Late nights at The Wright Anything Agency were usually peaceful. Athena now lived with Blackquill, and they had their own apartment, so she didn't spend nights there. Apollo didn't spend much time in America anymore, but when he did, he had a place to stay, with Juniper or Athena and Simon. This visit, he decided to change it up and stay at Klavier's. Whatever floats his boat. So again, nothing there. Tonight was slightly different, since Maya was napping on the couch. She did this often when she came over from Kurain. Trucy was long asleep in her room, exhausted after another successful magic show. It was probably around eleven PM, and all that he could hear was the occasional car outside and the scratching of his pen as he finished up with some paperwork. No cases, no evidence to study – Just paperwork. With this whole dull atmosphere there was one thing for sure – Phoenix Wright was incredibly tired and bored out of his mind.
He would have put on an old episode of The Steel Samurai if Maya wasn't sleeping right there. The times when she came over were the only ones when she got to rest from her training, and she deserved that nap. Plus, Trucy would bug him again about how old the show was and how he should at least watch The Nickel Samurai. If only she knew he put the lead actor of that show behind bars. In summary, no TV. He could have listened to music, but he didn't really have the means to. His phone wasn't... The newest iPhone, if that's what you would call it. And he didn't have anything else that could work. His eyes hurt too much to open the laptop, and overall, anything he thought of he immediately found a contradiction to. He rubbed his eyes and tried to stay focused, but after a whole day of paperwork it just wasn't that easy. If Athena were there, she would say something like... 'Wake up boss! Justice never sleeps!'... or... 'Stay focused! People out there need our help!'. Funny, considering she herself was probably getting her recommended eight hours right now.
The evening was interrupted by a noise.
Thump. A soft sound, as if something fell, coming from the main corridor of the office. It has expanded quite a bit since the Mia Fey days. Wow, that was twelve years ago when he got the office. It seemed like so much less. The seven years of disbarment especially went by in a flash. He didn't pay much attention to the noise at first. He thought something probably fell, one of the books, maybe Charley toppled to the side. But when another, louder thump came, he started getting interested. And slightly concerned. Considering Trucy's bedroom's door was right there in that corridor, he had to make sure there wasn't, well, I dunno, like, a killer there. He stood up, and walked to the area from which the noise came from slowly. And what he found was... Interesting.
There was a figure stumbling about.
He didn't know who it was, but he didn't care. He turned on the lights straight away, in an attempt to scare the burglar away. Investigation habits made him scan the room quickly, and he realized there was no sign of a break-in. And the doors were locked. That's strange... He decided to give the person a better look, as they fell back on the floor and covered their face. He had a blue suit on – Similar to the one Phoenix himself wore, but darker. He couldn't see much more than that. Maybe edges of black hair. And that was about it. Luckily, the person stood up straight and faced him. But... He wished he never looked. Because he just became more confused.
It was like looking into a mirror. A twelve year old mirror.
It was him, maybe. Those eyes, sharp, icy blue. And that spiky hair. He never met anyone with hair like – wait, pause. He met one person with hair like that. And it was not a pleasant memory. There was a thing that made him think this was some sort of younger him. His suit was a slightly darker blue, and he had it buttoned up, without a tie. A thing that did not change was the badge – Shiny, glimmering, even though it was dark. No, what are you thinking? There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. As he started at the equally confused stranger, he gasped, realizing the danger he could be in. Because there was one man in this world who could impersonate anyone and copy any face – The Phantom. Casting aside the possibility of how he got out of prison, why he was here or why he looked like Phoenix, but younger, he backed away, hitting the wall, no regard for Maya and Trucy sleeping. Maybe even hoping the two woke up and got away. Because The Phantom was a dangerous man out for blood... So why didn't he attack yet?
"W-what are you doing here?! How did you get free!?" Phoenix shouted at him, trembling. But the man didn't seem to attack. He seemed... Dazed. Probably an act so he would stop on the defensive. In the light he could see him even better. No uncanny valley. Everything even clearer and more perfect that he himself remembered.
"G-get free? How did I get here? How did you get