Disclaimer:
A record player (That's an old-fashioned CD player for you 21st Century kids) is sitting quietly on the sea floor, slightly rusting. JC swims in, carrying a large black record disc. He gently places it on and begins turning the crank (Because it's stupid to play with electricity near or in water, kids). The record player coughs out a cloud of silt, then finally works. JC departs as the record player 'sings' the disclaimer.
"Attention! The disclaimer is this: Debbie (Dai-chan) doesn't own 'Finding Nemo' at all. Neither of you do. Only the Pixar dudes do. Got it? We know where you live, so you better agree with that. Now here is Chapter Nine - Nine - Nine - Nine - Nine - "
The needle skips at the word, beginning to sound like the terrifying chant of the infamous seagulls' calls. Dot swims in, carrying a huge mallet. She gives the player a one nice smack. The record player squeaks and continues the disclaimer. Dot departs, pleased with herself.
"Here is the Chapter Nine, so enjoy! OOooo-ggaarrrrooo-aaaaaa - !"
Thrown by someone, the mallet glides by and crashes into the record player. The player whimpers at the abuse, but finally groans before it collapses into rusted pieces. Off-screen, JC is annoyed.
"A mating call, Dot?"
"I can't help it if I want Gurgle."
"That's a crane call!"
"Oh."
Chapter Nine: Hhhheeeeellllloooooo
He knew now that he was nearer to Sydney than before, nothing will stop him from getting to his son.
Marlin felt a familiar spark of hope, caressing it gingerly since he and Dory were taken to the E.A.C. He began to believe that it was possible for him to find his son, despite all the delays and dangers he had faced. He sincerely looked forward to see his son and hug him and tell him that he loved him. He didn't want to have this hatred happening between them again. He didn't want to lose him again.
The E.A.C. had become tremulous, unsteady, as it approached Sydney. Marlin felt like he was in the center of a sea-quake, the waters violently quivering against his body. He was a bit nervous at the trembles, but Dory appeared undisturbed. Beside him, she was gazing around in wide-eyed anticipation for something to happen. They were hovering on Crush's shell, the shell's shelter lessening the trembles by a degree. Crush had told them that they needed to depart through an eddy that coiled off at the edge of the Sydney Harbor. There, they will continue until they arrived to a place called a Dock.
Marlin was both hopeful and anxious. Hope that he would find his son waiting for him there, and anxiety toward the emotions his son might be feeling toward him.
The mellow Turtle then voiced out the closing of the exit. "Alright, we're here, dudes! Get ready! Your exit's coming up, man!"
Not knowing what an eddy looked like, the Clownfish searched the sides of the E.A.C and saw nothing. "Where? I don't see it!"
The excited Dory then tugged at his fin and pointed. "Right there! I see it! I see it!"
He looked at where she pointed. Far ahead, there was a thick white current, edging off the main current, whirling downward into a wild-looking swirl. It appeared rough and unstable. "You mean that swirling vortex of terror?!" he worriedly questioned.
"That's it, dude."
"Of course, it is." Danger seemed to have an attraction on him.
"Ok, first," the Ancient turned to the fishes upon his back, "Find your exit buddy."
Marlin was staring at the eddy with doubt, then his breath was knocked out when Dory silently tightened her fins around him and yanked him close.
"Do you find your exit buddy?"
"Yes!" Dory responded. In her iron grip, Marlin expressed an irritated grimace, trying to wiggle out.
"Squirt will give you a rundown of a proper exiting technique."
Squirt drifted to his father's side and flashed a childish grin at the fishes. "Good afternoon! We will have a great jump today!" He avidly gestured, his voice rising in pitch with excitement. "Ok, crank a hard cutdown as you hit the wall. There's a screaming bottom turn, so watch out! And remember, rip it, roll it, and punch it!"
