Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney
The Mech-Suit's Turnabout
by Derald Snyder
Trial- Day 2
Court Record:
-Mech Remote
-Crime Scene Diagram
-Mech Suit Helmet
-Security Staff Roster
-NepCarFax Report
July 9, 8:34 AM
Planeptune Basilicom
Neptune's Room
"...and that's the situation so far," Histoire finished her explanation to Vert and Blanc over the video feed.
"Poor little Nepgear..." sighed Vert. "She's done so much for Gamindustri, and now, to be locked away like a common criminal..."
"Hey, don't worry!" said Neptune as she finished munching on a donut. "We found some real hinky stuff yesterday, so once we hit Mr. Sanshiro with it in court, Nep Jr's gonna be good as acquitted!"
"I'm n-not so c-confident," Rei sighed as she nibbled at her oatmeal. "We f-found a lot of s-suspicious t-things, but I'm n-not quite s-so sure h-how they all t-tie t-together yet..."
"I have faith in you," Blanc spoke up, before muttering under her breath, "...never thought I'd be saying that to Rei Ryghts of all people..." Straightening up, she continued, "Anyway, you have a proven track record here in Lowee, even when, and especially if, the odds seem against you. I'm sure Nepgear is in good hands."
"Let's hope so," sighed Histoire. "Shares are still dropping, especially with Agnes' broadcast. Of all the threats we've faced, I can't imagine a simple trial would have the potential to end Planeptune as a nation, at least as we know it. If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was a deliberate plot to discredit both Neptune and Nepgear in the eyes of the people..."
Rei paused mid-bite. (Wait a minute... what if that *is* the purpose of whoever set up Nepgear? That would mean...!) "Histoire, that's brilliant! I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!"
Neptune looked over at Rei in confusion. "Wait, huh? You think Histy's on to something?"
The lawyer nodded firmly. "Yes, I do. I think now I have an actual plan of attack for today's trial." Taking another bite of oatmeal, she continued, "I just hope my arguments will convince the jury..."
"Well, I'm sure anyone in Planeptune with common sense would think it strange that little Nepgear would just go off the deep end and attack her own people," Vert argued. "I wouldn't think it would be too hard to convince them, anyway..."
Histoire sighed, "Well, I guess I should be happy for actually contributing something to this story, and not just being a forgettable side-character..."
"...Seems Neptune's penchant for breaking the fourth wall has rubbed off on you," Blanc observed. "Anyway, we'd better get going. We have our own nations to tend to, after all. And Rei?"
"Y-yes?" the former goddess sat up straight.
"You'd better not lose this damn trial!" Lowee's CPU growled, her left eye glowing red. "Or else I'll fly down there in HDD and bring my axe down on your head!"
"Eeeeep!" Rei cowered. "I-I'll do m-my best n-not to l-lose! I promise!"
Blanc nodded. "You'd better. Bye for now." With that, the transmission cut off.
Rei heaved a sigh. "A-as if I d-didn't have e-enough p-pressure already..."
*chomp, chomp, swallow* Neptune polished off the last of her breakfast, before stating, "It's cool, Rei. After all, we're in a lot better position than we were yesterday." She transformed into her HDD form, Purple Heart. "Come. It is time for us to head to the courthouse."
"J-just don't f-fly so f-fast this t-time, please..." the lawyer groaned as she got her things together...
July 9, 9:40 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 3
"Good morning," Nepgear said to Neptune and Rei as the bailiff escorted her in, before unlocking her handcuffs.
"Morning Nep Jr.!" Neptune greeted. "You don't look as bad as yesterday, at least..."
Nepgear just smiled at her sister in response. Turning to Rei, the CPU Candidate asked, "So, did you find any actual evidence this time?"
"I believe so," the lawyer nodded. "Although, IF's supposed to be delivering some more evidence to us... Oh, there she is." She turned to acknowledge the Guild agent as she walked into the lobby. "Good morning, IF."
"Hey, Iffy! Got some stuff for us?" Neptune asked eagerly.
"I sure do!" IF replied, pulling out a few papers. "First, here's that paper copy of the NepCarFax Report I promised... also, I managed to get the GPS coordinates for the Pollock's car on the day of the attack. I've noted the points of interest on the crime scene diagram here..."
*Crime Scene Diagram updated in Court Record.*
Nepgear took a look at the diagram. "Wow, those two guards did a good job keeping up with me, huh?"
(Almost *too* good a job...) Rei couldn't help but think.
"Hey, what about the pudding and fingerprints?" Neptune inquired. "You get the results back on those yet?"
