Gorillaz – An Alternative Beginning
So this is it people. The moment you have all been waiting for. Even I'M excited so this must be good! Enjoy!
The Grand Meeting
"Noodle, QUIET!" hissed Russel.
"S… Sōrī Russel-Sama" Noodle whispered back.
The homeless pair had been in the basement all night and had kept as quiet as possible in case the building was occupied. They had soon learned however that someone WAS living there. The occupier wasn't hard to miss because of all his shouting and cursing. What that was all about they didn't know.
So now Noodle had accidentally backed into a box of some old and noisy pots and pans and was now looking at Russel in fear. This wasn't good. It probably meant that someone would come to investigate, find them and turn them in. All they could do was keep their fingers crossed that no one heard.
Unfortunately they soon heard footsteps approaching the basement door.
"It came from in here; I'm sure of it." said a voice from behind the door.
"Ya sure it weren't somewhere else?" said another voice with a strange accent.
"Positive. Open the door; and take that stupid sash thing off. You look ridiculous."
There was the sound of keys rattling and a lock turning. Russel and Noodle both darted behind a supporting wall that would provide them with some cover ….. but for how long they couldn't be sure. Russel looked down at his tiny sidekick. She looked so scared. She sank to the floor and pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them for security. She looked up at Russel with the same frightened eyes that he saw earlier.
"Keep quiet now Noodle."
She nodded. There was a sound of the door slamming open.
"RIGHT! WHO'S DOWN HERE?" yelled one of the voices.
Russel was able to peek at the two pursuers through a gap in the wall. He saw two males. The older one was angrily stomping down to a certain point on the stairs. He had black hair that made him look like a Beatle with issues, and his fringe was covering half of his mis-matched eyes. He also had green skin which was a bit worrying. The younger man was trailing behind wearily and, to a certain extent, he looked stranger than the other man. He had long blue spiky hair and no eyes; merely black holes. Had they entered a freak show?
The green man looked back at the blue haired man and glared. The blue haired man was wearing something over his eye. The green man went back over and yanked it off him.
"I thought I told you to take this thing off!"
He threw it to the ground and stomped on it. This was someone clearly not to be messed with. While the blue haired man went to pick it back up the other looked back out into the darkness.
"Come on! Own up! Who's down here?" yelled the green skinned man. He was met however with frightened silence.
"Maybe no one's down 'ere?" said the blue haired man quietly, stuffing the sash into his pocket. He must have been the one with the weird accent.
"That's not a very 'superhero' thing to say is it?"
"N-No. Yurr'ight."
The green-skinned man looked back out to the dim room.
"Well?" he yelled again more sinisterly "I'm waiting! I WILL find you!"
Noodle gasped and hid her face in her hands. She was trembling and whispering to herself in Japanese. Russel wished he knew what she was thinking. Did she think that the people after her had finally found her? He knew there was no real point in hiding. He knelt down to Noodle and whispered;
"Noodle, what I want you to do is to stay quiet and do not say anything or react to what I'm doing. You got that?"
She nodded.
"What was that? Who's there?"
Russel stood up and walked forward. 2D and Murdoc looked around the cold, dim room. Then they saw someone come out of the wall with his hands up and face hanging. The large man was bald, had dark skin and was very large. He went to the bottom of the stairs, put his hands down and looked up. His eyes were bleached white and it was quite off-putting. They couldn't help but stare at this weird person. Then Murdoc came to his senses and pulled a smirk to big himself up.
"At last. Took you long enough. What you doing here?"
Russel shrugged. "Ah needed a place to go. Ah didn't think anyone lived here."
Murdoc scoffed. "Homeless scum. Just what I thought. Believe it or not buddy this place is mine and I don't take to strangers or hippies or whatever you are entering WITHOUT my permission."
"Bu'… Ah was a stranger an' you let me in" said 2D.
"Well you were different weren't you? Think about it mate" Murdoc sighed.
Russel raised an eyebrow. "So… are you two like… you know… together?"
The other two looked at each other in confusion and then in disgust.
"NO BLOODY WAY! You have a lot of nerve to think that matey."
"No no; it's OK. You can say if you are because I'm totally cool with that."
Murdoc growled "Is anyone else with you?"
"No" Russel lied.
"'Ow did ya get ya eyes like that?" asked 2D.
Russel was a bit taken aback by this. I mean, 'look who's talking'!
"Excuse him …. he has an obsession on starting a superhero team for some reason" Murdoc said.
"Anyway, now the question is what to do with y…"
Suddenly there was a sound of someone sneezing. Russel closed his eyes tightly in shame. Noodle was busted.
