Man of Tomorrow

Communication

Clark and John finish off packing the last of the crates onto a truck. John has worked up a sweat but Clark hasn't even broken one.

"Damn Kent. What are you? Made of steel or something?" asks John.

"I'm sorry?" questions Clark suspiciously.

"Feel free to break a sweat at some point. That is actually allowed at this job." jokes John.

"Oh. Well, I grew up bailing hay on a farm. It takes a lot for me to break a sweat." explains Clark.

"You must have done a lot of it to be in this good shape."

"It's a farm. Hay kind of comes with the territory." Clark insists.

"I guess so." John loads the last crate onto the truck, "So what are you up to?"

"Up to?"

"After work. Are you doing anything important?" John elaborates.

"Thanks, but I don't really swing that way."

"Good to know. I'm sure my ex-girlfriends would be pretty upset to find out I was dating guys now. I was just trying to be friendly. I figure everyone has trouble making friends in a new job. Especially one like this. I might as well help you start somewhere." explains John.

Clark and John walk away from the last shipment of their work day.

"Thanks for the offer but I'm not really a people person. You're probably better off not being my friend." insists Clark.

"Isn't that my decision to make?" John questions playfully.

"I'm not the best of people to spend time with." Clark says trying to push the issue.

"Probably not. But you can't be any worse then the other people I've met around here. Come on, there's this place around the corner called Oracles. It's got some of the best beer in Metropolis. Let's go try it out." John tries again.

"I'm not really a drinker." suggests Clark.

"So have a rum and coke minus the rum."

"I guess that could work." relents Clark.

"Cool. Let's go."

John and Clark leave the Packaging Plant.

*     *     *

Lex drops a pile of papers on a desk in the laboratory.

"Leave your security badges on this desk and I'll be sure to have your things from your office sent to you if I can find the time to get someone to do that job for me." an upset Lex declares.

Mercy turns to Lex Luthor from talking with the code breakers, "Sir?"

"I'm not talking to you Mercy. It's everyone else that's incompetent." Lex says as he spreads out the stapled stacks of papers on the table, "You've been working on this project for a week and came up with a bunch of theories of possible algorithms for decrypting it. I spent twelve hours looking at the raw data and found this."

Lex turns one of the stacks of paper toward the code breakers.

"It's a mathematical algorithm built into the message. The whole thing just needs to be unlocked. So again I say. Leave your security badges on this desk and I'll have your office things sent to you."

One of the code breaker tries to object, "But Mr. Luthor..."

"You're fired. All of you. Is there any part of that which isn't clear?" Lex interrupts.

"No sir."

The code breakers all start filing out of the room, leaving their security badges on the table in front of Lex as they do. Mercy walks up to Lex when they are gone.