"What do you want from me?"

"The truth, Kent. What you did to that spoon isn't normal. Who—or should I say what are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just an average farm kid who got embarrassed and upset and took out on a stupid coffee spoon."

"My ass you're average. Unless that coffee shop has a bench vise at each table and I just missed them, you bent that spoon with your bare hands. No average human being could've done something like that. That had to take superhuman strength. Your spoon proves there is more to you than meets the eye."

"This spoon means nothing. It proves nothing."

"No. You know what? You're right. By itself, that spoon proves nothing. But how 'bout this? Your parents found you in the middle of a meteor shower. Half of Smallville had just been destroyed, and your parents' truck had just been overturned with them in it. Yet there you were, a toddler, walking around unscathed. Your adoption has holes in it big enough to drive a truck through. You've seen a doctor once in the last twelve years. Chloe has her wall at the Torch, which you happen to be on more than once. There's the meteor rocks, too. Did you know some of the show signs of life? Life—intelligent life—existed wherever these rocks came from. Wherever you came from."

"You're nuts. You've taken a bunch of circumstantial evidence, tied it together and come up with a ridiculous conclusion. Take my advice, Mr. Wayne: seek professional help."

"I just might take you up on that. But not yet. We're not done. Do you know what happens to an object as it travels through space? Without an atmosphere to protect it, the object gets bombarded with radiation."

"Well, thanks for the science lesson, Mr. Wizard, but what's your point?"

"My point is that whatever is in your storm cellar is putting off tremendous amounts of radiation. The same kind of radiation that the meteor rocks were exposed to."

"You need to leave. Now. And don't come back. If we catch you trespassing again, we'll call the sheriff."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what's going on here. What's so terrible that you fell the need to hide it from everyone?"

"I'm going inside now. If you're still here by the time I get inside, I'm calling the police."

"What is your problem?! Have you even stopped to consider why I'm here? I'm trying to help you, Clark! I'm trying to find out what I can about you because Lex Luthor was."

"What…?"

"Yeah. The man you know as Steven Hamilton is actually Dr. Emil Hamilton. He got into some trouble about fifteen years ago, moved to Smallville and started using his middle name. After the meteor shower, he started seeing all the weird stuff that was happening and decided to investigate the meteor rocks. He was the one who discovered the signs of life. He's also named the rocks. He's calling it 'Kryptonite'. Anyway, Lex caught wind of him and blackmailed him. He told Hamilton that he'd keep his secret in exchange for any information about the kryptonite. For whatever reason, Hamilton got spooked, came to me and told me what had happened. And now here I am. Now do you see that I'm trying to help you?"

"I don't know…."

"Clark, look. I don't know what Lex's intentions are, but I can assure you they are far from honorable."

"You're right…."

"You better believe I'm right. I've seen what the Luthor's are capable of."

"No, Bruce. Not about that. About me. I'm…well, I…uh…."

"You're not human."

"No. I'm not."

"What about the thing in the storm cellar?"

"I guess it's sort of an escape pod. I'm not real sure. Whatever it is, it brought me here. Man, you have no idea how scary this is. I've dreaded this day all my life."

"Why? It was bound to happen sometime. Besides, you'd go nuts if you kept this bottled up inside."

"I was just afraid that as soon as I told someone, they'd put two and two together and see all the problems I've caused."

"Problems? What are you talking about?"

"I came with the meteors. The same meteors that nearly leveled Smallville and killed so many people. One of my friends lost her parents in the meteor shower and Lex was permanently scarred. I can't help but feel somewhat responsible."

"Responsible? Are you kidding? You had nothing to do with the meteor shower and you couldn't have stopped if you had tried. No. You want to talk responsibility? I watched my parents get killed when I was six. Not because of some freak accident, but because some junkie wanted the strand of pearls my mother was wearing. Pearls I asked her to wear. I found out years later that they weren't even real. You know the worst part? We shouldn't have even been walking down that alley. I wanted ice cream and my parents decided to appease me. They paid for that decision with their lives. I live with every day. No. What you feel isn't guilt it's self-pity. Grow up, Kent."

"What do you know…Bruce?"

Bruce didn't answer. He had already turned away and was walking towards his car. Despite all his super abilities, Clark felt powerless. He had trusted his secret, his safety, and his entire life to this man. A man he hardly knew. Bruce had seemed genuinely interested in helping him, but at the same time he had seemed very dark. He had seen the same dichotomy in Lex, but Lex hid it much better. Clark's main concern was whether or not he had made the right decision. Could Bruce Wayne be trusted? Clark would agonize over his decision for years to come. He watched as Bruce backed his Jag down the lane spewing gravel from the tires the entire way and narrowly missing his parents as they pulled in. He approached the truck as it came to a stop.

"Clark, who was that?"

"Bruce Wayne."

"What was he doing here?"

"Asking some questions about the meteor rocks…and about me."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth…that I'm not human."

"Son, what would possess you to do that?! He could ruin you and us. You don't know him or anything about him!"

"He already knew most of it. And, apparently, I know even less about Lex. He started poking around in my past first. Mr. Wayne came to see what he could find and prevent Lex from getting the information."

"Do you think you can trust him?"

"I don't know, Dad. I don't have much of a choice now."

"Well, I'd like to have a word or two with this guy. Did he say when or if he was coming back?"

"No. But I have a feeling our paths will cross again someday."