Another backroom negotiation

[Setting: a smoky back room. AM and TW are smoking cigars. MR and JG enter together.]

So. It's the old showdown at the OK corral, eh?

[Exhales. A bit flirty] Just a friendly negotiation.

[Sniffs a fresh cigar] You mean a whine fest. [JG & MR sit. TW leans across the table menacingly]

You're going to change Fallen.

[Casually sifting through the cigar box, completely unintimidated.] Says who?

Says the girls who still have one episode to write.

[Looks at AM] You don't scare me. Besides, what's wrong with it?

Where do I even start?

Huh?

It's too dark for our show.

[Lights a cigar and takes a few puffs] Tom, people are murdered on our show almost every week.

That's different.

I guess it's just fun and games when Clark throws a freak of the week to his death.

You know what I mean.

Other shows do this stuff all the time.

Other shows have professional writers who can handle it.

Other shows are supposed to be gritty, don't air at the begining of prime time and aren't based on comic book characters!

Clark caused his own mother's miscarriage.

[Increasing irritation] That's your justification?

I'm just saying there's precedent.

Look, bad things happen on this show, Tom, and Clark reacts to them.

More often than not poorly.

[To AM] I can understand Tom's beef with us but why are you so upset about this?

I want Chloe to listen to Clark and stop investigating Lori.

We already covered that.

I want her loyalty to Clark to override any misgivings.

[Leans back in his chair] Not going to happen.

What if we told you Erica is OK with the MB having a total break down in Switch part one?

Lois confronts him about the stuff he did to Chloe and he spills all the beans and begs forgiveness.

I don't think that's going to happen.

He cries on his knees.

[Unconcerned he blows a few smoke rings] Nobody is going to believe that. They'll figure he's playing Lois for some yet to be determined reason.

[Grimaces] How about if Lois smacks him around some?

[Double take] Erica agreed to that?

Shut up, Tom.

[Chuckles. Sarcastic] Now that's believable.

Well let's focus on Lex then.

Fine by me.

Lex confronts Lionel about the stuff he did to Chloe and he spills all the beans and begs forgiveness.

[Mild concern] Now hold on.

[Waves off JG] Wait, John. [Puts down his cigar and focuses on TW] I'm listening.

He smacks the MB around a little bit.

And then much to his dismay finds that Lois and Chloe have stolen the weapon right out from under his nose. [Takes an extra long drag on her cigar and slowly lets the smoke escape as she grins ear to ear.] [MR & JG look at each other for a moment.]

I guess they've got us.

I guess they do.

So plan B?

Plan B.

[Smiles at TW] Yes! [She holds up her hand for a high five. TW ignores her]

What's plan B?

They want to know what plan B is.

Part II

Yes. Plan B. [Puts down his cigar, pulls and puts on his reading glasses. He pulls a sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket.]We Adam Kightize Lori.

[Pulling her hand back down] What?

Lori has been evil from the beginning.

What?

[Smiling and waving his cigar in the air.] Rip never raped her. She seduced him and then pulled the rape card just ruin his reputation.

[Flabbergasted] Why would she do that?

She's one of those crazy "Angels of the Environment".

One of Michael's robots!?!

She can't be. Chloe tested her with Kryptonite!

She's not one of Michael's stupid robots.

They aren't stupid!

She's a flesh and blood member.

What does that have to do with Rip?

Rip's father is the owner of a Timber company.

You can't do that! Not only has there been no mention of it there hasn't even been a hint!

That's why we call it "retro-active" continuity.

It's not going to work.

[Snippy] Do you want to change the episode or not?

Lori and her other "Angels" figured that if they had some leverage against Rip's father they could get him to stop cutting down trees in the Amazon rain forest.

They didn't count on him fighting back.

And once he started fight back Lori was at risk of people figuring out she is operating under an assumed name.

Seems she has a rap sheet a mile long.

[Chuckles] A fact Chloe would have discovered if she hadn't been so "loyal" to Clark.

That's not fair!

[Sarcastic] But since she's so loyal she would never go against his wishes.

Hogwash!

Lori had to back off Rip. She's a wanted woman and could wind up in jail if her past is uncovered.

However Clark Kent offers an enticing target.

How's that? What do the "Angels" of the environment want with him?

