Phoenix leaned back on the couch after he turned off the television. He contemplated on the circumstances of the case Devine had been working on as well as the circumstances surrounding her death. ("Devine must have been killed in the truck as it was moving. What was she doing there?") If Phoenix would investigate with Devine today, he may have a good lead regarding the entire situation. But was that really the plan?

"Boss?" Athena said meekly.

Phoenix stood up and returned to his cubicle without saying a word. When he sat down, he got to his computer. He would not look up or respond to anything else.

"Is there something we should know about Devine?" Athena asked Mercury in a hushed tone.

Mercury frowned. "I'm afraid I already told you what I know."

"Hmm, there must be another person who could give us information."

The two attorneys pondered for possibilities.

"Someone who may have known Devine," muttered Mercury. "Someone who might have been in contact with her recently…"

Athena sighed. "I wish I could ask boss for a good reason why Ms. Lopper would come by so suddenly."

With those words, Mercury's eyes lit up. "Athena, I think I might just have an answer!"

Athena blinked. "Really now?"

Mercury smiled. "Remember that Devine was one of the developers of AidLaw. I think dad can help us out on this one."

It didn't take long for Athena to make the connection. "It's possible Devine might have dropped by your father's place after the case to help with her investigation."

"That's right. So… shall we go?"

Athena turned to Phoenix. He was still busy with the computer searching for articles.

"Without boss's permission, I think it'll be difficult to go," Mercury told her. "I'll just have to contact dad himself." He reached for his phone in his pocket. "We'll need a secure area. I'll also ask did to do the same."

Xeus Thinker, Mercury's father, was released from the detention center two days after the 'Not Guilty' verdict from his son's defense work. With no more legal obligations and repercussions on the previous case, he returned to his work in WorldPrograms Inc. Since the previous floor head was imprisoned for the murder, Xeus was immediately placed as the floor head. He had told his son that he was still resuming the robot project but at a limited pace.

Mercury and Athena were huddled in the latter's cubicle, which was two blocks from Phoenix's with Mercury's huddled between them.

Before calling, Mercury sent a message to his father that he would call for something important. His father was busy, but he agreed. Thankfully, Xeus was not holding a meeting so privacy would not be a concern.

When the call connected, Mercury activated the video, allowing him to see his father on the other side of the line.

"Hey dad," greeted Mercury casually. Xeus looked fine.

"My boy," Xeus said heartily. "You look well. What concerns you now?"

"Dad, have you seen today's news?"

When Mercury asked the question, the attorneys watched Xeus hesitate as he stopped pecking on the keyboard of his computer. "Yes. It's very… very unfortunate."

"She actually dropped by the office yesterday," said Mercury. In turns, Mercury and Athena narrated the conversation that took place in the office the previous day. "I just want to know if she talked to you recently."

"As a matter of fact, she did."

The attorneys perked up. The fact that Devine and Xeus talked to each other would provide some crucial information. At that point, Xeus was not busy with his computer and was talking directly to the camera of his phone.

"Before that, where's Mr. Wright?"

Athena stood up and looked around. Since there was no movement, she presumed that Phoenix had not moved from his seat. "Our boss is working on something, I think. He's terribly busy."

Xeus nodded. "I have him to thank for your help, actually. You see after that case, Devine dropped by my office. We had small talk, this and that, and we also considered making an update to AidLaw. Most of the talk was just about AidLaw."

Mercury felt as if the crucial information would not come, but he continued biting. "Well, what about AidLaw?"

"As you know, you have one of the first working prototypes of the operating system," Xeus explained. "After the case, we were going to have to ask you drop by the place and present your findings regarding the technology."

"What does it have to do with Ms. Lopper?" Athena asked.

"Devine and I are just two developers of the program," answered Xeus. "I had a small team work on the program itself while Devine and a few others provided the technicalities." He cleared his throat. "Well, if you really need the information… we were planning to present the program publicly." When asked to clarify, Xeus explained that in order for the AidLaw program to be presented to the public, it would need to gather a significant amount of funds for the mass development. The program would also need to undergo auction for a private company to acquire complete rights for the program.

"That's right," Mercury told Athena. "WPI is the developer. Whoever would own the rights for AidLaw would also be linked to WPI to help produce the program."

"That would also need the phone," continued Xeus. "The phone that would support the operating system would be custom made."

