One-Shot #1

(Phase 4)

Okay, so this is my first one-shot, and I know that it makes absolutely no sense in the context of the story.. But I decided to add in a new character, Syd (2D's daughter) into the story, so that I can write some one-shots about 2D and her bonding and such when he first meets her in phase 2.

The windshield of the submarine was clouded as it slowly crawled towards the surface, the salty deep blue starting to vanish. Through the glassy eyes of the above water binoculars, Murdoc could see that the coast was clear. The ocean was a barren and desolate wasteland whose only inhabitants could not be seen. It was a foggy night, but a perfect one to the occupants of the Stylo Submarine. Murdoc, 2D, Russel, and Noodle were all crowded within the interior, eager to see what was just above the water's surface. Finally, the sub's windshield rose above the waves, only to reveal that a forcefield-like dome of fog surrounded them, blinding the area to their eyes.

Everyone in the room groaned in annoyance. "God dammit Murdoc," 2D said. "You've got us lost again! Do you even have a god forsaken map?!" Murdoc turned away, but couldn't conceal his embarrassment. 2D's fully black eyes shut in disbelief. "You don't even have a MAP? Where the hell did you learn to drive?! Or let alone operate a fully functional submarine?"

This was too much for Murdoc. "WILL YOU SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP? I'm trying to concentrate here! If YOU weren't a pain enough, I've lost my bloody map!" Everyone jumped back. Murdoc's outbursts were like an extended family gathering. They were nothing new, but you didn't want to be a part of it anyway. So everyone just went back to wandering around the submarine, trying to look for anything to do. It was then when they finally got their relief. "Wait a second…" said Murdoc. "I think I've found something!"

Everyone raced to the glass window to take a look. And indeed, there was something. Off in the distance, they could see a faint outline of an island, pink and blocklike. They rejoiced over seeing this. "Finally!" Said Russell excitedly. "I thought that we were all going to die on this ridiculous boat. Plastic Beach, we meet again!"

"What did I tell you?" Said Murdoc proudly, a sharp-toothed grin creeping across his face. "You all said that I couldn't operate a shark sub? Well look over here! Boys and girl, we are at point Nemo!" As they moved closer to the island, the fog started to clear. But what they saw was much different than what they had pictured. Fires, burning down the island where the ashes had seemed to lay dormant for years. The pink paint that Murdoc had once coated the island in was covered in soot. The studio where they had once made music was now gone, burned to the ground. Around it they could see that debris was floating all around the island, bound to orbit the seas by invisible ropes.

The submarine was dead silent. Nobody dared make a sound. What had they come for in the first place? They knew what had happened that day, when the Boogie Man had shown up. Murdoc remembered his covered face perched smugly on his neck, as he stood gracefully on the roof of their headquarters. Black clouds appeared, and formed themselves into pirates determined on destroying the island and murdering the inhabitants. Murdoc remembered especially the bloodthirsty, murderous eyes that he could see through the Boogie man's red goggles attached to his gas mask. Planes had surrounded the island, dropping their bombs onto the surface, all isolated by a sheath of smoke and fire. Murdoc had dived into the building for safety, but he was blinded by smoke and could hear nothing but loud explosions and the sound of shouting.

Of course they remembered all of that. But why was it so painful to all of them to see their past home, where they had once produced one of their own albums? Why was that? Russel and Noodle had only seen the island once. Both of them were lost at sea but only showed up when the bombing attacks had ceased. They all climbed through the opening on the roof to get a look. They all stood, wide-eyed, looking at the shattered glass and rubble gathering around their submarine, like moths to a light. Murdoc walked to the edge, his dirty boots barely grazing the edge of the water. He bent down, crouching over the ocean in a daze. His hands wrapped around a small piece of swollen wood as his sharp and grimy fingernails sunk into it like teeth. There they stood for many moments, trying to contemplate what they were seeing. All at once, Murdoc paused, then stood up. All of the band members could see streaks where there had been tears. They had never seen Murdoc cry before. He held the small piece of wood tightly, then threw it across the barrier between the island and the submarine. The small piece of wood struck a small structure that had withstood the fire, which collapsed and disintegrated instantly into a pile of soot.

There they stood in blank silence as they took it all in, until they heard a loud splashing sound behind them. They turned around, only to see a blank spot where 2D had been standing. Immediately they knew what had happened. All three of them hastily leaned over the side of the boat to see a blue haired, long legged figure moving closer towards the bottom of the ocean. All three of them jumped into the water, trying to catch up with him. The salty water stung their eyes, but they still pressed on. Soon enough, they had caught up with 2D. All three grabbed onto his long limbs, but he struggled violently. Bubbles erupted from Murdoc's mouth as he tried to scream at him, but nobody could understand. Eventually, they wrestled him to the surface. They all caught their breath, coughing out the seawater in their throat.

All at once, Russell started to yell. "WHAT… THE…. HELL… WERE YOU THINKING?! Just jumping into the water like that? You could have died!" But 2D only turned to face them, revealing tears streaming down from his 8-Ball eyes.

"I- I s-saw her…" He managed to stammer out. Everyone went pale. They all had forgotten one tragedy. 2D's 10 year old daughter, Sydney, had been killed in the Rhinestone Eyes incident. She had been bombed by a black cloud member, her body lost in the smoke and flames. 2D had screamed so loud, banging on the windows of his underwater room as he saw his daughter being destroyed. But there was nothing he could do. He had pulled on his chains, trying to break them from the wall, but nothing worked. They never found her body. Now, Russell pulled everyone back onto the sub as he hugged 2D and tried to console him, as he was still crying hysterically.

They were able to drag him back into the submarine as it returned to the depths of the deep blue water below. He sat quietly in the corner, with puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Nobody said a word as the sub went on, plunging deeper and moving quietly as it cut through the sea. The only sound was the engine whirring softly underneath them. Noodle didn't like the tension, and she wanted to tell a joke to lighten the mood. But seeing her friend in so much pain, she decided to keep quiet.

Guilt overtook Murdoc's soul as he remembered all of this. He was the one who had put the chains on him. This was all his fault. A small mist coated his eyes. He felt like crying. Stop it Murdoc, he thought. You are a grown man. You shouldn't be crying like a sissy. He pushed his emotions away and drained the tears from his eyes. Once again he became the cold, shielded, unfeeling person that he was before.

2D pulled out his painkillers, and took a few. "Man," Russell said, "You gotta get rid of those painkillers. You're popping them like sweets now! It's not healthy. I know that your upset, but taking so many of those doesn't help at all." Russell now had a worried look on his face. 2D refused to heed his warning, and took a few more. Russell looked away sadly. He might not be able to save his friend from the influence of his drugs.

This made Murdoc feel even worse. His friend might overdose because of him. What he did. 2D might have been able to save his daughter if he wasn't bound to the chains that he had put there. Locked in a room with no escape. All at once, Murdoc stood up. The submarine jolted to a halt, and he captured the attention of everyone in the sub, except for 2D. All he did was stare at his shoes and the water stained floor. Murdoc walked over to 2D, his Cuban heels clicking on the tough metal tile. He sat down next to 2D, and pulled him into a tight hug. Everyone was surprised by this. 2D looked up at Murdoc, and managed to force a weak smile. Murdoc smiled back.

Okay, so there's number one, I hope that you guys enjoyed it. Plz review cause I wanna see what you guys think about it and I would like to get some criticism so I know what to change. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next one-shot!