~o~o~o~o~o~o~ It was now evening. The two agents were sweating and exhausted, but they had managed to create more powerful versions of Perry's rocket boots, blaster, and grappling hook. Despite the heat, the agents were very proud of what they had accomplished.
"Your doppelgänger doesn't stand a chance against these bad boys." Peter cried, admiring their finished creations.
Perry nodded. "I hope so."
"Cheer up." Peter punched him lightly in the arm. "I think we make a better team than you realize. We'll get the son of a bitch."
Perry cringed, but tried to remain hopeful. He was too scared for his boys, and for Lyla and Vanessa, than to think otherwise.
When they exited the lair, they were shocked to find the a sunset melting into the distance. Peter grabbed his cell phone and made a quick text. "I've got to get home. The wife is expecting me for dinner." Perry nodded understandingly. "Hey, why don't you come over and spend the night?" Peter suddenly brightened. "We still have some work to do, and I'd hate for you to have to drive all the way back to Danville.."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly do that to Linda and your kids.." "Nonsense." Peter shrugged, clapping his ex-nemesis on the back. "They all miss you. I'm sure they'll be thrilled. Stay the night? Please?"
Perry swallowed, but accepted nonetheless. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Peter would never let an idea go once it was lodged in his brain. They parked Perry's car into the lair and made sure the door was locked, before jumping into Peter's Tesla and driving down the mountain.
It was raining, of course. The city lights of Seattle reflected on the puddles covering the ground. Perry listened to the rain, remembering days where he'd do his homework, play around with spare parts, or strum his guitar while listening to the light mist.
Peter pulled into a typical suburban neighborhood, and parked the car in front of a well-trimmed, beautifully decorated, quaint little house. It was made with red brick, complimented with painted white windows and a dark roof. He could smell something delicious wafting out of the kitchen.
Emily, Amanda, and Tyler, Peter's kids, tripped down the front lawn, not caring at all about the rain, and jumped on their father, giving him a big bear hug. All of Peter's kids had his black hair with white streaks, but had their mother's beautiful blue eyes.
"Easy, easy." Peter laughed, hugging each of his children. "Hey, guess who I brought with me?"
Perry waved, and immediately, all three children ran over and jumped on him. Perry grunted, not expecting the amount of weight they pressed on him. They'd gotten much bigger in the last couple of years.
"Uncle Perry, Uncle Perry! Guess what! Guess what!"
"Hold on, munchkins," Peter laughed, "let's smother him after we get out of the rain." The three kids, smiling and yelling excitedly, ran inside to announce the news of his arrival. Perry gave Peter a warm smile as they ducked out of the rain and stepped inside.
Linda had a couple of warm towels already waiting for them as they entered the house. They dried off and set their bags against the door. Linda approached Perry and gave him a big hug.
"Oh, what a wonderful surprise. It's so good to see you."
"You too." Perry chuckled, awkwardly hugging her back.
"I'm sorry for all the mess. Kids, you know." "No bother. Your house is always lovely."
Before Perry had even finished drying off his shoes, the kids were back to crowding him with questions. He picked each of them up, spinning them around a couple times, enjoying their immense laughter.
"Uncle Perry, guess what? I got a pet fish!"
"Did you now?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Mom, can I show Uncle Perry my goldfish?"
"After dinner, dear. I'm sure Uncle Perry wants to sit down for a minute."
Perry leaned down to Emily's height, giving her a big hug. "Dinner, and then I definitely want to see your goldfish."
"Okay!"
Linda had the table set and ready. She'd cooked a turkey, mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes, which she set at the table. They smelled absolutely heavenly, and Perry's stomach began to rumble. It'd been a long, long time since he'd had a good, home-cooked meal.
Once the kids had settled down, the family began passing down the food. Perry was surprised to see Emily taking a spoonful of carrots- just the carrots, of course- and happily stuffing her mouth. Amanda would not hear of anything crunchy. Little Tyler, who was happily strapped to a booster seat, put anything in his mouth that his mother would let him reach.
"So, Perry, how are things with you?" Linda asked sweetly.
"Oh, things are good." He shrugged. "Work is busy, as always."
Peter chuckled. "Our company doesn't ever seem to sleep, does it?"
