AUTHOR'S NOTE
I bet you didn't expect me to release another chapter so early did ya? Well it's Halloween, so how could I not release a new chapter. By the way this chapter isn't Halloween themed, but it sure is spooky. I hope you like it.
I don't own The Loud House or Ed, Edd n Eddy.
Chapter 4: Metallic Terror
"Lisa, please hand me the screwdriver."
"Certainly Eddward."
Usually, it would be a slight burden when you're intellectually gifted. Many people would often times not understand what you're saying, they would mock you because of your vast knowledge and many time you wouldn't be able to properly socialize with anyone. This would cause you to feel lonely and isolated.
Double-D would feel like this from time to time. Even though he had Ed and Eddy, he just wished he knew someone just as smart as himself. And now, he did, Lisa Loud. She has proven to be highly intelligent, even though she was only 4 years old.
They would often have discussions over theories and scientific principals whenever they had time to socialize. To others, it sounded like boring conversations, but Double-D understood them immensely.
For two weeks now Double-D and Lisa have been working on a secret project every night. They were currently in his basement working on this project. Lisa was busy writing notes down on her clipboard while Double-D was busy working on a small generator of some kind. Cables came out of the generator, and they were connected to their project.
The project couldn't be seen because it was covered by a sheet.
"There, that should do it," said Double-D as he stepped back to admire his work.
He walked towards Lisa and offered her a remote of some kind, "Care to do the honors?"
"Thank you," responded Lisa with a small smile on her face. Taking the remote, she excitedly pressed the button to activate the generator.
The two stood back as the generator turned on, sending electrical currents through the cables. Excitement and anticipation filled the two scientists. They bit their bottom lips and crossed their fingers, hoping that it would work.
But a few seconds later the generator started to violently shake. Double-D's anticipation immediately turned to concern when sparks began to shoot out of the machines. Lisa, on the other hand, was still excited, unaware of the danger.
On instinct, Double-D grabbed Lisa and tried to shield her from whatever may happen. Not a split second later the generator exploded, causing a power outage.
After a few seconds the power turned back on, and both scientists were unscathed. Lisa slowly opened her eyes and saw that Double-D was still trying to shield her.
Lisa finally broke the awkward silence, "Ahem… Eddward."
Double-D then opened his eyes and saw what he was doing. Knowing the danger has passed he quickly let go of the 4-year-old prodigy.
"Hehe, sorry," said Double-D nervously as Lisa walked towards the generator.
Where the generator once stood was now just a smoldering collection of destroyed metal. Standing in front of the pile Lisa quickly wrote a few notes down.
"There must have been a miscalculation with the Tesla coils," said Lisa in her stoic demeanor before heading towards their project.
She went under the cover and did a few quick examinations. Double-D then approached and stood still in front of the project.
"Well?" asked Double-D, hoping to hear some good news.
Lisa then exited the cover and answered while giving a stoic expression, "I'm afraid it's another failure."
"Drats," exclaimed Double-D as he snapped his fingers.
"We'll have to do a few quick recalculations before attempting that again," said Lisa.
"Mmmm, maybe we should re-evaluate the…" Double-D stopped in midsentence when he looked at the clock on the wall.
"Oh my goodness look at the time!" yelled Double-D as he pointed towards the clock. Lisa then turned towards the direction noticed that the clock said, 10:50 pm.
"I have to get you home quickly!" said Double-D in a slight panic.
Lisa responded, "True, my parental units should be concerned right about now. Also, I assume that they would be furious considering you didn't return me at the promised time of 9 pm."
Without another word, Double-D quickly grabbed Lisa and ran out of the basement. As he left, he promptly turned off the lights before running like a madman again.
All was now quiet in the dark basement, except for a sound. A small sound of movement, coming from the draped project.
(11:30 pm)
After returning Lisa and having to explain their tardiness to her parents, Double-D immediately went straight to bed. The hours of experimenting and tinkering were mentally exhausting, even for him. Still, he was proud of the progress they made today, despite the setbacks.
Double-D was busy solving equations in his sleep, when suddenly…
CRASH!
The loud noise woke Double-D. In fear, he started to look around his room from the safety of his bed. When he didn't see anything wrong, he assumed it was just a dream. But before he could try to sleep, he heard it again.
CRASH!
Now beyond terrified Double-D started to sweat bullets. He looked around his room for a weapon to protect himself. His eyes then landed on a potted cactus with the label 'Jim Jr.' on it.
'Please let it be Ed.' Thought Double-D as he picked up the cactus and walked towards his door.
