Ace Attorney: Hero of Truth and Justice

Prologue

In this world, we live in time of peace. However, sometimes peace can be interrupted when murder occurs. To handle such heinous drawback of our societies, we create a judicial system or simply justice system, where we charge the accused and decide his or her fate by the verdict decided by judges or jurors.

Two sides play against each other to prove whether the accused one is innocent or guilty. They are the defense attorney, the lawyers who fight to defend the accused one and seek the truth, and the prosecutor, the lawyer who fights for justice and prove the accused one is the one who committed the crime. However, don't get me wrong. Both of these polar opposites seek both truth and justice; it is just that their roles play a little differently. However, there is more than meets the eyes about these lawyers. There are few who became a hero, the one who seeks for the real truth and bring true justice.

"Objection!" a tall man with a black spiky hair and wearing a blue suit yelled out loud.

This man is one of those heroes. His name is Phoenix Wright. He has solved numerous cases. Some cases were whacky or crazy, and others were very serious. However, he managed to solve them and faced whatever comes in his way, thanks to his will, passion, and the help of his friends and the people who he cared for and loved. Nonetheless, he is probably the definition of seeking truth and serving for justice. Most importantly, he never gives up on his clients or anyone who's accused of a crime wrongfully.

However, today's tale is not about him. This is the tale of another attorney like him, who came before him, about three years prior. Although with different personality and characteristics, like the legendary hero, Phoenix Wright, this man is also a hero of both truth and justice…

-Turnabout Gun-

-Location: Super Secure Tech Co HQ-

Time: 11:15 pm

Date: March 1st 2013

A man in a black suit was typing and working at his desk with his laptop. His office room was very wide spaced. The name plank on his desk stated "Carlos Krow."

"I am almost done with this document. Once I am, I will back it up onto my flash drive and stop for the day," he said as he sipped his cup of coffee. "Aww! There is nothing better than a cup of joe during late night."

He continued typing on his laptop until he heard a door creaked. Someone came in.

"Huh? What do you want? Can't you see I am still working here!?" He grunted.

The unknown figure carried something that was pointing at him. "Hey. What do you think you are doing!?"

BANG!

"Gnnrgh!" With just one shot, Mr. Pena laid dead on his chair. The mysterious killer approached his lifeless corpse to check if he was really dead. After that, he swiped the man's flash drive and cell phone. He used the cell phone to send a text. With less than a minute or two, the mysterious killer left with the room's light turned off.

-Trial 1 Part 1-

-Location: District Court Defendant Lobby Room #4-

-Date: March 3rd-

-Time: 8:45 A.M.-

"Oh man! Oh jeez! I am done! I am over!" The man panicked. He wore a business suit and looked around his mid-fifties.

As he ran back and forth, a man in a blue suit and black necktie stared at him. He had a spiky blue hair and his eye colors was light dark sapphire blue. He had a black watch on his right wrist, which he used to check the time.

"Mr. Worlly, please do not run back and forth in the lobby. Everything is going to be fine," he said as he tried to calm him down.

(My name is Hawk Veritas. I am a defense attorney, but recently passed my bar exam; at least about two months ago. As you can see this…predicament, I am defending my first client. His name is Sam Worlly, age 55, business man. He is accused of killing his boss, the CEO of Super Secure Tech Corporation: Carlos Pena. It is a very serious acvusation, but I will never back out this case, especially involving a murder of a CEO of a big security film).

"Oh, Mr. Veritas, am I going to be alright?" he asked, sweating like a pig.

"Like I said, everything is going to be fine. You know that you are innocent, correct?" he asked.

"There are ten minutes left before the trial begins! The defense and defendant must be in the courtroom ten minutes prior to the trial, please!" the bailiff announced.

"It is time. Shall we get going, Mr. Worlly?" he asked calmly.

"I suppose so." Mr. Worlly gulped. "Let's do this."

-March 3rd 9:00 A.M.-

-Courtroom #4-

A crowd of people chatted in the courtroom until the judge used his gravel. "The court is now in session for the trial of Sam Worlly," the Judge said, with a powerful voice even for his age.

