Metropolis basked in bright summer sunlight. The overly fierce rays made every glass surface on the streets gleam, while a visible layer of heat haze rose from the asphalt, binding people's steps like congealed glue.
A youth in black-rimmed glasses hurried across the crosswalk. Though he wore a suit and carried a briefcase over his shoulder, he did not look like he was headed to work at all, because he held a dog on a leash in one hand and a black cat in the other.
Yet he entered a small newspaper office in Metropolis's West End in precisely that state. He had just passed beneath the obscure newspaper's sign and was about to head into the office when he heard a scream.
"Clark, oh my God! Are these your dog and cat? Aaaaaah! Everyone, come out and look! He really brought them!"
Clark turned around. He had assumed only Lois was standing by the stairs, but seconds later, a swarm of women rushed down from the upstairs landing amid endless shrieks. Krypton's head was petted eighteen times in a single second, and Bat-Cat did not escape their grasp either.
"Ah, yes. This is Krypton, and this is Little Bruce. I came to drop something off. Lois, here's the information you wanted."
As he spoke, Clark used the hand holding the leash to pull a document from his bag and hand it to Lois beside him. Lois shook her head and said, "I told you, I'm not in a hurry. You could have brought it tomorrow when you came to work. This isn't the Metropolis Daily anymore."
"We all think it's a shame," Clark sighed. "You're such an outstanding reporter, yet you can only stay at a small newspaper."
"It's fine. This was my own choice too. You need to