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Chapter 27 - Our Lady of Sorrows

Selina let Lucy lead her through the caves radiating out from the central cavern. They picked their way carefully among the outcroppings of rock and geological formations, working their way south underground.

�I hope you know where we�re going,� Selina said dryly. Lucy nodded. She came to a stop in another vast cavern, this time larger than even the one housing the Court of Miracles. Selina caught her breath in wonder and shock.

Our Lady of Sorrows, the Gothic Cathedral which had sat on the corner of Adams and 59^th street for as long as Selina could remember, had crashed through the earth during the �quake and settled here. Somehow, most of the vast stone structure was intact. Even the stained-glass windows were still in place.

�This is amazing,� Selina said in a low tone of wonder. �I definitely think this should be the last stop on every tour.�

�You really like it?� Lucy asked, dragging her foot behind her. �This is Miss Misery�s private place. Want to see?�

�Are you sure it�s okay?� Selina asked, hesitantly. �Won�t you get into trouble?�

�She�s busy,� Lucy pointed out. �Helping your Bat friend plan to clear out the Court.�

�You�re pretty smart, you know,� Selina informed Lucy. The child nodded sagely.

�C�mon, come see,� Lucy begged. Selina finally agreed. They had to slosh through ankle-deep water to reach the entrance to the great cathedral, Lucy lagging behind. Selina finally picked her up and the small girl was weightless in her arms.

They entered the quiet hall of the old church, the ceiling so high above that it was lost in the gloom. Selina could smell the faint hint of the incense which had been burned in Our Lady of Sorrow for over a hundred years before the �quake had put her out of commission. �Do you know how it stayed together?� Selina asked Lucy. The small girl nodded.

�Maria told me. This is God�s special house. He wouldn�t let it crumble.�

�Hmm,� Selina muttered. She looked around, still amazed by the condition of the cathedral. Delicate arches carved from stone and marble sailed overhead, supporting a ceiling into which thousands of grinning gargoyles had been carved. She and Bruce had sparred on the rooftop of this church years ago, Selina remembered. She�d escaped him only by ducking behind a stone demon and climbing down the side of the main tower.

They came to a stop before a crumbling alter. A statue of Mary regarded them both, her face frozen in perpetual mourning. Her clothing and expression had been carved in such detail, Selina wouldn�t have been surprised if she were to step forward and offer a blessing.

�Why is she so sad?� Lucy asked, staring into the statue�s face. Selina shrugged, a few half-remembered catechisms returning to haunt her years after she�d taken her last communion. She had prayed with Maggie back in the orphanage. Maggie had insisted it made a difference. She always said that God works in mysterious ways. One day, an older boy had tried to hurt Maggie. Selina had nearly beaten him to death. They�d sent Selina to Sprang Hall and Maggie had gone to a foster home. Selina had never prayed again.

�I guess she�s lonely down here,� Selina sighed, the air stale and heavy in the massive church. Her reply echoed off the stone walls and ceiling, sending a few rocks raining down upon them. �Better go, kiddo,� she suggested. Lucy shook her head.

�Not yet. I wanted to show you Janie.�

�Janie?� Selina repeated, trailing after Lucy as the little girl hobbled through small piles of rubble. She came to a halt before an old confessional covered with a ratty, mold-covered curtain. Lucy swept the cloth barrier aside and entered the confessional, emerging a moment later with a tin box.

�She was my friend,� the little girl said softly, offering the box to Selina. Selina accepted the box gingerly, hoping there wasn�t a dead animal inside. Instead, there were pictures. Just a few, taken at a booth on Amusement Mile. Jessica and Janine Flannery, mugging for the automated camera. They wore too much makeup and skimpy clothing: Selina guessed they�d hit the fairgrounds hoping to make some quick cash off the crowds by mugging or hooking. She�d done the same thing at their age.

