INT. LEX'S MANSION – LEX'S OFFICE
Lex Luthor leans back in his desk chair, the laptop on his desk folded closed with a small glass globe sitting atop it in a metal stand resembling an animal claw. A cell phone in one hand, a glass of brandy in the other, Lex smiles as he listens to the other end of the phone.
LEX That's right, everything's cleared. I've made all the necessary arrangements.
A knock at the door...
Mercy Graves lets herself in and walks over to the desk carrying a small metal case in her hand. She waits patiently for him to get off the phone.
LEX
Have your lawyers look them over one more time, or a hundred more times if you wish. All that's left is for you to sign on the dotted line and the deal will be finalized... Yes... And a great pleasure it was doing business with you as well, Mr Wayne.
He folds up the phone and places it on the desk.
MERCY GRAVES
A package just arrived for you, Mr. Luthor.
He takes the package from her.
LEX
Thank you, Mercy.
He opens the case to reveal a lavishly ornate gold ring inside with a green stone. It could be an emerald, but not likely. Etched into each side is the image of a gargoyle, wings fully spread, each with their hands reaching up and touching the stone. Admiring it, Lex takes the ring out of the case and reads the short inscription delicately engraved on the inside of the ring.
LEX
Vae victis!
MERCY GRAVES
Woe to the conquered.
LEX
I see you know your Latin.
MERCY GRAVES
I know my bravado.
He smiles and places the ring on his left ring finger. He shows it to Mercy.
LEX
What do you think?
MERCY GRAVES Not my aesthetic.
LEX
Oh, come now, Mercy...
Standing up, he smiles at her and walks around the desk, bringing his glass with him.
LEX
Surely, you can appreciate the sheer, unadulterated, beauty of such a magnificent specimen.
He moves passed her as closely as he can, whispering in her ear as he walks by.
LEX
It matches with your eyes.
He walks over to the drinks cart to refill his glass.
MERCY GRAVES
My eyes.
He shrugs.
MERCY GRAVES
Like a handbag bought to match a pair of shoes. Which one am I?
He smiles at her from inside the glass as he downs his brandy in a single swallow.
LEX
Have you heard anything from Noah?
MERCY GRAVES
He brought the papers over this morning. The funds should be transferred by this afternoon. He doesn't anticipate a problem.
LEX
Good... very good.
Lex walks back to his desk.
LEX
Well, I think we've kept the good doctor waiting long enough. Why don't you send him in?
She nods and turns toward the door.
LEX
And wait outside, will you? See that we're not disturbed.
MERCY GRAVES
Yes, Mr. Luthor.
Lex watches Mercy walk out of the office before removing the globe from atop his laptop. Sitting down behind the desk, he opens it up and punches in a few commands. A window pops up with a real-time view of several rooms in the mansion, including the office. Clicking a few more keys in, the screen goes blank and the tiny red light on the video camera over his shoulder flickers out.
Mercy returns to the door with Victor Fries at her side.
MERCY GRAVES
Doctor Victor Fries to see you, sir.
LEX
::smiles:: Ah yes, Doctor Fries, please come in.
Lex stands up behind the desk as Victor enters the office. Mercy closes the door behind him.
VICTOR FRIES
Mr. Luthor, I must speak with you.
Lex steps around his desk, his hand outstretched as he walks over to greet the doctor.
LEX
Yes, what can I do for you? On the phone you said it was urgent.
As Lex reaches out to shake Fries' hand, Victor reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small handgun. He points it at Lex's eye.
VICTOR FRIES
It is indeed... saboteur!
Lex drops his hand to his side, staring blankly at the gun. Strangely, he doesn't appear altogether frightened by it. In fact, he appears more than a little annoyed.
LEX
You just can't hire good help these days.
VICTOR FRIES
You sabotaged my Chamber, you bastard. Now, because of you, my Nora will die. Her blood is on your hands!
LEX
I did no such thing.
VICTOR FRIES
Liar!
With his free hand, Fries pulls a small computer chip out of his pocket and throws it at Lex.
VICTOR FRIES
I found the chip! It was never in the design specifications I gave you. You tampered with my machine!
LEX
When? How? I was never even near your blessed chamber; that is, until the day you attacked me.
VICTOR FRIES
It was your men who built the prototype. You were the only one who could have...
Lex smiles and turns his back on Fries, walking back over to the drink cart. This only serves to infuriate Fries.
