To pop everything into place... use Courier 10 (or a 10-characters-per-inch, nonproportional, san serif font) set top margin at 0.5", bottom margin at 0.5" left margin at 1", right margin at .25 (or minimum) (I had to tell the program I was using legal paper) Notes: Cover: "Dead Lois Walking", Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming [and] Directed by Chris Long are all in large bolt print. The remainder of the text is in Courier 10 (10 characters per inch) Typos noted: "all right" misspelled as "alright" in several places Page 52, scene 92, at top, Dr. Klein "near-molecualr" should be "near-molecular" graphic (see logo.bmp) "Dead Lois Walking" EPISODE SEVEN Prod. #465207 Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming Directed by Chris Long _Production Draft_ Sept. 12,1996 --page break-- _LOIS & CLARK_ "_Dead Lois Walking_" _CAST_ CLARK KENT/SUPERMAN LOIS LANE JIMMY OLSEN PERRY WHITE _______________________________________________________________ PROFESSOR JEFFERSON COLE DR. KLEIN D.A. CLEMMONS WOLCOTT SHEILA FRANCO DR. BAINS LOU STATE TROOPER --page break-- _LOIS & CLARK_ "_Dead Lois Walking_" _LOCATIONS_ _INTERIORS_: _EXTERIORS_: Daily Planet Daily Planet Street Newsroom Perry's office Metropolis Street Conference Room Alleyway Lois & Clark's Townhouse Park Jail Cell Cathedral Bell Tower Roadside Cafe STAR Labs Motel Room Rental Car Cafe Shack --page break-- _LOIS & CLARK_ "_Dead Lois Walking_" _CHRONOLOGY_ SC. 1 - 22 NIGHT #1 SC. 23 - 90 DAY #2 SC. 91 - 92 NIGHT #2 --page break-- _LOIS & CLARK_ The New Adventures of Superman "Dead Lois Walking" TEASE FADE IN: RECAP Lois shoots Sykes; Sheila shoots video; Cole thrilled; D.A. Clemmons prosecutes; Hallucinations set up; Video tape played in court; Perry testifies; Superman stops fake meteor; Lois found guilty. 1 INT. DAILY PLANET - PERRY'S OFFICE - ON WINDOWS - NIGHT #1 1 THUNDER, lightning. PAN to PERRY, sitting forlornly at his desk, lost in thought. He glances down at a desktop strewn with newspapers. 2 INTERCUT DESKTOP - INSERT 2 Various papers, including the Planet, trumpet Lois' conviction and sentence. The Daily Planet: "Lois Lane Sentenced to Die." Most papers link Perry's testimony to the verdict. The Daily Herald: "White Testifies; Lane Fries." Perry sighs, stands, goes out to the: 3 BULLPEN 3 Perry comes out of his office to a glum and silent newsroom. Staffers look up and regard him with suspicion. Perry shifts uncomfortably under their gaze, and: CLEMMONS (O.S.) ... The tragic fact that Ms. Lane was one of our leading citizens is only further proof... CAMERA ARCS around to INCLUDE the bank of TV SETS. DISTRICT ATTORNEY CLEMMONS is holding forth in the glare of video cam lights: CLEMMONS (CONT'D) (on TV) ... that in Metropolis, _no_ _one_ _is_ _above_ _the_ _law_. I believe the sentence of death is wholly fitting. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 2. 3 CONTINUED: 3 CLEMMONS The crime itself caught on video tape, the motive established by the shocking testimony of Perry White, Editor of the... PERRY Turn that noise off! A Staffer scrambles to shut off the TV's, the others go sullenly back to work, stealing glances at Perry. Perry looks off, sees: 4 CLARK 4 CLARK slumps miserably in a chair in the coffee area. Perry joins him, not knowing quite what to say. A beat, then: CLARK (quietly) They want to execute my wife, Perry. PERRY Son, it's late... You've been through hell. Go on home. CLARK (looks up at Perry) There's nothing there for me. Perry sadly puts his hand on Clark's shoulder. PERRY Clark, please believe I didn't testify against Lois. I'm not sure what happened that day... I don't quite remember... But I wouldn't harm a hair on that girl's head. CLARK I already told you, Chief... I believe you. It was a trick. I'll explain once I know more. But right now, I'd just like to... PERRY (going off) Sure. Sure. If there's anything I can do... (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 3. 4 CONTINUED: 4 Clark nods and Perry goes off. CAMERA MOVES IN ON Clark, whose look of devastation is giving way to anger and then, as we MOVE IN very tight, a look of complete determination as he makes a decision. DISSOLVE TO: 5 INT. JAIL CELL - TIGHT ON LOIS - NIGHT 5 A soft roll of THUNDER. LOIS lies asleep on her cot. There is a soft WHOOSH O.S., then Lois stirs as we hear the sound of BARS BENDING... out then in. Lois suddenly sits bolt upright, stunned to see: 6 INCLUDE SUPERMAN 6 LOIS Cla... Superman... (glances around) What're you doing? SUPERMAN (softly) It's okay... No one's in the next cell. The whole place is asleep. She jumps up, throwing her arms around his neck. LOIS Honey, I've been dreaming about you all night, and when I saw you standing there I was afraid it was just a dream! I'm so scared. (beat) Clark, you have to go; they check my cell every twenty minutes. SUPERMAN I am going. So are you. LOIS (staring) What? SUPERMAN Lois, I'm getting you out of here. BLACK. _END OF TEASE_ --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 4. _ACT ONE_ FADE IN: 7 INT. JAIL CELL - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 7 Still in his arms, Lois stares at Superman incredulously, trying to keep her alarmed voice quiet. LOIS What do you mean, 'Get me out of here?' Clark, I lay on that cot every single night, secretly wishing you'd do that, but you _can't_. Do you understand what this'd do to you? SUPERMAN The issue here isn't me; it's you. (beat, emotionally) You're the person I love more than anything in life. I'm not gonna let my wife sit in jail, waiting to die, for something she didn't do no matter what happens to me! LOIS Clark, you spend your whole life serving _justice_... SUPERMAN Exactly. You're _innocent_. Together, we're gonna prove that. If that isn't serving justice, I don't know what is. She stares at him with surprise and love. LOIS (a beat) Gee. You. Being irrational. I love it. He reaches through the bars, inserts a little finger in the keyhole, there is the tiniest of CLICKS. He steps back. She glances knowingly at him. The door CREAKS open a bit on its own. LOIS (CONT'D) You sure about this? SUPERMAN I'm sure that I love you. He scoops her up, she pushes open the cell door, and they BLUR out of the cell as we... CUT TO: --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 5. 8 EXT. HUGE STONE CATHEDRAL - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT (STOCK) 8 9 INT. ABANDONED BELL TOWER - CLOSE ON A MOUTH - NIGHT 9 A tiny voice recorder is brought up to the mouth, and: PROFESSOR COLE Memo to self. 10 WIDER 10 To reveal we are in a Gothic, stone bell tower atop an enormous cathedral. A panorama of city lights is visible through the arched, glassless windows. Ancient rusting bells, unused since the advent of recorded chimes, sit motionless, attached to rotting clockwork mechanisms. PROFESSOR JEFFERSON COLE sits near a worktable covered with memo pads, blueprints, and books. To keep him organized, there are calendars and clocks and hourglasses and day organizers of every description. Cole wears a dramatic greatcoat and scarf. He is an obsessive and agitated perfectionist. PROFESSOR COLE (into recorder; rapid fire:) Did Machiavelli have a point of view on revenge? Find out. Now. Access needed to Star Labs; must find space there to stash hallucination generator. Send front page of Daily Planet out for framing. He picks up a newspaper and savors: 11 FRONT PAGE OF PLANET - INSERT 11 "Lois Lane Sentenced to Death." 