Man of Tomorrow

Kent

Foreman Jack Laurel of the warehouse walks through it towards a young man, John Smith, in the middle of his job, packing crates on to a flatbed truck.

"Smith."

John turns to face Jack at the sound of his name.

"You're up."

Jack stops in front of John and turns slightly to reveal a young man coming up next to him.

"It's time for you to take your years of experience and put it to good use. This is Clark Kent."

John holds out his hand. Clark takes it and they shake hands.

"He's going to be joining us as of today and it's your job to show him the ropes. Teach him the basics and make sure that he doesn't break any bones."

"That won't be an issue sir." suggests Clark.

"Good. See that it stays that way." Jack says as he looks at John, "He's all yours."

Jack leaves Clark and John alone in their section of the warehouse.

John turns to Clark once he's gone, "You're not a moron, are you Clark?"

"No, I'm not."

"Good. Then I don't really have to explain the incredibly complicated rocket science of picking something up and moving it somewhere else." explains John.

"I'm sure I'll find a way to manage without that explanation." responds Clark.

"Then all I need to do is explain to you that they run a very tight shift around here. Every company we're contracted to expects us to deliver their orders on schedule and on time. If we don't, there are a million other warehouses in Metropolis that would jump at the chance to take business away from us. Anyone who makes something like that happen is getting fired... or worse." John suggests, going back to packing crates onto the flatbed truck, "Keep your head down. Do your job properly. Make sure that you're here when you need to be. And don't go being a hero."

"I'm sorry?"

"A lot of new people here like to try and prove themselves by trying to carry more then they can handle. Acting like some big shot hoping it will get them a permanent position. So I'm giving you the heads up ahead of time. Being a hero doesn't get you a long term paycheck. Don't go trying it." explains John.

Clark stands silent for a moment before responding, "Don't worry about it. I'm no hero."

"All right then. Lets get you familiar with the shipping schedule. You can start helping me with this any time Kent."

Clark starts helping John move the crates onto the flatbed.

* * *

A week later, Clark and John are finishing off the last order of the day by packing the boxes onto a flatbed truck for shipping.

"That's pretty much it. The entire schedule in a nut shell. It's fairly simple. Laurel will probably give you a complete schedule for you to follow at some point. Make sure to stick to it and don't go wandering into other areas of the plant." explains John.

"Why is that?"

John looks at Clark for a moment, "Just don't, all right?"

Suddenly, there's a loud crash about fifty feet away in the warehouse followed by a scream of pain. Clark and John look at each other for a moment before John begins rushing over to the sound of the crash. Clark simply stands where he is as voices are overheard talking near the crash site.

"What happened?" Jack asks as he comes up to the accident.

"I don't know. We just heard a crash." John points out.