Smallville (TV Series)

Scion (2011)

Cassidy Freeman: Tess Mercer

Photos 

Quotes 

• Tess Mercer : I think he just needs someone there for him, like family.

  Clark Kent : Well, technically, you are his sister.

  Tess Mercer : But I'm no Clark Kent. I know you are the one who that can bring out the best in him.

• Lionel Luthor : I applaud your efforts, but you can't hide Alexander from me forever.

  Tess Mercer : I'm saving him from an encore performance of "Daddy Dearest."

  Lionel Luthor : Give me my son.

  Tess Mercer : I'm surprised that you are so hell-bent on this family reunion, given the fact that on this world it was Lex that sent Lionel plummeting to his death.

  Lionel Luthor : That's proof that the Lex you knew was a true Luthor.

• Tess Mercer : Enjoy the view one last time. Security's on their way up to escort you out of the building.

  Lionel Luthor : Now, if you're threatening me, you need something more powerful than hot air.

  Tess Mercer : All the firepower I need is right here. Copies of all the official documents that bear your signature.

  Lionel Luthor : There's no discrepancies. Everything matches perfectly. My DNA, my handwriting, identical to the other Lionel.

  Tess Mercer : Then why would you have them all secretly reissued? Now, you may think you scrubbed all evidence of your true identity from this world, but you missed a spot. There was one document that you were never aware of.

  Lionel Luthor : [she shows him her tablet]  When Lionel gave you up for adoption.

  Tess Mercer : I wasn't the only thing that he left at the orphanage. He left his fingerprints on a document when he admitted me. And as you know, just like our worlds, they're reversed. His fingerprints and yours are mirror copies of each other. It proves that you are a fake. My lawyers are drawing up papers that relinquish your complete control of LutherCorp to me.

  Lionel Luthor : Why would I do that?

  Tess Mercer : Because of that scotch that you're drinking. It's laced with nano-trackers. They've burrowed deep into your stomach lining and have entered your bloodstream. From now on, I will know your every move. And if you try to retaliate against me, or my friends, I will crush you.

  Lionel Luthor : Why don't you have me killed?

  Tess Mercer : Because that's not who I am.

• Clark Kent : You know, we have a doorbell.

  Tess Mercer : I was just stopping by to see how things were going, but it looks like I should have brought marshmallows.

  Clark Kent : You know, he's getting things faster than I did.

  Tess Mercer : If I didn't know any better, that might look like a glint of pride in your eyes. Unfortunately, uh, Clark, I just talked to my inside man, and Lionel knows that Conner's here. So we need to move him.

  [they continue, unaware Conner can hear them in the barn with his superhearing] 

  Clark Kent : I'm gonna call Oliver and Chloe in Star City. We can send him there.

  Tess Mercer : We have kept him in the dark about who he really is. Don't you think it's time to let Conner know the truth about the other side of the family?

  Clark Kent : Considering everything that happened, I don't think it's a good idea that he knows half of his DNA came from Lex. We can never let him know that half of him is Luthor.

• Tess Mercer : What did you find on Lionel?

  Lois Lane : It seems Lionel 2.0 has dotted every "I" and crossed every "T". I mean, his resurrection is so ironclad, he'd give Lazarus a run for his money. He's even had government lackeys reissue every official document with his autograph. And we know it seems like a dead end, but I'm having some G-men turn over that rock and see what's underneath. Over and out.

• Lois Lane : Okay, what's with all the cloak-and-dagger? I feel like I stepped into a Tom Clancy novel.

  Tess Mercer : I know you're probably still reeling from the Conner bomb that I dropped on you this morning, but you're the only member of our merry little league that can help me now.

  Lois Lane : Well, considering I don't have any amazing powers or cool gadgets, I do find that hard to believe.

  Tess Mercer : You can talk to Clark into getting rid of Lionel Luthor once and for all.

  Lois Lane : I know you already went up this hill and got shot down. Since the Lionel Clark knew came around in the end, Clark is hoping this Luthor will change his spots, too.

  Tess Mercer : Hey. We need to draw a line in the sand, Lois. Clark needs to act now.

  Lois Lane : Lionel knows his secret. He knows what can hurt him. And if they rumble in the asphalt jungle, Clark could go down for the count.

• Tess Mercer : We both know how Lionel destroyed his own world when he had a superpowered son, and if he gets ahold of Conner, he will do the same here. I know how dangerous this is for Clark. We don't have a choice.

  Lois Lane : [getting an idea]  Maybe we do. Just hear me out. When Eliot Ness couldn't nab Capone for murder, the government sent him up the river for getting sloppy with his taxes. Now, you and I both know that Lionel would have spent a pretty penny to hide the fact that he's from another world. What if he was just as sloppy?

  Tess Mercer : If we can find a detail that he overlooked, we could prove that he's a fake. And his entire house of cards will come crashing down.

• Lionel Luthor : I made a terrible mistake, Tess. I should have never trusted Clark more than my own flesh and blood.

  Tess Mercer : Considering what happened to me, I'd say that turning your back on your own is the dominant Luthor trait. Which is why the Luthor legacy ends with you.

• Lionel Luthor : If I'd been your father when Lionel gave you up for adoption, I would have done precisely as he did.

  Tess Mercer : Why? 'Cause you can't control me?

  Lionel Luthor : No. Because you are inferior. Imagine what a boy like Alexander could do if he had the right guidance.

  Tess Mercer : You're right. You're right. Come with me.

  [leading him into another room; on the table rests a metal tube] 

  Tess Mercer : Your son is in there. We couldn't find a cure to stop the accelerated mitosis.

  Lionel Luthor : You're lying. I don't believe you.

  Tess Mercer : There are enough bone chips in those ashes for a DNA test. That will prove that I'm telling the truth. Your son is dead, Lionel. You'll never be able to hurt him again.

• Lionel Luthor : So, it's not just the Luthor males who like secrets.

  Tess Mercer : Given the fact that you're here, this place isn't really much of a secret.

• Clark Kent : [learning Tess brought Conner to the farm]  Tess, you shouldn't... what if he remembers something about me?

  Tess Mercer : He doesn't. He doesn't remember anything, because he's going through this sort of metamorphosis. A-And ever since he's been changing, we have been learning new things about him, like things about his, um, genetic origin.

  [they hear a crashing in the barn; going to investigate, they find Conner effortlessly holding up the tractor] 

  Conner Kent : Hey, Tess, check it out.

  Tess Mercer : Um, he doesn't just have Lex's genes. Half his DNA came from you.

• Tess Mercer : Ever since Alexander's reboot, he has been totally glitch-free a-and... and ready to enter the real world. Except he needs... he needs someone to... guide him. Um... s-someone like you.

  Clark Kent : Me? He's a genetically engineered version of Lex. I don't think I'd be the best mentor for him.