Why We're Here

Breaking and Entering

I knelt on the tree branch. It was nearing three in the morning, meaning the sun would still be down for four more hours. That gave me enough time to break into the convent, find my files, and get out before the old nun woke up.
She was hiding something, I could see it, I just needed to know what. If breaking into the convent was the way to figure it out, then, so be it. Bruce would tell me not to, but he's not here. Besides, he's broken into several places in his day.
With the ease of practice, I leapt from the branches and fell into a silent roll on the grass. Instantly, I leapt up and began to sprint across the lawn.
The door and all the windows were locked, but that didn't stop me. I was easily able to pick the lock with a pin I had borrowed from Clara's suitcase. The door swung open to reveal pitch darkness.
Breaking into a convent was low on my list of good accomplishments. If anything, it was on my worst decisions ever. A convent was meant to help people, this one specifically helped orphans. I was breaking into a place that helped people, it was like breaking into a hospital.
'Has anyone seen my common sense? I seem to have misplaced it.'
I slinked into the hall, careful to silently shut the door behind me. I was scared every step I made would make the entire house cave in. Luckily, I was light on my feet and moved through the room with ease.
The first place I could think to look was the office Clara and I had spoken to the nun in before. There were file cabinets in the back corners. That seemed like the most logical place to find the information I needed.
I was worried the cabinets would be locked. When I arrived, however, they slid open without any problem. That told me that there had never been much worry of someone breaking into a run down place like this. Normally, I don't think I would do such a thing, but I was desperate. I began to leaf through the files. They were in no order whatsoever, making it even more difficult to find what I needed.
"Adam Black. Bertha Gordon," I read, "Hope Vlok. Peter Quill. Megan Hank. Jason-God, I wish these were alphabetical."
I went through six different cabinets, but there were no files of me or Judice. It seemed as if there were files on literally every other orphan in the entire world, but not me or my dead sister.
I heard a crack of floorboards. Jumping up, I glanced towards the front stairs. A light was slowly coming down, meaning the nun was up. I had to hide.
The quickest place I could find was along the rafters on the cieling. Quicker than light, I silently leapt onto the desk and vaulted into the air. I grabbed one of the rafters and pulled myself into the sloth position. From there, I swung around to sit on top of it.
The wood creaked and groaned, but it held my weight, for now. This place was older than Alfred, which meant it could tumble down at the slightest weight distribution. I just had to hope it would hold for now.
The nun shuffled into the office. She held a flashlight next to her head and a wary look in her eyes. I watched and she went to the files cabinets and opened them. I had been careful to place everything in its exact place, but that still wasn't enough. She picked up a file with a slightly bent corner and frowned, "I know you're here."
I didn't reply. She glanced around the room, and even looked in the closet. I sucked in a careful breath and held it there.
"The cops are on their way," the nun said, "You can't hide."
She looked around a bit more before stalling directly under me. I felt my heartbeat escalate. It had been quite sometime since I had been a vigilante, and I was out of practice. Bruce had shown me a million different ways to escape and hide, and I failed to complete any of them.
The nun shined her light on me just as a group of cops ran in. My breathing stopped completely as they all ran beneath me. They pointed several guns and flashlights on me. One shouted something in Greek.
"Well, shit," I muttered, raising my hands in surrender.
The head cop, I'm presuming the Sheriff, gestured for me to jump down. Not wanting to get into any more trouble than I already was, I leapt from the rafters. As soon as I stood upright, they cuffed me and began to lead me outside. The nun simply watched on, a slight grin crossing her face.
I mentally face palmed. Bruce was going to kill me. I could almost hear him now. First, he would lecture me about breaking into a convent without a plan. Then, he would move on to lecturing me about the proper techniques to avoid getting caught and about my failure to wear a mask. I would be lucky if he ever let me leave Gotham again.
The cops pushed me into the back of their car. My handcuffs were cuffed to a handle on the cieling. It would be easy to pick the lock, but I knew that would only get me in more trouble. There wasn't anywhere for me to run to. They knew my face, my name, and my girlfriend. If I were to run, I'd have to take Clara with me, and she would be pissed.
Scratch that, she already is.
***
I sat in the jail cell on the cold metal bench. It was small, no bigger than a walk in closet. It had a bench that served as a bed, a bucket that served as a toilet, and me. On the opposite side, Clara sat in the Sheriff's chair, fuming.
"You broke into the convent," she grumbled.
I rubbed the back of my neck, "Well, I was going to steal anything."
"You broke into a damn convent!" Clara shouted, "What the everloving fuck were you thinking, Lucille?!"
I flinched at her shouts. She had never been this angry before, at least, not at me. If it weren't for the bars, I was scared she would hit me. Instead, she took a deep breath, "Why?"
"I needed answers."
"There were no answers there!"
"That old nun is hiding something!" I exclaimed, "I can see it!"
"How? How can you see something that isn't there?"
I had half a mind to tell her I was raised by the greatest detective in the world, but I stopped myself. Now was not a good time to let her in on the big family secret. Instead, I took a deep breath, "Call it a hunch."
"You don't break into convents on a hunch!"
"Well, I did," I replied, "And I was arrested before I could find anything."
Clara sneered, "The bail is one hundred American dollars. You better find some way to get the money before our flight leaves tomorrow, because I am not bailing you out."
She jumped up, giving me one last glare before leaving. I watched her go, sighing deeply. If she wouldn't bail me out, there was only one other choice.
I had to call Bruce.
"Hey, mister cop," I pressed my face against the bars, "Can I get my one phone call?"
The cop stood from his desk across the room and came to get me. He handcuffed me before leading me to the landline. It was out in the hall, and older than dirt. Hopefully it could still make international calls. I dialed Bruce's personal phone, which very few people knew, and waited.
"Who is this and how did you get this number?" he answered.
I smiled, "Bruce, it's Lucy."
"Lucy? What happened to your phone?"
"Long story," I replied, "Don't freak out, but I'm in jail."
Bruce hesitated for a moment. When he finally did reply, he calmly asked, "What did you do?"
"I broke into a convent," I replied, "The Nun was hiding something, I could see it. I had to figure out what, so I broke in."
"And you got caught?"
Normal father figures would lecture you about breaking in. Mine lectured me about getting caught. In our line of work, or his, now, we had to break into places a lot. The problem came when we were caught.
"Yeah," I replied, "The bail is one hundred dollars."
Bruce sighed, "I'll wire the money over. Just, don't do it again."
"What? Break in or get caught?"
"Both."
I wanted to tell him about my encounter with the Al Ghul's, but the cop was right there. My time was up. He shoved the phone back onto the receiver and lead me back to my cell. I leaned against the wall and huffed.
"This is the worst," I mumbled, "Great going, Lucy, you screwed it up again."