- Lois Lane: Are you trying to tell me that Conner is the genetic love child of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor?
- Clark Kent: You don't have to say it like that.
- Clark Kent: I-I'm like you.
- Conner Kent: So, does this mean - Oh, my God. Are - Are you, like, my Dad?
- Clark Kent: I prefer "brother."
- Clark Kent: I won't let you hurt him like you did Lex. He was my closest friend, and Lionel Luthor's influence destroyed him.
- Lionel Luthor: You destroyed Lex with your secrets and lies. And those same lies brought Conner to me.
- Conner Kent: I'm not like you, Clark. I mean, maybe on the outside with what I can do, but what that ring brought out in me - that was all Lex.
- Clark Kent: There's a shadow inside all of us. But that doesn't mean you need to embrace it. *You* decide who you really are. And I know you'll make the right choice and become the hero you're destined to be.
- Conner Kent: That means a lot coming from you. Well, if you feel that way, maybe, uh, I should start dressing for the part.
- [opens his jacket revealing black t-shirt with House Of El family crest]
- Conner Kent: I know I have a lot to learn. But when you feel I'm ready to join the team, I'd like to.
- Tess Mercer: I think he just needs someone there for him, like family.
- Clark Kent: Well, technically, you are his sister.
- Tess Mercer: But I'm no Clark Kent. I know you are the one who that can bring out the best in him.
- Lionel Luthor: [incapacitates Clark with kryptonite] No. You'll never take my son.
- Conner Kent: What are you doing?
- Lionel Luthor: Eliminating the one person who stands in the way of your destiny.
- Clark Kent: Let him go!
- Lionel Luthor: Let's go, son. Remember who you are. You are meant to become a god. Together, we can make sure you do.
- Conner Kent: I know who I am.
- [destroys the kryptonite with his heat vision to save Clark]
- Lionel Luthor: I applaud your efforts, but you can't hide Alexander from me forever.
- Tess Mercer: I'm saving him from an encore performance of "Daddy Dearest."
- Lionel Luthor: Give me my son.
- Tess Mercer: I'm surprised that you are so hell-bent on this family reunion, given the fact that on this world it was Lex that sent Lionel plummeting to his death.
- Lionel Luthor: That's proof that the Lex you knew was a true Luthor.
- Conner Kent: There's a reason Lois Lane is known for telling the truth. Because you're a terrible liar.
- Lionel Luthor: [at Lex's grave] Together, we could have ruled this world. I would give anything, my son, just to have you by my side.
- [Darkseid appears before him]
- Lionel Luthor: So my boy is alive. We've got to find him.
- Scientist: We convinced Dr. Lamell to tell us that Mercer took him to Smallville. He's with Clark Kent.
- Lionel Luthor: Not for long. It is time for my prodigal son to return.
- Lionel Luthor: His first crush. It's good to know the Luthor libido is still intact. Great men - great passion.
- Lionel Luthor: [to Tess] You, uh, may want to change yourself to impress Clark Kent, but we both know... don't we? Deep down, you'll *always* be a Luthor.
- Lois Lane: Okay, Alexander is now Conner? Okay, well, I guess, if Puff Daddy can become Diddy and Prince can say he's that squiggly thing... But I'm worried about what's underneath. Clark, memory wipe or not, this kid tried to kill you.
- Clark Kent: Look, his name is not the only thing that changed. Conner has. He's only half Lex, it turns out.
- Lois Lane: What? Okay, well, if you say the other half is Tess, I'm gonna officially write that family off for good.
- Lionel Luthor: Doesn't compare to the value of rubies, but, uh, personally, I prefer the red of Kryptonite.
- Clark Kent: You used it on Conner, didn't you? You're trying to turn him into something that he's not.
- Lionel Luthor: I was trying to unleash his dark side, find out what my son is really made of. Red Kryptonite, if worn, brings out the primal, uncensored core of self. You're afraid of it. You won't go near it. You're scared of what you might find inside you.
- Clark Kent: It's nice to hear you're ready to learn. I picked up an application for you to Smallville High. Classes start after spring break.
- Conner Kent: [opening the folder and seeing the paperwork inside] Conner Kent.
- Clark Kent: Hope it's not too presumptuous, but I figured you needed a last name. Welcome home.
