Elsewhere, the Red Queen in her crimson getup and patent stilettos is stepping into her awaiting limo. It speeds off but doesn't get far before Clark stops it with a hand to the hood. He zips over to the side of the car and rips the door clean off its hinges. He approaches the Red Queen, demanding she tell him where she has the Book of Rao. She answers with an upraised fistful of Kryptonite. Clark gets all pukey and falls back. The limo speeds away. Somehow, the door is no longer missing. Must be one of them fancy new self-repairing limos. Clark watches it go, muttering, "This isn't over, Tess." Commercials.

Watchtower. Suddenly it's daytime. Chloe's staring at what seems to be a blank laptop screen when Clark walks in. "Any sign of Tess Mercer? Her reign as the Red Queen is about to come to an end." Chloe hands him a medical file, telling him, "While you were being Kryptonited by our mystery majesty, Tess Mercer was being treated for cracked ribs at Met Gen." Clark wants to know when Chloe can get Watchtower up and running again. She hems and haws about it, but Clark is impatient. "I've seen you overhaul Watchtower in one night, Chloe, what's the holdup?" Ass. Chloe confesses that she's the one who's not ready. She talks about how she withdrew into Watchtower after Clark left. She stands before one of the windows that's still enclosed behind a metal iris. She thought what she had were answers, but realizes now having information isn't the same thing. She takes a long, shuddering breath. "I can't be the eye in the sky anymore," she tells him. It's such a big thing for her to admit to him, considering she's been his main source of information for nine years now, and telling him this means risking losing that connection to him. It would be nice if the show would focus more on these interpersonal moments. Still not looking at him, she goes on: "And now that I have Ollie, I want to plug into the real world." Her eyes tear up and her nose reddens before our eyes. Kudos for calling on real tears, Allison Mack. "Virtual reality bites," she says without a hint of joking. Clark tells her that the Watchtower she created is "bigger than the both of [them]," and will serve future generations. "I'm not the hero here," she says almost desperately. He takes her shoulders in his hands, facing her, telling her she's as much a hero as the rest of them. "We're on the brink of war and the world needs you." He pauses and adds, "I need you." Poor thing can't resist the big galoot. She steels herself and, with a touch of a button, reactivates Watchtower. The metal iris opens, bathing them in sunlight. "I just want you to know," Chloe says, "that even when I hurt you, I was trying to protect you." That makes Clark think. He looks at a picture of the Red Queen's insignia. "Protect me," he echoes as the little night-light in his brain goes on.