Over Complexity is a Wonderful Thing

Chapter 1 welve year old Phineas Flynn woke with a start, the alarm clock whining in his room. Phineas frowned as he looked across the room at Ferb, who was also just waking up.

"Looks like the alarm clock wins this round," Phineas groaned, marking a tally on a wall chart, there were a lot more tallies under "Us" than "Alarm Clock". "We need to be ready today Ferb, remember what is planned today?"

Ferb replied with a blank stare, and Phineas smacked himself in the forehead.

"My new year's resolution...?" Phineas prompted. Aggravated at Ferb's blank stare, Phineas leaped from the bed and shouted, "Isabella you moron! Today's the day I planned to…" he stopped, blushing. Ferb's face broke into an amused smile, and he chuckled.

"I know silly, just messing with you," he said, getting out of his bed and resting a hand on his step brother's shoulder. "And it'll work."

"You know sometimes being silent is annoying," Phineas replied. Together the two stepbrothers got dressed and raced downstairs for breakfast, Phineas' head spinning as the two ate their cereal. His mind was racing at the prospect of what he was going to do, and yet mentally he braced himself, today was not the day to get cold feet. Candace walked down the stairs eventually, and greeted the boys with a curt hello. Ferb responded, but Phineas just sat and stared into his cereal.

"What's with him?" Candace interrogated, and Ferb responded by simply holding up a calendar. "Oh… that's right today's when he..."

"Sh!" Phineas uttered, and Candace stopped.

"Well, I just hope you don't have anything over dramatic planned," Candace said casually, loving to cast dispersions on their plans.

"Well, not really, but we have most of our friends in on it, except Baljeet, he had an odd reaction," Phineas surmised, and remembered back to when he asked Baljeet to help him.

Flashback

"Hey, 'Jeet, I need help with something, come here," Phineas said quickly as Baljeet walked by their yard. Baljeet leaned in as Phineas began to whisper and showed him a complex diagram.

"!" Baljeet screamed, and he ran out of the yard, across the street, down the sidewalk, all the way home, into his room, under the bed, through the secret tunnel, pass the coded door, and into his Panic Room. Baljeet locked the door behind him and began to sob profusely.

"…That was odd…" Ferb observed, and the two continued to plan.

End Flashback

"I'm not too worried though, Baljeet will come around," Phineas said, and together he and Ferb got up from their breakfast and walked out the door, leaving Candace alone in the kitchen. They headed into the backyard, where there were quite a decent amount of people in the backyard; Phineas was pulling out all the stops for this big idea. There was Buford, Irving, the guy who delivered stuff, the fireside girls, Perry, 2 Guys N The Park, Love Händel, Mr. Fluffypants, and Jeremy.

"Excellent, your all here, thank you for coming," Phineas began, "you all know why you're here, I've been collecting your various services for this day one at a time. Today is… the day I decided, five years ago, to tell Isabella how I feel about…" he stuttered to a stop. Ferb then took the microphone, and pushed his brother aside.

"Don't day anything, and please don't have him repeat it. It's still awkward for him, but you know Phineas, he's gonna see it through," Ferb said, shaking his brother out of his reverie. Phineas smiled and mouthed "thanks" before taking the microphone back.

"So, we all know what we need to do. Ferb, Buford, Irving, the fireside girls, and I will stay here and work on the master plan. Love Händel, 2 Guys N The Park, and that cat… will distract Isabella should she get near to the house BY ANY MEANS NESSESARY. Joe will get us all the materials then join up with the musical group and the cat for distraction duty. Jeremy, you keep Candace from contacting mom, think you can do that?" Phineas said this all while his face was turning deeper and deeper red. Jeremy saluted comically, in an attempt to calm him down, and Phineas smiled. The order was given to break, and the groups of people separated into their respected jobs.

"Hey, where's Perry?" Phineas inquired, looking around for the platypus in a stab at normalcy. But the little greenish monotreme was nowhere to be found. Phineas decided it wasn't important, and continued with the overall plan for Isabella.

Chapter 2

Around eight o'clock in the morning, 2 Guys N The Park, Love Händel, and Mr. Fluffypants saw Isabella coming down the streets. This was to be phase one of Phineas plan, which was to keep Isabella away from the house until his project was done.

"Alright boys, let's do this thing!" Danny whispered excitedly. "Part One of distraction is…" he scanned the list Phineas had given him, "Kitty stuck up a tree. Simple enough." Everyone looked down at Mr. Fluffypants, who began to slink away out of fear.

"You three, keep Isabella distracted while we get the cat to distract her," said one of the rappers from 2 Guys N The Park (I'm gonna call him Steve, and the other Milos,) before running off after Mr. Fluffypants. Love Händel starred at each other and then at the twelve year old girl coming down the street toward them. They had no idea how to properly distract her.

"Hey wait guys," Swampy said, recalling something Phineas said, "didn't Phineas say by any means necessary?"

"Yes, he did," Bobby agreed, and he took out a folding metal chair. Danny and Swampy looked at him.

"I'm pretty sure Phineas doesn't want Isabella injured in the process though," Danny said, and stopped Bobby before he swung the chair. He had another idea. "Swampy, do you still carry around that vile of liquid chloroform your dad gave you?" he inquired.

"Sh, yeah, it's my fifty-second good luck charm."

"Excellent," Danny uttered, his eyes narrowing. "I know what we are going to do."

Isabella was walking down the street to her best friend Phineas' house when she stumbled upon the first of two very strange sights. Two men dressed as over-zealous gangsters were running down the street after a furry blur. Upon closer inspection one of the men was holding a toxic dart gun and the other a folding metal chair, and the furry blur was a cat.

"Hey, that's not very nice you two, why are you chasing a defenseless cat like that," Isabella called after them.

"It's a secret!" Milos yelled back, and kept running.

"Well Isabella, you didn't get this "Knowing Martial Arts for PETAish Purposes' patch for nothing," saying this to herself, Isabella ran down the street after Milos and Steve. As she approached, Isabella leaped into the air, jump-kicked Steve to the ground, and landed in front of Milos.

"Whoa… hey little girly, we don't want any trouble," Milos said, backing away slowly. He tripped over Steve's unconscious body and fell to the ground. Isabella leaped onto the both of them, and people everywhere stopped and looked at the occurrence. Two grown men were being wailed upon by a twelve year old girl, and after a while Milos and Steve pulled themselves from the fur ball and ran up the street, screaming the entire way.

"Well, glad to see another cat is safe from the hands of quazi-overzealous gangsters," Isabella announced, and she dusted herself off. She resumed her course to Phineas' house as if nothing had happen, but as Isabella rounded the corner to Phineas' street, she happened upon the second odd sight. All the members of Love Händel were sitting behind a stand advertising "Lemonade, 25 Cents." Then a smaller sign next to it labeled "For Charity."

Isabella approached the stand and said, "Hey guys, what'cha doin?"

"We're selling lemonade to raise money for… umm… The National Organization Looking For The Cure To Antidisestablishmentarianism," Danny replied, and then gave Isabella his best 'sales smile' he could.

"Aren't you all a little old to be selling lemonade?" Isabella asked.

"Yes, yes we are," Swampy replied.

Isabella stared blankly at them for a second, "Well okay then!" She handed them a quarter, exchanging it for a glass of lemonade. Isabella raised the glass to her lips and took a sip. She placed the glass down, muttered thanks, and continued along her way.

"Weren't we supposed to put the chloroform in her glass?" Danny asked.

"We did, right." Swampy replied, taking a sip from a different glass. His eyes blanked out and he fell onto the ground fast asleep.

"Dangit! Oh, sorry for going street there for a second, but what can you do." Danny said, and then he turned to Bobby, "Now what was that plan of yours again.

A shadow loomed over Isabella, and she turned around.

"Hey guys what'cha…" WHAM! A folding metal chair slammed into Isabella's head and she keeled over on the ground, out cold.

Danny picked up his walkie-talkie and said to Phineas over the line "Isabella Distracted."

"That great! It's all going to work perfectly," Phineas replied, unaware of what really occurred outside his yard.

Chapter 3

Phineas began instructing his crew after Love Händel confirmed Isabella was distracted, on the off chance she wasn't and his cover would be blown. Then Phineas began construction on his biggest idea yet. It was a re-enactment of the Haunted House he had built for Isabella, except she would enter it alone. Phineas would enter later and together they'd get out, and Phineas would initiate the catch. The Fireside Girls would act as if they were zombies and nearing "death" Phineas would explain to Isabella, who would leap to protect him.

"…and Voila!" Phineas finished. "Then if it all goes well Isabella and I will…" one again he stopped short, something the crowd was getting used to. Ferb rolled his eyes, took the microphone, and ordered everyone to begin work.

Phineas dialed his cell phone and called Joe, "Hey Joe, I have the list of things I need, you ready?"

"Of course Phineas, just don't ask for champagne again, remember..."

"Yes, yes, I am too young to get that. But last I checked I'm not too young to order one-hundred sixty steel girders, a titanium ark welder, diamond-bladed buzz saw, a shock collar, and ice cream.

"No, no you're not, and what's the ice cream for?"

"Around thee in the afternoon I get hungry."

"…Okay, I'll have it for you," Joe replied. Phineas hung up and began to oversee what construction could be done. The Fireside Girls were already in costume, as was Ferb who was to be their leader. A basic frame of the house was up, and Phineas went to make sure Candace was distracted. He peaked into the house and saw Candace and Jeremy on the couch, with Jeremy's arm around her.

Phineas mouthed "Good Job" and gave Jeremy the thumbs up, which he returned. Phineas smiled, everything was working wonderfully, and he knew it would continue to work. As a double-insurance, Phineas called Danny back with the walkie-talkie.

"Hey, so where is Isabella exactly?"

"Oh, she's in room 213," Danny said, fear spreading across his face on the other line.

"You guys went with beating out all the erasers in the school?" Phineas asked, feeling guilty Isabella was going through such a tedious task.

"No Phineas, room 213 in the hospital. She's unconscious."

"…"

"Phineas?"

"What…"

"Phineas, she was hit over the head by a folding metal chair," Danny explained.

"HOW!"

"It was Bobby's idea!" Danny retaliated. Bobby looked up in horror at being rated out.

"I want the three of you in my backyard right now!" Phineas shouted and within seconds Love Händel was there. Phineas handed them blueprints, the titanium welder, and the buzz saw.

"I'm going to go check on Isabella; you three will stay and build this thing!" Phineas ordered, flames burning in his eyes. He bolted into the house, right in on Jeremy and Candace kissing. He slapped them silly before saying, "Candace! You are driving me to the hospital, Isabella is in room 213 for a severe head injury and I have to see her."

Candace's anger turned to horror. "I'm sorry Jeremy, but I have to do this." Jeremy was just as shocked and fully cooperated in allowing the Flynn siblings to leave. He heard the car pull out of the driveway, just as Ferb walked in.

"So, I hear Isabella's in the hospital," Jeremy said, trying to start a conversation.

Ferb stared back before saying, "I hope that won't complicate things."

Chapter 4

The ride to the local hospital seemed eons for Phineas, who was pale as a ghost and gripping the car door fiercely. Candace was driving as reasonably fast as she could go, but it wasn't fast enough for Phineas. An idea struck him.

"Candace, didn't Ferb once make this car into a monster truck, and change it back into a car with that remote of his?" Phineas asked as Candace stopped at another red light.

"Yes…" Candace replied apprehensively. Phineas whipped out his cell phone and speed-dialed Ferb.

"Ferb, it's Phineas, do you still have that remote for our monster truck?" A quick pause was all Candace heard, and then, "Great! Change this car back into it pronto please, we need to get to the hospital before I turn seventy!" Phineas pleaded, adding a biting wit out of stress. A rumbling and shaking gripped the car. Candace screamed, but Phineas actually began to smile. After a few seconds, their mother's station wagon was re-transformed into the Candace Crusher.

"Candace, you're a truck driving girl again," Ferb spoke over speaker phone, and a malicious grin spread over Candace's face.

"Let's do this thing," she said, then frowned at the cliché of the line.

("Truck Driving Girl" plays during a montage of the monster truck crushing all other cars out of their way, then perfectly parallel parking in front of the hospital.)

Phineas leaped out of the monster truck and ran toward the hospital. He grabbed the front door and pulled with all his might. It was locked! Phineas tugged and heaved at the door with all he had, and nearly snapped off the handle.

"Phineas?" Candace asked, walking up behind him. "It says 'Push,'" she said, opening the door for her little brother. He stuttered out thanks before walking into the hospital behind her. He smiled a bit at the elevator music of "Gitchee Gitchee Goo" in the background, and stopped to listen for a moment. Then he stopped, refocused, and walked over to the receptionist's desk.

"Hi, I'm Phineas Flynn, and I'm here to visit Isabella Garcia-Shapiro in room 213," Phineas introduced himself. The receptionist looked up, and then looked back down before responding.

"Visit hours are closed."

Worry filled and exhausted from planning all night, Phineas snapped back, "WHAT? Listen here, I need to see her. Why can't you just let me in?"

"Because visiting hours are closed," she said back, boringly matter-of-fact. Phineas realized he was making no progress, so he quickly began plotting again. He whipped out another remote, and pressed the button. The receptionist's computer flashed brightly, and she squealed in joy.

"Oh my gosh, I got a one million dollar raise, forget here!" She yelled, before tossing her chair back and running out of the hospital door.

"That was weird," Candace said, walking up behind Phineas again.

"That, Candace, is the magic of the Hack-Inator, we found it one day after Perry re-appeared. It hacks into any computer in the world, and then you can do whatever you want with it. Also, how do you keep showing up behind me?"

"Been calling Jeremy every five minutes," Candace replied, looking down at her watch. "Just three minutes fifty-seven seconds until the next call."

"Alright…" Phineas said. "Let's go see Isabella now!" Together they wandered the hall of the hospital; Candace dressed as a doctor to avoid suspicion. Eventually they found room 213, and Phineas stepped inside while Candace called Jeremy again.

"Isabella?" he whispered, stepping into the room. Isabella was asleep, a bandage wrapped around her head, but otherwise she looked the same as Phineas remembered her. He quickly took a chair next to her bed, grabbed a magazine and waited for her to wake up, worrying about what would happen.

"Hey look, fifty percent off at Slushy Burger, keeper!" Phineas said, taking out a pair of scissors as he flipped through the magazine. Then he heard a small noise, and looked up. Isabella was awake, her shimmering eyes fixed on Phineas.

"Ph-Phineas?" she asked hazily, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Isabella, glad to see you okay. I have no idea what those guys were thinking, I mean, 'by all means necessary' doesn't mean literally last resort…" He shut himself up quick. Phineas realized he had said too much, for Isabella was turning red and her eyes narrowed.

"It was you!" she yelled, and her hand rose sharply. Phineas was paralyzed as he realized all his careful planning was falling apart, and his failure was made complete as Isabella's hand slammed into his face. It stung more than anything is Phineas' life and knocked him into the ground.

"But, Isabella, it was…"

"Shut it, Phineas Flynn! Go… just go!" Isabella screeched, pointing her hand toward the door. Eyes filling with tears from heartbreak and the painful slap, Phineas fled the room. Candace then walked in, and saw Isabella's eyes filling with tears as well.

"What happened?" she asked, coming over to Isabella's side and giving her a hug.

Isabella broke down fully, and between sobs choked out, "Ph-Phineas, he s-s-s-sent the p-p-people who did th-th-this t-t-t-to me. After all I d-d-did for him, and I've always l-l-loved him, why w-w-would he d-d-do this?"

"Isabella, oh, I had no idea. Why would he do that? I thought today he planned…" Candace stopped herself too. After a bout of quick thinking she said, "To help someone find the cure for antidisestablishmentarianism."

Isabella stopped crying and said, "Yes, that was what the people who did this to me were doing." Suddenly to burly security guards rushed into the room, following reports of a imposter doctor on the loose.

"Uh, so Isabella, how is your head doing?" Candace asked all of the sudden.

"Fine, I suppose," Isabella replied, raising her eyebrow at Candace's out of the blue question. The guards nodded to each other and continued along their way.

"Isabella, I have to go before someone suspected something," Candace whispered, and she rushed out of the door. She found Phineas in the monster truck, crying softly to himself.

"Oh, h-hi Candace," Phineas sighed out between a hiccup like sob.

"Tell me everything that happened," Candace ordered as she started up the giant truck.

Phineas sighed, and began to retell his tale up to his older sister, sobs still escaping his body.

'''Finished with that chaapter. And now, here's Ferb.'''

'''(Ferb) Thank you. '''

So, who do you think will win the co-host election?

(Ferb) Myself, for I know people like me.

You seem rather confident.

(Ferb) Yes, yes I am.

(Phineas off-stage) My line!

'''Okay... by for now. Next chapter we interview Phineas. Keep Voting!'''

Chapter 5

"And that's why Isabella is in the hospital and is furious with me," Phineas concluded. Candace pulled into the driveway, not knowing if she should tell Phineas why Isabella got so upset. She decided not to, but to let him find out for himself.

"But why did she get so mad Phineas?" she asked as they both stepped out of the monster truck as it changed back into a car. Ferb had been waiting for them with Jeremy, playing battleships.

"Hey Phineas, Candace," Jeremy called to them and ran over. "So what happened?" he asked more to Phineas.

"Isabella hates me," Phineas said, but saying it out loud only made it more true to him. Tears welled up once more and he ran into the house. Jeremy and Candace then turned and stared at Ferb.

"Go and talk to him, you're his stepbrother, maybe you can help him!" Candace barked, and Ferb put his hands up defensively.

"Alright," he replied calmly, and sauntered back into the house after Phineas. Climbing the stairs, Ferb heard his brother crying again. Ferb stopped at the door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. Phineas looked up from his position lying down on his life-raft bed.

"Oh, h-hi Ferb," Phineas gasped out. Ferb walked over and propped his brother into a sitting up position.

