[ Queen Consolidated's Software Division, Star City ]
When Thea staggered into the to find Felicity in the office, the blonde was in full-on tech wizard mode—operating three keyboards simultaneously, her fingers dancing across them in a blur of code and caffeine-fueled focus. She swiveled around on her chair like a malfunctioning gyroscope, but her movements were somehow precise, almost elegant.
Leaning against the doorframe with arms folded, Thea watched her for a moment. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Here was Felicity, working her brain off, and she was about to drag her into yet another personal crusade.
"Hey, let's go grab some coffee," Thea offered casually.
"Nope. Busy. Go enjoy yourself," Felicity replied without missing a beat, eyes never leaving the screens.
Even Thea Queen couldn't bring herself to leave her like that. She pulled up a chair beside her, sat down, and wrapped an arm around Felicity's shoulders. "Take a break. I need to talk to you about something."
That made Felicity pause. She turned with a concerned look. "You're not planning to do anything physically demanding again, are you?"
Ah, the trauma of being dragged into physical work. Truly the plight of a capitalist stay-at-home tech girl. MIT's education clearly didn't include humility.
Though Thea was silently questioning the quality of MIT's education, she still pointed outside and said, "It's something out there." She gestured toward the old factory building—once so spacious you could probably ride a horse through it—that had now been repurposed into the software department's "office."
"We should really find something to do. I'm the heir, you know—I can't just sit around with nothing to show for it," Thea added, her voice tinged with mock-pity.
Felicity raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are we supposed to do?" Her tone practically screamed: Your company was a gang in a past life—what software do they even need? They were more about hardware... in the form of sticks and brass knuckles. Need better performance? Just buy bigger sticks.
Thea leaned in and muttered, "Aren't you supposed to be... you know... brilliant? Don't you have some simple software lying around that I can pass off as work? I just need to keep those guys out there busy so I can get back to my own stuff."
Felicity tapped her left hand thoughtfully with her right, her small nose lifting with a smug grin. "You have excellent taste. Just wait right there." A few confident clicks later, a file was open on her screen, and the printer beside them began to hum to life.
A few minutes later, Felicity handed Thea three freshly printed sheets. "These are some catalogs of projects I worked on back in college. Take a look—see if there's anything you can use. But…" Her voice started out enthusiastic, then trailed off into a mumble, "I don't think any of them are particularly practical."
Thea studied the papers carefully—and was immediately hit with a harsh truth. She recognized every letter on the page, sure, but together? They might as well have been in an alien language. What even is this? Her eye twitched. Is this what having a master's degree gets you? A bunch of high-tech gibberish no normal human can understand?
—"Computer Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Calculation Formula."
—"Tracking Movement and Color and Flavor Chain Framework Agreement."
—"Algorithms and Wavelength Identification Methods for Strings."
What even was this? Was this the power of a master's degree? No wonder Oliver broke up with her later. A dropout living with a tech genius... their only shared interest had been working out. There had never been a real intellectual connection. Thea suddenly saw the tragic logic of their failed relationship.
A harsh truth hit her like a truck: if you don't study, not even protagonist plot armor can save your love life.
Then, a flash of memory surfaced—there had been a useful algorithm in the canon. So Theia began to search carefully.
She clapped her hands suddenly. "Facial Recognition Crossover Algorithm!"
Felicity nearly jumped out of her chair. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, totally fine. This—" Thea pointed at the document excitedly. "How far did you get with this one?"
Felicity's expression turned serious. "That's a hacker tool. Little Thea, don't mess around with it. It will cause trouble if it is released."
"I'm not talking commercial use. I want to develop it, refine it, and hand it over to the police. Help them catch bad guys. What's the status? Can it identify suspects accurately?"
Facial recognition was Felicity Smoak's area of expertise in the show. Team Arrow and even The Flash had made great use of it. Sure, GPS tracking had better results, but Thea wasn't about to step into the privacy minefield that came with that.
The software was risky for public use, but perfect for law enforcement. Plus, Queen Consolidated desperately needed a PR makeover. Using this tool to support the police could be the perfect moral high ground.
And Thea had even grander plans. If she could prove her leadership within the company and take over it, Moira Queen—currently idle but still politically sharp—could run for mayor or senator. Their political roots were shallow, but Moira had all the elegance and charisma of a First Lady or Secretary of State. It would be a waste of her talent not to push forward.
Sure, it was early. But good reputations had to be built piece by piece.
Felicity's expression softened. The thought of her old hacker tools being used for justice clearly resonated. This was a girl who'd later follow Oliver Queen into vigilante madness because she believed in heroism.
They struck a deal. Felicity would hand over an early version of the facial recognition algorithm. Thea would purchase it through Queen Consolidated and assign it to the software department for further development, with strict non-commercial use terms.
Felicity didn't want the money at first—but Thea reminded her that a girl who changed outfits three times a day and wore new earrings constantly could definitely use some funds. Not to mention the cost of building a secret base wasn't going to cover itself.
"Wait, the money's for me?" Felicity's jaw dropped.
"Technically, yes. Most of it," Thea said, a little sheepish.
Moira Queen wouldn't bat an eye at corporate purchases, but she scrutinized every dollar Thea touched. She had next to no budget and no way to hide expenditures. And Red Arrow Skateboards weren't cheap. If heaven dropped her an opportunity, it would be a crime not to seize it.
After convincing Felicity, Thea headed straight to the president's office. Moira listened carefully as Thea pitched the idea—facial recognition software, gifted to the police, would not only help justice but polish Queen Consolidated's tarnished image.
Moira's instincts were sharp, and she immediately grasped Thea's intentions. There was no need for a long discussion—who would say no to improving their public image? With a simple stroke of her pen, she approved a million dollars in funding. As for how much Thea might have privately given Felicity on the side, she didn't ask. She was simply glad her daughter had made a close friend recently. To her, it was a promising sign that Thea was starting to return to a more normal life. With that in mind, perhaps it was time to finally revisit the conversation about her and Walter.
With the green light secured and Felicity on board, Thea took her first real step toward leadership.
To Be Continued...
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