[ Undergound Secret Base, Queen Consolidated's Software Division, Star City ]
In the end, the debate over the skateboard's design concluded with Thea's red color scheme winning out. After all, she was the one who will go through life and death using it, and Felicity, feeling slightly guilty for not pushing harder for green, relented.
Just when Thea thought they could finally enter the actual testing phase, a serious problem emerged.
"Felicity, pull harder! This suit is way too tight!"
"Thea, exhale. All the air. Follow my rhythm—inhale, exhale!"
Student Thea Queen had made a classic rookie mistake—she believed in the "take-it-as-it-is" approach a bit too literally and lacked the patience to double-check the specs.
The anti-gravity suit in question had originally been designed for male pilots. Its function was pretty straightforward: a built-in regulator would inflate its inner airbags to apply pressure on the body and help maintain blood circulation under high-G conditions. In theory, it should've been perfect for a skateboard maxing out under 400 km/h.
But theory had a funny way of laughing at reality.
Thea had overlooked one critical detail—these suits were all sized and cut for men. Tight-fitting by nature, they were definitely not designed for a woman whose body was very much... growing.
She didn't know whether it was the high-protein diet from martial arts training, a second growth spurt, or something extra hidden in the supplements Lady Shiva had given her, but the results were undeniable. The B-cup days were over. She was now officially in C territory—and rising.
When the two finally managed to zip her into the suit, Thea realized the back was barely closed, and the front? Let's just say there was a whole lot of midriff being offered up to the elements. Stylish at a gala, maybe. But cruising at 400 km/h with your belly exposed? That was a recipe for a disaster—and possibly hypothermia.
"Felicity, I can't breathe... This suit is a death trap. Think of something!" Thea stood stiffly, her back ramrod straight, not daring to sit down. She had never truly grasped what women meant by chest tightness—until today. Now, she understood it completely.
Felicity, ever the agent of chaos, grinned and grabbed a pair of scissors and pointed at Thea's chest mischievously,. "Want me to cut two air vents? You know, for... circulation?"
Was this a comedy sketch? Since when did Felicity get so cheeky? Felicity used to be the embodiment of innocence and kindness—what had changed? Where had that Felicity gone?
She firmly rejected the suggestion by giving Felicity a death glare. Seeing the mischievous grin spreading across Felicity's lips, Thea could only imagine what bizarre ideas were running through her head.
After finally peeling off the suffocating suit, Thea collapsed into her desk chair in just her underwear, too overheated to care. They were both women, after all—even if the one next to her had apparently become a full-blown troll.
Between gasps, Thea made a call to Queen Consolidated's R&D team, lying that a friend of hers—who just happened to be a female pilot—needed a customized suit. She added that breathability should be a top priority.
The staff on the other end had so little to do, they were probably tracking ants on the walls. The moment they heard the order came from the Queen family's heir, they sprang into action. She'd have the suit within three days.
Still with red-face Thea wear her cloths back, then she dragged Felicity—whose eyeliner had smudged from laughing so hard—out of the underground base and into her office when a familiar voice called her name.
...
[ Thea's Office, Queen Consolidated's Software Division, Star City ]
"Hey, Thea..."
It was Laurel Lance, dressed in a no-nonsense blazer and skirt, standing at the door. Thea blinked. Of all people, why was Laurel here? Their relationship wasn't exactly cozy.
"Hey, long time no see. You here to see me...?"
Laurel didn't answer right away. Her eyes darted around the corridor.
"You two talk, I'm off to check on my new code monkeys," Although Felicity tended to be playful in private, she still understood the importance of decorum. She offered Laurel a courteous smile before exiting the office with grace.
"Thea, take a look at this. This is a new case received by the United Innovation Association," Laurel said, handing Thea a thick stack of documents.
The United Innovation Club was where Laurel currently worked. To an outsider hearing the name for the first time, it might sound like a cutting-edge tech organization. Those with especially vivid imaginations might even link it to something as secretive as the Sky Eye Society or the Illuminati. In reality, such speculation was far from the truth. It was merely a small law partnership formed by a handful of fresh graduates who had just passed the bar exam. Aside from a name that could give aliens a heart attack, they had neither influence nor notable skills. If not for Tommy occasionally organizing charity events to help fund them, the firm would have folded long ago.
Thea, meanwhile, had her mind completely preoccupied with designing anti-Dutch uniforms. If it had been anyone else approaching her, she would've brushed them off immediately. She already had far too much on her plate. She held neither the motivation to punish evil nor the desire to act as a vigilante. By any honest measure, she was a neutral player merely tagging along in the justice camp.
But Laurel wasn't just any outsider. Whether it was through Oliver or Tommy, she was Thea's sister-in-law, and that meant Thea had to at least show her some respect. Reluctantly, she accepted the document and began scanning through it.
Thea scanned the first page. A man named Derek Leston. Middle-aged. Normal-looking. Two kids. No criminal record. Just a blue-collar guy living in a rented house. Nothing alarming.
Until she turned the page.
"Huh..." Thea's brow furrowed. She took ten whole minutes to digest the second section.
Derek had once worked for Queen Consolidated—at the steel plant that now served as Thea's secret base and software division of Queen Consolidated. He'd been a foreman there for fifteen years.
In 2007, the plant was shut down. All 1,500 workers, including Derek, were laid off.
Still not scandalous—companies downsize. What was scandalous, however, was that the legal team had found a loophole in the union agreement. Those 1,500 workers got zero severance and no pensions.
That was corporate evil 101 and utterly immoral—the rotten core of capitalism on full display. Did Queen Consolidated really care about such a measly amount of money? No wonder Oliver always believed that the corporation itself had a hand in the darkness and had stood by silently during the downfall of the Queen Consolidated.
Thea rubbed her temple and glanced at the severance document's date. It had been signed by Robert Queen himself, just before he sailed off on that ill-fated voyage. She sighed heavily. She had no desire to shoulder this blame—but could she truly escape it?
Nodding in silent gratitude toward Laurel, Thea understood the unspoken message behind being shown the document—it wasn't just for her awareness. Laurel, like many heroines, had an uncompromising sense of justice. They wouldn't stand idly by in the face of wrongdoing and often took bold, reckless actions powered by idealism and the unwavering support of their heroic boyfriends. Some might call them naive or even childish, but their moral compass never wavered.
Laurel had come to her not to suggest silencing the plaintiff by burying him under concrete, but to urge her to resolve the issue swiftly and responsibly—to offer the workers an explanation they deserved.
If the matter were to go public, the damage to Queen Consolidated's reputation—and her mother's political image—would be significant. Moira Queen could certainly make Derek disappear, permanently. But Thea's conscience wouldn't let her choose such a brutal solution.
To Be Continued...
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[POWER STONES AND REVIEWS PLS]