PHOENIX WRIGHT ACE ATTORNEY: GLOBAL OPERATION

~~~ EPISODE 2: TURNABOUT TECHNOLOGY ~~~
~~~ INTRODUCTION ~~~

In a world where change is constant, we are taught to keep up with the times. This includes the rapid evolution of technology. We have discovered new ways to live, new ways to work, new ways to play, and new ways to look at the world.

"This phone introduces new ways to arrive at the truth. Where sometimes the evidence would deceive, we have new ways to make the truth known."

And with rapid progress comes a heavy price. Our new ways of thinking have also allowed us to develop new ways to destroy, new ways to kill, and new ways to break bonds and destroy nations… cause international conflicts and ultimately shatter all hopes and dreams.

What can we do with technology? What will happen to our world if it is misused?

In an office filled with heavy workloads of computers and papers, there were two people. One of them had their phone in their hand. The other person was pointing a gun. "I will show you why it is not good to meddle in those things."

What good would it do to defend themselves with a phone? He had to accept the consequence.

The gun, a silencer, did not produce a sound enough to alert other people in the building. The bullet found its mark as the victim stumbled to the chair behind him; the phone slipped from his hand.

"You have used technology very wisely. You have used it to change the world. But you are also using it to destroy the very world we live in. I hope you accept my response."

With those words, they left the room, leaving the other person to bleed to death.

The other person was breathing hard. He had a few seconds to live, but no energy to write anything – not even using his own blood that would hopefully draw attention to anyone who could use a clue to track the killer. The last of his energy was used to turn his attention to a picture on his desk.

When it is misused, the very same people who worked hard to change the world may have to pay the price.


September 14; 10:24 AM
Wright and Co. Law Offices

Working in the Wright and Co. Law Offices proved to be demanding even for Mercury. Petty cases were handled quickly, many of them involving small claims. Big cases were hard to come by nowadays for the office ever since the Khura'in revolution. Once in a while, Apollo Justice, a former worker in the office, would drop by a call. In a video call, Apollo got the chance to meet Mercury, who commented about the latter's striking horns.

For the day, Phoenix was in the courthouse for a meeting with other lawyers about some international program for the lawyers to take place abroad in about a month's time. All work and transactions to the office were handled by Mercury and Athena. Trucy was pursuing her Psychology studies in Ivy University and would drop by the office when her classes were done.

"Well, I guess that's that," announced Mercury.

Athena stood up from her work area. "Already?"

Mercury grinned. "Uh huh. That one was a piece of cake, really."

The orange-haired attorney looked thunderstruck. "On something that would finish in a day, you only took an hour?"

Mercury laughed sheepishly and held up his phone. "Well, online research isn't something new, you know."

"Hey! No fair!" Athena pouted.

"Well… the technology of tomorrow is here in this phone," Mercury told her.

For a while, the technology behind the phone sparked Athena's curiosity. She also held another interesting piece of technology that allowed her to peer into the hearts of witnesses during cross-examination. However, she felt as if she needed to know more the story behind the phone.

"I'm quite curious, Mercury," Athena said to him as she grabbed a nearby chair and sat on the other side of Mercury's table. "I heard that you inherited your phone from your father."

Mercury looked up, pausing from the form he was working on. "Hmm?"

Athena looked curious. "Well… it's not every day I see people passing on their phones to other people, you know. What exactly is it?"

"Didn't Mr. Wright tell you already?"

Athena shook her head.

Mercury cleared his throat and showed Athena the phone. The phone was currently in locked mode, but it had a faint backlight where a logo could be seen. The logo read "AidLaw" in big bold gold-and-black letters. On the bottom right read "ver 1.02" followed by a key symbol.

"AidLaw?"

Mercury nodded. "My father is a programmer. One of his projects was to develop a working operating system on phones to aid law enforcement and the courts. This is only a prototype. I'm simply testing it out."

Athena looked interested. She felt the phone in her hands. "It's larger than mine, but it feels very light." She gave it back to Mercury. "Well, what's in it?"

Mercury received the phone and began pressing into the phone's screen. "It has the usual features of a smartphone. But the operating system in the phone has its own built-in applications, or apps, that allow me to do a variety of things." He explained that some of the apps were also created in collaboration with the Cosmos Space Center, making Athena gasp. "You know part of the Mood Matrix technology in your Widget also contributed to the phone."

"Wow… I didn't know that."

Mercury chuckled. "Anyway, here it is." He showed Athena the phone once more.

