Chapter Two Part Two- Bug Boy:
Clark was sitting at his computer researching several articles on the bugs that were often found in Greg Arkin's room.
"I never took you for a bug type of guy Smallville" Lois says standing in the doorway of the Torch, her glasses long gone by now along with her hangover.
His chair squeaked when he spun around to face her, "I'm just trying to figure out what's happening to Greg, the way he moved last night was like something out of The Fly."
Lois grew curious and with that curiosity she decided to pull up a chair and sit beside him asking, "Are we talking Vincent Price or Jeff Goldbulm?"
"Goldblum" Clark replied turning his attention back to the small screen.
"So you think that Greg is somehow turning into an insect?" Lois asks in disbelief which caused Clark to just nod.
Before any of them could speak, Chloe walked in saying "I finally found that article about the Amazonian tribesmen who took on the traits of the insects they'd been bitten by, but nothing as extreme as what you're talking about. Did you have any luck?"
She looks up almost surprised to see Lois sitting so close to Clark, the two looked at each other before Lois quickly rolled her way towards an empty desk leaving Chloe and Clark to talk.
"Only that Greg wasn't living in Smallville the time of the meteor shower, so we could rule out meteor freak" Clark's voice sounded slightly disappointed, it wasn't until he turned back to the computer that the light bulb went off in Lois's head.
"You said that Greg likes to collect bugs right?" She asked walking towards them with a happy grin on her face.
Chloe looked at her cousin before the same light bulb clicked off and she turned to her cousin saying, "If he didn't get affected by the blast then maybe his bugs did, There are still pieces of that meteor still buried all over Smallville. The whole habitat's infected. So when boy catches bugs and bugs bite boy, you end up with... bug boy."
Lois draped her arm over Chloe's shoulder as the two cousins flashed triumphant smiles, Clark looked back at forth before saying, "I hate to rain on your guys moment, but you can't even walk out the door in the summertime without being bitten by a mosquito. Why don't we have a whole town of bug people?"
Chloe quickly flipped through the article saying, "Those Amazonian tribesmen were all attacked by swarms."
"Which would lead to enough toxins from the meteors to cause him to turn into Bug Boy." Lois finished her cousins explanation, Clark was left with a look of pure disbelief.
He quickly snapped out of it when he rose to his feet looking slightly worried and determined, "Maybe his bugs got sick of the view and staged a revolt."
"Well, according to this, bugs have a very short life cycle. So if he really has gone Kafka, let's hope he isn't in the mating phase." Chloe said with a little bit of disgust while she walked towards her desk and powered up her computer leaving Lois and Clark to theorize.
"If you were a bug boy and planning to change phases, where would your nest be?" Lois asked clearly getting more and more interested as the story progressed.
Clark's eyes went wide before he quickly grabbed his jacket saying to both girls, "Chloe get your camera…" his gaze went from Chloe then back to Lois saying, "You can drive, just don't get us into another accident"
Lois just smiled, "I'm as safe as the tortoise against the hare."
She pushed past him leaving the farm boy to turn to Chloe asking, "Is she always like that or does she just have it out for me?"
Chloe just chuckled with a reply, "At least she hasn't put you through a window yet, the last guy who made her mad, ended up with a broken wrist and a bruised ego."
Clark ran his hands through his hair thinking, 'That's comforting to know.'
Smallville Stables:
Lana and Whitney were having a heart to heart about the whole tying Clark up and leaving him out in that field prank, which led to the lose of her favorite necklace.
It wasn't until Greg appeared from the shadows that Whitney found himself pushed through the stable doors left unconscious, Lana rushed towards him only to have Greg grab her from behind whispering in her ear, "It's time."
Lana cringed at his cold voice, "Time for what."
Greg jerked her face towards him and replied with a twisted smile, "For Us"
Bug boy laid one on her before carrying her off, his skin was growing paler and the time would soon come for the King to claim his Queen.
Arkin Residence:
Pete, Chloe, Lois and Clark all peaked their heads out from the porch looking through the front window.
"It doesn't look like anyone's home." Lois says while everyone just stood up looking around the porch to signs for cars or hide a keys.
"Mrs. Arkin's car is still in the garage, but from the looks of the inside it's a mess." Pete says looking back through the window.
