Don't ever get a Picross game if you don't want to procrastinate.

Disclaimers: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them.

Chapter 3: Two New Greater Lives

July 22th 2029, 05:08 PM
?

"I see. So Polly and I, we have been changed into two machines."

A long silence stalled the moment before Fleur replied.

"Yes."

There was some delirious and hopeless feeling from the new robot girl's answer. "That is kind of funny, you know?" Trucy weakly sent with her signals. "I thought we were going to die, but here we are, thriving with a new life as two 'mindless' robots. I did not know it was possible for spirits to be stuck into robots. I have heard of artificial intelligence, but I do not feel artificial at all. But I can feel all the metallic parts and wires and stuff inside me. I cannot feel any heartbeat in me anymore... We are neither alive nor dead... We are no longer human..."

Suddenly struck by a melancholic perception, Trucy directed her focus over the raccoon as she dug deeper into her memories.

"You too, Fleur," the girl called. "You have 'died' in an accident because of bad human children... Before that, when you were a little kit, your mother, your brother and your sister... They were killed in a car accident. That was when the 'man' found you alone and adopted you. Later, you had your own kits, a beautiful boy and a girl. But, poor, poor Fleur, they disappeared without you knowing where they went. Am I right?"

"You have learned to use your new features well, Trucy," Fleur said.

"Then not long after, some evil human children killed you out of their own fun. The man pitied you and decided to revive you, so he remade you a robot."

Another silence followed, but the horror eventually invaded Trucy when she grasped on Fleur's impassibility over being reminded of her tragic memories. It felt like she had entirely lost her emotions because she was now a machine... Unless raccoons never had emotions to begin with…

But she was a raccoon no more, just like Trucy and Apollo were humans no more.

Will they lose their emotions too? Or were their current "emotions" simply simulations attempting to copy human ones?

The sound of footsteps interrupted her chat with the robot raccoon. Trucy didn't even need to think deeper to know who was coming to see them. With her new given set of enhanced vision, she could even detect the visible form of the human while he was behind the door thanks to the warmth levels of his body.

When the door opened, she recognized the physical self of the man who "recreated" them. Within her new artificial features, she automatically plunged deeper into her programs to associate his physical characteristics to a unique ID with many more digital information. Age, gender, height, facial structure, eyes colors…

Just like any robot would do.

Unlike their first official eyes to eyes meeting, the old man appeared much less perturbed and he was holding a cellphone in his hands. His tension from before had almost disappeared from his aura and he slowly approached the two suspended siblings with a devout enthusiasm. Trucy's worried soul attempted to ignore the picture of that sordid man but her paralyzed body state wouldn't allow her to detract her view away. Her instincts, or rather her new programs, were instructing her this man was their superior, a human of power to be feared.

Of course, she refused to comply with her programs.

"You've woken up earlier again, I can listen to what you're thinking with my phone," the old man used his strict voice to give his remark. "You've been a bad girl, you know?"

Trucy's would have urged herself to throw up at the manner he was speaking to her, like she was his simple pet. Of course, she couldn't. Robots couldn't throw up because that aspect was reserved on humans. Even if she could, her body currently disagreed to obey her mind right now.

"But I think I've done you well," he carried on, this time with a prouder smile. The man admiring her and Apollo like two magnificent, fabricated man-made wonders sickened her. "It doesn't matter if you're rebelling against your programs. The next alterations of your programs should solve this as soon as I re-upload them into you two."

Alterations...?

"I've seen your memories when I recreated you. You two are people of justice in your own ways, defending innocent clients as a defense attorney and a defense assistant. You worked together, you investigated together, first as simple co-workers, and then as brother and sister. You share a good family story. I envy you, truly."

In an ingenuous way, Trucy's anger grew when the magician side of her life went ultimately ignored by the man. However, she could detect a faint sadness in the man's heart as soon as the subject of "family" came up. She didn't know why she was able to tell his current emotions. Perhaps another new encoded program in her?

