EXT: LEXCORP-DAY
A black tented SUV drives through the large front gate. Inside the gate lies a vast high tech facility. The campus is made of multiple futuristic buildings. The SUV pulls up to one of the large structures. Lex Luthor, along with several body guards, exit the vehicle and enter the building.
INT: BUILDING
A man wearing a headset SANDERS runs up to Luthor.
Sanders: “Mr. Luthor I’m sorry to bother you but you’re needed in the Steel room.”
Luthor surprised at the comment: “The Steel room?”
Sanders: “It’s Admiral Chen.”
INT: STEEL ROOM
An elevator door opens at the room’s rear. Luthor and Parker exit into a highly advanced bunker. Dozens of radar screens, viewing monitors, communication equipment, and satellite controls make up the interior.
Luthor: “What problems is our favorite Admiral Chen causing today?”
An elderly gentleman CAPTAIN MIXON turns toward Luthor: “He’s leading his fleet toward the eastern seaboard of the United States.”
Luthor shaking his head: “Chinese always flexing their muscles. Open up the com channel.”
A communication officer manipulates a control panel. Admiral Chen appears on the large viewing screen at the room’s center.
Luthor: “Admiral, so nice to see you again.”
Chen speaks with a Chinese accent: “Lex Luthor, I am afraid you are too late. Washington is already within range of our missiles. Its destruction is immanent.”
Luthor: “Chen I suggest you turn your yacht club around before I interpret this voyage as an act of war against America.”
Chen: “Your attempts at intimidation are no use. We do not fear your long range missiles.”
Luthor: “Who said anything about long range?”
Chen: “Do not toy with me. Our radars detect no barriers.”
Luthor smiles: “Then my technology is working. Admiral there are currently half a dozen combat subs surrounding your fleet. If that’s not enough a stealth bomber hangs at the edge of our atmosphere ready to turn you into nothing more than a rubber duck in a bath tub. I suggest you consider my warning.”
Chen looks out the window to find the combat subs surface revealing large cannons pointed at him.
Luthor notices the fear in Chen’s eyes: “It’s your move Admiral. You can turn around and be a war hero or be solely responsible for the destruction of your nation. Make your choice.”
A cold chill runs down the Admiral’s spine as sweet accumulates on his brow: “I will allow you victory today Luthor but tomorrow will reveal a different result.”
The screen goes black.
Luthor: “Everybody promises a bad tomorrow.”
Luthor turns toward the room of stunned on lookers: “And that’s how world peace is made.”
Luthor heads back toward the elevator he arrived in. Captain Mixon accompanies him.
INT: ELEVATOR
Mixon: “You make it look easy Lex.”
Luthor: “It is easy when I’ve got the biggest gun in the fight.”
Mixon: “After your all ruling comments on King you’re gonna need the biggest gun. Politicians are going to eat you alive.”
Luthor: “I’m not interested in politics Frank. Anyone can say what they’re going to do. I choose to talk with action.”
Mixon: “Just play the game Lex. You can walk away with the election next year.”
Luthor: “President? I don’t want to be the 45th of anything. I choose to be the first on a new path.”
The elevator door opens and Luthor steps off while Mixon stays on.
Luthor: “I want the world.”
Elevator door closes
EXT: DAILY PLANET-DAY
INT: MEDIA FLOOR
Lois sits at her, perfectly organized, desk diligently working at her laptop. Jimmy pops in startling Lois.
Jimmy: “Settling in ok?”
Lois regaining her composure manages a smile: “Yeah I am so far, thanks.”
Jimmy: “Fantastic! Did you see the spread of exotic African frogs on the front page of the Geographic section? Very dangerous.”
Lois: “I did, it was a great picture. You must have worked really hard on it.”
Jimmy bowing out his chest: “Well you know photography it’s a tough gig but I enjoy the challenge.”
Jimmy notices Lois’s open laptop: “What are you working on?”
Lois: “It’s a piece on Lex Luthor possibly running for President next year. I’m kind of a political geek. My dad always had it on TV. I guess I picked it up from him.”
Jimmy: “Wow, the Chief usually doesn’t give out articles like this to new writers.”
Lois: “He doesn’t know I’m writing it. I just want him to see what I can do.”
Perry: “Lois!”
Lois, caught off guard by the voice, stands from her chair: “Yes Chief?”
Perry: “I need you to get to MFD. They’re getting five new rescue Dalmatians today. I want a 300 word article in tomorrow’s local section.”
Jimmy: “I can tag along Chief. A picture would beef up the article.”
Perry rolls his eyes: “Sure”
You can almost see smoke coming from Lois’s ears for having to cover such a silly story with an over obsessed photographer.
