Disclaimer: I don't own the Gorillaz or anything associated with the band. This story takes plan after the El Manana video, and is the explanation for Noodle's sudden disappearance from the group. No romance or pairing, but lots of closeness and very cute. Might possibly add more to this if anyone wants to read :)
The weather in Essex was grey and cloudy, not surprising to the residents. But inside the walls of Kong, the dark and dreary rain clouds held a deeper significance for the three people dwelling inside. Russell Hobbs was sulking lazily about the kitchen, closing and re-opening all the drawers and cupboards. But for whatever reason, he just couldn't bring himself to eat anything. Stuart Pot had placed himself stubbornly on the sofa, flicking through the channels without a care to really see what was on. With a cigarette dangling loosely from his two fingers, he barely blinked his dark eyes. The bassist, Murdoc Nicaals, was not with the other members. He had been holing himself in his Winnebago for the past three weeks, chain-smoking and drinking heavily. He was not speaking to anybody or daring to show his face since the incident.
One Month Ago...
All was normal throughout the studio. Well, as normal as Kong could get anyway. There was a more cheerful and happier air to the whole building. Everyone's moods were always a little lighter and more at ease when she was around. Her happy and calm spirit would bring a smile to even Murdoc's face. Loved by many and cared for by all, the small, Japanese guitarist brought joy the studio and touched the lives of all who lived with her. By practising the art of meditation and strict self-restrain, the teenager was always able to keep the peace with everyone.
But one day, little Noodle was unable to keep control of her environment. It happened so quickly, without warning that nobody would have seen it coming. It was a cold September day, a few days before the first day of Autumn. The Gorillaz were on set and awaiting the arrival of a few other cast members. Aside from the continuous hustle and bustle of people running back and forth and orders being given out, the four band members were unusually quiet. The tension between them was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife.
They were on the set of the El Manana video and Noodle had been in her dressing room all day. She had told her three friends that she had been inside getting ready, preparing herself for another solo video. But in reality, the young teenager was too terrified to let anybody near her. It wasn't simply the fact that she would be in the spotlight yet again, the girl was used to being on stage in front of millions of fans. No, this was much different.
The video was extremely dangerous, and the risk of Noodle being seriously hurt or even killed was so high, she had wished that the three men she had called family would just call the whole thing off. But it was too late now. Too much money had been spent on preparing the set and the special effects and CG teams were already working on the video. Noodle knew the final shot was coming up next, the only thing that had actually scared her for as long as she could remember.
They were going to crash her Island. With her still on it. All to take care of some silly fool that Murdoc didn't want to deal with anymore. Noodle shook her head, he's doing this FOR me, not to drive me away. I am important to him, he wouldn't want to hurt me. The more she thought about the situation, the more nervous she would get. At least...I hope he would never want to hurt me...
The time had come for Noodle to get on the set, in front of all the cameras and everyone who had worked so hard to make this video happen. Looking back, Noodle had just wished she had ran away, or hid in her dressing room. Had she known what was coming next, she would have never left her bed that morning.
Everyone could remember what happened next so clearly, and would probably never forget it for as long as they all lived. Noodle bravely pushed open the door, and without saying a word, and got onto her island just liked they asked her to. She did everything she was told, hiding inside the windmill, looking and acting terrified (which wasn't difficult for the young girl). It was then that everything went wrong.
They were just about to start the motor in the giant, floating island. The helicopters they had hired were standing by and ready for lift off once given the signal. Everything was setup perfectly. The cameras were rolling as everyone watched intently.
It was then that Murdoc felt a presence behind him, someone clearing their throat and calling his name. He would never forget that voice, it sent chills down his spine just to remember the way it sounded. "Mr. Niccals, my name is James Foster." the man said. Murdoc turned to face the suit, holding a clipboard and looking quite professional. "It's very nice to meet you." The tall, clean-cut man extended his hand to Murdoc, who simply stared at it blankly and made no effort to reach for it. " Ahem Well, anyway. I am here for a very important reason. Are you familiar with the child custody laws in the United States?"