With hesitation, he slowly opened his door and peeked his head out. Slowly and quietly Double-D made his way down the hall. When he reached the top of the stairs, he heard it again, but this time it was louder than before.
CRASH!
Double-D was frozen in fear, he placed his back against the wall and didn't dare to move. He then heard heavy footsteps walking towards the stairs, slowly and menacingly.
The footsteps came closer, and closer, and closer…..
Every footstep made him more and more anxious and made his heart beat louder. Even though he was scared beyond belief, he didn't want to just stand there. He had to try something, anything!
So he shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and then he bolted down the stairs screaming. Allowing adrenaline to kick in he started to flail Jim Jr. around, hoping to hit the intruder.
"TAKE THIS! AND THAT! AND SOME OF THIS YOU DELINQUENT! AAAAYYYYHHAAAAA! AH! Ah! Ah. Ah?"
When Double-D opened his eyes, no one was there. The supposed intruder was nowhere in sight, and Double-D's front door was open. But the door appeared to be damaged, and it was barely hanging from one hinge.
Still fearful for his life, Double-D decided to inspect the rest of the house.
When he reached the living room, he turned on the lights and was immediately taken back by what he saw. The living room was completely destroyed. Furniture turned to shreds, the table had been broken in half and broken pots everywhere.
Double-D looked at this scene with only one thought in mind, "Oh dear, what a mess."
When Double-D surveyed the room, he noticed something on the floor. They looked to be impressions within the tile floor no less, and in a few of the indentations, there were cracks. As if it couldn't hold the weight of something.
"My goodness, what could've caused th…" Double-D stopped himself when he saw the trail of impressions made their way to the front door. He then realized that these weren't just impressions but footprints.
He traced back and saw that the other end of the trail went down the hall. He figured that's where the intruder went, Double-D then slowly started to follow the footpath.
"Calm down Eddward, you can do this. There's nothing to worry about," said Double-D to himself.
His thoughts were interrupted when he stepped on something that poked through his foot.
"Ouch!" said Double-D as he retracted his foot.
He looked down and saw what it was, it was a sharp piece of wood that he stepped on. Confused by this Double-D started the look around. The floor was littered with broken pieces of wood.
He then saw the trail went into the basement. But the basement door was gone, this made him realize that all the pieces on the floor were from the door. This fact made Double-D more terrified.
Whoever this intruder was clearly had incredible strength and wasn't afraid to be reckless and destructive.
Double-D slowly made his way to the darkened room, fear of what may lie within its shadows. He held his breath as he stood by the doorframe. With sweaty hands he reached for the light switch to his right, silently praying that the intruder wasn't right in front of him.
His heart skipped a beat when he turned on the light.
Double-D then quickly surveyed the room, and his fear was replaced with confusion. There was no one there. The room appeared to be empty, so Double-D decided to walk down the stairs and do further investigations. He found that all the tools and equipment were still in their place, and it didn't appear as if anything was stolen.
Except….
He then looked down on the floor and saw a sheet, his project's sheet.
"Oh no,"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Suddenly Double-D heard a scream from a distance; without hesitation, he ran out of the basement. Before he reached the front door, a car alarm suddenly went off, fearing for the others he quickly picked up the pace.
When Double-D was on his front lawn, he saw a crowd was gathering in front of the Loud residence. It was the Loud kids, and they were all still in their pajamas. He quickly joined the group and noticed that only Rolf and Ed were absent.
The children were staring at the cause of the car alarm. A streetlight has fallen on Vanzilla, bending the roof of the van and breaking all its windows.
Everyone started to ask a hundred questions at once. From, "What happened here?" to "Can't a guy get some sleep?"
All the commotion started to annoy the oldest Loud, and she tried to concentrate by blocking the noise. But she grew more irritated.
"CAN YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP FOR LIKE ONE SECOND!?"
Everyone then fell silent, staring at Lori as she started to take deep breaths trying to calm herself. Lisa casually walked passed her and used the van's remote to silence it.
BEEP BEEP
A few seconds of silence passed the group as Lori regained her bearings.
" 'sigh'…. Okay, let's try this again. What …."
"What's going?"
"I heard someone scream!"
"Is everyone okay?
"What happened to your van?!"
"Why can't I get any sleep?!"
Lori was interrupted by the bombardment of questions from their concerned neighbors. Before Lori could yell at them again, everyone's attention was drawn by an alarming sound.
SKREEEEEEEEEEECCCCHHHHHH
CRASH!
