Descent Into Madness

Chapter 4: Thicker Than Thieves

I flinched as a spark zapped my finger. In any other situation, I would have stuck the hurt digit in my mouth for a second, but considering some of the things I'd touched recently, that probably wouldn't be a wise move. Instead I tried to shake out my hand before attempting to reconnect the wire again.

Why would somebody take the time to rip out and cut through so many dang wires?

"It's on." Phineas was watching the screens in order to tell me when power was restored to them and convey it to me since I was in a somewhat awkward position halfway inside the control system.

I lightly kicked his leg as a sign to continue.

"There's no images coming from the cameras." The click of him pressing keys filled the otherwise quiet air as he tried to get it working from up there.

I shifted position in order to stop something from stabbing me in the back. If he wasn't injured, I'd make him be the one crawling around down here. He's smaller; it would be an easier fit.

"Nothing."

Silently sighing, I started fiddling with the machinery again, hitting my elbow in the process and creating an echoing bang in the cramped space.

"You okay?" I could tell he was bending down to see, and I quickly shot him a thumbs up.

"So," his voice had taken on a teasing lift, "I guess you're not so happy about that growth spurt now."

Honestly, is he never going to let that go? I kicked him again, this time harder, which backfired when it threw off my balance, causing me to face plant as much as was possible in the small area.

He said something, but I wasn't really paying attention. There was something tangled up in the wires that I couldn't see from where I was before. Carefully, I angled my hand to grab it. Feeling smooth wood against my fingers as I pulled out the object. Once past the wires, I tightened my grip on it while backing out of the access point.

"What's that?"

I was barely out and Phineas was already right there, dropping to the floor in front of me to see.

Reaching up, I flipped off the torch I'd attached to the baseball cap before holding the object out. A knife, most likely the one that had been used to cut all these  wires I was now having to repair. The five inch blade had rust coloured stains coating it. I didn't want to dwell on what had caused them.

I looked up from it to Phineas, taking in the thin line of his mouth, and raised an eyebrow in question.

He sighed. "It's just dawning on me, I guess."

I cued him to continue.

Phineas took a deep breath before blathering out, "We're going to have to fight our way out of here and those things are living creatures and I know we've had to go up against living things that wanted to hurt us before but not like these things and what if we have to kill one? They want to kill us apparently, but I don't think I could kill something, I know I can't, even if it wants to kill me."

Looking back at the knife, I twisted it around to where I was lightly holding the blade before holding it out to him. He blinked.

"Ferb?"

"What," I started, before taking a deep breath and raising my eyes back to his. "What if it was going to kill me?"

His eyes widened and shot down to the knife.

"Would you be able to then, Phineas?" I could see the indecisiveness in his eyes.

"I- Ferb," he whined.

A pang of guilt hit my heart, but I had to know. We had been through thick and thin together and here, more than ever, I needed to be sure he would have my back just as much as I would have his. No matter what.

His voice was a whisper as he started singing. If we weren't sitting so close, I think I would have missed it. "I'll tell you up front that I've got your back, and I know that you've got mine. As long as we stick together side by side... it's gonna turn out fine."

Recognising the song from five summers ago, I gave him a sad smile.

Squaring his jaw, he reached out and hesitantly wrapped his left hand around the handle. "I still don't want to kill something, but for you, bro, I think I could try."

Letting go of the blade, I patted his hand.

He continued staring at the knife for a few seconds before setting it down. "Did you finish fixing it?"

Shrugging, I stood up. I reached a hand down to him to help him up after me.

"Once we get this up and running, we're gonna have to try finding water somewhere in this place," he said.

He had a point. We had already been here a day and humans could only go without water for a week at most.

I nodded. I'd go searching as soon as the system was up and running.