“This person—I mean, I guess he’s a human—called Superman threw the robot into the harbor, bound in steel girders.” She turned to her assistants, a woman and a man dressed in business suits. “Do I have that right?”
They nodded in unison.
“Well, about that—the robot that Superman tossed into the harbor. I am, of course, concerned about the environmental effects,” Luthor said smoothly, “which I don’t think Superman considered before he undertook this rather drastic course of action.”
“Environmental effects?” Mayor Fleming asked.
“A high-tech robot, of unknown origins, built out of who knows what kind of toxic materials, casually flung into our beloved harbor,” Luthor explained. “That concerns me.” He gestured toward one of the office’s many comfortable leather chairs.
Sitting down, the mayor said, “Frankly, I hadn’t considered the environmental danger. I was just glad the immediate danger to our citizens of a maniac robot had been removed!”
“As was I,” Luthor agreed. “But now we have to deal with the aftermath of a foreign object potentially leaching deadly chemicals into our water. Retrieving the robot from the bottom of the harbor will not be easy. Or cheap. Especially on top of the repairs to City Hall and the park.”
Mayor Fleming glanced at her assistants for confirmation. Again, they both nodded. “Unfortunately,” she said, “we at City Hall find ourselves in a time of belt-tightening. The city council is very concerned about budget deficits. I’m not sure where the funds for a salvaging operation would come from.”
Luthor gave a dazzling smile. “And that is why it would be my pleasure to bring up the robot at my own personal expense as a gift to the city.”
After another quick check with her assistants (and another unison nod), Mayor Fleming said, “That would be wonderfully generous of you, Mr. Luthor.”
“Not at all,” Luthor said humbly. “Any good citizen of Metropolis with the means would do the same, I’m sure. And once my salvage team has brought up the robot, I would be happy to put my best scientists to work studying the device in hopes of discovering where this terrible threat to public safety came from.”

Chapter 10