Well his mom is best friends with Lionel Luthor, one of the biggest polluters on the planet. They certainly would like her out of the senate.

This is bullshit!

Thing is Lori didn't count on liking the guy.

Seeing him save those people was pretty impressive. Maybe she could get to Martha without having to hurt Clark.

But the question was, how could she get close enough?

And the answer was she could try dating the guy.

So is she a mermaid or not?

Yeah, but an evil one.

Actually not evil so much as misguided. And she hasn't been one all her life. She's a meteor freak.

She's kind of like an out of control Aqua-man. He blew up Lex's fish killing equipment. I'm sure he'd join up with the "Angels"

He would not!

[sarcastic] Yeah, right.

So even though she's fallen in love with Clark and they've shared secrets she's still an Eco-terrorist.

Clark comes by her room to find her gone and discovers some hidden "Angels" pamphlets. Further digging reveals she has something big planned. He tracks her down and discovers she's planted a bomb on some LuthorCorp property.

He could easily disarm it himself but instead he decides to get sanctimonious and force Lori to do it.

So there they are in a LuthorCorp factory arguing over how to stop the Luthors from hurting the environment.

She explains she's set the timer to blow up in the middle of the night. No one will get killed and at worst a few night watchmen will be injured. The only harm done is the Luthors lose a small fraction of their immense fortune, a small price to pay to keep the environment safe.

Clark argues there are other ways to protect it.

She informs him her group has already tried working within the law but the power brokers like the Luthors pull all the strings. Between Lionel and Lex half the state legislature in their back pocket. Who knows how many U.S. congressmen and senators are at their beck and call. There's no one around to give the little guy a voice. Force is the only option they have left.

Clark is done arguing. He tells Lori that if she won't disable the bomb he will.

Finally with tears in their eyes Lori confesses that one of the things that made her fall in love with him is how he's willing to risk everything to do what's right. "You'd give your life if you had to."

Clark answers, "If it came to that, if it was the only way to set things right."

A tear falls down her cheek, "I would too." She presses the detonation button on the bomb.

Clark goes into super speed. He grabs the bomb, cradles it and jumps out the window.

Lori stares after him sadly, she reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a remote detonator. "I love you, Clark." She presses the button.

Cut to Clark all sooty and tattered. He turns towards the facility just in time to see several other bombs go off inside turning the entire facility into ruble.

It's near quiting time so she didn't end up killing hundreds of people.

Only dozens. And herself.

Big enough of a disaster to send Clark running off to the fortress for a while. [silence]

[smiles] Well, what do you think?

[Dumbfounded] That's our other choice? That's the plot you wanted to go with in the first place, isn't it?

Why would you say that?

Because you knew everyone would think it was stupid so you started off with one that was even worse!

[Looks at TW] Well it's not as dark as plan A.

Allison!

What happened to the original idea? The one we planned when we did the synopsis?

You mean people die when Clark destroys the ship to keep it out of Lex's hands?

[Unsure] Um. Yeah.

Too late. We already destroyed the ship because Tom wanted Martian Manhunter on the show.

No, it's because you wanted Lionel to get hurt trying to capture it.

Only after you... [sighs] It doesn't matter. The ship is gone we can't bring it back.

If you can turn Lori evil you can bring back the damn ship!

Besides, don't you think that scenario smacks a little too much of the first time Clark destroyed a ship?

John actually has a point.

You're not helping, Allison.

I just don't think we need to re-hash...

Here's you not helping again.

Look, Tom, it's option A or option B. Take your pick.

[Looks over at AM] Um?

What's option C?

Huh?

You know. The love interest has to either die, turn evil, or go crazy right?

Or some combination.

So what's the go crazy scenario?

We didn't do a go crazy scenario. But if we did do one it'd be the same as option B but instead of having been in that cult for years she just goes off the edge and tries to bomb some building.

What building? Whose building?

What does it matter? She blows up a building and dies. What more do you people want from us?

How about a plot that's not completely horrendous?

Those are fighting words, Tom.

[extinguishes her cigar and stands] We'll have to think it over.

[Takes a puff and winks.] Don't take too long, my dear.

[Gives JG the evil eye.]

[chuckles] [AM and TW leave glumly]

You think Erica is really in on this?

