[RL 1: Worst Fear Virus; Phoenix to Edgeworth's office]

[samuraiprosecutor]

(OOC: Spoilers for GS:1-4)

Edgeworth stood from his desk, a little more slowly than usual. The trial hadn't even started yet and he was already feeling drained; the witnesses were uncooperative, some of the evidence seemed to contradict other evidence, and the suspect's reputation as a philanthropist was going to complicate matters. Edgeworth had no doubt he would be able to obtain his guilty verdict, but he also had no delusions on how easy it would be.

He reached for the teacup sitting on its saucer at the edge of his desk. The tea had gone cold long ago, and there was little more than flakes settling at the bottom; he downed the remains and set the cup back on his desk...

The desk was gone. His office was gone. Everything was black, suddenly, and silent. 'The power went out...that is all...' The cup slipped from his limp fingers, and he waited for the tinkle as it shattered on the desk, but the sound never came - just a slow chill creeping into his skin and the feeling of metal walls at his back, beside, in front of him. And he knew where he was, without question, and when, and conscious thought disappeared in the midst of the terror blooming wildly in his chest...

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[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix made his way down the hall at a brisk pace, more than a little concerned after his hurried conversation with Gumshoe. He couldn’t fathom what the problem might be for the detective to have called him, of all people, but the clear distress in the other man’s voice was enough to send Phoenix racing to the prosecutor’s office on his bike.

He came to a halt at Edgeworth’s closed door and, after taking a moment to catch his breath, knocked on it hesitantly. “Hey, Edgeworth?” he called when there was no answer. Frowning, he tried again, a little more forcefully this time, but there was still no response. He waited several seconds, debating, until he finally steeled himself and opened the door, slowly peeking it. “Hello? Edgeworth..?”

Nothing was out of place. Back and forth, he scanned the office, brows knitted together in uncertainty, but as far as he could tell, no one was in the room. In fact, he was about to close the door when his gaze was finally drawn to Edgeworth’s desk—or, more specifically, what was under Edgeworth’s desk—and his breath caught in his throat immediately. Before he knew what he was doing, Phoenix was in the room and on the floor in front of the man huddled under the desk, staring in disbelief. “Edgeworth…?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

He had been in the dark for hours, it seemed, or maybe years, when he realized he wasn't the only person in the elevator. There were bodies, two of them, on either side of the door. He couldn't see them, he just...knew, somehow, that they were there, and who they were.

They weren't going to get up. The thought brought both relief and a fresh wave of terror. The one on the right was dangerous but the one on the left-

Miles huddled in the corner, back pressed against the unyielding metal, and called tentatively into the dark; his voice was young, high-pitched and quavering.

"Father?"

[attorneyatlol]

Taken aback were the only words that roughly came close to how Phoenix felt at that moment, but even that description was grossly underestimated. He couldn't find his voice. He couldn't ever remember seeing Edgeworth looking so vulnerable.

Tentatively, he placed his hand on Edgeworth's shoulder and shook the other man gently. "H-hey," he managed, still very uncertain. "What's wrong with you? What happened?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Miles needed to move. He had to know. He had to- to go over, to touch the man's face, to shake his shoulder and tell him that they should go home because they're both tired from a long day in court.

But the man might not wake up, and Miles couldn't move. He shifted, scratching his arm on the rough carpet, and called again, quieter this time, "Father? Are you...Will you wake up, please?" His voice cracked on the last word, and he held his breath as he waited for an answer.

[attorneyatlol]

“Jesus…” Phoenix sat back on his heels, surveying the scene helplessly. It was obvious to him that Edgeworth was having some sort of breakdown, but he was no shrink and—

Wait. Hadn’t Edgeworth said something about a therapist…? Phoenix didn’t know he was holding his breath until he’d finally exhaled upon standing. He made his way around the desk, searching the space for a phone book or some type of clue that could give him an idea of how to reach a doctor who’s name he didn’t even know. But as he passed the computer, he stopped abruptly, blinking at the monitor. That stupid internet site was up and, out of the blue, his head was filled with the most irrational thoughts he could ever remember having. Viruses, missing persons, ducks taking over the world…

Phoenix shook his head. There was absolutely no way… Even if what that person said was true, that there was some sort of virus that traveled via computer… there was just no way…

He gritted his teeth. “Now I’m the one who needs a shrink…” Sighing, he dropped to his knees and shook Edgeworth’s shoulder again, this time more desperately. “Edgeworth, listen to me. You’ve got to snap out of this, okay? You’re… you’re not in the elevator. You’re in your office.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

There was no answer. With every second that passed in silence Miles' fear grew, until he had no choice but to prove to himself that the man was just sleeping because his mind couldn't encompass the alternative.

Miles rolled to his knees and tried to stand, but his legs didn't seem to want to obey. So instead he crawled, moving forward at a creeping pace. He was breathing heavily but the sound was muted, and the carpet scratched his bare knees.

