The Psychic Turnabout

by God-like Turnabout

When an innocent man is framed for the work of a serial killer, it's up to Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey to prove his innocence. But this killer wants the Ace Attorney to play his game. And there's no one better at playing games with a killer than a pseudo-psychic and his multi-named partner. Rated T just in case. Find the pineapple in every chapter.

1. Let the Game Begin

The Psychic Turnabout

Chapter 1: Let the Game Begin

Time: ?

Location: ?

In an abandoned warehouse, in the outside of L. A., a meeting was about to take place… But only a few would be willingly part of it. Light was barely present, the only source being a light bulb hanging by a wire on the ceiling. And right under said light, a couple was sitting… or, more accurately, kneeling on the floor; their hands tied behind their backs, their eyes covered in a black fabric.

Then, just as a storm was approaching, a door swung open in the distance. A woman was the first to come in, followed by a male companion; both covered by the darkness, their voices being the only hint of their genders. The woman was the first to talk:

-Is everything ready? - Was the only thing she said.

-Obviously. Otherwise, why would we be here? - Said a grave voice, obviously the man that had just come in.

-Good. Tonight, we will prove our superiority over the ones who defeated our mentors.-Said the woman, leaving the young tied couple wondering what was she talking about.

-No. - Was all the grave voice said. After a brief pause, he elaborated -Tonight, we will prove this world that we are far better than those who taught us everything we know… The student will surpass the master.

-WHERE ARE WE!? – The male member of the "audience" shouted. – WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!?

One would think that such outburst would surprise the mysterious pair… But it didn't.

-Looks like somebody just woke up. – The female noted. –I thought you knocked them out.

-Their condition is irrelevant at this point. The result will be the same. – Stated the man in the darkness.

Wh-What do you mean by that? – A different voice muttered. The blinded woman was now conscious. – What is this "result" you're talking about?

The dark pair shared a look with each other, before answering at the same time: -You'll find out soon. – A tone that insinuated the worst possible outcome.

Fearing the worst, the woman that was lying on the floor started crying. Knowing the end was possibly just a few minutes away, the man of the obviously kidnapped couple tried to think about something to save his girlfriend's life. But only one answer came to mind:

-Look, just take me instead of her. You don't need to kill both of us! – He tried to negotiate with their captors.

The killer couple just stood there, looking at the man trying to save the life of his lover.

-How romantic: the knight in shiny armor, trying to save the life of his princess. – The black widow noted, amusement in her voice. – But you're forgetting something…

The man's patience was running out. He had no idea what this lunatic was talking about.

-What do you mean by that? – That was the only thing he could come up with, his mind blinded by the panic… and anger.

-More like he doesn't know, don't you think? – The other soon-to-be murderer corrected. -What my partner here meant was: while you're just victims of casualty, luck or whatever you want to call it, we do need two for this game. You two fill the requirements, but our fateful meeting was a coincidence, nothing personal.

The building was silent for a whole minute, but it felt like an entire live had passed. Breaking the silence, the dark man was the first to talk:

-Now if you excuse me, I must leave. I need to finish some paperwork… And establish an alibi.

And just like that, the mysterious entity turned his face to the door as the first lightning made its appearance, signaling the beginning of a heavy rain on the outside. A car engine was heard outside of the building, indicating that the first party of this "game", as he called it, had just left the area. And once again, the warehouse was filled with a silence that rivaled only those of a graveyard.

After a few minutes, a voice stated in a monotone, almost deadly tone:

-And now, we wait. I suggest you to express your thoughts during this brief pause… You won't have another chance, after all. – And the deadly female retreated to an even darker corner of the facility.

Knowing the end was coming, the "sentenced" man whispered:

-Honey…

-Yes? – Said the crying woman.

-I love you.

-I love you, too.

Gathering the last remnants of courage he had, he continued:

-I was going to ask you something… Will you marry me?

Shock would barely describe the state in which this question left the poor woman; she knew he had given up, which erased any hope she had; but she was also happy to hear the feelings her man had for her: true love.

-YES! – It was all her broken mind, body and soul allowed her, but it was enough.

Following the voice of the one she loved, she dragged herself to her soul mate, and they both shared one final, passionate kiss.

The traumatic night taking its final toll on their bodies, they both fell to the ground face-up before expressing their feelings one last time:

-I love you. – They both said at the same time before losing consciousness.

Having witnessed the romantic scene, the last member of this eventful night thought to herself:

-Better. This way will be a lot less troublesome.

She moved to make the last preparation, setting up the necessary materials. After at least half hour of activity, in which the light rain had become a downpour, the last sounds were emitted: blades cutting through flesh, rain falling against the metallic ceiling, and lightning that was there as if to make this night more disturbing…

Location: Wright & Co. Law Offices

Time: November, 15. 11:50

It was another normal day in the Wright & Co. Law Offices: no clients to defend, a girl in a bizarre attire gulping down different kinds of food (sometimes two at the same time), and one man in a blue suit, red tie and an unusually spiky hair on his head, cleaning the toilet in the bathroom. The symbol hanging in the lapel on the left side of his suit, an attorney badge, indicated that he was a lawyer.

After having finished his task, the man retreated to his office/living room. A desk could be spotted in a corner of the room, with a shelf full of different legal books guarding its back. Next to the furniture, completing the few decoration of the office side of the room, a plant was lying on the opposite side, next to the desk and the book shelf.