12 BACK TO SCENE 12 PROFESSOR COLE Wolcott, are you getting all this? 13 INCLUDE WOLCOTT 13 The rumpled young lab assistant and henchman, WOLCOTT, clings to a stone archway, holding pad and pencil, staring nervously down at the city. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 6. 13 CONTINUED: 13 WOLCOTT I don't get why I have to write everything down when you've already recorded it. PROFESSOR COLE _Back-up_, Wolcott! Back-up is all that stands between us and... WOLCOTT ... system failure. I know. Think anyone knows we're up here? PROFESSOR COLE Of course not. This bell tower's been abandoned for thirty years. I selected it long ago in the event, however unlikely, I'd be masterminding a plot to ruin my enemies and murder thousands. Good thing I took the time. (into recorder) Memo to self, buy rat trap. He stomps on something below FRAME; there's an O.S. SQUEAK. WOLCOTT Lois Lane's taken care of; what next? Cole stands, opens the flaps of an easel-mounted triptych that contains photos of Lois, Dr. Klein, and Superman on a dry-erase marker board surface. PROFESSOR COLE Targets two and three. Dr. Bernard Klein, my former boss at Star Labs, and Superman, muscle-bound goody-goody. (un-caps marker) It's all part of an equation, Wolcott. Klein found out I was selling weapons technology to unfriendly nations. During all this, he will draw parentheses, plus and minus signs, etc. to connect the three pictures in an incredibly complex equation. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 7. 13 CONTINUED: 2 13 PROFESSOR COLE (CONT'D) (a building frenzy) He fired me from Star Labs, blabbing the story to Lois Lane who printed it, and to Superman, who captured me and took me to jail. This, multiplied by years of simmering hatred and stifled genius equals what? Revenge! Revenge! Revenge! The board is covered with symbols and numbers, finished off with an equal sign and the symbol R cubed. Cole is breathing hard; Wolcott stares admiringly at the mess on the board. SHEILA (O.S.) That's like what, new math? Startled, the two men whirl to find: 14 SHEILA 14 SHEILA, trashy as ever, cocks her head to stare at the numbers. She stands in the little doorway to a stairwell. PROFESSOR COLE Sheila. I told you not to come here unless it was an emergency. SHEILA I consider me goin' mental an emergency, alright? Excuse me for living. PROFESSOR COLE (sighs) What is it now? SHEILA I just got this feelin'. I mean, I shot that video... they showed it in court... Lois Lane's gonna die... I'm gettin' hot flashes here. PROFESSOR COLE I wouldn't worry about going mental, Sheila. That'd require mentality. And you can't feel guilt; I hired you because you're completely immoral. SHEILA I never got anyone killed before! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 8. 14 CONTINUED: 14 He grabs her throat, gets right in her face. PROFESSOR COLE No? Well, I have. And if you even _think_ of breathing a word of this to anyone, you're just another head on my wall. SHEILA You have heads? PROFESSOR COLE I speak metaphorically. SHEILA Good-bye. And she dashes out through the door. WOLCOTT Well, I guess _she's_ taken care of. PROFESSOR COLE (not so sure) Hmmmm. (raises recorder to lips) Memo to self. Prune staff by one. (an unpleasant smile) Back-up, Wolcott, always back-up. CUT TO: 15 INT. RENTAL CAR - LOIS AND CLARK - ROLLING - NIGHT (PMP) 15 THUNDER, LIGHTNING. Clark drives, Lois keeps glancing behind her for flashing red lights. CLARK See any cops? LOIS Nope. (clutches her head) Listen to us! (beat) You know, just to meet us, you wouldn't think of us as Bonnie and Clyde. I'm starting to see how a couple bad breaks can make _anyone_ a hardened criminal. CLARK You are not a hardened criminal! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 9. 15 CONTINUED: 15 LOIS Well, I'm a wanted fugitive! CLARK There's a big difference! LOIS That's very comforting. CLARK Look, in that TV show, Richard Kimball was a fugitive, okay? He was wrongly convicted and escaped to prove his innocence, and eventually he did. LOIS How long did it take? CLARK The show ran four years. LOIS I didn't even pack a toothbrush. Clark smiles at her, reaches over to the radio, CLICKS it on, tries to find a station, as: CLARK Wonder how bad this storm's gonna get.... Now, on the radio, the voice of D.A. CLEMMONS: CLEMMONS (V.0.) (on radio) ... and as District Attorney, I can assure you this office will not rest until mad dog killer Lois Lane is brought to justice! LOIS (paling) '_Mad_ _dog_ _killer_?' CLARK Honey... CLEMMONS (V.O.) ... State troopers are currently scouring the state for Mad Dog. LOIS Oh, now it's just Mad Dog...! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 10. 15 CONTINUED: 2 15 CLEMMONS (V.O.) ... And although Superman is not a suspect at this time, his involvement in the escape has been called into question. Anyone spotting Superman is asked to... Clark snaps OFF the radio. Lois stares at it soberly. LOIS So they're watching the sky, too. CLARK I knew they would. It's why we're not flying. LOIS But you could fly so fast you'd be almost invisible! CLARK Yeah, but you'd be vaporized. LOIS (rattled) Oh. That'd be bad. Vaporized would be bad.... (losing it) Oh boy, this is it. This is it. CLARK Look, if we're real careful and just lay low, we should be... He suddenly cocks his head, Super Hearing something. LOIS What? Are you hearing something? CLARK We're gonna have to lay lower than I thought. I just picked up a police call. Road blocks are being set up. ON her horrified look, CUT TO: 16 INT. MOTEL ROOM - CLOSE ON DOOR - NIGHT 16 The door flies open. Lois and Clark stand in the doorway, under a tiny porch roof. Around them it is _pouring_ rain. LIGHTNING. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 11. 16 CONTINUED: 16 LOIS Isn't this place called 'The Cozy Motel?' CLARK Yeah. 17 WIDER 17 A wretched little room with peeling plaster and a single light bulb hanging from a wire. LOIS They're lying. They come inside, closing door. CLARK Sorry about the room. Probably the best we're gonna do tonight. LOIS It's fine. Really. Sorry I got a little upset in the car... CLARK Hey, first time you hear yourself called 'Mad Dog,' you get upset. Anyone would. She smiles appreciatively at his attempt to lighten things, Puts her arms around his neck. LOIS You know what? I'd take being a fugitive with you any day over being _anywhere_ with_out_ you. And we never _did_ actually get out of town for a honeymoon... CLARK (grinning at her) ... This is definitely out of town... LOIS ... And that ten watt bulb lends a certain atmosphere... CLARK ... To say nothing of the Magic Fingers vibrating bed... (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 12. 