It all happened so fast that if asked to describe the events in court, Apollo doubted he could recount what order everything had happened in without contradicting himself.
He'd gone home after he realized the paperwork Mr. Wright needed was sitting on his kitchen counter. However while standing outside his complex's door he realized his keychain (complete with Steel Samurai charm) and all of his keys were sitting on top of one of Trucy's hats back at the agency. He'd groaned, hit his head against the door and hopped back on his bike. There were days Apollo was surprised he managed to function as a human being with how many small details he'd forget when out of court.
The whole trip maybe took an hour (with a small stop to grab himself a coffee and then back pedalling to get one for Mr. Wright after he remembered he was technically his boss), he'd never imagined how much could happen. He'd bounded up the stairs to the office, and holding the tray of coffee in one hand, tried to open the door. It was locked.
"But we're still open…" Apollo muttered and started rapping on the door. "Mr. Wright! I forgot my keys… again. Can you let me in? I need to get the paperwork for the Owen's case from my apartment." He waited.
No answer.
"Mr. Wright?"
He heard a sickening thud on the other side of the door and a cry of pain.
He tensed up, a shiver ran down his spine. "Mr. Wright?" he called out, more frantically.
No answer.
He pulled out his phone and tried to dial the police. Mistakenly, he called the last number dialled, Klavier's.
"Gavin speaking."
Apollo rolled his eyes at his inability to use his own phone properly. Still, Klavier, was as good as the police. "I think something has happened to Mr. Wright."
"Herr Forehead?"
"Yes, it's me." Apollo huffed. "I mean Apollo. Stop calling me that... Look, this is-"
"You think Herr Wright is in trouble?"
"Yes, sorry, It's just the office door is locked and we're open and I just heard a cry or thud or something and I'm not sure what to do."
"Don't you have a key?"
If he hadn't had his hands full, Apollo would have pressed his palm to the back of his head as he normally did when nervous. "It's in the office."
"You would forget your head if not attached." Klavier said with a small chuckle before turning serious. "I will send a few men over and meet you there. Hopefully it's nothing."
"Y-yeah, hopefully." Apollo agreed, hearing a click. He spun around and noticed the door was now slightly ajar. "Oh, hang on, it's open now."
"Is he okay?"
"I-I don't know. Hang on, maybe he just tripped or something." He'd pressed the speaker of the phone to his chest and nudged the door open the rest of the way with his back. "Mr. Wright? Are you all right? I heard a noise." He trailed off. No one appeared to be in the office. The lights had been shut off and it was eerily quite for the workplace of Phoenix Wright. Apollo placed the coffee down on the nearby shelf and switched on the lights. "Hello?" He scanned the room again before placing the phone to his ear again. "He doesn't seem to-"
Then he saw it.
Around the side of the couch, a hand, with a small bit of blue sleeve and shattered drinking glass. The liquid being absorbed by the suit. Had Apollo not been frozen in terror, he may have noticed his bracelet constricting against his wrist. "Oh god! Mr. Wright!" He ran to him. "Mr. Wright!"
His eyes were wide open, and he lay on the floor, sprawled as if he'd being pushed backwards. Apollo heard the crunching of glass as he ran to him, nearly slipping on the apple juice covering the floor. He felt like he was going to throw up. His childhood hero, complete with spiky hair and blue suit was lying at his feet.
"Apollo! What's happening?"
"He's- oh god, please don't be dead!" He dropped his phone and kneeled beside Phoenix. He nearly passed out from relief as he saw the man was still breathing. "Mr. Wright! Phoenix? Stay with me!"
His eyes flickered to him for a moment, they were glazed over and he could tell Phoenix was struggling to focus on him. "P-polly?"
"What happened?" He grabbed his mentor's hand. "Please, don't die on me!" He was starting to cry. This could not be happening. He could tell Phoenix was starting to have trouble inhaling. "Please, just stay with me." He reached for his phone, nearly cutting himself in the process. "Ambulance! Now!"
"On their way." Klavier responded curtly, the speaker may have been against his chest, but Klavier could hear everything clearly. "You guys just need to hang in there."
Apollo nodded, before remembering he was talking on a phone. "O-okay." He hung up the call and placed the phone beside him, marvelling how in times of stress, Klavier's accent seemed to dissipate. He turned his attention back to the man in front of him. He noticed Phoenix was trying to speak. "What?"
"Run." He croaked.
"Run?" Apollo echoed in confusion. Then he realized, there was an extra shadow looming over them. He closed his eyes and felt the tears stinging his cheeks. The door had been locked, and then it had been open. His keys were inside the whole time, so who had done that? Even Winston Payne would be able to figure out there had to be a second person in the office. "Oh god." His blood felt like ice water in his veins and he was terrified to look up. At that moment he felt certain he was going to die.
He couldn't move, he could barely breath. His childhood hero was dying below him and his killer was looming over him.
"You do have a habit of ruining my carefully laid plans, don't you Polly?"
His head snapped up, eyes widening. "Mr. Gavin?"
"Leave Mr. Wright to die now." He said, wrapping his arms around Apollo's waist and pulling him off of the blue clad lawyer. Apollo struggled to hold onto Phoenix's hand, but Gavin pried their hands apart, finger by finger.
"No! You monster! What did you do?" He screamed, full chords of steel in effect, trying to push the blond off of him and get back to his mentor. "Mr. Wright, please!" He started to cry again. "Please don't die on me!"
"As much as I would like to stay and watch, I understand the authorities are on their way so Mr. Justice and I should get going, Wright."
"Going? What are-" Startled by the man's strength, Apollo found himself being dragged through the office. He threw his arm back to try and throw him off, knocking over pieces of Trucy's magic tricks and a table. Kristoph's grip loosened and he scrambled forwards, only to be grabbed by the back of his vest and pulled bkacwards so his back hit the blond's chest.
Kristoph pressed his lips against Apollo's ear and Apollo found himself unable to do more than squirm. "I have men stationed at the little magician's school. They will kill her." Apollo could feel the colour drain from his face. "You will come with me quietly and maybe one Wright will get out of this alive. Do you understand?"
Apollo nearly collapsed in shock and Phoenix nodded weakly in confirmation. "I…" He closed his eyes. "I understand." He could feel Kristoph's grin against the side of his face.
"Good boy."
I told myself, one scene, we'll just write one and then go on our way. Then a second scene popped in to my head... So this may continue, who knows? My brain works in mysterious ways. :P
