Choosing Death

[brighty_124]

 "I tried... but I can't."

"You can't give up, sir!"

"What do I have to live for?"

"Everything."

"No. It's finally over. And I give up."

 

Miles Edgeworth shut, and locked his office door. While this was a normal practice for him, today he needed to be alone.

First, he shut all the curtains in the room, and made sure nobody could see inside his office. Then, he turned on the lamp on his desk.

The burgendy room was now barely illuminated, and Edgeworth sat down, his eyes dark with the memories.

"You're like me, Edgeworth. You and I, we despise criminals."

"Stop that." Edgeworth muttered to himself.

"We're the same. One day, you'll understand."

"No..." Edgeworth whispered, Damon Gant's voice invading his mind.

"After all, when you take them on alone... you'll do what's needed."

"STOP!" Edgeworth yelled at himself, his eyes blearing, "Why him? Why now? It hurts!"

The memories were shooting at him like bullets, and they hurt. The past few months had been awful enough, and Edgeworth knew it was just getting worse.

"The trial is over. Gant's in jail. You can breathe." Edgeworth said to no one in particular, (perhaps the bookcase?) and reached into his desk drawer.

He cursed, remembering that his knife was still at the Police Department, and would remain there for quite a while.

Well, I'm not about to steal it.

Edgeworth rummaged through he drawer, and found nothing useful. Angrily, he slammed it shut, and held his head in his hands.

Then something came to him.

"It shouldn't be here..." He muttered, "Somewhere... where they won't find it..."

The gears in Edgeworth's brain clicked, as it fell into place, perfectly. He pulled out a piece of blank paper, and reached for a pen.

That's when his mind fell blank.

"What do I write?" Edgeworth whispered, his thoughts drifting. There was so much he wanted to say, yet so little room, and no way to convey it.

"Do I apologize? For what? Presenting forged evidence? Going on trial? Prosecuting Lana? Cutting Gumshoe's pay?" He ran them across his fingers, "For leaving Franziska in Germany? For becoming a prosecutor? For believing in Manfred von Karma?"

One more thing was there, and yet, he couldn't say it without stuttering.

"Do I apologize t-to W-Wright? No..."

Edgeworth slammed his head onto his desk, "What do I say?" He yelled, "What do I say?!"

The bookcase didn't answer him.

It was from there, that his eyes fell on a file, tnat was not fully in the case. Edgeworth stood up, and walked over to push it in. And then, he saw the name of the file.

FM-8. Of course, of all the cases, it was this one.

This case had been the last time he had seen Franziska. She was sure to be almost eighteen now, and it had been quite awhile since their last visit.

It had started and ended, with him being hit by her whip. A whip, that was a gift, from her older sister, Anika. 

Personally, Edgeworth had thought that the riding crop was painful enough. Franziska had not agreed.

FM-8 had been the last time he'd seen either of his adopted sisters, or adopted niece, Katja. It was also the last time he'd seen Manfred von Karma... before of course, Edgeworth's trial.

The memories hurt, almost as much as the memories of DL-6...

Edgeworth slammed the file back into the bookcase, to help him forget.

But his mind did wander over to Franziska. While he'd kept in contact with Anika through letters, (often with a scribble drawn by Katja) he had not heard from Franziska.

She had become a prosecutor at thirteen, and (to Edgeworth's personal knowledge) had never lost a case.

Franziska was rather odd. While she was fierce, she was also herself. She'd been overshadowed by Edgeworth her whole life, and Edgeworth guessed it made her bitter.

They'd met when Franziska was two, and Anika was thirteen. As Franziska (or Frannie, as he once tried to call her. The riding crop made sure that never happened again) grew up, she was never as good as Edgeworth.

And so, she did her best to become better.

Edgeworth thought about her, and what she would do in this situation.

Then it hit him. Franziska would never be in this situation. She would assume her loss was a 'fluke' and win many more cases, just to perfect her win record.

She would never consider what Edgeworth was thinking of, and if she did, her note would be along the lines of, "You foolishly foolish fool! You, and your foolish country are all miserable fools, and will not be tolerated by Franziska von Karma! You fools will pay, and will be whipped! Foolish fools!"