Murdoc's eyes went wide and he completely turned to face the man. Oh bloody 'ell...he thought grimly to himself. James continued to explain, "You see, Sir, I'm from Child Services. I don't want you to worry, I just need to ask you a few questions about the young girl" he paused and looked down at his sheet of paper,"..Noodle, that you have staying with you at Kong Studios".
Murdoc didn't move, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. For the first time in the bassist's life, he had nothing to say. He had never even seen it coming, although now that he thought about it, he wondered why it never happened sooner. All the Satanist could do was slowly nod his head while keeping his gaze on the man in front of him.
"Is there perhaps somewhere private where we could have a talk?" James asked him.
"...Um, yah. I 'spose we could go...to tha dressin' room." Murdoc reluctantly lifted his arm to show the direction of the trailers.
"Thank you, Mr. Niccals. I promise, it will only take a moment of your time."
They entered Murdoc's personal trailer on the set, James' eyes went wide as he saw the horrendous state the place was in. He had to stop himself from gagging on the God-awful stench that came from a mixture of cheap booze, week-old cigarette butts, and most likely vomit and urine coming from the sleeping area.
"Now" Murdoc started, "Wot is it yah 'ad to drag me away from my work ta tell me?" The Satanist stared him down with his miss-matched eyes. James was beginning to feel uncomfortable, but tried to sit up straight as he cleared his throat.
"Well, Mr. Niccals, we have some questions for you. They're very basic and you are required to answer them." He couldn't even look at the bassist, he knew enough about him from watching the new or interviews that he could be a very violent man. "So," he continued" let's get started. How did yourself, Mr. Pot and Mr. Hobbs find yourselves to be the legal guardians of the ten-year old Asian girl?"
Murdoc rolled his eyes. "She showed up in a bloody crate at Kong one day. We opened it up and out she popped. Been with us ever since." He was growing frustrated, feeling like a caged-in animal. The man already knew this, the whole world already knew how Noodle came to them.
"Yes, that's what we have here. But I was asking more specifically, how did the three of you legally become her guardians?" he asked as he studied the green-skinned bassist.
"...Legally? Wot the 'ell do yah mean?! She didn't speak any English, we didn't even know 'er name or where she came from! WE took her in, WE made sure she 'adda place to sleep and food in 'er stomach." Murdoc was now standing, looming over the suit who seemed to be shrinking by the minute.
"Mr Niccals, please! Try to calm down a bit, there's no need to yell. We need this information." James stuttered.
Murdoc huffed and plopped himself angrily back onto the couch with his arms folded across his chest.
"Now, you said she spoke no English. You did not fill out any documents stating that you were her legal guardians and you had no recollection as to where she was from or who her family was. Am I correct?" He asked cautiously.
Murdoc looked away in disgust, then he hung his head. His mop-top hair bobbed as he nodded his head.
"Well then, that's very...interesting information. You do realize that U.S law requires her to be placed in the.." he paused and looked around the filthy trailer"..competent hands of caring adults. One who can communicate with her, people who have been pronounced sane and mentally fit to raise a child."
"Wot's your point yah bleedn' fool!" Murdoc snapped, again rising from his seat in anger. "Fine! Give meh tha damn forms an I'll fill'em out roight now!"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Mr. Niccals. But here's what we will do. We'll send over one of our agents and every week, that agent will assess the home environment you have the girl placed in. We'll make sure everything's okay for her and that there of course no physical or emotional harm brought onto the child." Jame finished as he shuffled the papers about on his clipboard.
"My God, you people do got sum nerve don'cha! The girl is fine! You can ask her roight now, go on, she's roight out on the se..." Murdoc stopped himself mid-sentence. The suit stared him down at the sudden silence.
"The set? You mean...she's working for you?" James asked.
"Well, not..exactly. I guess sum moight see it...Listen! She's doin' wot she loves, we didn't ask 'er to do it, she asked us!" Murdoc threw his arms up in defense.
