October 16th, 10:15 AM

Phoenix Wright's Apartment

In nearly all respects, it could have been considered a quiet morning. Phoenix barely made a noise as she calmly moved about the kitchen, taking her time in assembling a breakfast while lightly sipping a mug of coffee. Until a sudden resounding crash issued from the living room, the apartment was near silent. Phoenix sighed, leaving the kitchen to check on the source of the noise. In the time just after Matty had moved into the apartment, Phoenix had always been relatively panicked whenever such a noise occurred, but in the intervening time, it had become perfectly customary for Matty to cause minor disasters in his free time, which Phoenix had quickly learned to take in stride.

She found Matty standing against the wall of the living room, having somehow managed to upend the couch by himself. Leaning against the doorframe, she remarked, "Getting a bit overzealous again?"

This was hardly a rare occurrence. The most common catalyst for Matty's usual antics was the weekly airing of The Steel Samurai, the surreal visuals of which were still flashing by on the TV screen.

"No shame in practicing the ways of the samurai for myself." Matty said offhandedly, taking a grip on the underside of the couch to lift it upright.

Phoenix gave a lighthearted chuckle before replying, "I s'pose there's no shame in reaching your emotional peak at about six years old, either."

Without waiting for Matty's delayed response, she returned to the kitchen to resume preparing her breakfast. After finishing her preparations and sitting down at the table, her thoughts turned to reflection upon her life's recent developments. It had only been just over a month since Matty had entered her life, but he had already brought a great many lifestyle changes in his wake. Phoenix had recently taken to eating later in the morning than she had in the past, on account of the scale of Matty's frequent attacks on their food supply. On the same note, they had reached a compromise pertaining to grocery shopping a week after Matty moved in: so long as Matty prepared food for and cleaned up after himself, she wouldn't dock his pay to continue buying their food.

Matty's appetite, however, was not the only reason for which Phoenix had made the arrangement. Even with two court wins under her belt, Phoenix had, at the time, been in imminent danger of running out of money. She hadn't charged Lexine a cent for defending her in her first trial, and there was hardly money to be made in earning herself an acquittal in her second, after all. She had taken care not to mention the financial situation to Matty. In the wake of his brother's murder, she wasn't entirely confident in her assistant's emotional state, and didn't want to risk having him blame himself for her own troubles.

These concerns had been alleviated, however, just two weeks ago. In the midst of the fallout from Raine White's arrest, Phoenix had received a call from a secretary at Grossberg Law Offices. The secretary informed her that the firm had filed a major lawsuit against White for her years of fraudulent dealings. The case had been easily won, and Grossberg had received a truly massive sum of money from Bluecorp as a result. She had, in turn, arranged for Phoenix to be given several hundred thousand dollars as proper thanks for her work in bringing White to justice. Phoenix was struck momentarily speechless by this news, but Matty's unbridled excitement was easily enough for both of them.

Phoenix laughed as she recalled exactly the way that Matty had practically danced around the apartment, completely unable to contain his enthusiasm. After receiving the money from Grossberg, her first priority had been to contact Micah's landlord and buy out the small Wright & Co. office building, but by the second day, her better judgement finally succumbed to Matty's incessant begging, and she agreed to indulge in a less-than-professional trip to the mall. At the very least, she was able to use the last of her self-restraint to establish a spending limit for the trip which, to her utter lack of surprise, Matty easily reached less than two hours after arriving. So, with an extravagant supply of new possessions in tow, they had returned to the apartment, chatting away like a pair of children at Christmas.

A loud scraping noise pulled Phoenix out of her thoughts and told her that Matty had successfully righted the couch. She considered checking on him, but decided to wait until after finishing her breakfast. As such, it was not until several minutes later that she heard anything more from her assistant.

"Wh-whaaaaaat!?" was the panicked exclamation that finally drew Phoenix's attention back to Matty.