"So, what exactly happened in the hospital?" Ferb inquired, doing his best to try to get Phineas to emotionally recover.

"W-well, she found out that I s-s-sent Love Händel to d-d-distract her," Phineas chocked out, before laying back face-down into his pillow.

"Ah, yes," Ferb said, remembering how Danny told of hitting Isabella with a folding metal chair, the ambulance ride where Isabella fell out, and then in the hospital where the nurse forgot she was in the waiting room for several hours. "But do you know why she reacted so harshly to you?"

"No, no I don't," Phineas answered, and then he sat up. "Why did she have such a hatred filled reaction?" Ferb looked away and rolled his eyes, how could Phineas not realize?

"Well, you can find out tomorrow okay, but it's nearly nine o'clock," Ferb said, pointing toward the alarm clock in the room. Phineas looked at it too, and then crawled underneath the blankets.

"Yeah, we're gonna need sleep, tomorrow starts round two of what I've gotten myself into," Phineas said, he already knew how he'd find out about Isabella. With this confident yet under thought idea in his head, Phineas noticed Perry was back. "Oh, there you are Perry," he said, smiling for the first time in hours. Comforted by these to notions of peace, Phineas fell asleep.

And we're live with Phineas Flynn.

(Applause while Phineas enteres)

'''Phineas: Hey there peoples! So, why did you invite me here anyway?'''

Me: To hear your views about the happenings in my story.

Phineas: It sucks for me!

'''Me: I know right! So, why do you think the people should vote for you as my co-host?'''

Phineas: Because you're biased and will give a more accurate...

'''Me: *slaps duck tape over Phineas' mouth* Okay! That's enough.'''

Phineas: MHMHMPHMHPMMMHPMMHPHHMPH!

Chapter 6

Phineas awoke suddenly and sat bolt upright. All through the night this pattern of sleeping then being awakened had occurred, for Phineas was having dreams involving hands swooping from the gloom to smack him across the face. The alarm clock read four forty-five in the morning, and Phineas didn't try to sleep this time. He got up, dressed silently so as not to wake Ferb, and snuck from the room. From there he proceeded down the stairs, across the living room, and into the garage. Phineas then snatched his toolbox and absconded back into his bedroom.

"I hope this works," he whispered to himself as he turned on a tiny reading light. Before him lay blueprints containing formulas for trans-species mutations. Phineas decided the only way to discover why Isabella got so upset was to turn himself into a fly, and follow her around until he got the information. There were obvious faults and moral wrongs in his plan, but Phineas didn't care. Around six thirty in the morning, the tiny capsule containing the transformation liquid was complete, and then Ferb snapped upward in bed.

"F-Ferb!" Phineas gasped with shock at the sight of his stepbrother staring at him. Ferb didn't look judgmental, only worried. "I have to do this, Ferb."

Ferb replied by first rolling his eyes, then he fixed them on Phineas and shrugged.

"What do you mean? Coming out in the open would simply explode the situation."

Ferb blinked.

"You know what; this silent type thing of yours is irritating. Just, let me do this."

"Fine," Ferb said coolly, and turned onto his side, away from Phineas. He detected a quick flash of light from the opposite side of the room, and then absolute silence naught but for the buzzing of a tiny, red fly. Ferb then got up, and opened the bedroom window to let Phineas the Fly out of their room and into the morning sky.

Onward Phineas flew toward the hospital; a five minute trip by car was nearly forty five minutes by fly. His new wings beat furiously, propelling him onward until the shimmering white building lay before him.

"Room 213, 213, 213," Phineas repeated in his head, until he arrived at the appropriate window. Isabella was still asleep, and Phineas crept into the room through a crack in the wall. He then sat on the ceiling, and waited.

"No…. why…. Please…" Isabella was murmuring in her sleep, and every now and again shuddered or flinched. Phineas wondered what she was dreaming about, did it involve what the unintentionally did to her? Then she sat bolt upright, and looked around the room. Isabella walked over to the window and opened it, letting the warm morning air enter the room.

"I hope I don't have to be here all day," Phineas muttered as he realized how nice it was outside. He flitted over to the windowsill, hiding in the shadows, and just watched Isabella. There came a knock at the door, and Isabella's mother entered.

"How are you feeling, Isa?" she asked, sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed. Isabella walked over and sat next to her mother.

"Well, my head's fine, but I don't know what to do anymore," she surmised, and laid her head on Vivian's shoulder. "Why did Phineas do that, Mom? I mean, I've always been there, always helped him, always…" She trailed off, staring at the ground.

"Loved him?" her mother said, then recoiled at her daughter's sudden sobbing fit. "Oh, querida, I'm sorry," she said, hugging Isabella tight. If Phineas still had a mouth, it would be gaping. He stood there on the windowsill stunned for a second, his mind racing.

"Oh my God… did I just ruin this?" He began to think back to all the times with Isabella. He should've realized it earlier. He slapped an appendage to his head, and then froze when he heard Isabella's mom go on.

"Come on, honey; let's get you dressed for home now." Phineas let out a small internal yell before bolting out of the room and into the air. He raced home, evading several birds, and looping around an angry workman with a flyswatter. Phineas aimed for the open window of his and Ferb's bedroom, and landed peacefully on the windowsill. A small pool of blue-green liquid was waiting for him, prepared by Ferb, and he took a swig.

"Ferb…" he said cautiously, changing back into twelve year-old boy Phineas. Ferb woke up again, and jumped out of bed at the sight of his brother.

"Let me guess, you found out didn't you?" he asked, trying not to seem arrogant or all-knowing. It didn't impress Phineas.

"You knew!" he yelled, turning to face Ferb.

Ferb solemnly nodded, and then muttered, "Everyone... kind of… knew." Phineas let out a sigh of frustration. He then walked over to his bed and proceeded to lie down.

"Also…" he began, not knowing where to go with this.

"What is it?" Ferb inquired.

"I kind of, um, saw more than I intended to," Phineas finally decided on saying, turning a deeper shade of red than ever before. Ferb's eyes widened.

"What?" he said, laughing but trying not to. Phineas shot him a glare and got back up.

"Nothing more, just needed to… get that off my chest," Phineas said. "Now, hopefully Love Händel finished the whole 'haunted house remake' portion of my plan, so if I can talk to Isabella…"

"Wait, you're still doing this?" Ferb asked, taken aback.

"Yes, yes I am." With that said, Phineas began to walk down to breakfast with Ferb next to him.

"So, what was it like?" Ferb asked. He then yelped in pain as Phineas rammed his knuckled into Ferb's side.

And's Isabella Garcia-Shapiro.

'''Isabella: Hi everyone? What'cha doin'''

We're wondering how you feel about what happened in my story?

'''Isabella: *reads above* Oh my God... Phineas didn't!'''

Phineas (Off-Stage): I'm sorry!

That was interesting.

Isabella: Alright...

So, why should people vote for you Isabella?

Isabella: Well, I'm the second main character in the story, fun loving, and cute.

Phineas (Off Stage): She's right you know.

Audience: D'awwwwwwwwww.

How the bloody hell did you all get in my house?

Audience: Front door.

'''Oh, okay. And here's Perry.'''

Perry: *chattering noise*

'''Inspiring! Well, bye for now my friends.'''

Chapter 7

Outside, Love Händel was just finishing the haunted house Phineas instructed them to build. Upon Phineas and Ferb's arrival into the backyard, Danny ran over and pleaded for a break from work.

"Phineas, please, dude, we haven't slept for hours," Danny wailed. Phineas was taken aback at the sight of a grown man crying at his feet.

"Uh… guys, I'm sorry to say this, but Isabella comes home today! We have to get this done," Phineas declared, and grabbed the welder from Danny. Ferb snatched the buzz saw from Swampy, and together the two shooed away Bobbi. Phineas and Ferb then proceeded to do what they do best, a building montage to background music.

"Phew, that was harder than expected; who knew a blowtorch could turn flamethrower like that?" Phineas asked as he and Ferb stepped back to admire their work. It was an exact replica of the haunted house they had built last summer for Isabella. A car horn sounded across the street, which meant Isabella was home. Phineas broke out into a nervous sweat. Ferb waved his hand in front of Phineas' eyes, which had gone blank with fear.

"Phineas?" Ferb said. Phineas snapped himself out of it and turned to face his stepbrother.

"Ferb, what if she still hates me?" Phineas asked, peeking over the fence and looking as Isabella and her mom entered their house.

"She's not going to hate you, not after all you've just done for her," Ferb indicated the monstrous building behind them, "How could she?" Phineas smiled; he knew Ferb was right. So he tidied his hair, took a deep breath, and walked over to Isabella's house. He knocked three times, and waited.

Isabella's mom answered with, "Oh, hello, Phineas, so nice to see you, my, look how tall you've gotten, you must have grown a couple of inches since the last time we met."

"That was three days ago Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro," Phineas answered, then continued by asking, "Is Isabella home?"

"Yes, I believe she is, but she's not in a good mood," Vivian replied, and Phineas' face fell.

"Well, can I at least talk to her?"

"I don't see the trouble in that," Isabella's mom replied. She called out for Isabella and after a few moments Isabella appeared in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed, and looking fearful Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro went into the kitchen.

"What do you want?" Isabella snapped. Phineas became very nervous and tried to respond.

"Well, Isabella, the thing is…" but she cut him off.

"No, you know what, Phineas? Forget it."

"F-forget what?" Phineas asked tentatively.

"You're here to apologize for sending those three weirdoes to hit me with a folding metal chair, aren't you?" she asked,

"Yes, but Isa…"

"Abupbup! Phineas, I've been waiting almost seven years for you, and you know what, I believe I've gotten over it and over you!" She yelled the last part and slammed the door in Phineas' face. He stood there for a second, not knowing what to do. Then the gears started turning, it was time for drastic action.

"Ferb!" Phineas yelled as he ran into the backyard, fighting back tears. Ferb looked up from his book.

"So how did it go?" he asked politely. Phineas didn't answer but instead took out a menacing looking ray gun.

"I'm sorry, Ferb, but drastic times…"

"Phineas, what are you doing?" Ferb said, putting his hands up defensively and backing away.

Phineas took aim and finished, "Call for drastic measures." With these final words Phineas pulled the trigger and shot a ray of green light at his stepbrother.

Chapter 8

Ferb fell to the ground, clutching his head as the world around him swam. Slowly his thoughts were becoming more and more inaudible; he could barely remember his name now. Ferb's skin turned green, his eyes yellow with slits for pupils. Phineas ran up quickly and slapped the shock collar onto the new zombie-like Ferb.

"You see, oh brother of mine, this ray was my last resort. It turns whatever it hits into a zombie, so that my plan with the haunted house will be absolutely successful. Oh, and don't bite anything, because if you do, they turn into a zombie too. Just a side effect, I suppose," Phineas explained, and then shrugged. Ferb whipped around to look as his brother, and lunged.

"Wow, hey!" Phineas yelled, ducking to dodge his brother's attack. Buford entered the yard at this point, and stood watching as Ferb lunged and Phineas kept evading.

"What's up with Ferb?" he asked, and the sound of his voice alerted the zombiefied Ferb, who turned, and ravenously attacked Buford. Phineas winced as Buford yelled and tried to fight Ferb, but it was no use. Both zombies then stood and faced Phineas, who let out a slow, "Oh…. Crap," and fled the scene. He kept running until he headed into downtown Danville, trying to find Mom, and discovered her in a cake shop.

"Mom! Help, I made this ray gun and hit Ferb and now he's a zombie and attacked Buford and now he's one too and there are probably more now because they attack any still-living being in the adjacent areas," Phineas said quickly, all in one breath. He then stopped for a second after Linda didn't respond. "Mom?" he asked, touching his mother's shoulder, and then retracting with a shout. Somehow Ferb had been here first, for his mother turned around and lunged after her son.

So it continued for most of the day, the zombie army growing larger until there were scattered pockets of resistance throughout the Tri-State area. Phineas was running all over town, evading attacks from all sides using a baseball bat, until he reached Isabella's house. The windows were shattered, but it appeared the house was zombie-free.

"Anyone here?" Phineas asked, hushing his voice so as not to alarm anyone. He heard crying from the basement, and crept into it. He found Isabella and her mother hiding under the stairs, pale white and petrified with fear.

"Phineas?" Isabella asked, and the rushed to give him a hug. A little taken aback, Phineas returned it, and then addressed them both.

"Hey, we have to get out of here. I just learned there's a safe house in the center of town, Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, I think it's called. There's this scientist who thinks he can build a ray to heal all zombies in the entire Tri-State Area!" Phineas said, for some reason shouting Tri-State Area. Isabella and Vivian stared at him for a minute, and then they agreed.

"We need to move now then," Isabella said, and she turned for a second and took out a golf club, handing it to her mom. She collected a meat tenderizer for herself, and after checking to make sure the coast was clear, proceeded along Maple Drive. The road was oddly silent, were all the zombies in downtown.

"Uh, guys?" Phineas said, stopping the other two. In front of them was a little greenish monotreme. "Perry!" Phineas shouted, running forward when he was tackled to the ground by Isabella.

"Phineas no, look!" she said, dragging him behind a bush. Perry was losing part of his hair, and his eyes were an eerie glowing yellow.

"Perry…" Phineas said, aghast. He fought back tears against after realizing Perry was truly lost to this menace he had created.

"It seems Perry is keeping watch over this area, so if we…" Isabella stopped short as Perry released a loud alarm-chatter. Suddenly, Bobbi Fabulous, Candace, and Buford rushed up from hiding places around the street, and surrounded Phineas, Isabella and Vivian.

"You two go, I'll try and hold them off," Phineas shouted, whacking Buford back with the baseball bat. But when he turned to see Candace lunging, his resolve vanished, and he simply dodged her.

"Phineas, you're emotionally compromised-take my daughter and run," Isabella's mom said, taking the baseball bat from him and slamming Candace back into a house. She fought vigorously using baseball bat and golf club alike, until something green and beaver-tailed sunk its bill into her back.

"Isabella, no!" It was Phineas' turn to hold Isabella back as her mom fell to the ground. Half guiding her, half dragging her, Phineas brought Isabella to a tall purple building shaped kind of like Ferb's head.

Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!

Phineas reached the 38th floor with the elevator, and met up with the resistance.

"Phineas, you survived!" Lawrence Fletcher ran up and hugged his stepson tightly. Phineas returned it. Finally the hug ended, and Lawrence stepped back and said, "Well, let me introduce the leader of the survivors, Mr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz."

"Uh, it's doctor, Dr. Doofenshmirtz." A man with a slight hunch, white lab coat, and brownish hair stepped forward from the gloom.

"Hello, Doofenshmirtz," Phineas said, shaking his hand. "I'm Phineas and this is Isabella." He introduced Isabella to Dr. D, and then was in turn introduced to the rest of the resistance. There was Major Monogram, Dr. D, Lawrence, Milos, Swampy, Joe, Jeremy, Pinky the Chihuahua, Thaddeus, The Fireside Girls minus Addison, a Martian, Lulu "Busting" Jones, Irving, and Baljeet, who escaped zombiefacation because of his panic room.

"Well, Phineas, we are all here because of this zombie menace plaguing the entire Tri-State area. Now, normally I would try to enslave the Tri-State Area using these zombies, but no. For you see, back in Gimmelstump in the days of my youth…" Doofenshmirtz was cut short by Major Monogram.

"We don't have time for a back-story, just explain your plan, Dr. D!" he shouted.

"Fine then, anyway. So basically the zombies have zombiefied my daughter and my nemesis, and I need them back or else my life will remain a more-empty pit of suffering than it is now," Doofenshmirtz concluded. "And I need as much help as I can to build my Non-Zombiefacator… Inator."

Phineas sighed, and then said, "What can I do to help?" Grabbing a blowtorch and a tub of mayonnaise, Phineas got to work with Dr. D on the latest Inator, thinking of Ferb and all the others he knew and cared about now closing in as enemies.

'''Oh, and Phineas won the vots 3-2, so yeah. Now after this story he will take over as my co-host. For now, no one is.'''

Chapter 9

It had been four days since the zombiefacation of Danville and repeated attacks against Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated laid waste to the morale of the survivors, but no more zombies were added. Phineas and Dr. D were working around the clock on the Non-Zombiefacatorinator, and had time to talk to no one except each other. Phineas rarely saw Isabella anymore, or any of the other survivors, so he spoke openly to Dr. Doofenshmirtz during construction.

"Hey, Doofenshmirtz?" he asked one day.

"What Phineas?"

"Can I explain something to you? But you have to swear to not tell anymore, or react negatively." Phineas stated.

"Sure, whatever." Doofenshmirtz, who was too wrapped up in wiring the ray to pay any real attention.

"This is my entire fault," Phineas said, and ducked down for a second before looking back up, and seeing Doofenshmirtz looking infuriated.

"What? This is your fault?" Dr. D yelled, and was about to take a swing at Phineas with his wrench, when he suddenly stopped. How could this twelve year old kid cause something like this? "Aren't you a little young to start a zombie invasion?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I am," Phineas said. "But I can explain. You know that girl I walked in with?"

"Yeah, Isabella or something."

"Well, I kind of… love her," Phineas stuttered out, turning red. Doofenshmirtz eyes widened, but he continued to listen. "So I was doing the whole 'scare her and therefore seem brave and macho to impress and then fall in love with' plot, and turned my brother into a zombie… but I never intended the whole town to become involved."

"Why did you go through all that?" Doofenshmirtz asked, continuing to fuse the wires now that he had learned the truth.

"Because that's kind of my thing, over-doing stuff, making it as huge as can be!" Phineas said, a shimmer of his old self flickering back. Doofenshmirtz frowned slightly.

