Phineas-2 looked through the clear, 6-inch-thick, blaster-proof window. Perry the Platyborg was in a corner, and glared menacingly when he noticed he was being watched. Phineas-2 wasn't phased. He put on a helmet, attaching it to the rest of his full-body armor. Then he opened the door quickly, slamming it behind him before Perry could escape. The playborg flew at him, maces whirling viciously. Phineas-2 stood still, and waited. Sedation needles flew from about twenty hidden holes, with four of them puncturing his former pet's skin. Perry's eyes instantly closed, sending him into a deep sleep.

Phineas-2 immediately set to work. With a screwdriver in hand, he opened up Perry's chest plating. There were circuits running all across his body. He looked for a few minutes for one circuit chip in particular. He found it at last, but it was dangerously close to a few of the life-support systems.

He cautiously took his screwdriver and lined it up with the edge of the circuit, attempting to use the flat tip like a tiny crowbar. It easily took five minutes just to pry it out without touching any vital circuits, but he succeeded at last. He took out a brand-new circuit chip, designed by himself and Ferb-2, and slowly positioned it into the empty spot. He pushed it in and took a step back. Now he just had to wait for Perry to wake up.

Scene cut...

"How long... how long..." Stacy-1 said, groaning.

She had been left in the First Dimension. And for the past two weeks, Dr. Hirano had been in what could only be a depression. Stacy had come clean about where everyone was, knowing that her mom now remembered the Forgotten Day. But knowing where they were had only made her more anxious, considering that it was a dangerous dimension. The other moms had similar reactions.

"... Mysterious Force, I know that I probably don't pray to you enough, but could you please bring everyone back home?"

Scene cut...

Gretchen-2 stepped into Lacey's cell with her blaster in her holster. She was carrying a tray of food.

"Oh, hello, Gretchen," Lacey said sweetly.

"Don't bother," Gretchen-2 growled. "I hate noone more than you. I just have your lunch."

"Fine, fine. Brought me a blaster, too?" Lacey asked, standing up and taking the tray of food. Gretchen-2 placed her hand on the gun, watching Lacey suspiciously. "Pft, just kidding. I can't take on a Firestorm right now. Too hungry. Two meals a day doesn't go far, y'know?"

"Oh, you're suffering. You poor thing," Gretchen-2 said sarcastically. "Do you know how many times I've been tempted to just kill you outright? I'm sure the place you'd end up is much more unpleasant than this cell."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Vanessa's evil'. 'Betrayal is immoral'. 'Aren't you ashamed of yourself?'. I just don't care," Lacey said, taking a bite out of a sandwich afterwards. She swallowed before continuing. "It's not betrayal when you're always on the same side. And considering that I fully intended to face death for my friend, I think my morals are pretty top-notch."

"You're on a very dark end of the gray morals," Gretchen-2 said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe I am, maybe not. All comes down to point of view," Lacey said. "You're an enemy, so you see me in the darkest light possible. Vanessa's my ally, so she would see this as a brave sacrifice. And, let's face it, Candace isn't that paladinish, either."

"While we're on the subject of Candace, is there any reason you pretended to be her friend?" Gretchen-2 asked.

"Pretend? Nah. She's a cool gal," Lacey said. "I wouldn't kill her unless it was a choice between her and Vanessa, actually. Of course, she's probably one of the best fighters in the Resistance, so I probably wouldn't even win in that situation. I mean, your medic defeated me, for crying out loud."

"And you wanted to kill Elsie because...?" Gretchen continued.

"Because you guys are useless without her. Face it, you guys take a lot of deadly injuries. Without her, your medical know-how is limited. It's basically a simple case of 'shoot the medic first'," Lacey said, shrugging. "I think that's one reason so many of you were willing to fight to save her. Besides, of course, loyalty."

"That may be the only virtue you understand," Gretchen said.

"Then you underestimate me," Lacey said. "Thanks for the lunch. It's always more filling than dinner, since I get absolutely no breakfast. Bye, Gretchen."

Gretchen left, with a scowl on her face. Lacey was evil, that much was for sure. But what discomforted her was that she was evil and intelligent.

Scene cut...

Ginger-2 had not left Stacy's side in the 2-week period, but part of that was attributed to Elsie forcing them to stay while she cared for them. Adyson-2, meanwhile, was mostly recovered, and was only told to "not go on any more stupidly heroic suicide missions".

Isabella-2 had spent the weeks contemplating carefully the actual plan for Vanessa's final defeat. Now that Balloony was defeated, she thought that a storm of the DEI building may actually be possible with the numbers they had. Of course, it would likely be just as easy to lure Vanessa with Stacy, now that she was furious about Balloony. Finally, when she had decided on a course of action, she went to the hospital area to speak with Stacy.