"Matty? Something wrong?" she called out, concerned. Hearing no response, she stood up and moved to the living room. Matty was staring at the TV, his face aghast. Phoenix followed his gaze to the screen. The introductory sequence to a morning news report was just reaching its end.

"Matty?"

"B-Boss! On the news just now-! Th-The Steel Samurai!" Matty sputtered. Phoenix's blank look only seemed to agitate him further. "The Steel Samurai's been arrested!"

"Uh..."

"They're saying that he killed a villain!"

"... Isn't he supposed to do that...?" Phoenix asked, completely bewildered. Matty gave a frustrated groan and grabbed onto her arm.

"Just... watch..." he huffed, dragging her toward the couch. Just as they sat down, the news report resumed.

"On to our top story this morning,"the reporter began as Matty pointed unnecessarily toward the screen, "LA resident and famed television actress Wanda Powers was arrested this morning, following the discovery of the body of fellow actress Janine Hammer. Hammer, Powers' co-star on the popular youth TV series, "The Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo", was found dead in her personal trailer at the Global Studios film site late last night. When found, Hammer was still wearing the costume of her character, The Evil Magistrate. Police found the Samurai Spear, a prop wielded by Powers' character, the titular Steel Samurai, lying next to the body. Early forensic tests suggest this to be the murder weapon."

As the report reached its end, Matty shook Phoenix's arm. "Y'see, Boss!? This is a major disaster! We need to get to the detention centre right away!"

"What for...?"

Matty stared at Phoenix as if she were insane for a moment, apparently unable to comprehend her calm nature.

"Boss, we need to take his case! The Steel Samurai would never kill anyone!"

He paused before adding, "Outside of the show, I mean..."

Phoenix was slowly running the information through her head from the beginning. "'Her case.'" was the only phrase to leave her mouth.

"What?"

"The Steel Samurai is played by a woman." she corrected.

"Wh-... Whatever!" Matty sputtered, "The Steel Samurai's been thrown in jail, and you're complaining about pronouns!?"

To Matty's great frustration, Phoenix didn't answer, remaining absorbed in thought. Several seconds passed, and his patience failed. Darting around to her back and reaching up to her shoulders, he began pushing Phoenix toward the door.

"Objection-!" Phoenix yelped, nearly losing her balance. She planted her feet and spun around. "Matty, what makes you so sure that this woman is really innocent?" she asked as her diminutive assistant glared up at her.

Matty looked deeply offended. "What!? See, Boss, this is why you need to watch the show! The Steel Samurai is a warrior of justice! He would never, ever-"

"Alright!" Phoenix cut in, suspecting that the conversation wouldn't be going anywhere constructive. "We'll go to the centre. I'm gonna say now, though, this lady's probably already got a lawyer-"

"Go!" Matty cut her off, attempting to start pushing at her shoulders again.

October 16th, 11:04 AM

Detention Centre

Visitor's Room

"Wanda Powers?" the guard repeated in a slightly drawling voice. "You her attorney, then?"

Phoenix hesitated.

"Yes, yes!" Matty answered impatiently. It seemed to satisfy the guard, who disappeared through the back doorway.

"She'll already have a lawyer..." Phoenix repeated quietly. Without saying anything, Matty reached up and jabbed a finger against her head. Phoenix flinched and lightly punched Matty in the arm. This swiftly escalated into a quiet scuffle that only halted when the guard's door reopened.

"Hmph. I swear, you can't be more than six years old..." Phoenix muttered.

The guard entered the room with a woman, who hesitantly lowered herself into the chair in front of the window.

"Ms. Powers?" Phoenix asked.

"Y-yeah..." Powers answered in a tiny voice. She was a tall woman, with a muscular physique and wild red hair.

"We... heard what happened on the news." Phoenix said.

"Pardon me, but... you're lawyers, aren't you?" Powers asked, still very quietly. Matty nodded vigourously.

