The Legion of Doom was in the middle of a briefing.
Lex stood at the head of the conference table, dissecting a failed Justice League operation with his usual precision.
Every chart was in place.
Every contingency accounted for.
Every member of the Legion endured the lecture in practiced silence.
Then Lex’s phone rang.
No one interrupted him.
No one ever did.
He glanced at the screen.
For the first time in years…
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Not annoyance.
Fear.
He answered immediately.
The room remained silent as he listened.
Whatever was said on the other end lasted less than thirty seconds.
That was all it took.
Lex lowered the phone.
His face had gone completely still.
No irritation.
No arrogance.
No carefully maintained composure.
Just a man trying very hard not to let panic show.
“My wife has been in a car accident.”
He didn’t elaborate.
He didn’t dismiss the meeting.
He simply grabbed his coat and walked out.
No speech.
No instructions.
The conference room doors hadn’t even finished closing behind him before every chair scraped across the floor.
Grodd stood first.
Sinestro was already collecting his ring charger.
Captain Cold pocketed his goggles.
The Riddler snapped his notebook shut.
Even the Joker, who rarely took anything seriously for longer than five seconds, quietly slipped his gloves back on.
No one looked at one another.
No vote was taken.
No order was given.
It was simply understood.
They were leaving.
Not for a mission.
Not because Lex had commanded it.
Because over the years, Mrs. Luthor had quietly become part of the Legion.
She remembered birthdays no one else cared about.
She had patched people up after operations without asking questions.
She’d endured endless arguments in the conference room with nothing more than a patient smile and a fresh pot of coffee.
She treated world conquerors like difficult relatives.
Somehow…
It worked.
The hospital parking lot was already overflowing by the time Lex arrived.
He barely noticed.
His entire world had narrowed to one set of emergency room doors.
Several minutes later, another convoy of black vehicles rolled into the lot.
One by one, the Legion of Doom climbed out.
The nurses inside would later remember the moment vividly.
Not because Gotham’s most infamous villains had entered the hospital.
But because every one of them looked genuinely worried.
For the first time anyone could remember…
The Legion of Doom hadn’t assembled to conquer the world.
They’d shown up because one of their own was inside.