Chapter Twelve

Silent Conversations

After a night of forgetting about her problems, Athena awoke the next morning to find them all present and accounted for. If one didn't count her brief visit five days prior, this would be Athena's first day of work in her new condition. At this point in the morning, as she was standing in front of the WAA door, she still had no clue what to expect. Her morning run had calmed her nerves, but only a little. Gavin had remained silent thus far today, but she knew he was still there. She could feel it.

Athena's hand reached for the door, trembling as it did so. What should have been an exciting return was clouded by the aura of foreboding. As Athena waited for her boss to answer the door, she shifted her weight from one foot to the next, flicking her earring back and forth while she swayed side to side.

A minute passed. Nothing happened. So Athena knocked again.

Silence.

This was odd. It wasn't like Athena was early. It was almost nine o'clock. The young lawyer tried the door handle, only to discover it was locked. She stepped back, lifting the mat to retrieve the spare key. If she'd have known she was opening the place, she would have brought her own.

Turning the key, Athena nudged the door open with little force. As the door opened, a note fell off from the surface of its other side. Athena picked the paper up, reading its contents aloud:

"'Athena,

"'Welcome back to work! Sorry I'm not here to greet you on your first day back. Aura's trial got moved up an hour, and I didn't get the notification until I showed up at the office this morning. By the time you get here, the trial should already be under way. I called Apollo as soon as I heard. While I'm writing this note, in fact. He's gonna be my co-counsel today, and Trucy's still on the witness list, so she has to be at the courthouse for every day of trial in case one of the attorneys calls for her. Pearl's already gone home. Sorry, but you're gonna have to go it alone this morning.

"'I hope we can get a verdict in this case today, but until we do, I need you to watch the office. Just in case we get any customers, you know? Pearl and I didn't quite finish cleaning the place, so if you would do that, I'd be grateful.

"'Thanks,

"'Mr. Wright'"

Athena sighed, crumpling up the note and throwing it away. She wasn't sure whether she should feel rejected or relieved.

This office was cleaned? I hardly notice a difference.

"Trucy throws a fit if we try to 'hide' her magic props. Something about how her storage closet at the Wonder Bar isn't large enough. I think she shares it with other acts over there," Athena explained. Really, other than the props being everywhere, the office looked pretty nice. There were still lines in the carpet from where it had been vacuumed, and the law books on the bookshelf had all been dusted off. When Athena walked over to check on Charley, she noticed that he had been watered recently as well. Probably earlier that morning, if she knew her boss.

Yes, that girl always had been irrational about her toys. Of course, when I knew her, her 'toys' made the Wrights more money than anything Phoenix did with his time. So perhaps she has a right to be demanding.

That was hard for Athena for imagine now. Were Trucy's shows at the Wonder Bar really that profitable? "What did Mr. Wright do before he became a lawyer again?"

Played piano. Terribly, I might add. Of course, it was all a front for the restaurant's illegal gambling service, in which Phoenix challenged various ruffians to poker. Gavin laughed, which was still an unsettling sensation given that he didn't have a voice. Athena could almost feel it vibrating in her own chest. That, too, Trucy aided her father in. Truly, he would have been helpless without her.

Why hadn't it occurred to Athena to ask Trucy about Apollo's first case? Sure, her name hadn't ever shown up in the courthouse case file, but hearing this convinced Athena that the teen probably knew a lot more than she let on.

But more than likely she won't tell you anything. If I had my guess, I would say she was involved in the scheme from the start. The forged evidence had to be brought to the court by someone, after all. Phoenix couldn't have done it from detention, and Justice was played for the fool.

"Forged says you!" Athena reminded him sharply. "For all you know, she found it after returning to the crime scene."

Impossible for the same reasons I gave during trial. An unfortunate move on my part, as it turns out. I regret to admit my objection placed me square in the middle of Phoenix's trap.

Recall that I am not denying my guilt, here. I am denying Phoenix's innocence.

