Earthcub12 Presents

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ~ Courtroom Champions

Turnabout for a Prayer / Investigation 2-5

-September 4, 5:46 PM-
-St. Owen's Baptist Church-
-Father Owen's Study Chamber-

Phoenix, Apollo, and Maria continued to look down into the seemingly infinite staircase leading to complete blackness. Phoenix Wright went to the door behind him and shut it to make sure nobody sees them and went back to the staircase.

"Well… looks like we're headed down." Phoenix announced.

"Do we have a choice?" Apollo asked, still staring down. Phoenix, then, looked over at Maria and said,

"Maria, do you have a flashlight of sorts? Anything that can illuminate?"

Maria dug through her pockets but found nothing. "Oh, wait!" She said, as she walked over to Owen's desk and looked through his drawers and pulled out a candle and a box of matches. She struck a match and lit a tiny flame on the top of the candle.

"Sorry. This is all I could find." She told them. Phoenix stashed Owen's coat away, taking the key and the necklace with him. Maria, then, handed the candle over to Phoenix. The lawyer carefully set a foot down on the wooden staircase. A strong creaking sound erupted when Phoenix set foot on the stairs. Phoenix slowly and carefully set his other foot on the stairs.

"Phoenix, be careful!" Apollo warned, reaching his arm out to Phoenix.

Phoenix tapped the stairs with his foot and turned back to Apollo and Maria. "Just be careful and you'll be fine. The stairs surprisingly aren't that bad. Come on, Apollo." Apollo took a deep breath and cautiously set foot on the staircase.

"Maria, you stay there." Phoenix told her. "Keep watch and make sure nobody enters the room, okay?"

"No way!" Maria Cupp argued. "I'm going down with you! I've never seen anything like this, and you want me to stay back? I'm coming with!" Maria, then, took off her coat and tied her hair into a bun as she carefully set her foot on the staircase.

"Okay, just be careful. God knows how old these boards are." Phoenix told them as he continued walking down the steps. The lit candle shed some light in the dark stairway. The stone walls that lead down to the bottom helped the three direct themselves. Nothing interesting was seen found yet as they all eventually reached the bottom of the staircase.

The three found themselves into a long hallway, cobwebs decorating the place and scurrying rats evading the visitors. Phoenix, Apollo, and Maria walked forth, examining the walls as they continued on.

"This is unbelievable." Apollo commented. "This giant place hiding underneath the church? Who knew?"

"I know." Phoenix agreed. "Maria, how long has this church been here, again?"

"I don't know. Decades, maybe." Maria suggested. "Owen just bought out the building and helped shape it. To think he knew about this secret passage."

As they continued walking, Phoenix felt his feet catch onto something. He looked down and saw a rug with red stains on it. Phoenix knelt down and looked at it. The red stains were almost certainly blood.

"Okay!" Maria commented, freaking out. "What's the deal, here!? What… what is that!?"

Phoenix brought the candle closer to the rug. "Maria, is this rug familiar?"

Maria looked down at it and gasped. "I-it is! This is Owen's rug! I'd recognize it anywhere! What is it doing here?"

"No idea." Phoenix said, standing back up. "It's not even that dusty. It was probably set in here recently."

"Why, though?"

"That's what I need to figure out."

'BLOODY RUG' ADDED TO COURT RECORD

ITEM DESCRIPTION: Owen's rug that was found in the secret tunnel under the church. Bloodstains are on it.

The three continued walking and found themselves in front of the entryway into another room, a room the caught them by surprise: a large storage room full of antiques and ruined objects. The room contained just about everything, from boxes, to dishes, to crates. Phoenix, Apollo, and Maria stared at everything, amazed. Apollo walked up ahead of them and rested his hands on a crate.

"Man..." Apollo said, looking at all the ancient antiques. He started to walk towards a corridor that was likely to lead to more storage. "What could all this stuff be doing down here?" He asked them as he approached the corridor.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from the corridor. The figure rushed over to Apollo with great speed and hit him with a single strike of a crowbar. Apollo flew back a ways, blood shooting from his nose as he crashed on the solid ground. Phoenix and Maria quickly turned over to the sound and gasped at the attacker of Apollo.

"A-A-Apollo!"

It was Athena Cykes. She quickly dropped the crowbar and rushed over to a groaning Apollo's side. "I-I'm so sorry, Apollo!" She said to him. "Here, let me help you up!"

Athena grabbed Apollo's arm and helped him to his feet, Apollo still groaning in pain. Phoenix and Maria rushed over to Apollo and helped him stay balanced.

