Chao- Thought it would be a good idea to have this story take place during spring break. It's not summer and there was something already about winter. Also, it's nice not having to place any details about school.

"Talking."

"Thinking."

Chapter 2: Realization

The police arrived to the Flynn-Fletcher house after their investigation as soon as possible. All that was found at the scene of the crime was Phineas's locked up bike, his helmet, and a carton of spilt milk. No other pedestrians had seen the attack. The only proof uncovered laid in the store's cameras. However, because it was late and the man was quick, details of who took the innocent teen was blurry.

Lawrence was comforting his wife, who was sobbing quietly. When they came home, they were surprised all but Phineas were there. As time went on and they observed the adolescent was not picking up his phone, they grew worried. They were asked several questions by the policemen about the hours before and gave any information they could about their child. The two siblings waited in the kitchen. They tried their best to provide any useful clues.

Candace sighed with vexation. She couldn't believe her brother was gone. It was only a few hours ago she had talked with him. Remorse edged her heart when she recalled it was more of a heavy disagreement. She grew worried and discouraged as dark assumptions twisted her mind. She quickly shook her head. Her brother was smart. He would find a way out of his situation and be back home before they knew it. Even with hope forming, Candace couldn't help but worry.

She crossed her arms as she wondered out loud bitterly, "Why was Phineas out last night, anyways?"

Her stepbrother held up a milk carton. He flipped it over to reveal how empty it was. He had done the same for his parents. When he noticed his brother had left, the platypus had walked over to the container. Candace glanced out the window as she understood the message. She became calm as she prayed in her crestfallen heart her brother would be all right.

Earlier she had freaked out about the news, but did her best to keep a mature composure so she would not step in the way of the analysis. As she aged, she finally comprehended screaming would not assist her in anyway. She also figured it would be best to not freak out as her mother had already filled that position.

Ferb took a seat and stared at the empty cartridge. He wished he had known about his brother leaving. He would have driven them both to the store. He then figured another reason why the boy with red hair had left; he wanted to use his own body for an exciting ride. That did not changed Ferb's mind; he would have at least gone along with his sibling on their bikes if he had known Phineas had wanted to leave. Despite his calm complexion, the one with green hair was also distraught. He was aware criminals like to cause the least amount of distraction possible, and because Phineas was alone late at night, he was an easy target.

Perry had been watching what was occurring around him. He was shocked to see policemen over but remained in his pet mode. He was glum about the news he heard. He wished he had forced himself to go with his owner. Perhaps he could have done something, even if it meant blowing his cover.

When the investigation was done, everyone tried to return to their normal routine.

Xxx

The sound of a phone ringing placed on a cumbersome nightstand went off at different intervals. The music playing was constructed from one of the songs the two brothers and their friends wrote over the course of one of their greatest summers from when they were kids. After several attempts to be reached, the cheerful tune stopped in the middle of playing. The battery was dead.

Phineas mentally woke up. He tried to move his hands, but found he could not. They appeared to be tied together by a tightly knit rough rope behind his back. He felt his body in a sitting position on some sort of hard chair. He slowly opened his eyes. When his vision cleared, he glanced around and saw he was in some sort of house. The lights were dimmed and broken glass laid everywhere.

The teen closed his tired pupils as he tried to recall how he ended up in a place that was not his own home. He had an unintentional argument with his sister, who yelled at him furiously. His chest tighten at the thought. He shook his head as he continued to try and retain the other events. He had left his home on his bike. He was only at the store buying milk and was about to depart when someone had grabbed him. Phineas assumed the man had utilized some sort of chemical on the cloth that forced him into the deep slumber.

Startled, he looked around like a prairie dog when he heard footsteps coming his way. In his view, Phineas saw a tall man with shaggy dark blonde hair and cold brown eyes appeared. He wore a white shirt that revealed his strong hairy arms accompanied by a pair of dark blue jeans. He had little amounts of peach fuzz all over his face. He held in his hands a type of small sword. He seemed to take pride in his weapon as he wiped it down carefully.

