Chapter Text
Luke leaned back in his chair and bounced his leg. He had pent-up energy and the waiting was making him antsy. When he first submitted his application at Wayne Enterprises, he had kept his hopes low and expected to be rejected like every other place for having so many missing documents. He had tried anyway because he had nothing left to lose and Pallas had urged him to try. Now he sat here waiting to be assigned his job and finally start working.
He got up and walked over to the water dispenser. He took a paper cup and filled it with cold water. When he was done, he crumpled the cup and tossed it into the trash. He walked to the office door and back to the dispenser, pacing through the corridor.
He didn't have the slightest clue who he was supposed to be guarding. The only thing he was informed as he was handing in his application was this was not only to join the security team but also that they were hiring for someone in particular in the company and that this would be a more rigorous vetting than normal. The man had given Luke a significant look as if he was supposed to know who he was talking about.
Just as he reached the dispenser again, a dark blur came hurrying around the corner and ran head-first into him. Luke rocked back and grabbed the shoulders of the shorter person to prevent both of them from falling over. The kid instead grabbed onto his coffee cups with both hands to stop it from sloshing over and spilling.
"Woah," Luke exclaimed, holding onto the younger guy's shoulders and moving him away. "Kid, are you alright?"
"I'm not a kid," he said, still holding onto his coffee for dear life. He glanced up at him and his eyes widened minusculely before he schooled his expression.
"Intern, then," He corrected then arched an eyebrow. "They're making you run around for coffee?"
"Huh?" He looked confused for a second. "Oh! No! No, this is actually for me. All 4 cups."
"Right," he replied with a slow nod and stepped away. It was none of his business. "Have a great day at work then."
"Thanks," came his response before he walked past him and Luke turned to watch as he ran into the office he was waiting by. He shook his head and continued pacing. A few minutes later, the office door opened and an older dark-skinned man poked his head out. Lucius Fox, President of W.E. He was also the man who had sat in on his interview.
"Mr. Castellan, you can come in."
He smiled at the man and walked in. The office was as large and spacious as he had expected the room to be - with massive floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Gotham City proper. There was a couch set and a coffee table for lounging on his left as he entered and a large Brazilian Rosewood desk, something he only knew because of Annabeth, sat a few feet ahead at the centre of the room with two chairs before the desk and one behind. The plaque placed on the table read 'Timothy Drake-Wayne -- Vice-Chairman & CEO'. Leaning against the table with his hands in his pockets was the young man who had run into him earlier.
"Good morning," he greeted the pair and received greetings in likeness.
"Mr. Castellan, this is CEO Timothy Drake-Wayne as you know and Mr. Drake-Wayne, Luke Castellan will be your escort from here on and out," Fox began, quick to explain and get all the information out. He handed Luke a file. "This is all the information you need and Mr. Drake-Wayne already has his file. I'm sure there won't be any issues here. Have a good day, Mr. Drake-Wayne. And congratulations on landing the job, Luke."
With that, Fox walked out briskly, gently shutting the door behind him. Luke and Tim shared a look and Luke gave him an easy grin.
"Well, you're definitely not an intern," he commented, slapping the file against his other hand. Tim returned his smile, although he could guess it was his press look.
"I never confirmed that," he replied, turning and pulling out his chair. That's true, Luke thought as the younger man sat down. "Mr. Castellan, do you have any problem working for someone -" - he glanced down at his file - "- 7 years younger than you and at a superior position? If you do, we can end this right here."
"You can call me Luke. And no, Mr. Drake-Wayne. I do not. I have significant experience following orders of those younger than me, off-the-record experience but it is experience at the end of the day."
Tim gestured at the chairs in front of him and Luke took a seat. He was expecting the next question. "Right. Would you have gained that experience in the 14 years you were missing from government records?"
"I couldn't say," he replied truthfully. "But I was with my dad's family so in the end, I just wasn't declared found."
Tim hummed but didn't say anything else. Luke sat there for a while before standing up. "I'll be by the couches, reading my notes."
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9:37 PM flashed in red on the digital clock placed by the nurses' station. Pallas sighed and turned around, leaning back against the counter on her elbows. She swept her eyes across the main emergency area and checked if anyone needed her help. All emergency patients were covered by a junior doctor, senior doctor or a nurse. Her first day on the job had been a little slow with simple cases of road burn or toys stuck up a child's nose. Her senior had left hours ago for her outpatient consultations. She was glad her first shift was coming to a close in less than half an hour. She just wanted to go back to their unpacked apartment and enjoy a good dinner with her husband.
From the corner of her eye, she spied her senior walking towards her. She pushed away from the counter and straightened her scrubs & hair. She spun around with a smile. The woman looked ready to leave with her coat and handbag on her shoulder.
"Dr. Walker. Hi," Pallas greeted, shoving her hands into her front pockets.
"Dr. Castellan, I hope your first day wasn't too boring," Dr Penelope Walker said with a tired smile. She widened her smile into a grin.
"Well, it went about as well as I thought it would," she replied, answering neither here nor there. "How was your day, doctor?"
The older woman waved her hand. "Oh, just how goes everyday. Right, before I forget, this is your shift schedule from tomorrow."
She was handed the clipboard Walker was holding. She started flipping through the pages and hid her shock although it shouldn't have been that surprising. She had shifts 6 nights a week along with her normal day shifts. There was a 3-hour gap between her morning & night and a 5-hour gap between her night & morning. The perfect 8 hours needed for sleep. 9 AM to 7 PM and 10 PM to 4 AM. Gods, this was terrifying. She only got Wednesdays off at night. She let the pages fall shut and started calculating the number of alarms she would need and the fast way from her apartment to Wayne Memorial Hospital.
"Thank you," she replied and Walker narrowed her eyes.
"Eh, you're not going to be feeling very thankful to me soon. Don't worry about the schedule. After a few months, you can put in your request to have your schedule altered with fewer shifts."
"Right. Yes. Thank you," she repeated with a fixed smile.
"Good luck, Castellan," Her senior nodded at her before walking away. "I'm off. Good night."
With that, the woman walked out of the glass doors, probably signed out already. Pallas glanced at the clock again and blinked at 9:59 PM. She stared at it, waiting for it to change. Just as the 9 winked out of sight and 10 replaced it, she picked up the pen and signed her name and signature on the form set at the nurses' station.
She rushed to the break room to pick up her coat and bag. She slipped on her coat and slung her satchel over her shoulder, shoving in her shift schedule. She pressed her fingerprint in the biometrics reader to check out electronically too before exiting the room. She smiled and waved at a few friendly faces as she left the building. Gods, she couldn't wait to get home.