"Look, I understand. But...you are aware of the child labour laws...correct?" he flinched, knowing the bassist's patience was wearing thin.
Murdoc paused and turned to the dark man. He stared intently at him, then angrily shoved his hands in his pocket. "This...this is a special case. Surely there must be some exceptions..."
"There are no exceptions to the law, Mr. Niccals. Everyone abides by these laws. All I'm asking is you let the social worker check out the setting that she's living in. It's really not a big deal. Please, just think of the girl. Think of what's best for Noodle."
That was it, the final word that Murdoc would let this scum-bucket get out. Who the Hell was he to come prancing into his work and tell him what was good for his...family?! He didn't even know the damn girl, he had to look at her name off a slip of paper! The Satanist fumed, storming over to the suit and angrily hoisting him up from his seat by his shirt collar. "I've 'eard enough outta you! Yah best be gettn' of this property, and I mean now! You or any other of your goons are not welcome inside MY home, ever! Yah got that?!"
"Mr. Niccals! Please! You're making a big mistake, you can't control things like this! Ack" That was all that James could say, as Murdoc forced him out the door of his trailor and then kicked him hard on the rear end for good measure.
"And stay out!" Murdoc shouted as he slammed the metal door shut.
And that was all it took.
--The next day
A day which should have been filled with excitement and happiness. Joy filled all four band members as they celebrated the completion of the El Manana video. Last night, Noodle was all smiles. She was feeling completely powerful and better than ever, knowing she had conquered her fears. She was even allowed to have a drink or two with the boys, (which may have been one too many, since it was noon and she was still in bed).
Not only did they finish the video, but everything went off without a hitch! They were still awaiting to see what the video would look like after the CG team had worked on it, but everyone already knew it was going to be their best video yet.
Amidst their celebrating and the cheerful and giddy laughter, 2D heard a rapping at the main entrance of Kong. He happily opened the door, expecting to be greeted by press or friends they had invited to join in the party. Instead, he was shocked to see at least five or six men wearing suits. A woman walked briskly into the room, talking to the large men and it seemed as though she was giving them instructions, as they nodded their heads in compliance and took off through the building. Needless to say, 2D was beyond confused.
"Ello, Miss? Can I 'elp you?" He asked as she pushed him aside to walk further into the building.
"Yes, my name is Michelle Park, and I'm with Child Services. We're looking for the little girl, Noodle. Where is she?"
"Noodle? Wull, I suppose she'd be in 'er room." 2D replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Now, Russel and Murdoc could see the men entering the room, and they turned their attention to the aggressive woman standing at the entrance near 2D.
"Dee, what's goin' on?" Russel asked as he trudged over to them.
"This lady says their lookn' for Noods." 2D replied.
Murdoc could literally feel his blood run cold. He couldn't bring himself to walk, or to speak. He watched as 2D stepped aside helplessly as the larger men guided a very sleepy Noodle towards the door. He would never forget that sight. Noodle looked so...innocent, she had no idea what was going on. Once the young girl realized what was happening, when they told her who they were and that they were taking her away, he saw the tears begin to form in her eyes. Her face was a mixture of sheer horror and fear. She tried desperately to get out of their reach, kicking and screaming, even biting. Noodle had reached out towards the other band members, begging them to make the 'bad men' go away. At one point, 2D grabbed her outstretched hand and patted it gently. "S'okay luv...nuthn' bads gonna 'appen..." Murdoc could actually see the tears begin to roll down Stu's face. It was too much, he had to turn away. All he could hear was Noodle crying out in her sobs before they took her away from them.
Murdoc felt like his entire planet was crashing down on him at once, the whole thing almost didn't seem real. It was almost like things were happening in slow motion. In the distance, he could hear Russel yelling at the strangers, demanding to know what was going on and telling them to bring Noodle back. Then, he heard that voice. It was the same voice from yesterday.
"Well," James Foster began,"Why don't you ask your bassist, Mr. Niccals."
Russel and 2D turned their attention from the stranger to face their bassist, fear and anger written across both their faces.
