Just as Clark turns around, he bumps into another employee of the Daily Planet. She's nerdy, goofy, sort of clumsy, and wears glasses. Oh, and underneath that power suit of hers lies a lot of hotness. How hot? Well, her name is Andrea, and the actress that plays her, Denise Quiñones, actually one the Miss Universe Pageant in 2001 representing Puerto Rico. Andrea, of course, is the mild mannered alter-ego of the superhero she plays at night, and when she sees that Chloe is doing a front page story on her including sketches, she isn't too pleased. In her line of work, it helps that people don't recognize you, and if people are looking around for her, it's going to hamper her ability to actually do her job.

Chloe has just gotten around to naming the mystery woman the "Angel of Vengeance", when the angel herself swoops in, grabs Chloe, and warns her not to run the story. Clark tries to stop her, and she hits him, sending him flying across the room. At this point, Clark could have cared less about Chloe and her story, but after the Police report comes in and shows no information on who attacked his mom, he decides he has to get in contact with the Vigilante because she is the only one who was a witness there. Clark isn't even concerned about bringing those guys to justice as much as getting his father's watch back, because losing that watch was really the only lingering pain that his mom had from the crime.

Clark and Chloe come up with a plan. The run around Metropolis, Chloe walks around by herself, Clark pretends to mug her, and Chloe screams at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately, it's taking them a lot longer than expected, but by now Clark is determined. If there is anything that bothers him, it is people that save the world and aren't humble about their appearance. Clark describes her outfit as "over the top" and we all get a laugh because we know that eventually Clark will wear blue tights and a red cape when he goes to fight crime, which isn't exactly subtle.

After trying for a long time, the Vigilante finally comes to Chloe's "rescue". When she sees that it is a trap, she and Clark fight. As they go at it, Clark manages to pull her cowl off, and he and Chloe see that it is Andrea. Her cover blown, Andrea starts heading for the roof of a building. Although she is really only jumping from ledge to ledge, the cape makes her look like she is flying. She thinks that she has gotten away, but when she gets to the rooftop, there is Clark. Something inside of her clicks, and she decides to tell Clark the entire story.

Andrea had been a normal girl up until six months ago. She was driving home from a gymnastics meet with her mother when two people mugged them in her car. One of them was the guy who had the tattoo on his neck. He took all of their money, stabbed her mom to death, and stabbed Andrea in the heart, leaving her for dead. While in the hospital, she received the heart from a person who was killed in the meteor shower, and ever since she has super strength. With her mother dead, Andrea decided to take up her cause, which was working with the poor and underprivileged. Now that she knows that they are on the same side, she offers to help Clark find his watch, because he knows where the muggers’ gang hangs out.

While all of this was going on, things were happening elsewhere in Metropolis. It seemed only a short time ago that Lionel couldn't piss his way out of a paper bag, but now he is poised to lead a hostile takeover of Luthorcorp as part of the very Apprentice-like, generically-named Apex Group. Lex had used too many company assets in his campaign for Senator. It left the company weak, and Lionel was storming the beach. For dramatic effect, he was even packing a pistol that General McArthur had when he returned to the Philippines. Lex promises not to give up. He may be down, but he still knows people, and can pull some strings.

During the time that Clark was learning all of Andrea's backstory, Martha Kent had come to the Daily Planet looking for him. She knows how upset he was about his father's watch, and is worried that he might do something. Chloe pretends that she doesn't know what is going on, but Martha has been keeping secrets for so long that she isn't fooled. She fears that Clark has kept the pain in so long, that he might actually let his emotions get the better of him. Chloe reassures Mrs. Kent that although she thinks it was Jonathan that his son always looked up to, Clark thinks a lot of Martha as well, and he knows the line and would never cross it. Those words help Martha feel better, but even more, it is her realization that she is not alone, at least when it comes to Clark's secret. She had wondered how she could ever keep the secret by herself, and is happy to learn that she doesn't have to.

Posted by J-Unit on February 6, 2006 11:44 PM