Chapter Six

A Present Absence

"Boss? Mr. Wright? Hello? Are you there?"

"Hold on, Trucy." Athena heard shuffling in the background. "Sorry, Athena. You caught me eating dinner."

"It's fine, I was just calling because I-"

"What's going on?"

"I went to visit Junie outside town, and well..." Athena looked around the half-empty bus to see if anyone was listening in. "They found a dead body buried in a neighbor's front yard."

"They found what?" Phoenix Wright sounded surprised, but not as much as Athena thought he would. "You really do work for this office, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Nothing. So, do the police know who the body belonged to?"

"An elderly lady named Gonma Singh. She'd been missing for two days when her grandchildren came to town, asking the police to look for her. That evening, Junie and I passed by the victim's house, and they were digging her out of the ground."

"Any idea how old the body is?"

"No. The police shooed us away, and I had a bus to catch. It... really scared Junie."

"Scared Miss Woods? Or scared you?" Her boss laughed a little. "It's okay to be freaked out by a dead body, Athena. I've been in this business for years, and they still make unsettle me."

"No, it's not that." Though the sight had disturbed Athena more than she cared to admit, it wasn't what she was calling about. "I was planning to go up there and visit Junie-"

"-And by that, you mean the crime scene-"

"-And see what I can do to help," Athena finished. "If something happened out there, I don't feel like I can just stand by. If it was a murder, and someone gets accused... I may get involved."

"Athena, you don't need to do this. Listen to me." It was rare she heard the boss sound so stern. He had a fire behind his voice, a fire that only ignited in the heat of a case. "Two days ago, you were tied up in a case that had haunted your life for years. Don't be so quick to dive into a new one."

"I know, but I'm fine now! Seriously. Our office sometimes goes months without a case. Why shouldn't we take the opportunities as they come?"

"You shouldn't take every case that comes your way, Athena. Trust me, I've regretted enough to know. Besides, isn't it a little premature to talk about taking a case? The police just found the body."

"I know that, but they might have a suspect by tomorrow!" Athena insisted. "I promise I'll be done with this case before the Christmas party."

Her boss groaned. "That's the same thing I said about Ms. Blackquill's case. I'm hoping it remains true."

Uh oh. For a moment, Athena had forgotten her boss was on a case of his own. "Why, have things gotten complicated?"

"That's one way to phrase it. Let's just say this case may end up in a higher court than I'm used to."

"Really?" Athena was surprised. It couldn't be because it'd taken place in the Space Center, because Clay's murder still went to the district court. "Are they really going to charge Ms. Blackquill with terrorism?"

"Threat to national security, yes. And misuse of government resources. Turns out, her building of the Judge-Tron wasn't federally approved, and nor was her tampering with Clonco. Her death threats and hostage charges are being handled by our local district, but the government has some charges of their own to levy against her in federal court. When this is over, I have no idea where she'll be serving her time."

"How wonderful." Athena was almost glad she hadn't been asked to help.

"And she isn't exactly the most helpful of clients. She... doesn't quite understand why they can't just give her a jail sentence and be done with it. Turns out, her views on the legal system have improved very little since our last case. It could be a while before I'm able to even look at another incident.

"And that's why I don't want you getting involved with this one."

"What?" Athena was startled by the sudden loop around. "Why?"

"If you try and take this case, I'm not going to be there to help you. And no way am I calling Apollo back in until after the Christmas party. He deserves the time off. Athena... if you take this case, you're going to be all alone on the bench up there. And-"

"And you're thinking about what happened to me the last time I was up there by myself." Athena slumped over. That wasn't the proudest moment of her life. "I know."

"You'll get to that point of your career soon enough, Athena. Just... not yet, okay? If it makes you feel better, it took me a while to win a case without my mentor as well. Your time will come. You can visit Juniper tomorrow, but I don't want you diving in over your head."

Athena heard Trucy's voice in the background as she replied. "Okay, boss. I-"

"I gotta go, Athena. Trucy wants to show me something."

And with that, he hung up. Athena had almost an hour left on the bus, so she rested her head against the window and thought about her options.

Depending on how this case turns out, I may want it for myself. Though if you really are this incompetent on the bench-

"I'm not incompetent, okay?" Athena growled under her breath. "I'm just... kinda new to this whole lawyer thing. If I take this case, it'll be the second time I ever lead the defense."