IF's face turned apologetic. "Well, we did get some fingerprints, but we haven't been able to analyze them yet, due to a backlog... As far as the pudding, Forensics is still checking it, but they did find something that wasn't part of the original recipe... and given that it was Underling who sold it to you..."
"S-so, i-it's safe t-to assume th-that t-the pudding was d-drugged?" Rei inquired nervously.
"Definitely a safe assumption to make," the agent nodded.
*Drugged Pudding added to the Court Record.*
"Anyway, I'll go back and check on the fingerprints, and see if we can get those analysts to get a move-on on those." Iffy then turned to Nepgear. "Oh, before I forget, Mortez wanted me to pass along a message to you..."
The younger sister's expression turned hopeful. "Really? What did he say?"
Iffy shook her head. "He's really upset at you for hijacking his suit, and then having him accused for the crime, especially since there was no proof... I'm sorry Nepgear, but Morty says as far as he's concerned, your friendship is over."
"Oh noooo..." Nepgear moaned in despair, hanging her head.
"I'm so sorry, Nepgear..." Rei apologized. "If there had been any other way yesterday..."
"Can't be helped, I guess," Neptune sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not really happy over this either..."
"Neither am I," muttered IF. "Anyway Nepgear, I'm wishing you good luck in court today. See you later." She then turned and walked out.
"Th-thank you, IF!" The CPU Candidate nodded, smiling slightly. "Good luck with your secret mission!"
"All righty then!" proclaimed Neptune. "It's time for Round 2 with Segata Sanshiro! And this time, *he's* gonna be the one flipped on his head!"
July 9, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
"All Rise! Court is now in session for the trial of the State v. Nepgear, the honorable Judge Theodore Kintobor presiding."
"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Rei stated with a confident air.
"I too, am prepared for battle," added Segata from behind the prosecutor's bench. "I did 100 cord pulls on my giant Sega Saturn this morning, so I am loose and limber!"
"I thought you were supposed to get your mind ready for court, not your body," Neptune quietly snarked to her companion.
"Well, good to see both the defense and prosecution so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!" exclaimed the judge as he took his seat. "May as well get right to it then. Mr. Sanshiro, your opening statement, please."
"Thank you, Your Honor," stated the judo master. "Yesterday, the defense put forth the theory that Mortez Doez had reprogrammed his own mech suit to destroy the expo and not obey Nepgear's commands. However, an extensive search by IF and her colleagues failed to produce any evidence supporting this theory. Thus, Mr. Doez can not be the guilty party in this case. Also, it has been proven that it would have been impossible for any of the other students to have hijacked and controlled the mech themselves." He then karate-chopped the bench. "The only remaining explanation... is that miss Nepgear was in full control of her actions, and attacked the expo of her own will! And today I shall remove any doubts as to the defendant's guilt!"
"Don't be so quick to claim victory, mag- *ahem* Mister Sanshiro," Rei caught herself. "Let's see if your arguments stand up to scrutiny!"
"Careful, Yuu..." Neptune whispered. "You're slipping into your 'berserk' persona..."
Judge Kintobor banged his gavel. "It seems both sides have thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak. The prosecution may call its first witness."
"So be it! The prosecution calls miss Abnes to the stand!" declared Segata.
A loud *ga-thunk!* was heard as the courtroom doors were thrown open by said witness, who confidently marched to the witness stand. "Hello, everyone!" she said. "This is the lovely Abnes reporting to you live from Planeptune City District Court! I'm here today at the trial for CPU Candidate Nepgear, to give my testimony on my reporting at the scene of the crime!"
"Why the heck did he call her?!" Neptune whispered to her companion.
"We'll find out soon enough, I guess..." Rei whispered back.
"Well, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting a local celebrity as a witness," the judge chuckled."My granddaughter is a huge fan of yours, miss Abnes!"
"Is that right?" the reporter replied. "Maybe I'll give you an autograph later..."
"Miss Abnes. Your testimony." Segata ordered in a tone that would brook no argument.
"Tch! How rude!" muttered Abnes. "But, OK." Clearing her throat, she began, "My crew and I arrived in the north courtyard around noon. Suddenly, we saw some crazy person in a mech suit start destroying stuff to the south of us! We fled to the main building, following a man who appeared to be carrying a sleeping girl in his arms. Once we caught up to him, we discovered that said girl was none than Lady Purple Heart, CPU Neptune herself! How disgraceful to take a snooze right when your people need you!"
"Oh, come on!" Neptune protested. "How was I supposed to know something like that was gonna happen? I mean, just because I'm a CPU doesn't mean I'm clairvoyant!"
"I'm inclined to agree with miss Neptune," Judge Kintobor agreed. "Nobody's perfect, after all. And I don't exactly see how this removes any doubts as to the defendant's guilt..."