"It's… it's good to see you too, Athena." Apollo said through his teeth as he was rubbing his face. "But did you have to hit so hard?"

Phoenix looked over at Athena, whose hands were at her mouth in shock. "A-Athena! What are you doing down here!? We were looking everywhere for you!"

"I… I don't know!" Athena told them. "I remember how I went into Owen's office like you asked. I went to his desk and that was when I suddenly blacked out. The next thing I knew, I woke up down here with a throbbing pain in the back of my head. I've been looking for a way out for hours."

"I think somebody must have knocked you out and dragged you here." Phoenix theorized. "Do you know who it was at all?"

"I… I don't think so. I don't remember seeing a face. They must have caught me by surprise. Also… I didn't get any sample of the blood. At all. I'm sorry, guys."

"It's alright, Athena. We already got the sample we needed." Phoenix told her. "Apparently it's Owen's blood in that jar."

Athena gave a look of surprise. "Owen's… blood!? But… why!? How!?"

"Long story."

Apollo finally regained his balance and his nose stopped bleeding as he walked besides Phoenix and said, "Well… we're glad you're safe, Athena." Apollo released a sigh of relief. "Now that's one less thing for us to worry about."

"Oh, yeah. Apollo, sorry about… you know… that." Athena told him, slightly embarrassed. "I didn't know who you were, so I just… panicked."

Apollo stretched his arms. "Don't worry about it, Athena; I understand. I'll be okay. I'm just happy to know you're alright and we're all together again. Anyway, is there anything you found down here, Athena?"

Athena was in thought as she tapped her finger on her earring. "Hmm… actually, now that you mention it, I did see something pretty interesting. I didn't think much of it, at first. Come on, follow me!"

Phoenix, still holding the candle, walked next to Athena's side and followed her to another dusty, dark room. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Athena." Phoenix told her. "We had no idea where you were and to top it off, we had no idea about this secret passage underneath the church."

"It's alright, boss. I'm just glad you guys showed up when you did. I was beginning to get a bit scared down here." Athena confessed. "Thanks, guys. So, how did the trial go?"

"Well… it wasn't easy." Phoenix explained to her. "Remember that prosecutor, Hera Novak? Turns out she was here at the church the night of the murder. Not only that, but she's been pulling the strings of some of the witnesses. I know she has something to do with all this. I just know it."

Maria, looking at Phoenix, looked down with a guilt-ridden face. Phoenix turned around to her and captured the guilt on her face. "Wait, Maria." He said to her. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just telling Athena-."

"No, it's okay, Mr. Wright." Maria told him. "You don't need to say anything more. I let David down. Hera Novak… she exposed my weakness and got me to go against David. I deserve no forgiveness. Not only that, but… I'll be testifying again David tomorrow."

Everyone stopped as the three lawyers turned to Maria, tears in her eyes.

"Ms. Cupp…?" Phoenix said to her.

"I… I have to know the truth!" Maria exclaimed. "I… need to know the truth! Which is why I asked Novak and the court if I could testify tomorrow. I need answers." Maria wiped away a tear. "Do you remember? I want to trust David, again. But… I can't find myself to see him as a human being anymore. Mr. Wright and Mr. Justice… can I trust you two to do that for me?"

Phoenix and Apollo looked at each other. Then, Phoenix looked at Maria and nodded. "Yes, Ms. Cupp. You can trust us. But believe us when we say David is innocent. And we're not just saying that."

Maria wiped away one more year and looked up at them. "I guess we'll find that out tomorrow… won't we?"

(Not that she mentions it… Miss Novak did mention a 'surprise witness'. She must have been talking about Maria. Poor Maria… so destroyed. I hope she'll learn to forgive David. Some day.)

Phoenix approached Maria as he rest his hand on her shoulder. "Hey… it'll be okay. Let's keep moving."

Maria nodded, trying to collect herself. Suddenly, the flame on the candle started to flicker. "Oh! The candle is dying out! Maria, grab another match! Quick!"

Maria looked in her pockets but couldn't find anything. "Th-the matches! I-I can't find them! I must have left them in Owen's room!"

Without warning, the candle completely died. The four found themselves in utter darkness.

"Okay… everyone, stay calm." Apollo told everybody. "Grab a partner and we'll follow each other's voices. Stay close to the walls."

"I got a better idea." Offered Athena. A blue light escaped Widget. The blue light illuminated the entire room, far greater than the candle did. Phoenix, Apollo, and Maria looked around as Athena smiled at them.

"Athena… since when could Widget do that?" Phoenix asked her.

