( No Title )
In Justice We Trust (135315 words) by thesavagesabretooth
With Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes assigned as their psychologists, the Phantom and Fulbright must grapple with their identity, their deeds, their future, and their love for the twisted samurai whom they betrayed.
All the while, Edgeworth and Wright find their relationship tested as they walk the narrow path between pursuing real justice, and the dark age of the law.
–
December 25, 3:45 pm
Athena and Apollo stepped out of the room while Simon continued to monitor the situation as the girl in the cell gave her information to Halblicht.
She watched Apollo rub his wrist. “I want to look at the recording after we talk though, Athena. I’ll know if she’s lying about the information she gives.”
“That’s a good idea…” Athena nodded as she glanced down at the bangle he always seemed to wear. “Did you feel anything so far? I know that power of yours is pretty sensitive..”
“She didn’t make a lot of specific factual statements,” he murmured, leaning against the wall. “She was definitely telling the truth about being told to impersonate Kelso and take herself out if she failed though. There was one time I caught a reaction though…”
Athena leaned close with wide eyes and a curious tilt of her head. “Ohhh?”
He looked off into space, idly rubbing his bracelet. “When she said she couldn’t understand why people would be sympathetic.”
That wasn’t exactly where Athena expected the contradiction to lie– but then again, it supported her emotional evidence. She flopped against the wall next to him with a low hum.
“I don’t think she knew she was lying. Not consciously…but it supports the readings I was getting pretty well…despite her protests, there’s a part of her that understands sympathy.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “It wasn’t a strong ping, it was just… something.”
“Something important…” Athena’s brow furrowed. “There’s a familiar sort of discord in her heart…I’m hoping actually that we can find more pings in her testimony when we review the rest of the footage to support it.”
She rubbed her neck “I’m just confused…”
He crossed his arms. “Yeah. Me too. You wanna talk about it?”
Athena nodded firmly.
“Yeah, I think so. It’ll be important to our case after all…and there’s nobody better for figuring things through than you, partner!” She nudged him with her elbow and flashed him her bright and dazzling smile, before she glanced back at the door. “You picked up the lie about not understanding sympathy…that’s consistent with some of the sharp emotional spikes I picked up…but that in and of itself is the problem.”
“It doesn’t square with her story, right?” Apollo said. “About how the assets are.”
“Not one bit.” Athena shook her head “and yet…she’s telling the truth about how the assets are, we can actually see it in the way …half…of her emotions operate.”
She held up one hand, waving it a little up and down to try and simulate a small rippling wave. “It’s mostly nothing…the void and the abyss…except for the barest flickers now and again. Mostly muted sadness and confusion…at the situation and towards Halblicht primarily…but also, seemingly in response to the other half of her emotions.”
Her other hand bounded sharply up and down with the waving of her hand. “Strong, clear emotions that seem to take her by surprise, often contrasting sharply with the other half and standing in opposition of. Dueling emotions on the same sentences, with the sharper emotions having spiked during…for example…talking about sympathy, Interpol, families and returning to law enforcement in some capacity.”
“Stuff that she’s not supposed to have any kind of connection to, according to you,” he said, in a cautious tone. His emotions were more even now, while he was focused on this task, but she could still feel the pulsing bubbles of anger and anxiety. “So what’s the truth? Was it all a super spy manipulation after all?”
Athena bit her lip thoughtfully and crossed her arms.
“Stuff she’s not supposed to, and stuff part of her is confused she even feels…at least in the low-grade half-feelings she’s able to feel.” She considered the problem. “…I don’t think it’s a manipulation. What’s she got to gain? Don’t say freedom, because according to Sheila she only stopped trying to kill herself when Sheila took away anything she coulda used and tightened the chains on her handcuffs.”
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Here’s my thought…these readings are a lot like a more erratic and confused version of the ones I was getting from Halblicht during our initial interview sessions….the ones that lead to my conclusions about his mental state.”
She glanced sidelong at Apollo with a grimace “and yours, for that matter, Mr. Justice.”
Apollo’s brow furrowed, and he lifted his chin. She could feel the anxiety in him ping higher. “What are you trying to say, Athena?”
“I don’t think it’s a manipulation. I think there’s something going on here…something we have precedent for in survivors of this Organization’s training methods.”
She put her hand on her chin “…think over what I just said, Apollo. About when her emotions spiked. What’s the common thread? What ties all those concepts together?”
“I honestly don’t know what you’re suggesting,” he said, but his emotions said otherwise– anger and anxiety prickling, along with his confusion. “Spell it out for me, Athena. If there’s something– say what it is.”
