Author's Note: Presenting... Chapter three! It's time for Phineas to show this guy what he can do.


Friday had passed without much excitement, but on Saturday morning, Phineas and Ferb had awoken early to drive back to their parents' house. Tri-state Polytechnic started a week earlier than most colleges, so, sadly, none of their friends could make it, due to it being move-in weekend for all of their respective colleges. Phineas's and Ferb's parents, however, were happy to see them.

"Not even a week, and you boys had to come back and visit, right?" their father, Lawrence Fletcher teased.

After explaining that one of Phineas's professors was coming and was expecting chicken, Phineas and Ferb went out back and began implementing the day's project.

When the delivery man came, he asked, "Are you guys okay? We were shocked on Wednesday when we didn't get any orders for a Phineas or a Ferb. Thursday was just plain scary and Friday we considered planning a memorial for you two. What happened?"

"Oh," Phineas answered, "We just started college, but don't worry. As soon as we get used to the work load, we'll start inventing again. Until then, only weekend deliveries."

The delivery man seemed slightly disappointed, but relieved at the same time. Phineas signed for the supplies and the delivery man pulled away. Then, while Ferb started on the project from memory, Phineas looked over the blueprints he had drawn up. Then something occurred to him.

"Hey, Ferb. I don't think our backyard is quite big enough for this thing. Maybe we should build it under ground and have it come out in our backyard. What do you say?" Phineas looked up to see Ferb was already using a giant drill to dig the hole.

At noon, Phineas and Ferb drove the last bolt into the spacecraft itself. They went into the house to get a tall glass of water. In the kitchen, they saw that their mom had just finished making lunch, and it smelled delicious.

At 12:30, it occurred to Phineas that he hadn't see Professor Lynch since Wednesday, given he was only scheduled to have physics on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and he was slightly concerned that he had decided to stay home, believing that what Phineas had said was too absurd to be true.

Just as he was about to call Lexie, the doorbell rang. Phineas opened the door, happy to see that both Lexie and Professor Lynch had come.

"Sorry we're late, Phineas," Lexie said, "Our car wouldn't start."

"Oh," Phineas said, "If Ferb and I had known that, we'd have come and picked you up in our newly build spacecraft."

Professor Lynch snorted. "You are persistent, Mister Flynn. I'll give you that, but let's see this supposed spacecraft." He began walking through the house.

Phineas stopped him in the kitchen. "Wait! We need to eat first."

At the table, Linda and Lawrence wanted to hear about how Phineas was doing in school.

"Well," Professor Lynch began, "I refuse to speculate now. As you may know, I only had him in class on Wednesday, the first day of school. I'll be sure to tell you both how he is doin-"

He stopped abruptly as something furry rubbed against his leg. He jumped up and took a deep breath. "My apologies, but I do not like dogs."

It was Phineas's turn to laugh. "It's okay, that's not a dog. It's our pet platypus, Perry."

Professor Lynch immediately looked down at the small green monotreme with wonder. "We had these running around our orchard when I was little. I didn't know you could have one as a pet in the US."

"Well," Phineas explained, "We found him at the OWCA animal shelter in downtown Danville."

Professor Lynch was interested. "I must visit them sometime."

After lunch, Linda and Lawrence received an automated call from their antique store about a power failure, and they had to go reset the alarm and any electronic antiques in the store.

After they left, Phineas asked Professor Lynch if he would like dessert.

"Mister Flynn, please quit stalling. I would like to put this charade to rest right now. I will give you one last chance to admit you don't have a spacecraft."

Phineas replied, "It's okay, I am going through with this. And besides, I was going to offer you ice cream made by cows on the moon. Now come outside with me."

Phineas, Ferb, Professor Lynch, and Lexie all headed outside to an empty backyard.

Professor Lynch was not impressed. "I don't see any launching rails."

Phineas politely ignored the criticism as Ferb directed them toward an elevator in the middle of the yard. Phineas smiled as Professor Lynch gasped in surprise that the elevator actually began to decent into the ground. When the elevator stopped, it opened to a moving sidewalk that ran along a huge, mile long steel rail.

Professor Lynch stuttered, "It- it's real! You weren't kidding."

They took the moving sidewalk to the start of the rail, where a sleek, silver and green spacecraft sat, ready to fly. Several floodlights were focused on the gleaming vehicle.

"How?" was all that Professor Lynch could say.

Phineas, taking the question literally, replied, "Alternating electromagnets in the rails accelerate the spacecraft to escape velocity without any propulsion from the spacecraft itself, but don't worry about deadly g-forces: the rail is actually ten miles long, but it retracts into the ground. The first mile is horizontal, the next two miles are a gentle curve upward out of our backyard, and the rest is practically vertical up to propel our spacecraft out of the atmosphere. And-"

Professor Lynch stopped him. "No, I mean how can this exist? How did you build it in only a few days?"

