Author's Notes:
Hello everyone! PowerZone here.
I had to rewrite a lot of the parts from the original concept of the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Global Operation fanfiction. I had the liberty during my break time from school work to look at details and events and I found out that a lot of these don't really fit together. My case on point was Episode 2: Turnabout on Strings (the original title). It felt somewhat rushed and didn't have that feel-good satisfaction in the end. So far, I'm very satisfied with Episode 1 (The Fiery Turnabout) and Episode 3 (The Stormy Turnabout), but I'll just make minor changes (spelling errors, continuity details, etc.). Episode 2, however, is going to have a lot of rework. Plus, I wanted to conform it to the new storyline from the conclusion of Spirit of Justice – so expect some massive spoilers in this story.
To those who faithfully reviewed and followed the story, I do apologize if I had to rework everything from the bottom up. Nevertheless, constructive criticisms are still highly appreciated.
I changed Episode 1's title from "The Fiery Turnabout" to "The Turbulent Turnabout." I didn't see a lot of fiery impact in the details of the story, so I changed it to something that had more suspense – like turbulence. And given that the case centered around an airport incident (which is highly overrated, I apologize), it made sense to change the title to reflect the setting. Plus, my main culprit remains the same, though I wanted to give him a little more character.
And finally, enjoy my new introduction.
An unfamiliar male's voice could be heard, echoing around the darkness, as he monologued a grim message for the world. "The days are advanced. We are in an era in which change is constant, unavoidable."
In a courtroom, somewhere in Europe, the Judge struck down his gavel three times. It appeared to be the end of a trial. In the defense bench, a uniformed law student together with his mentor stayed on the defense's bench. The student was watching the mentor perform his closing statement. A few words were exchanged between his mentor, the defense attorney, and the prosecutor, a female one who hailed from the United States.
But before the Court could hand down its ruling, the defense attorney suddenly gasped and clutched his chest. The student stood up and assisted his mentor, but he could only do so much.
Instantly, a bailiff called for a medic, who arrived at the courtroom a few seconds later. Pandemonium reigned in the room while spectators murmured among themselves out of concern and fear. The prosecution couldn't do anything. The Judge asked for updates on the attorney's condition.
Suddenly, the defense attorney groaned loudly with a gargle before his body went limp.
In deafening silence around them and as the environment went into slow motion, the student was calling out his mentor's name, the medic was performing CPR, and the Judge was issuing orders. The spectators immediately started filing out while the prosecutor also made her way to the defense table.
The surroundings went black.
"Gone are the days of primitive means to arrive at the truth."
In surreal vision, a cargo plane was in flight to Los Angeles when its engines exploded, violently rocking the plane and blowing a hole to its cargo hold.
"We have advanced technology in our disposal."
A bullet went through a man in a lab coat. The man collapsed on his seat as his head landed on the table. Nearby him was a computer.
"But when it is used for a malevolent purpose…
A woman was seemingly trapped in a block of near-frozen liquid. There were a dozen more blocks scattered around the area in which it looked like a warehouse.
"… then we can only do so little to stop it."
A woman emerges through the darkness as she stands over the dead body of a lawyer. She remains motionless and stoic, but looks unable to process everything that happened.
"Yet, even without technology, we can still get to the truth…"
Emergency workers rescued injured crew members from a plane that crashed. However, one of the crew members was already dead from a stab wound.
"… and prevent a global catastrophe from happening."
A bomb is dropped in the middle of the city during the night. When it lands, it does not deal any explosive damage. Instead, a bright blue magnetic wave pulses throughout the city. Immediately in its radius, lights are shut down, computer become jammed, and planes caught lose control and spiral toward the ground. In no more than a minute, the city is razed with flames from buildings and vehicles while explosions ravage parts of the city.
One year later after the events of Spirit of Justice…
The rookie attorney was clutching his cellphone as he walked down the arrival area of the International Airport. He had blue ruffled hair arranged by a modest amount of wax. He had an overflowing and infectious enthusiasm drawn from his eager smile and twinkling eyes. In his light blue silky vest over his light pink polo and his dark green slacks and his brown neatly polished leather shoes, the one feature that made him prominent in his confidence was the attorney's badge neatly pinned over his left collar.
The cellphone was one-of-few models with an operating system designed to aid law enforcement and attorneys in their line of work. He was not lucky to receive it. Special circumstances abroad passed the cellphone down to him, believing that he could put the phone to good use.
In the distance, two attorneys were waving at him. One of them was an enthusiastic young woman with orange hair and a yellow suit. The other one could be obvious with his signature spiky hair and blue tuxedo.
"Welcome to America," Phoenix Wright greeted him. The two of them shook hands. "So you're the one he was talking about?"
The attorney turned around for a moment. "Yes. It's very nice to meet you."
Phoenix Wright had contacts abroad, courtesy of Athena and a few other international attorneys, whom he could establish to fill his office and look for more answers.
By then, the Kingdom of Khura'in was already filling its share of lawyers and prosecutors. They were also tied up to a brewing international incident, escalating into global concern once the news got out.
"I take it you've been well?" Athena told the new attorney.
The new attorney nodded. "Never been better," he answered, a slightly childish voice for a twenty-year old leaving his lips. "I think I have everything with me." With a curious disposition, he turned to Phoenix. "So when do I start work?"
"Work's not going to be easy, Mercury," Phoenix told him pleasantly.
The attorney's name was Mercury Thinker. He was an American-born attorney raised in the United Kingdom and had secured his attorney's badge a few months prior to his return. He was prompted to return to his roots because of the cellphone he was still carrying and because of the incident that occurred in the courtroom abroad.
"I want to know what happened," Mercury told his new superior. "In that courtroom. I mean I've seen it, but I don't understand it all."
Phoenix looked into the eyes of the recruit. He could tell that Mercury was serious in his search for answers. "We'll discover the truth once we get everything out into the open."
"Just another day in the office, huh, boss?" piped Athena.
Phoenix looked out of the window and into the night sky. A light rain had already fallen while thunderclouds continued gathering over the city.
"Just another day, indeed," muttered Phoenix.
Little did they know that their first case would have to come very soon.
