"Have you ever heard of Godot, Justice?" Franziska asked.

"Godot is his alias. Real name: Diego Armando. Once a defense attorney, but was poisoned and fell into a coma. After the death of his fiancé at the hands of Redd White, he was enraged that Phoenix didn't protect her. He became a prosecutor to get revenge on Phoenix Wright the only way he knew how: in court. He died after slipping into a coma." Apollo said. He read up on Phoenix, and knew most of his big name cases backwards.

"You continue to impress me with your devotion." Franziska said, smiling. Apollo scratched his neck in embarrassment. It was an honor to make a prosecutor as serious and hardworking as Franziska smile.

"You did, however forget that he was blinded after his first coma, which is an important detail: Because the light up visor that helped him to see was the byproduct of a then new medical company known only as Bioware, a facility that specializes in robotic prosthetics. It's a medical break through, and Bioware even now specializes in modern medicine that assists the damned." Franziska finished explaining.

"…Why are you telling me all of this, Miss von Karma?" Apollo asked as he pressed his forehead.

"You fool! Because it's part of his story!" She hissed suddenly, pointing. She would have whipped him if she could.

This 'Half Life Prosecutor'… was involved in a freak accident that mutilated him horrifically. I still don't know how it happened. Some say that he was involved in an explosion. Some say that he got crushed by a heavy weight. Others go on to say that he was almost killed in a street fight. But each tale has the same grisly ending in this story." Franziska said, looking down. It was obvious that she held a lot of respect for him, whoever he was.

"He was brutally injured… Some thought that they should have killed him then and there under the knife. But, are not all humans entitled to life if it's an option to save them? That's what a few people thought, and they won the legal battle."

"Were you involved in that legal battle, Miss von Karma?" Apollo asked. This could be important.

"No. No I wasn't. But, one of my fellow prosecutors insisted that we save him… Her devotion was of true interest, considering she's the Chief Prosecutor."

"What's her name?"

"Lana Skye. She's the Chief Prosecutor, and has been since Wright was a lawyer. She defended him with all of her power, and I was impressed at her fortitude... It made me wonder if she knew him, but she denied it." Franziska said, running fingers through steel blue hair.

Apollo made a mental note to ask Ema about this later.

"I rest from my main point. A master surgeon, and a master Bioware technician teamed up and saved the life of The Half Life Prosecutor, despite many naysayers…"

"But, there's a catch. There always is…" Trucy said sadly, reminding everyone of her presence.

"Sadly, you're correct. His body required so much of the technology to function normally again that he became an alienated freak of nature. He didn't use the Bioware: The Bioware used him. He's no longer a man… Just a pitiful human life in a robotic shell. Civilians don't like him, the underworld doesn't like him, nobody likes him. He's almost as much of a lone wolf as my little brother…" Franziska said, depressed.

"He can't breathe without artificial interference. His heart had been replaced by a mechanical one during the operation. Half of his face is robotic… And he didn't do anything wrong. Nothing to deserve his fate…" Franziska explained.

"That's… That's horrible…" Trucy said, her eyes watering.

"It is: And with that, he decided to become a Criminal Prosecutor… His pursuit for justice is never ending. True to his title, he had been left with half a life after that accident… But he would give up any shred of his mortality to punish the unjust." Franziska finally finished her explanation.

"Do you know his name? 'The Half Life Prosecutor' sounds like too much of an insult after that story." Apollo said, scratching his nose.

"Yes. His name is Asmodeus Ex Machina."

"What about the Doctor and the Technician that operated on him?" Trucy asked, scratching her fingers.

"The surgeon was a world famous doctor named Derek Stiles… I don't speak of the Bioware technician." Franziska said, eyes watering.

"Why not?" Apollo asked, concerned.

"Because, from perspective, he fell almost as hard as Ex Machina. There are no good endings to the story yet. Just the strong, and the dead…" Franziska said solemnly as she put her hands to her sides.

"Miss von Karma, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Apollo asked as he put his hands on his lap.

"Defending me is good enough… But, from what I've observed, I think I'll be in good hands. Goodbye, Justice. Please don't let me down." Franziska said as he turned to leave.

"I won't, Miss von Karma. I promise. Goodbye." Apollo said. He wanted to wave, but he felt that would be inappropriate.

*****

After walking out of the detention center, Trucy was the first to break the silence.

"…Where to now, Polly?" Trucy asked. She was probably still perturbed by Franziskas story about Asmodeus.

"We should get to the crime scene. Maybe talking to Ema will take our mind off of what we just heard."

"Agreed!" Trucy said, skipping a bit as she walked.

Apollo laughed. He was glad to see that things were getting back into swing after that sobering tale, but he knew that something was going to happen for the circumstances to descend even further.

And he hoped that his inhibitions weren't correct this time.