17 CONTINUED: 17 LOIS You sure know how to show a girl a good time. They kiss. Then again, more deeply. Just as things are heating up, a drop of water hits them from above. They both look up at the ceiling. A larger glob of water splats into their faces. They can only start laughing. They are laughing and kissing as the water drips down on them, when there's a sudden LOUD POUNDING on the door. They freeze: TROOPER (O.S.) Open up! It's the police! BLACK. _END OF ACT ONE_ --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 13. _ACT TWO_ FADE IN: 18 INT. SLEAZY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 18 Clark goes to the door opens it to reveal a stone faced STATE TROOPER. TROOPER (all business) Sir, are you alone here? CLARK Here? Right here? In this room? Yes. 19 INTERCUT INSIDE BATHROOM DOOR - LOIS 19 She's pasted against the bathroom door, listening. TROOPER (O.S) Have you noticed a madwoman lurking around? CLARK (O.S.) What kind of madwoman? TROOPER (O.S.) Vicious, homicidal, maniacal. CLARK A handful. TROOPER The worst. Lois reacts. Then from the ceiling, SPLAT! Water starts leaking on her head. She starts to move away, but the floor boards softly CREAK. TROOPER (CONT'D) Was that a creak? CLARK Was what a creak? TROOPER Thought I heard a creak. CLARK I didn't hear a creak. TROOPER Could swear I heard a creak. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 14. 19 CONTINUED: 19 CLARK Wasn't a creak. TROOPER No creak. CLARK No creak at all. 20 LOIS 20 She stands frozen, exasperated, now soggy, as the water continues leaking onto her head. CLARK (O.S.) Well, I'll keep an eye peeled for that lunatic. A guy can never be too careful. Thanks officer. 21 THE ROOM 21 Clark closes the door and a dripping Lois sloshes out of the bathroom. Clark stares. LOIS 'That lunatic?' 'A guy can never be too careful?' CLARK What was I _supposed_ to say? 'Lighten up officer, I'm _married_ to that lunatic?' LOIS I just want strangers to know you're standing up for me. That even if I'm a lunatic, I'm your lunatic. CLARK (lovingly; wiping her head with a towel) You know that's what I think. LOIS Thank you. CLARK Don't mention it. He holds her, gently drying her with low-watt HEAT VISION. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 15. 21 CONTINUED: 21 LOIS (upset) When I was locked away, I'd concentrate on the life waiting for me outside. With you. Now I am outside, with you, and here we are dodging roadblocks, helicopters with searchlights, cops pounding on our door... And I'm scared this is what the rest of our lives will be. CLARK Which is why we're gonna unravel this case and find out who's framing you. He yanks a computer printout from a bag. CLARK (CONT'D) Here's that list of anyone with a grudge against you. He unfurls the paper and it unravels onto the floor. Lois stares at it uncomfortably. LOIS (trying to be light) And that's just my relatives. CLARK (reading the list) We limited it to people with scientific expertise. Whoever it is, has to be capable of making hallucinations like the 'Perry' who testified against you... LOIS ... And making bullets fire from guns all by themselves... CLARK And they'd have to be pretty angry at you to devise this scheme. LOIS Well traditionally, people sent to jail get pretty angry. CLARK Think you could narrow it down to the three angriest? (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 16. 21 CONTINUED: 2 21 LOIS (sighs, grabs list) All I ever wanted to do when I became a reporter was get to the bottom of a problem, and make it better. I'm beginning to think most people don't appreciate that. All they do is take the evening paper and wrap old fish in it... And I get convicted of murder. CLARK Well, I appreciate it. (then) Let's get to work. DISSOLVE TO: 22 INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT - LATER 22 Lights are low. CAMERA MOVES through the room past wastebaskets, ashtrays, and soda cans catching the dozens of drips from the leaky ceiling. We MOVE ON through many lit candles and find Lois and Clark in bed, undressed, her head resting on his chest as they sort through lists. CLARK See now, this list isn't so bad. Five people threatened to sue you... LOIS That's not so awful. CLARK Two hundred threatened to kill you. LOIS Oh. CLARK But only six have the background for creating those hallucinations. (off her sad look) Don't be blue. You follow your heart. You do the right thing. LOIS That why you love me? CLARK And you have a great body. And he gives her a sweet kiss. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 17. 22 CONTINUED: 22 LOIS Being a hard-bitten newswoman is sure more fun than it used to be. The kiss turns into passion into love-making and the new list falls to the floor. As they get lost in one another, CAMERA takes us down to the list of six names, one of which is Jefferson Cole's. CUT TO: 23 INT. STAR LABS - DAY #2 23 DR. KLEIN is delicately measuring tiny scoops of powder into test tubes of colored liquids, while doing complex calculations on a clipboard. The tense, thin-lipped DR. BAINS enters, carrying a folder marked "Project K." DR. BAINS (sourly) The Project K reports are on your desk, Bernard. You'd better review 'em since I obviously have no credibility. Oh, and congratulations on the promotion. DR. KLEIN Bains, I didn't want to be New Projects chief... I didn't ask for it... I know you wanted it... I don't even _like_ Project K. DR. BAINS Of course you don't. It was my idea. DR. KLEIN (wearily) I just think the Defense Department has _enough_ of turning a bajillion people into toast... DR. BAINS (haughty) But not like _this_. Not in seconds... leaving buildings completely intact. DR. KLEIN I know.... I know... (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 18. 23 CONTINUED: 23 DR. BAINS You've seen how lethal Kryptonite is to Superman. My hybrid Kryptonite is equally dangerous to earth humans... Or it would be. if you hadn't thrown a wrench in the works by firing Professor Cole. DR. KLEIN The man was unhinged and unstable! DR. BAINS The man was _brilliant_! He was this close to a method of exposing _millions_ to Hybrid K at once. And you sent him to jail. DR. KLEIN I did not personally send him to jail! There are laws against what he did! DR. BAINS Visionaries should be exempt from the laws of lesser mortals. DR. KLEIN You're sounding a little unhinged and unstable yourself. Bains walks briskly out of the room. DR. KLEIN (CONT'D) Bains... Klein wearily stands starts to follow him. 24 JUST OUTSIDE DOOR TO LAB 24 Bains steps into the hall and simply VANISHES into thin air. 25 INT. ABANDONED BELL TOWER - ON KEYBOARD - DAY - SIMULTANEOUS 25 Wolcott is clacking away at the keyboard as CAMERA MOVES to find both he and Cole listening to an audio monitor. WOLCOTT He bought the hallucination completely, Professor. CAMERA ADJUSTS to find the real Dr. Bains, tied up and wide-eyed. From the audio monitor: (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 19. 25 CONTINUED: 25 DR. KLEIN (V.O.) Bains, even you should see Cole had to be stopped. Bains? Now where'd he go? PROFESSOR COLE But I _wasn't_, stopped. Because I'm _detail_ oriented! So _I've_ got the mass exposure technique you're not even _close_ to! I just need the Hybrid K. (whips recorder to lips) Memo to self: Devise added revenge for 'unhinged and unstable' remark. Wolcott nods in Bains, direction. WOLCOTT What do we do with him? PROFESSOR COLE Well... I'm about to annihilate a few thousand folks in Metropolis... (gestures toward Bains) The more the merrier. He grabs his cel phone and dials. 26 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - WITH CLEMMONS - TRACKING - DAY 26 D.A. Clemmons heads down the street as his cel phone RINGS. CLEMMONS (into phone) Yes? 27 INTERCUT ABANDONED BELL TOWER - SIMULTANEOUS - DAY 27 PROFESSOR COLE This is your best friend in the world. The one who handed you a murder conviction and possibly the governorship. CLEMMONS Who the hell _are_ you?! PROFESSOR COLE Someone you want as your best friend, not your worst enemy. (then) The Lane woman is still on the loose. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 20. 27 CONTINUED: 27 CLEMMONS I know that! PROFESSOR COLE Then you also know your poll numbers are falling like parakeet droppings in a bird cage. CLEMMONS I can handle it. All I have to do is bring in Lois Lane. PROFESSOR COLE (dangerously) That's _exactly_ what you have to do. Or I might just have to reveal a certain destroying of evidence on your part... CLEMMONS (nervously looking around) I _didn't_ destroy evidence. I simply moved it from safe keeping into safer keeping... PROFESSOR COLE (pleasantly) Have it right now, do you? CLEMMONS (hissing) Of course! PROFESSOR COLE Because if anyone were to find 'it'... You'd be finished. Clemmons pats his coat pocket, panics when he feels nothing, backs into a doorway, breathing hard, frantically feeling around his jacket. PROFESSOR COLE (CONT'D) You're breathing awfully hard, Counselor. Cole pulls out a wad of Kleenex, and with trembling fingers unwraps it to reveal .... 28 THE BULLET CASING 28 --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 21. 29 BACK TO SCENE 29 Clemmons tries to recover his old bluster. CLEMMONS Of course I have it. I didn't rise to this prominent position by losing things. PROFESSOR COLE (pleasantly) You lost Lois Lane. (hard) Find her! (beat) Or you'll lose _everything_. Click. Clemmons, stares at his phone, rattled. CUT TO: 30 EXT. ROADSIDE CAFE - DAY 30 It's a funky shack near a pond and a dirt road. Lois sits outside at a beat up wooden table in dark glasses and a hat pulled low over her head. On the table rest rumpled newspapers and debris from previous customers. From inside comes the owner, LOU, who drops off a greasy menu, peers closely at her before going back inside. There's a WHOOSH, and Clark appears from the side of the shack. He joins her. CLARK Got your note back at the motel. Sorry I took so long. The police took forever questioning me about you. (looking around) Think this is safe? She idly pulls at the pile of newspaper sections. LOIS Clark, I had to get out of that room. At least out here in the country I don't feel like such a fugitive. She comes across a local front page. The headline screams "Fugitive!" with a picture of Lois beneath it. LOIS (CONT'D) Ohmygod. Ohmygod. CLARK Don't panic. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 22. 30 CONTINUED: 30 LOIS Don't panic, yes. (gets a grip) Has the bullet I supposedly fired turned up? CLARK No. It vanished from the evidence lock-up. LOIS Any luck finding Sheila ... that woman who shot the eye-witness video? CLARK No... LOIS Got the whereabouts of those guys on the list we came up with? CLARK Not exactly. LOIS Well, you just let me know when it _is_ time to panic. CLARK Your mother's left forty-five messages telling you to call her. LOIS There you go. Now I'll panic. (beat) God, I just can't face her yet... Lou comes out to get their order. Clark half-hides his face with a hand. LOU Ready, Miss? CLARK Thanks, but I think we were just leav... LOIS I'd like the chicken breast sandwich, on sourdough, with a slice of Bermuda onion.... Clark stares at Lois through his fingers. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 23. 30 CONTINUED: 2 30 LOIS (CONT'D) ... Also no mayonnaise, but could you bring some Dijon mustard? On the side. And some dills. If you're out of sourdough, a seven-grain roll will be fine. I'd like some iced camomile tea, slice of lime not lemon, and boysenberry pie, heated to room temperature. Thank you. LOU Sir? CLARK Nothing. Lou leaves. Clark stares at Lois. CLARK (CONT'D) Honey? LOIS What? CLARK I'm no expert, but I think when you're on the lam, you sorta overlook the subtleties of cuisine in favor of staying low-key. LOIS Well, Clark, I could be going back to the joint. Jail reminded me that every breath of free air should be savored as special. Suddenly she jumps up and heads towards the kitchen. CLARK (following) Where're you _going_? LOIS I just remembered I want gherkins not dill pickles. 31 INSIDE SHACK 31 Lou's at the counter, looking down at something. LOIS Sir? I'd like... (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 24. 31 CONTINUED: 31 She suddenly realizes he's staring down at the newspaper with the "FUGITIVE!" headline. Clark has appeared in the doorway. LOU (looking up) I know who you are. He looks towards the window and Lois and Clark's eyes follow: 32 INTERCUT THEIR POV - OUTSIDE 32 As a cop car pulls up. LOU Excuse me. He leaves and goes up to the car. Lois and Clark flatten themselves against the wall next to the door, stealing glances at the conversation. Lou is in animated dialogue with the cops, gesturing toward the shack. CLARK I'm flying you outta here. LOIS What, in front of everyone? You can't do that. CLARK Yes. I can. LOIS No. You can't. This is interrupted by Lou suddenly appearing in the doorway. Surprised, they stare past him to see the cop car leaving FRAME. LOIS (CONT'D) They're... leaving. LOU 'Course. Told 'em I hadn't seen anyone. (off Lois' stare) Like I said, I know who you are. Everyday people like me worry about keepin' our families safe and our businesses open. We got small lives. (MORE) (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 25. 32 CONTINUED: 32 LOU (CONT'D) You fight for us when we can't do it ourselves, and I want you to know we appreciate it. (beat) And I'm real sure you didn't kill anyone, Miss Lane. Lois smiles at him, very moved. 33 EXT. ROAD - LOIS AND CLARK - TRACKING - DAY 33 They're walking, a little distance from the cafe. Clark has a basket of food; they both wave to Lou, back at the shack. LOU Y'all come back! As they near a "Y" in the road, Lois digs under the napkin, checks out food. LOIS Peanut butter cookies! Clark, he packed peanut butter cookies. Wonder if they're any other surprises. The Cop car has pulled from a hidden place behind a clump of bushes and is slowly rolling up behind them. CLARK How about that cop car? LOIS What? CLARK It's following us. She stares behind her. They quicken their pace. 34 LOU 34 He stands in the road back toward the cafe, watching in horror. Now he starts trotting up the road. 35 HIS POV 35 Lois and Clark disappear behind trees, taking the left fork in the road. The Cop Car disappears after them. --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 26. 36 LOU 36 He stands at the fork in the road, trying to see what's happening. CAMERA PANS from Lou, back toward the cafe. There is a sudden BLUR out of the bushes across the pond, and in a side door of the shack. 37 LOU - TRACKING 37 Lou sadly makes his way back toward the cafe, then stops in his tracks, staring. CAMERA ADJUSTS to find Lois and Clark standing in the doorway. CLARK Well, you did say to come back. LOIS Are we early? CUT TO: 38 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - SMALL ALLEYWAY - DAY 38 TIGHT on a video camera attached to a short tripod. It is hoisted into place atop a packing crate. WIDEN to find Sheila, determined and methodical, setting controls. She steps back, glances over at lens. 39 VIDEO CAMERA - POV 39 "Record" light flashes. Sheila stares into the lens in a narrow field view that reveals only a portion of the alley. 