Athena went tense at the wave of shock coursing through him. I... knew you were inexperienced, but this comes at a surprise. You've had your badge for how long now?

"Almost a year."

Just how are you still so new to this business? That's enough time to take at least four cases in your name, even for an agency as pitiful as yours.

She wasn't even going to bother with the demon's last comment. Besides, people were starting to look at her funny. They must think she's talking to herself.

So Athena pulled out her cell phone and fake-dialed a number. She gave a generic greeting, then got right to it.

"It's not as though I haven't been a part of other cases, but I'm usually the co-counsel. My first time in an American courtroom was last April, with Apollo. A few months later, I stood beside Mr. Wright. It was his first case since getting his badge back. It was... special. Then came my first case in October. That's the one I told you about."

The one where Professor Means got what he deserved?

"Yes, that one. And then came three cases in five days. Clay's murder, my case, and the courtroom bombing. I'm sure you know plenty about that."

I do. So out of six cases, you were only given a chance one time?

She frowned at the implication. "Well, not quite. The courthouse bombing case originally belonged to Apollo, but he was too injured to lead the defense, and Mr. Wright was too far away. So I stood in and kept the court in session until the boss could arrive."

My point stands. Placeholding does not a defense leader make, or else Prosecutor Edgeworth would be considered a defense attorney.

"What?"

Perhaps you should take this case for yourself. Does your agency contract specifically require Phoenix's approval for every case you take?

Athena tried to think. Had Apollo asked the boss before he took that case in Tenma Town? He was already working on it when she and Mr. Wright were at the airport, so she didn't think so.

But that didn't mean she was going to go through with this. Not when Mr. Wright specifically told her not to.

I find it highly doubtful this case took place within the limits of Los Angeles County. More likely, you would be going to a different detention center and a different courthouse. And since your legal license applies statewide but cases are filed by district, you could conceivably take this case without Phoenix ever knowing. The only way he would find out is if he was either told or your case made city news coverage. From what we know at this moment, the latter is quite doubtful.

"I'm not going to do this, Gavin. Not if the boss doesn't want me to. I don't like what he says, but I believe in him."

The same way he believes in you?

Athena gasped. "That's not-"

Isn't it, though? He clearly doesn't think you can stand on the bench by yourself. And who knows? Maybe you can't. But you seem to have forgotten something.

Really? "And what is that?"

Me. As long as I'm with you, you aren't alone. You may resent your situation, but you can't deny it has certain advantages.

She could have sworn she heard him laugh. It sounded so real. Like he was right next to her. Don't you want Phoenix to give you more cases? As long as he sees you as a newborn chick, he's going to hesitate. You're always going to be the agency placeholder. Little more than a glorified assistant.

"Stop it! You don't know anything about what my agency is like."

Yes, I do. You just told me. One in six is a rather small percentage, wouldn't you agree? Do you expect that percentage to change at all next year if you do nothing? At least make it equitable among lawyers and take a third. This is a chance for you to prove yourself. Phoenix must know by now how rash you can be. If you win a case he wasn't necessarily on board with, I'm almost confident he would forgive you in time. You're precious to him, remember?

Athena couldn't believe it. She was actually considering taking the advice of a demon over that of her own boss. Nothing she was doing in this scenario was how it should be.

Besides, it was still premature to be making decisions about a case that might not even exist yet. Athena wasn't in the proper state of mind to be making decisions about a case, not so soon after the last one.

Maybe Mr. Wright had a point.

When she got back to her apartment, she went straight into her routine for bed, setting her dirty jeans in the laundry hamper. She couldn't believe she hadn't done laundry in over a week. Maybe she should do that before visiting Juniper tomorrow. Give her brain something nice and tedious to focus on instead of demons and murder.

Mein gott, her life was weird.

You can delay your choice for as long as you need to. But in the end, I'd wager I know the path you're going to take.

"Shut up! Just... please. I need to sleep."

As if that will change anything. But very well. I'll be elsewhere.

Of course he would. Why couldn't he be "elsewhere" while she was awake?

Athena buried her head in the pillow, begging for the sweet release of sleep.

Athena woke up before dawn, not feeling any more refreshed than she had when she fell asleep. Her head was still pounding, but that was the new normal. Maybe a nice run would help.

She took her usual route, feeling somewhat okay for the first time since the HAT-2 launch. Gavin hadn't bothered her since last night, and while Athena doubted he was gone for good, he definitely wasn't there at the moment. She could feel it.

