HAMILTON looks up. He grabs the telephone.
CUT TO:.
WGBS NEWSCAST.
ANCHOR #14.
(Listening to his earpiece) ... wait, wait. This just in. SUPERMAN IS ALIVE! I REPEAT, SUPERMAN IS ALIVE!
REPORTS OF HIS DEATH HAVE BEEN EXAGGERATED. SUPERMAN IS ALIVE!.
CUT TO:.
VARIOUS SHOTS.
PEOPLE in the previous scenes REJOICE, as do people worldwide...
Except LUTHOR who fumes while he can hear his employees cheering in the halls.
CUT TO:.
INT. STAR LABS.
SUPERMAN sits upright and peels the monitoring tabs from his body. HAMILTON rushes to his side. SUPERMAN (Very weak) How did I get here?
HAMILTON.
They took you to the hospital and broke six needles trying to get a blood sample. They gave up and brought you to me.
SUPERMAN.
Are the people safe?
HAMILTON.
Everyone is fine. Metallo shut the reactor down and saved you.
SUPERMAN gives him a look of surprise and disgust that he failed at the same time.
SUPERMAN.
I have to get out of here.
HAMILTON.
Superman, you"re very weak. I"d like to run some more tests.
SUPERMAN.
I"m sorry, Professor, but I haven"t got time for that.
SUPERMAN staggers across the room and exits. People stare as he exits the elevator, a shadow of his former self, and exits the front door.
EXT. STAR LABS - DAY.
SUPERMAN moves across the pavement, lifts his hands in the air and gently rises into the sky. His movements are concentrated and not fluid. He is like someone sick trying to accomplish basic tasks.
CUT TO:.
INT. SMALLVILLE, KANSAS - LANA LANG"S HOME.
LANA is watching the news with her feet curled beneath her and clutching a pillow.
A tap at the balcony window startles her. Outside is SUPERMAN, hovering in the air. He looks much better than he did earlier. LANA tosses balcony window open and leaps out into SUPERMAN"s arms with no concern for her safety. He holds her thirty feet above the gra.s.sy lawn. LANA They said you were dead.
SUPERMAN.
I"m not.
Gently he floats to the balcony and carries her inside.
SUPERMAN.
Lana, may I stay here with you for awhile?
LANA.
Sure, Clark. Is everything all right?
SUPERMAN.
I just need some time away.
LANA.
I"m so glad you came.
CUT TO:.
MAYORAL TELECAST.
Members of the press are gathered. DEPUTY MAYOR MICHAEL WALKER steps up to the podium. WALKER Ladies and gentlemen, Mayor Frank Berkowitz.
MAYOR FRANK BERKOWITZ takes his place.
BERKOWITZ.
I appreciate your coming on such short notice. I will try to make this brief.
These are the facts: This morning, there was an unidentified malfunction at the Shuster Nuclear Facility. Attempting to stop a possible meltdown, Superman was rendered unconscious. The state of his condition was not known then and is still unclear. Metallo rescued Superman from the nuclear core of the facility and possible death.
(Beat) For that we are all grateful. At this time I would like to extend my personal grat.i.tude, as well as that of the great city of Metropolis, to Metallo, for averting disaster and saving our friend.
Double doors in the back of the conference room swing open and METALLO strides down the aisle to the podium. Cameras barrage him with flashes. He shakes the MAYOR"s hand and steps behind the podium for a few words.
CUT TO:.
INT. LANA LANG"S HOME (SMALLVILLE KS).
CLARK and LANA are sitting on the sofa watching the broadcast. CLARK is dressed in his normal clothes sans gla.s.ses. CLARK I feel so... incompetent.
LANA.
Maybe you should stay here... with me.
The telephone rings and LANA answers it.
LANA.
(On phone) h.e.l.lo. Yes, I was watching it just now.
She mouths "It"s your mother," to CLARK. He motions not to let her know he"s there.
LANA.
(On phone) Sure, Mrs. Kent. I don"t know either. Well, you know I will. Okay, give Mr.
Kent my best. Bye.
(Hangs up phone) Arrggghhhh! I hate lying to your mother. I feel so guilty.
CLARK.
She knows what happened. If she knows I"m here she"s not going to want me to go back.
LANA.
(Disappointed) So I guess this means you aren"t staying?
CUT TO:.
NEWS BROADCAST "ACTION COMMENTS FEATURING SUPERMAN".
CLOSE on ANGELA CHEN, the host. ANGELA Welcome to a special edition of Action Comments. I"m your host, Angela Chen.
With the near-disaster that took place several days ago, a debate has emerged regarding Metropolis" questionable power source. Our special guest for the hour is Metropolis" other favorite son, millionaire industrialist Lex Luthor.
The CAMERA snaps to a TWO SHOT putting an insulted LUTHOR in the frame.
LUTHOR.
Billionaire.
ANGELA.
(Embarra.s.sed) Oh, I"m sorry.
LUTHOR.
A common error.
ANGELA.
I would like to give a special thanks to Mister Luthor who not only agreed to this interview, but also permitted us to telecast from one of his soundstages in the LexCorp building.
LUTHOR.
I would have been happy to join you downtown but in light of recent (ah-hem) incidents, one can never be too careful.
ANGELA.
It"s our pleasure, Mister Luthor.
(Beat) Now it"s your opinion this whole incident could have been avoided.
LUTHOR.
Several months ago my engineers at LexCorp developed a revolutionary energy source. This source is able to produce the same results as a nuclear facility without the ugly side effects the citizens of Metropolis came so close to experiencing first hand.
ANGELA.
Without the chance of a hazardous leak?
LUTHOR.
None whatsoever. Our energy source is devised by splitting atomic particles and then harnessing that energy.
ANGELA.
Nevertheless, if you have eliminated the radioactive side effect, then you aren"t splitting uranium or any other radioactive element.
LUTHOR.
Precisely.
ANGELA.