The assembled reporters let out quiet laughter. Thea was obviously lying through her teeth. Were these government personnel ordinary citizens? They were either executives from major corporations or elites from various industries. When they left the White House, they'd only move to even higher positions.
Yet mainstream society clung to the self-deceptive belief that they were "ordinary citizens." This was quite interesting.
Everyone knew Thea was spouting lies and empty words, yet the reporter had no rebuttal. He couldn't deny current mainstream values, and Thea kept circling back to democracy, leaving him at a loss for how to respond.
"Are you advocating for an unmanned government? If superheroes need to register, then we'd have to abandon our current system and remove the human element. Sir, are you suggesting we use supercomputers running fixed programs to control all systems and regulate everyone?"
Thea was getting into it. Wasn't this just about spouting nonsense? Her Trade godhood did touch on language, after all. She'd never been afraid of debates.
Her opponent was stunned by her topic-derailing skills. When did I say anything about establishing a robot government? Sensing amused looks from those around him, he slunk back into the crowd and fell silent.
After dealing with several more strange questions, the reporters finally let her go and turned their questions to Oliver, who looked somewhat wooden.
After an hour of this circus, the three of them completed all the required procedures, and Oliver fled the White House without a word.
Thea also grabbed Diana and rendezvoused with several other superheroes at the place she'd named Justice Hall in Metropolis to discuss matters.
"The public and leadership harbor suspicions about superheroes." Batman spoke first, back in his Bat-suit. Thea's identity was completely public now, and Diana didn't care either way.
Superman existed in a state between public and private. He and the Martian Manhunter firmly opposed revealing their identities.
Batman was constantly contemplating others' schemes and was extremely sensitive to the scent of conspiracy.
"I believe that on a voluntary basis, we should leave it to individual choice whether to reveal their true identities. We should give people the right to choose rather than vetoing it outright." Superman was very enthusiastic about this theory his biological father had taught him—the concept of giving others the right to choose.
"No. What if someone acts impulsively and reveals their identity, then regrets it later?" Batman flatly refused.
"You powerful gods and aliens might be able to choose to go public, but human superheroes absolutely cannot do this. We age. There will come a day when we can no longer wear the cape. What happens then?"
Thea immediately took a clear stand in support of Batman. This was what made ordinary superheroes so admirable. They weren't gods among men. They couldn't run faster than light. Every time they put on that cape and walked the streets, they were risking their lives.
One accident could cost them their lives. A fall from just a few stories could leave them paralyzed for life. If they revealed their identities, it would be far too dangerous.
"I generally support Batman, but Superman's opinion can also be adopted. Let Earth's superheroes keep their identities hidden. If someone really can't resist revealing themselves, we shouldn't oppose it."
Thea tried to moderate their positions, but unfortunately, both Superman and Batman were stubborn.
Superman was single-mindedly focused on giving individuals the right to choose. In his words, "We have no right to make decisions for others."
Batman, meanwhile, maintained a stance of "I have experience, they'll regret it later, so I must prevent it in advance."
Thea's opinion was relatively moderate. She felt Superman was too idealistic, while Batman dwelled too much on the dark side. Neither was appropriate.
The two men then turned to criticize her, accusing her of wavering in her position.
Diana and the Martian Manhunter joined the discussion. The five argued endlessly.
In the end, they could only table the dispute temporarily, waiting for more superheroes to appear before revisiting this issue.
...
Over the next few days, Moira formally settled into her role, beginning frequent meetings with people from all sectors. To put it nicely, she was soliciting opinions from all parties. Less charitably, she was wrangling with a bunch of people.
Moira spent an entire week cleaning up her predecessor's mess before beginning her inspections within her jurisdiction.
Her first stop was the Department of Defense. General Lane led all the military brass in attendance.
Thea was quite familiar with the Pentagon and tagged along to observe.
She'd already discussed her future policy with her mother. Moira highly approved of Thea's timing—letting the previous president engage in military adventurism and take the blame, then having the current administration focus on improving people's livelihoods.
After a cursory tour of the flying helicarriers in the shipyard and the giant mechs still in training at the military base, Moira expressed her approval.
Next came the second stop: A.R.G.U.S.
"Is this your newly recruited metahuman?" Thea pointed to a female warrior in the distance wearing a purple-red bodysuit, asking Amanda. A.R.G.U.S. was accumulating more and more metahumans. Doctor Light and Doctor Mist were among the outstanding ones. Add in the Suicide Squad, and their numbers were truly considerable.
"Hehe... Her codename is Xuan Lan." Amanda's laugh was somewhat awkward. The role reversal left her unsure whether she should answer Thea's questions.
Thea's gaze swept over the female warrior. She snorted lightly. "A human experiment product, right? You added both the Green and the Red into a single body. This is the only survivor, isn't it?"
She shook her head gently, letting the topic go while silently marveling at A.R.G.U.S.'s black-ops tech. The Green and the Red—such rule-oriented forces—how did you manage to make them coexist in a human body?
A.R.G.U.S. had bases all over the country. Moira didn't have time to inspect them one by one. She went through the motions of listening to some reports, and that completed the scheduled procedure.
However, she made one final request: she wanted to tour the Black Room.
The Black Room had always been under Steve's direct control. Even Amanda, who now controlled A.R.G.U.S., hadn't penetrated it.
Fortunately, Steve was truly patriotic. Faced with the President's order, he chose to comply.
Thea also took her mother's arm and stepped into the Black Room.