The Genesis Project

Introduction (Part 3) - Welcome Wagon

"Their door is open," Damian said, his tone becoming exasperated. "I don't know how you didn't notice this morning."

Dick didn't entertain the comment with a response; rather, he stood from the table and bounded back up the stairs. Sure enough, on the opposite side of the hall from where his room was, one of the room's doors was completely ajar. He approached the doorway confidently, leaned against the doorframe, and opened his mouth to speak. His mouth snapped shut when he saw the kid laying on the floor, covered with a blanket that had clearly been pulled from the bed, and very much still asleep. He leaned the upper half of his body into the room, trying to get a clear look at the newcomer without stepping past the threshold of the doorway.

He saw a kid that was about Tim's age, maybe a year or two older. While a blanket covered them from their chin down, and the hood from their sweatshirt covered their head, he was still able to see wisps of brown hair falling into their face; his guess was the style couldn't fall any longer than midway to the tops of their shoulders. He could see a few faint scars across their cheeks and nose, but nothing incredibly obvious or egregious. There were hints of what appeared to be blood spatters staining a spotted pattern in a line across their face, seemingly having been scrubbed into a faint pink tone that Dick recognized. It was the kind of color that remained when the blood had stayed on the surface of your skin too long before getting the opportunity to try to wash it off.

His gaze moved to the stripped bed, observing it to see if anything was wrong with it. From where he stood, he could see nothing. He was unsure of why the kid was sleeping on the floor, but they seemed to be doing so peacefully, so he left it alone.

8:15 A.M. - Jason

Normally, Jason chose to ignore the odd things he'd see Bruce doing throughout the day. The man constantly seemed to be getting himself involved in some odd scheme or venture, and he'd learned to just leave it alone. But this morning was... different.

By this time on a Saturday morning, typically Bruce would already be set up for breakfast downstairs, enjoying a cup of coffee that was just a little too hot and waiting for his kids to wake up and join him at the table. This consistency in his schedule allowed Jason to easily avoid early morning conversations with the old man if he wasn't in the mood for them; this morning, however, he saw him standing in the doorway of an unoccupied room as he walked into the hallway.

He really wasn't in the mood for a "good morning, how're things going, what've you got planned for the day" conversation with him at the moment, so he hoped that if he walked towards the stairs fast enough, he'd be long gone before Bruce could engage. As he began to take quick and quiet steps towards the stairs, he hesitated and stared at the man for a moment. Why was he standing and staring into an unoccupied room?

Jason weighed his options, and, upon reaching the top of the stairs, finally decided to address him. He blew out a quick whistle and said at a volume just loud enough for him to hear, "Hey, Old Man." Bruce quickly stepped back from the doorway and turned, acting as though he hadn't just been staring into the room he was now idling in front of. "All good?"

"Oh!" He cleared his throat and began walking steadily towards him. "Good morning, Jason."

Dammit.

Bruce met him at the top of the stairs and placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him down the stairs with him. "How've things been going?"

Jason sighed out a quick, "Fine," and restated, "Is everything good?"

Bruce looked back up the stairs as if just realizing what it was Jason was asking about. "Oh, that? Yes, of course. Everything's just fine." He shared a convincing smile, but it didn't detract from how odd the situation had been. "Just, uh..." He looked at Jason for a long moment as they finished their trek down the stairs, staring at him as if trying to decide if he should answer him honestly or continue avoiding the question. "Just..." His eyes rolled up in thought, seemingly trying to find the best answer, before settling on, "Checking in on our guest."