"Come to think of it, I've never seen another phone like this in the market," observed Athena, looking at the other physical features of Mercury's phone.

To make the connection clearer, Xeus explained that in order for AidLaw to be mass produced for law enforcement and the courts, WorldPrograms Inc. would create the program and give it to a second company that would create the phones that would hold the program. The third company that held the rights to sell and distribute AidLaw would reach out to the intended market for commercial purposes.

Athena absorbed this information. "But a computer program cannot exist on its own inside a phone, right?"

"Right," answered Xeus. "These three companies have to be totally different entities, that is to avoid monopoly."

At this connection, Mercury realized what Devine was after. "I see… so that's why Devine was investigating that company."

"What company?" Xeus asked. The attorneys realized that Devine did not talk to Xeus about Summerbridge.

"There's this company that Devine was investigating," said Athena. Again in turns, Mercury and Athena told Xeus about Summerbridge. When asked if he was familiar with the company, Xeus knew about the company.

"The microprocessors where computer programs are placed come from Summerbridge," said Xeus.

"So why would Ms. Lopper be investigating that company if they're the ones providing the materials for the program?" Athena asked Mercury.

It took Mercury some time to figure out. "Maybe it has something to do with what Devine and Mr. Wright were talking about yesterday."

*FLASHBACK – PART 1 INVESTIGATION*

"I know you know your stuff, but are you updated with the Tech Agreement?"

"Tech Agreement?" Mercury wondered.

"The Technology Manufacturing, Distribution, and Sale Agreement, or Tech Agreement for short" clarified Devine. "It encompasses the production of technological materials and finished goods."

*FLASHBACK END*

"The Tech Agreement," muttered Athena. "There should be something there that could justify Ms. Lopper's investigation."

On Mercury's computer, Athena did another quick search of the Tech Agreement. She skimmed through the document and found a certain provision within the second page of the online document. "Here it is," she said. The provision stated that the development of a computer program or similar will be done by licensed professionals related to the nature of the job (in this case, programmers). It also stated that the manufacturing of the physical containers to hold the computer program (in this case, the microprocessor) may be provided by the same developing company. It further stated that should the computer program be released commercially in physical form (in this case, the phone), another company separate from the manufacturer of the physical parts must provide the commercial means to do so unless the company developing the program can create the means to release the physical form.

"That's quite a lot to swallow, but we had to learn that in law school," said Mercury. "This is an international agreement, so it's also upheld in the United Kingdom."

"Unless WPI could also make phones, we cannot release the program commercially," clarified Xeus. "It would need the parts from Summerbridge and a third company to produce the phone."

Athena read the same provision and muttered one part that could build their hypothesis. "Be released in physical form… another company separate from manufacturer… unless the company created the program…" She let out a soft gasp. "So Summerbridge can only produce the parts needed for the program and cannot produce the phone for commercial means!"

"Does this mean that… Summerbridge is trying to break this agreement by producing the phone?"

There was silence on both sides of the line. The tension of coming to the possible conclusion left the two attorneys awestruck.

Xeus nodded. "It's possible, but you should know not to assume things."

Mercury recalled in the interview video that the other person Devine was interviewing became uncomfortable when the Tech Agreement was brought up. "It's most likely possible," he said. "If Summerbridge was really breaching the agreement, Devine would have a very good reason to investigate."

This conclusion, while monumental for the lawyers, brought them to a grim conclusion.

It was Athena who broke the ice. "So… is this the reason why she was killed?"

Mercury took a deep breath. "Man… is Summerbridge responsible for this?"

Xeus cleared his throat. "Well, my boy, that's your job to find out, right? You're going to need all the help you need."

Mercury smiled. Despite the possible stomach-wrenching conclusion, he was still grateful for the crucial information. "Thanks dad. For the info, I mean…"

Xeus smiled. "No problem, my boy. I'll be available whenever you want to talk. Just make sure I'm not in a meeting or so." The father and son said their goodbyes and Mercury's phone returned to its home screen.

"Wow… just wow," Mercury said, fascinated.

Athena smiled a little. "That's some good crucial information and all, but if Summerbridge really breached the agreement, why would they go so far as to be responsible for the death of a person?"

Mercury blinked, his face of fascination disappearing. "That's… that's a good question."