Segata explained, "When Agent IF described the event in court yesterday, I have to admit that there was one detail that bothered me. And that was the apparent decision by the defendant to attack the south courtyard first, though she launched from the north. But now, we have an answer!" Faux-chopping the bench, he declared, "The reason miss Nepgear did not attack the north courtyard first, was because her beloved sister was there! It was only after miss Neptune was safely out of danger that she moved to attacking the north courtyard!"
"No waaaaaay!" yelled Neptune, setting the gallery abuzz.
"Order! Order!" cried the judge as he gaveled the crowd down. "This testimony from miss Abnes is quite decisive if it stands!"
"Ughh..." the CPU groaned. "I can't believe he linked my napping to Nepgear's supposed actions during the attack!"
(Neither can I...) thought Rei, (but we're not licked yet...)
"Now then, Ms. Kobayashi, your cross-examination, please."
"Yes, Your Honor," the defense attorney nodded. "First of all, I'd like to ask the witness... why exactly were you at the expo in the first place?"
"What do you mean by that?" Abnes asked.
Rei expounded, "I mean, no offense, but a robotics expo doesn't exactly seem like your cup of tea... Could it be that someone gave you a tip?"
"OBJECTION!" yelled Segata. "Ms. Kobayashi, even I know that it is illegal to ask a journalist about their sources, or try to coerce them into revealing them against their will!"
"Objection sustained," concurred Judge Kintobor. "I must disallow this line of questioning. Move on, Ms. Kobayashi."
"I don't need you two men coming to my rescue," muttered Abnes. "I can handle myself just fine!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Rei apologized. "I swear, that wasn't my intent!"
"Hmph. Just see that it doesn't happen again," said Segata.
"If it's any consolation, I was kinda wondering the same thing..." Neptune muttered.
Regaining her composure, Rei clearing her throat, before asking, "W-well, anyway... so, miss Abnes, you believe that my companion here was sleeping at the time of the incident?"
"Of course she was!" Abnes affirmed. "What are you implying?"
The lawyer shook her head. "Miss Abnes, you probably not even aware of this, but... Neptune wasn't sleeping. She had been drugged unconscious!"
Abnes blinked in shock. "Drugged...?"
"The proof is in the pudding, literally in this case. Just before Neptune fell asleep, she had consumed a cup of pudding. And despite my best efforts and those of a helpful NPC, we couldn't rouse her at all. On a hunch, I had my unopened pudding tested by forensics, and they found something in there was *not* part of the normal recipe!" Pulling out a photo, she continued, "And the one who sold us that pudding was none other than this woman! TAKE THAT!" She handed the photo to the bailiff, who promptly passed it to the judge.
"Oh my..." Judge Kintobor muttered as he observed the picture, "this lady certainly has a sinister air about her..."
"That, Your Honor, is because she is a former associate of the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime, which was smashed by the efforts of Neptune and Nepgear several years ago!"
"Wh-whaaaaat?!" gasped Segata in surprise. "A former ASIC member?!"
"That's right!" Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "This Underling of ASIC deliberately drugged Neptune as part of a revenge plot!"
"R-revenge?" gasped Abnes. "But... but..."
"Miss Abnes. While I can't ask you about your sources, there's nothing forbidding me from guessing," the lawyer began. "I believe it was this Underling that called you to the expo on the day of attack, with one purpose!" Pointing her finger, she declared, "You were set-up to ensure that a sleeping Neptune was caught on camera during the crisis, to ensure that she was humiliated and discredited in the eyes of Planeptune's citizens!"
"Ngaahhh!" cried Segata as he 'blocked' an attack.
Abnes looked horrified. "I... was... set up? I... the lovely Agnes... was manipulated... by a criminal?" She let loose with a mournful wail as her skull bow came undone, her long hair frizzing out in several directions. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The crowd chattered at this. "Our lovely goddess was set up?" "She was drugged by that felon?!" "Of course! If she were awake, she would have stopped her sister!" "But those two would never work together! What does it mean?"
"Order! Order!" yelled Judge Kintobor as he banged his gavel several times. "Prosecutor Sanshiro. It seems Ms. Kobayashi has made a compelling argument. Do you have any objections?"
"...No, Your Honor," Segata deferred. "The prosecution is willing to concede that CPU Neptune was indeed drugged by this Underling character. However..." He karate chopped the bench. "It does not discount my previous theory, that Nepgear deliberately avoided harming her sister during the attack! The fact that miss Neptune was drugged is completely irrelevant!"
"Gurk!" Neptune grunted."Well, we figured he might say something like that..." she sighed to Rei, as the gallery murmured...
