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Chapter 19: The Real Phineas.
Isabella's heart pounded as she followed behind Dr. Doofenshmirtz through the compound. Phineas trailed behind her, glancing in all directions for guards. They had nearly reached the camera room and now had a plan to get out.
They would wait in hiding until Thaddeus was alone. Doofenshmirtz believed that he would be done testing and instructing the guards in perhaps thirty minutes. In case guards came to the camera room before that happened, he had gathered a box of materials to build a remote video feed device so they could monitor the cameras from somewhere else.
Once they cornered Thaddeus, they would take his remote and use it to schedule their teleportation out of there. Then they would run to the Converger, teleport back to Earth, disable the Converger on Earth temporarily to trap Thaddeus, and get some sort of 're-good-inator' that Doofenshmirtz had to get rid of Thaddeus's extra evil. Then they could go back with their friends and reinforcements to put it all to an end.
Adrenaline kept coursing through Isabella's veins as they approached the metal door. She couldn't tell if it was more from this insane plan of theirs or the nearly irresistible urge to continue that conversation with Phineas after they were safely home.
Doofenshmirtz slowly opened the door and they peered inside the dark room. It looked like something out of a spy movie—rows of clunky monitors and controls lined half of the space, displaying low-quality video feeds of various rooms and hallways in the compound. As the doctor flipped on the lights, the other side of the room lit up, illuminating several more boxes, some freestanding chairs, and a large map etched onto the entire wall that outlined the whole compound. With it, Isabella finally found the one place that opened up to the snowy outdoors and housed those snowmobiles they had seen so much earlier.
Unfortunately, the map also indicated that they were quite far from the Converger room.
Doofenshmirtz shut the door quietly behind them and Isabella heard the click of a lock.
Phineas brushed past her to get a better look at some of the camera feeds. There were lots of different hallways and rooms, some filled with boxes and others with strange, partially-built machines inside. None of the videos showed any people and a few of them were completely blank.
"Is this really everything?" Isabella asked, comparing the number of monitors to the size of the map.
"Not a chance," replied Doofenshmirtz, scratching his head as he sat at one of two swiveling control chairs that went into the floor. He began fiddling with the controls. "I know there's some way to cycle through video feeds, but I'm not sure why those monitors are blank."
Phineas and Isabella began examining the controls as well for a cycling button, but no sooner had they started that Doofenshmirtz yelled out that he found it. He was gripping a large, red-handled lever and pulled it down one notch, causing all the monitors to temporary fuzz then display new hallways and rooms.
"Hmm, this group of feeds still doesn't show anybody," Phineas said. "Can you bring it down ano–"
An earsplitting crack sounded from below as another earthquake began, throwing everyone violently to the floor. Isabella curled up into a ball as more loud cracks came from all directions. She heard Doofenshmirtz let out a surprised cry as the ground beneath her shook from side to side.
It'll end soon, it always does, Isabella repeated in her head, blindly grabbing with one arm for something to hold onto. Finding nothing, she desperately looked for some sort of table to crawl under until it ended, all while fighting back her mind-numbing terror. Something hit her shin from behind, the thick, flailing camera room door, and Isabella desperately reached up with her good arm to anchor herself to its handle.
Phineas was holding onto the base of one chair Doofenshmirtz was under the other, both of them gritting their teeth as the floor groaned beneath them. The earthquake kept growing more and more violent and Isabella heard a nearby hallway light crash to the floor.
It wasn't stopping. Something was seriously wrong, and Isabella felt like she was about to hurl. A new crack shot up the monitor wall and she heard wood splintering from inside of the room. Isabella's eyes shot to above Phineas, where one of the highest monitors made a large clank and dislodged from its wall mount.
She screamed, kicked off from the door and threw herself towards Phineas, pummelling into him and propelling them into Doofenshmirtz. The monitor crashed down where he had been only moments before, destroying the chair.
Everything went black as the power cut out somewhere. And then everything went still. No more shaking, no more shattering or cracking, just three breaths panting heavily.
"Isabella? You saved me! Are you okay?" came Phineas's voice just next to her left ear.
