(no subject)

[run_barry]

Backing in through the front door, Barry enters Milliways carrying a large bankers box, a laptop and equipment balancing on the lid, while speaking to someone around the corner.

"I promise Captain Singh, I'll get right on it."

The man on the other side of the door doesn't exactly sound brimming when confidence when he tosses off a 'get to it' reply right before the door closes.

Heaving a relieved sigh, Barry heads for a table to put down his stuff and get the computer and accompanying scanner set up. Then it's just a matter of using superspeed to sort through the bankers box which is chock full of disorganized rap sheets.

The chaos of paperwork turns into neat stacks, and in a blur those neat stacks are entered into the computer.

"Done and done," Barry announces, brushing off his hands in triumph. "Now, just gotta do the scanning... "

Lifting one of the mugshots attached to a sheet and placing it on the scanner Barry hits the send button.

And then he hits it again.

After a round of rapidly punching the button the light inside the device finally clicks on and the scanner begins its slow process of reading the image on the tray.

"For real?" Barry groans, flopping back in his chair.

In a couple of minutes he's going to order a cup of coffee, because obviously he's going to be here for awhile.

Comments

[have_no_mercy]

"It's a shame not everything can run on superspeed," Tess observes from the bar.

[run_barry]

Barry looks up from watching the scanner crawl along, frowning.

"Right? And it's department equipment so it's like, doubly slow."

[have_no_mercy]

"Your department clearly needs an upgrade."

She stands and moves to join him at his table, raising an eyebrow for permission.

[run_barry]

"No doubt," he says, annoyed with the equipment but still offering her a smile and a nod, inviting her to sit.

"But like most police departments out there, our budget is stretched pretty thin."

[have_no_mercy]

Sit she does, making sure not to disturb any of his papers.

"You work for the police department." It's not a question, but she's clearly surprised.

[run_barry]

Her surprise isn't that unusual for him so Barry nods, taking one photo out of the scanner and placing another down on the plate.

"Yeah, I'm a forensic assistant," he answers, then adds, "Civilian."

So not a cop, if that's why she was surprised. Although people still seem to have a hard time believing he's a CSI, as well.

[have_no_mercy]

No, it's more the fact his job is to colour within the lines.

"That must be interesting." Said genuinely. "But I have to admit, Mr. Allen, I'm here to discuss your other profession."

[darkeryetdarker]

Ooh, computers. That gets Gaster's interest - as does the very fast human (or human-looking being) running it.

He glides over to Barry's table and pushes his laptop towards him.

Words appear on the screen: [Do you need some help with that?]

He can't touch the computer, but he can dictate troubleshooting.

[run_barry]

The sliding laptop grabs his attention, and Barry looks up and then blinks.

"Oh, hey. No... I think I got it, but thanks," he replies, watching to see if he's understood speaking, or if he should type. "It's working, just really old and slow equipment."

[darkeryetdarker]

Gaster nods. [Ah. Alright then.]

As usual, his curiosity outweighs his worry about appearing rude.

[How are you moving so fast, if you don't mind my asking?]

[run_barry]

"It was a nice offer, though, I appreciate it," he adds, not wanting to make the guy feel put out.

Reading the question, Barry goes all awkward. It's not that he minds being asked, he's just still getting used to explaining.

"Oh, well uh, well I'm a metahuman. That's what we call people with powers on my world," he explains. "Different people have different gifts, but with mine I got superspeed."

[darkeryetdarker]

[How interesting.] It seems like this is something that manifests differently for everyone - a bit like monsters with magic. [Is it something you're born with?]

[run_barry]

Barry smiles, glad the reaction is interest and not freaking out.

"I've heard people from other worlds are, but not in mine," he says, shaking his head. "I uh-- I was struck by lightning the same night a Particle Accelerator experiment exploded. My city was hit with a wave of Dark Matter and that and the lightning bolt gave me my powers."

Other people had it a little easier. Some had it worse.

[childofrebellion]

Barry's entrance is easy to see and Cassian heads over, he's still in the middle of some awful missions. "What are you doing?"

[run_barry]

Barry sits, thumb and forefinger pressed against his mouth, his foot tapping the ground at hummingbird's pace, waiting for another scan to complete.

"Oh, hey Cassian," he greets the man while his eyes remain glued to the slow moving light shining along the edges of the scanner. "I'm trying to computerize some old mug shots."

But it's taking. So. Damn. Long.

[childofrebellion]

He watches the light move. "Mug shots? I don't think I know that phrase."

[run_barry]

The light is moving agonizingly slow, but maybe that's just Barry.

It finally finishes and Barry pops the lid on the scanner, lifting the photo off of the glass to show to Cassian.

"When people are arrested and booked their photos are taken and kept by the department. These days it's all digital, but there's still a backlog of rap sheets from before that haven't been converted over yet."

[childofrebellion]

"Oh those, I always try to avoid getting to that point." He doesn't want his face on record anywhere.

[run_barry]

"These are all small crimes cases," he says, gesturing at the stacks of papers. "Misdemeanor's mostly. Stuff that isn't really high-priority."

Which is why they've languished in boxes for so long.

[dreamingofelectricsheep]

"You are a powered individual." States the obviously artifical teen-aged girl with the green Scottish terrier. "Are you a mutant or did you mutate later in life?"

Barry doesn't know it yet, but the answer to his problems just walked up.

[run_barry]

Barry looks up, stopping his rapid-fire jamming on the scanner button.

"Huh? Oh, Hi. Yeah, I uh, I'm a metahuman. My powers aren't genetic, they came through an accident." There's a slight lilt of question at the end of that sentence, trying to gauge if that explanation makes sense.

[dreamingofelectricsheep]

"I see. I hope you were not injured in the accident and that you have adjusted to your new life." Viv has read reports of people having trouble adjusting, as well as feeling their life was ruined but such accidents. Sparky, the afore mentioned dog, floats near the scanner and sniffs. "No Sparky. Back. When we are intangible we sometimes can cause shorts in electronic devices."

Turning back to Barry, she asks, "What is your task?"

[run_barry]

"I...'ve made a full recovery," he says. "I spent nine months in a coma and then woke up with superspeed, so it's been a bit crazy, but I think I'm handling it pretty well."

He gives a small laugh at the floating dog, intrigued. He lifts his hand for the dog to sniff while answering the girl.

"Scanning in old photos. I work for the police department, and they have a lot of old files that haven't been converted to digital yet, so I'm going through those and adding them to the database." At a frustratingly slow snail's pace.

[dreamingofelectricsheep]

Sparky leans forward to sniff the offered hand, but misjudges the distance and ends up pushing his nose into Barry's hand...and since Sparky is currently intangible, his nose literally passes through Barry's hand as if the dog were a ghost.

"I am a synthezoid, which is a subset of android." Viv stares at the scanner for a moment before returning to stare at Barry. "Is this device current technology for your world? It seems inefficient by my standards."

[run_barry]

"OH!" he says, startled by the dog passing through his hand. "When you said intangible you literally meant intangible."

That's so weird! But also cool.

Glancing at the scanner, then looking at her, Barry gives a head shake, his face clearly expressing a 'Yeah, no.'

"There's every chance that device is older than I am." Okay, maybe not that old, but still, way outdated. "They definitely have better and faster now, but our department doesn't have the budget for any."