"HOLD IT!" cried Abnes, as she re-tied her skull-bow on her head. "Just a minute! I have something to say!"
"...well, say it then," muttered the prosecutor. "And make it fast. My patience is wearing thin."
"Don't rush me!" the journalist retorted as she finished fixing her bow. "Ms. Attorney, you're wrong about one thing. It wasn't this Underling that called me!"
"I-it wasn't?" the judge blinked in surprise.
Abnes shook her head. "No. It was an anonymous tip... and I'm pretty sure the caller was male." Taking a breath, she continued, "He told me to come to the Robotics Expo, specifically to the northern courtyard, around noon. 'It'll be the biggest scoop of your life!' he said." She then slammed her palms on the witness stand. "But, I certainly didn't expect me and my crew to be caught in the middle of a terrorist attack! I could have been killed! ...Anyway, that's all I know."
"Hmph. I still fail to see how any of this is relevant to the actions of the defendant..." Segata shook his head.
"And yet, the fact that this took place at the same time as the attack... I don't feel we can discount this completely," said Judge Kintobor. "I shall instruct the jury that they may consider part or all of miss Abnes' testimony in their deliberations."
*Abnes Testimony added to the Court Record.*
"Your Honor," Rei suddenly spoke up, "if I recall correctly, in a jury trial, the defense can call witnesses just as the prosecution can, correct?"
"Oh?" Judge Kintobor raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a specific witness in mind?"
"Yes, Your Honor," the bluenette nodded. "I'd like to call one of the two security guards that were on-duty at the time of the attack on the expo. Honestly, I'm surprised the prosecution hasn't called them yet..."
"I did not believe it necessary," the Savior of Saturn explained.
"Not necessary?" the lawyer shook her head. "With all due respect, Mr. Sanshiro, they were the two people closest to the action! Hearing about the attack from their perspective may shed some new light on this case!"
"I see your point," said the judge. "So, which of the two guards did you want to call?"
"The younger brother, Drew Pollock, Your Honor," Rei stated firmly.
Judge Kintobor nodded. "Very well then. Bailiff, have the younger Mr. Pollock summoned to the witness stand. In the meantime, we may as well take a short break. Court will now take a ten-minute recess." He banged his gavel to adjourn the court.
July 9, 10:43 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 3
"Okay," Rei breathed out. "So far, so good."
"Nice work, Rei! That's one half of the Nep-sisters redeemed!" Neptune proclaimed happily. "Now we just have to clear the other half!"
Nepgear smiled nervously. "Th-that probably won't be so easy, though... But why call one of the guards as a witness?"
"Cause they're not real guards, that's why," Neptune explained.
"What?!" Nepgear exclaimed, her eyes shrinking to white circles.
"It's true," Rei nodded. "Not to mention Andrew seemed to be the point man of the group. But I figure if I can get the younger brother, Drew, by himself, I might be able to cause him to slip and reveal something that blows the case wide open."
"Ummm..." Nepgear began. "But don't you think the older brother would have coached him or something?"
"No worries," Neptune waved her off. "Once we hit this guy with the proof we've got, he'll crack like an egg! And then you'll be as good as acquitted!"
July 9, 10:53 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
Judge Kintobor banged his gavel to silence the crowd. "Court is now back in session. Prosecutor Sanshiro, is the witness prepared?"
"He is," Segata confirmed. "The older brother wanted to testify in his place, but he shut up when I threatened him with a judo flip."
"That'd make almost anyone shut up," Neptune commented. "Everyone fears the Segata Sanshiro Judo Flip(TM)."
Drew Pollock walked up to the witness stand looking slightly nervous. "Witness, your name and occupation for the record," Segata ordered.
"R-right. Ah'm Drew Pollock, and Ah'm a security guard for PHLI. Ah was there at the time that Expo got done blown to pieces by Nepgear..." He swallowed hard. "Sorry, Ah ain't never been infront-a so many people before..."
"Maybe he should try imagining the audience as fish heads," The purple-haired CPU silently snarked to her companion.
"Just tell the court what you witnessed on the day of the attack," Judge Kintobor instructed.
"Yeah, OK, shore, Ah can do that." Drew cleared his throat. "OK, so my older brother Andy and Ah were drivin' around the courtyard... well actually, Ah was the one drivin' but anyway... Suddenly, we see this big walking robot get blowed up! It was somebody in a purple-color mecha-suit-thingy! We did our best to chase after the varmint in our car, before that psycho goddess suddenly showed up! We kept a safe distance while they fought it out... Soon Rei Ryghts ended up winnin' and started pullin' that suit apart! Andy decided it was time to go in, and Ah followed, though Ah was scared outta my wits. Thank Goddess she decided we weren't worth 'er time and took off! After that, me an' Andy took that Nepgear into custody! We did the best jobs we could as security guards..."
