DISCLAIMED: NOT THE OWNER OF PHEONIX WRIGHT (lucky CAPCOM... *angry grumbles*…) BUT PLEASE ENJOY THIS FANFIC!
Date: ?
Location: ?
"This wasn't supposed to happen… this was supposed to be over… no, this can't be happening… NOOOOOOOOO!"
His cries were in vain as the warm, red liquid dripped onto his face, causing him nothing but sheer terror as he continued to scream, only to find solace in the black nothing that followed.
Date: May 1st
Location: Wright Anything Agency
"Hey! Give it back! It's my turn to use the remote!", Athena shouted as she tried to regain control of the device.
Apollo was not willing to hand it over, "No way! You've been hogging the T.V. ever since the pirate shows started playing last week! It's MY turn!"
Pheonix sighed as he thought to himself, "Sometimes I wonder if this is a law office or I'm being paid to babysit…"
Apollo changed the channel to a news report, "… and in other news, a patient of Goodman's Mental Health Clinic was arrested today for the murder of his parents and therapist. Authorities have given no statement on the matter and are insisting that the killer has indeed, been caught-"
Pheonix was a bit surprised when Apollo changed the channel again. He tried not to yell, "Apollo, can you change the channel back?"
Apollo waved his hand in the air, still trying to avoid Athena, "Sorry boss, but that guy's already got a lawyer. I already asked around the prosecutor's office, and they say he's got some crazy, out-of-this world lawyer team on his case."
"Is it too much to hope for a new case…?"
Athena stopped trying to grab the remote, "Wait a minute… Goodman Mental Health Clinic… Apollo, change the channel back!"
He raised an eyebrow, "What, why?"
She went into full-blown angry mode, "Just do it!"
Apollo flipped it back as a picture of a boy with one blue eye and one green eye was flashed across it. The reported continued her report on the young snowy haired child, "… indeed, things are looking grim for the upcoming trial of Valentine Heart."
Athena took the remote and paused it, "Boss, we need to get to the detention center right now!"
Pheonix raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"
"We got a new client!"
Date: May 1st
Location: Detention Center
Apollo looked to Pheonix again, "Hey, Mr. Wright?"
Pheonix looked to Apollo, "What's up?"
"Not to complain or anything… but how much longer is Athena going to make us wait here?"
Pheonix contemplated the matter, they had already been waiting for two hours, "Not sure. But from the look she gave us at the office, she really believes this guy's innocent."
Athena returned to the two of them with her thumb held up, "I got us the interview! Let's go!"
Once they entered the room for the interview, Pheonix and Apollo wondered if they were staring at a person, or just an empty shell of one. His picture on the news looked a lot livelier than the actual person, and they had seen it through a old, crummy T.V. that had a cracked screen.
Athena approached the ghost of a person, who had curled up, hugging his knees as he looked away and sat in the chair, "Val? You okay?"
Valentine didn't move, it was like he couldn't hear her voice.
"Val? It's me, Athena. Can you hear me?"
He blinked, but did little else.
"I think I know what you need!", she reached into her purse, then pulled out a small ice cream sandwich, fully wrapped. She slid it under the glass window, "I know it's your favorite!"
The boy eyed it for a moment before tentatively reaching out to touch it. After some hesitation, he unwrapped it and ate it in small bites, then looked at Athena through the glass, "T-Thank you… Miss Cykes…"
Athena smiled, "Don't mention it, Val! And I told you, call me Athena! So, can you tell me what happened?"
He looked down, "… The police officer told me… that I was in trouble… because I merr… merr…", he seemed to have trouble forming the word.
"Murdered?"
"Yeah… he said I 'merrderred' my parents…"
"What?! Why would he say that?"
"I dunno… I don't remember doing it… but he said I did… so I probably did…"
Pheonix put his hand on Athena's shoulder as he tried to speak with Valentine, "My name is Pheonix Wright, I'm a friend of Athena's. Did anybody tell you they would be standing for you in court?"
Val nodded, "Mr. Newman did, but the officer said he was… im… imo…"
"Emotionally involved?"
"Mm-hm, so he can't"
Athena smiled, "Well, we could stand for you in court, if you want!"
He tilted his head, "But my legs work… I can stand with a basketball team…"
"No, a court of law, not a basketball court."
"Oh… um… yeah, I guess. I don't know that much about the law…"
"We'll need to get some papers for you to sign, but is there anything you could tell us that might help?"
Pheonix saw it happen so fast he almost fell over backwards. Ten. The boy was covered in ten Psyche-locks, all of them a dark black. Apollo felt his bracelet tighten up so hard, he was worried it was cutting off circulation to his hand. Athena heard a discord so hard she could nearly feel it rattling in her head. The boy looked down, ignoring all of their slight shows of shock, "No… I don't know anything about what happened."
Athena was taken aback, "What… just happened?"
Apollo pondered the same question, "Athena, just who is that boy?"
Pheonix had pooled their information and come to a conclusion, "There is something very wrong going on here, so start from the very beginning"
Athena sighed, "It was a couple months ago, I started helping out at Goodman's Mental Health Clinic because I figured it was something I could do on my days off. I've helped people while I was there, but I really became a huge help to Val."
"Why was he there?"
"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me. But my job was to make sure he took his medicine every day and try to brighten his day a little bit. We kinda became friends, I guess you could say. Not surprising, I mean we are the same age and all"
"Listen, I believe in you and I trust your judgement, but how can you tell he's innocent?"
"Val wouldn't harm a fly! I know he wouldn't! There's gotta be another reason for the discord in his heart!"
Apollo rubbed his wrist, "He knows something, but I couldn't find his nervous tic when my bracelet reacted… something's seriously eating at this kid"
Pheonix rubbed his chin, "Whatever this is, it's even effecting his soul to a point I've never seen before. His trial is tomorrow, and we have literally no time to investigate, and the client can't or won't tell us anything"
"Yeah, what took so long to get the interview with him, anyway?"
"I had to get the sandwich through security first. I figured he needed it, after what all he's been through, that was the least I could do for him", Athena explained
"But why an ice cream sandwich?"
"They're his favorite treat. I used to bring one to him when he felt really sad, and they would bring his spirits up a little bit. I don't know if they have a special meaning to him or not, but they make him feel happier"
"I have a bad feeling about this… but I'll stick by your side, Athena"
Pheonix smiled, "I'll back you up, too, Athena"
"Alright! Let's do this!"
Date: May 2nd
Location: Defense Lobby No. 4
Pheonix tried to remain calm as he smiled at his client, "So, how are you feeling today?"
Valentine looked blankly at the floor, "I asked for a book on law yesterday. There was a lot of big words in it, but I think you're trying to help me stay out of jail, right?"
"You could say that"
"Oh wait, I'm old enough to be given the death penalty… and this is a murder trial… so I guess you're trying to keep me alive, then?"