The screech of car tires skidding was shortly followed by a crash. Everyone was now focused on the direction of the sound. They then looked at each other before heading towards the noise. Behind the group was Eddy, who was half asleep as he tried to follow them.
Just a few blocks away the group arrived at the scene and were horrified with what they saw.
A car appeared to have collided with a something since the front was crushed, and it was on fire. The door to the driver's seat was off and was lying on the ground next to the car.
"Wow man," was all Kevin could say as the children continued to stare at the burning inferno.
"Do you think someone's still in there?" asked Nazz with much concern.
"I'm on it!"
Suddenly Lynn bolted towards the car without any fears.
"LYNN WAIT!" yelled Lori as she stretched out her arm, but her words fell on deaf ears as Lynn didn't even slow down.
The group then watched as Lynn got close to the car and started to look for any survivors. The flames were burning bright which prevented Lynn from getting too close to the vehicle.
The group looked on in anticipation until someone spoke up.
"Huh? What's that Plank? He needs help? Lynn's a girl buddy I thought you knew that. What? Where?" Johnny then turned around and saw what his wooden friend was talking about.
On the sidewalk, a man was sitting against a streetlight. He was covered in lacerations and blood was running down his face. He was holding his left arm in pain, and he was having difficulty breathing.
"Guys look!" yelled Johnny as he pointed towards the man. Everyone then turned around and let out a gasp when they saw him. The group made their way to him, and see if they could help.
"Sarah I can't look," said a frightened Jimmy as he looked away and held onto Sarah for comfort.
"It's okay Jimmy," said Sarah, trying to comfort her friend.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay, do you need anything, how about a bandage?" said Leni with concern as she sat in front of the man.
Lynn then joined the group and didn't notice the man at first as she spoke, "Sorry guys the fire is too hot, I can't get … wow."
The man then slowly lifted his head and noticed the group of kids for the first time.
With effort and a struggle, the man spoke, "Who… Who are you?"
"Don't worry sir, we're not going to hurt you. Can you tell us what happened?" asked Double-D.
"I crashed … what the hell does it look like?" replied the man, who became irritated.
"Yes, but with what? There are no other cars here, and it doesn't look like any damage was done to the road," said Double-D.
"Ugh … it… it was those damn red eyes," answered the man with difficulty.
"Red eyes?" said everyone except for Eddy, Lori, and Lola.
Lola and Lori looked at each other with concern in their eyes.
Eddy was still half asleep and not really paying attention to what was going on. But unbeknownst to Eddy, a figure was slowly walking towards him from behind. The inhuman shape stood still when it was a few feet away from Eddy, and no one even realized it was there.
Until…
"Nice bonfire guys,"
"AAH!"
Eddy gave a quick shriek before turning around and seeing that it was none other than big Ed himself.
Now fully awake Eddy yelled, "What the heck ya gave me a heart attack! What are ya, Lucy now?!"
"No, I am Ed," Ed answered.
Before Eddy could continue to yell the weak coughing of the man brought everyone's attention back to him.
"I was … I was on my way home, like any other night. I was driving down this street, and … and then this thing jumped in front of my car. It happened so fast I couldn't react, so I closed my eyes and waited for the impact. I was expecting a small thud or something, but not a crash. After the collision I-I slowly opened my eyes, couldn't see a thing though… my vision was too blurry. I smelled smoke and fire, and I was feeling light-headed. Then I heard it, my door suddenly flew open and it was ripped off as if it was nothing. All… all I saw was a black figure and those…. Those damn red eyes!"
The man then started shaking violently and kept gasping for breath. This action caused fear to grow between the children. Luan grabbed and hugged the twins and tried to avert their eyes from the man. After half a minute the man just stopped and closed his eyes.
Silence fell upon the group as none of them knew what to do until Luan broke that silence.
"Well, looks like he finally crashed. Hahaha, get it?" said Luan with a nervous chuckle, causing everyone to give her an unamused look.
Lori then asked, "Seriously?"
Luan quickly replied, "Hey I make jokes when I'm scared!"
Double-D quickly rushed to the man and examined his vitals. To his relief he felt a pulse at the man's neck, this allowed Double-D to release the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"He's still alive, but he lost a large amount of blood due to the lacerations. Lori quickly call…"
"Already on it," said Lori interrupting Double-D's sentence as she typed in 911 on her phone.
The children then heard a siren in the distance, looking down the street they saw an ambulance coming towards them.