Linda was only ever told that Perry was a long-time coworker of Peter's. Perry knew it had been a lot to keep such a secret from his wife, so the platypus was grateful. He remembered being called from Danville to come see little Amanda, who had just been born, and how proud the parents looked. They were such a cute and happy couple. Perry felt his throat tighten. No, he was not getting emotional.
"How is your job, Linda?"
Besides being a full-time mother, Linda was a part-time author, and wrote various blog pieces for major publishing companies.
"Stressful, honestly." She sighed. "But I've been pushing myself to write an actual novel, and it's going very well."
After dinner, Perry obediently followed Emily up to her room to look at the goldfish. He laughed at how they had named it Bob, and how she came up with ridiculous voices for his different moods. The family then pulled out a couple board games, and Perry, Peter, Emily, and Linda all dove into a game of Sorry. Emily was a smart little cookie, beating all of them not once, but twice.
At nine o'clock, little Tyler was already asleep in his mother's arms, and Linda sent the the kids to bed. They whined, but she was firm, and one by one, they reluctantly hugged Perry goodnight.
Linda showed Perry where he would be staying, as well as the guest bathroom. Perry thanked her for everything, before telling her goodnight.
Peter and Perry stayed up a bit later, talking quietly about work and their current lives. By eleven, Perry was exhausted, and let out a long yawn.
"When do you want to head out?"
Peter shrugged. "Usually Professor Mystery is up to something around three in the afternoon. So we have some time."
With a smile, Perry bade his ex-nemesis goodnight and headed upstairs. It was funny sleeping in the strange house, listening to the quiet rustling of the children trying to fall asleep. It made his heart ache. With a sigh, the platypus curled up on the bed and covered himself with blankets, hoping to block out the emotions.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Peter and Perry were back at the the evil lair bright and early in the morning. Their hand-made weapons were still there, gleaming and sparkling. Peter still looked amazed that they had created such amazing machines.
"How did you want to do this?" Perry asked hesitantly.
Peter shrugged. "I just need to know how you've grown as a combat fighter. You've been through O.W.C.A. training since the last time we fought, after all."
Perry grinned, holding out his fists. "So, does that mean I get to punch you in the face?"
"Only if you can catch me." Peter laughed, rolling his eyes.
The two agents burst into combat against one another. It was slightly strange, and very exhilarating. Perry couldn't remember the last time he'd fought with Peter this way, but knew he had definitely gotten much better at his skills since the last time. The panda was actually having trouble keeping up.
Perry could tell his ex-nemesis was very carefully studying his movement patterns. After a few minutes, Perry heard the man mutter, "Interesting."
"What's interesting?"
Peter looked up, startled. "Oh, I just noticed you have been using your legs more during defensive moves. Good."
Perry chuckled. "Wow, now I really feel like I'm back at O.W.C.A. training."
After a couple of hours, the two agents took a break, absolutely exhausted. Peter tossed the platypus a water bottle, which he took gratefully. The cool water tasted delicious against his dry mouth.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Perry asked after a couple of minutes of silence.
Peter's brow wrinkled. "It's not like I haven't faced Dr. Tecton before, you know."
"I know. He's just.. A nightmare." Perry shivered. "He's dangerous. And.."
"Stop." Peter sighed. "This isn't just for you. It's for my family, my wife and kids, your boys, and our communities. I swore to be a protector, and that's what I intend to do. Besides, after having someone like Professor Mystery for a nemesis, you begin to crave some real adventure."
"Is Professor Mystery really that bad?"
"I don't know, Perry. I show up to thwart his schemes, he spews out some nonsense about how dangerous the machine he's built is, but doesn't actually tell me what it does. Then he just sort've stands there until I break free. It's very off-putting, and very boring."
Perry sighed. "I'm sorry. Is he a rookie?"
"I guess. I don't know why they assigned me to someone like him. I'm almost at the point of asking to be reassigned."
"I'm sorry, Peter. I hope it goes well."
Peter waved goodbye as Perry took off in his hover-car, headed towards Danville. Peter was going to hold onto their invented weapons for safe keeping, until Perry had located his evil self once more and was ready for an attack.
For the first time, as Seattle disappeared into the background, Perry had a good memory to hold onto while he left the place.