Is this what you do with your time?
- Where did you get those? - In that hole you call a room.
- You had no right to go in there. - You've got a lot of nerve.
I'm in a club with Lana's aunt.
How will I face Nell, knowing my son is videotaping her niece?
- Is that where you were tonight? - No.
- I was out collecting. - Two disgusting habits.
Insects aren't disgusting, Mom.
Look what has become of you, Greg. This isn't you.
- People change. - Really?
Monday morning, I'm phoning Claremont Military Academy.
Yeah, right, Mom.
I've had it with your behaviour. This time I'm making the call.
Hey, who's gonna take care of my bugs?!
Don't worry, guys.
I'm gonna take you somewhere safe.
No!
No, don't do that!
Stop!
No, no!
Greg?
Greg! Where have you been?
Greg!
It's all your fault, Clark.
Clark!
We're leaving in 15 minutes, and you haven't done your chores yet.
That looks good, I like that.
All hail the homecoming king and queen!
Clark! I didn't see you at the dance last night.
I was...
I was a little tied up.
Hey, congratulations!
I haven't seen an offence that good since I played.
Thank you.
I'll get the rest of the boxes out of the truck.
I'll help.
- Lana? - Thank you.
Kent.
You realize last night was just a joke, right?
- I need that necklace back. - I don't have it.
Look, it's Lana's favourite...
Then you'd better go to that cornfield and find it.
Beautiful, isn't it?
Greg! I didn't recognize you without your glasses.
You know they only live for eight hours?
Live fast, die young.
They're the rock stars of the insect world.
Could you help me with my Lit paper?
- Homework giving you brain freeze? - Yeah, it's kicking my ass.
Sure, okay.
How about my house, after school?
Library might be easier.
It's a date.
Lana, your aunt's looking for you.
Hey, bug boy, do me a favour and quit tailing my girlfriend.
You afraid of a little competition?
We're not in competition, Greg.
If I find out you've been leaving butterflies in her room...
...you'll know about it.
Yeah, well, just remember...
...sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.
Can't knock your taste in women.
- What happened last night? - It was just a stupid prank.
You were tied to a stake in the middle of a field. You could've died.
I appreciate it.
- I just want to forget it. - What's the holdup?
Mr. Kent, it's good to see you.
Lex.
- We've gotta finish up. - Okay, Dad.
At least I got a handshake this time.
Oh, my God! Jonathan!
Clark!
Whitney will be all right. Cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.
- Does he remember anything? - No.
Just that something smashed his truck and he woke up in the ambulance.
Talk to Mom, I really freaked her out.
You also made her really proud, Clark.
Something else happened to me this morning.
When I woke up, I was kind of floating.
Floating?
As soon as I woke up, I crashed. What's happening to me?
I honestly don't know.
Soon as you start breaking the law of gravity, we're in uncharted territory.
I just wish it would stop.
Look, Clark, I'm your father. I'm supposed to have all the answers.
It kills me that I don't.
But you've gotta have faith. We'll figure this thing out together.
I do, but this is happening to me and I'm scared.
Your form's good, but his gait's off. You might check his shoes.
- Lex Luthor, a friend of your aunt. - Sneaking up like that...
...you're lucky you didn't get kicked.
You must be Lana. It's a pleasure to finally meet you.
We've already met.
I seriously doubt I'd forget meeting you.
You were a little preoccupied at the time.
Not a great first impression?
When I was 10, I went to Metropolis for a riding competition.
Your father invited us to stay.
You had an indoor pool. I went to check it out...
...I found you and a girl skinny-dipping.
You were teaching her the breaststroke.
That was you?
Wow.
You're all grown up now.
Very impressive.
It's tacky, but it makes my aunt happy.
- That's an unusual necklace. - It's very special to me.
How come you're not wearing it?
I lent it to my boyfriend.
- Lucky guy. What's his name? - Whitney Fordman.
- The kid that Kent saved today? - Just came back from seeing him.
He's lucky Clark was there.
I know the feeling.
Makes you wonder if you're with the right guy.
One chucks footballs, the other helps save lives.
For someone who just moved here, you've got a lot of opinions.
You just seem more interesting than that.
While you're nursing your boyfriend...
...ask him what he was doing before the big game.