"OBJECTION!" Rei suddenly interjected. "Doing your jobs as security guards? I think not, Mr. Pollock."
"Huh? What d'y'all mean?" Drew blinked in confusion.
Picking up some papers, the attorney explained, "I have here a listing of security staff taken straight from your office. And neither you or your brother are listed on here!"
The guard's eyes went wide. "Say wha-? We ain't listed?!"
"Furthermore," Rei continued, "The car you two used during the attack is not the same model as the standard-issue security car!" She slammed her bench. "So, tell me, Mr. Pollock, are you and your brother *really* security guards?"
"B-but... but..." Drew attempted to protest.
"OBJECTION!" Segata cut in. "Let me stop you right there, Ms. Kobayashi. That security roster you possess... tell me, when does it date from?"
"Last month, why?" Rei responded.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Sanshiro?" the judge asked.
"That security roster is outdated, Your Honor." Pulling out some papers of his own, the judo master explained, "I received an updated roster from the headmaster yesterday. It turns out Mr. Pollock and his brother were only hired recently, to provide additional security for the expo." He handed the papers to the bailiff, who handed them to the judge.
Judge Kintobor adjusted his glasses as he scanned the list. "Ah, yes! Here they are, under 'Auxiliary Staff.'"
*Security Staff Roster updated in Court Record.*
"Aw, fish biscuits!" muttered Neptune. "They really were security guards! Just our luck!"
"Well, Ms. Kobayashi? It seems your charge was baseless," the judge asserted. "Do you have any other questions for Mr. Pollock?"
"Actually, Your Honor..." she began. "If Mr. Pollock really is a security guard, that makes this piece of evidence even more suspicious! TAKE THAT!" She presented the car report.
"Oh? This appears to be a NepCarFax report," Kintobor observed.
"Correct. As I'm sure you know, every patrol guard hired by the Institute is assigned a car to use for their job. However, this car was purchased by Andrew Pollock two weeks ago, in the amount of 9,500,000 credits!"
"Nine and a half million?!" exclaimed the judge. "That seems a bit frivolous to me!"
"Exactly," Rei nodded. "So, Mr. Pollock, why buy such an expensive car when the school would have provided one for you?"
"Ah dunno!" Drew shrugged. "Ya'll said it yerself, it was Andy who bought the car! He said we needed it for the job! Who am Ah to question mah brother? He was always the smart one..."
"OBJECTION!" declared Segata. "Whatever car the Pollocks were driving is irrelevant to this case!"
"OBJECTION!" Rei retorted. "This is the exact car that was at the scene of the attack! I think it's very relevant to this case!"
"Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel. "While the car seems insignificant, I'm willing to allow the defense some leeway here. ...provided they can prove just how the car is relevant."
"I can, Your Honor," the disguised lawyer stated confidently, pulling out the crime scene diagram. "Agent IF managed to obtain the GPS coordinates for this car on the day of the attack. This diagram has been noted with the points of interest in the car's path."
"Let me see that," Kintobor instructed. The diagram was passed through the bailiff's hands into his. "Hmm, well... it seems the Pollocks did quite a good job keeping up with the mech suit."
"No surprise there," Segata stated. "Just what does this prove?"
"Take a look at the earliest point on the diagram," Rei clarified.
Judge Kintobor did as stated. "This point, why, it's right next to the Robotics Garage! What were they doing all the way over there?"
"And only a few minutes later, Nepgear exits in the mech suit, with the car following closely behind," the bluenette pointed out. "Now if they thought something was suspicious, why not stop Nepgear right then and there?"
"U-um, well..." Drew Pollock ran a hand through his hair. "You'd have to ask Andy..."
"I'm not asking Andrew! I'm asking you, Drew Pollock!" Rei pressed.
"A-Ah dunno! Why are y'all makin' such a big deal 'bout it?!"
"I have to concur," said the prosecutor. "Just what are you getting at here, Kobayashi?"
"Recall Mortez Doez's testimony from the trial yesterday," she explained. "He said anything with a stronger signal could have overrode his remote. He also said, and I quote, 'Heck, even a police radio would've done the job!'"
"A police radio..." Realization suddenly dawned, causing Segata to 'block' an attack. "Wait, you aren't saying...!"
"I am!" Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "The reason the Pollock brothers were stationed by the Robotics garage... was to hijack Mortez's mech suit themselves!"
"Wh-whaaaaaat?!" the judge gasped. The gallery started buzzing.
