Happy Halloween!
Another plot bunny that popped into my head recently and will not leave. Considering that most of these plot bunnies I get tend to be somewhat interesting for you readers, I'm putting this out here:
A crossover between Sam Riami's original superhero movie, Darkman, and the best show currently on Nickelodeon (in my opinion) since Glitch Techs was taken off, The Loud House.
Chapter 1: Who is Dark Loud?
This was, without a doubt, the worst day in the life of all members of the Loud Family.
HERE LIES
LINCOLN LOUD
BELOVED SON, BROTHER AND FRIEND
A tombstone and grave made far too soon; with so little being able to be buried in said grave…. The gravedigger had been done in 10 minutes. The skies had poured down, as if heaven itself was weeping at the boy's death.
Not a single member of the family and their friends had a dry eye. Clyde, Stella, Liam, Zach, Rusty and Ronnie Anne had been unable to deliver their eulogies, instead just collapsing into tears at the realization their best friend was gone. Angus and several other Loch Loud villagers had hurriedly flew over and were playing the bag-pipes, memories of their beloved former Duke playing in their minds all the way. Hector's band followed shortly after with a tear-jerking ballad.
The Loud Sisters had fared little better: Lily screaming for 'Linky' the whole time and reaching for the grave as if she thought Lincoln was just sleeping and needed to be pulled out. Lana was barely able to say she missed her brother before breaking down. Luna had not been able to muster the strength to play a song for her brother and both Lola and Luanne's moods had darkened to such a degree Lucy looked down right chipper compared to them. Said Goth girl had simply placed the poem she wrote on the grave and begged anyone to read it in her place before praying to Great-Grandma Harriet and the other departed Louds to look after her brother.
Lori, who had been given a few days off from collage, was clinging to Bobby, who barely held his own tears in. Leni had barely managed to keep herself from bawling, instead trying to be strong for the others. Lisa, in one of her rare 'displays of human emotion', freely sobbed alongside her parents.
But Lynn Jr. arguably took it the worst: The athletic Loud Sister had literally been the closest to Lincoln when the school's lab exploded due to a faulty wire that was going to be repaired the next day: She had just about to open the door when the explosion occurred. To be so close when her brother left the world had shaken her to her core and made her look back on how she had interacted with him….And she was disappointed at what she saw.
Hence, all she could say where apologies and begging for Lincoln to come back throughout the whole funeral.
The one reprieve was that the Louds were given a lift home by a new friend; Doyle Tetherby, son of the late Duker Tetherby the Loud Siblings had met when their brother won a free limo ride. While he had only been part of their lives for a month, he had more than made an impact, helping getting interest in Lucy, Leni, Luna and Lincoln's works out there as well as investing in Lynn Sr's restaurant.
"…If you need anything; anything at all. Please. Do not hesitate." Doyle said as he poured the parents a drink as his limo neared the Loud House.
"Thank you, Mr. Tetherby." Rita managed. "…I can't imagine how you must feel; having been to two funerals in a month…."
Doyle waved off the note.
"Lincoln was a grand lad. I only knew him for a month, but…." He let out a breath. "But thank you for your concern, Rita. My father's death has been hard to deal with. Your children and Lynn's restaurant have certainly helped me out in my time. Its fair only that I do the same."
"Thank you." Lynn nodded as the limo drove up the drive way. The Loud family thanked Doyle for the ride and made their way inside…
"Why is the door unlocked?" Lola asked.
Someone had broken into the house. Food had been taken from the fridge, Lisa and Lily's room had been flipped over with several documents and devices missing, and worst of all? Their dog Charles was missing…along with his dog food and water bowl, surprisingly.
Two Days ago
Royal Woods Hospital
Burn Unit
"Next we have a young male somewhere between the ages of 10-13. No ID and dental hasn't come back to us yet. He was found on the riverbank just south of here, which leads us to think he was a runaway of sorts. Much as it pains me to say it, we get a few like him every week."
Dr. Bridget Thorne was a medical prodigy; barely into her 20s and already being entrusted with this tour of students.
"He has burns on over 40% of his body, with the hands and face being the most damaged. 30 years ago, pain from the burns would've been intolerable and this poor boy would've spent what remained of his life screaming."
