Barbara smiled. "Of course she's a superhero—just like Felicity today. She looks unreliable sometimes, but Thea is a great protector of this city, on the same level as Batman."
Ever since her injuries healed, Barbara no longer had any desire to argue with Thea about who was stronger. Back when their strengths were still close, they might have competed a bit. But now the gap kept widening, and instead of feeling frustrated, she felt peaceful—especially after witnessing Star City's stability and safety. Her admiration for Thea had reached the point of worship.
"Batman looked into her background. She probably started emerging about two years ago—that was when her brother and father passed away… Eh? Laurel… why does that name sound so familiar? The woman who dated her brother—that was you, right?" Barbara suddenly realized just how small this world was.
When collecting information on Thea, the intel about Laurel and Oliver had been organized by her. She just never matched the photo with the real person until now.
"So she was quietly protecting the city even back then… Star City is definitely safer than it was two years ago." Laurel pieced things together. There really was a long period where Thea was always disappearing—was she actually out fighting crime every day?
Their perspective limited their understanding—they didn't know the many non-violent ways of preventing conflict. They simply believed in violence-for-violence, convinced every crime could be solved with fists.
"Laurel Lance, the more people we have on the side of justice, the better. Are you willing to join us?"
"Of course I want to, but… I don't have any power." Laurel looked down at herself. She doubted she could ever learn how to wield a whip like Barbara.
Barbara thought about it. Thea neither supported nor opposed this idea, so why not train Laurel herself? After being drilled by Batman like a grandchild for so long, being the one doing the drilling now felt unexpectedly satisfying.
The next day, when Thea finished half a day of work at the company and came to the secret base to rest, she found an extra person there.
Sweaty, wearing a sports tank top, Laurel was practicing boxing. Seeing Thea walk in, she made a sour little joke.
Thea could only smile politely. She honestly thought this training was useless for Laurel. Star City was surprisingly peaceful while Green Arrow was still gone—Laurel would be better off expanding her law firm. But everyone had their own passion; Thea wouldn't interfere.
Seeing Barbara teaching enthusiastically and Laurel studying painfully hard, Thea couldn't help remembering her own days training with Malcolm. Who knew where he'd wandered off to now? That "trace your origins" journey of his had practically made him disappear.
After watching them for a bit, Thea walked to Felicity and nudged her. "Not joining in?"
"I'm not very athletic…" Felicity was instantly deflated. She was lazy, yes, but she had begged Thea to teach her before. The results had been so disastrous that even Thea had given up. Felicity's coordination was hopeless—she could distort even the simplest moves.
The two chatted for a while before Thea went to read alone. A few days earlier she had visited Princeton's leadership, offering a generous donation. The meeting had gone smoothly. Her ambitious plan—half a year for a bachelor's, one year for a master's, two years for a PhD—had reached an initial agreement.
As long as her grades were legitimate, the university wouldn't stop her from earning degrees—in fact, they'd proudly advertise it. It was mutually beneficial.
With her super-enhanced memory, these relatively easy Western university courses were no challenge at all. She had zero doubt she would graduate on schedule. Being a public figure with only a high school diploma didn't sound great. A PhD would be far more impressive.
Time passed quietly. Thea occasionally stretched or moved around; Felicity typed away on some mysterious program; and in the empty room Barbara could be heard relentlessly beating Laurel.
"Smack! Get up!"
"Smack! Watch your footing!"
"Smack! Too many openings!"
Laurel was beaten black and blue. Thea winced just watching. No need to ask—this was clearly Batman's standard training method for Robin and Barbara.
No complex explanations, no theory—just brute-force conditioning. Maybe Americans really preferred learning through physical memory. Thea increasingly appreciated being trained by her own father; she would never have survived this kind of training.
While she was thinking this, Barbara landed another solid strike on Laurel's face. When Laurel stood again, blood dripped steadily from her nose.
"Are you okay?" Barbara asked. Laurel shook her head—she could still continue. Seeing Thea watching, Barbara signaled Laurel to go treat her nose before walking toward Thea, wooden staff in hand.
"How long do you think it'll take for Laurel to become combat-ready?" Barbara asked while gulping down water.
Thea almost choked. Seriously? They found out the truth yesterday, trained for one day, and already wanted "combat power"? No training in the world worked that fast.
"To be honest… she's still far off," Thea said. Laurel was close to Oliver and Tommy—sending her out after one day of training would be sending her to her death. Thea wouldn't allow that.
"You misunderstood. I meant—do you have any assistance? Star City is peaceful like heaven. Laurel needs practical combat experience."
"You want to send her to Gotham? Would Batman even agree?" Batman's standards for partners were infamously strict. Thea doubted Laurel could pass.
Barbara looked a little downcast. "Dick left. He's becoming Nightwing. I… I want to find something for myself too. After this injury, I've thought a lot. Dick was right—if I stay under Batman's wing, I'll never grow. I want to form my own team to fight crime."
So this was the earliest form of the Birds of Prey? Thea nodded. It was obvious Nightwing still held a special place in Barbara's heart. But now Barbara was calmer, more rational—not the impulsive girl she once was. That was progress.
The fact that she came to Thea rather than Batman proved she had truly decided to go solo. As Laurel's friend, Thea naturally felt obligated to help.
As for Laurel's abilities—easy to solve. In the original storyline, she had a sonic device.
"You want her combat-ready quickly? That's not hard." Thea thought through the principles of a sonic amplifier. She could easily make one.
"Have you noticed Laurel's voice? It's naturally sharper and louder than normal. I can make her an audio frequency amplifier—during combat, she'll be able to release ultrasonic waves to knock down enemies. What do you think?" Thea said while pulling out paper and pen, sketching a rough diagram for Barbara.