VICTOR FRIES Don't you turn your back on me!
Lex turns back around and shows Fries two empty glasses.
LEX
Drink?
As Fries struggles with a sense of total confusion, Lex pours some brandy into the two glasses. He brings one over to Fries.
LEX
I find that a little brandy helps to take the edge off. It's helped me through more than a few stressful situations. You certainly seem stressed.
Fries shakes his head and slaps the glass out of Lex's hand.
VICTOR FRIES
I think you are failing to grasp the gravity of your situation. I am going to kill you!
Lex looks down at the rug with the spilled brandy on it. He takes a sip from his own glass.
LEX
Sixteenth century... what a waste. Dah well, it was my father's anyway. I'll get you another glass.
VICTOR FRIES
I don't want another glass.
LEX
Then, what is it that you want, Doctor? If you're here to kill me then do it already, but if you're just going to stand there spitting puerile accusations at me you might as well just stop wasting your time and get the hell out of my house. I'm a busy man and I don't have time to listen to this.
Fries stands in front of Lex in complete shock. It takes him several seconds to break out of it, long enough for Lex to go back to his desk and sit down.
VICTOR FRIES
This is not at all how I imagined this.
LEX
Imagined what?
VICTOR FRIES
My first hostage situation.
LEX
I hate to break it to you, Doctor, but this is your second hostage situation.
VICTOR FRIES
Oh, that doesn't count.
Lex rubs his chest with his hand.
LEX
Speak for yourself. It still hurts where you stabbed me.
Fries lowers the gun and walks over to the desk. He sits down opposite Lex.
VICTOR FRIES
You didn't sabotage my chamber, did you?
LEX
Of course I didn't. Up until the time you attacked me, I thought that machine was meant for me, remember? Why would I want to sabotage it? It was going to save my life.
VICTOR FRIES
But who else could have done it?
Lex puts his glass down and pulls a folder out of his desk drawer.
LEX
I think I may be able to provide you with an answer to that question.
Lex tosses the folder to Fries, who picks it up and opens it. Inside is a picture and bio of Doctor Crawford.
VICTOR FRIES
Doctor Crawford?
LEX
He was the one who originally referred me to you. He was the one who suggested I bring you in from Gotham General. He claimed that your theories on forced remission might be able to help in determining a way to slow the progress of my disease.
VICTOR FRIES
Crawford and I went to Medical School together in Central City.
LEX
Where you graduated with the highest of honors, valedictorian of your class, a tenth of a point higher than the salutatorian, one Michael T. Crawford.
VICTOR FRIES
Are you saying that he sabotaged my work, put my wife's life at risk, because of some petty school vendetta.
LEX
No, but it does make for an added twist to the equation. In fact, I think his motivations were a little more base than that. When I originally took over the Smallville plant, in my attempt to build up LexCorp as an entirely separate entity from my father's LuthorCorp, I took it upon myself to fire most of the staff that was left over from when my father was running things.
VICTOR FRIES
You didn't want any spies in your nest.
LEX
::nods:: It was a liability issue. It seems that I missed one, however. After graduating, Michael Crawford briefly interned at Metropolis General as a research and development man in their cardiology wing. As you may or may not be aware, my mother suffered from a heart condition... one that eventually claimed her life. Doctor Crawford was one of the men who worked on her case during her stay.
Fries catches on.
VICTOR FRIES
Your father?
LEX
My father hired him to work as a consultant in one of his laboratories in Metropolis. He worked there for four years before opening up his own practice. My father funded the lease on his building.
VICTOR FRIES
But why would Lionel Luthor want to sabotage my chamber? To kill you? He knew from the very beginning you would never step foot inside. It was never intended for you.
LEX You have to remember something about my father. He is always first and foremost a business man. The world, to him, is just one big game centered about the accumulation of money and power. These are the only things in life that are important to him and he'll do anything to get them. Now, you are a noble man, sir, I have come to know this well from speaking with you. Your only goal was to find a way to help save your wife's life, but can you tell me that it never crossed your mind the implications of what a fully functioning and operational stasis chamber might mean?
VICTOR FRIES
It would be a great breakthrough in medical science.
LEX
It would also be a very profitable one.
VICTOR FRIES
::appalled:: He did it for money?
LEX
Gotham General had threatened to cut your funding. The well was beginning to run dry.