"Yeah," she wheezed, holding her chest. As frightening as that was, she had been able to keep her composure that time. "And you, Phin?"
"Uh-huh," came the reply.
"You know, I'm here too!" Doofenshmirtz called sardonically from below her. At the same time, the lights and monitors all came back on with a hum. Isabella gasped to see the doctor pinned below her.
Gross, why couldn't it have been Phineas? She was back on her feet right away.
"That's by far the worst one yet," Doofenshmirtz mumbled to himself as he sat up. "I warned Thad that this planet's tectonic plates were unstable, but he wouldn't listen. There's going to be a Pangaea-scale continental shift any moment. We gotta leave fast!"
About a third of the remaining monitors had gone blank, suggesting major damage had been done. But when Doofenshmirtz pulled the red lever to its lowest notch, Isabella saw it on a monitor at the very left: a dozen or so people gathered all around a large metal contraption.
"That's it. That's the mind-controller gun!" Phineas exclaimed, pointing at the same monitor. "And those must be the guards you were talking about. Is Thaddeus with them?"
Doofenshmirtz looked slightly confused. "I didn't know there were that many guards… Let me enlarge this." He twisted a few more knobs and the small image reappeared more clearly on a much larger, central screen.
Several of the people closest to the camera's top-level view wore the same black shirts and slacks that Isabella's imprisoners wore; those were the guards. The others' faces were obstructed by the raygun they stood behind, but she could tell that they had on different clothes such as jeans and shorts and—was someone in a dress? Isabella didn't know there were any other girls here.
"This is odd," Doofenshmirtz said, "These guards are in the right spot, but I don't see Thaddeus anyw–"
"FEERRRB!" Phineas shouted, jumping up and down and pointing at the left edge of the screen. A tall, block-headed guy with green hair had just walked into view holding a load of supplies. Isabella's mouth dropped open but quickly turned into a wide smile as Ginger came into view behind him.
"How are they here? Did they come to rescue us?!" Phineas asked the open air excitedly. "We have to go find them!"
"Wait, those are your friends?" Doofenshmirtz asked quizzically, and Isabella nodded vigorously.
"Maybe they've come to rescue us!" she replied enthusiastically, looking closer to see what they were doing.
One of the guards walked up to Ferb, who handed him some of the supplies. Together, they got down on the ground and began attaching some sort of wheel to the raygun.
"Wait, what are they doing with Thaddeus's guards…?"
A moment later, Ginger and another guard set to installing another wheel on the other side of the raygun's base.
"Maybe they don't know what that machine does," Phineas guessed.
"No, something's not right." Doofenshmirtz argued. "How did your friends manage to get into the compound, and why are they helping the guards move the raygun to the Converger for teleportation?"
The three stared at each other.
"I know there's a microphone and speakers in there," Phineas offered weakly, "Perhaps we could ask them?"
Realization dawned on Isabella. "No we can't," she replied somberly. "You said you built a mind-controlling raygun, Phineas. Those guards were already being controlled. There's only one reason why our friends would decide to start helping them."
Phineas's eyes tightened and he gritted his teeth for a moment. He didn't want to accept it. "Nooo…" he finally whispered, head dropping.
Thaddeus somehow already had their best friends under control, putting even more lives in danger. With every earthquake stronger than the last, they couldn't just teleport away and leave their friends.
Isabella walked back to the giant map, trying to formulate a new plan. What could they do to break this spell on their friends without getting captured?
"Uhh, as sad as that may be, we've still got a problem," Doofenshmirtz said, cycling through the remaining working video feeds. "They finished testing much faster than I expected, and I can't find Thaddeus anywhere."
"Are you sure?" Phineas asked, pushing the red lever back up to recheck channels. "I see our friend Buford going down this hallway with someone else. What did you say this boss guy looked like again?"
Doofenshmirtz and Phineas continued talking and searching, but Isabella heard a soft click and pushed it out. She spun to the left to see the doorknob turning.
She glanced around frantically for a weapon or object, but there was no time. The door slowly creaked open.
Face to face with her, sporting a black lab coat and matching slacks, was Phineas.
"Isabella! How did you– You escaped! I'm surprised I found you here."
