CHAPTER TEN... THE LONG AWAITED END TO HIGHT SCHOOL, hopefully i haven't disappointed anyone with this finale.

Thanks AGAIN to MidnightFedora for another review, hope you like this.

So the song for this chapter describes many of the criminals well, if you interpretite the way i did anyway. Now whenever i here this song, i just think of Eddie, Johnny, Mad Hatter and many of the other rogues as well as Sylvia.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT MY OCs ALL THE REST BELONG TO DC COMICS OR THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS.

I will explain some of this afterwards, as i know this will need explaining.

With that done, on with the chapter...

If we don't kill ourselves,
We'll be the leaders of a messed up generation,
If we don't kid ourselves,
Will they believe us if we tell them the reasons why?
Did we take it too far?
Take it too far?
Did we chase the rabbit into wonderland,
Lose a hundred grand,
Will they understand,
It was all to stay awake for the longest,

Stay Awake ~ Example

My head aches, the chemicals still lingering in my body after the ambush. I can't see anything, the darkness just a blur of some bright lights, other than that it is literally complete blackness. The first of my senses that work is smell, a mix of sewage and aftershave contaminates my nose from the moment I wake up. The smell of cigar smoke only makes my headache worse, and the need to vomit fills my stomach.

I can't process thoughts, my brain still trying to kick start as I begin to remember what happened. All I can picture in my mind is a hairy hand as well as the cigar smoke, other than that, my mind is blank… I can't even remember my own name.

Another one of my senses wakes up, my hands are tied tightly behind a chair, and the itchy feeling of ropes is wrapped around my wrists. I'm sitting in a chair, a normal if slightly uncomfortable metal chair. My eyes still refuse to process my surroundings, but my ears pick up chatter nearby. These voices sounding deep with an accent that I can't describe, but what I can hear is enough to conclude that they are imbeciles. As they talk amongst themselves, I count the minimum of three people, and panic over comes me almost immediately.

'Why didn't we just hit 'er? It would've been easier.' One of the more idiotic men asks, making me curious as to what they want from me.

'Cause boss said we weren't supposed to scare 'er.' I scoff in my head, being tied up somewhere that is a mystery to you, is fucking scary. The voices stop, giving me time to get my brain to work, I go over maths questions but it just turns my headache into a powerful migraine.

My eyesight gradually improves and I begin to see dark masses that I assume to be figures, I then realize that my head is rested on my shoulder. I don't try and move my head, the position comfortable for now as I get the rest of my senses working. As I tug gently at the rope, the screeching of chairs across the floor make my teeth grind. Heavy footsteps echo towards me and it isn't long before I feel stale breath on my face, this bringing me close to scrunching my nose.

'I think she's wakin' up…do we tell boss?' The man nearest to me shouts unnecessarily, I finally force my head to look up, every muscle in my neck screaming against the action. The mobsters take a step back, my sudden movement catching them off guard. Feeling somewhat brave I speak in a croaky tone.

'Dude, you seriously need a mint.' I see the mobster go to swing a hit at me, but another dark mass enters the room making the mobster freeze in place. The smell of the cigar smoke becomes more potent.

They walk slowly towards me, every few steps they take a swig from their cigar and blow it in my direction, making me cough ever so slightly. I try to look up again and the strain makes me wince, but the pain is worth it as I glare directly at Carmine Falcone. 'You could have just called instead of all this kidnap shit.' These words are not my own, they speak from somewhere deep in the back of my mind, a tiny thought becoming into words on my tongue. I know this kind of talk will get me into trouble pretty quickly, but I can't seem to stop myself.

Falcone just smokes his cigar, staring down at me bold as brass as if he owns the city…as if I'm supposed to fear him. Considering my predicament and the fact this man could kill me in less than two seconds, I don't feel scared as if I'm immune to this man's superiority.

I guess it's the tiny person inside my head that speaks those comments for me, this tiny person also flashing images of violence across my eyes. The acts of violence that it shows me, only want me to kill Falcone in the most gruesome of ways, never, would I bring myself to think in such a criminal way.

'All of this was to prove my point…you belong to me now and I expect to be paid my money.' So that's what all of this is about, his drug money, and how exactly does he plan for me to get that?

Simple, he wants you to steal it. The voice in my head shouts, and I choke on the air, this voice sounding all too real. It sounds like my own; only, it is harsher and more arrogant. I forget about Falcone for the moment and that I'm probably going to die, I only focus on the voice.