Pheonix wasn't sure how the boy could casually say it without any fear, "Um… yeah"
Valentine smiled, "That's very kind of you… Mr. Wright. I don't know much about the evidence they have, but I overheard the police say there was someone… who saw something important"
"A witness?"
"And something about… the prosecutor… it was important… but I can't remember what was said…"
Pheonix wondered if there was a prosecutor that WASN'T a huge star, other than Winston Payne or his brother, "Don't worry, I've seen more than one tough prosecutor in my time"
Apollo entered the room, "I was able to get the autopsy report on the victims. All three of them were drugged before they died, then injected with a poison that stopped their hearts. It says they were also stabbed post-mortem, except for the therapist"
Athena bounced in merrily, "Hey, boss! I just got back from my warm-up run! I'm ready to go!"
Date: May 2nd
Location: Courtroom No. 4
The judge banged his gavel, "Court will now convene for the trial of Valentine Heart. Is the defense ready?"
Pheonix nodded, "Yes, your honor"
"Ah, hello Mr. Wright. I almost expected you to be the defense for this case"
Pheonix thought the comment over, "Based on the trials he's had with me… that would mean the case is hopeless…"
"But I digress, is the prosecution ready?"
The man standing at the prosecutor's bench was standing tall and proper, his black suit clean as a whistle, it's shine matched by his short, ebony hair. His white shirt beneath it only slightly paler than his skin. The only outstanding point about his appearance was the fact one of his eyes was a deep jade, while the other was a crystal-like blue, "The prosecution is ready, your honor"
The judge looked surprised, "Prosecutor Heart! I wasn't aware you were the one acting as prosecutor for this trial!"
He seemed annoyed, "There is no acting being done, your honor. I am the prosecution and intend to do my job to the letter"
The calmness of the words being spoken sent a chill up Pheonix's spine. Valentine, however, seemed unphased by it, "Hello… Horus. It has been a while"
The prosecutor ignored him, holding himself at a higher position than Valentine did, "I will not allow anything to effect my judgement in this trial, your honor. And I would appreciate it if you all would stop insisting I would…", he gave Valentine a dirty look, "… simply because the defendant is my brother"
There was a small scatter of talking through the courtroom, but the biggest shock was seen in the face of the entire defense team. None of them could fathom a reason why a man would be allowed to prosecute his own brother. Valentine just shrugged it off and smiled, "I missed you, Horus. It's good to see you're doing well, did you get my letters?"
The prosecutor placed a large box of letters onto his desk, "Yes. All the letters you sent me over the past four years have been logged into evidence"
"Oh, good, I was afraid they didn't reach you, since I never got a reply"
"What is going on here?!", Pheonix tried to sweat less as he tried to put the pieces together.
The judge shook his head, "My apologies, I didn't mean to doubt your professionalism, Prosecutor Heart. Please, go ahead with the opening statement"
Heart nodded, "Thank you. The crime in question is the murder of Dr. Laura B. Orealis, Mr. Chris T. Heart, and Mrs. Heart. All three of them were murdered at Goodman's Mental Health Clinic at the same time, somewhere between nine fifty at night and twelve thirty in the morning. The only person in the room at the time other than the victims was the defendant, additionally, the defendant was in possession of the murder weapon, which bears his prints and his alone, after he was discovered at the scene of the crime. As if we needed any more evidence, the defendant does not deny he commited the act"
Pheonix had to intervene, before the judge could be led any farther, "Objection! The defendant has made no confession to the crime!"
"And who said he did?"
"What?"
"He made no confession, this is true. But tell me, defendant, did you murder the victims?"
Valentine shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. I have no memory of last night"
Pheonix couldn't believe his ears, he looked to Athena and Apollo, who both looked equally shocked. Apollo rubbed his wrist, "Boss… I'm not getting anything"
Athen shook her head, "Me, either. What about the Magatama? Can you see the Psyche-Locks?"
Pheonix realized the magnitude of his situation, "No… there are none"
Prosecutor Heart didn't miss a beat, "If the question has been answered, the prosecution would like to call its first witness, the guard on duty that night, to the stand"
Pheonix could only cross his fingers and pray as the first witness of the trial was brought to the stand. Maybe a little clarity would be brought in on this truckload of mysteries he couldn't explain. The witness that was brought in stood at the stand and eyed the whole room, which wasn't hard, considering his amber eyes were big enough to make the rest of his tan face look small.
Heart crossed his arms, "Please state your name and profession"
The man smiled, "Who, me? My name's Hock U. Lars, I'm a security guard for Goodman's Mental Health Clinic."
"Fantastic. Now please testify as to what you saw on the night in question. Please leave out anything irrelevant"
"Okay. I got in for my shift at about five minutes after midnight. I did an hour-long sweep of the halls, and most of the patients were in their rooms. I noticed that Val wasn't in his room, so I checked the security cameras, but he wasn't anywhere. So I checked the white room, and sure enough, there he was. I wasn't expecting to see the victims. After a quick check, I found that Val was the only one alive, and I called the police. I still can't believe this is happening…"
Pheonix decided to start with the most obvious point, "So, you didn't actually witness the crime being commited?"
Heart interjected, "There is no need for him to have witnessed it. This security tape recorded the movements of the people in the hallways, aside from the defendant, nobody else is seen on the tape. Have a look if you wish, you won't find anything."
Pheonix looked over the tape quickly, and he was correct, at the time stamp of 11:36 P.M. Valentine could clearly be seen walking through the halls. Aside from that, there wasn't a soul that could be seen throughout the complex, from 11:00 P.M. until 1:00 A.M. Apollo continued to view it as Athena started to sweat, "This is bad…"
Heart wasn't ready to let up, "We also found a cell phone in the defendant's room. It has no calls or any other form of communication on it, save for a single text, as the rest had been erased. The contents of that text have been recorded for the court as follows, 'Be in THAT room by midnight. What you seek is there, DON'T FORGET what you promised me'. This phone was bought and paid for in cash several months ago, there is no record of who purchased it and the service on it was provided by a local company to a John Doe, who was careful not to show his face to anyone"
Athena grasped at straws, "Just what does that have to do with this case?!"
"The message was recieved on the night of the crime. It is evidence that the defendant had premeditated the act"
"Premeditated?"
"On average, this witness would be allowed to claim mental instability, and the deaths would not be murder, but an accident. However… this phone reveals that the defendant had planned the act ahead of time, therefore…", Heart pointed at his brother, "… he commited the act with his mind intact! He is a cold-blood killer! There is no question!"
"Objection!", Pheonix slammed his hands onto the desk, "You have yet to prove he commited the act beyond a shadow of a doubt!"
"Cease this! I have shown that nobody else had the opportunity to commit the crime! The murder weapon was found in his hands, and his prints alone are on it! He himself cannot deny that he is the murderer! Need we keep up this useless faćade?! Your honor, hand down the just verdict!", Heart kept his posture, but his anger was shown easily through his scowl.
"This is bad… I need to make an opening… something just big enough to buy some wiggle room!", Pheonix wracked his brain.