EXT: KENT HOUSE-NIGHT
The small family enjoys a relaxing night. Martha sits on the porch swing with Jonathan who sips on coffee. Clark sits on porch steps picking at his guitar.
Martha: “You have managed to get that stupid tractor stuck six times in the past month. Have you forgotten how to drive?”
Clark: “He never learned.”
Jonathan: “Easy son or I’ll put you on it.”
Martha: “What time are you and Lana leaving tomorrow?”
Clark: “First thing in the morning. Hopefully we can beat the traffic and make descent time.”
Jonathan: “I haven’t been to Metropolis in years. It’s a lot different than here. Busy streets, horns, people, pavement a whole new world.”
Martha: “Will you let him enjoy his birthday Jonathan. I think he can handle it.”
Clark: “That’s what I’m saying. I would think turning 26 would grant a little freedom.”
Jonathan: “We’re not trying to hold you prisoner it’s just you’ve always been on a farm. You never even went to college.”
Clark: “Hey it may have been an online journalism degree but it counts.”
The three share in a laugh. Martha stands from the swing.
Martha: “It’s been a long today so I’m gonna hit the sack.”
Martha kisses her husband and son: “Good night.”
Clark and Jonathan lean against the porch railing looking up at the vast sky of stars.
Jonathan: “You know Clark I’m really proud of you. I think you’re the best son any father could ask for but don’t ever feel that this is all you can be.”
Clark: “What do you mean?”
Jonathan: “I see what you do Clark with the glasses and never using your powers. Do you ever wonder where it is you truly came from? Who your real parents are or who you really are?”
Clark: “I try not to because it doesn’t matter. Wherever or whoever I came from abandoned me. I sometimes wonder why I was not good enough. The truth is I’m glad I wasn’t. This is my home, this farm, this house, and this town is where I belong.”
Jonathan: “Just don’t ever feel that your mom and I are holding you back. You’re not bound to anything.”
Clark: “All I know is I’m in love with Lana while you and mom are the greatest parents a son could have. This may not be the life I was meant to live but it’s the one I want to live.”
EXT: HIGHWAY-DAY
Clark and Lana ride down the highway in a red sports car convertible having the time of their life. The warm air blowing throw their hair, music blaring with the open road as their guide.
INT: CAR
Clark has to yell over the wind: “So this is why you had to pick me up! It’s really awesome your dad let us borrow the car!”
Lana: “It’s your birthday! I guess he could finally make an exception!”
Clark: “Where do you wanna go first when we get there?!”
Lana: “It’s your big day you pick!”
Clark: “I’m feeling Main Street!”
Clark speeds on down the highway
EXT: METROPOLIS-DAY
Clark and Lana walk down busy Main Street taking in all the sites. They walk past popular music studios, store windows with the latest fashions, billboards sporting huge celebrities, all the media outlets one of the country’s largest cities has to offer. They walk next to a large stone building “Bank of Metropolis”. The two stand in awe at the colossal structure.
Lana: “The Smallville Bank looks at a piggy bank compared to that.”
Clark: “Tell me about it. Think it’s got an ATM inside?”
Lana gives Clark a dumbfounded look: “Umm yeah maybe one or a thousand.”
Clark: “Good I need cash.”
The two enter the building
INT: BANK OF METROPOLIS
The massive lobby is constructed of marble walls with lines coming from over twenty tellers. All the amities of a large bank are present with a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Clark and Lana walk over to an available ATM.
CUT TO:
Large suspicious men cover each exit slamming doors tying them in chains. This catches people’s attention but no one reacts.
CUT TO:
The head bank robber KEMP, with short black hair and olive complexion, pulls a gun from his leather jacket firing a shot in the air. The gunshot quickly gets everyone’s attention. Nearly thirty other people including several bank tellers draw guns.
CUT TO:
Clark and Lana realize their harmless day trip as now become a dangerous situation.
CUT TO:
The room is in a frenzy has over a hundred customers run for their life. The head robber fires off another shot.
Kemp: “Everybody shut up!”
The room freezes falling silent.
Kemp: “I’m going to need everyone in the center of the room now!”
Clark, Lana, and everyone else follow the command huddling at the room’s center.
Kemp:” Sit in a circle facing the outside. Anyone make a move and they die. Hand over all your iphones, ipads, ipods, and any other electronic devices.”
Several men walk around the circle with bags as the hostages place phones in them.
Kemp: “We are going to clean out this bank and you all are collateral. This is quite simple. The police will be here in less than ten minutes. Keep your mouths shut and you’ll be free by lunch. Trying to be a hero will only get you a tombstone.”
CUT TO:
Lana’s face on the verge of tears.
