Author's Notes: For this one, I decided to change the boys' reason for remembering stuff. It didn't make a whole lot of sense before.
Now, I think this new reason may have been used somewhere else, but as I don't remember where, I'll just put a disclaimer here; the idea's not mine.
/edit
First off, I just want to state that this chapter has a lot of similarities to the movie- but there's a reason behind that. ;) So there's spoilers, in case you haven't watched it yet. This is now stated in the description. (Well, sort of. I guess it's a bit cryptic- if you don't know what ATSD means, you're likely to run into a few issues. XD)
Oh, and credit goes to my sister for coming up with the dialogue for the befuddlement beam scene. My other sister and I once dared her to say the craziest, most senseless thing she could come up with, which just so happened to be; "Hello, potatoes! Don't dance, or you'll die!"
And so this scene was born. -3-
So, now that we've got that over with, enjoy the chapter! :)
It was with an uneasy feeling that Perry awoke that night, fur prickling and heart pounding fit to burst in his ears. For a few moments, he was absolutely still, locked in a cold sweat brought on by a dream too sweet to be real. Perhaps none of it had really happened, after all, and he was still resting in Norm's passenger seat while the robot drove on and on. That night, doubt swirled in his mind and made anything possible.
With his eyes still closed, he could not see where he was, but he could hear crickets chirping, and the sound of someone breathing softly. A hand reached down and stroked his side, bringing with it a tingling wave that soothed him. Instantly, his fears were quelled; for he found it quite evident whose hand it was.
Opening an eye drowsily, he saw the comfortably-padded sleeping bag that he was sleeping on, which was lying on the floor of the dark tent that stretched over his head. Moonlight poured in through a nearby window, illuminating the covers of the sleeping bag in a soft ice blue. Perry smiled and looked over his shoulder, where the occupant of the bed slumbered softly. Smiling in his sleep, Phineas' youthful face was illuminated by the moonlight that reflected off of Perry's thick teal fur, and his hand continued to stroke the platypus' side drowsily. For a moment, Perry watched him breathe in and out, his chest rising and falling peacefully, and then he turned to get up. By then, he deemed the time right to switch to Ferb's bed, which was just a few feet to his right beside Phineas'.
Standing up with a small chirp to announce his exit, Perry stepped out of the sleeping bag and crossed the floor to Ferb's, then jumped in lightly to land next to the slumbering green-haired boy. He laid down in a heap beside his taciturn owner, and instantly, Ferb's arm was around him, holding him close. A peaceful smile spread over the boy's lips, mirrored by Perry as he closed his eyes. It was one of the few times over the past few days when he had felt truly at peace, and he felt he had to savor it.
As he began to drift back into sleep, Perry could not help but let his mind wander back to the events of that day, which, to put things lightly, had been an eventful one. It seemed to have been ages since he and Doofenshmirtz had arrived at the Flynn-Fletcher house, and his departure from Vanessa's was a distant memory. But his first day in the Rebellion camp was vividly engraved in his memory, and as he settled down under Ferb's protecting arm, he allowed the events to replay behind his closed lids. It did not take long to recall his favorite memory of the day by far…
Soon after their reunion embrace had ended, Perry was offered a seat in the boys' tent, in front of the two teenagers in question. The three of them were all a little teary, but they were also growing tired of squeezing the air out of each other, so the only thing left to do was talk. And Ferb was right; they did have a lot of that to do.
Phineas was the first to find his voice- slightly choked, but still usable- and he began to speak. "Oh, Perry," he started blissfully, as if he loved being able to say the name again. "Ferb and I were so worried about you…you don't know how happy we are just to see you alive."
Perry nodded numbly- he knew the feeling. At that moment, he would have loved to tell the boys how much he had missed them as well, but he found himself incapable of speech once more; whether it was because he didn't want to speak in front of the boys or he was too choked up, even he couldn't tell. Phineas understood anyway- he was quite used to silence thanks to Ferb.
"I guess you're probably wondering a lot of things," said Phineas, his cheerful mood recovering slowly. "Like why we're in hiding, leading a rebellion, and not freaked out by your hat and sudden intelligence."
Perry nodded again. Though it was still resting in its rightful place atop his head, he had completely forgotten about his fedora in all the excitement- but he was too elated to care much about it now.
Phineas cleared his throat, offering a slightly apologetic smile, and said, "Let me explain. Our story really starts eight years ago…on the best day ever."
Perry smiled, remembering the various days Phineas had dubbed the 'best day ever' (there were an awful lot of them). Feeling that he rather needed to be clear on which of these his owner was referring to, he cleared his throat and tried to speak. "Um, Phineas," he started, his voice a little choked, "refresh my memory- which best day ever are we talking about?"
Phineas' smile was wide and jovial now, as if he was lost in memories of those long-gone summer days. "Oh, not just any old 'best day ever'." Then, with a knowing grin, he added, "I'm talking about the best day ever."
This time, Perry blinked. He did know one day which Phineas had referred to as such…but that was impossible, thanks to a secret he needed to keep and a certain amnesia-inducing machine. However, Phineas was unfazed by his sudden confusion.
"Oh, you remember," he said, with a casual flip of the hand. "Y'know, the whole second-dimension-oh-my-gosh-our-pet-is-a-secret-ag ent-save-the-world adventure. Ring a bell?"
