Noodle (c) Damon and Jamie


Chapter 28: Cat Masked Woman

"She hasn't lived here in months. Moved out durin' mid fall.." The landlord to Araiya's old apartment complex sat a cup of tea in front of a purple haired woman who had a green and white cat mask covering the left side of her face. She was wearing a red and white mini-dress with matching scarf, black and white toe-less stockings, and black combat boots. Her lips were painted with red lipstick. "Is she your friend or something?"

"Hai, she is. She's more than just a friend, she's like my big sister. It's been a while since I saw her. Four years to be exact. Was there anyone living with her?" she took a sip of her tea.

"As a matter of fact there was. He was staying with her the month before she left. As a matter of fact, she left with him. He had the complexion of a green olive, jet black hair that was cut into sort of a bowl shape, and had hazel eyes. He was quite the looker. Is he a friend too?"

"You can say that."

"Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"Yes, there is one more thing, did they say where they were going?"

The landlord thought for a moment and remembered. "Yeah, Araiya told me that they were going to some place called Plastic Beach. Other than that, she didn't give me much information."

The woman finished her tea and stood up. "Thank you for the information and the tea, but I must be going now." she put on her coat and picked up the bag she had been carrying and slung it over her shoulder. Walking over to the door, she opened it.

"Good luck in your search."

"Thank you." the masked woman walked out of the apartment and out into the winter night. She arrived back at the motel room she was renting and went into her room. After turning the lights on, she took off her mask and laid it on the small table and went into the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. A black and purple bruise that covered the left side of her face and eye stared back at her and so did emerald green eyes. That bruise was from the two years she was in Hell. She escaped by the end of the second year and when she got out, she exited through the Hellhole in Kong.

When she got up to the car park, she had hope that everyone was still there, but reality had set in and time had passed. What was some months down there were a a couple of years on earth. She spotted Murdoc's Winnebago and quickly ran to it hoping he'd be inside like he usually was, but the woman found it completely empty. Nothing was in the cabinets, the leather couch was torn and cracked, stuffing that had turned yellow poured out of it, the posters that were on the walls in the narrow hall were gone, and the bed was bare. Only the stained mattress was left and so was old candle wax on the bedside tables.

The short woman who only stood 4'11'' found that her former home was bare and all her family had left. All that was left was a burnt shell of itself. After staying in the Winnie a few weeks, she left and began to search. She started with Murdoc first and found out about the new album through a clerk in a music store. Upon seeing the new album sitting on the shelf, she checked online for more information and got a hefty surprise.

The woman watched as 2D got gassed and kidnapped, Murdoc fleeing the cops with two briefcases full of cash and getting shot at, Russel jumping into the ocean looking extremely angry, and the cyborg version of her close her faceplate shut and smile creepily at her. She didn't know what to say and stared in shock at the screen, but she was hurt by what people called Cyborg Noodle. The woman didn't want to think that the bassist had forgotten about her and why would he create something like that? She wanted answers, but they would have to wait until she gathered more info on where everyone was.

Then she went to find Araiya, hoping that her Onee-san was still in the county and as she had just found out that she was a few months too late, and that she had left with Murdoc to go to point Nemo. Only thing left to do now was just put the remaining pieces of the puzzle together and hopefully by the end of this year she'd leave for the pink island. She didn't want to believe that her father figure had decided to jump into the ocean and end it all so she would have to fly to California to make sure the heavy man was still alive nad she wanted more info on how 2D ended up in Beirut so there would also be a trip to Crawley, but first she needed to go back to Kong and get some things.

Putting on the only pair of pajamas that still fit her from her teen years, she walked out of the bathroom and got into bed, snuggling under the covers, and turned the lamp off. Tomorrow she'd go back to Essex.

The black cab, stopped at the bottom of the hill and the purpled-haired looked at the driver. "I'll only be a few minuets." she got out and rushed up the hill and into the car park. Going into the Winnebago and the bedroom, she pulled out a silver briefcase and unlocked it. Inside was a Thompson machine gun with bullets. Closing it back up, she exited the RV and gave it one final look before going back down the hill then gave the house one final look as well. "Goodbye."

She got back into the cab with the case. "Chelmsford please."

"Sure thing miss." The cab driver took off and drove her to the town and dropped her off at a bus stop.

After taking two buses and then two trains through London, she made it to the bus depot where she bought a ticket for Crawley. A hour later she boarded the bus and sat in her seat by the window and was glad that she had the two seats to herself and that the bus wasn't really crowded. The woman took her mask and moved it to the left side of her face and settled back in her seat. The bus pulled out of the depot and was on it's way to 2D's hometown.


Noodle's on her way back to her family.