Over the next two weeks, Moira campaigned tirelessly, making her final push. Thea and Oliver followed along on a whirlwind tour of major American cities.
And wouldn't you know it—there really were people foolish enough to try something! When hired guns took payment and made their move, Thea could immediately direct the Green Arrow team to eliminate the threat.
For those who weren't paid off but simply wanted to make a name for themselves, she had fewer options. All she could do was rely on tight security to keep everyone safe.
In just two weeks, there were three assassination attempts and—yes, you read that right—two kidnapping attempts. Most people didn't dare mess with Thea now that she'd revealed her superhero identity. After all, anyone who'd seen her battle against Doomsday, casually leveling buildings and punching craters into the ground with every move, knew ordinary people couldn't handle that kind of power.
So they targeted others instead. One group kidnapped one of Moira's key advisors, though fortunately A.R.G.U.S. rescued them in time. Another group lost their minds entirely and tried to kidnap Oliver for ransom, only to get thoroughly beaten down by the Green Arrow team—leaving everyone in the know equal parts amused and annoyed.
After another exhausting day of chaos, Thea accompanied her mother on the campaign trail while Miss Mercy, the secretary, could only chase after them with stacks of documents that needed signing.
Electronic filing was convenient, sure, but many documents still required her personal signature.
With the campaign team racing across the country's major cities, Miss Mercy had to follow along, tracking Thea down every couple of days with files to sign. Only someone with the secretary's enhanced physique could handle it—any ordinary woman would've collapsed from exhaustion by now.
After signing yet another stack of documents, Thea leaned back hard in her chair, her gaze drifting toward the window with seemingly casual interest.
Miss Mercy instantly understood. She grabbed a pen from the desk and hurled it toward the window. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
Even an ordinary pen thrown by her left a blur in its wake as it shot forward like an arrow toward whoever lurked outside.
The person outside hesitated for just a moment, then responded with delight. "Well, well! Nice moves."
A hand clad in a black leather glove shot out, catching the pen at a precise angle. In one fluid motion, the intruder redirected its momentum in a semicircle, adding new force before sending it flying straight back at Miss Mercy.
When her supposedly foolproof attack was turned against her, the secretary didn't try to catch the pen. Instead, she pushed off hard with both feet and executed a perfect backflip, dodging the strike.
An agile figure in black leaped through the window. Miss Mercy's eyes narrowed slightly. She glanced first at Thea, but her employer was pretending to review documents, showing absolutely no reaction to the sudden intruder.
So, not an enemy then. But the fact that the newcomer still hadn't revealed their identity after entering—that was intriguing.
"Who are you?" Miss Mercy maintained her elegant, professional tone, as if she were negotiating a business deal rather than confronting a masked intruder.
When Thea showed no reaction, the figure's posture shifted slightly. The intruder deliberately roughened their voice. "Beat me and I'll tell you."
Mercy glanced at Thea again. Her employer made a casual "go ahead" gesture.
"Fine." The secretary's response was curt. In the next instant, she kicked off her high heels, tore away her restrictive pencil skirt, and removed her glasses. The transition from stillness to motion took less than a second. She launched herself into the air, both legs striking like twin battle-axes toward the intruder's head.
"You really are skilled!" The black-clad fighter raised an arm to block the kick, then shifted from defense to offense, trying to grab Mercy's ankle and throw her aside.
But Mercy, who could fight Deathstroke to a standstill, wasn't so easily handled. While still airborne, she twisted her torso and changed tactics, reversing her foot to aim for the opponent's head.
The intruder finally realized they'd been too careless. They hurried to adjust, but it was too late. All they could do was lean back to dodge the powerful kick while simultaneously striking toward Mercy's abdomen with their own foot.
At the critical moment, Mercy struck the floor with her left hand, using the leverage to evade the attack. After one exchange, both fighters had underestimated each other slightly. Neither had gained the advantage.
"I had no idea a delicate little secretary could be so formidable! Your secretary can last at least ten exchanges with me, little Thea. You've got real talent working for you." The intruder stopped disguising their voice and removed their hood, revealing bright eyes, gleaming teeth, and long flowing hair. Their entire presence radiated an aura sharp as a blade.
Thea didn't even look up, continuing to review her documents. "You're exaggerating again, Lady Shiva. You'd better focus on whether you can actually beat Miss Mercy."
The visitor was none other than Lady Shiva, who had trained Thea for half a year all those years ago. The two hadn't seen each other in six or seven years. Without Malcolm Merlyn and Lady Shiva's instruction back then, Thea would never have reached her current position.
Over the years, Thea had tried to find Lady Shiva several times, but the woman had deliberately avoided her, and they'd never managed to meet again.
Using force to "invite" her would've been inappropriate, so the matter had dragged on until today.
To Thea, Lady Shiva was like an older sister, someone who had given her everything she knew. Thea had never forgotten that debt. But Lady Shiva was stubborn by nature, and Thea had never found the right way to repay her.
Now that she'd come in person, she likely needed help with something.
Though Lady Shiva had lingered outside the window for a while, suggesting it wasn't urgent.
Lady Shiva's greatest passion was fighting—sparring with all kinds of martial arts masters. She'd once made Batman's life miserable for quite a long time with her constant challenges.
Thea obviously couldn't fight her anymore. No matter how skilled Lady Shiva was, she was still an ordinary human. Using her divine body to fight Shiva would be an insult to both of them.
But Miss Mercy was perfect for this. She spent her time with Luthor, so her reputation wasn't widely known. Otherwise, with her skills, she could easily make a name for herself as a master martial artist.
Plus, the indigo light had improved Miss Mercy's physique. This was a perfect opportunity to match her up with Lady Shiva.
As Thea had guessed, seeing she had no intention of stopping them, the two immediately resumed their fight.
In physical attributes, Miss Mercy had a slight edge. Unfortunately, the gap in experience was enormous. No matter how good her combat instincts were, spending her days following Luthor and Thea around as an assistant meant her actual battle experience couldn't compare to someone like Lady Shiva, who fought three times a day.
Even so, the secretary relied on her superior physical conditioning and excellent battle awareness to go toe-to-toe with Lady Shiva, managing over sixty exchanges before finally taking a kick to the ribs.
Lady Shiva naturally held back, barely brushing her. But the outcome was clear.
The secretary truly couldn't beat her. Continuing would only lead to defeat. Fortunately, she had no particular attachment to a warrior's pride. Unable to win, she simply accepted it, calmly putting her glasses back on and slipping into her heels as if nothing had happened, returning to organize the documents.
"Such excellent combat intuition, and you're wasting it on paperwork?" Lady Shiva looked regretful, her expression practically screaming, "Young lady, come train with me."
"This work is what I actually enjoy doing." The secretary resumed her professional, composed smile, as if the fierce warrior from moments ago had been someone else entirely.