Hello, world of fanfiction!

I know I have a bunch of Doctor Who stories that need to be updated, but ever since Phineas and Ferb came out on Netflix, I've been sort of binge-watching episodes. I worked through the whole 4th Season rather quickly, and I greatly enjoyed it, especially "Tales from the Resistance". Perry the Platyborg has always been a favorite of mine, and seeing that episode rekindled my love for that partly-mechanical monotreme (and the scenes with Phineas and Ferb...oh my gawsh. The feels).

Anyhoo, Phineas and Ferb is awesome, two-car garage, etc., etc.

So here's my take on the transitional period between Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, and the episode "Tales from the Resistance". I hope you all enjoy, and I'll be getting back to my other stories eventually!

God bless and have a great day (or night)!

ThePro-LifeCatholic

Disclaimer: I don't own Phineas and Ferb, nor its characters or dimensions.

Phineas Flynn ducked into a backalley, taking cover behind a large trash bin. These were the times when he really had to re-consider his life choices; for example, why he had thought that becoming part of the Resistance of Danville was such a stellar idea in the first place.

"We should do lunch sometime!" a far-too-chipper voice proclaimed loudly. From somewhere on the main road, making its way steadily towards Phineas' hiding-spot, a legless robot was in hot pursuit of Danville's most wanted. Phineas scrunched himself into an even smaller ball, as if the new position would further ensure his chances of survival.

"Present yourselves without any sign of resistance or face immediate annihilation." The voice had changed, dropping in pitch, becoming noticeably hostile despite being computer-generated. It was also much nearer…in fact, Phineas guessed that the source (aka the giant, mindless robot) was just outside the alley. If the robot was in fact right in front of the street he was hiding in, then it probably would be stupid for Phineas to choose that exact moment to peer around the side of the trash bin. Candace would've told him so, but he was here, alone, with no one to give him tips on what to do in precarious resisting situations like these. So, without much thought for the danger of the action, Phineas Flynn peeked out from behind the bin.

Just at that moment, the Normbot decided to turn his head in the direction of the alley-way. Its head had changed from the blank face – fashioned after that of a human, complete with brown hair, a pair of blue eyes, and a permanent smile – to a grey, bucket-shaped head with black spikes and a red visor.

"Figure identified," It growled, zooming towards Phineas' hide-out. "Phineas Flynn-Fletcher, member of the Resistance. Prepare for immediate disposal."

Phineas could hear the clanking of the robot's talon-like claws snapping together like giant, mechanical crab pinchers. Whatever the Normbot intended to do, it certainly wasn't going to be pleasant.

"No point in sticking around," Phineas muttered to himself. But when he tried to move, he found that his legs were somehow frozen to the ground. No matter how he strained, he couldn't push himself forward. Concern slowly morphing into panic, Phineas grabbed the walkie-talkie strapped around his chest.

"This is Phineas Flynn-Fletcher," he all-but-shouted into the device. "I'm cornered by a Normbot, and I'm unable to escape. This is Code Brother; I repeat, Code Brother!"

The only response he got was a rush of static. Where was everyone?!

"Prepare for immediate disposal." The trash bin was lifted into the air as if it had no weight. The Normbot flung it carelessly to the side and advanced upon the red-headed boy. Phineas, fighting desperately against rising terror, reached for a weapon, a rock, something to use in self-defense. It was then that he made the startling revelation that he was dressed in his Dooferalls. What happened to his Resistance outfit?! Didn't Candace tell him to always wear it when they were going on missions? There was no way his Dooferalls could protect him from the iron grip of the Normbot's claws.

Speaking of Normbots, this particular one was coming closer, raising its arm into the air. It growled, a low, grating sound that put Phineas' nerves on-edge…

…Wait. When did Normbots growl? They were known to hum, speak like a person, mechanically repeat orders and mission purposes, even emit screams when put through painful disassembly. But growl? And now that Phineas was paying attention to this detail, it sounded more to him like a chatter…a low-pitched, somewhat mechanical chatter. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd have sworn he was hearing-

"Perry!"

Phineas sat bolt upright. His hair was standing on-end, which might have been a bit disconcerting if it hadn't already done that in the first place. It took a moment for the boy to take his surroundings into account. Firstly, it was nighttime, and everything was dark. When his eyes adjusted, Phineas realized that he was in bed, in his bedroom, and a blue glow was shining on his purple covers. He followed the light across the length of his bed, finally coming to its source. The small, rectangular outline next to his pillow chattered again, placing a cold, metallic hand on Phineas' shoulder.

"Perry!" Phineas exclaimed again, except this time his voice wasn't laced with fear. He grabbed hold of the cyborg platypus, pulling him into an embrace. Perry's metal clanking and glowing blue eye weren't frightening to the young boy; in fact, he drew comfort from the knowledge that his pet was once again in his and his brother's bedroom.

Perry himself, on the other hand, tensed up as Phineas hugged him. All that time spent serving Doofenshmirtz, and he couldn't remember a time when someone had expressed care or love towards him.

A hug, Perry. It's a hug, he berated himself mentally. Get over it.

After a few seconds ticked past, Perry wriggled out of his owner's grip and examined Phineas thoroughly. He growled again with a questioning undertone. He tilted his head to the side, hoping Phineas would pick up on what he was trying to say.

