Chapter 3: Turnabout Bloodlines Investigation Day 1

~ Present Day ~

The door to the Wright & Co. Law Offices (renamed shortly after Trucy left for college years ago) slammed open as Athena Cykes entered the office followed much slower by Phoenix Wright. Wright hadn't seen her with this kind of vigor since before Apollo had died. Since that day she'd changed. At first it was characteristic. After all she'd just lost her husband but, once she lost Perseus too things went from bad worse. Normal grief turned to severe depression and that turned into a suicide attempt. She'd tried to kill herself by downing a bottle of sleeping pills. Luckily Blackquill had taken up the habit of checking in with her every day and walked in at the perfect moment. Ever since then she'd been put on a million different medications and seen at least ten different therapists. Suffice it to say it had been a long time since Wright had seen her act in a….. well happy wasn't really the right word… perhaps determined manner? She immediately began searching for the case files relating to the murder of her husband.

"We need to look at everything again. Revisit every possible piece of evidence and every single witness from the trial." she said never wavering for a moment in her conviction it wasn't like Wright didn't understand why he just thought it was futile. He was getting up there in his years, being 56 this year, and even in all his victories and his few losses he hadn't seen a case as open and shut as this one.

"Athena I want to get this retrial as much as you do but, how can we have any idea where to start? All the evidence is already stacked against us where could we even find anything after this long?" Wright said with an uncharacteristic tone of early resignation.

"I don't understand what's gotten into you Mr. Wright." She told him. "Wasn't it you who always told us that it's in the worst of time that lawyers have to force their biggest smiles?" Wright chuckled at the mention of that time honored quotation that had been a part of his teachings to both Apollo and Athena and even before that the creed he himself had been taught. How ironic that it would come back in the case involving the Protégé of the phrase's creator.

"HOW COULD YOU LAUGH AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!" Athena shouted at her mentor. "MY SON'S LIFE IS ON THE LINE AND YOU AREN'T EVEN TRYING! You've changed Mr. Wright. You're not who you used to be."

"So what if I'm not?" He asked her "It doesn't change the fact that we have nothing to go on, a man who insists on taking his own defense even though completely unqualified, and the fact that any leads that could have existed are probably cold after all these years." his statement was somewhat bitter and he could tell it enraged Athena even further whilst she flipped through the case file and relived some of her most painful recent memories. This case had almost claimed three innocent lives and all of them were close to Wright. He was affected by this case almost as much as she was.

Athena reviewed the case file for three hours trying to find somewhere to start. Phoenix had reviewed things in his head as well. He knew the case inside out. After all, it had been both his and Edgeworth's greatest failure. They'd known who the real killer was. The witness Vito Cadaverini, the man who'd started managing the diner just a couple days prior, was the only possibility. There just wasn't proof. The way the killing had been performed showed a high level of professionalism masked perfectly as an almost child like idiocy. The murder weapon had been a strong base normally found in drain cleaners and just so happened that a bottle had gone missing in the Justice household only a day before the murder. It all worked out a little too perfectly, but the evidence had been manipulated well enough that they'd been unable to pin it on anyone besides little Perseus Justice. Wright shuddered at the memory, he still didn't like to think about the case. Athena wouldn't stop looking over everything and the flipping was starting to annoy the embittered Wright.

"Face it Athena I know this case better than anyone, there's no way out." Wright scolded "For the last time just give up. It's easier once you accept there's nothing you can do." Athena didn't even dignify him with an answer. "You know nothing you do can bring him ba-" in mid sentence Wright jumped to his feet suddenly renewed with an idea.

"What is it now?" Athena said expecting Wright to just chide her again in his bitter anger of the case being dragged back into the light. Instead she got a simple one word response.

"Maya."

"What? Athena replied a quizzical look on her face.

"I think I just found a way to save Perseus." Phoenix said rushing toward the door. "Come with me, quickly" he said.

"Where are we going? How can maya-?" she cut herself off as she realized exactly where they were going and why.

"I think you know the one man who can help us now. Athena, how would you like to see your husband again?" Wright said. This was a day of many returns Wright thought as his old trademark grin came back for the first time in a while.

….

Maya Fey, master of the Kurain channeling technique was meditating at an altar in Kurain village when an old friend walked through her doors. She turned around and smiled brushing back some strands of her slightly graying hair. She ran over to Phoenix and hugged him a grin on her face.

"NICK!? Why are you here!? How long has it been? Its gotta be at least seven years, right?" she yelled acting like she always used to when she was young.

"It has been a long time hasn't it?" he said. "How's the life of the master been since the last time we saw you?"

"Difficult and boring. I much prefered when I still worked with you Nick, there were more burgers back then."

"Wow glad to see that the best thing I ever gave you was burgers." Phoenix told her with a chuckle. "Unfortunately, while it is great to see you again Maya, the reason we're here isn't."