- Lois Lane: It seems to me that Clark Kent's nature and nurture won out in the end.
- Clark Kent: I'm not sure how nurturing it was not telling him the truth.
- Lois Lane: Well, if you're gonna throw a penance party, I'm gonna have to unwrap my own mea culpa. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you I was investigating Lionel. It put us both in danger, even though I was trying to save you.
- Clark Kent: Sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the line when you're protecting the people you love. You know, I have a newfound respect for my mom and dad. I always knew that my powers could cause harm if I misused them. But I never appreciated the responsibility they must have felt in raising me. If they hadn't been such amazing parents, this world could've been a much darker place.
- Lois Lane: Luckily, they brought out the best in you. I'm sure when we have kids of our own, you will be an amazing father.
- [he kisses her]
- Lois Lane: Am I forgiven?
- Tess Mercer: Enjoy the view one last time. Security's on their way up to escort you out of the building.
- Lionel Luthor: Now, if you're threatening me, you need something more powerful than hot air.
- Tess Mercer: All the firepower I need is right here. Copies of all the official documents that bear your signature.
- Lionel Luthor: There's no discrepancies. Everything matches perfectly. My DNA, my handwriting, identical to the other Lionel.
- Tess Mercer: Then why would you have them all secretly reissued? Now, you may think you scrubbed all evidence of your true identity from this world, but you missed a spot. There was one document that you were never aware of.
- Lionel Luthor: [she shows him her tablet] When Lionel gave you up for adoption.
- Tess Mercer: I wasn't the only thing that he left at the orphanage. He left his fingerprints on a document when he admitted me. And as you know, just like our worlds, they're reversed. His fingerprints and yours are mirror copies of each other. It proves that you are a fake. My lawyers are drawing up papers that relinquish your complete control of LutherCorp to me.
- Lionel Luthor: Why would I do that?
- Tess Mercer: Because of that scotch that you're drinking. It's laced with nano-trackers. They've burrowed deep into your stomach lining and have entered your bloodstream. From now on, I will know your every move. And if you try to retaliate against me, or my friends, I will crush you.
- Lionel Luthor: Why don't you have me killed?
- Tess Mercer: Because that's not who I am.
- Lois Lane: Okay, Conner, something strange is happening to you. You're not yourself. It's the ring! It's the ring.
- Conner Kent: I've never felt better. I'm at the top of my game. And it's all thanks to Clark. But he has one thing I don't have, and that's you. But not anymore.
- Lois Lane: You are nothing like Clark! I've seen him on red kryptonite, and it may bring out his inner angst a little, but it doesn't turn him into this! This is the other side of you. This is Lex. We need to make you better.
- Conner Kent: I don't want to be better. I want you. I'll open up a world Clark can't even imagine for you.
- Lois Lane: Clark *is* my world!
- Lionel Luthor: He heard you talking to Tess about hiding the truth from him. He knows you betrayed him. That's why he ran to me.
- Clark Kent: And you poisoned him with red kryptonite. The longer he's exposed to it, the more unstable he becomes. He's a danger to himself and everyone around him.
- Lionel Luthor: No, no. That's gonna make it easier for him to take everything away from you, including the woman he's with now. Lois Lane.
- Conner Kent: Lois. What is she doing here?
- Lionel Luthor: You wanted to know what it means to be a Luthor? Lesson one: never let anyone stand in your way.
- Lois Lane: What's with the slaughterhouse? Trying to scare me into thinking I'll end up like a piece of meat?
- Lionel Luthor: [chuckles] No. You're here because if you scream, no one will hear you. You see, Clark Kent sends his fiancee to do his dirty work.
- Lois Lane: No. Clark doesn't know I broke into your office.
- Lionel Luthor: Because you realized if he knew, I'd destroy him. You risked your life for him. Very noble. And very stupid. I've read a great deal about you. I expected more.
- Lois Lane: Well, I was raised to believe that you risk everything to protect those you love.
- Lionel Luthor: [cocking and aiming a pistol at her] Well, that's where we differ. Oh, I'd risk my own life, but I'd kill to protect my son. No one will ever take him away from me.
- Lois Lane: You don't scare me. The Lionel I knew never got blood on his hands.
