Don't have much much to say here. But why must I even mention that I don't own Phineas and Ferb?
Chapter 2. It's Been a Long, Long Time Since I've Seen the Light of Day
When I finally regain my senses, the first thing I notice is the smell. It's the worst thing I've ever smelled in my life. Opening my eyes, I see the source of the smell, and it makes me puke. I suppose in hindsight, I should have seen this coming.
The Anarchist did not even take the time to bury my friends properly. He just dumped them unceremoniously into a pit. Now I am in the same pit with all of them. And Ferb is on top of me, dead. A sign that my improved potion didn't work, as I had designed it.
It's the sight of all these lifeless corpses that makes me vomit. Even worse because I recognize them all. They may have been torn to shreds, shattered to pieces, and eaten alive. They may have had their flesh and bones rotting and decaying to the point where they are utterly unrecognizable, but I know who they are.
The one broken into more pieces than he has bones is Buford. The one with the least flesh on him is Baljeet. Isabella's the one with burn marks covering her body, and Candace is the one that looks like roadkill.
I climb out of the pit, and examine my surroundings. I am outside. It is dark out, and the moon is high in the sky. It is nighttime.
I know I should start running now, but I don't. Acting on a sudden impulse, I decide to do one thing first. With my bare hands, I dig five different holes in the ground. Tedious work, I know, but it has to be done. It takes a long time—too long, if you ask me—to finish digging. The work won't even be that rewarding... but what can I say? When I finish, I take the dead bodies of my friends out of the pit, and bury them in the holes. The holes may not be six feet deep, they may not have a coffin to rest eternally in, and they may not have a family to cry as I lower them into the hole, but without a doubt, it is the least they deserve. They all died a hero. At the very least, let their grave show that, if only in some small way.
By the time I'm done, I can see the sun rising over the horizon. It really is time I start moving. It won't be long before the Anarchist realizes I wasn't dead. As silently as I can, I start running. I run away from the building that has been my prison for five years, and hopefully, towards a new and better life.
Once I feel like I'm far enough away, I duck into an alleyway, and think about what to do.
First, I need to figure out where I am. That's easy, because I see a copy of the Tri-State Times that somebody has thrown away. So I am somewhere in the Tri-State Area. Obviously, I can't go home to my mother. The Anarchist will undoubtedly get there first, and as soon as I come anywhere even close to her I will be caught. So that option is out.
The same would go for anyone my mother knows. Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Van Stomm, my dad, my cousins in England, my grandparents, and the list goes on. If my mother knows the family, they are being watched. What I need to do is find somebody I know, but my mother has absolutely no relation to. Not Irving, nor his brother Albert. None of the Fireside Girls. Not Django...
I reach into my pocket, and pull out my memory chip. But I don't even need to use it, because it reminds me of an experience I had that no one knows about. At first, the idea seems like suicide, but the more I think about it, the more I believe that it's my only choice. After a long and silent debate, I decide to go forward with it.
I need to find a Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
Once again, it takes a long time for me to accomplish my task, this time by finding the unique purple building with the Doofenshmirtz Evil Incoporated sign painted on it. But I do find it eventually. Hopefully, before the Anarchist as well. Looking up at the balcony of the penthouse, I see a shadow leap off the edge, activate a hang glider, and sail through the sky. I know who it is, even though I'm not supposed to.
I enter the building, walk up to the thirty-eighth and final floor, and finally knock on the door.
"Oh, come on!" a voice cries from inside the room. "Can't you see I'm groveling?"
I remain silent, but I hear footsteps growing louder, and eventually the door is opened by the very man I need to see.
"Who are you?" he asks.
"If you knew, you could be killed," I tell him. "Let's just say I'm a good friend of Perry's."
"Perry the Platypus?" Dr. D asks.
I nod. "That one."
"What are you doing here?"
"I need your help."
"Really?" the evil scientist asks, not quite believing what I say.
"Yes. I need you to rebuild that portal to the other dimension."
"Huh?"
"Can you build a portal to the second dimension?" This time, I ask him slowly, so I know he knows what I'm saying.
"Oh!" he says, understanding. "You mean like an Other-Dimension-Inator! Or something. Yeah, I can do that!"
