You people blow my mind. 50 reviews for a single chapter in one week?! Well I'm glad that people want me to stay :) And I will try to finish this story on my own. I'll make a good effort. I may need to stop and focus on things, but for now I'll keep writing.

Please tell me if I've neglected to respond to a review (or PM) and I will - sometimes I just lose track of them.

Chapter 10: Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated

The next morning, after prepping themselves for a trap with cell phones ready and a quick review on self defense, Ferb and the gang stood in an oddly shaped purple skyscraper in front of a large grey door labeled "Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated". They had driven there a few minutes before and were quickly directed to the top floor by the front desk staff.

The rest of the skyscraper and all of its residents seemed to be functioning as usual, which had initially given the group some ease of conscience. However, the dust coating the faded carpet and grimy, uncleaned windows suggested that nobody had been up here for months. Below the doorlabel were several signs that read things like "Do not disturb" and "Closed until further notice".

"Are you sure this is the right place, Brain Jane?" Buford asked, looking skeptical. She checked her phone's GPS and nodded, but her expression was unconvincing.

Ferb's heart had begun to thump in his chest. Was there a chance that Phineas and Isabella were hidden behind this door, only feet from them? Or would it just be a dead end? After a moment's hesitation, he lifted a shaking fist to the door, and knocked.

Nobody answered, but Ferb was half-expecting that. However, anxiety and the loss of his brother was getting to him, and determination for finding his brother and Isabella threw off his sense of judgment. Even though it was reckless and could have unforeseeable consequences, Ferb stepped back, got a running start, and rammed the door. It rattled but remained in place. Ferb was preparing for a second attempt when Buford flew forward instead and forced the door open with a bang.

It was decided that Ginger and Baljeet would keep guard at the entrance. It grew deadly silent as the rest of the teenagers slowly made their way into the dark, unfamiliar room, huddling together. The windows must have been boarded up, but the ex-Fireside girls were trained to have flashlights ready and pulled them out. The entry room was expansive and had high ceilings, and the few things in the otherwise desolate complex were covered by tarps and sheets. As they ventured further into what seemed like hostile territory, they could hear a faint whirring noise coming from somewhere.

It didn't seem right. They began searching hallways and extra rooms only to find bits and pieces of metal and other strange objects. Besides these, it looked as though a previously modest residence had been raided, leaving nothing but a chair or two behind. Adyson found a small metal plate with the words "Rude-inator" welded into the side, but that was the highlight of their discoveries.

Gretchen touched Ferb's hand as they walked down the long, final hallway, getting his attention. "Do you think maybe we made a mistake coming here?" she whispered. They had, after all, acted upon an entry circled in marker in a phone book. But Ferb wasn't going to let this possible opportunity go without searching every inch first. And after a turn around a corner, he didn't have to.

A large, metal dome with bright flashing lights stood in the center of the large room, looking like something out of a futuristic starship. The whole thing seemed to be vibrating and it was definitely the source of the constant whirring they had heard. The lights illuminated different parts of the room sporadically, making Ferb dizzy after looking for too long. While this machine was very bizarre, however, the thing that perturbed Ferb more were the weapons near it. Held up on and locked to the nearest wall were variety of large military-grade guns and other weapons, lined up and ready for use. These were most certainly illegal, but why were they even here? He was beginning to feel very unwelcome, even more so as a trespasser.

Ferb's friends must have noticed the danger as well, as Buford took a step in front of the girls as if to shield them. For reasons unknown, they were all beginning to feel very threatened in this eerie building suite.

And then it happened. A wave of overwhelming nausea slammed Ferb like a bull, and he immediately felt as though he would crumple from dizziness. A thump on his shoulder let him know that Gretchen actually had crumpled to the ground, and none of the others looked well anymore either. Buford was turning green and had only just caught Adyson, who had also nearly fallen down.

"We need to get out of here," Ferb got out as he tried helping Gretchen back up and began to feel a new, throbbing headache. Surely they had discovered a vital piece of information and would need to investigate later, but it felt as though danger was closing in on them from all sides. In a mutual agreement, everyone began stumbling towards the hallway to get away. But when they were nearly around the corner, the machine began to beep.

Despite their growing nausea, every head turned as every light on the machine lit up. Then, every light began to flash in sync with the beeping, and the whirring in the machine began to grow louder. Faster and faster the beeping went, brighter and brighter the lights were, and then with a final blinding flash, everything went dark.

The room was completely silent. Everyone seemed paralyzed with fear, as if expecting a landmine to go off from the slightest movement. And then they heard footsteps. Not from in the hallway, not from the floor below, but from in front of the machine. Adyson and Gretchen simultaneously got the nerve to shine their flashlights at the dark machine, and Ferb felt his heart freeze.

Standing in front of the machine and armed with lethal sniper rifles and pistols were four huge men staring back at them.

The strangers reacted a fraction of a second too late. Two of them made a jump forward, but Adyson's hand was already in the air, spewing out pepper spray in their direction. One of the men let out a yell of pain, but the teenagers were already scrambling around the corner to escape their pursuers.

