It had to be said that Tommy proved to be a genuine friend. He didn't get tired of her company, despite her clinging to him daily. Recognizing her past struggles, he constantly adapted to make her happy, even to the point of neglecting his formal girlfriend, Laurel Lance.
Lately, Tommy had been quite occupied. He accompanied Thea around the city during the day and engaged in intense physical training with Laurel at night. There was no energy left for nightlife at bars and nightclubs.
Tommy and Laurel's relationship seemed to have developed rapidly, possibly catalyzed by Oliver's closeness with her younger sister, so for revenge, Tommy and Laurel quickly became an item.
So, while Tommy was saddened by his friend's death, there wasn't much psychological pressure for him being romantically involved with his friend's former loverr..After a few days of passionate workouts, Tommy's weight had visibly dropped.
Thea probably understood the vindictive dynamic at play, but couldn't condone Tommy weeping over photos of Oliver one moment, then seeking pleasure in his ex-lover's arms the next. Witnessing his deterioration, Thea redoubled her efforts dragging Tommy around the city constantly. Her hope was for word to reach Malcolm making take notice.
Thea swapped her prim women's suit today for a sleeveless blouse to manage the intensifying heat. Looking at the curves of her chest, she faced a harsh reality – she would never be a man again. Luckily, her body wasn't the overly voluptuous type. Currently, she was a modest B-cup, and though it might grow larger in the future, she hoped it would stay within normal proportions. This was vital as she couldn't afford to draw unwanted attention. Martial arts training wouldn't look great with two basketballs on her chest.
Knock Knock Knock.
A series of knocks interrupted her thoughts, she walked over to the door, revealing a middle-aged man standing.
"Hey there, Thea, you seem to be recovering well." The man greeted with a smile that contrasted his serious expression.
He finally decided to show up. After days squiring Tommy nonstop hoping to snag Malcolm's interest through his son, the man himself arrived at her door. Having rehearsed this encounter extensively in her mind. She greeted him calmly as if nothing was wrong, "Morning Uncle Malcolm."
Her response was consistent with their past interactions. Malcolm didn't say much, offering a nod and a smile as he entered the house.
Today, after much preparation, the plan would finally unfold. She pretended watching he tv while covertly keeping an eye on Malcolm, noticing him entering her mother's room. She picked up a teacup. Since she wasn't aware of the martial arts strange abilities in this world, or of Malcolm's own training from the League of Assassins, she was cautious not to alert him. She slipped off her shoes and positioned herself lightly and quietly.
"Hey, Moira, you look stunning," Malcolm's tone conveyed his good mood. It was a rarity for him to sound cheerful after his wife's passing.
"Mr. Merlyn, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Moira greeted him with practiced civility. Their secret exchanges typically transpired under utmost secrecy out in the wilderness, not face-to-face within her bedroom walls in broad daylight.
"Haha..." Malcolm opted not to directly respond, simply smiling while pouring them a glass of wine.
"You should know Moira, besides my late wife, you're one of the few women in the world who's ever tempted me? I once had the thought of marrying you, you know. Shame circumstances prevented that, yet I've stumbled upon something quite fascinating!"
Moira seemed to dismiss the marriage comment, her gaze intent on Malcolm as she retorted, "What is it? Our agreement stands, you have no further business interfering in my affairs!"
"What are your thoughts on Tommy and Thea? I have only one son, and you have only one daughter. There's no obstacle in sight. The Merlyn Group and the Queen Consolidated could forge an even closer alliance."
Thea, outside the room, recognized that Malcolm remained oblivious to the truth. Moira hadn't divulged the secret to him. As she suspected, pretty women were experts in deception. This conniving old woman was no exception. Men were so gullible, and especially the more sinister ones.
Unsurprisingly Moira erupted at the proposal. "No! Absolutely not!"
Moira's strong response somewhat caught Malcolm off guard. Beyond the master who'd once terrified him for over seven hundred years, no one else had dared speak to him in such brazen tone. With his former temperament, an arrow would have flown from his bow with minimal provocation.
Moira, on the other hand, realized she had overreacted, although she continued to glare at Malcolm as she asserted, "I cannot consent to this."
"My request cannot be refused, Moira."
