Although she was eager to learn Wing Chun, it was too late to start now. Thea was working independently, but still, it was never good to be too late.
"Master Shiva... may I call you sister? I always thought calling someone 'Master' made them seem older."
The two had sparred and grown close. In the heat of the moment, they hadn't realized how near they were to each other, but now, sitting side by side and observing one another more closely, Thea noticed Shiva's flawless proportions and graceful form. Unlike bulky masculine muscles, her physique had a distinct, captivating beauty that Thea couldn't help but admire.
Shiva regarded her deliberately but showed no discomfort. "Call me whatever you like. It's just a title, after all."
"Sister, may I touch your abs?" Thea asked, gently gliding her fingers over Shiva's smooth, well-defined abdomen—strong, firm, yet supple. "They're beautiful!"
For a moment, Shiva's pulse seemed to waver under her touch, but she quickly suppressed the sensation. "Train slowly, girl."
Donning their coats, they left the valley, agreeing to meet again for training the next day.
Thea had turned sixteen last month and obtained her driver's license without any trouble. However, she still hadn't decided which car to buy. For now, she had simply chosen a Ford from the company's fleet.
On the way back to base camp, the city's noise overwhelmed her. No wonder Shiva preferred the isolation of deep mountains and ancient forests. The urban chaos was intrusive, especially for someone with heightened perception. The stronger the senses, the greater the disturbance. Maybe designing a pair of decibel-filtering earplugs wasn't a bad idea.
She drove slowly toward the old factory building that now served as the software department. From a distance, she spotted a figure in red waving at her.
"Hey, Thea, over here!"
"What's up, Felicity?"
"Great news! The facial recognition software is finally complete!"
Felicity had been exhausted for days. Developing and updating the software had been intense, and rewriting the code for different versions was tedious. Finishing it was a real victory.
"Great for you, not for me. I'm exhausted and starving. Bring me a double Bailey's burger. We'll talk after I sleep!"
Now that the software was ready, there was still work to do—coordinating with the police, contacting the media, and organizing the rollout. But at that moment, all Thea wanted was rest.
Feeling lightheaded, her vision doubling, she waved Felicity away, locked the office door, and collapsed onto the couch.
She slept soundly. The cool air inside the cabin felt refreshing, while the midday sun cast warm light outside. As others rushed around, she enjoyed a rare moment of peace.
By the time she woke, it was nearly noon. After wolfing down a few burgers, she felt a twinge of guilt. If she wanted to maintain her abs, she'd have to cut soda from her diet.
Dragging Felicity along, she headed straight for the police station.
"Why are we going there at lunchtime?" Felicity asked.
"Because it's the perfect time to catch them off guard—when they're eating. That way, they're more agreeable. Trust me, life experience."
At the station, they found Detective Lance waiting for his meal. Most of the officers were gathered, so Thea took advantage of the moment—bribing them with food and drinks. It wasn't exactly ethical, but it was on the Queen Group's tab, so who would complain?
During the meeting, Thea proposed creating a special fund for on-duty police officers. Each officer would receive a monthly allowance based on their years of service.
People always focused on fallen officers, but few thought about those still working under grueling conditions.
The American police force had many issues—corruption, gang collusion, discrimination—but the job's biggest challenge was the constant threat of violence. It wasn't uncommon to start the day in uniform and end it in a coffin.
The officers who endured did so out of a strong sense of justice. In a world where alien villains could appear at any moment, being a cop was one of the most dangerous jobs imaginable.
Yet, many civilians didn't understand. They blamed the police for inefficiency, and in response, crime only worsened. Some citizens took justice into their own hands, but in their pursuit of strength, many lost sight of their original intentions. Some became as bad—if not worse—than the criminals they had sworn to fight. The cycle of violence deepened.
Detective Lance, with 20 years in the force, had seen too many young officers start with noble ideals, only to be corrupted along the way.
That's why Thea's proposal resonated with him. If she could genuinely improve the force's conditions, it would be groundbreaking.
The meeting was a success.
Back at the station, Felicity and the officers installed the facial recognition software. Within ten minutes, the system flagged two fugitives who had evaded capture for years.
Even with altered appearances—surgically modified faces—the software still identified them based on bone structure and movement patterns.
Their arrests were swift, and the entire precinct was abuzz. Normally, catching criminals like them took months of investigation.
The rarely-seen lieutenant emerged to personally commend the Queen Group, recognizing this as a step toward stronger cooperation between private industry and law enforcement. He also mentioned that senior officers would attend the official signing ceremony and that the media would need to be informed.
As they left, Thea turned to Felicity.
"Know anyone in the media?"
"I'm a hacker, Thea. The closest I've gotten to journalists is hacking their computers. I once hijacked a live broadcast and turned their teleprompter off mid-sentence. But actually meeting them? Nope."
Hearing that Thea planned to meet the press, Felicity immediately made her escape.
Abandoned by her so-called ally, Thea sighed. She could ask Moira or Malcolm for help, but she didn't think it was necessary.
She scrolled through her contacts, realizing how few people she truly knew. Most had drifted in and out of her life.
With reluctance, she called Tommy.
She never quite understood where they stood. Were they still just friends? Or, now that she knew she was Malcolm's illegitimate daughter, would that change how he saw her—or his relationship with his aunt?
In the past, Tommy had always answered immediately. But this time, an hour passed before he finally arrived.
And when he did, he was wearing sunglasses, leaning on a cane, and moving toward her like Daredevil himself.