VICTOR FRIES
They did not believe in my theories. They believed my science was corrupted by my desire to see it succeed, for my Nora's sake.
LEX
I offered you a second chance and my father took advantage of two desperate men. Thanks to Crawford, he knew your theories would work, but your career was already on the downslide. If you didn't see results, and soon, you would lose your funding all together. So, he had Crawford sabotage the chamber. When it failed, your research and all the hard work that you put into it would have been for nothing and you would be quarantined from the medical community for the rest of your life. Doctor Crawford could then pick up where you left off and introduce his stasis chamber to the world with you safely out of the picture.
Fries squirms in the chair as if on fire.
VICTOR FRIES
My Nora is made to suffer because of your father's greed! He is a monster!
LEX
You'll get no argument from me but, as luck would have it, fate has afforded us with an opportunity to strike back. I only need your help to...
Fries laughs, which catches Lex off guard.
VICTOR FRIES
Revenge? You think I seek revenge?
LEX
That's why you came here, isn't it?
Fries looks at the gun, surprised to find it still in his hand. He drops it on the ground, disgusted with himself.
VICTOR FRIES
I don't know why I came here. I should be with my wife, by her side. That is where my place is now until... until...
He weeps in the chair.
LEX
Until nothing. She doesn't have to die.
VICTOR FRIES
I have done all that I can for her. I am afraid it is only a matter of time, now.
LEX
What if I told you I could help you freeze time for her?
VICTOR FRIES
Freeze time? How? The chamber is completely destroyed, totally unsalvageable, and it would take too long to synthesize more of the Static Life molecule.
LEX
What if I told you there is a second chamber... and that I've had my men working on synthesizing more of the molecule since the day you arrived?
Fries lifts his gaze to Lex's eyes, scrutinizing them carefully.
VICTOR FRIES
What?
LEX
I am a Luthor, Doctor. As much as I hate to admit that fact, it is what...
He bites his tongue and corrects himself.
LEX
It is 'who' I am. Luthors don't leave things to chance and they never, ever, put all their money on one horse. Remember, up until not long ago, I thought that chamber was meant for me.
VICTOR FRIES
You would do this? You would help me save my wife?
LEX
The sins of the father, Doctor, weigh heavily on the son. I will help you, if you help me.
Victor Fries considers his options, but it doesn't take him long.
VICTOR FRIES
What do you want me to do?
LEX
You and I both know what we saw back in that lab, a creature of mythic proportions, but it disappeared without a trace. I believe my father knows more about it than he's letting on. There are just too many mysteries surrounding what happened, and I think my father is the one with the answers.
VICTOR FRIES
What can I do?
LEX
You once told me that the chamber itself is more or less a containment unit, that the real magic of the Static Life Chamber comes from the Static Life molecule itself.
VICTOR FRIES
That is essentially the case, however, it is slightly more complicated than...
LEX
Then, would I be correct in assuming that the Static Life material could, if certain necessary precautions were taken, be utilized in a more... portable fashion?
VICTOR FRIES
Forgive me, I am not certain what you are referring too.
LEX
What would happen if the Static Life molecule were introduced to an environment outside of the chamber?
VICTOR FRIES
An uncontaminated sample would first appear to act as any normal liquid substance, freezing anything in its path, until certain chemical reactions with the oxygen in the air caused the surface molecules to harden.
LEX
Like ice?
VICTOR FRIES
It would appear that way, although it wouldn't actually be ice as you know it.
LEX
This is a slow process?
VICTOR FRIES
It is, depending on various factors including...
LEX
Is there any way to speed up the process, so that it's practically instantaneous?
VICTOR FRIES
One would simply have to vary the subjugation of momentum in the sub-atomic particles. To what end, though? Such a process would not be advantageous in any way. Once the molecules harden, there would be no way of excising the patient.
Lex smiles and stands up from the desk. He walks over to the bookshelves on the wall to the left of the desk.
LEX
Come, Doctor, I want to show you something.
Fries stands and walks over to the bookshelf. Lex removes a few books from one of the shelves, revealing a lever behind them. He switches the lever... Click!... An entire section of the bookcase rolls forward and to the side revealing the rifle, which Noah stole from Lionel's factory in Gotham City, hidden behind it. Fries looks at it, eyes wide.
LEX
You help me... and I'll help you.
Lex pulls the rifle off its stand and places it in Fries' hand. Fries examines it carefully.
VICTOR FRIES
What is it?