The judge nodded, "If there are no objections, I-"
"HOLD IT!", Athena shouted, her finger outstretched, "The defense claims its right to cross-examine the witness!"
"Very well then, the defense may cross-examine the witness"
Athena gave Pheonix a serious look, "Boss, there's discord in his voice!"
Pheonix nodded, "Alright, then, Athena, you and Widget do your thing"
Widget chirped in, "You got it, boss!"
As the hologram flashed, Pheonix immediately picked up on the out-of-place emotion, "Mr. Lars, you stated that when you discovered the bodies of the victims, you were surprised, is that correct?"
Lars nodded, "Yeah"
"Then why don't you remember feeling surprised?"
"Excuse me?"
"While you claim shock, you don't register as much of it when you noticed the bodies than when you confirmed they were dead"
"Wait, I said I was surprised to see them, but I meant to see them dead. Mr. and Mrs. Heart were supposed to visit that night"
Pheonix watched the noise percentage dropped, "They were? What for?"
"They said they wanted to visit Val. I expected them to come at some point."
"Then why were you still surprised? You couldn't have known they were dead at a glance"
"No… but I didn't expect to see them in the white room. After all, it's reserved for patient sessions"
"Hm… so they should've been somewhere else?"
"I would've thought so, but maybe Dr. Orealis wanted to speak with them, after all, she does have a keycard to the room."
"Keycard? So the door is locked electronically?"
"Yep. Only me, Mr. Goodman, and the physicians have cards, but the door was open, and the record shows that it was Dr. Orealis that opened it."
"I see. Just one more thing, when you stated you were conducting your sweep of the area for the defendant, you were very afraid, why was that?"
"There was an incident a few months ago that provoked my fear during the search. I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to talk about it"
"Why is that?"
"Patient confidentiality, while I'm not an actual physician, I have to respect that all the same"
"It's okay", Lars was surprised as Valentine nodded to him, "You have my permission to tell them."
"B-But Val!"
"I know, but you're important to me, you don't have to lie for me. Go ahead, tell them, I'm sure that Horus already knows"
Prosecutor Heart looked away from them, a solomn look on his face, "State the facts, witness"
Lars sighed, "… The reason I was afraid… was because I stopped Val from killing himself in the first month he was at the clinic... and I thought he was making another attempt"
"It is as the witness claims. For several weeks, the defendant was placed under a suicide watch, only after plenty of rehabilitation was he allowed to be treated as a normal patient. While I thought this fact wouldn't be brought up, it is still one that is in favor of the prosecution"
"Hold it!", Pheonix shouted, "Why would this have anything to do with the trial now?"
"Why don't you have the psychology expert over there explain it?"
Athena sweated, "Psychologically, if a person is proven to be suicidal, they are much more likely to commit homicide, like, a LOT more likely"
"You see? Even that which the prosecution feels no need to dredge up is not in the defense's favor. Is there really much more that needs to be said?"
The judge closed his eyes in thought, "Mr. Wright, I know how you tend to drag out trials for very long periods of time. But, you often yield the truth, so I will give you one more chance to make some form of a case. You may ask the witness one more question, but should it fail to be relevant, I will hand down my verdict"
Pheonix tried to wrack his brain for the right question, "Alright, time to think outside the box! I don't need to prove he couldn't have done it… just that someone else could've! There has to be something I can use! … Damn it! I've got nothing!"
"Ha… ha ha… ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!", the courtroom focused its attention on Valentine, who was laughing violently and uncontrolabley, "Is that really the best you've got, brother?! I'm starting to think you aren't even trying!"
Athena was reeling, the sound of his voice was correct, but his tone was unlike anything she'd ever heard leave his lips. Prosecutor Heart seemed shaken, "Are you trying to slander me?! I have put my all into this case!"
His sick, twisted smile made Apollo shiver, "Really? Have you now? Then explain to me the massive contradiction that lies directly beneath your nose"
"What contradiction?"
"Hmph, too proud to even admit a mistake, you're really missing something so significant, yet you fail to realize its importance"
"Enough games! If you have proof of a contradiction, then present it!"
"Mr. Wright, you are the attorney, please do the honors of showing him where the fault lies in both his witness's claim and his evidence, so that I can WATCH the prosecution's arguement be SWEPT aside. It should be NOTHING for a pro like you"
Pheonix read over the statements again, then looked at the evidence, and it all became clear, "Take that!"
The judge furrowed his brow, "The security footage?"
"Yes, your honor. As discussed, the defendant is seen entering the scene of the crime."
"Cease this!", Heart interjected, "What is this supposed to prove?!"
"What else does this tape show?"
"Nothing! The rest of this tape shows no activity at all!"
Pheonix smiled, the stage was set as he slammed his desk, "Exactly! If the footage was of the time period it appears to be, it's missing one very important detail! The witness, Mr. Lars, should be on this tape, doing his sweep of the halls!"
Heart felt like he had just punched in the chest, "WHAT?!"
"The tape could only have been tampered with slightly if it managed to sneak by police computer screening. The slightest altercation of the picture can be picked up in an instant."
"Are you proposing this evidence was fabricated?!"
"No, at least, not by the police or the prosecution. There are two questions that have to be answered before we can know who did this. The first is, 'What did they do to the evidence?'. The answer lies in the time stamp. If the killer set the clock ahead an hour, it wouldn't show Mr. Lars doing his sweep."
"That would place the defendant inside of the room an hour earlier than originally anticipated"
"Correct. But this leads us to our secondary question, 'Who would benefit from this switch?'. The answer can only be… the real killer!"
"Cease this! Mr. Wright, while your explination seems to hold water, you're overlooking one very important fact"
"Which is?"
"So what if he was an hour early? The tape clearly shows that nobody was in the halls from 10:00 to midnight."
"What is he getting at…? Oh, crap!", Pheonix thought to himself.
"That is correct, there was nobody but the defendant in that room for what is now a total of three hours. And since the witness was there for the time remaining, nobody could've escaped his watch. The point is only pushed further that nobody other than the witness entered that room! You've only extended that window by an hour!"
"Ha ha… ha ha ha ha… again, such a large oversight…", Valentine's expression was as cruel as his voice was cold, "Just how stupid are you?"
"The prosecution demands the witness ceases it's unrelated outbursts!"
"Ha ha… fine… whatever, your highness. Hey Athena, how long does it take an ice cream sandwich to melt?"
Athena raised her brow, "Uh… a few minutes?"
"That's odd… such a peaceful scene becomes a tragedy so quickly… I would give it five minutes, tops, before that cold cream would fade away between the two solid pieces of chocolate"
"Cease this!", Heart looked furious, "I've had enough games and child-play! Your honor, the question was asked and answered! Nothing has changed! Your verdict, if you please!"
The judge raised his gavel, "If there are no further objections, I declare the defendant, Valentine Heart-"
"OBJECTION!", Pheonix was smiling, his arm outstretched and his finger pointed firmly, "Your honor, the question that was asked has changed the facts of the case as we know it!"