"Actually," Phineas corrected, "We started building it this morning. But to answer your question: all it takes is a some engineering skill, a little imagination, and a lot of ambition. Would you like to ride in it?"

Tears were almost noticeable in Professor Lynch's eyes as he said, "Of course."

Inside the spacecraft, all four of them were automatically dressed in spacesuits by robotic arms. They then sat down in the cockpit and buckled up. Phineas and Ferb ran through a pre-flight checklist and then offered Professor Lynch the opportunity to drive.

He refused. "No, there is no way I could-"

Phineas stopped him. "We modeled the controls after the one's in the Apollo capsules, which we heard you do know how to drive. Plus it's mostly automated anyway."

Professor Lynch happily took the controls, which were in front of his seat the whole time. His hands shook with excitement as he started the launch sequence. The rail in front of them immediately began to extend to it's full length. After about five minutes, the spacecraft rocketed forward, covering the entire distance of the rail in a matter of seconds. After clearing the rail, its rockets fired up, propelling them all the way into space.

As the roar of the engines died down, Phineas, Ferb, and Lexie heard something that no one had heard for a long time: Professor Lynch laughing.

"Ha ha haaaaa! This. Is. AWESOME!," he yelled. Looking over at the young adults beside him, he quietly added, "What I meant to say was... Nope, that's what I meant. This is awesome Mister Flynn, thank you."

"Please," Phineas suggested, "Call me Phineas."

Professor Lynch smiled. "Call me Lee." Then he frowned and added, "But not in class."

Phineas took over the controls from his seat and told Lee to close his eyes. After several minutes, he told him to open his eyes, and what Lee saw took his breath away. The moon was taking up the entire view and getting bigger.

They landed on the moon near a barn and a large patch of grass. Phineas checked the oxygen levels and found that over the years, the grass that they had shot up there when they were kids had, in fact, made an atmosphere in that lunar crater, so they took off their spacesuits and had some moon-cow ice cream.

As they flew away from the moon, Lee commented, "That was delicious, and you have most definitely earned an A for the semester."

"Don't worry about it," Phineas said, "I didn't do this for my grade; I did it for you."

As they flew around the inner solar system at near-light speed, Lee started to hum. Jumping at the opportunity, Lexie started to hum along. Phineas pulled out a bongo from under his seat and started beating it softly. Ferb pulled out an electric guitar and began strumming lightly.

They repeated the same rhythm over and over again for a while until Lee suddenly replaced the humming with soft lyrics:

(Music starts soft, very melodious. Lexie and Phineas sing the parenthetical parts)

I used to be mad (mad)
About my shattered dreams

But I was wrong (wrong)
To take it to extremes

Oh, please forgive me (me)
For all the pain I've caused

There is a good man (man)
Behind this tough facade

(music builds. Lexie and Phineas sing harmony)

But now that I am here,
In this wondrous place,
How can I keep hate in my heart
When I've been to outer space?

(Music builds more, speeds up. Lee motions to Ferb, who begins to play a guitar riff filled with power chords and fast strumming. Lee sings melody with harmony from Lexie and Phineas)

We flew to moon to see some cows
Who made the best ice cream I've ever had.
We got there with a space shuttle
Made by two high school grads!

We swung... 'round the sun!
With unmatched swan-like grace.
I still cannot believe this fact:
That I've been to outer space!

Outer space, outer space
It's such an amazing place!
Who could say with a straight face,
That they've been to outer space?

We stopped on an asteroid,
The home of a milkshake bar.
They knew Phineas and Ferb,
The owners of it they are!

I now.. know the truth
That these kids are a special case,
And it's all thanks to them that I can say
That I've been to outer space!

Outer space, outer space
It's such an amazing place!
Can anybody say with a straight face,
That they've been to outer space?

Outer space, outer space
It's such an amazing place!
Who could say with a straight face?
Can anybody say with a straight face?
I certainly won't say with a straight face,
That I've been to outer space!

As Lee finished singing, Phineas announced that they would be landing in five minutes.

"Already?" Lee asked.

"Sadly," Phineas replied.

Lee sighed. "Well, in that case, thanks. For everything. You've made my childhood dream a reality, and taught me to laugh again."

Lexie butted in, "Yeah, thanks for reminding my dad how to be happy."

Phineas smiled. "You're both most welcome!"

"Oh, and Phineas?" Lee added.

"Yeah?"

"Welcome to College."


Author's Note: Just so you know, D. T. Guthary's review helped end this story. I was originally going to have Professor Lynch end up like Thaddeus and Thor, but I realized it wouldn't be within Phineas's character just to beat this man in a battle of ideologies. Phineas's way of thinking infects those around him, and that is what needed to happen to Professor Lynch.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Now feel free to review to your heart's content.

P.S. I realized after listening to the fast part of Lee's song in my head, it sounds a little bit like the final song in Doctor Seuss's, The Lorax, especially the chorus.