He turned back and looked at Clark, "Remember what a neat freak Greg's mom was?"
Clark just smiled, "Yeah, she used to make us take off our shoes. One time I forgot and she yelled at me."
Lois just contained a laugh saying, "Poor Clarkie."
Pete and Chloe contained their laughter while Clark just shook his head saying, "I think I preferred Smallville."
The brief moment of laughter stopped when Clark continued, "After 7th grade, Greg's parents got divorced and he just stopped calling after that. I guess that's when he started his bug collection."
"Which sucked because he had a killer tree fort his dad built in the woods, we use to hang out there all the time…except Clark never really liked it. He used to get dizzy just walking over there." Pete cut in which left Clark hiding his embarrassment.
"Was Clarkie afraid of heights?" Lois joked.
Clark puffed out his chest a little and just passed the joke off by replying, "I didn't believe it was structurally sound."
Lois just smirked and patted him on the chest, they didn't notice Chloe push the window up until she called out, "You guys, come on"
One by one they slipped through the window, each of them stopped in both disgust and horror at the sight of the musty smelling, cob webbed covered house.
Lois soon walks over to the bathroom only to rush back out with a sickening look on her face, "I think bug boy is molting cause that tub is riddled with dead skin."
Clark and Pete just walked past her to see the skin, the boys just cringed before Pete snapped a photo.
"You guys better come in here!" Chloe's voice echoes from Greg's bedroom, the young trio soon rushes towards the bedroom with Lois and Clark almost getting stuck in the doorway until she elbowed him in the gut and walked forward oblivious to his scowl.
Everyone's gaze landed on the webbed Television which showed home movies of Lana Lang, each one looked as if it had been shot from a distance without her knowledge, "I think Greg's found his mate." Chloe says her eyes still glued to the TV.
"Yeah, but at least Smallville's not the only one with Lana on the brain." Lois says while Pete snaps photos, she didn't hear a retort and just turned to see the farm boy walking up to a huge webbed sack plugged up against the corner.
She walked up next to him as Chloe and Pete stood in the back with their hearts beating wildly like they were watching a scene from a horror movie where the monster's victim usually pops out and surprises the main protagonist.
Clark just tore through the webbing and in that moment, the shriveled body of Mrs. Arkin dropped forward.
Lois immediately jumped and grabbed the closet thing for comfort, which so happened to be Clark's hand.
He just stares down at their intertwined hands before Lois slips out of his strong hand whispering to herself, "I should've seen that coming."
Chloe looked at her cousin then at Clark, a brief flash of jealousy and depression swept through her before Clark turned to face them saying, "We have to find Lana."
But after hours of checking out local areas around Smallville, Clark hit a lucky break when he discovered an unconscious Whitney Fordman at the Smallville Stables.
The two had a brief moment where they put aside their differences and put all of it towards stopping Greg from completing his goal.
Clark was gone before Whitney had a chance to apologize for the scarecrow incident.
Unknown Location:
Greg placed a few more cobwebs over Lana, he squatted down at her side and said "Don't worry, Once I get everything settled we'll be together…forever"
Greg rose to his feet and climbed down the old tree house which held three carved names in the trunk of the tree: PETE, CLARK, and GREG Best Buds Forever.
The clock was running out and the sooner he could mate, the sooner he could survive.
Old Smallville Foundry- Couple Minutes Later…
Clark found himself forced up against the old cement pillars, his hands gripping at his attacker's hands trying to gain fresh oxygen.
"What are you doing here, Kent ?" Greg said pushing harder against the throat of the very man he once called friend.
"I know what's happened to you Greg, how your becoming more insect then human" Clark croaked out gasping for breath.
Greg brought Clark's face to his, the emptiness and rage in his old friend's eyes caused the farm boy to shiver, "I have no rules, Clark. I eat what I want, I go where I want, and I take what I want."
Clark just grabbed Greg's hands saying, "Your not taking Lana or anyone else."
Greg was impressed with his old friend's bravery, "Well, then how are you going to try and stop me? I've got the power!"
Clark's face grew straight when he grabbed Greg's wrist and forced them off his neck saying, "Your not the only who's changed"
With a quick kick he sent Greg skidding across the old dusty floor, Clark advanced on him only to grow weak, the sickly green pulsated in his veins.