Perry, rather baffled now, nodded slowly. "But, you guys," he said hesitantly, "I thought you…well, the Amnesia-Inator and all that…"
Phineas nodded, scratching his ear in a slightly uncomfortable way. "Yeah, about that…it didn't work."
This time, Perry was rather taken aback. He wasn't quite sure what to say, but he did manage to stutter, "It…didn't?"
Phineas shook his head, his pleasant smile returning quickly. "Nope."
Perry just stared for a moment. Then he cocked his head, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Then, what happened?"
Phineas scratched his ear awkwardly. "Well, the thing is, Ferb and I were wearing our personal helmet-head systems for the battle with Doofenshmirtz…and we kind of forgot to take them off."
Perry shook his head in amazement. "Then…you remember everything?" he asked slowly, feeling rather numb again.
Phineas' grin widened a little. "Yeah…and, may I just say that regardless of any circumstances, I can say with confidence that Ferb and I have not changed our opinion since the day we first stated it; pet, agent- they're both you." He smiled affectionately, and Ferb added the final words.
"And we still love you," he said, his deep British-accented voice accompanied with a loving smile. Perry felt his cheeks grow hot once more, and a touched smile graced his features. Almost immediately, Phineas reached out to give him another hug, which he accepted happily. Ferb joined in, and they stayed like that for a few moments.
At last, when they parted, Perry suddenly remembered something else. "Hey, Phineas," he said, his voice taking on an almost sly tone, "if you really didn't have your memories erased by the Amnesia-Inator, then do you really remember everything?"
Phineas raised an eyebrow, still smiling, and replied, "Yeah…why?"
"Well, I can't help but wonder," Perry continued sneakily, "if you remember a certain girl…"
Phineas' cheeks reddened slightly, and behind him, Ferb burst into silent giggles. As the green haired boy strove in vain to cover his laughter, Phineas nudged him with his elbow, grinning sheepishly. "Fe-rb!" he protested, to no effect other than making Ferb laugh harder. At last, he rolled his eyes, still smiling through the heavy blush, and answered the question with a rather coy, "May-be…"
Perry snickered quietly, while Phineas glanced away in embarrassment. Then he asked, "And what about Isabella? Does she remember?"
Phineas shrugged, clearly wondering the same thing himself. "Either she took her helmet off early," he remarked, "or she's fakin' it real good."
Perry snickered quietly to himself, but before he had the chance to make any speculations about that, Phineas cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his dignity and said, "Now, can I please tell the rest of the story?"
And without further ado, he did. As Perry listened, Phineas proceeded to explain that after the second dimension incident, he and Ferb had tried to keep living like nothing had happened. Of course, not everything went back to normal- whenever Perry vanished, they would both wish him luck silently, and when he returned, they would thank heaven that he was safe. For a long time, everything seemed like it would work out- but it couldn't last forever.
"One day," Phineas explained, seeming just a tad more serious, "Ferb and I were sitting under the tree, talking about stuff. One of the topics that happened to come up was you- 'cause recently, it seemed to us that you'd been getting a little distant. Additionally, there were times when we'd find you had left your breakfast untouched, or when we'd discover that the litter box had seemingly been unused for days. Well, I just figured you'd finally taken our advice and started cleaning it yourself, but clearly, that was not the case."
Perry grinned sheepishly and fixed his gaze on his feet. "Yeah, about that…" he said, tail twitching awkwardly. "I always figured you guys would think it was weird if it never needed cleaning…"
Phineas laughed cheerfully and patted his pet on the shoulder gently, brushing it aside. "No, that's okay. Truth be told, it would be weird- and in this case, it was."
Phineas went on to explain that it wasn't long afterwards, just around the time when LOVE MUFFIN achieved domination over the city, that he and Ferb made a shocking discovery- the pet they thought was Perry had turned out to be an android, a robot version of the secret agent that had been deployed by the Agency when he vanished, to keep the boys happy until they could find him again. But they never did…
"…Of course, Ferb and I were worried right away," Phineas told Perry sincerely, looking a bit concerned as he spoke. "We knew something must have happened, so we tried to get in contact with the OWCA and ask about it- but by the time we called them, they'd been scattered by LOVE MUFFIN already. Then, after a lot of scouring the phonebook, we found Major Monogram's home number and called him there- only to discover that he was in hiding from the dictators, and you were MIA." Here he paused, clearly troubled, and added, "Well, actually…he was pretty sure you were KIA."
Killed in action.
Perry's heart skipped a beat sickly as the words sunk in. He had already known that the boys had worried about him in his absence, and that the situation had brought Candace to tears, but only then did the full meaning of it hit him suddenly. He stared up at the boys with wide eyes, and saw that they both seemed to be feeling the same way. Phineas' shoulders were hunched up and he was staring at the floor determinedly, while Ferb's brow was furrowed in a worried fashion. This alone was enough to tell anyone that the boys had been very worried- which, as anyone who knew Phineas and Ferb was aware, was exceedingly rare. They were usually so positive.
For a moment, none of them spoke, afraid to break the silence. But at last, Phineas sighed, seeming to acknowledge that someone had to finish the story.
"Well, Ferb and I wouldn't stand for it," he said simply, a determined edge to his voice. "I mean, no one messes with our platypus and gets away with it! So, to make a long story short, we got the idea to start this from the second dimension-" he swept an arm around to indicate the Rebellion, a slightly brighter smile beginning to return to his features- "-and here we are today."