On a revolving circular table, there lay a boy covered from head to toe in bandages, save for two eyeholes (One of which showcased reddened flesh) and a small whisp of white hair sticking out of the forehead's bandages.
"Now, we use the Rankaverz techqiue: We sever the nerves with the spinal rheumatic trap." Thorne explained, placing a guide a little above the boy's ear. "Which as you know, reacts to and transfers the feelings of pain and vibration."
"Um, Doctor?" One of the students mused. "That transfers pain and temperature."
Bridget was annoyed at first, but then realized the student was indeed correct.
"Whoops!" She chuckled lightly, putting her guide away and pulling out a very large pin. "Thank you for that….Moving on, stick him with a pin?"
She jabbed it into the boy's leg, making many wince. However, the boy himself didn't stir.
"And he can't even feel it." Bridget smiled, pulling out the pin. "As is expected however, there are sever side-affects of this operation: Starved of its usual imput, the brain latches onto the only remaining simulation….."
"The emotions?" Another student asked.
"Exactly. And to make up for the missing input, it amplifies them. This gives raise to feelings of alienation and loneliness for starters but uncontrollable rage is most often the most common side affect. This in turn, leaves adrenalin flowing throughout the boy, giving the victim inhuman strength. Hence why he is restrained."
The students took their notes and followed Bridget out…just as the table stopped spinning and the boy awoke.
"Naturally, we give him every chance of recovery and rehabilitation." Bridget finished, "In a way, it's worse that this happened to the boy now…Puberty is enough of a pain."
The doctor and her students all laughed at this.
But back inside the room, the boy, one Lincoln Loud, wasn't laughing. He knew he was restrained, in an unfamiliar room…and he could feel he was wrapped in bandages. Glancing around the room, his worry increased and turned to fear.
And with that fear, came the images: Everything was on fire, but he could make out cruel laughter and six faces he was familiar with….And one he did not: A man in a tailored suit, pudgy with an almost shaved hair, smoking a Cuban cigar as the ones he did recognize had pummeled him and splashed him with chemicals.
The fear he was feeling and the hate towards those faces filled the boy, who now had only one thought on his mind: GETTING OUT!
The alarm suddenly went off, and Bridget raced back to the room only to find that the boy was gone, and the window was open. Immediately, a search began. However, no one thought to check the dumpster; from which the bandaged boy emerged an hour later as it started to rain. The boy quickly threw on an abandoned coat to cover his form and limped his way out of the alley, looking for anything familiar….
It took him a whole night, but he managed to make his way back towards familiar streets and head towards home.
Home.
Oh, how he missed home: Mom and dad, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luanne, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa and Lily…. any leftovers of dad's would really hit the spot right now. Then he wanted to hug his family and never let go until Clyde learnt he was back.
When he finally got close, Lincoln's exactment grew so much he slipped on the cloak he had been wearing. It was then that he remembered how he now looked:
Head to toe in bandages.
A limo pulled up to the house and the Louds all marched inside, all wearing funeral attire and looking miserable.
It then dawned on Lincoln: They thought he was dead.
As the limo drove away, Lincoln fought back he urge to call out for it to stop, but his voice failed. In anger, he punched the tree he hid behind, leaving a fist-sized hole in it. Not seeing this, he raced towards the house and pulled on the door, breaking the lock as he did so.
Instantly, the Loud Pets appeared in front of him, growling and hissing.
"No, wait! Guys!" Lincoln begged, praying to prove to them who he was and backing outwards.
Then Charles stopped growling and barked at his fellow pets, who stood down. He barked again, making a fearful Lincoln open an eye.
"…Charles?"
The dog barked again, this time happily and leapt onto his master, licking his bandaged face while an elated Lincoln tearfully laughed and hugged the dog.
"I missed you too!" The boy managed to say as the other pets followed in Charle's example, greeting the lost Loud boy with affection.
Lincoln reluctantly ended the moment when his stomach growled. He made his way to the kitchen and helped himself to a sandwich and pop before rushing up to the bathroom.
It was then that he got a good look at his face….or rather the bandages that covered it. And imedately, the fear returned along with disgust.
Tentatively, he undid the bandages…
"No..No! NOOOOOOO!"
He then punched the mirror and fell to the ground, bawling into his hands.
