Chapter 3: Gorillaz Background

Harry sat in his room at the studio, looking out the window to see the cemetery out front.

It's been two days since the trip to the mall and that meant two days since he became a part of the band and he couldn't help but feel out of place.

He just couldn't help it.

Well at least the Band Practices went great.

Murdoc took some sort of camera and went trigger happy with it as they were doing their own thing and while they were practicing the song 'Ghost Train'.

Shaking his head, Harry heard a knock. "Harry, you in there?" It was Russel's voice.

"Yeah, hang on." Harry called back as he ran across the room to open the door and he saw Russel carrying a big box over his shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Murdoc has me installing cameras in each of the rooms." Russel said shuffling in with an apologetic tone.

"Uh, why?" Harry asked thinking that was a bit weird.

"To help with the website that he put up, he wanted it to show each of our rooms with links and games that people can click onto." Russel explained as he sat the box down. "After this, I'm going to install the cameras inside the Cafe-."

"There's a Cafe here?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Harry there are a lot of things here that even we haven't discovered yet." Russel said in amusement. "There's also the bowling alley as well."

Harry was silent at that as Russel got to work. "Well, I'm going to look around." He said but Russel stopped him.

"Take your walkie-talkie."

It was something that was given to Harry since the first time he got lost so if he needed any help, he would just call for it.

"Alright." Harry said grabbing it and taking off as he ran by the pig head as it squealed. "I'll never get used to that."

It only took a few seconds for him to get to the first floor where he nearly tripped over a toy gorilla that was moving around the place.

"Careful." Noodle's voice came in as she held a remote controller for the toy and made it spin before heading to the next room with her following it.

"Oi! Where's Lards?!" Murdoc came out of the kitchen with a cigarette in his mouth. "I've been looking for his fat arse all day!"

"He's installing the camera in my room." Harry answered a little intimidated by Murdoc.

"Is he now?" Murdoc asked with narrowed eyes before nodding. "Good, real nice."

He then looked over to see 2-D listening to music on a portable CD Player and had a smirk as he walked by slapping him in the back of the head, startling him. "Wake-Up Dullard."

"Wot?" 2-D shook his head as he pulled his headphones out. "Wot wos dat fer?"

"Because I felt like it." Murdoc said plainly. "We still have a month before our first gig and I invited Whiffy to it."

"Who?" 2-D asked in confusion.

"An old friend." Murdoc waved off with a smirk as he gave a chuckle. "Now you need to memorize your lines."

"Dat's wot I'm doin'." 2-D said showing that he put the song Punk on his CD Player. "I memorize it better listenin' to it."

"Right well carry on." Murdoc muttered before turning to Harry. "You got your part ready?"

Harry gave a nod, not saying he only had the beginning down, it's only been two days for him after all and they spent the first one working on Ghost Train with him considering he was the only one who didn't have it memorized.

He has a month anyways, enough time to memorize the song.

"It better be." Murdoc left it there as he went to walk off to speak with Russel.

"What's his problem?" Harry muttered as soon as Murdoc was out of earshot.

"Dat wos just Murdoc being him." 2-D said rubbing the place where the Bassist smacked him. "He wos always dat harsh from wot I remember."

"You've known him a long time?" Harry asked curiously as he sat in the chair near him.

"Well, just fer a bit and he did take care of me when I wos in dat coma." 2-D mused mostly to himself.

"Coma?" Harry was surprised to hear that one.

"Well it's a funny story." 2-D began to explain.

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2-D or as he was known back then as Stuart Tusspot, was just a normal boy, but back then his eyes were normal with the irises being brown.

He was a well-liked guy to most people, but he could barely hold a job to save his life and he couldn't focus well in school.

The one thing he did enjoy though was music.

Everyday since he was ten, his parents David and Rachel Tusspot would pass by his room to hear records of some great hits going off as he jumped around the room bopping his head to each and every beat that came by.

His hair used to be normal too until he fell out of a tree at the age of eleven and landed on his head, for some reason his hair fell out and grew back a purplish azure color, confusing his parents as well as his doctors.

Since his Mom was a professional Nurse, she provided him with the painkillers he would need for his headaches, but he got them so often that he would take more pills than necessary gaining an addiction to them.

His father however was a tinkerer of of the electronic fairground rides and a mechanic allowing Sruart to be able to come and go to the fair as he pleased.

Do to him not knowing what to do with his life, his father called up an old friend Norman who owned the Uncle Norms Organ Emporium and got Stuart the job there considering his love for music.