"Woah way to go, Lori, I knew you were fast with your fingers, but that was…" said Kevin as he turned around to congratulate Lori. But when he turned around, he saw that Lori was still on her phone.
"9-1-1 what is your emergency?" said the operator on the other line.
Lori was silent for a few seconds due to confusion, but she quickly hung up and responded, "I literally just called them, and didn't tell them anything."
"Wait, then why are they here already?" asked Luna.
"I would presume that a pedestrian saw the events and contacted emergency services before we arrived," said Lisa in her stoic voice, not feeling scared of the situation at all.
"We should probably leave this to the professionals, we'd just get in the way," said Double-D as he started to head back to the Cul-De-Sac.
As the group was walking, they started to discuss with each other about the events of the night and what their thoughts were. While everyone was busy in their respective groups, Double-D slipped away from Eddy and was now walking alongside Lisa.
In a whisper tone he said, "Lisa, there is something I must discuss with you."
"I assume it has something to do with the events that have recently transpired," she responded.
"Yes, I have reason to believe that our little project might be responsible for everything."
This caused Lisa to look up towards Double-D, even though her expression was still stoic Double-D could tell she didn't believe him.
"That's impossible, I did an examination after the explosion, and I'm certain there were no signs of it activating," said Lisa.
"I know, but the evidence in my house leads me to believe…"
"What evidence?" asked Lisa as she stopped and turned towards him.
"Well our project isn't in the basement anymore, I made sure of it. The basement door was broken into pieces, and the pieces were scattered in the hallway. According to the inertia, that means someone inside the basement destroyed the door. My front door was also destroyed in the same manner. The light pole looks as if it was struck by a car, yet there is no vehicle in site. And the victim in the car accident did say he saw a human-like figure."
Lisa then pondered, absorbing all the information Double-D told her. After a few seconds, she then gestured for Double-D to come closer. Double-D got on his knees and leaned in closer.
Lisa then whispered into Double-D's ear, "We'll have to retrieve it before it causes more damage."
"You made a monster?" said Lucy who suddenly appeared behind them, scaring them both.
"YOU GUYS DID WHAT!" yelled Luna who just arrived at the group.
Earlier Luna had noticed when Lisa stopped to talk to Double-D. Feeling that something was off, she walked over to them and overheard what Lucy said.
Luna's words caught everyone's attention, and they then started to walk towards the group.
"Luna what's wrong?" asked Lincoln as he stopped next to his sister.
Luna then answered bitterly while pointing at Double-D and Lisa, "These two know what's going on, and apparently they're responsible for it."
Those words caused the group to gasp in shock, and then everyone looked towards the two geniuses with stern expressions.
Double-D started to sweat nervously as he responded, "Now let's not jump to any conclusions. We're just…"
"Yes, there is a probability that we constructed what is responsible for the numerous damages," said Lisa.
"You guys made a monster? That's so cool!" exclaimed Lana with excitement.
"Can I touch it Double-D can I touch it?!" exclaimed an equally excited Ed.
The children then started to bombard Double-D and Lisa with question after question, not giving them a chance to answer one. Not being able to handle the pressure anymore Double-D finally burst.
"HOLD IT HOLD IT!" he yelled, causing everyone to fall silent. This gave Double-D a quick chance to regain his composure before continuing.
"I understand you're all concerned, but as we said there's a probability. We don't know for certain if we…"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Suddenly Rolf came running towards them in a panic.
"Rolf?" asked everyone.
"What are you fools doing out here?! There's a beast lurking the woods! You must hide!" yelled Rolf in a panic as he grabbed Ed's shoulders and started to violently shake him. Much to Ed's amusement.
"Dude, what are you talking about?" asked Kevin.
Rolf released Ed and then turned towards Kevin, "You know nothing! Rolf has seen the beast, the metallic beast with red eyes."
(moments earlier)
"Victor! Victor! The son of a shepherd is not amused by your actions!"
Victor had run away due to being scared by all the loud noises and it was Rolf's duty to find him.
At this moment, Rolf was walking around the forest with his lit lantern, trying to find any trace of his family goat. But so far he hasn't seen anything yet, until.
BLEAT
"Victor?" said Rolf as he turned around, hoping to find the goat. But there was nothing. And then there was another.
Bleat
Rolf turned towards the sound, but again nothing. He continued to hear Victor's bleats all over the forest, but every bleat grew quieter and quieter. Until…
….
It stopped, the forest was dead silent. Not even the chirping of the crickets or the sounds of the wind could be heard. It was as if time stood still. All that Rolf could hear was the beating of his own heart.
