December 25, 4:25 pm
They had some time to kill before Pearl would arrive. Simon and Halblicht had gone to speak privately for a moment in another room, leaving Athena with the nervous Apollo. Or maybe Clay. he was bouncing his leg under the table again.
Athena tucked her hair over her ear with a quiet smile.
“Holding up okay, guys?”
She was admittedly a little nervous. All this ghost stuff sent a muffled wave of emotion through her, along with the memory of her mother’s face. Pearl the spirit medium was going to prove whether or not Bobby and Kelso were literally haunting their own killers; prove if Apollo’s close friend–more than close friend– had fallen into his body after the wretched way he’d died.
And maybe, if she was lucky, allow her to look her mother in the eyes for the first time in 7 years.
“I’m okay,” he murmured. His own nerves seemed to match hers. “I was just trying to decide something…”
Athena leaned on her hand, looking at him with a curious tilt of her head. “Maybe I can help?”
“It was if I should ask Pearl not to say anything about my own situation until we get back to the hotel. it seems like… a lot to deal with at the police station. Either way that it goes.”
Athena nodded. “Yeah…that’s a good question.” She reached out to pat his shoulder. “It’s gonna be a lot either way, I’m sure. I guess it just depends if you wanna rip the bandaid off or not.”
He sagged against her hand. “What about you? You’re not going to ask to talk to your mom here, are you? Or are you? I guess that would be a good way to prove Pearls’ abilities…”
“I…I dunno. I’ll admit I’m kinda scared to.” Athena said with a gentle smile. “But it’d prove it nice and easy if she could manage to channel mom. So I may bite the bullet and do it here.”
Clay– or Apollo– took a deep, shuddering breath, and stared up at the ceiling. “Alright. If you do it here, I’ll do it here, too. Rip the bandaid off, like you said.”
Athena let herself fall against his shoulder,
“Then we can recuperate back at the hotel. Everyone’s probably gonna need it.” She laughed weakly. “Man, how do you think Interpol would handle it if it turned out their dead agent wound up in 24’s body?”
“I donno,” Apollo shook his head. “I donno how I’ll react. Do you think they’ll throw a party or a funeral?”
“I…I think it’d be kinda sad if they held a funeral for someone who had to attend it, maybe? I mean, even if she’d probably still be handcuffed or under observation…I know I’d be kinda bummed out by it?” She put her hand on her chin with a furrow of her brow. “…or find it hilarious.”
He leaned on his hand thoughtfully. “I guess if it turns out to be the case, they can just ask her.”
Athena laughed, running her hand through her hair.
“Yeah…though if that is her, she seems a little…mixed up with 24. Confused. In a mixed state.“
“Well I mean, you saw me– us?– before you suggested the idea, right?” he murmured. “It’s not normal to have someone else in your head. It’s not the first conclusion you jump to when you start having weird feelings and thoughts.”
Athena smiled delicately at him.
“Exactly. It feels like a stretch until you really think about it. And it’s not like it’s the sort of thing most people come to on their own right away.” She gestured vaguely towards the door “…especially if you’ve had all understanding of any emotion at all beaten out of you.”
“Yeah. If it’s the case– and I’m not saying it is for any of us– but if it is, I guess I have some sympathy for her.”
“Me too….emotions aren’t easy when they don’t come naturally.” She smiled a little and leaned on her hands thoughtfully. “I’m genuinely curious…I don’t know which answer would be weirder.”
“Me either. Guess we’ll have to see on the other side.”
There was a hesitant knock on the door.
Athena looked up suddenly and called out almost without thinking. “Come in!!”
The door opened, and Pearl Fey slid in. Though she was only two years younger than Athena herself, Pearl always projected a youthful energy that made people guess her far younger, and the same quality was on display today as she crept into the room and straightened her robes.
“Hi Ms. Athena. Mr. Polly.”
Apollo put on a warm smile for Pearl, even though Athena could feel his anxiety spiking. “Hey, Pearls.”
Athena flashed her a bright smile, trying to ignore the way his anxiety bounced through her own system.
“Hey Pearl! Man, am I glad to see you!”
“Good to see you too! Mr. Nick said you needed me! Oh, and that pretty agent lady said she was going to um, “drag detective prime time and mr. modern samurai” in here in a minute. And something about a prisoner?”