- He was with me. - Are you sure?
Tell your aunt I stopped by.
Greg, what's going on here?
Greg!
I have...!
What's gotten into you?
Two million years of intelligence and instinct.
- You stop this right now. - I can't. See, it's too late.
Nature's already taken its course.
First I'll eat, then I'll moult.
- Then I'll mate. - You need help.
Mom, did I ever tell you about the farrow spider?
It's a fascinating creature.
See, after it hatches...
...it kills its mother.
Save any lives on your way over? You could make a career out of it.
Just dropping off your produce. Sorry my parents gave you a hard time.
I would have arm-wrestled them for it.
Planning an invasion?
- My father gave it to me when I was 9. - Cool gift.
It wasn't a gift, it was a strategy tool.
My father equates business with war.
The Battle of Troy started because two men were in love with the same woman.
Like you and the quarterback. That's why he strung you up.
- Whitney's won the war. - You lost one battle, that's all.
Besides, I don't believe Lana is as infatuated as you think.
He captains the football team. The town treats him like a god.
Game over.
If you hadn't pulled him out of that truck, your problems would be solved.
I'm kidding, of course.
Don't worry, Clark, I've got your Trojan horse.
Clark, you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
That's a cool box. What's it made of?
Lead. My mother bought it in a Casbah in Morocco.
It was made from the armour of St. George...
...patron saint of Boy Scouts.
She gave it to me before she died. Trying to give me a hint.
I can't take that.
What is it about Kents and gifts?
Hand it to Lana and tell her what happened.
Trust me. Once she opens it, you'll win her heart.
That necklace gives you the power, Clark.
All you've gotta do is use it.
Where were you before the game on Saturday?
Can we talk about this later?
It's a simple question, Whitney.
I was warming up.
So you didn't grab Clark and hang him up in a field?
Lana, it was just a prank.
Can I please have my necklace back?
- I lost it. - Were you planning to tell me?
Or was that a prank too?
Lana! I thought you'd forgotten. I've been waiting for, like, an hour.
You remember, the English paper?
Sorry, Greg, something important came up. Can we do it another time?
Are you blowing me off for your boyfriend?
- No, I'm not, I need to see Clark. - Kent?
You'd rather spend time with him? Is he more important than me?
Greg, I can't talk about this right now. I have to go.
Lana.
Your mom said I could wait here. I hope you don't mind.
This is an amazing place.
My dad built it. He calls it my ""fortress of solitude. ""
- I didn't know you liked astronomy. - That's a hobby.
- You can see my house from here. - Really?
We've lived a mile apart all our lives and you've never come over.
And you wonder why I'm here now.
Not that I don't enjoy the company, but yes.
I found out about what Whitney did to you, the whole scarecrow thing.
- I came to apologize. - It's not your fault. Forget about it.
I can't. He had no right to do that. And you turn around and save his life.
You're not the one who should be apologizing.
I didn't come here to defend him, I came here to see you.
- Who told you? - Lex Luthor.
Dropped some bread crumbs and I followed the trail.
I'm glad he did, Clark. He was just being a good friend.
- You're lucky, it's rare. - Lex is definitely one of a kind.
- What are you gonna do? - I'm not sure.
I thought I knew Whitney. Now I wonder what else I've been blind to.
He even lost my favourite necklace.
Can't you get it replaced?
Sounds weird, but it's made from a bit of the meteor that killed my parents.
Nell had it made, gave it to me the day she officially adopted me.
She told me that life is about change.
Sometimes it's painful...
...sometimes it's beautiful. But most of the time it's both.
I better go.
I'm glad you're okay, Clark.
Need a hand, Dad?
That's the best idea I've heard all night.
Clark?
Clark, what happened? Are you all right?
There's someone in the rafters.
Dad!
What in the hell just happened?
I never saw anybody move like that. It was almost as if he...
Wasn't entirely human? I saw his face. I think it was Greg Arkin.
You and Pete used to hang out with him in grade school.
- Why would he want to hurt you? - I don't know.
- Are you still friends? - I pass him in the halls.
His mother was strict with him, but I can't believe he'd hurt a fly.
Because he was too busy collecting them and other bugs.
Kids don't leap off the ceiling and attack people.
How do you explain that?
I don't know, seems kind of out there.