Clark takes her hand: “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”
EXT: BANK OF METROPOLIS
Dozens of police cars rush onto the scene. Police Commissioner WILLIAM HENDERSON exits from his car and turns toward another cop Lieutenant DAN TURPIN. The two walk toward the perimeter’s front.
Henderson: “What’s the situation?”
Turpin: “Kemp is at it again sir.”
Henderson: “Again? It’s the 4th bank in a month. What does it look like in there?”
Turpin: “We’ve counted twenty four armed men but there could be more. Not sure on a hostage number but being the time of day it’s well over a hundred. Snipers are on the rooftops of neighboring buildings with SWAT on the way.”
Henderson: “Tell SWAT to double time it. We have to catch him this time dead or alive.”
INT: BANK VAULT
Kemp and several of his men carry empty duffle bags into the fully loaded vault. Kemp looks at the millions of dollars stacked inside.
Kemp forms a sleazy smile: “This is why we live boys. Take it all.”
The men begin filling the bags.
INT: CAR
Jimmy: “I graduated from New York State three years ago but I didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t feel like the world was ready for what Jimmy Olsen had to offer.”
Lois in the passenger seat bored into submission from Jimmy’s stories.
They turn onto Main Street. Shocked by the mass crowd and police cars, Jimmy slams on breaks.
Jimmy: “Come on now we have to take the freeway.”
Lois: “What’s going on? That’s the Bank of Metropolis.”
Jimmy begins to turn onto a side street.
Lois: “What are you doing? Stop the car.”
Jimmy: “We can’t go through Lois this is the only way around.”
Lois: “Jimmy someone is robbing the Bank of Metropolis and you’re still thinking about those stupid dogs.”
Jimmy: “That’s what Chief wanted.”
Lois opens her door: “I know what the Chief wants but I didn’t spend three summers at a President’s camp brown nosing Ivy League Preps to report on Dalmatians.”
Lois gets out of the car making her way through the crowd. Jimmy reluctant to follow ponders in the car for a moment and then follows Lois.
INT: BANK LOBBY
Kemp walks over to one of the armed henchmen.
Kemp: “It’s bag time.”
The man nods at the other armed henchmen and they begin covering each hostage’s head with sacks. The hostages scream in terror. A henchman gets to Lana.
Henchman: “We got a jewel over here!”
The henchman touches Lana’s face and she pulls away.
Henchman: “What’s the matter baby? You don’t like me.”
Clark gives the henchman a menacing look.
Henchman: “What’s the matter four eyes? This your woman?”
Clark: “Take your money and leave us alone.”
The henchmen back hands Clark knocking off his glasses.
Henchman: “Did you say something?!”
Kemp: “Max! I told you to bag them that’s all.”
Max regains his composure bagging both Lana and Clark.
EXT: BANK ROOFTOP
A SWAT team begins penetrating the banks ventilation system.
EXT: POLICE PERIMETER
Turpin: “SWATs in. As soon as they’re in position they’ll set up a video feed.”
Henderson: “They better make it fast.”
Captain MAGGIE SAWYER walks up to the two men: “Have we tried negotiating?”
Henderson hands her the megaphone: “You’re the expert.”
CUT TO:
Sawyer at the perimeter’s front speaks into the megaphone: “Mr. Kemp this is Captain Sawyer. You are surrounded by police. We encourage you to release the hostages and surrender. We can work something out.”
INT: BANK LOBBY
Kemp: “That Sawyer woman just doesn’t get it.”
Kemp grabs a random bagged hostage taking them to the door’s front.
Kemp: “I don’t know what you’re trying to say but I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got a small army and about a 150 innocent people in here. You really want a war?”
Sawyer: “Nobody is going to war. Let’s just talk.”
Kemp: “You wanna talk? Ok I’ll give you something to talk about!”
Kemp lifts a strand of a dozen grenades. Everyone’s eyes widen realizing the stakes just went up.
Henderson: “This just became an act of terror. Get bomb squad.”
Kemp walks back to the lobby’s center tossing the terrified hostage back to circle.
Kemp: “They’re going to play by my rules.”
CUT TO:
SWAT members slowly make their way through vent lines. One SWAT member gains a visual on the lobby. He lowers his scope on the hostages.
SWAT member speaks softly into his headset: “I’ve got a visual on hostages.”
CUT TO:
Turpin hearing the news: “SWAT has a visual on the hostages.”
Turpin, Henderson, and Sawyer scamper to the SWAT van’s cameras. They see the large circle of hooded hostages and a room filled with armed men.
Sawyer: “He wasn’t kidding about a small army.”
Henderson: “SWAT will never get be able to take them all at once. It’s a shootout in the making.”
