Criminal Minds: Joker

Prologue

AN: This is a fanfic that is inspired by a fic with similar plot so forgive me if it appear so and it's something I wanted to do since Kevin Conroy who was the definite voice of Batman passed away last year. 

Los Angeles, California.

It was a robust evening at the set of the David Art Show in Los Angeles. The studio audience  was giving their usual round of applause while the filming was underway shortly after the commercial break had ended as the host David Art was waving his hand to acknowledge them  before getting comfortable in his chair at the desk. 

"Alright, everyone. My first guest for the evening is  the best-selling author of the Cooking with love book and is a world- renowned chef known around almost the entire world. Please welcome  Greta Bacin." David introduced.

Great Bachin walked in from the curtain but rather than putting on a smile and wave to the audience like any ordinary guest would, she ran screaming for the blue with a look of terror on her face. 

"Ma'am, is everything alright?" David asked her with concern, seeing it was not a part of the script.

 Only  being able to let out a few stammering words, Bachin pointed to  the certain she came out before sagging on the ground.

 David ran over to her and quickly checked on her to ensure that she's ok. "She's fainted. Someone call an ambulance."

Most of the audience members took out their cell phones and quickly dialled in 911 while some just watched believing it was an act.

Curiously, David looked toward what it was behind the curtain that made the chef freak out. Standing up, he went to remove the curtain and froze at what he was seeing with his own two eyes.

Lying on the ground backstage was the body of a bald man in his late fifties wearing a white suit and blue tie. His throat had been lacerated deeply and there was a broken cup next to him, covered in his own blood. David spotted a note next to him written in red.

"As Long as You won't miss it."

It send shivers down his spine as  he also saw large cuts on both sides of the man's lips, making it a ghastly smile.

XXXX

BAU Headquarters

Quantico, Virginia.

"And I thought you believe in justice." 

"Justice, yes. But not the vengeance of an eco-terrorist. You're as destructive as those you punish."

Dr Spencer Reid was watching a rerun episode of one of the most critically acclaimed cartoons, Batman the Animated Series in the break room on TV with a small smile on his lips. Even though he was way past puberty, he still has heroes to admire as Poison Ivy and Batman were in an intense confrontation near the end of the episode.

He started to watch the series when he was in his adolescents  to cope with the stress of  having to take care of his mother who was starting to suffer from early onset schizophrenia which caused  his father to leave, being unable to cope with it  as well as enduring the constant bullying from his classmates whom were a lot older than him or when he wasn't in a mood to read. He watched all 132 episodes including the animated movies, Batman and Mr.Freeze: Sub Zero, The Mystery of the Batwoman and his personal favourite  the Mask of the Phantasm. The latter gained a cult following despite the box office flop when it premiered in 1993.  He was intrigued by how mature the series was at the time despite being PG rated. It didn't insult the intelligence of the target audience something that was a rarity these days given how much of the quality in writing has declined. Batman was his hero and in a way one of many reasons that inspired him to join law enforcement.  Tv Guide ranked it as one of the seventh greatest animated tv shows of all time. it was one of the few moments that Spencer was able to be the kid that he never got to be. He occasionally binge watches the show for nostalgia.

His colleague Jennifer Jareau or JJ stopped by the doorway and popped her head in. "Thought I'd find you here." She said and then glanced to see what the BAU's resident genius was watching.  "Ah, Batman. Good show that one."

"Yeah." Reid echoed her sentiment before becoming surprised  at how she did know what he was "Wait, how did you know what I was watching?"

JJ smiled as she stepped into the break room and sat next to him, remembering  Roslyn sitting on the floor of the living room staring at the tv screen when the animated series was airing an episode after school. "Well, my sister used to be a big fan of the show when it was on air and I would sometimes sit next to her occasionally in the living room when she got back home from school."

Reid didn't peg her as being a comic book fan, considering she was more into sports growing up.  "I didn't know that." 

"She used to joke we're the new dynamic duo. And when I was old enough, we would fight crime together. " JJ added. Her facial expressions grew solemn. "After she died, I kinda lost interest in the show because it reminded me too much  of her."

He can relate to that."I understand." When he made the difficult decision to put his mother in care facility,  he kinda lost interest in the show too. He became focused on his studies. But then he remembered something. "Was that why you convinced Will that Henry's birthday party was to be Batman themed  last year?"

JJ had a small smirk on her face.  "Maybe."

Just then Morgan dropped by. "Hey. Hotch wants you in the conference room. We got a new case."

 XXXX

JJ and Reid then headed into the conference room, where the unit Chief  Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan and Dave Rossi whom were already sitting at their seat at the table, greeted them.  Kate was not there as she was still  on maternity leave. As they  took their seats, Penelope Garcia  the tech analyst entered the room and gave each of them a folder to read. 

"Greetings my fellow crime fighters," she greeted in her usual jovial voice. "Today, you will be heading to Los Angeles to help L.A.'s finest  with a really bizarre string of murders."

Garcia then pointed a remote to the big screen TV in the room and click a button. The screen then revealed a picture of an elderly man with a baldhead and goatee.

"This is Thomas Thurston, age 57, works as a child psychiatrist,"  Garcia introduced the first victim. "He was found dead backstage at a studio during a filming of the David Art show yesterday evening. His throat had been slashed opened with a broken mug which was found next to the body as well as a note."

A photo appeared onscreen of Thomas' corpse lying on the ground of the set as well as one of a close up of his slashed throat, one of the bloody mug, and one of the note.

"Oh Yeah, I remember watching the show last night." Recalled Rossi. He was at the living room of his house when he saw the incident on TV. "One of his guests came out screaming and fainted in front of the audience. They had to cut to commercial."

Garcia then clicked at the screen again. This time, a picture of a middle aged woman with red hair appeared onscreen. Next to it was a photo of the same woman lying dead on the floor. The next photo was of a close up of the woman's forehead, which had a gunshot wound in the middle of it.

"Two days before this, Karen Oliver, a 46-year-old ad executive was found lying dead from a gunshot wound to the head inside the maternity wing at the USC Medical Center."

"Oh God." JJ muttered.

"Are these deaths connected somehow?" Hotch inquired.

"Actually, yes they are. Both victims were found with large cuts on both sides of their lips."  Garcia informed them.

Garcia clicked at the screen again to show two photos. Both were of the victims' faces, which showed the cuts, making them look like they were smiling. Not a good way to go.

"Talk about going out with a smile." commented Morgan.

The ever stoic Unit chief had a look that was grimmer than unusual. It was going to a bad one. "Get your travel bags. Wheels up in 30." 

As the profilers left to gather their belongings, Reid stayed a little bit longer to look over the victims' photos again.

There was something familiar about them.

XXXX