"I used to be like you, only less creative name-wise, and I can tell you Phineas, it's not worth it with girls," he snickered slightly, "It got me a breakup, a divorce, one of them left me for a h-whale, one loved a platypus more than me, and the other was made un-loving by an invention. Just tell her. You know what?" He dropped the welder for a second, and looked Phineas straight in the eyes. "Tell her now. I can finish the final preparations for this Inator; you go and try your luck at the probably right way."

Phineas smiled, and then blushed and said, "You know what, Dr. D, you're right. Thanks."

"It's how most people in Gimmelstump did it, and they turned out happier than me." With that said, Dr. D continued welding. Phineas ran out of the room and stepped into the elevator. As if fate was goading him on, 'Gitchee Gitchee Goo' was the elevator music. Phineas smiled and listened to it until he reached the basement, where Isabella was working with the few wounded there were.

"Isabella?" he asked. She gave a little jump, then turned and smiled upon seeing Phineas.

"What is it?" she asked innocently, stepping away from an unconscious Lulu.

"Can I just get something off my chest?" he inquired, stepping into the light. Isabella smiled softy as she noticed Phineas was blushing profusely.

"Yes…" she said, containing the glimmer of excitement she had. What this it? She wondered. Phineas took a step forward.

"I don't know how to go about saying this, you're such a close friend, and this could easily be the thing to ruin it. But I kind of... a little," he was stuttering now, turning redder by the minute. Isabella waited, but she didn't now for how long.

"Yes," she goaded this time, her voice trembling.

"L..." Phineas sighed, then finished, "love you." Isabella squealed, taking Phineas aback, he hadn't expected this. Suddenly Isabella threw herself at Phineas, and kissed him, hard. Phineas stood stalk still, stiff as a board with his eyes as large as dinner plates. He was astounded; just yesterday she had slapped him. They stood there for what seem like hours to Phineas, and then broke apart for air. Phineas was bright red and still stunned, and then he smiled and hugged Isabella tightly.

"Phineas, you're needed on the sky deck," a loudspeaker blared above the two, and they jumped apart quick. Then another message blared, "Everyone to the sky deck, the machine is ready." Phineas gave a sigh of relief; the whole ordeal was almost over. He took Isabella's hand and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button to the 38th floor.

"So when this is all over, you want to do something… sometime?" Phineas asked, still feeling awkward about the whole ordeal.

Isabella pecked him on the cheek and said, "Sure," as the elevator began to rise. Phineas smiled, everything was going to be all right.

Chapter 10

The elevator opened onto the sky deck, and Phineas and Isabella stepped out. The remaining survivors were gathered around Dr. Doofenshmirtz and the completed Anti- Zombiefacatorinator and chatting animatedly.

"Okay, resistance members, come to order," Doofenshmirtz called out, and the people settled. "Behold, my Anti-Zombiefacator! …Inator. It will emit a ray that will erase all zombie DNA in the area, while protecting human DNA, thereby unzombiefacating everyone in the entire Tri-State Area!" Doofenshmirtz's story faded into maniacal cackling, and he stopped himself quickly with an awkward smile.

"But is it safe to use?" Lawrence asked. Stepping forward, he continued, "What are things that could end up misfortunate for us?"

"Oh, you mean what could go wrong?" Doofenshmirtz corrected. He thought a moment before answering, "Well, the best case scenario is that it works, but it could do several things because I was scrapped for parts. First, it could simply blow up, or it could turn us into zombies, not work at all, or the least likely one is rip a hole into the sixth dimension. But that will never happen, you know… probably."

"Well, that's good," Lawrence answered, while Phineas and Isabella exchanged worried looks. Suddenly the alarm blared. Several harsh repeating notes ripped into the apprehensive peace of the group of people.

"Oh God!" Phineas yelled, "In this excitement the guards left their posts and zombies are overrunning the building!" The door to the sky deck banged open, flying across the room and landing with a loud thud onto the floor. Zombiefied Ferb stepped out of the gloom, his glowing yellow eyes fixed hungrily on Phineas.

"Doofenshmirtz, fire that thing up now!" Phineas yelled, grabbing a metal pipe from the ground and beating Ferb back from Isabella, who had leaped in the way to protect him. They stepped back to back as other zombie inhabitants of Danville poured into the room.

"Um, yes, right," Doofenshmirtz answered and he leaped into action to activate the Inator. Dr. D was panicking, even though the members of the resistance were fighting well; the zombie hoard was getting closer. He flipped every switch, double checked every circuit, and then pressed the giant red button on the top. A flash of violet light and a violent rumbling explosion knocked everyone to their knees.

"I did it!" Doofenshmirtz shouted as waves of pure white energy began to be released from the Inator, and the zombies began to writhe. Phineas leaped over to Ferb who was staring straight into space as his body shook violently. Slowly his eyes returned to their normal intelligent stare, and his skin turned back to Ferb's original complexion.

"What did I miss?" Ferb asked, standing up with Phineas' help. Phineas smiled and gave his brother a big hug.

"The plan worked, eventually," was all Phineas said, and then yelped a little as Ferb gave him a small punch on the arm. Everyone around them was returning to normal, and reuniting with their friends and family under the glow on the Anti-Zombiefacatorinator. Suddenly Phineas was grabbed from behind by Isabella in a half tackle, half hug. Ferb chuckled and the three turned to witness the joyous reunions.

"This is wonderful!" Phineas exclaimed, smiling. He took Isabella's hand and began to walk out of the room when there was an even louder explosion. Phineas turned in horror to see the Inator spewing out jet black smoke.

"Nononononoooooo!" Doofenshmirtz yelled, flipping all the switches off. "It's overloading, everyone hit the deck!" Simultaneously everyone in the room took cover except for Phineas Flynn. A ray of dark blue energy surged forth and grabbed him; slowly Phineas was being dragged into a dark swirling vortex that had opened above the Anti-Zombiefacatorinator.

"Phineas!" Isabella screamed, running forward and grabbing his hand. He pulled with all her might, until she too was being pulled toward the dimensional rip. Tears were streaming from both Phineas and Isabella's faces as the dark hole grew closer and closer. Phineas realized it was too late.

"I'm sorry Isabella," he whispered, kissing her one last time before forcing his hand out of her own. Everyone cried out in a single horrid sob as Phineas jerked backward and fell into the vortex. With a sound like thunder and a crackle of energy, the dark hole snapped shut, and there was silence minus the crying of Isabella and Ferb, who were kneeling at the exact spot Phineas had vanished.

Chapter 11

"Whoops," Doofenshmirtz said, turning slowly to face Ferb and Isabella. Isabella turned at nearly the same moment, and her eyes turned from sorrowful to pure rage.

"Whoops? Is that all you can say? After all Phineas has done for me, he… he…" Isabella fell back into sobs, Ferb holding her as he shot Doofenshmirtz a biting look. Something suddenly clicked for Dr. D.

"Oh, did he just? OH…" Doofenshmirtz fell silent as he realized Phineas did take his advice; the severity of his actions just rendered him dumb founded.

"Now you think, Doofenshmirtz!" Ferb yelled, getting up to face the doctor. Ferb was in a blind rage, and he was going to make Doofenshmirtz pay.

"Now, kid… I never meant to," Doofenshmirtz's explanation was cut short by the sickening noise of knuckle on chin. His eyes widened as Ferb drew his fist back again, and within moments another blow came to the side of the head and Dr. D fell, out cold. Everyone stared at Ferb as he stood over the unconscious doctor.

"Anyone else got a problem with that?" Ferb asked all around, and after no one responded he faced his usual bunch of friends, and Irving. "We have to act fast; I've read theories on the sixth dimension, not pretty, we need to get Phineas out now."

"But, how will we get there?" Baljeet asked. Ferb shook his head slowly.

"Do you still have that portal to Mars?" Ferb asked, and Baljeet nodded. "We can reconfigure it to link up with the sixth dimension. From there we can rescue Phineas before it's too late."

"Too late from what?" Isabella asked, yet not wanting to know the answer.

"Isabella, the sixth dimension is the exact opposite of our own. It is a placed scarred by constant war." He stopped realizing he was hurting Isabella. Ferb sighed and made an attempt to console her, "But Phineas is a smart kid, and I know he'll be alright." Isabella smiled, and the group of kids ran from Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated to begin their latest and most important mission yet.

Phineas woke up in a small room, slowly being shaken by another person. He quickly came to and realized it looked a lot like Ferb.

"Ferb?" Phineas asked, trying to sort out what was going on. He gasped as the figure turned to him. It was Ferb, but with raven black hair, a soldier's uniform and an eye patch.

"Don't you know?" this Ferb replied sarcastically in a harsh German accent. Phineas' eyes widened.

"Who exactly are you?" Phineas asked, getting out of the bed he was in, and placing a hand on this Ferb's shoulder. Ferb turned, suspiciously.

"I'm Ferb," Ferb said.

"Are you sure? What's going on?" Phineas was becoming worried now. "Listen, I'm not from here, but I don't know how to get back."

"Listen to me, it's almost nightfall – meaning the machines will be here any minute, you can't go anywhere, unless…" Ferb drew a rapier and held it to Phineas' throat, "You're one of them."

"I'm not, I'm from," Phineas leaned in, and signaled this Ferb to do the same, "Another dimension." Ferb looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"You have to prove it, what year is this?"

"Why?"

"Each dimension has a ten year delay, what year is this for you," Ferb asked, lowering his sword.

"You always knew everything, Ferb… here too, it seems. 2009 back where I come from, but on the eve of 2010," Phineas replied.

"Then it is true. The year, Phineas, is 2069, one day until 2070," Ferb replied. He then led Phineas to a parapet, indicating they were on a fort. Beneath them was a green haze, toxic fumes, Ferb said, there were multiple fires and shell craters, all lit by the eerie glow of a full moon. "Welcome then, to a dimension six tolls from your own."

"The sixth dimension," Phineas gasped, and then an alarm sounded off in the distance.

"Phineas, get below, a siege is coming." Ferb barked at him, and Phineas did what he was ordered, but not before asking something.

"What's a siege?"

Ferb turned solemnly to face his brother, the sky behind him lighting up from the flashes of hundreds of cannons, and answered him, "Hell on earth."

Chapter 12

D-Ferb turned to Phineas as the screech of incoming shells grew closer and said, "We have fifteen minutes before they attack. You need to learn to defend yourself in that time, or else…" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Multiple explosions rocked the castle, and waves of fire leapt into the air as artillery shell after artillery shell impacted the fortress. D-Ferb grabbed Phineas by the upper arm and rushed him beneath the walls, dust choking both of them as the entire structure shook violently.

"So what's going to happen?" Phineas yelled over the cries of the already wounded and the repeated pounding of shellfire.

"It's always the same attack, Phineas," D-Ferb replied, leading them through a maze of tunnels and passageways. "First is fourteen minutes of this shelling, trying to knock as many of us out as possible. There will be silence for thirty seconds, and then one final salvo of poisonous gas - you'll need a gas mask for that. Then the machines will attack and those wretched super-soldiers will make an attempt to take this fort. We are the last human stronghold; we cannot fail." D-Ferb stopped in an armory, dead center beneath the castle's center. Soldiers in the same uniform were running everywhere, grabbing helmets from hooks, guns and swords from racks on the wall, and gas masks from a pile on the floor.

"But I've never fought a day in my life!" Phineas shouted as a rifle was thrust into his hands, a belt with ammunition and a small saber was placed around his waist, and a helmet slammed onto his head. Phineas stood shaking in his shoes as D-Ferb turned to him.

"Very simple, Phineas, point and shoot for the head," he barked. Upon seeing the helpless twelve year old so fearful, Ferb rolled his eyes and said, "Then you're coming with me to the tower to see it through. Then decide if you want to join the fight." From those orders onward D-Ferb didn't speak as he led Phineas up a winding staircase to the tallest tower. One guard stood at a machine gun post, the other holding binoculars.

"General, thirteen minutes of siege have passed," one of them reported, and Phineas was shocked to see he was Buford! But not strong and burly Buford of his dimension; this Buford was leaner, bespectacled, and had intelligence in his eagle's stare.

"Recruit Phineas, this is First-Army Commander Buford Van Stomm," Ferb said, and he saw Phineas' shocked expression before continuing, "Different from your Buford, I see." Phineas nodded, dumbfounded, and Ferb gave a small chuckle.

"Gas has begun!" D-Buford announced. D-Ferb barked the order for gas masks on and pulled the alarm siren. Three rocket flares were approaching the city, and although Phineas knew little, these specks of light gave him extreme fear. They impacted the city and instead of exploding began to release a dark green vapor.

"But that man!" Phineas shouted through his mask; someone was caught inside the vapor without a mask. He was gasping for breath; from a distance the hacking cough was heard. He gasped, for as green froth burst from his gaping gasping mouth, and his face turned upward, Phineas recognized this person as well. Though very pale and twisted in agony, he saw this dimension's Baljeet stumble one last time before falling, stirring slightly, and becoming still. Phineas cried out as he watched what was unfolding before his eyes, in that minute Phineas knew he would join the fight.

"I'm ready," he murmured. D-Ferb smiled warmly and worriedly, and then patted Phineas on the back.

"They are coming now," he said, pointing to guide Phineas' gaze to a mass of dark shapes surging toward the main gates. A sharp noise burst in on Phineas and the machine gun manned by Buford began to ring out, sending a hail of lead into the mass.

"Let's get started then!" Phineas yelled, and he ran after Ferb with sword drawn, seeing clearer now that the gas was dissipating. Suddenly a bright violet interrupted the two's advance, and a small explosion threw Phineas and D-Ferb back. Phineas looked up to see Ferb, Isabella, Buford, Baljeet, and Irving stepping out from an inter-dimensional rift in the wall.

"But… but…" Phineas was at a loss for words as he stared at the people before him. Ferb and Isabella ran over and gave him a huge hug, and Isabella added a kiss on the cheek.

"C'mon, buddy, you have to get out of here," Buford said bluntly, looking around the castle walls. Phineas looked from this D-Ferb to Ferb and Isabella; repeating this motion several times before bowing his head.

"No," was his only utterance. Isabella and Ferb took a step back, while D-Ferb nodded respectfully.

"Will your friends join this fight as well?" he inquired, looking toward Phineas' friends from their dimension. Ferb stepped forward to face his stepbrother, and sighed.

"Phineas, are you sure you want to do this?" Ferb asked. Phineas nodded solemnly and Ferb then clapped his hands together with a curt, "Okay," before drawing out six small cubes with a smile.

"Ferb?" Phineas asked as his stepbrother set the cubes down, and pressed a red button on all of them. In a flash of blue light there were six child-sized swords gleaming on the ground.

Ferb picked the swords up and while passing them out explained, "Vibro-Blades, something of my own design before entering this dimension. When you push this button in the center of the hilt the blade with vibrate at such a velocity to nearly break the sound barrier while at least staying stable." He flicked the little button and a sound resembling an angered hornet's nest roared forth, and then calmed to nothing more than a low hum. He tapped the castle's rock wall with the tip, and a six inch hole was blasted away.

"Ferb, you never let me down," Phineas said, turning his own sword on. All of their friends did the same, and then looked at D-Ferb.

"Fine then, you all are joining my elite brigade then," D-Ferb said slowly. Another alarm went off, and then a voice over intercom shouting, "The gate is breached, the gate is breached! All militia to the front gate, we are fighting within the castle!"

"Any of you ever fight against machines programmed to kill without question?" D-Ferb asked, and fearfully all of Phineas' friends shook their heads. "Then you're about to. Follow me!"

Chapter 13

D-Ferb led the small group through even more tunnels and hallways until he stopped quickly and signaled for the rest of them to get down. Phineas pulled Isabella behind them as everyone flattened themselves into the walls. Then Phineas heard something – a small mechanical whirring, and then a loud thud. These sounds followed, getting closer and closer.

"Phineas, opposite wall with Isabella, Ferb and I will take this cor…" D-Ferb's orders were cut short as something marched into the hallway, something that seemed like a vision of hell for the out of dimension-ers. It was an android machine, skeletal in shape with two glowing red eyes. Its right hand was equipped with a built-in machine gun, while its left arm was a rocket grenade, and with every moment there was a bone-chilling mechanical whirring and clicking. The machine marched slowly toward the hallway where Phineas and Ferb were hiding, the steady beats of its footsteps growing heart-stoppingly closer.

"Phineas, Ferb designed these as well, here," Isabella whispered into Phineas ear, and he felt her hand push something into his. It was a small round orb, from what Phineas could tell by feeling it. He looked down and realized it was a glowing gold orb with many small green lines. Isabella whispered, "Throw it." Phineas took a step forward and hurled the object toward the machine.

"Phineas, what did you do?" D-Ferb yelled as the machine looked down at the orb hurtling towards it, and caught it. Phineas heard a small beeping noise growing faster and faster until there were two saluting beeps, and then the harsh sound of crackling electricity. The machine writhed and fell over, lying motionless on the ground. D-Ferb whipped out a small revolver and fired a round into the dead robot.

"Wow, Ferb, what was that?" Phineas asked as the air of terror soon evaporated with the death of the creation.

"Re-Usable Energy Grenade," Ferb said proudly, catching the disarmed orb from D-Ferb. "Baljeet helped me design it."

"Brilliant," D-Ferb said, "But there will be more, wait for it." As if answering his call, machine gun bullets whizzed through the air, nearly striking Irving, who was just peeking out from where he was hiding. Ten machines were loping toward the small gang, machine gun arms raised and eyes blaring around the room. Phineas, Ferb, Baljeet, Irving, Buford, and Isabella pressed themselves into the wall, flicked on their Vibro-Blades, and waited for the robots to come to them, while D-Ferb took out his revolver and replied to the machine's fire. The robots came within Ferb's, Phineas', and Isabella's range, and they leaped to the fight.