That was when it happened.

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"When what happened?" Harry asked feeling drawn into the story, wondering where Murdoc came in.

2-D chuckled. "I'm getting der."

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~August 15th, 1997 AKA 'D-Day'~

It was just usual day with Stuart helping the customers as he had Norman's permission to play on the instruments to give them a show so they would be interested in playing the instrument.

"Come again." Stuart said with his Cockney Accent but he still had his front teeth.

"Another sale, Stuart?" A large man asked reading a paper.

"Always, Uncle Norm." Stuart answered to his boss. "Da kids love dis place."

Norman didn't say anything because he knew that the kids only came because of Stuart.

There was something about him that drew kids to him, it could've been his personality or his hair but kids just loved him and he was always friendly to them.

That was why Stuart was one of his valued employees above anyone else.

Norman even thought of giving Stuart management of the place and going into retirement and he would've if he didn't know that Stuart knew nothing about managing a business.

He tried to teach him, but it just didn't stick.

"Well, I'm going to my office to check some files." Norman said as Stuart grimaced. "It's not that bad."

"Paperwork is evil." Stuart said with a face. "Dat's wot I fink and I'm sticking wit it."

Norman chuckled to himself as he left and Stuart was standing at the counter for three hours with no business just staring into space.

He was so focused that a fly landed on his eyeball and he didn't even blink as it flew off.

But that changed as Stuart heard a screech of tires.

"Wot's dat?" Stuart muttered before a car came crashing through the front of the store.

It was a Vauxhall Astra and it held four masked men that drove through the wall and it was coming right at Stuart.

"Oh shi-!" That was all Stuart could say before the bumper slammed right into his head.

Now for most people, they would've died instantly with their head messed up, but through some miracle Stuart was just knocked backwards with his left eye being pushed in and fracturing as it filled with blood showing nothing but darkness in that eye.

It also left the nineteen year old in a coma.

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~Present Time~

"Good lord." Harry said as he heard that while 2-D consciously rubbed his left eye.

"Yeah, dat hurt like hell." 2-D muttered wincing as he felt the phantom pain. "From wot I know I wos out fer a year."

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The driver of said car turned out to be none other than Murdoc Niccals who was only caught because he was too busy laughing his drunk ass off at the comatose Stuart as police came to arrest him.

Under the penalty of Grand Theft Auto, DUI, Vandalism, Property Damage and Bodily Harm, Murdoc was sentenced to 30,000 hours of community service, plus 10 hours every week to care for the vegetabilized Stuart Pot.

Not their best decision in putting the man in charge of Stuart, but Murdoc did show up all the time after trying to blow it off the first few times and was under threat of rotting in jail.

Turns out he was going to rob the store to get instruments needed for a band and while this put him behind schedule, Murdoc did find himself having fun with the comatose kid, even if he didn't remember it.

He took the kid fishing.

Even if he had to drag him out of the water.

He took Stuart to the movies.

And he took him for a few joyrides.

It wasn't until a year later that Murdoc was reaching the end of his community service and he had to say, he would miss the comatosed kid.

The kids parents would be happy that Murdoc wouldn't be in charge of him any longer after this, something they were against from the beginning.

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It happened when they were in Nottingham with Murdoc pulling donuts in his car while an unbuckled Stuart was rolling around in the backseat.

Some people were cheering as he kept pulling moves in the car and Murdoc was laughing at this before he saw a cute girl and he decided to show off a bit.

Taking his foot off the brake, Murdoc began to hit 90 MPH when he slammed on the brake and that was when Stuart shot forward right out of the windshield.

"Oops." Murdoc winced, not meaning to do that as Stuart landed face first on the asphalt and skidded with his face a few feet. "Ah shit."

As Murdoc got out of the car to run to the kid, he was surprised to see him twitch as his arm moved to pick himself up and Stuart slowly stood up.

It was a miracle in itself that the kid was strong enough to stand up after being comatose for a year.

Hell it was a miracle for him to still be alive.

As he slowly stood up with the people that were watching the show of Murdoc pulling donuts, some people screamed at his face as Stuart turned around and Murdoc saw that his fun pushed in Stuart's right eye and caused a second eight-ball fracture and some skin was torn off a bit to show some blood.

"W-Wot happened?" Stuart asked as his front teeth fell out from the impact.

But Murdoc didn't care he knew that he just found the frontman of the band he was looking for.

Who wouldn't love a face like that in the Music Industry?

