Dr. Hong:  Victor, can you hear me? I'm sorry for what we did to you. This was all I could save.

Victor:  Thank you.

[ Alarm blaring ]

Dr. Hong:  They're coming. You have to go. Now!

Dr. Krieg:  Stop him!  Aim for the shoulder! Seal the building.  I need him alive.  [ Breathing heavily ] Sweep the area. I want him back in his cage.

[ Tires screech ]

Lana: I hit you at 30 miles an hour. You should be dead.

Victor:  It won't be the first time.

Lana: Who are you?

Victor:  Nobody you want to know. Trust me.

Lana: Wait. At least tell me how you --

Victor:  I'm sorry about your car, but I don't have time for 20 questions right now. I'm out of here. 

[ Beeping ]

Lana: Clark, I need your help.

[ Martha exhales sharply ]

Clark:  Lana, you okay?

Lana: Yeah, it's just a cut. How'd you get here so fast?

Clark:  I was at the Daily Planet with Chloe. What happened?

Lana: I was driving down the street, heading toward the library, when this guy ran out in front of my car. I didn't even have time to brake. Clark, I hit him full on.

Clark:  I'm sorry.

Lana: No, you don't understand. He didn't have a scratch on him.

Clark:  Lana, who is this guy?

Lana: I don't know.  He brought me to the hospital.  He wouldn't tell me his name. He was acting all jumpy and tense, like somebody was after him.

Clark:  What does he look like?

[ Siren wails ]

Clark:  Is that who's chasing you --the police?

Victor:  You got the wrong guy.

Clark:  My girlfriend didn't crash her jeep running into you?

Victor:  What are you looking for, an apology?

Clark:  Just some answers. She said she hit you full on.  You're not even hurt.  How'd you manage that?

Victor:  Milk.  Does a body good.

Clark:  Victor? Victor Stone? Met High wide receiver.

Victor:  I know you?

Clark:  Yeah, I'm Clark Kent. I played for the Smallville Crows.

Victor:  Kent...quarterback. I remember. Some arm you got.

Clark:  I-I don't play anymore.

Victor:  Yeah. Me neither.

Clark:  It's not surprising since I heard you were dead.

Victor:  Look, man, I'm sorry about what happened with your girlfriend. I really am, but I got places I don't want to be right now. Catch you later, Kent.

Clark:  Victor, wait.

Victor:  Let me go. Kent! Kent! Are you -- What the Hell are you made of?

Clark:  I was just about to ask you that.

Victor:  What are you looking at, man? 

[ Telephone rings ]

Martha:  Hello. Who are you?  How did -- no, I understand, but I-I don't think I can raise that much. All right.  I'll be there.

[ Knock on door ]

Martha:  Lionel.

Lionel:  I'm not too early, am I?  Didn't we say 11:30?

Martha:  Oh. Right. The conference in Topeka.  Come in.

Lionel:  You'll save a full day if you take the helicopter, Senator. But if you think it could be a-a conflict of interest to accept a favor from LuthorCorp --

Martha:  No, no, no. No. It's just that something's come up, and I'm going to have to reschedule.

Lionel:  What is it, Martha? Is everything all right?

Martha:  Nothing I can't handle.

Lionel:  Oh, I don't doubt that for a minute.  [ Sighs ] If, uh, if you need a ride in the future, or anything -- anything at all --please, don't hesitate. Please. Call me.

Martha:  I-I will.  Thank you.

Clark:  Lana, hi.  Look, I'm sorry I had to leave so soon, but Victor really didn't want to hang around. No, uh, you should actually stay in Metropolis till I can figure out what's going on. Yeah, Chloe's on her way to pick you up. Okay. Bye. Newspapers got it wrong, huh?

Victor:  No. They didn't. We were all in the car... laughing, carrying on. Then it started to snow. My little sister always loved the snow. My ma... my pops... ...my little sister. I should have died with them. I passed out... expected to see some angels next time I woke up. Instead, I got a bunch of Cyntechnics scientists playing Frankenstein.

Clark:  Cyntechnics --they did this to you?