LEX
It's your new toy, Doctor.
Lex Luthor leans back in his desk chair, the laptop on his desk folded closed with a small glass globe sitting atop it in a metal stand resembling an animal claw. A cell phone in one hand, a glass of brandy in the other, Lex smiles as he listens to the other end of the phone.
LEX That's right, everything's cleared. I've made all the necessary arrangements.
A knock at the door...
Mercy Graves lets herself in and walks over to the desk carrying a small metal case in her hand. She waits patiently for him to get off the phone.
LEX
Have your lawyers look them over one more time, or a hundred more times if you wish. All that's left is for you to sign on the dotted line and the deal will be finalized... Yes... And a great pleasure it was doing business with you as well, Mr Wayne.
He folds up the phone and places it on the desk.
MERCY GRAVES
A package just arrived for you, Mr. Luthor.
He takes the package from her.
LEX
Thank you, Mercy.
He opens the case to reveal a lavishly ornate gold ring inside with a green stone. It could be an emerald, but not likely. Etched into each side is the image of a gargoyle, wings fully spread, each with their hands reaching up and touching the stone. Admiring it, Lex takes the ring out of the case and reads the short inscription delicately engraved on the inside of the ring.
LEX
Vae victis!
MERCY GRAVES
Woe to the conquered.
LEX
I see you know your Latin.
MERCY GRAVES
I know my bravado.
He smiles and places the ring on his left ring finger. He shows it to Mercy.
LEX
What do you think?
MERCY GRAVES Not my aesthetic.
LEX
Oh, come now, Mercy...
Standing up, he smiles at her and walks around the desk, bringing his glass with him.
LEX
Surely, you can appreciate the sheer, unadulterated, beauty of such a magnificent specimen.
He moves passed her as closely as he can, whispering in her ear as he walks by.
LEX
It matches with your eyes.
He walks over to the drinks cart to refill his glass.
MERCY GRAVES
My eyes.
He shrugs.
MERCY GRAVES
Like a handbag bought to match a pair of shoes. Which one am I?
He smiles at her from inside the glass as he downs his brandy in a single swallow.
LEX
Have you heard anything from Noah?
MERCY GRAVES
He brought the papers over this morning. The funds should be transferred by this afternoon. He doesn't anticipate a problem.
LEX
Good... very good.
Lex walks back to his desk.
LEX
Well, I think we've kept the good doctor waiting long enough. Why don't you send him in?
She nods and turns toward the door.
LEX
And wait outside, will you? See that we're not disturbed.
MERCY GRAVES
Yes, Mr. Luthor.
Lex watches Mercy walk out of the office before removing the globe from atop his laptop. Sitting down behind the desk, he opens it up and punches in a few commands. A window pops up with a real-time view of several rooms in the mansion, including the office. Clicking a few more keys in, the screen goes blank and the tiny red light on the video camera over his shoulder flickers out.
Mercy returns to the door with Victor Fries at her side.
MERCY GRAVES
Doctor Victor Fries to see you, sir.
LEX
::smiles:: Ah yes, Doctor Fries, please come in.
Lex stands up behind the desk as Victor enters the office. Mercy closes the door behind him.
VICTOR FRIES
Mr. Luthor, I must speak with you.
Lex steps around his desk, his hand outstretched as he walks over to greet the doctor.
LEX
Yes, what can I do for you? On the phone you said it was urgent.
As Lex reaches out to shake Fries' hand, Victor reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small handgun. He points it at Lex's eye.
VICTOR FRIES
It is indeed... saboteur!
Lex drops his hand to his side, staring blankly at the gun. Strangely, he doesn't appear altogether frightened by it. In fact, he appears more than a little annoyed.
LEX
You just can't hire good help these days.
VICTOR FRIES
You sabotaged my Chamber, you bastard. Now, because of you, my Nora will die. Her blood is on your hands!
LEX
I did no such thing.
VICTOR FRIES
Liar!
With his free hand, Fries pulls a small computer chip out of his pocket and throws it at Lex.
VICTOR FRIES
I found the chip! It was never in the design specifications I gave you. You tampered with my machine!
LEX
When? How? I was never even near your blessed chamber; that is, until the day you attacked me.
VICTOR FRIES
It was your men who built the prototype. You were the only one who could have...
Lex smiles and turns his back on Fries, walking back over to the drink cart. This only serves to infuriate Fries.