...Something like that, yes.

Edgeworth looked back at the blank paper. Somehow, overuse of the word 'fool' did not help him. In fact, it reminded him that he did in fact own a thesaurus, and that Franziska needed one.

Not that he'd be able to give her one.

Finally, Edgeworth made a decision. Write only the facts. After all, the truth was all that mattered, in the end.

You worthless excuse for a prosecutor! You are not worthy of the von Karma name!

Gant's manipulating voice had been replaced by Manfred's malicious one. Hands shaking, Edgeworth carefully wrote on the piece of paper. When he had finished, he took a look, his heart pounding.

Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death.

The words looked painful on the paper, but they would soon be the truth. With that, Edgeworth stood up, no longer caring. When he exited his office, he didn't bother to lock the door. He wouldn't need to worry about it anymore.

The office was empty, and Edgeworth payed no mind, and he walked down the stairs, to the parking lot. Then he remembered that his car was also still considered a crime scene.

There would be no driving today.

Instead, Edgeworth left the front doors, and walked. The street was usually busy, but this evening, there was just the occasional whoosh of a passing car.

When he reached the bridge, he climbed over the rock mass, and looked down off the cliff, into the rushing river below.

"Very well then." Edgeworth said to the sparrow in the tree next to him, "This is it."

He bent his knees, and expected to feel the falling sensation. Instead, he stayed exactly where he was.

"Come on!" He muttered, "It should be easy."

But it was not easy. As much as he tried, Edgeworth couldn't pitch himself over the cliffside. He supposed that was a good thing. Until the voices invaded his mind.

"Afraid, Worthy? You don't live up to your name. You're not worth anything."

Edgeworth whapped his hand around his head, trying to get Gant's voice to disappear. It did, but it was replaced by Manfred von Karma's.

"You are a pathetic excuse for a prosecutor. You deserve this pain. Choose death? No, it is forced upon you. You never deserved to be of the von Karma name. Shame upon you!"

"No!" Edgeworth yelled hoarsely, "Not fair! Get out of my head!"

There was another voice. The voice of Franziska. When Edgeworth squinted, he could almost see a ghostly outline of her, standing beside him.

"You foolish fool. This is a fool's task. You should be concerned about your win record. Not with these foolish thoughts! You are foolishly endangering the von Karma name! Step away from this. It is fool-worthy, and you are not a fool, Miles Edgeworth! My little brother would never do such a foolish thing."

Edgeworth muttered, "Stop it Franziska. It's too late." Then he remembered that she wasn't really there.

There as another voice, a rather gentle one. Edgeworth whipped around, and spotted the ghostly silhouette of Anika, and little Katja.

His heart began to beat faster. Anika's kind face was filled with sorrow, while Katja just looked like she might cry.

"Oh Miles... I want to keep you safe. You belong in this world. That courtroom needs you, and I need you too. The truth is all that matters, is it not? Well, the truth is that Katja and I will never forget you. Miles, if you really must... then do so. But remember, that we will always be with you."

Tears streamed down Anika's face, and Katja clutched her mother, whimpering. Edgeworth's eyes teared up, as he began to hear other people, telling him many things.

"Jump, you ignorant bastard!"

"Edgey-poo! You get back here!"

"Please Mr. Edgeworth! Don't do it!"

"Give up! There's no point!"

"NOOOO! EDGEY! This isn't right!"

"Kill yourself, you coward!"

"Edgeworth!"

"Mr. Edgeworth sir!"

"OBJECTION!"

Voices overwhelming him, Edgeworth collapsed on his knees, trying to block out the sounds. When they were gone, a conclusion dawned on Edgeworth.

"I need help."

But he couldn't go back to his office. There was a likely chance that his note had already been discovered, and it would be pointless.

Then, it hit him. Edgeworth fumbled for his phone, and with shaking hands, dialed the first number on his list. The call was picked up on the first ring.

"MR. EDGEWORTH SIR!" Came the loud yell from the phone. Edgeworth ducked away, before responding.

