There will only be 2 more after this. We're getting close! Please R&R!

Chapter 18: The Real Lightning?

Four agonizing days. That was how long Ferb and the gang had been waiting since their encounter with the mysterious Lightning. They had stayed back primarily in the Flynn-Fletcher's backyard, not daring to venture back to those gunmen without Lightning's signal. And it was beginning to drive everyone crazy.

It wasn't as if they had sat around doing nothing. As soon as they got back, Baljeet pulled up several chalkboards and began working on the math to modify Candace's old teleporting phone. While he and Ferb did fix the phone a day later to account for both space and time, it did little good, as the processing power required to search across dimensions and time was just too much for the little phone. Ferb surmised that the search could be done in perhaps weeks if they harnessed a supercomputer, but that was just too long to wait when they knew about the strange abilities of the Converger.

Or at least, he had thought it would be too long. But Ferb hadn't expected Lightning to take so long to contact them again, making that avenue a more enticing plan B.

"Stop pointing that at Ginger, you simpleton!" Adyson hollered from across the lawn. Buford was looking through the scope of an indigo blue raygun. Ginger looked up from her own work on a similar raygun, but the surprise vanished from her face when she saw that it was just Buford scowling.

"Ah, shut up, wimp! It's not even finished yet or powered, and I was just testin' the focus!" he retorted, rolling his eyes at her. She rolled her eyes back, then went back to configuring the 3D-printer Ferb had set up.

Then Buford grinned slyly at her. "Plus," he continued, "Even if I did shoot someone it would only put them to sleep for a few hours, so no harm done. If you ask me, it's a great way to get nerds to shut up about their math problems and get some peace and quiet."

"I'm still here, Buford!" Baljeet called from behind several new chalkboards that had been wheeled in beside the big backyard tree. "And may I remind you that we wouldn't have these general anesthesia rayguns at all without the power of math. I still haven't worked out all of these Fourier transforms nor solved the P vs. NP problem, so the guns won't function yet."

Baljeet's curly-haired head popped out from below one of the chalkboards. "Ferb? Gretchen? Can you check my work?"

Ferb nodded and maneuvered his way through the equipment-filled yard to check the math, following Gretchen. They had been working on modifying their sleeping bags and other Badbeard Lake gear to protect them from bullets and from the cold environment of Arcopis, and the ex-Fireside girls' expertise in sewing and weaving was coming in handy.

Lightning hadn't given them much to go off, but they were preparing the best they could. True, they were more prepared as every day passed, but Ferb hated to think about what was happening to his best friends. Had they been captured by the same people who had shot at him and the gang? Or were they still lost and starving in some sort of arctic wasteland? He honestly wasn't sure which option was better.

The backyard gate latch jostled, then the gate swung open with a creak, and every eye shot up to see the intruder.

"Aw c'mon, everyone!" Ginger exclaimed, visibly annoyed as she shut the gate behind her. She was holding a large box of batteries. "We've been over this. If Lightning is really on our side, he isn't just going to waltz in here. He said he has to be careful, so stop freaking out every time I get a new load of stuff."

Everyone groaned and went back to work. Having their parents fretting over Isabella and Phineas's disappearance was hard enough, but all the waiting was making everyone get on each other's nerves.

"Remind me again why we don't just barge back in there?" Buford asked aloud. "I mean, at this point we can take those guys and get to that machine, then just go and rescue pointy and girly ourselves!"

"Because we don't know anything about the destination," Gretchen replied. "We need Lightning to guide us when we arrive at Arcopis, not to mention we don't even know how to operate the Converger in the first place."

Buford frowned. "It's always about Lightning, huh? We barely even know the guy, why are we trusting him so much! I bet I could take him out in o—auauaghghgu!"

He was cut off as Adyson began twisting his ear and dragging him away with it. Ferb chortled under his breath as he noticed Baljeet grinning from ear to ear as he worked on his equation.

Buford did have a point, however. The group had thoroughly discussed whether they should believe Lightning's story shortly after getting back from Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. In the end, they had decided to trust him at least to take them through the Converger, but some members of the group were still uneasy about it.

Ferb, on the other hand, was more intrigued than anything else. It didn't make sense, but Lightning somehow reminded him so much of himself. Quietly intelligent, not wanting to be the center of attention, and able to read others with ease. He wondered if they really had met before.