When the young lawyer rounded back around to her apartment. She was confronted by the most unpleasant of surprises in her fridge. She was out of orange juice! Athena could have sworn there would be at least half a gallon left.

So it wasn't just laundry she'd been neglecting as of late. Joy. She changed into something less sweat stained, put a list together, and walked to the grocery store across the street from Gatewater Hotel. On the other side of the hotel was her office. Should she stop in and visit Mr. Wright?

The way he'd addressed her on the phone, she doubted the boss would even be there. Knowing him, he'd probably taken Trucy with him.

She walked in the door not ten minutes after the doors were unlocked. It wasn't her normal day for a grocery run, and the store hardly had ten people in it. But that could be a good thing. Maybe she would get everything she needed before the Christmas dinner shoppers showed up.

She rolled up her sleeves. "Let's do this!"

"You got this, Athena!"

"Thanks, Widget." She beamed, glad to be talking to the voice that actually made her feel good about herself.

Wow, that sounded crazy. What were the psychological effects of demonic possession, she wondered?

It was an internet search for another time. Athena resisted the temptation of the dessert section and marched down the aisles. Bread? Check. Orange juice? Check. Protein bars? Two-for-one deal. This was progressing fairly quickly.

Right as Athena was making her way to the check out, a woman maybe five years older than her crashed into her with her cart, sending Athena and her basket toppling over. Her head hit the floor, making the lights go dim.

"Ohmygosh!"

"Uhhh..." Athena opened her eyes, waiting for them to focus. When they did, she saw a lady with brown skin and long black hair trying to help her up. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me too much. I was the one who ran into you. Uh oh..." She stopped speaking. Athena followed the path of her eyes, only to scream.

"My orange juice!" It had spilled open in the crash, emptying onto the floor.

"I'll pay for it, I promise. Let me find an employee. I'll be right-"

"Hey, hey! What's going on here?"

"It's my fault," she confessed to the man who showed up. His vest bore the company logo, and his name tag said "Ethan". He must have heard the ruckus. "I crashed into this woman here and her orange juice spilled all over."

He scowled, ripping a walkie talkie off of his vest. "I need a cleanup on Aisle Three. Bring the mop." Ethan turned to the woman who caused the crash. "Be careful next time, will you?"

"Wait!" She stopped him before he could leave. "Let me pay for the damage. Here," she whipped out a five dollar bill, "keep the change."

"Hm. Thank you, ma'am." He didn't look quite as irritated as he was before. "Have a good day, you two."

"Here, let me help you get the rest of your stuff."

"That's not necessary," Athena assured her. "Don't feel too bad about it."

"You aren't hurt are you?"

"I don't think so." Athena felt around the back of her head. "I think you surprised me more than anything."

"Thank goodness. I've just been so distracted today. I didn't even realize how fast I was walking." Her voice dissolved in a sea of confusion. "Now how did that happen?"

"Something wrong?" Athena asked without thinking.

"It's nothing you should be concerned with, really. I'm zoned out, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"Really. It's just my grandmother. She... died recently."

"Dios mio!" Athena cried. "That's terrible. Are you going out to visit her soon?"

"I came to see her, actually. But I didn't know she was dead. My brother and I got in town two days ago. We were going to spend a day in the city before driving up to see her." She paused, eyes going wide. "Sorry, I'm sure you don't want to hear any of this."

"No, it's fine. It sounds like you're having a rough time." Athena felt her heart go out to this woman. "How's your brother handling the news?"

"Not well. It's only getting worse for the two of us, in fact. They think... they-"

"Wait, who is 'they'?"

"The police," she spit it out. "They think my brother might have had a hand in our grandmother's death."

"What?"

"It all happened so fast. Last night, my grandmother was found dead. This morning, the city police knocked on our hotel door and turned my brother over to the sheriff of the next county."

Next county? Last night? How did she not put this together sooner?

"You're Gonma Singh's granddaughter. The one who called her in missing."

She broke down into a sob. "Yes, I- wait. How did you know that?"

"I was there! I was in the area with a friend when they found the body." Athena stopped herself from saying more. "I'm... sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," she whipped out a tissue, blowing her nose repeatedly. "You... saw her body?"

"Yeah..." Athena slumped. Just recalling the memory made her stomach turn. "It didn't look good."