"Yep! ... Well, Phoenix is the lawyer, anyway. Phoenix Wright." he said.

Powers seemed to relax. She released the tension in her shoulders and leaned forward against the tabletop, managing a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear that. The guard, he said that my lawyer was here to see me, but Global Studios doesn't assign lawyers to individual employees. Well, the producer has one, but otherwise..."

Matty briefly gave Phoenix what looked like an attempt at an "I told you so" smirk, which fell flat on delivery.

(Aww... Matty, that really was adorable...)

Barely holding back a giggle, Phoenix turned back to Powers. "Ms. Powers, do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Go ahead."

"Alright. First off, could you give me a quick backgrounder on yourself and the victim?"

"Sure. Janine and I met at Global Studios a little over two years ago, when we were both hired on as stunt doubles. They were about to start shooting for The Steel Samurai. After a few practices, though, the director talked to both of us about some issues she was having with the two leading actors. They'd had a falling out of some kind, I guess, so she asked both of us if we'd consider taking on the roles ourselves." Powers said.

"Hmm. Sorry, those roles are the Steel Samurai and...?" Phoenix trailed off, realizing she had forgotten the other name.

Matty groaned. "The Evil Magistrate, Phoenix. Duh."

Powers suddenly tensed back up, clasping her hands to her mouth. "Oh no, are you a fan!?" she asked in a panic.

"Yep!" Matty said, nodding energetically. "Name's Matty! I've never missed an episode!"

"Oh no, no no no no...!" Powers squeaked, shrinking back from the window.

"What's wrong-?" Matty asked, shocked.

"I-... I n-never show my face a-around fans...!" Powers said, her voice quavering as she made a rather pitiful effort to conceal her face. Matty looked astonished.

"... Why? What's wrong with-"

"Oh, th-the fans expect to see a r-really tough and cool guy under the mask, not some timid lady w-with-..." she broke off, giving a shudder. Phoenix could only stare in disbelief.

(So, the Steel Samurai's got some self esteem issues...)

"But you play the Samurai so well!" Matty argued, "Why would the fans be disappointed by seeing your real face?"

"I... Oh, I don't know... C-could we talk about something else-?"

It was shocking, the way that Powers' nerve had vanished so rapidly.

"Alright, Ms. Powers, next question." Phoenix said, thinking it best to move on. "What's your alibi for the time of the murder?"

With a relieved smile, Powers answered, "I was taking a nap in my trailer the whole time. We had just eaten, and I was pretty exhausted, so I headed back for a rest, but the next thing I knew, the police were rushing in, and I found out that Janine was dead, a-

and-..." her voice failed again and she slumped back in her chair.

Phoenix thought it over. " So, if you're in here, I guess nobody could confirm that you really were asleep, is that right?"

"Y-yeah... I only talked to Janine just after dinner, before I left." Powers replied, trying to steady her voice.

(Ouch... So, that's basically no alibi at all, then.)

"Hmm... One more question, then, Ms. Powers. Is there anybody at the studio that you might ever suspect of killing Ms. Hammer?"

"No..." Powers quietly replied, dropping her gaze to the floor as she thought. "Janine got on pretty well with everyone most of the time..."

Phoenix gave Matty a hopeful glance, but he seemed to be out of ideas as well. She rose from her chair.

"Well, thanks for your time, Ms. Powers," she began.

"No, no, I should be thanking you! If you hadn't come by, I'd be left with one of those state-appointed attorneys, and then I wouldn't've had a chance!" Powers said, waving a hand.

"Heh, you think so?" Matty asked.

"Oh, definitely." Powers affirmed, "The studio's manager warned us about that when we first joined the studio."

She too rose from her seat as the guard reopened the exit door.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't much help, Ms. Wright. Before you go, though, I can give you this," she added, taking a scrap of paper from the countertop. She hastily scribbled something onto it and slid it through the window's small opening. "That's my signature at the bottom, there. It'll get you by security at the studio, if you need to go there."