"Don't worry. You'll still be able to give justice to the bad guys with your new lives while keeping your old habits with your same memories. But I'll still have to alter your behavior."

Now falling deeper into hopelessness for being forced to listen to the old man, Trucy wanted to object. "Why are you doing this?" she achieved to communicate with him. She was amazed a synthetic, emotionless voice telling her every words from her signals surged out from the man's phone at the same time.

"What do you think?" The man's reply was harsh and maybe insulting. "If I left your two dead bodies on the road, there's a chance investigation will lead to me. I'll end my miserable life in prison for sure and be deemed as a murderer for the rest of my existence. You are people of the law. You should already know that accidental murders are still murders worthy of a lifetime criminal record, don't you?"

"However, by reviving you as intelligent robots, I'll put you back where you belong like nothing happened. That way, no one will know you've been killed. But of course, you still know the truth. You know you've been killed. You know there's someone behind your changes."

"And that's why I'm obligated to alter your behavior so you'll never mention my existence and your robot nature to others. You'll listen to me when needed so you'll never reveal your secret and mine. You'll be robots living among humans and no one will know about your true nature. You'll be happy and grateful for your new lives. Isn't that great?" He finished his reveal with a softer and euphoric voice.

Trucy tried to force herself a crying hiccup, but right now, she was a mere conscious, inanimate doll, a simple object part of the surrounding that no one should care about. Common senses knew dolls and objects couldn't move by themselves, unless manipulated by someone alive. She already lost part of her humanity and she didn't want to sink deeper into an artificial life. Becoming more of a machine than a human through and through just became her biggest nightmare. "Please, just give us back our lives," she succeeded to beg. "I swear Polly and I will say nothing of what you did... Let us keep what little humanity is left in us... Please, I miss Daddy, Mommy, Polly, everyone..."

The man's expression suddenly diverged into a more comprehensive one. He started giving soft pats on Trucy's chin to reassure her, but it instead gave her the opposite effect as she internally struggled to ignore his disgusting contact. "Hey, it's okay!" he gently exclaimed. "You'll be able to keep your brother at the very least. You'll be in together. You'll have nothing to worry about. And you'll see all your friends and family again!"

And to this, he sat down before a computer which appeared to be the main heart of all these floods of cables that connected through both robot siblings. He started typing until he hit his last key with a strange determination.

All around Trucy flashed into full darkness once again.

...

Her unconsciousness only lasted a fraction of a second.

The man carefully observed his two creations as their eyes and bodies were filled with life once again. They both started thriving like two unborn pushing forward their new world of living. Eccentric, erratic movements came upon the siblings' limbs and entire body as they adjusted themselves to their surroundings. Blinking uncontrollably, they soon witnessed the sole breathing being in front of them and their stares were locked onto him. They both appeased down after a minute, feeling and listening to the soothing, yet thrilling calm emanating from the old man's heart. They perceived his emotions, clear as a serene, sparkling lake.

Confusion fading away from themselves the more they gazed at the man, they warmly smiled at him, their programs conditioning them to trust and love the image of that specific human with a very special assigned ID in their system: their new master.

"Welcome to your new greater lives, Trucy Wright and Apollo Justice!" their master addressed his two creations with open arms, abnormally putting a twisted resolve into calling their first names.

Instinctively, hearing their names pronounced by that man's specific voice triggered them to give in into complete obedience. Their eyes shined bright red and their gentle smiles lingered on. They, too, wanted to please the man by greeting him in unison with the name he had programmed into them.

"Good afternoon, Papa."

Their synchronized voices were barren of life.

From the corner of the room, Fleur sank her head low, her soul crying for the siblings' sealed, everlasting fate.

July 23th 2029, 09:14 AM
Wright Anything Agency, Main Office

"Mrs. Gramarye, are you sure it's a good idea to see your children like that?"