"Oh..." Clearly that was the wrong thing to say. She was outright crying now. "I can't believe they think Khadga did this. We weren't even in the city yet when she went missing."

"Do you know what evidence they have against your brother?" The woman was walking with Athena now, accompanying her to get another gallon of orange juice.

"I don't. They wouldn't even let me see him. It takes me hours to drive up there, and I need to find him a lawyer before I can do anything else."

A lawyer? Athena couldn't believe this. She'd heard of coincidences before, but this one took the cake. "Do you know any lawyers in the area?"

"No!" she cried, reaching for another tissue. Athena could hear her overpowering sadness. It was so loud, Athena was losing her ability to think rationally. "I don't live here! I know nothing about this place. The police said his trial might be as soon as tomorrow. Please tell me you know a lawyer I can go to."

"There's a lawyer's office right next to the Gatewater, actually. I work there."

Her face lit up. "Really? Are you an intern?"

Athena flinched at the comment, Widget going red. "No, I'm a lawyer! Why, do I not look like one to you?"

"Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry." She flinched, pulling away from Athena.

The redhead took a moment to cool down. She shouldn't have yelled at her. "It's okay, I... am a bit new. My boss is on another case right now, and my senior partner is on vacation until after Christmas. ...So am I, actually." Athena had to force herself to add the last bit. She was going to listen to Mr. Wright on this one.

No really, she was.

"No." Was she about to bawl? "You're all unable to help me? What was the point of telling me, then?" Her eyes were turning red. "Do you know any other law offices?"

Athena felt terrible, now. "Not really. Like I said, I'm a bit new. I got my badge less than a year ago."

"Ugh. I guess I'm going to have to scour the city, then! I have money! And I don't trust public defenders. Especially the ones in that podunk town!"

This was ridiculous. Athena had a chance to help this grieving woman, and she wasn't... why, again?

Mr. Wright wasn't here. He couldn't see the woman standing in front of her as she cried her heart out in public. Maybe fate had brought them together after all.

"Wait!" She stopped the woman before she carted off. "I... I can help you. I don't mind cutting my vacation short for someone in need."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Athena put on a brave face, flashing a peace sign with her smile. "If you and your brother want me, I'd be happy to take your case."

"You said you were new, but... I really don't have time to waste. Okay," she wiped her tears off her cheek, making an attempt at a smile. "I'll take you to my brother. We'll let Khadga decide. My friends call me Lida, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Lida." Athena shook her head. "Glad I bumped into you."

"I think I was the one who did the bumping, but... can I meet you in the Gatewater Lobby in an hour?"

"Sure thing! Let me check out and get changed. Au revoir!"

Athena rushed through the checkout line, confronted with Ethan the employee once more. She raced home, put her groceries up, and changed into her last clean work outfit. Laundry would have to wait.

Right as she was about to leave, a familiar voice popped up out of nowhere.

I'm back from hell. Did you miss me?

She snorted, grabbing her keys. "Hardly. But there's no time for that."

Hm? Was I right, then?

"It's not official. I still have to meet with the defendant and see if he wants my help."

An attorney must bend to their client's wishes, after all. Well good. I'm glad for you. This almost reminds me of Justice taking his second case.

Athena expected to feel a wave of anger accompany the demon's words when he talked about Apollo. And sure, there was a tinge there. But most of it was pure nostalgia. He really had been Apollo's mentor, hadn't he?

She was in such a hurry to get to the Gatewater, Athena paid no attention to the little details littering her apartment. And in fairness to her, most of them were quite small.

But not the orange juice bottle. That one should have been obvious.

A/N's: And so the plot thickens... I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I think I wrote most of it today, actually. The Scollard helped me catch a few typos before I published, so hopefully I got all of them. Don't be afraid to tell me if I missed one, though. I don't have a problem going back and fixing things.

I also can't believe I left this story on hold for so long. Like... seriously. I think I'm addicted to it now. Usually when I write something for Camp NaNo or NaNoWriMo, I get bored, but not this time. I might actually make my goals this year.

But I'm going to have to push myself into overdrive for a few days. Starting the 26th, I'm going off to a summer camp, and I'll only have two days left of July when I get back. I also want to work on AAI3 some, because I just managed to overcome my slump.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and picked up on what I was putting down, so to speak. Thanks for reading, please leave your thoughts below, and I will see you on the far side!