40 BACK TO SCENE 40 Sheila places another crate over the camera, carefully aligning a slit in the box with the lens. She now stands before the box, facing CAMERA: She adopts a pose then remembers something and takes out a mirror and lipstick. She goes back to her spot and faces the camera. SHEILA To who it may concern. I can hold my tongue no longer. Lois Lane, like so many women before her, is a pawn in a bigger game. A dupe in a scurrilous scheme. A.... (she pulls an index card out of her pocket and checks it) A puppet in a putrid ploy. --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 27. 41 ANGLE ON METAL DOOR BENEATH STAIRS 41 It slowly opens with a CREAK. 42 SHEILA 42 Startled, she spins. She summons her courage, moves toward the door. 43 VIDEO CAMERA POV 43 Sheila has stepped out of FRAME. From O.S. we hear: SHEILA (O.S.) Thanks for comin', I need to talk to you. 44 WITH SHEILA 44 She talks to someone we can't yet see. SHEILA Uh... let's go over here. (no response) Please, let's talk over here where no one can see us. 45 MAN'S ARM 45 The hand pulls a gun from the folds of his dark greatcoat, raises it to aim. 46 VIDEO CAMERA POV 46 No sign of Sheila or the man. SHEILA (O.S.) No! A muffled O.S. GUNSHOT, the sound of Sheila's falling body, the SLAM of metal door. Then just the mute blinking of the "Record" light. BLACK. _END OF ACT TWO_ --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 28. _ACT THREE_ FADE IN: 47 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - CURB - DAY 47 The rental car, Clark at the wheel, pulls up to CAMERA, in an ANGLE favoring Clark. CLARK You didn't have to come into town, you know. It's not all that safe. LOIS (O.S.) Clark, I'm fine. 48 REVEAL LOIS 48 Lois is wearing a big blond wig and dark glasses, the collar of her coat pulled up around her jaw. LOIS You change your whole identity with a pair of _glasses_. I've gone the extra mile, here. CLARK I'm just saying I could've run down a few leads on my own... They get out of the car. LOIS We're a team. I'm not making you do all the work just 'cause I've been inconvenienced. CLARK 'Inconvenienced?' You've been sent to death row! LOIS _Any_way... I wanna find out more about that bullet disappearing. Why don't you check in at the Planet? CLARK Fine. We'll meet at... He suddenly cocks his head, Super Hearing something. LOIS You're hearing something. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 29. 48 CONTINUED: 48 CLARK Police call. That woman who taped you shooting Sykes... She was just murdered. LOIS _Sheila_? CLARK _And_ they found a hidden video tape at the crime scene. (beat) Maybe Superman oughta stop by there. LOIS (excited) _Great_ idea. Go! Let's see some tights! CLARK (smiling) I'm going, I'm going. Geez. He loosens his tie and dashes off. Lois watches him go, then turns and checks her appearance in the car window, adjusting her hair. 49 ANGLE ACROSS THE STREET 49 Some distance up the street, Wolcott sits in a van. He holds the kind of camera that sends images to computers. He wears a headset, and speaks into the mike. WOLCOTT I been tailin' Kent since he got back in town. He's with a woman.... 50 HIS POV 50 Lois finishes checking herself up and starts nonchalantly up the street, still in Wolcott's field of view. WOLCOTT (V.O.) That's her. You receiving? 51 INT. ABANDONED BELL TOWER - ON COLE - DAY 51 Professor Cole sits intently studying something. CAMERA ADJUSTS to find him peering at a computer monitor, on the screen of which is the image of blond Lois. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 30. 51 CONTINUED: 51 Cole also wears a headset and speaks into the mike. PROFESSOR COLE Yes, yes. Got her. He punches a key and the image freezes on the screen. Now he types on the keyboard, during: PROFESSOR COLE (CONT'D) Now... If this woman were, say, brunette... And her jaw line continued beyond what we can see here... And we took off a little make-up... and glasses... He hits 'enter,' and the blond wig, glasses, and high collar are replaced by images that transform the blond into Lois Lane. PROFESSOR COLE (CONT'D) Well, surprise, surprise. It's her. CUT TO: 52 INT. DAILY PLANET - ON DOUBLE DOORS - DAY 52 Clark bursts in, carrying a video tape cassette. Perry is crossing out of his office, hurries to keep up with Clark as he heads to the conference room. PERRY Clark! There you are. I'm worried sick about Lois. How is she? CLARK (glancing around) How is she, Chief? She's... at large. PERRY (confidentially) But how is she? CLARK (quietly) Are you assuming I know where she is? PERRY (watching him) I'm assuming I know _you_, Son. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 31. 52 CONTINUED: 52 CLARK She's... doing okay, Chief. PERRY (soft smile) You tell her we love her. (starts away) And I want you to interview me, Clark. I want to tell how I never testified in that courtroom, but if I _had_ I woulda told the world how Lois Lane never could've killed _one_! We'll run it page one. CLARK Thanks, Chief. Perry strides off, waving "it's nothing," as Clark enters conference room. 53 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY 53 JIMMY is sorting through computer print-outs as Clark enters, goes to the VCR, shoves in the tape. JIMMY C.K., I'm _trying_ to find anyone who might be doing research in creating hallucinations... But I'm comin' up dry. You sure Superman really saw what he said he saw? Think he coulda been.... CLARK (a little defensive) Hallucinating? Yes, Jimmy, he was. But someone _made_ him hallucinate what he hallucinated. JIMMY (confused) Oh. I see. CLARK Just like your brain can be stimulated to make you think you're tasting something... I think someone's found a way to make people think they're _seeing_ something. He starts the tape. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 32. 53 CONTINUED: 53 JIMMY (waves at printouts) Well, whoever it is ain't here. (off Clark's look) But of course I won't rest 'til I find 'em. Now on the TV screen appears Sheila. SHEILA (ON TV) ... And I can no longer go on feeling guilty about Lois Lane. I want the world to see this tape. She glances off screen at something, steps out of FRAME. JIMMY Wow, that's the lady who taped Lois... (off Clark's sharp look) ... Uh, holdin' the gun that somehow shot that guy... CLARK The woman on the tape was just murdered. JIMMY _What_? (then) Where'd this come from? CLARK (watching screen intently) A hidden video camera. Superman was at the crime scene and flew the tape to the forensics lab. He gave me a copy. (before Jimmy can speak) Sssh... SHEILA (O.S.) Thanks for comin', I need to talk to you. Let's go over here... 54 TIGHT ON CLARK 54 He stares at the screen, tipping his glasses. --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 33. 55 HIS POV 55 He is focused on a shiny hubcap or some other discarded junk in the alley. What's reflected there is a tiny out of focus shape. In a series of ever-closer TELESCOPIC vision-shots, we see the blur turn into Sheila's back, facing Professor Cole in a doorway in the alley. He holds a gun. SHEILA (O.S.) Please, let's talk over here, where no one can see us. 56 CLARK 56 Beyond him, Jimmy stares intently at the screen. CAMERA MOVES DOWN to a note pad in Clark's lap. He SUPER SPEED draws the image of Cole from the screen. 