"Charge!" Phineas yelled as he ran forward and hacked off the machine gun arm, and then he let out a spluttering gagging noise when the left claw-like hand closed around his throat. The glowing eyes of the machine grew faded as Phineas' hands tried to free his air pipe from the grasp of the machine, when suddenly the arm fell away. Isabella had sliced it clean off, and the head soon followed. The machine's hand loosened and Phineas gasped in breath, leaning against the wall as he gathered himself. Buford, Baljeet, and Irving now ran forward and began to duel a signal machine itself.

"Phineas, come on!" Isabella called out to him as she grappled another machine that had just appeared, and Phineas ran forward and hacked off this robot's arms. The glowing red eyes turned sharply and scared Phineas stiff, allowing the machine to raise its leg and kick him against the wall. Stars burst in front of his eyes as his head impacted the wall.

"Ferb!" Phineas yelled out, trying to stand up. His stepbrother appeared; a black eye and deep gash on his cheek, but Ferb nonetheless. He helped Phineas up, and then joined the fight with Isabella as another machine ran into the hallway, machine gun blazing.

"Isabella!" Phineas gasped out as Isabella let out a harsh scream, grabbing her arm and falling backwards. Phineas snatched up a machine gun arm lying on the ground, rewired it with the Vibro-Blade, and then began to circle Isabella as she lay wounded while Ferb checked the wound. He rattled out shots into every machine in the room until they all lay motionless, many missing limbs.

"Isabella, are you okay?" he asked, throwing the arm away and kneeling beside her. Isabella was very pale and her arm was wrapped tight in a bandage that was slowly turning red.

"The bullets didn't hit any major blood vessels, but she'll need medical attention," Ferb said. A small chime-like alarm dinged in the distance, and everyone looked up.

D-Ferb stood up from examining a robot and said, "This siege is over, forty-five minutes of robots attacking the castle, then they all retreat no matter what. That's the cold routine of the machines – they attack every other day, and every other night they send in the stealers. But now is not the time for them. Your friend needs help, follow me to the infirmary."

Phineas leaned down and picked up Isabella, cradling her gently as he stood to follow D-Ferb and the rest of his friends through the maze of tunnels. Around corners were burning robots, dead bodies, and other soldiers assisting the wounded in the same direction. Soon Phineas, Ferb, D-Ferb, and the rest of the group were part of a caravan of the wounded.

A nurse ran out to greet them; Ferb said he ordered her especially for Isabella. She had dark brown hair, and green eyes, but it was unmistakable who this person was.

"Candace?" Phineas asked, looking up into his other-dimensions sister's face. D-Candace looked up at the sound of her name, and then looked at D-Ferb.

"Who is he?" she asked gently, looking back to examine Isabella's wound.

"Phineas Flynn, your brother from another dimension," D-Ferb replied, and D-Candace looked up into Phineas' face. She smiled warmly and gave him a quick hug before standing up.

"Well, your friend here doesn't have any major wounds, I have a spare room to admit her in, if you want," D-Candace offered. Phineas jumped on the offer, and carried Isabella into a small room with two chairs and two beds.

"Here you go, Isabella," he whispered, laying her down onto the bed and covering her with a blanket. Isabella smiled warmly up at him.

"I want a guard posted at this door," D-Ferb announced, and then he turned to Phineas, saying, "I trust you can stay in this room with her."

"Sure," Phineas said, wondering why they needed a guard posted, and then inquired why.

"The stealer," D-Ferb replied, and then proceeded to explain, "It's another machine that doesn't fight, but is able to sneak in here, and it renders you defenseless, and then takes you away. We lose three to four people a day to it."

"Alright, well thank you for posting a guard, I think we'll turn in now," Phineas said, and D-Ferb nodded slightly.

"The rest of you can share the rooms to either side of this one, they are all free," he said, and left to lead Phineas' friends to other rooms, but Ferb stayed behind.

"Phineas, we can open the portal first thing tomorrow to go home, alright, then we can get Isabella to a real doctor," Ferb said, smiling at his brother.

"Yeah, that'd be great, guess it all worked out though, eh?" Phineas said, and the both of them chuckled.

"Hehe, yeah, well, goodnight," Ferb said, and Phineas replied with his own, "'Night." Phineas walked over to Isabella's bed, where she was already asleep, gave her a small kiss on the forehead, and then walked over to lay down in his own bed. As the full moon rose over the fortress, a small mechanical whirring was barely detectable stirring in the wind.

Chapter 14

Mark stood rigid as a board against the door of what D-Ferb told him was very special visitors. His orders were to guard them at all costs, even his own life. The moon cast long shadows across the vacant hallway, and there were no sounds at all in the stillness of night. But wait, what was that – a small mechanical whirring?

"Who goes there?" Mark shouted to the hallway, turning the rifle barrel all directions as his eyes scanned the hallway. They rested on a human-like figure, gliding slowly closer by the minute, eerily still as it swept toward him, with no footsteps audible.

"Hey you, halt!" Mark ordered, but the figure crept closer still. Mark walked up to it, and began to examine it closer. Suddenly, it grew several feet taller, rising on the end of a very long tail. Mark stared aghast as the horrible figure looked down upon him, then there was a blinding flash of light and Mark knew no more.

Isabella woke with a sudden jolt as she heard something bang loudly outside the door. There were sounds like a net being cast, a muffled yell, and then utter silence. She wondered what it could be.

"Phineas?" she asked, getting up and shaking Phineas gently.

"At last we meet, Lord Banana…" Phineas murmured, and then rolled over, away from Isabella. She huffed gently and grabbed his Vibro-Blade with her good arm. The door behind her creaked open, and a slithering noise swept through the room followed by a mechanical whirring that sent chills up her spine.

"Hello? Who's there?" Isabella asked, spinning around looking for the source of the mechanical whirring. Then, against the stunning white of the moonlight, she saw a silhouette of a person, head down and arms limp.

"Oh, hello, is that you, Mark?" she asked, putting the sword down to get a closer look at the figure. Her eyes narrowed as there was no response; she walked closer to the figure and stared right at its face with a curt, "Um, hello?" The cold, staring eyes locked onto her own and suddenly they were filled with a blinding, flashing light. Isabella screamed and put her hands up, but it was futile. Her eyes became fixed and staring, her body limp as she succumbed to the hypnotic glare of the machine.

A screeching of victory emerged as the figure slumped away to be faced by a horrible monster. (A/N This is the Seamstress from "9" if you already didn't know) A single glowing red eye stared at the oblivious form of Isabella as six limbs threaded with material extended and began to wrap her up.

"Isabella?" Phineas asked, waking slowly after hearing her scream. His eyes became accustomed to the dim light in time to see a fully-tied up Isabella hit the floor, completely limp. Phineas' eyes followed the threads holding her, and the found the Seamstress as it slowly reeled her in.

"Ferb! Buford! Irving! Baljeet! Get in here!" he shouted, grabbing his Vibro-Blade and lunging at the strings holding Isabella captive. He began to hack away slowly at the cords around her body when something cold and metal grabbed his hand. The Seamstress knocked the sword from his hand and grabbed his other arm, while two others wrapped around his head. The dull, lifeless lure came into view, and the blinding light began to entrance Phineas as well.

"Phineas, no!" D-Ferb shouted, peppering the figure with machine gun fire. Its head and eyes shattered instantly, and as the machine reared to attack, Phineas' dazed form was sent flying across the room. He stumbled around for a while as the others attacked the monster. The Seamstress' six limbs dueled one assailant after another as Isabella was pulled inside the machine, next to Mark and another guard from the front gate.

It reared and swept all of the attackers back with its tail while its mechanical arm shattered the nearby window. With a final bloodcurdling screech the monster fled, being shot at by Buford and Baljeet as it faded into the shattered forest below.

"Phineas!" Ferb shouted, and his hand smacked his brother across the face. Phineas jolted back to consciousness, gasping in shock as reality swept back over him.

"Bwah, what, Ferb?" he said, blinking rapidly to free himself completely from trance. "What happened? Where's Isabella?" Ferb frowned slightly, and rested a hand on his stepbrother's shoulder.

"It took her, Phineas," he said, and watched with horror as his brother's eyes filled with tears, fury, and utter loss.

"What? Why didn't any of you stop it?" he cried, the furious side of him taking over.

"There was nothing we could do, Dinner Bell," Buford said. Phineas had no time for his nicknames, and in a rage like no other flung himself at Buford and began to beat him up fiercely. Tears filled in his eyes eventually, and his punches became slower and softer until Phineas slipped onto the floor, an emotionally shattered wreck.

"I'm g-g-going after her!" he concluded in front of the room. Energy filled him; Phineas became hotly determined and sprinted out of the room toward the armory.

"Phineas, no, wait!" D-Ferb shouted after him, but Phineas was already out of earshot. "You all wait here; I need to stop him before he finds out by himself!"

"Finds what out?" Ferb asked.

"Who's doing all of this!" D-Ferb shouted back, running after Phineas down the moonlight hallway. He caught up with Phineas while he was banging on the armory door, crying and yelling at the same time. He heard the thudding noises of D-Ferb's jackboots and turned to face him.

"What do you want?" he shouted as D-Ferb stopped a few feet away.

"Phineas, before you go out on your mission, not that I'm stopping you," he clarified, "there is something you should know."

"What is that?" Phineas asked, his curiosity growing.

"Do you know who is making all these machines, the person who stole Isabella from you?" D-Ferb asked. Phineas pondered a moment and replied that he did not. "Haven't you wondered something since you've been here?"

"I've been wondering many things here, Ferb," Phineas replied, and D-Ferb let out a low sigh.

"Have you wondered why you haven't seen yourself here?" D-Ferb asked. He watched with bitter satisfaction as Phineas' eyes widened in horrible realization.

"You mean to tell me, this entire war, these mechanical monstrosities, are all being created because of…"

"You, Phineas… this dimension's Phineas," D-Ferb said.

"No, no, I can't be! How did I?" Phineas began to back away; it couldn't be true.

"Just wait till morning, Phineas, I'll tell you how this all came to be. Follow me to the library, okay?" D-Ferb invited. Phineas, still in a state of pure shock, nodded slowly and followed. He was in for quite a trip now; trepidation began to fill him as D-Ferb opened the door to the moonlight library, filled with thousands of books.

"Your story as the enemy begins eons ago, for we were once like your dimension, Phineas," D-Ferb said. "Draw up a chair, you're gonna want to be sitting to hear the full back-story." Phineas sat down, and listened transfixed as he heard D-Phineas' back-story.

Chapter 15

"Hey Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!" Phineas shouted, running into the backyard where his brother was waiting for him. Phineas had light brown hair, green eyes, and was wearing a black and blue striped shirt with khaki shorts. He was always coming up with fantastic ideas that Ferb helped him with.

"What is it?" Ferb asked, getting to his feet. Phineas whipped out blueprints for a machine to purify the world's water supply, with cup holders for the new water.

"Hey Phineas, hey Ferb, what'cha' doin?" Isabella entered the backyard as Ferb began to weld. Isabella had sunny blonde hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a light blue dress.

"Oh, hey, Isabella, Ferb and I are making a machine to purify water. Come and see," Phineas invited. Ferb only needed a few minutes to create the machine, and was putting his helmet back. On cue from Phineas, Ferb pressed the ignition for the creation.

"Alright, I think this is gonna work," Ferb said, as he poured in the chemical and stood back. The machine began to whirr and smoke violently; however, something was going wrong internally.

"Ferb, we've got to stop this thing now!" Phineas shouted, and he ran towards the machine as it began to bulge outwardly.

"Phineas no!" Ferb yelled, running forward to stop his stepbrother when a giant explosion rocked the neighborhood. Ferb was thrown back and he clutched his left eye as pain ripped through it. With his hand to his bleeding eye Ferb got up and looked around for Phineas.

"Ferb! Ferb, over here!" Phineas was calling from below a massive piece of shrapnel. Ferb heaved at the shrapnel with all his might, and gasped at the gore that lay before him. Phineas was missing his right arm at the shoulder, his right eyelid was sealed shut over an obviously empty socket, and Phineas' left leg was gone at the knee. Phineas was crying out in pain as Ferb began to attempt to lift his mangled brother's body. Candace rushed into the backyard and saw the terrific carnage. Ferb looked up and then snapped at her.

"This is no time to call Mom, get us to the hospital now!" Candace stood, mouth agape for a second, then nodded quickly and agreed. Within moments the car was speeding down the highway toward Danville General Hospital, Phineas growing weaker by the second.

Ferb rushed Phineas into the ER and the second the car stopped, doctors ran around him quickly, trying to stem the bleeding. It was all happening so fast for Ferb as they wheeled his stepbrother's broken body away. From that moment on, time stopped for Ferb Fletcher.

He sat alone in the waiting room for hours; night had fallen rapidly and there was only a flickering light to cast out the darkness. Then a man in a white lab coat approached Ferb and laid his hand on Ferb's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Ferb asked, looking up.

"I am Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz. I led the surgery to attempt to save your brother," the doctor said. "We decided to side with experimental surgery, and the results were successful. You may seem him now if you want." Ferb nodded and was led into Phineas' recovery room. Phineas' eyes were closed and the rest of his body was covered by the white blanket. His vitals were all steady and Ferb relaxed a little, taking a seat at his stepbrother's side. He looked up at the small sound of mechanical whirring, almost sinisterly soft.

"Ferb?" Phineas was awake, his blue eye fixed on Ferb who gasped at his brother. Phineas' eye that had been lost was shining red at him from inside a metal plate behind his eyelid. With a small burst of mechanical whirring, a claw like hand extended toward Ferb from beneath the blankets, like shimmering steel eagle talons.

"Phineas? Are you alright?" Ferb asked, reaching forward cautiously to grab his stepbrother's new hand. Phineas nodded slowly.

"I think so. It's strange, I have no feeling in this thing," he said, raising the claw-like hand in front of his eyes. "Of course, this eye thing is pretty cool," Phineas remarked, examining his reflection in the stainless steel fingers. Ferb shook his head slowly as his brother examined the cyborg he had become.

"You see, Phineas," D-Ferb remarked, showing Phineas the image of D-Phineas lying in bed. The gleaming red eye reminded Phineas shockingly of all the machines that had attacked them.

"Well, what happened to him?" Phineas asked, tearing his gaze away from the mechanical doppelganger.

"Well, it was a few weeks after we brought him back from the hospital," D-Ferb began.

Ferb was climbing the stairs to his bedroom to check up on Phineas. Summer wasn't the same anymore now that Phineas was always in his room; Ferb had been downgraded to the couch during the recovery period and had nothing to do most of the day. The authorities were still trying to find Isabella's body after the explosion, and Phineas was deathly afraid of what they might discover.

"Phineas?" Ferb asked, entering the bedroom. A flurry of mechanical whirring rose violently and stopped as quickly. Phineas was sitting low over a workbench with minute welding tools and tweezers. He looked up as Ferb entered and smiled.

"I've got it, Ferb, something to help the police find Isabella," he said, voice shaking somewhat as he laid down the tools. A small machine was sitting on the workbench's surface; it looked almost like a giant beetle. The head was a single glowing red eye, each appendage was a different tool, and the shell was gleaming silver beneath which, Phineas explained, were two small engines for flying.

"Phineas? Are you sure this thing is going to work?" Ferb asked hesitantly. A loud metal crack filled the room as Phineas' claw hand slammed into the table. His red eye gleamed violently at Ferb.

"Do you doubt me?" Phineas snapped, reaching for a power cord to turn on his creation.

"No… I don't, I'm just wondering if you should be building something like this so early after your surgery."

"Oh, it's not just this one" Phineas said, almost manically. Ferb scanned the room and gasped at horror as he examined the ceiling. There were hundreds of these little machines covering almost the entire surface of their ceiling. With a flurry of whirring they buzzed downward and encircled Ferb.

"Ferb, you always had to be right, even when you didn't speak," Phineas said, rising slowly.

"Call them off, Phineas, call them off," Ferb warned desperately.

"Now, why would I do that? You're in my power for once," Phineas replied, almost laughing as the machines closed in. Ferb realized in an instant what was happening.

"Phineas, this isn't you, this machine - you've allowed it to control you," Ferb said, taking a step forward toward his stepbrother. A needle-like stiletto pressed in on his throat from one of the machines, and he stopped.

"Ferb, if only you knew the euphoria of power this thing has delivered to me," Phineas said, turning back to his work. "It empowers me to do anything and everything, even to dispose of you, should I desire. You have thirty seconds, stepbrother." The machines backed off at cue. "To get away and leave me to my work." Ferb turned and bolted from the room.

"And so, Phineas, this dimension's Phineas began to reign in terror," D-Ferb said. "It started when our parents came home and confronted him; they were the first ones to die. Slowly the machines he built became more and more sinister, just as the more and more sinister he became. I realized my brother's fault and therefore led the resistance against his growing forces, until now – when this fortress represents the last of humanity."

Phineas was looking at D-Ferb in stunned silence. He put his hand up to his own eye as if subconsciously checking it was still there. Then he asked, "So what is going to happen to Isabella?"

"Your Isabella?" D-Ferb asked, and when Phineas nodded he sighed," She'll probably become what everyone else who is taken becomes – one of what Phineas is, a cyborg bent on destroying humanity. But if our Phineas sees the resemblance, he may do much worse things."

"We can't let that happen!" Phineas declared, standing up. D-Ferb stood with him and agreed.

"We'll prepare tonight and I'll enlist my best commando units to assist you. We must have this menace stop," D-Ferb said, and together they walked out of the room to prepare to save Isabella from the wrath filled clutches of D-Phineas.

Chapter 16

Isabella woke up lying on a cold metal floor in the center of some dark room. She tried to move, and realized she was still tied up.

"He-hello?" she whispered out into the gloom, and her voice echoed back several times, sending chills down her spine. Isabella tried to remember back to what happened. There had been someone in her room, and she wanted to talk to whoever it was. There was light, and then blackness... Suddenly a mechanical whirring snapped Isabella out of her reverie. There was a humanoid machine standing in the room now, its glowing red eyes providing the only light.

