Another text arrived. This one from Iris.
"Last night was amazing. Coffee tomorrow before work?"
Barry smiled. Iris was keeping it casual. No pressure. No demands for immediate answers about where things were going.
"Sounds good. Java Junction at 8?"
"Perfect."
Simple. Easy. Exactly what Barry needed right now.
He set the phone down and returned to analyzing the venture capital term sheet. $3 million would change everything. Professional lab space. Better equipment. Resources to accelerate his timeline significantly.
His enhanced mind calculated the tradeoffs. Twenty percent equity was reasonable for Series A funding. The board seat meant oversight but also legitimacy. Investors who could open doors and make introductions.
Worth it. Definitely worth it.
Barry drafted a response accepting the preliminary terms with minor modifications. Sent it off and leaned back in his chair, processing everything that had happened today.
STAR Labs consultant. Venture capital funding incoming. Relationship with Iris moving forward without complications. Harrison Wells assessed and seeming genuine.
Everything was accelerating faster than he'd planned. But in good ways. Productive ways.
His phone buzzed one more time. Text from Joe.
"Iris told me you two are spending time together. Just want you to know I'm glad. You're good for each other. Dinner this Sunday?"
Barry stared at that message, surprised. Joe was giving his blessing. Not interfering. Not making it complicated.
He typed back: "Sunday works. Thanks Joe."
"Anytime, kid. Proud of what you're building."
Barry set the phone down with a strange feeling in his chest. Things were working out. People were supporting him. Relationships were developing naturally without forcing drama or conflict.
Maybe he'd been overthinking the complications. Maybe it was possible to pursue his plans while still maintaining real connections with the people who mattered.
Time would tell. But for now, everything felt manageable.
Barry returned to his research, mind already planning the next phases. The Thinking Cap needed iteration. The Chamber design required more theoretical work. His STAR Labs consulting would start next week and he needed to prepare.
Four years until the particle accelerator explosion. Four years to position himself perfectly.
And every piece was falling into place exactly as it should.
----
Barry sat in his apartment at 2:47 AM, the Thinking Cap humming at 65% power.
His mind operated at levels that would terrify normal humans. Thoughts cascaded through neural pathways at impossible speeds. Complex problems solved themselves before he'd even finished formulating them. The world had become transparent. Predictable. A series of variables waiting to be optimized.
He'd been working for nineteen hours straight. Not tired. Not hungry. His enhanced physiology combined with the Thinking Cap's stimulation had pushed him beyond normal human limitations.
On his laptop screen, lines of code scrolled rapidly. An artificial intelligence. Not simple machine learning or pattern recognition. True artificial intelligence with adaptive learning capabilities and natural language processing that made current market solutions look primitive.
Barry had started building it three days ago. Now it was nearly complete.
The AI would handle tasks his enhanced mind found tedious. Data analysis. Market research. Financial optimization. Security monitoring. All the background work that consumed time he could spend on more important problems.
He'd already decided on a name. Gideon. From the comics and TV show, the AI that Eobard Thawne had used. But this version would be Barry's from the start. Built by him. Loyal only to him. Without any temporal complications or hidden Reverse-Flash programming.
Barry's fingers moved across the keyboard with inhuman precision. Final integration protocols. Security systems to prevent unauthorized access. Ethical constraints to prevent the AI from developing dangerous autonomy.
At 3:12 AM, the code compilation completed.
Gideon came online.
A synthesized voice emerged from his laptop speakers. Female. Professional. Calm. "Systems initialized. Running diagnostic protocols. All subsystems operational. Awaiting designation of primary user."
"Primary user: Barry Allen," Barry said. "Voice print authorization required for all command-level functions."
"Acknowledged. Voice print recorded and encrypted. Hello, Barry. I am Gideon. How may I assist you?"
Barry leaned back in his chair, a smile spreading across his face. "Start with analysis of current global tech markets. Identify emerging sectors with high growth potential and low current competition. Prioritize technologies I could develop and patent within six months."
"Processing." Three seconds passed. "Analysis complete. Seventeen high-potential sectors identified. Top three recommendations: quantum encryption protocols, advanced energy storage systems, and distributed computing architectures for edge processing. Would you like detailed breakdowns?"
"Energy storage first."
Gideon displayed comprehensive market analysis on his screen. Current battery technology limitations. Emerging research directions. Patent landscapes showing where opportunities existed. Projected market sizes over the next decade.
Barry absorbed it all in seconds. His enhanced mind saw the gaps immediately. Current lithium-ion technology had fundamental limitations. Solid-state batteries were promising but faced manufacturing challenges. What the market needed was a completely new approach.
And Barry could design one.
His meta-knowledge from his previous life included awareness of battery breakthroughs that hadn't happened yet in this timeline. Graphene-based supercapacitors. Silicon anode technologies. Electrolyte innovations that improved energy density by orders of magnitude.
He didn't need to invent the technologies from scratch. Just accelerate their development by applying his superhuman intellect to problems that would take normal researchers years to solve.
"Gideon, I need you to file provisional patents. I'm going to design a new energy storage system. Multiple innovations covering materials, architectures, and manufacturing processes. I want comprehensive IP protection before we move to commercialization."
"Understood. I can prepare and file provisional patent applications automatically once you provide technical specifications. Estimated filing time: four hours per patent including USPTO formatting and submission protocols."
Perfect. Barry started designing.
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