Rolf was frozen, he didn't dare to move an inch. He knew something was wrong, but he didn't know what.
That's when he felt it. He felt a presence, a dark unnatural presence. This...thing, was right behind him. He could feel its gaze staring into the back of his head. He began to sweat, he didn't know what this thing was or what it was capable of.
But he knew one thing, he had to run.
Rolf slowly turned his head to see if he could identify the creature. That's when he saw it; red eyes.
(Present)
"This creature was nothing like Rolf has ever seen. Towering over six feet tall, with eyes as red as the fires of the Underworld, a human body made of pure metal, and with mark on the left side of its chest that read SLA-01," said Rolf as he finished his story.
Lisa and Double-D then nervously looked at each other.
"Well, I guess we can confirm now that it is indeed our project," said Lisa with a nervous smile. Everyone's gazes were now focused on them again.
"I should have known a dork was behind all this," said Kevin with an unamused look as he folded his arms.
"Why didn't you tell me you made a monster Sockhead?! Do you have any idea how much money we could make!?" yelled Eddy.
"For your information, it is not a monster, it's …"
"Monster or not you two are paying for our window!" yelled Lola out of anger.
"Your what?" asked Double-D.
Lori then answered, "Before Vanzilla's alarm went off me and Lola were trying to sleep, but then rocks came through our window and scared us half to death. We then saw a shadowy figure with red eyes running away quickly."
Luan then crossed her arms and gave Double-D and Lisa a disappointed look as she said, "I thought you two were Einsteins, not Frankensteins. Hahaha, get it?"
Everyone except for Ed groaned at the bad joke.
"I suppose it would be appropriate if we explained ourselves now," said Lisa as she tried to wipe her glasses clean. Everyone looked towards Double-D and Lisa with anticipation, hoping to get all the answers.
Lisa placed her glasses back before finally speaking, "Eddward and I have been working on this project for a few weeks now. It all started with a simple question. Can you create a robot, with the same intellect as a human."
Double-D then continued, "You see millions of robots have already been made, but there are limitations to their abilities. Depending on what program it was given, but what if you can create a robot that can go beyond its programming limitations and learn how to surpass them."
Lisa then continued, "Thus we began our project that we dubbed SLA, Self-Learning- Automaton. The ability to learn from previous mistakes without having someone programming it into you is the human quality we wanted to achieve. This project was supposed to benefit mankind, these Automatons would be helpers/caretakers to the elderly and disabled. With its ability to learn, it can learn the personality of the caretaker and then give them support and comfort when needed."
Double-D then finished, "Honestly we've been struggling to activate it for days. But that doesn't explain why it's so violent and destructive."
"Welllll," said Lisa as she gave him her iconic nervous smile, catching everyone's attention.
"I might have programmed it with a self-defense protocol without your knowledge. And the explosion of electricity could have caused a malfunction in its systems, now it is seeing everything as a potential threat," said Lisa while twiddling her thumbs.
…..
"WHY WOULD YOU THAT?!" yelled Double-D in sheer panic.
Lisa then tried to defend herself, "The automaton needs to be able to protect humanity as well Eddward, I thought you were smarter than that."
"It's just like FNAF!" yelled Ed out of fear, causing everyone to look at him with confused expressions.
"Fnaf?" asked Lynn.
Lincoln then answered, "It's this popular Horror game on the internet."
Ed then continued with his rant, "An animatronic that once brought happiness and joy now only brings chaos and death. It is being possessed by the tortured soul of a dead child. We must set the soul free if we are to survive!"
…..
"Well see ya, I'm going to bed," said Eddy as he turned around and started to walk away.
Lori then followed Eddy's example, "Yeah me too."
"No wait!" yelled Double-D as he stretched out his arm.
"It would benefit everyone if we co-operate with each other and search for SLA-01 together," said Lisa.
"And why should we help you? This is your mess, you deal with it," said Kevin with his arms crossed.
Lisa then replied, "To put it simply, the quicker we capture it, the quicker you'll be able to continue your nightly ritual of slumber."
Kevin wasn't a hundred percent convinced to join their little monster hunt. That is until…
"Come on Kevin, please~," said Nazz in sweet tone as she looked at him with her beautiful eyes.
Not being able to say no to her Kevin begrudgingly accepted, "….fine!"
"And Eddy," started Lincoln as he wrapped his arm around Eddy's shoulder.