�Janie?� Selina asked Lucy, pointing to George Flannery�s daughter. She was grinning broadly, her arm wrapped tightly around Jessica Bradshaw. Jessica was wearing a necklace around her neck, some kind of crystalline flower. In the next series of pictures, also taken at the fair, Janine was wearing the necklace.

�That was Miss Misery�s special flower,� Lucy said helpfully, pointing to the necklace. �She gave it to Janie for safe-keeping. But then Janie tried to run away.�

�What do you mean?� Selina asked her. Lucy lowered her head, tears threatening.

�She wanted to tell Batman about what Miss Misery was doing. She was going to have a baby. We could be like sisters, Janie said. Like her and Miss Misery.�

�What happened to Janie?� Selina asked softly.

�Miss Misery made her sick. She made her stomach hurt. Janie got out anyway. I helped. I kept Miss Misery asleep while Janie went into the city. She never came back. I hoped Batman would come. Janie told me he was a good guy.�

Selina�s mind whirled with this new information. Jessica Bradshaw had murdered Janine Flannery? Why? What was she protecting? She remembered the case file Bruce had approached her with last November - the dead girl on the train. The picture.

She glanced again at the photos of Jessica and Janine. Why had Jessica murdered her friend? If Batman had known about the Court of Miracles and Jessica�s plans to murder the people who�d abused those children, could he have stopped it six months ago? Something about that didn�t feel right; there was another piece to the puzzle.

�You�ve known Miss Misery for a long time, Lucy,� Selina pointed out. The child nodded. �How did you meet her?�

Lucy shrugged, keeping her head down. Selina crouched before her, her hands on Lucy�s thin shoulders. She could feel the bones underneath the child�s fragile white skin. Lucy had been neglected in a way that none of the other children down here had been. And she behaved differently too; the other kids had avoided Batman, Catwoman and Nightwing. Only Lucy had been permitted to approach them.

�Is she your mother, Lucy?�

Lucy raised her head quickly. �No!� she denied. �I don�t have a mommy!�

�How do you know Miss Misery, Lucy?�

Tears threatened to overwhelm the little girl and Selina tramped down on her own guilt enough to continue questioning her. �Lucy, I need to know. It�s important.�

�We�re sisters,� Lucy said. �Sort of. Janie told me. Miss Misery�s daddy was my daddy too.�

Selina sank to the ground, sick to her stomach. Peter Bradshaw had raped his daughter and gotten her pregnant. Either Jessica had run or he�d tried to dump her somewhere. Lucy had been born and Jessica had begun to plot her revenge. Had she killed Janine to keep her secret? If Janine had announced her attention to go to Batman with the information about the Court of Miracles, or her father�

It still didn�t fit. A horrible possibility then occurred to Selina. She knew the metahuman gene was often inherited.

�Do you see things, Lucy? Do you know what�s going to happen before it does?�

Lucy looked at Selina strangely. �Of course,� the little girl said simply. �Doesn�t everyone?�

Selina closed her eyes. Janine Flannery had gone to Batman not to reveal Jessica�s plans but for Lucy. And Jessica had murdered her for trying it, and had probably killed George Flannery because he was �guilty� of forcing Janine out of home and onto the streets.

�Lucy, did Miss Misery promise that you�d be leaving the Court of Miracles with the rest of the children?�

�We�re not leaving,� Lucy told her. �Everyone�s staying right here.�

�No, Lucy, there�re not,� Selina said to the little girl. �Batman is getting everyone out and he�s going to help lots of the kids find families.� Maybe, she added to herself. She knew better than anyone that Gotham City Family Services didn�t have the best track record.

Lucy shook her head stubbornly. �No we�re not. We all die. I dreamed it.�

Selina�s mouth hung open in shock, fear flooding her system with adrenaline. She picked up Lucy and began to race back through the cathedral, one thought pounding through her head. Get to Bruce, she repeated as her muscles began to burn and she stumbled over the rocky, uneven ground, Lucy secure in her arms. Get to Bruce.