"Cease this!", Heart scoffed, "You don't know when to know you're beaten! Alright then, genius, what facts have changed? I want specifics!"
"There's been one fact that's stood as the prosecution's focal point thus far; the fact that the defendant was the only one who could've entered and exited the room."
"And this fact has changed how? Between the security footage and Mr. Lars's testimony, there was no time frame for the killer to do the deed!"
"Actually, there was"
"You can't be serious!"
"I am! Granted, it is small, there was a window of time where anyone could've entered that room that is not covered between the evidence and the testimony! That frame of time is from midnight to five minutes after!"
Heart seemed at an utter loss, as if he'd just realized his own fatal mistake, "Damn it…"
"The defense requests that the footage of this time frame be brought in as evidence!"
"Sorry… but it can't be", Heart was no better, but he seemed to have regained the ability to speak, "At that time… there was a short blackout… the entire facility was powerless… for exactly five minutes…"
The judge shook his head, "While I would prefer to wrap this up today, it seems that there is still doubt in the matter of this trial that cannot be decided without further investigation. Both the defense and the prosecution will look into the matters and court will reconvene tomorrow-"
"Hold it!", everyone turned to look at Valentine, who was standing with his hands in his pockets, "Your honor… before court is adjourned, I'd like to make one last statement, for the record, of course"
"By all means, go ahead"
"Thank you. Athena, you're really the only friend I have left, so could you grab the money from my room underneath my bed that I've been saving for ice cream? I think I have enough to celebrate the verdict. Not today, of course, but I'll definitely need it before tomorrow's trial. It's in the brown wallet."
Athena smiled and gave him a thumbs up, "You got it!"
The judge nodded, "Then, court is now adjourned!"
Valentine fell to the floor, his eyes shut and his body unmoving. Prosecutor Heart's anger seemed to fade as he rushed to the defendant's side and placed his fingers against his neck, "Baliff! Call an ambulence!", his anger returned as he started performing CPR, "You... don't... get to... die here! Breath, damn it!"
After a few more minutes of this, Valentine began breathing again. His eyes were shut, but he was alive as he was carried away to the ambulance. Pheonix looked to the rest of his defense team, "Hey... you guys felt it too, right?"
Apollo nodded, "My bracelet was choking my hand again"
Athena shivered, "His discord was so loud, I almost didn't hear what he said."
Pheonix held his magatama tight, "The locks returned the second he started laughing... and vanished the second he passed out"
Apollo rubbed his chin, "He's switching back and forth between hiding something deep... and hiding nothing at all. How is that possible?"
Date: May 2nd
Location: Hickfield Clinic
Pheonix looked at his client, who was now fast asleep with an oxygen mask fastened to his face. According to the doctors, he had simply collapsed from exhaustion, and that there was no signs of foul play anywhere. Five minutes... this entire case hung completely on nothing more than the possibility that something happened in that tiny space of five minutes. He'd pulled off miracles before, but now he was really pushing his luck.
Athena entered the room, "Hey boss... he wake up yet?"
Pheonix shook his head, "Nope... but it should be any minute now."
"You want to see what he's hiding, don't you?"
"As long as it might be related to the case, I have no choice but to check it out"
"Hm...", Athena and Pheonix both looked to see that Valentine's eyes were fluttering, "Where... where am I...?"
Athena held his hand gentle, "You're in a hospital, Val. You collapsed after the judge extened the trial by a day"
"I... did...?"
"Yeah, that means we have another day to prove you didn't do it"
"... I don't... remember that..."
Pheonix put his hand on Athena's shoulder, "Athena, he isn't lying. Val, do you remember what you said to me, during the trial, about how long it takes an ice cream sandwich to melt?"
Val shook his head, "... No... but I remember... the judge was ready to give the verdict... and Mr. Wright was really quiet"
"The first time or the second time?"
"It... only happened once"
"That's weird", Pheonix thought, "I know he has to be lying... yet he isn't hiding anything..."
Athena had a light bulb moment, "Hey, Val? Is this like the night of the murder? You don't remember what happened in court today?"
Val nodded, "Yeah... it was clear... then it just goes black..."
Athena pulled Pheonix aside, "Pheonix, I think I know what's going on here"
Pheonix raised his brow, "What?"
Athena turned back to Val, "Hey, Val, could you tell me what Dr. Orealis was treating you for?"
Pheonix watched as the three Psyche-locks wrapped around Valentine's body, "Sorry... I don't know... what it was..."
Pheonix pulled Athena back, "He's got three Psyche-locks. He wants to tell us, but there's something keeping him back. We should come back when we have more evidence, then he'll tell us"
Date: May 2nd
Location: Goodman's Mental Health Clinic
Apollo sweated as he sat in the waiting room, "Um... Athena?"
Athena smiled, "What's up?"
"Remind me why Mr. Wright isn't here", Apollo was mad that he was stuck in the madhouse... alone... with someone he thought was crazy.
"He said that he needed to have a discussion with Mr. Newman"
"The victim's lawyer?"
"Yeah, but he didn't tell me why"
"So... how long are we going to wait here?"
"Sorry for the wait", Apollo looked up to see a mountain of a man with a serious face that looked terrifying, "I am Mr. Goodman. Hello, Athena"
Athena smiled and stood up, "Hello, Mr. Goodman! It's nice to see you again! Apollo, this is the man who runs the clinic!"
Apollo wasn't sure if he was afraid of the man's immense size or the fact that his meat hook hand was outstretched for a handshake. Apollo took his hand and found that the grip was surprisingly soft. Goodman smiled, "Good to meet you Apollo! Athena here has told me all about you! Don't let the comments about your hair get you down, it suits you; sharp and straight as an arrow!"
Apollo liked this man, seeing past his huge stature, it was clear that he was more thought-oriented than he appeared, he even complimented Apollo's hair(not something that happened every day... or ever). "Thank you! It's very nice to meet you! Athena has told me absolutely nothing about you at all!"
Athena felt like she had been betrayed, but Goodman laughed it off, "Ha ha ha! I wouldn't expect her too, I've only seen her a few times since she started working here. But that honesty! It's truly a breath of fresh air in a lawyer! I'll make sure to call you if I'm ever in any trouble!"
Apollo was liking this more and more by the minute, "You can count on me!"
"Now, I believe the two of you are here for more than just friendly greetings, are you not?"
"Yes, we wanted to take a look at the crime scene, if that's possible"
"By all means! I believe Athena knows where the room is, but here's my signature, so you can get in"
Apollo put the paper in his pocket, "Thanks, Mr. Goodman"
Goodman smiled, "Anything to help! You just make sure that our little Valentine gets off clean!"
"So, you believe that he's innocent?"
"Whole-heartedly! I don't think he's capable of such a thing!"
Apollo felt his wrist twitch, "Wait... Mr. Goodman... say that again"
He happily obliged, "Valentine isn't capable of such a thing!"