"What was dat?"
"What was what?" Russel said quickly.
Murdoc scowled at him. "On your own eh? Oi, Face-ache, follow me."
Noodle heard the sound of footsteps coming and crawled into the corner. Again she pulled her legs close to her chest and hid her face in her folded arms. She started to tremble again. What was going on?
Murdoc and 2D turned the corner and saw the Japanese girl. She had black hair with a radio helmet and pale skin. They couldn't see her face as she was hiding it. She looked so scared and she was shaking.
2D immediately felt sorry for her and knelt in front of her.
"Don't do anything to her; she's all ah got." said Russel.
"Ah jus' wan' ta see what's wrong."
Noodle heard the kind sounding voice and peeked her little eyes over her arms. The first thing she saw was the close up face of 2D, and then Murdoc's face staring at her from the distance. She screamed and pushed herself closer to the wall. 2D pulled back too not sure what he had done wrong. He tried to reach out to her but she jumped up and ran to Russel and hid behind him.
"You think someone like you wouldn't be frightening?" said Murdoc.
2D stood up and looked at her. Noodle peeked out from Russel and hid again.
"Aaaww; she's so cute. It's OK little fella; 'm no' gonna 'urt ya."
Noodle crept out from Russel and crept gingerly to 2D. He seemed friendly and she did overreact a bit. She bowed in front of him.
"Sorry for…sc…scar…ing…you."
2D gave a big smile. "Aw, at's OK. Ah woulda done the same."
"So what's with the little one?" asked Murdoc. He didn't really care but at least the spotlight would be back on him for a bit.
Noodle looked at him, gasped and grabbed hold of 2D for protection without even knowing it.
"Ah found her alone on the streets. She doesn't speak much English but she's a good kid." said Russel.
Noodle let go of 2D and walked to Murdoc. He didn't seem as scary now.
"Wh…What…hap...pened to… to you?" she asked innocently. Murdoc just glared at her while the others sniggered at the innocent comment.
"By the way; ah never asked ya names" said 2D.
"I'm Russel and that's Noodle."
"Well 'm 2D and that's Murdoc."
"Hang on," Murdoc butted in "what kind of a name is Noodle?"
"She called herself that; I just went with it. Besides, what kind of a name is 2D?"
"It's ma nickname. Ma weal name is Stuart Pot but I prefer people to call meh 2D."
"Alright this is all cute and everything but we have to kick them out now Faceache." said Murdoc.
2D frowned. "Can't they stay Muds? Ah mean, when ya left meh ah went lookin' fa ya cause ah didn't wan' ya 'omeless too."
There was a long and awkward pause which Russel broke.
"I mean seriously if you ARE together then…"
"SHUT IT! They have to go 2D; they aren't pets."
Russel nodded. "Come on Noodle; let's go."
He tried to reach for her hand but she stood away from him. She looked at 2D and Murdoc and then back at Russel. She sensed something good in the two weird men (even the green one) and she felt she should stay with them.
"Noodle…stay?"
Russel raised an eyebrow.
"You…You wanna stay here?"
"N-No. Russel-Sama too."
Noodle looked at Murdoc and pulled the cutest look she could.
"Please?"
Murdoc closed his eyes to think. Everyone was staring at him now; they all hoped for Russel and Noodle to stay and it was up to Murdoc to decide whether they could or not. At last he opened his eyes and sighed.
"I suppose if they stayed a few days it wouldn't hurt."
Noodle screamed with delight and hugged him tightly.
"But only for a few days remember!" he blurted out trying to breath.
Noodle let go of Murdoc and ran to Russel. 2D offered to show them around Kong but Murdoc said he needed to speak privately first. So while the new guests were waiting outside Murdoc whispered to 2D.
"Now listen. They aren't going to be here for long so don't get too attached to them. Also do NOT, I repeat NOT tell them we have superpowers. That will be our secret."
"Bu' what if they 'av powers of their own?"
"Oh for f**k's sake, are you still going on about this? You're obsessed with this aren't you? I think that WE are the only people with powers like this in the whole bloody universe."
"Bu' Muds, there could be ah chance tha'…."
"STOP! Do NOT finish that unless you want to be hanging inside out from the front of the building. They do NOT have powers and they must never know WE have powers. That's it, end of story. Now, you might as well get them something to eat before you show them round, the little one is almost as skinny as you."
2D shrugged and ran back to the guests. As he led them to the kitchen Noodle tugged on Russel's sleeve. He looked down at her.
"Russel-Sama, What is Superhero?"
Hooray! I have brought them together! The only problem is Murdoc doesn't want them. Can they make him change his mind? Find out next time.