Victor:  I wasn't the only dead guy they pulled from an accident -- just the first to survive their experiments. If it wasn't for this one doctor that helped me escape, I'd be more machine than man right now.

Clark:  Machine? You mean bionics? That's what all the metal is in your body.

Victor:  How do you know what's in me? What about that wall I tossed you into? How come you're not even hurt?

Clark:  You're not the only one who drinks a lot of milk.

Victor:  So, you're bionic like me?

Clark:  No, I'm... I'm just different.

Victor:  What about your girlfriend --Lana? She's okay with you being... whatever you are?

Clark:  Lana doesn't know.

Victor:  Neither will Katherine.

Clark:  [ Chuckles ] Who's Katherine?

Victor:  It's my girl.

Clark:  She's beautiful.

Victor:  We were planning on getting married after school. Some wedding that'd be now.

Clark:  Does she even know you're alive?

Victor:  No. I don't want to see her. If she knew what I am now -- what they did to me. How could she ever love a thing like me?

Clark:  I'm really not the best person to be asking about that.

Victor:  Won't even matter if Cyntechnics catches up with me first.

Clark:  I got a friend of mine who works at the Daily Planet. She might be able to help find out more about these guys -- maybe get 'em off your back.

Victor:  You'd do that for me?

Clark:  I kind of got this thing about being experimented on in labs. Sit tight.  You should be safe here. Be back as soon as I can.

Chloe:  So, on a scale from one to Taye Diggs, where exactly are we?

Lana:  Um, he's definitely up there.

Chloe:  Yeah?  Tall, dark, and bionic.  You think he likes blondes?

Clark:  His girlfriend's a brunette. Sorry.

Chloe:  Oh.

Lana:  Does she know what actually happened to him?

Clark:  No. He doesn't want her to know. He's afraid how she'll react.

Lana:  Well, what's he gonna do --just keep lying to her and hope that she doesn't notice how different he is?

Chloe: So, I did some digging in Cyntechnics' backyard, and I came up with more flowers than dirt.

Clark:  There's got to be something.

Chloe:  Well, uh, their main focus has become the Machina project. "Cutting-edge prosthetics designed to replace damaged or severed limbs."

Clark:  Well, what they did to Victor is much more extensive than a severed limb.

Lana:  Who owns Cyntechnics?

Chloe: Um...guess what. It is owned by LuthorCorp.

Clark:  We need to talk.

Lex:  And you should work on your entrance, Clark. A bit abrupt, don't you think?

Clark:  What do you know about Cyntechnics?

Lex:  See, now, that's exactly what I mean. No small talk, no pleasantries -- just straight to the accusations.

Clark:  I haven't accused you of anything.

Lex:  You don't have to. Your, uh, righteous tone says it all. So, what am I supposed to have done this time?

Clark:  How about turning Victor Stone into a tin man without his consent?

Lex:  Victor Stone, the football player? I thought I read he died in a car crash.

Clark:  That's what Cyntechnics wanted everyone to believe so they could experiment on him.

Lex:  Well, then maybe you should be badgering Cyntechnics.

Clark:  I am. LuthorCorp bought them out seven months ago.

Lex:  Clark, in the last quarter alone, LuthorCorp has sold or acquired over 100 small ventures.

Clark:  So you're saying you don't know what goes on within your own company?

Lex:  I'm saying I run a multinational corporation. The complexity of keeping it operating requires me to delegate responsibilities. Now, if someone's abusing that position, I'll take the necessary steps to rectify the situation.

Clark:  So will I.

Lana:  Victor? Victor? [ Gasps ]

Victor:  Sorry.

Lana:  That's okay.  [ Chuckles ]

Victor:  Where's Clark?

Lana:  He went to go talk to Lex.

Victor:  You mean Lex Luthor?

Lana:  Yeah, well, it turns out that LuthorCorp owns the company that did this to you.

Victor:  Maybe I should have a few words of my own with this Luthor.

Lana:  Lex has done a lot of things in the past that I don't like, but I can't believe he has any part in this.  He's different.

Victor:  [ Scoffs ] So am I.  Only I didn't have a choice.

