Lex pays Lana a visit at her stables to talk up Clark to her and to hint at Whitney lying to her about what happened before the game.
The brunette then confronts her boyfriend about this at school and leaves to apologize to Clark, once Whitney admits he strung up Clark and lost her necklace.
On her way out she blows off the newly changed Greg, whose mindset is drastically affected by his new abilities of insect features.
That evening Greg pays Clark a visit and almost kills his father before disappearing as suddenly as he arrived.
Clark decides to investigate his former friend and involves Chloe and Pete into this as well.
The group finds out about Greg's obsession on Lana and Clark speeds off to save her from the deranged teen.
Unfortunately for him however after saving an unconscious Lana, Whitney is the one to find and console her, never knowing that Clark defeated Greg, who killed himself by accident while fighting the kryptonian in an abandoned factory.
After hearing everything that happened Chloe decides to pay Ben a visit.
"Hello?" The blonde shouts for the fifth time, having invited herself into his mansion and is currently walking around in the building, looking for Ben or his butler, but hasn't found them so far.
"Where is he?" Chloe asks herself and continues to look around, ending up in the rich teen's office and looks around curiously, not having been at the mansion more than 3 times at most.
Walking around in the office she looks at a few books in his shelves before moving to the massive desk taking up a lot of space in the room and sees a few screens, what she can only assume is a strong computer and spots a few pictures on his desk mixed in some clutter of homework, documents of his family's company and office equipment.
The first picture is one of his late family. The second one is Alfred and him standing in front of the mansion.
The third one is one of Clark and him asleep in front of a TV with various snacks covering the floor around them.
The last picture nearly makes her choke in surprise when she sees that it's a picture of her from their last field trip with her petting an animal in the zoo they visited.
"You certainly are getting stronger." She hears Alfred's voice through the hall after the sound of a door opening.
"Yeah. I noticed. I don't know why though." Ben says.
"I think we should involve Dr. Glass. She is an old family friend and is a gifted doctor and scientist." Alfred suggests.
"If this wasn't worrisome, I would accuse you of using me to get a date." Ben tells Alfred, before entering his office, Chloe standing frozen in place behind his desk and smiles at him awkwardly.
"What are you doing here?" Ben asks surprised, taking off the sparring gloves he has on and closes the door behind him.
"I was looking for you. To ask if you're alright. I couldn't help but notice that you were absent on Clark's quest to find Greg and save Lana." Chloe says.
"What quest? Water?" Ben asks, offering a bottle from a cabinet, while pouring himself a glass.
"Sure. And Greg went bananas. He killed his mother and took Lana captive. Luckily Clark and Whitney found her. But Greg is nowhere to be found." Chloe informs him.
"What is wrong with him?" Ben asks, coming over to the girl, handing her a glass before clearing part of his desk and motions for her to take a seat on it while he sits down in his chair.
"He was bitten by insects and became like one of them." Chloe says.
"Insects huh?" Ben says dreadfully, scratching his leg.
"What's going on? Something just happened." Chloe asks noticing his shift in attitude.
"I was stung by some insect." Ben reminds her.
"So? Greg had to have been covered in bites from head to toe by meteor infected animals to result in his kind of change." Chloe says.
"I think you should stay away from me. Pete too." Ben says, pinching the bridge of his nose thinking carefully.
"Why? Ben, is this about this?" Chloe asks, taking the picture of her and showing it go him.
"No. Look, ever since the sting I'm not myself. I don't want to put you in danger. I'm just gonna take a few sick days and have a doctor check me out." Ben says, taking the picture and puts it back in place.
"Let me show you out now." He says sounding exhausted and a little scared.
"Ben, you don't have to do this alone if something really is happening to you." Chloe tells him.
"Sadly, I do. I couldn't face you again once I'm on that board of yours." Ben says while leading her outside.
"Ben wait. Don't do this. I must clearly mean something to you with how you've been acting lately and I'm sorry that I never realized it, but that doesn't mean you have to shut me out like this." Chloe says desperately.