His family wouldn't recognize him. Not like this! He didn't even look human anymore!
Then he remembered: His project. The one that Lisa had allowed him to use for the Science Fair.
He now knew how to improve it.
He could finish it.
He just needed to burrow Lisa's notes and the other machine she'd made.
LH-DM
Present Day
Unknown Location
Lincoln poured Charles a hefty bowl of food, petting his dog before returning to setting up his lab.
Yes, his lab. An amateurish one, but one nonetheless: So far it was just the machine Lisa had built, a laptop hooked up to said machine and his baby book.
He'd been lucky to find this place; condemned and abandoned but still with power and running water, on top of being within walking range of dumpsters he could dive into for food. Said water smelt like eggs, but Lincoln could bare that.
He chuckled, knowing Lana would enjoy that.
Oh well, anything was a small price to pay to get this done.
Booting up the computer, Lincoln crossed his fingers he had enough juice to get this done. The system started up and began running…
"Insufficient data."
Lincoln rushed and saw the image he was trying to use; his yearbook picture, was wrinkled and torn; laving half of his face unreadable.
"Crud, no!" Lincoln gasped. "What do I do? What do I do?"
He skimmed his baby book. Nothing. He then recalled this laptop had been part of the Loud-Cloud. Maybe…just maybe…
He briefly searched and found another picture of himself. Deleting the old photo from the machine's memory and replacing it with the new one took a second.
"New data received. Buliding digital model."
A holographic version of Lincoln's original face manifested, and the boy smiled under his bandages.
"Digital Model complete. Rebooting system. System back online. Estimated time for completion: 72 hours."
Three days.
"I'll get it done in two." Lincoln declared.
LH-DM
He did not get it done in two.
Lincoln remembered before….that time…he had figured out that darkness was the key: the material always melted under 90 minutes when exposed to sunlight, so…Where exactly was he to go from there?
He had researched high and low, coming up empty. While the machine focused on rebuilding his face, he uses excess materials for testing. Nothing worked.
Charles barked suddenly, distracting Lincoln from going over his notes. When he looked to see what was causing his dog distress, Lincoln quickly saw it:
His hand was on fire.
But he didn't feel anything. It was kind of cool…
He then remembered his hand was on fire and quickly used his coat to put it out…and then he saw it:
"M-my hands…"
They were burnt as well.
"T-they took my hands…"
Charles rushed to Lincoln, whining and trying to soothe him.
"They took my hands!"
Lincoln pushed Charles away let out an enraged scream before slamming his fists into a wall, leaving two fist imprints. He then grabbed some debris and threw it to the roof and punched another wall, growling in rage before falling to his knees and crying.
Charles licked his master's tears, happy Lincoln petted him back and then hugged him.
LH-DM
The next day
Royal Woods Middle School
The mood was a dulled and sad one as a memorial for Lincoln Loud had been placed in front of the rebuilt lab.
The Action News Team had spent the weekend creating a half hour documentary that told everyone of their fallen friend: How he was a budding magician and artist, his weeklong tenure as a Duke (minus the dragon bits and several of his misadventures with his family.
Several students, Chandler and the bus bullies in particular, were going out of their way to avoid anything to do with Lincoln…as was a certain teacher of his.
"Bolhofner, you can consider our debt paid." The voice on the other hand of the teacher's cellphone said.
"Oh, oh really?" The jittery teacher asked incredulously. "You think that? In case you haven't heard; you killed a freaking Duke! Imagine that! Royalty! As if Loud wasn't enough of a pain…!"
"Formerly royalty, old friend. And who was it who let us into the school?"
Bolhofner froze.
"You're just as guilty as the rest of us. In fact, even more so. I mean, stealing from sacred First Nations land on a camping trip? Getting that covered up and pushed aside was hefty favor from me. Be grateful all you had to do was unlock a door, never mind the fact we got rid of your least favorite student."
"Mr. Durant, please…!"
"Sorry Bolhofner; you should've thought about that before turning to me for aid. And honesty, the way you've been handling the investigation? Pathetic. It's a miracle Rameriz hasn't fired you yet. Although, I did acquire several properties through taking care of those pesky investigators for you…so, I guess you do deserve a reward. Take a week off and leave town. Wait until things cool down; Hank and Hawk can handle things while you're gone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a waterfront property to acquire."