-Maya, did you water Charley as I told you to? – The blue-clad man said, obviously referring to the plant

-Of course I did, Nick. What, you think I'm irresponsible enough to not take care of something as simple as "watering a plant"? – The woman, Maya Fey, stated in a mocking tone.

-Well… - "Nick" answered in the same mocking tone, countering Maya's one.

This people were Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey: Phoenix, a defense attorney, formerly employed in the Fey & Co. firm before the death of Mia Fey, his mentor, now owner of said firm and turning it into his own. He became a defense attorney for a single purpose: to defend those who were left alone, without anyone to help them; a right he himself had been denied in more than one occasion. In his short time in the bench, he has already taken the cases of several "interesting" people, cases that were considered a lost cause, and in one way or another, he managed to turn things in his favor; but most importantly, he learned the true meaning of his profession, as well as that of his opponents, the prosecutors: the verdict, in the end, was second priority. A lawyer's work was to find the truth and expose it, no matter the result, for a wrong verdict could not only let the true culprits get away with their crime, but also ruin the lives of innocent bystanders… he had learned this first-hand.

To complete the team, we have Maya Fey: a spirit medium in training that soon would become the leader of her village, and Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique: this channeling method allowed her to not only contact those who had left this world, but also be possessed by them, letting the spirits take over her body, and transform it into a duplicate of the entity in control. This "trick", as it was called by many non-believers, had proven to be useful on more than one time; Maya would let her dead sister, Mia Fey, former defense attorney and mentor of Maya's boss, to take control and assist Phoenix when he found himself in a dead end. It was by her motivation, the determination of Phoenix in court, and a little of sheer, dumb luck, that led the man to win most of his cases.

Having left the bathroom after his fight with the toilet, Phoenix was met with a typical scene: Maya eating all she could fit in the small table, in front of the couch they had for the times they had to stay overnight working on a case. A TV was set for entertaining of guests and themselves, tuned to a familiar-yet annoying for Phoenix-show: the Steel Samurai, Maya's favorite show of all live (this was a recorder chapter, so you get the idea of how much she liked it). Too tired to complain, Phoenix simply asked:

-Hey, what in the world is all that food?

-What, this? – She said in the brief moment when her jaw wasn't busy chewing. After taking another bite of what seemed to be chicken, she continued, her mouth still full – There's a new buffet restaurant down the street, and I wanted to try their menu.

-How did you… - paid was the next work to be said, but then he noticed his walled open (and empty) in the desk. He had forgotten to take it with him when he went to war against the cursed toilet, meaning only one thing: - Did you just took my wallet and spent all the money it had in that restaurant?

-What? You said it was okay to do it. And I didn't spend "all of it" – she pointed to a few dollars and coins next to the food – there's a little change.

*Note to self: never let Maya go get the lunch* Phoenix thought. He had actually told her to go get the lunch for when he was done cleaning.

Taking a seat in the empty side of the couch, he looked at the small table. *I wonder how this small piece of wood is resisting all that weight* he pondered when he saw the inhuman amount of food in the poor furniture. Before he started questioning the physics behind this, his stomach started growling: it wasn't so long ago that he had breakfast, but his cleaning duties had consumed all his energy.

-So what did you brought, anyway?

-Well, I pretty much picked everything in exhibition, but I saw several kinds of chicken, steaks, cooked meat, desserts and…

-Pies? – Phoenix commented, as he had noted several pies stacked over the table.

-Yup. I brought apple, cheese, nuts, pineapple and others.

-You know, for some reason, I want pineapple.

And so, Phoenix went to get a dish, and grabbed one of the many chicken legs, mashed potatoes and a pineapple pie.

Just then, the recorded episode of the Steel Samurai started the ending credits, indicating the episode was over. As Maya tried to reach for the remote to rewind the episode, she noticed something: both controls, TV and DVD, were gone.

-Looking for something? – Phoenix questioned in a victorious tone, as he was swinging the controllers. – You've been watching the Steel Samurai ever since we got here. Now it's my turn to watch TV. - *For once* Phoenix thought to himself.

-Not fair, Nick! I still have two more episodes from the last season! – Maya pouted, indicating that she was upset… But she ended up looking like a kid who dropped their lollipop.

-But you know them by memory! Every move, dialogue, the final outcome; heck, you even know every continuity error!

-As a true fan of the Steel Samurai, I must know when something was part of the story, and when it was someone messing up the episode!

Phoenix only sighed after hearing the enthusiasm his assistant expressed towards a kids show. *How can someone like a show that's aimed to a 10-year old audience? And with such passion, for that matter!* He thought to himself. After he was done questioning Maya's love for the Steel Samurai, he said:

-Anyway… Your love for this show aside, Edgeworth called me earlier this morning.

-And what did he said? – Maya said as she was taking another slice of apple pie.

-He told me I should watch the news at 12 o' clock. Said there would be something that I had to see.

Tuning the TV back to regular channels, he searched for the channel his friend (and rival), Miles Edgeworth, requested him. Once he found the channel, he saw a familiar, yet unpleasant sight: the entrance to the Detention Center, a place that had hosted several of his previous clients… Including, in more than one occasion, his own assistant, Maya. The building was full of filming crew from different news channels and broadcast teams. Considering the building they were surrounding, there was only one possible conclusion: a press conference was about to take place.