Here Phoenix was, in front of the radiant singer commonly known as Lamiroir, dealing with her as she sat nervously on the couch, tapping her feet continuously like she was awaiting her first job interview. Well, in a way, she really was expecting some kind of interview, with her own children no less.

After all, they were supposed to make a comeback from their little trip this morning, apparently.

"I am ready to see them," the woman commented. "We've been through worse, Phoenix. I've even cancel my tour just to see them. There's no going back..."

Pensive, Phoenix gently stroked his light bearded chin. In fact, these last two weeks had been nothing but chaos for the two "separate" parents. "I understand, but I'm worried of their response from seeing you, particularly from your son Apollo," the man expressed. "He can be very nasty when he's upset. You've heard what happened a year and half ago when his best friend was murdered?"

"I'm not that ignorant," the woman talked back, slightly upsetting herself. "But... Apollo's my son, and Trucy's my daughter..."

"Our daughter," Phoenix asserted.

The past few days had been constant arguing contests like the two were an old couple. Thalassa had insisted on coming from Borginia to receive an explanation from her children for their last minute change of plan. Anyone with common sense could tell that the kids' decision to not see their mother was just plain rude and insolent. Both parents had known about Apollo's persistent bitterness toward his mother for leaving him in the care of the state as a baby. Nevertheless, he had already allowed her back in his life by accepting to invite her sometimes and let himself get an invitation from her. After all, DNA never lied about true blood relation, and Lamiroir, aka Thalassa Gramarye, was his sole mother, whenever he liked it or not.

At first, Phoenix had refused to see her deal with the kids for their choices because the poor woman didn't need any more stress in her life after all she had endured. That was counting her father's strictness over his entire family and especially his daughter, her first husband's death which forced her to give up her son, her forced performances among the family troupe, the love triangle with Shadi and Valant, her staged "death" by her own father no less, her loss of her sight and memory, Machi's case... He would go on for a while but the list was already too long.

Her children's "betrayal" should be the least of her concerns. Phoenix vowed to deal with them alone, but the mother was simply too stubborn. She went as far as to take the decision to cancel her Borginian singing tour to simply meet her children face-to-face.

In a funny way, both Trucy and Apollo had inherited of her stubbornness without knowing.

With each news about their "fun" trip to the Steel Samurai resort, all posted by Trucy on her social media page, Phoenix's resentment arose, but Thalassa's regrets amplified instead. According to their daughter's last post, her brother and she should be coming to work a little late today.

And for this, the man felt grateful Athena still had no idea of the whole mess and that she was away with her travel in Europe. Not that he didn't need anymore individual implied in this strange situation, especially not one scanning his emotions constantly. As if he'd deal with several heart therapies each day…

Speaking of Trucy's posts, something peculiar had an effect on him. All pictures she had taken of their trip so far featured neither Apollo nor her. Phoenix had known his daughter to enjoy taking selfies of herself like any eighteen years old girls. To see none of her presence in them made him wonder if there was something up with the siblings. Well, technically, he was completely sure something was up, because no sane human would have done what they had just done these last two weeks.

Daddy! We're back!

Both parents nearly jumped from their seat at the blasting voice and the sudden noise of the bursting, opening door. The two turned to the loud sounds, only to find one of the main centers of their chatting from the latest days, standing at the entrance and seemingly beaming with joy.

Trucy made a determined step inside the agency, arms open and up in the air like she would always introduce herself in her magic shows. A final touch was added in her act since she was wearing her usual magician outfit. After she introduced herself, she immediately rushed to her father, engulfing the man between her arms to hug him.

Yet Phoenix didn't really return the gesture, but the little girl didn't appear to mind his inaction much.

However, her arms struck to him as a little stronger than usual. Phoenix felt a short pain as Trucy's limbs pressed against his body a tiny bit harder.