Athena bristled, but she didn't have a response to that. The Mr. Wright she knew would never act so underhanded, but clearly, she hadn't known him two Aprils ago. She couldn't believe she was starting to consider Gavin's words. As if anything that lying demon said could be trusted.

She still hadn't asked Mr. Wright about the case in question. It wasn't right to proceed without getting both sides of the story, but how was she ever going to when even Apollo had driven her away from the subject? Was everyone going to spurn her?

Perhaps there was something in this office that could answer her questions. Was it too much to hope for that one of them had left evidence from the case lying around?

Athena walked over to Apollo's desk, checking the time as she did so. Though she highly doubted the trial would end anytime soon, she didn't want to be caught snooping through her coworkers' personal belongings. Maybe if they caught her, she could say she was tidying up?

The redhead stopped over Apollo's desk. She flipped through a couple stray evidence reports, then cringed. Why did Apollo have so much manga at his work desk? Sure, days at the office could get slow, but she didn't think some of the titles were appropriate for a work setting. Not that she would ever ask him about it, of course.

She opened a few more doors, sorting and sifting until she found what she was looking for. Finally, his case files. They were stacked up in a forgotten drawer, one on top of the other. Apollo hadn't yet received a copy for the Space Center case, it seemed, so the most recent folder was the case from Nine Tales Vale. Below that one was a far thicker file, labeled 'Jurist Test Trial- State v. Misham'. The one that had been locked on the courthouse computer. Somehow, that case too involved Gavin. She wondered why he hadn't commented on it.

Athena was half tempted to open the Jurist file first, but she decided to save it for later. There were two more files before she reached the bottom of the stack. There she reached down, pulling the file for Apollo's first case out of its dusty burial ground.

Athena was going to open it. She really was. But right as she worked up the courage to flip the front cover of the manila folder, her ears caught a knock at the door.

A customer? This soon after the last case? What was with this agency and its sudden spike in business?

She threw down what she was doing, just barely remembering to close the drawer. As the person outside knocked again, Athena ran over to answer the door. "Wright Anything Agency! How can I help you?"

At the door was an old man with a bald head but long grey sideburns. He wore a faded yellow suit and glasses with an expression that was unsettlingly familiar to Athena.

Her stomach clenched in revulsion. "Prosecutor Payne? What are you doing here?" Why had he changed suits?

"Retired prosecutor, actually. May I come in?"

Retired? Athena didn't remember hearing about Gaspen Payne's retirement. If anything, she thought Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth was going to fire him. Still, she stepped aside, allowing him to enter.

"You're Miss Cykes, right? The new lawyer in this office?"

Did he really not remember her? The bombing case was only what, nine days ago? "Yes. We met earlier in the month. Are you really telling me you don't remember?"

The old man blinked, as confused as she was. Then it came to him. "...Oh! Yes, I see what the problem is. You met my brother, Miss Cykes. No, no. My name is Winston Payne. I'm Gaspen's older brother. Truly, I apologize for his crude behavior towards you." He held his hand out for Athena to shake. She took it, but kept her grip loose.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Payne. And there's no need to apologize. You didn't do anything." Was there really more than one Payne?

Yes. Do you not remember reading the case records together on the twenty first? This man was mentioned in the first file you opened. Among a few others.

Now Athena remembered. This Payne was the one who'd retired after trying Gavin! But what was he doing here, of all places?

The older Payne released her hand. "I am deeply disappointed in him. There were times in my day when I was cocky, sure, but I would never degrade a woman the way he did you and Miss Woods. Honestly! I don't know what's become of him."

"Did you come here to apologize, Mr. Payne?"

"Ah, no. I actually know someone in need of defense. Is your boss here?"

Athena's shoulders drooped when Payne asked for Mr. Wright. Of course he wanted to meet with him. "No, I'm afraid not. He and Ap- Mr. Justice are at the courthouse right now on another case. They don't know when it's gonna be over. If you'd like to come back later, I'll let Mr. Wright know you stopped by."