Lana:  Well, now you do.

Victor:  Between what? Being a can opener or a Cuinisart?

Lana:  No, between telling the truth to the woman you love or lying to her.

Victor:  Clark told you about Katherine.

Lana:  Yeah. That's actually why I'm here.

Victor:  [ Chuckles ] She's what kept me going all those months in that lab -- the thought of holding her in my arms again.

Lana:  Hey, where you going?

Victor:  To find my girl. I don't know what I'm gonna tell her, but at least I can -- what the Hell?   Aah!

Lana:  Victor!  Uh!

Man:  Target acquired. Uh!

Clark:  Lana.  Are you okay?

Lana:  Yeah, I'm okay.

Victor:  That makes one of us.  [ Breathing heavily ]

Clark:  All right, no one's gonna look for us here. Lois won't be back till tomorrow.

Clark:  Go lie down.  I'll get you a towel.

Victor:  Kent, I'm sorry. I never meant to bring my crazy world into your life.

Clark:  Don't worry about it, all right? You're safe now.  Everything's gonna be okay.

Lana:  Here.

Victor:  I'm not so sure. This isn't exactly something you can just put a little duct tape on. The bionics in my biology are all connected. This goop coming out of my arm... is from my power cell. If it continues to drain like this... I'm a dead man. 

Chloe:  So my probing exposé on the increase in jaywalking can wait. We need to find this doctor.

Clark:  And fast.  I don't know how much time Victor has left.

Chloe:  You know, I know Lex likes to play hardball, but sending snipers into your backyard just doesn't seem like his style.

Clark:  Styles change. When I asked him about Cyntechnics, he was lying through his teeth.

Chloe:  Maybe he was telling the truth. The lead scientist for the Machina project, Dr. Alistair Krieg -- he has a history of burning bridges. He was fired from both M.I.T. and Stanford for using their funding to conduct ethically challenged research.

Clark:  You think he's doing the same thing to Lex?

Chloe:  Lex Luthor's obsession with scientific advancement definitely makes him a target.

Clark:  Right now, that doesn't matter. What matters is finding the person who can save Victor's life.

Chloe:  OK, do you have a name?

Clark:  Dr. Hong.

Chloe:  There are six hongs with M.D.'s in the Metropolis area, and I'm thinking we can cross off the ob-gyn.

Clark:  The bioengineer right there.

Chloe:  There you go.

Clark:  [ Knocking ] Dr. Hong? Dr. Hong, are you there?

[ Engine idling ]

[ Engine shuts off ]

Lex: Is he dead?

Clark:  I think you already know that answer, Lex.

Lex: Clark, do you actually think I had something to do with this?

Clark:  Why else would you be here, Lex? The last time we talked, you acted like you never heard of Cyntechnics.

Lex: I hadn't. But after you waved the red flag, I looked into it.

Clark:  You expect me to believe that?

Lex: Believe what you want. Dr. Hong was about to blow the whistle on the operation, and either he couldn't live with it or the man in charge wouldn't let him live with it.

Clark:  You're talking about Alistair Krieg.

Lex: You've done your homework.  Look, Krieg's gone completely rogue. A project that started as an effort to allow amputees to live a normal life has turned into one man's quest to create a living machine. Clark, if you know where Victor is, you need to tell me before Krieg finds him first.

Clark:  He's sick.  He's been shot. He said if he doesn't get repaired, he may die.

Lex: Then bring him to me.  I have the technology. I can help Victor without involving Krieg.

Clark:  I've seen the way you help people.

Lex: Look, I know you have your issues with me. I know you're angry. But do you really want to let our differences get in the way of saving Victor's life?

Victor:  What happened?  Did Clark find him?

Lana:  I'm so sorry, Victor. Dr. Hong's dead.

Victor:  Because of me. If he hadn't --if he hadn't helped me escape, he'd still be alive right now.

Lana:  It's not your fault, Victor. You didn't choose for any of this to happen to you.

Victor:  [ Sighs ] I always said I should have died with my family. I guess I'll be joining them soon enough.

Lana:  You can't say that.  You can't give up hope, okay?