Perry contemplated the large number of tents he'd seen on the way in, suddenly realizing just how big the Rebellion's forces must have been. Knowing the boys, they had probably gotten the whole of Danville in on the rebellion, and despite the previously depressing circumstances, Perry could not resist a grin and that age-old question; "Aren't you a little young to start a revolution?"
Phineas grinned, seeming rather amused. "No," he answered cheerfully, his voice a little softer than usual. "No, we're not."
Perry smiled and took the opportunity to look over them once more, realizing for what must have been the umpteenth time just how much the two of them had grown. Phineas' hair still stuck out like some sort of palm tree on the top of his head, and his face still held that somewhat childlike quality that Perry had always known; but there was also something more mature about it. His eyes carried some kind of quality that showed not only their usual cheery twinkle, but also something akin to experience; it was the kind of look that made you feel as if he'd been through an awful lot in his relatively short lifetime.
Ferb was about the same; his hair was a little longer than before, perhaps, but it was as green as ever and still rather sprout-like. His visage, though as blank as it had always been, betrayed some sort of wisdom that seemed to emanate from him in an almost palpable sense. Perry could not even begin to imagine what Ferb's intellect amounted to now, considering how advanced it had been even as a ten-year-old.
Both of them had grown taller, even taller than Candace- although that could have been due to the size of their heads, which hadn't changed one bit and still seemed a bit too big for their bodies. The tight black rebel uniforms they wore showed that they were rather lean and in excellent shape- which you had to expect from teenage rebel fighters, Perry supposed. All in all, his boys were no longer the children they had once been. Like Candace, they had changed so much; and yet, they were just the same.
Meanwhile, just as Perry finished reexamining the boys, Phineas sat back comfortably and gave him an expectant glance. "So, Perry," he said amiably, propping his chin up on his hands, "now that you've heard our side of the story, I think we'd all like to hear yours."
Perry sighed lightly, gathered his thoughts, and prepared to explain. "Well," he began pensively, "I guess it all started with a time machine…"
Five minutes later found the three of them still sitting in the tent, Perry having just finished an explanation of what happened to him and where he had been, which interested the boys greatly. They were an excellent audience, too- it seemed they always knew exactly when to listen intently and when to speak up, when to commend him for a brave or clever deed and when to gasp in shock. When Perry told them about the car chase, they both seemed amazed and terrified at the same time, probably still fretting for their pet's safety. And when he explained how they had found Perry's secret base- or what used to be the secret base- Phineas swelled quietly with pride.
"Did you like our little riddle? Clever, isn't it?" he inquired cheerfully, showing neither boastfulness nor excess of pride in his voice. "When we said 'drop by the backyard', we were referring to the pitfall in the visitor's entrance. Ferb thought it up!" And Perry immediately agreed that it was very clever, and congratulated Ferb on his riddling skills.
The remainder of the story passed quickly, and when Perry had finished telling it, Phineas had to speak up. He and Ferb had been particularly quiet when Perry told them of his visit with Candace, and it wasn't hard to see that they both looked rather downhearted and a little guilty. When he spoke, it was quite clear that Phineas had some regrets when it came to his sister.
"So, about Candace…she's not angry with us, is she?" he asked quietly, seeming rather abashed.
Perry shook his head emphatically, trying to show that he was sincere. Judging by how much the boys loved their sister, they were probably feeling bad about going off to start a rebellion without telling her anything of their whereabouts. "No, no, she's just very worried about you," he assured the redhead, adopting a comforting tone. "She didn't seem angry at all, not through the whole visit."
Phineas nodded, and he didn't say any more about the subject. Perhaps this was because he needed a bit more time to reflect on it, or because he didn't want to break down again after such a teary reunion just a short while before. Whatever the reason, Perry felt no need to press the topic.
Clearing his throat, Phineas tried to erase the uncomfortable atmosphere the talk had created, and piped up once more. "Oh, Perry, I nearly forgot to ask," he said, his cheerful tone returning. It didn't cover his anxiety entirely, but you could tell that he was trying hard. "Is that a translator?"
Perry laughed and grinned playfully. "No, I was magically given the ability to speak with the power of rainbows. Why else would I be speaking English?"
Ferb collapsed into giggles again, and Phineas burst into genuine laughter along with him. Their laughter continued for a few moments, dying down gradually, and when they were calm enough, Perry felt he had to explain for real.
"Okay, all jokes aside, it's a translator," he told them, tapping the device perched on his hat. "Well, Translator-Inator, actually, but it's all the same."
Phineas nodded in understanding. "Neat!" he commented, seeming to approve of the device. Then he remarked, "Personally, Ferb and I prefer the Universal Moustache Translator. Right, Ferb?"
Behind him, Ferb pulled a thin, black handlebar moustache from his pocket and attached it to his upper lip, then gave the thumbs up with an energetic, "MEEP!"
Phineas laughed once more at that, amused by his brother's antics. "Oh, by the way, your voice sounds really cool, too," he complimented Perry. "It suits you!"
Feeling rather flattered, Perry grinned. "It is pretty cool, isn't it?" Feeling he couldn't take much credit for it, he hastily explained. "I didn't come up with it, though. It was already programmed into the device." Then he paused, shaking his head in disbelief. "But, y'know, I'm still bewildered by this- is Carl the only one here who noticed the talking thing right away?"