"Is both the defense and the prosecution ready?"

One the prosecution's bench, a man with sharp eye glasses and light green suit with red necktie stood very confidently as he toyed with his hair.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," the prosecutor stated.

"The defense is also ready, Your Honor," the attorney answered.

The Judge eyed the attorney. "Hello there. You must be new here. What is your name, young man?"

"My name is Veritas, Hawk Veritas," Hawk introduced himself.

"Mr. Veritas, it is a pleasure to meet you in the courtroom. I can see that you are a first timer here. You look very confident, but just to make sure, let's do a little test to see if you are truly ready. I will ask few questions and you will answer them back to me. OK?" the Judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor." Hawk nodded.

"Very well. First question; who is the defendant?" Judge asked, even though it was very obvious.

"That would be my client, Sam Worrly," he answered.

"Good. Next question is who the victim of this case is." (Another simple, yet obvious question, but in case you don't know, I can always check my Court Record. It is where I keep all the evidences and profiles for the case, including my attorney's badge. You can always check it as often as you want. You have my permission to do so).

"That would be Carlos Pena, the CEO of the Secure Tech Corporation, your Honor," he said.

"Very good. Now for the final question. What is the cause of his death?"

"He died after being shot by a gun. The bullet clearly went through the victim's heart; it was an instant death," Hawk explained.

"Excellent! I see that you studied this case beforehand very well. Now, then, I think the prosecution may begin their opening statement," Judge said.

"Certainly, Your Honor. By the way," he turned to face Hawk. "My name is Willy Payne, also known as 'Rookie Destroyer.' Good luck to you, Mr. Veritas."

Hawk gave him a blank stare. "Like the attorney answered, the victim's name is Carlos Pena. He was a very hard-working CEO of the Secure Tech Co, one of the largest information security firms in the country."

"Information Security?" Judge said puzzled.

"It is a basically a company that secures information stored on people's computer, Your Honor. According to the autopsy report, Mr. Pena was killed by a bullet in his heart. He was shot to death when the forensics analyzed his corpse. The police found the murderer's weapon, the gun, but they also found something very interesting about it," Prosecutor Payne stated.

"There is something interesting about the gun. What is it?" Judge said excitedly.

"According to the police and forensics, the gun was custom-built," Prosecutor Payne revealed.

(Custom-built. I better record this information into my Court Record).

Evidence Updated in the Court Record: The murderer's weapon.

Description: It was used for the murder. It is custom-built.

"However, that is not the only interesting thing they found about this gun! In fact, this evidence is the decisive evidence that proves that the defendant is guilty of all charge; his fingerprint was on this gun!"

"What!?" Judge gasped as Mr. Worlly sweat a lot.

"So, he is the one who did it!"

"I knew it! Why would he do such a thing!?"

"I know some people make guns as a hobby, but using it for murder!? That's so low, man!"

The Judge hit his gravel a few times to calm down the chatters. "Order in the court!"

Everyone stopped chattering. "Ahem! Prosecutor Payne, is that true!?"

"Yes indeed, Your Honor! The forensics confirmed that this evidence has the defendant's fingerprints all over it. I think that's enough to prove the defendant is the true culprit in this case!" Prosecutor Payne said with a confident smirk on his face.

"Objection!" His smirk turned into a worried flinch as the Judge and everyone else looked at Hawk, pointing out his left finger.

"Mr. Veritas!?" Judge asked.

"Sorry to surprise you, Your Honor. As well as everyone else, but even when my client has his fingerprints on the murderer's weapon, we should not jump to conclusions until we at least have a witness's testimony," he stated.

Judge nodded. "Mr. Veritas is right. I will allow the detail to be added in the Court Record. Meanwhile, Prosecutor Payne, do you have witnesses prepared for the trial?"

Evidence Updated: The murder's weapon.

Description: The gun is custom-built. The defendant, Mr. Sam Worlly's fingerprints were discovered to be on this gun.