"This has nothing to do with my feelings for you. I have been coming to terms with you choosing Clark for a long time. This is about what's happening to me. Because this, isn't normal." Ben says, lifting his truck up with one hand, albeit with difficulty.
Chloe watches this display astonished and speechless.
"Just take your picture for your wall and leave. I need to find out what's going on with me. Especially after what you just told me about Greg." Ben says, before setting down the car and heading back into his mansion, locking the door behind himself.
"Wait Ben." Chloe shouts, once she's over her shock, but Ben has already retreated into the mansion.
The teen spends the whole week confined in his mansion, not accepting any visitors, including Clark while Anne Glass is running tests on him and finally gives him her diagnosis.
"Ben, after all the tests I have to say something incredible is happening to you. I can't determine how, but what stung you wasn't an insect per se. It has various animal features and for some reason it's affecting your DNA. You're mutating for a lack of a better word." The doctor explains.
"Mutating into what?" He asks wearily.
"I really can't tell." She tells him.
"What about my cognitive function?" Ben asks.
"They are off the charts. But I can't determine if the mutation is affecting your mind if that's what you're asking." Anne answers.
"What is your assessment? Am I dangerous?" Ben asks dreading her answer.
"Until you show signs of abnormal mental distress, I don't think you're of a danger to anyone more than you are to yourself." She says, knowing the teen all too well.
"Thank you, Dr. Glass." Ben says, nodding at Alfred to show her outside.
"What will you do now?" Alfred asks Ben about 5 minutes later, the teen sitting in his office's chair, thinking.
"I will return to school and try to live my life." Ben tells his butler decisively, crushing a pair of handcuffs he got in case he needs to be restrained.
"Very good sir. I am proud of you and how you handled yourself this week." Alfred says.
"Thank you." Ben says happily.
"Are you going to tell people about this?" Alfred asks.
"I don't know. Clark and Chloe I probably have to, but Lex and Pete... we'll see." Ben says thoughtfully.
"I trust you will do what's right." Alfred says, hugging his son figure before leaving him to let the news sink in.
|the next day|
Ben stops by the Kent farm on his way to school, parking his truck in their driveway.
Chloe spots the car and rushes off the school bus, despite Pete's protest and the driver's confusion.
"So yeah, that's what's going on." Chloe hears Ben say when she enters the barn Clark is found in most times.
"Sounds rough. And I thought I didn't know where I belong right now." Clark says sympathetically.
"You have a visitor." Ben tells Clarke patting his arm and starts to walk down the wooden stairs. Just as he's about to casually greet the smaller blonde, Chloe hugs him strongly.
"I was worried. What's going on?" She asks Ben, looking up at him confused.
"I'm changing because of the sting. Mutating to be exact." Ben answers truthfully.
"Mutating?" She asks worried.
"The details are not clear, just that I'm different now is certain." Ben informs her.
"I'm sorry. That must be hard." She says.
"Time will tell I guess." Ben says, kissing the top of her head before walking past her and out of the barn.
"Uh hi Clarke." Chloe greets the farm boy up in his fortress and hurries after Ben, shouting "wait up I need a ride."
"Get in." He replies, getting in the driver side of his truck and waits for the smiling blonde.
"Is Clarke coming too?" Chloe asks, the dark haired teen no longer in sight.
"Nah. I don't think so." Ben answers, starting the vehicle and drives them to school.
"I never thought I could hurt someone with the wall you know." She tells Ben after a bit of silence.
"I don't blame you. I mean I have done a lot more damage going after my calling." Ben says understandingly.
"What do you mean?" Chloe asks.
"Not every business venture I wanted to back turned out well and some which did my family's company ripped off." Ben says.
"Really? I didn't know that." Chloe replies surprised.
"No surprise there. Not many people know about it." Ben informs her and pulls up in a parking spot, turning off the truck.
"Thanks for the lift and your secret is safe with me." Chloe promises.
"I know." Ben says without hesitation.