"Ferb, I know what we're going to do today!"

Famous last words, Phineas, the boy told himself, staring down at his sweaty hands. He had been sitting in the waiting room for what felt like forever, unwilling to get up even when his dad had offered to buy the family pizza. He wouldn't have been able to enjoy it anyway.

Jeremy and Candace had arrived a few hours ago, both worried and visibly upset. The first thing Candace had done was yell at Phineas, telling him that she always knew someone was going to get hurt in one of his "crazy schemes," but then she had hugged him long and hard. She hadn't gone when their parents had left for food – she was still sitting beside Phineas, having told Jeremy to go home a while ago. Neither was saying anything; but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They were still trying to figure out just what was going on.

He felt like crying, but he didn't feel like he had any tears left – this was so screwed up. Glancing at his sister through the corner of his eye, Phineas decided that he just had to say something. If he didn't, he was rightfully worried he was going to go insane. However, just as he was about to open his mouth, Candace beat him to it.

"So how are you feeling?" She asked, for once no sarcastic undertone to the words. Phineas looked up at her with a blank expression, one typically reserved for such situations as this.

"Not too good," he admitted, ashamed to find the words coming out in a whisper, "I feel awful."

"Come here." Holding out her arms, she pulled him into another hug, letting go only moments after. "Everything's going to be okay."

"How do you know?"

"Well…" Biting her lip, Candace looked around the near-empty room, and Phineas knew she was searching for the right words. "You guys have pulled through worse situations before, right?" She put on a brave smile, though he could tell it was forced. "Ferb's a tough guy – he'll get better."

Unwilling to shatter her optimistic outlook – or, her idea of one, anyway – Phineas took a deep breath and leaned his head against her shoulder. "I hope you're right Candace." He said slowly, watching the door to the room for their parents. "I really really hope you're right…"


"What do you mean Ferb is in the hospital?" Isabella Garcia-Shapiro could hardly believe what she was hearing. "What happened?" She stared up in horror at the bringer of the bad news – ie, Candace's friend Stacey.

"I dunno." The older girl shrugged, looking almost as distressed as Isabella felt. "Jeremy just said I should pass the news along. Apparently there was an accident while he and Phineas were building something."

"Is Phineas–"

"Phineas is fine."

Breathing a sigh of relief and instantly feeling bad for it, Isabella posed one last question: "Where's the rest of the gang right now?"

Stacey shrugged again, only half-listening as she texted someone else on her phone. "Candace and Phineas and their parents are at the hospital." She said in a rush. "The rest of your friends are just around town, and Jeremy's at the park." Looking down at Isabella, she paused before going on. "We're trying to come up with some ways we can help them out – you know, make 'em food or something. Maybe Phineas could stay at your place? So he wouldn't be… you know, alone, while Ferb, like, recovers?"

"That would be a great idea!" Isabella squealed, perhaps too excited over the situation. Stacey raised an eyebrow at the reaction, but returned to texting almost at once.

"Great, thanks." Stacey nodded. "We'll try to keep you posted, okay? I've got Candace on speed dial."

"Okay," Isabella watched as the teenager waved, then backed out of her driveway and started down the street, texting all the while, "…thanks."

Waiting until Stacey was out of sight, Isabella hollered to her Mom that she was going out, then slammed the door shut behind her and raced down the street towards Phineas' and Ferb's house. If there was anywhere the gang would be, that was it; and she knew they would be able to come up with something to help their friends. After all, the boys had done so much to help them in the past – it was the least they could do to repay them in their time of need.

Now all she had to do was find out just what had happened.


"Mom, I've told you a hundred times; I don't know what happened!" Phineas hugged his arms around his body, watching his Mom with wide eyes. "It was all so fast!"

"Phineas." Linda Flynn-Fletcher put her hands on her hips, looking sternly down at him. "You said earlier there was a giant laser…?"

"There was!" Phineas was getting agitated, begging her to understand. "It just came outta nowhere! Why else do you think Ferb–" he choked on his brother's name, but recovered quickly, "would fall? He's got amazing balance!"

"Phineas, you were on the roof!" Linda cried, throwing her arms into the air. "Do you even know how dangerous that was?"

"Nobody was in any danger, Mom!" Phineas said loudly, matching her volume and feeling slightly rebellious. If she wasn't going to listen to him, he didn't see why he had to listen to her. Besides, this was the worst day of his life already; it wasn't like she could make it any worse. "Everything was under control until that laser beam–"

"I don't want to hear another word of it." Linda sank into a seat across the aisle from him, burying her face in her hands. Phineas buried his own face into his arms, not saying another word until his father's less-chipper-than-usual interjection:

"Why don't we put all of that behind us for now?" He said in a rush. "These things happen – it's going to be all right."

"I know, Lawrence." Linda sighed, reaching out and taking his hand. "I just wish these things… didn't happen." She looked over at Phineas, who was doing his best to keep more tears from falling. "I didn't mean to shout, Phineas."