Victor:  I need to see Katherine.

Lana:  Victor, they're still searching for you. You can hardly walk.

Victor:  I don't care.  I'm gonna see her before I die.

Lana:  Okay, let's just wait for Clark.

Victor:  I'm not waiting for anybody. If you had one last chance to see the person you love, what would you do?

Victor:  Katherine! Katherine!

Dr. Krieg:  Hello, Victor.

Victor:  Where's Katherine?

Dr. Krieg:  She's safe, and she'll stay that way as long as you cooperate.

Victor:  If you so much as touch her, I swear to God...

Dr. Krieg:  I'm a doctor, Victor. My goal is to help people, not to hurt them.

Victor:  Don't play with me, doc. I want to see her.

Dr. Krieg:  You will. But first you'll return to the lab with these gentlemen.

Victor:  Hope you win your Nobel Prize.

Dr. Krieg:  You were right. He came here like a fish to water.

Lex:  Yeah, well, the heart has a way of clouding one's better judgment.

Man:  Did you bring the money?

Martha:  Yes. Who are you?  Why are you doing this?

[ Vehicle approaches ]

[ Tires screech ]

Martha:  Lionel. Wh- what are you doing here?

Lionel:  Well, I could ask you that same question.

Martha:  You have no idea what you just did.

Lionel:  I got worried, Martha. I saw that package at your house this morning. I know you don't want to accept help from me, but I can't just sit back and let you walk into trouble alone.

Martha:  You don't understand.

Lionel:  Yes, I do.  I recognize the signs. You're a senator.  You've got a high profile. You're in the public eye. Blackmail comes with the territory.

Martha:  So, what does one do in this position?

Lionel:  You can't give in to blackmail.  Never ends.

Martha:  [ Sighs ] You don't understand.  There's a lot at stake.

Lionel:  There always is. Let me help you, Martha, please.

Martha:  No, Lionel,  I can handle it.

Lionel:  Yes, you're a very capable woman, but this is something quite beyond your experience. What came to you in that package is of no interest to me. My only interest is your well-being. Martha, let me take care of this for you.

Victor:  [ Groans ]  Where's Katherine?

Dr. Krieg:  Back at home. But don't worry.  We've called off the dogs. You'll be happy to know that we've replaced the tubing. We calibrated a few of the servomechanisms. Your arm is even better than before.

Victor:  I can't wait to use it to smash your skull in.

Lex:  How you feeling? Victor, I'm glad we managed to get to you in time to save you.

Victor:  You got some kind of God complex or something? I didn't ask to be saved.

Lex:  Look, all I'm doing is giving you a future -- a chance for a normal life.

Victor:  Normal? Half my body is straight out of the Sharper Image catalog.

Lex:  At a price a lot steeper than $6 million, the last thing I want to do is cause you more pain.

Victor:  Then why not just take back all your fancy gadgetry? You can roll my sorry stump out in a wheelbarrow, for all I care.

Lex:  You'd die without this gadgetry. But I'm as eager for your freedom as you are. You just need to be patient.

[ Frequency modulating ]

Victor:  What's that?

Lex:  It's gonna make life easier for you.

Victor:  What are you doing to me?

Lex:  What am I doing?  I'm helping you be whole again. Anger, despair, loneliness -- such strong emotions can create a rift between brain and bionics. This chip will take the edge off when necessary.

Victor:  You're trying to turn me into a drone. That's what you're trying to do -- a robot.

Lex:  Victor --

[ Victor gasps ]

Lex:  Easy.  You've read too much science fiction. Pacemakers, synthetic tissues, artificial hearts -- the merging of man and machine is nothing new. I'll get out of your way. Keep me updated.

Dr. Krieg:  I'll prep him for the implant.

[ Victor grunting ]

Clark:  Lana, where's Victor?

Lana:  [ Sighs ] He left.

Clark:  What? He -- he wasn't supposed to leave the apartment.

Lana:  He wanted to see Katherine one last time.

Clark:  Lana, that's the first place they're gonna look for him.

Lana:  Look, I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me. Do you think they brought him back to that lab?

Clark:  I'm gonna go check that out.