Phineas shrugged. "Oh, we noticed," he said passively. "We just didn't think much of it." Then he paused, snickering quietly, and remarked, "Besides, with all the stuff that happens to us, rainbow magic seemed pretty likely to me."
This resulted in another bout of giggles from all three of them, which subsided quickly. Once they were all a little calmer, Phineas stretched with a loud yawn and jumped up, emulated quickly by Ferb.
"Hey, Perry, I just got a great idea!" he exclaimed. "It's almost four-o-clock, and you've hardly seen any of the camp. Why don't Ferb and I take you on a tour?" And he offered his hand to Perry to help him up.
Perry, of course, took but a moment to consider this and nodded with a smile. "Sure!" And he allowed Phineas to help him up, then followed both of them out of the tent.
As they exited into the waiting room, the people sitting within instantly stood up and saluted the boys, who saluted back crisply. Perry couldn't help but feel a small urge to salute as well; the majority of the time, it was him doing it, not the boys.
"Hey, guys!" Phineas greeted them cheerfully, wearing a bright grin. "Guess what?"
The room was silent; it appeared no one had a reasonable guess. Eventually, someone in the corner ventured hesitantly, "What?"
Phineas' grin, if at all possible, got even wider. "Today, my good friends, is a day for celebration- Perry's back, alive and well!"
Of course, no one seemed to know immediately who Perry was, but Phineas' excitement was enough to make them smile and congratulate him, all the time casting curious looks at the platypus by their feet. Phineas could hardly hold his anticipation in.
"I know, right? This is great!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "We should have some kind of party! Everybody go spread the word!"
The rebels looked slightly confused, but a party, no matter what its purpose might be, was always good. Without further ado, they left the room quickly, rushing out through the automatic doors to the camp beyond to spread the news. Phineas and Ferb followed them outside, Perry keeping close to them, and began to stroll down the path that Carl had taken him down when he first arrived at the camp.
"They're great," Phineas murmured to himself, smiling gratefully at his soldiers' eagerness to obey their leaders. He took a quick glance back at Perry and chirped, "Okay, first stop on our tour is the troops! Most of them come from Danville, because they're fed up with LOVE MUFFIN, but some have even come from other states and stuff! Ferb and I feel very lucky to have such a great bunch of people helping us out." As he talked, he took a right turn through a few tents, gesturing amiably for Ferb and Perry to follow. "Come on, the training grounds are this way!"
The walk to the training grounds was short, and they reached the area quite soon. It was a clearing in the sea of tents, an open grassy field that was occupied only by a few stray birds and several groups of people who were standing in formation, practicing various military techniques. Leading each of them was a man or woman calling out orders, and they all seemed to be doing well. Upon seeing the groups, Phineas grinned proudly.
"Behold!" he called, sweeping an arm out grandly. "The real force behind the Rebellion!"
Perry took in the scene with a sense of awe, amazed that Phineas and Ferb could get such a thing organized practically by themselves, probably even before they had reached fourteen. He glanced up at them, wearing a very impressed smile.
"Wow," was all he could really think to say. Then, with a playful smile, he added, "Are you sure you're not too young to command this whole thing?"
Phineas seemed to take that a little more seriously than Perry had meant. "I don't think so…" he pondered thoughtfully. "So far, everybody's been telling us we're doing good. What do you think?"
Perry immediately told them he thought they were doing great, from what he'd seen, and Phineas' grin returned in full strength.
"But really, how long have you guys been running this?" Perry asked curiously, taking in the sheer number of tents that surrounded the spacious training ground (or what he could see from his diminutive height, anyway).
Phineas took a moment to consider, placing a hand on his chin in pensive contemplation. "Hmm," he murmured uncertainly, narrowing his eyes in thought. At length, he turned to Ferb and said, "What do you think, bro?"
Ferb, by way of reply, held up a hand displaying five outstretched fingers. Phineas nodded in understanding, his face brightening again, and turned back to Perry. "Ferb says about five years now," he confided pleasantly, not at all fazed by the extensive time he and Ferb had served as leaders of the rebellion. Perry, on the contrary, was clearly amazed.
"That long?" he exclaimed, utterly blown away. But as soon as the words left him, he made a hasty amendment. "I-I mean, I know I should come to expect this kind of thing from you two, especially now that you're older…but, still-!" He paused, struggled for the right words to explain himself for a moment, and finally said, "Five years is an awfully long time, you know? And no matter what you guys build, it just never seems to last longer than a day…"
Clearly amused by this, Phineas began to laugh good-naturedly again. Beside him, Ferb remained quite placid, but a small smile graced his lips. Perry just shrugged pointedly, although a smile had taken root on his face as well.
"What?" he protested, still smiling playfully. "It does!"
Phineas almost replied, but seemed to decide against it, and his laughter gradually tapered away until it had subsided. "Well, as true as that used to be," he finally replied, still with a hint of a giggle in his voice, "we actually haven't been running it entirely alone…"
Perry blinked, taking that into consideration. Well, he thought, they probably have advisors or something. They are just teenagers, after all; someone more experienced has to be there to give good judgment and advice or something.
Just then, in the midst of his thoughts, Phineas spoke again. "We've actually had a lot of help from some people who know a lot about large organizations, especially military-type ones that fight evil. Oh! And look-" he perked up, pointing a short ways across the field at a pair of approaching figures, and chirped, "-here they come now!"