Payne thought about it, then shook his head. "No, I'm sure you'll do just fine. I faced a good number of rookies in my day, and this office never fails to produce talented ones. First it was Mia Fey, who started this firm, then came Phoenix Wright, then that boy... ah yes, Apollo Justice! I imagine you are just the next entry in a line of wonderful defense attorneys. Though your boss and I were something of rivals back in the day, know that I always respected him. Even after that horrible scandal that took his badge away."

Well, someone's grown a lot kinder since retirement. I remember him as being quite critical of defense attorneys. Particularly those who were lacking in experience.

That wasn't the angle Athena chose to focus on. "You'd like me to defend someone, Mr. Payne? Who is it?"

A sigh. "My dear son. He was supposed to come home from college this Christmas, but got caught in a terrible car accident on his way home from the airport. His taxi driver died in the accident, and now the police are saying Piercen had something to do with it! They're calling it a murder, of all things."

"A murder?" That seemed excessive for a car accident. "How did they come to that conclusion?"

"I don't know. All I know is what Piercin told me. My wife is with him right now. I promised I would get him a lawyer by the end of the day." Pause. "So, what do you say? Will you help him?"

Athena had to be honest this time. "I would love to, Mr. Payne. But I can't take cases without my boss's permission. We'll have to wait for him to say yes before I can give you an official answer. Is that okay?"

"But you'll do it? I can call my wife?"

"If Mr. Wright doesn't refuse," and that was a distinct possibility, "then yes. If you want to let your wife know, you can."

For his part, Athena's response seemed to have alleviated Payne of his concerns. "Well, I don't see why your boss would say no. Allow me to speak with her now."

Athena was silent as Payne walked to the other side of the room to use his cellphone. To her surprise, her phone rang right as Payne put his to his ear.

She answered right away. "Hello?"

Apollo's voice came through, emotions distorted by the technological barrier. "Hey Athena. How's the office?"

"Fine. Is the trial over already? That was quick."

"No, we're just in recess. Mr. Wright, Prosecutor Gavin, and the judge are all in the judge's chambers arguing about what the word 'aggravated' means. But we did convince Prosecutor Gavin to drop the 'conspiracy to commit murder' charge, so that's something. Is it nice and lonely over there?"

"No, actually." Athena wasn't sure how to broach this. "Do you remember Winston Payne? He was the prosecutor on your first case."

"...What about him?" Athena wished she was as good with emotions through the phone as she was in person. She could have sworn she picked up a tinge of fear in her coworker's voice, just then. Was it just her paranoia, or was it something more?

"He's here at the office. His son is in trouble, and he wants me to defend the guy. Can you tell Mr. Wright when you get the chance?"

"I can do that. And hey, if the trial here ends today, I'll be on the bench with you by tomorrow. If that's when the trial is. And if you want me there."

"Definitely! I'd love to ha-

"Sorry Athena, but I gotta go. recess is about to end."

"No problem, Apollo. Au revoir!"

"Bye, Athena."

Maybe if she had Apollo by her side, the boss would be more open to letting her work another case. Because it would be a lot harder to go behind his back on this one. He would definitely find out if she tried it here.

Not to mention lying is wrong, she had to remind herself. Seriously. What sort of person was she turning into?

Athena's ears tuned in as Payne was finishing his own phone conversation. "Yes, honey. I have complete faith in this girl's abilities... I don't care what Gaspen had to say about her. No, his courtroom etiquette was the disgrace. Honey, I faced several rookies in my time as a prosecutor. Of the dozens I met on the opposite bench, this agency produces only the best of them. Piercen will be in good hands... Yes, I love you too. Goodbye."

Athena turned to look Payne in the eyes as his phone clicked shut. "Who were you speaking to, Miss Cykes?"

"My coworker, Apollo Justice." Unbidden, an idea came to Athena. Well, not so unbidden if one considered her circumstances. "He remembers you, Mr. Payne."

Payne coughed, suddenly a bit nervous. "Oh really? Do I mind if I sit down, Miss Cykes?"

"Go for it." Athena gestured to a seat devoid of magic props, then moved a few so she could sit across from him. "And of course he remembers you. You prosecuted his very first case."

