Caged and Broken

Chapter 7: Race against the Clock

Everyone sat anxiously around their televisions as the live video feed of Reyna Grayson-Wayne's execution was coming closer and closer to air time.

It had been the most talked about event the past week, and since her sentencing, nobody has been able to get any comment from Bruce Wayne or his employees because they refused to talk with the press and had been heavily protesting the child's execution.

It was something that nobody knew how to feel about, because they were executing a young girl.

They all silently watched as the feed started and showed them Reyna being escorted into the room that had a glass chamber in the center on a raised platform, and Reyna was released from her handcuffs before she was shoved into the chamber.

'Reyna Mary Grayson-Wayne, in accordance with our laws and our justice system, you are to be executed today because of the crimes you have committed. As you are about to die, are there any last words you wish to say?' A guard asked and Reyna stood tall and lifted her head up to defiantly stare at the camera, which the guy was holding.

'My life doesn't matter, it's never been more clear for me to see than it has been these past few months. All the things I've done in my life have been meaningless; all of those days I spent helping the elderly in the retirement homes, the days I spent helping out at a food bank, all the times I've placed myself between others and a gun wielding lunatic, not even speaking out in support of the protégés of the Justice League mattered. At the end of the day all that I've ever been is just a Romani orphan, that's all anyone has ever seen me as.

People have subjected me to so much pain and suffering for as long as I can remember, and it sickens me that they get away with it.

At school, other kids got away with physically beating me and verbally harassing me. When I was orphaned, my social worker got away with sending me to Arkham's Juvenile detention center just because I'm from Romania. The foster family I was sent to got away with abusing me every single day for months, and I just let them.

Nobody ever believes me, nobody ever listens to what I have to say and because of that, I stayed quiet. I've been so afraid of being taken away from Bruce and Alfred that I've kept quiet about all this mistreatment for years, and I have suffered alone.

This is not justice, this is blasphemy. Now this is probably just my pain induced mind speaking, but none of these events have been fair or just. Of course I have things I wish to say, but I also have things I wish to do and faces I wish to see, but I can't.

I'm just a child that has lost everything but my heritage,' then she suddenly coughed violently into her hands. It was harsh and painful to hear, the coughing fit lasted for three minutes and when she pulled her hands away from her mouth they were coated red and the girl began to cry as she stared at her hands. 'Not even my life is mine anymore,' she said as she fell to her knees.

'So just do it already,' she said and this shocked everyone. They watched as Reyna lifted her head and looked at the guy again with such a shattered expression, 'I was brought here to die, so kill me.' She shouted in despair and anger before she looked down, 'he's taken everything from me, I've got nothing left to live for,' she then whispered and her words had left everyone crying.

The same thought was racing through their minds, that this little girl was right. She was never even given the chance to prove her own innocence, she was just painted as the guilty. She was never given a chance, everyone had been put against her.

'Reyna Mary Grayson-Wayne, you've been sentenced to die today, January 15th, by poison gas.' The guard said and that's when dark green gas began to fill the chamber she was in, and Reyna staggered to her feet and looked up at the deadly gas cloud that was descending upon her with acceptance. 'You have been found guilty of horrendous crimes and are facing the consequences of your actions, and as you pass on from this plane into the one of the departed. May god have mercy on your young and corrupted soul, as he watches you suffer in hell.'