I need to give Marissa more screen-time…

I kinda envisioned her having more time to shine in this whole thing…turns out, locking her up in her room for the entire story has its disadvantages. I gotta put in some twists for her, otherwise her presence will be kinda pointless, I fear…I want her to be a part of this story! (I mean, this is her frigging debut)

So. Any ideas?! 83 I'd LOVE to hear some from you guys!

"Phineas and Ferb"are owned by Dan Povenmireand Jeff "Swampy" Marshwho both work for Disney(c)(LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!)

Marissa Flynn owns Marissa

Porkins belongs to Star Wars (but I love his name, so I keep using him anyway) who also belong to Disney...so HA.

I own this story and the rest of its contents.

Enjoy!

P/F/P/F

Above the base of the Resistance was a large cornfield that spread across the ground. Apparently, this particular city, Seattle perhaps, had been the luckiest of those who had been affected by the plant outbreak, as they had been "overcome" by mere stalks as opposed to vines and trees. They were still surrounded, yet, but the stalk had proven to be completely useless against them, and proved a great food source even now. They also proved to be a decent cover for the base that lied miles below the surface, and served as a way to camouflage even those above ground.

Thus, it's size and cover proved to be rather useful many ways. For example, at that very moment, two members of the Resistance were running around the cornfield, having been there since their scuffle. They were currently arguing and complaining with each other, trying to blame the other for their current agony.

"*pant*-*pant* Well *pant* thanks a lot *pant* Buford! I really shouldn't be surprised that you got us into yet another-!"

"Hey *pant* don't blame me *pant* girlie *pant* you're the one who started it!"

"Well *pant* if you hadn't flipped out in the first place *pant* you wouldn't have been such an easy target…ugh…"

Isabella fell to the ground with a thud, panting heavily. She moaned. "How…many laps…was that?" she asked, feeling dizzy.

Buford came to a stop at this question, putting his hands on his knees, feeling like his chest would burst at any moment. He cast Isabella a glare. "I thought you were keep track," he growled, "Given you're smarter than me!"

Isabella giggled mockingly at Buford. "Oh, right, I forgot," she smirked, anger on her lips, "Silly me. I shouldn't have relied on you for that, huh?"

Buford groaned before heading back towards the direction of the hatch, his legs shaking from the pain. It was a rather large cornfield, far bigger than a football field, and they had been expected to run thirty laps as punishment for their behavior. Buford thought that it was a little harsh, though Isabella took it as an opportunity to train. She was a little too optimistic (and annoying) for his taste.

Isabella felt her eyebrow being raised as Buford began his leave. "Where do you think you're going?"

Buford looked back smugly. "Look, we've been at this for a while," he said, "And I kinda missed lunch thanks to your idiocy-."

Isabella glared hard at Buford's comment. "MY idiocy?! Excuse me?!"

"-So how's about we skip the rest of this?" Buford shrugged carelessly, "It's been so long, I bet we did more than thirty laps anyway."

"Well, unlike you, I don't want to get into trouble with Candace," Isabella spat, "If I were you, in fact, I'd get back to those laps." She added under her breath, "Not that you'd ever listen to me anyway…ugh…"

"You're just gonna make us restart anyway," Buford's retort sounded a bit like a groan, "I ain't gonna do no more of it. You can run as many times as ya' like, but I'm gonna get somethin' to eat."

Isabella growled as Buford went on his way, not bothering to listen to her complaints on the matter. In fact, as soon as she was sure that Buford wouldn't be able to hear or see her, Isabella carefully began to follow Buford back to the Resistance base. It was getting late, anyway, and she needed to get back to training with the Fireside Girls. It wasn't because she knew Buford was right, because he wasn't. He was never right.

Isabella felt herself grumbling angrily.

Phineas stared at the large scale jet plane, which was currently being refueled by the nerd, Carl, and was being refurbished by some of the members of the Resistance, among them being Irving. The shy member of the Resistance quietly waved to Phineas, who waved back before looking back to the large plane, putting a hand on the side of it. He looked back to Monogram, who seemed to take pride at the work that was put into the machine, almost as if he had built it himself. Phineas doubted it, of course, since Monogram appeared to be the kind to steal credit than to do the work himself.

On the other hand…

"So, uh…how long have you known the Resistance, anyway?" Phineas found himself asking, "Including my sister, of course."

"Since the beginning," Monogram stated, "Your sister had snuck into Agent P's abandoned base on accident, and we conversed. You could say that I inspired them to make the Resistance in the first place."