Are you real, or is this just my imagination? I whisper in my head, andI swear I hear a sigh type of sound come from my mind.

Of course I'm real, do you think your imagination can do this? Suddenly, I feel a tugging sensation on my soul, it's hard to describe, it's like an out of body experience you hear on supernatural shows. I am dragged to the back of my mind, I still hear and see but it's muffled and blurry, whatever controlling my body must have a death wish.

'Sorry old timer, but this little birdie doesn't belong to anyone.' The voice is humorous with a hidden hiss that only I seem to hear. All of this scares me, more than Timothy Nashton does, it's insane. I think the voice can hear my thoughts as it lets me take control again, slithering back into my mind. I wear a shell-shocked expression, even Falcone looks shocked at my change of attitude, but I try to act as confident as the voice did.

'I don't owe you anything; all of it was between you and my father, nothing to do with me.' My voice isn't as strong as the other voice, but I think it praises me for my confidence.

'Well yer dad's dead, and I still need my money.' He says confidently, still blowing cigar smoke into my now ashen face.

'That's not my problem; you're the one that killed him.' He stands straight, giving me personal space that I can breathe in dirty air. The voice praises me yet again but it still wants me to be more confident, which I can't seem to do. Just as I begin to continue, Falcone flicks the burning end of the cigar onto my face, the searing pain making me squeal and twist my head to remove the burning ash. He doesn't chuckle or smirk, he just gives cold eyes as I cry in agony. After the show, he pushes the burning ash off my face, a little too hard for my taste but I don't complain.

'Don't think yer know what happened, cause you don't. I prefer not to get my hands dirty, but you would know that if yer daddy had been a little more truthful now wouldn't he?' I remain silent, the burning sensation still apparent on my skin, I hear the voice scream at me but I just tell it to keep quiet. The voice grumbles and I almost shout aloud as I feel the anger rising in me, reminding me not to be told what to do by an imaginary voice.

Falcone makes hand gestures, thinking that I will say something if he makes silly movements but all it does is aggravate me further. I want to grip his throat and strangle him to death, after everything with Nashton and Edward; it is this poor excuse of a man that makes me think homicidal thoughts. He sighs at me, either out of disappointment or just to keep my attention…I go for the latter.

'Now to business, I hear you're quite the whizz kid in science.' I remain quiet, but the question of how he knows fills my mind.

He's Carmine Falcone, he hears everything in the city. The voice interrupts, obviously annoyed by my statement earlier.

Shut up, you're just my imagination!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm real, and I'm here to stay. I don't argue as Falcone continues, unaware of my internal conversation.

'So, if I can make you a cop which incidentally I can, then you can get my money. After all, the cops get certain privileges and I should know. Yer up for the job or not?' He says in his New York accent, and it already begins to irritate me. I stare at him for a moment, the brown hair scattered with dying grey, his expensive coat and suit he got from dealing those infernal drugs.

'What if I say no?' A logical question, with only one answer.

'Well…' He clicks his fingers and one of the mobsters reveals a handgun 'your granddad won't live to see another day, neither will those two scrawny kids you hang around with.' He mimics a gun being fired, it's non-existent bullet aiming for my forehead, I get the idea. Even though how much I hate the Barstard, I can't let him murder the only family I have left, and defiantly not Jonathan and Edward. I lower my head in defeat, the voice inside my head staying silent as I murmur my answer.

'I didn't catch that…' Falcone says, cupping his ear to hear me. I snap my head up to look at him, fire blazing in my crazed eyes.

'I said…I'll do it. Under one condition…you leave everyone I care about out of it, they don't know a thing.' I almost beg, the humiliation piercing a whole in my brain and making it bleed. Now the voice is alive again, screaming and shouting, I wouldn't be surprised if it was ripping my mind apart.

'Good choice and I keep my word, none of them will know.' He clicks his fingers again and the mobster holding the gun launches himself towards me. Confusion and fear fills my mind as the butt of the gun is raised in the air, and crashes onto the side of my skull.

You fucker, hang in there Sy. The voice says gruffly as my head is painful, my vision turning black once again. I only see one final sight until I fall unconscious, the smirking face of Carmine Falcone as he watches me dive into this abyss…knowing I am now his puppet.

