Barry turned. A woman stood in the shadows. Late thirties. Professional clothes that seemed out of place in this environment. Sharp eyes that assessed him carefully.
"Do I know you?" Barry asked.
"No. But I know you." She stepped into better light. "Amanda Waller. I work for a government organization that monitors individuals with unusual capabilities."
Barry's enhanced mind immediately flagged danger. Amanda Waller. In the comics and shows, she ran ARGUS and Task Force X. Ruthless. Intelligent. Dangerous when she decided someone was a threat or an asset.
"I don't have unusual capabilities," Barry said calmly. "Just training and dedication."
"You're a twenty-three-year-old who quit a forensic science job six months ago. Now you run a company worth hundreds of millions. You've developed battery technology that shouldn't exist yet. And you just knocked out a professional fighter in under ninety seconds." Waller's expression didn't change. "That's not normal dedication. That's something else."
Barry maintained perfect composure despite the threat assessment running in his mind. Waller had been watching him. Gathering information. Which meant she considered him either useful or dangerous.
"What do you want?" Barry asked.
"Information. About how you developed your technology so quickly. About who you're working with. About what else you're capable of."
"And if I decline to provide that information?"
"Then I keep watching. Keep gathering data. Keep building a file." Waller stepped closer. "I don't make threats, Mr. Allen. I make observations. And I observe that you're hiding something significant. Eventually, I'll figure out what."
She handed him a business card. Plain white. Just a phone number. No name or organization.
"When you're ready to talk, call that number. Or don't. Either way, I'll be watching."
Waller turned and walked away. Disappeared into the crowd of departing spectators.
Barry stood alone, processing the encounter. This was a complication he hadn't anticipated. Government surveillance. Official interest in his activities.
How much did Waller actually know? How long had she been watching? What resources did she have access to?
Questions without immediate answers. But requiring immediate response planning.
Barry got in his car and drove home quickly. Once inside his apartment, he activated his secured laptop.
"Gideon, priority research. Amanda Waller. Government connections. Current organizational affiliations. Surveillance capabilities."
"Searching." Fifteen seconds. "Amanda Waller. Director of ARGUS, Advanced Research Group Uniting Superhumans. Black ops division of US intelligence community. Extensive surveillance capabilities including satellite access, communications monitoring, and field operatives. Known for recruiting or neutralizing individuals with meta-human potential."
Exactly what Barry had feared. Waller ran an organization specifically designed to handle people like him. People with abilities beyond normal human range.
"Assessment of current threat level?"
"Moderate to high. Director Waller's approach suggests active investigation but no immediate action planned. However, continued observation means eventual discovery of Thinking Cap, DeVoe research acquisition, and other sensitive activities. Probability of forced recruitment or detention: 34% within six months if current trajectory continues."
Not acceptable. Barry needed to eliminate Waller's interest or at least redirect it. But how?
His enhanced mind calculated options. He could cooperate. Provide limited information that satisfied her curiosity without revealing critical secrets. That might reduce her interest level.
Or he could demonstrate he wasn't a threat. Show that his capabilities served beneficial purposes. That recruiting him was unnecessary because he was already working toward positive goals.
Or he could make himself too valuable to touch. Build such significant public profile and commercial success that overt government action would create political backlash.
The third option seemed most viable. Forbes article would help. Additional media exposure. Becoming a visible tech leader whose harassment would generate questions.
"Gideon, prepare comprehensive PR strategy. I want to raise my public profile significantly over the next three months. Speaking engagements. Media interviews. Industry events. Make me too visible for covert action."
"Strategy development initiated. Preliminary recommendations will be ready in four hours."
Good. Barry would flood the zone. Become so publicly prominent that Waller couldn't move against him without attracting attention.
It wasn't a perfect solution. But it bought time. And time was what Barry needed to complete his preparations before the particle accelerator explosion.
He had less than three years left. Every month mattered. Every distraction was costly.
Amanda Waller was now another variable to manage. Another threat to navigate around. Another piece of the complex game Barry was playing.
But he'd handled every challenge so far. This would be no different.
Read more chapters, days ahead of Webnovel Updates, on Patreon marvelstark