Felicity was put fully in charge of the facial recognition software. Thea told her to lead the "team"—which, truthfully, was just those three subordinates—and produce an initial prototype to hand over to the police.
"Why only a prototype?" Felicity asked, puzzled. "Why not give them the best version? Aren't we supposed to be fighting crime?"
If they handed over the best version right away, there'd be no reason for future cooperation. Thea didn't want a one-off deal; she wanted to build a long-term partnership with the Star City Police. The more the police worked with Queen Consolidated, the better the company's reputation would become.
Of course, she couldn't explain all that to Felicity's justice-driven mind. So she gave another reason:
"If we give them the most advanced version, they'll start wondering whether we used it for anything illegal before. And don't tell me you've never done that?"
That was obvious. Felicity had hacked more servers than Malcolm Merlyn had bodies on his conscience. She'd once hijacked a satellite just to spy on people nearby, peek at secrets, or watch what senators' mistresses were up to—enough offenses combined to earn her ten years in prison.
Not that ten years would scare her; she was the kind of hermit who could be "at home" even in jail. She wouldn't mind—someone else would cook and clean. But under U.S. law, hackers serving time were often banned from touching computers for years. That alone could drive her insane. If she went three days without a keyboard, she'd be plotting a jailbreak by day four.
"Thanks, Thea. You really care about me," Felicity said softly, a little deflated.
"There, there—don't cry. Come here, hug!" Thea teased, pulling her close. She was starting to like this woman—five years her senior—more and more. Naïve, kind, driven by justice… all the things Thea admired and lacked herself.
Felicity rolled her eyes and pushed her away. "I'm not a kid, you know. I'm tough."
The two bantered for a while, and Thea reminded her that if manpower ran short, she could hire more—but the sooner the prototype was ready, the better.
Even though Felicity now led the project, Thea wasn't idle. The one million dollars Moira had approved covered more than software development—it also included all follow-up logistics. And donating something to the police didn't guarantee they'd actually accept it. Some persuasion would be required.
Luckily, Thea had a connection. The tangled history between the Queen family and Detective Quentin Lance could fill a book—but at least they knew each other. Recognition was better than nothing.
Going to Lance directly might not work; she and he weren't enemies, but they weren't on good terms either. She'd need an intermediary—his daughter, Laurel Lance.
She called Tommy and asked him to arrange a meeting with Laurel. The three agreed to meet at Big Belly Burger.
Tommy had been dying of boredom at the Merlyn offices. Ten minutes with financial reports was enough to induce dizziness. When Thea called, he didn't even ask why—just grabbed his jacket and bolted.
The three arrived almost together, ordered drinks, and Thea explained her idea to Laurel.
Laurel, ever the aspiring prosecutor, was all too familiar with the pain of "insufficient evidence." Seeing criminals walk free due to lack of proof was maddening. If the police and DA's office could use facial recognition, case clearance rates would skyrocket. She couldn't understand why Thea was even asking her—what obstacle could there be?
"Thea, this is a great idea. What do you need me to do?"
"Well," Thea said carefully, "we plan to give the software to the police for free, but I'm worried your father might not approve. You know… our families' history." She pointed to herself, then at Tommy.
Laurel thought of her father—still grieving her sister's death. By day he worked like nothing had happened; by night he drank himself into numbness. Who knew how he'd react now?
"I think he'll agree," she said at last. "He's the most upright man I know. Come with me, Thea. As for you—" she turned to Tommy with a mischievous smile—"why don't you go entertain yourself?"
Poor Tommy looked like a puppy being abandoned. The two women ignored him and drove to Star City Police Headquarters.
It was Thea's first time there—and honestly, it was disappointing. The place was old, worn, and dimly lit, not the imposing fortress she'd imagined. She saw maybe a couple hundred officers at most.
In reality, the department had over 1,500 personnel managing a city of a million, but most were scattered across districts. HQ mainly housed clerical staff, leaving the illusion of a near-empty building.
Movies and TV lied. They made it look like the same handful of officers did everything—but if real police worked that way, with their death rate, the show would lose its cast in three episodes.
Following Laurel, Thea finally met Detective Quentin Lance—a pivotal figure in the Green Arrow saga, the Commissioner Gordon of Star City, and a tragic hero behind the scenes. Two daughters dead and revived and dead again—after all that turmoil, his thick dark hair would be completely gone by Season 5.
Laurel laid out Thea's plan in detail. Both women watched Lance intently, waiting for his response.
"Miss Queen," he said coolly, arms crossed, "what exactly motivates this? Giving something for free isn't typical of the Queen family."
"Detective," Thea began earnestly, "no one told me to do this. I was born here. This is my home. Star City is dying—you've seen it."
She took a breath and continued. "Maybe in your eyes, Queen Consolidated has done wrong. But I see a company that's kept this city alive. We once employed fifty thousand workers. Now, after cutbacks, we still keep thirty thousand on payroll. We're doing our part to keep Star City alive."
Seeing the sneer fade from his face, she pressed on. "Fighting crime isn't just the police's duty—it's the duty of every citizen. I'm asking for a chance to prove our worth. This isn't for me, or even for Queen Consolidated—it's for every good person who calls Star City home."
"Dad, say yes," Laurel urged gently. "This isn't a bad thing."
Lance stared into Thea's eyes for a long time before finally nodding. "All right. You've convinced me. I'll bring it up with the captain. Let's hope I'm right about this."
As he turned to leave, Thea quickly stepped forward and grasped his arm. Her voice softened.
"Detective, I know you're grieving Sarah's death. But that shipwreck took my brother and my father too. For their sakes… please forgive my brother."