Noodle crouched a few feet away from the cyborg. It slumped to the ground next to the opening in the roof. The clone struggled to get up. Lacking the energy and limbs to succeed this task, it fell back to the floor, and twitched twice before going completely still. Dark smoke poured out of the dark, purple hair of the copy.
The copy. It was made to look and fight identical to Noodle. Was she really replaceable? She had literally gone to Hell and back for this band –her family – just to find her spot filled by a robotic version of herself. What else had changed? Russel was a giant. The bassist and singer were nowhere insight. Did someone or a robot replace 2D? Was he even on the island?
The thoughts flitted through her mind like a startled murder of crows, dark and overwhelming. Noodle pulled the mask over her face to block out the smoke that blurred her vision. Exhaling deeply, she realized that it wasn't the smoke that made her eyes water. She sat down her weapons and wrapped her arms around her chest. Tears dripped from under the mask as she struggled to clear her mind and stop trembling.
Hearing something on the other side of the cyborg, Noodle grabbed her firearm and post. She crouched and waited for the newcomer to show themself. Smoke twirled over the metal carcass and slightly parted to reveal an arm. It was the robot's one good arm. Pinched between two of its fingers was the pin to a grenade.
Icy claws of dread gripped her chest in the moment before her super soldier instincts kicked in. She kicked to the side, sending herself out of the way of the explosion, and spotted a gap in the railing. Noodle rolled through it and gripped a piece of pipe in the same instant the grenade served its one purpose. Debris and shrapnel shot over her hands.
One end of the pipe broke free from the wall. Her grip tightened to keep her from sliding. Blood welled from the gashes in her white knuckles. Grunting, she kicked out in search of a foothold, but the side of the wall had been blown away. Planes circled the island. Noodle realized how high up she was and knew that the only thing that would break her fall was flaming rubble and garbage.
The copper bar creaked, threatening to give up. The grimy surface was slick with oil, sweat, and blood. Noodle prepared to pull herself up, but her violently shaking arms protested against it. A couple of low-flying jets shot over her head and out to sea. She listened to their growls fade and wondered how many people were on the island. She had seen pirates, a ship, and a fleet of submarines when she and Russel arrived in the midst of an attack. The reason for the fight and the sides were unknown. Russel had taken out most of the planes that dive-bombed the island. Now, he was nowhere to be seen.
Clumsy shuffling could be heard overhead. The cyborg had managed to get up? That would have been impossible! Noodle felt something brush one of her hands. At first, she hesitated, thinking of all possible consequences. Realizing that it was this or falling to another fiery death, she released her grip and reached out to grab it. It was a hand. Not fused of metal and wires. A real, human hand.
Her grip tightened and Noodle pulled herself up as far as she could before letting go of the pipe and grabbing the other hand that was waiting. After her torso cleared the edge, she was able to relax her aching arms and shoulders. She didn't fall, but was she safe?
The hands didn't let go while Noodle caught her breath. The island jolted. She flinched as she felt the mask slip off her head. Her eyes followed it over the side of the roof and out of sight. She snarled under her breath and looked up to see the owner of the hands.
It was 2D in all of his entire confused, sopping wet demeanor. He was the one who'd pulled her from over the edge. She relaxed a bit, but was started when he tightened the grasp around her hands. There were no proper words could be said to describe how she felt about seeing him again.
Stuart's dark eyes studied her face very closely. What if he didn't reco–
"N-Nood–"
The explosion that cut off his stutter shifted the whole building. Terror grabbed a hold of Noodle as she found herself falling back over the edge. She felt the cold metal of the bar brush against her leg. The pressure suddenly increased as all of her weight was forced upon the pipe.
A flood of searing, white pain washed over her. Immobilized, with a scream caught in her chest, she felt the pipe lurch and give way. Noodle's vision darkened. Glowing red eyes were the last thing she saw before she fell back into into Hell.