57 CONFERENCE ROOM 57 Suddenly there's an O.S. gunshot from the TV, a yelp from Sheila, and the sound of her body falling. The door slams O.S., then all is quiet on the screen. JIMMY (stunned) Wow, she must've been trying to get someone to talk to her on tape, but we'll never know who. PHONE. Clark grabs it. CLARK Conference room. (startled; covering) Uh... Yes... I would be interested in a meeting... 58 INTERCUT - EXT. PARK - LOIS 58 She's on her cel phone, still disguised. LOIS I'm at the park across from the hall of justice. CLARK I hope you're kidding. (squeezes forehead) Of course you're not kidding. LOIS I've got news. Hurry! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 34. 58 CONTINUED: 58 CLARK (slams down phone) Man... (dashes for door, stops, dashes back) Jimmy, it looked like something might've been reflected in that hubcap... (points to screen) ... That one there.... JIMMY (squints) It's so tiny.... Clark impatiently heads for the door. CLARK Yeah, but a lab could blow the image way up! Try it! JIMMY Sure. Uh, C.K.... Are you alright? CLARK (at door) Sorry, Jimmy... I've got... a lot on my mind. JIMMY I know. (quietly) Tell Lois we miss her. Clark pauses in the open doorway, glances back at Jimmy, who shrugs innocently. Clark smiles, goes. CUT TO: 59 EXT. PARK - ON LOIS - DAY 59 She sits on a park bench, a tabloid newspaper in front of her face. Behind her looms the Hall of Justice. A soft WHOOSH O.S., Lois peers out from behind the paper, smiles, as CAMERA PULLS BACK to find Clark entering FRAME, straightening his tie. CLARK (agitated, hushed voice) Can I ask you something? LOIS What, sweetheart? (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 35. 59 CONTINUED: 59 CLARK Are you crazy?! (waves at Justice Hall) The guy who put you away is right inside there! LOIS (glances at his shirt) Gee, you are upset. (sotto) Suit's showing. Clark glances down at his top button, unbuttoned, and quickly buttons it. LOIS (CONT'D) I've got news. CLARK Me, too. He shows her the sketch he made in the conference room. CLARK (CONT'D) Recognize him? LOIS Yes, that's Professor Jefferson Cole. Is he out? CLARK I think he just murdered someone. LOIS What?! Who? CLARK The woman who taped you holding the gun... (off her look) ... That somehow shot that guy. LOIS He's connected to _her_? CLARK _And_ to you. He's right there on the list of people who hated you and.... LOIS (excited) ... could've created the hallucinations! (MORE) (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 36. 59 CONTINUED: 2 59 LOIS (CONT'D) You, me, and Dr. Klein put him away three years ago. He was very unhappy. CLARK With all of us. (musing) Boy, if anyone could make a bullet fire without a trigger being pulled it's him... LOIS (holds up hand) Yo. My news. The bullet casing vanished from the evidence lock-up when the guard got called away. I got hold of some phone records. Guess where the call came from? (gestures across street) ... The D.A.'s office. He glances at the building, then admiringly at her: CLARK You are the best. (then) Maybe I'll go do that hover-around-the-building-and x-ray-thing. LOIS I was hoping. He loosens his tie, starts away, darts back. CLARK Please don't do anything adventurous while I'm gone. LOIS I will remain completely inconspicuous. He smiles, tears off, we hear the WHOOSH as Lois settles on a park bench with its back to the curb and Justice building. 60 LOIS 60 Lois picks up her cel phone, stares at the buttons, considers, sighs. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 37. 60 CONTINUED: 60 LOIS (to herself) Oh, just do it. She dials the phone. As she does so, and while she speaks, a van pulls up to the curb behind her, technicians leap out, place two microphones on stands and a small lectern. From left and right behind Lois, a small crowd of onlookers and reporters gathers. But Lois sees none of this; she's focussed on: LOIS (CONT'D) (bracing herself) Hello. Mother? Yes, it's me. How am I? Oh.... you know.... fine. Out of the Justice building strides D.A. Clemmons. He heads toward the lectern. Reporters are hurrying from the park and a small crowd is forming behind Lois' bench, including several cops. LOIS (CONT'D) How? I _walked_ out, Mother. It's a long story. Well, I'm sorry it's taken a terrible toll on you. I'm sorry you've had to double your medication. Yes, I know medication's not cheap. What? Bloodhounds lose the scent if I hide in water? I'll remember that. Listen, I gotta go. I just didn't want you to worry. Really. I'm perfectly safe. CLEMMONS Lois Lane _will_ be brought to justice! Lois freezes, not daring to look behind her, now noticing the gathered crowd, which is also forming around the bench, fencing her in. She folds up the cel phone. CLEMMONS (CONT'D) That is what I called you here to say. The faulty cell door that allowed her to escape is being investigated, and security measures will be tripled when this ruthless killer is once again behind bars. A soft WHOOSH O.S. and Clark hurries into the park, straightening his tie. He stops, staring aghast at Lois in the midst of the cops and reporters. She shrugs back helplessly. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 38. 60 CONTINUED: 2 60 CLEMMONS (CONT'D) Rest assured that this administration will not sleep while Mad Dog Lane is at large. _No_ one is above the law! Thank you. He turns and heads back across the street to the Justice Building as the crowd surges around him, the reporters shouting questions. Clark hurries up to Lois. 61 LOIS AND CLARK - TRACKING 61 Clark eases her up from the bench, starts walking her away. LOIS I had nothing to do with that! They just showed up. CLARK I checked the whole building. If the D.A.'s hiding the bullet, it's not in there. Lois wilts, then glances over at the retreating D.A. LOIS You know what....? If he's _really_ nervous... Maybe the best hiding place isn't the D.A.'s _building_, but the D.A. himself. CLARK Hmmm. He glances over at the D.A., who's stopped, answering a question. Clark tips his glasses, casts an X-RAY beam at Clemmons. CLARK (CONT'D) Aha. 62 CLEMMONS 62 CLEMMONS No more questions! He starts toward the building steps. Clark comes running at him from the park. CLARK Just one more! One more question, Mr. Clemmons....! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 39. 62 CONTINUED: 62 Clemmons turns just as Clark reaches the curb. CLEMMONS Kent! I've got nothing to... CLARK The Daily Planet wants to know... Oops! And Clark "accidentally" trips over the curb, which sends him flying into Clemmons. They hit the ground, Clark on top of him. Aides rush up as the two thrash around, Clemmons trying to push Clark off. CLARK (CONT'D) Sorry. I'm so sorry. Really. There's no excuse. Let me help you up. Clark starts to stand, pulling Clemmons up by the lapels. He "accidentally" drops him on the sidewalk. CLARK (CONT'D) Sorry! I can't seem to do anything right.... The Aides shove Clark away and help the sputtering Clemmons up. 63 LOIS 63 She peers out from around some bushes at the action at the Justice Building. Clark comes trotting up and they begin hurrying away. LOIS Dropping him again was a nice touch. CLARK Someone that slippery's hard to hang onto. LOIS Any luck? He just smiles, opens his hand to reveal the bullet. LOIS (CONT'D) _You_ are the best. They hurry off out of FRAME, we... CUT TO: --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 40. 