An azure van sped down a seemingly endless highway. Alternating black and white lettering had been spray-painted across its body, but it was moving too fast for passing pedestrians to make out what the words said.
"A little faster, Clark. Oh, and could you pass me my hair clip?"
Inside the van, a woman in a little white suit was hurriedly putting on makeup while repeatedly urging the man driving to hurry.
In the driver's seat, a tall, handsome man with thick eyebrows and large eyes kept his attention on the wheel. At her request, he freed one hand, picked up the hair clip from the passenger seat, and handed it back.
The woman behind him held her nearly finished updo in one hand and deftly took the clip from her colleague with the other.
"Thanks. Have you seen the Cleveland News van anywhere along the way?"
"I don't think so. We're already moving pretty fast. They couldn't have reacted in time."
Clark freed a hand to push up the glasses slipping down his nose and answered with a perfectly serious expression.
"Let's hope so. If our rivals get the firsthand material before we do, the boss is going to be furious when we get back."
Clark's eyelids drooped. He had recently changed jobs, joining the Daily Planet as a trainee reporter. This major newspaper was nothing like the little paper he had worked for before. He had been working nonstop for three days. His new boss's demands were exceptionally strict: they weren't allowed to arrive at the scene of a story later than any competing outlet.
Although Clark was somewhat tougher than ordinary people and overtime didn't tire him out, the relentless workload lately had still dampened his spirits.
Since he was still a trainee, he couldn't conduct interviews