Doofenshmirtz was happily dreaming about taking over the Tri-State-Area when a metal fist grabbed his shirt collar. He opened his eye to find a very angry Platyborg glaring down at him. He nearly wet himself, until he remembered that he had the semi-metallic platypus over a barrel. "And just what do you think you're doing? Your family might be safe, but I still have that kid in the basement, you two timing little…"

An angry chatter cut him off, and the grip tightened.

He yawned. "Oh that's what your angry about? Dumb move. The Normbot's have their orders. Anything happens to me, and he's toast. Just a little insurance. He can go home as soon as you prove I don't need it. Which is going to take considerably longer now, so, let, me, go."

Slowly, the defeat crept back into the face, then Platyborg's head dropped as his metal hand snapped open.

He adjusted his collar. "Better." He frowned, wondering what was going on. "What's the deal with that kid, anyway? I would have thought you'd want to make sure your high and mighty resistance buddy was safe."

The platypus was hiding something. That much was clear in the look he shot at him. Fine. Let him keep his secrets about the kid. It would be useful until it was time to dispose of the little pests.

He rolled over, burrowing under his blanket, knowing full well that Platyborg would just leave.

_—

He just left. What choice did he have? Doofenshmirtz didn't realize that he had one of his family members in that cell, and he shuddered to think of what he'd do with that sort of knowledge. For now,Phineas was… who was he kidding? None of them were safe. He didn't even know if Doofenshmirtz was lying about letting Annie go. For all he knew, he'd killed her, and lied about sending her back to the rest of his family with those protection ID's.

He curled up as much as he could, shivering against the cold floor without a blanket. He just wanted to cry himself to sleep, but he couldn't even do that. Not when there was a chance Doofenshmirtz might see.

—_

"WHAT!?" AJ didn't even resist as she knocked her against the wall, and pinned her there with her bowstaff. "What do you mean he's still back there!? What happened to the plan!?"

The older girl had already explained, but she couldn't have heard right, could she? A single tear sliding down AJ's face confirmed that she had.

Suddenly, Ferb's arm was on hers. "Candace, she's not our enemy."

What? Oh, right. She muttered a halfhearted, "Sorry," under hear breath, and stepped back.

"No. I'm sorry. We went in there to save Phineas, and we waisted our brief window."

She tightened her grip on the staff. "What, exactly, was more important than Phineas?"

"Nothing."

Ferb spoke up again. "They wanted to make sure everyone was safe, Candace. You probably would have risked it, too."

"So what do we do now? I can turn myself in, and…"

AJ shoved an ID card at her. "You are going to keep your head down. Phineas still has Perry."

"Yeah, who's working for Doofenshmirtz!"

Something snapped briefly behind the older girl's eyes. It looked an awful lot like a warning from someone who'd probably never make good on such threats. "He didn't have a choice, Candace. You know perfectly well that if he'd given you the same offer, you'd be back there at his beck and call, too. Now, we need to get them out of there."

"Alright, so Doofenshmritz loses control over Perry if he lays a hand on any of us, right? So, it's simple. I turn myself in, for Phineas like he wants, and if he doesn't let Phin go, Perry will be free to break his word. Getting in should be a cinch with these pass cards."

AJ glanced down, then confusion furrowed her brow. "There are six here. Why did Perry risk making him give out an extra one?"

Why indeed? Was their pet trying to tell them something? Was there someone who could help get them out of this mess?

Ferb picked up the sixth card, and handed it to AJ. "You're family, too."

She realized she'd been a little calloused when she realized the girl hadn't even considered that possibility. Their eyes met. "We're going to get them back, AJ. Let's scan these cards to make sure they're not just trackers, and then we'll work together on a plan."

_—

A/N: Sorry this one's a bit short. Thanks for reading!