"Detective. Remember your pay."

"Sorry Mr. Edgeworth sir. I was just in your office to drop of a file, pal and I saw that letter on your desk."

"That would be the point, Detective."

"But sir, you're okay! So I can just destroy this and-"

"Don't! Leave it. For all you know, it could be true, any second now."

"Sorry sir. I'll leave it."

"Fine. Wait... how did you get into my office?"

"The door was unlocked sir. I assumed you were inside."

"Right... Look Detective, I need your help."

"With what sir?"

"Use your brain! You found that note, what do you think it means?!"

"Sir, you're not... Where are you, pal?!"

"The main bridge. There's a rocky cliffside, right below where I'm sitting."

"I know where that is sir! Stay right there! I'm driving towards you."

The call ended, and Edgeworth sighed. Gumshoe was not the most reliable person, but he seemed to be the only person he could contact in his darkest hour.

"It's not like anyone else here could help." Edgeworth told the sparrow, "Imagine, calling Larry, or Wright for help. Larry would think it was a joke, where as Wright..." Edgeworth trailed off. What would Wright have done?

"...probably would have shouted 'OBJECTION!' and dragged me home. Not the most helpful tactic." Edgeworth completed the thought, and as much as that would irritate him, he had to admire Wright's loyalty. Even if that wouldn't fix the problem.

After only a few minutes, Edgeworth heard the screech of a car, and sure enough, a ratty excuse for a patrol car slammed to a halt. From there, Gumshoe half ran, half bumbled to where Edgeworth was sitting.

"Mr. E-E-Edgeworth s-sir!" He panted, tired from running, "Y-you're okay."

Edgeworth looked away, his eyes dark, "Am I really okay, Detective? I don't even know who I am anymore."

Gumshoe sat down next to the prosecutor, and said, "Mr. Edgeworth, you're a prosecutor, and you're the best one there is. What's... bothering you so much?"

Edgeworth grumbled, "Everything is wrong. Gant's right. So what if the truth is out there? I'll never find it alone. I'll become like him, no matter if I want too or not."

"Don't be ridiculous sir!" Gumshoe cried, "You won't be alone, and you'll never turn out like him!" Gumshoe clenched his fist in anger.

"What if I do?" Edgeworth said quietly, more to the sparrow, than Gumshoe.

Gumshoe nudged the prosecutor, "You won't. I promise it will never happen, pal."

Edgeworth sighed, and looked away, "I'm sorry for dragging you out here, Detective. I wasted your time."

Then he stood up, and walked towards the cliff. This time, his knees moved willingly, and for a fleeting second, Edgeworth could feel himself falling through the sky. Then his arms were pinned to his side, and felt himself being pulled upwards, and placed back on the ground.

Gumshoe stood in silence, dusting his hands off, "Did you really think I would let you do that, pal?"

Edgeworth didn't respond.

"Sir, you need to make it through this." Gumshoe said quietly, "I'm not about to let you die."

Edgeworth's voiced dropped to whisper, as he said, "I tried... but I can't."

"You can't give up sir!" Replied the detective.

Edgeworth sighed, and spoke again, more to the sparrow than Gumshoe, "What do I have to live for?"

Gumshoe was quiet for a moment, before responding, "Everything."

"No. It's finally over. And I give up." Edgeworth's voice had become so quiet, it was almost impossible to hear. But Gumshoe knew he had no way to fix this.

Edgeworth looked at the raging river below him, "Detective, tell them I'm sorry." Then, he bent his knees. But this time, it didn't come easily.

Eventually, he collapsed, unable to do it.

What am I? If I'm not a von Karma, and I'm not a prosecutor, and I'm not dead... what am I?

"Sir?" Gumshoe asked, "I know I'm not good at these things... but if you really don't know what to do... why not start by figuring out how to be a prosecutor?"

Edgeworth grumbled, "Detective Gumshoe, that is absolutely the most-" then he broke off, as something in his head went off, "-brilliant thing you have ever said."

"It's not the worst thing-" Gumshoe paused, "Wait, did you say brilliant?"

