Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

Turnabout of the Mobile Tank

by Derald Snyder

Investigation- Day 1 (Part 2)

April 15

Outskirts of Iris Field

(Only in Lowee would the ground still be covered with snow in April...) Rei thought to herself as she and Sophia walked to the crime scene... Even discounting the police tape, the large, imposing mobile tank with the designation 'SOPHIA-2' on its side and the large cannon on its front was pretty hard to miss...

"I'm surprised they haven't impounded it yet," Sophia observed. "Especially with all the firepower it has..."

"W-well, it *is* the murder weapon, so to speak," Rei shrugged. "But why does it have your name on it?"

"Like I said, I was supposed to be the intended pilot, " her companion said. "Also, Mother was never very good with names... Sophia is actually her grandmother's name, so..."

*SOPHIA-2 Mobile Tank added to the Court Record.*

"N-nothing wrong with that..." Rei shrugged. As they approached the crime scene tape, a man wearing a grey-brown trench coat and matching hat walked up from the other side.

"Move along, ladies. This is a crime scene," the man stated in a stern voice.

A sinister smirk spread over the former goddess' face. "How about YOU move along, worm, before I transform and reduce you to a bloody smear in the snow!"

The detective's head jerked up at this, his grey eyes going wide in recognition. "Rei?! Holy shit, it's you!" he started laughing. "So, you finally decided to come home, eh? And I was just starting to think about missing you!"

"Think about missing you?" Sophia muttered in confusion.

"...you have any idea how many pay cuts I got because of this lady?" the man raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you actually did your job properly, Snooper, you wouldn't have such a low salary!" Rei retorted.

"Snooper?" Sophia blinked in mild confusion.

"O-oh, right," the horned lawyer shook her head. "Sophia, this is Detective Snorkel Pericles. He and I have... m-met b-before d-during cases."

"You just had to give her my full name, didn't you?" Snorkel lowered his head. "Just so we're clear, my father was a master diver from Leanbox... 'Snorkel' was supposed to be a joke, but it ended up sticking after I was born."

"Oh, I see!" Sophia clapped her hands once in comprehension. "You just combined the first syllables of your first and last names to create your nickname! ...now that I think about it, weren't you the detective that initially questioned me?"

"Yep, that was me," Snooper nodded. "Of course, if I knew you were going to run off and bring Rei, I might've thought twice about letting you go..." He then winked, indicating he was being facetious, which elicited a giggle from the blonde.

"Anyway, down to business, detective," Rei cut in. "What have you found so far?"

Snooper shrugged. "Not much to find... I mean it was just that vehicle that ran down the sheriff..." He pointed to a red flag that was sticking up behind SOPHIA-2. "That's where the body was found... obviously, they've shipped it off to autopsy by now..."

"So do you have an autopsy report yet?" the lawyer inquired.

"Only in digital form," Snooper answered as he pulled his phone from his inner coat pocket.

"Send it t-to me, then, p-please," Rei requested politely as she took out her own mobile device.

"You got it."

*Autopsy Report added to the Court Record.*

Sophia stepped closer to Rei so she could read the screen. "Let's see... cause of death... punctured lungs due to crushed ribcage. Yuck!"

"And liver temp confirms that it had to be your tank that did the crushing," Snooper added.

"G-guess that th-throws our 'he w-was already d-dead' argument o-out the window..." Rei sighed, before something in the report caught her eye. "Wait, what's this? 'Serious stab wound to the abdomen'?"

"But not fatal," the detective pointed out.

"Even so, detective," Sophia argued, "A wound that could have easily disabled Sheriff Linebeck, to the point he would be unable to move without intense pain! It's quite possible," she continued, "that someone else stabbed him, left him for dead, and he was simply unable to crawl out of SOPHIA-2's path in time!"

"Which would mean that Jacob Fredrick committed involuntary manslaughter at worst," Rei added. "After all, if a sudden wind ended up covering the sheriff in snow, there's no way my client could have seen him in time to stop!"

Snooper looked down at the ground as he pondered this. "Well... it ain't the wackiest theory you've come up with to explain a crime..."

"You do realize, many of my 'wacky' theories have usually proven to be true," Rei pointed out. "Anyway, I a-assume you have ph-photos of the c-crime scene as well?"

"Not on me," said Snooper. "You'll have to wait until trial to see 'em, probably..."

"Detective! What are you doing, gossiping with ladies when you have a job to do?" A haughty voice with a British accent cut into the conversation like a knife through butter. "Am I going to have to cut your salary for incompetence?" Rei and Sophia turned to see a young woman with blonde hair in a circular braid, with the rest flowing loose. She had blue eyes, a pointed nose and thin lips which showed a disdainful expression. She was dressed in a regal blue winter coat that went down to her knees.