Greg walked smugly over towards Clark saying, "You haven't changed at all, Clark. You still get sick around this place, just like when we were kids. Hey, Clark. Did you know the Buffalo ant can lift 30 times its own body weight?" he lifts Clark up with ease and throws him towards a broken concrete shell.
Greg continues to antagonize Clark, who soon begins to regain his strength and stamina.
"Give it up, Clark! You can't fight natural law! Only the strong survive" Greg said confidentially only to be whacked from behind by a pipe, the bug boy turned to see Lois Lane staring back at him with a smug smile.
"You bitch!" Greg yelled rubbing his head quickly before grabbing Lois by her throat and choking her.
Bug boy smirked before calling out, "You can play hide and seek all you want Clark, but unless you want to be responsible for this girl's death. I suggest you get out here and face the music"
Lois squirmed, "Don't do it Smallville, he's bluffing"
Upon that small insult, Greg smashed Lois up against the pillar pushing his hands harder against her throat yelling, "She's turning purple Clark, what are you gonna do? Play hide and seek or save the girl?"
A hand tapped on his shoulder causing him to turn only to see a huge fist directed at his face, the bug boy fell to the floor in pain.
Clark quickly caught Lois before she could fall, he just smiled and asked "Are you okay?"
"I thought I was the one saving you this time." Lois croaked out in a scratchy whisper which just caused Clark to smirk.
"You can do the saving next time, promise" He set her down against the pillar only to be kicked farther.
Lois rose to her feet watching the bug boy walk past her too concerned with killing Clark, her eyes looked up to see the shell hanging above him which lead to the rope across from her.
She turned to Clark only to see that Greg had hoisted him up in the air, "Keep him busy!" she yelled.
Clark looked over towards her yelling back, "What do you think I'm doing…" he was cut off when he was throw farther against the wall.
Lois reached out and grabbed the rope calling out, "Hey Bug Boy!"
Greg turned to face her, she just smiled and let go of the rope saying, "Made you look."
He didn't have time to get out of the way when the shell fell on top of him, several bugs scattered all over the place.
Clark rushed towards Lois only to see her covered in green goop, he let out a huge laugh for the first time today only to be punched on the shoulder.
Lois just turned around mumbling curse words and profanity, she turned around and pointed her finger at Clark saying, "Next time there's a meteor freak terrorizing the town, don't expect me to save your ass."
Clark pointed at the goop saying, "You call that saving?"
Lois just held her head high and didn't answer, instead she just walked away.
Clark was too wrapped up in laughing that he barely noticed Lana and Whitney being happily reunited.
Kent Farm- One Hour Later…
Lois stepped out of the shower feeling clean and refreshed, the green goop was long gone from her skin but sadly not her clothes which were still being washed.
So all she settled for was a pair of gray Met U sweat pants along with a red and gold flannel shirt.
Clark was busy working on his article for the Torch that he barely had time to react when Lois appeared beside him saying, "How's the story?"
He almost fell right out of his chair only to be stopped when Lois pressed her hands to his chest making sure he stayed seated.
The silence between them was cut short when Martha and Jonathan Kent walked in to see Lois Lane, clad in what they could see as their son's shirt.
Lois quickly removed her hands from Clark's hands and just slowly waved with a smile, "Hi Mr. & Mrs. Kent, nice day today?"
Clark only buried his head in his hands keeping the smirk hidden from everyone around him.
FortRyan- Underground bomb shelter:
The smell of dust and stale food was in the air, rats could be heard running across the cement floors while the fluorescent lights flickered.
The broken ruins of Lois's car stood in the corner, the lights surrounding it further showed the extent of the damage.
A shadow moved around in the darkness of the shelter and began examining the wreckage trying to remember how this much damaged could have been done.
On the grill of the car stood two strong hand prints like someone tried to stop the car before going over and they weren't abnormal hands, in fact they looked almost about the same size of a certain farm boy from Kansas.
The driver side window was smashed in from the outside and the seatbelt was ripped from the buckle which was clearly busted during the impact of the accident.
More and more mystery surrounded this car and only one question remain unanswered… 'How was ClarkKent able to save Lois Lane?'
TBC…
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