Isabella gawked at her best friend, who had somehow left the room and found a new set of darker clothes?
Whipping her head back to look at Doofenshmirtz by the computer monitors, there stood Phineas right beside him, wearing the same grey jumpsuit as before. They were still focused on the screens and controls.
Isabella blinked and turned back to the door, and Phineas stood just outside of it in his black lab coat, giving her a funny grin.
Thick tuft of strikingly red hair? Check. Curious, deep blue eyes on a uniquely triangular head? Check. Medium-pitched voice that always caught her off guard? Check.
"I've been looking everywhere for you since I escaped," the new Phineas said as he stepped into the room, making Isabella back up. "Why the heck didn't you come looking for me though? I mean–"
New Phineas stopped short as he noticed Dr. Doofenshmirtz and the other Phineas who now gaped back at him.
"What is going on?" Isabella finally got out. Her brain couldn't comprehend this. Two Phineases?!
Doofenshmirtz was equally frazzled. "But, we already rescued you! You're right here! Does Phineas have a secret agent twin? And why are you wearing Thaddeus's clothes?"
The old Phineas just looked stunned, having found his doppelganger.
"This isn't what you think, Isabella!" New Phineas suddenly shouted, turning back at her frantically. "That isn't Phineas over there. He's really the leader of the compound and his name is Thaddeus. He and that idiotic pharmacist Doofenshmirtz are tricking you!"
Isabella glanced fearfully back at Old Phineas and saw the confusion register over his face.
"I am an evil scientist, not a pharmacist!" Doofenshmirtz yelled back, shaking his fist at him. "And for your information, Agent P –err– Agent Phineas, I am helping Isabella and Phineas escape and they're helping me, so I can get back to my own evil schemes on Earth, thank you very much."
New Phineas's eyes narrowed, but he took another step forward towards Isabella. "I'm telling you, they're both faking it! Don't be stupid, you know me!"
Old Phineas had recovered from his stupor and stepped up between New Phineas and Isabella, forming a triangle. She shied away from both of them.
"Who are you and why do you look and sound exactly like me?" Old Phineas asked, his eyes sending a piercing glare towards New Phineas.
Isabella kept comparing them. Clothes aside, they looked like the same Phineas she grew up with, height and all. But even in the past minute, she could tell that they acted differently. Both were expressive and assertive. But one of them was just a little more pushy than she was used to.
Old Phineas took another step towards New Phineas with his fists balled up. "Are you joking? Are you Thaddues, the one who kidnapped Isabella and I and threw us into danger here? Did you shoot me, then dye your hair or something?"
The gunshot. Isabella had never quite understood that. Had she actually remembered Phineas not having it in the valley with the steaming river?
But Old Phineas's comment brought it back to her mind. And as she thought about everything that had happened, it all clicked.
"Both of you. Take off your shirts. Now!"
The Phineases halted their glaring contest to stare back at her in confusion. But Old Phineas immediately reached for his jumpsuit zipper and began to tug it down.
"Why?" New Phineas asked, taking a step back towards the door. "What would that accomplish?"
"Do it! Show me your gunshot wound."
Old Phineas grimaced as he pulled up a stained white undershirt below the jumpsuit, revealing a dirty red bandage.
"I-I won't! He's lying!" New Phineas took another faltering step back through the doorway. "He-He's–"
New Phineas turned and bolted away down the hallway, but Isabella was ready. She sprinted after him and dove for his legs, tackling the imposter to the ground. Doofenshmirtz and old Phineas were on him moments later, holding down his upper body.
"Flip him over!" Isabella commanded and they struggled to hold down New Phineas as they turned him on his stomach. It was now obvious who her Phineas really was, but she still needed to know.
"No, don't touch me, let me go! You don't understand, it's–"
New Phineas stuttered as Old Phineas's shoulder collided with his head amidst the struggle. Body holding down his legs, Isabella forced up his shirt and, just for a second before it fell back down, Isabella glimpsed his healthy, unwounded pink side.
Isabella had found the final jigsaw piece in the puzzle. Suddenly, it all made sense. And just as suddenly, she was filled with rage. As New Phineas caught her expression, he stopped struggling completely, actually looking smug.