"Inspired them?" Phineas blinked, "So Candace wasn't the only one who you managed to speak with."

"Correct. She was merely one of the first."

Phineas nodded at this, crossing his arms. "And this LOVEMUFFIN…who are they?" he almost found himself snickering at the stupid name, "Was my da…was…Doofenshmirtz a part of them?"

"I'm not your sister, Phineas. Call your father whatever you want to call him; I know who he is."

Phineas looked at Monogram, shocked at the reassurance. It almost made him smile. But he didn't. He couldn't. Something was wrong…

"Yes," Monogram answered, "He was. You see, LOVEMUFFIN was an organization of supposed 'villains' who wanted power of their own."

"Supposed?" Phineas found himself tilting his head, "What do you mean? They did bad things…so…doesn't that make them bad people? Doesn't that mean they're villains?"

Monogram shook his head, chuckling as if he heard a pretty decent joke. "People tend to assume that villains are people who proactively try to be evil," he stated, "That they're the ones who try to 'take over the world' or something clichéd like that. While that's the case sometimes, that's the weakest way to playing that kind of role. True villains aren't necessarily evil. They're simply your enemy."

Phineas stared, not sure of what to say.

"It was all led by Rodney, an old colleague of Heinz's, I believe," Monogram went on, "LOVEMUFFIN, I mean. He had so much potential…" he trailed off, momentarily, a little disappointed, before chuckling again, "…But he was so full of himself. He thought he could get everything he wanted by simply taking it by force. As if all he needed was a group who agreed with his ideals…"

"…Rodney…"

Monogram looked to Phineas after hearing him, looking shocked. "You know of him, then?" he asked.

"Yeah," Phineas nodded, "Doofenshmirtz murdered him…and then…?"

"He ended up taking over LOVEMUFFIN," Monogram continued nonchalantly, "And their power spread throughout the country after the vegetation invasion as…ugh…Carl likes to call it. You know the story, I presume?"

Phineas nodded again, more hesitantly this time. "Yeah…" a pause, and Phineas gulped, "do you?"

Monogram didn't answer, nor did he seem to give any expression about it. No look of remorse, yet there was no look of mockery either. He was staying completely straight-faced. Phineas thought that, yes, he must've known about it, and simply didn't want to go into detail. Not out of sympathy, but out of pure boredom it seemed.

After a while, however, Monogram gave a smirk to Phineas, who seemed to give a slight recoil to the change. "Would you like to take a look inside?" he suddenly asked.

Phineas gave a weird look to Monogram, who explained further, "I can tell you've got a lot on your mind. Perhaps we can discuss this more in private?"

"I-…"

"Don't think I'm going to do something awful to you," Monogram stated, "Even if I could, I don't want to cut ties with my alliance here as of yet. You're completely safe with me."

Phineas stared at Monogram, who led him into the luxurious plane. "As of yet…what the heck is that supposed to mean?" the boy felt more uneasy, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…no, I know it's not a good idea, but I'm doing it anyway…just like in the graveyard, or in the Chandelier Room…"

But, it ended up a good thing, right? He wouldn't have met his father if he didn't make that mistake at the graveyard. He wouldn't have seen a different side of Doofenshmirtz if he hadn't gotten into the Chandelier Room…Vanessa's room…those bad choices always ended with Phineas at least learning something. So, perhaps, in a way, this was a good thing?

Somehow, knowing this made Phineas feel a little better. Emphasis on a little, as Monogram was still very intimidating for someone who was in common stance with his sister.

The plane felt more like a very small house only meant to house a couple people. In the front of the plane were the controls, which could be used manually or automatically. Phineas assumed that Monogram took a lot of trips on the plane, at least back then, or he was prepared, since there was also a bed there. A single bed that was probably to suit Monogram…Phineas' thoughts suddenly went to Carl as he kept looking around. There was also a small table with two chairs, all of which were attached to the plane. They looked comfy.

Monogram sat down, and Phineas sat down as well…and suddenly…just like a flash…it suddenly looked like that room…where he first met Doofenshmirtz…

He was going to be interrogated, wasn't he?

Phineas stared blankly at Monogram, as he looked at him in a calming manner. Phineas could feel anything but calm, but he kept the blank stare that he remembered Ferb always giving. Phineas suddenly cringed.

"You seem stressed," Monogram noted, as if he were concerned (Phineas knew better), "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Phineas said, harsher than he meant (what do you mean "harsher than he meant"? That was totally as harsh as he meant, dammit!), "I…I'm fine…it's just that everything's been…weird…"

Why the hell was he opening up to this mad-man? Why did he go into the plane? Why did he follow Monogram?

