The last test involved the holy sword. In theory, this crystallization of collective will could kill Doomsday. Thea tested it three times in a row. The resurrected Doomsday cells couldn't figure out the sword's underlying principle—they were completely unable to simulate or replicate it. The downside was that the holy sword consumed too much power when dealing with insane thoughts, and it couldn't completely kill the creature.
Thea suspected that Doomsday possessed something similar to a "Source" within its body. It embodied the destructive impulses of the universe itself. As long as such impulses existed, it would never truly die.
This weapon was a last resort—the option when nothing else worked. If the kryptonite failed to kill Doomsday immediately, Thea's most reliable backup plan was to seal it.
This was a traditional method countless heroes had developed when dealing with demon lords. Kryptonian spatial technology wasn't exactly top-tier. Their so-called Phantom Zone was notoriously unstable. After a brief review, Thea abandoned that approach.
The infiltration of the neutral port Oasis was still proceeding in secret, but purchasing a few high-tech containment devices at premium prices posed no problem. In just one day, Fiora delivered three sealing devices of different designs.
Thea's plan involved combining high technology, lantern ring constructs, and magic all at once, then hurling the sealed Doomsday into some remote corner of the universe.
The Source Wall would have been an excellent choice, but she feared triggering other complications. If this thing evolved to the point where it could shatter the wall, who in this universe could possibly stop it?
Each civilization's sealing device had its merits. Integrating these technologies with her own abilities would require considerable preparation.
...
Doing good anonymously wasn't Thea's style. She lacked such noble sentiments. Besides, this was a time when she desperately needed massive acclaim. The two experimental drugs had achieved tremendous success. She brought dozens of patients who'd been on death's door to Metropolis for a live press conference.
The patients didn't put on any act. With tears streaming down their faces, they emotionally described their joy at surviving against all odds. Reporters frantically snapped photos while Thea made a few brief comments before handing the floor to the corporation's presidents. She noticed Bruce Wayne in his suit making eye contact with her from across the room, so she dismissed the idle onlookers.
The two of them moved to a secluded spot. "What's up?" she asked.
"There's something. Do you recognize this symbol?" Bruce drew a large Ω for her to see.
"Omega? You already know what it is." Thea had a vague sense of what was coming.
Bruce carefully considered his words. "I have this symbol in my mind, along with memories that feel real but... I don't actually remember experiencing them."
He struggled to articulate the feeling at first, switching through several languages before finally conveying what he meant. He thought something from the mystical side might be affecting him, which was why he'd made this trip to Metropolis.
Thea knew better. This was likely the Flash from some future timeline coming back with a warning, allowing Batman to glimpse images from a parallel timestream. In the original timeline, it happened because of the Batman v Superman conflict. In this timeline, their ideological disagreements still existed and remained significant, but they were nowhere near the point of open warfare.
So why had the Flash come back? What was he warning them about? She didn't know the answer, and neither did Batman.
She carefully chose her words. Full disclosure was obviously unnecessary, but she could provide a brief introduction.
"I can't explain these different life trajectories you're describing. That's beyond my abilities. But this symbol—if you're not just testing my knowledge of Greek letters—I might know something about it."
Thea's words were deliberately vague, but Bruce's attention was completely captured.
"Remember that day at the battle in Coast City? The guy in the tight green outfit?"
"I investigated him. Hal Jordan. Previously worked for Ferris Aircraft as an excellent test pilot," Bruce replied without hesitation.
"Right. But he's got a new employer now. He currently belongs to the universe's police force—the Green Lantern Corps. They're responsible for this sector of Earth. What I want to tell you about is his new boss. They're the universe's most ancient race. Today, they call themselves the Guardians."
"You know I'm a Yellow Lantern. I had a brief... friendly period with the Green Lanterns." Bruce wanted to protest that he didn't know any of this, but since this involved secret knowledge—casually dropping phrases like "entire universe" and "ancient race," which sounded incredibly significant—his detective instincts kicked in. He listened with full attention and nodded reluctantly.
"According to the Guardians' records, before them, beyond this world, there was a group who called themselves the New Gods. They lived in a place unreachable and inaccessible to us."
"Due to differences in ideology, personality, aspirations, and so on, the New Gods split into two factions. One side was the righteous Highfather, the other the evil Darkseid."
Actually, Thea didn't want to use such simplistic good-versus-evil divisions, but she couldn't reveal too many details. A place unreachable and inaccessible—if she seemed too familiar with it, Bruce would ask questions she'd rather not answer. She could only use a secondhand tone to distinguish between Highfather and Darkseid.
Bruce had his own values and found her crude division of good and evil somewhat arbitrary, but considering Thea was likely recounting ancient records, he said nothing.
"The Ω symbol you described represents the evil monarch Darkseid." Thea spread her hands, indicating that was all she knew.
Bruce nodded. Thea's explanation was vague, but at least his confusion had been addressed. If asked what connection he had to Darkseid, he would say none whatsoever!
Two completely unrelated individuals (or beings)—Bruce guarding his own small territory, Darkseid spreading evil across the universe. These matters were completely disconnected.
Without the later Darkseid War, Thea would have shared his thinking. They operated on completely different levels. In Darkseid's eyes, Earth was no different from an ant. Who could say what would drive him to invade Earth?
Bruce felt relieved knowing it wasn't some Earthly villain targeting him. He buried his remaining questions in his heart, waiting to uncover the truth later. They chatted briefly before parting ways.
Thea's life returned to normal. Publicly, she continued tackling humanity's intractable diseases—something that in the past would have been a huge deal.
But now, whether it was Luthor's Cadmus Project or the military's Project Amazo, both were drawing the attention of interested parties. They'd poured massive amounts of funding and resources into their initiatives. The big players were on edge every day, both hoping for breakthroughs and fearing catastrophic disasters.
Thea's medical research simply didn't fall within their scope of concern. They paid lip service to it and moved on.