~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Perry jumped into his Mustang and fled towards the other side of town. The chances of the guilty party still being there when he arrived were slim, but he wasn't about to waste his only lead. Even if they were long gone, there still had to be clues.
The agent dialed his phone.
"Should I be getting used to these late night calls?" Lyla yawned sardonically.
Perry snorted. "I found the creepers."
"Really? I'm assuming you're heading their way now?"
"Yep. If I haven't contacted you in an hour, will you call in O.W.C.A.?"
Lyla didn't hesitate. "Of course I will. Though are you sure you don't want to get them involved? This could be dangerous."
Perry made an abrupt right turn. "Have you forgotten who I am?"
"Perry the Suicidalapus?"
The agent snickered. "You're such a dork."
"At least I'm a dork with some sense of self-preservation. Don't do anything stupid, eh, partner?"
"Will do."
It didn't take long for him to reach the other side of town, or locate the building, as it was the only one that looked even remotely habitable enough for someone to stalk him. It was made of brick, with very few windows or doors, resembling something of an abandoned factory.
Wait a minute.
Perry pulled out his phone and began looking through images of Danville's abandoned milk processing plant. There weren't any maps of the layout that were easily accessible, but Perry did notice the massive amounts of vents that lowered into each of the factory rooms. Now with a plan, the agent transformed into a platypus and crept up to the back of the building.
Using a crowbar, the agent was able to pry one of the first story windows open, and slipped inside.
The place was frighteningly dark, even though it was late afternoon. The agent retrieved a flashlight and spotted around the room until he located a vent. Smirking, Perry pulled himself upwards and pushed the vent open, crawling through with ease.
He wandered through the first floor, but each room he peered into looked vacant and abandoned, with massive cobwebs and rusted pieces of metal left untouched for years.
The second story was smaller compared to the first, but he managed to find an access point and began scouring through the vents. It wasn't long until his eyes landed on a room filled with multiple benches and broken pieces of material. There were no projects to be seen, but a random assortment of tools had been left behind. However, the most interesting object was the modern cell phone that lay in the middle of the floor.
What a convenient item to leave behind.
It made Perry suspicious, but he had no other lead. So, after climbing down from the vent, the platypus carefully picked it up and examined it. The device had little battery left, but the last text message sent to the phone, which popped up in notifications, read:
Get out.
The platypus put the phone in his fedora, hoping Lyla could help him dig more information out of it. Just as he did, however, bright lights were suddenly turned on, blinding him.
Perry shut his eyes as the light poured through his body like fire. When he finally felt his brain adjusting, the platypus found he was on the ground, and a figure was standing in front of him. He pulled his hands away and focused his vision.
It couldn't be.
Dr. Gevaarlijk.
"Hello, little platypus." The woman purred. Perry felt a chill shake down his spine. "I was hoping you were going to attend my school."
Perry's eyes narrowed. There was no way she could have known about the undercover disguise all those weeks ago. There was no way.
But there was a way. Because this woman now had him completely trapped in a room with no possibility means of escape. The platypus slowly looked up and stared; he figured it was best not to say anything.
"Yes, I knew it was you. In fact, I was quite impressed. If it had been anyone else you'd been spying on, I doubt they would have figured it out. But you see.." She leaned in, causing Perry to cough at her strong perfume, "I'm not just anyone."
Perry had his hands on his grappling hook, ready to pounce at any moment.
The evil scientist laughed, her voice shrieking and demented. Despite the fact that she almost reached his height as a platypus, her glare was enough to shrink his courage to the size of a pea.
"Of course, there's also quite a lot more I know about you. I know about your human identity. I know about your host family. I also know where you live, both in your apartment, and with those boys."
Perry's heart began to race. So she knew who he was. She was behind the camera.. And she knew where Phineas and Ferb lived.
"I also had a camera watching you for much longer than you think. The camera you found was just a decoy, a way to bring us to your attention and drive you here."
The platypus didn't move. He couldn't.
The woman glared at him for a second, before scoffing in disgust. "I hate these one-way conversations. Why don't you turn into a human for me? I'd like to see your pretty brown eyes in person."
Perry stared. He wouldn't.
She grinned, but there was quite a lack of palpability in her expression. "Come on now, I already know. There's nothing to be afraid of."
He didn't move. He didn't flinch. He could barely hear her voice over the pounding of his heart.
"I said, CHANGE!"
The woman pulled a small remote from her lab coat and angrily pressed the button. Two drones flew down from the ceiling and surrounded Perry. Before he could duck, they reached down and wrapped four metal claws around his body.
He was screaming before he even knew what was happening. The electrocution made his knees grow weak. When he looked up, he saw visions of his father, and his stomach began to churn.
Deciding not to fight, Perry grabbed his watch and removed the microchip. Slowly, his shaking platypus body melted away, and a human one emerged. The robots, however, didn't shift their claws. The man kneeled, trapped, and tried desperately to force away the pain.
Don't lose control, don't lose control.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" The woman taunted, stepping closer. "I must say, I was quite surprised when I discovered this little secret of yours. But then, I shouldn't have been, because what I found on you goes way past blackmail worthy." Dr. Gevaarlijk stepped even closer. "It's life or death."
Perry squirmed. It was getting harder to fight the fear and the rage that was rising in his chest.
"Perry, the little evil scientist turned agent. Or should I call you, Dr. Tecton?"
The agent could barely swallow with how dry his mouth had turned. It was one thing for this woman to know he was human, but to know that secret, the truth of his past that he had kept buried for so long, was humiliating.
What else did she know of his past?
"I was going to use the information of your 'evil scheming' days to blackmail you, but honestly, I don't think that would be enough. Despite all your power, potential, and thirst for vengeance, you have turned into a weak, self-sacrificing, good for nothing hero." The woman snapped. "So I had to find something else to use against you."
Perry could barely contain his silence any longer. Shaking, he croaked, "What do you want?"
Dr. Gevaarlijk grinned. "There's some information being contained in O.W.C.A.'s headquarters that I very much need. You are going to get it for me."
"What kind of information?"
"I want every file you can find under the code name 'Operation Kur.' You're a smart boy; I know you can figure it out." The woman laughed wickedly. "Because if you don't, well.. You can say goodbye to everyone you trust."
Perry's body was shaking. He could feel anger pouring out from every corner of his mind.
Don't lose control. Please, don't lose control..
"I know about Miss Lyla Lolliberry. I know about the Flynn-Fletchers. I even know about your little act of heroism on Miss Vanessa Doofenshmirtz's behalf. They'll all be gone," Dr. Gevaarlijk snapped her fingers, "just like that. Unless you get me those files."
Perry's mind went black. All he could feel was the immense anger making his blood boil from the inside out. He jumped up and, with a random burst of strength, pulled the robotic metal claws off his body and threw them across the room.
Dr. Gevaarlijk was yelling, but he didn't hear her. He grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the floor, fists raised, ready to kill. But before he could make the first punch, two gigantic figures were forcefully pulling him off. They slammed his body against the wall.
"And don't think about contacting that precious agency of yours. I will know if you do."
Perry caught Dr. Gevaarlijk's sadistic gaze before blacking out.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
When he awoke, the man was tossed in his car, body cradling the back seat. His head felt foggy, and as soon as he tried to sit up, sharp pain erupted down his spin. Perry felt the back of his neck, and groaned as he realized he was bleeding. And he had just recovered from getting shot in the arm.
He looked in his lap. The cell phone he'd found in the factory was still with him. There was a new message.
You have until Monday, the 4th, at 11:59.
A week. He had a week.