Interested to know who had been helping the boys run such an organization, Perry tore himself away from his thoughts and looked up at the figures, whom he recognized immediately with hardly any surprise- Major Monogram and Carl, who must have come to help the boys when the rebellion was started.
"Good afternoon, boys," greeted Major Monogram stiffly, saluting the boys as he approached. Then he smiled down at Perry, who was standing by their feet, and commented, "And to you too, Agent P. Good to have you back!"
Perry saluted crisply out of habit, and replied, "Hello, sir. It's good to be back."
Behind the major, Carl waved and called, "Hi, Agent P! I see you've met our fearless leaders."
Perry nodded hesitantly. "I have…although," he said, raising an eyebrow inquisitively, "I don't remember you saying anything about these leaders being Phineas and Ferb."
Monogram shrugged passively, wearing a slightly mischievous grin. "Well, I did say they knew where your owners were. You have to admit, that part was true."
Perry just rolled his eyes with a grudging half-smile; after working for the Agency for nearly all his life, he was quite used to Monogram and Carl's occasional pranks and joking ways.
Phineas, who had been respectfully quiet throughout this short exchange, spoke up again with a bright tone. "Major Monogram has been helping us run the Rebellion military-wise," he explained cheerily, acknowledging this with a grateful smile. "And Carl has been helping with….other things."
"I always get stuck with bills and laundry and stuff," Carl complained half-heartedly. "It's not much different from being an intern, though."
"That's true- after the OWCA, this isn't much different," Monogram concurred, his usual serious demeanor returning. "Except no one here is an animal- well, besides you, Agent P." Then he paused, acquiring a slightly troubled frown. "And now, even you can talk with that translator gadget…" He trailed off sadly, as if he missed the old days when Perry only expressed himself with scathing glares and raised eyebrows.
Perry shrugged. Personally, he couldn't help but feel quite indifferent toward the whole matter. "Well, I have to communicate somehow," he pointed out. "Writing notes took too long. And besides, it's kind of necessary for the plot."
Instantly, a rather awkward silence fell over the training ground. Even the soldiers who were drilling in the field stopped in their tracks, glanced over at where Perry and the boys stood, and raised their eyebrows questioningly. Phineas, for once, was silent, and Major Monogram and Carl merely stared at Perry as if he'd just claimed to be king of the martians.
Unnerved, Perry shrank slightly under the sudden attention, gaining a small and somewhat shy frown. "Was it something I said?" he asked meekly.
At last, the silence was broken by Ferb. "Well, you've just broken the fourth wall again," he pointed out placidly.
Perry was silent for a moment more, seeming slightly confused, before Phineas cleared his throat and spoke up. "Hey, I've got an idea," he said, a slightly awkward note in his voice. "Let's go show Perry all our new technology, shall we, Ferb?"
"Sounds delightful," Ferb agreed, calm as ever in the face of fourth-wall breaking.
Then they bid the major and Carl goodbye and set off for the next stop on the tour, all very glad to be free of such an uncomfortable situation.
A few minutes later, Phineas and Ferb had led Perry to a large, well-lit tent with a wide floor plan and laboratory equipment spread throughout. It seemed that no matter where they turned, someone was diligently bent over some machine or formula, or scribbling notes on a clipboard, or testing something. Perry could not help but marvel at the various kinds of technology, the likes of which were unheard of in his own time- possibly even surpassing Phineas and Ferb's usual standards. But, although he could tell that it was incredibly advanced, Perry still had to admit; he still had no idea what any of it was.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, he tapped Phineas' leg to get his attention and earned a quick glance from the boy. "Phineas," he asked curiously, "what are all these things?"
Phineas was eager to explain. "Let me show you!" he chirped happily, and he immediately dashed over to an unattended table and scooped up a device. Holding it out to Perry, he allowed the secret agent to examine the gadget, which appeared to be a ray gun. It was a dark purple color with silver accents, and it featured what looked like a satellite dish on the end. Perry could tell immediately that it could not be a normal gun, because there was no visible cylinder for the bullets. This meant it was definitely a laser gun, as he would have expected anyway- but its purpose was still a mystery.
Thankfully, Phineas was also keen to explain the device. "This," he said proudly, holding it high for effect, "is our answer to ray gun combat. I give you, the Sonic Pulse Gun!"
Perry raised his eyebrows appreciatively, which prompted Phineas to explain further. "Its primary function is to release a concentrated blast of sonic energy that knocks people backwards. It can either catapult you back with a huge amount of energy, or just create a weak force field to repel people and objects slowly." He quickly demonstrated this by toggling a few controls and holding a button down on the back of the grip, which caused the device to click quietly. There was no visible effect for a moment- but before long, Perry began to feel a strange, almost magnetic force pushing at him, slowly but surely pushing him away from where Phineas stood. Beside him, the same appeared to be happening to Ferb- he was gradually sliding across the floor in the direction of the table, which he bumped into presently. Upon seeing this, Phineas giggled quietly and turned the device off, effectively cutting off the signal.
Then he explained further. "You see, Ferb and I have never been big on violence," he stated, although Perry had already known this (and wondered about in the back of his mind). "So we figured it'd be easier to just repel people- without actually having to attack them! Useful, eh?" He grinned, obviously pleased by this. However, Perry raised an eyebrow in a vaguely critical way.
"But, Phineas," he reasoned, "what do you do if you need to defend yourself? You guys are fighting in a revolution; sooner or later, you really will have to fight, whether you do so in a violent way or not. It's kind of inevitable."