"I know, Mom." The redhead did his best to smile, but failed and hid his face further. Linda watched him for a moment, then got up and came to sit beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"We're going to be okay, hon," she said softly, laying a hand on his cheek until he met her eyes. "Ferb's going to be fine, you'll see."

"If you say so Mom." Phineas wiped at his eyes, embarrassed, but glad she wasn't mad at him. Reaching up to hug her, he smiled when he felt his dad and Candace joining in; making it their first family-group hug in what felt like a very long time. Of course, it wasn't really a family-group hug with one of them missing… Phineas pushed the thought from his mind.

It was like his mother had said, he told himself, snuggling close to her; Ferb would be better and back where he belonged in no time… right?


"So nobody saw Phineas and Ferb this morning?" Isabella, all dressed up in her Fireside Girls uniform, was in disbelief. "Like at all?" She looked at each of her friends individually, but everyone just shrugged.

"I did not come over until later." Baljeet said sorrowfully. "If I had know this was–"

"I wuz waitin' for an invitation." Buford jumped in. "You know, for their next do-hickey or whatever it wuz they were building."

"That's another good point." Isabella glanced up to the roof of the Flynn-Fletcher's house, which they could see was littered with tools from Ferb's toolbox. "Does anyone know what they were going to do today?"

"Nope." Buford shook his head, and Baljeet shrugged his shoulders again, unwilling to speak after Buford's interruption. None of the Fireside Girls seemed to have any ideas either.

"Well okay then." Isabella frowned, trying to hide the worry in her eyes. "If none of us know what they were up to, then I guess none of us know what happened to Ferb?"

"…what about Ferb?" Baljeet spoke up, ignoring the look Buford gave him. "Did something bad happen?"

"Wait, you mean you guys don't…?" Isabella looked once more over the gathered group, taking in the blank stares only a moment before clearing her throat. "Uhh, why are you all here?"

"Well," Buford repeated, growing annoyed, "I came to see why I wuzn't invited to see their next do-hickey or whatever it wuz."

"I do not know why I came." Baljeet added, and Isabella nodded slowly.

"I see." She said after a moment. "Well then, I suppose none of you have heard the news…" She paused a moment for effect. "Ferb is in the hospital."

"What?" The reaction was instant, and Isabella had to jump back when Baljeet grabbed for her arm. "What happened? Is he okay? Where is–"

"Oh, don't worry," Isabella comforted him quickly, "Phineas is okay." Another pause. "Err, I mean; Stacey said Ferb will be fine – I think – but I don't actually know what happened. That's, uh, why I came here. I figured one of you would have some sort of idea."

"You thought wrong, sister." Buford said, crossing his arms and taking a seat in the middle of the backyard. "And now we don't got nothing to do today; that's just great!"

"How can you say such a thing when Ferb is – ooookay, I am being quiet now." Baljeet sat down beside Buford, flinching at the huge fist inches away from his face.

Isabella resisted the urge to yell at them, instead turning to her trusty Fireside Girls for help. "We need to figure out what happened to Ferb, and how we can help him – and Phineas – through this!" She glanced up at the roof, and the ladder precariously leaned up against it. "Let's split up and search the area! Let me know if you find any clues!"

Watching as her girls leapt into action, Isabella spared one last glance at the boys, then sighed and started up the ladder herself. Only when she had nearly reached the top did Baljeet take enough notice of his surroundings to ask:

"Hey, where is Perry?"


"Morning, Agent P." The familiar deepness of Major Monogram's voice echoed in the large room, and Agent P saluted smartly as he settled into his chair for his briefing. Much to his surprise, Monogram shook his head, and then said all rather quickly: "No time for that, Agent P – Dr. Doofenshmirtz is on the prowl." He paused only a moment, looking side to side suspiciously before continuing. "And by on the prowl, I mean destroying the city. He's made some sort of new super-weapon and has been going around shooting at things all morning. It's your job to put a stop to it, Agent P."

Nodding quickly, Agent P jumped up from his chair, saluting once more. Racing to his scooter, he pulled up short when Major Monogram cleared his throat suddenly.

"One more thing, Agent P." The major said nervously, causing the secret agent to come to a complete stop. Clearing his throat again, Major Monogram looked through the camera with a pained expression. "It would appear that Doofenshmirtz's new weapon has already claimed its first victim." Agent P raised an eyebrow, booking it back to the chair and leaning against it as he waited for further detail. Monogram took a deep breath. "It seems he either planned it, or just got lucky; one of the members of your foster family took the hit."

A small image popped up on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, and it took Agent P less than a second to recognize the face of his English owner. For a moment, he didn't respond. Then, all of a sudden his vision went red, and he charged towards his scooter faster than he had moved in his entire life, out of the base before Monogram could even say "Doof."

Speeding down the highway, Agent P ignored every traffic sign – his only goal reaching Doofenshmirtz before he could claim anyone else's life. He didn't know the details of what was going on; he hadn't been given a complicated back story or foolish thoughts of vengeance to base his plan on, but if there was one thing that Perry the platypus knew for sure, it was this:

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz was going to pay.