Apollo spotted it... the tell, "Mr. Goodman... how often do you lie to people?"
"What's that?"
Athena watched in surprise as Apollo continued to chip away at the lies, "Just now, when you said Val wasn't 'capable', your jaw clinched, like you felt the need to say the words through your teeth. Mr. Goodman, I don't think Val is guilty, but any information I see I must chase down with everything I have, so that I can find the truth."
"The... truth?"
"Yes. Val is innocent, I think you believe that as much as I do, but you have a very hard time denying the possibility that Val could have done it. Why is that?"
Goodman looked away, "I have no obligation to tell you..."
"Mr. Goodman! I'm trying to prove that Val is innocent! If you believe that he's innocent, and I'm pretty sure you do, then tell me the truth!"
Goodman's smile broke, as a sadness watched over him, "Alright... I'll tell you"
"Whatever it is, it can't be good for this case, but even if it looks bad, it's more information that'll lead me to the truth! No matter what, I have to believe in the client!", Apollo reassured himself.
"I saw... Valentine... holding the murder weapon in the white room... at 12:03 A.M."
"WHAT?!"
"I didn't tell anyone... because if I did, it would hurt his case. I was hoping that Mr. Lars wouldn't have said anything either"
"Wait, you said you saw this at 12:03, but Lars didn't get into the building until 12:05. Why did you think he saw it?"
"I'm certain I saw someone, but the blackout had just occurred, and Mr. Lars was the only one that was supposed to be there..."
"Yeah, after the police reset the time stamp on the security tapes, they verified that he entered the building exactly thirty seconds before 12:06."
"That's strange... I could've sworn that someone passed me in the hallway as I left the building..."
"Speaking of it, why were you in the building at such a late time?"
Mr. Goodman's expression changed as he became very serious, "I had my reasons, leave it at that"
Apollo didn't need a magatama to tell that something was being hidden from him. But he had nothing to go on, so he would just have to leave it alone for now, "I will. But Mr. Goodman, the fact you saw someone is a huge help to Val's case, please, report what you saw to the police, and don't leave anything out"
Goodman smiled again, "Now that, I can do. I wish you good luck in your investigation, Apollo, you too, Athena!"
Athena waved at him with a smile, "Thank you Mr. Goodman!"
Apollo sighed, "Well, at least now we have something going for us in tomorrow's trial"
"Um... Apollo, he said he saw the defendant holding the murder weapon"
"Oh crap...! Well... can't exactly take it back now... guess we'll just have to hope we come up with something at the scene"
Athena opened the door to see that there were exactly three spots stained with a deep crimson: one on the wall to the left of the door, one just to her right on the floor, and one on the far left chair, out of the four. She hadn't gotten used to the sight of blood yet, so she was still a little squeamish. Apollo stepped in, "So this is the scene... hm? That's wierd"
Athena looked at the scene, "What is it?"
"Look at that chair", he pointed to the one nearest to him, "Anything that looks off?"
"Yeah... there's a huge tear in the fabric"
Apollo nodded, "Prosecutor Heart didn't bring this up today when he was explaining the scene. Something isn't right with this picture"
Athena looked at all four of the chairs in greater detail to find that only the ones on the left side of the room were odd, while the two on the right side were completely clean, "I don't see anything"
Apollo looked them over, "Wait, right here", he pointed to the chair closest to the door on the right, "Look at the legs"
"What about them, they're squeaky clean"
"Isn't that odd? There's a bloodstain on the carpet under it, but there's no blood on the chair itself. It's like the blood passed right through the legs"
"So... this chair wasn't here when the body was stabbed?"
"It couldn't have been. Here, I'm going to lift up the chair, you check and see if the area underneath the legs is clean"
Athena looked as the chair was lifted, and it was free of blood beneath the legs, "Yep, it's clean. So... there was another chair here when the body was stabbed?"
"Yeah, let's check the other chair's legs"
Athena pointed at the chair closest to the door on the left, "Apollo! This one has blood on it's legs!"
Apollo saw it instantly, "Blood on the legs and it was torn, something's off about this chair. We should make a note of it"
"Okay... so this chair was actually on the right side of the room at the time of the stabbing of the bodies, which means that the chair in its place was on the left, probably. Wait, if someone had the time to move the chairs, why wouldn't they wipe the blood away? It doesn't make any sense"
"We'll think about that one later, for now, let's see what else we can find."
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Sounds like somebody... eating something crunchy"
Apollo sweated as he looked to the door, "This is bad..."
"Well, well, if it isn't Apollo Justice", Athena turned to see a woman in a white lab coat with a bag labelled 'Snackaroo's' in her hand, "And here I thought I was going to have a decent day. What are you doing in my crime scene?"
"Investigating, Ema. I have permission from the owner of this clinic to look around, and the defendant is my client"
"Who's your friend?"
Athena held up a peace sign, "Athena Cykes! Ace Attorney and psychology analysis expert! This is Widget! Say hi, Widget!"
Widget beeped, "Hi Widget!"
Ema frowned, "Another attorney, great. Just don't touch anything in here without my permission, got it?"
Athena looked at Ema questioningly, "Hey, could you tell us what you know about the crime scene?"
"Why should I?"
"I'll buy you a bag of Snackaroo's?"
Ema stood still for a second before shrugging her shoulders, "Why not? Okay, so far, the crime scene's a mess, that's why the prosecutor didn't want to go through it all, he was hoping that he could settle it before it got this far. Now that he has no choice, he's given it a throrough examination, and he didn't seem all to keen on the results"
"What results?
"The blood on the floor belongs to the male victim. The blood on the wall belongs to the defendant's mother, but that was already obvious. The blood over there on that chair, is from the defendant"
"The defendant? But Val didn't have any wounds on him when I visited him at the detention center"
"Maybe not wounds you could see, but he does have a wound on his body. It's a pretty bad one, too"
"How bad?"
"Let's just say he's lucky that the guard showed up when he did, otherwise, he wouldn't be your client"
"... What weapon was used to stab the victims?"
"Not sure. We identified it as a short blade, probably a knife of some sort, but we haven't found anything fitting that description"
"Was there anything else in this room that struck you as odd?"
"Not really, this is a room for patients who just want to talk or need some time to cool off."
"What's this?", Apollo pointed to a small poster on the right side of the room, "It's the only poster in this room, and it's a zodiac calender?"
"Yeah, we have no idea why it's there, but it's not like it's illegal to hang a poster, right?"
"Did you check underneath it?"
"No, why would I?"
"Well, the chair with the tear in it was actually right next to the poster at some point after the stabbing... and the tear is on the right side of the chair, moving up..."
"You think someone tore it trying to break their fall?"
"If they hit the wall going full force, odds are they hit their nose hard enough to draw blood... would you mind checking the underside of this for blood, Ema?"
"Here, I got it", using her latex gloves, Ema took the poster down and revealed a clean wall, "Satisfied?"
"Any chance that you'd run a luminol test on it?"