VICTOR FRIES Don't you turn your back on me!
Lex turns back around and shows Fries two empty glasses.
LEX
Drink?
As Fries struggles with a sense of total confusion, Lex pours some brandy into the two glasses. He brings one over to Fries.
LEX
I find that a little brandy helps to take the edge off. It's helped me through more than a few stressful situations. You certainly seem stressed.
Fries shakes his head and slaps the glass out of Lex's hand.
VICTOR FRIES
I think you are failing to grasp the gravity of your situation. I am going to kill you!
Lex looks down at the rug with the spilled brandy on it. He takes a sip from his own glass.
LEX
Sixteenth century... what a waste. Dah well, it was my father's anyway. I'll get you another glass.
VICTOR FRIES
I don't want another glass.
LEX
Then, what is it that you want, Doctor? If you're here to kill me then do it already, but if you're just going to stand there spitting puerile accusations at me you might as well just stop wasting your time and get the hell out of my house. I'm a busy man and I don't have time to listen to this.
Fries stands in front of Lex in complete shock. It takes him several seconds to break out of it, long enough for Lex to go back to his desk and sit down.
VICTOR FRIES
This is not at all how I imagined this.
LEX
Imagined what?
VICTOR FRIES
My first hostage situation.
LEX
I hate to break it to you, Doctor, but this is your second hostage situation.
VICTOR FRIES
Oh, that doesn't count.
Lex rubs his chest with his hand.
LEX
Speak for yourself. It still hurts where you stabbed me.
Fries lowers the gun and walks over to the desk. He sits down opposite Lex.
VICTOR FRIES
You didn't sabotage my chamber, did you?
LEX
Of course I didn't. Up until the time you attacked me, I thought that machine was meant for me, remember? Why would I want to sabotage it? It was going to save my life.
VICTOR FRIES
But who else could have done it?
Lex puts his glass down and pulls a folder out of his desk drawer.
LEX
I think I may be able to provide you with an answer to that question.
Lex tosses the folder to Fries, who picks it up and opens it. Inside is a picture and bio of Doctor Crawford.
VICTOR FRIES
Doctor Crawford?
LEX
He was the one who originally referred me to you. He was the one who suggested I bring you in from Gotham General. He claimed that your theories on forced remission might be able to help in determining a way to slow the progress of my disease.
VICTOR FRIES
Crawford and I went to Medical School together in Central City.
LEX
Where you graduated with the highest of honors, valedictorian of your class, a tenth of a point higher than the salutatorian, one Michael T. Crawford.
VICTOR FRIES
Are you saying that he sabotaged my work, put my wife's life at risk, because of some petty school vendetta.
LEX
No, but it does make for an added twist to the equation. In fact, I think his motivations were a little more base than that. When I originally took over the Smallville plant, in my attempt to build up LexCorp as an entirely separate entity from my father's LuthorCorp, I took it upon myself to fire most of the staff that was left over from when my father was running things.
VICTOR FRIES
You didn't want any spies in your nest.
LEX
::nods:: It was a liability issue. It seems that I missed one, however. After graduating, Michael Crawford briefly interned at Metropolis General as a research and development man in their cardiology wing. As you may or may not be aware, my mother suffered from a heart condition... one that eventually claimed her life. Doctor Crawford was one of the men who worked on her case during her stay.
Fries catches on.
VICTOR FRIES
Your father?
LEX
My father hired him to work as a consultant in one of his laboratories in Metropolis. He worked there for four years before opening up his own practice. My father funded the lease on his building.
VICTOR FRIES
But why would Lionel Luthor want to sabotage my chamber? To kill you? He knew from the very beginning you would never step foot inside. It was never intended for you.
LEX You have to remember something about my father. He is always first and foremost a business man. The world, to him, is just one big game centered about the accumulation of money and power. These are the only things in life that are important to him and he'll do anything to get them. Now, you are a noble man, sir, I have come to know this well from speaking with you. Your only goal was to find a way to help save your wife's life, but can you tell me that it never crossed your mind the implications of what a fully functioning and operational stasis chamber might mean?
VICTOR FRIES
It would be a great breakthrough in medical science.
LEX
It would also be a very profitable one.
VICTOR FRIES
::appalled:: He did it for money?
LEX
Gotham General had threatened to cut your funding. The well was beginning to run dry.
VICTOR FRIES
They did not believe in my theories. They believed my science was corrupted by my desire to see it succeed, for my Nora's sake.
