Marlin was beginning to wonder if this was really such a good idea.
Atlanta: *snorts* A good idea? *English street accent* I. Don't. Fink. So.
The very, very deep, dark parts of the ocean are just about the scariest enviornment on the planet. Down there live things that would make your flesh crawl just hearing about them.
Seadra: Oh no, your flesh won't just crawl. It will bloody well get up and peg it out of the area.
But to swim amongst them is to be in a truly alien world. There are the most bizarre creatures, with enormous, gaping mouths; lights running up and down the sides of their bodies as though humans had created them with their electricity;
Atlanta: No way, no human would ever have come up with that, no matter how twisted humans are.
Power (o/c): I resent that.
Seadra: Humph. Humans. Think everything's theirs. Probably American this author.
Power (o/c): Your correct, the author is American. But you're getting confused with the American Government, Bush in particular.
Seadra: Oh yes. That's right. I apologise unreservely to the good American People for offending you.
huge rubbery bodies, and twisted, deformed, terrifying bodies that housed gigantic saber-like teeth
Atlanta: 0_0? Good Neptune, they have teeth inside their bodies? And not in their mouths? Now that is freaky.
and frightening eyes.
Such a place was where our intepid bunch of explorers found themselves.
Seadra: Lunatics.
"Wish those moonfish were here," Dory pointed out, "their scales are all shiny."
"They're like the moon, Dory,"
Atlanta (French accent): They're like the moon Doree.
Seadra: Eh?
Atlanta: *shrugs* It just seemed like a French thing to say.
Moira told her. "They don't give off their own light, they only reflect it. Their scales wouldn't shine any more down here than ours do."
"Are you sure about this? Maybe we should just turn back now." Marlin was worrying again.
Seadra: You should have turned back ages ago.
Atlanta: You shouldn't have gone at all.
"No, I'm sure this is okay.
Seadra: Yeah it is o.k, if you're feeling particularly suicidal that is.
just keep touching fins.we'll be all right.
Atlanta: Oh no you won't.
When the light-up fish come around,
Seadra: Swim like hell.
you'll be able to see.
Atlanta: Only in their vicinity which is precisely where you don't want to be.
And they won't hurt you.
Seadra: Oh yes they will.
Atlanta: That's what their big mouths and long sharp teeth are for.
Just stay quiet and out of the way.and continue holding fins."
Gill was instructing them all.
Atlanta: Naturally.
His pals in the gang were stunned silent by this amazing journey. Their life of near madness in a small, four- walled world was so starkly different from this limitless expanse of ocean
Seadra: Really now?
Atlanta: You don't say.
that they were overwhelmed. Not only that, but they were descending into a darkness so seemingly infinite that they couldn't even believe they were still on the same planet. They were both in awe and in fear.
Seadra: Quite rightfully too.
Before much longer, everyone was able to see; schools of bright little fishes were passing by this area, where they apparently made their home. The ground could be seen in the pale bluish light they emitted; it was a rocky, bumpy ground, covered in nothing but dirt and rocks. Not even algea seemed to be surviving down here.
Atlanta: . . . No. Because algae use light to photosynthesise. That's why they float on the surface. *exchanges a frown with Seadra*
"What did I tell ya, isn't this an experience?" "We can turn around fairly soon..just a bit further along." Mr. Ray and Gill were the tour guides, teaching everyone about the various species inhabiting the deep sea.
Both guides were cut short by a rapid swish of water past the group and a scream or two of terror. In that moment of chaos,
Atlanta: I'm sorry. You call a scream or two, a moment of chaos? *English street accent* I. Don't. Fink. So.
all hell broke lose, and the calm was shattered. The nice, safe chain of fourteen animals
Atlanta: Fish. We may be animals, but we're all fish, Mr. Ray can be counted as one too considering rays are related to sharks which are in turn a type of fish.
was broken. Everyone was thrown off in a different direction, trying frantically to find each other and remain within the light. But getting too close would spell disaster. A whole team of anglerfish
Seadra: Team? I didn't know anglerfish worked as a team.