Phineas smiled. "I don't see many ways for fighting not to be violent…but we've thought of that."
In response, Perry's expression returned to normal, and he smiled. Of course they'd thought of it; the way he knew Phineas and Ferb, they would never overlook anything as important as this. He'd have to remember to expect this sort of thing.
"Anyway," Phineas continued steadily, "The SPG actually has several different functions; it can also utilize a ray that neutralizes nervous responses for a while to render the victim paralyzed, a blast that induces total unconsciousness, and a befuddling beam that confuses the senses for an hour or so." Having finished explaining the device's functions, Phineas set it down on the table he had taken it from and grinned. "Pretty good, huh?"
Perry nodded in approval. "I should have known you guys wouldn't miss a thing," he concurred with a smile. "So, it doesn't permanently damage anything?"
Phineas thought for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Well, mostly- but ever since Kenny offered to test the befuddling beam, he's been calling us 'potatoes' and claiming that we shouldn't dance, or we'll die."
"And when did he test it…?" Perry prompted, a little unsettled now.
Phineas grimaced uncomfortably. "Erm…last year or so…"
They were all quiet for a few seconds, during which Perry discreetly moved away from the table. At length, Phineas cleared his throat. "Let's move on, shall we…" he said awkwardly, and he quickly led the group off to another table.
"Over here, we have another important invention," said the cheerful redhead, gesturing to another table. This one was painted black and sported a thick, steady frame, but it did not appear to have anything resting on the clear surface; that is, until Phineas pressed a button on the side.
Instantly, a neon-green hologram sprung forth from the table, taking the same shape of the holographic Danville Perry had seen in Phineas and Ferb's tent. Perry understood this one almost immediately- it was some kind of 3D map, probably used for making battle plans as he had seen the boys doing. Phineas, of course, still felt the need to elaborate.
"This is our holographic map table," he explained happily, face illuminated brightly by the green glow. "We use it for tracking enemy troops and bases, and for keeping track of our own. It's useful for when you need to see an accurate map of Danville, or when you need to make battle plans. We have several of these things scattered throughout the camp, so you can access a map anytime you like."
As he spoke, he indicated a few markers placed throughout the map, and quickly disclosed what they were. "These markers tell us where everything is. The square is the enemy base, triangles are enemy troops, and home is where the heart is." And he pointed to a heart-shaped marker some ways away from Danville, outside the city limits. Perry couldn't help but giggle a little at his pun as Phineas turned off the map and swept them away to another table.
"Here we have something really important- our special force-field armor," said Phineas as they reached another table, upon which a few cardboard boxes rested. The boxes were filled with black clothes with grooves sewn into the fabric, the same kind the rebel fighters wore. Phineas took a shirt out of a box marked 'medium' and held it up, displaying the grooves that ran from the shoulders to around the three-quarters mark, and all down the chest of the shirt.
"This special suit, as you can see, is made to go underneath the actual armor," said Phineas, indicating the identical shirt he was wearing. Then he crossed to a table across the way, picked up a chest plate that was resting there, and put it on overtop of the suit. It almost looked like what Perry had seen the soldiers wearing when he and Doofenshmirtz discovered the rebellion, but it lacked extra pieces of armor on the arms and torso.
"The armor fits overtop of the suit and locks into the grooves," Phineas continued, demonstrating this as he spoke, "so that it fits just right and won't fall off accidentally. Then, you press this button-" he pressed a button on the left side of the chest plate- "and it activates a sequence where new pieces of armor slide out along the grooves built into the suit. This creates a set of full body armor, both lightweight and flexible!" As he spoke, exactly this was occurring; small plates of armor slid out along the arms and torso of the suit, apparently stored within the original chest plate. As Phineas had said, it created a set of full body armor that clearly was not weighing the boy down or restricting his movement, as he could swing his arms about freely. Thoroughly impressed, Perry's eyes went very wide.
"You guys, this…this is really incredible," he praised, his tone showing a clear amazement. Phineas beamed, then pressed the button once more. Instantly, the armor retracted into the original piece, there was a clicking noise as the mechanism unlocked itself, and Phineas lifted the chest plate off over his head with ease.
"Actually, it's not much different from the armor Ferb and I used for the Beak," he said casually, returning the armor and extra shirt to their rightful places. "After all, if it worked for one vigilante fighter, why not for a whole group of them? And sure enough, it's working great."
As he spoke, he began to lead them away from the table towards the exit of the tent, clearly finished with the technology. However, as they were exiting, Perry couldn't help but notice another section of the room that was surrounded by a curtain, obscuring whatever was inside from view. As he watched it, one of the scientists he had seen walked over to the curtain discreetly and pulled part of it aside so he could come through, and Perry had a brief but clear view inside the tent. Inside, he saw what looked like a large, heavy laser gun, obviously created with very advanced technology, resting on a table and apparently still under construction.
He wondered briefly what it was, but just then there came a call from a short ways away. "Per-ry! Are you coming? I'm not gonna hold this door forever!"
Perry turned to see where it had come from and saw Phineas standing by the exit, one hand resting on the automatic door with a playful grin. Then he glanced back at the curtain, only to see that it had swung back into place by now and his view was once again obscured. He stared after it for a moment, then decided to catch up with Phineas and Ferb.
He dashed up to the boys, who were waiting patiently by the door, and followed them outside. As they went, curiosity got the better of him, and he inquired, "Hey, Phineas…what was that blocked off room in there?"