The screen showed the interface of a program called "Secret Breaker." Mercury explained that the app would utilize the technology behind the Mood Matrix to determine through voice projections if a person they're interrogating is lying or hiding a secret. He directed Athena to a "help" section in the app. "If a person is hiding a secret," Mercury told Athena, "a lock and a set of chains would appear around them in this screen." The lock looked like an ordinary padlock. "The only way to break the lock is to present evidence."

Athena nodded. "It sounds like what Mr. Wright told us before about that item of his."

Mercury exited the application. "There are many other apps here which we'll be finding useful soon enough. But unless we're investigating, they won't be very handy."

"Do the courts know about this?" Athena asked.

"Again, this is a prototype," answered Mercury. "It will be a while before the judicial system will fully adapt to this piece of technology… which is why we have to utilize this to the best of our abilities if we want our Courts to advance in efficiency."

Athena nodded slowly and stared at the phone. She had a plethora of questions to ask, especially on problems that they could face. She was certainly impressed with the technology, but she didn't feel confident that the phone would help them reach the truth. Athena knew she had to see it in action.

The door to the agency opened and Phoenix entered.

"I take it that you're done?" he asked Mercury and Athena.

Mercury nodded. "Well, Athena has still a way to go."

Athena sighed. "I'm not the one with advanced technology, here."

Phoenix stroked his chin. "Tell you what. I suggest you go to this place. We have a client there who wants to request our services." He took out a card from his pocket and gave it to Mercury.

When Mercury saw the card, his eyes bulged, and his mouth curled to a wide smile.

"What's that?" asked Athena.

"It's the place where my father works!" exclaimed Mercury.

Athena took the card. "WPI?"

"World Programs Inc., or WPI, is a haven for technology enthusiasts," Phoenix explained. "Program developers work there, Mercury's father included."

"Is it true that Mercury's phone was also developed there?" Athena asked.

Phoenix nodded. "I was able to talk to your father," he told Mercury. "He shared a little bit about the phone."

"Do you think it's useful?"

Mercury shot Athena a dazed look. "You're looking at the very future of law enforcement, Athena! If it's not useful, then I don't know what is!"

"Save your confidence," Phoenix told him. "You should go there and talk with the client."

"Is he being arrested for something?"

Phoenix shook his head. "It's nothing related to our usual murder, so you don't have to worry. You'll know what it is when you meet them."

Mercury heard Athena sigh in relief.

"We'll be off, then," Mercury told Phoenix.


September 14
World Programs Inc.; Reception Area

Athena was speechless at the sight of the reception hall in WorldPrograms Inc. Located in a suburban community, the building was the most noticeable one consisting of forty floors and sporting a unique architectural design. The reception hall screamed every inch of technology: from LED TVs to holographs and even a unique carrier system that looked like a miniature roller coaster ride. An interactive tour was on one side of the reception hall where visitors could get a semi-complete view on WorldPrograms Inc. through a variety of applications in the interactive program. Currently, the LED TV flashed an upcoming programming competition to be held at a major university. If there were workers around the area, they certainly didn't show it because many of them, although with IDs, dressed casually and loosely, defining a part of the nature of work in WPI.

The receptionist was wearing a headset, funnily designed that made her look like an android-rabbit hybrid. However, this was part of the job and didn't pay any mind if people commented on her getup. She gave Mercury and Athena a pamphlet about WorldPrograms Inc. that included a small map on the major areas around the place.

The pamphlet also showed the programming competition at a major university to be held the next day. It also showed some sort of technology expo to be held in a mall a few days from now. Near the back of a pamphlet was a large life-sized robot akin to a Transformer but one in which a person was actually riding on it.

World Programs Inc. Pamphlet added to the Court Record.

"Hmm, with these many people walking around, how should we know who the client is?" Athena asked Mercury.

In response, Mercury took out his cellphone, unlocked it, and activated a program called "Witness Search." He explained that people who might be related to the case would have special speech bubbles. The program utilized augmented reality, according to Mercury, who had trouble explaining it in simple terms. "It's like when you watch cartoons blended into live action," he told Athena. If a person could provide something useful, an exclamation mark would appear. "It's going to be my first time to use it," he told Athena. "I hope the program works."

When they asked a receptionist, who had an exclamation mark over its head in the phone's screen, the receptionist recognized the two of them as lawyers and directed them to the twelfth floor of the building. Mercury and Athena deduced that Phoenix must have told the receptionist in advance that they would be visiting.

"Let's go, then," Mercury told Athena.


September 14
World Programs Inc.; 12
th Floor, Programmers' Hall

"How many times you've been here?" Athena asked Mercury.