"Ah, I see you're awake." he smirked.

"Who are you?" the teen asked.

"You don't need to know my name."

"Then why am I here?"

"Money."

"What?"

"I need money and you seem as though you come from a family that cares about you. A nice ransomed is in order. They'll have to pay if they want to see you again."

"Money? Don't you have a job?"

"That's not the point."

"Well, maybe if you clean this place up, there might be something here you can sell."

"Do you ever shut up…"

"No, really, there are some nice things here. Or maybe you can take some of this stuff around and make something. I'm sure people will pay for that."

"Enough! Besides, how can you be talking to me so calmly?"

"Well, what else am I suppose to do?"

"Sit quietly and in fear until someone comes to get you."

"Fear isn't really my style."

"You sure are a strange kid."

The man was taken back by this but tried to hide it. People usually scream whenever they were in a situation they had no control over. The adolescent, however, appeared to be calm. He seemed to be a little surprised at the event, but didn't wasn't too bothered by it.

The man knelt closer and inquired, "I have this weapon in my hand and you seem to be fine."

"Well, unlike most people, I'm use to having a rush of adrenaline run through my body." Phineas replied honestly.

"And why is that?"

"I build fantastic projects with my brother and friends. We would go into space, underwater, explore through Earth- There's just too much to do than sit indoors all day."

"Somehow you're able to keep up a conversation quite easily. Aren't you worried about your folks?"

"Yes, but I know something good will happen. Even to you."

"What about your siblings? Do you get along with them?"

The teen was about to answer easily when he thought back to his little dispute with his older sibling. He answered truthfully, "Well… Yes… for the most part…"

The man noticed the sudden change in tone, "You seem troubled by something."

"It's nothing, really," Phineas replied with a shaky grin, "I'm sure my sister will be able to calm down and start talking to me again!" His cheerful smiled return as he added, "And then once tomorrow comes, my friends and I will start to begin our projects."

"What makes you think there will be a tomorrow for you?" the stranger asked, knowing he'd have to keep the boy locked up for a bit.

"There's always a tomorrow." the teen responded with light in his eyes.

"Look, kid," the man sighed, "That may sound nice, but it ain't that easy."

"Well, I know that. I wanted to give up sometimes, but my friends kept me moving forward."

"And what makes you think you'll actually get a chance to see your friends?"

"We all promised to hang out tomorrow and start our work. Once they see I'm not there, they'll find out what happened to me and start looking for me."

"You're just a bunch of stupid kids! What exactly can they do the police won't?"

"Build a working DNA contraption with a locator."

"Ok, let's say that does work, they can search all they want. But, they may have wished they never began to the search when they find a corpse."

"Why would they find a corpse if they're looking for-" Phineas cut himself off. The man had his back turn.

"Wait!" the teen protested, "You just said you wanted money! Why would you want to kill me!"

"Easy kid, you saw my face," the kidnaper replied smoothly.

"But that won't be necessary! All you have to do is put on a mask!"

"Too late for that."

"Really, there's still time! When the police come, they don't have see you!"

"Even if I do get caught, they'll still arrest me."

"But you don't have to give up! You don't have to dirty your hands. I'm sure if you work hard enough, things will turn around. They have for me!"

"Look, kid, I'm done with games. I thought I took a teen when really I only got me a child."

"But, I'm not a child; I'm just someone who likes to be himself and not an empty shell around others."

The man had enough. He no longer had interest in arguing with his victim anymore. He swung around quickly and held a sharp kodachi (small sword) to the boy's throat.

He then warned coldly, "Damn it, kid! Your overly childish view is really starting to. Piss. Me. Off."

Phineas's eyes grew wider. His heart pounded rapidly against his chest. Even though he was terrified about having a weapon held up to him so close, his mind was else where. A tiny voice from just a few hours ago boomed into his mind.

