That night, Thea called Oliver and Moira together and gave them the Super Gene Optimization Serum she had developed herself, explaining its functions and precautions in detail. She also handed Oliver the diluted divine blood she had prepared for him earlier. As for how he chose to use it, that was entirely up to him.
If he insisted on rejecting supernatural power like Batman did, there was nothing Thea could do. She couldn't exactly pin him down and inject him, could she? Everything was voluntary—the opportunity was there, and the choice was entirely his.
Early the next morning, Thea called the mother and son over to discuss another matter. She intended to return to Oliver the shares that should originally have belonged to him.
Oliver firmly refused, repeatedly stressing that he hadn't come back for the money.
But faced with Thea's even firmer attitude, he finally accepted the division plan.
Queen Consolidated could be said to be Robert Queen's life's work. Thea herself wasn't his flesh and blood, after all. Now that Oliver was back, both emotionally and logically, his share should be returned to him.
Moreover, Thea had already earned her doctorate, and the group's transformation into a high-tech corporation was a foregone conclusion. She had no desire to hold a PhD title while being followed around by construction workers, excavators, and bulldozers—that image was just too lame.
With Oliver's lack of formal education and his solid physique, being a major contractor actually suited him quite well. The new split was simple: strip out Queen Construction entirely and hand it all over to Oliver. With major conflicts looming over the next few years, the construction crews would never lack work—just that the jobs would be tedious.
After shedding the construction division, all that remained were the new R&D department, the medical division, and the advanced polymer materials division. Thea's net worth, which had once been close to Luthor's and Bruce Wayne's, was slashed by more than thirty percent—but personnel were reduced by ninety percent, and headaches by seventy percent. From now on, all the messes of the construction industry could be Oliver's problem.
The easy days didn't last more than two days. The debates from the UN Security Council summit finally trickled down to the top levels, and Thea was urgently summoned to the Batcave.
The Security Council held a national-level conference, while a smaller meeting was convened in the Batcave for the heroes.
Superman, Martian Manhunter, Thea, Diana, and Batman as host—no more, no less, exactly five.
Thea had originally planned to introduce Martian Manhunter and Diana, but to her surprise, the two not only knew each other, they were quite familiar. On reflection, it made sense—Martian Manhunter had lived on Earth for two hundred years, and Diana for over a hundred.
"Everyone, the Security Council has been debating the issue of those hundred-thousand-plus aliens for three days now. What are your views?" Batman asked first as the convener.
"We should restore their bodies first. I only glanced at them back then, but many were already extremely weak," Superman said.
"We need to confiscate their weapons before we can provide food," Martian Manhunter added.
Thea and Diana voiced similar opinions. On this point, the heroes were largely aligned—no one suggested killing over a hundred thousand aliens. That would be far too unjust.
The preliminary direction was set, but a major disagreement arose over resettlement.
Based on his own experiences, Superman believed they should foster goodwill toward Earth among the aliens and even arrange jobs for them. Martian Manhunter believed they should be sent away outright. Diana, however, advocated local resettlement—designating specific areas for them to live in.
All three believed they were right. Their voices grew louder, and none could persuade the others.
"Did you meet the President before coming here?" Batman asked calmly, watching the argument without any urgency, then turning to Thea, who was observing as well.
Just thinking about it made Thea want to laugh. "The President actually suggested resettling the aliens in Afghanistan and pulling U.S. troops out. I nearly lost it."
Batman gave a soft snort. "You're going to New York tomorrow. What's your position on this?"
Thea answered without hesitation. "Accept them. Earth's future requires uniting all forces that can be united. They're intelligent beings too—no less than us."
She couldn't bring up hypothetical threats like Doomsday or Darkseid, but the threat posed by Brainiac was real enough. She continued, "Did you see the robots on that ship? That was just one of Brainiac's countless avatars. Even Krypton was destroyed—I don't think Earth could withstand him."
Before Batman could reply, Superman turned his head sharply. "Was Krypton really destroyed by that artificial intelligence?"
"About seventy to eighty percent likely. That's the Lanterns' conclusion," Thea replied. Opinions differed on Krypton's destruction, so she didn't state it as absolute fact.
Superman fell silent, processing the loss of his people. Martian Manhunter and Diana also lost interest in arguing. In the end, they were worrying over nothing—their opinions weren't decisive anyway.
With Thea clearly siding with Diana, Batman carefully considered the matter and ultimately agreed with the plan to designate settlement zones. It wasn't what Martian Manhunter wanted, but it was a compromise, and he accepted it. Superman could only abstain helplessly.
The heroes' opinions were only part of the process. The next day, Thea—whose influence was growing by the day—went to New York to face questioning by the Security Council and persuade them to pass the resolution.
"Dr. Queen," an elderly delegate began. Yes—after five years of hard study, Thea had finally shed that damned "Miss" title. This incident fully demonstrated her intellect; the doctorate was well deserved.
"Can't those aliens be sent back to their original planets?"
Thea nodded slightly. "Gentlemen, current investigations show that of the twenty glass domes, only seven still contain life, and their home planets were destroyed long ago. Collecting a planet's core city and then destroying the planet has always been the modus operandi of the Collector—Brainiac. At present, the only planet that wasn't destroyed after a city was taken is Earth."
With experience dealing with these people, Thea knew the rules. With Batman, honesty worked. With them, fear worked better.
Everyone in that room was a seasoned politician—no fools among them. The implication was obvious: aliens would come again.
The logic of uniting against an external threat was something they all understood. The two who had held the hardest stances softened immediately.
After making her case, Thea withdrew. The arguments inside continued for another day, and only after Thea had gotten a full night's sleep did they finally reach a conclusion.
The aliens would be centrally resettled in the Nevada desert. A specialized Coordination, Supervision, and Management Committee for Alien Affairs would be established to handle all conflicts between aliens and humans.
And the chief person in charge would be Dr. Thea Queen.
What was this supposed to be? Thea found it a little amusing.
A real-life Area 51?