The hours dragged on until the sunset rays began to shine through the darkening sky. Nobody had received any calls, no text messages or emails, and nothing. Ferb sighed. Another uneventful day at its end.

On the bright side, they had finished building their gear and testing the sleep-inducing rayguns. Baljeet had stressed that they only needed to measure the laser to ensure they worked properly, but Buford was adamant that they needed to test them on 'something alive' to be sure. So he had zapped Perry's tail when nobody was looking, and as annoyed as Ferb was with that, the platypus had been sound asleep for over an hour. Then again, platypuses didn't do much.

The group was gathered together under the tree before heading home for the night. At this point, they were as ready as they could be to rescue their friends. But it was beginning to seem like Lightning would never show up. Baljeet wondered if Lightning had been discovered as a traitor and was locked up himself now. They were all discussing what to do next.

"Maybe we need to reconsider just waiting around for him," Gretchen was saying to the others. "Every minute we wait here is another minute that Isabella and Phineas could be in danger."

Ferb nodded, as did a few others. They seemed to be headed towards just moving forward on their own.

As the talk continued, Ferb heard the gate creaking open yet again. It's just Ginger bringing in more supplies, he reminded himself, trying to focus on the conversation.

"So you're suggesting we take out the guards in the Doofenshmirtz suite and get the machine to teleport us ourselves?" Ginger asked.

Ferb blinked in confusion. He slowly turned his head in the direction of the back gate—and his gaze fell on none other than the tall, mysterious man who called himself Lightning.

Ferb's quiet gasp and stiffening posture was dramatic enough that the rest of the group turned to see what he was staring at.

There was still enough light to see a blush creep across the man's face. "Um, hey there," Lightning said gruffly, giving a small wave. "...Perhaps I should have knocked."

"You actually came back," Ferb said in a low voice, looking back. Just when we were about to ditch you. With him being so sneaky before, just showing up was the last thing Ferb expected.

Lightning nodded and began approaching the group. "I've got good news and bad news. First–"

"That's close enough, McQueen!" Buford yelled, narrowing his eyes at the near-stranger. "Where are your goons at? They hiding around here somewhere, ready to strike?"

"Buford!" Baljeet chastised, but Lightning did as he said, holding his hands up.

"Sorry. I'm alone this time. Which is both a good and a bad thing."

"Are Phineas and Isabella okay?" Ferb asked. That was the most important thing.

Yes, your friends are okay. They've been captured, but that means we can break them out without having to search the whole planet."

Lightning glanced around. "I see you've been preparing to fight. That's good, because we need to go to Arcopis, right now."

Now?!

"The leader has new technology that he's using on all of his men right now and sent me alone to prepare Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated for the initial invasion. He still believes I support him. But I only have a two-hour time window before I'm scheduled to teleport back, and you can only come if you're with me."

Lightning wavered for a second, looking away. "And I need your help, too. My boss… no, my brother, he needs to be stopped." The hefty man balled his fists. "He wasn't always bad like this, but with what he's planning, he could be a serious threat to the world as we know it.

Lightning shuddered, continuing to stare intensely into the ground. "I've been pretending that I don't know him anymore, but it needs to stop. I need you to help me stop him, then change him back."

Ferb and the rest of the gang glanced at each other, and each member gave a subtle nod. To rescue Phineas and Isabella, they would probably have to take down the leader anyway, and they didn't want him to still be a threat to them or Lightning after everyone was back home safely.

An hour later, everyone stood beside the whirring, vibrating Converger inside of Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. None of the gang was too enthused about reentering the dark, abandoned-looking business suite at the top of the skyscraper, but once Lightning flipped on the light switches, it at least made things easier to see. So far, Lightning's story was holding up; no gunmen were waiting for them as a trap. Whether that was true on the other side, however, was still unknown.

On the way there, Lightning, or rather, Thor, had filled them in on many more details, including that almost everything in the suite had been moved into some sort of base built on Arcopis. Ferb had originally run into the other men during a supply run for additional invention parts. At some point, some mad scientist by the name of Doofenshmirtz had lived here.

