Late afternoon sun shone weakly through a barred window placed high in the wall of the detention center visitor's room. A woman sat in the visitor's chair, her face naturally finding the shadows. Another visitor, a man, was barely visible, lurking in the background as he usually seemed to. They both exuded an air of self-satisfied confidence, as though something important was in the air, so close they could taste it.
The door to the visitor's room creaked open and a uniformed guard escorted an elderly man to the chair. Despite the man's apparent frailty, he carried himself with the air of one who had been a hero in the past and knew it very well. He sat down, pulling his cloak around himself and glancing up at his visitor. "You've finally come."
The young woman in the visitor's chair tilted her head. "We came as soon as we heard."
"Yes, a regrettable decision. I will never see the skies of our native land again."
"They're doing it here?" Her face remained impassive.
"Yes. So it's time. Call your brother over. I can see him pacing in the back."
The woman turned and beckoned the man over. He stood behind the chair. The dim light on their faces highlighted the similarities between them - they both had the same dark brown hair and almond-shaped blue eyes. They both bowed their heads reverently.
"Quinn and Qadir Alba, I pass on leadership of the smuggling ring to you. May you use wisdom and power to maintain the goals of the original ring… and those of your father."
"Yes, Father," they said in unison, looking up.
The imprisoned Quercus Alba pulled an envelope out of the lining of his cloak and passed it through the hole in the bottom of the Plexiglass window. Quinn began flipping through the papers inside.
"This is everything you will need to get started," he told the two. "It has a list of all the connections you could possibly need, like the Amano Group and all the spies across the globe. The ring's been a bit… disorganized given recent events, but I'm sure you two will be able to bring it back to its former glory." He touched his medals almost absentmindedly, reflecting on days past.
Quinn, however, was more intrigued by a shorter list. "Father, what's this one? Edgeworth, Faraday, Gumshoe, Lang, von Karma…"
Alba smiled, a dangerous grin that only scratched the surface of his truly corrupted nature. "That, my children, is your first assignment. These people are the ones responsible for my downfall and are also your first targets."
Qadir's eyes lit up and he snatched the list from his sister. His eyes eagerly scanned the names, turning ideas over in his head, considering all of the possibilities. His training would finally be put to use.
Quinn took the list back irritably. "What would you like us to do, Father?" she asked.
He shook his head. "You're in charge now, daughter. It's up to you."
Quinn exchanged a glance with her brother, then they both looked up at their father, for what they knew might be the last time. "We won't let you down, Father. We promise."