“Kelso. Or 24. or whoever,” Apollo nodded. “Sorry for throwing you in the deep end here, Pearly.”
She shrugged and smiled. “I’m kinda used to it. Um… can I ask what’s up though?”
“….Detective Prime Time” Athena murmured with a shake of her head. The nicknames kept evolving, but somehow she suspected she’d always be ‘Miss Edutainment’ to the woman.
“Yeah ah, so we’ve been investigating a murder up here in Cauli…two dead interpol agents, while on the trail of an espionage ring. Only the Interpol agent sent to guide us was killed and replaced by one of the ring’s ‘assets’…people trained in a horrible facility to be used as weapons. We took her captive after figuring out she’d replaced Agent Sam Wan Kelso, and now she’s in custody– that’s Number 24…but she’s agreed to cooperate and help us!”
Pearl chewed on her thumb, listening, and nodded for Athena to continue.
She smiled nervously at Pearl. “…which is why we need your help. She knows things she supposedly shouldn’t…and we want you to do your spirit medium thing to see if we can confirm if there’s a supernatural hand in all this…with her, and with the man we used to call The Phantom. …and maybe a few other ah, situations, too. Ghosts all the way down, Pearls.”
Pearl opened up her mouth and closed it a couple of times. She looked at Apollo, and then at Athena again. “Um. The Phantom… that wasn’t… the guy who was at breakfast with you and Mr. Simon this morning, was it?”
“Uh…” Athena held her hands up with an awkward but cheery grin. “Most people aren’t really supposed to know that, but yeah. That’s him. Robert Halblicht’s the name he chose for himself, though.”
Pearl chewed on her thumb again. “Oh, I see. Um. Wow this is… super weird…”
Apollo had gone silent, just listening.
Athena’s smile twitched “….did you ah…already notice something about him, Pearls?”
There was another sharp knock on the door, but they didn’t wait for permission to enter.
It was Agent Ash, flanked by Halblicht– who was straightening his tie– and Simon, whose hair looked a little bit more askew than usual.
Athena felt her face flush red, and decided it was polite not to comment. Instead, she gave them a flustered thumbs up “Hey! Simon, Halblicht…great to see you guys! Hello Agent Ash!”
Sheila smirked, barely stifling a snicker. “Sorry for the delay, Miss Edutainment. Your compatriots decided to pass the time in their own special way.”
Agent Ash wasn’t nearly as polite as she was. She turned a deeper shade of red and smiled awkwardly.
“Sool. So uh, Simon, Halblicht…Pearl’s here!” She gestured towards the other girl “which means we can get started!”
She could feel the waves of embarrassment coming off of Simon, and Bobby– more off of Bobby, than sSimon who it seemed was more than just pretending not to be affected by it.
Sheila turned her attention to Pearl with a wink.
“Thanks for making sure neither of them wandered off to get into trouble, young lady.”
“Um… no problem,” Pearl nodded. She fidgeted with the charm around her neck. “So, what would you like me to do first? I heard its kind of um, a complicated situation…”
Apollo glanced Athena’s way.
“W..well.” Athena’s nerves hammered in her heart, the internal discord drowning out everything else as she took a breath. “If you need to prove it to Agent Ash, you’ve got the powers you have…I h-have a possible request that could prove them.”
Pearl cocked her head. “Oh? Um, I’m happy to prove my powers if you need me to…”
Athena took a deep breath. “…would you be able to channel my mother, Metis Cykes for me?”
Sheila leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, watching intently.
Pearl jumped, and covered her mouth. “Oh gosh, Miss Athena… your mother? Um, of course I could… you have a picture of her?”
“If she doesn’t, I do,” Simon said, from the corner where he was standing with Halblicht. “But are you certain that’s what you want to do, Cykes-dono? Here and now?”
“I mean, it’s not like I can only channel people once or something,” Pearl murmured, playing with the sleeve of her robes. It wasn’t clear whether she was actually trying to be heard or not.
“I..I can always ask for a more private audience later.” Athena said with resolve, glancing towards Simon with a nod “This is very much what I want.”
She reached into her jacket pocket where she found her wallet, and tucked inside it, a folded up photograph. “alright…I just need to give you this and you’re good?”
