Awake Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Anything about this story, including any character of Gorillaz or their songs or any other songs I might use. The only thing I own is this story line and its plot.

Summary: Gorillaz. 2D is captured and saying he is suffering is the understatement of the millennia, Noodle is missing, Murdoc is drunk, Russel is a giant, and there are supernatural creatures hunting Plastic Beach. What happens next? Possible 2DxNoodle.

Note: This story I am writing because I feel like it. If you like it great, if you don't then give constructive criticism or BE GONE! Besides that, I might just decide to make the characters of Gorillaz more… ethereal…Maybe. Now, with that out of the way, let us begin!

Prologue

Plastic Beach is the furthest point from any landmass in the world. It is a collection of all the trash and garbage and other wastes that man and nature have spilled in the ocean through out the centuries until present day. In other words, its literally a huge pile of trash that is kept together by oil, goo, and God-knows what else, but surprisingly enough, its actually quite sturdy and balanced.

But what is even more surprising is that there are some people actually LIVING in that aquatic dumpster. A green man, of average height, crooked teeth, mismatching eyes, and reeking of rum and cigarettes, known as Murdoc; A cyborg with purple hair and military clothing, known as 'Cyborg' or 'Cyber Noodle'; and of course a tall man, with somewhat lanky but sturdy complexion, a pair eyes of absolute black (though it has been known to switch to absolute white in that last couple of years for brief periods of time), and a natural mane of hair of a stunning and lively blue color, who we all know as 2D or Stuart Pot.

The last of the list, been brought to the toxic and supernatural wasteland surrounded by the ocean, through the process of been gassed, and shipped in a suitcase to it. To make matters worse, even though he was brought to Plastic Beach to sing and to write songs, he is still constantly abused and tortured (especially in a mental way) by Murdoc when he refuses to sing or write for him, and more often than not, he is still abused when Murdoc just feels like torturing or venting out anger on somebody.

Added to that, 2D still suffers badly from two loses, the first is the loss of his best friend Russel Hobbs, one of the most prominent drum playing geniuses of the world. But the second loss he suffers from, is the worst, he suffers more from this loss than the physical pain he suffers through Murdoc's torture and abuse through out the years. By this, we refer to the loss of his most especial person in the world, Noodle, one of the greatest guitarists in the history of man kind. Everybody thinks she is dead, except for him. He is the last person to believe in her. How will the world of Gorillaz play out now that it's in shambles?

Chapter 1-Asleep Again

In the depths of the Plastic Beach Mansion, several hundred feet bellow the water level of the ocean, a blue haired singer laid in his double bed in his dark room. No lights were on, the window curtains were drawn close, and even the television which was so often turned on was off today. The only source of light was a little candle that the tall singer had found in the beach a few days ago and decided he might use sooner or later.

2D just laid in his bed in the darkness of his room facing the ceiling of his underwater prison; his black eyes were even more vacant than usual today as he laid deep in thought and memory. Despite what most people think, 2D isn't stupid, granted he was slow, but he actually had quite a good brain on his shoulders, and he could use it too, when it wasn't clouded by pain killers or alcohol or pain from recent torture from Murdoc.

This was one of those rare times, during which he wasn't troubled by any of those factors, and he was dedicating this valuable time to his most precious memories. They were, if he was honest with himself, one of two things that kept him going. The second was hope. Hope that Noodle and Russel would come back to him and the band.

The memories of a time when Gorillaz was together; A time when the world, despite all the pain and abuse he suffered then, was perfect, huge, bright, and beautiful, instead of what it was now: Small, dark, hollow, and Melancholic.

In his mind he ran memories like movies: When he first met Russel after Murdoc kidnapped him. When he freed Noodle from the FedEx crate and she delivered that kickass guitar solo. When they made their first album. Their award nominations. Playing cards with Russel. Playing with Noodle and carrying her around on his shoulders. Holding cigarette flipping contests with Murdoc. Learning Karate and Kung Fu from Noodle. All these memories were playing out in his mind, soothing his tortured mind as the waves of the ocean.

He also remembered a few sad times, like when Gorillaz broke apart the first time. And when Paula cheated on him with Murdoc. And worst of all, el Mañana. He remembered what it meant; in that context it means "the Tomorrow". And he remembered what message they had been trying to send before the disaster struck. They wanted to tell people there is always a tomorrow, there is always a glimmer of hope even when the darkness threatened to swallow you whole. And he dearly hanged to that belief with every fiber of his being.