64 INT. STAR LABS - DR. KLEIN - DAY 64 Dr. Klein is on the phone while irritably initialing stacks of forms his subordinates keep shoving in front of him. DR. KLEIN (into phone) No, I _haven't_ looked at the vacation schedules... Do you understand I am a _scientist_? What? No I haven't thought about the Christmas party... Superman strides into the room. DR. KLEIN (CONT'D) (hanging up) Superman. Take it from me, don't ever become an administrator. My life is a living hell. SUPERMAN Hi ho, Dr. Klein. DR. KLEIN 'Hi ho?' SUPERMAN I am here on a matter of urgent national security. A terrorist cell has become aware of Project K. DR. KLEIN (nervously) _You_ know about Project K? SUPERMAN You know I have the highest security clearance. Otherwise I couldn't even be in this room. The Defense Department wants the Hybrid Kryptonite moved to safe storage until extra security can be installed here. DR. KLEIN Superman, it's deadly stuff. I uh, suppose you have written orders... SUPERMAN (waving document) Of course. Now if you'll fetch the Hybrid Kryptonite, I will instruct you where to take it. --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 41. 65 INT. ABANDONED BELL TOWER - DAY - SIMULTANEOUS 65 Professor Cole Sits gleefully typing at a keyboard, listening to a speaker box: DR. KLEIN (V.O.) (on speaker box) You see what I mean, Superman? If I weren't New Projects Chief, I wouldn't be stuck doing this.... Professor Cole leans into a microphone: PROFESSOR COLE (into mike) Yes, Dr. Klein, I see what you mean... 66 INT. STAR LABS - DAY 66 Klein, carrying a radiation-proof box, follows Superman to the door. SUPERMAN ... You obviously weren't ready for the promotion. DR. KLEIN Well, that's a little rude... SUPERMAN Hey, if the shoe fits... And as the workers stare, the two men exit. BLACK. _END OF ACT THREE_ --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 42. _ACT FOUR_ FADE IN: 67 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - LOIS AND CLARK - TRACKING - DAY 67 Clark and Lois, walking quickly. Rapid fire: LOIS (breathless) Clark! I'm fine! Really! CLARK Promise you won't take any more chances. LOIS Define 'promise.' CLARK (stops; exasperated) Lois.... LOIS (sweetly; loosening his tie) Alright, alright, I'll go back to the motel. You'd better get that bullet to Star Labs. CLARK (starting to unbutton shirt) Just be careful. And he dashes off as she starts walking. LOIS Of course. She reaches the car, as we hear an O.S. WHOOSH. LOIS (CONT'D) But please. What more could happen? She gets into the car. As she closes the door, Wolcott pops up in the back seat. He's holding a gun. WOLCOTT Don't even gasp. LOIS What do you want?! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 43. 67 CONTINUED: 67 WOLCOTT I'm making a citizen's arrest. CUT TO: 68 INT. STAR LABS - DAY 68 Superman is pacing as Dr. Klein enters, frazzled. DR. KLEIN Superman! SUPERMAN Dr. Klein, I need to see you. DR. KLEIN You just saw me! SUPERMAN No, I didn't. DR. KLEIN Yes you did! SUPERMAN Where'd I see you? DR. KLEIN _You_ know! SUPERMAN Know what? DR. KLEIN You don't know?! SUPERMAN I have no idea! DR. KLEIN You and I didn't just go on a secret government mission?! SUPERMAN No! DR. KLEIN We didn't remove the Hybrid Kryptonite?! SUPERMAN No! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 44. 68 CONTINUED: 68 DR. KLEIN We didn't take it to safe keeping?! SUPERMAN No! DR. KLEIN Superman! Forgive me, but you are _losing_ it, boy! Superman grips Klein's shoulders. SUPERMAN Dr. Klein, what is Hybrid Kryptonite? It's dawning on Klein that he may be in trouble. DR. KLEIN (dazed) The most deadly substance in the world. (off Superman's stare) It was the government's idea! SUPERMAN And you just took it somewhere? DR. KLEIN (fried) To a drop off point! So special agents could place it in safe keeping! If you didn't tell me to, who did?! SUPERMAN An hallucination. DR. KLEIN But that's completely unauthorized. SUPERMAN Yes, and I'm pretty sure this 'Hybrid Kryptonite' is now in the hands of Jefferson Cole. DR. KLEIN Oh, I hope not. He's insane. I'd like a cocktail now. He grabs a lab flask, pours bourbon into a beaker, as: (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 45. 68 CONTINUED: 2 68 SUPERMAN I need to know where this drop off point is. I'll try to find the stuff. Is it deadly to me, too? DR. KLEIN (gulping drink) Oh, it can pretty much destroy anyone. Without harming property. So it's environmentally friendly. SUPERMAN (handing over bullet) While I'm gone, I want you to micro-analyze this bullet casing. I think Cole rigged it to fire so he could frame Lois Lane. RING! Klein grabs the phone. DR. KLEIN No calls! What? No, I haven't seen the... (a beat) No. Oh no. He slowly hangs up, dazed. DR. KLEIN (CONT'D) Apparently there was just a news bulletin... An anonymous source is saying most of Metropolis will die in exactly fifteen minutes. And that survivors, if any, can thank Superman and Dr. Bernard Klein for their misery. Superman just stares, then BLURS out. Klein slumps on a lab stool. CUT TO: 69 INT. ABANDONED BELL TOWER - CLOSE ON LOIS - DAY 69 Lois is gagged, staring down, as we PULL BACK to find Professor Cole at her feet, completing the task of tying her up, a gun held on her with one hand. PROFESSOR COLE I was right! Eleven feet of rope precisely! One more inch and there would've been slop. (MORE) (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 46. 69 CONTINUED: 69 PROFESSOR COLE (CONT'D) (looks up at her) And I'm anything but sloppy, Ms. Lane. (standing) So it falls to me to complete the task the state's botched up. Your execution. Furious muted garble from behind Lois' gag. PROFESSOR COLE (CONT'D) You're right. The irony leaves one speechless. You, who once put me away, about to be put away by the object of her put-awaying. 70 ON LOIS 70 Something catches her eye. 71 LOIS' POV 71 A cobweb covered control box with a lever protruding from it, is bolted to the wall, conduit leading from the box up to the bells' ancient mechanism. PROFESSOR COLE (O.S.) Now, the real excitement for you, other than your annihilation, is getting to watch the bulk of Metropolis die before you do. 72 CLOSE ON PROFESSOR COLE 72 As he leans in to Lois' frightened face. PROFESSOR COLE ... With your cohorts Superman and Klein shouldering the blame. CUT TO: 73 INT. DAILY PLANET - DAY 73 Clark rushes into pandemonium. Staffers run up to Perry with wire copy, others seal window edges with wide tape. CLARK Chief! Any more word from this nut case threatening the city? (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 47. 73 CONTINUED: 73 PERRY No! And no one can locate him. CLARK (grabs phone) Including Superman. PERRY Eyewitnesses say Superman and Klein took this hybrid stuff from the vault in Star Labs and delivered it to some terrorist group! CLARK (agitated; dialing phone) If I were guessing, I'd say the 'terrorist group' was really Jefferson Cole out for revenge. PERRY What about Superman and Klein? CLARK I'd also guess that the 'Superman' who went to Klein was an hallucination just like the one of you that testified against Lois. PERRY That's pretty impressive guessing. Got any facts to back it up? Suddenly Jimmy rushes in on a head of steam. JIMMY C.K.! The video frame you asked me to enlarge shows Jefferson Cole in the reflection just before Sheila died. Oh, and guess who was in the same prison with Cole at the very same time? Elroy Sykes! The guy Lois supposedly shot. CLARK (to Perry) I guess I do. (to phone) C'mon... c'mon... 74 INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY 74 CAMERA PUSHES IN on the phone as it RINGS and RINGS in the empty room. --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 48. 