"The master will see you now," it spoke in a mechanically deep voice. The flash of a knife appeared for a second and Isabella became untied. She was still barefoot and in her pajamas, but she thought it best not to argue with the machine. Isabella was led at gunpoint through a winding factory, where many machines were in fact creating duplicates of themselves. A chilling claw-handed emblem was emblazoned on the wall, with the motto, "Death to those who have abandoned us." Isabella shuddered, and kept moving.

"In here," the machine said, shoving Isabella into a small door on the left of a passageway. The room was lit by several small glowing lamps, and it was dreadfully cold. Shivering, Isabella began to loom around. There were pictures of the D-Versions of a lot of the people she knew, most of them "x"ed out or burning slowly. She was shocked to find D-Isabella with a big question mark across her picture, and D-Phineas was nowhere to be found.

"Interesting, isn't it?" a deeper yet familiar voice rang out across the room, and Isabella whipped around. All she could see was a single glowing red dot shining forth from the darkness. "Oh, I'm sorry," the voice said again, and the figure stepped fully into the light.

"No, no, it can't be!" Isabella said, as an older Phineas stepped out of the gloom, but not any Phineas she recognized. His left eye was covered by a larger steel sheet and a horrible red glowing eye. Both of his legs were now skeletally mechanical, but his hand was the same from D-Ferb's story (A/N: Yes, Isabella didn't hear that, but I need it for comparison, alright), a four fingered solid steel claw.

"Fascinating what the human body can endure, right?" D-Phineas chucked slightly to himself. "Something to drink?" he offered, indicating a small refrigerator.

"No… thank you," Isabella said apprehensively. "Why did you have me summoned here again?"

The mechanical eye of D-Phineas flashed for an instant before he replied, "Isabella, don't you know? Do you still recognize me?"

"Well, yes, but my Phineas doesn't have all the…" Isabella pointed to her legs, arms, and eye, "metal." She gasped suddenly as the claw of a hand snapped around her throat and the eye shone bright crimson.

"What do you mean, YOUR Phineas?" D-Phineas shouted, watching mercilessly as Isabella clawed his mechanical hand for air.

"No….nothing…" Isabella choked out. D-Phineas hurled her body across the room.

"You're lying!" he spat at Isabella as she began to stand up. His mechanical hand closed once more around Isabella's neck and he said, "Isabella, now, why would you lie to your best friend Phineas?"

"You… are not….Phineas," Isabella said, and she felt the mechanical arm loosen slightly.

"Where are you from?" D-Phineas inquired suspiciously.

"You will never know," Isabella whispered back, and watched with pleasure as D-Phineas grew annoyed. Then he gave her a sinister smile.

"I have ways of making people talk, and no, not torture," he said, "you're too confident for that." The mechanical eye snapped shut and there was a flurry of mechanical whirring. When it re-opened there was a dazzling array of multicolor.

"No, no, no!" Isabella said, trying to look anywhere but the eye. It was hopeless, however; the eye began to draw Isabella's gaze and soon she stood once again limp, staring deeply into D-Phineas' mechanical eye.

"Good, good," D-Phineas chuckled manically to himself as his eye reverted to normal. "Now, Isabella, where are you from?"

"Another dimension…" Isabella said dreamily, staring vacantly at the last place she saw the eye.

"Really, so you are not from here at all, and you have no idea what has happened?"

"No…"

"What happened to your Phineas?"

"He's here too, all the rest of them are…"

"Interesting," D-Phineas pondered a moment. If this was not his Isabella, there was probably no chance… unless. His mechanical arm slashed quickly and severed a small portion of Isabella's hair. "Guards!" he barked, and two machines entered the room, "take this to the machines in the cloning room, and tell them it's important."

"Intruder alert! Perimeter breach in section 8!" an alarm rang out across the room, and snapped Isabella from her trance.

"Huh… what?" she asked around groggily. D-Phineas absent-mindedly whipped his mechanical hand backwards and snapped out her pressure point. Isabella fell unconscious to the floor, and a machine came to take her to the jailing area. D-Phineas scanned the security camera monitors hurriedly and spotted something for the camera at the end of the hallway – a younger version of him.

"What!" he gasped as Phineas sliced through several machines with his sword while two Ferbs provided machine gun backup. It was a commando strike, but for what?

"Guard, leave the girl here!" he barked, and the machine lowered Isabella's body to the floor. A glowing golden orb rammed into the contraption as it let go of her body; there was a crackling of blue electricity and the machine fell beside the unconscious Isabella.

"Hello brother," said a harsh German accent, and D-Phineas looked upward. D-Ferb was standing beside several children version of people he knew.

"What is this, when was war children's play?" D-Phineas mocked. Ferb then stepped forward.

"Phineas, you need to get Isabella out of here. Ferb, you are the only one who can show him out, and take my friends as support," Ferb said, drawing his sword.

"And what are you going to do, Ferb?" Phineas asked hesitantly.

"I'm going to stand here and cover your escape," Ferb said. Phineas nodded solemnly, and made a dive for Isabella as he heard the sharp metal crack of Ferb and D-Phineas' swords collided for their ultimate duel…

Chapter 17

The constant clanging of metal on metal rang out through the machine's fortress. Ferb swung his sword toward D-Phineas fiercely, trying to outmatch his opponent. With every swing, D-Phineas' mechanical arm swept up and blocked his sword, and a metal shock whipped through the empty chamber.

"You believe you can win? Hahaha, I am unstoppable!" D-Phineas raved, striking Ferb's sword back and just missing Ferb's neck with his talons as Ferb sidestepped him.

"I believe I have what it takes to stop you!" Ferb retorted, whipping another electric grenade toward D-Phineas. D-Phineas caught it and chucked it aside, blowing out a window and letting the harshly warm wind sweep into the room. Ferb leapt into the air and struck D-Phineas back, slicing the front of this uniform in half, barely messing the skin beneath. D-Phineas roared in anger and slugged Ferb back with his real hand.

"You wretch!" he shouted, opening a secret door to a spiraling staircase and running off. Ferb wiped the blood away from his mouth and followed D-Phineas up the stairs.

Meanwhile, D-Ferb was running through hallway after hallway trying to find the way out. Machines leapt up from every direction and D-Ferb, along with Buford, Baljeet, and Irving would have to fight them off, since Phineas was carrying the still unconscious Isabella. They entered a massive chamber, lit by dim red lights and with a soft, earthen like floor.

"What is this place?" Phineas asked, setting Isabella down against a wall to rest for a second.

"I don't know. This fortress is a never ending maze, it could be just another trick room," D-Ferb replied. With several harsh metal clicks the doors on all sides snapped shut. D-Ferb raised his machine gun, Irving his mace, Buford his two electric gauntlets, Baljeet his chainsaw, and Phineas whipped out his Vibro-Blade, stepping in front of Isabella to protect her.

"It would appear our foe does not want us to get out of here," Baljeet observed, looking around nervously as he revved the chainsaw. Something whipped out of the gloom and smacked Baljeet down after he said his.

"Vines!" Buford shouted, punching back another plant-like tendril as it swept toward him. The entire floor came alive with whipping tentacles and an even larger one rose up from the center of a floor. The tip snapped open to reveal a slime-oozing toothed maw; it was a giant carnivorous plant held entirely in this room.

"We need to sever the main head!" D-Ferb shouted, spraying several attacking vines with lead and watching them fall limp, green ooze leaking like blood from the wounds. Phineas sliced any vines coming toward Isabella, until one sneaked behind him and wrapped sinisterly around his ankle.

"Ah!" Phineas yelled, falling on his back as the vine began to drag him forward. Several more began to subdue all of his limbs, and wrapped him tightly. The vines then writhed violently, and flung him aside. As the stars faded from Phineas' eyes he saw Isabella standing in the center of a field of angered and scarred tendrils.

"Why didn't you tell me the party started?" she asked sarcastically, and Phineas watched amazed as Isabella fought of vine after vine, leaping and twirling past every vine while kicking and punching them away.

"Learn Karate for PETAish purposes?" Phineas asked, rejoining the fight with his Vibro-Blade.

"You know it!" she yelled back, jump-kicking a vine out of the way. D-Ferb smiled warmly at the two before re-loading his machine gun.

"Heads up!" he shouted and everyone backed off. The head vine whipped around in time to see the flashing barrel of the machine gun and the gleaming trails of traces whizz toward it before it yelped in pain. The serpentine form of the plant whipped around violently before it came crashing downward, the entire room shaking from the impact.

"We should keep moving," Buford observed, punching his way out the opposite door. The rest of the group agreed, and after taking their turns to make sure the beast was dead, continued along the maze-like path out.

Ferb continued his duel along the winding spiral staircase, slicing toward D-Phineas' cloak at every opportunity that came. Eventually the staircase opened up to reveal a small platform atop a mighty tower. Ferb gasped as he looked around; the entire world was aflame.

"My machines have done well. With their leader absent the resistance surrendered, funny thing I found out," D-Phineas said, "I enjoy watching the world burn." As cinders swept up across the tower, Ferb's eyes filled with tears.

"You monster!" he spat, and lunged toward D-Phineas. The metal clanging rang out from atop the tower as Ferb attacked the mechanical monstrosity with pure hate and aggression. Below the tower, D-Ferb, Phineas, and the gang arrived outside the building, and saw the entire world burning.

"Look!" Isabella cried, pointing at the tower where the silhouettes of D-Phineas and Ferb were visible against the crimson and ash filled sky. Ferb lunged again, but was beaten back. Now D-Phineas took the opportune moment to strike, pinning Ferb's sword arm with his real hand and the other with the mechanical one.

"You think you can stop the inevitable, like you're a hero?" D-Phineas said, cackling slightly. His mechanical eye lit up with the multi-colored array as Ferb fought not to look. "Join me. This dimension's Ferb was a fool, but you have seen what I can do, imagine what more we could do as a single force."

"I will never…" Ferb retorted, and with that he snapped the Vibro-Blade on, and sliced through the flesh of D-Phineas' real hand. He stood sharply against D-Phineas' grasp, and ran the mechanical eye through with his sword. D-Phineas' screech thundered out as sparks sprayed forth from the sword-filled socket. D-Phineas grabbed the sword and pulled it out, electricity crackled from almost every pore of his being.

"You vile, disgusting piece of vermin*!" D-Phineas roared, his mechanical arm clawing at the hole as the left side of his face lit aflame. Ferb stood, gasping for air as he watched D-Phineas explode from within, but in the final moments of life, D-Phineas' mechanical hand whipped out and dug itself into Ferb's shirt. He stumbled over to the side of the platform, gave Ferb a malicious grin, and fell, tugging Ferb's struggling body with him…

Chapter 18

The warm air whooshed ferociously past Ferb and D-Phineas as they fell, the ground growing ever closer. D-Phineas was still locked in the same position, with his claw like hand digging into Ferb's shirt. Ferb panicked now, and ripped his shirt to remove D-Phineas, then struck an idea. He whipped out another grenade and rammed it inside the body beneath him.

"Hope this works!" he shouted to the small party beneath, and kicked off from D-Phineas' corpse. The explosion sent shockwaves hurling upward, which slowed Ferb's fall. For a split second he was overjoyed, and then with a sickening WHAM! Ferb impacted the ground.

"Ferb!" Phineas ran over and lifted his stepbrother's body gently; Ferb was unconscious by now and in a delicate situation. Phineas heaved Ferb's limp form onto his back and turned to the group. "Is there anything we can do for him here?"

"No," D-Ferb said, "Our Phineas destroyed the last remnants of humanity on this side of the dimensions. Those machines are still out there, however. You have to get back to your own dimension now, go!" The regular dimensional group bid a solemn farewell to D-Ferb, and opened the portal.

"Wow," Phineas said, as the smog and fiery air of the 6th Dimension changed sharply to the balmy and sweet air of their own summer. Danville had recovered from the zombie invasion, it appeared, and things were returning to normal.

"Phineas? Ferb?" Their mother came running out to meet them, and gave a small gasp. "Phineas! Ferb!" She gave them a huge hug, then attended to Ferb's body. She asked what had happened in the week they were gone.

"You wouldn't believe, but in this dimension I turned evil and had machines to rule the world. Ferb took a big fall; we need to get him to a hospital now!" Phineas was too panicked to explain any further, and within minutes an ambulance arrived and took Ferb to Danville's hospital, Room 213. The other children were given a quick look over by paramedics, and other than a few scratches and minor burns were declared all right. Everyone returned home for the night, while Ferb rested in the hospital.

It was while at home that Isabella noticed something was off. Around twelve o'clock midnight she heard someone meandering around her downstairs.

"Hello? Who's there?" Isabella asked, creeping down the stairs to examine the situation. She flicked on the light to reveal a bizarre sight – an exact replica of herself. D-Isabella turned gently to face Isabella, and grinned sinisterly.

"Hello Isabella, what'cha doin?" she hissed menacingly, and then lunged. Isabella sidestepped and kicked her doppelganger in the back. D-Isabella grunted softly from the impact, but rose sharply and tripped Isabella.

"Who are you?" Isabella asked, dodging a punch and slugging the clone in the gut.

"I'm you, your clone actually, hitched a ride before the portal closed," D-Isabella retorted, kicking Isabella in the head and knocking her to the ground. "I'm here to make sure you all never get back." With that she jumped into the air, spun around, and kicked Isabella down the basement stairs.

"Why would we ever want to go back?" Isabella asked, sprinting back up the stairs and head butting the clone down.

"You'll see," she taunted, grabbing Isabella by the arm and throwing her against the wall. Isabella teetered for a moment, and threw another punch toward D-Isabella, who caught her fist, twisted her arm, and slammed her own hand into the pressure point on Isabella's neck.

"Isabella?" Vivian Garcia-Shapiro was heard running down the stairs, checking on the entire racket she had heard. D-Isabella panicked for a second, and then saw the open basement door. With all her might she quickly heaved the unconscious Isabella toward the stairs then rolled her down them, slamming the door as Vivian rounded the final stair.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking around the decently destroyed room. D-Isabella smiled sweetly at her host's mother.

"Yeah, fine, umm… sleepwalked, must have ran into a lot of stuff," she quickly lied, and Vivian smiled back.

"Oh, alright. Well, come on Isabella, you need to get back to bed," she said, taking D-Isabella's hand and led her up to Isabella's room. "Goodnight, Isabella."

"Good night, Mom!" D-Isabella chimed back. When the door was closed, D-Isabella lit up a hologram communicator. "Major, Phase One is completed on schedule!"

"Good, good, now continue with your mission as planned," a deep, militaristic voice said back, "The remaining fate of our empire depends on it."

"Yes, sir!" D-Isabella replied, and she shut off the communicator, crawled into Isabella's bed, and went to sleep. Across the street, Phineas Flynn woke suddenly, shivering with cold.

"That's weird, it's almost as if the temperature has dropped in a unique way like it's describing something possibly negative has occurred to people I care about." He looked around the room, and then said, "Meh, probably nothing."

Chapter 19

Phineas got up and got dressed quickly after he woke up. Today he was going to visit Ferb in the hospital and he was both nervous and excited. HE sat at the table eating breakfast while holding Perry reflecting on the events of the previous couple of days. His main thought was how did this all happen in the first place? The idea of going to the sixth dimension perplexed him greatly, and although many ideas came to mind, none seemed to satisfy him.

"Hello Phineas," Lawrence entered the kitchen and gave Phineas a quick hug before pouring himself a cup of coffee. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Fine dad, my left arm kind of hurt," Phineas indicated a large scratch along the length of his arm, "But other than that just fine."

"Alright Phineas," his father said, giving him a proud smile, "So sport, what exactly happened where you were?"

"The sixth dimension?" Phineas asked, and his father nodded eagerly. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"You got to admit, even though it got Ferb horribly wounded, and everyone else decently so, it had to be pretty cool right?" Lawrence said. Phineas shrugged.

"Not really, you see after we arrived..."

"Hey Phineas, what'cha doin?" Isabella (A/N: D-Isabella, but since Phineas doesn't know that I am gonna just say "Isabella") entered the house and Phineas and his dad looked up.

"Oh, hi Isabella, I was just telling my dad about our adventures in the sixth dimension," Phineas said, looking downward slightly as Isabella walked in.

She giggled and then said, "I thought you were going to visit Ferb in the hospital."

"Oh yeah, we were, right dad?" Phineas asked, looking up at his dad, who was taking a sip of coffee.

"Oh, yeah sure, c'mon kiddos," he said, pouring his coffee into a travel mug and grabbing the keys to the car.

"So Isabella," Phineas asked after a short while of driving, "How are you feeling?"

"Just fine, why do you ask?" she replied, and then after seeing Phineas' 'What the heck do you have no bloody idea what we just went though' face said, "A little sore and tired though."

"Really, I'm wiped," Phineas said, leaning back into his seat with a huge sigh, "A lot happened in the past few days."

"Yeah, I suppose so, oops, looks like we're here," Isabella suddenly said, pointing out the window at Danville's Hospital. Phineas looked down dejectedly, but nonetheless smiled and led Isabella out of the car toward the hospital.

"Hello, we're here to see Ferb Fletcher in room 213 please," Lawrence said, walking up to the front desk were a new receptionist was sitting behind the computer.

"Oh, yes, well… Mr. Fletcher, the doctors have been trying to reach you all day," the receptionist said, calling over a couple of doctors who appeared to be waiting for them.

"Why, what's happened?" Phineas asked, growing anxious now.

"Something the doctors are unable to account for, if you will follow them please," the receptionist replied, and Phineas, Lawrence, and Isabella followed the doctors to room 213.

"You see after we stabilized Ferb, we discovered something strange, and after investigation discovered this," the doctor said, pointing to the bed. Phineas walked over, began to look down at his brother, and then recoiled sharply.

"What happened?" Phineas asked.