"Damn it, Phineas! Your overly, childish view is pissing me off!"

Water began to conceive underneath his sapphire eyes. He closed them and allowed a few tears to shed freely. He was aware he needed to allow his sister to calm down, but he had little idea about how much of a nuisance he was, and maybe not just only to his sister.

His body trembled as he whispered, "I'm sorry… Candace…"

The man noticed with awe how a simple line changed the bright boy to someone who cried with pure angst. The line the young adult muttered echoed into the man's mind. He smiled mischievously. He lowered his weapon as he asked with great interest, "Who is Candace?"

"My sister," Phineas replied quietly, still crying.

"And what exactly are you sorry for? After all the crap you said, you don't appear to be the type to make someone cry."

"Because… I'm the one… who made her so upset…"

"Only to her?"

The question crashed into Phineas like a harsh wave against a cliff. He always had a smile on his face and tried to look for the bright side to everything. He recalled how some of his companions would complain about the characters from books or TV dramas and how annoying those character types are. He wondered if his personality had been annoying to his friends. Over time, everyone began to change, whether it was developing different interests or seeing the world in a new view after enduring various experiences. Even with growing up in a mix family and going through changes, Phineas on the other hand, remained the same.

He pondered why no one had said anything to him. Perhaps they had and he didn't catch it. He concluded the possibility they were all just being nice. He noticed how quickly the man who had captured him went from a calm plan to someone filled with rage. Phineas soon became mad. Mad at himself for being so foolish. But he was soon slipped into anguish when he thought about his family, particularly his older sibling, who he admired.

He glanced out the window and noticed the lighting from the moon. He had only wanted to go out for a joyous ride and allow his siblings to be with themselves. And now, he was here in a stranger's home because he had been foolish to go out by himself. He figured since he had yet to answer his cell his family had already began some sort of search. He was trapped on a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He couldn't do anything to rescue himself. When he was a kid, he had others to assist him. Now he was alone.

Phineas closed his eyes and sobbed in despair, "I'm just a… a burden to her… and everyone else…"

Xxx

Ferb quietly raced to his room. He knew with all the red and blue lights flashing off in front of his place, his neighborhood friends were bound to have questions and concerns. When he came into his room, he accidentally slammed the door on the platypus, who had followed him. With an apologetic appearance, He allowed the pet to finish his entrance.

Ferb was pretty steamed about the situation. His brother was taken-no- stolen from him. He knew how long cases went and how many of them turned cold. He couldn't allow his sibling and best friend to be missing for years. He wouldn't let that happened.

He sat at his desk and began drawing new sketches of anything that might be of assistance. He figured as long as he had some sort of trace of DNA, such as hair from a brush, he would be able to locate his brother easily. Just then, his phone went off.

He was about to speak into it when a feminine shriek answered first, "Ferb! I saw policemen in front of your house! I tried calling Phineas but he isn't picking up!"

"Isabella I-"

"Ferb! What happened to Phineas! Was he kidnapped!"

"Actually-"

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to do all I can to help!"

"Ok-"

"Have you already called Baljeet! Does anyone else know!"

"Well-"

"Don't worry! I'll take care of that since you're probably busy coming up with some sort of plan! We're all coming to help! Oooh, I sure hope he's ok…"

Ferb paused for a moment before saying, "…As do I."

He hung up his phone and looked outside his window. The moon shone out with many playful stars glimmering down. He wondered if this was the same sight his brother had seen and craved earlier. He was curious if his brother was looking at the same view he was.

He then glanced towards to the floor.

He tighten his grip on his communication device.

He prayed nothing would happen to his brother and friend in the middle of the night.

To be continued…

Chao- Sorry if this appears a little too quick. Suspense is a challenge to write in this category. Also, Chao would like to get this done before the premier of Phineas's Birthday Clip-O-Rama. Please review!