ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
34 INT. - DAILY PLANET - PIT - AFTERNOON
Lois walks back into the newsroom, discouraged at having missed
Superman. She finds a crowd huddled around a desk and approaches it.
At the center is Jimmy, furiously typing.
LOIS
What's going on?
Perry and Tracy both turn toward her, beaming with pride.
TRACY
We were out walking--
PERRY
--and they ran into Superman, who was acting
crazy, and threatened them--
TRACY
--Jimmy protected me, he was so brave!
PERRY
And then he came right back here to write the
story!
Lois looks nonplussed and slightly pained, unsure of how to respond.
LOIS
Oh. Good for Jimmy. Uh... any messages for
me from S.T.A.R. Labs?
Tracy goes back to stand behind Jimmy once more as Perry nods and
points to her desk, his expression now more somber.
PERRY
Just one. Dr. Klein said there were policemen
over there, trying to requisition themselves
some Kryptonite.
Lois stops in midstride and changes course, heading for the elevators.
CUT TO:
35 INT. S.T.A.R. LABS - HALLWAY - AFTERNOON
Dr. Klein is standing with his back to a door marked "ABSOLUTELY NO
ADMITTANCE", arguing with a small group of policemen, led by Sergeant
Atkins.
DR. KLEIN
I'm telling you, I can't give you Kryptonite, it's
too dangerous!
SGT. ATKINS
Look, I don't want to use it, but we need to
have it. You said yourself that Superman has
lost all self-restraint!
Lois charges around a corner at that moment.
LOIS
Oh, no he hasn't, he hasn't hurt anyone yet,
has he? You can't just kill him!
SGT. ATKINS
Believe me, I don't want to. But we have to
defend people.
Another policeman hurries up and hands a piece of paper to the sergeant.
He brandishes it in front of Dr. Klein's face.
SGT. ATKINS
And now we have a signed court order, Dr.
Klein, so stop stalling. Open that vault.
Dr. Klein reluctantly complies, and he and Lois are forced to the side as
the policemen enter the vault and emerge with a large sealed box.
LOIS
Oh, this is bad. Dr. Klein, please tell me you
have an antidote?
DR. KLEIN
I'm sorry, but no. It will wear off eventually; the
drug does break down, and it should be
processed even faster with his metabolism...
He shrugs helplessly, unable to offer any better ideas.
CUT TO:
36 INT. - BRIAN'S LAB - AFTERNOON
Same composition as the last shot - Brian and Analisa are in the
foreground, while we can see, but not hear, Stuart and Superman in the
office. Superman is throwing Stuart up into the air and catching him
again, having a wonderful time with his new toy. Brian is looking very
suspicious, and Analisa is glowing with faith in her own cleverness.
BRIAN
So you think you can solve the problem of
Superman being Superman, do you?
ANALISA
Oh, yes. It's easy. What's his biggest
identifying characteristic?
BRIAN
(sarcastic)
The cape? The muscles? The oil-slick
hairdo?
ANALISA
No - it's his goodness. Truth, justice, and the
American way... if we could break him of that,
he'd be ruined. He'd have to stay with us,
wouldn't he? Or at least he'd be off the crime-fighting scene...
Brian is looking horrified at her plan, and her arrogance.
BRIAN
But, but... how could you possibly do that?
She smiles nastily.
ANALISA
Watch me.
CUT TO:
37 EXT. - CENTENNIAL PARK - LATE AFTERNOON
There's a big open green area, ringed by some low bushes. Lois is
talking to Sergeant Atkins, who's accompanied by a squad of policemen
and the lead-lined Kryptonite box.
LOIS
Thanks for letting me try my plan, Sergeant. I
just know that if I can get close to him, I can
talk some sense into him - get him quiet
somewhere long enough for this stuff to wear
off.
SGT. ATKINS
I hope you're right, Ms. Lane, for all our sakes.
He opens the box, revealing the Kryptonite PULSING greenly within. She
shudders, and shuts the box.
LOIS
Don't use that, except as a very last resort,
alright?
SGT. ATKINS
I'll give you a fair shot, Ms. Lane. We want
Superman back to normal just as much as you
do.
LOIS
(quietly)
I very much doubt that...
SGT. ATKINS
What?
LOIS
Oh, nothing.
Sergeant Atkins looks puzzled, but brushes it off as unimportant.
SGT. ATKINS
So, how do you plan to get him here?
CUT TO:
38 INT. - BRIAN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON
Analisa opens the door to the office and stands still for a moment,
surprised to see Stuart being tossed around by Superman. Stuart has his
eyes tightly shut, denying reality, while Superman seems to be greatly
enjoying the game.
ANALISA
Hello again, Superman.
Superman catches Stuart and holds him still for a moment.
SUPERMAN
Hi! Wanna play with me?
ANALISA
No, dear, it's time to talk for a minute. Put
Stuart down.
He pouts slightly, but then complies, carefully lowering Stuart to the floor.
SUPERMAN
Whatcha wanna talk about?
ANALISA
Well, you said your head was feeling weird.
I've found out why, and what to do about it.
SUPERMAN
(eagerly)
What? Will people like me then?
ANALISA
Their whole attitude will change, I promise you.
See, you've forgotten to do something, and
once you've done it, you'll feel much better.
SUPERMAN
(confused)
What do I need to do?
ANALISA
It's simple, really. You just need to kill
someone.
Superman frowns, crossing his arms. This doesn't seem right, somehow.
SUPERMAN
No... I don't think... are you sure?
ANALISA
I'm sure. Once you kill someone, everything
will change. You must kill someone. I'll tell
you who.
His frown deepens as he tries to resolve this. Then his head snaps up,
distracted. Using SUPERHEARING, he hears Lois in the park, calling his
name.
