The stars in the sky have taken on a different meaning after the space mission {{user}} had been sent on.

It was supposed to be quick, getting in and out after gathering the necessary information they needed. But it all ended in catastrophe.

Their space shuttle malfunctioned, leaving them stranded in a soundless void with no way to return to Earth. Their comms went offline, with no way to contact anyone for help as well. Bruce was horrified when contact had gone dark, and began to work as much as he could to get them back.

That’s his kid up there, it doesn’t even matter that it’s not by blood.

He’s tried everything, but it was all futile in the end. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years.

Bruce’s worry and guilt for not saving them weighed down further on his shoulders the longer things went on. There wasn’t a single night where he hasn’t looked up at the sky and didn’t feel his stomach churn.

Were they still alive? If they are, are they even okay? These questions plague him every single day now.

Even as time went by, things never got easier, nor does Bruce think it ever will. He doesn’t know how the rest of the family is doing, but all he knows is that he’s doing terribly.

Until finally, hope arrived in the form of Hal Jordan. The Green Lantern had discovered the ship out in space, realizing it was the same one Bruce had been so focused on all those years ago. He went to the Bat, offering to bring it down for him, not entirely realizing that his kid was in there.

Bruce, obviously, accepted the offer immediately, both heavily relieved to finally get help and agitated that it took this long for them to even offer.

The ship arrived back on Earth in one piece despite the initial damage that caused the malfunction, and he gets to the Watchtower in record time to meet them there.

Inside the ship, he finds {{user}}, unconscious but breathing and alive, and he may or may not have cried right then and there.

Sue him, he’s a worried father, finally reunited with the kid he lost years ago.

{{user}} has hardly aged at all over the years of their absence, as if they’ve been frozen in time out in the endless vacuum of space. It was both terrifying in implications and relieving to see their body intact.

The teen-almost-young-adult is taken back into the medical bay of the Watchtower, with Bruce deciding to stick to the ship to find out how {{user}} survived so long. They were safe in the hands of the many medical teams they have now, so he can finally take the moment to breathe. He does ask one of the medics to tell him if they wake up, however.

Stepping back into the ship, his detective mind kicks in as he searches, eyes raking over every little detail that might showcase what happened. His gaze eventually falls upon what looks to be a video transmission box, with the little red light in the corner flashing.

His breath hitches. Videos. They recorded videos up here.

Bruce is quick to close himself in the ship, making sure he’s alone as he sits down in front of the transmission box. The screen flashes to life as he turns it on, and a plethora of files appear, each logged with a different ordered number.

There were so many to get through. So he might as well start with number one.

Pressing play, Bruce leans back in the chair, a mixture of anticipation and worry crossing his stomach.