"Don't you see the business opportunities here? Just imagine it, if you catch that mad robot you'll become a famous hero. Also, if Double-D and Lisa fix it, you can use it for all kind of scams. Honestly catching that robot seems to benefit you a lot more than anyone else," said Lincoln with a smug look like any good salesman.
Eddy thought about Lincoln's reasons for a few seconds. Then he finally gave in to his selfishness, "Let's make some money boys!"
Lori then scoffed before saying, "Fine, I'm in too. Someone has to make sure no one gets hurt."
"Excellent, prepare yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. We're going hunting," said Lisa.
(00:30 am)
After getting the necessary equipment and changing their clothes the children decided to meet at the edge of the forest where Rolf last saw the robot. Lisa then decided to inform everyone about the plan.
"Here's our plan, we'll divide into groups of two and spread out through the forest. Each group will be given a short distance 2-way radio. When you find the automaton contact either me or Double-D, we'll then try to reach you as soon as possible. Only we know how to deactivate it." said Lisa as she started to hand out the walkie-talkies.
"Luckily I brought Charles, he's gonna make this so much easier. Right boy?" said Lane as she petted her loyal canine.
"Warf! Warf!" he replied happily.
"Monster hunt! Monster hunt! Monster hunt!" shouted an excited Ed as he jumped up and down.
Lincoln was busy putting his walkie-talkie in his pocket when he felt someone tug on his leg. He turned around and saw that it was Lisa.
"Oh Lisa, is there a problem?" he asked.
"No, no problem. But I'd prefer if you took Ed and Leni with you. They're not very bright, and you have more experience in keeping them out of dangerous situations." answered Lisa.
"Oh um, sure no problem," responded Lincoln.
"Excellent,"
(1:00 am)
All armed with flashlights everyone departed in their respective groups shortly after receiving their walkie-talkies. Looking for any trace of the machine.
(Lana & Rolf)
They were currently following Charles as it appears he has picked up a trail. Instead of carrying a flashlight Rolf was carrying a torch and a pitchfork, just like traditional monster hunts.
The machine made Rolf look like a fool once, he wasn't going to let it happen again.
"Are you sure we can trust your canine Lana Loud-girl?" he asked.
"Don't worry Rolf, Charles got the nose of a bloodhound. We'll find that robot in no time" answered Lana with a smug smile.
WARF! WARF!
Just then Charles got excited and started running. Rolf and Lana chased after him at full speed, hoping to find the robot. When they caught up with Charles though they didn't see a robot; they instead saw the dog rolling around a batch of flowers.
Charles continued to roll around without a care as the two continued to watch for a few seconds.
"'No time,' might take a while," said Rolf.
"Yeah," replied Lana in disappointment.
(Sarah and Luan)
"It was a good idea of Lisa to have us branch out. Hahaha, get it?" joked Luan, much to the annoyance of her partner.
"I'm glad Lisa and Double-D told us it's their fault. It was about time we got to the root of the problem. Hahaha, get it?"
"Don't you ever shut up!" exclaimed Sarah as she turned to face Luan.
"I swear it's like every sentence you say is a joke. I'd rather be with Jimmy right now, but you had to drag me away!" said Sarah.
"Well, I dragged you away because I haven't made you laugh yet. Some of you kids here have been a tough crowd," replied Luan innocently.
Sarah pinched the bridge between her eyes and thought, 'Jimmy where ever you are, I hope it's better than here.'
(At Jimmy)
"Hello, i-is anyone there?!"
Jimmy was frantically looking around for any sign of life. He was alone in the dark for quite some time, and he was beginning to fear for his life. As he started trembling, he felt a cold hand placed on his shoulder and heard his name being spoken in the scariest tone he's ever heard.
"Jimmy,"
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH" in sheer panic Jimmy screamed and closed his eyes and tried to run away, but he immediately ran into a tree. Jimmy fell on his back, and he lost his grasp on the flashlight. The flashlight rolled a bit and when it stopped its light was shining on who was behind him.
Still dazed and scared Jimmy asked, "Lucy?"
"Yeah, it's me," she replied in her monotone voice.
"Ho-How long were you standing there?" asked Jimmy.
"The whole time, I guess you didn't notice me because I blend in with the darkness," said Lucy.
Jimmy stood up and dusted himself off as he said, "Sorry, I'm just really scared."
"Don't be, I know my way around the dark. Nothing bad will happen to you."
Even though what Lucy said was meant to be comforting, Jimmy still felt unsafe with her around. He picked up his flashlight, and the two started walking again.