"Why should I waste my luminol on your theory?"
Athena chimed in, "Because two bags of Snackaroo's are better than one?"
Ema shrugged her shoulders and began spraying the area, "Alright, kill the lights"
As soon as they went off, Ema revealed a small spot that looked to have been wiped. Apollo smiled triumphantly, "Finally, some good news for our case, we have evidence of a third party"
Ema shook her head as she turned the lights back on, "I doubt it, if anything, the prosecution could smooth it over as just a little blood that happened to have gotten on the wall"
"Well then, who left the poster? Has it been checked for prints yet?"
"No, but I'll make sure it does. Don't get your hopes up too high, it could be nothing"
Athena smiled, "Hey! It's not wrong to hope! This might just save our case!"
"That implies it was lost to begin with..."
"Oh, lost, schmost! C'mon, Apollo, we still need to see if we can get any more of that security footage!"
"Why would you need that?"
"Because it might prove our client is innocent?"
"Looks like you don't know about the security system around here. The cameras go on at nine o'clock and shut off at three in the morning. The budget for the clinic is tight, so they can only run the cameras for so long."
"So... there's nothing else on the security footage?"
"Probably not. You can feel free to take a look, but I doubt you'll catch anything, especially since it was an hour later than it was supposed to be."
"Hm... is there anything else you could tell us, Ema?"
"Not that I can think of. But if you're looking for clues, and you have little regard for people's personal space, both categories you fit into, Apollo, then you should know that there's another witness being brought to the trial tomorrow. I'm not sure who it is, but Heart didn't looked too pleased about it"
"Thank you, Ema, I owe you one"
"Actually, you owe me three bags. That last part wasn't free"
Athena rubbed her chin, "I wonder who the witness is...?"
Apollo thought it over as he rubbed his chin, "Well, let's see, is there anyone here you would describe as overly irritating?"
"That's mean"
"It's the easiest way to anger a prossecutor: get an irritating witness"
"Hm... that makes sense. I can think of about two people"
"Dare I ask who they are?"
"Well, there's Paranormal Persephone and Seer Stan"
"Dare I ask which is better?"
"Stan believes in what he sees, no matter how rediculous it seems. Persephone is obsessed with fortune telling, and thinks that the 'cosmos are watching her every move'."
"These sound like horrible witnesses"
"So which one are we gonna talk to first?"
"Why don't we start with Stan?"
"Who's Stan?", Pheonix chimed in from behind them.
Athena smiled at him, "How'd the meeting go?"
Pheonix began sweating, "It didn't. I waited for three hours to be told I needed an apointment"
"Well, we found out some stuff, at least!"
"Really? Lay it on me", once he had been told the whole story, he nodded, "I see. So I guess I'll go interview this Stan, you two go talk to Persephone"
"You got it boss!"
Apollo sweated, "He just had to show up when he could take the easy job, didn't he?"
Pheonix reached the room that was supposed to be Stan's and knocked on the door, "Hello? I'm here to talk to Stan?"
There was an odd sound that came from the other side, "Proclaim your name, unknown one!"
"Pheonix Wright"
"And just what does the mythically correct bird of reincarnation want from me?"
Pheonix put the thought together, "... A chat?"
"Then enter, but stay away from that which is flammable!"
As he walked in, Pheonix walked in, he noticed the walls were totally white, without a stain of any kind, and then he noticed the man who was poking his head out of a pillow fort near the corner. He asked with any hope the answer would be no, "Are you Stan?"
"That I am... not-so-majestic firey one... why is it you seek me?"
"I was wondering if you were a witness in the event that took place last night"
A single Psyche-Lock formed over him, "You shall not decive me, oh terrible one! My words are for the scribbling troll only!"
"By scribbling troll... do you mean the man who took your statement?"
"No! I'm sure he was a troll! He wore a really ugly blue hide and bore a badge of gold! Probably stolen from a richer person!"
Pheonix mentally marked that up as a yes, "So, you won't tell anyone that doesn't have a blue hide and a badge of gold?"
"Your name suits you, for you are correct!"
Pheonix flashed his badge, "I do have a blue hide and a gold badge"
"B-B-But you are a pheonix! You can't be a troll!"
"I'm not a troll, but I have a part-time job as a scribbler"
"Hm... that is more sensable... one with many lives may wish to try new things... how can I assist you?"
Pheonix smiled at the lock broke, "So... what did you see the night before last?"
"Ah... that was a gruesome sight to behold... a white knight unsheathing a dagger to slay the innocent... I dare say that I wish I hadn't seen it. But I must confess, I did see him plunge the thing into the defenseless bystanders."
"You saw him stab the victims?!"
"Aye! That I did! But alas and alack, I still do not believe it to be true! It must have been the work of witchcraft! An illusion, shrouded in darkness! The work of a demoness with hellish intent!"
"Shrouded in darkness... are you saying the light wasn't on in the room?"
"I know not of the lamps that could've lit the room, but in my eyes there were none!"
"Then how did you know it was Valentine?"
"The saint, bless his holy sword, is the only man which is shaped as he is that I know of. It is sad for me to confess, but the illusion was well-made. I can think of no other man who it may have been"
"So… you didn't see his face… but his body shape was enough?"
"That be true! And the knight's brother, a knight of judgement has tasked me with informing the overseer of the wooden castle of my sights!"
Pheonix mentally noted that this man was officially a witness, "Thank you, Stan. I'll be the defense for the trial, so don't be surprised if you see me there"
"I shall expect the fire bird as a knight of redemption! May you prove worthy in battle!"
Pheonix sighed, "It's always the characters…"
Apollo checked the door number, "This is the one"
Athena knocked on the door, "Persephone? Can we come in? We just want to talk to you"
A gentle voice answered from the other side, "Come in!"
Apollo slowly opened the door to see a large amount of odd objects strewn out all over the floor. Everything from tarot cards to a crystal orb. He looked at the one spot where the mess parted; a small circle with a brunette sitting in the middle. Her green eyes were both alluring and frightening, "I was told that justice and temperance would visit me today. It is good to see you, Athena!"
Athena smiled half-heartedly, "Hello, Persephone… we came to ask about what you saw last night"
Persephone sighed, "It brings me great sorrow, to see that our dearest Valentine has fallen. Though, I did spot the lover mixed with the tower in the hand I dealt with yesterday's cards…"
Apollo ignored the superstician, "We are his lawyers, we were hoping you could tell us something that would help us"
"Very well, how can I assist you?"
"Did you do anything last night, while the lights were out?"
"No"
Apollo leaned in, his bracelet tightening, "Are you certain?"
"Yes, I didn't do anything last night but sleep"
Apollo caught it with ease; she was gripping the tarot cards a little tighter, "Persephone, I would appreciate it if you didn't lie to me"
"What?"
"Just now, when you said the word 'sleep', you held the tarot cards tighter. You did something with them last night, didn't you? Something you don't want to tell us"
"If I don't want to tell you, then why would I?"