Just as predicted, the reporters and microphones gathered near a podium established at the entrance. After a few minutes full of nothing, the first to approach the reporters was a familiar, friendly face with a band aid on his left cheek: it was Detective Dick Gumshoe, a police detective in the LAPD. He was usually the detective in charge of most (if not all) of the cases Phoenix had. Wearing a greenish, dusty coat, detective Gumshoe could be described in one word: clumsy. How someone like him became a detective, or even a cop for that matter, was a question as complicated as the most basic human philosophical question of "Why are we here?", but in one way or another, he had proven himself useful in the quest for the truth: providing evidence that helped defense and prosecution alike, saving the lives of both Phoenix and Maya, as well as that of others, detective Gumshoe proved that, sometimes, all you need is a little of dumb luck and dedication for what you do.

After a few more minutes of preparation (including unfolding a previously made speech, dropping it and picking it up), the head detective started:

-Good morning, citizens of Los Angeles. Today, we are here to inform you of a certain event that took place just outside of L.A, but it still concern the city: as some of you might have heard, there's been a brutal murder, and the bodies were discovered in a construction site of the Waltz Light Company, which is currently remodeling and performing routine maintenance, giving the perpetrator easy access to the facility… What was I supposed to say now?

*And there he goes. Trademark clumsiness of detective Gumshoe* Phoenix thought to himself. As the poor detective was searching himself for the next part of the speech, Maya inquired:

-A murder? I didn't know about that, so what does he mean by "as some of you might have heard"? And since when does detective Gumshoe prepares a speech like that?

-Probably Edgeworth made it for him. And maybe they're preventing a massive rumor to scare the city, if that murder was as bad as they say it was. – Phoenix inquired. *That speech was obviously made by Edgeworth. No way could Gumshoe prepare something that long with such an extended vocabulary* He added in his mind.

Just as Phoenix was wondering why would a man as calculative as his friend would give someone as distracted as Gumshoe a fragmented speech, the detective found the rest of it and got back in track:

-As I was saying – "God, that was awkward" could be heard be whispered by the poor man – there is absolutely no need to panic. The person responsible for this has been found and taken into custody. He's currently locked in the Detention Center – he pointed with his thumb to the building behind him -, but as requested by Mr. Edgeworth, I'll let him take care of the remaining information.

And just like that, Gumshoe stepped out of the podium and went back inside of the building. A lot of questions from the media erupted, and amidst the scandal, one could discern questions like "What happened exactly?" "Who are the victims?" and many others demanding information about the events.

Before mass hysteria erupted, a man came out of the building. He was young, in his late 20's at worst (although he had grayish hair, which could deceive those who didn't know him), wearing a wine-colored suit with a cravat on his neck instead of a tie. He was prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, one of Phoenix' oldest friends and his rival in court. They both attended the same school during their childhood, but an incident many years ago had forced him to leave, and after a long time they finally met again. But something had changed inside Edgeworth in the years they were separated: his father was a defense attorney, so it was to be expected that he became one as well, following the steps of his father. His admiration of his father was so great, that he defended Phoenix during a class trial in which he was accused of stealing the lunch money of the very person that was defending him. But when they met in court, not only was he a prosecutor, but also a ruthless one at that. But after a strange series of events, he was somewhat back to be who he used to be: he wanted to defend the truly innocent people, but also bring the real culprits to justice… He was searching his path as a prosecutor.

After the media circus had cooled down with a hand gesture from the young prosecutor, he started ordering his ideas, before finally breaking the silence:

-Thank you, detective… As you have been previously informed, we have a suspect in custody, so there is absolutely no need to panic. This person is currently under interrogation, and more information shall be released once the processing is finished… Now I must leave, but I have time left for a quick session of Q&A before I retreat to finish the investigation.

And right on cue, chaos erupted once again, but slightly more organized than last time: all the crew from every channel pushed its way towards Edgeworth, hoping to have some of their questions answered. The prosecutor chose a random person from the group, who proceeded to ask:

-Mr. Edgeworth, Do you know the identity of the victims?

-Victims? And what makes you think there is more than one?

-Detective Gumshoe mentioned it earlier. He said, and I quote "bodies were discovered".

Edgeworth was obviously frustrated, as the look on his face made it obvious. *Curses, Detective. How many salary cuts do I have to give you until you stop messing up!?* Edgeworth thought to himself as he remembered he never wrote anything about bodies, but "evidence of a murder". After regaining composure, he answered:

-I'm afraid the identification process hasn't been performed yet. The bodies – he chewed his lip after saying that word, as it reminded him of the detective's error – are currently on the forensic lab, where the autopsy is currently taking place. Next question please.

And he pointed to another reporter:

-Sir, what can you tell us about your suspect?

Edgeworth was prepared for this one:

-As of right now, the only thing I can tell you is that we have decisive evidence that he is, in fact, the true culprit of this event. – He quickly checked his watch – I'm afraid that is all I can tell you. Now, if you excuse me, I must return to the investigation.

As he turned his back, he could be seen taking something from his pocket: a cell phone. He then started pushing buttons on it, obviously trying to make a call.