Pearl nodded. “I just need a name, and a face and I can channel somebody. Um, as long as they’re actually dead. And not currently being channeled by somebody else. If they’re being channeled by someone else, I can’t do it.”
.Athena noticed that Simon and Halblicht shared a glance.
“You can’t do it if they’re being channeled by someone else…” Athena tilted her head “does that include Possession?”
She unfolded the picture and glanced down at it. It was a photo taken not long after the official one hanging in the Space Museum…but this one had her in it, leaning near her mother as if trying to hide. Her mother’s face was crystal clear, smiling gently towards the camera as her hand rested atop Athena’s head.
She glanced at Simon, grimacing a little with a shrug.
“Um, I actually don’t know…I haven’t run into many possessed people before,” Pearl murmured. She held out her hand for the picture, and then looked over at Agent Ash. “Do you want me to summon her in here, or somewhere else?”
“Unless we need the suspect involved, I hardly see a reason to move,” Simon said. He glanced at Halblicht who had moved closer to him again.
Sheila tilted her head. “It’s best not to alert the suspect until we perform the test on her. Just in case, it’s better if it’s a surprise.”
Athena bit her lip and nodded. “Here’s good. Everyone here needs to be for proof, or …or support.”
She realized she’d started shaking, and shifted to hide it by hugging her arm to her side.
Someone touched her back, and she realized Simon– and Halblicht too– had come up next to her. “Athena– if you’re not ready for this, Fey-dono could summon literally anyone else.”
“I’m fine.” Athena said with a tense smile. She let herself lean into the reassurance and closed her eyes. “I know this isn’t going to be the last time, and…and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather summon than her.”
Simon squeezed her shoulder. “If you’re certain, Athena. Then the rest of us will bear quiet witness to your reunion.”
Halblicht offered her a rather shaky thumbs up.
Athena returned it, her own hand shaking just a little before she stilled it.
“Thanks, Simon…The support is nice to have.”
“You have it. Always.” The two of them stepped back, giving her space.
Apollo stepped in beside her instead, and Pearl looked up from the picture.
“Okay… I’m ready for this when you guys are. Miss Athena? Miss Agent Sheila?”
Sheila gave Pearl a little salute as she snapped her compact shut again “Please. I’m looking forward to having my worldview shaken more than it already has.”
Athena laughed a little at Sheila’s remark, before she fixed her hair and nodded.
“I’m ready.”
She wasn’t– part of her wasn’t sure what she’d say, and she was sure Widget was flashing every emotion under the sun as she stood there smiling like a cheerful fool and waited to potentially come face to face with her dead mother.
Everyone in the room stood around Pearl in a loose circle; Sheila, Simon, and Halblicht further back, and she and Apollo at the forefront.
“Alright.” Pearl put her hands together and smiled. “Good luck everybody.”
Her fingers flicked in quick succession and she seemed to mutter a prayer. Athena felt all the emotions that she could sense from her go dead suddenly– and a strange aura filled the room. A tension, and expectancy.
Her heart nearly stopped at the sudden drop in emotions, the air felt heavy and strange as it weighed down upon her. An involuntary step back was aborted, only for her to stand nervously tugging her ponytail with the smile frozen on her face.
In a blink, the tension eased, and in that same blink– Pearl Fey was no longer there.
Metis Cykes stood in the center of the circle with her hand upon her chest over the folds of unfamiliar clothes with a pensive frown etched on her face.
There was a hiss of air behind her. “Cykes-sensei,” Simon breathed, seemingly involuntarily. Athena felt his wave of emotions crash on her.
“….Well I’ll be damned in the court of Justitia…” Sheila murmured. “It’s actually real.”
Metis’ head turned upwards in a slow and deliberate motion, a smile forming on her lips for the briefest moment before Athena was once more assailed with surprise.
“Simon…what in the world happened to you?” No sooner did she ask , than her eyes fell on Athena and her rictus smile. “Oh..”
“H-Hey mom!” Athena projected the joy that weakly pulsed in her own heart, lost in the ever rising volume of the emotions around her– she kept the hot, coiling feeling of anxiety pushed down and smothered instead of daring to let it show. “Mom…I..I know this probably a lot to take in…”
Metis placed her fingers against her forehead, massaging just over her nose with a quiet smile. “Athena dear…you’ve grown quite a bit, haven’t you? Which means…I’ve been dead for some time. Haven’t I?”