[Contemplates his cigar] I don't know but I think it's time we give her a call. And I have a couple additional changes in mind.

Am I going to like them?

They're likely to piss Tom and Allison off.

Then I'm going to like them.

Part III

[TW's trailer]

I don't know which is worse. Making Clark look like an ass or Adamizing Lori.

Lighten up. Clark has looked like an ass before.

Not this much of an ass.

He robbed a freaking bank!

He was on RedK!

Willingly. But I think it's definitely better for Chloe to be loyal to Clark.

So he robbed a bank. Nobody died!

So that makes it OK? Tom, how many people have died Clark could have saved? When he hasn't been on RedK.

Bad people or good people?

People people.

Now that's just not fair.

Just sayin'. I'm thinking we should go with the ret-con.

I'm thinking I wish they had done the Three Stooges spoof. Then at least fans could say "ha ha" and pretend the episdoe never existed. We need to write our own scenario.

They'll never go for that.

Not unless you use your ace in the hole.

No.

But...

No! Look, the ret-con isn't as bad as you think. And you know what? At the end of the day it's not the end of the world. Adam, Jason, hell even Pete to a certain extent were ret-conned. There's precedent.

I just hate for her to go that way.

Unfortunately John and Michael are a little more hard nosed than Kristen and Annette.

Which is exactly why we have to use your ace in the hole.

I said no. I'm saving it for a dire emergency.

What the hell do you call this!

Who knows what Michael has planned for Bridges! If I use that ace now there's no telling... [pounding on the door]

Come in. [ED enters]

What the hell, guys?

What do you mean?

[Wrinkles her nose.] What's that terrible smell?

[Sniffs his shirt and makes a face]

What's going on?

You'll never guess who I just finished talking to.

Magnificent hair?

Kind of a bastard?

Or bald and irritating?

The first one.

And?

I can't believe you drug me into this!

Don't you want Lois to mess with the MB?

We were already planning on it! And now you're going to negotiate it away?

You saw what they did to Chloe.

Chloe!?! What about Clark?

[Scoffing] They made her into somebody who has her friend's back? Cry me a freaking river!

Don't let them spin you. They turned her into a suffocating mother hen!

You say tomato I say tom..

What about Clark!?!

What the hell did you expect, Welling? He's supposed to retreat to his fortress. Do you think finding out somebody ate his last piece of pie is going to do that?

It's better than what they wrote!

You really expect me to trade in one of Lois' few brief moments of glory? Nothing doing. The scene with Lionel and Lois stays as is.

Erica...

... take one for the team? [Narrow her eyes] Or do you really mean take one for Chloe?

And Clark.

I'm sick and tired of my character being a useless lump while Chloe and Clark walk around on water. Nothing doing. It's time to spread the wealth. [ED exits]

[angry] I told you we should have talked to her first!

So they called our bluff.

No kidding. Now they'll probably make things even worse!

They wouldn't do that. [pause] Would they?

[Gives AM an irritated stare]

Maybe it won't be that bad?

[Continued irritated stare] I'm going to get these clothes washed.

[Sniffs her shirt and winkles her nose.] Good idea. [Gets up to exit]

And about that ace...

[Sighs] You're right. You're right. [Bigger sigh] I'll call Michael.

You're an angel! I'll get started on our take for the episode.

[Meanwhile in JG's trailer. MR types as JG dictates, cigar still in hand]

You sure we can't have Clark discover Lionel and Martha in bed together in her apartment?

No. They were in Washington DC.

Who cares about travel time? Picture this: Back in Metropolis Lionel keeps flattering her about getting her bill passed. She invites him in for a night cap...

If people can get back and forth from Metropolis and Smallville in no time why not DC, right?

Exactly! After a few drinks the animal attraction overwhelms them and they make love in her apartment!

Good, good. Then when Clark comes looking for her he discovers the two of them together. He sees the two of them and just kind of freezes and gulps. When Martha notices her door cracked she calls out tentatively, "Clark?" Their eyes meet for painful split second before Clark super speeds away. Then we can inter-cut...

The little talk about what she's going to tell Clark with him moping away in his fortress.

No. He still has to talk to Chloe. He'll be sitting in his dorm room in deep depression.

Should he be looking at a picture of Lori or of Martha?

