Saved From The Lab Coat

Perry has heard hundreds of Heinz's schemes in his time with OWCA. He's seen quite a few, too, when the scientist gets to fire off a shot before Perry inevitably hits the self destruct button. They've yet to bring any true terror to the tri-state area, so he rarely thinks anything of them.

The repulse-inator is different.

It sounded like any other scheme at first -- humiliate Roger Doofenshmirtz, watch him lose his governor position, and Heinz will take over. It's the type of illogical Perry has come to expect from him, and the type he has long since stopped worrying about. It's going to backfire and blow up in Heinz's face, just like it always does.

Except this time, when it blows up in his face, it takes the entire tri-state area down with it. Perry has to watch from his trap as all of Danville turns into mindless zombies, each one bearing Heinz's face. Heinz seems to think he can control them, and, at this point, Perry couldn't care less if he's right. He just needs the guy gone, now, so he can get home and check on his family. These zombies infect others with just a touch, and he refuses to let any of them touch his kids.

As soon as Heinz is gone, Perry frees himself, and his first thought is that the quickest way to get home will be hang gliding off the balcony. Unfortunately, the zombies choose that moment to crawl up the wall, and they pile into the room, surrounding him. Looking around, he can see them everywhere. There's not a single exit that doesn't have zombies piling out of it, and it really starts to sink in that he's trapped. Every step he takes is another reminder that he's cornered, and once he hits the wall, he'll be out of options.

That changes when he does hit the wall.

A pile of boxes topples over him, and what he first assumes to be a mild inconvenience from a scientist who has never heard of organization proves to instead be a gift for one last Hail Mary. The boxes are full of plungers. Why Heinz feels he needs 20 plungers, Perry has no idea, but he's never been so grateful for the guy's hoarding tendency. He takes a plunger in each hand and launches himself at the zombies, striking two in the face and knocking them to the ground.

Armed with bathroom necessities, Perry fights his way out to the hallway and slams the door behind him. There are no zombies here yet, but if they can scale a building this size, it's only a matter of time before they make their way to the halls. A plunger in each hand, Perry sprints down the hall, hoping to make it to the staircase before the zombies do. He may not have time to run down every flight of stairs, but he has his grappling hook, and he'll ditch one of his plungers if that's what it will take to make that jump. He just has to hope that one plunger is enough to get him home.

Footsteps pound against the floor from somewhere down the hall, and if he had to take a guess, they're from someone who's running. That rules out zombies -- they may be excellent climbers, but they seem to lack the brain cells and necessary to run. Heinz mentioned that Vanessa was having a movie night with her friends. He can only assume it's her, and if she's okay, there's still hope for his family.

Perry follows the footsteps, intent on dragging her home with him to keep her safe, and it's not until he's too close to turn back that he hears Candace's voice. Instantly, Perry drops to all fours, the plungers lying on the ground by his side. Mere moments later, Candace opens the door, Vanessa right behind her.

"Perry?" Candace's jaw drops at the sight of him.

Perry chatters, and no game of poker could have prepared him for how useful it is to be able to hide all his emotions at the drop of a hat -- or, in this case, the drop of a plunger.

"Oh, Perry, thank god," Vanessa breathes. "Are you okay?"

Perry just stares at her. He's never been so conflicted. On one hand, he knows he should be asking the girls that same question. He knows he should help them get home, or at least someplace safe, and then do the same with the boys. He can't do any of that if he has to pretend he's just a pet.