"You pathetic, loathsome snake!" she seethed, baring her teeth and making the others jump. "Phineas was never even with me on that river trek, was he?! He never once hurt me, he didn't hit me! It was all you, Thaddeus!"
Thaddeus grinned maniacally, all fear gone from his own triangular face. "Well now, you aren't as stupid as I gave you credit for, Izzy!" he jeered. "No matter. As the lovestruck sidekick of my biggest rival, there was no way I could skip the opportunity to torment you when it came up. You weren't supposed to be here at all, Isabella, no thanks to this old geezer's mistakes. But I'll say, you really came in handy breaking Phineas's spirit for me so he could fix my invention!" He let out an evil cackle at the thought.
"Why do you look just like me?" Phineas grunted, still tense even though Thaddeus had stopped struggling under his grip.
"Eh? Colored contacts, some voice enhancement and visual tech, and the right haircut and dye are all I need. We're even more similar now than when we first met, you know. I've even been considering taking over your life once this is over. Inheriting all that fame and reputation you've built up, ya know?" He angled his head up to stare up at Phineas gleefully. "I may not have reached your level yet, but I've gotten pretty good with my inventions, so pretending to be you wasn't that hard. Like I said, we're pretty alike."
"You're nothing alike!" Phineas and Isabella both yelled back in unison.
Isabella wanted to knock him out cold, make him pay for his subterfuge. She bristled, the anger boiling on her face as her thoughts jumped between all the awful things Thaddeus had done to them.
"Izzy! Remember the plan."
She paused, turning a fraction to see Phineas giving her a stern but grounded expression.
Phineas was right. They needed to get that remote and get out of here. The three of them began patting Thaddeus down, who just continued to grin and laugh.
"Found it!" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed, pulling out a small, thin device from Thaddeus's lab coat pocket. But his expression darkened as he fiddled with the controls.
"Whaaat? You added a password prompt to my inator without telling me? How could you?!"
Thaddeus laughed again cynically. "Of course I did, you old fool. Even if you taught me, you never wanted to fully embrace what it means to be evil, and while I didn't think you'd actually betray me, I didn't take any chances. You may have me right now, but I'm the one who really has you, all of you. Just wait, my minions are almost here!"
Isabella felt a panic as she remembered seeing her friends moving the mind control machine. Even if they weren't bringing the raygun to them to zap them, they and Thaddeus's guards would easily overpower them. The panic intensified as the sound of running footsteps began echoing down the corridor.
"We have to hide!" Phineas yelled, pulling up Thaddeus with Doofenshmirtz as the three of them got up.
"No, back to the camera room!" Doofenshmirtz shouted back, pulling them towards the door. "I have an idea!"
That would leave us trapped in the room, Isabella thought desperately, but as she glanced back behind them, she saw Ferb and Gretchen appear at the end of the hallway, running at a full sprint towards them. One of them was holding something and shot a beam of light at them, only narrowly missing them.
"No time! Go!" she shouted, and the three of them forced Thaddeus back down the hallway and through the door. Isabella slammed the door shut while Phineas tackled Thaddeus to the ground again. At the same time, Doofenshmirtz hurried back to the box of supplies Phineas had gathered earlier.
"You're all miiine!" Thaddeus yelled while thrashing under Phineas's sole grip. "Maybe I won't zap you Isabella so you can witness what I do to all your pathetic little friends, Isab—"
Thaddeus was cut off as Isabella's elbow connected with his temple, knocking him out. That was for slapping me, freak. She pulled up an awestruck Phineas.
"C'mon, help me barricade the door!"
The duo began wedging chair legs under the door and grabbing boxes, the fallen monitor and whatever else they could find to pile on top of them. Just as they had started stacking up boxes, the first thunk came through the door. Ferb had arrived.
"Keep going!" Isabella yelled as the door began to shake from people outside ramming into it. She balanced the final box with her good arm and stacked it against the door as Phineas planted his feet in the ground and held it closed.
The bangs grew stronger and the door rattled as more people began ramming into the door from outside. Phineas groaned from the pressure and Isabella slammed her back up against a stack of boxes to help him.
