Chapter 3
Marlin stood there with his bike, absolutely petrified at the person who had stepped out of the black pickup truck! The man could've been the size of a small house, and the villainous grin he had on his face made him look like he was planning something bad!
As said before, the man was large, with a heavy build. He was also bald, had pale skin, bright blue eyes, and a black goatee. His clothing consisted of a dark blue stocking cap, a black t-shirt with a great white shark opening its mouth on it, a black band around his left wrist, dark blue jeans, and heavy black boots with black laces.
Unlike Marlin, Dory wasn't afraid; she came right up to the large man.
"Well, hi!" Dory replied, her tone cheery.
"Name's Bruce!" said the man, thrusting his hand in front of Marlin and Dory.
Marlin let out a gasp upon seeing the hand of the man, Bruce. His hand was quivering, and because of that, Marlin knew what he was; he was a thug! Only thugs had shaking hands, mostly from beating people with their fists! They were ultra-violent individuals, who loved nothing more than to hurt anybody they encountered! Upon seeing Marlin's frightened reaction, Bruce pulled his hand back.
"It's alright, I understand." Bruce spoke nonchalantly, as he turned to walk back to his pickup truck. "Why trust a thug, right?"
He then spun around and charged at Marlin and Dory, making them jump back! Marlin quickly hid behind Dory, while Bruce began laughing heartily, like he just told a hilarious joke. After he was done laughing, he looked at Marlin and Dory, still with that villainous grin on his face!
"So… what's a couple of folks like you doing out so late?" asked Bruce.
"Nothing." Marlin replied. "Nothing. We're doing nothing; we're not even out."
"Great!" said Bruce. "Then how would you small fries like to come to a little… get together… that I'm having?"
"You mean like a party?" Dory asked, her tone still cheerful.
"Yeah, yeah, it's a party!" Bruce replied, before chuckling and asking, "What do you say?"
"Oh, I love parties!" Dory spoke, her tone cheerful. "That sounds like fun!"
"You know, parties are great and all, but I can't." Marlin replied, starting to get on his bike. "Cause I have to-"
Suddenly, Bruce came forward and grabbed down Marlin's shoulder, albeit rather hard!
"Oh come on, I insist!" Bruce continued, pulling on Marlin's shoulder and dragging him off the bike.
"Okay!" Marlin yelped. "That's all that matters!"
Bruce, holding Marlin, ushered Dory into the pickup truck. He then shoved Marlin in after her, and climbed in, closing the door. Fortunately, the inside of the pickup truck was big enough for two people to sit in the passenger side seat together. Bruce then began driving deeper into the desert, leaving behind the two bikes that Marlin and Dory were riding.
As they were driving, Dory removed her helmet and put it in the backseat of the pickup truck. Marlin sat there uncomfortably, wondering how in the world he and Dory were going to escape from Bruce. Though they had just met each other, he didn't want Dory to get left with a thug who could do terrible things to her. Bruce just stayed quiet, though he still had that threatening smile on his face.
The three soon drove through an empty, barren plain, where they were several air raid balloons set up, all tied down to several piles of cinder blocks.
"Hey look, balloons!" said Dory, her tone cheerful. "It is a party!"
Bruce let out a chuckle and said, "Mind your distance though; those balloons are air mines left over from the last great war. Let's just say that you don't want one of them to pop, and if they do… you better run like you've never run before."
Marlin looked out the window with a forlorn look on his face, before seeing the destination they were going to. Upon seeing it, Marlin let out a gasp, and began whimpering. They were heading towards a downed airship, though unlike the one that took Nemo, it was larger and more grand in scale. In fact, you could probably house the population of a small town in this type of ship.
The pickup truck parked in front of the large airship, and Bruce got out. Marlin got out next, but before he could run away, Bruce grabbed down on his shoulder again! Dory, who couldn't understand how much danger the two were in, came out and walked alongside Bruce with no struggle.
"Anchor! Chum!" Bruce called out.
A scuffling noise was heard, and two thugs came out of the downed airship! Marlin could tell they were thugs, because their hands were shaking like Bruce's!
The first thug, Anchor, was tall and wiry looking. He had a shaven head, pale skin, and harsh brown eyes. His clothing consisted of a dark red and black plaid jacket, a dark green t-shirt, acid washed skinny jeans, and white sneakers.
