I wrote this the week the Wednesday100 topic was "Pets or other animals." It turned out way too long. :-D

---

Lex graciously ignored the half-hidden smiles and the odd snatches of James Bond theme music that his minions, er, um, employees couldn't seem to resist whistling. He set down the Kitten Carrier Mark Three and pressed the button. It unfolded, releasing Streaky (he never should've allowed Clark to name the kitten) and revealing her food dish, water dispenser and litter box, all ready for her and in their proper places.

"You stay here and play," Lex told the kitten. "I have a lot of work to do."

Lex entered the smooth flow of LexCorp business like a shark entering the Gulf Stream. Lunchtime came and went (he spent it returning calls to people with whom he preferred not to speak) before he looked up and noticed Streaky was gone.

Not panicking at all (really!) Lex searched the LexCorp offices. After five minutes, he dispatched Hope and a security team to look for her outside (people had been in and out all through lunch) and told his secretary to issue an All-Hands Memo that people were to be careful when going in and out of doors. Less and less work was being done, as more and more of his staff joined in the hunt.

Finally, Lex heard a plaintive mew and followed it out to the coffee-room terrace. There, clinging to the utmost top branch of a large potted liquid-amber tree, was his cat. She looked terrified.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Lex called. "I'll get Maintenance out here with a ladder!"

The kitten seemed unconvinced and mewed louder. Lex picked up the house phone to get Maintenance on the job, but just then there was a whooshing sound and a swirl of garish red cape.

"Your kitten, Mr. Luthor?" Superman smiled at him and flew away.

---

Author's Note: Streaky was Supergirl's superpowered cat in Action Comics along about 1960.