"Hello, Stacy. Hello, Ginger," Isabella-2 said, walking in to find the two lying side-by-side. they sat up and looked at her quizzically. "Stacy, we have a plan to finally defeat Vanessa."

"Great," Stacy said, suddenly very interested. "Care to spill it?"

"Yes, because it involves you. I contemplated a direct attack, but I think that it's best that Vanessa fights us on our turf. You are, as you know, her #1 enemy," Isabella-2 began. Stacy smiled. "If she sees you, she will try to kill you. And, even without Balloony to back her up, she will try to do it personally in the most likely scenario."

"So, I'm bait?" Stacy asked.

"Yes," Isabella-2 confirmed.

"Sure, I can do that," Stacy said, shrugging.

"Just like that?" Isabella-2 asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm ok with it. I can still defend myself quite well. The one you need to clear it with is Elsie," Stacy said, smirking.

"Easier said than done," Elsie's voice said. Isabella-2 jumped and turned around, hand on her blaster. "Do I need to taze you? Hands off the gun, sir. Now, then, we're going with the original plan, yes?"

"Uh, yeah," Isabella-2 said sheepishly. For all her caring, Elsie had a scary amount of devotion to keeping the wounded safe.

"Hmph. Personally, I am against that. But if Stacy says she can still fight decently-" Elsie began.

"No, I can fight well," Stacy interrupted.

"Fine. If she can fight well, I see no reason to argue with my superior. Go along with it, I suppose," Elsie said, rolling her eyes. "Stacy, does your back still hurt? I can give you some more pain reliever."

"Yeah, thanks," Stacy said gratefully, taking a pill from Elsie's hand. "How do you get these things to taste like candy?"

"Does it really matter?" Elsie asked. Stacy decided not to pursue the question.

Isabella-2 left the scene, relieved at how easily the plan had been agreed to.

Scene cut...

The Firestorm Girls (minus Ginger-2) gathered in the practice room, where various Norm-Bot-shaped targets hovered around. Isabella-2 had called them.

"Alright, girls," Isabella-2 said. "We are, fortune provided, ending the war this weekend." A loud cheer rose from everyone except Katie, who was significantly less enthusiastic. "Stacy has agreed to the original plan. If she brings reinforcements, we will set up an ambush to pick them off. Any particularly difficult enemies - that is, anyone but Norm-Bots - should be left alone until she arrives at the HQ. Gretchen, are all traps in working condition?"

"Yes, sir," Gretchen-2 answered.

"Good. Defense shouldn't be an issue, then, no matter how many she brings," Isabella-2 said, She visibly relaxed, seeing that everything was going according to plan. "Alright, girls, at ease. Say, Katie, have you... you know, resolved things yet?"

"No," Katie-2 said, sighing. "I know you and Ferb are probably knee-deep in love despite your 'no relationship' promise, but Buford is really a stupid brute when it comes to that stuff."

"Buford? I thought you liked Django?" Holly-2 said, perplexed.

"Nah, we're just old friends. I mean, sure, he's awesome, but he's just... not exciting enough, you know?" Katie-2 said, shrugging.

"Blegh. I'm sure glad I don't like boys yet," Melissa said. Adyson-2 smiled. They were so very much alike that she never wondered why they made such good partners.

"I'm surprised we're talking about boys," Adyson-2 said. "'At ease' doesn't mean the war's over, y'know."

"It's an easy subject to talk about, simple as that," Isabella-2 said. "Anyway, I'll be arranging the other resistants. You guys can do what you wish."

Scene cut...

Phineas-2 stepped out of the cell, with a certain half-cybernetic platypus behind him. He casually walked into the main room, and suddenly yelled.

"Hey, everyone! Ferb and I did it! Perry's good again!" he shouted. Isabella-2 had just been entering the room, and her eyes widened.

"Are you sure the chip is functional, Phineas?" she asked, hand on her blaster.

"Am I dead?" Phineas-2 asked, rolling his eyes. "Is P attacking anyone at all? The chip works."

"... Fine, fine. But keep an eye on him," Isabella-2 said. "Even if the chip works, it's as likely as anything else to malfunction."

Scene cut...

What? No, there's nothing more. Well, besides my monologue, obviously. First of all, no, I still don't trust P as far as I can throw him. "The evil's been fried right out of you!" Sure it has, Phineas. If he so much as looks at a Resistance member funny, he will find a sedation needle in his back. I am taking no chances.

Obviously, we are now preparing for the hopefully final battle. I wonder just what Vanessa has in store for us.

This chapter was purely for tying up a few loose plot threads. I expect two more chapters to go into this story. Yep, just two. After that, be on the lookout for a series of ficlets.

I have placed a poll on my profile. This poll WILL influence the next story, so I encourage ALL of my readers to make choices. Yes, even if you're not usually interested in polls and reviews.

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