Turpin: “We’ve got to rethink this.”
INT: BANK VAULT
Men continue to fill duffle bags with hundred dollar bills. Kemp enters becoming in patient.
Kemp: “Are we not done yet?”
Man: “There’s a lot of money here and there’s only 3 of us.”
Kemp: “Well there are more gun barrels pointed this way so hurry up!”
INT: BANK LOBBY
The inpatient Kemp enters. “Ok who’s the lucky one! Max where’s that jewel?”
Max: “Over here boss.”
The two walk over to Lana removing her sack.
Kemp: “Such a waste. We could have gone places.”
Kemp pulls Lana to her feet by her hair. Lana screams in terror.
Lana: “No! Clark help!”
Max puts his gun barrel to Clark’s covered head: “Move and you die.”
CUT TO:
Kemp takes Lana to the front door in front of the police.
Kemp: “Is this real enough for you!”
CUT TO:
Henderson, Turpin, and Sawyer look on.
Henderson: “Please do not do this.”
CUT TO:
Max holding a metal pipe swings it towards Clark’s head. Clark throws up his hand catching the pipe just before hitting him. Clark slowly turns his covered head toward the wide eyed Max. Clark pulls the bag from his head.
Clark: “I can see you.”
CUT TO:
Max goes flying into the glass door beside Kemp and Lana. Before Kemp can move Clark is standing between him and Lana.
Clark: “I told you to leave her alone.”
Kemp raises his gun at Clark: “Are you giving orders now?!”
Kemp pulls the trigger. Clark’s face flinches to the side causing the bullet to ricochet. Clark levels his angered eyes back at Kemp. He quickly fires off the entire clip in his gun with each bullet falling to the ground.
Kemp: “What the…”
Clark lifts Kemp into the air by the throat: “You should have stayed home today.”
Clark throws Kemp into the bank’s wall. The rest of the men level their guns at Clark firing away. As before the bullets helplessly fall to the ground. Faster than a speeding bullet, Clark flies across the room leveling eight of the men.
CUT TO:
SWAT member in ventilation shaft looking through scope.
SWAT: “Are you seeing this?”
CUT TO:
Henderson, Sawyer, and Turpin watch from inside the video truck.
Sawyer: “Is something wrong with the camera?”
Turpin: “I don’t think so”
INT: BANK OF METROPOLIS
Clark takes on a group of the bank robbers beating them to a pulp. The robbers are unable to land a single blow due to Clark’s superhuman speed and strength.
CUT TO:
Several men fire their guns in the direction of the massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
CUT TO:
Debris falls in the area of Lana who is running away. Just before reaching safety a large piece of ceiling strikes her in the head knocking her to the ground unconscious.
CUT TO:
The chandelier begins to crack and falls toward the helpless hostages. Clark speeds over catching the falling object in midair. The men are in astonishment. Clark tosses it at the men knocking a hole in the bank’s wall.
CUT TO:
Henderson speaking into a com: “Ok SWAT you are a go repeat you’re a go!”
CUT TO:
SWAT members drop into the fight taking down the armed men. Several SWAT members enter the money vault but are gunned down by a group of robbers. One of the men in the vault walks into the lobby area revealing the strand of grenades.
Man: “No one leaves alive!”
With a single pull the man removes each of the grenade’s clips. SWAT members freeze realizing they are out of time. In less than the blink of an eye, Clark darts over to the man taking the grenades bolting into the vault. The massive vault door slams behind him. After a moment the grenades explode but smoke is all that escapes the vault. SWAT members creep up to the door pulling it open. Clark slowly emerges from the smoke and fire. His clothes shredded and burned from the explosion. Clark leans against the wall and after a moment he collapses to the ground. SWAT members slowly proceed with caution.
One member feels for a pulse: “He’s alive.”
Another SWAT member speaks into his com: “We’ve got a hostage in the vault unconscious with possible burns and lung damage, requesting medical assistance.”
Henderson, Sawyer, and Turpin rush into the vault looking at the injured man.
Turpin: “How can a man survive something like that?”
Henderson: “I’m gonna make a call.”
EXT: AIRCRAFT CARRIER-EASTERN SEABOARD DAY
INT: CONTROL ROOM
A phone rings. An officer answers the phone.
Officer: “Captain it’s for you”
CAPTAIN WHITAKER’S appearance is that of a war veteran.
Whitaker takes the phone: “Whitaker here”
Whitaker listens closely for a moment shocked at what he is hearing: “He did what?”
Whitaker listens for a moment longer: “Transport it by chopper and we’ll handle the rest.”
Whitaker hangs up the phone and turns to the officer: “Prep the deck we’ve got a package coming in.”
Officer: “Yes sir”