"Mr. Sanshiro. You said yesterday that no human could have kept up with that mech suit at the speeds it was flying at, to keep it within remote-control range. However..." Rei pointed at Drew Pollock. "A police car would be more than capable of keeping pace with the suit!"
"NGAAHHH!" gasped the judo master as he 'blocked' another attack.
"Ah, come on! Y'all are crazy!" Drew protested, sweating. "You seriously think *we* hijacked that mecha suit?! You're off your rocker!"
"Am I, now?" smirked the lawyer, crossing her arms. "According to the NepCarFax report, the radio on this particular car is quite high-end, and in excellent condition! More than capable of overriding Mortez's remote! Also, while we couldn't search the car itself, we did glimpse what appeared to be a high-end laptop!" Nodding, she continued, "The defense proposes that Drew drove the car to keep pace with the mech suit, while Andrew sent commands to it via the laptop! And thanks to helmet's mouth guard, Nepgear was unable to scream for help, thus appearing as if she was attacking the expo willingly! When in fact, she was completely helpless!"
"No waaaaaaay!" Drew recoiled. The crowd chattered excitedly.
"Yes!" exclaimed Neptune. "Now that's some excellent deducing there, Yuu! Way to go!"
"OBJECTION!" Segata protested. "You're forgetting one crucial thing... namely, *why* would the Pollock brothers do something like this? What is their motive?!"
"Y...yeah!" Drew agreed, nodding vigorously. "Why would we go an' do somethin' like this?"
Rei just smirked. "For the same reason that Underling spiked Neptune's pudding and had her male friend call Abnes to catch the sleeping CPU on film! To discredit Nepgear in the eyes of Planeptune's citizens! In fact..." she pointed her finger at the guard. "I would go so far as to say that you two were in cahoots with Underling!"
"Whaaaaat?!" screamed Drew.
"OBJECTION!" declared the judo master. "You have no evidence proving this whatsoever!"
"Y-yeah!" the younger Pollock gasped. "I ain't never heard of this Underling character before!"
"Crud, we don't have any way of proving that..." Neptune groaned.
Rei thought for a moment. "Well, maybe Mr. Pollock is right..."
"Huh? He is?" the CPU asked in shock.
"Hmph. So you admit that theory holds no water whatsoever!" proclaimed Segata.
"OBJECTION!" the lawyer asserted. "Now just hold on a second, mag- Mister Sanshiro, and let me explain myself!" Taking a breath to calm herself, she proposed, "Perhaps Underling and the Pollock brothers aren't directly connected, but instead, they were coordinated by a fourth person!"
"A fourth person?" Judge Kintobor blinked. "But who?"
"The man who placed the call that summoned miss Abnes to the expo at the time of the attack," Rei explained. "In fact, I believe this mysterious man is the mastermind behind this plot!"
"OBJECTION!" Segata cut in, before faux-chopping the prosecutor's bench. "That is enough! I have let this farce go on for far too long!"
"Oh yeah?" Neptune challenged. "What makes you so confident it's a farce?"
"As I said before, you have not a shred of proof backing up your insane theory!" the prosecutor reiterated. "And there is a perfectly rational explanation for the Pollock brothers sitting by the garage!"
"There is?" said the judge.
Segata nodded. "I highly doubt that the fact that Mortez Doez's mech suit was outfitted with such dangerous weaponry was a secret to everybody. Surely, he would have at least asked for permission from the headmaster before beginning his work! And then, said headmaster likely informed the security staff about Mr. Doez's work, so they could keep an eye on him!" Shaking his head, he insisted, "Does it not follow that the guards simply followed Mr. Doez and Nepgear to make sure nothing went wrong?"
"That's a good point!" Neptune cried incredulously.
"And did it never occur to you that maybe the reason they bought their own car was because they simply thought the standard issue car was inadequate or uncomfortable?" Segata continued.
"That's... also a good point..." muttered Rei, starting to sweat.
"And also, because they were recently hired, perhaps any other seemingly suspicious behavior they performed was simply due to incompetence?"
"Stop bringing up good points, Segata..." the lawyer groaned.
Faux-chopping the bench, the prosecutor concluded, "This anti-goddess conspiracy of yours is nothing but a figment of your imagination!"
"Why did you have to point out every flaw?!" wailed Neptune in despair, causing the gallery to chatter.
Judge Kintobor gaveled them down. "Hmph. It would seem that Mr. Sanshiro's explanation of events is far more believable than the defense's theory..."
"Urrrrrgghhh..." Rei moaned. (I can't believe it... he shot down every argument I've made! Effortlessly!)
"Pheeeewwww..." Drew sighed in relief. "Thanks, Mr. Sanshiro! Ah thought Ah was done for there!"