"We were hoping since you were the one who went with Ferb into that dimension you would know," the doctor replied. Phineas looked back down at Ferb. His chest cavity had been sliced open, revealing a shining steel skeleton and numerous mechanical parts. Ferb's eyes had been opened, revealing that behind a film of normal looking lenses, they shone forth with that same eerie red glow.

"We took back one of that slimy wretch's androids!" Phineas shouted, slamming his fist down onto the machine in front of him

"Voice identification verified, First Dimension Phineas Flynn, hello," an automated voice broke the stunned silence. The Machine-Ferb's eyes snapped open and changed from red to blue, before shooting out two intersecting rays of light. After a bit of gargled sounds and images, a hologram appeared before the assembled crowd.

"Hello Phineas Flynn, by now you realize this is not your brother. I am the actual leader of the mechanical revolution in the dimension you recently visited; your other dimensional self was a diversion. I am Major Francis Monogram, although I am not sure that you know your dimension's MM. I have Ferb with me and do not under any circumstances intend to release him unless you do exactly what I say. First, you will open a constant portal between our two dimensions. Second, you will open portals to all other dimensions. Third, you will enforce the surrender of the surviving resistance members in this dimension. You have within seventy-two hours to respond to my requests. Also, this message will self destruct in one second."

"What?" Phineas managed to say before an earth-shattering explosion tore the room apart. Phineas and the rest of the people were flung backwards against the wall, and when the smoke cleared there was a gaping hole in the side of the hospital.

"It says they have Ferb!" Lawrence said, reaching down to help Phineas and Isabella to their feet.

"Then we have to go after them, we've done a commando mission before to get you back Isabella. How hard should it be to get Ferb?" Phineas said, sprinting out of room. Isabella remembered the Major's orders, and ran after him.

"Phineas wait!" she yelled. Phineas turned and waited for Isabella to catch up with him.

"Isabella we have to go after him!" he retorted as Isabella reached him.\

"Phineas, we have seventy two hours, surely you can plan a little, or relax a bit or," Isabella said, running through anything to get Phineas to stay long enough.

"But Isabella," Phineas said.

"Yes?" said another voice behind Phineas. Phineas did a double take several times, for to the left of him was Isabella, and to the right of him was, Isabella.

"What is going on?" he asked, looking back and forth between the angry Isabella on his right, and the somewhat frightened Isabella on his left.

"She's obviously a spy from the sixth dimension!" D-Isabella shouted (A/N: One on the left, now I will distinguish between the two) and Isabella took a step forward.

"What? You ambushed me in my house!" she yelled.

"I never did anything of the sort! How did you get here anyway?"

"Both of you shut up!" Phineas shouted, stepping in between the two. "I know Isabella; now give me a second here." He pushed the two of them side by side, and stared long and hard at both of them. He went up to the Isabella on the left, and kissed her suddenly.

"What?" Isabella shouted, covering her eyes as she began to cry. Through her growing crying fit, she heard the muffled sound of hand hitting flesh suddenly. Isabella looked up, and gasped with joy as she saw D-Isabella unconscious on the ground, and Phineas standing over her with a look of disgust and guilt.

"Right…" he said, before looking up at Isabella with apologetic eyes. "Sorry, any other attempt at incapacitation would be stopped I assume." With that he pulled Isabella into a tight hug. "Good to have you back."

"Oh, Phineas," Isabella said.

"Oi! You two stop messing around!" someone behind them shouted. Buford stood a few yards away. "Dinner Bell, come on, your dad told us what happened, so stop being all gushy-mushy and let's go already!"

"Oh, right oh, come on," Phineas stuttered back, grabbing Isabella's hand as they ran toward Baljeet's house which contained the portal. Just outside the building, Phineas pulled Isabella aside, and gave her a quick kiss. "Let's get my brother back now," he said confidently, pulling out the old Vibro-blade and stepping through the door and into the portal

Chapter 20

The entire gang stood poised on the steps below Baljeet's portal, nervous to delve back into the abyss of the sixth dimension. Each of them were holding new Vibro-Blades and Baljeet, with Phineas, had rigged a machine to turn video games to reality, allowing them to obtain weapons from them as well.

"What happens if this time we don't come back?" Phineas asked, taking a baby step toward the portal.

"Dinner Bell! You can't think like that!" Buford said, patting Phineas on the back. Unfortunately, Buford did not recognize his own strength; a pat on the back shoved Phineas forward and into the portal. "…Dangit."

"Phineas! Come on, everyone!" Isabella shouted, pushing the rest of them through the portal before leaping in herself. The air-conditioned oxygen of Baljeet's house turned thick with the smell of smoke, at an almost unbearable temperature. Isabella choked and coughed along with the rest of the group as the acrid air overcame them.

"What happened here?" Phineas choked out, standing up and surveying the rest of the dimension. Everywhere there were small fires burning, smoke billowing up in fumes. The roar of aircraft engines filled the sky, and around every corner there seemed that bone-chilling mechanical whirring.

"I don't know, but I think the resistance gave in," Baljeet observed, pointing to a small caravan of men, being escorted by several machines.

"Well, I know what we're gonna do," Phineas said, swapping out his Vibro-Blade for a sniper-rifle out of Halo.

With the caravan, Mark grumbled along with the rest of his division, remaining mostly silent under the gleaming, watchful eye of the machines. After being attacked back at the fort, he didn't remember anything until waking up in a room of other men and women who also were taken. They were now being led to an extermination camp, and everyone was scared.

But wait! There was a short, muffled bang from somewhere far off. The harsh sound of metal slicing its way into metal rang out, and a machine fell to the ground. Several more shots were volleyed off, and the machines scattered to investigate. Phineas and the gang went prone to the ground as well, neither side wanting to reveal their positions.

"BANZAI!" Phineas finally decided on yelling, leaping forth from a crater with his tiny squad, and in one fluid motion severing the head of the closest machine. The other robots began spraying machine gun fire toward all of them at the disturbance, but Buford and Baljeet were ready. Both of them came equipped with rocket launchers and commenced sequential firing procedures against the machines that retaliated, and within several seconds two blackened figures stood amongst several flaming wrecks.

"Are you alright?" Phineas asked, slicing through the shackles the guards had.

"Yeah, I think so, what are you doing back here?" Mark asked, taking the sniper rifle Phineas handed him and loading it up.

"They've got Ferb, some person named Major… Monogram, I believe it was," Phineas said casually. The fear that spread across Mark's face was enough to turn Phineas pale.

"Wh…who..?" Mark stuttered out.

"Major Monogram," Buford said, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "What do ya know about him?"

"He's the mastermind behind this entire war, manipulating Phineas, well, our Phineas from the start. Listen to me, if he's got Ferb, then you should just give up now and turn back," Mark said, taking a step back from what he now considered a madman.

"Why?" Phineas asked, getting a tad frustrated. Mark signaled for him to lean in, and Phineas did so.

"The suave, semi-aquatic personification of absolute dynamic fury," Mark said, and Phineas recoiled sharply.

"You mean that what's guarding the fortress is… a…"

"Platypus…" Mark whispered. Phineas and the rest of the gang gasped.

"This dimension's… Perry?" Isabella asked, stepping forward. Mark nodded, filled with fear, then gave a small yell and ran off into the distance. Phineas got up from his kneeling position and faced his little gang.

"Alright, we now know who our enemy is, I'll need someone to fight with me if I become emotionally compromised again," Phineas said, remembering to the fight with zombie-Candace. Buford offered up, and Phineas smiled for the first time since they entered the dimension.

"We'd better get going if we want to reach the old fortress before sundown," Baljeet observed, pointing to the already setting sun. The rest consented, and they began walking. Suddenly there was a sharp chattering noise from all directions, and Phineas stopped the group.

"Shh, what was that?" he asked. Baljeet gave a muffled yell and fell down unconscious. Everyone whipped around to see a greenish blur race past, and in a flash K-O'd Irving with a quick punch to the gut. The blur raced to the horizon and became an emblazoned silhouette against the glowing red sunset. An upright fedora wearing monotreme, D-Perry the Platypus turned and faced the three still-conscious members of Phineas' gang.

He chattered and lunged against the group, Isabella, Baljeet, and Phineas charging forward with their own furious battle cries.

From the deepest dungeon of Major Monogram's fort, Ferb watched on a screen the rising conflict. He was beaten, bruised and burned, but his eyes gleamed with a longing revenge for every being here.

"So, what do you think?" the D-Carl asked, a wretched hunchbacked Igor who served the major. Ferb's eyes filled with tears and looked away as D-Perry jump-kicked Phineas into the ground and blocked Buford's punches with his tail.

"You monster," Ferb gasped out, before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Chapter 21

Phineas yelled in pain as D-Perry jump-kicked him back, before D-Perry back-flipped and smacked Buford down with his beaver tail. Baljeet was wavering upon standing, and Isabella was still running to catch up with the rest of the group. It was clear that D-Perry could take them all on at once and become successful.

"He's too strong for us!" Phineas yelled, stopping several punches, ducking to avoid the tail, and then being nailed by a kick in the gut, causing him to stop and gasp for air. Buford swung a massive punch and knocked D-Perry backwards, who gave a chatter of anger. Isabella leaped into the air and attempted to kick D-Perry, but he grabbed her by the ankle, swung her around, and then threw Isabella at Buford, both of whom fell to the ground.

"Guys, get down!" Irving shouted, whipping upward with a rocket launcher. The rocket fired toward D-Perry at an immense rate of speed. In a flash, the monotreme snapped his wrist upwards, and the projectile went hurtling skywards and disappeared into the atmosphere. Every stood looking up for a second, Phineas gave a huge whistle, and then the fight continued.

"We need to team up to defeat D-Perry," Phineas ordered, and the group broke into two teams, Isabella with Phineas, and Baljeet with Buford, and Irving taking steps back to re-load the rocket launcher. D-Perry stood in the center of a ring of four, eyes flitting between the two groups of opponents. Buford and Baljeet attacked first, Baljeet swinging a Vibro-Blade and Buford cracking his knuckles.

"One, two, three!" Phineas shouted, and he grabbed Perry's arms from behind while Buford lifted his fist. D-Perry endured blow after blow until his greenish form fell limp, and Phineas let him go. A few tear streaks were on Phineas' face, looking down at this dimension's version of Perry.

"Oh, grow up, Phineas!" Buford shouted, stepping over the momotreme's form to face Phineas, who was wiping his face. "Man, that ducky-thing is an enemy, you can't be wimping up just because they look like people you know!"

"Don't tell me about emotional compromise, Buford! Say that was Biff, how would you feel?"

"Which Biff, my fish, or my mother?"

"Either one!" Phineas shouted, becoming angrier and getting into Buford's face. Suddenly a hand appeared on his shoulder, and Phineas turned to see Isabella. His anger melted away as she drew him into a quick hug.

"We can't be fighting among each other at times like this," she said, trying to calm Buford as well. "If we want to get Ferb back we have to work as a team."

"She's right guys, we need to work together," Irving piped in, breathing heavily after running up with his rocket launcher.

"Yes, but how are we going to find him? This place is huge," Baljeet observed, scanning the occasionally burning horizon line which stretched on for miles around them.

"Maybe we can find the central computers of one of these machines and re-rig it into a GPS device," Phineas said, slicing the skull of one of the androids open, revealing a complex network of wires and microchips.

"Hmm, now let's see, blue to red, red to blue, black to… I'm not quite sure but let's try it… here!" Phineas said, rewiring the machine's brain until it revealed a small holographic map of the 6th Dimension. In the dead center of the map, a decent ways left of the gang, was a twisted, towering mass of metal and concrete. It was the disconcerting fortress of D-Major Monogram, earlier revealed to be the true mastermind of the machine's revolution.

"Hmm, it appears to be guarded by several watch towers, and a complex internal structure in which we have to fight room-by-room to advance," Baljeet said, calculating a battle plan in his head. "If we were to strike quickly using the captured machine's rockets to blast away the guard towers, we should have no trouble in getting inside. What we face when inside is to be determined."

"It's an awfully big risk to take, but we can handle it!" Isabella said, trying to pep-talk the team out of intimidation. The rest of them gave hesitant smiles, and then began to work on assembling the needed weapons.

In the fortress itself, Ferb was continuing to watch the gang's efforts on the view screen, impressed with their progress. Suddenly, the screen snapped shut and he was faced with the Igor D-Carl.

"The Major has something special planned for your little friends, behold," he whispered, revealing five new machines bearing resemblances in turn to Mrs. Flynn, Mr. (Garcia) Shapiro, Baljeet's Uncle Maulik, Irving's dad, and Buford's pet fish. Each one had normal eye-coverings, however in the darkened light there was that same eerie red glow.

"And after they defeat these monstrosities?" Ferb spat out. D-Carl retreated slightly.

"They won't defeat them, and you'll be sitting here watching your friend get torn apart like warm bread." With that closing statement the evil cackles of the D-Carl rang out coldly through the never-ending passages.

Chapter 22

Phineas, Isabella, Buford, Baljeet, and Irving wandered exhaustedly through the barren wasteland that was now the sixth dimension. The unrelenting sun beat down upon the small party, blinding and searing them at the same time. Since the machines burned down everything that could, there was no shade and no place to rest. Beaten, bruised, and extremely tired, the gang finally decided to call it quits about midday and take a rest.

"How much water is left, Baljeet?" Phineas asked, looking to his friend. Each person had packed an essential supply for the trip; it had been up to Baljeet to bring water. Baljeet opened his pack and scanned the contents, and then he held up three fingers.

"Three days?" Buford asked. Baljeet shook his head.

"Three hours?" Isabella asked then, and Baljeet still shook his head.

"Three bottles," Baljeet then announced, holding up three regular bottles of spring water.

"This isn't good; we have to find a source of water soon," Phineas said, standing up from his relaxed position and wiping sweat from his brow. "We need to keep moving, rest only when it's dark or else we're never going to be able to take on that fortress." The rest of the group consented, and they kept trudging along. The sun was setting slightly low, allowing the temperature to begin to drop. Suddenly a figure became visible on the horizon, silhouetted vaguely against the gleaming sky.

"Hey, who's that?" Buford grunted, pointing as the figure neared.

"I don't know, split up again, we can't take chances anymore," Phineas ordered, grabbing Isabella's arm and ducking into a shell crater. Irving dived into an adjacent one, with Baljeet and Buford imitated them on the other side. They stared shrewdly at the nearing figure, all weapons aimed as the heat haze cleared the closer the person came. Phineas suddenly gasped as the figure became crystal clear.

"Mom?" Phineas yelled, temporarily letting his guard down as Mrs. Flynn approached the gang, smiling slightly and waving.

"Yes dear, hello, how are you?" she called back. Phineas slowly walked forward, weapon still raised, and his mother giggled softly. "Oh, Phineas, you can put that weapon away," Linda said, embracing her son.

"How did you find us?" Phineas asked, stepping back from the hug. What happened next Phineas does not remember, and shocked the rest of the gang. The cold metal fist of his mother's mechanical doppelganger rammed into Phineas' skull, knocking him sideways a good few feet and rendering him unconscious. Isabella let out a small shriek, Buford muttered something about a good punch, and Baljeet nearly fainted. Irving surprisingly kept his cool, and blasted the machine down with his machine gun, the result being every bullet ricocheting off the newly designed exoskeleton and having negligible damage.

"Oh, come now, children," the machine called out, still with Linda's voice, saying the next part in a harsher mechanical one, "War isn't child's play." The machine raised its left arm and fired a rocket toward the shell craters, blasting away the top layer near Buford and Baljeet's, both of whom leapt forward to begin the attack. Isabella rushed over to check on Phineas, and Irving began to reload his bazooka.

"Phineas, Phineas?" Isabella said, lightly tapping Phineas' now bruising face as the battle raged behind the two. Buford suddenly appeared behind Isabella, gave her a small push to the side, flipped the unconscious Phineas over, and snatched his Vibro-Blade from the sheath strapped to his back before running off to rejoin the battle.

"Die already!" Baljeet shouted, very out-of-character as he slammed the butt of his rifle into the machine's stomach, merely causing it to stumble before it stuck him back across the face. Buford quickly flicked the sword on and sliced the arm off cleanly, causing the eyes of the Linda-Doppelganger to flash red with mechanical rage. Within a few moments it gabbed Buford around the neck and hurled him twice as far as Phineas, to whom Isabella was still trying to restore consciousness.

"Buford, Baljeet, get down!" Irving called, and in a somewhat déjà vu moment he fired the bazooka toward the foe. This time the reaction time was not as good as D-Perry, and with a short yet violent explosion, the mechanical clone disappeared, leaving only a small fire, and a gleaming red eye in the ashes of the destroyed machine.

"Wow, what happened here?" Phineas asked, coming to and standing with the support of Isabella.

"Your mom was a robotic doppelganger sent by the machines," Baljeet summed up, kicking the now lifeless eye and looking up.

"Wow, well, anything else happen?" Phineas asked.

"You got knocked unconscious, Isabella helped you back to consciousness, Irving owned the machine," Buford said, giving the nerd beside him a hi-five.

"It was nothing," Irving said, patting his bazooka with an adoring look.

"Yes, but friends, we must keep moving to reach the fortress," Baljeet said, shoving a new clip into his rifle. Phineas nodded seriously, taking his Vibro-Blade back from Buford and beginning to walk under his own power. Within a few moments the gang was up and moving again, following the sun's final rays as it drifted under the horizon.

"Sh, we're here," Phineas suddenly said, raising his hand to stop the gang. Night vision goggles allowed the small group to see what lay before them. A towering rectangular fortress stood in the center of a small grassy plain, the only area not scorched by the machines. The wind rustled softly as the war plan developed by Phineas and Baljeet was placed into action.

"I wonder if this counts as my marksmanship patch," Isabella whispered to herself, aiming carefully through the scope of her rifle. A lone gunshot ran out through the night, followed by a metallic clang. Several more followed and one by one the machines guarding the entrance were felled one by one until the silence of the night resumed.