Back at Wright & Co. Phoenix was wondering why his friend would want him to see that conference. *Maybe he wanted to brag about his important job* the defense attorney thought to himself. *Nah, Edgeworth might be a little cocky on court, but he's not the kind that does things just to show. There has to be a meaning to this*

His train of thought was interrupted by a familiar and electronic sound: The Steel Samurai theme, or more accurately, a ringtone version of it that Maya installed on his cell phone. Someone was calling him, and based on the events he has just witnessed, he knew who it was. He picked his phone from his pocket and answered:

-Hello. Who is it? – He asked, more out of reflex than actual curiosity.

-Hello, Wright. – Just as he thought, Miles Edgeworth was on the other side of the line – You saw the news as I asked you to, didn't you?

-Yeah, I did. But what was the point of it? You only mentioned a murder.

-That was just the story we give to the general public. Right now, I need you and Miss Fey to come down to the Detention Center as soon as you can. No questions, and don't tell anyone about this.

Of all the things he was expecting to hear, this wasn't one of them. Phoenix remained silent for a moment, letting his mind process this request. After a few seconds, he finally gave a response:

W-Wait… What do you mean? Why do you want me to go there? – He thought for an additional second if he should ask his next question, but he found no reason to avoid it – Does this have anything to do with the case you were talking about earlier? That double murder?

Even Maya dropped the food she had on her fork when she heard this. After more silence, Phoenix finally got an answer… A vague one, unfortunately:

-Look, I can't discuss this on the phone. Just come here and I'll answer whatever questions you have, got it?

The call suddenly ended, indicating Edgeworth had hung up. He wasn't giving Phoenix a choice. After just staring at the device, a touch on his back brought him back to reality:

-Nick, what's going on? – Maya asked with obvious concern on her voice.

-Edgeworth called. He asked me to go to the Detention Center… And when I asked him about the case on the TV, he finished the call almost instantly.

It was Maya's turn to process the prosecutor's request. After a few seconds of deep thought, she asked:

-Sooo… What are you going to do?

-Well…– Phoenix meditated about it. He noticed the worried tone the voice of his friend had during that call, so he knew this was important. – It sounded like he was really desperate to have me there, so I think we should go. I don't know what he wants, but I do know something: if he's "asking" for something, then he really needs help.

Location: Detention Center, Private room.

Time: November 15, 12:30

The room in the Detention Center, in which a guard had placed Phoenix and Maya after they identified themselves, was everything you would expect of a meeting room: a table, chairs and a few drawers with several files (no doubt about deals performed by the prosecutors that used the room), all clean and ordered.

After about 5 minutes waiting, the door finally opened, revealing a familiar, and friendly, face: it was Detective Gumshoe.

-Hey! Morning, pal. How are you guys doing? – Gumshoe extended one hand to Phoenix

-Hello, Detective. - Phoenix saluted as he took Gumshoe's sweaty hand.

-Hi, Detective. – Maya said from the back.

-Sorry about asking, but… - Phoenix started as he cleaned the sweat on his suit – Why are you so nervous?

Gumshoe rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

-*Sigh* I guess you noticed, huh. I just got scolded by Mr. Edgeworth for giving that "confidential info" to the press. He said I wasn't supposed to say anything about the bodies, and he also threatened to cut my salary to half of it again if I messed up like that again.

*Ouch* Phoenix thought to himself. *Poor guy is already on a daily diet of instant noodles, and Edgeworth wants to take more money away from him? What is he going to eat, half cup of noodles?*

-Well, I guess I did say more than I should have back there, heh heh. But you know what they say: live and learn, right pal?

Phoenix just nodded awkwardly. After a few minutes of casual conversation: Phoenix noticed something:

-Where's Edgeworth? We've been for about ten minutes, and he hasn't showed up yet.

-Mr. Edgeworth is currently in a meeting with the Crime Scene Unit, gathering all the evidence from the initial investigation, but he should be here at any second.

Almost as if summoned, the door opened once again to reveal the face of Miles Edgeworth, cravat and everything. He made a gesture with his hand, indicating Gumshoe that he had to leave them alone. After the detective had left the room, Edgeworth approached to the Wright & Co. team and greeted both of them, apologizing for his delay in attending them. After the formalities, the prosecutor went ahead to the main topic:

-Wright, I assume you are aware of the reason as to why I asked you to come here…

Phoenix was expecting this, so he asked a question to which he already knew the answer:

-This is about the case you're working on, isn't it? The double murder at the Waltz Company?

-I'm afraid so… But that's not quite the reason why I asked you to come.

-Then what is it?

There was more silence. Obviously Edgeworth was thinking the better way to explain the situation, whatever it was. After a few seconds, the truth came out:

-Wright, the reason why I asked you to come is certainly related to my case, but said case is not the reason why I asked for your presence… Not directly, at least. Remember I announced that we had someone under custody?

-Yeah, I assume it's pretty much the reason why you gave that conference: avoid any possible panic that a brutal killer was out on the streets.

-Indeed, it was. People from both the construction and electricity companies found the bodies, and they were quite shocked from the scene. And I can't say I blame them. – Realizing they were getting off topic, the prosecutor shook his head to the sides and proceeded – Anyway, we do have someone under custody. There was evidence on the scene indicating to this person, so we tracked him down to his residence and the arrest was immediate. But when we started the interrogation, the man only said two specific things: first, he told us that he had a partner out there, and they had planted time bombs all over the city.

