She didn't particularly care whether he became a saint or a sinner, but Diana was already urging her to leave. Knowing he couldn't touch physical objects, Thea wrapped the business card in magic and tossed it right in front of him.
"When you've figured out what you want to do, come find me."
With that, Thea assumed the air of a lofty expert, took Diana by the hand, and walked off into the distance—leaving Boston Brand standing alone at the empty circus entrance, facing the cold night wind.
...
The two checked into a luxury hotel and engaged in a round of fiery, friendly "artistic exchange."
The first half of the battle could only be described as a crushing defeat. With Diana's physical condition at an all-time historic peak, facing Thea—who was currently as weak as a chicken—was nothing short of absolute domination. In desperation, Thea had no choice but to cheat, summoning her clone technique to turn it into a two-on-one, barely managing to scrape a draw.
"Are you waiting for me here, or coming with me to meet Amanda?"
After their indescribable match and a shower, Thea asked while blow-drying her hair. They still needed to retrieve Abin Sur's remains; otherwise, who knew what Earth's scientists might slice him up into.
"Is that the department Steve Trevor later created? I'll wait here. I don't want to get involved in human politics."
Diana, exhausted from the "battle," lounged in her bathrobe while flipping through a fashion magazine. Without lifting her head, she added, "But that warrior's body should be returned to his planet for burial. I support you on that."
"Suit yourself. When I get back, I'm definitely beating you next time!"
After an affectionate kiss, Thea put on her yellow power ring and flew toward Washington.
She had already spoken to Amanda over the phone, but seeing her again confirmed it: Amanda looked terrible. Understandable—one-third of Coast City was destroyed, and nearly ten thousand people were officially listed as "missing." Of course, politicians always needed a scapegoat to carry the pot.
Publicly, the blame was pushed onto the late Senator Hammond. Privately, the pot landed squarely on Amanda's head. She had almost won the internal power struggle within A.R.G.U.S., but now she was knocked back down, returning to a deadlock with Steve Trevor's faction.
While Thea and Diana spent a lovely day fighting, playing, and sparring, Amanda had been brutally chewed out by generals from the Department of Defense. If she hadn't been born with dark skin, the humiliation might have been clearly visible on her face.
Hearing from Lyla that Thea wanted to meet, Amanda—who originally refused to see anyone—reconsidered. Life had to go on. Compared to Batman, Thea was at least someone who could be reasoned with. And the appearance of that black-haired woman wielding a sword and shield only added weight to Thea's name.
"What do you want from me this late at night?"
The usually sharp, steel-nerved commander looked exhausted, forcing herself to stay alert.
But Thea's first sentence put her instantly on edge: "Do you still have that very first alien corpse? I want to take it back and return it to his homeworld for burial."
Amanda rejected her immediately. "Impossible. The military took it. There's way too much political wrestling behind it."
Thea sneered. Political wrestling? Before true power, that was a joke. But she still tried to persuade Amanda—despite all her flaws, the woman was at least patriotic.
"I don't care about your political games. I'm just telling you—this corpse isn't some wild boar or lion from our forests. He was a sentient being. He had family, friends, children."
Amanda remained unmoved. Thea knew she needed a stronger dose.
"He wasn't alone. His organization is called the Green Lantern Corps. There are 3,600 official members just like him, and tens of thousands of reserves. With that many warriors—do you really want Earth, do you really want America—to bear their wrath?"
"This..."
Amanda hesitated. One alien had nearly driven her insane—how would she survive 3,600? Still, she asked cautiously: "What is their combat level?"
"Each one individually can sink an aircraft carrier. And if you count their alien technology, then..."
The Green Lantern Corps' greatest strength lay in numbers—and its greatest weakness too. But Thea saw no need to mention that part. Sensing Amanda's indecision, Thea delivered another heavy blow:
"If you want, I can take you to their planet."
To her surprise, Amanda was genuinely tempted. But she quickly crushed that childish impulse. If Earth were the number one power in the universe, she'd go with a hundred escorts. But clearly, that was not the case. She and Thea weren't close—if something happened and Thea fled, she'd be stranded in space with no way home.
Not trusting this "interstellar tour guide" at all, Amanda shook her head.
"The alien corpse really isn't in our hands. If you urgently need it, I can give you the chance to persuade a few Department of Defense generals. How's that?"
Thea already knew that the Coast City incident had drawn global attention, and that A.R.G.U.S. had to surrender every piece of the origin story—including Abin Sur's remains. She had expected to deal with the higher-ups, so she nodded.
Amanda dialed several numbers. Though not quite submissive, the arrogance she showed days ago was completely gone. After ending the calls, she gestured for Thea to follow.
"That black-haired woman with the shield today—your friend?" Amanda couldn't resist asking halfway down the hall.
"Yeah." Thea raised an eyebrow. Anyone with eyes could see that.
"I've seen her photo—an old group picture. Is she one of Steve's people?" The question had been nagging at Amanda.
"Rubbish. She's mine. Steve is a nobody."
Thea instantly bristled. If not for concerns about the timeline, she would've killed Steve Trevor a hundred years ago—why should he still be alive now?
"Is that so..."
Amanda didn't argue. Her relationship with Thea fluctuated, but overall, Thea was still an ally. If someone as powerful as Diana could "come to her side," Amanda would wake up laughing.
They said no more. Amanda led Thea onto a jet, which landed outside the Pentagon. A special vehicle brought them deep into the complex.
Thea wasn't unfamiliar with this place. The Queen Group was undergoing a full transformation, its Applied Sciences Division integrating Ray Palmer's atomic innovations. Several product demonstrations had stunned the defense experts. Just this month alone, Thea had visited the Pentagon three times, and the contracts they'd signed totaled nearly a hundred million dollars.
The generals and experts responsible for R&D all knew her well. As for Amanda—this was practically her second home. The vehicle carrying them drove deeper into the restricted zone.