Ferb felt as though he was about to throw up but fought to push Gretchen on, who could barely keep her balance. They were halfway down the long hallway with Adyson and Buford farther ahead, but could hear heavy footsteps pounding behind them. And then a succession of gunshots shattered the air around them, one coming so close that he could feel it. Ferb had to dive into an empty room and struggled to get back up, going dizzy. Gretchen was gasping beside him, whether from exhaustion, shock, or nausea he knew not.

"No!" a deep voice yelled angrily from behind them. "Fools!"

Ferb and Gretchen silently crawled away from the entrance, hiding in the darkness of the room. All noise he ceased, other than Gretchen's light huffs as she tried to quiet herself. Ferb put his hand over Gretchen's mouth, deathly still. He didn't dare breathe. And suddenly all his nausea was gone, as if he had never been sick. But Ferb didn't have time to wonder why.

It was certain; they had discovered a key piece of information to finding Phineas and Isabella. And it could likely cost them their lives. These men, wherever they came from, we're ready to kill to protect their secret. But why? And where were the others? Had Buford and Adyson made it out? Could Ballet or Ginger hear the commotion?

Gretchen had her phone out and was trying to dial 911. But her phone wouldn't respond, wouldn't even flash a no-battery alert. Grimacing, she put it away.

Heavy footsteps began pounding down the hallway. The enemies had reorganized and were coming to get them. Maybe they would pass right by their room, but Ferb was already formulating a plan. He found the "Rude-inator" scrap of metal and gripped it tightly, ready to defend himself and Gretchen. Gretchen too had her pepper spray ready, looking alert and even fierce.

The footsteps came closer and closer, and then stopped right outside their room.

"They couldn't have gotten far," one of them snarled, "Let's split and search."

Thirty seconds passed. Then the outline of a man's head appeared in the entryway, and he scanned the pitch black room. Ferb and Gretchen hid in the shadows, poised to attack.

The man turned away. "Flashlight, over here," he called quietly. Ferb nodded at Gretchen, and they advanced up to the door opening. There was a slight clinking of something being caught, and then the man stepped into their room again. He began fumbling with the flashlight to turn it on in the dark, and Ferb knew this was their chance.

Blinding, electric light flooded the room as the flashlight finally came on, and the first thing the man saw was Ferb's metal rectangle hitting him squarely in the jaw. Then Gretchen tripped him, and they were out of the room before he could yell to his friends.

The couple rounded the corner to a large room they had already passed through, which was empty. They ran through it and turned the corner to the last hallway, and there was the exit, the way out of this monster of a penthouse.

The two sprinted for the door, but then another man jumped from an empty door and tackled Gretchen to the floor. She shrieked as her can of pepper spray rolled away. Ferb whirled around and sent his piece of metal at the man like a frisbee. He deflected it with the barrel of his gun, but then Buford appeared behind them. Before the man had his rifle ready, Buford kicked it out of his grasp and pummeled into him. Ferb helped pull Gretchen away and then joined the fight, punching the man in the shoulder. He blocked a blow to his right but was knocked off-balance, but before he could rejoin, more pepper spray was shooting towards the man. Both he and Buford let out cries and staggered away from each other, just in time for Ferb to grab Buford's hand and guide him to the exit.

Adyson, Baljeet, and Ginger were in an open elevator, urging them on frantically. Everyone rushed into it and then Baljeet slammed the close button. Ferb saw the other three men apppear out of the condo just as the doors finally closed.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief as the elevator began to descend. Only Buford was still tense, rubbing his eyes and moaning.

"What happened?!" both Ginger and Baljeet exclaimed. They had been alerted only moments before by Adyson, who must have escaped earlier.

It was several seconds before anyone could answer. Everyone was still in shock.

"Ugh… We got attacked," Buford finally grunted amidst cleaning his eyes with his shirt. "We found this crazy light machine, and then four big guys appeared and tried to shoot us!"

"It *gasp* was abandoned," Gretchen puffed, "or so we thought. Hidden in the back *huff* was a big machine that might have us all sick *gasp* for a few minutes. But where did those people come from?"

"I don't know what you guys saw, but there was *huff* no way into that room besides our entrance," Adyson got out, still panting. "And there's no way anyone snuck past me while that dome thingy was flashing, even if I was about to hurl on Buford." Buford half-sniggered, but he was still in too much pain to retort.

"I think it somehow fried my phone, too" she continued. "I tried calling 911 *gasp* but my phone's completely dead."

"Then where did they come from? And what did the machine do?" Gretchen wondered.

Ferb said nothing, but the flashing lights and the tension seemed awfully ... familiar to him. Everything seemed distorted as they flashed, and then the men just appeared. It couldn't have been an ambush, he thought, or else the gunmen were really good at acting surprised.

"Did it make us sick in order to weaken us, so that those men could capture us more easily? But then why did we have an escape?" Gretchen continued to think out loud. But Ferb knew they weren't safe yet.

"We should reach the bottom floor before the men do," he said, "but we need to leave fast." He didn't care what other people thought of them running through the skyscraper.

