I slept for two days, not entirely like a crack addict after their first line. The reason I know this- about sleeping for two days, not the drug stuff, -is because Murdoc told me.
"You slept for two days."
"Ugghh. Motherfucker," I responded. Only logical thing to say.
"Classy. Where ya from, that accent ain't from 'round here," Murdoc stated, sitting up in his bed and lighting a cigarette.
Yeah. Vietnamese. I've got the goddamn accent to prove it. Fluent Engrish. Not broken engrish either, just engrish. How I loathe it.
"Fuck off," I mutter. Murdoc raises an eyebrow.
"So sorry luv, but wha' was that?" Murdoc growls. Shit.
"None of your business where I'm from. I said FUCK OFF," I state, loving the way the words roll off my tongue.
Murdoc gets out of bed and strides over to where I'm sitting. He hauls me up by the front of my shirt. I expect the slap, and he's obviously hit girls before. Oww.
"Lissen to me, you fucking whore. I let ya sleep in my room, and I didn't mess wif ya or nuffin, so I fink I deserve a little respect, hmm?" Murdoc snarled in my face. I'm shorter than him, and I'm up against a wall. I try to find Venom, let it take control for a few minutes.
Handle this by yourself. I'm busy.
What? No. Nuh uh. You're gonna help me right now!
Don't think so. Look on the Bright Side. This is a dream come true. I'm gone.
So I just improvise. I just talk.
"Oh yeah? Mr. Big Shot with his fancy floating island. I could break your neck. I could snap you in fucking half and still sleep like a baby! I kill people, Murdoc. I gut 'em for money. You'll get my respect when you earn it, Damn it!" I shout, feeling triumphant. Scared you, didn't I? Just put me down and nobody gets hurt.
Murdoc slammed me back into the wall. Knee to my stomach. It hits one of my old wounds, sending me curling up and hissing from pain.
"Are you stupid? Or just slow? I don't care wot ya do, if you're staying in my room, you'll lissen to me, got it?" Murdoc whispers really softly to me. He's so angry, and maybe I am stupid, but I have to.
I spit in his face and yell my statement again, like a real lady.
"FUCK OFF!"
Murdoc drops me, and I fall to the carpet as gracefully as a cadaver.
"Women. Ya on the rag or somefin?"
"I'm infertile, you ass."
Murdoc pauses, knocked for a loop.
"Oh...er, sorry?"
I touch the side of my face. "You're still an ass."
Murdoc exhales. "You're still a bitch. Yew want pancakes?"
I smile a bit. Pancakes are a mercenary's favourite food. "Yeah."
"Great. Get cookin', luv, I'm starved."
I wander around the island after Murdoc bids me off to make pancakes.
"Fucking bastard. Make your own pancakes," I mutter, kicking a wall. Does this place even have a kitchen?
I turn a corner, and run smack into someone else. "Sorry!" I quickly apologize. There's a narrow thrum of Venom, but it's not much. At all. What the flippin' hell? Where's Venom?
"Identify yourself," the other person commands. I think it's an A.I. program, mostly from the bullet wound in it's head and all the wires I can see in it. The A.I. is of a Japanese young woman, or an older teen. Short choppy purple/blue hair. All black clothes, only about an inch shorter than me.
"Identify yourself, human!" it snaps. I roll my eyes, because really, who's it fooling?
"What's your name?" I ask. The A.I. makes a whirring noise, then responds.
"My name is Noodle. Identify yourself."
I smirk. "What a coincidence. My name's Noodle too!"
I expected a brief does-not-compute statement of some sort, but Noodle takes out a gun. Remington 870. I am unarmed. Damn. Not good.
"You are not Noodle! She is dead! I am the only Noodle now!"
I get a creeping feeling of Deja Vu. Noodle, Murdoc, Faceache, why does that sound so familiar? Did I kill one of their family members?
"Touchy subject?" I ask, tipping my head to one side. Noodle's face contorts to one of anger. I spin around and sprint back the way I came. I heard the shotgun getting pumped, and then I felt the bullet tear through my left shoulder. It just went straight through, out, in, out, imbed in wall.