"Yes, yes. I remember it well. Made quite a stir in the press when it was over. Though the newspapers were kind enough to not use Mr. Justice's name too often, I would say."

That struck Athena as odd. "Why would you say that, Mr. Payne?"

"Because that case had something rotten hidden inside it. Something that made me realize this legal system is always gonna cling to its dirty tricks, and that the day I would be too old to fight them had come early." He sighed once more. "That's the case that convinced me it was time to retire. I prosecuted the culprit that came out of it, and that was it."

"What about that case told you it was time? Wasn't it just another murder?"

Athena was leading this man somewhere. This was probably the closest she was going to get to a neutral account about what had gone down those twenty months ago. She wasn't about to pass up the opportunity.

"...No, I wouldn't say it was. I thought it might be a typical case at first, but you know Mr. Wright. He has a talented for making his cases anything but normal. The victim was a strange man indeed. The details of the case even stranger."

"How so, Mr. Payne? Mr. Wright and Mr. Justice... they don't talk about this case much. I tried to ask Apollo once, but he avoided my question."

"I don't blame the boy. It's not a case one would want to remember." Payne patted himself on the forehead, thinking of how best to phrase what he wanted to say next. "Let's just say... not a single soul acted honorably with regards to how that case was carried out. The closest to integrity was Justice, since I don't believe that the rookie did it intentionally."

See? Does this not confirm what I've already told you? Are you going to believe what I have to say about your precious boss from now on?

Athena didn't want to believe it. "Did what intentionally? I don't understand."

"I didn't want to get the kid in trouble, is all. It was his first case! He didn't deserve it. Not after the same incident turned Mr. Wright into a... well." The former prosecutor refrained from finishing his sentence. "Anyone could tell he was at a bad spot in life. I felt bad for him, I did. And... maybe I disliked the man they were accusing. But that doesn't make what they did the right thing to do."

It took Payne audible courage to get his next words out. "There was forged evidence presented in court that day. It wasn't officially entered into the Court Record, and the evidence itself wasn't used to implicate anyone per se, but... all the same. It didn't sit right with me. Seeing that very greenhorn I had faced ten years prior turn into a schemer, no offense to you or your boss today, made me feel ancient, indeed. I'd truly come full circle when I saw a former hero who had lived long enough."

This time, it was Athena's turn to sigh. It was true, then. Payne had no reason to lie to her. She was still going to ask Mr. Wright about the story, but there was no room to discount Gavin's account now. She had no choice but to believe that there was a hidden darkness not just within her, but in Mr. Wright as well. An inner demon who tormented him as well.

Just as she was about to reply, Payne changed the subject. "Which is why I'm happy to see Mr. Wright back to his old self. Mr. Justice is doing well too, from what I hear."

Athena barely head him. "Yeah. They both are."

"Now, I'm off to the detention center to visit my son. I'm going to help him submit his formal letter of request for you. Come when you've talked with Mr. Wright."

Honestly? I'd rather start my investigation as soon as possible.

Athena was in the middle of standing up when he said that. Gavin's words made her stop in her tracks. She conveyed her surprise as nonverbally as she could.

Yes, you heard me correctly. Miss Cykes, it's time you begin to repay your dues in earnest. This case is mine.

A/N's: Whoop, here it is. Your semiannual update on this story. Here begins the second arc, in which Gavin takes the wheel and is forced to take direction from his former apprentice. This is gonna be fun.

Also, more of Athena learning about the events of Turnabout Trump. I'm taking full advantage of the tone shift from AJ to DD to shock Athena and make her question the people she's learned to trust. Phoenix in particular, though perhaps Apollo and Trucy as well. And while Gavin may be telling her the truth, he isn't doing it for her sake. The man (or should I say, demon) always has an agenda with what he does, and this reveal is no different. I also had fun writing Winston Payne and his family into the story. He's definitely my favorite of the Payne family.

Thanks for tuning in even after all this time, don't forget to leave your thoughts below, and I'll see you on the far side!