Once this information was revealed, both Phoenix and Maya felt as if their souls had been to Hell and back. Edgeworth allowed them a few moments to process this new information, and then proceeded with his briefing:

-Needless to say, no one believed a word of what he was saying. When he noticed this, he gave us one of the locations for a bomb. Not wanting to take any chances, I asked for a patrol to investigate the place, which was at a highly used train station…

-What happened? – Phoenix and Maya asked at the same time, fearing the worst.

-Turns out he was telling the truth. A K-9 unit was sent with the patrol as per the protocol, and the dog gave a positive response to a backpack that was left under a bench. The Bomb Squad was deployed to the location, and the device was disarmed. It was a pipe bomb, strong enough to kill anyone in a 15 ft. radius.

Phoenix and Maya were completely speechless. For one, they were shocked by the fact that this bomb had been placed in a train station, considering they had thought about taking a train to the Detention Center. And second, they still didn't know what was the point of bringing a lawyer and his assistant into this, which reminded Phoenix:

-Whoa, wait, hold on a second. You said the guy mentioned TWO things: first the bombs, but what else? And what does this have to do with Maya and me?

Edgeworth just crossed his arms and started moving his index finger up and down. Phoenix knew this gesture all too well: his friend was annoyed.

-I was getting to that, Wright. Don't be so hasty… Anyway, with the bomb out of the way, we continued the interrogation, but we were cut short by the second demand from this guy. And since the threat of bombs was still present, we were in no position to ignore any request. So I asked him what were his demands, and he only said one thing: "Bring Phoenix Wright here now!"

If the shock of knowing he could have an imminent death by a random explosion in the city didn't scare the hell out of him (which it did), the idea of a murderer asking for HIS presence certainly did the job. Phoenix was already sweating bullets by now, and this had brought him to a point where he feared a death by dehydration.

-He-he w-wanted… m-m-me? – Poor Phoenix couldn't even speak properly. – B-but w-why!?

-I don't know. He only asked us to bring you here and then he would give us a code to deactivate the others at distance. In fact, I was actually hoping you could get this guy to talk.

If there was something Phoenix didn't like, it was feeling as if he was being used. He had enough of it in Ivy U, from people threatening him to do their bidding, to "her". This was for a greater good, though, so it partially alleviated the feeling. After ordering the chaos that his mind currently was, he remembered the risk the city was currently in, so he decided to move on with the conversation:

-So… Where is he? – It took all of his will power not to stutter.

-He's in a special room. We use it to conduct the interrogations at the Detention Center, but he asked to hold the meeting specifically in that room. Follow me; I'll take you both there.

*Oh, joy.* Phoenix thought. *I'm going to be trapped in a room, possibly alone, with a double murderer… Why do you hate me so much, Universe?*

After a long walk, the trio was in front of a door with a huge glass next to it. Looking through the glass, all Phoenix could spot was a young man, possibly in his early 30's, sitting in front of a metallic table. He was staring at the walls, never noticing the attorney looking at him through the window. *Must be one of those one-sided windows* Phoenix thought. He was brought back to reality by a slight tap on his shoulder: Edgeworth gave him and Maya a signal to get in the room.

The atmosphere in the room could be described in only two words: "terrifying" and "awkward". On one hand, they were sharing the room with a killer that not only had dispatched two innocent people, but also threatened to blow up several points across the city just to get the presence of a spiky-haired attorney. But there was something else that interrupted the "I'm going to get killed if I stay here" atmosphere: this so-called killer looked distracted. He was staring at the only window that allowed the pass of light from the outside, not even turning around when the door opened. Once the door closed, however, he quickly glanced at the people that had just come in. He disregarded the prosecutor as an already known face, quickly examined Maya (mostly interested in her robes, as proven when he uttered "Interesting wardrobe"), but stopped cold when he saw Phoenix. He then stood up, approached Edgeworth and whispered something to his ear. The prosecutor left the room, but not before whispering to Phoenix "Be careful. And tell me everything he says to you". Then he approached to what Phoenix thought it was the AC system, but after he lifted the switch, Phoenix couldn't feel the room getting hotter or colder. Before he could wonder what that was supposed to do, Maya pulled his sleeve and pointed to the one-sided mirror: it was now a regular window, showing the outside.

After Edgeworth was gone and out of view, the man closed the door without a previous warning. After that, the most unexpected thing one could think of under these circumstances took place: the guy fell to his knees in front of Phoenix and… began to cry?

*What the hell!?* That was all the defense attorney could think of in this situation. And adding to the weirdness, Phoenix started patting the man on the back, more instinctively than out of actual pity. After a good 5 minutes of tears, snots and Kleenex, Phoenix decided to start the conversation:

-Are you alright? – Phoenix asked.

-Y-yes. I'm fine. I'm just glad you're finally here…

-Finally?

After removing a few remaining tears, the man continued:

-Thank God you're here Mr. Wright. My name is Frank. Frank Lincoln. I'm sorry I had to force you to come here, but… Look, I need your help.

Both Phoenix and Maya were dumbfounded. Things were going way too fast: first, they're told a murderer had requested his presence, and next thing they know, said person is crying right in front of them and asking for their help.

-Wh-what? – The defense duo asked at the same time as a drop of sweat was falling from each of their heads.

"Awkward silence" could barely describe what happened next. You could throw in some cricket noise, and still not make the atmosphere more uncomfortable. After putting his ideas in order, Phoenix decided to ask:

-Why did you ask me to come here?