Thea, on the other side of the door, knew that things were about to get interesting and raised her tea cup, ready for the classic tb moment when a tea cup drops as the shocking truth is revealed. Though without a ceramic tile floorboard the desired shatter effect may prove lacking. Here's to hoping her little staged accident would still shake Malcolm to his core.
"Let me clarify the full circumstances before you make any judgments..." Moira implored, clearly intimidated by Malcolm's piercing glare. She took a heavy swig of wine to brace her nerves before the difficult explanation.
Noting her abnormal behavior, Malcolm regained his composure, calmly sitting to hear her out with full attention. After nearly seven centuries observing humanity's spectrum, reading situations and people became another art form to master.
Moira couldn't think of any valid reason to oppose the marriage. Her husband and son had met tragic ends, and resisting a marriage for her daughter seemed unreasonable. If she refused, Malcolm might turn his attention to her, which would be a tragedy.
Yet revealing the truth meant one more person knowing the secret. Her late husband had already left the world bearing the burden...compared to that, sharing with one old friend seemed acceptable if it spared her daughter from harm. Yes, as long as Thea herself never learned of her true parentage, Moira could cope with Malcolm knowing.
"Thea...is in fact your daughter," Moira confesses softly with closed eyes, body seeming to deflate in relief as the words lift tremendous weight from her conscience.
Thea, outside the door, couldn't see Malcolm's reaction but knew she had to push things further or else things could get worse.
She quickly threw the tea cup to the ground, creating a loud noise for effect. It worked perfectly, and she skillfully managed the cup's fall to maximize the impact.
Hearing the commotion outside, Malcolm, despite his disoriented state, reacted swiftly. He rushed to the door and flung it open, staring at the stunned Thea. He was at a loss for words
Seeing Thea's indifferent expression, Malcolm was at a loss for words due to years of experience. He didn't know what to say to ease the awkward atmosphere. As in the past, words failed him and he hated his lack of eloquence.
He wanted to ask Thea if something was wrong, if she had overheard something she shouldn't have. But one look at her dull eyes and he knew the girl must have heard something that was meant to remain secret. He regretted visiting the Queen's household today. Why hadn't he investigated the situation more thoroughly beforehand? If he had leveraged his intelligence capabilities, he surely would have discovered the truth. Things wouldn't be so difficult now.
Sensing the instability of her life, Thea was ready to shut everything out. She maintained a stiff expression, struggling to hold back tears. All she could manage was a heavy snort before spinning on her heel and rushing away quickly.
"Thea!" Moira called out exhaustedly behind her.
To the woman who had dedicated her whole being to caring for Thea, all she could offer in return was a silent apology. Thea hoped someday she might make up for it all. She rushed out of the house in search of an extravagant bar, intent on drinking away the pain of a girl deserted.
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She wasn't worried about being taken advantage of. The owner of such a high-class establishment must have connections to Malcolm. But she had no such security at a small, seedy bar. It turned out her hunch was right - the bar was run by one of Malcolm's men.
After receiving multiple stressed calls from Malcolm himself, the bar owner was ready to take care of thea, so fearful was he of displeasing Malcolm over such a trivial matter involving someone he clearly cared deeply about. A group of burly men stood around Thea, facing outwards to form a protective barrier, wary of frightening her.
The owner instructed the DJ to play more gentle songs, though the DJ was puzzled by the request. The owner reiterated angrily to play whatever songs would please the girl. He then frantically contacted all his connections to transform the bar's ambiance into something softer and more welcoming.
"Uhm.. Boss, what drink do i offer the girl?" The bartender rushed over to ask.
The bar owner glared menacingly. "You will address her respectfully as lady, do you understand me? Repeat it."
The bartender was confused by his boss's sudden obsessive behavior but obliged saying, "Yes, what drink should I offer the lady?"
This stumped the bar owner. He considered strong liquor but worried she would pass out after a few drinks. He couldn't risk displeasing Malcolm by letting any harm come to someone so dear to him that he had personally called multiple times about her well-being. He thought perhaps he could offer her lower alcohol wine. But the concern gnawed at him that without a strong enough drink, she may not be able to dull her pain and could become a target for the unsavory men he knew lurked around. Observing her face and guessing her age, she bore some resemblance to Malcolm.