Atlanta: That's because they don't.
had spotted them
Atlanta: Wha-? Impossible! Anglerfish can't see in the dark. That's what they need those lights for.
and given chase. Three members of the group were particularly unsafe; Nemo, Moira, and Deb had an angler in hot pursuit of them.
"Daddy! Help me!" came Nemo's desperate cries. Marlin yelled, "Nemo!" He vainly tried to find his son, but the enemies were all around; he continually was required to swim back and forth, this way and that, all the while bumping into his friends, who were also swimming for their lives, and every which way he turned there was no time to stop and more danger in the inky black water.
Seadra: *clamps Atlanta's beak shut*
Atlanta: MMMMMMPPH MMHGHHHMMPH!!
Seadra: Only if you promise not to complain about the sentence.
Atlanta: Mmb mgmbh.
Seadra: Good. *lets her go*
Atlanta: *huffily* Honestly.
Gill repeatedly called Moira's name and tried to follow in the direction her pitiful cries for help were sounding, but every time he drew near, another angler lunged at him, and Moira sounded farther away. Several times, a fish snapped at one of Gill's friends, and he had to help; either he would distract the big louse with himself, or he would bravely charge clear into its face and try to obstruct its vision for a few seconds.
Seadra: Crikey, that is brave.
Atlanta: Or very stupid.
Several times his Tank Gang friends did the same things for him. If he'd had time to think straight, he would've realized that a lot of gratitude would be in order after this.
Seadra: Emphasis on "a lot"!
Deb was running out of steam as the anglerfish closed in on her. His light dangled inches from her heart-shaped caudal fin. "This is the end," she thought, whipping her fins as fast as she could but feeling that she had very little strenght left with which to continue doing so.
Seadra: Well if she's wasting energy pointlessly whipping her fins around, no wonder. She should be powering her tail as fast as she can.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "The damselfish in distress!" Turning around, she saw that Bubbles had darted right into the line of fire. Completely exhausted, Deb slowly sank toward the ground. She tried to keep herself buoyant.
Atlanta: What's wrong with her swim bladder?
Bubbles was not having a good time with this angler.
Seadra: *sarcasticly* Can't think why.
He was way too close for comfort. Deb rushed in, but it was hopeless. The angler didn't even notice the tiny black and white fish. He was fixated on making a meal of the larger, more noticably colored fish.
Atlanta: *thinks* Yes, yes that's right, Deb is slightly smaller than Bubbles. And it does make sense that the anglerfish would choose him over her.
Seadra: You don't seem to be particularly concerned that Bubbles is about to die.
Atlanta: Well this is fanfiction Bubbles.
Seadra: . . . Good point.
For at least an hour the chases ensued like this; but eventually the anglers grew tired of terrorizing the group. Mr. Ray was the greatest defense against them; his large wings were capable of beating them away and kicking up sand. So finally, the anglerfish swam off, leaving only the pale bluish lights of the smaller, harmless fish, who returned now that the coast was clear. Roll call was taken. Gill had managed to save Moira. Marlin hugged Nemo tightly. The Tank Gang and Mr. Ray were breathing heavily, but they were alive.
Atlanta: Way to point out the obvious.
There was only one member of the group missing.
Seadra: *gasps* Oh no. Bubbles.
He was lying limply on the floor, fins torn, breaths shallow.
Seadra: Oh the poor fish.
Atlanta: *pats her head* There, there. He's going to be alright.
Seadra: *hugs Atlanta* I hope so.
Mr. Ray gingerly scooped him up on his wings and carried him up, followed by the rest of them, holding fins.
Gill and Moira sat to the side, miserable and in a daze. They had been the ones to accept Nemo's proposition to go down there. They had been the ones to lead the expedition. Everything that had happened was their fault. Hadn't they promised there were no harmful fish down in that part?
Atlanta: They said what? *laughs derisively* FOOLS!
Seadra: *tuts* Really Atlanta.
Hadn't they said that?
Atlanta: *tears streaming down her face*
How could they have been so stupid?