Lana:  We should call the police. These people have shot at us before. Who knows what they're gonna --

Dr. Krieg:  Just relax, Victor.  This won't take long.

Victor:  You want me to relax, put away the drill.

Dr. Krieg:  When we're done, I promise you, you'll feel like a new man.

[ Motor whirring loudly ]

Victor:  Nice tackle.

Clark:  Come on.  Let's get you out of here.

Victor:  How'd you do that, Kent?

Clark:  I can do a lot of things.

Lex:  Clark...gonna try some small talk first this time? Like how Victor Stone escaped from the lab. I guess not.

Clark:  That's everything that Chloe and I could find on the Machina project.

Lex:  Well, there's nothing here about Krieg's renegade experiment I haven't already uncovered.

Clark:  Hmm.

Lex:  I have no desire to harass Victor Stone. He's suffered enough.

Clark:  He suffered because of you.

Lex:  Clark...

Clark:  Lex, you were there in the lab, he told me, when they were trying to put a chip in his head.

Lex:  I was there -- to stop Krieg.

Clark:  That's not what Victor said.

Lex:  Victor was under heavy anesthesia. He must have misconstrued my intentions.

Clark:  Seems to happen a lot to you, doesn't it?

Lex:  You think he would have been better off if he'd died along with his family?

Clark:  You always think the ends justify the means, don't you?

Lex:  What I think is that some miracles have a price, but that doesn't make them any less profound. Tell Victor I hope he can move past what happened. Assure him LuthorCorp has. You can let yourself out.

Clark:  Is everything working all right?

Victor:  I feel like a billion dollars, which probably isn't too far off. You really think Luthor's just gonna let that much of his money walk off into the sunset?

Clark:  I didn't give him a choice.

Victor:  [ Chuckles ] I'd say thank you, but... the words just seem too small.

Clark:  And completely unnecessary.

Victor:  Your mom raised you modest, didn't she? You're a hero, Kent. I'm not gonna forget how much I owe you.

Clark:  Help someone else out when they're in need, and we'll call it even.

Victor:  Katherine!

Katherine:  Victor? What happened? What did those men do to you?

Victor:  It's a long story.

Katherine:  We got time.  [ Chuckles ]

[ Knock on door ]

Martha:  Lionel. Come in. What happened?  Did you --

Lionel:  Oh, don't worry.  It's been solved. The man responsible has agreed never to contact you again.

Martha:  Who was he?

Lionel:  He was a police academy dropout turned warehouse security guard. He was trying to cash in at somebody else's expense.

Martha:  Did he tell you what this was about?

Lionel:  I didn't let him. I was only interested in, uh, making sure he went away, and he did -- willingly. But, um, I, uh, there is still one thing that concerns me, though.

Martha:  What is it?

Lionel:  [ Sighs ] You're a public figure now, Senator. How people perceive you is -- it's everything. It's possible that any association with me -- with Lionel Luthor -- could be dangerous to your new career.

Martha:  I'm not the kind of person who turns her back on her friends because of what people think. 

Lionel:  [ Exhales sharply ] I don't know many people like you, Martha. I admire your integrity so much. The state of Kansas is lucky to have you.

[ Footsteps approach ]

Lana:  Haven't seen that in a while.

Clark:  I guess Victor kind of reminded me of the glory days.

Lana:  Why'd you quit, anyway? You, uh, you always seemed so at peace on that field -- like everything that was weighing you down just evaporated.

Clark:  It's just a game.

Lana:  Clark, why do you do that?

Clark:  Do what?

Lana:  Hide what you're really feeling. Seeing Victor and Katherine together -- how in love they are -- it, uh, kind of reminded me of our glory days.  You know how much I love you, Clark. But we seem to just keep going around and around. It's -- we can't move forward.

Clark:  I know.

Lana:  Just tell me the truth, Clark. Do you still love me?

Clark:  I've always loved you... and I always will, no matter what happens.

Lionel:  Your secret is safe with me... ...Kal-El.

-- Captions by Vitac --

www.vitac.Com  Captions paid for by Warner Bros. Television

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