Criminal Minds Series Rewrite: Season Two

Empty Planet: Final Part

"Hello. You must be Agent Gideon. I'm Ursula Kent," the older blond woman smiles.

"My pleasure, Professor Kent. This is Dr. Reid and Agent Y/N."

"It's a real pleasure to meet you. I'm a fan of your work," Spencer grins.

"Well, that's very nice of you to say. We can speak in my office."

"Lead the way." Ursula begins the trek back to her office, and you follow closely behind. "Your book has become a significant part of our investigation."

"So your colleague explained. I can't imagine how, though."

"The bomber sees it as some kind of prophetic work. He's attempting to save humanity by stopping the proliferation of robotic technology."

"Well, that's absurd."

"Yeah, try telling him that," you scoff.

She gets her to her office and lets you three inside, and she walks to her desk and takes a seat on the other side of it.

"He's written a document-like manifesto called a guide to practical living, and several sections of it are lifted directly from 'Empty Planet'. He's taken up what he believes to be your cause and he's killing people for the sake of it," you state.

"'Empty Planet' is just a fantasy."

"Not to him."

"How could anyone think it's more than that?"

"Unfortunately, it's impossible to predict how an unstable mind will interpret something," Spencer puts.

"And it's caused him to kill people?"

"Do you know Dr. Emory Cooke?" Gideon suddenly asks.

She deserves to know her friend has passed.

"Very well."

"He spoke to your classes?"

"Yes."

"Dr. Cooke was murdered by the bomber an hour ago."

"No," Ursula gasps, covering her mouth with her hand.

She reaches down to the necklace she's wearing to play with it, and both you and Spencer immediately recognize the symbol.

"Professor, what is that?" Spencer asks.

"This is something someone... A brilliant man gave it to me a long time ago before he died. Actually, it's part of the inspiration for 'Empty Planet'. James was a rather early alarmist about how much we were letting technology control our lives. It's become a sort of talisman for me."

"You wear it when you teach?"

"Sometimes, yes."

Gideon removes pictures of the symbol on the bombs that you've captured before handing it over to her.

"This has been etched on the bomber's devices."

"Oh, my God!"

"The bomber's written a manifesto he wants published, but not in the national newspaper. He wants it published in the Seattle Ledger. He wants someone here to read it."

"Have you ever had a student you think might be capable of doing something like this?"

"One of my students?"

"Someone who hates technology," you say.

"I'm a postmodernist. In my area of study, technological inventions are often viewed as art objects."