Phineas, it seemed, was about to reply- but just then, the sound of a very loud bell ringing filled the camp, and he perked up.
"That's the dinner bell," he explained, and he pointed into the distance, where, if you looked hard enough, you could see a large metal triangle being struck. "I guess we'd better get over to the mess hall." He began to rush off in the direction of the bell, then turned back to make sure the other two were following. "Oh, and sorry, Perry…I think it'll have to wait for now. But I swear we'll explain soon!"
With that, he rushed off to the mess hall with Ferb hot on his heels. Perry sighed, slightly disappointed, but dashed after them anyway. The mystery device, it seemed, was to remain a mystery for the moment.
Dinner was far different than Perry had expected, for several reasons.
For one, the mess hall wasn't indoors like he had assumed; it was outdoors under the late afternoon sky, located in a large field with tables everywhere.
For two, the place was huge- the entire army, it seemed, could fit in the field and not even have to squeeze in (the boys really amazed Perry sometimes).
And for a third thing, the food was not anything like you'd normally find in an army- no, not with Phineas and Ferb leading it. They had a ready-made meal for everyone, with an ample amount of food for each soldier. And it was good- somehow, the boys had ordered Chinese that night, fortune cookies and all. Upon asking the boys about how they had obtained such food while camping outside of Danville (not to mention obtaining enough to feed an army), the boys merely answered that they had been saving their allowance for so long, they hardly knew what to do with it anymore. As for where they had gotten it, Phineas was happy to confide that they had quite a few sympathizers who were happy to help feed their army and send various supplies to them. Not everyone, Phineas said, could join the Rebellion itself and fight alongside them, but they could do their own parts. This impressed Perry quite considerably; for despite the fact that the boys were running a rebellion, they still seemed to be living a somewhat normal life.
But in the back of his mind, he wondered how long it could last…
After dinner, things became a blur for Perry. The boys, for one, felt they had to show him just a few more things around camp, which took an hour or so. And after that, Major Monogram wanted to introduce him to the troops. Perry felt quite flattered as the major explained proudly that Agent P was the OWCA's best agent, and maybe if the soldiers were lucky, he'd show them a thing or two. This was met with many awed stares and a few handshakes, after which Perry was finally allowed to retire with the boys in their private tent.
The boys' tent had a main room which housed their holographic map table, where they were allowed to do whatever they wished if they had any spare time. Connected to that by automatic doors were two more rooms- a bedroom and a washroom.
The bedroom, as Perry could have predicted, was covered in various things the boys had collected while leading the rebellion, and a few that it seemed they had brought from home. Two sets of armor hung on hooks by the door, along with two jackets (Mom would surely have had a fit if they left without them), and a lightweight bookcase rested by the wall, containing a small amount of books. The walls of the tent were blue to match their old room, and like their old room, there were many designs on the ceiling. Gone were the bright, happy clouds of their youth, replaced by many stars and constellations over a dark blue sky. The sleeping bags on the floor were comfortable-looking with soft pillows, and there was certainly enough room for a platypus to sneak under the occupant's arm for the night.
But this was precisely the issue that troubled Perry. While the boys finished their bedtime preparations, he waited by the sleeping bags, wondering tentatively where he would sleep. As he fell into a sitting position in his berth, Phineas seemed to notice his pet's uncomfortable posture, and a frown of confusion crossed his face.
"Hey, Perry," he appealed softly, "is something wrong?"
Perry shrugged, not sure the issue was really worth bringing up. "I just…well, I'm not quite sure," he said, with an awkward glance at his feet. "But, it's…not important, I guess."
Phineas watched him for a moment more, keeping absolutely silent. At length, he sighed heavily. "Y'know, Perry, I'm not feeling so great either…can I talk to you and Ferb?"
Perry looked up immediately, alert and ready to listen. He was very good at it, after all. "Of course, Phin."
Phineas seemed slightly downhearted now. He was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke, it was with a hesitant air. "I was thinking…about Candace."
"Oh…" Perry understood immediately. Phineas had probably been thinking about his sister all day, trying to come to terms with himself on the ethics of leaving her behind all those years ago. Now, he just needed someone to talk to about it.
"…I've been thinking about her all day, trying to come to terms with myself on the ethics of leaving her behind," Phineas echoed. "Now I just need someone to talk to about it."
Abruptly, he blinked in sudden realization. "Whoa, major déjà vu."
Perry raised an eyebrow. "What are you, psychic? I was just thinking that…"
Just then, Ferb cleared his throat loudly from the other sleeping bag.
Phineas gave a start at the sound. "Oh, right- Candace." Then he gathered his thoughts with a quick breath, and began to talk. "Well, after you told us about her, Perry, I just couldn't help but feel terrible about leaving and not telling her where we went."
His gaze was fixed on the floor, and his brow was knit as he spoke. "You said she…really missed us…and that she thought it was her fault."
Perry, who was also feeling rather regretful for upsetting Candace so, did not quite know how to respond. When one lives a silent life, one does not have much experience in comforting others. At length, he responded tentatively, "Well, Candace is sort of neurotic, you know. She tends to think everything is her fault."
"But it wasn't, and she thinks it is," Phineas said in a despondent tone. "When we left, we knew it would be dangerous to start a rebellion. Neither I nor Ferb wanted to get her caught up in something that could be potentially life-threatening- after all the close calls we've had before, we didn't want to take any more chances. But I'm beginning to wonder…if we made the right choice."