Athena folded her hands together.
“They’re all things tied into her last cover identity. The last face she wore, even for a short amount of time. Like Kelso’s family? Agent Ash and Lang? I feel like I’m going crazy even suggesting it but…”
She hesitated, and bit her lip. “…Robert and Bobby are two separate cognitions, Apollo…kind of like you and…and…you know. I’m wondering if , impossibly, she….she’s facing the same sort of situation. A fragment, either something spiritual or simply psychological, is active and able to feel things that her training would never allow…things she shouldn’t even know about.”
Apollo rubbed his bracelet again and stared at her in that unsettling way of his. “Alright– let’s pick this apart. I can see why you’d suggest that there could be something similar going on between me and ‘Halblicht. But here’s the difference. Didn’t this spy just pick up this last identity yesterday? How would she have had time to pick up anything about Kelso’s life? Let alone have it imprint on her psyche?”
“That’s what’s confusing me, Apollo.” Athena said with a shaky smile. “it’s been a day. So how the heck did she pick up anything at all? Let alone be convincing enough that Sheila had to set up a whole thing just to root her out? I dunno how good their intel is, and I know they can get into character convincingly enough from Halblicht…but still, he had a year in that life to get imprinted…or…possessed, or whatever’s going on.”
Apollo took a long, shaking breath. “Alright. Alright. Alright. So you think the answer might actually be ghost. In that case, I think we’re gonna have to talk to Mr Wright, and Pearl.”
“Ghosts are a legal precedent…” Athena said weakly
December 25, 3:55 pm
When the feed was terminated, Athena and Apollo were still talking in the hall, so Simon went to see if he could go check in on Halblicht.
The relief that had settled into Simon’s chest that afternoon had only grown, watching him interact with the other agent. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind any more; it was obvious that what he’d said about the background of the ‘assets’ was true, and that he had no intention of betraying the side of justice– or Simon.
Which was good, because Simon genuinely didn’t think he could handle it again.
As he stalked through the hall, the hem of his jinbaori trailing behind him, he ran into Agent Ash headed in the same direction.
“Ash-dono.”
“Prosecutor Blackquill,” Sheila Ash gave him a little salute as she fell into step beside him “I see we’ve got the same idea.”
She didn’t seem in the mood to laugh…and in fact looked rather pale as she chuckled into her hand. “mind if I keep you company?”
“Not at all. I assume you’re also headed to debrief with detective Halblicht?”
“Right on the money, my friend.” Ash laughed anyway, slapping him on the back “…that was quite the interview, wasn’t it? Quite the performance.”
“I’ll say,” he nodded. “What do you make of our suspect? Halblicht seems to have gotten her to cooperate quite effectively.”
He didn’t bother to even try to keep the note of smug pride out of his voice.
“Proud of your detective, Mr. Blackquill? Good. You should be. He did quite admirably. Tyrell and I were impressed.“
She brushed her fingers through her ponytail with a quiet huff. “As for the suspect, she’s quite the enigma…I’m pleased she saw reason enough to work with us, and for the information she’s given…it certainly beats her constant attempts to kill herself or …” She glowered, her lips tight as she stifled an unhappy laugh, “dehumanize herself.”
"Yes, I imagine that was quite distressing,” he agreed.
His detective. She was right. Once again the man was– or men were– his detective. And he was not going to pretend not to be pleased about that even a little bit.
He asked. “What did you make of her behavior? She invoked your name.”
“Oh trust me…I heard.” Sheila chuckled as she twisted the strands of hair around her fingers– she stopped abruptly and pulled out a compact, using it to fix her lipstick as she walked. “Her behavior’s…odd. Both from what I know of her organization and their methods, and admittedly, from a logical standpoint as well. Tyrell and I were rather…surprised, to say the least.”
“I can imagine.”
They came around the corner to find Halblicht standing outside the now closed holding cell and staring off into the middle distance absently.
“Detective Halblicht!” Simon snapped as they approached.
The detective immediately came back to focus and jumped to a salute, a large smile on his face. “Prosecutor Blackquill! Agent Ash!”
Sheila snapped a salute back with her compact in hand, and flashed a smile as she twisted her lipstick shut.
“If it isn’t my second favorite detective.” She clapped her hands together “bravo in there, Detective Prime Time.”
Halblicht chuckled self-effacingly and put his hands together. “Thank you, Agent Ash, I was only doing what I could.”