"I hope I can meet the tortured soul soon, I would love to hear their tales of agony and fear," said Lucy breaking the silence.
Those words sent a chill down Jimmy's spine as he thought, 'I don't know what's scarier, the monster or her.'
(Lola and Eddy)
"I SWEAR YOU'RE THE WORST!" yelled Lola.
"WELL RIGHT BACK ATCHA!" yelled Eddy.
A few minutes ago they were looking for the robot just like everyone else, but now they're just shouting at each other for no real reason.
"WHY'D YOU KICK DIRT ON MY FAVOURITE DRESS!?" yelled Lola as she showed the dirt stain.
Eddy then replied, "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, ANYWAYS WHO WALKS AROUND IN A DARK FOREST WEARING A DRESS!?"
Lola scoffed before saying, "For your information, I have to look my best in any situation!"
"I swear if it weren't for your sister I'd be with Double-D right now, so thanks a lot Barbie," said Eddy as he turned his back to her.
Shaking her fist violently in the air she yelled, "Hey what did I say about calling me that!"
Seeing this upsets her gave Eddy an idea. He then grew a mischievous grin as he looked back at her over his shoulder.
In a mocking tone, Eddy then said, "Oh I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings Barbie-girl? Did I ruin your perfect Barbie-world? Is life in plastic not so fantastic anymore? I know what'll make you feel better Barbie, let's go party."
After having said that Eddy then started laughing uncontrollably as he fell to the ground. He held his ribs as it began to hurt from laughing too much, tears of joy began to roll down his eyes.
With her eyes shadowed by her hair, Lola just continued to watch in silence. But after a few seconds, she finally spoke.
"I'll give you a 2-second head start."
"HAHAHAHAHAhahahah…. What?"
(Double-D and Luna)
"Seriously dude, I don't know what you and Lisa were thinking. I mean haven't you seen those sci-fi movies, robots almost always go bad," said Luna as she and Double-D were walking side by side.
"I'm well aware of how the media portrays artificial intelligence, but our goal wasn't precisely artificial intelligence. It was something much, much more," replied Double-D.
"Really, like what?" asked Luna who was now truly curious.
"We wanted to create a robot with emotions. Not these default programs that you can install, but actual emotions that it can feel. It would make it easier for the robot to emphasize and connect with humans. Happiness, joy, fear, anger, sadness, these are just a few of the vast number of emotions humans have. But only including a few was…"
Double-D stopped himself when he heard soft giggling. He turned to his right and saw that the giggling came from Luna.
"My apologies, but did I say something humorous?" asked Double-D who felt a bit offended by her actions.
Luna quickly stopped giggling and replied with a smile, "Nah dude, I was just thinking. You're really an amazing guy you know that? I mean you can dish out some awesome tunes, you can bake, and you're super smart too. Like seriously is there anything you can't do?"
Luna's word of admiration made Double-D's cheeks bright red, he didn't know what to do. He's not very experienced in the field of socializing with girls.
A flustered Double-D tried to sound casual but failed when he responded, "W-well th-thank you, but-but there are pl-plenty of things I can't do."
Luna wouldn't openly admit it, but Double-D's flustered face was so adorable to her.
Luna then stopped in her track before speaking, "You know I'm getting kinda tired of walking. How about we take a quick break."
"But it would probably be best if we continue our search. We can't rest knowing that thing is still out there," said Double-D.
"Well, we can't run away if that thing starts chasing us with tired feet. Come on just a quick break," said Luna as she pointed to a large log with her flashlight. She then proceeded towards the fallen tree and made herself comfortable.
Double-D was in a debate with himself. Should they continue or should they rest for a bit? Both decisions have their valid reasons, and it was hard to choose. So ultimately Double-D decided to accept Luna's offer.
"Well, I suppose a little rest wouldn't hurt," he said as he took his seat next to Luna with a distance of three feet.
The silence between them only made Double-D more nervous and uneasy.
(Lori and Nazz)
"Ugh! There are bugs everywhere!" yelled Nazz as she tried shoo away the pesky mosquitoes.
Lori wasn't paying attention, so she walked right into cobwebs and got her face covered in it.
"EWWWW, GET THIS STUFF OFF!" she yelled in frustration as she tried to clean her face and hair.
"I think something crawled up my leg!"
"MY SHOES ARE RUNIED!"
"NATURE IS SO GROSS!"
"I HATE THE FOREST!"
(Kevin and Lynn)
"Yo Lynn, did ya hear that?" asked Kevin who was referring to the faint screams in the distance.