Maybe we just pan across some pictures on his desk. Him and Lori. Martha and Jonathon. Maybe Lana too.

Oh, I like that.

I think we're done.

Wait. We need to tweak Allison too.

[Rubs his hands together and gets ready to type] A bitter blowout with Clark!

No, no. I've got something better.

Better than a big blowout with Clark?

Yeah. What could hurt Chloe more giving away that which is most important to her?

She's giving away Clark?

No, her career!

How is she going to give away her career?

By handing it over to Lois on a silver platter.

[Wide eyed and grinning] Are you serious?

Serious as a heart attack.

[Giddy] So what happens?

Well in that final scene Clark wants to make sure Rip gets a little taste of justice.

[Typing] OK.

So he asks Chloe if she can write an article on the boat wreck for the Planet. He's pretty sure Rip was supposed to be responsible for this boat that ended up being wrecked killing several people in the process. It's bound to be negligent manslaughter at a minimum.

How does that...

Let me finish. Chloe informs Clark she can't. Her days writing for the Planet are over at least for now. Then she remembers Lois has an open invitation for a job. She tells Clark she knows someone who could.

Lois!

Lois.

Damn, that's great. Let's turn it in.

Hold on.

More?

We should break up Chloe and Oliver.

[Wide eyed] Really!?!?

Sure.

He dumped her.

No, worse.

He dies?

Worse. Chloe realized she was still in love with Clark at the ball.

You are evil!

We add it to the breakfast scene. Stuff about them figuring out who set Chloe up. She's worried she might be put on administrative leave.

So they won't have DP resources for their research.

Lois points out Oliver's resources will be at their disposal.

Or not seeing as how Chloe broke up with him.

Lois is floored, "Is nobody good enough for you?" Chloe explains that when she caught Oliver kissing Mercy all she felt was anger.

Lois says that's normal.

Chloe says Lois doesn't understand. It didn't hurt. It just made her mad. She doesn't love him.

Lois tries to make her feel better.

"Because deep down you know it's you he loves, not her. You were mad because Oliver was being stupid. It's only going to hurt if you think maybe he is in love with someone else."

Ouch. I like it.

Chloe answers simply, "Yeah." but she's more upset than ever.

Excellent! Done?

[Takes a self satisfied puff on his cigar] It's all over but the crying.

Part IV

[ED & AM sit together eating lunch discussing Switch]

I just don't think Chloe using the weapon is a goood idea.

She's just going to stun a few guards.

I don't know.... [KK joins them]

You two are not going to believe the changes made to Fallen!

Oh, crap! What have they done now?

First off Lori doesn't die.

You're kidding me! So did they go with evil or insane?

Neither.

Doesn't that break some rule?

Definately.

I thought for sure they'd kill her off and make her either crazy or evil for good measure.

Or all three.

So what happened?

Tom.

Tom? What the hell does Tom have to do with it?

He came up with his own version.

And they went with it? Just like that? Sounds fishy. No pun intended.

I guess Tom has a lot of pull with the two big guys.

[Chokes on her sandwich]

[Pounding her on the back] You OK?

[Coughs] Is that what Tom said? That he had a lot of pull with Al and Miles?

He was pretty tight lipped but Michael and John are obviosly furious with the changes so I'm guessing there wasn't much they could do about it.

[Trys hard not to smile]

Allison, do you know what's going on?

Me? No. I just enjoy the idea of John and Michael being furious.

So if Lori doesn't die what happens?

Well in this version there are only two boats. The run into each other and Rip's starts sinking. The other one is dead in the water. So Clark and Lori work to transfer everyone to the smaller boat and the plan is to pull that smaller boat to shore. So as Lori helps the last passenger over she tells Clark it's time to start his magic.

Sounds pretty boring.

But Rip is still trapped in the forward cabin.

With his girlfriend.

No. She got out.

Wasn't something blocking the passage?

Not anymore. The passage is clear but Rip can't get out.

He can't swim? How lame is that?

He knows how but he's injured.

How convinent. So random co-ed tells Clark there's someone else left on the boat.

Nope. Clark discoveres it with X-ray vision. He tells Lori there's still one person trapped in the forward cabin. Lori tells Clark she'll handle it. He needs get the other boat to shore.

