Meanwhile, back on Plastic Beach…

Water lapped at two pairs of feet on the artificial shore: one pair clad in Cuban heeled boots, and the other bare and brown, not to mention 7 times larger than the average man's shoe size. Murdoc and Russel sat side by side, lost in thought and seeming not to notice the rising tide. Only the squabbling of a seagull and pelican could be heard in the thick night air.

Murdoc was the one to break the silence. "Where…did you find her?" he asked in a careful tone, trying not to give away any emotion.

Russel shifted his massive weight beneath the pink sand. "Well I was on ma' way here ta give ya a piece of my mind, but then I found our baby girl, all alone, floating on…debris of some sort."

"There's a lot ov that round here…" Murdoc sighed as he kicked at stray can of Splam with his boot.

Russel was still obviously lost in thought about his lost-and-found adoptive daughter. He broke into a soft smile. "I saw some of that purple hair she's got stickin' out behind tha' mask she wears now. I knew it was Noodle as soon as I saw her."

Suddenly, Murdoc cracked. "I looked for her once, you know!" he cried out almost desperately, "But it wos like she disappeared from the face of the bleeding Earth! So I stopped! I'd rot into the bloody ground before I'd find her!"

Russel looked over at the rambling bassist. His red eye was twitching as he nervously folded and unfolded a yellowed piece of parchment in his hands.

"C'mon man, chill. Ma' priorities are diff'rent now. I was gonna pound ya for what you did to me, to 2D, to Noodle. An' Bobby Womack! You kidnapped Bobby Womack!" exclaimed Russel, his forgiving attitude threatening to change to outrage as he mentioned the legendary crooner. Murdoc's eyes bulged.

Luckily, Russel let it go with a shake of his head. "But ya know, we need to act on what's best for Noodle right now. She wouldn't want us ta fight. Yo nose can't get any more wack lookin' anyway. We straight," chuckled Russel as he gave Murdoc a pat on the back, nearly sending him toppling into the ocean.

Before Murdoc could respond, Russel playfully lunged at the strange piece of paper in Murdoc's hands, swiping it with his thumb and index finger.

"THAT'S IMPORTANT!" screeched Murdoc as he jumped up grabbing handfuls of air as Russel raised the crinkled paper to his face. He squinted his eyes in effort to read the two tiny printed words.

"Sea Links?" he mumbled incredulously, "Dude, what kind of-OW!"

Murdoc had kicked the giant in the toe, sending the small scrap of paper flying out of his hands. "Don't touch my papers," he growled, snatching the paper out of the air, "It might be a part of a veeery important page of a veeery important book. I found this little baby washed up on the shore."

Russel started to say something, but his mouth snapped shut at the sound of jets and gunfire in the distance.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the ocean…

Artie the sperm whale, with 2D and Noodle clinging desperately to his back, finally broke the surface of the water after escaping from the underwater bunker. After emerging from the ocean and wiping the stinging droplets from their eyes, the 2 landlubbers gasped first for air, then out of shock.

Twenty three pirate jets were circling the dark blue sky like oversized vultures waiting for their prey. The trio was spotted instantly, and three jets dove down at a seemingly impossible speed, unleashing a shower of bullets.

"Why did I ever ettle in helpin' you save yer lass?" Artie moaned at 2D in his thick accent, "Dyin' for ye wasn't on my side o' the deal. We won't make it to dawn!"

"DIVE!" screamed 2D and Noodle in unison, and the whale obliged. The world turned black as 2D and Noodle shut their eyes and plunged into the briny water again. They had no sense of what direction or how deep they were going, and their only hope was the navigation skills of a sperm whale.

Noodle was filled with a familiar feeling of dread as she shut her eyes. The blackness reminded her of the place that stole 4 years of her life away from her and replaced them with darkness. The likelihood of being claimed by the Boogeyman again and trapped in his abyss in the next hour overwhelmed her. She could almost feel reality slipping away, losing a sense of identity, losing hope.

Noodle cried out underwater, half in anguish and half to hear her own voice. She felt the bubbles rise from her mouth and tickle her face. The sensation brought her back to reality, but the fear and loneliness inside her was still growing.

Then she felt a warm hand on hers.

She opened her eyes to a crack. The water was dark, but she could see the silhouette of 2D's face next to hers. His hair swayed in the water like soft sea grass, and she could tell by the shape of his head he was looking directly at her.

The dark emptiness in her heart was banished, and was replaced with pure adoration. He was the reason she lived.