Apollo felt a little bad, but he need the information, "Because I am the justice Val needs. My name is litterally Apollo Justice. Please, I can't do my best without all of the facts. If you tell me what you did, I can help Val"
"… Really?"
"Really."
She nodded, "Fine, then I will tell you what I know. I did leave my room while the lights refused to work. A spirit guided me to the white room, where I placed a calendar of the zodiac upon the wall. After that, I returned to my room and went to sleep"
"So… how did a spirit guide you to the white room?"
She pointed to the crystal ball, "It spoke to me through the seeing orb. It's voice was so clear, like it was right in front of me. It told me that the calendar would watch over Valentine, and bring him good fortune in his coming reunion with his parents… it would seem he was wrong"
"Persephone, do you mind if I borrow your crystal ball?"
"Not at all, just treat it with care"
Apollo picked it up, "Is there anything else you could tell us?"
"A warning; if you wish to hang posters, beware of the bird spirits"
"Bird spirits?"
Athena rubbed her chin, "Persephone… are you getting that from what Mr. Goodman told you last month?"
Persephone nodded, "Yes, he was very kind to inform me that, 'from ten till two, a little birdie will watch over you'."
Apollo became confused, "Ten til two? I thought the security cameras ran from nine to three"
Athena was confused as well, "Persephone isn't lying… I remember him saying those exact words"
"We'll just have to ask Mr. Goodman himself. Thank you for your help"
Persephone looked sad, "Wouldn't you like your fortune told?"
Apollo couldn't bare being stared at by her innocent eyes, "… Why not? But quickly, okay?"
Persephone looked excited as she pulled a bag from behind her, "Please reach in and grab one, but no peeking!"
Apollo looked to Athena, who just shrugged. He reached into the burlap sack and retrieved a small piece of fruit. He recognized it at once, "Oh, a pomegranate"
Persephone began to blush as she held her head, "Mr. Justice… you picked the forbidden fruit… you must be a daring lover, and a gentle soul… I envy any girl that you may set your eyes on, for I'm already swept away with you! You will haunt my dreams for weeks to come…"
Athena grabbed his shoulder, "We should leave now, before she really starts up"
Apollo happily followed her out the door before he could hear any more of Persephone's drabble as it escalated in a disturbing nature. By the time they met up with Pheonix, Apollo could feel that she was still going on, and a sudden need to shower. Pheonix saw it, "You okay, Apollo? You look a little… on edge"
Apollo snapped back to the conversation, "I'M FINE!"
Athena shook her head, "Forget about it, boss, tell us what you found out!"
They quickly exchanged information. Then Pheonix rubbed his chin, "This seems off somehow"
Apollo agreed, "Yeah, we have three witnesses, yet none of them saw each other... how is that possible?"
"Wait, it might not be. Stan said he saw a figure, right? Maybe that figure was Persephone"
"No, he said he saw someone stabbing the bodies, why would Persephone be stabbing the bodies?"
"Well, Stan is schizophrenic, he might've seen something else and just assumed it went along with his dissorder"
"So... he just saw something that looked like a stabbing?"
"The lights were off. It's not impossible"
"Hm... I'll add that a note to Stan's statement about it. But hold up, if Stan saw Persephone, why didn't Persephone see Stan? And what about Mr. Goodman?"
"These testimonies keep contradicting each other left and right... speaking of Mr. Goodman, I still need to ask him something"
"Did I hear my name?", the giant asked from behind them, "Is there something I can do for you?"
Athena brightened up, "Yes! I remember something you said a while back about a bird watching from ten 'til two, were you talking about the security cameras?"
"That I was. You see, with all the budget cuts, we've had to shorten the amount of time we can use the cameras. They can only run from 10 P.M. until 2 A.M. now. Why? Have I missed something important?"
Athena shook her head, "Not at all. I just wanted to make sure. Oh, one more thing! Is there any chance that I can see Dr. Orealis's files on Val?"
Mr. Goodman gave her a serious look, "Athena, I would love to, but you know just as well as I do that I cannot without permission from Mr. Heart"
Athena held out a small, folded piece of paper, "I have the waiver here, as you can see, he already signed it"
Mr. Goodman looked it over, "Very well, then I shall prepare the files for you"
As he walked off, Apollo was confused, "Athena, when did Val sign that document? If he wasn't going to tell us-"
"He signed it of his own accord. It was at the detention center, a few minutes after you two left"
"... That doesn't make any sense. Why would he want to tell us then and not now?"
"If I'm right, then the reason why is in that file"
Mr. Goodman returned, "Here you are, all her notes"
Athena dug through it and pulled out a piece of paper that read 'Psychological Profile: Confidential'. She skimmed the page, "This can't be right... I was sure..."
Pheonix raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"I was totally convinced that he had multi-personality dissorder... that would explain how he switches back and forth from hiding everything to hiding nothing..."
"But Dr. Orealis ruled it out?"
"Yeah. She stated that he was suffering from post-truamatic stress syndrome"
"Did she mention the cause of it?"
"No. It just has a date on here, May 4th 2XXX, that's four years from the day after tomorrow"
"Apollo, can you go and find out what happened on this date that might have any significance to Val? Me and Athena are going to try to see if we can't find prosecutor Heart"
Apollo nodded, "You got it, boss"
Date: May 2nd
Location: Prosecutor's Building, 6th Floor
Athena looked at the door number, "This is the one, Mr. Wright. Think he's in there?"
Pheonix shrugged, "Only one way to find out"
He knocked on the door. An angry voice shouted from the other side, "Who is it?!"
"It's Pheonix Wright"
The door was opened by Horus, who's hair was an absolute mess, along with his clothes, which happened to be a plain, red shirt and some blue jeans, "What do you want?"
"I had some questions for you"
He groaned, "Ugh... get in here"
Pheonix entered to find that most of the room was orderly, not extremely so, but it was clean. Except for the desk, Horus's desk was covered in documents that seemed strewn about randomly, "Long day?"
"No thanks to your brilliant deductions. What was it you wanted to ask me?"
"I was wondering if you could tell me why you decided to be the prosecutor for your brother's case"
"Simple, I want to see that he gets justice, as a prosecutor, this is the best I can do. Is there a problem?"
Pheonix was impressed to see four Psyche-locks, "I think it's something deeper than that"
"If it was, what makes you think that I would tell you?"
Pheonix scanned the room for clues, "That's a nice picture", he was reffering to one on the desk, which depicted two boys, both with black hair and both with one green and blue eye, "I wonder who the other kid is"
"You're not that stupid, you can figure it out"
"I'm guessing that's your brother?"
"Yes, I have a brother, we took a picture, anything else?"
"That's not... Valentine, is it?"
One of the locks broke, "That it is... or rather, was"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You've seen him, is he the same person that was in that photograph?"
"Something tells me this is about more than his hair color"
Another lock was broken down, "People change. I want to believe he is innocent, the best way to do that is to make sure his guilt is thoroughly inspected"
"Then why did you miss the contradiction from earlier?"