Lori is going to save Rip's life?

Hold on.

She lets him die?

Hold on. Clark knows it's Rip so he tells her no, he'll do it. She argues that she's not strong enough to drag the other ship. It only makes sense for her to save this last person. Clark tells her she has to trust him. She needs to stay with the other ship and see if anyone there needs immeiate help until he gets back.

How does Clark know it's Rip?

He saw Rip's knee brace with his x-ray vision.

Knee brace?

Yeah. Tom added some backstory on Rip. Since Chloe isn't going to investigate Lori anymore there's a scene where Rip catches the winning touchdown pass in some bowl game. The annoucers and crowd go wild but when Rip doesn't get up concern mounts. The annoucers speculate that maybe he hurt his knee "again".

It's not football season.

No, so we pull out to show it was just video Rip watches while weight lifting. He's doing squats and over exerts his knee, hurting himself pretty bad. He pulls out a syringe and injects himself with this week's lame plot device.

Kryptonite cocktail.

Right. This week the cocktail is a super-dooper pain killer. The team's physical therapist drops in and notices the empty syringe. He warns Rip not over do the stuff. He should let his knee heal naturally. By this time Rip is lifting weights again and answers that having his knee back to full strength by next season is the difference between being a first round draft pick or being a water boy.

So why is this important?

Well in the beach scene where Rip's gang runs into Clark's gang Rip pumps himself up one more time before they get out of the car to head to the boat. It's goteen so bad that even his teammates comment on it but Rip brushes him off. What we learn though is that he carries a set of the syringes with him.

So when Clark tries to save him he'll be incapacitated by the kryptonite.

Exactly. Tom changed your line about Rip being the most overrated wide reciever to something about him being sidelined permanetly if he takes another hit to his knee.

Why?

I guess to draw attention to the knee brace. Anyway, Clark goes off to save Rip and that's when it becomes apparent things on the other boat are worse than it merely being dead in the water.

Let me guess. Gas leak.

And some genious has decided to use flares to call for help. The reason Rip couldn't escape is his knee started bothering him again and when the boat was hit his syringes slid down to the sinking end of the cabin.

Preventing Clark from getting to him.

And with a bum leg Rip can't swim down to get them. Deadly but unnoticed events continue to transpire on the other boat. Eventually Lori starts to worry about what's taking Clark so long. She dives in after him and finds him floating practically lifeless at the entrance to the cabin. She swims by him to see how the surviver is doing. When she recognizes Rip all she can say is "You." He responds almost as surprised, "Lori?" She takes a quick look around, "You'll be fine in this air pocket for a couple more minutes. I'll be back." She dives back down and brings Clark to the surface where she gives him CPR. As soon as he's breathing she dives back down. Clark calls after her but when she doesn't answer he turns his attention to the other ship. Just as he's about to start dragging it to shore a fallen flare ignites the fuel. Meanwhile Lori tells Rip to grab her hand, take a deep breath, and hold it because the last thing she wants to do is give him CPR.

Tom thinks he's so funy.

Unable to pull him along in human form she transforms. They reach the surface just as the other ship explodes.

Wow.

Clark heads for the dock and drags a small passenger boat to the scene. To protect his secret they make it look like Lori is pulling it herself.

In mermaid form.

Right. While several people died in the explosion far more survived and are returned to the beach.

Including Rip?

Yes.

So does Rip say sorry or thank you or whatever to Lori?

Yeah he does. And she tells him the real way to thank her is to never do what he did to her to anyone else ever again.

And Lori has leave.

Her secret was revealed. She's headed home.

So she confronts Clark about why he didn't tell her Rip was the one he was going after, right?

I don't think so.

She doesn't tell him that it wasn't his call and he should let her face her own demons?

No. She tells him how great he is.

[Shakes her head] I never should have let Tom... [trails off]

Let Tom what?

Nevermind.

I just wonder how he got them to change their episode. He must have something pretty big on them.

[Bitter chuckle] Yeah.

There were a few changes I was surprised by.

Really?

Chloe breaking up with Oliver. I didn't see that coming.

What?!?

And then encouraging Lois to take a job at the Planet?

What?!? [gets up and runs off towards TW's trailer mad as a hornet]

What's up with her?

[Takes a bite of lunch and shrugs]

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