"Thanks," I say, as Dr. D pushes the button on the elevator. He steps in the lift, and heads down to the basement, presumably to get building materials.
While I wait for him to get the parts he needs from the basement, I find a pad of paper and a pen. I tear off a piece of paper (official DEI stationery) and write a short message on it.
I'm alive. Find me.
I sign my name on it, and fold it so nobody can see the message.
Finally, Doofenshmirtz returns in the elevator, and he already has the contraption built.
"Wouldn't you believe it? There just happened to be an Other-Dimension-Inator lying in my basement!" he tells me.
"That's awesome," I reply, going over to the Other-Dimension-Inator and turning it on. But before I head off to the second dimension, I need to take care of two issues.
"Oh, and Dr. D?" I call.
"Yeah?"
"You can't tell anyone that I was ever here to use your Other-Dimension-Inator."
"Why?"
"If you do, you could be killed." I say. Who knows how far the Anarchist will go to recapture me? The odds are that he's already sent a search party out by now.
"Oh!" I add, handing him the letter I wrote. "And next time you see Perry, give him this, will you?"
"Why? What is it?" he asks. "Wait. Let me guess. If I knew, I could be killed,"
I look at him solemnly. Without another word, I step into the portal, and the next dimension. The portal closes behind me.
Looking around, I determine that I am in the penthouse of the very same building I left the first dimension in. But that makes sense. What surprises me is the figure I see on the balcony, looking out into the city.
Once I recognize her, though, my surprise turns to joy. Unbridled joy.
"Isabella!" I cry, running over to her.
She jumps, herself surprised by my sudden entrance.
I grab her in an enormous hug, and swing her around me. "I could absolutely kiss you right now!" I tell her.
Isabella blushes a deep red. "I don't mind," she says.
I smile. "I know," I reply. Then I kiss her on the cheek. She blushes an even deeper red.
"It's so good to see you!" I scream, still not letting go of her.
"Phineas!" she yells, chuckling. "We only just talked an hour ago!"
It's then that I realize what she thinks. "No, no, no," I correct her, "I'm not your Phineas."
Isabella freezes on the spot. "What?"
"I'm the Phineas from the first dimension," I explain.
Her face relaxes. At least I'm still a Phineas. "Oh."
"What are you doing here?" I ask. "This isn't the sort of place I'd expect to find you."
"I've been coming up here often ever since we stopped Doofenshmirtz," she replies. "The view helps me relax." When I remain silent, she asks the question that is foremost in her mind.
"So how do I get my Phineas to fall in love with me?"
"What?" I ask.
"Well, it's obvious you love your Isabella, so how did she do it?"
I sigh, and my brief happiness returns to the eternal glumness I've grown used to. "It's... it's not what you think."
"Oh, come on," says Isabella, persistent. "I've known my Phineas for only five years. But you've known your Isabella for at least twelve. How did she do it?"
"Nine years," I correct her statement. "I've only known Isabella for nine years."
"Oh," she says. "I'm sorry. I thought you two met when you were four, just after I moved in right across the street from you."
"No, you're right," I tell her, downcast. "We met when we were four. It's just... it's a long story. Not a happy one, either."
"We've got a lot of time," she says. "No one will disturb us up here."
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"Definitely. This penthouse has been abandoned for years."
"No. Are you sure you want to hear my story?"
She looks at me, and for the first time, the emptiness in my eyes seems to register in hers.
"You can trust me," she says. "I'm listening."
"I know," I reiterate. "But I'm not sure you want to."
Isabella grabs my shoulders, turns me to face her, and looks me in the eyes.
"Phineas," she says. "I know something's bothering you. And I know that whatever happened since we last saw each other isn't good. In fact, I know it's probably very, very bad. But I also want you to know that I'm always here for you. Okay?"
I nod.
"Now, tell me what happened."
I sigh, and lean over the edge of the balcony. Isabella was right: the view of the city really is beautiful from up here, especially during the sunset. I take another deep breath, and begin my story.
I guess you could call that a cliffhanger right there, even though you're not really wondering what will happen next. It's not like I left a character in grave danger, and nobody's life hangs in the balance. But it does tick the final box, which is leaving unanswered a big and relevant question. Of course, that question is: what is Phineas's story?
Oh, you're actually asking? Well, how can I tell if you don't leave a review?