A black-haired girl walked out from the room next door. She was petite, with a youthful face, but her eyes were lively. Barry immediately recognized her; she was Jenna from the Magic Twins.
He couldn't help but cover his forehead. Indeed, Jenna was formidable, but suspecting aliens of stealing research materials and then seeking another alien to investigate it — that's just typical Amanda.
Of course, Barry knew Jenna was trustworthy. However, he was just a minor employee in the Behavioral Analysis Unit, so it didn't matter what he thought. But Amanda was different; she was the head of the Federation Shield, and being suspicious could sometimes be a good trait for a leader.
But since Brainiac hadn't expressed any opinion, Barry naturally wouldn't ask further. So he said, "Hello, Miss Jenna, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Mr. Allen. I heard you joined the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
"Yes, I am now a full-fledged agent in the BAU. I read the article you previously submitted, and it provided us with a lot of inspiration. Thank you for your help."
Amanda immediately showed a proud expression, but Barry and Jenna ignored her. After thinking for a while, Jenna said, "This theft is out of the ordinary. If it weren't for the state of emergency, I'd want to visit the crime scene myself, but since that's not possible now, looking at photos will do. I'll go to the office with you."
"Wait," Amanda said, "this matter is now under the jurisdiction of the Federation Shield, and the investigation must be completed in our office."
"We are not obligated to unconditionally satisfy your need for control," Jenna spoke first. "The Federation Shield office is still quite incomplete, especially the clerical office for performing professional technical work. The Behavioral Analysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, already has a well-developed work system. It has all the professional equipment I need, and I can have professional discussions with the technical staff there, which would significantly improve my work efficiency. If you're dissatisfied with this, you should further improve the Federation Shield's capabilities in professional technical work, rather than unreasonably demanding that I must stay here."
"Moreover, this is the first official task Brainiac has given you. I think it is more important to produce results as quickly as possible rather than focusing on where exactly the work is done. Only by achieving results can the Federation Shield be rescued from its current awkward position and chaotic situation. I believe any smart leader would aim for this, wouldn't you agree?"
This speech left Amanda speechless. Barry couldn't help but chuckle on the side. Sometimes having smart employees is good, but if they're too smart, it might make oneself seem comparatively foolish.
Fortunately, their boss of the Behavioral Analysis Unit was just a nominal figure and generally didn't interfere with their work. Most of the time, they operated autonomously, and the collaboration was currently quite pleasant.
Thinking of this, Barry couldn't help but wish they could recruit Jenna into the BAU as well. Her mental analysis talent was exceptional, and one of her papers helped them identify the perpetrator of a child abduction case. If she joined, their work would certainly proceed more smoothly.
But just at that moment, Brainiac suddenly spoke up, "Since we are currently in a state of emergency, personnel movement shouldn't be too frequent. The investigation will be conducted in the Federation Shield office, and the necessary materials and staff will be sent remotely from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's office."
Barry furrowed his brow slightly; this request seemed normal enough. But upon further thought, it didn't quite make sense. After all, it was exactly to avoid frequent personnel movement that they should go to the more well-equipped and staffed office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Otherwise, the Federation Shield office has nothing. If they really needed some equipment, wouldn't they still have to have it delivered? Wouldn't that lead to even more frequent movement?
Besides, the two places weren't far apart, and there wasn't anything particularly safe about one versus the other. Except for Amanda, no one else would want them to remain in the Federation Shield office. And Amanda wasn't a professional, so it wasn't a matter of work attitude. Why insist on staying here?
Barry and Jenna exchanged a glance and almost immediately understood that there must be some hidden reason behind it. Only Amanda was smug, shrugging her shoulders as she said, "I didn't report this to Brainiac; this was his own decision. Being a super artificial intelligence, he naturally understands the importance of unified authority and responsibility…"
The two of them didn't have time to listen to her ramble. Jenna promptly said, "Have them send me the on-site photos; I need to see the situation there first, and give me the transcript of the first person who discovered the incident. If there are witnesses, have them ready for a conference call; I need to question them personally."
Barry immediately set about preparing. Meanwhile, Amanda led Jenna to the office next door. Although the Federation Shield supposedly had a whole building, it wasn't very large to begin with. The first and second floors were reception areas, the third and fourth floors had been converted into training rooms, the fifth floor housed Amanda's office, and there were only two vacant offices left on the same floor. As Jenna said, it seemed like the Federation Shield was planning to completely abandon clerical work.
More outrageously, the building didn't even have an elevator, only a single staircase. Amanda chose the office farthest from the staircase as her own, and the remaining two offices were flanking the staircase, making it easy for anyone coming up to hear what was going on inside. It seemed she intended to forsake confidentiality work entirely, too.
"Which office do you plan to choose?" Amanda asked.
Jenna stood between the two offices, appearing a bit speechless. "What's the difference between these two offices?"
"In fact, there's no real difference. The eastern one gets better sunlight. The western one is cooler and more shaded. But overall, they are two good offices."