He shook his head, looking frustrated, and muttered, "I don't think we did."
When he looked back up, there was a new wave of sadness washing over his features. "Our spies have been keeping an eye on her, so we know she's happy with Jeremy…but for a long time we just didn't think it was safe to make contact. Then, just recently, we tried to visit her…"
He paused for a moment, and Perry got the feeling that he was reminiscing about the visit. After a moment, he asked, "And, how did that go?"
Phineas closed his eyes briefly, speaking without looking at his listener. "…Bad. Ferb and I had a great plan- we went in disguise, using holographic modules, but they didn't work as well as we thought. See, it was raining that day…"
He didn't need to explain; Perry could practically see the scene unfolding in his mind. At the mention of holographic disguise modules, he immediately pictured a Disguise-Inator perched on each boy's ear, probably getting soaked by the rain and malfunctioning. The hologram would then disappear, rendering them vulnerable.
"We were caught by LOVE MUFFIN patrols," Phineas explained ruefully, "and though we managed to fend them off, we haven't gone back since. If anything should happen, we can't very well get caught- our troops need us."
Here, he opened his eyes once more, and Perry could see that the dark blue irises were filled with regret. "Perry," he asked sadly, "have you ever made a bad choice and tried to fix it, but only wound up making things worse?"
Perry was quiet for a moment, during which he scoured his memory for such an event. He closed his eyes and put one hand on his chin in deep thought, frowning in a pensive manner. Phineas saw the slightly frustrated expression, and he knew that Perry had come up empty-handed.
"That's okay," he assured his pet, trying to smile like he usually did. "I didn't think so. But trust me, it's not a fun feeling."
Perry sighed, feeling sorry that he could not help his owner. Eventually, he spoke again, trying to comfort the two of them. "Phineas, Ferb…I'm so sorry about all this…"
Phineas' expression turned just the tiniest bit stern. "Perry," he said, his voice matching the expression perfectly, "You can't possibly blame yourself for this, too."
Perry shrugged downheartedly. "I don't know, Phin; the more I think about it, the easier it is."
Then, in the nick of time, Ferb spoke up. "Well, no matter what happens," he announced calmly, "These things have a way of working themselves out."
Phineas cracked a wan smile. "Ferb's right, things will get better soon. Then we can see Candace again, and fix this future- or at least, I hope so. I'm getting sick of sleeping in a tent, instead of in a house with my family."
Perry was quiet for a moment. Presently, a weak smile stretched across his features, and Phineas mirrored it, fears appeased for the moment. Then he yawned and stretched widely, clearly getting tired.
"Well," he said in a sleepy voice, "is everyone ready for bed?"
Perry was silent, expecting that he was talking to Ferb. Ferb, naturally, gave no response other than a thumbs up. Phineas smiled and nodded, then turned to Perry. "What about you, boy?"
Perry nodded as well, a small frown now resting on his features. "Um, actually," he spoke up quietly, "I've been wondering about-"
Phineas didn't seem to hear him; he just laid down and clapped twice, and the lights turned off. Perry was left in the dark, sitting on the end of Phineas' sleeping bag and wondering what he was to do. After a lot of waiting, Phineas seemed to notice something was wrong.
"Perry?" his voice came through the near-blackness, sounding confused. Perry responded with a quick chirp from the end of the bed, and Phineas said, "You gonna sleep down there, boy?"
Perry was quiet for a moment. Then, just when it seemed he might not respond at all, he said awkwardly, "Well, I've been thinking…if you guys know my secret, won't it be a little…I don't know…" he paused briefly, then concluded, "…awkward?"
Phineas responded with a tired laugh. "Perry," he said, his voice calm and soothing, "It's not awkward at all; Ferb and I have missed this for years. We don't mind you're wearing a hat and talking, do we, Ferb?"
In the other bed, a soft ding could be heard.
You could practically hear the smile in Phineas' voice, even if you couldn't see it. "See, it's not a problem. And besides, it would make me feel a lot better…"
Perry stared into the blackness for a few seconds, eyes wide to try and see his owner. At length, he smiled, and reached up to take the hat off. There was a quiet click as he shut off the Translator-Inator, and then a soft thump as the hat landed on the floor of the tent. A gratified purr filled the tent as Perry found his way to Phineas, who draped an arm over him affectionately. The platypus soon let his eyes drift closed, and before he knew it, the lullaby of Phineas' soft breathing carried him into sleep.
Phineas smiled, stroking the soft teal fur as if he was petting an ordinary housecat. "Good night, Perry…"
And a heartbeat later, Perry was snoring softly.
For a few moments, Phineas tried to fall asleep as well- but at last, he felt he had to say what was on his mind.
"…Ferb."
Ferb opened one eye silently, and although Phineas could hardly see him, he knew that his brother was listening. "Ferb, I've been thinking," he whispered, "about the plan…"
Ferb nodded.
"Now that we know what happened…we can fix it. We can fix everything."
A soft, "Mm," of agreement.
Phineas grinned, a stray moonbeam glinting off of his sparkling eyes. "I know what we're going to do tomorrow."
To be continued…
End Notes: So, it seems the boys actually remember the best day ever! Isn't that a shocker! :) And we still don't get to see what happened to Doof, but don't fret- he comes back in chapter thirteen to annoy everyone. xD
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! :D