"Impressive," Phoenix said from behind them, making the two lawyers jump. "That kind of connection is what made you formidable in your father's trial. In fact… it's the same conclusion that I came up as well." ("Actually, I was just listening to them make the connection… but we're getting somewhere.")

"What have you been doing for the past few minutes, boss?" Athena asked Phoenix.

"The news regarding the truck crash as well as the dead person inside the truck has been building in some news sites," he told them informatively. "They identified it as Devine Lopper one hundred percent."

"And the suspect?" Mercury asked worriedly.

"The truck driver," answered Phoenix, looking cross. "Murder weapon seemed to be a pocketknife. Belonged to the driver. Blood and prints are over it – you know the clichés."

Athena frowned. "Sounds like we have some work cut out for us?"

("I wish I could have some piece of the action.") Phoenix shook his head. "We can't do anything unless our services are requested."

Mercury sighed wistfully. "But the crucial information might go to waste."

("Can't help now but hope… Now that we have a hunch what Summerbridge is up to, I'll put that place up to visit during investigation. I have to be cautious though if I don't want to end up with a stab wound as well…")

Athena looked at the wall clock, which showed half past nine. "Mercury, isn't it that time already?"

Mercury knew what it meant, but he did not want to show it. "Huh? Time for what?"

Athena smirked as she punched her palm. "It's time for you to clean the toilet!"

The other attorney groaned. "R-Really now?" He turned to his boss with a look for distress. "Uh, help me out here?"

Phoenix secretly enjoyed the banter between his two employees and often wanted to see the end of the conversation. He looked away, pretending to be deep in thought.

"Come on, Mr. Wright," pleaded Mercury.

Athena laughed. "Come on, it's not like you'll be doing it all day. Mr. Wright's been the toilet cleaning master for years! All he needs is an apprentice."

Phoenix jolted then chuckled. ("If I lose my badge under some circumstance, I guess I'll be making money cleaning toilets. Not gonna happen.") As he left Athena's cubicle to return to his cubicle, his phone rang. The caller belonged to Detective Gumshoe. ("Detective Gumshoe? Did he arrest a suspect?")

"Phoenix Wright calling," answered Phoenix, walking over to the office window.

"Hey, um, pal," called Detective Gumshoe, sounding a bit worried. "Ya know someone named Devine Lopper, pal?"

Phoenix swallowed. He could give a white lie. "In some circles, yes. What about her, detective?"

"Well, um, she was found dead today."

("No surprise there…")

Detective Gumshoe continued. "And, uh, the suspect in question is requesting your services."

"R-Really?"

Detective Gumshoe hesitated before speaking. "Y-Yeah, pal. Some real character this guy is. Says he knows you. Not personally, but through a relative." He groaned. "I'm sure a guy like you will get to him."

("Every new case always brings a new kind of character. I'm not terribly concerned…")

"So, uh, will you make your way here, pal?" Detective Gumshoe was calling from the detention center, meaning that the suspect had just been arrested recently.

"I guess," answered Phoenix halfheartedly. ("I'll listen to his story.")

"If you'll take the case, I'll be at the accident site," said Detective Gumshoe, concluding his call.

After the call ended, Phoenix grabbed his coat from his chair. "Athena. Mercury. Hold down the fort. I'll be going to the Detention Center." The office was accustomed to the saying, meaning that the place had to be guarded and, if Phoenix were away, all concerns coming to the office would be directed to Phoenix upon his return. With that, he left the office.


October 3
Detention Center; Visitor's Lobby

When Phoenix arrived at the detention center, he was approached by one of the officers who asked and confirmed Phoenix's identity (Detective Gumshoe must have left the message before leaving for the crime scene) and led him to the cubicle where the suspect was waiting.

The suspect was the same person seen in the morning flash report being tended to injuries. The truck driver appeared to be in his late fifties, evidenced by a mix of white, gray, and black hair arranged flatly on his head. The wrinkles were present, magnifying his sour-looking demeanor. His eyes were sharp and alert, probably owing to a long driving career. The man appeared a little shorter than Phoenix, making the attorney wonder how a man of this stature could operate a physically demanding vehicle. His clothes were unkempt and unchanged, a bright blue and white Summerbridge name and its lightbulb logo appearing on his shirt. What stood out in the man's character was that the man was munching on sunflower seeds. Another unusual character, Phoenix thought, that he could adapt well.