Phineas and Isabella were being held hostage in different corners of the compound they were about to be teleported into. Lightning believed that his step-brother and boss, Thaddeus, was forcing them to help build inventions for the invasion.

The group had rehearsed their plan several times now: free Phineas and Isabella, capture Thaddeus, secure his remote, and use it to teleport all of them back to Earth.

In one moment, Ferb was bored, wishing that things would pick up so he could save his friends. And then out of nowhere, he got his wish. Things had been going so fast with learning Lightning's true identity and who was behind the kidnappings that he hadn't taken any time to calm himself down and think.

But from the sound of it, Ferb didn't have the luxury to do that. He was excited, even desperate, to find his brother and bring him back, and that was good enough for now. While Thaddeus letting his guard down by testing all of the guards had allowed Thor to come and find them, it also meant he was confident that he could no longer be stopped. That meant they had to act fast.

"Alright, only one minute to go," Thor said, "Everyone grab hold of me or someone touching me. As you know, you'll feel nausea as the Converger begins to operate, followed by a bright flash of light. This is normal. Just bear through it, and in a few seconds we'll all be in the compound."

Ferb did one final headcount check to ensure everybody was there and had their gear properly donned. He could see Buford and Baljeet holding onto Thor's shoulder and each other, clearly terrified of what was about to happen. Adyson and Ginger stood nearby, each linking hands that ended with Thor, and Gretchen stood next to him. She glanced up at him, looking worried.

"Are you sure this is the right choice?" she whispered.

"Unfortunately, it might be the only choice," Ferb replied in his British accent, shrugging.

Gretchen gave him a nod, a small smile, and grabbed onto his hand as well. Ferb couldn't help but give a silly smile back, both inside and out.

And then it happened. The nausea came back in full force, making it incredibly difficult for Ferb to keep his balance, even when he expected it. The machine began to beep and lights began to flash. The flashes and beeps got faster and faster and Ferb had to lean into the machine to not fall over.

Then suddenly, a blinding white light flashed across his eyes, forcing them shut instinctively. Ferb heard Baljeet cry out but could barely process it with all the sickness he was feeling.

And then, just like that, it was gone. Ferb felt normal. The aura of the white light quickly faded from his vision, and Ferb grew aware of how tightly Gretchen was clutching his hand.

Ferb blinked open his eyes to see the whole group still holding onto the Converger, each recovering at their own pace. This machine looked identical to the last, with a similar, faint whirring noise coming from within and an outer metallic shell, but the room they were in was different. Instead of purple walls were grey cement ones. Tables and boxes filled the larger room, and bright industrial tube lights shone down from the ceiling.

Ferb raised his arm, testing the gravity, but it felt normal. He couldn't immediately discern any differences in the air compared to Earth either.

"Is everyone okay?" Thor called out with a more muted tone before. Buford still looked disoriented, but Adyson gave him a slap across the face and snapped him out of it. Everyone looked a bit shaken up, but nodded.

"But talk about disorienting!"

"Alright. Our cover isn't blown yet but we have to move fast. Follow me."

Everyone looked at Ferb, and he nodded. He held up his raygun and eyed each of theirs, signalling for them to stay alert.

Ferb and the others silently followed Thor out of the Converger room and down a long hallway. Thor had assured them that nobody would be patrolling at the moment, but being in enemy territory still had everyone on edge.

Thor had mentioned that Thaddeus was working on inventions here but was not talented enough to perfect them, not even with this evil scientist 'Doofenshmirtz' here to help him. And Ferb could easily identify boxes full of screws, cogs, computer chips and other raw building materials in many of the rooms they passed by that lined up with that story. Why Thaddeus had to jump to another dimension to do it was another story.

Thor took a turn down into another wider hallway, motioning for the others to follow him. Now that Ferb knew his identity, he could vaguely remember meeting him and his step-brother Thaddeus in their backyard years back. He recalled Thaddeus being arrogant and Phineas completely missing his rudeness, as often happened, but Ferb couldn't remember anything about Thor from that time.

Now, however, Ferb realized that Thor was not rude or more recently, evil, like Thaddeus; he was just quieter, still cared for his brother, and wanted to support him despite his commandeering, derisive behavior. And now that he was going too far, Thor wanted to help bring him back to normal. Perhaps he needed more of his own identity, as Ferb sometimes felt about himself, but Thor was a good person. And perhaps unsurprisingly, he was a lot like Ferb.