Segata Sanshiro shook his head. "In the end, all you did was delay the inevitable. Your Honor, I believe it is time to do what you should have done a day ago and send this case to deliberations."
The judge nodded. "I see. Does the defense have any further arguments?"
"...no. Absolutely nothing."
"Then I hereby end the cross-examination of Drew Pollock!" declared the judge, banging his gavel.
But just when all seemed lost...
"HOLD IT!" A voice cried out as the courtroom doors were thrown open, revealing a familiar face. "Stop right there, Drew Bullock! You're not going anywhere!"
"I...IFFY!" gasped Neptune. "No way! You must have triggered a 'big damn heroes' event flag when you gave up, Yuu!"
"Miss Factory!" gasped the judge in surprise. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Simple, Your Honor," IF responded as she walked up to the witness stand. "I'm here to arrest this fraud of a security guard for grand larceny!"
"Wh-whaaaatt?! Larceny?!" cried Segata.
"Uhh... what's a larceny?" The CPU asked in confusion.
"She means robbery, Neptune," the lawyer explained.
"Robbery?!"
"Neptune. Yuu. Thanks for holding down the fort until I could get here," IF addressed her colleagues. "We finally got the fingerprint results back on Drew Bullock and his brother."
"Um, Iffy, you're getting the guy's name wrong..." Neptune pointed out.
"No, I'm not," IF shook her head. "'Pollock' was just an alias. His real name is Drew Bullock, one of two suspects wanted for robbing the local branch of the Planeptune National Bank a month ago!"
"WHAT?! A bank robber?!" cried the judge, sending the crowd into a tizzy.
"That's right," the intelligence agent nodded, holding up a newspaper. "This newspaper article has the details. Two brothers stole ten million credits from the bank and drove off before the police could get there. They eventually found the car, but it had been abandoned, and they couldn't find any trace of the brothers or the money... until now." She glared at Drew as she finished, the man sweating profusely now.
*Bullock Bros. Robbery Article added to the Court Record.*
"Ah, c-come on!" Drew feebly protested. "D-do Ah look like Ah've got t-ten million smackers layin' around! If Ah had th-that kind of money, Ah wouldn't b-be workin' as a security g-guard! Y'all could search every nook an' cranny of our home and jobs and ya wouldn't find nothin'!"
(He sounds unusually confident with that last statement... Ah!) An idea suddenly came to the disguised lawyer. "Actually, I concur with Mr. Pollock, er, Bullock."
"You do?" IF gasped in shock.
"You do?" echoed Neptune, her eyes shrunk to white circles.
"Oh, shore. *Now* ya start talkin' sense," the guard muttered.
Rei just smirked as she crossed her arms. "Unfortunately, that doesn't bode well for you, Drew. The reason you don't have the money... is because you already spent it!"
"Spent it? On what?" Judge Kintobor asked incredulously.
"I direct your attention once again to the NepCarFax report... specifically, the price tag," the former goddess explained.
"Yes, we know. That car cost 9,500,000 credits... Ah!" gasped the judge as comprehension dawned. "Ms. Kobayashi, are you saying...?"
"Exactly, Your Honor!" Rei exclaimed, slamming her fists on the bench. "The two brothers used their ill-gotten gains to purchase the police car, to further their nefarious scheme against Nepgear!"
"Nooooooooo!" Drew recoiled again.
"Unbelievable!" growled Segata. "To think I was defending you as an upstanding member of law enforcement! When in fact, you were a common criminal the entire time!" Chopping the bench, he ranted on, "Deceiving me is a very foolish mistake, Drew Bullock! You will confess your crimes to this court, right here, right now... Or I will show you my earth-shattering judo throw!"
"Nepu! Not the judo throw that makes you explode twice on impact!" Neptune gasped, her hands over her mouth.
"*Twice?!*" cried Rei in shock. (Wouldn't *one* explosion be enough to reduce you to giblets? Talk about overkill!)
"NnnnnnngggggrrrRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Drew wailed, before slamming his head on the witness stand. "B...broootherrrrr!" He slammed his head again. "Ah'm sorry! Ah done goofed up!" Slam. "Ah testified just like ya told me to, but Ah still got busted!" Slam. "Ah'm sorry Ah'm such a dunce head!" Slam. "An idiot!" Slam. "Ah'm an idiot!" Slam. "AH'M AN IDIOT!" Slam.
"IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IIIIIDIIIIOOOOTTTTT!" He slammed his head with each repetition of the word 'idiot', until finally, his head covered with bumps, he slid bonelessly to the floor, completely unconscious.
"Order! ORDER!" yelled Judge Kintobor, banging his gavel as the crowd chattered. Order in the coooourrrrrt!"