Jenna was even more at a loss. She didn't know that an office could be judged primarily on whether it has ample sunlight. Especially, Federation Shield is supposed to be a covert organization by nature. For some reason, Amanda seemed never to have considered the confidentiality needs of Federation Shield; even the building itself was just an absolutely ordinary mansion standing on the city street.
No matter what, Jenna still casually walked into an office. It wasn't merely simple, it was downright desolate. Apart from a desk and a chair, there was just an oversized, somewhat luxurious floor-to-ceiling window. She had to retract her previous thoughts; secrecy wasn't even in question here. She was certain that every move she made sitting in the chair would be visible to newspaper delivery boys or milkmen passing by on Green Street.
At this moment, the investigation data regarding the scene of the theft incident that Jenna requested from Barry had already been transmitted through her personal communicator. But there wasn't even a decent image analyzer here, let alone high-definition projection equipment. Jenna covered her forehead and stood in the center of the room, feeling quite helpless.
"You really need to come over, Barry. And bring the professional equipment from the Behavioral Science Analysis Department. Otherwise, even if I stay here until next year, there's no way I could see any problems. After all, I'm not Brainiac; I can't directly analyze the information needed from the pixels of a bitmap."
Amanda seemed completely oblivious to this, failing to notice the sarcasm in Jenna's tone or seeing any problem with the office. She merely stood there surveying the room, appearing utterly pleased with her arrangement of the decor.
When Barry arrived, he also brought lunch for Jenna. Neither of them was really interested in savoring the food. They devoured the meal as quickly as possible, downed a large cup of coffee each, and then promptly got to work.
After all, this was Amanda's territory, and Amanda was right behind them watching. You never knew when she might give you some pointless task to do for the current situation.
Barry, on the other hand, was mourning for the equipment he brought. In Amanda's hands, they might never see the light of day again. Although Amanda was a civil officer, she seemed completely unaware of the importance of administrative work. She seemed excessively fascinated by superpower users; perhaps this was a case of love born from hate.
Although Barry and Jenna were on the only task currently issued by the Federation Shield, Amanda seemed quite busy. She didn't even have the time to stay and give a few more instructions; she hurriedly left once they started getting to work.
Not long after she left, Barry heard some noises at the stairway. He wanted to go out and take a look but was called back by Jenna. With her head down, reviewing photographs, Jenna said, "It's no use going now. An eavesdropper wouldn't wear their name on their face. Since neither Brainiac nor Amanda has objections, why should we, as subordinates, correct everything?"
"You seem to be taking things lightly," Barry sighed.
"If it were the previous child kidnapping case, I'd certainly argue based on facts and reason. But a theft of research materials? They won't even tell us what they're studying, nor can they provide any clues about the thief, and they don't even care about the investigation process. Since even the biggest victim, Brainiac, doesn't care about this, we have no reason to rush things—never worry on behalf of your boss."
Barry nodded, accepting this perspective. He gradually shifted his mindset. Glancing at the two empty coffee cups on the table, he said a bit regretfully, "If I had known, I would have come slowly. I really like the coffee from this place."
"Then go get two more cups; it's on me," Jenna said, winking playfully at him.
"No way, I'll be too wired to sleep if I drink too much."
"You run so fast; can't you shake off the caffeine? I don't mind anyway; the aliens' metabolism is much stronger than that of the human race."
Only then did Barry remember that he was a superpower user. Though he wasn't sure if his divine speed could shake off caffeine, at worst, he wouldn't sleep tonight. After all, this work wasn't important; he could sleep during the day just as well.
Straight away, he turned and headed out, saying, "I'll go get two more cups. Do you still want a latte?"
"Get me a flat white, with extra sugar. I'm not afraid of getting fat. Also, get me a donut; I'll snack while reviewing."
Barry gave her an "OK" hand sign and then headed out. Just as he stepped out, he heard the sound from the stairway below, where it led to the balcony's security door. It seemed like someone had hurriedly hidden there, but he didn't care at all.
Though the Federation Shield's equipment was rudimentary, Brainiac had installed plenty of cameras around here. Everyone's every move was under Brainiac's watchful eye; there was no room for sneaky actions. If there was such space, it must be because Brainiac allowed it.
And as to why Brainiac allowed them in such rudimentary conditions at the Federation Shield, while letting people freely come and go in the stairway without concern for information leaks, Barry had some suspicions, he just had no evidence. But based on these suspicions alone, he wouldn't be overly cautious.
So he leisurely went downstairs. The ancient buildings of Green Street were submerged in the golden leaves of maple trees, as if it had returned to many years ago when it was the most bustling commercial street. Groups of affluent people chatted and laughed under the same blue sky, walking on the same golden fallen leaves. Money rained from rooftops, jewels scattered on the ground. In that era of extravagance, autumn always shone with particular brilliance.
Nowadays, people once again walking on this street needn't feel guilty about such beauty and memories. Because children were laughing and playing in the warm corridors of the East District, playing hide and seek among the inflatable castles, their joyous laughter almost melting this forest of reinforced concrete.
As Barry pushed open the café door again, he was greeted by an intense aroma of pumpkin.