"Lots of times," he answered. "However, lots of things have changed. It's my first time back. I studied law abroad, you know."

The programmers' hall did not look as techie as the first floor although the area had impressive architecture. The hall was a maze of corridors in which offices were positioned diagonally. At the center of the floor was a table with a projector that could display a 360-degree hologram picture primarily used during meetings and gatherings.

"Look at this thing," Athena said in awe as she hovered her arm over the holograph.

Mercury chuckled. "Looks like they gave this place a makeover, huh. That wasn't there way back."

"How long is way back?"

Mercury folded his arms and looked up pensively. "Hmm… it's been five years, I guess. But I do remember my father working here in this floor. I wonder if he occupies the same room."

The two of them traveled down a few corridors before they reached a door that read the name of Mercury's father: "Xeus Thinker." The door also had an ID sensor which was now blue.

"Dad's inside," Mercury told Athena.

"Do we just knock?" asked Athena.

Mercury shook his head. "I'm not sure if the fingerprinting access still works." He pressed a thumb onto the blue sensor. One second later, the sensor started alternating blue and white. "It still works," he told her. "This means that whoever inside will be alerted."

"Like a doorbell," muttered Athena in amazement.

A few seconds later, the door opened vertically, revealing a well-dressed gray-haired man who looked to be in his late fifties. He did not look pleased as if he were interrupted from some important work. But when the man turned to Mercury, his mood changed to a pleasant one.

"M-Mercury!"

Mercury smiled. "Hi, dad."

The man looked like as if he was going to cry as he hugged Mercury and pat his back. "My boy!"

When the father and son broke from the hug, Mercury introduced Athena.

"So, son, is she your… what I think it is?"

Mercury suddenly stiffened. "D-Dad, no! It's not what you think it is!"

Athena turned around and pretended to look around, completely hiding her blush and Widget turning green from them. She mentally suppressed herself so that Widget would not blurt out something inappropriate for the situation.

Xeus laughed. "Of course, of course, I jest."

"You're still daft about this kind of thing," Mercury told him as a compliment.

"Anyway, do come in," he gestured the both of them kindly.

Xeus Thinker's office was unlike any other office in the floor. Athena had the notion that a programmer's office would scream with technology on every aspect from the ceiling to the floor. However, Xeus kept his whitewashed room tidy. A simple wall-etched countertop provided as their work station while a shelf could be accessed with a button on the countertop. A chair with numerous buttons could also be found, each button served a purpose: to adjust the height of the chair, to move the chair around, or to spin the chair in place. On the other side of the room was a comfortable couch where Xeus could stretch out and take a nap if needed.

"This is very, very impressive for a workplace," Athena remarked.

"Do sit," Xeus gestured. "I'll prepare some Khura'inese tea."

The Khura'inese tea was slightly bitter but had a strangely unique rejuvenating effect. Once the tea and pleasantries were done, Xeus set aside the tea and sat on his work chair and swiveled it to face the lawyers.

"So, you're looking for the client as Mr. Phoenix Wright told you to do, right?"

"Yes, we're –" Mercury started then cut off. "Wait, dad, how did you know we would be going here?"

Athena leaned in to Mercury. "I have a bad feeling about this." Mercury nodded slowly.

Xeus smiled. "Well, I'm your client. And I have something to tell."

Mercury gaped. "Y-You?"

"What is it about, Mr. Thinker?" inquired Athena, remaining steadfast.

Xeus reached out to a folder on his work desk and gave it to Mercury. "I hope this doesn't bring back bad memories."

Mercury received the folder and gasped. "This is…"

Athena peered at the folder. "Is it a case file?"

"Yes, it's a case in which I was caught up in," Xeus explained. "Mercury happened to be there, as well… though he was indirectly part of the events."

Athena turned to Mercury, who looked stunned and seemed unable to respond.

Xeus sighed. "I guess the memories aren't going to go away. I'll have to explain then. But before I start…" He stood up and approached the doorway. On a panel to its side, Xeus pressed a few buttons then explained to them that the room was under a "do not disturb" mode. He explained that although there would still be a visual cue that someone would access the office, Xeus would not be able to hear it. It would also make the office soundproof, so no one from outside would hear it. When Mercury and Athena sat comfortably, Xeus began the story.

"Before Mercury was born, I was an associate in this office. My years of experience have gained me a reputation for a leading programmer in the industry. As time went by, I started to undergo big projects – the most recent of which is found in his phone."

"AidLaw," responded Athena.