-Flashback: El Mañana -

He had been singing from Feel Good Inc. Tower from his heart. They had just finished the recording that would be played while Noodle was flying in her Windmill Island for the last video of their new album. This was probably going to be the greatest video if all went well. Everyone was in place, and just then, a bell rang. The signal.

Noodle would hear one from a speaker that had been installed in the island, and then the cameras began to roll and the just finished recording was started up. All in perfect synchronization. Now they could see the helicopters going towards Noodle's floating island. Something seemed off about the helicopters, but he ignored it. It's probably just one of Murdoc's last minute change of plans. That's what 2D had thought.

He was so horribly wrong.

In moments the helicopters could be seen firing bullets at Noodle. Again he felt something was off. They weren't flying like they were supposed to. Their angle was wrong, the guns were of a higher caliber, the very timing of the supposedly fake explosions seemed to be off to him. He frowned a bit and turned his head and commented on it to his two band mates. Russel looked closer and seemed to frown a bit but he shrugged it off. Murdoc just raised his eyebrows at 2D and said not to worry about it.

"Even if something goes wrong, she still has her parachute." Murduc told him, returning to look at the video in progress. "Now shut up and Watch."

2D did as he was told, but he retained the frown in his face. He saw the helicopters ram into the sails of the windmill, and that's when he realized it. He was absolutely sure that wasn't part of the video. He began to panic, and quickly turned to Murdoc and Russel with an alarmed face.

"Murdoc!Russel! That ISN'T part of the plan! That isn't SUPPOSED to happen! DO SOMETHING!" His voice rose as he poke, rising to a scream of panic, at Murdoc and Russel, hoping they could do something. But they had just become aware of their error in judgment, and were rooted to the floor, brains frozen in shock, jaws hanging open, and stunned expressions clearly visible in their faces.

He called them several two more times, but they didn't respond, even when he slapped them in the face or waved his hands in front of their faces they would not respond. Then, Noodles Voice came though the two-way radio, screaming for help

"HELP!" Her screaming voice shouted through the speaker, "Murdoc-san! Russel-sama! These aren't OUR helicopters! 2D! HELP!'

He lost it then, the sound of her terrified voice made something inside of him snap. "She is never scared!" And "She is in real danger!" Those were the two thoughts that instantly materialized in his mind. In his abnormal state of mind, he tackled both of his band mates. He landed on top of both of their stomachs, grabbed each of them by the collar of their shirt and shook them as violently as he could.

"WAKE UP! WAKEUP WAKEUP WAKEUP! NOODLE IS IN TROUBLE!" He yelled at them with all his strength, and followed through by unintentionally slamming their heads on the floor. This finally seemed to wake them up from their frozen state of mind and caused them to realize the gravity of the situation.

The first to react after 2D's assult was Russel.

"Quick, to the helicopter!" Russel said. They ran out the door, 2D at the head of the pack, and rushed up two flights of stairs to reach the roof, were an emergency helicopter was positioned, and ready to take off.

Russel jumped in as the pilot with Murdoc as the co-pilot. 2D went in the back with the door open and strapping a parachute on his back, readying himself to jump if needed be. They immediately set flight towards the floating Island, which they now saw beginning to tilt downwards. A curse escaped them all; they headed towards the site as fast as they could force the machine to go.

Thank God Russel had insisted in the latest model of helicopter just in case an emergency did occur.

They were very close to the island now. A couple of more seconds and they would be right over it. The only problem was that it was beginning to loose altitude and fast. Soon it would be free falling and then, of course, there was the inconvenient of the highly militarily equipped helicopters flying around it.

"EHH! Dullard!" Murdoc called out to 2D. " We are going to fly over them, You are going ta' have ta' jump when we start getting close but befo' we actually ah' above 'em, that way yew can reach them due ta momentum or something. That's what Russel says anyways. Yew ah' the only one that knows how to do it. Got it? Good!"

"NOW!" Russel voice thundered over the roar of the helicopter, and 2D jumped of without hesitation towards the ground several thousand feet bellow him. He had done this before, several times actually, for several photo shoots and the such for magazines, television shows, and commercials. He knew what to do, and through this knowledge and his own experience, he calculated that, at this height, the island would be crashing down at the most in two minutes or so.

He dove straight as an arrow, hands and feet tucked in, face looking towards his destination. The air rushed around him, his hair flowing wildly behind his head, like a mane of blue fire as the air screamed in his ears with its hollow voice.

He was closing in on the island now, and a few moments later he was level with the entrance to the windmill, he spread his arms out, coming into a cross position and slowed a bit down. If he had not been free falling with at the same speed of the Island, it might have looked like he was levitating in the entrance of the windmill.