"Oh, well…" Phineas scratched the back of his neck, settling back into his pillow. "It was a nightmare. I was trying to run away from Normbots, but I couldn't escape. Just when I thought they were going to get me…" he paused, and Perry noticed that his owner's pale hands were tightened around the corners of his blanket in a death-grip. "…That's when you woke me up. I heard you doing your little chatter thing, and next thing I knew, I was safe in bed, with my pet beside me."

Perry, standing up on tiptoe, reached over and placed his teal paw on Phineas' hands, untangling them from the covers. Phineas furrowed his brows in confusion, then chuckled.

"Alright, Perry, I get the hint," he said. Platyborg grinned and patted the pillow. Obediently, Phineas lay back down, and Perry pulled the covers up to his chin (or, perhaps more accurately, where a more noticeable chin should have been).

"Night, Perry," Phineas yawned. His eyes were already beginning to close. "And thanks for being here."

Perry smiled and gave his owner a thumbs-up, despite the fact that Phineas wasn't looking in his direction. One final time, he emitted a low, growling chatter. The ends of Phineas' mouth twitched upward as the boy slipped into a doze.

Perry's expression, usually stony and stoic, was fond as he watched Phineas sleep. He directed his attention to Ferb's bed, wincing with the loud grating noise that accompanied a head turn. The tuft of green hair that could be seen on the pillow didn't stir; both boys were sound asleep, and hopefully dreaming of good things. The former agent nodded to himself, pleased with the peace that prevailed once more in the Flynn-Fletcher household. Glancing at the alarm clock next to Phineas' bed, he decided it was high time he returned to his own bed downstairs. He left the room as quietly as he could, trying not to flinch with every mechanical creak and clank his joints made.

If Doof had to make me a cyborg, he mused, Couldn't he have made a quieter one? Did he never think of the advantages?

Then again, Doofenshmirtz hadn't really been what one would call a "strategist". Why else would he put his former nemesis in charge of his scary robot army, if he could have just as easily led it himself? Still, the platyborg had to hand it to his former master. Doofenshmirtz might not have been the most talented, most handsome, or smartest of people, but he was able to see and exploit what other people possessed for his own gain.

"Perry?"

Platyborg froze, coming to a standstill just in front of the stairwell. That wasn't Phineas' voice, nor was it Ferb's or Candace's. It was coming from downstairs.

"Is that you, Perry?"

Perry chattered loudly in response, descending the stairs two at a time. By the time he reached the bottom, he had discovered the speaker.

Linda Flynn-Fletcher stood in the doorway to her and Lawrence's room, a sleeping mask dangling around her neck. She looked…frightened. When Perry came forward, she sighed audibly with relief.

"Oh, it is you." She paused, and Perry tilted his head again, questioningly.

"I was still half-asleep," Linda explained, "And when I heard you moving around upstairs, I thought that a Normbot had gotten into the house. Of course, though," she tittered nervously, wringing her hands together, "Everyone knows that the Normbots were destroyed when the Resistance took down Doofenshmirtz."

Perry's whole form sagged, his tail scraping the ground. He knew Linda wasn't trying to offend him; she was scared, her nerves still frayed from years of cruel dictatorship. Everyone was still suffering the aftershocks. It would take a while for Danville to return to normal. But being called a Normbot, a single-minded slave of Doofenshmirtz and symbol of the evil scientist's reign…it hurt. Even being mistaken for one was more than enough to trigger some very not-so-pleasant memories, most of them revolving around Doofenshmirtz and being the general of a robot army. Without a word, he turned and made his way slowly to the living room. His pet bed – Phineas and Ferb had kept it fluffed and in good condition all those long years – was nestled between the wall and the couch.

"Perry," Linda's voice penetrated the nighttime silence yet again. "Your tail…!"

Perry turned around, his tail snapping up into the air. His one brown eye widened as he noticed the erratic tear in the living room carpet, ending at his feet. With an apologetic half-smile, he scurried to his bed. Out of sight, he plopped down on the green cushion. He heard the door to the parent's bedroom close, and he sighed dejectedly. Coming back after Doofenshmirtz's defeat was not all that he had dreamed it would be.

With a low, frustrated growl, he attempted to find a comfortable position on his bed while at the same time trying to ignore the fact that this didn't make much sense, seeing as no matter how he lay on it, he couldn't feel the soft surface under his metal body. Finally Perry gave up, settling for lying on his back with his head pointing in the direction of the sliding door. Outside, he could see a few stars dotting the purplish-pink sky. Everything was quiet and deceptively calm, almost as if he were witnessing an ordinary nighttime after a perfectly ordinary day in a wonderfully ordinary city.

Perry growled again, pulling the cushion out of the basket and placing it over his face. This was going to be a long rest of the night.

So begins another Phineas and Ferb story. Man, I haven't written for this fandom in years. It feels kind of nice to be writing fanfiction for them again. :)

Poor Perry the Platyborg. I can't help but feel that in the episode "Tales from the Resistance", there was a lot of angst and recovery from Doof's takeover that wasn't addressed. I mean, there's only so much that you can cover in 22 minutes, and I think the episode was really good, but I still wish we could've seen a bit of that recovery...and by that, I mean other characters and not just Candace.

Ah, well. At least now I can write fanfiction about recovery.

And I'm ranting now.

Just like Doofenshmirtz.

Alright...then. I should probably go do something useful now...