It began with a series of cryptic notes saying simply, "I know." Clark Kent and Lois Lane tried to puzzle these mysterious messages out, until Clark realized the full message: "I know your secret." In other words, someone had discovered his secret identity!

The someone soon revealed himself following an unsuccessful attempt on Clark Kent's life. A villain calling himself Conduit turned out to be Kenny Braverman, who had been one of Clark's neighbors in Smallville. Kenny and Clark had always competed against each other, with Clark always winning and Kenny always coming in second. When Kenny discovered that Clark and Superman were one and the same, it pushed him over the edge. Kenny was furious, believing that Clark had been using his special powers to beat him all those times. As Conduit, Kenny began to target all of Clark's close friends and family, including his parents, Lana Lang and Pete Ross, and, eventually, Jimmy Olsen.

After Conduit made several attempts on the lives of Clark's parents, Clark vowed to give up his Clark Kent and Superman identities forever. But when Lois helped him realize how difficult his life would be if he did so, Clark decided to take the battle to Conduit. The two fought a pitched battle in an arena of Conduit's own construction.

Unfortunately, Conduit's body was dying of radiation poisoning, and the battle with Superman proved too much. Conduit died, and Superman and Clark Kent were both able to return to their normal lives.

For a little while, at least...