Murdoc stared at the floor, not able to meet their eyes. He crossed his arms uncomfortably because he knew he could say nothing to make either of them feel better. The truth was, Murdoc knew this was going to happen. He had been recieving emails for months about it. He didn't bother to bring it to anyone's attention because he honestly thought the whole thing would just blow over and they would forget about it. After all, they were Gorillaz! World famous band, larger than life. It was stupid of him and he knew it, but at the time he felt almost invincible. But even Murdoc had to come to the devastating realization that they were not above the law.
That was the last they saw of Noodle and Murdoc. The Satanist locked himself in the refuse of his Winnebago, refusing to answer to anyone who approached it. No amount of yelling or banging could bring him to face the outside world. there, he drank away his sorrows and pain. Flooding the memories of that horrible day with a mixture of cheap liquor and cigarettes.
One morning, Murdoc was laying awake on top of his filthy blankets, trying to fall asleep since he had gone 3 days now without a moments shut-eye. Then, he heard earth-shaking foot-steps pounding towards his shelter. He knew it was Russel. But...why was he running? In all the years he had known him, he couldn't recall ever seeing Russel be excited enough to run anywhere. This peaked the bassist's attention, and he sat up a bit in his bed.
All of a sudden, he could hear Russel's panting voice boom through the walls, yelling out his name and pounding on the metal door. "Muds! Get upstairs! It's important, man!"
"Go. Away." was all Murdoc could mutter before taking another swig of vodka.
"It's Noodle! She's on the phon-"
Russel couldn't even finish the sentence before Murdoc blasted out through to door and took off running. He didn't even wait for the lift, opting instead to bolt up the stairs. Needless to say, he was winded by the time he reached the main level, but he didn't care. He ran to where he saw 2D standing by the telephone.
Stu took the receiver from his hand and gently placed it on the cradle after hitting the 'speaker' button. "She wants to talk to all'uv us, at once." he choked out, almost whispering.
Murdoc stood so close to the phone, kneeling down a bit to make sure he could hear her.
"...Allo? Are you guys still there?" Noodles tiny voice spoke out over the intercom.
Murdoc felt like he would cry any second, it had been almost a month since he heard that little Japanese accent. He straightened himself up and tried to speak, tried to apologize, but no words would come out.
"...We're all 'ere now, luv." 2D replied quietly as Russel joined the rest of the band members.
"I-I...I miss you...I miss you all so much, I just don't know..." Noodle's voice trailed off into a trembling sob as she sniffed her way through the rest of the sentence. "I..wish I could be with you again...I don't have much time to talk. I snuck away and...I'm u-using a p-pay phone..."
"Shh, s'okya baby-girl. We...miss you too. It's been Hell not havn' you around, Noods."
Noodle tried to speak again, but was cut-off by the automated recording telling her she only had a few minutes left on her phone card.
"I-I...I miss you! I miss you! I miss you..." Noodle was now sobbing quite heavily into the phone, only able to keep repeating the same three words in between gasps. It was too much for the guys, 2D was wiping away the small tears with the back of his hand while Russel was full-on sobbing along with Noodle. Murdoc still hadn't said a word, but turned to walk away from the phone.
After a few minutes, the bassist returned. He was holding one of Noodle's stuffed animals, a pink cat, and he placed it softly beside the phone where the guitarist's voice could be heard.
"Listen ta me, luv." Murdoc finally swallowed the lump in his throat that threatened to burst into a fit of sobs. "You're my strong girl. You ARE gonna be back with us. We just gotta wait it out, okay? Can yah be strong for me, darln'?"
"...Y-yes. T-thank-you, Murdoc-san." Noodle whimpered. "I...love you guys-" She was cut off by the dial-tone of her phone card expiring.
About two hours after the phone-call, Murdoc was still sitting on the same spot on the floor. He had waited for everyone else to leave before he let out a single tear that traced down his face. He held the toy cat in his arms, it smelled just like Noodle...and he smiled. Noodle would be back with them. It would only take time, and this time he would make nothing could tear them apart.
We ARE her family...