LEX
I offered you a second chance and my father took advantage of two desperate men. Thanks to Crawford, he knew your theories would work, but your career was already on the downslide. If you didn't see results, and soon, you would lose your funding all together. So, he had Crawford sabotage the chamber. When it failed, your research and all the hard work that you put into it would have been for nothing and you would be quarantined from the medical community for the rest of your life. Doctor Crawford could then pick up where you left off and introduce his stasis chamber to the world with you safely out of the picture.
Fries squirms in the chair as if on fire.
VICTOR FRIES
My Nora is made to suffer because of your father's greed! He is a monster!
LEX
You'll get no argument from me but, as luck would have it, fate has afforded us with an opportunity to strike back. I only need your help to...
Fries laughs, which catches Lex off guard.
VICTOR FRIES
Revenge? You think I seek revenge?
LEX
That's why you came here, isn't it?
Fries looks at the gun, surprised to find it still in his hand. He drops it on the ground, disgusted with himself.
VICTOR FRIES
I don't know why I came here. I should be with my wife, by her side. That is where my place is now until... until...
He weeps in the chair.
LEX
Until nothing. She doesn't have to die.
VICTOR FRIES
I have done all that I can for her. I am afraid it is only a matter of time, now.
LEX
What if I told you I could help you freeze time for her?
VICTOR FRIES
Freeze time? How? The chamber is completely destroyed, totally unsalvageable, and it would take too long to synthesize more of the Static Life molecule.
LEX
What if I told you there is a second chamber... and that I've had my men working on synthesizing more of the molecule since the day you arrived?
Fries lifts his gaze to Lex's eyes, scrutinizing them carefully.
VICTOR FRIES
What?
LEX
I am a Luthor, Doctor. As much as I hate to admit that fact, it is what...
He bites his tongue and corrects himself.
LEX
It is 'who' I am. Luthors don't leave things to chance and they never, ever, put all their money on one horse. Remember, up until not long ago, I thought that chamber was meant for me.
VICTOR FRIES
You would do this? You would help me save my wife?
LEX
The sins of the father, Doctor, weigh heavily on the son. I will help you, if you help me.
Victor Fries considers his options, but it doesn't take him long.
VICTOR FRIES
What do you want me to do?
LEX
You and I both know what we saw back in that lab, a creature of mythic proportions, but it disappeared without a trace. I believe my father knows more about it than he's letting on. There are just too many mysteries surrounding what happened, and I think my father is the one with the answers.
VICTOR FRIES
What can I do?
LEX
You once told me that the chamber itself is more or less a containment unit, that the real magic of the Static Life Chamber comes from the Static Life molecule itself.
VICTOR FRIES
That is essentially the case, however, it is slightly more complicated than...
LEX
Then, would I be correct in assuming that the Static Life material could, if certain necessary precautions were taken, be utilized in a more... portable fashion?
VICTOR FRIES
Forgive me, I am not certain what you are referring too.
LEX
What would happen if the Static Life molecule were introduced to an environment outside of the chamber?
VICTOR FRIES
An uncontaminated sample would first appear to act as any normal liquid substance, freezing anything in its path, until certain chemical reactions with the oxygen in the air caused the surface molecules to harden.
LEX
Like ice?
VICTOR FRIES
It would appear that way, although it wouldn't actually be ice as you know it.
LEX
This is a slow process?
VICTOR FRIES
It is, depending on various factors including...
LEX
Is there any way to speed up the process, so that it's practically instantaneous?
VICTOR FRIES
One would simply have to vary the subjugation of momentum in the sub-atomic particles. To what end, though? Such a process would not be advantageous in any way. Once the molecules harden, there would be no way of excising the patient.
Lex smiles and stands up from the desk. He walks over to the bookshelves on the wall to the left of the desk.
LEX
Come, Doctor, I want to show you something.
Fries stands and walks over to the bookshelf. Lex removes a few books from one of the shelves, revealing a lever behind them. He switches the lever... Click!... An entire section of the bookcase rolls forward and to the side revealing the rifle, which Noah stole from Lionel's factory in Gotham City, hidden behind it. Fries looks at it, eyes wide.
LEX
You help me... and I'll help you.
Lex pulls the rifle off its stand and places it in Fries' hand. Fries examines it carefully.
VICTOR FRIES
What is it?
LEX
It's your new toy, Doctor.