'Miss Tyler, can you hear me? We need a medic in here immediately!' A muffled voice fills my mind, the sound of scuffling feet and commands enter my ears. My left eyelid is pulled open and a blinding light spills into my eyeball, I can't see anything but the light so I follow it as instructed by an unknown person. I smell dyspeptic and other cleaning materials, though I find it better than the cigar smoke. My mind is fuzzy but I still hear the voice, it shouts its own commands at me but I find I can only listen to the strangers instructions.

'Is she going to be okay?' The familiar accent of Grandpa Fox brings relief and I want to answer his question, but my lips nor tongue want to work.

'We'll take her for an X-ray but I think she has a fractured skull, but if I'm correct she should be fine.' These words may comfort my Grandpa, but it brings panic to me. I find myself in an unfamiliar place yet again, but I can guess that I'm in a hospital just by the X-ray. Finally, the blinding light is removed and I fall into darkness once more, I can feel blankets against my fingers, my fingers now able to grab at this fabric. It isn't until I can open my eyes that I realize that I'm moving, the ceilings lights rushing past, not helping my poor eyesight at all.

A doctor's mask is the second thing I see, his eyes are a deep brown which I try to focus on, hoping it will bring back some of my brain cells. The doctor notices my more coherent state, he whispers words of encouragement as well travel down the rather long corridor.

'Come on Miss Tyler; keep those eyes open for us, that's a good girl.'

We're not a dog! I hear the voice shout in anger, but I keep my eyes open as instructed. It isn't until we reach the X-ray room that I black out, only to wake up again after the X-ray and I see my Grandpa sitting next to the stretcher. I black out again as he tries to communicate with me, my mind still groggy and not ready to switch on yet, so I fall into a disruptive slumber.

I awake in a different bed, I'm lay in a sat up position which makes me able to look around the ward. My eyesight is much clearer now and I watch as a nurse walks into the ward. She is surprised to see me awake, thus almost jumping out of her skin as I stare at her. She is a rather short woman, smaller than I am anyway with long curls of blonde hair. Her eyes I can just see are hazel with a hint of dark green, the strangest eye colour I've ever seen, minus Jonathan's.

'Well is good to see you awake sweetie, let's take a quick look at those bandages.' As she says this, my head feels heavier and I realize that it's covered with white wool bandages. I touch my face where the cigar burn is, and I come across a large Band-Aid, so I assume it wasn't that bad. The nurse (with my permission) removes the bandages and studies my bloodied head. I see just how much blood there was from the bandages, the dried blood covering most of it. She places the old one with a new one and takes a quick look at the burn. She makes a hissing sound as she empathies my ordeal.

'I'm not trying to be nosy, it's completely confidential, how did you get this burn?' I know she is just being nosy, but at least she was polite about it.

'Some jackasses mugged me, one of them had a cigarette and caught me as he grabbed by bag.' A suitable answer, not exactly a lie either. She nods her head before leaving me to rest, but I've had all the sleep I wanted. All I want, is to see Grandpa Fox and tell him I'm alright, I mean, I think I'm alright. The voice inside my head tells me otherwise, this voice not being apparent until after the mobsters put that chemical over my mouth.

If you're so interested in finding out how they almost killed you, feel free to ask one of these ditsy nurses. The sarcastic tone fills my mind, and I can tell this voice is here to stay, that is unless I get help.

Help…getting help from a shrink won't get you into the Police Force, you need to stay focused on that.

Since when do you care about Jonathan and Edward as well as Grandpa Fox? I ask, regretting it afterwards as my head aches again.

I care, because technically I'm part of you, the part of your brain that rebels … the part you forgot. I guess that knock out stuff must have unlocked me, made me, what's the word… an individual presence in your brain, so it's our brain. The speech seems rational, after all, I have no idea what the side effect of that chemical was, maybe the voice is right.

Hey, I need a better name than The voice. The voice…individual presence mimics my own voice almost identically. A flash of the day under the oak tree appears over my eyes, the presence searching through my memories to find a name, and then it sees the bird fly along the sunset…the golden wings.

Phoenix…I could get used to that, so no more The voice, the name is Phoenix. I find myself delighted that Phoenix has a name now, though I'm not sure why. It's strange, having this other person inside your head, you never feel quite alone because they are always there to talk to. I do this quite often as my days in Gotham General Hospital become longer, my fractured skull healing slowly. The doctors explained to be that they found chloroform in my system, this being used as an anaesthetic, but can be lethal if overdosed. I come to my own conclusion that Phoenix was somehow made from this overdose and for some reason it didn't kill me. I get my brain working as I figure out the suitable course of action from here, how I plan to get into the police department and what qualifications I need are just a few of the problems.