It took forever to reach the other side of the cramped elevator, but when he sensed the body before him he knew he wouldn't ever be ready.

[attorneyatlol]

With every inch Edgeworth crawled closer, Phoenix shuffled backwards. The man before him hadn’t changed physically, but there was a child-like desperation in his eyes that made Phoenix’s heart break. What the hell was going on…? He was at a complete loss. “Edgeworth, please…”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Miles couldn't see the man lying on the floor before him, but he felt the lack of warmth, the lack of movement, without even touching him. He choked back a cry, biting his lip to hold it in. His hand raised, slowly, seemingly on its own.

"Father? Please get up." And he touched the body, and found nothing but smooth cotton over cold, stiff flesh.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix watched, speechless. Gently as he could, he pried the other man’s hand from his shirt, but Edgeworth registered neither the movement nor the touch despite the fact that he was looking right at Phoenix--or, rather, through him...

The thought was chilling, but even more alarming was the realization that there was nothing he could do. He simply stared at Edgeworth, bewildered and absolutely useless.

[samuraiprosecutor]

As a sob threatened to break free from his burning throat, Miles' hands were suddenly emptied; the crumpled form had disappeared, along with the unconscious body at the other end of the elevator. Before he could even register the shock of the loss the world heaved. The sound of grinding, screeching gears filled the cramped space for a few fear-filled seconds, then his terror renewed with the violent shaking and rumbling of the ground below.

Miles was thrown into the corner, where he braced his back desperately against the wall and stared, unseeing, into the darkness, whispering, "No no no," in a continuous mantra.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix started at Edgeworth’s sudden scramble to get back under the desk. He did his best to quell the panic that was threatening to overtake him, instead steeling himself with determination, however forced it might be. Brows furrowed, he crawled towards the prosecutor, laid a firm hand on his shoulder, and uttered uncertain words that sounded surprisingly confident (ah, the benefits of being a lawyer). “Hey, everything’s gonna be fine. We’ll figure out a way to snap you out of this, okay?”

Phoenix didn’t wait for Edgeworth’s response (he knew there wouldn’t be one). He sat up on his knees, high enough to be eye-level with the computer, and fished out his cell phone, hitting the speed dial without taking his eyes off of the monitor; he knew exactly who he wanted to call. He hadn’t even waited for the man to finish his greeting when he began talking. “Hey, Gumshoe. I think, uh… I think we have a little problem…”

[samuraiprosecutor]

The ground stilled, but it seemed to take an hour for the guitar string tension of Miles' muscles to ebb. The elevator was once again silent, and the air was getting thin; unconsciously, he quickened his breathing.

[attorneyatlol]

“It’d probably be a good idea to—WHAT THE HELL.” Phoenix almost dropped the phone. He’d just finished logging Edgeworth out of the community and was about to sign himself in when a hideous picture suddenly scrolled past the screen.

A hideous picture of himself and Edgeworth… in skirts. Or dresses. Some type of revealing clothing, at least. If not for the distressed voice on the other line, Phoenix may have never recovered. “I… uh, s-sorry, Gumshoe. What? No, he’s not dead. It’s just—I was saying it might be a good idea to get a replacement for the trial and… probably any upcoming ones, too. He’s feeling a little under the weather. Chicken soup? No thanks, I’m not hungr—oh.” A quick glance under the desk revealed Edgeworth staring off into space and on the verge of hyperventilating. Phoenix frowned. “No, I don’t think he’s up for eating right now. Hey, I gotta go. I’ll fill you in later.”

The defense attorney abruptly hit ‘end’ and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He took one, last look at the revolting picture, shuddered, and scrolled past it. He didn’t have time for that right now; he needed to know what was going on and he needed to know now.

[A few hours later...]

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix glanced under the desk for the umpteenth time that day and heaved a sigh of disappointment every time the same sight greeted him: Edgeworth, huddled against the desk’s side, sometimes staring off into space, sometimes sobbing, and all too often calling for someone who would never come. Phoenix had taken to occasionally reaching under the desk and patting the prosecutor’s head, if only to make himself feel better; it surely didn’t garner any reaction from Edgeworth.

Phoenix had relocated himself to the office chair (which, he admitted, was overwhelmingly comfortable—oh, that lumbar support was something he could really use at his office. Why the hell did good chairs have to be so damn expensive, anyway?) when his knees had finally, painfully protested under his weight. At the moment, he was browsing that ridiculous community, answering replies he’d received to that impulsive entry he’d posted earlier, while he waited for the paramedics to arrive.

There was nothing else he could do, he knew. He’d at least ride in the ambulance, just to play it safe, as someone had warned him that people were… disappearing. Once Edgeworth was at the hospital, the staff there would be able to take care of him, he was sure.

Or so he hoped.