they protected this one.
Maybe because it's always been shrouded in superstition.
Villagers have refused to cross the threshold,
fearful that the god will one day return as he promised.
Clark, did you find something?
Just more symbols.
Why don't you two keep searching around. I'll look more in here.
This way.
There's another chamber in the east wing.
What was that?
Run, Lana.
Enough.
Tell me where this leads to.
Do you really think your friend will have such strong will?
Don't.
Where is the stone?!
Where is the stone? Where is the stone?
Okay.
I hope your young friend will have more sense than you.
No. Lana.
No. Leave her alone!
Lana! No, no, no.
- No, I don't know anything. - She has nothing to do with this.
- Maybe not. - Leave her alone.
- Lana! - No!
Stop!
Did you really think I would let any harm come to this body I possess?
-You two again? 4sobel
you are a resilient lad, aren't you?
So earnest and yet so tragically doomed to pay for the sins of your ancestors.
- Lana, if there's any part of you in there... - And you, greedy boy.
I can only imagine what mischief you would cause,
were you to unite the stones of knowledge.
Too bad that neither of you could see what was right in front of you all along.
It was never a map.
Clark!
You put up a better fight last time.
Clark, what are you doing here?
I could ask you the same thing.
You put Lana in the middle of this.
- If anything happens to her... - She's here because you lied to her.
I get the feeling Lana can handle herself now.
If Isobel gets the stone, there's no telling what'll happen to Lana.
Clark, if there's anything you know that we don't...
I think I found something.
How did you just stumble on this,
when my father had this place searched from top to bottom?
What do you want me to say, Lex?
It's obviously been here a long time.
Don't you want to look at this?
Hang on.
Let me see the map.
Let me see it.
- Well? - Guys, this isn't a map to the temple
this is a drawing of the temple through the tree.
That's why no one could find the stone here.
From this perspective, the background goes on for miles. It could be anywhere.
What if it's not in the background?
Think about it. The artist would have stood right where you are.
What if it's located there, at the base of the tree?
Nobody has sacrificed as much as I have for these stones.
- They don't belong to you. - And you think they were meant for you?
They were left for nobody.
The god of this temple hid them for his return.
How did we get away from the guards?
It was Isobel.
What'd I do?
Did you find the stone?
It's gone.
Hard to take college application essays seriously after the last couple of days.
I was just figuring out if hidden temples and body-snatching witches
fits under community service or extracurriculars.
Did I come at a bad time? You seemed kind of startled when you saw me.
No, I just...
I thought maybe you were my parents.
I've been avoiding them ever since we got back.
And the real reason would be?
Seeing you spew Latin and throw guys around a room like toothpicks is kind of weird.
And even when Isobel's gone,
sometimes I look at you
and there's a part of you that I don't recognize anymore.
- What? - I'm sorry. It's just that...
Do you know how funny that sounds coming from you?
Somehow I think that the only way that I'm going to be able to put Isobel
and all of this other stuff behind me is if I find all three of those stones.
I'm sure they'll end up in the right hands.
I hope so.
Because right now I kind of feel like some random piece of a puzzle
I'll never understand.
Maybe we're not supposed to understand it just yet.
I get the feeling that our lives are a lot less random than we think.
Maybe.
Good night, Clark.
- How was China? - Full of surprises.
What happened?
Even though getting pistol-whipped wasn't exactly my idea of fun,
I have to admit, it's good to have the old dad back.
No, I had nothing to do with what happened to you in China, son.
I have abandoned my search for the stones.
Come on, dad.
You stole copies of my map and gave them to Lana and Jason.
- You used them. - No, Lex, it was you who was using them.
And you'll do far worse to find those stones.
You have a ferocious desire to find all the answers, son.
But don't let your search for those stones
turn into your personal tower of babel.
I'm not trying to get closer to god, dad.
I'm trying to solve the riddles he's laid out for me.
Ever think there's a reason we weren't given the answers?
- To challenge us? - Or maybe to humble us.
Knowledge comes from finding the answers, yes,
but understanding what the answers mean...
Is what brings wisdom.
Men who didn't understand the difference have been the ruin
of some of the world's greatest civilizations.
Is that why you stopped looking for the stones?
Because you're afraid?
No. No, I stopped because I realized that even if I find the three stones,
I'm not gonna find what I'm really looking for.
Neither will you.
Can I at least come in?
I guess I don't have to ask why I haven't heard from you since we got back.
I'm sorry I lied to you.
I don't even know which lie you're apologizing for.
That you said you were in Metropolis when you were in China,
or that you'd been working with your mom all along.
I wasn't honest about going to China
because I didn't want to put you in danger.
If you remember a certain torture chair, I'd say that's pretty decent foresight.
You have to believe me.
Give me one good reason.
Okay.
That good enough?
Jason, how did you...?
I got there right before Lex. I saw you and Clark knocked out.
And there it was, right in front of me.
I didn't want Lex or Clark to know about it so I mailed it to myself from China.
Did you tell your mom?
I got it for you.
All I care about is protecting you, okay?
You're the only one in my life that matters to me.
Blink twice if you can understand me.
Well, I do hope you brought us a souvenir.
I know that going to China is grounds for a lecture, but I didn't have a choice.
All right, Clark.
At least please tell us that the stone is safe in the cave with the other one.
Even with kryptonite guarding the original map,
I got the stone in my hand.
- But I lost it. - Clark, I don't understand.
If the stones were intended for you, why are they surrounded by kryptonite?
Yeah, it makes me wonder if they really were meant for me.
But now we have another problem.
Before he died, Dr. Swann sent me one last e-mail.
He'd searched for the stones for years.
And even with the vast resources at his disposal, it was futile.
I was his last hope.
That's why he asked bridgette Crosby to give me the one stone he did find.
- Which stone? - That's the thing.
I called her numbers, they're all disconnected.
No one even claims to have known her. It's like she never existed.
Kai-El, you must write your own destiny.