It was dark inside of the tube. It went through the walls and down into the ground, then made a straight line to Perry's lair with artificial lights installed only at the end. He rocketed through it with the sensation of weightlessness... it was almost as though he was in space. A space with no stars. Blackness, nothingness... Was this what Ferb had experienced in the time before he returned? What was death like, really?
Perry shot out of the tube and landed nimbly upon the ground, face contorted into a look of rage - but it was for naught. The screen was empty. All the lights, save the few activated as he entered, were off. He straightened up and dusted his hands together in disgust. The floor was filthy; he could feel grains of dirt under his back feet and stuck to his fur.
Maybe it would have been better to go directly to the O.W.C.A. instead of popping into his lair. Perry knew that his superiors rarely made an appearance unless he was about to be sent on a mission; otherwise, they were busy with their own things.
However... Perry placed a finger on his beak in thought. He had several ways of contacting them; surely he could get Monogram on-screen easily. It would be safer for the both of them. Were the conversation to go sour, Perry would do much less damage if alone. In the company of others he was more than likely to use his specialized agent training.
Perry lowered his hand, then turned his wrist so that the face of his watch was visible. An instant after he pressed a button on the side, a holographic Monogram was facing him, looking troubled and then surprised.
"Agent P!" he exclaimed.
Perry pointed to the monitor behind him.
"Oh, uh, alright," said Monogram. "Uh, Carl? Start up the video feed, Agent P wants to talk."
The massive screen flickered to life, and Monogram did his best to compose himself. Perry switched off the hologram and slowly walked over to his chair. Rather than taking a seat, he gripped the back, his grip so tight the fur on his knuckles separated.
"Thank you, Carl. Now, uh, what is it, Agent P? Did something happen? Is it Doofenshmirtz?"
Perry dug his claws into the cushion and narrowed his eyes.
The Major fidgeted in discomfort under Perry's gaze, then cleared his throat and attempted to look more professional. "I can't read your mind, you know. You're going to have to - "
Carl appeared in the frame, holding a piece of paper in one hand. "Uh, sir? This is from Wanda."
Monogram took the paper and read it over with great care. His expression went from annoyance to surprise, and then to worry. He handed the paper back to Carl and attempted to smile.
"Well then, it appears you... had a run in with the other Agent P, huh? The dog? Isn't that just..."
Perry chattered in obvious agitation and ripped a chunk of fabric off of his chair.
Monogram held his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright! Calm down, Agent P! You know exactly why we sent him out there. It was just for confirmation, we wanted to know if your owner really... well, you know. We didn't want to bother you."
Needing confirmation, though, implied that such an occurrence was of interest to the O.W.C.A. And if it was of interest to them... they planned to do something. It could be as innocent as monitoring the house, or it could be as devastating as trying to claim Ferb for themselves.
Perry needed to know their intentions as soon as possible. Without the proper vocal cords, however, he was left to glare at his boss until the man finally spit it out. Asking for things was never an easy endeavor and rarely ended the way he wanted it to. Being an intelligent animal was one thing, but being employed by creatures who spoke in a way he couldn't? It was hell.
Monogram heaved a sigh and rubbed his forehead as though his head ached. "Do you have any idea how serious this is? Reanimation of the dead? You're lucky the government hasn't gotten involved! They probably will! And heaven forbid Doof finds out..."
A defensive chatter left Perry's bill despite the fact that he knew it was unintelligible.
"Don't growl at me like that! You're the one who fights the guy, you know exactly what sort of person he is! Don't you think he might have interest in something like this?"
Not the point, Perry thought in anger. To redirect the conversation, he picked up a recent addition to his lair - a framed photo of the boys - and held it up towards the screen.
"Right, right." Monogram scratched his mustache and glanced off to the side, presumably in Carl's direction. "Look, we have to keep an eye on this, Agent P. If you promise to cooperate, you can be the one who reports back on... Ferb." He returned his gaze to Perry and lowered his voice. "I know how much these boys mean to you. Please understand where we're coming from."
Perry exhaled hard through his nostrils and looked down at the floor. Regular reports on Ferb's status... that was doable. In the past few hours, Ferb had been very much his normal self, if a bit more withdrawn and clingy. That would pass in time. As long as nothing else happened, even the reports would become unnecessary. And what else could happen? Phineas was a master at what he did.
The platypus nodded in affirmation, and Monogram sighed in relief.
"Good. I'm, uh... I'm sorry we didn't come to you first, Agent P, we just didn't know..." He trailed off, then cleared his throat. "Well, be sure to keep track of what's going on. Doof hasn't been up to much lately, as you know, so you should have plenty of time to make sure everything is on the up and up."
Perry nodded again and offered the monitor a halfhearted salute. He could feel Monogram's eyes on his back as he turned to walk away, but he didn't look back to acknowledge the gaze.
In the silence following his departure, the screen remained on for a few moments, the solitary light in an otherwise dark lair.
"I've got a really bad feeling about, this, Carl."
"Me too, sir."
The screen clicked off, and the lair was plunged into darkness.