It took a few minutes, but the gallery finally calmed down.
"Well," sighed Kintobor, "I must admit, this was an unexpected turn of events. Prosecutor Sanshiro, how is Drew Pollock, er, Bullock?"
"Still unconscious in the medical ward, Your Honor," muttered Segata. "An arrest warrant has already been issued for his arrest, and his brother as well. The bailiffs should be reading Andrew Bullock his rights as we speak."
"Hey, wait a nep!" Neptune cut in. "Now that it's proven the Bullock Bros are bad guys, that means we can finally search their car, right?"
"Two steps ahead of you, Neptune," said IF. "I've already sent a team of agents to impound that car and search it inside and out."
"Sweet! Once we get that laptop and have it analyzed, Nep Jr's in the clear!" The goddess exclaimed happily.
"Thank goodness..." Nepgear sighed in relief from the defendant's chair.
Suddenly, a black-shadowed NPC came running in. "Agent IF!" he exclaimed. "We found the car, but the laptop you said was there... is gone!"
"Gone?!" cried IF in shock.
Another NPC ran in- a bailiff, this time. "Segata Sanshiro! We've searched the courthouse, and we can't find Andrew Bullock anywhere!"
"What did you say?!" cried the judo master.
"Oh, crud!" Neptune said as realization hit. "Andy must've realized the jig was up, so he took the laptop and ran!"
"What are you standing here for?!" Segata yelled at the bailiff. "Contact the local police and commence a manhunt for that robber, at once!"
"Yes sir!" said the bailiff, turning and running out.
"Should we assist them, IF?" The other NPC suggested.
"No," Iffy shook her head, "I want you to find some divers and start dredging the nearby river. Andrew Bullock likely took the laptop to dispose of it as evidence!"
"We're on it, ma'am!" the NPC saluted, before jogging out of the courtroom himself.
Judge Kintobor banged his gavel to silence the once-again restless crowd. "All right, settle down, everyone. It appears we're at a bit of an impasse. I'm going to extend the trial to tomorrow to give the police sometime to find the elder Mr. Bullock. In the meantime... Yuu Kobayashi."
"Yes, Your Honor?" Rei stood at attention.
"I'm giving you a homework assignment of sorts," the judge instructed. "Your homework is to find evidence supporting your theory about Nepgear being hijacked by sinister forces. Also, who is the mastermind, and why did they do this?"
"Just great. I hate homework," The CPU groaned.
(But you don't even go to school!) Rei sighed inwardly.
"As for you, Mr. Sanshiro..." the judge continued. "You may need to reconsider your stance in this case. Above all, you should reconsider your assumption of guilt for the defendant, miss Nepgear."
"...as you say, Your Honor."
"Very well. We will reconvene tomorrow at 10 AM. This is the last extension! Court is adjourned."
July 9, 12:07 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 3
Rei collapsed onto a bench as she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Th-that was a c-close one... t-thank goodness IF c-came in w-when she d-did."
"It's no problem," said the Guild agent. "Honestly, I should be apologizing for taking so long..."
"Hey, as long as you made it, that's all that matters!" Neptune said. "So, were those two robbers the focus of your secret mission, Iffy?"
"Hssssst!" IF grunted as she clapped a hand over the CPU's mouth. "Not here, Neptune! *sigh* Look, I'll tell you about that later, but not where someone can overhear, okay?"
"Mmm-Hmm!" Neptune nodded.
"But, do you really think you can find the mastermind behind this scheme?" Nepgear inquired. "There doesn't seem to be any clues about him or her whatsoever..."
"What about the mysterious guy who called Abnes?" suggested Neptune, after IF removed her hand from her mouth. "Maybe we should see if we can catch up with that reporter and see what else she knows!"
"B-but she said i-in court t-that she d-didn't know a-anything else..." Rei pointed out.
"Snap, you're right..." the goddess sighed. "Guess we'll just have to hope we get lucky then..."
"Listen," IF began, "I'm going to run back to Forensics real quick and see if they finished their analysis of the drugged pudding. Maybe that will give us a lead..."
"O-okay. G-good luck," the lawyer nodded.
"Thanks, Rei. Later." IF turned and jogged out of the lobby.
"Miss Nepgear," stated the bailiff. "I'm sorry, but it's time to return to your cell."
The CPU Candidate nodded. "Right, OK. Good luck, Neptune, Rei." With that, she was escorted out.
"Right then," muttered Neptune. "Well, let's head back to the Basilicom and plan our next move. And eat lunch, while we're at it."
Rei stood up. "Okay... Maybe some food will get my tired brain back in gear..." With that, they left...
To be continued...