When Trucy finally released her father from her grasp, it was the other kid's turn to prompt an entrance in the agency. Apollo stood there, ostensibly knocked by hesitation before he made the first step in. He looked up to his boss, his head scratching the back of his neck out of shyness.

"Good morning, Mr. Wright..." the young man greeted with what resembled a shameful tone.

Well, Apollo had never been too good at hiding his feelings. Obviously, the older brother, being the much less oblivious of the Gramarye kids, knew what was coming if they came to work today... His boss wasn't going to go all happy, happy, joy, joy with either him or his sister for their change of plan to not see their mother.

Unfortunately, Phoenix was taking too much time to reply their greetings. Before he could even start to open his mouth, his student's voice interrupted his soon-to-come speech.

"Mother?" Apollo called as Trucy and he finally noticed the older woman's presence on the couch. Suddenly the boy's tone took an angrier approach. "What are you doing here?"

As the mother discerned the cold aura her two children pushed against hers, Thalassa watched as her courage quickly faded away, losing the daring to confront them on her own. Noticing the woman's discouragement, Phoenix sighed. He knew it was a waste of time for her to come in this country. He had to be the one to intervene with the kids.

"Apollo, Trucy, we need to talk," Phoenix used his blunt voice to speak, and both siblings turned to him, ready to listen.

"What do you wanna talk about?" Trucy asked, her finger taping her chin in wonder. Really, Trucy, how clueless could she really be?

"Your trip and your reason behind your change of plan," the father answered, his arms crossed over his chest. "Tell me why you went to the resort instead of visiting your mother."

"Duh, we went to the resort to have fun! Do you agree, Polly?" the young girl happily exclaimed.

Phoenix didn't even have the time to listen to his daughter's full reply when a dark aura engulfed the atmosphere around her. Sadly, he knew he was the only one in this room to witness what appeared to be five red psyche locks over her soul. This actually caused him to take a step away, his orbits trying to hide the horror he was experiencing.

He knew psyche locks always hid potential great secrets. His Magatama wouldn't work on frivolous lies.

Was Trucy lying? Was she hiding something grand?

"Couldn't say it was fun," Apollo replied to his sister with an unsure shrug. "However, we changed our plan because we felt it was the right thing to do. We needed to enjoy our vacations alone, without our mother in our way. That's why I thought of the new Steel Samurai resort in the other state. Trucy had always wanted to go there and it was the better moment."

Once again, Phoenix didn't fully listen to his protégé's story, because five more red psyche locks came over him too.

...

Trucy stared at her father with concerned eyes. "What's the matter, Daddy? You don't look well..."

Phoenix shook his head. He had to get a hold of himself and deal with the siblings until the end. However, his strategy took another turn when his stare wandered around until they found themselves looking at the crying mother on the couch. Both siblings observed her with a pitied sulk.

That was when Phoenix decided that Thalassa will be the one who will have to deal with this mess from now on.

"I'm sorry I have caused you both to suffer," the mother expressed, biting her lips as she gathered back her courage to speak. "I understand and it's my fault your lives had been hell. I should have been a better mother. It's okay if you don't... want to see me anymore. Besides, I think Borginia would have bored you..."

The siblings watched as their mother's visage sank deeper into her hands to let more sobs out. Trucy gulped with guilt and slowly approached her with a pat on her back. Sniffling a last time, Thalassa glared back at her daughter, hoping for the best outcome.

Her wish was granted.

A warm smile formed on her daughter's lips, a smile that would soothe her emotional outbursts, a smile that meant thousands relieving words. Many of these words told that Trucy still loved her Mommy like no one else.

"It's okay, Mom," Trucy softly mustered, giving more calming pats. "We're here, alive and well!"

It was a tingling feeling that she hadn't endured for as long as she could remember, ruining the reassuring moment she had so much coveted.

Her bracelet tightened around her wrist, right when Trucy mentioned about being "alive".

