A Ray of Light

Platyborg blinked around the alleyway he'd found Phineas in just last night. When they'd left, the place had been littered with robots that had been turned into scrap metal.

Every last bolt had been removed.

AJ shook her head, knowing better than to ask her partner if he was sure this was the right place. "Well, one thing's for sure; whoever did this, didn't want us to trace this back to him."

Confused, Platyborg took the piece of metal they'd found back at the old gym, and held it up. It was the only evidence they'd found of a robot there. A twisted control panel cover, that seemed to be the second half of a word. '-Izer'

The agents exchanged a glance at that, both trying to pull an old memory to surface, but neither of them were very successful in the attempt.

All of a sudden, AJ stiffened, and started to look over her shoulder, but Platyborg shook his head. He'd been sensing people following them from time to time for days now. They didn't seem to ever do anything, and Platyborg didn't want to let them know he knew they were there. If it came down to a fight, he preferred to have them following him then his boys.

She gave one firm nod, to let him know that she trusted him, and got out of the car to examine the area more closely.

Platyborg followed, glancing casually in the rearview mirror as he did, but whoever was following them was good. So good, that not even his scanners were picking them up.

He glanced around, replaying what had happened before in his mind. If I hadn't made it here in time…

He shook off that thought, as well as the sick feeling it gave him. Just thinking of Phineas trying to fight off all those robots armed with only a…

Wait… he lost his knife in the fight. Platyborg remembered thinking at the time that he had to get his boy out of there, and dismissing the knife from his mind. Now the image of it laying there was clear again, and he wasn't distracted by more important things.

The knife wasn't where he remembered it, and a thorough search of the area revealed that it was gone. Whoever cleaned up the robots, probably has Phineas's knife too.

Though the mental note might be helpful later, there really wasn't much he could do about it now. He caught AJ's attention, and jerked his head towards the car. She nodded, they got in, and headed for Doofenshmirtz's.

….

Flynn-Fleatcher's House

"I just don't know if I can stand having that, that… that thing in the house with my children!"

Phineas froze with his hand on the kitchen door, the thought of getting a glass of water all but vanishing. He waited for his mother to continue, but it was his father that spoke next.

"Now, now, Dear, Candace wouldn't be sticking up for him if it wasn't alright."

"Laurence, I know he saved the boys… but, who knows what else he's capable of? What if he hurts them? Even by accident?"

"Well this is Perry we're talking about. You know he'd never hurt the boys on purpose."

"I did know. Or at least thought I knew."

A door opened, and they must have gone outside, because their voices faded.

Phineas bit his lip. If only his mother could spend more time at home; then she'd see that Platyborg wasn't a monster. He shook his head, and went back to the couch were his brother lay. "Well, Ferb, I know what we would have done today."

But there was really no sense in trying to find a way to help their mother accept Platyborg by himself. He just came up with the ideas. It was Ferb who made them work.

His lip quivered. "Please wake up."

"Well, alright."

Phineas gave an excited yelp as he leapt to his feet. "Ferb!"

His brother clutched his head in pain.

Phineas lowered his voice. "Dude, how long have you been listening?"

Ferb blinked. "I just woke up. What happened?"

Phineas sighed. "It's kind of a long story…"

…...

Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated

Platyborg tried to stop a yawn, as AJ let out a groan as she slumped into a chair. Doofenshmirtz was nowhere's near as clueless as his 1st dimension counterpart, but he clearly had nothing to do with anything that had happened outside of his building so far.

Now that the nostalgia of playing with Choo-Choo had worn off, the evil x-dictator was starting to look more like his normal self.

Or maybe it was just the glint of satisfaction in his eye when he looked at Platyborg. After all that had happened, this man still had the power to make the platypus feel sick.

AJ tried once more. "So that contraption with the tarp over it in the corner is perfectly innocent?"

"I didn't say that."

Platyborg sighed, marched over to it, and whisked the tarp off while Doofenshmirtz continued. "Actually, I was wondering when you were going to mention that. After all, it's not like you can expect me to just sit up here playing forever. That's a… well, it's a start. I haven't actually added on any evil attachments yet.

"Every time I tried, I kept realizing that I was using a design intended for a certain ungrateful semi- cybernetic egg laying mammal."

He turned his glare towards Platyborg. "That kind of threw a damper in things. You happen to be the most complex thing I ever built, Platyborg, and I hope you appreciate it."

AJ's fists clenched, but they still needed information out of him. "Alright, look; if you're not behind this, then who is? Can you think of any of your evil little friends who could pull this off?"

Doofenshmirtz yawned. "The only evil little friend I ever had was Platyborg, and somehow I doubt he was behind this. It would be great if he was though."

Platyborg rolled his eye. Sorry. Not gonna happen.

Doofenshmirtz shrugged. "Other than that? Can't help ya."

AJ crossed her arms. "Can't? Or won't?"

"Well I wouldn't if I could normally, but if I can't rule the tri-state-area, I really don't want some other evil dictator ruling things. I kind of prefer my current condition to being eliminated."

AJ glanced at Platyborg, who just shrugged. He's got a point.

"Well, just keep trying to remember some enemies then. Someone that you might of tried to get rid of because they were to much of a threat. And dismantle that thing while you're thinking."

He sighed. "Fine."

"I mean it, Doofenshmirtz. We'll be back to check on you sometime today, and it'd better be in pieces by then."

He took a step back, holding his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright! Fine."

Platyborg noticed something in his face as he said it, but for once, he wasn't sure how to read it. One thing was for sure, Doofenshmirtz was going to have to be watched a lot more closely from this point on. He probably wouldn't try to build another make-yourself-eviler-inator or anything, but even without that, he was still a threat.

He made sure the evil scientist caught the 'I'm watching you' look, before he motioned for AJ to follow him out.

"If you remember anything before we come back, you know the agency's number."

Doofenshmirtx muttered a semi-positive response, and watched him leave.

Platyborg alone suspected that he wasn't the only person watching them leave. Somewhere, on the roof of some surrounding building, there was a sniper, watching them through his scope.

To be continued….

A/N:

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And as always, thanks for reading!