Simon, meanwhile, snorted. Detective Prime Time.Sheila burst out laughing again, stifling it with her hand as she often did.
“You did great…– you actually made the poor dear cooperate. And got some…admittedly interesting reactions out of her.” She put her hand on her chin “Starting with the fact it seems she missed you intentionally from the very beginning.”
"Yes ma’am,” he nodded. “As soon as I knew it was her, I knew that it had to be deliberate. Which was a surprise. There’s a just heart in there somewhere. Like in here.” He thumped his chest.
Simon rolled his eyes and sidled up to stand beside the big idiot man. It was definitely Bobby talking right now– he was sure of that much after having watched them ping pong back and forth during the discussion earlier in their room.
Sheila blinked at him for another moment more before she broke out laughing again. At the very least, Bobby was good for her mood. She cackled until it became a wheeze, before she propped herself back up against the wall with a grin.
“You’re a riot, Detective. I knew I liked you.” She smoothed her hair out before visibly composing herself. “…but I think you’re right. Relatably, there’s a beating, sympathetic heart under everything they’ve done to her. Just, even. And you helped bring it out, at least a little.”
Her arms folded over her chest. “and secured her cooperation, on top of the information on Lovelace’s whereabouts. We’re mobilizing a team as we speak under the direction of Agent Badd to follow up.” Her fingers tightened against her elbow as the next question left her lips. “…Can you tell me something?”
"It depends on if I know the answer, Agent Ash, but I’ll do my best.”
Her grin faded as she asked. “…does the Organization have a mole in Interpol? What…what would the information be like that…24…would receive on Agent Kelso before her replacement?” the numerical designation fell from her lips with significant distaste, but what else could she call her?
Halblicht’s expression smoothed as he considered the question.
“I’m not aware of all the organization’s assets’ movements– but not to my knowledge, nor do I believe anyone has been in such a permanent placement. My own circumstances were fairly unusual.”
Sheila’s fingers turned the compact around against the palm of her hand in thought.
“Interesting. I was worried you might say that…” She tilted her head to the side. “So you have no idea how she could have possibly gotten information about Agent Kelso, to the point of picking her favorite local restaurant and mentioning her family’s exact profession in her reply?”
Halblicht raised his eyebrows. “Did she do that? I’m afraid I don;t have any logical conclusions as to why that would be possible, Agent Ash. If we didn’t have Agent Kelso’s body as confirmation, I might conclude that she was holding her prisoner and somehow forcing answers from her. But that can’t be the case.”
Simon listened carefully. Curiously even. It sounded as if Halblicht might have an illogical reason why the agent might have behaved the way she did, and had the knowledge she had.
Agent Ash clicked her compact open, and tapped some mascara out from a small pouch on her belt with a low hum.
“But we have Kelso’s body and the evidence that she was executed at the scene in the car she was seen leaving the airport for. The asset wouldn’t have any time to have tortured her for any information at all.”
She brushed the applicator through her pale lashes with a wry smile. “And yet…she referenced the coffee shop Kelso’s father owns with the fat old cat, and the late agent had taken myself and Lang to that restaurant the day he scouted her from the local precinct and told us all about it. Interesting, isn’t it?”
She pointed the applicator to Halblicht. “As one great detective once said, blah blah blah eliminate all the possibilities blah blah however impossible is the truth. Whatcha got for me, Prime Time?”
Simon folded his arms, shoulder to shoulder with the detective. He glanced at him– wondering what he was thinking. Halblicht caught his look and glanced back giving a rather helpless smile.
“Well, Agent Ash, I admit it’s incredibly far-fetched. But it would be possible if asset 24 was being possessed by Agent Kelso’s ghost.”
Simon…. stopped.
He froze cold for a minute as a thousand small things from the past several days clicked into place where they had been disconnected before.
He was moving before he was thinking– and he grabbed Halblicht by the lapels over his broad chest and stared him down.
“Is that what’s been going on this whole time?!”
“Ah!!” Bobby smiled embarrassedly at him and poked his fingers together. “Ah. Yes. I believe so, Prosecutor Blackquill…”
“……………………………………………..” Sheila clicked her compact shut. “…I…guess….ghosts….are a legal precedent.”
And then she broke down into a fit of laughter, slapping her compact against her leg as she grabbed her stomach and laughed until she cried.
She tried to speak, raising the applicator up, but another fit of laughter overtook her until she had to lean against the wall with lines of fresh mascara leaking down her freckled face. The laugh turned to a rough wheezing sound before she finally gained composure.