"And… go! Go! Go!" Phineas ordered as he, Baljeet, and Buford crept in prone toward the entrance. Isabella sprinted around the left, while Irving stood waiting for the signal. Isabella caught up with the gang, flattening themselves against the exterior of D-Major Monogram's fortress. Phineas held up his hand in a 'Live Long and Prosper' shape, and Irving fired his Bazooka at the door. The projectile decimated it, and Phineas leapt inside, quickly sneaking behind cover and filling the room with smoke from the grenades.

"Come on!" Isabella shouted, leading the rest of the party inside once Irving caught up. Isabella sniped out all of the security cameras while Baljeet and Irving attacked advancing robotic guards with Vibro-Blades. Buford stood guard over the door, and Phineas began hot wiring the security system to give the gang a map to find Ferb. Within a few moments he had it, and all of the machines in the current room had been defeated.

"Alright, so here is Ferb, located in the darkest pit in the dungeon basement. There's only one way in though, through a series of mazes and rooms," Phineas said.

"In which our opponent is sure to set traps and attack us," Baljeet observed. The rest of the group was incredibly apprehensive as they stepped as one into the gloom of the first room, weapons poised at the ready for the beginnings of the fight to save Ferb.

Chapter 23

The metal door clanged shut behind the gang as they stepped into the room, the echo reverberating around the dome-shaped ceiling. In the center of the room lay a small bowl, filled two thirds with water and something which Buford immediately recognized.

"They have Biff!" he shouted, taking a step forward toward his goldfish, before Phineas grabbed his arm. Buford quickly retorted by stepping onto Phineas' toes, and Phineas gave a quick gasp of pain but still held Buford back.

"Buford, we don't know what this, Major Monogram, is capable of, who knows what we could have done with Biff?" Phineas said. Through his yearning eyes, Buford nodded in consent.

"We have to see if there's any sort of trap," Baljeet piped in, quickly withdrawing an elongated metal pole and tapping the ground around the door. Within a few moments, an explosion gripped the room and flung the gang to their knees.

"What the heck?" Irving shouted, being the first to get to his feet.

"Mines," Isabella murmured softly, but the reverberating echoes alerted everyone to the danger. Quickly the gang backed up against the wall and plotted the best strategy to retrieve Biff from the center of the room. They decided a grappling hook would magnetically attach itself to the ceiling, allowing Buford to swing in, capture his goldfish, and allowing the rest of the group to swing to the other side of the chamber as well.

"And, three!" Phineas shouted, throwing the grappling hook into the sky, where a metal clang signaled it had made contact. After a few tugs to check for weaknesses, Buford swung into the center of the room. The air rushed passed his buzz-cut hair and his outstretched fingers as he grew closer and closer to the goldfish.

"Buford look out!" Baljeet shouted, and Buford gasped. The floor of the room began to fall away, tile by tile. Biff and his bowl plummeted into a pit of greenish colored water below, and as more of the floor fell out, Isabella, Phineas, Baljeet, and Irving plummeted into the abyss below. Buford was left clinging to his grappling hook, gaping downward as his friends impacted the fluid below.

After a bout of coughing Phineas gasped out, "Is everyone *cough* Okay?" A few mumbles of consent came from his friends, and they treaded water looking for the location of Biff. Suddenly, the water around them began to froth violently, and the group stuck their heads underwater.

"What the?" Irving shouted underwater, for they all saw a school of Biff robots swimming up from the apparently endless water, each one had a gleaming maw filled with shimmering steel teeth.

"Quick, this way, friends!" Baljeet said, tugging everyone's sleeves as he pointed to a single floating platform in the center of the water trap. Everyone began swimming as fast as they could toward the tile, all the while the pit of frothing fish was growing closer. Suddenly a blood-curdling scream broke the frenzied silence of the room as a Biff robot sunk its teeth into Isabella's left hand. Blood began to rush forth as the razor-like teeth sliced cleanly into her skin, and held fast.

"Isabella!" Phineas shouted, turning around and punched the fish back into the water. With twenty sharp metallic clicks, the goldfish robot detached its teeth, leaving them embedded in Isabella's hand. Phineas continued to knock away all the machines until the four in the water stood in the platform, the surrounding water filled with the snapping jaws of hundred of mechanical Biffs.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Irving asked, his eyes flitting to each leaping fish in turn. The situation was growing direr as the shoal of mechanical fish began to take bites out of the platform, quickly shredding the material in a swirl of glinting teeth.

"I don't know!" Phineas shouted, spraying his small submachine gun into the water in desperation.

"I do!" Buford shouted from his dangling position. He quickly swung unto the only remaining ledge, a platform at the far end of the arena, and withdrew a large, sinister weapon.

"What is that?" Baljeet shouted, his eyes widening in fear.

"PANZERSCHRECK!" Buford shouted with glee as he fired the rocket launcher into the water. A massive rocket projectile hurled itself into the swarm of Biffs, and Buford let out an agenized gasp as thousands of his mock-up friends were shattered in an instant. The water began to empty itself from the room, and Phineas' group's platform came to rest on the bottom of the vacant chamber. Buford lowered himself down via the rope, a few tears trickling down as he looked at the destroyed Biffs.

"Now who's emotionally compromised?" Phineas asked mockingly, partly as revenge, partly as a stress-reliever. A quick punch in the gut silenced the laughter from Phineas, who gave a hacking cough and muttered, "Right then."

"It appears our foe is using robots designed after things we care about to attack us," Baljeet noted, examining the Biff robots.

"We're gonna have to be more careful," Isabella said, "There's still several more rooms to go through." She indicated an open doorway at the far end of the pit. The gang re-armed and re-loaded, then taking a solemn glance around, entered the second room.

The very instant that the group entered the room; they plummeted into another abyss, and were caught in a net of interesting threads and ropes. Something had spun around the room a massive web, threads and cords of varying sizes spanned the length of the chamber, twisting around and creating a maze of snares.

"It appears our foe has used another interesting trait to try and stop us," Baljeet said calmly, "Phineas your mother is caring and nice, but the robot was short-tempered."

"Like we needed an understatement!" Phineas retorted, trying to stand up on the webs.

"Yes, yes we did. Buford, Biff is a very placid animal, but the robots we encountered were quite bloodthirsty."

"So then this room, modeled after a spider would have to mean that the real person is what, an arachnophobic?" Isabella asked tentatively.

"My dad!" Irving shouted, loudly, "He can't stand spiders!" Suddenly the webs were shock as a larger figure impacted the tendrils. Phineas flicked on his light, and after some searching found what he was looking for. Irving's father was standing serenely in the middle of the room.

"Hello children," he said calmly, 'What brings you here?"

"You can drop the charade!" Buford shouted, aiming his rifle at the machine, which then let loose a horrible cackling laugh.

"Very well!" the machine said, and made a quick motion with his hand. An orb of web-like substance hurtled through the air and hit Buford, who was knocked back, and then everybody else gasped in shock. The orb was growing, extending tendrils all across Buford's body. (AN/ Like Venom from spider man.)

"Somebody get this thing off me!" he shouted, panicking as the webs began ensnaring all of his limbs, encasing him in a exoskeleton like coating. Within seconds Buford stood stalk still, completely entangled in the webs, and with a final inward moan, plummeted into the blackness below, a rough impacting noise created as he impacted the ground.

"Fetch me their souls!" The machine roared, and thousands of tiny robotic spiders began to descend from above, their eight eyes glowing menacingly in the absence of light. The robotic version of Irving's dad began firing his orbs randomly into the dark as the gang opened fire on the swarms of mechanical arachnids.

"I need to get Buford!" Baljeet shouted, leaping down quickly before anyone else could say anything. Baljeet plummeted through the darkness, holding his ray-gun tight to his chest until the hit the ground. It was much softer than expected, a fine coating of spider-silk like material coating the ground. Baljeet fumbled around for a bit before regaining his bearings and searching around.

"Buford, my friend, are you here?" he inquired to no one in particular, wandering the darkness alone. "Oh wait, that is right, we have those lights Phineas gave us," Baljeet recalled, taking out a small flashlight an flicking it on. It immediately illuminated the wretched machine Irving's father, who grinned sinisterly.

"Hello there," he crooned, before blasting Baljeet in the face with his silken traps. Baljeet screamed through the layer of silk before become still like Buford and falling to the ground. As the machine bent low over his new victim, a single gunshot rang out through the panicked atmosphere. The machine bent all the way over and lay on the ground, a perfect headshot exposing his glowing wired innards.

"Tech you to mess with my friends!" Isabella shouted, re-loading her sniper rifle carefully as she also descended into the abyss. Phineas quickly followed, then Irving, the three of them being chased downward by hoards of mechanical arachnids.

"We need to act quickly!" Irving shouted, spraying lead into the cloud of red glowing eyes. Phineas nodded and withdrew several electricity grenades, strapping them together with silken threads.

"If this works we'll owe Ferb major," Phineas said, lobbing the electric mass high into the roof of the dome. It exploded, sending jets of lightning flying throughout the room, each impacting an individual mechanical spider, exploding them one by one in a fantastic fireworks display. Debris fell gently onto the gang, who breathed an overdue sigh of relief. Irving and Isabella then got to work untangling their allies while Phineas stood guard. Isabella withdrew a small side-knife and quickly cut into Baljeet's cocoon, who upon having Isabella being the person opening it gave a small sigh of both relief and enjoyment.

"Err-hem!" Phineas cleared his throat loudly before saying, "Sorry, she's mine buddy." Isabella giggled quietly for a few moments as Baljeet grew a dejected look. After sorting a very disorientated Buford out (he had no idea how he ended up in a cocoon) the gang looked around more solemnly at the machine's remains.

"Three down," Phineas sighed, reloading his submachine gun with a grim smile. Isabella checked the holo-map.

"Two to go," she said. The gang gave one final look to this room, before building up another load of sheer nerve and pluck, and stepping tentatively into the next unknown challenge.

Chapter 24

The team was less startled this time when the door snapped shut behind them, but still flinched as the room fell eerily still, the echo of the metal door reverberating around the large, dome-shaped room. Nothing but a small wind was then heard throughout the cavern as Phineas flicked his gun-light and skimmed the entire space, seeing nothing.

"This is weird," he commented, eyes narrowing as the beam of light swept through the room. Isabella quickly moved her arm to link with his and shuddered with anticipative fear.

"More like creepy, with that whistling wind," she commented. Phineas' eyes snapped open.

"Wind! There are no windows or doors here, so then where is that coming from..?" he inquired to the room at large. A mad cackling slowly engulfed the vacant space, sending chills down the children's spines.

"Very observant, Phineas, I'll give you credit." A mimic of Baljeet's Uncle Maulik materialized from a dark smoke which swept from the shadows. There was a malicious gleam in his beady eyes, which were locked on the gang.

"Open fire!" Buford shouted, spraying his machine gun at the figure, who laughed before returning to a gaseous state with nothing but the same beady eyes and the outline remaining as the bullets rocketed into space. The gas form of Maulik then charged toward Buford, solidifying moments before impact and slamming into the bully. Buford yelled in pain as he flew backwards after getting hit and then rammed into the wall.

"Buford!" Baljeet shouted, picking up his own weapon and spraying lead toward the machine, which turned back into smoke and cackled madly.

"We can't get at it when it's like gas, stop shooting," Phineas ordered, backing slowly away from the gleaming eyes of the specter-like figure. The gang scattered out as the phantom machine began charging them down. Irving yelled as the gaseous form succeeded in running her down and began suffocating her in smoke.

"I got the nerd!" Baljeet shouted, taking careful aim and taking a few quick shots with his rifle. A single bullet whizzed by Irving's head and hit one of the machine's gleaming eyes. A bloodcurdling shriek filled the room as the smoky figure faded in and out before reforming, eyes flaming with rage aimed at Baljeet, who let out a slow, "Snap…."

"The eyes, the eyes!" Phineas shouted, spraying lead toward the area of the specter that would be the head. This time the smoky figure faded a little longer, just enough to allow the group to rest for maybe sixty seconds before bursting back with murderous fury.

"I got it…" Isabella whispered, taking careful aim with her sniper rifle as Phineas fled the scene, pursued the specter. "And…" A single shot rang out through the stadium, but the cry of pain came not from the specter, but Phineas.

"Holy mother of!" Phineas bit hit tongue as with a sickening crack, the bullet whizzed into his left leg and he fell hard. Isabella took a small second to re-adjust her aim, and then dealt a similarly damaging blow to Baljeet, who fell with a small yelp.

"Isabella? What are you doing?" Buford yelled, ducking to avoid the specter, and then somersaulting to dodge a whizzing bullet.

"Oh, ha-ha," Isabella's voice shifted to a more mechanical one as her form became looser, re-assembling itself into the image of her Father.

"It's another one of the Major's machines!" Irving cried, he himself being felled by a sudden shot from the new machine's rifle bullets. Two machines in one room, one patrolling slowly, the other sniping out enemies.

The real Isabella was at this point hiding beneath a piece of metal that had fallen from the ceiling during the battle. She was shaking with rage; two doppelgangers of her had come and gone. This time she would see it its end personally. Going prone, Isabella crept quietly toward the shape-shifting robot. She came across Phineas, who was bleeding out on the floor.

"Isabella…" he whispered, clutching the wound on his leg, and looking pitifully at her.

"Phineas, shh," she encouraged, leaning against his shivering figure and lining up her shot. But there was no other robot to be seen. The specter was high above the stadium, occasionally shrieking, Buford was huddling behind a pole, Baljeet was lying on the floor bleeding out, Irving was prone, Isabella was on the ground, Phineas was lying next to her…

With a sudden thumping noise Isabella was hurled halfway across the room by the doppelganger's punch, stars popping in front of her eyes as she re-introduced herself to the ground. She gasped for breath as the form of Phineas rose and morphed into that of her again, snickering widely.

"You monster!" she spat out, taking aim at the vile machine. It changed back into Phineas suddenly, eyes full of a pleading sorrow.

"But… Isabella…" it spoke, flawlessly imitating Phineas' voice. Isabella hesitated long enough for the specter to swirl around her, filling her lungs with a choking smoke. She gasped, eyes streaming with tears before it released her, having her cough on the ground at the fake Phineas' feet.

"Silly girl," it hissed at her, morphing into its true form, a skeletal like figure with two huge red eyes, and insect like jaws. "You think that by coming here to find your friend makes you strong - you are nothing, same as the rest. It's about time you…" Another single shot rocketed through the room, and Isabella looked up in time to see Phineas, gasping for life, clutching a pistol in his trembling hands.

"About… time…" he choked out before collapsing to the floor. Buford and Irving rained lead toward the ceiling, felling the specter like creature in a hail of bullets. The bloodcurdling scream resonated around the room, sending chills into everyone's spine.

A screen flashed above them, showing the D-Major Monogram's face. A shiny black mustache covered most of his mouth, flicked upward in a sly smile.

"It would appear you have completed my few little tests here, however your friend is in a dire situation," the camera flicked sideways to show Ferb, bruised, beaten, and lying limp on the floor, every breath coming as a drawn out rasp. He hauled himself to a sitting position and stared long and hard to his friends and stepbrother.

"Never… surrender," he coughed out, before being smacked back down by the major.

"As you can see, his situation is not getting any better, you could surrender now," he said smoothly.

"We will never surrender to your monstrosities, Major!" Phineas yelled back, shooting the screen into a million fragments. The speakers continued to play Ferb's slow, struggling breaths.

Breath.

"Then my friends, I would say you had better hurry."

Breath.

"My patience grows rather thin with all of you."

Breath.

"And my patience is the lifeline of your comrade here."

Breath.

D-Major Monogram cackled madly as the speakers died down, and the door on the opposing side of the room opened wide.

"We had better hurry," Phineas said, a grim expression on his face as, with sub-machinegun raised, he led his gang into the next room.

Chapter 25

The door banged open, casting a solitary beam of light into the next room, which was solid blackness. Phineas' eyes scanned the room nervously, not daring to take a step into another trap. The silence was deadening, nothing could be heard save more a small mechanical whirring. Isabella and Phineas locked eyes before giving the order to hit the deck, both of them were aware of what was about to happen. Baljeet and Buford dove for the deck, but Irving failed to respond in time before a blinding blue-white light knifed its way through the room, freezing the nerd in his tracks.

"Irving, get down!" Phineas repeated, his eyes snapped shut, tugging tightly on Irving shirt. A chilling, mechanical chattering aroused fear in Phineas, and he felt a cold steel claw aimlessly brushing him aside. The Seamstress began threading its snare through Irving, not binding him but transforming Irving into a mindless puppet. As the lights faded from the eyes of the Seamstress, Irving's eyes shone a crimson red.

"They're getting more cunning," Phineas groaned into the dark, with the faintest glow coming from Irving's eyes. Suddenly, like two searchlights, the eyes fixed onto Phineas with a quick jerk of Irving's head.

In a chilling mechanical voice Irving spoke, "Target Identified." The eyes began drifting closer to a terrified Phineas, who turned and fled. Pulse increasing, Phineas tripped over a spindly limb. The Seamstress was all around him, and limbs began not to wrap Phineas up, but to beat him senseless. Three claws snatched Phineas' arms and one of his legs. A hooked appendage raised his head and a large pair of shining scissors dove for Phineas' throat.

Sub-machine gun fire blasted from points around the room. Isabella and Buford laid fire furiously toward the mechanical beast. A bloodcurdling scream rang through the room as the face and eyes of the Seamstress were shattered instantly, and in something resembling pain it threw Phineas aside and clung its limbs to its face. Irving's eyes flickered and he gasped.

"Phineas…" Phineas looked into his distressed ally's eyes. "Grenade…" Apprehensively, Phineas handed Irving the last of his grenades. As the Seamstress thrashed and wailed, Irving stood firmly in his path. "You will haunt this world no longer," Irving yelled, and pulled the pin. In slow motion Phineas, Buford, Isabella, and Baljeet looked in paralyzing shock as Irving stepped into the heart of the monster.