Edgeworth nodded, and stood up, everything clearing up in his head, "If I don't know what it means to be a prosecutor, then I should learn."

"Where will you go, sir?" Gumshoe asked, feeling elated that he had made his boss proud.

Edgeworth began to pace, as all the pieces fell where they should, "I can travel abroad to Germany, for a while. Anika won't mind if I stop to stay with her; I haven't seen her and Katja in years."

The detective stood up, and patted Edgeworth on the back, "See sir? I told you it would be fine!"

Edgeworth nodded, "The thing is... I need to get back to my house and pack. There's a chance that someone else has found that note by now."

Gumshoe shook his head, "Actually, Mr. Edgeworth sir, I told your secretary that you were very busy, and didn't want to be disturbed at all. That might buy you enough time."

Edgeworth grinned, feeling rather out of character, as he was praising the detective, instead of chastaising him, "If we drive back to my house, I can get anything I'll need, and simply charter a plane from there."

He felt rather like a villain, plotting out his evil plan, instead of a cowardly prosecutor, unwilling to face his actions.

The detective stood up, hope gleaming in his eyes, "Sir, if we go now, we can make it!"

Edgeworth nodded, and he almost ran back to the car, his heart pumping. Gumshoe got in the driver's seat, and the car flew down the road, at least, as fast as the car could.

When they reached Edgeworth's house, the prosecutor jumped out, and had a suitcase packed in less than ten minutes.

As he waited for his jet to land, Edgeworth relayed everything Gumshoe must do.

"While I am gone, treat me as if I am dead." Edgeworth said, "But don't let people into my office."

Gumshoe nodded, "Anything else, sir? I want to make sure I don't mess up again."

Edgeworth considered this for a moment, before adding, "There is one thing, Detective."

"What is that, Mr. Edgeworth sir?" Gumshoe asked.

Edgeworth said, "Yes. Wright. I want you to tell him what has happened to me."

Gumshoe blinked in surprise, "You want me to tell him you're alive?" He asked.

"Of course not, Detective!" Edgeworth said, "I want you to tell him that I'm dead."

As Edgeworth boarded the plane, he could see Detective Gumshoe standing below, with a respectful salute.

The plane took off, and Edgeworth leaned back, his hand gripped on his suitcase.

Hopefully, Anika and Katja won't mind a visit. It has been quite a long time.

His thoughts wandered, but Edgeworth kept them in close corral. But even as Gumshoe became a dot on the ground, Edgeworth nodded respectfully.

It had been the detective he had turned to, in his darkest hour. Not Wright, even though he probably could have done as good a job as the detective.

Why didn't I call Wright? Edgeworth thought. Then it hit him. He could not let Wright see him like that. Edgeworth supposed it was his own pride that kept him from calling Wright.

When the nose of the plane broke into the clouds, Edgeworth sighed, and fell fast asleep, as the remaining shades of sunset faded away into darkness.

~

When Detective Gumshoe returned to his home, the first thing he did was pick up the phone. He hesitated for a moment, before dialing, remembering that this was what Mr. Edgeworth wanted.

He waited, and had hoped that just maybe, he would reach the answering machine. But Gumshoe's hopes were shattered, when the person on the other end picked up.

"Wright and Co. Law Offices. Phoenix Wright speaking."

Gumshoe sighed, and then said, "It's me pal. Something's happened."

Phoenix's voice caught on the other end, "Maya?" He asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Not that, pal. She's fine."

"What about Ema? Did something happen at the station?"

"No," Gumshoe said, "It's not the science girl either."

"Then what's wrong?" Phoenix asked.

Gumshoe said, "It's about Mr. Edgeworth, actually."

There was a pause, "What happened to Edgeworth? He was acting really odd after the trial. Is he okay? I'm a little bit worried about him."

Gumshoe sighed, and then said, "He's... he's dead, pal."

There was a long silence. In fact, if Gumshoe hadn't heard Phoenix breathing, he would have assumed he hung up.

After nearly a minute of nothing being said, there was suddenly a break in the silence.

"OBJECTION!"

The End