"Bitch! You shot me!" I shout over my shoulder. It doesn't hurt much, just went through, but it's still bad manners to shoot a houseguest. Noodle's giving chase, and the only thing that could make this better would be somebody playing Yakety Sax.
What would Katharine do in this situation?
I think back to when we were at IHop. Let's see, Twins, Gorillaz, Noodle...
HOLY SHIT!
I skid to a stop. Noodle runs into me with an annoyed whirr.
"You're part of Gorillaz! Oh my God, that's why! I'm so stupid! Hey, Noodle, everybody thinks you're dead, you should really go on Ellen or something, dispel all that shit. Can I have your autograph, two friends of mine are huge fans."
Noodle gets up off the floor, reaches for my arms, and wordlessly pins them behind my back.
"Noodle, you are now my prisoner, and you will listen to me now," the robot dictates.
"Prisoner? Feh. Is this Cowboys and Indians or something?"
Noodle's face hardens again, into some sort of scary angry barbie mask as she leads me into the elevator.
"Master will not be pleased to hear about you," Noodle states, pressing a button.
I watch the hallway until the door pings closed.
"Hey, Gina! I thought yew were dead!"
Noodle throws me into Faceache's room. "Hello..." I say, wracking my mind to remember his name. Taz said it once, D-something, 2D!
"Your name's 2D, right?"
2D grins at me. "Yep! Yew alright, luv? Got some blood on ya..." he swipes at my shoulder. I glance over. This place is really not good for my health.
"Noodle shot me," I reply offhandedly.
"She's back?" he gasps.
"What? The robot girl. She busted a cap in my shoulder," I reply, not looking at him.
2D goes back to melancholy. "Oh."
"So...what happened to you bunch? Isn't the real Noodle dead or something?" I move closer to him, so I'm lying on the floor with him lying on his bed.
"Well...it's sort of a long story. Tell yew later, okay?"
It feels like he's dodging the question. I don't want to press him on it, but I really want to know how the hell he got on an island of pink trash.
2D and I end up watching a movie, some foreign film about vampires. I space about for a bit, thinking about my team. I wonder what I'll do without them. Killing for a living, glamourous, sure, but maybe I could be a professional thief? Less blood. Would they find me? I doubt it. Nobody knows that I'm here. I could just live here forever with 2D, and Murdoc and that goddamn android.
Not bad. I like this.
I lean on 2D, who flinches. "It's cool. I'm just tired," I tell him, watching vampire girl tear a victim to pieces. 2D hums an agreement, and keeps watching the movie.
What a nice boy.
Fuck off. I like this one.
Yeah. He likes you too. He'll probably hate me though.
Everybody hates you. That's what makes you Venom.
Gina, you stupid girl. Once I show up, he'll kick you out.
No. You listen to me now. Stay away from him.
Or what?
Or I'll shoot you in the fucking ankle and set you on fire and watch you hop around while burning to death, that's what.
"You okay, Gina?"
"Hmm?" I respond, looking up at him.
"Yew looked a bit angry there. Yew sure yew're alright?" 2D asked, so concerned, so lovely to a monster like me.
I smile at him a bit. "I'm gonna be just fine."
I barely remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night, and then stumbling up to answer it. There was a phone in 2D's room, but he claimed it was disconnected.
"Hello? What time is it?"
"Who is this?" the other line pops with static, over a voice with a german accent.
"It's, it's Gina, yeah. Who's this?"
"Really? How are you?"
My head starts to clear. "What? Who are you? Why are you calling me?"
"Some friends of yours are looking for you."
Uh oh. "Who is this?" I ask one final time.
There's a silence, and then there's two words.
"Marco Polo."
He hangs up. I listen to the dial tone.
"Shit."
(Schwat is this Marco Polo nonsense? Sorry for all the cliffhangers I.E. 2D's question dodging, and mysterious German phone man. Most of this will be cleared up later. Hopefully. As long as the story sticks to the plotline.)