"We're getting close," Thor said quietly, looking back to Ferb. He nodded back, but paused as someone gasped from behind. Ferb turned to see Adyson at the back of the group, turned towards a hallway they had just passed, gaping.

"It's Phineas!" she whispered as excitedly as possible, pointing eagerly down the hallway out of sight. Thor stopped moving and Ferb and the others immediately rushed back to Adyson to see.

It was him. Phineas was on the other end of the long hallway, his red tuft of hair bobbing up and down as he ran towards them. And he had escaped on his own!

Typical Phineas, Ferb thought to himself, an uncharacteristically wide grin spreading over his face. Of course he would have found a way to break free.

"You guys made it here!" Phineas shouted, a similar grin across his face as he came up to the group. "I am so glad to see you!" He stopped short a few feet away from them all.

Thank heavens, he doesn't look injured or hurt in the slightest, Ferb thought to himself as he examined his brother who was now sporting a long, black lab coat.

"Phineas," he replied, not sure what to say. He had waited for this moment for weeks now, not even sure if it would happen. But Phineas was here!

"You're here to rescue Isabella and I, right?" he asked.

"You betcha, bud!" Buford called back, all attempts at being sneaky gone. "And then I'm gonna pound the crap outta that Thaddeus kid that took you and girly here in the first place!"

Phineas was looking at everyone who came, but frowned slightly. "Who's the big chunky dude right there?" he asked, pointing at Thor who was at the edge of the group. "Is he kidnapping you too?"

Ferb raised an eyebrow. "This is Thor; he works here but decided to help us rescue you guys. He's on our side."

Phineas slowly nodded, looking surprised. But then the smile reappeared on his pointy face.

"I see. Well, that's just dandy; now it makes sense how y'all are here."

"I take it Isabella is still imprisoned?" Baljeet asked. Phineas nodded.

Ferb glanced at Thor, who looked confused. He must have been surprised that Phineas was able to escape single-handed. For some reason, Thor had his eyes narrowed at him.

"Well, friends," Phineas continued, "You're in luck because since escaping, I've been hard at work with an invention that'll get us and Isabella home safely without a doubt, once we find her. Come with me and I'll show you how it works."

"Um, Phineas?" Thor called out as they began to follow Phineas down the alternate hallway, "How did you break free from your cell? And you didn't run into any guards?"

Phineas shook his head. "No way, and those fools wouldn't stand a chance against me even if they dared. Just don't worry about it."

He took a turn down another hallway, everyone trailing behind him. Ferb was curious to see whatever Phineas had built, but he was surprised that he hadn't gone and found Isabella yet. Knowing them, Ferb would have guessed that they would find each other first and then work to escape. But maybe he knew something that they didn't.

Still, Phineas wasn't acting like... Phineas. He was talking differently and hadn't even bothered to come hug his brother. Ferb knew that wasn't important right now but wondered if the atmospheric gases could have an effect on him.

Phineas stopped at a large set of doors and held one of them open so the gang could walk inside. In the room was another large metal machine with a strange-looking raygun sitting on top.

"This is what I built to get us out of here," Phineas said, gesturing up at the machine. "With this, we can find Isabella and get out of her in no time."

"That's great; what does it do?" Gretchen asked, looking the machine up and down curiously.

"With this, I can control other people's minds to make them do my bidding," Phineas explained with a smile, walking over to a computer next to the machine.

"That's incredible!" Baljeet shouted, "And we built sleep-inducing rayguns as well, so with all of that, we should be able to make it out of here with ease! Do you see that thing Ginger is holding?"

Phineas frowned again, slowly looking between each of the girls there. It had only been a little over a week; was he somehow forgetting their names?

"Those are interesting, I'll have to see how you built those. How handy that you're smart too. But first, wait there for a few seconds."

Something felt wrong. Phineas wasn't acting at all how Ferb would have expected.

"Ferb." Thor whispered urgently, making him look back. He looked panic-stricken.

"I don't think that's Phineas. Just come with me."

"What do you—"

Ferb was cut off as a burst of green light engulfed him and Thor. Then, everything went black.