"You the whippersnapper I asked for?" The man's voice was surprisingly hoarse but with a Southern touch. The accent seemed natural.

Phoenix was accustomed to feeling uncomfortable to meeting such characters. The feeling, somehow, made him comfortable.

"Uh, yes, sir?"

The man quickly chomped down on the sunflower seeds, which he produced from a packet that he took out from who-knows-where. "That's not good enough, sonny! I expected a more spring chicken to come take my case! You gonna end up with wrinkles far deeper than the Mississippi, you hear?"

Phoenix sighed. ("Just get on with it, already.")

When the man finished his packet (in an alarming time), he folded his arms and looked away, the sour and grumpy expression perfectly magnified by the wrinkles on his face. "Anyway, I know yous a good ol' attorney. Said my pops."

"Your… pops? Your father?"

The man chuckled darkly. "He said you accused him of being a pervert."

Phoenix blinked. Had he accused anyone of being such during his career? "Do… do we know each other?"

The man took out another packet of sunflower seeds and began gobbling on them.

("This is getting ridiculous, fast.")

Phoenix proceeded with his interrogation and started by finding out his name. However, the man haughtily replied with, "It doesn't matter what my name is. All I know is that I did nothing wrong."

Phoenix rolled his eyes before commenting sarcastically. "All I know is that you're involved in some way or another."

The man waved a shaky fist. "I tell ya, yous can't label me a murder'r."

("I can't tell if this man is Southern or from the West Coast based on his weird mix of language.")

Phoenix maintained his composure. "I appreciate you asking for my services, but I can't help you if you don't give me your name."

The man was unmoved for a few seconds. He grunted before lowering his fist. "Kudo."

"Kudo?"

Then it finally hit Phoenix: the grumpy attitude, the sunflower seeds, the hyperactive manner. He had tackled a case more or less ten years ago in which a witness exhibited these mannerisms and attitude. He remembered something about a computer virus, a horrible French restaurant (and an even more horrible owner), and someone trying to impersonate him. In any case, he had told a story about it to Apollo and Trucy during a story-sharing moment when Phoenix was reinstated. He described it as "one of the worst cases I have ever worked on in my entire life." And here it was, a horrible memory manifesting in front of him.

Phoenix's insides churned and twisted. ("Oh no… No freaking way.")

The man produced another packet of sunflower seeds then began chucking them, none of them hitting Phoenix but bouncing off the bulletproof glass and littering his floor. "That's right, sonny! My name's Vincent Kudo. Ya better learn it!"

("Dammit. I better get to the bottom of this quickly.")

Phoenix learned that Vincent Kudo was the son of the witness of that case (he did not want to talk about it, saying that he'd rather be haunted by nightmares of a circus than a French restaurant). Vincent was an operational driver for Summerbridge and had been with the company for nearly twenty years. He had driven to numerous big cities around the country. When Phoenix expressed his skepticism due to Vincent's height, the latter smugly yet vaguely proclaimed his expertise while aggressively munching or chucking sunflower seeds.

"Calm down, Mr. Kudo," said Phoenix. "If you want my help, you'll need to tell me about what happened."

Vincent grunted. "Fine," he said, alternating between speaking and munching sunflower seeds. "Ask me anything, I'll answer."

("Like father… like son.")

There was something in Phoenix's pocket that he kept with him almost every day for the past ten years. It was something he almost relied on whenever he interrogated suspects and witnesses while working on a case. Before asking the first question, he made sure it was there.

"That evening, where were you headed and what were you doing?"

"Heh, that's nuthin'," said Vincent gruffly. "I was scheduled to make a big-load delivery, see? The trip through the country non-stop would take nearly a whole day on the road."

"And where were you headed?"

"New York," answered Vincent before gobbling a handful of sunflower seeds. "It's nothing new for me. I've been there for delivery many times."

Phoenix knew not to question the capacity of his driving any further if Vincent was confident on his job. He switched to another question. "What exactly were you delivering?"

"Lotsa things," he answered. "Things can range from spare parts, chips, anything that other companies need to make gadgets. We're kinda number one."

Phoenix nodded. "And you've been doing this for…?"

"Nearly twenty years," answered Vincent as he munched on more sunflower seeds. "Don't give me that stink eye, sonny boy! I may not be a spring chicken like you, but I've got all the muscles and aching bones to last me twenty more."

("With muscles and aching bones, I'd rather retire.")

