Six weeks later, Barry sat in a small office space he'd rented in the industrial district.
The space was basic. Concrete floors. High ceilings. Good ventilation for equipment that generated heat. Cheap rent because the neighborhood was rough.
But it was his. Completely. No investors. No partners. No one questioning his decisions.
The battery prototypes lined a workbench against one wall. Cylindrical cells about the size of AA batteries. They didn't look special. Just metal casings with connection terminals.
But the performance was revolutionary.
Energy density: 847 watt-hours per kilogram. Current lithium-ion technology maxed out around 250. Barry's design was more than three times better.
Charge time: Full charge in twelve minutes. Current technology needed hours.
Cycle life: 50,000+ charge cycles before degradation. Current technology failed after 500-1000 cycles.
The numbers were so good they seemed impossible. But Barry had tested them extensively. The technology worked. The physics were sound. The manufacturing process was viable at scale.
He just needed someone to believe him.
Gideon's voice came through his laptop speakers. "Barry, incoming call from Tesla Energy Solutions. Third follow-up this week. Shall I connect?"
"Put them through."
A male voice came through his headset. "Mr. Allen? This is David Charles, senior procurement manager at Tesla. We've reviewed your technical specifications and honestly, they seem too good to be true. Our engineering team is skeptical."
"Skepticism is reasonable," Barry said calmly. "That's why I'm offering demonstration units for independent testing. Send me a testing protocol and I'll provide samples."
"We'd want to test at our facilities. Under our conditions."
"That's fine. I'll ship six units tomorrow. Run whatever tests you want. Destructive testing. Long-term cycling. Thermal stress. Everything."
There was a pause. "You're that confident?"
"The physics works. Your tests will prove it."
"Alright. We'll send a purchase order for the test units. But Mr. Allen, if these perform as specified, we'd want to discuss exclusive licensing arrangements."
Barry smiled. "Let's see the test results first. Then we'll talk about arrangements."
He hung up feeling satisfaction. Tesla was the third major company requesting test samples. Ford had been first. Samsung second. All of them skeptical but intrigued.
The test results would eliminate skepticism. Then the orders would flood in.
Barry's phone rang again. This time Caitlin Snow from STAR Labs.
"Barry, we need your input on the neural monitoring system designs. Can you come in tomorrow?"
"Morning or afternoon?"
"Morning works better. Nine AM?"
"I'll be there."
Barry hung up and checked his schedule. STAR Labs consulting. Underground fight Thursday evening. Thinking Cap session tonight to work on Chamber design improvements. Dinner with Iris Friday night.
Busy but manageable. Everything balanced.
His laptop chimed with a notification. Email from the patent office. Six of his battery patents had been approved. Full utility patents, not just provisionals. Enforceable IP protection on core technologies.
Perfect timing. The test samples would prove commercial viability. The patents protected the innovations. Everything was positioning for massive growth.
Gideon's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Barry, analysis complete on the Chamber integration protocols you requested. I've identified forty-seven potential failure points in your current design. Would you like me to present solutions?"
"Display them."
His screen filled with technical diagrams. The Chamber that would grant him seven abilities simultaneously during the particle accelerator explosion. Barry had been designing it incrementally over months. But even with his enhanced intellect, the complexity was staggering.
Seven different meta-human abilities. Seven different mechanisms of power acquisition. All of them needing to integrate perfectly with the Speed Force during a single transformation event.
The margin for error was essentially zero. If any component failed, Barry would either die or gain powers incorrectly, potentially crippling himself.
Gideon's analysis highlighted weaknesses Barry hadn't noticed. Power distribution issues. Timing synchronization problems. Biofeedback loops that could create cascade failures.
All fixable. But requiring more refinement.
"Gideon, start simulation runs. Model the transformation sequence ten thousand times with random variables. Identify any scenarios where catastrophic failure occurs."
"Processing. Estimated completion time: forty-three hours."
Good. Thoroughness mattered more than speed when the stakes were this high.
Barry stood and walked to the window. Looked out at Central City. Ordinary people living ordinary lives. None of them knowing that in less than three years, a particle accelerator explosion would create meta-humans and change everything.
And Barry Allen would be at the center of it. Not by accident. Not by chance. By design. By preparation. By becoming so thoroughly optimized that when destiny arrived, he'd be ready to shape it rather than be shaped by it.
His phone buzzed. Text from an unknown number.
"Mr. Allen, this is Harrison Wells. I hope it's not inappropriate to contact you directly. I wanted to discuss an opportunity outside your official consulting role. Would you have time for lunch this week?"
Barry stared at that message. Wells reaching out personally. For an opportunity he didn't want to discuss through official channels.
Interesting. Potentially valuable. Potentially dangerous if Wells was somehow Thawne in disguise.
Barry typed back: "Wednesday works. Noon?"
"Perfect. I'll send you the restaurant address. Looking forward to our conversation."
Barry pocketed his phone, mind analyzing possibilities. What would Wells want to discuss privately? More consulting work? A full-time position? Something related to the particle accelerator?
No way to know until the meeting. But Barry would go prepared. Gideon would compile everything publicly available about Wells. Barry would use the Thinking Cap beforehand to maximize his analytical capabilities.
If Wells was Thawne, Barry would detect it. His superhuman intellect combined with meta-knowledge of how Thawne operated gave him advantages the TV show's Barry had never possessed.
And if Wells was genuine, then this lunch might open doors Barry hadn't even considered yet.
Either way, the game was accelerating. The pieces were moving. And Barry Allen was positioned perfectly at the center of everything that mattered.
He returned to his workbench and picked up one of the battery prototypes. So small. So ordinary looking. But containing technology that would generate billions of dollars in revenue.
This was just the beginning. Energy storage was the foundation. Once established, Barry could expand into other markets. Other technologies. Build an empire that would make Wayne Enterprises and Queen Consolidated look small.
A few more years until the particle accelerator exploded and transformed him into something unprecedented.
But Barry Allen was done waiting for destiny. He was creating it. One innovation at a time. One carefully calculated step at a time.
The future belonged to those who prepared for it. And nobody in this timeline was more prepared than him.
Barry set down the battery and got back to work. There was still so much to build. So much to perfect. So much to achieve before lightning finally struck.
And he'd be ready. Completely. Totally. Absolutely ready.
Because failure wasn't an option. Success was the only acceptable outcome. And Barry Allen had become someone who didn't accept anything less than perfection.
The world just didn't know it yet.
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