Part 4 (2/2)

CLARK.

I should have married you when I had the chance.

LANA.

You'll always have the chance, Clark. Whenever you're ready to come home, I'll be here.

They both gaze up into the open Kansas sky.

CUT TO:.

INT. LEXCORP CONFERENCE ROOM.

In the room seated around a large marble table are thirty men from various divisions of the LexCorp empire. One entire wall is a window overlooking a breathtaking view of night-lit Metropolis. The ma.s.sive seat at the front of the table is empty.

The two giant doors to the room are tossed open and in walks LUTHOR (everyone stands). As always, within arms distance is MERCY, followed by two SECRETARIES. He sits at the front of the table with a SECRETARY on each side.

MERCY stands behind him. LUTHOR Gentlemen, I've had a h.e.l.l of a day and I am not in a very good mood so let's make this short.

(calling out) Accounting?

VAN HYNING, the Accounting Rep stands and clears his throat.

VAN HYNING.

We have acquired six more research facilities in Southeast Asia. The munitions plant in Northern Europe that has been prohibiting our use of their new patented circuit board is no longer a problem.

LUTHOR.

Then the merger went well?

VAN HYNING.

The details are in my report. LexAir, LexOil, LexCom and their subsidiaries are all doing well, twenty-two percent above the projected goals.

LUTHOR.

(excited) That's what I like to hear!

VAN HYNING.

(nervous) The stock divided this morning and LexCorp took a two hundred point seven million dollar loss... the lowest percentage loss of all the listed companies. A loss sixteen percent higher than Maxwell Lord's holdings.

LUTHOR doesn't look happy with the news and everyone waits for his reaction.

LUTHOR.

What exactly am I standing in?

VAN HYNING.

Company a.s.sets are at four point two trillion dollars.

LUTHOR.

(long beat) That's acceptable.

(Beat) Research?

HOLLISTER, the rep from RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT stands.

HOLLISTER.

Construction of our new facilities in South America and Greenland are proceeding ahead of schedule. The great news is medical research has perfected the Leukemia vaccine prototype. It works flawlessly.

LUTHOR.

Have they sent the conditions to the pharmaceutical firms?

HOLLISTER.

Yes they have and they've all declined. They argue the asking price is outrageous.

LUTHOR.

If it were their kids let's see how outrageous it is. Very well, we keep it and it goes no where. The Antarctica facility?

HOLLISTER.

Running totally on your new energy source for eight months on a less than a quarter of a percent what it previously used. The new fuel is clean, stable and most importantly cheap. Of course, we only have limited resources.

LUTHOR.

Is it possible to replicate the chemical structure?

HOLLISTER.

We know it isn't from Earth but it's being worked on as we speak.

LUTHOR.

And the Metropolis Energy Commission?

HOLLISTER.

That news isn't as good. There needs to be a unanimous vote to change the city's power source. We own ten of the twelve commission members but the other two refuse to cooperate. They think it's unnecessary to spend billions of dollars of taxpayer's money on an untested source.

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