-Well… That's a long story.

-You can tell us. It's not like we have anything better to do. – Maya interrupted, earning her a glare from Phoenix – What? It's the truth.

Phoenix just sighed at this. *I hate when she's right. But most important, we have to find out what this guy wants with me* Phoenix thought. Before he could move on with the conversation, however, Frank proceeded:

-Mr. Wright. You know why am I here don't you?

Phoenix meditated if he should answer the man's question. He knew why he was here, but that was the very reason why he thought he shouldn't say anything: if he angered this person while it was just the three of them, something really bad could happen. So he thought about the best, nicer and less life-threatening answer he could give:

-You were arrested. – That was the best he could come up with. It was the truth, yet it was soft enough to not push the wrong buttons.

-*Sigh* Unfortunately. But listen: – his voice was getting louder and more excited – whatever they told you I did, I didn't do it! You have to believe me!

Phoenix was getting more interested in this man's story. *Accused of something you didn't do? Never heard that before* Phoenix thought sarcastically, since pretty much all of his clients told the same story, with a few exceptions. But what actually compelled him to stay, was the fact that most of them were truly innocent.

-Alright, let's get over the facts again, if you agree. – Frank nodded in approval. – You were arrested and charged for a double murder, and the bodies were found in the construction site next to the Waltz Co.

-Exactly. They arrested me because they found evidence that points to me as the responsible… That and the fact that I, heh heh, work there as part of the construction crew.

*HE WORKS THERE!? That would give him the means to get in the facilities… Drat! You're not making this any easier!* Phoenix shouted in his mind.

-*Sigh* Anyway… When you were under interrogation, you told the police that you had an accomplice on the outside; waiting to detonate bombs if they didn't bring me to you, right?

-Pretty much yeah, but there's something else YOU need to know. – Frank said, putting an extra emphasis on the "you" part. As if this was something he needed to know more than anyone… or something only he should know.

Frank then turned towards the back of his chair, searching in a jacket neither Phoenix nor Maya had noticed before. He then pulled out a cassette, along with a player for it, and placed them in front of him. After he was done, he continued with the explanation:

-Mr. Wright. A few days ago, I found this, along with another cassette, mixed with my daily mail. At first I thought it was some kind of new advertising, but there was a note with the package that said: "Play me. It's for their good". At the bottom of the envelope that carried the cassettes, there was a picture… - A few more tears could be seen coming from the corner of his eye. – It was a picture of… my girlfriend and son. Her mouth was covered by what seemed to be a sock. Probably to prevent her from screaming. My baby was sleeping in his little rocking chair. – He then took out the photo from his pocket, and showed it to the duo.

This day was already bad enough for Phoenix and Maya, but hearing this story completely broke their hearts. Unable to do anything, as every rational thought had gone to the south, Frank continued:

-I did as the note told me to. I played the one that had my name on it and left the one labeled as "Him" aside. My mind was only focused on the picture, but I remember the basic idea of the message: a distorted voice told me that he had my family, and if I wanted to see them again, I'd have to "play a game". The voice told me about the murders that would take place today, and told me not to interfere. It also told me that the police would come after me as the prime suspect. When that happened, I was supposed to tell the cops about the bombs and give them one of the locations if they didn't seem to believe me. The next step was to ask- no, demand for your presence, and give the cops this when you showed up – Frank took a paper out of his pocket and showed it to Phoenix. It had several numbers on it. – It's the code to disarm the bombs. There's also a website. You open it and input the code. That is supposed to turn them off.

Phoenix was about to stand up and take the code to Edgeworth (there was a brief moment where he considered giving it to Gumshoe, but he discarded the idea almost immediately). Before he could at least reach the door, however, there was a shout:

-WAIT!

Phoenix froze in his place. Frank was standing, his face full of fear that his only hope was about to leave him there.

-I'm supposed to give it to either the cops or a prosecutor. Besides, there's also something else for you. – He raised the cassette from the table. – You have to hear this.

Frank handed Phoenix the cassette, and the first thing the attorney noticed was a label on one of the sides: "Him". Suddenly, the world around Phoenix seemed to vanish. There was only him and the cassette. What brought him back to reality this time, was a light tap on his arm by Maya. She pointed him to a corner, indicating she wanted to talk to him in private. They moved to the farthest corner of the room for their little chat. Maya was the first to talk: (note that the following is in whispers)

-Nick. Are you sure we should be doing this? We don't even know who he is.

-I know, Maya. But you saw the photo. We can't just leave him like this.

-I know that. Look, I'm not saying we should leave him, but we better make sure that he's telling the truth.

He knew what the medium was talking about. She told him to use the Magatama: an ancient amulet from the Fey family. Given to him by Maya and charged with Pearl's (Maya's cousin) spiritual energy. This energy allowed its user (Phoenix) to see the mental barriers a person had to cover a secret, known as Psyche-Locks. The more Locks a person had around his/her heart, the more concealed a secret was.

But there was a trick to it: if your question is too accurate, someone could tell the truth about that question and escape the jewel's power via a Loophole. In short, you could ask a person if they killed someone, and they could answer with a simple no. However, that person could have hired someone to do the evil deed. They didn't kill anyone directly, but they were still responsible for it. Phoenix had to learn this lesson the hard way.