This will all depend on the grades I get, I know maths and of course, science is necessary but the other subjects. I'm not doing this to save my own skin, it is to keep my Grandpa and friends alive, at least until I know I can take down Falcone and his mobsters without them being in the crossfire. Phoenix helps in this area, giving me ideas on how I can keep my friends and family alive while plotting against Falcone. I use most of my time doing this, the boredom too quiet and empty.

As to keeping my friends alive, I think about a homicide detective career, this helping many people in society but gives me extra assess to the criminals. This could be useful if a criminal is working for Falcone, at least I can somehow come to a compromise if need be. Also, there is being able to keep an eye on suspects, this could be useful in getting Falcone's money if I play my cards right.

Then there's the plotting against Falcone, which both me and Phoenix are both up for. I need combat skills as a start, but this is easy as Applied Sciences hold many ways for training, even if it means going behind my Grandpa's back. Then there's the bow and arrows, I've already become skilled in using the plain ones, hopefully the special ones are just as easy and I can always practice when Grandpa isn't around.

Therefore, deceiving cop by day, bow-wielding hero by night…sounds great.

Adrian visits often, along with Anna once she stops crying her eyes out. Both already have their exams results back, and both did exceptionally well minus the few D grades. I'm happy for both of them, but this only makes me more anxious about my grades, if I don't do well, then Falcone will kill them. I'm confident about science and psychology strongly, but maths is still a problem…only time will tell.

Neither Edward or Jonathan visit, but I'm not surprised, after everything that happened I know they would rather move on, me just being a burden. I accepted this sooner than planned, I wanted at least to say goodbye properly than end it with shattered photos. I guess we never get what we want, that is the cruelty of life.

As I gradually become more active, I travel around the hospital in solution to keep my boredom at bay. Just as I turn to go back to my ward, a familiar moustache catches my eye near the reception desk. I sprint over before he can leave and tug at his jacket, he turns to look at me in a state of confusion before recognising me.

'I know it's going to be difficult and a lot of hard work but, what is the chance of me becoming a police detective?' The question is forward and straight to the point; he doesn't seem fazed by the question and actually thinks of a suitable answer.

'It would mean a lot of hard work, but if you're willing enough you could do it. It does mean a four-year accredited and major in criminal justice, if you're up for that?' I nod my head vigorously, showing just how much I am prepared for the hard work, he smiles at this. 'Is good to see some enthusiasm in the younger generation, I suppose once you've finished college I could recommend you.' He smiles again, which tells me he is seriously considering this. Deep down I feel guilty as all of this will be a lie, that I am working for the man that the police are fighting against.

'Thanks Mr…'

'It's Jim, Jim Gordon.' He shakes my hand briefly before going to leave, but again, I stop him with one final question.

'Officer Gordon, how easy is it to change someone's identity as in, to change their name?' The answer to that question would change me; make me a liar to my friends, cheating everyone I cared about. That day, Sylvia Tyler died, and Hannah Brookes was born…along with Phoenix who would become a vigilante much like a certain Bat.

So i looked up the side effects of Choloform overdose and it can kill, but i had to mess around with it a bit.

I know that many people interpret scarecrow as having split personality but i decided to use the Nolanverse scarecrow which to me is just Crane but he's of course sadistic (and i find Cillian Murphy hot). But i liked the idea of a character having split personality and thought it fitted into the story well. However, Sylvia still thinks that "phoenix" is part of her imagination and the choloform just reacted to it, she doesn't understand it's more serious which is why she's taking it so well.

I tried to keep most of this realistic as possible (well, for a fanfiction) becuase i know it takes a long time to become a detective so i did more reaserch on that area.

Desieving the cops and Grandpa Fox was hard to write, as at the beginning i wanted her to be honest but over time i thought it more suitable for her to have a reason to become a detective. Don't worry, nobody bosses Phoenix around!

I'll try and upload the next part soon, but i have this sort of summary planned to make it more simple so i can get straight into the story, and finally that chapter i wrote AGES ago can be used...Yay!

Thanks to everyone and hope this isn't too long...

~GothGirlStrikesAgain