The fishes stared, each with a different look. Dory looked nonplused, but expectant, as always. Marlin, however, gave the young Turtle a look of blank agitation before he uttered to her, ". . . It's like he's trying to speak to me, I know it!" He pushed her away, turning to Squirt. "You're really cute, but I don't know what you're saying! Say the first thing again?"
"Ok, Jellyman!" Crush shouted. "Go, go, go!"
Squirt drifted behind the fishes and, with a wide sweep, shouldered them off into the eddy. The eddy had a powerful force and Marlin felt it around him, pushing and pulling all at once. He couldn't steady himself, the waters spinning in front of his sight, dizzying him. Dory chortled, waving her fins in playful delight, loving every itch of the travel. At first, Marlin was screaming with terror, struggling against the waters, but then, he felt the same sense of elation he had before while swimming through the jellyfish forest. This was fun! Tumbling, rolling, and spinning through the wild ride roused up the ecstasy, and soon, his screams of terror altered into chortles of passion, mingling with her delightful laughter.
The eddy softened its wild spins into a lazy whirl, sending the laughing fishes into calm waters.
"Whoo!" Dory threw her fins wide, then glanced to Marlin, who was still guffawing. She was surprised to see him laughing and that triggered a warm smile on her lips.
He turned to the Blue, orange eyes aglow. "That was . . . fun! I actually enjoyed that!"
She turned her gaze upward and waved. "Hey, look, turtles!"
In the E.A.C., Crush remained behind, making sure the fishes made the travel safely. He then laughed, flapping his flippers against the fast waters, calling, "Most excellent! Now, turn your little fishy tails around and swim straight on through to Sydney!" Several young Turtles landed upon him, also waiting at the end. "No worries, man!"
Marlin waved, beaming. "No worries, man! Thank you, dude Crush!"
A chorus of "Good-bye, Jellyman!" and "See you around, Jellyman!" piped from the youngsters, Squirt being the loudest.
Crush waved farewell. "Tell your little dude I said hi, okay?" he said before he turned to his swim.
With a warm feeling in his chest, Marlin watched them departing, knowing that he will miss their mellowness and their leisurely way of life. "Nemo would have loved this . . ." he murmured, then recalled one of the questions his son asked before he was taken away. This was an answer waiting for him! "Oh, wait, Crush! I forget!" The Turtle was distant, but did hear his voice, and slowed down. "How old are you?"
The laughter was proud. "150, dude! And still young! Rock on!"
He was astonished at that, remembering that his son had told him Turtles live up to a hundred. This would be a surprise to Nemo, as well. "150! 150! I gotta remember that!"
Dory was grinning at the new energy in him, making him seem younger than he was. She then glanced up, and her scarlet eyes widened. "Whoa . . ."
He didn't believe what he saw. It was like two separate waters floating in the same area, much like the E.A.C. and the calmer waters. These strange-looking waters weren't calm or rapid, however. It was dirtier. He didn't know how dirty it was, but it was surely dirty enough to be noticed right away. Merely looking at it made him slightly nauseous. Whatever made these waters dirty?
"We going in there?" Dory whispered, her eyes still on the murky water.
"Yep." He wasn't too surprised to find that he wasn't afraid to go on. He wasn't determined, either, to swim in the murky waters.
"'P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney'?"
"Yep. We're gonna swim straight through."
The Clownfish took a courageous inhale and moved on into the dirty waters, the Blue remaining close. Despite her swimming song, in which she used to cheer the dark mood up, Marlin wasn't that afraid. This area was the Sydney Harbor, only one more step before he arrived to the Dock. Then, there was where he will find his son, for sure. He looked forward to the meeting.
Although . . .
After swimming through the murky waters, he began to wonder how long had they swam. A couple of minutes? An hour? More than that? He had no clue. The murky waters looked the same to him everywhere he went. He began to feel the old twitch of apprehension, and he tried to ignore it.
"Boy, this's taking awhile," he informed Dory.
"How about we play a game?"
"Ok." Might as well to let her play. It would help keep his mind off the worry.