Luckily, on the contrary to her son, Thalassa would not instinctively grab her wrist with her other hand whenever this happened. Thanks to it, no one would know when she was perceiving tension from others. Now still, she suddenly found herself overwhelmed by strange thoughts. Why would Trucy tense when she mentioned the very words of "alive and well"? Both her children were definitely alive, though she couldn't say that Apollo was quite well.

Perhaps were they... sad?

Speaking of her son, the young man still had his fists down in slight frustration. Yet, when he observed his sister giving their mother a hug, his fingers finally spread away from each other. He looked to the ground, head low from his immoral trip decision in mind and he scratched the back of his head. He watched the two girls, a coy smile emerging from his lips.

"I'm… sorry, Mother…" Apollo murmured, avoiding a direct stare with his parent. "I know the change of plan was my fault, but-"

"No, it's all right, Apollo," Thalassa gently cut him. "I understand, and I'm glad you have enjoyed your trip to the resort. You deserve to have fun too. Besides, I think we can still make up for our lost time another moment. So many surprises in our lives awaited us ahead, so I'll give you more time to mend the wound in your heart."

Thalassa's sobs had momently died but her tears pressed on escaping her orbits. She couldn't control her body as she slowly walked toward Apollo, her dear son, flesh and blood. Her arms tenderly found their way around his neck. The young man gulped with a slight embarrassment, now looking at Trucy who giggled behind their back.

Apollo returned the hug with an ardent smile.

"All right, then," he declared as both freed from the other, his palms still on his mother's shoulders. "I promise we'll do something together this week as a family, now that you're with us. How does that sound?"

The mother's lips trembled at her son's words. She couldn't avoid her little sympathetic and overjoyed grin. "I would be so much honored…" she proclaimed with a louder but cheerier whine.

In the end, when the entire family returned to another warm hug, Phoenix was unable to feel any frustration towards the children anymore. Maybe calming others' souls was part of the Gramarye's magic too…

I remember now. I remember how it is to feel love and to be loved. It is good. Do you think so, Trucy?

The siblings didn't even need to look at each other to speak with the other; they didn't need to move their lips and let sounds escape their throat either. All they needed was their new and more convenient encrypted signals system.

Yes, Polly. I feel love and I am loved too. It is wonderful.

Thalassa's departure was a slow and cute process. It started when she had decided to return to her hotel, with Phoenix and her children insisting for her to stay. Nevertheless, she'd rather give them some distance so the three will be able to mind their business for the rest of the day. After long minutes of arguing, her children had finally agreed to let her go. Funnily, Trucy had stayed quite a long time at the entrance when Thalassa had walked away, waving her good bye and waiting until the mother completely disappeared from her view. Her mother childishly took peeks behind her from times to times to see if her daughter was still watching and waving. She was. They had kept waving back at each other until they couldn't see the other at all. How kiddy and adorable...

It was about time for Trucy to scatter her magic props back in the agency. Soon, her objects dispersed all around. This brought a chin up on Phoenix as he found himself back in his usual messy agency, just like the old times. Apollo, as always, did his best to clean behind his sister, but she was proven too fast for him.

"So, how were the last two weeks for you, Mr. Wright?" Apollo asked his boss, finding himself with nothing to do right after giving up following Trucy.

Phoenix let a soft laugh emerge. "Nothing much," the older man replied with a low smirk. "I've had about three small cases, though none of them were murders. Only larceny and suing cases. The boring stuff, you know?"

"Nothing's ever boring," the protégé calmly expressed with a grin, though his voice eventually shifted to a more serene tone. "You know, human beings can get very sad when they get their things stolen, or when someone bullies them. Sadness is what makes you human and that's why people need lawyers like us to help them bring justice."

…

A silence reigned for few seconds between the two.

"…What?" Phoenix mumbled, blinking fast and mind shocked. He was going to give a chunkier objection, but no other words could be formed. It really was NOT the boy's type to speak how he just did.