"Why what's happened?" she asked, the happiness quickly replaced by concern.

"It's about my son." Athena told her stone faced. "We need to talk to someone who's dead, we think it might be able to clear his name."

"THERE'S A WAY I CAN HELP SAVE PERSEUS?!" She yelled. Maya had been there for the young boy's trial when he'd originally been convicted. Back then she'd still assisted Phoenix sometimes in trials but, after that one it had all stopped.

"We think if you channel Apollo's spirit he can help us find more clues or even testify." Athena told her. Maya thought it over for a moment.

"Yeah that makes sense but, are you sure a dead man's testimony will be accepted in court?" Maya asked.

"Maya you of all people should realize that in our courts there have been no shortage of weird or supernatural circumstances." Phoenix said invoking memories of old times.

"Well those were all with old 'udgey." The usage of that nickname alone took Wright way back. "I don't know Judge Woods, who knows she might be a lot less lenient."

"Trust me." Athena told Maya. "We kind of have an unfair advantage when it comes to Judge Woods."

"Well then if you're so certain let's get started right away, the channeling should be relatively easy since I knew him." Maya told them as she turned and led them into the Kurain Village channeling room.

….

As the three of them entered the channeling chamber, Maya immediately walked to the back to prepare. Athena and Phoenix watched her perform various tasks, lighting weird incense and reciting prayers in another language neither could understand. When she was done Maya returned to them and had them kneel down across from her and she began the channeling.

"I'm gonna need you both to close your eyes and sit like I am now." she told them. She demonstrated by kneeling on the floor, clasping her hands together and closing her eyes. Phoenix and Athena did the same. Athena was nervous, she wasn't certain how she was going to react to seeing Apollo again after so long. How was she going to tell him what had become of their only son?

As soon as they were all ready Maya began the channeling. She started to speak in the same strange language from before, it must have been some kind of spirit summoning incantation. After a moment the room felt darker and a cold spot had formed in the middle of the room where they were all kneeling. Maya suddenly stopped speaking and immediately took a sharp breath in through her nose. The cold spot slowly disappeared and the the room began to light up again. There was a moment of stiff silence which was then broken by a voice neither Phoenix nor Athena had heard in a decade.

"A-Athena? Boss? Wha-what happened? Was I healed? How am I still alive?" said the voice of Apollo Justice.

Athena opened her eyes and beheld the face of her late husband. He looked just like he did ten years ago. Athena threw herself at him crying tears of joy, even Phoenix was shedding tears at the sight of his dead student. Athena looked him in his deep brown eyes and kissed him. Deep down she knew it was still technically Maya but, right now no one would have been able to tell the difference. He returned her displays of affection and then slowly pulled

"Jeez guys, I didn't know I'd scared you that much… how bad was it?" he asked.

"Apollo…" Phoenix said in a quiet voice. "You've been dead for ten years."

"What? No you're punking me." he said. "If I've been dead for ten years then how am I talking to you genius?" he had a smug look on his face.

"Right now your spirit is inhabiting the body of Maya Fey." Phoenix told him. "If you don't believe me then look in that mirror behind you." Apollo looked behind him for a moment and his jaw practically dropped when he saw he had black hair and was wearing medium robes. After he'd slowly come to terms with this he turned back to Athena and Phoenix.

"So… it's just like I thought." he told them "Well if I'm back for just a little while then I want to see my son. Why isn't he here?" he thought for a moment then answered his own question "Oh what am I thinking he must be off at college or something." he said. Both Athena and Phoenix winced when they heard his high hopes. When he saw this his expression became grave.

"I don't need my bracelet to know that you're hiding something from me." he told them. "What's happened to Perseus, Athena?"

"H-he…. He was sent to prison for your murder." she told him. After hearing this news he was silent for a moment.

"You can't be serious." he said "I'm not hearing this. THERE IS NO WAY THAT THEY SENT MY SON TO PRISON FOR MURDERING ME!" his yell of anger was expected. "Tell me the whole story."

….

"I see." he said, nodding slowly as Athena finished the story. "So in other words you need me to help you find evidence and testify in the trial to get him found innocent?" Apollo said.

"Exactly." Phoenix said.

"Please Apollo, you're the only one who can save our son." Athena implored him. "You've got to know something or have someone to investigate!"

Apollo thought for a second back to his last moments before his death. He thought through from the moment they had entered to the moment he had blacked out, and during that time one particular thing stuck out.

"I think that I can testify and point your investigation in the right direction." he told them. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Cadaverini crime family?"

Thus ends the first part of the investigation. This next chapter might take a little longer to get out there as it's going to be Godot II's court debut so I'm basically gonna have to write an entire case. Its only gonna be a one day trial so hopefully not too long but, its gonna take a while to write. Until then if anyone's reading this, enjoy! And remember reviews are always appreciated.