"Ye-yes, Your Honor. I do have witnesses to testify for the trial. I call the first witness, the defendant himself to the stand to testify," Prosecutor Payne answered.

"Very well."

Few moments later, Mr. Worlly was standing on the witness stand. He didn't look very well on the stand.

"Defendant, please state your name and occupation," The prosecutor ordered.

"My, my name is Sss, Sam Worlly. I am a business man, working at the Secure Tech Co." He fidgeted.

"Are you alright, defendant? You don't look very well," Judge said worried.

(I think it is pretty understandable when a defendant feels unwell to be on the witness stand for testimony).

"Do not worry about me. I will be fine," he answered as he sweat.

"Well. OK," Judge said. "According to the prosecution, it seems to me you are in big trouble, Mr. Worlly. I do want an explanation for why your fingerprints were on the murderer's weapon."

"Yes, I want to know about it, but I suspect it belongs to you, doesn't it?" Prosecutor Payne asked slyly.

"Ye-yes, it is true. I made that gun," he admitted.

The courtroom became a social chatter room instantly. "Order ! Order!"

The Judge banged his gravel few times to calm everyone down.

"Mr. Worlly! Is that true? Is this gun yours?"

"Yes, it is true! I am done! I am done! That gun is a custom-built gun that I personally made! It is a hobby of mine, but I never use it for murder!" he panicked.

"We will see about that after we hear your testimony about what you did on the day of the crime and the story of this evidence. Please give your testimony," Prosecutor Payne sneered.

"Aahh, ok." Mr. Worlly sighed.

Witness Testimony

-My Work Life-

"It was like every other day.

I woke up. Got dressed. Shaved. Ate breakfast, and then headed to work.

I was called by my boss, Mr. Pena

We talked about important business and other…stuff.

I worked till late and went home.

I was surprised when the company called me in the morning to inform me that

Mr. Pena was found dead! I was shocked!"

"Hmmm," Judge hummed. "This testimony sounds pretty definitive. What do you think, Prosecutor Payne?"

"I think it is fine, but I bet we can scoop some more info out of the defendant, but that is the rookie's job. Plus, I do want to know. Why was your gun found at the crime scene, defendant?" he said, smirking.

"That's because…it was stolen," he said nervously.

"Stolen!?" Judge gasped.

"Yes, it is true! It was at my apartment, but one day it disappeared!"

"When that did happen?" Judge asked.

"I think it happened about a week ago," Mr. Worlly answered.

"Alright. I think this information should be added to the court record."

Evidence Updated: The murder weapon.

Description: The gun was custom built, made by the defendant. It was discovered at the crime scene. It has the defendant's fingerprints all over it. According to the defendant, this gun was stolen from his apartment a week ago.

"The defense may now cross examine the defendant," Judge declared.

(This doesn't look good. Even though I solemnly believe that my client claimed his gun was stolen, it is not enough to prove he is innocent. One thing for sure is that one statement in his testimony caught my attention. I better press on it, but I should also look for some details in other parts of the testimony just in case).

Cross-Examination

-My Work Life-

"It was like every other day.

I woke up. Got dressed. Shaved. Ate breakfast, and then headed to work.

"HOLD IT." Hawk interrupted. "Mr. Worlly, besides your work, you stated that your hobby is making guns. Why is that?"

"Well, I just find it very fascinating to make them. It helps me forget about my stress from work and all my worries. It also helps me think, too. It is good for elderly health like mine," he said, smiling for once.

"I see. That sounds good for you. When I am on my break, I go fishing, so I can get away without thinking about my job and my life." Judge began to converse about his life.

"OBJECTION!" Prosecutor Payne interrupted. "Your Honor, that sounds interesting and all, but I think we should stick with the topic and the defense's question is irrelevant to this case!"

"Oh, sorry about that. Ahem, Mr. Veritas. Please ask questions that are more related to the case, or else I will give you penalty for it!"

"Sorry, your Honor. I will keep myself on track," Hawk said.

We talked about important business and other…stuff.

"HOLD IT!" Hawk said out loud. "What is this other 'stuff'?"