The others agreed, getting ready to flee the elevator. Ferb could feel his heart begin to pump with anxiety, and he felt Gretchen's hand tighten around his own.

20th Floor … 10th Floor … Main Floor

As the elevator came to an abrupt stop, the metal doors slowly opened and Ferb and the others peered out into the lobby, looking for trouble. Only receptionists sitting at the front desk and a man texting on his phone were there.

Ferb led the way, Gretchen at his side, as the group sped walked out of the building and into the bright midday sun. Only a few pedestrians were strolling down the streets, with no sign of any intimidating men. Ferb could see the gang's parked only a block and a half away, just as they had left them.

"Walk in pairs or alone. Don't look suspicious; it was dark so they couldn't have gotten a good look at us. We don't know if there are more of them," Ferb instructed in a low voice. The men were likely still coming down the skyscraper, but he didn't want to take any chances. He had a very eerie feeling, as if they were being watched.

Buford walked away first, reading a magazine he had picked up in the skyscraper and trying not to rub his eyes, while Adyson trailed behind him inconspicuously. Ferb and Gretchen went next.

"We're a couple," she whispered in his ear, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. They tried to walk lazily, swaying their free arms and pretending to flirt with one another. Gretchen laid her forehead on Ferb's shoulder, but she was just as alert for any signs of trouble. They were too tense, too stiff to go completely unnoticed.

They were had crossed the first block and were passing an alley, nearly to their car, when Ferb felt Gretchen poke him hard in the ribs. He glanced ever-so-slightly in her direction and saw a tall man on the other side of the street, watching them. They sped up.

He's just another shopper, Ferb repeated in his mind, no need to worry. But he could feel his heartbeat speeding up even more.

They were only ten feet away. Buford was unlocking the car, and then Adyson opened up a back door for them. With a sigh of relief, Ferb got into the car after Gretchen, eager for his friends to come.

But when he looked out the car window, Baljeet and Ginger were nowhere to be seen. The street was deserted.

"W-Where'd they go?" Adyson asked nervously, scanning the street as well. "We were only walking for a minute."

"That man's gone," Gretchen whispered to Ferb, sending an icy jolt down him.

And then two of the men burst out of the distant purple skyscraper's doors, and everyone ducked. But when Ferb stole a glance up, the men were running in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, Ferb could feel himself opening the car door, getting out into the open. "What are you doing?" Gretchen asked, panicking. "You'll be seen!"

"Baljeet and Ginger are in trouble," Ferb replied shortly, "I can feel it." Without another word he began to sneak back.

A muffled slam of a car door told him that Buford had joined him. They continued walking towards the skyscraper, but when Ferb glanced down the alley, his heart froze.

Ginger and Baljeet were huddled against a wall, trembling. The big man was in front of them, pointing a pistol directly at them and speaking into a radio. His blocky head was hidden by a face mask, but he was very tall and well-built. He hadn't noticed Ferb nor Buford.

"Yes, I'm West of the converger. No sign of those kids. Scan North and East for them, I'll keep looking over here." *Static* "They couldn't have gotten far."

Ferb and Buford were already halfway into the alley, crouching behind a dumpster.

Someone spoke through the radio. "No," the man replied in a deep voice, "I told you, they were just a few stupid teenagers. I could actually see them."

More noises came through the radio. The groaned, then looked up at Ginger and Baljeet. He took a step closer to them, cocked back the pistol—

—And threw it to the side. This was their chance.

Ferb and Buford jumped from their hiding place and slammed into the man, knocking him to the ground. Ferb held him down while Buford aimed a punch at his head, but the man threw them off.

"Wai—" but the man was cut off as Buford pummeled him again. Ginger was fumbling with her pepper spray and Baljeet was cautiously approaching the discarded gun, when the man shouted "I'm on your side!"

Ferb ripped away the man's radio as Buford held down his arms. But the man had stopped resisting, and let them detain him.

"I'm here to help you," he repeated, but Ferb knew it was a trick. His mind was racing, he couldn't think straight. But then the man said one more thing:

"I know about Phineas."

Sorry, I'll have to leave you hanging with that cliffhanger for a little while. And by the way, these chapters are happening in chronological order, with a little bit of wiggle room ;)

...But how did the man get down before Ferb did? Were there more than four of them? Why was the machine there? Why am I questioning you when I know all the answers?

...

~Word of the Week~

Skeptical • skep + tik + ol (like old) • Adjective

- showing doubt; not easily convinced.

This word is more common, but I didn't know what it meant for a long time so I'll go over it. A skeptic is a person who doubts or doesn't agree with things that most other people do. For example, nonmembers of Christianity are often skeptical about beliefs such as heaven; thus they don't really believe the beliefs or think that there are problems with them. From the story: "Are you sure this is the right place, Brain Jane?" Buford asked, looking skeptical." Buford didn't think that they had gone to the right door because of the dirty conditions on the outside. He was doubtful that they were in the right place, or in other words, skeptical.

...

Guest Review Responses:

Due to the ridiculous number of guest reviews, I've posted my own review to this story which answers every single guest. This is to decrease the word count which is already way too high :) I'm glad all you non-members still care about supporting me :D