2D looked towards the doorway of the windmill, and was greeted by the sight of a terrified Noodle, who had her hands and arms covering her face and upper body, her legs were drawn towards the trunk of her body, as if bracing for impact.

"NOODLE!" 2D managed to shout over the roaring wind, as he reached for the rim of the wooden door frame of the windmill and began to climb down its side to reach noodle. He now saw why Noodle didn't jump before, the helicopters had filled the parachute with at least five holes! But it had at least saved her from bullet wounds to her shoulders.

At the sound of his voice, Noodle opened looked up at him with a bewildered yet scared expression, which was quickly replaced by a look of joy, when he extended his long arm towards her, which she quickly hanged onto for dear life with all her strength. 2D then released his hold on the door frame and kicked of it, pulling with him Noodle away from the island.

He looked down; they were entering a large canyon, which opened up like an old wound on the phase of the earth, so it was to late to change directions, but they still had maybe thirty seconds of free fall left. He drew Noodle into his arms in a tight hug and released his parachute. With a violent jerk, they immediately began to slow down their fall into, going into a much more agreeable, and much less deadly, speed, much to their relief.

Somehow, 2D managed to steer his parachute within the canyon's rocky walls and away from were he predicted the landing site for the windmill would be, trying to create as much distance between them and any debris and rocks which might be sent flying off the soon-to-be ex-floating Island. He managed to get a good hundred and fifty meters away from it, and they were about twenty feet from the ground, and they allowed themselves to give a sigh of relief.

Too soon. They let their guard down too soon.

Just then, one of the helicopters dropped a bomb into the windmill. They were just far enough to avoid its lethal effect, but the blast separated them from each other, sending both flying the remaining ten feet to the ground in different directions.

They were tossed around like rag dolls, flying in an ungraceful and chaotic mess in different directions. 2D landed hard on his back against one of the cliffs walls, a searing pain stretch across his back, and Noodle crashed in an old bush on the opposite cliff wall, maybe a hundred meters from him. He groaned with pain, but managed to flip himself over onto his belly and push himself slightly up with his arms to look towards her. He saw her; she was looking at him almost upside down, since she had landed in an awkward sprawled position, and she quickly passing out, a trickle of blood seeping from a wound on her shoulder and onto her face.

His vision was beginning to blur, but he forced himself to attempt to crawl towards her anyways. He hadn't gotten far when the earth began to shake, and a gaping hole began to open up near Noodle. The hole began to glow with an eerie red color, and the shaking of the ground caused noodle to start toppling towards the hole.

"Noodle… No!" He tried to scream as he saw her fall into the hole, but it was barely louder than a choked cry. He released his parachute from his body, and attempted to stand up and get closer. He managed to stumble half way towards the hole were noodle had disappeared and then…Darkness. 2D collapsed forwards and lost consciousness before he had hit the floor.

The wounds 2D received to his body, along with the exhaustion of all his worrying and the loss of blood from a large gash on his back, made him pass out.

Later he awoke to find himself in the emergency tent by Feel Good Inc. Tower, bandages covering his whole upper back, his left arm, and right leg. He told Guys about the incident, and Murdoc concluded that what had swallowed Noodle was something similar to a hell hole, but probably, due to her own purity and the nature of the location of the hell hole, it probably led some were between Hell and some other place, like purgatory.

Soon after the Band dissolved. You could say they were all part of each other now, whether they liked it or not. You could also say (and it wouldn't be an exaggeration at all) that 2D and Noodle were the Body and Soul of Gorillaz, in a sense they were more than just your average best friends. They were connected on an spiritual level, and, to the band, each of them was half of the Soul and Half of the Body of Gorillaz; Different from Murdoc and Russel, Murdoc been the Brain of Gorillaz who always found a way to bring Gorillaz to the top, and Russel been the Heart of Gorillaz, always caring and feeding them. And without Half a body and half a soul, The Body of Gorillaz could not function, just like a human body wouldn't be able to function without a brain or a hear or half of its body and soul missing.

The band looked for Noodle for three months together. Then Murdoc dropped out, and two months later so did Russel. Only 2D still harbored hope of finding or even seeing Noodle again alive. Everyone else had lost all hope of even finding her dead body.

And that Was the Last the world heard of Gorillaz for three years.

-End of Flashback-

A tear ran down 2D's face as he closed his eyes when the memory came to an end. Three years. Three years since he had been missing half of his soul. Three years since Gorillaz had dissolved. And two years since he had been kidnapped by Murdoc, with Murdoc torturing, abusing, and mocking him, all the while taking credit for the great majority of his musical creations.