"I've been tinkering with Widget for a little bit." Athena told him. "Never know when this'll come in handy!" Athena pointed Widget at the far end of a hallway. Athena gestured towards the hall as everyone followed her trail. As they kept walking, they heard a noise behind them. They all turned around as they saw something scurrying; something big.

"Was that a rat?" Maria asked them, her lips trembling.

"Hold on." Phoenix grabbed a rock from the ground and tossed it the way of the creature. As the rock hit the ground, more noises could be heard. This time, Apollo picked up a large brick and threw it that way. The sound of impact was heard as the rock went past a crate. Suddenly, a voice could be heard.

"OUCH! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT, YA LITTLE RATS! I'M JUST A LOWLY JANITOR!"

Everyone instantly recognized the voice as Phineas Filch approached them, holding his head in pain. "F-Filch!?" Athena gasped. "Wh-what are you!?"

"Mr. Filch!" Maria scolded. "Are you stalking us!?"

"As if!" Filch argued. "I ain't stalking nobody! I'm just following you to see where you're going! That's all!"

"What do you want, Filch?" Apollo attacked. "Why are you following us!?"

Filch instantly cowered behind the crate again. "I-I was just seeing where you were going! There was nothing by it! Honest! I went into the Owen guy's room and saw this creepy ol' staircase and heard your voices, then you threw a brick at me! Why do I need to explain anything to you all!?"

Phoenix sighed. "Fine. You can come with us. But we're keeping our eyes on you, Filch! No funny games." Everyone turned around from Filch and continued to follow Athena. Filch grumbled and walked with them.

The five travelers ventured forth and found themselves at a dead end. A stone wall blocked their path as Phoenix walked up to it and rested his palm on it.

Apollo gave an annoyed sigh. "Great. Now what? Should we head back?"

Phoenix knocked on the wall. The knocking gave away a strong, echoing sound. "I think I have an idea." Phoenix said as he began to push on the wall, but to no avail. The wall slowly began to move, but little progress could be made. Phoenix looked to Apollo and gestured to the wall.

"Apollo, help me out."

Apollo jogged up to Phoenix and helped Phoenix push the stone wall. More progress was being made, but the wall was still moving slowly. That was when Athena joined in, the three all pushing the wall together. All were groaning and sweating as they all pushed the wall with their combined force. Shortly, they managed to push the wall open and found themselves in another dead end. However, the room made their eyes open wide.

Three walls stood in their path. The left wall with red flames and a red star emblem, the right side lit with bright, golden flames and a yellow crescent moon emblem on the wall, and the far end wall of the room had blue flames along with a blue cross emblem. All five walked further into the room, utterly amazed.

"What's this, now?" Apollo asked, eyeing the blue, red, and yellow walls. "Another puzzle of sorts?"

Phoenix walked to the blue wall in the back. He noticed each colored wall had a pedestal hanging on the wall and a sign hanging on above it. Phoenix leaned down and read the sign.

"It says here," Phoenix announced to everybody, "'In order to venture forth into uncharted territory, you must first be willing to give yourself up for who you are. Place the item on the pedestal that makes you the person you are.' Not so much a puzzle as it is directions."

"Place the item on the pedestal that makes you the person you are?" Apollo asked. "What the heck does that mean?" Apollo walked over to the red wall and investigated the area and the pedestal. Apollo looked down at his bracelet, then back at the pedestal.

"Maybe it's telling us what makes us… us?" Athena theorized, examining the yellow wall. Athena thought about this, tapping her earing, then froze. She looked to her side her earring was hanging.

Back over at the blue wall, Phoenix was rubbing his chin, then had an idea. He looked down at his suit and took off his attorney badge. He held it in his palm, looking at the detailed badge. He, then, set it down on the pedestal. Suddenly, the pedestal began to rise. The sounds of gears and clicking were heard as the pedestal rose and then froze. "That's… that's it!"

Phoenix turned over to Apollo. "Apollo! Put something on the pedestal! Something important to you!"

Apollo continued to look at his bracelet. He slowly took it off and carefully set it down on the pedestal. The pedestal did the same as Phoenix's, as in it rose and eventually stopped, making a loud clicking sound. "I think that did it!" Apollo yelled. "How's it going over there, Athena?"

Athena continued tapping on her earring, then paused again. She carefully took off her moon earring and looked at it. "This and Widget are the only memory of my mother I have. Maybe… maybe this'll work." She, then, set her earring down on the pedestal. Again, the third pedestal rose, making another clicking sound. Time seemed to stop as the three lawyers, Maria, and Filch waited to see what would happen.