Finally deciding he must prove his unconditional loyalty, the owner vowed to let her drink slowly while keeping vigilant watch over her himself. He would have to miss the local youth football game he had been looking forward to. At the same time, he directed his men to arm themselves in case some thugs kicked out from another bar tried to disturb the establishment. They were to solve any problems outside and not let it affect the lady inside.
Perplexed by his boss's odd behavior, the bartender cautiously asked, "Boss... uhm... who exactly is she?"
Having been sheltered growing up, Thea had never frequented nightclubs before. But the owner dared not elaborate based on Malcolm's dire threats should any harm befall her. "She's my mother-in-law!" He declared cryptically.
The bartender was stunned, convinced now his boss had not only lost his mind but his intelligence as well. He considered dropping off some resumes around town first thing tomorrow morning.
Oblivious to the bar owner's troubles, Thea steadily drank one glass after another, lost in thought. Today had gone perfectly to plan and she felt completely secure now. Perhaps it was time to consider strengthening herself.
As an heir to Merlyn Global Group, now owned by the Queen Consolidated, Thea couldn't exactly call herself poor. But current technology hadn't reached Iron Man's capabilities and massive wealth like Malcolm's allowed for secret cultivation of combat skills.
So following the path of amassing black market tech while mastering martial arts like Batman seemed wise. Aside from Atom who utilized a still rudimentary battle suit akin to Ant Man's, no one had managed Iron Man's cutting edge Mark series.
And Iron Man had clearly trained extensively during private moments, evidenced by his ability to go toe-to-toe with the Winter Soldier and Captain America.
Green Arrow likely maintained similar skills to fluidly engage threats unprotected if needed. But that required accepting substantial bodily harm and scarring which didn't align with Thea's aesthetic preferences. Oliver's body bore over 20% scar tissue coverage with second degree burns and 18 fractures. And according to Barry Allen's girlfriend, his biceps were thicker than her thighs. That path definitely wasn't for her.
Perhaps she could gain abilities through a scientific lab explosion? But such events had proven repeatedly fatal so the timing risk was too great, especially with Merlyn Group's labs still 6 years from completion when Thea's journey began.
Maybe she only needed specialized arrows to reduce reliance on hand-to-hand combat? She should ask Malcolm if there were any low-impact training methods she could undertake, if he'd be willing to teach her at all.
Thoughts drifted to Oliver learning archery skills from Yao Fei on Lian Yu. Her brother was probably attempting to catch birds at this very moment as part of some survivalist ritual. Yao Fei did have a twisted sense of humor - he spoke fluent English but forced Oliver to decipher his Chinese diatribes, eliciting aggrieved outbursts like "Survive! Survive!"
A wry smile crossed Thea's face at the thought but she caught herself, remembering she was being observed. Her expression collapsed into an unsightly mask.
This transformation was witnessed by the bar owner who was once a promising young writer attuned to nuances of human emotion. Through ignorant eyes, he saw a girl - having fled the shelter of home to this den of iniquity - nursing drink after drink, the occasional bitter smile betraying her internal turmoil.
After receiving the photos sent by his subordinates, Malcolm saw that Thea was drunk and he felt irritated. He had always subconsciously cared about this girl, having been present at her birth.
Watching her grow up silently, it wasn't until today he realized there was a reason for his inexplicable attention towards her. When Moira told him, he immediately understood - no test was needed, no evidence was required. His consciousness, honed by years experiences, told him that she was his daughter.
Standing in front of the floor windows, Malcolm gazed at the night view of the city. In the past, he had imagined it in so many ways, but today it seemed dull. He poured himself a glass of wine and gulped down, feeling depressed and wanting to pick a fight with someone. But he now stared blankly, as Star City was already conquerable.
Should he go to neighboring Gotham City to stir up some trouble? No, he knew he could easily overwhelm Star City but going it alone in a city like Gotham, with its honest folk and its first-rate and lower-level criminals, not to mention Batman and the ninja masters only intensified the discomfort of going alone.
As he was lost in his thoughts, his bar owner called: "Boss, the lady you asked for is drunk now."
Not knowing the girl's relationship to the boss, the owner wasn't sure what to call her, so he vaguely referred to her as "the lady."
