Perry was so fast, Hazelton struggled to catch up. Both walking briskly, Hazelton sensed that Perry wanted something from him. And it seemed that Perry understood human speech.
"I really have no idea where your owners are. I'm sorry. But we could search for them-
Perry just rolled his eyes. Yeah, right. Not when your minions failed to get them.
"Hey, don't roll your eyes at me like that, I can see you!"
The hell you can! He replied, cheekily running away from Hazelton.
"Come back here, you platypus!" Hazelton cried, charging after him like little kids running after the ice-cream truck. Grown men were, after all, just bigger versions of little kids.
And despite the gravity of the situation now, despite the fact that all five of them-Hazelton, Phineas, Ferb, Isabella and Perry could die, he never felt more...alive.
Phineas followed Ferb, and with every step he took, Isabella was getting weaker. "Any plan for where we're going?"
"Back to Hazelton's office."
The response brought Phineas and Isabella to an abrupt stop. "We're going where?"
"Back to his office. From there, we retrace our steps back. I didn't do it earlier because it was too obvious at the time. If we do it now, we should evade detection. And anyway, I had to take the risk. She can't hold out any longer, can't she? Better we take this risk then risk going round in circles, trying to find the exit while her life ebbs away."nodding again towards Isabella.
He's right. Phineas silently acclaimed the silent genius of his stepbrother.
Perry and Hazelton rounded another corner-
-and came face-to-face with Perry's owners.
For one moment, nothing happen.
Then Phineas and Ferb simultaneously said one word.
"Hazelton?"Ferb asked.
"Perry?" Phineas looked shocked.
Slowly, the truth dawned on Phineas. Perry had been taken!
"You-!"And he whipped out his weapon-
-but to his utter surprise, Perry jumped between him and Hazelton!
He wasn't really blocking off the shot, but the show of solidarity completely caught Phineas off-guard.
"Perry! What's gotten into you? Has he brainwashed you or something?"
And with that, Phineas shoved Perry aside. Perry hadn't expected such a violent reaction from Phineas and he fell.
Then Phineas turned his rage on Hazelton.
"You-you..." He couldn't find words for Hazelton, and so he just made to shoot-
"No!" The noise echoed in the corridor. "Please stop...son."
No! Don't believe him! He's lying! Ferb wanted to scream out loud.
But somehow Phineas stopped. And that was all the encouragement Hazelton needed.
"Son, I know I haven't exactly been the best dad in the world. And I've been a total jerk to you tonight. But I'll help you out of here if you'd let me back in to your life!"
The sincerity in Hazelton's eyes was unbearable. Almost like a little child who's just made a mistake, apologising to mummy. And so Phineas looked, really looked at his other features.
Those eyes, the same shade of blue. The red hair. The look of someone who's smart without trying to be. The look of someone who could be anyone he wanted.
Except for the age difference, it was like looking into a mirror. Phineas wondered how he'd missed it before. Perhaps it was his emotions clouding his judgement. Perhaps it really was...
"Dad?" He'd been asking that question since his dad died, but he never really had an answer.
"Yes, son."
"Is that really you?"
"No, it's not. It's not really me that schemed and plotted to catch both of you. I feel like I was hypnotized into it. I want to believe that my two hands didn't commit such crimes. I'm not your birth dad. I'm not the same person that watched you be born. But in physical form, beaten, broken, bruised, then yes."
"Look, I don't care if you're the same person that you were last time or not. I only need to know that you're dad!" And Phineas couldn't take it anymore, his outstretched arm dropped his weapon, and he broke down crying like a baby.
Hazelton rushed to his side, patting him."It's okay...daddy's here..."
And he would be there for as long as his son needed him, and to hell with everything else, because even criminals get parole.
"Right now, we're here," Hazelton said, pointing to a hand drawn map, "and we need to go there. Once we reach there, you put on suits and go up to the surface. However, there is one last hurdle we have to face."
"What's that?"Phineas and his brother asked.
Hazelton had the look of someone who didn't want to tell the ugly truth. He stole a glance at Isabella and relented. Taking a deep breath, he said-
"That exit is locked. We need to access the control station next to it."
"Are the robots guarding it?"
"No, it would be illogical for them to do so. But even if they were, they're not the problem-
"Then what's the problem? You don't have access to the control room?"
"No, it's not that-I have access all right." He took a deep breath and then continued.
"The problem is, whoever goes in there, doesn't come out."
"What do you mean?" Phineas asked, completely bewildered.
Hazelton took another deep breath, looked at Isabella again, and said, "I'll explain it as we walk. Come on-let's go!". And, taking another strange look at Perry, he took the lead.
They didn't have to walk far before their path ended at a door. Surprisingly, it was ajar and Phineas wondered if it could be a trap. What was going to happen if they opened the door? However much he wanted to believe again, to trust, it would kill him here if he wasn't extra careful.
Hazelton pushed it open-
-and no guards. Perfect.
They walked in and immediately Ferb said, "Whoa."
That, Phineas thought, just about sums it up.
Before them was an antechamber with a very high glass roof. They could actually see the lake water from where they were. Dawn was just breaking through the water. And off to one side was their way out. A solitary elevator with diving suits next to it.
But of course, it needed to be unlocked, which brought home the point that-
"Whoever goes in there will die in there." Hazelton said, pointing to a steel door straight ahead that was clearly the control chamber. A Plexiglas window sat in it. All around the door, the wall was made of steel.
"What do you mean?" Phineas asked again.
"The door cannot be opened once someone enters the room. To pull the switches that open the emergency escape would release a massive burst of cyanide that would kill a human. It's a fail-safe, to prevent human operators from accessing this room, since robots aren't affected by cyanide. And what's more, you can't carry metal on you, and those diving suits have oxygen tanks made out of metal, so donning them wouldn't work either. I'd say I've got about ten minutes at the utmost-"
"What do you mean, you've got ten minutes? I'm clearly going in!" Phineas was resolute.
"Really? Even at this point you have to be the knight in shining armour! Listen to me-"
"It's not about being the hero-"
"Come here and listen to me!" said Hazelton, playing every part of the indigent father. The noise echoed off the high walls.
For a moment, everyone there froze. Then-
"Come here, and look at this, if you still don't believe me." he said, holding something in his hand which neither Phineas nor Ferb could see.
Phineas looked dubious, but moved towards his father anyway, driven by curiosity.
And suddenly, Ferb, with the foresight of a master deceiver, saw exactly what was going to happen next.