“I hate it when the supernatural gets involved. I had to thank my lucky stars I never had to deal with the Fey Family’s brand of complication until now.” She brushed her hair out of her face, fixed her jacket, and smiled at Halblicht and Simon “I suppose it’s worth a test.”
Simon had been holding tight to Bobby’s black lapels through Ash’s laughing fit, glancing between her and Bobby back and forth. He shook his head and thumped his finger against the detective’s chest.
“It is indeed, legal precedent!” he snapped. He jabbed his finger against him, careful to avoid the site of his injury. “Why am I only hearing about this now, detective?”
Bobby snapped to a salute. “We were going to tell you eventually, sir, but we thought it was one too many unbelievable things on top of an already unbelievable situation, Prosecutor Blackquill!”
“Hah!” Simon laughed and grinned widely, touching his chin. “Only now the situation is yet more unbelievable, with another potential ghost involved. My oh my. Agent Ash– what sort of test?”
To his surprise, Bobby held up his hand. “Actually, Ms. Cykes was already going to help us with that…”
“I was going to suggest an intensive interview about personal specifics not disclosed in any dossiers regarding Agent Kelso…” Sheila wiped the tears from her eyes, and began using a pad to clear away the tear-streaked mascara.
“But I’m curious what Miss Edutainment is planning to do to help.”
“An interview wouldn’t be a bad idea in any case,” Bobby murmured, rubbing his neck bashfully. “But, well….”
Simon couldn’t help staring at him in wonder. The actual ghost of Bobby Fulbright, sharing space with his own murderer. Madness. Delightful madness. Bobby had probably sworn to reform his own killer. Marvelous. Like a Noh play.
“Out with it, Fool Bright!” Simon snapped.
He jumped to a salute. “Phoenix Wright brought his personal spirit medium with him to Cauli, sir!”
“His PERSONAL SPIRIT MEDIUM?” Sheila asked with wide eyes, before she broke down into another fit of giggles “Oh but of course. Who doesn’t have a personal spirit medium these days? Snerk…” She pressed her hand to her face. “Convenient….is she one of the Fey’s? Even better if so. Round her up, and I’ll prepare a round of interview questions.”
She pointed at Bobby “….given the ‘possibly two ghosts in a slick suit’ thing you have going on…your new nickname is Detective Prime Time or Detective After Dark.”
Simon was laughing so hard he had to slap the wall. Bobby was looking between him and Ash as they laughed with his own baffled amusement. And none of them even noticed Athen and Apollo come around the corner.
Athena stopped short upon seeing both Sheila and Simon cackling like hyenas at a scene she had no context for, tugging at her long ponytail with a nervous smile and a wave to Bobby.
“Uh…g-guys? You think you have a moment ? Or are you gonna be laughing at one another’s jokes for the next three years?”
“I give them a solid decade,” Apollo muttered, coming in behind her and crossing his arms.
Wheezing, Simon caught his breath and composed himself. “Well if it’s going to be that long, I suppose that we ought to take a break at least.”
Bobby– no, it was Robert– shook his head and smiled apologetically to Athena. “I think we have a moment, Ms. Cykes. Mr. Justice.”
Sheila caught her breath as well, pushing her hair from her face with that broad and half-feral smile of hers back and plastered on her face. “I can behave for a second.”
“Good ah…” Athena bit her thumbnail, her eyebrows knitting together. “I have kind of an out there possibility after observing Number 24’s interview… you all might not believe this, but…there’s a solid chance that 24 is possessed by Agent Kelso’s gh—”
Sheila couldn’t behave for the second she’d promised. The moment Athena said the word ‘possessed’ she fell against Simon in another fit of laughter.
“–ost…” Athena finished, with the most puzzled look Simon had ever seen her make.
Simon couldn’t help it, he started laughing again too. It was just too funny.
Halblicht sighed and pushed up his glasses. “Yes, ah, we were just discussing that conclusion, ourselves. Agent Ash suggested calling in Ms. Fey.”
Athena had gone bright red, tugging even more fitfully at her ponytail with a quiet squeak of a repl.y “M-maybe that’s for the best. I was gonna suggest the same thing…”
Simon noticed Apollo Justice pinch the bridge of his nose. “Yeah why don’t we just… get this over with.”
December 25, 4:15 pm
Athena called Phoenix Wright from the privacy of the quiet room they’d been using to view the footage.
The phone rang once. Twice.
“Athena? Everything okay?”