WHY DID HE GO INTO THAT GRAVEYARD?!

"Why would Ferb go against our sister?" Phineas asked, more to himself than Monogram, "It doesn't make any sense to me…"

"They had their share of differences," Monogram stated, "That's all I can really gather from it. It was something…personal…"

"And why did…why does…"

"I know why you came to see Candace."

Phineas rose his head up to Monogram, whose gaze became a little darker, with the same smile on his face regardless.

"You want to know if your father is going to die after everything is resolved."

Phineas felt paler…

"Let me ask you something, Phineas," Monogram said, "What side are you on?"

…and then he blinked. "What?"

"What side do you stand on?" Monogram asked, "What is right, and what is wrong to you?"

Phineas stared. Was that a trick question?

"There are no wrong answers," Monogram said, "But there are no right ones either. That's how the world works, after all."

"I…I…I-I guess," Phineas swallowed again, "That I'm on the good si-."

"Which side is the good side?"

"…H-huh?"

"I'm asking a simple question, Phineas. Which side is the good side?"

Phineas could feel himself starting to melt in his seat. He hadn't really thought about this before. Doofenshmirtz wasn't inherently a good-guy, wasn't he? He was supposed to be the bad guy of the story. So naturally, they were supposed to be enemies.

But he didn't want to be Doofenshmirtz's enemy. In fact, part of him wanted to-.

He couldn't go against his own sister! He couldn't! That was wrong!

Candace was the good guy! He should stand by her, no matter what! Who cared about-?!

Phineas looked down at his hands. They were starting to shake. He looked back to Monogram, who waited for an answer. Phineas opened his mouth and whispered, "I don't know…"

Monogram gave a look of acknowledgement. "You see, Phineas," he spoke like he had venom for spit, "The answer to your question depends on the side your on: Your father wins, and we all die; me, Carl, the Resistance, your siblings…if we win, however, your father and all of his "friends" are executed for their crimes."

Phineas laughed. It sounded like he was begging, though. "He can change," he said, "I know he can. H-he has it in him, I know he does…he's just like any other person on this planet."

"Yes," Monogram nodded, "I agree with you, Phineas. I agree…tell me, if it was me doing all of this, Phineas, would you have spared my life?"

Phineas felt a knife in the gut.

"He's like any other human being," Monogram reiterated, "And as of such, he must pay the consequences like any dictator would. Adolf, Stalin…they were all killed in the end, stripped of their titles. They could've changed, too, but they didn't. And that's what it all comes down to; not that they can change, but if they will."

Then, Monogram asked a question in a slightly more upbeat mood. "Would you like to know how your father and I first met?" he asked.

Phineas stared, opened his mouth to reply, and said absolutely nothing. His tongue was dry, irritatingly so. Monogram instantly took this as a yes. "I'm actually much older than I look," he said, "Old enough to have been your father's professor in college. He was a bright young man; smarter than any student I had."

"He knew more than anyone else, it seemed," Monogram went on, "Such knowledge…such talent, gone to waste. You see, I am no better than Doofenshmirtz is…you know that, though, don't you?"

"I knew it," Phineas mouthed, but didn't have the courage to speak it out, "I knew it…"

"But back then, he was genuinely a good man," Monogram said, "He didn't agree with my ways of thinking. He didn't agree with much of anyone, to be honest. His mind was solitary, and completely sure of himself. He didn't have many friends, other than perhaps a few, like Rodney, Alice…Charlene…"

Phineas felt his eyes widen at that name. Monogram grinned. "You know of her as well, yes?" he asked, "She was a lovely young lady…and Vanessa was a lovely little girl…it's such a shame, though…"

"You act as if it was a minor inconvenience," Phineas hissed out, "Like a trip to the candy store that ends with you at the dentist…like it didn't make that much of an impact."

"It didn't," Monogram stated, "Not to me. But it did do things to Heinz. So much so that he even came to me for comfort. I was one of the only ones who knew the truth."

Phineas stared. "The truth about what…?"

"That he didn't do it."

"They…they thought he-?!"

"Yes. They thought he had murdered his own daughter."

Phineas looked utterly horrified. "Why?! Why would they think that?! He loved her!"

Phineas looked desperate, as if to think that Doofenshmirtz killing Vanessa was a possibility.

"He had already murdered Rodney," Monogram said with a shrug (a shrug!), "Who's to say that he didn't kill his own daughter in his own madness? Hm? Aside from that, there was plenty of evidence against him."