"NO!" Phineas shouted, running forward too late as an explosion shattered the room, spraying bits of the machine and the unfortunate Irving flying in a ball of fire. The room stood in silence as a few lights flickered on, and the sound of the explosion reverberated in the chamber. A screen at the top flashed open and D-Major Monogram appeared, clapping non-enthusiastically at the small group.

"Very good, very good. You've defeated my best guards, machines, and clones, all in the sake of this wretched creature that is… Ferb," a trapdoor in the top of the ceiling snapped open and Ferb plummeted out, unconscious. "However, there is another friend I'd like you to meet, in fact, two of them." Another door in the far side of the room whooshed open, and to the horror of the gang stepped out D- Isabella and Phineas' Zombiefacation Ray.

"Now then," D-Isabella said confidently, quickly activating the ray, "This here is a little souvenir from my time in your dimension. I believe it does… this!" A green bolt of energy rocketed across the room and hit the unconscious form of Ferb. Within moments he rose into the fully Zombiefied version Phineas remembered from earlier. D-Isabella gave a truly evil laugh before saying in barely a whisper, "Sick 'em."

Phineas raised his submachine-gun and said, "Ferb, I'm warning you, not a step closer." The Zombiefied Ferb staggered around, clutching its head and unleashing a guttural shrieking noise. Its will couldn't decided whose orders to follow.

"While he works it out," D-Isabella said, assuming a fighting stance, "I can take you all on by myself." She lunged at the gang, quickly hitting Baljeet's major pressure points and rendering him limp.

"Gah, what?" Buford shouted, aiming a brute force punch against D-Isabella, whose agility proved an ally as she leaped over him.

"Come on now people," she mocked, sideswiping Buford's legs from under him and twirling to engage Isabella in a one-on-one duel while Phineas ran to reason with the zombie Ferb.

"We meet again," D-Isabella taunted, circling around Isabella. There was a split second in which each one of them froze, and then they attacked simultaneously. The sounds of flesh hitting flesh reverted constantly as D-Isabella and Isabella fought to a standstill using varied Martial Arts moves, even in both skill and agility. The difference was endurance; Isabella had been fighting most of the past two days, and was nearing exhaustion. She blocked three more punches, jumped over a kick, had her own chop blocked and then was nailed in the stomach by a swift blow. Three more followed on the leg, neck, and head, before Isabella was grabbed and thrown across the room.

"ENOUGH!" A bloodcurdling cry echoed throughout the room as Zombie Ferb snapped to his senses. He smacked his brother away and grabbed Phineas' submachine gun. He reverted to normal within seconds and his eyes gleamed with a rage that scared everyone. He slowly pulled the bolt backwards and snapped the trigger.

Nothing but the sound of submachine gun fire filled the chamber as Ferb pumped round after round into D-Isabella, who took the first several standing before being blasted back, bullets flying all around her now lifeless form. When the submachine gun finally ran out of ammunition, Ferb reached for another clip, tears streaming down his bruised and charred face. Phineas reached out a caring hand and stopped him, before pulling his stepbrother into a tight hug. Baljeet, Buford and Isabella joined in.

"It's good to have you back, we missed you so much," Phineas chocked out, before being stopped by a chilling noise. It was a cold, sinister, cackling laugh, coming from the view screen of D-Major Monogram.

"Very good everyone, I'm sure you're proud," he mocked.

"Proud, you put us through this and you thing we're PROUD?" Phineas snapped back.

"Very much so, however there is one final test you have to do."

"And what is that, Major?" Baljeet asked, saluting mockingly.

The major lifted a revolver to his head before saying, "Get out alive. All machines, TO THE ATTACK!" With a sharp crack the gun went off and the view screen went still. Phineas, Ferb, Baljeet, and Buford gave each other a look of panic before all the doors snapped open, revealing hordes of the machine soldiers. For what he hoped would be the last time, Phineas pulled the bolt on his submachine gun, and ordered the attack.

Chapter 26

Phineas rolled behind a piece of rubble, breathing heavily, machine gun fire ripping all around him. He glanced around and watched as Ferb imitated him farther away, spraying lead wildly from his recently-acquired machine gun. Baljeet was fumbling, trying to reload his rifle as Buford shot a bazooka into the hail of oncoming machines. Isabella tumbled down beside him.

"We can't carry on like this anymore, Phineas!" she yelled at him, taking out a small pistol and banging off six shots, nothing flat.

"My friends, I believe we can be of some assistance!" came a harsh-sounding German-accented voice. Heavy machine gun fire filled the room as the final group of resistance members rappelled into the abyss of metal. D-Ferb landed beside Phineas and Isabella, giving a curt salute before handing them both more powerful weapons.

"How did you all survive?" Phineas asked, a little taken aback by their appearances.

"Long story!" came the reply, "Basically, they never thought to look underground, trapdoors confuse 'em for some reason." D-Ferb cackled madly as he sprayed hot lead into the advancing horde. The small circle of Phineas' gang and the Resistance was getting tighter, being suppressed by the increasingly large mechanical army. Baljeet had been hit in the arm and was on the ground writhing; Buford was resorting to the standby of brass knuckles; and Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella were back-to-back to back firing wherever they saw the burning red eyes of the machines.

"If trapdoors confuse them," Phineas pondered out loud, slapping another ammunition clip into his gun, "we could make our own!"

"Brilliant," D-Ferb replied, and began firing his sub-machine gun into the ground. A decent sized tear began to appear, into which he threw a grenade. "Everyone, into the hole!" The tiny pod of survivors rushed into the tunnel, being widened by Phineas and Ferb's Vibro-blades. Machine gun fire riddled down from the ceiling, but the machines seemed unwilling to venture into the underground passageway.

"Good, they won't follow," D-Ferb spat out, assisting in the chiseling of the tunnel.

"It's the lighting, I suppose," Phineas replied, examining the gloom. The gang themselves could barely see. They plodded along carefully in near pitch blackness, the machine gun fire of the robots still ripping holes around them.

"So as long as we don't turn any lights on, we ought to be good," Baljeet said, ducking around a bend in the tunnel.

"In theory," Phineas replied, continuing his drilling progress slowly. Eventually the sounds of the machine gun fire faded away, to be replaced with the steady humming of the Vibro-blades as they cut away the earth. D-Ferb kept giving instructions on when to turn, giving no response when Phineas or any of the others asked where they were going.

"Okay, up now," finally came the order from D-Ferb, and Phineas with Ferb began a relief filled drilling upwards. Light from the setting sun streamed into the tunnel, and for a moment everyone had to cover their eyes. Phineas rubbed his hurriedly to clear them before looming up and seeing a desolate metal tower looming into the sky. It was the gutted remains of D-Phineas' factory, which caused everyone to shudder in horrid memories.

"After our raid here it became abandoned, so the resistance took it over," D-Buford explained, climbing out of the tunnel after Baljeet.

"Yes, and we discovered something interesting," D-Ferb continued, leading them down a staircase within the fortress. Down the depths of the castle lay a room with many uncompleted or proto-type machines and maps. In the center lay a metal ring, about twice the height of D-Ferb. "This, a dimension portal. It would appear our Phineas wanted to invade your dimension."

"Why are you showing this to us?" Phineas asked, aghast at what he was seeing.

"It's your only way to get home from here – now move!" D-Ferb shouted, looking around nervously. "We may have control over the building but I do not trust the machines will not return."

"Well, you are going to have to hold them off for a bit longer, we need another Irving," Ferb replied, looking around the group. "What happened to him, anyway?"

"Blew up," Phineas replied, unusually casual. Everyone looked a little taken aback at his sense of serenity, then reasoned with themselves it was Irving and paid it no mind.

"Well, how do you intend to do that anyway?" D-Ferb barked back, and Phineas took some time to ponder this. Phineas immediately had a response.

"We go to a dimension a hair's breadth from our own, say the 1 ¼ dimension," Phineas said, a little apprehensive, "and in a lightning fast raid, we kidnap their Irving without him noticing and take him back to our dimension."

"Does anyone think that will really work?" D-Ferb inquired, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. There were mild mutterings amongst the group before most of them consented to Phineas' plan. D-Buford then came running into the room, his face stricken with panic.

"Herr Kommandant, the machines are approaching, both through the tunnel and as a massive army on land. We need to move, now!" D0Buford yelled, grabbing a machine-gun off a rack on the wall.

"Listen to me, Phineas, I don't know how much longer we can hold their forces off," D-Ferb said, the sounds of weaponry firing in the background beginning, "So you need to get your friend and move now!" Phineas replied with a curt salute, and then plunged headfirst into the portal with the rest of his gang.

Chapter 27

The experience was simply surreal, as Phineas and the gang swept through the

portal into the 1 ¼ dimension. A familiar warm wind swept around them as an

all-too similar Danville expanded endlessly around them.

"It's so peaceful, I mean, after all we've been through…" Phineas sighed

out, looking back into the still-open portal behind them, where a full-blown

battle was raging. He dropped his weapon near the portal, and ordered the rest

of the gang to do the same.

"Yes, but sight seein' ain't what we're here for, Dinner-Bell," Buford barked,

forcing his way past Phineas and looking around. "Where is this other Irving

anyway?"

"Well, based on the time, I'd imagine heading home from our house, if this

dimension is really that similar," Phineas replied, and the gang began

sneaking toward Phineas' house.

Ferb was the first to spot him, an Irving that looked exactly like the Irving

the gang knew, just with square glasses.

"I got this one," Isabella whispered, taking a blow-dart gun from out behind a

bush, to which everyone stared at. "What?" she asked, "Fireside Girls 'Weapon

Hiding' patch, there are blowguns hidden in 1,827 different locations, this

place isn't all that different."

"We need to distract him though," Baljeet pondered, and everyone turned to

Phineas.

"Oh no…" Phineas groaned, but after a little psychical persuasion from

Buford, Phineas began walking over toward 1 ¼ D-Irving, rubbing his arm.

"Hi Phineas!" 1 ¼ D-Irving squealed, running over. "Wait, something's

different, why is your shirt orange with white stripes and not white with

orange..." A blow dart impaled 1 ¼ D-Irving's neck, and he fell like a stone.

Phineas stared down at his unconscious body with a vague resemblance of

interest.

"Go! Go! Go!" Isabella hissed out, and the gang rushed up, with Buford quickly

grabbing the unconscious Irving. They hurriedly scanned the road as the sun

began to set fully, causing the night to go pitch black. A single streetlight

illuminated the portal, and with only partial regret the gang hauled in their

weapons, gritted their teeth and leaped back into the fray.

The sweet summer air was swiftly replaced with the acrid smell of gunpowder

fumes. The readily familiar sounds of rifle and machine gun fire mixed with

rocket and grenade explosions pounded into the ears of the gang. Robots and

soldiers dueled hand to hand and in close quarters in the labyrinth of

chambers surrounding the dimension portal, where Buford was just lugging out

the unconscious Irving.

"Good, you're back!" D-Ferb shouted, quickly severing a machine's head before

running up to greet them.

"How goes the war?" Phineas asked, shifting nervously around his gang checking

weapons.

"Actually wonderful, with the loss of their leader these machines have nothing

left to lose, they forget strategy and therefore they are easy targets,"

D-Ferb replied, quickly dispatching two more machines with a pistol. "We have

it completely under control."

"Are you sure?" Phineas asked, however when looking around he could see D-Ferb

was right. All around them machines were dropping like flies to the hands of

the resistance.

"Phineas, Isabella, Ferb, Buford, Baljeet, you all have performed admirably

during the past few weeks, and for that I am forever in your debt. I must also

apologize for the actions of my dimension's people. Here, take these," D-Ferb

handed the gang a few medals. "Our highest honor. I feel a new age of

prosperity is about to develop in our dimension, and it could not have

happened without you." D-Ferb saluted curtly, and momentarily embraced the

gang. "It is time for you to go now, may we meet again. Auf Wiedersehen, meine

freunden!"

"Goodbye Ferb, and thanks for helping us in this world of yours. Auf…

Weidersehen..?" Phineas said, saluting back.

"Close enough, goodbye."

"Goodbye, and good luck," Phineas said, and the rest of the gang also said

their farewells. Ferb proceeded to re-wire the portal for their own dimension,

and the gang stepped through it, and turned in a final salute as it closed

behind them. The sweet summer air of their own dimension whipped gently

against the gang, who gave a jointed sigh of relief.

"So it's over..." Isabella said, looking around slowly. Phineas also proceeded

to look around, and noticed the haunted house standing in his backyard. He

gulped to himself, and then turned to Isabella.

"No, not yet, Isabella," Phineas said, very fast. He took her hand and began

leading her to the haunted house. He pointed to the house, blushing a bit, "If

you're up for it." She nodded curtly, and gripped Phineas' hand with a nervous

excitement as they entered the house. Ferb bolted into the control room,

fiddled with some new material, and then smiled warmly at the couple as he

fired it up.

Chapter 28

The door slipped back into the shut position as Phineas and Isabella crept into the haunted house. Ferb cracked his fingers outward, and then began playing an all too familiar song. Phineas picked up the beat, and then turned to Isabella.

Come; let's tiptoe into the dark,

One good scare ought to do it!

You'll find our bite much worse than our bark, one little scare outta do ya some good!

He began leading her deeper into the house, where Ferb had a few surprises in store.

If you should find the daily grind a tad bit taxing on the mind, to help unwind, if so inclined I have a small suggestion!

A machine burst from a box at the top of the stairs, its eyes gleaming a vicious scarlet. Phineas and Isabella took a few steps back and gasped, until it then disappeared into the black abyss beneath. Ferb gave his evil spooky laugh, and Phineas got the joke.

That if you dare into my lair you should prepare for QUITE A SCARE! D-Phineas swept toward them from the end of the hallway, yelling in a maddening rage. Isabella jump kicked him with no effort, twirled in mid air, and landed into Phineas arms. But would you share in this nightmare would be my only question?

They darted into the next room, where the Seamstress lay coiled like a cobra. It reared up to meet them, the hypnotic doll rushing in for the strike. Phineas severed it with a Vibro-blade lying on the ground, and then darted past the mechanical arms. Isabella followed with a semi-auto rifle, shooting the head away and catching up to Phineas at the end of the room.

If your hair lies lifeless and limp one good scare outta do ya! Zombies closed in around them, backing Phineas and Isabella into the wall, which turned sharp and into a web of mechanical skeletons. ''Come with me, now, don't be a WIMP! One little scare outta do ya some good.''

Being hauled upwards by a monstrous vine, images of battles in the sixth dimension raced past the pair, who were clutching each other tightly.

That is quite right I would delight in taking flight into the night to finally give you such a fright you know I surely would.

They reached the top of the house, where a familiar cart was waiting for them. Phineas entered first, and then offered his hand to Isabella to get in. The cart sped off along its roller-coaster like track. Faces of machines, D-MM, D-Phineas, and other Sixth-Dimension horrors raced along the edge of the track, disconcerting the two a little at the memories.

B-But if I seem a bit extreme in my attempts to make you scream remember that this spooky scheme will Phineas chuckled, needing improve. Ferb readily took up the mike as the cart continued past the operating room "Soon be over for good!"

One Little!

''One Little! ''

One Little!

One Little!

The cart raced onto the roof of the house, facing a wondrous sunset. Breathing deeply, Phineas and Isabella laughed nervously after the actually slightly frightening house Ferb had re-designed. The cart teetered to a standstill, and Phineas sung softly leaning in.

One little kiss outta do ya some good…

Chapter 29

Alright so all credit for Phineas and Ferb Characters, Names, Places, goes to the two outright geniuses Dan Ponvemire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and the host of editors, voice actors, and designers all a part of the Phineas and Ferb team.

The alarm clock tally came from the episode "The Best Lazy Day Ever"

The joke about the cure for Antidisestablishmentarianism came from the episode "Comet Kermillian"

Ferb and Jeremy playing battleships is a nod to my first fanfic, Battleships (Not subliminal messaging.) Also coming from this was the fact Phineas knew he could not buy Champagne.

The Haunted House came from the episode "One Little Scare Ought to Do It."

Zombie idea was developed from the movie "I am Legend."

The "emotionally compromised" line was an idea from Elliptical and inspired by the move "Star Trek" (2000's)

Blowtorch and Mayonnaise are constantly referenced in the series "Phineas and Ferb"

The effect of the Anti-Zombiefacatorinator was inspired by the spell "Expecto Pratronum" from Harry Potter.

The Sixth Dimension was a mix out ideas from my imagination, the movie "9" (Tim Burton), "I am Legend," WWI, WWII, and other apocalypse type scenarios.

The machines were based (someone guessed it right) on the Terminator, and influences from B2 Super-Battle Droids from "Star Wars"

The gas shells were based from the movie "9," and WWI.

The Vibro-Blades (someone else guessed this too) came directly from "Star Wars."

The electro-grenades were based on the bombs used by the Green and New Goblins in the "Spider-Man" movies.

The Seamstress (and I did say this) was taken directly out of "9" here is the scene, because it's one of my favorites! .com/watch?v=L3uDjjFFRGQ

The giant vine room was inspired by the Venomous Tentacula out of "Harry Potter."

The dual Isabella's was based slightly off of a Star Trek TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror."

The "so and so explode in one second" line was developed from "Epic Movie"

"Get torn apart like warm bread," came from another favorite movie of mine "Valkyrie."

The whole Biff scene was from the age old villain shark/piranha/dangerous thing in a pit scheme.

I referenced Venom…

I referenced Maximum Ride….

The way D-Maulik's machine runs was inspired by a either Batman or Superman cartoon I saw where these guys somehow got turned into living gas people o.o

The Sixth-Dimension resistance rescue in Chapter 27 was based on that scene in Star War II.

The final scene is based on the song "One Little Scare."

The End