Mr. Worlly began to act worried and sweated like waterfalls. "It's….It's not that important. We just talked about….stuff."

Hawk gave him a calm, yet serious glare. "Mr. Worlly, as your attorney, you must trust me. You got to say the truth. Now, I will ask this question again. What is this stuff that you and Mr. Pena talked about?"

Mr. Worlly bit his lip, and took a deep breath to calm down. "Well, you see. My boss and I talked about…my salary. He was planning to cut my salary."

"Oh my! That doesn't sound good! Why would he do that!?" Judge asked.

"I don't know! He…he just doesn't like me, I guess. He is the type of man who prefers younger, stronger employees over old veterans like me," Mr. Worlly said, feeling sad.

"That's just horrible!" Judge exclaimed.

"Your Honor, I think this information should be added to the testimony, please," Hawk requested.

Judge nodded. "Very well."

The stuff we talked about was a cut in my salary.

I don't know why he would do that, but if you ask me,

I think he just hated older employees, and preferred the younger ones instead.

"OBJECTION!" Hawk shouted. "Mr. Worlly, I think you do know why he would or at least would have done to cut your salary!"

"Huh?" He looked puzzled. "What are you talking about, Mr. Veritas? It is the truth! He hated older employee geezers like me!"

"Maybe, but I don't really think so," Hawk said.

"Why is that, Mr. Veritas? Do you know something that the court does not know about Mr. Pena?" Judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor. I would like to present this piece of evidence." Hawk presented a newspaper clip.

"A newspaper clip!?" Judge asked. Mr. Worlly looked nervous again.

"This newspaper clip talked about an article written last year. According to it, Secure Tech Co lay off about 100 veteran employees from age 40 to 60. As the article stated, the reason for it was to save resources and money to the company. Mr. Pena didn't really hate the older employees, but he laid them off in order to save the company!"

"Gaaaah!" Mr. Worlly gasped.

The courtroom became a room of chatters again. "Order! Order! So, that means Mr. Pena wasn't going to cut the defendant's salary because he hated him, but possibly a way to save cost?"

"Exactly, Your Honor," Hawk said.

"OBJECTION!" Prosecutor Payne interrupted. "How is that even related to the crime? If you ask me, I think you just made your own client guiltier than he looked before!"

"What do you mean, Prosecutor Payne?" Judge asked.

"With the information that the defense has just presented, now we have a motive for why the defendant killed the victim," Prosecutor Payne said, snickering.

"Oh! You are right, Prosecutor Payne! I did not think of that at first, but it makes a crystal clear now!" Judge agreed.

"It seems that the defense has just made his client even guiltier. Thank you, defense. I think you made the prosecution's job a little easier," Prosecutor Payne said, mocking at Hawk.

However, Hawk did not flinch, gasp, or look worried at all. He was in fact looking determined.

"Huh? Why do you not look surprised?" Prosecutor Payne asked.

"Prosecutor Payne, I would agree with you that with the evidence I presented, it does make my client guiltier. Now there is a motive for him to commit the crime, but I think this trial is not over yet! It only has just begun!"

He banged on his bench, the noise echoing through the courtroom.

Court Record

Profiles:

Sam Worlly (Male; 55): My client. He works as a business man at the Secure Tech Co.

Pena Carlos (Male; 35): The victim. He was found dead at his own office.

Willy Payne (Male; 40): The prosecutor and my first opponent for this case. He seems to be quite experienced, but lacks some presence until he speaks up.

Evidence:

Attorney's badge: My way of identity so that everyone knows that I am a defense attorney.

Autopsy report: Victim died by a shot from a gun. The bullet was found in his heart, so the death was instant.

The gun: It is custom-made by the defendant himself. According to him, it was stolen from his apartment a week ago.

The newspaper clip: It contains an article that talks about Secure Tech Co. The company laid off about 100 employees from the age 40 to 60 to save cost and resources. It also states that the CEO, Carlos Pena, was rumored to be involved in illegal activities, but no evidence was found to prove this. Some journalist claim that the real reason for laying off experienced, older employee is because of that rumor.