There was a silence, "... I missed it, I am not perfect, I'm bound to mess up at least once every now and then"
"I think it's more than that I think you wanted to miss it"
"And on what grounds do you have to base this accusation?"
"Your desk, for a start. I've seen a lot of prosecutor's offices in my life, but I've never seen one in this much dissaray. You were so prepared yesterday, yet today you seem completely thrown off balance. If I hadn't caught that contradiction, your brother would be in jail right now. Whatever he did, however he changed, it's bothered you, to the point that you can't stand to look at him anymore"
Another psyche lock broke, "Even if it has, I still have a duty as a prosecutor to be professional and follow this case through to the end", he looked at the picture on his desk, "... no matter the outcome"
Pheonix noticed the time stamp on the picture, "He changed the day after this picture changed, didn't he?"
The last psyche lock waivered, "It's a personal matter, stay out of it"
"This personal matter could be the difference between a guilty and an innocent verdict"
"... I highly doubt that"
"You presented that phone today as evidence that Valentine commited the murder of his own accord, but Athena caught the discord in your voice when you said it. You don't believe for a second that he killed those people, at least not in your heart. Please, if you have to keep fighting as the prosecution for him, the least you can tell me is what happened that day that effected him so badly"
The final psyche lock snapped, "... I... will tell you. But you will speak of this to nobody else, under any circumstances, or I will deny I ever told you"
"Fair enough"
"As you stated... it was almost four years ago. The day I left to go become a lawyer in Europe. I was told over the phone that Val had been in an accident... and that he was going to die. I was distraught, so I told my parents that I would do everything in my power to return as quickly as possible. I was back in a matter of a day, when I discovered Val was on life support with most of his bones broken his neck nearly snapped in half. He had survived his incident, but by only the skin on his teeth. I cried next to his bed with joy that he was still with me... but then... I was proven wrong. When he opened his eyes, he snapped at me, commanding me to get back to Europe as fast as possible with great anger. It still haunts me to this day... whoever woke up in that hospital bed was not my brother. It was not the person I grew up with. It was a vicious monster with unforgiving harshness and strict cruelty."
"..."
"Then he began sending me letters. The author of these letters was a naive child who saw nothing but good in the world, and looked up to me with nothing but respect. I was lost, two people had assumed the place of my brother, and I knew neither of them, but my real brother had been lost forever. I hoped that he would come back to me someday... but that was just a silly dream. The only time I can someone who matches me in heart and looks anymore is my reflection. Twin or not, I can't claim him as my brother"
"You two are twins?"
"We don't look it anymore, on the account that we dress very differently now and the fact that Val's incident left him with fried nerve cells, ergo his white hair"
"So... you're eighteen?"
"That I am. You'd be surprised if you saw Val in a suit, he could easily pass for twenty"
"... Thank you, prosecutor Heart, I appreciate the help. I will do my best to see it that Val is proven innocent"
"And I, he is guilty. May the truth decide the winner"
As they exited the office, Athena felt even more confused, "Well, that didn't help."
Pheonix's phone rang, so he answered it, "Hello?"
Apollo sounded excited on the other side, "Boss! I found some good info on that date!"
"What did you find?"
"According to the news, Val was hit by a truck that knocked him into a telephone pole!"
"Please don't drag your second case into this one..."
"What? No! Boss, on that same day, his father's business went into the tank, like, almost bankrupt!"
"His brother was also leaving on that day... it was like his whole world was falling apart"
"Yeah! I don't know if he just ran past a huge row of black cats or what, but it was not his lucky day!"
"Thanks, Apollo, you go ahead and head back to the office and organize what he have so far for tomorrow's trial", he hung up the phone.
Athena looked at Pheonix, "I've heard that traumatic incidents can cause psychotic breaks, but you don't think-"
"Something about that day is the reason he's so out of whack now. We need to confront him about it now"
Date: May 2nd
Location: Hickfield Clinic
Valentine slowly felt his eyes flutter open, then he recognized the two people at his bedside, "Mr. Wright... Athena...?"
Pheonix looked at him seriously, "Val, I need you to tell me what Dr. Orealis was treating you for"
He shook his head, "No... can't"
Pheonix held out a small yang charm, it glowed green before him, "Val, I know what happened four years ago. A lot of bad things happened at once, didn't they?"
"... Yeah... they did"
"You got hit by a car, right?"
"And electrocuted... by telephone wires..."
"Your father's business almost collapsed and your brother left that day as well"
His three locks remained strong, "So? What's that... got to do... with the case?"
"It's extremely important. Your mental condition, we think somone manipulated it"
"How could you know? You don't even know what it is"
"You have post-traumatic stress dissorder, don't you?"
The first lock shattered, "... You have no proof"
He held up Dr. Orealis's files, "I do, right here in her files"
"..."
"Val, I understand you're in a lot of pain, but you need to come clean to me! It's the only way I can help you!"
A second lock shattered, "... If I did have this dissorder... what would it change?"
"If you explained to me what it does, I can use that to make this case make sense"
"... You can't tell anyone"
"Wouldn't dream of it"
"...", the final lock shattered, "The memories in that day... when I recall them... my heart speeds up... my vision goes dark... and I don't recall what happens in the moments between. Dr. Orealis told me... it was a coping mechanism... to protect me from what I didn't want to know. Another me surfaces... a side of my personallity that was easily visible during that day. The rest of my personallity... is what is around the rest of the time. I'm not whole... I'm missing the other half of my heart... along with those memories... because I can't face them. Dr. Orealis could tell, that I was always in pain, no matter which side of my personallity was showing."
Athena looked ready to cry, "Val..."
"It wasn't just things that happend to me... that I would've been strong enough to push through... but I... did something that day... something I can't remember. I want to remember, but I can't. That's all I can tell you... did it help at all?"
"Yes, it does. Thank you, Val", Pheonix smiled, "I'll get you off the hook, I promise"
Val's arm touched Pheonix's, "Tomorrow... it has to be tomorrow... or... I'll die"
"Die? What are you talking about?"
"If you can's save me tomorrow... I'm as good as dead"
"What are you talking about?"
A set of black psyche locks formed around him as his voice became rougher, "It's none of your business. Just make sure I'm free by tomorrow, or I won't be needing your services any more"
Athena felt her heart shake, "Val... what are you hiding from us?"
Val looked away, "It doesn't matter. You'll know soon enough"
A nurse came in, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wright, but Mr. Heart needs to rest if he's going to stand in court tomorrow"
Pheonix nodded, "Alright. Thank you for being honest with us, Val"
Val nodded as his eyes began to shut, "You're welcome... and thank you"
As they began to leave, Athena became worried, "Boss... he was seriously afraid of the thought he wouldn't win tomorrow..."
Pheonix was equally worried, "I know, but all we can do is try our hardest and hope for the best"
Athena nodded, "Alright boss, we can do this! Tomorrow, we will win!"