Phoenix sighed. "Can you give me a rundown of what happened? A schedule?"

Vincent reached inside his pants pocket and placed a piece of paper in front of him. He unfolded it for Phoenix to read.

"What's that?"

"The delivery schedule," said Vincent. "I followed the log down to the letter, ya hear?"

Phoenix reached for the paper through the small paper slit and read it. The delivery schedule noted that he would start the delivery at 2:30 AM and was expected to arrive in New York at around 12:00 AM the next day in the scheduled destination. The schedule also noted that the delivery was urgent. It also showed an alphanumerical list of marked boxes though it did not show the specific materials being delivered. The signatures included Vincent's messy scrawl and a neater scrawl from the delivery manager. Phoenix also noted that on the upper-right corner, the delivery order was also marked with a number 2 together with the date of the start of delivery.

"Looks to be in order," commented Phoenix. "As far as the delivery goes, you were following your schedule."

"That's right," responded Vincent gruffly, waving a fist. "So, I don't see why I should be here, sonny. Get me out of here!"

Phoenix frowned. "The fact that you're here means that there's probably a good reason why you're under suspicion."

Vincent folded his arms. "Something about my pocketknife," he mumbled.

"Pocketknife?"

"But I din use it," bellowed Vincent, chucking more sunflower seeds. "Someone must have framed me, set me up!"

("That's the typical kind of scenario the killer would want us to proceed.")

"You have to tell me what happened," said Phoenix. "What caused your truck to crash?"

For a moment, Phoenix saw Vincent shudder. He felt as if the topic regarding the truck crash was important. With that intuition, he put a hand into his pocket and felt the small object her needed. He didn't need to do it, but he just had a feeling something was about to happen.

"Flat tire," mumbled Vincent.

"R-Really?"

Vincent seemed agitated as he resumed munching on the sunflower seeds. "I'm telling you, sonny boy! It was a flat tire. The tire just burst, KABOOM!"

Phoenix had every reason to doubt this claim. "Hmm, you were treated for injuries then you were sent here under suspicion. How would you know that your truck had a flat tire?"

Vincent's eyes widened as he stammered. "Uh… that is… I…"

And Phoenix felt it. ("That's it… the sensation whenever a person is hiding a secret.") The surroundings around him dimmed except for him and Vincent, who seemed shaken up. Phoenix watched closely as ghastly chains manifested around Vincent's torso and were bound by two mystical red locks. ("When a person hides a secret, Psyche-locks will appear.") He took out the small object from his pocket and looked at it. It was glowing an eerily magnificent green. ("This object is called a Magatama, given to me over ten years ago. It allows me to see these locks that appear whenever a person is hiding something. They could be hiding a secret or concealing some information that they can't recall but were involved in its circumstances.")

"W-What's with that look, boy?"

Phoenix sighed. "I'm suspecting that you're not telling me the truth. I have reason to believe that your truck did not crash simply from a flat tire." He waited for Vincent to snap back but was surprised when Vincent fell silent. ("Figures. There's something more going on.")

"Er, um, Mr. Phoenix, sir?"

Phoenix sat up straight. "Call me Mr. Wright. What is it?"

The swagger and aggression were almost gone, replaced by uncertainty and worry. "I know your work's a great deal, pops said so. So, uh… might if you be my lawyer for this?"

Phoenix only needed one question to secure his confidence. "Did you kill Ms. Devine Lopper?"

Despite his uncertainty, Vincent had traces of confidence. He saluted like a snappy officer and proclaimed, "With one-hundred percent confidence, I did not."

Phoenix waited for a response from his Magatama. Though he was deceived before into thinking that his client could not have done the deed, Phoenix estimated his confidence to be high. He was almost sure that Vincent did not kill Devine Lopper.

"I'll take your case," Phoenix told him in a reassuring manner. "I believe that there's something going on." ("Also, I'm trying to see if this case is connected to Mercury's past as well.")

Now he had a new case cut out for him. After months of little defense work, he would take the defense's post once more to prove a man innocent of murder.


Author's Notes: Now to make some clarifications. There is obviously no such thing as a Tech Agreement. Writing fiction sometimes requires me to modify, alter, even butcher existing laws, and wonderfully come up with new ones (*cough* Defense Culpability Act *cough*). Anyone felt the Victor Kudo vibe from my new character?

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