The second thug, Chum, was short and funny looking. He had frayed dark blue hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. His clothing consisted of a white long sleeved shirt with blue stripes, black pants, and black boots with black laces.
"There you are, Bruce!" said Anchor. "Finally!"
"I brought company." Bruce spoke.
"Well, it's about time, mate!" Anchor replied.
"We've already gone through the snacks, and I'm starving!"
"We almost started beating each other up!"
"Come on, let's get this over with!"
Marlin began struggling to get away, pulling against Bruce's large hand, which was still stuck on his shoulder! This was it for Marlin; he and Dory were going to get beaten to death by the thugs!
A bell rang, and Marlin was closing his eyes and putting his fists up, like he was about to enter into a boxing match! But, after not feeling anyone attack him, he slowly opened his eyes, and put his fists down. He, Dory, Bruce, Anchor, and Chum were all in what looked like a chapel, and Bruce was standing in the pulpit. Anchor, Chum, Dory, and Marlin all sat in folding chairs that were set up near the pulpit.
"Right, the meeting has come to order!" Bruce announced. "Let us all say the pledge."
Bruce, Anchor, and Chum then all raised their hands. Dory did the same, while Marlin looked at her weird, finding it strange that she was getting involved with this.
"I am a nice person, not a mindless attacker." Bruce, Anchor, and Chum all said at the same time. "If I am to change this image, I must first change myself; people are victors, not victims!"
"Right then," Bruce spoke, once the pledge was said, and hands were lowered. "Today's meeting is step five: bring a friend. Now, do all of you have your friends?"
"Got mine." Anchor replied, stepping to the side.
Standing behind him was a small, nerdy looking man with thick glasses, pale skin, and unkempt hair that was brown. He wore a green button up dress shirt, dark green pants, brown shoes. He was hyperventilating, and he was looking around the room frantically, his eyes darting left and right in fear.
"Hey there!" Dory greeted, causing the nerdy man to jump a little.
"How about you, Chum?" Bruce asked.
"Oh, me?" Chum replied with a question. "My friend and I had a falling out, so he wasn't able to come. Namely because I broke his jaw and he's in the hospital right now…"
Marlin let out a gasp, while the nerdy man who was with Anchor quickly began sneaking out. Marlin noticed this and watched him leave, planning on doing the same and leaving Dory with these… people.
"It's alright, Chum." said Bruce, his tone cheerful. "If you want, you can borrow one of my friends."
"Oh thanks, mate." Chum replied, throwing his arm around Marlin and pulling him close. "A little 'chum' for chum, eh?"
Marlin let out a whimper in response to this, but business continued on as usual.
"I'll start the testimonies." Bruce spoke up. "Hello, my name is Bruce."
"Hello, Bruce." Anchor and Chum both replied, though they sounded bored.
"It's been three weeks since I've beaten the snot out of somebody." Bruce continued. "On my honor, or else may I be chopped up and turned into fish food."
Anchor and Chum clapped for him, both saying that he was an inspiration to the two of them. While Chum clapped, he still kept Marlin in the crook of his arm, which kind of hurt him because his arm was slamming into his shoulder over and over.
"Right, who's next?" Bruce asked.
"Ooh, ooh, ooh, pick me, pick me!" Dory replied quickly, holding her hand up like she was a kid in school.
"Yeah, the little lady down the front." Bruce announced. "Come on up."
Dory let out a hoot of victory and ran up to the pulpit, while Bruce stepped down from it and took Dory's seat.
"Hi, I'm Dory." Dory spoke up.
"Hello, Dory." Bruce, Anchor, and Chum all said at the same time.
"And, well… I've never beat up on anyone." Dory replied, her tone somewhat nervous.
"Hey, that's incredible!" said Chum, as the three thugs began clapping.
"Good on ya, mate!" Bruce added, also clapping.
"Whew…" Dory breathed a sigh or relief, pretending to wipe sweat off her forehead. "Just wanted to get that off my chest."
"Right, anyone else?" Bruce asked, before taking notice of Marlin. "Hello, how about you, mate? What's your problem?"