"Ok, I'm thinking of something orange and it's small . . ."
"It's me."
"Right!"
A bit later . . .
"It's orange and small . . ."
"It's me."
"Alright, Mr. Smartypants!"
Some time later . . .
"It's orange and small and white stripes and - "
"Me, and the next one, just a guess, me."
Dory stared at him with bafflement. "That's just scary."
Marlin stopped, now truly anxious. They were traveling too long, in these darned waters, destroying precious time. He wasn't furious, but merely upset. He eyed a speck floating in the waters, identical to all other specks, but he was trying to figure out what was going on. "Wait, wait, wait, I've definitely seen this floating speck before." He darted a bit forward, squinting. "And that means we've passed it before, and that means we've been swimming in circles, and that means we're not going straight!"
Not seeing Dory, who was quietly floating behind him, Marlin crudely shoved her aside, startling her.
"Hey, hey!" She was hurt, but then was bewildered at the growing panic on his face.
"Get to the surface," he demanded, heading upward. "We'll figure it out up there. Let's go!"
"Whoa, hey!" Dory grabbed on his tail. With amazing strength, she yanked him down, sending him spinning backward. She held on his cheeks and pulled his face close to hers. He felt his panic rapidly vanishing when he regarded the serious frown on her face. Then she smiled gently. "Relax . . . Take a deep breath."
Letting him go, she took a deep breath. Half-obeying, Marlin followed, giving off a weak exhale. Strangely, it did help, easing the worry, but he was still irritated with the change of plans. He was trapped in the murky waters and he didn't know what else to do.
"Now, let's ask someone for directions," she was saying, beaming.
"Fine," he growled. "Who do you want to ask, this speck? There's nobody here!"
She chuckled, not noticing his increasing irritation. "Well, there has to be someone here. It's the ocean, silly. We're not the only two here. Ok . . ." She paused, staring at the empty waters. "Ok, nobody here. Nope. Nada." While Marlin clenched his teeth to keep himself from screaming, Dory remarked a darker spot against the waters. It was tiny, but obviously, it was a fish. "There's someone! Hey, excuse -"
"Wait, Dory!" Marlin shot off in front of her, stopping her. "It's my turn!" He didn't like the sight of that shadow. It was moving too slow, too mysterious. It could be anything. Keeping her gaze on his face, he assumed, "I'm thinking something dark and mysterious. It's a fish we don't know! If we ask it for directions, it could ingest us and spit out our bones!"
The Blue gave him an appalled look. "What's it with men and asking for directions?"
"I don't want to play the gender card right now," he defended, quickly looking to the shadow. "Let's play the 'Let's Not Die' card."
She watched him for a second, then her lips pulled back into what he later called the Dory smirk, her eyes half-closed in a visage of sagacity. It was like she wasn't Dory at all. "You want to get out of here?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then how are we gotta do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?"
Marlin was desperate. How can he make her understand? It was dangerous to ask for help from strangers, especially the ones who moved in the shadows! "Dory, you don't fully understand -"
"Come on. Trust me on this."
He paused, recalling the same words he heard before - moments before they were surrounded by the jellyfish forest. Feeling a heartbeat of painful remembrance, he gazed over to her scars. The scars were healing, but they were colored dark red, startling against her blue scales. She appeared unfazed by the scars right now, but, earlier, she did ask him about them in puzzlement. When he couldn't face her, the Turtles helped out filling her in. He didn't know if she would recall the scars next time, but he knew he will. The scars were the result of his refusal of trusting Dory. His refusal almost caused their deaths. He didn't want to betray the trust she had in him, and definitely, he didn't want to lose the trust he had in himself. This time he just had to trust her . . .
Marlin gazed up to her bright smile, seeing that she was resolute to help him out. He shifted aside. "Alright."
Dory's smile widened in thanks, and she called over to the shadow, "Excuse me? Whoo-hoo! Little fella?" The shadow didn't move, didn't respond at all, and that unnerved Marlin. She then jabbed his side, disappointed. "Don't be rude. Say hi!"
