SYNOPSIS

Ask any Gothamite and they'll tell you that the one thing..the one structure they are most ashamed of is Arkham Asylum. One can not live within the city of Gotham without discussing the horrific reality that exists behind the asylum's doors. Though it stands as a beacon of modern humanity and it's hopes of rehabilitation for the "ill-minded," some would say that it exists as a reminder of Gotham's sins, a mockery to those who believe in it, and an utter failure to serve a purpose beyond further arming the clinically insane and sheltering them from a swift end.

Benjamin Achgrove, a psychology intern from Gotham University, is set to begin his term working nights under the once respected psychiatrist, Dr. Philip Carter. Unbeknownst to Gotham PD a young, serial murder has taken an interest in Gotham City, specifically Arkham, with the single-minded goal to infiltrate the asylum. But to what ends...?

--

PROLOGUE

"Nah, mom. Don't worry. I'm not authorized to be anywhere near the level five patients. My clearance level barely allows me to roam level one. Beyond that I have to literally shadow one of the resident psychologists and, if I'm lucky, a psychiatrist." Benjamin Achgrove signed heavily.

"Mom...MOM..we already discussed this, and I am too busy to go through it all over again. Arkham offers one of the best psychology internships that the nation has to offer. ...No...I'm not reading from the brochure again. This place literally has a corner on Schizophrenia, megalomania,...and just about any dissociative disorder you could possibly think of...maybe even multiple personality (DID). The point is I am very grateful to even get passed the doors on a field trip, let alone become one of their interns. ...There is nowhere else that could give me this level of experience. Safety protocols? Of course I know them. They wouldn't let me in here unless I understood them..by..the..letter!"

Achgrove took a sip of his coffee as he pretended to listen to his mother's rants. On the computer screen in front of him was the profile of patient number 50892666. He learned quickly on his first day that the first number always represented the security level in which the patient was placed, one being the lowest risk and five being the highest. The three numbers that followed were a series of scores to the evaluation of the patient. The first showed on a scale from 0-9 the progress a patient has made in their rehabilitative process (9 being the most progress). The next score indicated the patient's absolute grip on reality; this does not necessarily mean our reality. The last number in the sequence represented the effect of the patient's level of mental disorder on the world around him (in short, this is to greater emphasize the danger). The final sequence of numbers represented the patient's randomized identification number; this number is merely a sick coincidence, in this case. Punching the tab key a few times, he located the patients name:

Real Name:Unknown Alias: "The Joker"

Interns are denied both physical and technical access to patients beyond level one. Achgrove glanced over both shoulders, adjusted his glasses, and grinned slightly in the darkness.

"Mom...MOM...I gotta run. They want me to sit in on a patient eval. ...Some guy that thinks his fingers talk to him..good stuff. Yeah...yeah...k...I'm hanging up now...k...k...bye.." Click Achgrove hung up the phone, cutting his mother's words mid-sentence and quickly glanced back at his computer screen.

"Why must artists suffer for their work? Whether it be self-punishment or the persecution of others, why must they be in pain when there is so much that can be taught by their hands?!" Achgrove calmed himself as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve...sweat that fell from great anticipation.

"No...no," he sighed. "It's not near time, my friend. Soon though..soon you shall paint again..so sharpen your paintbrush." Achgrove stood to his feet and slightly touched the monitor...touched the picture of his favorite artist, and then he punched a series of algorithms into the computer and left the room.