Phineas looked like he was going to cry. "Did they even ask him what happened?" he asked softly, "Did they even…did…"

"As far as I know," Monogram said, "No. They didn't. He couldn't tell them anything; he simply kept on babbling like an idiot as far as I know. It's only natural of him to, though. Back then, he wouldn't have even considered the idea."

"That's not fair," Phineas murmured, "That's not fair at all…why…?"

Monogram looked to Phineas curiously. "Hm?"

"Why did you believe him?" Phineas asked, "If there was so much evidence against him, why did you believe him?"

"That's why I'm not better than him, Phineas."

Phineas stared. "…What?"

"Rodney was my student as well, you see," Monogram explained, "And he would sometimes consult with me many times, even once right before his death. He wanted to know how he could make Doofenshmirtz see things his way. To see things our way."

"See things…your…what?" Phineas became more scared than before, "You…you were…one of them…"

"No," Monogram said, "I wasn't…but, we were friends."

"Wh-wha-?"

"Like I said, they were simply made-up villains," Monogram shrugged once more, "They meant to gain power, sure, but they would never be able to accomplish it. The only one who could was Doofenshmirtz. OWCA needed a reason to exist, Phineas, to keep it funded in case of a real emergency, one that would cause human casualty. LOVEMUFFIN needed a way to prove that they were an actual threat."

"Of course," Monogram went on, "They had no idea that they were the reasons why I was able to keep my line of power…even Rodney, as smart as he was, wasn't able to realize this…I was afraid, of course, of Doofenshmirtz, however."

"You…were afraid?" Phineas asked, "Wh-why?"

"Like I said, only he could take over," Monogram said, "He was probably the most capable, and he wasn't even trying at the time. He came the closest when he tried to bring the planet further away from the sun, nearly putting us in another ice age. And it was an accident. He didn't mean to nearly cause us all to freeze to death. He could have used that as leverage, but he didn't. He was literally the only person who could be able to reverse it, and that's what he ended up doing."

"And that's why I was afraid of him," Monogram continued, "Because what if they could persuade him? What if he actually tried to take over? Heh…we know the answer now, don't we?"

Monogram started to cackle, like he had heard a much more hilarious joke, and Phineas started to stand. Monogram instantly reached out, and forced Phineas back by grabbing his arm, much tighter than the last time. Monogram gave a harsh glare. "Let me finish," he growled, "Trust me, you want to hear the end of this."

Phineas sat back down, whimpering. "N-no," he said, "I don't. I-I really don't."

"Oh, but you do," Monogram grinned once more, this time in a much more cruel way than he did before, "Because it'll give you a good reason to hate me."

Phineas stared, waiting for a moment for him to just dash out of the plane so that he could find Perry. Candace. Hell, even Dr. Baljeet. ANYONE but Monogram!

"And that's what you need," Monogram giggled, "A reason to hate me. I can see it in your eyes; you want know there's something wrong here. Something wrong with me…he-he…you're a good judge of character."

Phineas didn't say anything to the compliment. He simply kept on eyeing his one way of escape carefully as to not be caught. Monogram continued:

"And so, Rodney asked me for advice as to how Doofenshmirtz could help in LOVEMUFFIN; so that they could finally take over the Tri-State Area. I thought about it very hard…and came up with the simplest solution. I told him: 'Take away the one thing that means the most to him.' And he knew what I meant."

Suddenly, exiting was the last thing on his mind.

"Wh-what?!" Phineas stared in shock, feeling glued to his seat.

"I am to blame for all of this," Monogram stated, with no remorse, nor with any pride, "Because that had been my plan from the start."

"Because it all started with him."

And then, that moment in the cell suddenly made sense…

Phineas saw red, and he automatically threw himself at Monogram, who pinned him to the table. There was a mad smile on the Major's face. "You did it!" Phineas screamed, "You staged it all! That's how you knew! That's why he hates you!"

"Ah, yes," Monogram sighed, "He had the same reaction, your father. However, he was much stronger than you are now…honestly, though, I didn't think it would spark all of this. I thought that Doofenshmirtz would've stayed away from everyone after that…it was foolish of me to tell him of my involvement, but he seemed so desperate to know the answer. He always hated not knowing something."

"And you thought that would help him?!"

"I never said I was trying to help him to begin with."

Phineas glared even harder at Monogram. "Then what were you trying to accomplish?!" he asked, "You didn't end up preventing him from seizing power, you ended up inspiring him!"