“Your presence has been dearly missed, Cykes-sensei,” Simon murmured, dropping into a little bow. “We’re sorry to impose on you in this way.”
Apollo, beside Athena, was shaking. He had started to hold himself again, and Athena could tell that he was desperately trying to hold his emotions in check as this proceeded.
Metis held up her hand with a musical chuckle “Don’t worry about that, Simon. Death is a lonely sea of cognition. If I’m honest, any opportunity to escape it I’ll be happy to take.”
She walked across the circle towards Athena, and Athena felt the swell of positive feelings from inside her even as her face remained composed and thoughtful.
“I didn’t think I’d really get to see the way you’ve grown, Athena.” She reached over, and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. “You’ve even outgrown the headphones we made you.”
Hot tears stung Athena’s eyes as she half fell against her with shaking shoulders
“Momma!” Her voice hiccuped, caught on her tears for a moment as she tried in vain to compose herself. “A l-lot’s happened, m-mom…things were really bad for a while but it’s gonna get better.”
There was a hush over the room as the two of them reunited. Athena could hear the sound of Simon who was badly holding back his tears. Apollo– or perhaps Clay, or both– was shaking. Robert must have been present, because from him at least she felt a comforting glass pool of nothing.
Metis rubbed Athena’s back, letting her daughter cry against her as Athena tried to compose herself. The emotions of the room swirled inside her, her own rose and swirled within the ambiance …
Strangely, the glass pool of nothing was a comfort, allowing her own emotions to reflect back to where they belonged…flowing along with the tears as she looked up at her mother’s quiet smile for the first time in 7 long years…since their fight over her headphones.
“I can see that a lot happened, Athena.” Metis gave her a firm squeeze before she leaned back to look over the faces assembled with an analytical stare that Athena and Simon knew well. She was taking into account everyone in the room…listening to their voices and the sounds of their hearts, making judgements.
She spoke again, with her hand delicately atop Athena’s head. “…where are we? Is Aura around? This doesn’t look like the Cosmos Center.”
“Aura isn’t here, I’m afraid, Cykes-sensei,” Simon explained quietly. He wiped his face with his sleeve. “And we are quite far from the Cosmos Space Center. Your daughter has become a fine defense attorney, and we are currently investigating a case with some supernatural elements. You’ve been summoned– much to our pleasure– as a mere demonstration of our medium’s miraculous skill.”
Athena nodded against her again, taking soft and hiccuping breaths as she wiped her face .
“I solved the mystery of your death,” she whispered, “but…but that’s a story for another time, mom. For now, I’m sorry she’s not here…and I’m sorry to have pulled you from th–”
“Death is a dream, Athena.” Athena felt the sting of sorrow and pain in those words. “It’s not a hardship to see the light again and to see how far you’ve all come since I’ve fallen asleep.”
She raised her hand to her chin. Just like Athena, her mother could be quiet…pensive…often keeping her emotions tightly wrapped within herself to the point that some saw her as cold towards everything but her work.
She and her mother had always shared the need for a mask between them and the outside world…it was no wonder Metis had kept a collection of Noh theater masks along with the other mementos of her heritage.
“But a case with supernatural elements, you say? Like that whole affair on TV with that Iris girl and the birdish lawyer? Pigeon Right, or something, yes?”
Athena’s smile grew performatively awkward. “Phoenix Wright, momma. He’s my boss.”
“Our boss, actually,” Apollo murmured, the first time he’d said anything at all. “But yeah. Just like that. Had to prove it was real.”
Metis’ gaze turned towards Apollo for the first time, and she blinked.
“…Justice, right? Apollo Justice. You used to play around the Cosmos Center all the time with Clay Terran, didn’t you? It’s a regular reunion, it seems!”
Athena hugged her tighter. She was sure it was obvious, both to her mother’s keen ears and to the eyes of everyone watching…she knew it would only be a short time, that it wouldn’t be forever.
She didn’t want to let her go and push her away, not again.
Metis noticed, gently rustling Athena’s hair with a furrow of concern on her brow. “You know. I heard a lot about the talents of spirit mediums from my own parents. The Ayasato clan in Japan, which became the Fey clan here in America. In a way, it feels like I’m a part of history being channeled through one of their number.”