- Lionel Luthor: I'm not the Lionel you knew.
- Lois Lane: [escaping from Lionel] Thanks, Conner.
- Conner Kent: Hope it wasn't too fast.
- Lois Lane: Oh, believe me, I'll trade a little motion sickness for a bullet in the bonnet any day. We need to call Clark and tell him Don Luthor is going all "Godfather" on us.
- Conner Kent: We don't need Clark. I'll take care of you.
- Lois Lane: You know what? That's sweet. But I'm freezing out here. We really need to...
- [he whooshes away]
- Lois Lane: ...sound the alarms.
- [he returns with a fur coat]
- Lois Lane: Uh... thanks?
- Conner Kent: See? I'll get you anything you want.
- Lois Lane: [he whooshes away again and returns with a diamond necklace] Okay, I-I get it now. Your neon sign is flashing red-hot and I didn't see the sign.
- Clark Kent: Everything that we do with our abilities is our responsibility. That's why we have to learn how to control them before they control us. That's why we practice.
- Conner Kent: I lifted the tractor without any practice.
- Clark Kent: When you put it down, you broke the beam behind the stall.
- Conner Kent: Who taught you how to do all this stuff?
- Clark Kent: My parents were there every step of the way.
- [showing him a framed picture]
- Clark Kent: My dad, he believed that all the hard work he had me do would teach me how to control my abilities, teach me character. Conner, you may not have parents, but you have me. I'll always be there for you. What do you say we take another shot at your heat vision? Just concentrate and light the candle.
- [he tries, but he sees the candle still unlit]
- Clark Kent: [with scorch marks all over his shirt] You'll get it eventually.
- Clark Kent: You know, we have a doorbell.
- Tess Mercer: I was just stopping by to see how things were going, but it looks like I should have brought marshmallows.
- Clark Kent: You know, he's getting things faster than I did.
- Tess Mercer: If I didn't know any better, that might look like a glint of pride in your eyes. Unfortunately, uh, Clark, I just talked to my inside man, and Lionel knows that Conner's here. So we need to move him.
- [they continue, unaware Conner can hear them in the barn with his superhearing]
- Clark Kent: I'm gonna call Oliver and Chloe in Star City. We can send him there.
- Tess Mercer: We have kept him in the dark about who he really is. Don't you think it's time to let Conner know the truth about the other side of the family?
- Clark Kent: Considering everything that happened, I don't think it's a good idea that he knows half of his DNA came from Lex. We can never let him know that half of him is Luthor.
- Tess Mercer: What did you find on Lionel?
- Lois Lane: It seems Lionel 2.0 has dotted every "I" and crossed every "T". I mean, his resurrection is so ironclad, he'd give Lazarus a run for his money. He's even had government lackeys reissue every official document with his autograph. And we know it seems like a dead end, but I'm having some G-men turn over that rock and see what's underneath. Over and out.
- Lois Lane: Okay, what's with all the cloak-and-dagger? I feel like I stepped into a Tom Clancy novel.
- Tess Mercer: I know you're probably still reeling from the Conner bomb that I dropped on you this morning, but you're the only member of our merry little league that can help me now.
- Lois Lane: Well, considering I don't have any amazing powers or cool gadgets, I do find that hard to believe.
- Tess Mercer: You can talk to Clark into getting rid of Lionel Luthor once and for all.
- Lois Lane: I know you already went up this hill and got shot down. Since the Lionel Clark knew came around in the end, Clark is hoping this Luthor will change his spots, too.
- Tess Mercer: Hey. We need to draw a line in the sand, Lois. Clark needs to act now.
- Lois Lane: Lionel knows his secret. He knows what can hurt him. And if they rumble in the asphalt jungle, Clark could go down for the count.
- Tess Mercer: We both know how Lionel destroyed his own world when he had a superpowered son, and if he gets ahold of Conner, he will do the same here. I know how dangerous this is for Clark. We don't have a choice.
- Lois Lane: [getting an idea] Maybe we do. Just hear me out. When Eliot Ness couldn't nab Capone for murder, the government sent him up the river for getting sloppy with his taxes. Now, you and I both know that Lionel would have spent a pretty penny to hide the fact that he's from another world. What if he was just as sloppy?
