Smallville (TV Series)

Patriot (2010)

Cassidy Freeman: Tess Mercer

Quotes 

• Lois Lane : Wow.

  Clark Kent : Welcome to Watchtower - the official headquarters of the home team.

  Tess Mercer : Which you are clearly on now. Finally.

  Lois Lane : Is that a com-sat hook-up? I take back the whole "work wife" thing. Your satellite officially trumps my cellphone.

  Tess Mercer : Forget it. From now, mi com-sat es su com-sat.

• Clark Kent : We all know what the government was up to. But those prisons were part of a much bigger threat. Hate crimes are up. People like Slade, they're getting more control. And Godfrey's anti-vigilante message - it's reaching more ears than ever before, and I don't think it's a coincidence.

  Tess Mercer : Sadly, Clark, there's no mystery to human fear and hatred.

  Clark Kent : This time, there might be. I think there's something more behind the darkness, something that hero haters like Slade don't even know is affecting them. When I sent the Kandorians away through the portal in space, I opened a door to something else to come to Earth.

  Oliver Queen : Are you serious trying to tell me that, out of all the intergalactic bad boys we've ever faced, this one's actually worse?

  Clark Kent : This is *much* worse. We can't even see it to fight it. This thing is like an evil that's spreading over the Earth. It preys upon the dark side that we already have. It feeds on our doubts, our fears, and our distrust.

  Oliver Queen : Well, I'd say, from where I'm standing, and it's already on the winning side.

  Clark Kent : I think it even affected Slade. Just before the facility exploded, I saw something on Slade's skull - the Omega symbol. It was like it was branded there. Almost like the mark...

  Tess Mercer : ...of The Beast in Revelations.

  Lois Lane : Which would explain why he veered so far off his marching orders.

  Oliver Queen : I'm guessing you don' t think that Slade's the only pledge to the Alpha-Omega-Die fraternity, right?

  Clark Kent : I think the Omega is the sign of corruption. A mark of the darkness has fully taken over someone.

  Lois Lane : Didn't Kara say that a person had to be open to the darkness? That it can't infect anyone of pure heart?

  Clark Kent : And which one of us doesn't have that weakness? A hidden hatred or fear that this thing couldn't prey upon?

  Oliver Queen : So, basically this thing doesn't have to do anything.

  Lois Lane : It just waits for everybody's weaknesses, and then we destroy ourselves.

  Clark Kent : If we can't stop it, the darkness will infect every person on this planet.

• Tess Mercer : [appears on screen, to Clark]  I ran some tests on the alloy you found and...

  [sees Lois with Clark] 

  Tess Mercer : Lois. Hi.

  Lois Lane : Okay, you know how I hate being all emo-relationship chick. It's just, I can't get you on the phone, but Tess can Skype with you?

  Clark Kent : This isn't a social call.

  Lois Lane : And I am? We practically share a desk chair, but now I'm still not the real work wife.

  Tess Mercer : Sorry to interrupt "The Real Housewives of Metropolis," but there's something we need to know about this alloy we tested.

• Tess Mercer : It's like some sort of multifunctional weaponry. The government is preparing for anything that comes its way.

  Mera : Including Orin. He should have been back by now.

  Clark Kent : He could be at any one of the four facilities he was checking out.

  Lois Lane : If he ended up in one of Slade's nets, I might know how to find him.

  Clark Kent : [she shows them the schematic Slade had]  It's the design blueprint for the prisons.

  Lois Lane : And according to this, there's only one facility that is operational. It's in Alaska.

• Tess Mercer : [as Oliver leaves with Wilson]  They're going to the helipad.

  Lois Lane : Well, you own this building. Don't let that helicopter take off.

  Tess Mercer : Lois, I can't. They have military clearance. Oliver's gone.

• Tess Mercer : Would you like to explain this to me? Because I took it off your desktop, and it suspiciously looks like an article on the VRA, which I expressly said you were not to write. Your father worked on the bill, Lois. It's a conflict of interest.

  Lois Lane : Let's just say something is rotten in the military state of Metropolis, and I need to make sure certain people know about it.

  Tess Mercer : Look, I know that you like to break a story before anybody else, but your concern seems... personal.

  Lois Lane : Okay, I'm actually gonna level with you on this one, Tess. I just found out that the mystery hero registering is Oliver.

  Tess Mercer : Is Clark working with you on this?

  Lois Lane : Why would he be?

  Tess Mercer : You share a lot of bylines. So you're alone on this one.

  Lois Lane : [getting on the elevator]  Looks like it. Clark's got jury duty.

  Tess Mercer : Oh. Jury duty?

  Lois Lane : I tried to tell him how to get out of it, but you know Clark, always serving the people and fulfilling his civic obligation.

  Tess Mercer : Yeah, he is dedicated that way.

• Tess Mercer : What is your scoop on the VRA?

  Lois Lane : Despite what they say? I think the VRA is going a little less above board and a lot more waterboard.

  Tess Mercer : Torture?

  Lois Lane : Meet General Slade Wilson. Put in charge of executing the VRA. Emphasis on "execute". For years, rumors of war crimes followed him, never any charges, and he continued to move up the ranks.

  Tess Mercer : Because he was effective, and now he's targeting heroes.

  Lois Lane : It's worse. If I've got it right, he's building prisons.

  Tess Mercer : And Oliver's about to sign up for this summer internment camp?