75 INT. DAILY PLANET - DAY 75 Clark slams down his phone, starts for doors. CLARK This isn't good. PERRY Now where're you going? SCREAMS from O.S. and CAMERA WHIPS to the side windows where Jimmy and staffers are gathered. Jimmy whirls around, as CAMERA RUSHES UP to him: JIMMY C.K.! Chief! Something's happening to the air outside! 76 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - WIDE SHOT - DAY 76 Cars crash into each other, people run screaming for cover, others stand frozen, pointing up at the sky. The whole FRAME is taking on a blue-green tint. 77 QUICK SHOTS - TINY RELEASE VALVES - INSERTS 77 Under eaves, under gargoyles, beneath window ledges: Tiny spray valves attached to thin tubes are spraying a blue-green mist. 78 THE BELL TOWER - COLE - DAY 78 Cole stands gleefully at the ledge, staring off at the distant part of the city through binoculars. He speaks into his voice recorder with his free hand. PROFESSOR COLE (into voice recorder) Memo to self! Kudos are in order! I could win a Nobel Prize. If they ever add that 'atrocities' category. He snaps off recorder, turns as CAMERA INCLUDES Lois. PROFESSOR COLE (CONT'D) (excited, to Lois:) The Kryptonite is broken down into sub-molecular particles, which are ionized with the larger water molecules and then blasted into the atmosphere like a turbo-charged aerosol. (turns and gazes through binoculars) And they were worried about ozone! --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 49. 79 LOIS 79 Lois brings her bound legs up and tries to push the bell lever with her feet. It won't budge. 80 EXT. PARK - DAY 80 D.A. Clemmons is down on his hands and knees, desperately searching for something. CLEMMONS It's gone. It can't be gone. It's gone. Nearby, a Nun is seated on a bench, staring up a the sky. Terrified people are beginning to run by in b.g. CLEMMONS (CONT'D) Excuse me, Sister, have you seen a bullet? Kind of bent. You know, like it's been used. He suddenly is aware of the chaos around him and stares up, too: 81 THE PARK - WIDER 81 The FRAME is suddenly washed in the blue-green tint. 82 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - DAY 82 Everything still a shade of blue-green. People are keeling over, falling over in doorways, stumbling from cars and fainting. Now Superman floats down onto the street, bracing himself for the effects of the Hybrid Kryptonite. To his great surprise, as people faint around him, he remains unharmed. He then waves an arm through the heavy air, discerning how moist it really is. Superman SPINS. Faster and faster, as he raises his arms into a "V" over his head. He SPINS into a blur, the moisture is sucked into a blue-green vortex: A FUNNEL CLOUD with a red and blue base. The tint is gone from the street, its color all sucked into the funnel, which begins to rise. 83 THE STRATOSPHERE 83 Earth lies below. The little funnel cloud with its red and blue base whirls up from the Earth. The cloud slows, disperses and floats smokily away, as the red and blue blur stops spinning to reveal a satisfied Superman. --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 50. 84 THE BELL TOWER - DAY 84 A livid Cole throws down the binoculars. PROFESSOR COLE That... _freak_! He's always in my hair! Why can't he ditch the goofy outfit and get a _job_? He pulls his gun, whirls. 85 INCLUDE LOIS 85 Lois has her feet up against the mechanism lever. PROFESSOR COLE Good-bye for the second time, Lois. He raises his gun to take aim. Lois gives a huge push, and just as Cole FIRES, the lever moves and Lois topples over backwards, dodging the bullet. 86 THE MECHANISM - INSERT 86 It begins to WHIR. 87 THE BELL TOWER - DAY 87 PROFESSOR COLE You're only postponing the inevitable. He takes aim as she shrinks back on the ground. Just as he is about to fire, a huge BELL swings through FRAME, sending Cole flying. 88 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - DAY 88 People are recovering as Superman FLOATS down. Now everyone hears the sudden PEALING of BELLS. 89 THE BELL TOWER - DAY 89 The two big bells swing back and forth through the room. Lois keeps moving back, Professor Cole is dodging bells, trying to get to her. PROFESSOR COLE Freeze! I'm not going to say it again! (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 51. 89 CONTINUED: 89 He takes aim, but before he can fire, Superman BLURS in the window. SUPERMAN That's for sure. And he flings Cole across the room, where he slides to the floor, out. Superman grabs a bell, freezing the mechanism, then scoops up Lois. SUPERMAN (CONT'D) (lowering her gag) You rang? 90 THE DOOR 90 The door flies open and Wolcott rushes in. WOLCOTT Professor, we gotta get outta here, Superman is....! (takes in scene) Well never mind, then. CUT TO: 91 INT. LOIS AND CLARK'S LIVING ROOM - ON FRONT PAGE - NIGHT #2 91 The headline screams: "Lois Lane Cleared; D.A.Leaves Office." Beneath the headline are side by side photos of a redeemed Lois and a humiliated Clemmons. Another headline reads: "Jefferson Cole Back in Jail." LOIS (0. S. ) Well, I just had to call and thank you again, Dr. Klein. PULL BACK to find Lois on the couch, savoring the front page, on the phone. LOIS (CONT'D) Your testimony about the hallucination device _and_ the rigged bullet really helped clear me. 92 INTERCUT STAR LABS - DR. KLEIN 92 He sits at a work table, filling a beaker from an incredibly complex chemical set-up. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 52. 92 CONTINUED: 92 DR. KLEIN Well, it certainly cleared ne. That bullet was _amazing_ Miss Lane... Micro-circuitry of a near-molecualr size... Did you know I'm management now? He takes a sip from the beaker, reacts to its kick. LOIS Yes, congratulations. DR. KLEIN I hate it. DOORBELL. LOIS 'Bye. She jumps up, opens door, is surprised to see Clark standing there, holding flowers and champagne. LOIS (CONT'D) Sweetie! Forget your key? CLARK Nope. He doesn't enter. LOIS The acting D.A. isn't going to pursue my big jail break. They just wanna put this whole embarrassing incident behind them. (he just stands there, smiling) Well, don't you want to come in and celebrate? CLARK I want you to come out here, first. LOIS Out there. CLARK There's something I never got around to doing. She steps outside. He scoops her up and carries her across the threshold with a big kiss. (CONTINUED) --page break-- "DEAD LOIS WALKING" (#7) Buckner & Ross-Leming 9/12/96 53. 92 CONTINUED: 2 92 CLARK (CONT'D) Now it's even more official. (puts her down) Finally, we can spend our first quiet evening at home. He blasts a short blast of SUPER COLD BREATH at the champagne bottle which is suddenly chilled and moist. He POPS the cork, as: LOIS Finally. You know, Clark, there was a time I thought I'd rather die than sit around with my husband in sloppy old clothes, just watching TV and talking about the day. I have to tell you... It sounds wonderful. Clark smiles, hands her a glass of champagne, raises his in a toast. CLARK Here's to getting down to being just an old married couple. They clink. LOIS (a dubious smile) Yeah. That's us, alright. They sip, they kiss. We PULL BACK to find the apartment still in the messy state with which we began this saga, and BLACK. _THE END_