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"And due to da dents on meh face from de accident, Murdoc named me 2-D." 2-D explained to a stunned Harry as he heard the whole story.

"You became friends with him after all of that?!" Harry asked in shock.

He made a note to never get in the car with Murdoc driving, under any circumstance.

"Well not friends in da beginning, but he helped me find out wot I wonted to do in meh life." 2-D said with a grin. "I loved playing da keyboard and I found a love fer singing, plus I met Russel, Noods and you so I wouldn't trade dis for anyfing in da world."

"What about your parents?" Harry asked curiously.

Now 2-D grimaced. "Dey weren't happy with meh decision." He said looking down sadly. "Dey fought I wos ruining meh life by comin' to KONG, it didn't help dat dey hate Murdoc for wot happened even if I forgave him."

Then 2-D smiled.

"But dey will come around when we make our first album." 2-D said confidently. "Fankfully dey still call me every other day and I told dem about you guys being here as well."

As if on cue, the phone began to ring and 2-D picked it up, checking the Caller ID.

"Dat's dem now." 2-D had a big grin.

"I'll leave you to it." Harry said standing up to walk away as he heard 2-D.

"Hi Mom! How are yew doing?"

Smiling a bit to himself, Harry came to the kitchen just in time to see Noodle still playing with her toy as she made it slam into the counter and a cup of ramen fell down where she caught it out of the air.

"Wicked." Harry said impressed.

Noodle gave a grin. "Easy." She said indicating how she did it. "Play game?"

"Sure." Harry answered with a nod. "What game?"

"Pokemon." Noodle held up her Game Boy with a grin.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "Poke-what?"

Noodle stared at Harry just like how 2-D did when he asked what a zombie was.

"Dono yō ni pokemon ga nandearu ka o shiranai nodesu ka? Sore wa, soko ni saidai no gēmu no hitotsudesu! (How do you not know what Pokemon is? It is one of the greatest games out there!)" Noodle shouted in rapid Japanese making Harry flinch. "Anata ni, kono machigatta to wa dare motarashita? (Who brought this wrong on you?)"

Harry blinked, not having a clue on what Noodle was saying but she sounded a little angry. "Uh sorry?"

Hearing the apology, Noodle took a deep breath and calmed down. "Me teach Pokemon." She said leaving no tone for argument in her voice as she ran to her room before pausing considering how all of her games were in Japanese.

No way would Harry understand the game in a different language.

Thinking to herself, Noodle snapped her fingers and ran outside with some money in her hands.

Harry was still standing on the ground floor, wondering what just happened before he saw Russel coming down.

"You alright Harry?" Russel asked at seeing Harry's confused look.

"I don't even know what just happened." Harry answered truthfully before seeing that Russel had a sandwich. "I thought you were installing cameras."

"I finished an hour ago." Russel answered causing Harry to look at the clock on the wall to see that he's been walking around KONG, talking with 2-D and Noodle for three hours already.

"Huh." Harry said in surprise.

"So you been keeping yourself busy?" Russel asked eating.

"Yeah, I spoke with 2-D and he told me how he and Murdoc met." Harry said causing Russel to frown a bit.

"Oh I remember that story." Russel said muttering an insult to Murdoc under his breath.

"So uh, how did you join the band?" Harry decided to ask with curiosity.

"I didn't." Russel answered with a shrug. "I got kidnapped."

He said it so naturally that it took Harry a second to realize what he just said. "You got kidnapped?!"

Russel gave a nod. "Yeah, it was crazy."

"How?" Harry asked eager to hear the story as Russel chuckled.

"Well it started in back home in Brooklyn." Russel said having a far off look in his milky eyes. "It was when I was coming out of a 7-Eleven with my friends including my best friend Del."

Harry listened trying to imagine it in his head.

"We got in the car and just remained parked there laughing and cracking jokes when this black Humvee drove up behind us." Russel sighed as he remembered that night. "It was raining pretty hard so I wasn't sure at first but as the windows went down I shouted, Gun, and took cover, thinking everyone would do the same."

Harry had wide eyes as he realized what happened.

"Gangbangers, all of them but one wearing red and that one was wearing black." Russel shook his head. "Del died instantly and the others followed soon after, but for some reason, the bullets never hit me but then I saw into the hood of the black one. It was a skeleton wielding a scythe."

"You saw the Grim Reaper?!" Harry asked in shock.