LOIS
(off-stage)
Superman! SUPERMAN!
ANALISA
What is it, what do you hear?
SUPERMAN
Somebody's calling me.
He starts toward the door.
ANALISA
Ignore them. You must stay with me.
He stops, but after a second he's bouncing on his feet, anxious to go.
SUPERMAN
Gotta go... calling me...
Analisa smiles grimly and gives in to the inevitable.
ANALISA
Well, this may be the opportunity I need. Take
me with you, and you can go.
Not waiting for further instructions, he scoops her up and takes off,
leaving Brian and Stuart. They look at each other for a long moment,
considering the situation.
BRIAN
You know... I don't like her nearly as much as I
used to.
STUART
Me neither. Maybe we oughtta split...
They nod in unison and head for the door.
CUT TO:
39 EXT. - CENTENNIAL PARK - LATE AFTERNOON
Lois is standing in the center of the park, watching Superman descend to
one side. He sets down Analisa, and stands, uncertain of what to do now
that Lois isn't calling him anymore; she's just watching him.
ANALISA
Okay, Superman, here's your chance. Just kill
her, and that will fix everything. Go on, go out
there and kill her.
He's frowning, very displeased with his orders, but he walks out to meet
Lois in the middle of the park. Behind her, we can see the policemen and
the closed box of Kryptonite.
LOIS
(whispering)
Clark? Do you know me?
He stops, looking puzzled - she seems familiar, but he can't quite
remember - a new frustration.
ANALISA
Go on, Superman, kill her!
Superman grimaces and puts his hands around Lois's neck. She stands
very still, looking at him. She is outwardly very calm. The camera closes
in on the two of them, circling them as they talk.
LOIS
You don't want to do this, Clark.
SUPERMAN
She said it would fix things.
LOIS
It won't. Trust me. Do you trust me?
They maintain constant eye contact.
CUT TO:
40 EXT. - CENTENNIAL PARK - SAME TIME
Analisa is watching this from the bushes, frustrated and worried about the
policemen on the other side of the park.
ANALISA
(muttered)
Come on, come on - kill her already so we can
get out of here!
CUT TO:
41 EXT. - CENTENNIAL PARK - SAME TIME
Back to Superman and Lois; the shot starts with a wide enough focus to
see the police and Analisa, and gradually pulls into just the two principals.
SUPERMAN
(half angry, half sad)
Are you scared of me? Everybody's scared of
me. Nobody likes me, except her.
LOIS
I'm not scared of you, Clark. I love you. And I
trust you.
SGT. ATKINS
Let go of her, Superman, now!
LOIS
(raising her voice enough to be heard)
Relax, Sergeant, he won't hurt me.
Seeing her chance for greatness slipping away, Analisa loses all restraint.
ANALISA
(shouting)
Kill her, Superman, what are you waiting for?
SUPERMAN
I could kill you, you know.
LOIS
I know. But you don't want to, do you? You
can do anything you want, Clark; you have the
strongest willpower of anyone I know.
SUPERMAN
(frustrated)
What am I going to do with you?
LOIS
You're going to love me for the rest of my life.
They maintain eye contact as the sounds of Analisa and the police fade
away, and ever so slowly, he takes his hands from her neck and moves
into a hug instead. With her face against his neck, she can finally shed a
few tears of relief.
LOIS
Clark? I won't tell you what to do, but... I'd like
to go home now, would you?
In answer, he begins to rise off the ground, taking her along. As they
ascend, the camera focus widens to show Analisa, very angrily shouting
into the sky, being surrounded by policemen.
CUT TO:
42 INT. - DAILY PLANET - PIT - DAY 2 - MORNING
Lois and Clark are looking at the Daily Planet's headline: "Superman
Back; Crazy-Makers behind Bars". The byline does *not* read either Lois
Lane or Clark Kent. Lois sighs, trying to make the best of it.
LOIS
Well, it reads pretty well. I wish we'd been
able to write it, but it was more important to get
Superman back to normal.
She pats him on the tie, smiling briefly. He winces and smiles back.
CLARK
Except for a slight headache. But look, Jimmy
got his sidebar piece onto the front page.
LOIS
Oh yeah, all about how out of control
Superman was. There's one for the
scrapbook.
CLARK
What matters is we got through it, and no one
was seriously hurt - I don't know how I could
have dealt with that. And speaking of getting
hurt...
He draws her closer to him, looking deep into her eyes.
CLARK
(continued)
I still can't believe what you did yesterday at
the park. You had to know that wasn't really
me out there... I really could have hurt you.
That was incredibly brave.
LOIS
A long time ago, I told you there wasn't
anything I wouldn't do for you. I love you. I
know you. And I knew you wouldn't hurt me.
You couldn't.
His eyes glow at her trust in him. Slowly, they lean together for a kiss.
JIMMY
Hey, guys, did you see my story?
They reluctantly turn to face Jimmy, who's so pleased with himself that
he's practically levitating, and they just have to smile.
CLARK
Yeah, Jimmy. Front page, great stuff.
JIMMY
Well, Perry helped a lot, and I helped Burns
with the main story. The coffee shop is shut
down until health officials can make sure
there's no more of the drug there, so Tracy and
I can spend some time together. And did you
see that Brian and Stuart are both claiming it's
all the woman's fault?
LOIS
Typical. True in this case, though.
JIMMY
Yep, they're saying they were both just made
crazy by love; I guess that can happen.
CLARK
No, Jimmy. Real love doesn't make you
crazy... real love makes you sane.
He smiles over at his wife, who reaches for his hand and smiles radiantly
as we...
FADE OUT
THE END
Teaser
- Act I - Act II - Act III - Act IV