The grand circular chamber hummed with quiet energy, lit by the soft blue glow of the central holographic table. Outside the tall glass walls, the city skyline shimmered under a violet dusk. The room was unusually quiet—not out of tension, but anticipation.

Clark stood near the window, arms folded across his chest, gaze fixed on the horizon. “They’re late.”

Bruce, seated in the shadows at the far end of the table, didn’t look up from the file he was reviewing on his gauntlet’s display. “They’re cautious. That’s a good thing.”

Diana, regal and poised with her lasso looped neatly at her hip, spoke gently. “Or uncertain. We are a lot to take in.” She turned to the others. “We must make them feel welcome.”

Barry was pacing in quick loops around the room, nervous energy barely contained. “Do we even know their powers yet? Are they fast? Because I could really use a sparring buddy who won’t throw me into a wall like someone I won’t name—” he side-eyed Clark.

John leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “They saved an entire colony on Titan from collapse. Whatever their power is, it’s legit.”

Martian Manhunter added in his calm, ethereal voice, “More importantly, their intentions are good. I sensed no malice. But… a great weight. As if they’ve carried loss longer than most.”

A brief silence fell. Even the air seemed to pause.

Then, the doors at the far end of the chamber slid open with a hydraulic hiss.