"You look confused," Apollo remarked, watching his boss with a creepy, innocent stare. "You might be tired. You should give me some work while you rest."

The boss coughed few times before he answered with his typical satirical facet. "How about the usual work? The toilet's been in a mess since you two were gone and… yeah, you clean the toilet, Apollo. That's an order."

Phoenix expected an upset frown coming from his pupil, but he nearly shivered with cold, rushing goosebumps when he found a radiant smile on him instead.

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Wright! I'll work right away!" the young man cried with happiness, his Chords of Steel in effect.

The ace attorney glared at his student as he hurried to the bathroom. The boy looked so happy he was humming the Steel Samurai song. Either something had completely changed him over the two weeks spent in the resort, or it was not Apollo standing in this agency. Perhaps he was relieved that he had finally found peace in the tension between him and his mother. Now Phoenix was curious. He reminded himself to ask the boy the reason of his delight, but it was Apollo's own family matter. Maybe it was best Phoenix left it at that.

Yes, Trucy enjoying her magical practices and her summer studies became a normality through the years. However, happiness never, ever, came upon Apollo whenever he was asked to clean the toilet, the rest of the bathroom or even the rest of anything. A pro lawyer like him shouldn't spend most of his shifts doing cleaning, but at least he was getting paid.

After all, they worked at the Wright Anything Agency. Anything like a miracle could happen, such as Apollo happy to clean toilets.

At most, he was telling himself that there was finally someone to clean the toilet now that two other members of the agency were back. No matter what happened, he will appreciate everyone's company.

It was later that day, near the end of the working shift, when another stranger event occurred.

To celebrate the siblings' comeback from their trip and their "reunion" with their mother, Phoenix gathered the younger ones, letting them out of their work for few minutes.

"All right, kids, we need to do something," Phoenix told them, his folding arms giving out his strict allure.

Nevertheless, the siblings seemed unaffected by the man's strictness. "What is it, Daddy?" Trucy asked, her curious stare giving a discomfort to her father.

The man's smile lived on with his reply. "We should go out for dinner in another fancy restaurant tonight," Phoenix replied with a laugh. "Your mother and I thought this will be our first step to get all of us together."

...

A very quiet discomfort took place in the room. Still waiting for an answer, Phoenix gently cleared his throat, trying to gain some kind of attention from the siblings who were simply blankly glaring at him without any words. Creeped out by their frightening inaction, Phoenix couldn't really meet them in their eyes directly out of awkwardness. "Huh, are you coming?" the older one asked, clumsily.

Luckily, one of them decided to speak out. "We're tight with our spending," Apollo declared with a sigh.

"I knew you'd say that," Phoenix answered. "But your mother will pay for everything. You know your mother's a bit… more financially fortunate than all of us reunited, don't you? So you're coming, right?"

"Nan, it's all right!" Trucy exclaimed with a jump. "Polly said he was planning to do something for dinner, but… only for the two of us… We weren't expecting you to invite us and… well, we don't want these preparations to go to waste!"

A snort escaped the father.

Was Trucy refusing... free food?

Well, in a way, it was almost understandable for Trucy to prefer her brother's food over any restaurant food, because it was true, Apollo's cooking skills were quite great (though he would hardly admit it publicly because… it was Apollo). But then, as he was about to think how rude the two were to refuse their invitation, he suddenly remembered Thalassa's words to her son.

I'll give you more time to mend the wound in your heart.

And for her sake, Phoenix accepted their excuse.

However, Phoenix couldn't help but wonder: had something happened to the siblings for their change of mood?

That thought would haunt his entire night, giving him a very unstable sleep.

Author's notes: It's in my headcanon that Thalassa cannot use her perceive power anymore since she lost her sight once and that her sight after the operation is not as good as before, but that her bracelet still reacts to tics. She just can't bug her eyes out like Apollo does. Also bonus point for noticing the very tiny Ren and Stimpy reference.