Suddenly, the center of the room completely opened up. The ground began shifting and yet another staircase leading deeper was seen, much to everyone's disbelief. This time, the stairs were a spiral, decorated stone staircase. The three pedestals lowered themselves down. Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena retrieved their belongings and put them back onto themselves. They all approached the stairs. Athena turned Widget's light back on again, and even the light off Widget could barely get the bottom of the staircase.

"Mr. Wright… how deep does this rabbit hole go?" Apollo asked aloud.

"I don't know." Phoenix answered. "But I think we're getting there. Come on everyone, last stretch. Surely we can get an answer here shortly."

Phoenix took a deep breath and prepared for whatever discoveries could await them next.

COURT RECORD

-Attorney Badge: My personal badge proving my profession. I never leave home without it.

-Owen's Autopsy Report: Cause of death was an instant kill by a David statue to the victim's head. Time of Death: About 8:00-8:30 PM. Victim is covered in bruises.

-Body Outline: The aftermath of the crime. Blood is splattered around the head and facial area. The statue sits to its left.

-David Statue: Depiction of Michelangelo's David statue. The murder weapon.

-Shattered Coffee Mug: A cup that was likely to have been shattered during the fight between Owen and the killer. Owen probably used this cup against said killer in defense. Was made by Maria Cupp for an ill Owen.

-Jar of Blood: A jar of Owen's blood found in his very office. I have several questions…

-Child's Drawing: A drawing showing Owen, David, and an unknown woman. A bloody smear is on the side because of me.

-Bloody Print: Some kind of bloody print from a shoe on top of the dumpster. Could it be involved with the murder?

-Glass: Shards of glass littering the floor. Must have come from the broken window next to it. A shard has blood on it.

-Black Cloth: A black strip of cloth. Origin unknown.

-Crime Scene Photo: A photo taken of the crime scene. Drops of David's blood left a trail between Owen's desk in the background to the shattered window.

-Church Diagram: A detailed diagram of St. Owen's Baptist Church. The crime scene on the left side is highlighted.

-Bloody Priest Coat: David Vaughan's official priest coat. It is completely coated in Owen Mile's blood. There is also a small tear in fabric over the blood.

-Raya's Statement: "David Vaughan was covered in the victim's blood and his right hand was bleeding profusely. We had doctors patch his right hand up on the way to the Detention Center."

-What it's Like To Be an Average Jack; By Jack Anchor: "Memoir written by Jack Anchor. Includes original, award-winning chapters like, "How to Be Me" and "How to Tackle the Game of Life, Today".

-Jack Anchor's Crime Scene Photo: A photo taken by Jack Anchor; contains a man that fits David's description in the crime scene just after Owen Mile's murder.

-Bag of Coffee Beans: Bag of coffee beans made by Maria Cupp. Gave this bag to Athena before she suddenly disappeared. Found in the crime scene.

-Wall Markings: Odd markings on the wall above the body outline. Could have been a shelf or bookcase.

-White David Statue: A white David statue found in the Junkyard. Mr. Hope donated it to the bum in the Junkyard.

-CD: A disc that has faced some hardship in the junkyard. Could be DJ's lost disc.

-Silver Ring: A silver ring given to the priests. Belongs to David. Rumors are these rings could lead to amazing things.

-Owen's Coat: Owen's coat that was worn the night he was murdered. A white coat with golden fleece and some blood around the collar.

-Bloody Rug: Owen's rug that was found in the secret tunnel under the church. Bloodstains are on it.

PROFILES

-Apollo Justice: A strong, but loud and persistent, attorney who works with me at the agency. Is friends with the defendant.

-Athena Cykes: A gifted attorney that can read people's emotions though their hearts.

-David Vaughan: The suspect of the crime. A priest at the church where the murder took place.

-Owen Miles: A revered priest that owned the church. The murder victim.

-Jack Anchor: A prestigious news anchor who prides himself a bit too much. Witnessed the murderer.

-Raya Novak: A no-nonsense detective in charge of the investigation. Only been working for a few short months.

-Phineas Filch: A tricky thief that was a witness to a crime a long time ago and is now a janitor at the church.

-Damien Hope: A happy-go-lucky priest that was Owen's apprentice. An overall loving, trusting guy.

-Maria Cupp: The kind, eccentric coffee-lady that works at the church. Called the police.

-Hera Novak: The prosecutor of the case and sister to the detective. This is her very first trial, but showcases great skill.

-Desiree Johnson (AKA DJ): A teenage girl in charge of sound and light. Operates in the church's control room.

-Dennis de Bum: A bum that lives in the junkyard across the church.