"I was trying to have Doofenshmirtz gain even less faith in LOVEMUFFIN," Monogram stated, "So that he would never go back to them. I didn't think he was actually going to kill someone, nor did I think any of this would happen…though now, it actually makes sense."

Phineas seemed to relax a little as he continued to stare directly at Monogram, fear returning as much as the boy tried to fight it. "…You're the monster…" he breathed out.

Monogram's smirk deepened. "Monsters aren't real," he said, "I'm simply the villain of your story; much like your father is the villain of mine…but we don't have to be enemies, Phineas."

Monogram released Phineas, who managed to get off the table and start to back away. "It simply depends on what choice you make," Monogram explained, "The thing about you, Phineas, is that you're too naïve. Believing that there's 'good in everyone' will only get you so far."

"That won't stop me from believing that," Phineas said, surprised it didn't come out as weak as he thought it would, "People can change…people can make the right choices."

"The opposite is just as true," Monogram said, "Even more so, in fact."

Phineas chuckled. "What a negative outlook on life," he said, "After everything you've said, you just stopped making sense…"

"Have I? Or do you not want to believe the things I've told you."

Monogram said it more like an answer than a question. Phineas' mouth twitched. "You're…crazy," he hissed, trying to glare but not quite getting it right.

Monogram smirked once more. "That may be true," he said, "But at least I know what I'm up against. You don't even know who you're going to end up murdering."

"What?!"

"You think that it'll be simple as to getting both sides to get along suddenly?" Monogram asked, "Life doesn't work that way. Whether you like it or not, people will die during all of this, and your father will either lose or win the fight. Just as your sister will, or even your brother."

Phineas stared down at his feet, wanting to say that Monogram was wrong, but knowing that he'd be lying.

"Whoever you go against is going to be the person you must destroy," Monogram went on, "In order to remain alive yourself, that's what you're going to end up having to do. Even your sister knows this. She knows this so well, that she's willing to kill her own father in cold blood. She was even willing to betray her own brother…"

Monogram leaned down to Phineas, almost getting at his level. He seethed, completely disgusted with Phineas' existence. Phineas returned the feelings, feeling horrified at Monogram himself.

"What makes you so special?"

Monogram left a few hours later.

The rest of the day, Phineas avoided any contact with anyone, and even isolated himself in his room. Perry tried to see what the matter was, but was unable to get to him. Candace tried afterwards, but again, was unable to get a response. They ended up leaving him alone until nighttime, when Phineas would go down to visit Marissa.

Their visits had become frequent, and usually happened every night. Phineas tried to go visit her more than that, though, wanting nothing more than to make sure that Marissa knew all that she could; outside from making this nightmare end, that is. Of course, it proved to be difficult during the day, seeing as there was literally no way of him to get to his friend without being spotted. Phineas could feel himself shaking as he walked down the hallway, still thinking about what Monogram had said to him. He hugged himself tightly, even as he made it to Marissa's door.

He'd be going against her too, wouldn't he?

Or he'd still be on her side and…

Phineas knocked on the door, trying to remain collected. Marissa answered, and smiled brightly at her friend. "Hello, Phineas," she said, ever so optimistically; she had improved greatly in her speaking skills, and was quite proud of herself even though she still spoke a little slower than most people, "How are you doing?"

Phineas stared at that smile silently, and wasn't able to stop the tears. He feel to his knees, and started to sob hard on the ground, letting out emotions he didn't know he was trying to conceal. Marissa looked shocked, and reached down for her friend, almost hold him. She looked scared.

"Phineas?!"

The boy shook in Marissa's arms, and the older girl didn't quite know what to do, nor did she quite understand what had brought about this. In spite this, she was able to bring the smaller boy inside, and shut the door behind her with her foot.

A/N:

…I went a little too far with Monogram, didn't I? ^^; (Also, poor Phineas, man, I made him cry! T_T)

I literally cringed the entire time I wrote for him; I think I might've gone a little too far. Perhaps this is what Doofenshmirtz should've been, I think. I dunno, maybe I'm just a wimp, and he's actually not as bad as I think he is. XD But still, man, this is kinda weird, how I'm writing him…

…And Marissa got some time to shine (you know; like I wanted her to? in the beginning of the chapter?)! Yay! For like, a few seconds, but, let's hope she gets more room here (in the next chapter; yeah, I'm letting Doof and Schnitzel's story hang tight for a bit; we need more Marissa, Perry, AJ, and Ferb). ^^;

I hope you all enjoyed, and have a pleasant time of day! Please review, fave, and/or follow!

-GTS