Jason left his mother's office feeling a little bit better than he did when he walked in. Despite being late to his first day at The Daily Planet, there was no question in his mind that his report from earlier was the most heartfelt in the room. With this new found confidence, Jason headed over to the office two doors down to begin his internship. No answer came from inside after knocking on the door twice. He decided to quietly let himself in. There at the desk was a man talking aloud to his computer screen; seemingly frustrated at his picture editor.
"Maybe if you said 'please', the color would come out brighter, Uncle Jimmy," Jason said sarcastically.
"Jason," Jimmy replied. "So good to see you!"
He left his seat to give Jason a hug. Back in the day, James Olsen was just a teenager trying to tell a story through his pictures. At the same he was attempting to gain the approval of his boss, the late Perry White. Today, his iconic photos of Superman made him nationally recognized and earned him the right to be known as The Daily Planet's head photographer.
"Still can't used to this damn 'Photoshop' thing," Jimmy said with a sigh.
"Why don't you call 1985 and tell them to give you your Polaroid back," Jason asked.
Jimmy glared at him, feeling in his fifties instead of his thirties. "Anyway, don't worry about being late. I'm still waiting for someone to arrive."
"Another intern? I thought it was just us?"
"You're the intern reporter. A photographer is coming with us too."
"Really? What's he like?"
"She, actually," said the girl walking through the door. "Sorry Mr. Olsen. Had to make a stop on the way. Ms. Lane has some lungs."
"Take it as a learning experience," said Jimmy as he shook the intern's hand. "Jason, meet Katie Vance, Photography Major at Metropolis University."
She was 19 with light skin and long, straight, black hair. Jason's casual clothes made him feel under dressed as her outfit was a button down with rolled up sleeves and a tie complimented by a skirt that came up slightly above the knee. She was only about an inch or two shorter than Jason but he felt so small standing next to her. He was a kid just a few short days from leaving high school while Katie was on her way to her degree. All of this and more left Jason speechless, causing an awkward five seconds of silence.
"Oh! Um...pleasure to meet me," he stuttered holding out his hand. "I mean you!"
"Likewise," she giggled, shaking his nervous hand. "You ok?"
"Uh yeah," he replied. "Just um...drank a lot of coffee."
"You have a caffeine sensitivity," said Jimmy.
"I plead the fifth..."
"It's ok," said Katie. "I'm nervous myself. Mr. Olsen said this was a big assignment."
"It's a huge assignment Katie." Jimmy pulled out an edition of the paper from earlier on in the day. The headline read 'MAGNETIC TELESCOPE FULLY FUNCTIONAL'.
"In case you haven't heard, Dr. Isaac Harris has become one of the top scientists and inventors in the world. Some, including myself, think he's an absolute nutcase but he is determined to prove us wrong tonight. Dr. Harris is going to unveil his latest creation at the observatory tonight. Apparently, it's a telescope that attracts comets to Earth for observation."
"That doesn't sound safe," said Katie.
"It's not."
"So I take it you're going to assign us reporters to shadow," Jason asked.
"No," Jimmy replied. "You two and myself are the reporters."
"Yes," Katie said with excitement. "Hitting the ground running! I like that!"
"Are you sure about this," Jason asked hesitantly. "I mean, if it's that dangerous-"
"I'll be with you every step of the way," Jimmy replied. "My job is to make sure you don't get into trouble. The coverage is on you."
Jason couldn't help being nervous. First his mother drags him into this internship, then she makes his first assignment a story about a crazy guy who makes meteors fall to Earth. Clearly, Lois Lane felt her son liked the element of danger just as much if not more than she did.
Jason then felt Katie grabbing him by the shoulders. "C'mon Jason! It'll be fun! You and me! It'll be just like your Mom and Clark Kent!"
"You...knew Clark Kent," he asked her.
"I used to read his articles all the time," she replied. "He wasn't the most prolific mind you. When he did write though, it was like he was actually there. Don't you wanna live that? Continue the legacy even?"
Jason, all of a sudden, had all of the courage he needed.
"Alright," he said with a smile. "Let's do it!"
James Olsen was impressed by the excitement of his two new proteges. Then again, the fact that he had become a mentor after all this time was enough to make him proud for the rest of his life.
"Well, now that we're all pumped, both of you get your thoughts, notes, and questions together and meet me back here at 7:30 sharp!"
"You got it, Chief," Katie replied as the two of them began to leave.
"Oh! One more thing!"
Jason and Katie stopped and listened to Jimmy as a smirk crept up on his face.
"Don't call me 'Chief'."