She smiled wryly “Instead of just being history.”
The black humor drew a loud and swiftly aborted laugh from Agent Ash off against the wall…enough to snap her out of her dull and staring stupor.
Simon laughed darkly, and shook his head.”The same old Cykes-sensei. I see your humor hasn’t passed away, at least.”
“No, my dear protege. It wouldn’t be the same if it gave up the ghost. Or if the ghost gave it up.”
She let the joke hang there in the air with the barest laugh into her sleeve. Her mother’s famously dark humor and her academic and passionate love of Japanese history, space and psychology were a number of the things that had endeared both Blackquill siblings to her ever since she could remember.
Athena couldn’t help but laugh weakly herself. “Mom…”
Sheila had already broken down into a snicker .“not just a pretty stiff, a funny one too.”
It seemed she’d already gained another fan.
While the others were laughing, Apollo said, “We don’t actually have anything specific we needed to ask you, Ms. Cykes. If you’d like to ask us anything, or if you’d like a moment alone with your daughter…”
“Ah…” Metis’ slight smile fell. “of course…”
She closed her eyes for a long moment of silence before she spoke. “Just one question..Then I may want some time with my daughter. I’ve got who knows how many years worth of telling her how proud I am to catch up on.”
“Of course, Cykes-sensei,” Simon said. Athena could feel his tension rise, though his voice was even to any other ear. “Anything.”
“…” her expression smoothed into something quiet and placid, but Athena felt the low simmer of emotions inside her mother’s voice as she spoke again.
“Did we manage to launch our Hope for the future? Did it come back safely, despite my death?”
Her eyes glanced down at Athena “…It wasn’t all for nothing, right?”
Tears rolled down Simon’s face. “It wasn’t all for nothing, Cykes-sensei. They made a movie of it, even. They called it a miracle.”
The tension inside her relaxed, and she looped an arm around Athena’s shaking shoulders. Athena felt tears welling up in her eyes as she looked up at her mother.
“They did.” Athena sniffed softly. “…and Mr. Starbuck is even set to go back into space soon for another mission. It all really, really was a miracle.”
Metis chuckled. “…a miracle, hm?” It was…That stone. The stone I died for, and the hope of more like it from the probe…it was because I knew it would do wonders in the field of psychology and robotics.”
She leaned down to tap Widget with her fingertip.
“It’s unique mineralogy was the special component that allowed this little dear and my darling Ponco and Clonco their ability to read emotions…the component that allowed me to make those headphones for Athena and help my suffering daughter and those like her. Hearing that all wasn’t lost is a weight off my spirit.”
Athena heard Halblicht breathe in, and she felt a tremor of emotion from him– truly barely perceptible over the din of the others.
“I’m truly pleased to be able to carry the news to you, Cykes-sensei. I hope it will bring you peace.”
It made a twisted sort of sense. Of course her mother had fought so hard for that rock, despite the man trying to take it from her. It was for her research– and for her. Tears fell down her cheeks again as her mother continued.
“No.” Metis held her hand up with a weak chuckle. “It brings me joy. I’m not ready to be ground up in the wheel of reincarnation just yet.”
Her hand gripped Athena’s shoulder protectively “I’ve still got unfinished business. I certainly can’t flit off to the next life without saying goodbye to Aura, at the very least. Save the wishing me peace for a little while yet, protege.”
Athena hiccuped again. “Oh.”
Simon’s breathy voice carried another wave of mingled sorrow and joy, and he wiped his eyes again. “Of course, Cykes-sensei. I should have known.”
She smiled, and dipped into a deep bow.
“I hope you’ll come knock knock knocking on the door to the afterlife for me again, to wake me from the dream. Maybe, when that time comes, lay me out some tea and perhaps some katsudon. Hang up a few streamers. Tell Aura to please show herself from whatever hole she’s working feverishly in. Maybe give me someone to scare.”
She rose and took Athena’s hand, “I’d like to see you all with smiles on your faces.”
“P-promise mom.” Athena said, making a show of a bright smile. “…promise. Next time we’ll make it a real celebration.”
“You have my word, sensei,” Simon said, also smiling as the tears ran down his face. “We’ll throw a party.”