Atlanta: *nods unable to speak*
After the filter incident, Gill had felt bad enough. Now he could never forgive himself. He had helped put all fourteen of their lives in danger, including Nemo again. Besides that, he had almost cost one of his longtime, trusted comrades from the tank his life. The poor fish felt awful.
Atlanta: *takes deep gulping breaths.*
The others from the group were huddled around a piece of flat, velvety coral.
Atlanta: *finally calms down*
Mr. Ray and some other very intelligent, highly scientific creatures were making every attempt to revive Bubbles,
Seadra: Wow Atlanta, this author mentioned you without realising it.
the wounded hero. Deb sniffled as she looked on.
"He saved my life," she whispered. No one had ever really thought of Bubbles as any kind of hero. He was the goofy one who made everybody laugh, and he.well, he chased bubbles. But he was one of the young ones in the gang, he needed the protection, no one ever thought of him as doing the protecting. But now.all that was changed.
Both: *look sombre*
Atlanta: There is nothing funny to say about that. He was a brave fish indeed.
Mr. Ray sent the gang, Marlin, Dory, and Nemo away for a while. They approached Gill and Moira, speaking their forgiveness-though the two Moorish Idols didn't seem to want to talk.
"It's because of me," Gill said in a monotone voice, as if in a trance. "I was a fool. I nearly killed us all. Some leader I turned out to be. I'm sorry for what I did to all of you. You guys were sure brave down there.
Atlanta: *spits out her drink. Laughs*
Seadra: Really sometimes you can be so cruel.
But now Bubbles is dying because of me."
Before anyone could reply, the ray called them back for a chat.
"How's Old Yeller?" Gurgle asked,
Both: 0_0?
Seadra: That doesn't. . .
Atlanta: Sound right.
inquiring about the yellow tang's condition.
Atlanta: Well who else is yellow?
"Not too good,"
Seadra: Oh gee, you think?
Mr. Ray said honestly. "But.improving. I can't say what's gonna happen. We can only wait."
Time is the great healer. Time, love and tenderness.
Atlanta: *spits on the floor in disgust*
Seadra: *rolls her eyes*
With a little of all three, the group soon returned to normal.
Bubbles made a slow but sure recovery. Gill and Moira were unanimously forgiven. For a while, Marlin still secretly hoped for a mate. And then one day.
Atlanta: . . . . . . . . . . . Yes? And then one day what?
Seadra: Uh, I think we're supposed to read on.
Atlanta: Oh see. Very well.
Three young sharks played tag near a submarine; a great white, a hammerhead, and a mako.
"Don't pop those balloons, kids! They make too big an explosion."
Atlanta: Those "ballons" have already "popped". Inaccurate sentence.
The little sharks waved to the fishes that passed by; they were being raised on kelp.
Atlanta: *gag* Hate kelp.
Surfing the EAC, Squirt joined his brothers and sisters between not one, but two parents; Crush, and a hippie turtle named Shelle.
Atlanta: Another hippie?
Seadra: They're all hippies you moron.
Atlanta: No they're not. They're more of a surfer, gypsy, peace-loving, group hugging. . . all right, they're hippies.
Seadra: Well I suppose you're right, they're more surfer-hippies.
Above the ocean, a flock of small pelicans practiced flying with their father, a peculiar fish-lover, and their mother-who loved Nigel anyway.
Both: What. . . the. . . Underworld?
Atlanta: Peculiar fish-lover?
Seadra: Loved Nigel anyway?
Both: (¥_¥)?
Seadra: Oh well, at least Nigel's got himself a girl. And a family.
Atlanta: You're too soft.
Inside the reef, a reluctant clownfish was coaxed into letting their older son take a large brood of babies to school on his own. The leading was done by a fish with a dumpy
Atlanta: Gimpy.
fin on one side. And the coaxing was done by a motherly lady clown. The proud papa was Marlin.
In a whir of color and speed, a school of blue tangs entered the scene, led by Dory and a male.who
Atlanta: RANDOM FULL STOP!!
Seadra: *flinches* Yes, I'd noticed. And I was going to protest about the Dory/other character pairing. I don't like it. Dory/Marlin makes much more sense to me.
