“She said that Suzy threatened Ferb and I if you wouldn’t read her mind. Then she said that you replied, ‘why would I care?’ What was that about?” Perry hands Phineas a mug of hot chocolate.
The teen takes it gratefully, “I was trying to get out of it… But… She was smarter than that.” He closes his eyes, then opens them again, pain filling them. “It was either go into Candace’s mind, or lose my two best friends.”
Perry sits down across from him, also holding a mug. “Ferb said… that you had been in his mind before.”
Wincing a little, Phineas nods. “He asked me if I could find him a memory of his mother when we were… fourteen. I refused at first, but he really wanted to remember what she looked like.”
“Could you find a memory for me?” The platypus takes a sip of his drink. The teen’s face has gone pale.
He closes his eyes, “What is it of?” He sighs, “I’m not saying yes yet, but…”
Perry watches him worriedly, “It’s of my little sister. We were separated when I was captured by poachers, and I can’t remember what she looked or sounded like.”
Phineas’ head snaps up sharply, “You were captured by poachers? What?”
The platypus rubs his bill sadly, “When I was born, well, hatched I guess, I lived in Australia with my mom and sister. When I was three months old, I fell into a trap, and a bunch of men pushed me into a cage and brought me here to be sold as a pet. Major Monogram bought me from the pet store and began my training. When I was about a year-old, you adopted me and brought me home.” He looks down, trying to hide the tears in his eyes.
Phineas bites his lip nervously, “Are you sure you want me to? I don’t know how strong your defense will be, and it might hurt a little.”
Perry flinches slightly but nods, “Phineas, I want to remember her.”
The teen sighs, “Maybe… tonight. Not right now.”
------------------------
Perry looks up as Phineas lies down on his bed. “You okay?”
“Izzy was scared of me.” He groans, putting his hands over his face, “I feel sick.”
The platypus climbs up and curls up at the foot of the raft bed. “I’ll talk to her in the morning, Phineas.”
Phineas smiles a little, “Thanks.” He rubs his forehead, wincing. “That anti-evil ray you and Ferb put together gave me a headache.”
“Sorry…” Perry thinks back to the first moment he saw his owner after Suzy had zapped him, “You were a really good actor.”
“Either I or Zon could pay for that door. That kid has a lot of money…” Phineas shudders just thinking about her. “Anyway, Ferb’s working late tonight. Honestly, I don’t blame him. But you wanted me to find that memory for you?”
Perry nods. “If you don’t want to…”
Phineas sits up, “As long as you’re okay with it.”
“I want to remember what happened that day.” Perry sighs, “I can’t remember if she was taken too or just killed.”
The teen looks down awkwardly, “This is… the most uncomfortable part for me.”
The platypus folds his paws together, intertwining his fingers. “What do I do?”
“Just… sit still, and relax I guess.” Phineas bites his lower lip, preparing himself to travel inside his pet’s mind.
This scene took about two weeks to finish from this point on. For some reason it’s quite hard to write scenes that are inside someone’s mind.
Perry closes his eyes and tilts his head downwards. This is a weird experience for him, but he really wants to know if his sister is free or trapped somewhere in a cage.
Phineas places his hand on Perry’s head, and is soon facing the agent’s mental defense. He gently climbs through it, causing Perry to shiver. “Okay, buddy. Think as far back as you remember.”
The platypus opens his eyes, “That is really weird.” He thinks back to when the poachers threw him in the truck. “Now what?”
“I’m going to have to do a little digging. It’ll feel really weird.” Phineas’ voice echoes through his pet’s mind. “And yes, more weird than this.”
Shivering slightly, Perry closes his eyes again, steeling himself for the odd sensation.
----------------------------
“Well… that was extremely unpleasant.” Perry shudders, being careful not to accidentally remove Phineas’ hand.
Phineas coughs to get his pet’s attention, “I found the memories.”
Perry gulps, “Well, now what?”
The mind-reader bites his lip, “I’ll move it to your accessible memory area, lock it there, and then I’ll come out so you can relive it.”
The platypus winces slightly, “You can watch it if you want to.”
“I’d prefer to give you some privacy…” Phineas’ voice sounds uncomfortable.
Perry closes his eyes, almost able to see Phineas if he focuses. “Are you okay?”
The teen grimaces inside his pet’s mind. “Not really.” He sighs, “I thought I was used to you being a secret agent. But it still hurts a little, I guess.”
“Is my mind really that ‘agent-y?’” Perry frowns at the words he had accidentally thought, but stops regretting them almost instantly when Phineas laughs, sounding a little more relaxed.
He finishes locking the memory into place, and heads back towards the outskirts of Perry’s mind. He had watched the memory when he found it, and was now feeling very sympathetic for his pet. “It is. Everywhere there are… well, almost everywhere. There are all sorts of… I don’t know… floating thoughts that are very, to quote, agent-y.”
Perry grits his teeth as Phineas emerges, fighting nausea. “Were you reading them?”
Phineas shakes his head emphatically, now back in his body. “I wouldn’t betray your privacy like that.”
The platypus sits up, “I probably would have read them if I was in your situation. You are a very honourable person, Phineas.”
“No I’m not.” Phineas strokes Perry’s back absentmindedly. “I almost enjoyed breaking into Candace’s mind. I almost enjoyed her reaction.”
Perry hugs him, “Almost is not the same thing as actual enjoyment.”
The teen winces, “It hurts, P.”
His pet opens his bill to say something else, but closes it again. He really wants to see that memory. “I’m going to take a bit to watch that memory. Then we’ll get back to this talk.”
“Okay.” Phineas lies down, grabbing a novel that his librarian recommended for him. “When you’re done, I’ll be here, reading Frindle.”
“That’s a kid book, Phineas.” Perry chuckles, curling up beside his owner.
The teen rolls his eyes, “Apparently it’s about an innovative kid. Sherman thought I would like it.”
The platypus closes his eyes, “Yeah, you said. It’s still for kids.”
“I’m a kid at heart.” Phineas sighs. “Watch your memory.”
Perry obliges, thinking back to the day he was caught in the poacher’s trap.
It was a perfect summer day, and Perry, Penney, and their mother are walking along the side of the river. Perry and Penny run ahead, playfighting.
Suddenly the mother platypus calls out, <“Perry! Look out!”>
But the warning comes too late as the young male platypus trips and falls into a cage. It’s the first of many traps that the baby will face in his life. “Mama! Help me out!”
Alas, though his mother scratches at the lock, it is locked securely. Suddenly, the family hear two voices coming towards them, and the two female platypi scurry away. Perry huddles down into a ball as a large man with a bushy beard stomps up to the cage he’s in. “Hey, mate! We caught a baby platypus!”
Minutes later, as Perry is carried away, he sees his sister being lifted roughly by the other poacher. <“Penney!”>
The men laugh, “Two for one!” The man without a beard looks sadly down at his feet, “Just too bad I couldn’t keep the mother. She tried to bite my hand off, so I shot ‘er.”
Perry’s eyes well up with tears, and he sobs, refusing even to be comforted by his sister in the cage next to him. The siblings are separated before the hour is out, and Perry never sees his sister or mother again.
He opens his eyes with a start, and looks up at Phineas. The teen is reading his book, just glancing back at Perry from time to time. “Are you okay, boy?”
“I don’t know…” The platypus climbs up beside his owner. “I don’t know.”
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