This, coming from the man who's been hiding a spaceship for 12 years.
It's not that I don't believe you, Clark.
I'm having trouble grasping this one.
You ever wonder why weird things happen here?
Every town has its share of tall tales.
Except here they're all true.
Chloe showed me all these articles she collected...
...about all the weird stuff that's happened since the meteor shower.
It's all my fault.
If you're talking about 50-pound tomatoes and two-headed calves...
...then I got a better explanation for you: Luthor Corp.
God knows what that fertilizer plant's been making the last 12 years.
Luthor Corp. Didn't kill Lana's parents.
Neither did you. Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over.
I know... I still feel responsible.
What happened to Lana's parents was a terrible tragedy.
But no matter how many extraordinary gifts you have...
...you will never be able to change that.
- How do I make this feeling go away? - You can't.
But that's what makes you human.
Chloe, is Greg Arkin still a reporter for the Torch?
A reporter is someone who actually turns in articles.
Greg hasn't been to the office for a week.
- I've gotta find him. - Why the sudden interest?
You coming out of the entomology closet?
It's nothing. I'll catch up with you later.
- I hate it when you do that. - Do what?
Shut me out. One minute you're here, and the next you're gone.
Are you outgrowing me as a friend?
I could never outgrow you. Other than vertically.
It's amazing how far that Kent charm will get you.
Now what's up with Greg?
These Amazonian tribesmen took on traits of the bugs that bit them.
But nothing as extreme as Greg's. You have any luck?
Greg moved here after the meteor showers. He wasn't exposed.
But his bugs could have been. Think about it.
Pieces of that meteor are buried all over Smallville.
So when boy catches bugs and bugs bite boy, you end up with ""bug-boy. ""
Look, you can't even walk outside without being bitten by a mosquito.
Why don't we have a whole town of ""bug-people""?
You need a high level of toxins to cause a mutation.
Those Amazonian tribesmen were all attacked by swarms.
Greg did keep tanks of bugs in his room.
Maybe they got sick of the view and revolted.
This says bugs have a short life cycle.
So if he really has gone Kafka, let's hope he isn't in the mating phase.
Doesn't look like anyone's home.
It's a mess. Remember what a neat freak his mom was?
Yeah. Once I forgot to take off my shoes and she yelled at me.
Ending the friendship?
His parents got divorced, and he stopped calling.
Which sucked. He had a killer tree fort.
- It was okay. - Clark never liked it.
- He used to get dizzy. - How come?
- He was afraid of heights. - It wasn't structurally sound.
You guys, come here.
Oh, man, that's disgusting.
- What is it? - It's skin. He must be moulting.
You guys better come in here.
Guys?
You're not the only one with the hots for Lana.
I think Greg's found his mate.
Lana!
Your aunt said you were out here.
- How you feeling? - Better.
That's not why I'm here, though.
Lana, when I saw you and Clark outside your house that night, I freaked out.
What did you think we were doing?
I guess I got scared and did something stupid.
I'd do anything to take that back.
It's too late, Whitney. She's mine now.
Greg?
Get away from her.
- Greg, what's going on? - It's time.
Time for what?
For us.
Lana!
- Greg's got her. - What happened?
He threw me against the wall like it was nothing and grabbed Lana.
- He was so strong. - Where did he go?
- Off into the woods. - I know where he's going.
- I'll drive. - You know the old foundry?
That got hit by the meteor?
100 yards back, there's a tree fort.
- How do you know? - We played there as kids.
Look, Kent, I want to apologize...
- Get away from her. - I know what's happened to you.
- I've been freed. - No, you're a slave to your instincts.
I have no rules, Clark.
I eat what I want...
...I go where I want...
- ...and I take what I want. - You're not taking her.
- Then try and stop me. - I've changed too.
You haven't changed at all.
You still get sick around this place like when we were kids.
Did you know the Buffalo ant can lift 30 times its own body weight?
Clark!
Clark, where are you? Come on out.
I just wanna play.
Clark, please... Come out!
It's lined with lead.
Give it up, Clark. You can't fight natural law.
Only the strong survive.
Did you think you could hide from me?
Greg, watch out!
It's okay. It's me.
- Whitney? - You're safe. You're safe. Come on.
Whitney, is that you?