Russel gave a nod. "That image will stay with me forever." Then he shuddered. "But then the creepy part started up." Harry looked confused. "All the dead spirits of my friends shot out of their body and entered mine like they were being sucked in by a vacuum, the process turned my eyes milky white and I gained their music skills combined with mine."

Harry's jaw was hanging open.

"Wanting me to be safe, my parents transferred me to England, away from America and that was when I met Murdoc." Russel said as he remembered the incident.

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Russel was on his break as he sat at a table in a store called 'Big Rick Black's Record Shack'.

He's been working there for years since he left America and he was eating some food when the door jingled and Murdoc Niccals walked in.

"Oi can I get some service here?" Murdoc asked leaning on a counter.

Russel ignored him as he continued his break.

"Hello?" Murdoc began to ring the bell for service on the counter. "OI!"

He slammed his hands on the bell for five minutes before Russel had enough. "What?!" Russel said standing up.

"Good, you can speak." Murdoc said with his arms crossed.

Russel glared at him, pretty sure to himself that he wouldn't like the guy. "I'm on my break." He said getting into Murdoc's face.

"Come on, I just need one record." Murdoc said not at all intimidated by the big guy.

Russel had to admit, the man had balls.

Giving a huff of annoyance, Russel turned around to look for a record.

He only had his back turned for one moment when something went over his head.

"What the?! What kind of shit is this?!" Russel shouted as he struggled inside of a potato sack as Murdoc managed to drag him and strap him into the Jeep. "Let me out! I'm going to get your ass arrested!"

"Calm down." Murdoc said as he began driving with a laugh. "You'll thank me later."

"You motherfu-."

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Russel stopped there remembering that Harry was a kid and he chuckled. "And that was how I ended up here."

"He managed to put you into a Potato sack?" Harry asked in awe. "How?"

"I've been wondering that for awhile." Russel answered with a nod. "I wanted to beat the crap out of him but Murdoc showed me the music and told me he got me fired at my job so I could've ended up jobless and homeless or I could join the band."

"That's horrible."

"It was but I guess he was right, I kind of thank him." Russel frowned. "Not that I would say it to his face."

"Aw Lards, I didn't know you cared." Murdoc drawled from the doorway of the kitchen with a beer in his hands laughing.

"Damnit Mudz!" Russel glared at the Satanist.

"So telling young Harry how we became the Gorillaz?" Murdoc asked shaking his head. "Mate you haven't told him about Paula."

"Who?" Harry asked as Russel stood up.

"We swore to never mention that name." Russel said angrily. "Especially after what you did."

"Lards, that chick was the worst thing for the Gorillaz." Murdoc said with a smirk. "We did get Noodles on the band after her-speaking of which where is the gal?"

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Noodle was crouching on a taxi as it drove through the streets, the driver not knowing that she was on top of the car as people pointed.

As it came to a turn, Noodle jumped onto another car.

"Where?" Noodle muttered looking for a certain place.

The car slowed to a stop and Noodle looked down to see a family staring at her in shock.

"Sorry." Noodle apologized as she jumped off the car and ran down the street.

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"Anyways, Paula was the Guitarist before Noodle." Murdoc said as Russel checked around for 2-D, not wanting the singer to hear this conversation. "Ugly woman too, can't believe I hit that."

"When you got her drunk as well." Russel said to him. "Paula loved 2-D and D loved her back before you ruined it."

"Mate, the woman was rubbish." Murdoc waved off as he cupped his chin. "Now, where was I-oh right. So I was drunk and so was she before we ended up in one of the bathrooms-."

"Why would you go to the bathroom with her?" Harry asked tilting his head to the side.

Murdoc smirked. "Well when two people love each other very much-."

"Oh hell no!" Russel shouted as he stomped over and covered Murdoc's mouth. "You are not teaching him that."

"Teaching me what?" Harry asked in confusion.

Prying Russel's hand from his mouth, Murdoc coughed. "I'm just trying to help the kid out, I had to learn this stuff when I was younger than him."

"What kind of childhood did you have?" Russel asked disgusted.

"A rewarding one." Murdoc answered before looking at Harry. "Anyways, Lards there walked in and fractured my nose in five different places."

"Because you betrayed D and caused him to be depressed for nearly a month." Russel said clenching his fist while Harry still looked confused on what happened.

"It was for the Dullards own good." Murdoc scoffed before laughing. "Then when I put in an application for a new Guitarist we got a package."