Before seating back, Phoenix had a quick thought: *Hey! When did Maya became the voice of reason?* But he then hated himself for thinking like that about his assistant, as he started to remember the recent events that forced her to mature her attitude…

Avoiding any kind of painful reminiscence, Phoenix took a seat, and prepared for his own "interrogation":

-Alright, Mr. Lincoln…

-Call me Frank. – Frank interrupted.

-Frank… Before we go any further, I'd like to ask you some questions…

-NOW!? Can't you see I'm in a hurry!? – The man shouted.

-Look, I just want to make sure that I can trust you. Then I'll help you save your family.

Frank slowly calmed himself, apparently realizing the attorney had a valid point.

-Fine. But hurry up; I don't know how much time I have.

Holding the Magatama in his pocket, Phoenix started the process:

-Frank… Did you kill-No… Are you involved in any way with the murders?

-No, sir. I had nothing to do with it. I just knew they would happen beforehand, but I'm in no way responsible for it.

A few seconds passed without events of any kind, so the questioning continued:

-Is this kidnap real? – Phoenix asked.

-YEAH! You think I would do this to my own family!? – Frank answered, obviously mad at the insinuation that he would do such a thing.

Phoenix didn't flinch at the outburst. He was expecting it. And once again, nothing happened, so he asked his last question:

-Frank: Are you telling us the truth? And I mean the whole truth: no lies, no secrets or in any way hiding information from us? – Truth be told, after the time when a murderer almost got away unpunished due to the loophole in the Magatama, he started to develop a line of questioning that could cover all of the bases. This last question is one he developed after a lot of trial and error (mostly by asking Maya if she had eaten the last of any kind of food in the fridge. She may not have done the act yet, but she could certainly hide a slice of cake for later).

And then it happened: three Psyche-Locks appeared right in front of Frank, the only one able to see them being Phoenix.

-No, sir. That's all I know. – Frank said, unaware that his secrets had been exposed.

Since he was just staring at the man, Maya was getting impatient:

-Nick, do you see anything? – Maya whispered on his ear since she could not see the Locks by herself.

-Yes. Three locks – Phoenix whispered back – Huh? Wait a second… - Before he could say anything else, he noticed something odd about the Psyche-Locks:

The first was an average lock: red with golden decorations and a keyhole, located in the middle of the set. The other two locks, however, had slight changes on them… The one at Phoenix's left was like his brother in the middle; the only difference being the lack of key hole. Instead, there was a text engraved on it. Phoenix tried to focus his eyes on the text, but the lock (as if reading his mind) approached to him so he could have a better look at it. There was a name on the place where a keyhole should have been…

-Maya, have you ever heard of Psyche-Locks with text on them? – Phoenix whispered to the medium.

-Huh? Text? – The girl was caught off-guard by this question. – Nope, never heard of it. Why?

-One of them has a name on it. Some – He turned to the lock in order to read the name – Shawn Spencer.

-Well, I've never heard of Psyche-Locks with names on them. And I don't know who this "Shawn" guy is, either. – The girl pondered about the issue for a few seconds. – My guess is that we're only going to crack that thing if he comes here.

Phoenix decided to leave that lock aside, and brought his attention to the next one…

This lock also had a text on it. Only this time, the text was a date: November 16, 9:50 a.m.

-The other one has a date on it. Tomorrow at 9:50 a.m. –Phoenix reported back to Maya.

-Well, I guess it must be the same story but with another target: we won't open that lock until we reach that date.

Phoenix had already considered that possibility. But hearing it from someone more related with mystical issues was always reassuring. He started to weight his options, and after a few moments, Maya asked the very same question that was in his head:

-What do you think? Can we trust him?

-Well… - He thought about the best way to describe their current situation. – He certainly knows more than he's telling us. I mean, he has three Psyche-Locks, after all. But there is no sign that he's involved in the murders or the kidnap. But I'm more concerned about that tape he has. – He pointed to the cassette that was directed to him.

-So he might know something, but he's not a killer or a kidnapper, right? Then I say we should help him. – Maya said cheerfully.

The defense attorney was left with two choices: on one side, Frank had three Psyche-Locks (two with specific requirements to break them); and he was pretty sure those secrets would come back to bite him when he less expected it. However, this man's family was also in danger, of that he was sure. And they had already proven that this man wasn't involved in any death. Both options countered each other, but hearing Maya approving of helping him made the decision an obvious one:

-Alright, Frank. Let's see what this guy has for me.

Having his plead for help positively answered, Frank jumped out of his seat, fists raised to the air in celebration and shouting "Hell Yeah!" at the top of his lungs. Without any delay, he took the tape and the player and handed them to Phoenix:

-Maybe you should do the honors, Mr. Wright.

Taking the equipment, Phoenix started placing the cassette on its place (thankfully it had the label "This side up"). Before doing anything else, he asked:

-Everyone ready? – A nod from Maya and Frank was the answer. – Well… Here we go.

After pushing the Play button, there was a brief moment of static before they were greeted by an eerie and distorted voice:

-Hello, Mr. Phoenix Wright. I want to play a game…

-Wow. That reminds me of that horror movie we saw once, but I can't remember its name. – Maya said in the brief pause the voice made, earning her a glare from both men. Before a scolding came, the voice continued:

-During your entire career, you've been defending those who are truly innocent and have no one by their side. A noble act, indeed. I'd give you my respect, if not for a single reason: you've never done anything by yourself. - *What does he mean by "Never done anything by yourself"? I resent that* Phoenix thought. – And by that, I'm not talking about any kind of help you might get from that air-headed assistant of yours, - Maya pouted at this – her little cousin, or even your "dead" mentor.