“Uhm…” Athena sounded altogether unsure as she twisted the wire of the phone a few times around her fingers. Her actual nerves were manageable, not quite composed but lost in her internal static…but she projected it outward all the same.
“Kinda, boss. Things got a little weird, and I’m hoping you’ll be okay with something…”
Her boss sounded a little worried when he said. “Alright, I’m listening, Athena.”
“Can…Can you ask if Pearly can help us with something down at the station?” she asked slowly. “…there’s a possible supernatural uh…issue…that we need to address.”
Wright was quiet on the other side of the phone for a moment. He sighed. “I’ll give her a call, Athena. Where should I have her catch up with you?”
“I’ll see if Agent Ash can send a car for her down to the hotel. We’re at the local police station. Thanks, boss.”
“No problem, Athena. I’ll call her now. But I’m hoping you won’t mind filling me in later.”
“Trust me, boss. It’s a story I don’t think I could keep to myself.” She chuckled weakly “…but not over the phone. I think Interpol wouldn’t be happy with me if I started blabbing now.”
December 25, 4:15 pm
While Athena was calling in their spirit medium, Simon had excused himself and Halblicht to ‘confer privately on the current situation’. He practically dragged him to an empty conference room and shut the door.
Simon would be grateful for proof that ghosts existed– certainly. But he didn’t need proof. He already believed in them. He believed in them as surely as he believed in honor, and duty. What kind of samurai would he be if he didn’t believe in ghosts?
“So what did you want to–”
“Silence, Fool Bright!” Simon shoved the other man;s back against the wall and pressed himself against his broad chest. Almost at the same time he pressed his lips to Halblicht’s in a rough, demanding kiss.
“Mfff!!” Surprised, Bobby’s body went tense for just a moment, but then he seemed to realize what was happening, and relaxed, putting his arms around him and kissing back, deeply and eagerly.
Simon had been willing to accept that he’d fallen in love with the broken schism of an abused and tortured man, and to learn to love the wounded and wretched shadow from which that branch of him grew. He had been willing to accept that he’d fallen in love with a man that was halfway to being a mask. He was willing to accept that most of what he knew about ‘Bobby Fulbright’ was a story– an extrapolation and imagining of a man, more than a man who had ever really existed.
But, Simon thought as he kissed and sucked at Halblict’s lips, holding his warm body to his own, he was absolutely thrilled to learn that he’d fallen in love with a ghost.
There was a real Bobby Fulbright. He’d fallen in love with the real Bobby Fulbright. The things he knew about the man hadn’t been made up, guessed, or stolen from someone else. They hadn’t been integrated into a coherent identity within the last year that he’d known him. He was a real man, with a real history.
A history that ended in blood, and then somehow, miraculously continued into Simon’s arms.
And Robert, poor, wretched Robert– the no-one man, the misanthrope, the killer. He’d been forced to live for a year with the ghost of the man that he’d killed, and it had left a mark on him. A mark deep enough for him to have fallen in love– or to want to be. And Simon was thrilled about that, too.
What a horribly twisted romantic notion. A love affair with a killer and a ghost.
Bobby finally pulled his mouth away from him, gasping for air, a dopey smile on his face.
“Lady Justice!” he breathed, gasping. “Simon, I don’t think we have time for–”
Simon flushed, catching his breath as well, and nodded, pressing his head against the crook of Halblicht’s shoulder. “I’m well aware of that, detective. However– is it really a case, if you and I aren’t at least stealing a moment for an inappropriate tryst?”
That was what their whole relationship had consisted of the past year. Stolen, inappropriate moments, while on this case or that one. It had practically trained Simon to associate investigating with making out, and more. Sadly, Bobby was right. There wasn’t time for even a quickie right now.
Bobby chuckled, and wound his fingers in Simon’s ponytail. “I suppose not, sir, but you certainly caught me off guard.”
“I caught you off guard?” Simon demanded, poking him in the chest. “And what do you think you did to me with that ghost business?”
“Uhhhh….”
“It sure as hell caught me off guard, detective!” He jabbed his finger into his chest again, and then grabbed him by the lapels and kissed him soundly again. “And that one’s for Robert! To think, all this time the Phantom and I had the same parol officer!”
Simon laughed, almost uncontrollably, and slapped the wall next to Halblicht.
Bobby chuckled embarrassedly. “You know, when you put it like that, Prosecutor Blackquill, it is kind of funny.”
“It’s completely twisted, detective, and the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Now get back to kissing me while we have time. We’ve got a wretchedly miserable week to make up for.”
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