The metal chair legs squealed and began to bend with the barrage of attacks. They could barely hold it back.
"Dr. Doofenshmirtz, what are you doing!? We need your he- huh?"
It took them a second to realize that the pounding had stopped. Ferb and the others were no longer trying to force their way in.
"D-did they give up?"
Phineas shook his head. "There's no way. Thaddeus's mind control is still active even with him unconscious. But they're free to use the full capacity of their minds to fulfill his wishes now." He glanced down angrily at his sprawled out doppelganger. "And I know Ferb all too well. I'm sure he's building something to force his way in here as we speak."
"I just need a few more minutes!" Doofenshmirtz called, turned away from them on all fours on the floor. His hands moved vigorously from side to side, building some sort of invention.
Isabella spotted the remote on the ground near Thaddeus; Doofenshmirtz must have dropped it in his haste. She dashed over and snatched it up, then went back to help Phineas in case the pounding restarted. It was almost like a smartphone, with a touchscreen and virtual keyboard prompting her to enter a password.
She and Phineas entered several guesses, but expectedly to no avail. Apparently Thaddeus was smart enough to use a proper password. They tried fiddling with the other controls on the remote but nothing would respond.
Thaddeus began to stir, prompting Phineas to jump back down on top of him. "We might have to force the password out of him," Phineas said regrettably as he pinned down Thaddeus's arms and legs again.
A shrill, metal buzzing noise from above made Isabella clamp hands over her ears. Horrified, she turned to see a red laser burning through the top door hinge. They were cutting it open!
Isabella screamed, backing up and tripping over a chair. This situation was really bad. They were cornered.
"Doofenshmirtz, whatever you're building, we need it now!" Phineas yelled, looking over his shoulder as the laser began melting metal around the middle door hinge. Isabella desperately tried entering more random passwords until she got a timeout lock. She frantically looked for something else to barricade the door with but they were fresh out.
Thaddeus was coming out of his daze and again began to snicker under his breath.
As the final hinge was separated from the main door, Isabella grabbed onto Phineas in terror.
This was it.
"Doofenshmirtz!"
The door was ripped open from the outside, dropping to the floor with a resounding clank. Outside stood Ferb, Adyson, Gretchen, Buford, and tons of other guards. Way too many to fight.
"Ferb!" Phineas called out brokenly, half reaching towards his brother. Isabella shrieked and held Phineas tighter as the intruders dismantled the barricade with ease.
"I told you, you're all miiiine!" Thaddeus screamed demonically from beneath them, now cackling endlessly.
Isabella screamed as several pairs of arms grabbed her and tugged her away from Phineas.
"Noo! Let me go! Phineas, no!"
Buford appeared in front of her, pinning down Phineas and wrenching the remote out of his grasp. He looked up at her fiercely, trying to fight off his friend, but another guard grabbed on and overpowered him.
"Isabella! Not again, don't leave me!"
Isabella scratched, bit, and screamed to break free, but there were too many guards. The room was swarming with them. They began carrying her away.
"Leeet me go! Phineasss!"
Thaddeus had won. He controlled them all.
A bright blue light irradiated the room, nearly blinding Isabella. She could only just make out a focused beam of blue light shooting across the room towards her.
The light lasted a few seconds, then disappeared. Isabella's captors' grip loosened, then they all fell over, releasing her. She fled back to Phineas, tears streaming down her cheeks as she barreled into him with a hug.
"Phineas?" came a refined, quiet British voice from behind them. "Isabella?"
The pair turned back to see Ferb on the ground, staring up at them in wonder.
It took a moment before Isabella fully realized their pursuers were no longer intent on capturing them. Her friends lay around, coming to their senses, and even Thaddeus's guards looked uninterested in them.
Somehow, only seconds before being apprehended himself, the evil scientist had delivered. The mind-control spell had been broken.
"Beeehooold, the Reverse-inator!" Dr. Doofenshmirtz announced emphatically from the back of the room. He held up a small, haphazardly constructed raygun with a steaming tip. "It reverses the effects of the last inator that hit the subject! Now your friends and the guards are all controlling the mind of Thaddeus together. That's what you get for underestimating me, you little twerp!"