Atlanta: Even if they aren't the same species.
Seadra: So what.
Atlanta: I have to admit, I agree.
was a tad memory-challenged as well.
Seadra: *rolls eye* Of course he would.
He tried to count how many kids there were and forgot the total number.
"Twenty-three!" Dory reminded him. "Gosh, can't you remember we have twenty-three?"
One little blue tang ran into a little fish who was black, yellow, and white. He was part of a school led by Gill and Moira.
Atlanta: They can't be leading if that small Blue swam, not ran, into the small Idol.
Following this family was a school of essentially purplish fish with orangey-yellow tails. Gurgle, whose caudal fin was yellow, was acting quite the nervous father like Marlin; counting and recounting the little ones, warning them about everything.
Both: *smiling* Oh yes, definately Gurgle.
Marlin laughed a little when he saw the lovely female royal gramma, smaller than Gurgle, with an orange tail, trying to get him to loosen up.
In came a boisterous school of puffers, who enjoyed impressing the other kids with their abilities. Bloat and his lady pufferfish had their fins full with this bunch, who, they thought, should get on well with Tad. Deb had met a handsome male damsel and settled down to a small little family of her own.
Seadra: Pity really. I like the idea of a Deb/Gill pairing but there we go.
Atlanta: Not that there are any.
Seadra: No. *thinks* POWER!
Power (o/c): *grumbles* This had better be good, Seadra, you just interrupted my reading of Lirael.
Seadra: *winces* Whoops, sorry.
Power (o/c): Anyway what do you want?
Seadra: Are you going to write a Deb/Gill fanfic?
Power: *thinks* I might.
Seadra: *smiles* Good.
Atlanta: *glares* We're going to be in it aren't we?
Power (o/c): Uh. . . Maybe.
Atlanta: I suppose you want to write our introductory fic first?
Power (o/c): Of course.
Atlanta: Then get on with it so you can write the Deb/Gill fanfic.
Power (o/c): *offended* You know I do have College work and revision to do. I'll write it after the exams.
Atlanta: That'll do.
Seadra: Good, good.
Peach, with a darker peach-colored starfish husband, came sucking out from their home with a dozen little five-armed cuties. Only one was special; she had six legs. Another had five legs, but one was shorter than the rest.
Atlanta: So in other words, two are special.
She would fit right in with Pearl.
Atlanta: Eh? Why?
Seadra: Because Pearl claimed to have one tentacle shorter than the others.
Atlanta: But she was lying, to make Nemo feel better.
Seadra: Yes, I know but the author obviously didn't realise that.
A playful Bubbles and a slightly smaller female yellow tang arrived next, with a vivid school of little ones batting bubbles back and forth. Jacques's new family scurried out from inside a hole;
Atlanta: A random hole. Are you talking about a black hole, a hole in the seabed, a hole in a rock? Please be specific.
there were at least fifteen little shrimp!
Both: *gasp*
Seadra: *mock horror* Oh no!
And so, these schools of flitting color, these oranges and yellows and blues and other dots of brightness, illuminated the seafloor as each friend found happiness with their new families, and with one another-under the ocean.
Atlanta: *giggles* That ending was horrendous, get me a sick bucket.
Seadra: *rolls eyes* You're too cynical sometimes.
FIN
Atlanta: At last.
(no pun intended)
Seadra: Yeah, whatever.
Atlanta: So is this over now?
Power (o/c): Yep.
Both: Thank Neptune.
The two ocean-dwellers swim out of the theatre and out of the Dome.
They float in front of the sub's bridge window.
Atlanta: So Power, will you drag us back into the theatre to MST another Finding Nemo fanfic if you find one?
Power: Of course.
Seadra: Well we know better than to argue.
Power: So sensible.
Atlanta: You know where we are if you need us. Farewell, Power. Come Seadra.
Power: Bye.
Seadra: *waves before following after Atlanta*
Power guides the sub back to the Dome. She presses a button on the control board and the sea water is pumped from the Dome. She then docks with the hub and wonders inside the theatre to check the damage.