Off the Wall: Chapter 1

This story is a sequel to "You Are Mine". If you have not read that story, this one will make very little sense. Besides, it's a great story. :)

On to the story! Remember, italics are thoughts.

Phineas was about to send the group through the warp tunnel when he heard a familiar voice pierce the air.

"Waiiiiitttt! Hold up, don't start!" It was Baljeet.

Phineas opened the glass compartment and stepped out onto the soft grass. "What is it Baljeet?" Phineas noticed Buford was carrying him by the collar.

Buford answered for him. "We want another shot at this game, with fair teams maybe? My friends didn't want to play again, which is okay with me. They were just terrible."

"Ha, I couldn't agree more on that point. You came just in the nick of time. As it turns out, most of the fireside girls quit as well. We have two teams with two players each. If you and Baljeet played, then each team would still have two people."

"Great, we're in!"

"Okay then, just step back into the glass over there with the rest of the players while I go put you two on the game roster."

Buford and Baljeet did that, taking seats next to Ferb who simply nodded a greeting. Phineas added Buford and Baljeet as a 3rd team and told the computer to make 3 bases instead of two. Then he proceeded to the glass enclosure. "Hold on everyone, these are always wild rides." Phineas input the commands for initiation. The machine squeeled and rocked and the minds of those inside phased out into the warp tunnel.

Now that the transformation was not new, it was not as cool. It was still cool, just less cool.

Isabella still could not help but unintentionally emit an emotion of amazement and respect.

Isabella was about to try and open her eyes when she remembered that she didn't have any eyes at the moment. And yet, she couldn't help feeling that she could see.

An image flashed across her mind. Then another. A series of them, strung together by the brain. She gasped as emotions of sadness came with the image. "What was that? Phineas, did you see that?"

"Yes, I most definately saw that."

"What was it? Why was it so dark? Why am I shuddering inside?"

"My dream... that was my dream. How..."

"Phineas, what dream?"

"Phineas, I saw nothing." projected Ferb.

"Neither did I..." was Baljeet.

"Are you two okay? I never saw anything either..." came Gretchen.

"Impossible, how did we see it? But none of you saw it. All thoughts are shared, and it was a powerful thought. You would have noticed it if you saw it."

"It must not have been a thought then Phineas..."

Phineas knew his brother was right. It wasn't a thought. But what was it?

The thoughts of all were cut off abruptly as the travel through space-time dimensions landed them in their bases.

(Starting with the perspecitve of Phineas and Isabella)

Isabella felt like she fell out of a pool of water and slid into a realm of normality. She fell on her hip hard and rolled off to the side to try and lessen the impact. But it was no use. Her left leg was already paralyzed.

Phineas was a bit more lucky. He formulated into the same realm and landed square on his two feet, sticking the landing. He half expected to hear applause before scolding his unusual notion and turning to look for Isabella. Some muttering 220 degrees around gave away her position.

"Oh come on! Maybe you put that physical limit rule a bit too strict? My left leg is completely useless, thanks to that unfriendly impact after the strange trip here."

"Hmmm... That is too bad. You must have taken a very hard hit. Well, there is no use going around by myself. I can't just leave you like this, and I won't. Besides, we have a lot to talk about."

"Ho! You got that right! I want to know everything. This paralyzed leg should heal in about an hour, right? Because of the new rule? Yeah, so we have that long to discuss this."

"I was so confused in there... How could the rest not hear it if we both saw it."

"Wait... Phineas. Just, stop. Stop talking."

"What is she talking about? Now is not the time..."

"Yes! Exactly what I heard. Now is the time! You said that now, didn't you?"

Phineas was suspicious. "No, I never said such a thing."

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Think of a number between 0 and 24068. Think it loudly."

"This is crazy..."

"This is not crazy, Phineas. Think of a number."

"What! Fine. 5318" "Okay, what number was I thinking of Isabella?"

Isabella lifted her head high and smiled. "The number 5318."

Phineas was struck back. He staggered back into a cold, merciless wall of steel. He attempted to move through it because he felt like he had enough energy of impossibleness flowing through him that he mind as well try anything. But alas, the wall held its ground firm, and Phineas came back to the situation, slowly at first.

"I... I don't belive it. This is a dream. We are still in the tunnel. That's it."

"Phineas, wake up! This is neither of those. We are playing the game. See my leg? I can't move it. You know why? Because we are playing the game and we are not in the tunnel."

"What is her..."

"No problem. I don't have a problem. You need to come back to reality and know that somehow I have full acess to everything that is in your brain."

Phineas thought deeply, trying to think ambiguously with a hidden message that Isabella would miss. He basically came up with the idea of understanding.

"Not sure what all those vague thoughts were about, but I think you understand my point now."

Phineas, already forgetting her power, went on to think, "Haha, success! That's what I can do." It brought a wry smile from Isabella and a sheepish shrug of the shoulders from Phineas.

"Why can't I read your thoughts? You know everything about me by now, why can't I get in there?" asked Phineas with a point of his finger at her head.

"Maybe you haven't tried hard enough. Okay, i'm thinking of a number. Which one is it?"

Phineas dug deep inside, following all paths of mental traffic. He searched thoroughly in his mind, and could feel Isabella prodding him as well. He tried to follow the prods, but the paths fizzled out and his train of thought would become derailed.

"I am close, so close. Come on!"

"You are close. My mind is blocking you though. Keep trying, you will get through eventually."

Phineas continued trying for the remainder of the hour.

Eventually he was successful. Isabella had a similar reaction as Phineas, except her leg was not fully operational.

"Wow, what a weird feeling." said Phineas. "I can hear your thoughts."

"Why even bother talking. We could just communicate with our thoughts."

"My dream. Should I try communicating it to you?"

"Sure, if you can."

Phineas tried, but failed. He simply could not. The thought would not come to him.

"Why are you having difficulty?" asked Isabella through thought.

"It doesn't exist. I can't think it. Ferb must have been right. It wasn't a thought, which would explain why my mind is devoid of the event."

Isabella stood up, her leg completely healed. "Now that that is out of the way, we can start with our game."

"I wonder if the other players have this ability. If not we have an incredible advantage."

"Oh, I doubt they do. Our bonding of our relationship in the previous game must have melded us together."

Phineas was silent for several moments. "You know, that isn't actually such a bad idea. That may be the cause. Perhaps this odd power we have will carry over into the real world..."

"I sort of hope not. I think I would like the privacy of my own mind."

"Yeah, I agree. No offense. Now, let's turn our minds toward crushing our power-less opponents."

"Ha, this won't even be hard at all." agreed Isabella.

Alright! Chapter 1 is done! I hope this was a nice mind-intriguing chapter to kick off the story. Thanks to everyone who enjoyed "You Are Mine", and I am proud to say that I got about 3 awsome ideas that will make this story even better.

Next chapter: more game events and the introduction of the doof/perry plot.

Don't go anywhere, stay tuned!