Chapter 21: Looking For A Way Out
Phineas and Monogram looked below them as they tried to formulate a way to escape the fortress as it was collapsing. Both of them, sadly, drew blanks. Phineas tried to put all of his creative genius together to prevent their certain doom, but he couldn't think of one thing he could do.
Well, this is it...ugh, call this a bittersweet victory. I mean, we managed to kill the guy, but it looks like it's at the cost of our entire lives. At least I can die happy knowing that no one else is gonna die from this monster after me.
Phineas and Monogram looked on and shed a tear as pieces of the ceiling started to crumble up and fall.
Even then, I don't even care that I'm staring death in the face. What's really killing me is what he was able to accomplish before we got to him. Fine, I'm going to die. But that's not enough for him. He had to kill my entire family, all of my friends, and everyone I've ever known.
He took away my entire livelihood.
He nabbed my sister. She may have been a bit high-strung, but she was my sister! I grew up with her all my life! She was always trying to protect me...and I couldn't protect her the one time she needed it! Candace, you're amazing. I'll always love you. And for all the times you were there for me...thank you. You saved my skin more times than I could've ever repaid you for. I know you were never crazy. You're just the best sister a boy could ask for.
Then, there's Ferb. The only guy who knew me better than I knew myself. We did everything together. Without him, I'm positive this summer would've been just as ordinarily boring as any other part of the year. I could never ask for anyone more important in my life than him. Ferb, even if I miraculously made it out of here...without you, I'd feel like an amputee. We were one-of-a-kind, man. Brothers for life.
And then, of course, Isabella. Isabella, Isabella, Isabella...I can barely even think of you right now without collapsing. All these years, I had no idea...but you know, I guess I always sort of felt things in that regard as well. It's just...childhood innocence, you know? I never really thought about a romantic opportunity with you until it hit me square in the face. I've loved you all my life, Isabella. Thanks for showing me that. But now, I just look back on my memory of you and all I see is nothing but despair that I couldn't save you. And on top of everything, I'm sorry I didn't see your romantic interest in me until this whole thing came up...nothing pains me more than the thought of the torture you endured for so long.
And then, our beloved pet platypus. Perry, you were...Perry...wait a second...
"Wait a second, I've got it!" The mere thought of Perry brought back everything in Phineas's mind. His own pet platypus, his own secret agent pet platypus...with a secret agent utility belt...with a pack of pocket grenades packed right in! There was still hope yet!
"Major Monogram, follow my lead!" Phineas waited for a clear opportunity to make a jump with no rubble from the ceiling obstructing his path. He stuffed the Enlarge-inator back into his pants pocket. After a few seconds, he jumped from the ice pillar to the quickly-melting enlarged snow pillar. He slowly slid down, dodging more rubble on his way. "Quickly get down here before it's too late!" Phineas shouted to Monogram as the pillar got even closer to the ceiling.
Monogram took a few deep breaths, looked up, and stepped back. He then ran across the ice pillar, preparing to jump. However, before he took the jump, a piece of rubble fell onto the ice in front of him, and he tripped. Falling to his certain doom, Monogram attempted one last-resort move: he kicked his feet against the ice pillar, flying him towards the snow pillar. With only about ten feet left below him, he was able to latch onto the pillar before he hit the ground. Seconds later, Phineas returned to the surface as well.
"Perfect! Now, excuse me while I get the utility belt!" Phineas ran over to Perry's body. Tears flowed through his eyes as he looked at the remains of his dead pet, but this wasn't the time. He knew what he had to do, and he knew he had to act fast. He picked up Perry's utility belt and picked off the last remaining pocket grenade. "Let's hope this works, because if not, we're done for..."
Phineas ran back to the ice pillar, dodging several giant blocks of rubble falling from the sky as he got ready to throw the pocket grenade. He pulled the pin and immediately threw it a foot above the pillar's base. Finally, he took the Enlarge-inator out of his pocket and blasted a ray right at the grenade.
He crossed his fingers, waiting for the result.
And then, there it was. Boom.
The smoke cleared, revealing a large enough hole in the ice for both Phineas and Monogram to fit inside. Everything was going fully according to plan.
"Major Monogram, get over here quickly! We have to jump in the hole before we-" Phineas looked over to Major Monogram. What he saw was severely unsettling, to say the least: The man had gotten knocked to the ground by one piece of rubble; he was pinned by another larger piece. Then, one last piece hit him in the head with enough force to puncture his skull. He was dead.
Phineas couldn't waste any time, though. He wanted to check if Monogram was all right, but the apparent injuries showed that he was most likely already dead. Just as well, there was no way he could get immediate medical attention, even if he was still alive. Phineas jumped into the hole in the ice pillar and took cover with another large piece of rubble. He waited until he no longer felt the ground shake or heard rubble dropping. About fifteen minutes passed before it was safe to get out again. He climbed out of the pillar and he was astounded.
Everything was obliterated. The entire Main Hall was reduced to rubble, and the pillar was the only thing still standing. All of the pillars had knocked down, and the air was filled with smoke. The rubble piled up across the entire surface of the hall about two feet high. The steel walls had retracted; all that was left were plain walls that had, for the most part, been torn down.
Phineas coughed twice and walked across the pile of rubble out the door of the former fortress. He walked down the trail he had walked up to initially arrive at the fortress. The journey, although it seemed a lot longer alone, gave him ample time to contemplate how his life had been going up to that point.
And so, there we go. It's all over. But where do I go from here? I still don't have a way out of Antarctica, and I don't have any food. All I can do at this point is wander.
Still, what's the point of even wanting to get out? I've lost everything and everyone that ever had any sort of meaning in my life anyways. This last week or two had everything bad happen that could have ever possibly happened to anyone. It almost seems like a crazy dream, but I definitely know better and am able to realize that it's not a dream at all. This is one sick, twisted reality.
And I'm the only one left.
Suddenly, Phineas found himself standing in front of an all-too-familiar sight: Norm was in front of him, still serving as a bridge to the next glacier. Far below, he also knew what resided on a small glacier floating across the water; it was Isabella's body. Right then and there, he decided exactly what he wanted to do next. He climbed down the glacier, retrieved her body, and carried it back up. Although it was very difficult to do so, and he could barely find the strength to both carry her and climb a glacier at once, he had been able to find certain grooves in the ice that could allow him to climb up and pull Isabella up afterwards.
Then, he laid her out at the center of the glacier's surface. He laid himself down next to her and held her hand. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off into the unconscious haven of sleep.
And I think this is how I'll live out the time I have left.
Suddenly, Phineas awoke to the sound of a helicopter flying above him.
He could not hear anything. He was barely even conscious. His face was freezing and he felt like he was about to die. Tears and mucus had frozen on his face and he had no ability to move a single muscle.
"We've found him! Get him up here so we can get him to safety!" The feminine voice ringed through Phineas's ears for several seconds, but he could not comprehend it.
All he could feel was himself being propped up and whisked away. As he drifted back out of consciousness, he could faintly feel a patting over his face and a whisper in his ear.
"Don't worry, Phineas, you're gonna be all right..."