The Clownfish made a weak grin. "Heh, hello."
"His son, Bingo - "
"Nemo."
"Nemo was taken to . . . ?"
"Sydney."
"Sydney! And it's really, really important that we get there as fast as we can, so can you help us out?" When the shadow still didn't answer, Dory then smiled with reassurance. "Come on, little fella. Come on."
Marlin then realized why the shadow didn't talk back, didn't move fast enough to convince him that it was a fish. It was too far. He gulped, trying to imagine how big this fish could be. " . . . Dory, I'm a little fella. I don't think this's a little fella."
Sure enough, it was big. Judging from the distance, the shadow could be four or five times larger than Dory, or even ten. It was a Whale, apparently, as it lazily shifted to its side, showing its long body and wide tail. It was difficult to tell what kind, but it was a Whale, simply enough.
Dory frowned absently. "Maybe he only speaks whale . . ." She took a deep breath and spoke in an odd, lengthy drawl.
"Moooooowwwweeeeeennneeeeddttoooooooffiiinnddhhhhhiiiiiisssssoooooon."
Marlin blinked at her attempt of speaking whale. Whales weren't pretty good with speaking fish, and their low, trembling voices were suited only for their language. But the way Dory spoke, it sounded like she was stretching every word into a disorientated call. "Dory? Dory?" He glanced nervously at the Whale, wondering what it thought of the attempt. "What are you doing? Are you sure you speak whale?"
"Caaaaannnnyyyyooouuuugiiiveeuuuusssdiiiiireectiooons?"
"Dory! Heaven knows what you're saying!" The Whale appeared displeased and turned to vanish in the murky waters. "See, he's swimming away."
"Coooommmeeebbaaaaack," Dory pleaded, eventually running out of breath.
Marlin was frowning in similar displeasure. "He's not coming back. You offended him."
She didn't look troubled. "Maybe a different dialect. Moooooooooohhhmmmmmoooooooooooo!"
"Dory!" The Clownfish wanted her to stop this silly effort. He didn't want to upset her, grinning uneasily. "That's not whale. You're speaking upset stomach."
The Blue frowned at his weak attempt of humor, then turned to the venture of the whale language. "Maybe I should try humpback."
"Don't . . ."
"Wooooooooohh! Woooooooohh!"
He flinched at the ghastly sounds. "You actually sound sick!"
"Maybe louder? RAH! RAH!"
"Don't do that!" Marlin buried his head in his fins agonizingly. Out of all the fishes in the oceans, he had to have a Regal Blue Tang who was scatterbrained, annoyingly optimistic, and fluent in Whale. What were the odds?
Dory covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Too much orca. Didn't it sound orca-ish?"
Finally! "It doesn't sound orca. It sounds like nothing I've heard."
"OOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!"
He gave up, muttering to himself, "It's just as well. He might be hungry."
She paused, smirking at him like he was forgetful. "Whales don't eat Clownfish, silly. They eat krill."
An instant later, a group of tiny shrimps swam past them from behind, appearing panicked about something.
"Oh, look, krill!" Dory pointed, grinning.
His orange eyes widened in realization. Just then, he noticed that the surrounding waters were a bit darker than usual, and the quietness hung nearby, heavy and piercing. Slowly, he turned around in apprehension. WHALE! It was about to open its mouth! He grabbed on Dory's fin. "Move, Dory! Move!" Both tried to fight against the force, but it was absurd, for the Whale was swallowing water faster than they could swim. They screamed as the mouth closed in on them.
A/O:
The whale language is one of the funniest languages I've ever got to see. :D Dory's facial gestures make me laugh every time I watch her. She does have a Jim Carrey face. Have you noticed that? :D Simply a cutie, that Dory. But I do love Marlin, too, when he tries to stop her from speaking whale. I just love this scene between them.