A sigh escaped 2D at these thoughts. And he opened his eyes and drew in a shaky breath. He sat up in his bed and closed his eyes again. He slowly stood up and cleared a good piece of his bedroom's floor, just enough for him to lay in it comfortably. He pushed all his trash, gadgets, and stuff into a corner and began his work out routine. It was one of the few things he did to pass the time in this prison that was his room.

He did two sets of twenty three sit ups, three sets of eighteen push ups, some jumping jacks, and so on. In the end, he spent a good hour and a half doing his routine work out, which since he had been doing since about a year ago, it had earned him some muscle in his arms and a well-toned body over all.

He showered and dressed quickly after his workout, and sat down on his bed again, just in time, as a loud banging on his door began, which was quickly followed by the door swinging open to reveal cyborg noodle standing in the doorway.

"Evening Dullard." Cyborg said, "Master Murdoc has ordered me to tell you that practice begins in half an hour."

2D sighed and closed his eyes. He opened them again and nodded at her in understanding. Then he looked down and gave a short and humorless chuckle as she began to turn away, which caused her to stop and turn back to look at him questioningly.

"What is so funny Dullard?" She asked with a neutral tone.

He sighed and looked at her again. This thing, or person? Well, she, it, whatever, is an organic cyborg, half flesh, half machine. So technically she is both right? 2D thought as he looked at her. Well, I guess she is half human. She would be "human" if she had more of a free will I suppose. He stopped his train of thought and decided to answer the cyborg.

"Well, it's not tha' it's real funny, but just ironic I fink." 2D said, "I mean, the fact tha' you can totally act evil when Murdoc tells yah to, but otherwise you ah, well, not. You may call meh 'Dullard', but you don't 'ave the sickening and evil pang in the words. You say 'em like a machine would, which I suppose is good, but it aint good eitha'. Is like yo' soul is missing, or caged somewhere, yah know? But I suppose its bettah' than Murdoc 'cause, you know, he made a deal with a demon you see? So, even though he is like the biggest sodding prick in existence, evil even, an' he made you with tha' intention tha' you would be evil you aint really evil, but you still have ta' do most everything he says. So tha' kinda made some kinda dark humor for me and I lafed at it."

When 2D finished, Cyborg and him stared at each other for a few seconds in silence and without any expression in either of their faces. Finally Cyborg blinked slowly and nodded in understanding, and then she walked away from him closing the metallic submarine hatch that was his door.

2D started at the metallic submarine hatch for a few seconds before he sighed again. It was complicated dealing with her, it, whatever. She was like a rose with thorns. On the one hand, she was the perfect replica of noodle when she was more or less fifteen, which made her in a way, precious to him. She defiantly had a soul too, she had always refused to hurt 2D too badly before, despite everything that Murdoc did to correct that, Cyborg in the worst case scenario would just shut down completely rather than hurt 2D too much. But he knew that even though she looked like noodle, and that she could grow like a normal human being (according to Murdoc), he knew that she had a different personality from the Original Noodle, so in a way that made them something like "blood sisters" or something he supposed.

On the other hand cyborg did do almost everything that Murdoc said, she would insult him, albeit very much with out feeling, and she did seem to keep the wound of Noodle's disappearance open, and she was half machine, and she was trigger happy.

All in all, she made very mixed feelings for 2D, a mixture of relief and pain, as well as one of pity, protection, questioning, repulsion, and a want to keep away from her as well as have her close to him and away from Murdoc. He sighed yet again and began to get ready for practice, pocketing a bottle of painkillers, just in case Murdoc got violent (again). And all the while he was unaware that he had just planted the seeds of awareness and questioning on Cyborg Noodle's mind.

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Alright, so, that's chapter one. I noticed that when I bought the new CD of Gorillaz "Plastic Beach", on the back of the CD case, you could see Murdoc, 2D, and Noodle. If you look at 2D, he actually DOES have more muscle. You can see his arm muscles are more defined than before, and though you can't see his stomach due to a bucket which blocks the view, you can tell that, by the way his new muscles look, that its toned. Therefore I just came up with the idea that he works out during his captivity.

I also tried to include 2D's tendency to see the good in everything and try to be friendly in the chapter, though I honestly don't know how well that showed.

Alright people, time to review! Please do send ideas, and please tell me what you think. JJ, I WILL try to include your idea of for 2D, Cyborg, and Noodle, only if you STOP trying to bother me about it! (And because its actually original I suppose. I haven't seen anyone else do it yet.). Dragon is out!