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Murdoc was muttering insults as he had bloody toilet paper up his nose to stop the bleeding while Russel was glaring at Murdoc and 2-D was sitting next to Russel with a tear streaked face and snot coming out of his nose.

"Oh shut it, Face-Ache-." Murdoc began before Russel cracked his knuckles.

"Leave the man alone Mudz." Russel said to him. "You are in no position to patronize him."

"Why?" 2-D looked at Murdoc with hurt in his black eyes. "Why did yew do dat Murdoc? I fought we were friends."

Murdoc scoffed before the doorbell rang. "Who the bleeding hell is that?" He muttered getting up and walking to the door only to see a Fed-Ex Crate and a truck driving off. "OI! I DIDN'T ORDER A DAMN CRATE!"

Considering the truck didn't stop, Murdoc sighed and began pushing the crate into the house, having trouble. "Will someone give me a hand?!"

"Why should I?" Russel asked stomping out to him with 2-D following behind.

"Because this isn't my damn crate-." Murdoc was interrupted by the top being kicked off, slamming him in the face as a nine year old Japanese girl came jumping out with a Guitar.

"What the hell?!" Russel asked in shock.

2-D had a grin. "Can we keep her?" He asked like she was a puppy.

Covering his nose that was bleeding again, Murdoc glared at the girl. "Oh no, we are not letting a child stay here-."

He went to pick her up to throw her out when the girl gave a shout in Japanese before she began playing the guitar causing Murdoc to stop as he listened intently.

As she played, the girl jumped into the air, using the crate to jump off of to do a 20 foot high karate kick that she landed impressing them.

Looking up at them, she gave a grin and spoke for the first time.

"Noodle."

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"That's how Noodle joined the band?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she was fed-exed to us and there you have it a group of the worlds most unusual and unlikely people to ever be in a band." Russel said with a laugh. "And two weeks later, 2-D came home with you."

"Wow." Harry said.

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"Here." Noodle ran into the Game Shop with some money and she saw her goal.

It was a Pokemon Red game on a shelf and she made a grab for it.

But as soon as she grabbed it, another kid with red hair, glasses, a blue shirt and freckled did so as well, causing Noodle to glare at him.

"Hey I had my hand on it first." The kid said trying to pull it away but Noodle kept a tight grip.

"Watashi wa sore ga pokemon yaku harī o oshieru tame ni katte imasu! (I'm buying it to teach Harry about Pokemon!)" Noodle protested. "Let go!"

"No!" The kid and Noodle were locked in a tug of war over the game, neither backing down.

Feeling tired of the game, Noodle smirked. "Anata wa sentaku no yochi o watashi ni nokoshimasu. (You leave me with no choice.)"

"Speak English!" The kid spoke out before Noodle reared her leg back and kicked him in between the legs. "My netheregions!"

Sticking her tongue out, Noodle ran to the counter to pay for the game, leaving the kid on the ground.

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Harry sat in the Cafe by himself, thinking of what he learned.

He managed to learn each of the Gorillaz past and how Murdoc was involved with each of them.

And yet, they didn't ask about his past.

Harry looked down unsure of what to do before a box was placed in front of him. "Huh?"

"Present." Noodle said looking tired. "Open."

Harry looked at Noodle. "Y-You didn't have to." He said not used to receiving a gift.

"Friend help friends." Noodle said with a smile that Harry copied after a second.

Opening the package, Harry was surprised to see a used Game Boy and a Cartridge.

"Have two Gameboy." Noodle explained to Harry. "Bought English Pokemon game."

Harry just looked at it before looking at Noodle. "Thank you Noodle."

"So play?" Noodle asked holding her Gameboy as Harry grabbed his new (old) one and put the game in.

"Sure."

To Be Continued...

Alright, I hope you enjoyed how I did this chapter showing the past to each Gorillaz Member and I gave Noodle her own short adventure.

I don't know how I thought of that adventure but when I looked into Noodle's Phase One personality, I could just picture her doing this and I just had to type it.

Plus I hope that I'm doing the personalities of everyone correctly.

But can I ask for some more reviews? I have over a hundred views on this story and about nine or ten favorites while only two or three reviews a chapter?

Speaking of Reviews here are the answers to the ones I got.

Captain XZero: Thanks, I'm happy I learned how to type better compared to before so this would be possible.

Rauk14: Thank you, I'm sorry for leaving for how long I did.

Now please leave a review and I'll get another chapter out.

... To be honest, I didn't think I would get the third chapter out this quickly, it's like a spark went off when I began typing this story again... Oh well see you later.