"Me?" Marlin asked, his tone surprised. "I… I don't have a problem…"
"Oh, okay…" Bruce replied, before he, Anchor and Chum all said at the same time, "Denial!"
Chum took his arm off of Marlin, while Bruce literally picked Marlin up, holding his arms and preventing him from moving. Dory stepped down from the pulpit, while Bruce hiked up to it, placing Marlin down at it.
"Just start with your name, and go from there." said Bruce, before going back down to sit in Marlin's seat.
"Uh, okay…" Marlin spoke, trying to humor the dangerous people that he and Dory were stuck with. "My name is Marlin, and I'm a comedian…"
"A comedian?!" Chum asked, as all three thugs jumped forward to the pulpit. "Really?"
"Go on, tell us a joke!" Bruce added, his tone excited.
"Well, I do know this one joke that's really funny." Marlin replied. "There was this guy, and he walks up to this other guy in a bar, and the guy's sitting there drinking some kind of weird drink. I don't know what kind of drink it was, but I think it a drink that wasn't really good for you, and he says to the guy…"
Marlin then looked up, and his expression turned to shock. Imbedded in an old table, and having broken through a window of the downed airship, was a green and black pilot's helmet; the same one that the mech driver who took Nemo was wearing!
"Nemo!" said Marlin, moving away from the pulpit.
"Nemo?" Chum asked, his tone confused. "I don't get the joke."
"You know, for a comedian, he's not really that funny." Bruce spoke, his tone somewhat downcast.
"No, Nemo's my son." Marlin replied. "He was taken away by these mechs, and I'm trying to look for him."
Dory let out a gasp, and said in a sympathetic tone, "Oh no, you poor man…"
Upon hearing that, Anchor and Chum started going off on how the mech drivers thought they owned everything, while Bruce began crying over how he never knew his real father. Meanwhile, Marlin got to the green and black pilot helmet, but the words on it were a strange language he had never seen before.
"What does this language mean?" Marlin asked, picking the helmet and looking at it. "I can't read this type of writing."
"Then we have to find someone who can read this!" Dory replied, grabbing the helmet from him. "Hey look, thugs!"
"No, no, wait!" said Marlin, his tone somewhat panicked, as he didn't want to lose the one thing that could lead him to his son.
He grabbed the helmet from Dory, who began fighting him for it, right in front of the thugs. After a few seconds of both of them tugging back and forth, the helmet accidentally slipped from Marlin's hands, and hit Dory square in the nose!
"Agh!" Dory groaned, grabbing her nose.
"Oh no!" said Marlin, his tone apologetic. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry…"
"I forgive you; I'm alright." Dory replied, holding her nose. "Man, you really clonked me there; am I bleeding?"
Dory let go of her nose, and some blood began leaking out. Marlin let out a small groan of both embarrassment and sympathy, while Bruce came over to survey the damage.
"Hey Dory, are you okay?" Bruce asked, his tone concerned. "That was some hit you-"
Suddenly, upon seeing the blood run down Dory's nose, Bruce's killing instincts kicked in! Having seen a little blood, he wanted to see more blood come leaking out of Dory! He wanted to see bones break, flesh turn purple and bruised, but most of all, he wanted blood! Blood, blood, and nothing blood!
"Blood…" Bruce spoke, his eyes growing large and black, like a shark. "Blood…"
Anchor and Chum took a brief second to look at each other and then yelled out, "Intervention!"
They jumped forward and grabbed Bruce, right before he was about to wrap his meaty hands around Dory's throat! Marlin and Dory ducked to the ground, while Anchor and Chum pinned Bruce to the wall!
"Just one punch!" Bruce roared, trying to break free.
"We're in this together, mate!" Anchor replied, as he and Chum struggled to keep Bruce back.
"Bruce, they're our friends!" Chum added. "People are victors, not victims!"
Bruce broke free, and Marlin and Dory quickly dodged out of the way of him lunging at them! The two then ran for a double-door, with Marlin carrying the black and green pilot helmet! They burst through it, followed by Bruce, who had the look of a killer on his face!
"Somebody's going to die tonight!" Bruce roared, before running after his two chosen victims.
"Marlin, Dory, run!" Chum yelled. "Run! He's coming after you!"