"Miss Daphnes," Snooper sighed, "With all due respect, I wasn't gossiping. I was discussing the case with the defendant's attorney."

"Attorney?" The blonde raised an eyebrow. "And how may times have I told you, it's Prosecutor Daphnes..."

"You are the prosecutor for this case?" Sophia asked. "You seem a bit young for that..."

"You would judge me by my age alone?" The prosecutor retorted. "Unless I miss my guess, are you not the defendant's accomplice in this case?"

"I would prefer the term 'partner'," the engineer shot back.

"N-now hold on j-just a m-minute!" Rei cried as she stepped between the two blondes. "Th-there's no need f-for this o-open hostility!"

"...Ah. Rei Ryghts, I presume," the prosecutor nodded. "So Mr. Fredrick has hired you as his representation?"

"Y-yes ma'am," the bluenette bowed her head in respect. "And you are?"

"Ah, yes. Forgive my lack of manners." The regal blonde cleared her throat. "My name is Zelda Daphnes. As you have likely deduced, I am the daughter of the legendary prosecutor, Rhoam Daphnes..."

Rei shrugged. "Never heard of him."

Zelda jerked in shock at this. "Wha- you- you've never heard of my father?! Even though you've been an attorney for over a year now?!"

"You do realize your father was at the tail end of his career when she started," Snooper pointed out.

"E-even so...!" But then Zelda stopped, putting a finger to her chin. "...on second thought, perhaps that may be a good thing. You do intend to take this case to trial, correct?"

"Of c-course!" Rei asserted. "Because I firmly believe Mr. Fredrick is innocent!"

Zelda Daphnes smiled at this. "Excellent. Though I have been a prosecutor for over a month now, I have yet to actually stand in court... every attorney I've met, once they hear my name, cannot beg for a plea bargain fast enough. I have longed for the opportunity to prove myself in the courtroom... and what better opponent then the goddess of the courtroom herself?"

(THAT'S how they refer to me these days?!) Rei thought in disbelief.

"Wow, it seems you've garnered quite the reputation yourself, Miss Ryghts, at least in the legal world," Sophia observed.

The horned lawyer sighed. "W-well, I g-guess it's better then being c-called an evil psycho g-goddess..."

"I'm well aware of your former final boss status," Zelda said. "But now that I've seen you in person, you don't seem quite that frightening..." There almost seemed to be an undertone of relief in her voice. "In fact, now I can see how many prosecutors in Lowee have underestimated you. But I assure you, I won't make that mistake." She then turned on her heel and began to walk away. "I look forward to matching wits with you in court tomorrow. Until then..."

Sophia blinked a few times as she processed the prosecutor's last statement. "W-wait, tomorrow? The trial's tomorrow?!"

"9:45 AM sharp," stated Snooper. "After all, given it's the local sheriff that was killed, the investigative team'd want to resolve this as quick as possible..."

(As usual, zero prep time...) Rei sighed inwardly. "D-don't worry, Sophia... th-this isn't the f-first time th-this has happened with me... I seem t-to do my b-best under p-pressure anyway..."

"I can attest to that," Snooper nodded. "It's gonna be interesting, watching you and Miss Daphnes go at it tomorrow..."

"Detective!" Zelda's voice echoed from a distance.

"I-I mean, Prosecutor Daphnes..."

"I meant to ask why you did not impound that vehicle yet!" the regal blonde shouted. "As much weaponry as it carries, it simply cannot be left out in open to be stolen!"

"M-my apologies, ma'am! I'll get right on it!" The detective swiftly dialed a number on his phone.

"I should hope so!" Zelda called back, before turning and leaving.

"One more thing, Detective," Sophia inquired, "where's the weapon that Jacob uses when he goes out in the field?"

"Confiscated as evidence, most likely," Snooper answered. "Wouldn't be surprised if it's presented at trial tomorrow..."

"W-why are you so c-concerned about that?" Rei asked.

"Because it also functions as the key to SOPHIA-2," the engineer explained. "Without it, the tank runs on a crude A.I. If an unauthorized person attempts to access the vehicle's cockpit, they'll get blown to bits!"

"WHAT?!" Snooper cried in shock. "Why didn't you say anything about that when I was questioning you before?!"

"I asked if you needed to access the cockpit," Sophia pointed out. "You said it wasn't necessary, you were leaving the tank where it was while you investigated. But now that Prosecutor Daphnes has ordered it's removal, you're probably going to need my help..."

"S-so what do I do?" Rei asked.

"You may return to your office, Miss Ryghts," the blonde answered. "I will meet up with you at the courthouse tomorrow, if that is all right with you..."

"OK then," the lawyer nodded. "See you t-tomorrow, then..."

To be continued...