- Tess Mercer: If we can find a detail that he overlooked, we could prove that he's a fake. And his entire house of cards will come crashing down.
- Lois Lane: [learning the truth about Conner] I can honestly say I have no idea how I'm supposed to be feeling about this.
- Clark Kent: Lois, all that matters is that we have a kid in the barn and he's really freaked out. He doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere. He needs our help.
- Lois Lane: Clark, we don't know what he's capable of.
- Lois Lane: I knew when I signed up for the Clark Kent tour package that it would be full of surprises. But how is Lex able to shake up a human-krypto cocktail without you realizing it?
- Clark Kent: He had a vial of my blood stolen from Helen Bryce's office years ago. We thought we destroyed it, but Lex must have kept a sample. After he engineered Alexander, he thought that my DNA would stop the accelerated mitosis, and it worked. Lois, because of me, this kid has no chance of having a normal life.
- Lois Lane: No, hold on, Chicken Little. How do we know that Conner wouldn't love to be the only kid on the block more powerful than a locomotive?
- [seeing his reaction]
- Lois Lane: What?
- Clark Kent: It's just... sometimes I forget that you never saw what it was like, growing up, being different, feeling like an outsider, like a freak. Like you were all alone.
- Lois Lane: You turned out pretty normal.
- Clark Kent: Lois, you don't understand. It never goes away. It's always in there. The only thing that's ever made me feel... normal is you.
- Lois Lane: Conner's not alone. He has us.
- Lois Lane: What the hell? I have been trying to call you.
- Clark Kent: Uh, Lois, this is my friend Conner. Conner, this is my... fiancee, Lois Lane.
- Lois Lane: Hey.
- Conner Kent: Hi.
- Lois Lane: I need you sign off on the byline by noon if we're gonna make the evening edition.
- [watching her, Conner's heat vision starts to flare up; Clark turns him around, and the beams hit a metal tub hanging on the wall]
- Lois Lane: [startled by it crashing to the ground] What just happened?
- Conner Kent, Clark Kent: Nothing.
- Lionel Luthor: I made a terrible mistake, Tess. I should have never trusted Clark more than my own flesh and blood.
- Tess Mercer: Considering what happened to me, I'd say that turning your back on your own is the dominant Luthor trait. Which is why the Luthor legacy ends with you.
- Lionel Luthor: If I'd been your father when Lionel gave you up for adoption, I would have done precisely as he did.
- Tess Mercer: Why? 'Cause you can't control me?
- Lionel Luthor: No. Because you are inferior. Imagine what a boy like Alexander could do if he had the right guidance.
- Tess Mercer: You're right. You're right. Come with me.
- [leading him into another room; on the table rests a metal tube]
- Tess Mercer: Your son is in there. We couldn't find a cure to stop the accelerated mitosis.
- Lionel Luthor: You're lying. I don't believe you.
- Tess Mercer: There are enough bone chips in those ashes for a DNA test. That will prove that I'm telling the truth. Your son is dead, Lionel. You'll never be able to hurt him again.
- Lionel Luthor: So, it's not just the Luthor males who like secrets.
- Tess Mercer: Given the fact that you're here, this place isn't really much of a secret.
- Clark Kent: [learning Tess brought Conner to the farm] Tess, you shouldn't... what if he remembers something about me?
- Tess Mercer: He doesn't. He doesn't remember anything, because he's going through this sort of metamorphosis. A-And ever since he's been changing, we have been learning new things about him, like things about his, um, genetic origin.
- [they hear a crashing in the barn; going to investigate, they find Conner effortlessly holding up the tractor]
- Conner Kent: Hey, Tess, check it out.
- Tess Mercer: Um, he doesn't just have Lex's genes. Half his DNA came from you.
- Tess Mercer: Ever since Alexander's reboot, he has been totally glitch-free a-and... and ready to enter the real world. Except he needs... he needs someone to... guide him. Um... s-someone like you.
- Clark Kent: Me? He's a genetically engineered version of Lex. I don't think I'd be the best mentor for him.
- Lionel Luthor: There's a part of you that's Clark Kent.
- Conner Kent: There's a part of me that's Lex Luthor, too.
- Conner Kent: I am a Luthor, and this is where I belong.
- Clark Kent: No, it's not. And you're coming home with me.