Doofenshmirtz made a strange bow to the crowd. "You see, I couldn't stop thinking how our situation is just like when Perry the Platypus is about to beat me at Uno. And when I'm cornered, you know which card I use—the reverse card! I mean, it doesn't really help when it's just the two of us playing, but in this case…"
Isabella tried to calm down her shaking body and focus back on Ferb and the guards instead of the monologue. They were slowly getting back up, looking confused, but none of them made a move towards her.
"Isabella! Phineas!" Buford shouted excitedly, using their real names for once. "Boy are we glad to see you!" The whole gang was beaming at them. Phineas smiled back, carefully dislodging Isabella's arms from him, then went over to hug him and Ferb.
"Wait… Why are there two of you?"
As Phineas explained the situation to the newly cognizant ex-guards and friends, Isabella wiped her eyes and looked down at Thaddeus. He was awake and stared at her, but lay completely motionless. He was awaiting orders. She shuddered at how exactly he had copied Phineas's appearance to deceive her.
A low rumble reverberated through the compound, giving everyone the slightest shake. Apparently that was enough to pull Doofenshmirtz out of his speech.
"That's our warning!" he cried, "We've got to get off of Arcopis now!"
"Everyone! You need to concentrate on Thaddeus together, and command him to teleport us to Earth!"
Ferb and the others looked utterly confused. "Just do as Phineas says!" Isabella joined in. "This planet is extremely unstable and the compound could crumble any second. Just trust us!"
Surprisingly, the ex-guards closed their eyes and began to focus first. They seemed to better understand the situation. Moments later, Ferb, Buford, Adyson, Gretcher, Ginger, and Baljeet all did the same.
Thaddeus twitched for a second, then held out his hand for the remote. Buford glanced towards Isabella, then cautiously gave it to him. Thaddeus entered a long string of numbers and letters into the remote, then pressed a bunch of buttons. Moments later, a five-minute timer popped up on the screen, and began to count down.
"Phineas is scheduled for teleportation to Earth in six minutes," Thaddeus stated calmly. "He is advised to move to the Converger room promptly to ensure a safe flight.
"To the Converger!" Doofenshmirtz shouted, shoving past everyone and running out the door. "Everyone follow me!"
Isabella could hardly believe it. Were they really going home? She watched as the remaining ex-guards and her friends left the room. One large guard with a block-shaped head put his arm around Thaddeus and led him out. Phineas and her were left alone.
She felt so many emotions welling up inside of her. Adrenaline, shock, excitement, joy, pain, anger, all of it. But when Isabella looked up into Phineas's wary, but smiling face, one feeling overpowered all the rest.
Love. This whole time, Phineas hadn't done anything wrong. He had been wrongly impersonated, yet he did his best to work through it and apologize for someone else's sins. Somehow, he had turned the most confusing situation into a bonding moment for them, and even tried confessing to her in the middle of it.
"You did it, Isabella," he said calmly with a toothy grin. "You and the doctor! We're finally going home! We-"
Isabella couldn't resist and interrupted Phineas, speedily closing the distance between them and pushing her lips to his.
A second later, she pulled away to see his stunned face. "We did it, dummy," she replied, smiling with a furious blush. "But we haven't done it yet! C'mon, let's go home!"
Phineas stood frozen, eyes glued to Isabella, so she giggled, grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Only the culmination of all the past events and a little impulsiveness had pushed her to do that, and she could hardly believe she had pulled it off. Knowing her feelings for him already, her heart soared.
Only minutes later, everyone crowded in the Converger room, a web of hands holding onto shoulders with Phineas and Isabella at the center. Phineas still gripped her hand tightly, an everlasting smile wide across his face.
"10 seconds!" Doofenshmirtz shouted, and the hands gripping Isabella's shoulders tightened. She braced for more pain, similar to the throbbing pain from the first unwelcome teleport.
But it never came. Nausea came instead, making her dizzy and wobbly, but the people around Isabella kept her from falling. As the Converger's lights and beeping grew stronger and faster, she felt as if the floor had begun shaking again. She could just make out a deep rumble coming from the ground.
Finally, a blinding flash.