"Right. Thanks, Ms. Powers." Phoenix said, pocketing the paper.

After leaving the detention centre, Phoenix pulled the note back out of her pocket. She had just begun to look it over, when...

"Yeah, yeah, gimme that." Matty said, swiping the note from her hand.

"Matty, what-?"

"We'll let the security guys at the studio see it, but after that, it's mine." Matty said. "This is a genuine Steel Samurai autograph, Phoenix; it's gettin' framedback in the office."

Phoenix shook her head resignedly and gave an amused sigh, continuing back toward her car.

October 16th, 11:55 AM

Global Studios

Main Gate

"This looks like the place." Phoenix said as she pulled into an open parking space. It wasn't until several seconds after she left the car that she realized Matty wasn't following her. "Matty?" she looked back and saw him still sitting in the car. "Matty." she repeated, opening the passenger door. Matty's eyes were practically sparkling as he stared in apparent amazement at the studio lot. Phoenix waved a hand in his face to no response. "Matty, we're here to investigate a murder."

Still no response. Phoenix groaned. "Matty, this really isn't a good time for you to go fanboy on me." she glanced around the car and saw the signed note sitting on the dashboard. The instant that she made to pick it up, Matty lunged forward to take it back first. He seemed to realize what he had been doing a second after retrieving the note.

"... Heh... Sorry, Boss." he muttered, leaving the car.

At the front of the studio lot stood a brightly painted sign proclaiming the company's name, affiliates, and motto. Beneath it was a security booth, which Matty rushed off toward.

"Now, hold it right there!" came an impressively loud voice from the security booth. Matty stopped in his tracks. As Phoenix reached the gate, the voice's owner came into view. An exceptionally old man stood in the booth, his moustache quivering as he looked out at both of them. After a few seconds of silence, he let out a deep breath that sent his moustache fluttering at its length.

"Feh. What're you kids doing here?" he asked, putting on a pair of dark glasses.

"... Good morning." Phoenix said hesitantly. There was a concern in the back of her mind that this old man might not be the most patient around. "My name is Phoenix Wright. I'm an attorney. This," she motioned toward Matty, who seemed to be on the verge of running off into the studio by himself, "is my assistant, Matty Fey."

The guard looked both of them over again. "Feh. Lawyers. I should've known. You an' yer 'New Age' clothes. Bunch of hippies and weirdoes."

"Uh... Sir, could we get into the studio?" Matty asked.

"GET INTO THE-" the guard suddenly exploded, confirming Phoenix's theory. "YOU KIDS THESE DAYS, TAKING EVERYTHING FER GRANTED, NEVER CONSIDERING THE-" his budding rant was interrupted by a series of hacking coughs.

"Er... Do you need some-" Phoenix began, concerned that the guard might collapse.

"I'M-... FINE-!" He sounded anything but fine, but the guard's coughing fit subsided after several seconds. He cleared his throat, and his moustache finally settled. "Now... gah... what'd you kids want?"

Phoenix and Matty shared the briefest of confused glances.

"Uh... We have a note here from Wanda Powers. We need to get into the studio for an investigation." Phoenix said, setting the note on the booth's counter. The guard looked it over.

"All right." he grunted, reaching beneath the counter. He produced two passes and handed them to Phoenix and Matty. "These're signed by me, so they'll get yeh in."

He extended a weathered hand to Phoenix. "Name's Oldbag. Weston Oldbag." he turned sharply toward Matty as the latter failed to suppress a snicker. "Yeh can laugh all yeh want, son, but the Oldbag name carries a certain respect! My father was an Oldbag through and through, just like his father before him, and-"

Oldbag continued his tirade for quite some time, seeming not to notice as Phoenix and Matty took off at a run into the studio.

Gaaaah

I wrote this entire chapter from my tablet while on vacation, so it was pretty slow going. Nevertheless, there's our setup for case three.