"Keep an eye on her - don't let anything happen! Warn your men, no one touches her, understand me?" Malcolm shouted into the phone.
"Yes, yes of course," The owner assured he would follow the instructions and resolutely complete the task.
The boss's order was understandable - no touching her. That must apply to the men. After all, why would he, the owner, force the young lady into a room himself? Better keep those lowlifes at bay, as if their very presence could pollute the air. He told his own mistresses to help Thea into an unused room and wait with her there, handing her towels and water. He pulled up a large chair to sit guard at the door.
Pleased with the man's loyal performance, Malcolm kept watch remotely from another room. He knew that gang too well, and in case she drank too much, there would be regret. Hanging up, instead of driving over, the Black Archer of the Assassin's League readied his bow and arrows and set off over the rooftops to protect his daughter. Should anyone get any ideas, one arrow would take care of that.
In fact, Thea wasn't totally drunk at this point and still had some of her senses. Seeing the women bundle her into the bedroom, she felt relieved and fell asleep.
Ugh...Ow, a splitting headache. So even with too much drink, there would still be a hangover, Thea thought, rubbing her temples as she sat up. She found her clothes neatly arranged, without even a lace loosened. She had to admire her cunning father's control over his men.
"Uhmm.. do you need anything?" The two women keeping watch sprang to action. Seeing Thea awake, they hurried over, ready to fulfill the young lady's every wish.
Thea gestured at one woman, "Pour me a glass of water." The woman's makeup was plastered on like a kabuki mask and her chest appeared to have two bowling balls jammed in, stuffed full of padding. The sound of her high heels clacking on the hard floor was jarring to Thea's ears.
The other woman waited on her as she washed her face and tidied her hair. Seeing they were of no more use, Thea walked out of the bar. Her father had probably already ordered the car waiting out front to take her to Queen Manor. As for how much was spent for her night out - should she foot the bill herself? She really couldn't recall. Too many bigger things occupied her mind for her to fuss over such little details now.
The bar owner watched her drive off for two miles before finally dropping his waving hand. No one dared bring up a check.
"Oh dear, you're finally back!"
Before Thea could even get inside, Moira rushed out with tears in her eyes to embrace her, too overcome to speak.
Her own mother was truly a contradictory figure. Although not adept in the shadows like Malcolm, eagles do not cooperate with sparrows. Moira would demonstrate her connections when running for mayor in the future - she was certainly no unaware innocent. Yet Thea saw her concern and care were genuine and sighed, patting her mother's back. "Mom, I'm okay. Let me rest a bit and I'll head back to my room."
Returning to her bedroom, Thea changed into pajamas and collapsed onto the big bed. At the bar, she'd feared babbling horrifying secrets in her sleep, so she'd tried staying alert. The constant switching between pretense and reality today had drained her mentally. But her mission for the day felt essentially accomplished.
According to the game, that was smoothly raising Malcolm's approval rating. And once open, his admiration was guaranteed, meeting all prerequisites to teach her new skills. Next she would enter a high-speed strengthening phase.
---Scene Break--
At the same time, in Central City's cutting-edge STAR Laboratories, Dr. Harrison Wells - secretly known as Eobard Thawne - walked into a private room in the lab.
"Gideon, were you able to pinpoint the target causing temporal anomalies?"
A light blue holographic image of a humanoid appeared on the wall. "Professor, the target's impact on the timeline is quite minimal. I was only able to vaguely pinpoint their location toward Starling City. To specifically search for them requires more computing resources than I currently possess."
The words gave Dr. Wells quite the headache. After all, Gideon was created by the future Flash employing technology from years ahead. In the current era, with the technological stagnation, developing this artificial intelligence from scratch and running it would be a marvel. To scale up Gideon's capabilities with present-day technology, he would probably need the combined focus of the entire world's researchers. Thankfully, such minor changes shouldn't disrupt his plans.
Sighing, he had already spent about a decade in this era, progress frustratingly slow. Pretending to be a frail doctor every day was boring. He had to work hard training his old enemy, the very Flash he would create. What an unprecedentedly bizarre situation even for a villain.
Instructing Gideon to continue monitoring Star City news routinely and notify him immediately of any changes, Dr. Wells briskly walked out of the secret room, his mind teeming with plans.