Barry pulled out his phone and checked the time.
8:03 AM.
He needed to get to work. The crime lab expected him at 8:30 and he couldn't afford to be late while he was still employed there.
He started walking toward CCPD headquarters, his mind already shifting to the next priority.
Today was the day he'd start building his digital infrastructure. The tools he needed to access DeVoe's research and set up his financial operations properly.
The coffee with Iris had been necessary but it was also a delay. Phase One was in motion and Barry couldn't afford distractions.
Even pleasant ones.
---
The Central City Police Department Crime Lab occupied the third floor of the main headquarters building downtown. Barry arrived at 8:27 AM, badging through security and taking the stairs up to avoid the slow elevators.
The lab was already busy when he walked in. Three other forensic technicians were at their stations, processing evidence from overnight cases. His supervisor, a woman named Dr. Patel, was in her office with the door closed.
Perfect.
Barry went to his workstation in the corner. It was small but functional. Microscope.
Computer terminal. Drawers full of testing supplies and evidence bags. Everything he needed to do his job and nothing more.
He logged into the computer terminal and pulled up his assigned cases.
Two burglaries from last week that needed fingerprint analysis. One assault case waiting on blood spatter interpretation. Standard work.
Nothing urgent.
Barry pulled out his personal phone, setting it on the desk beside his keyboard.
Then he opened a browser window on the computer terminal and navigated to a search engine, typing in his first query: "best VPN services for privacy."
Results loaded. Barry scanned them quickly, his enhanced intellect processing information at incredible speed.
He eliminated services based in countries with mandatory data retention laws. Crossed off anything that didn't offer military-grade encryption. Narrowed it down to three options that met his security requirements.
"Allen, you got a minute?"
Barry minimized the browser window instantly, looking up to see Marcus Chen, one of the other forensic technicians.
Marcus was in his forties, balding, generally friendly but not someone Barry had gotten particularly close to during his six months here.
"What's up?" Barry asked, keeping his tone casual.
"Patel wants you to look at the Morrison case. Apparent suicide but the family is contesting it. Need you to do a second analysis on the scene photos."
"Sure. Send them to my terminal?"
"Already did." Marcus nodded and walked back to his own station.
Barry reopened his browser window, memorizing the VPN information he'd found before closing it completely. Then he pulled up the Morrison case files and started reviewing the scene photos.
The work was mechanical. His enhanced mind made the analysis trivial. Angle of the gunshot wound. Blood spatter pattern. Position of the body.
Everything was consistent with suicide. The family wanted it to be something else because that was easier to accept, but the evidence didn't lie.
Barry typed up his findings in fifteen minutes. Work that would normally take an hour and a half. He submitted the report and went back to his phone.
New search: "encrypted email providers comparison."
More results. More information to process and filter. Barry made notes in his phone's note app, creating a list of services and their security features.
ProtonMail looked promising. Based in Switzerland. End-to-end encryption. No IP logging. Perfect for what he needed.
He glanced around the lab. Everyone was focused on their own work. Dr. Patel's door was still closed. Nobody was paying attention to what he was doing.
Barry opened a new search: "where to buy laptop with cash no questions."
This one was trickier. Most stores required ID for purchases over a certain amount. Credit cards left paper trails. He needed somewhere that dealt in cash and didn't care who was buying.
His enhanced mind connected dots rapidly. The electronics district near the docks. Sketchy area. Lots of small shops that sold refurbished equipment. The kind of places that catered to people who wanted untraceable technology.
Barry made a note of three addresses. He'd go during his lunch break.
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