The call was ended there and then.
"Thank god it's Friday." Bolhofner sighed as he returned to marking papers, unaware he was being watched…
That evening
After grabbing dinner with some of his colleges, during which he had repeatedly moved the topic away from Loud, which was not unnoticed, Bolhofner returned to his home, ready to sleep and then take a vacation.
He stepped out of his car and let out a sigh of relief when he heard something clutter. He looked over his shoulder to see his trash bin had fallen, with a racoon fleeing the scene.
"…Of course." The teacher groaned, picking up the trash before reaching for his keys…and finding them not being in his pocket. "…Wait, wha…?"
He then saw them in the door of his house….with the lights on and someone at the window of his room, waving.
Now at this point? A sane person would probably think to call the police. But Bolhofner was not in a sane mindset; the stress over the past few days had left him more irritable than usual and with his students so down about Loud's death, nothing could be done about it. So this? This struck him as a chance to teach someone a lesson and work off the stress.
"Oh, you are going to get it, punk!"
He raced inside, grabbing a fireplace poker before racing up to his room.
No one was there.
He checked the bathroom.
Nobody.
The kitchen.
Some dirty plates that had not been there before…along with a Canadian Flag.
"…What the heck?"
A crash from the living room. The teacher raced to the room, poker to the ready..and finding a bear model on his chair.
The door opened and then closed. Rushing to the window, Bolhofner saw what looked like someone in a coat running away. Their arms weren't moving, but still…
"Yeah, that's right! Run home, ya little brat!" He smirked, letting out a sigh of relief.
"You feel better?"
"Oh absolute…"
Realizing someone else was talking, he looked around the room in a hurry. No one.
He then heard the bathtub running and raced up the stairs, determined to catch the intrude this time. Opening the door, he saw the water running nice, hot and bubbly…and a toaster placed VERY close to it. Thinking quickly, the teacher grabbed it…and saw that outside of his house was a wheeled mannequin wearing a cloak.
Sainty finally returning to Bolhofner and he reached for his phone, only for a hand wrapped in bandages slammed onto Bolhofner's face from the bathtub and send him crashing down the stairs and onto the floor.
Five minutes later
"DURANT! HIS NAME IS ROBERT G. DURANT!" Bolhofner screamed, his nose now bloodied and his face wet from soapy water it had been dunked in. "PLEASE LOUD! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS SACRED, I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING!"
"Oh, I know, Mr. Bolhofner. I know you did…" Lincoln said, gently, giving his former teacher hope…before his brow furrowed, and his voice became a snarl as his mouth turned into a grin. "But let's pretend you didn't."
A scream filled the air, followed by a delighted cackle.
Mr. Bolhofner was never seen again.
To be continued…
Next time: The Origin of Dark-Loud and Lincoln's hunt for Revenge begins!
A few things that I feel need to be said: The infamous 'No Such Luck' and 'Brawl in the Family' episodes never happened in this verse. For those of you thinking of staying on this idea into the long haul, I can assure you Lincoln will have a happier ending than Peyton in the canon Darkman movies, comics and novels…. EVENTUALLY. Hence, the Hurt/Comfort tag. Make no mistake, he will go through hell throughout this story.
To you shippers wondering who Lincoln will be paired with (don't deny it, I know some of you are thinking about it), that is currently undecided and up for suggestions. I like both Ronniecoln (especially since The Casagrandes cast will play a major role as well, starting in the second volume onwards) and Stellacoln but have not yet seen an episode with Girl Jordan or Paige in it that gives a good enough example of their personalities. If you can recommend such an episode to me, along with any other potential love interests for our favorite white-haired man with the plan and what episodes they appeared in so I can get a good feel for their personalities, please let me know in reviews or PM me.
For you true and loyal Darkman/ Raimi fans, the movies will be adapted into this story in the original planned order (I, III and II), which will make up individual stories. I do plan on adding bits from the unaired TV pilot, comics and novels as soon as I can find/read all of them. I am UNSURE about the crossover with Army of Darkness, however…
With that said, thank you for giving this a try. If you have any questions/would like to talk about co-writing, please PM me.
Until then, keep safe and read/review, would ye kindly?
And once again, Happy Halloween!