Rollercoaster

Mavis Monogram was desperate to go out in the field. She had been part of O.W.C.A. since she was eleven, and now that she was a full-fledged sixteen-year-old agent, she was desperate to be a real field agent.

So when her father, Major Monogram, finally suggested that she become partners with top animal agent Perry the Platypus, she jumped at the chance. She didn't know him very well, but at least she was working out in the field.

They were given their assignment, then they flew to the building of Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz in their hovercar.

Bursting into the building, Mavis felt a thrill of excitement. She was beside Perry the Platypus, O.W.C.A.'s best agent, finally out in the field. And fighting O.W.C.A.'s most notorious evil scientist, no less.

The tall man in a lab coat turned around slowly, grinning maniacally. "Ah, Perry the Platypus, what an unexpected surprise. And by unexpected, I mean COMPELTELY EXPECTED!"

Doofenshmirtz slammed his fist against a button on the wall, making robot arms fly out of the walls and grab Mavis and Perry's arms and legs. Mavis let out a growl but Perry stayed silent.

"Ah, I was told I would have a tagalong today." Doofenshmirtz scrutinised Mavis. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mavis Monogram, and I am Agent Perry the Platypus's partner!" Mavis snapped back, angry at being called a "tagalong". "Call me Agent M. If you call me anything else, I'll push you off the side of the building."

Doofenshmirtz paused, before saying, "Fair enough. Anyway, let me tell you about my evil scheme!"

"We're all ears," Mavis said sardonically.

Doofenshmirtz walked off towards his device and spread his arms theatrically. "I, Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz, have covered the entire eastern seaboard in tin foil, and when I put my giant magnet, next to my genius, Magnetism Magnifier, I will pull the East, in westerly direction, thereby reversing the rotation of the earth!"

Mavis blinked and glanced over at Perry, who seemed to be indifferent to the plan.

"You may ask yourself, why would he do this? What could he possibly have to gain?" Doofenshmirtz continued.

"That's definitely one question I want the answer to," Mavis muttered.

"Well, let me just answer that question." He paused. "I haven't really worked on all the bugs yet. I mean, tin foil alone costs a lot."

He started nattering on about something or another. Meanwhile, Mavis leant over to Perry and whispered, "This guy's a loon."

Perry nodded slowly.

"So how do we get out of this?"

The platypus paused, before spotting a little screw on the ground. He gestured to it with his head, before lining up the shot.

"…and sell it again," Doofenshmirtz was saying.

He turned towards the two agents, which was when Perry slapped the screw with his tail, sending it flying at Doofenshmirtz. Mavis willed it on, but Doofenshmirtz ducked in time and laughed at the platypus. "Ha, you missed!"

Mavis watched the screw ricochet off the ceiling and embed itself in the evil scientist's foot, causing him to leap around in pain, clutching his foot. He accidentally fell backwards into the button on the wall, releasing Perry and Mavis.

While Mavis massaged her sore wrists and ankles, Perry immediately launched himself at Doofenshmirtz and hit him in the face, before grabbing a wrench and slamming it into the evil scientist's foot, causing him to scream again and fall over backwards. He kicked Perry away, but before Mavis could reach him, he pulled the lever down and activated the machine.

"Now you are too late!" he cackled.

Mavis gasped and turned to Perry, whose eyes had narrowed and were trained on the Magnifier.

"Quake in your boots and watch helplessly, as the unimaginable electromagnetic forces, pull the eastern seaboard, thereby reversing the rotation of the-!"

The tin foil flew off the buildings.

There was a pause inside the building. Mavis blinked. Doofenshmirtz blinked. Perry looked as if he was expecting that.

"Well…" Doofenshmirtz said eventually. "…that didn't work."

Mavis gasped again as she saw that the tin foil was forming into a giant metal ball as it flew towards them.

"And now, we have a two ton ball of tin foil traveling two hundred miles an hour DIRECTLY AT US!" Doofenshmirtz screeched.

Perry and Mavis exchanged a horrified look. "Separate the magnet from the magnifier!" Mavis yelled, pointing at the machine. "Quickly!"

Doofenshmirtz immediately began pushing at the magnifier from the bottom. Perry tried to find a way to separate them. Mavis, meanwhile, began trying to interfere with the magnet's electrical system, to no avail.

"It's no use, it's no use, we are doomed!" Doofenshmirtz panicked.

"Tin foil isn't even magnetic!" Mavis yelped. "TIN FOIL DOES NOT CONTAIN IRON SO IT SHOULD NOT BE MAGNETIC!"

"Be quiet, it's a cartoon!" Doofenshmirtz retorted.

All of a sudden, Perry leapt onto the magnet and fired a grappling hook into the air. Mavis watched as it latched onto a helicopter flying nearby. He tied the rope around the magnet just as the helicopter flew off, taking the magnet with it.

"You did it!" Doofenshmirtz cheered. "You saved us, Perry the Platypus!"

Mavis screamed as she saw that the tin foil ball was still flying at them. She dived off the roof without even thinking. Luckily she found that she had gone in just the right direction; she landed on the balcony of Doofenshmirtz's actual apartment. She heard an almighty crash, then Doofenshmirtz yelling, "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!"

Mavis exhaled slowly, feeling her entire body shaking. She tried to get her breathing back to normal. That…had been both terrifying and exhilarating. She hadn't been expecting a near death experience on her first day as a full O.W.C.A. agent. She activated her watch and found Perry's slightly concerned face looking back at her.

"Don't worry, I'm alive," she said sardonically.

Perry just shrugged and gave a chatter.

"Don't give me that; you didn't know I wouldn't get hit by that ball."

Mavis had been around Perry for long enough that she could fairly accurately interpret his noises and facial expressions.

"But you weren't," his expression seemed to say.

Mavis rolled her eyes. "Next time, please don't assume I can save myself. Most of the time I can, but I'd rather be rescued by you than smashed to pieces by some tin foil ball travelling at two hundred miles an hour directly at me."

"Alright, I'll bear that in mind."

Mavis sighed. "See you back at HQ, then."

Perry nodded and switched off his watch.

Mavis rolled onto her back and lay spread-eagled, hardly having the energy to move. The adrenaline was currently ebbing out of her body. This was only her first day on the job; how was the rest of her career going to go?

This is going to be one unforgettable summer.