Both Phoenix and Maya were surprised by the emphasis the voice used on the word "Dead", almost as if it knew about the channeling. This was confirmed instantly:

-Yes, Mr. Wright. And you as well, Ms. Maya Fey, since you must be also listening to this. I know about the Kurain technique, but let's get back to the main topic… The kind of help I'm talking about is one you're not supposed to have, and yet you do, and it gives you a great and unfair advantage over other lawyers: inside help. Help from inside the Prosecution's office or the Police Department. They're supposed to be against you, yet they give you all the ammo you need to win your case. Miles Edgeworth has helped you God knows how many times, Franziska von Karma tagged along with the plan to delay the trial from that Hazakura case, and that Godot guy even brought your attention back to a murder he himself committed. Don't take it personally, I find your sense of justice admirable. But I'm also disappointed with the law-enforcement officers: if they did their job right in the first place, no innocent would ever be punished. Consider this game a lesson for both the defense and the prosecution, which takes me to the rules…

Phoenix had an inhuman blend of feelings: he was offended by the voice's insinuation that he would be incapable of winning cases without help; scared of its knowledge about Maya, Pearl and Kurain, making him wonder how much this person knew about them; but most of all, he was disgusted by its hypocrisy at saying it admired his sense of justice, yet it kidnapped a family for a twisted game.

Maya had similar feelings right now (minus the offended part), but was mostly scared about what this voice knew about her family. The most shocking for her was the fact that it knew about Pearl. But before anyone could say anything, the message continued:

-Mr. Wright. The rules are simple but long. You can play this tape as many times as you like, but I wouldn't waste any time on replays if I were you: the man in front of you is named Frank Lincoln, but I assume introductions were already performed, so let me tell you something about him… This man is innocent of any charges he has against him. The murders were all committed by my person and a second party, and we also kidnapped his family. He's just a mean to an end, so this is where you come in: I want you to defend him in court, but I assume you were already planning to do so as soon as you heard my confession. – Phoenix was once again surprised by how cleverly the voice could predict his next move. – However, unlike Shelly de Killer, I'm not going to tell you how to do your job, or force you to break your principles. I don't even care about the verdict. I just want to test your true capabilities as an attorney. Should you refuse… Well, let's just say Frank is going to have his next family reunion at the morgue.

At this threat, Frank started to cry once again, so Phoenix decided to pause the tape for a moment and went to comfort his future client:

-Frank, are you ok?

-Please, Mr. Wright. You have to do it! – The poor man was shaking in fear.

-Don't worry. I wasn't planning to decline, anyway. Not only you're innocent, but two people's lives depend on this. There's no doubt I'm taking this case, but I need to hear the rest of that tape.

The words seemed to have worked, since Frank was starting to calm down. After getting everyone's approval, Phoenix started the tape again:

-After you take the case, my rules are simple: you can manage it as you see fit, but you can't tell the police, or any prosecutor, about my messages or this man's situation. Let them act on the idea that Frank is a cold-blooded killer. You can still get reports and evidence from them since it's mandatory they give them to you at some point before the trial, but let them figure out the rest by themselves. I'll know if you tell them. Trust me, I have my own means to know, and the same threat goes for spilling the beans about me…

*So this person wants me to defend Frank, not telling the police about the tapes? And how would he or she know if I tell them?* Phoenix was trying to understand his current situation, but his train of thoughts was interrupted by one last message:

-Oh, and one last thing. And this one you can tell the cops, but tell them Frank said this… Call Santa Barbara. Tell them that Ying Yang moved to L. A. – And just like that, the tape stopped.

A/N: Hello, reader. If you're reading this, it means I did a good work on keeping you interested enough to reach the end. So thank you for reading this, and I have a few messages of myself for all of you (no audio tapes or murders from me… yet. I promise).

First of all, this is my first fanfic. I just had this crazy idea of Psych and its antics mixed with the Ace Attorney universe, and I couldn't get it out of my head. Next thing you know, I'm spending any free time alone I can get by writing this (including nights without sleep, since I can't write if I'm being watched). First fic = reviews and feedback accepted, but please don't flame. If you have hate in your heart, go punch a boulder or something (internet cookie if you know where this comes from).

Second, and this is to avoid a lot of reviews with the same content: I know the timelines of Ace Attorney and Psych don't match (Bridge to the Turnabout is in 2019, and Yang 3 in 2D was released in 2010), but just pretend this is an universe where the events of the game happened earlier in time, or Psych is in the future. Whatever suits you the most.

I have a few scenarios I want to include in this fic, but it's up to the fans if I should give a few spoilers. So vote in the review section if I should reveal them beforehand. Here's a little incentive: guests whipped and girly screams.

I think I'm forgetting about something… *gets whipped by Franzy* OOOUCH! What the hell!? Oh, right: Psych doesn't belong to me. All props belong to its creator, Steve Franks, and whatever company owns it. Neither does Ace Attorney. That would be Capcom and the genius of Shu Takumi… I sure as hell wish they did, but they don't.