"Correct," confirmed Xeus. He narrated how AidLaw came into being: the idea started with a meetup with his college friend who became a lawyer and later a trial judge. A few years after the idea came up, Xeus gathered four other people who were interested in the idea of making an operating system that can be used by law enforcement and the judiciary system. "For the benefit of the people," he was told.

"And it was this reason I became interested and went into law school," Mercury said proudly. Xeus smiled.

"It was quite the timing," Xeus continued with his story. The moment the system was finished was the moment Mercury was also set to graduate. Xeus then had Mercury, who was studying abroad at the moment, test the system using an actual trial. "And that's where everything went downhill," Xeus said grimly. He noticed Mercury had his head hung low, prompting him to continue.

"The friend I mentioned earlier presided that trial with the permission of the operating system. It would be a breakthrough in the court system," continued Xeus. It was a typical trial that did not need any fancy details. However, what happened at the trial's conclusion became the foundation of the story Xeus was telling them. "The defense attorney of the trial suddenly fell violently ill, collapsed on the bench, and was rushed to the hospital. He later died of poisoning." He looked at Mercury wistfully and sighed. "And my son, Mercury, saw it all."

Athena turned sideways and looked at Mercury, who was staring at the floor with an unusually blank expression. She had heard rough details about the case from Phoenix but hearing it all from Mercury's father made her feel uncomfortable. But she was compelled to know more.

"The system actually worked well," Xeus continued. "They were able to uncover the truth with the aid of technology. But the tragedy was overwhelming, so much so that Mercury surrendered the phone back as soon as the trial was done… or never to be done."

"So why did you give the phone back to Mercury?" asked Athena.

"I made a few modifications," answered Xeus. "Those events are the reason why I added security features into the phone. I did not want the system to fall into the wrong hands."

There was stiff silence in the office, save for the soft whirring of the air conditioning system.

"So… what exactly is your request?" asked Athena. She felt that Mercury had to ask, but she also didn't want to push Mercury to speak up.

Xeus took a deep breath. "The case was over a year ago," he told the lawyers. "I want to know who or what caused the poisoning." He paused then smiled. "You now have the proper technology needed to guide you in this mission."

This time, it was Mercury's turn to speak up, having regained some courage. "Why only now, dad?"

Xeus looked away, an expression showing fear. "You know very well why, Mercury."

Athena looked at her co-worker. She did not say anything but gave him a look that wanted him to answer.

Mercury took a deep breath. "The victim of the case is my law professor," he answered. He took out the phone and then used the Internet to search for a profile. "He was a hotshot defense attorney, and I was set to work with him once I passed the bar and received my badge."

"It's not a safe world anymore," Xeus said sagely. "People are saying that the dark age of the law is about to come to an end. However, there will always be elements preventing that from happening. And from recent events, it looks like there are some people who want to plunge the world into chaos."

Athena's eyes widened. "R-Really?"

Xeus took out his phone, a different model from Mercury's, and tapped into the screen. "I hear you resolved the case involving the murder of an air traffic controller." He showed to them a brief article about the trial. The next article however, made Athena and Mercury disturbed.

It read: "Cyber-terrorists behind the plane sabotage."

Mercury mouthed the word "cyber-terrorists."

"Do you think these cyber-terrorists are behind the poisoning?" inquired Athena.

Xeus shrugged. "That is as far as I can tell you, as far as I can remember. I just want you to be careful out there." He suggested that they look at prominent newspaper articles related to the case. Since the official police records were very far away, Xeus advised against going to the country where the incident took place. "The articles are not decisive, and I don't expect you to find the answer right away," he told them. "It may take months, even years, before you come into closure."

At the end of the day, Mercury and Athena felt worn out at the sudden turn of events. They wished they didn't know anything at all, and they felt burdened to have a responsibility to find out the truth of a fateful case two years ago.

Phoenix did not have any useful information for the meantime. While he was relieved that the case was not a primary concern, he advised that they look out and be careful about anything that could happen during the next case. He entrusted them by his experience that any small detail on a seemingly unrelated case could possibly make all the difference. Phoenix also felt responsible for sending the two of them to end up on the other side of the story. But he also knew the circumstances behind the incident, and he would, one day, get involved in them.


Author's Note: Again, I'm back this time with an apology. After a few months of thinking about the second case, I decided that "The Classic Turnabout" would be scrapped for a new case. My original third case, "The Stormy Turnabout" would be rewritten with a similar direction but will have to conform to the events in the second case. My plan here is to make the cases straightforward, unlike the main Ace Attorney series where the timeline jumps across episodes (except for the first PWAA). This will be Mercury's first case, so we will go into the point-of-view of my original character soon. I've also read the reviews and I'll be taking them into consideration.

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