Phineas and Ferb: A Stitch in Time
Chapter Five: The Marines
Adrian's POV
We all looked on at the screen with disbelief in our eyes. We read on, Phineas had enlisted fresh out of high school, before the wars. Afterward, he had been involved in almost every combat operation since, earning himself two purple hearts and a Medal of Honor for refusing to fall back from the White House when America was temporarily invaded. They wanted to keep him back for publicity, but nothing would stop him from going back into the frontlines. We fireside boys have always thought of ourselves as our own little branch of civil servant defending our country. I knew Isabella and the fireside girls were thinking the same thing too. We could only watch humbly as Ferb turned on the "mental camera" that they had invented when they were younger. It never served a purpose until now.
"Pfft. Hard to imagine Dinner Bell being such a good marine…" Buford pipped up but was greeted by a series of angry looks.
"Ok, this will let us see through his eyes and hear through his ears" Ferb said as he was about the punch in the keycode.
"Still I can't remember why we installed those things, it made little difference to me" Phineas added.
"Until now" Ferb replied as he punched in the final key.
Captain Flynn's POV
"ETA fifteen minutes!" The helicopter pilot screamed over the roar of the engine. Good.
"All right marines, you know the game plan, we're gonna move in, bag the target, and get the hell out. Hoah?" I replied. All the marines immediately responded with an "Hoorah" of their own. Their mission was to capture the last remaining family member of the Doofensmirtz family, bringing an end to one of the many wars Phineas had fought throughout the years.
"Remember, we're not clear to engage until they fire first, there are civilians in the area, watch each other's backs, EVERYONE comes home today!" I roared as my troops began to double check their weapons. They had all been promised a trip home after this. After three straight year of warfare, the sickening part is, I've come to enjoy it. I have no home, I have no family, and all I have are my marines. If it were up to him he'd keep his unit in combat but he realized his troops needed a break.
"Alpha Two, this Alpha Three. Mike you reading me?" I spoke over my comm. Then I felt a pinch in the back of my head, something I hadn't felt in a long time.
"Yeah, reading you loud and clear Flynn." A marine responded through the comm.
"All right, remember, I'm gonna need you to secure the roads while I take my squad to secure the target building!" I began to tell him but was cut off.
"Don't worry, bro. I know the plan. So, what are you gonna do for your time off?" He replied. I hated to talk about my personal life as I have become emotionally deadened and felt no happiness or joy.
"Uhh, I don't know yet. But you better stay focused! Gretchen would kill me if I didn't get her husband back to her" I screamed. We were approaching the target zone, the sun cresting the horizon. So, I flicked the safety off of my M4A1 assault rifle.
Mike laughed over the microphone, "Yeah, guess you're right, watch your six devil dog. Alpha Two Out!"
"All right marines, move out!" I yelled as my soldiers started to slide down the rope and secure the area. Johnson, Richie, Peterson, Dan, Miller, Greg, all looked like professional soldiers. They should be, being part of my squad!
"All right marines, spread out, five meter spread, squad ignore the buildings, they are the rest of the divisions problem." I whispered as we began to move. It was quiet; we kept on moving to our objective, cautiously watching everything. Then we turned the corner and saw a massacre. It seemed all the civilian had been gathered up and killed. Phineas saw some holding guns leading one to assume they tried fighting back. Bodies lay everywhere, blood covered the streets and the scent of dead flesh penetrated the marine's nostrils. I looked over at the Rookie of our squad, Zach, who was in a state of shock.
"Come on guys, we still have a job to do. Stay Frosty" I said, patting Zach on the back. Something seemed odd here out of place, more marines from the division were now joining us, all stating that this was a dry run, a ghost town.
Isabella's POV
Today had been such a great day, waking up to the site of me and Phineas's children. I could tell he hadn't put it all together but what made it official was the family portrait I stole from the desk. I was so incredibly happy knowing that he loved me back and that it would happen. She suddenly felt even more nervous around him, wondering whether or not he had found out her secret. Even though I've left more than enough hints But something about seeing that massacre about seeing, her Phineas being put in that situation was unbearable.
"Hey, you ok?" a familiar voice startled me. I looked over to see a worried Phineas who had immediately noticed my tear streaked face. Seeing him made her smile though. He does care about me she thought as she drifted into Phineas-land for an all too brief trip.
Phineas's POV
He couldn't ever bear seeing her sad, even before he realized he liked her. Even when they were young, he had always felt the need to make her smile. Its what made them good friends. He didn't care whether or not they got married or stay best friends, as long as she was there it was ok.
"Oh, Phineas, yeah I'm fine." She finally replied. I could see right through her lies though. Something about what she'd seen had devastated her, it even devastated me.
"Are you sure? Cause I don't like it when your s-" I began to say but was cut off when she threw herself into his arms sobbing.
"It's just so terrible that all of these people have died, and will continue to die. Its just not fair!" she began to cry. All I could do was hold her, but something told me that wasn't the only reason she was crying. Even though it was awkward at first, I came to enjoy holding her. So we sat together, me comforting my best friend after witnessing some of the horrors of war.
Adrian's POV
We all watched in silence, a few of the fireside girls giving up a few salutes along the way. Isabella had left after seeing the massacre, with Phineas quickly leaving to try and cheer her up. We were all so caught up into it; it was like a really good, but horrible movie. Something you didn't watch but had to see. Phineas and Isabella quietly re-entered and took their seats and continued to watch. I caught them out of the corner of my eye but was too sucked into the screen to really ask about it. So, on we watched with silence and respect.
Captain Flynn's POV
"Alpha Two, this is Alpha Three. Got any visuals on the target?" I whispered over the mike.
"Negative dude, this place is dead. Maybe command got the coordinates mixed up." He responded over the comm.
"Now what are the odds of that?" Johnson added sarcastically.
"Pretty damn high if you ask me." Dan responded.
"Keep quiet! You never know what's out there." I put an end to that conversation, but as more marines joined us the worse it got.
"Hey, Richie, ten bucks says I score a kill faster than you." Miller broke the silence.
"Your on, man. I've been practicing on the range." Richie replied.
"God help us all" another marine added.
"We all know you can't hit the broadside of a barn, that's why they give you the big gun, to make you feel better about yourself" Miller jabbed at Richie. The marines started to laugh. Years of war have made these guys complacent.
"Shh!" I spoke through gritted teeth. They all got the message, responding with the appropriate silence. They all knew they were getting closer to their target. Now even Phineas was starting to get a little relaxed. They had secured the town without a shot fired. Then as Phineas turned the corner, the building next to him exploded.