"Sure did," answered Lynn.
"You think it's the robot?"
"Well if it is, it won't be screaming for much longer," said Lynn as she tightened her grip on her baseball bat. Ready to beat the robot to a pulp if necessary.
(Lisa and Johnny)
"Johnny for the last time, the piece of wood you refer to as Plank is not alive! IT IS A BY-PRODUCT OF SAWING ANY VARIETY OF ACERACEAE IN A SAWMILL!" yelled Lisa in frustration.
"What was that Lisa? I can't hear you from up here," said an ignorant Johnny who appeared to have his head stuck between two branches in a tree. Earlier Johnny thought climbing up a tree would help him spot the robot, but it didn't.
Lisa took long, deep breaths to help herself calm down. She also started to rub her head, trying to soothe her approaching headache.
"Priorities Lisa, priorities. You can experiment on him later," she told herself.
(Leni, Lincoln, and Ed)
Lincoln was holding the flashlight while Leni walked right behind him. She was holding his shoulders because she was beyond terrified and needed comfort. Ed was the most lively one of the group, he was continually whipping his head back and forth and looking behind every tree.
"Linky I'm scared, can't we go back?" said Leni.
Ed then jumped in front them and proudly proclaimed, "Fret not Leni, for I Ed will conquer this menace and set the tortured soul free!"
"Ed I don't think the robot is possessed," said Lincoln with a doubtful look.
Like a crazy conspiracist, Ed then answered, "That's what they want you to think Lincoln, right before they stuff you into one of those suits!"
All Lincoln could do was shake his head in disbelief.
(1:45 am)
"Attention everyone, what is your status?" asked Lisa through her walkie-talkie.
"Well, my names Leni Loud. I'm sixteen, have blonde hair oh and I just totes love fashion," replied Leni.
"And I'm Ed," said the lovable oaf.
Lisa pinched the bridged between her eyes before asking again, "A proper status update please."
"Sorry about that Lisa, we didn't find anything," replied Lincoln and then everyone else followed.
"Nope."
"Nothing here."
"Not yet."
"Can we go home now?"
The responses only annoyed Lisa and made her more frustrated.
"Where could it be?"
As time went on everyone's enthusiasm for the hunt started to fade. No one found a single clue as to where SLA-01 might be. Even though they continued their search, some of the group were preoccupied.
Such as Double-D and Luna.
They told each other about their lives and the experiences they had with their family and friends. What had been intended to be a short break stretched out and didn't seem to be stopping.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA, are you serious?" asked Luna through watery eyes.
With a smile, Double-D responded, "I'm not lying, my whole house was buried under newspapers. It took hours to clean it up."
"Man your life is crazy," said Luna as she dried her eyes.
"Yours is pretty crazy as well. I mean living with 10 siblings under one roof causes all sorts of chaos," said Double-D.
"Yeah, but I wouldn't change it for the world."
The two just sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the silence, and each other's company. Double-D would be the one to break the serenity.
He stood up and stretched his legs as he said, "Well that was rejuvenating, but we should get going. Otherwise, we'll be wuaaaaahh!"
Not paying attention to where he was going Double-D tripped on a rock and fell forward, right onto Luna.
"OOOF!"
Feeling a bit dazed Double-D tried to push himself up, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that both him and Luna were on the ground. And he was on top of her. They blankly stared at each other for few seconds, but Double-D's face grew crimson red, and then he hastily got off of her.
"OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS I'M SO SORRY IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION TO FALL ON YOU, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR!" yelled Double-D as he frantically waved his arms around.
"NO DUDE IT'S OKAY REALLY!" replied an equally flustered Luna.
SNAP
Luna and Double-D then silenced themselves, looking around them to see what it was.
"What was that?" asked Luna.
"I believe it was a twig," he answered.
SNAP
This time it was louder, whatever was out there, it was getting closer.
Double-D and Luna immediately got up from the ground and stood with their backs against each other. With their flashlights they frantically scanned the forest, trying to see where the creature was. With every passing second, they grew more and more afraid as the sounds came closer and closer.
And then, it stopped.
Their fast breathing was all that could be heard in the forest. The two continued to scan the area, desperately hoping to find something.
Just when it seemed that the creature has already left, they felt it. That eerie presence Rolf described earlier. They both felt a chill running down their spines as their faces were now overwritten with fear.
Then slowly, and carefully they turned to face this presence.
Double-D turned left, Luna turned right.
Their flashlights landed on what appeared to be metallic feet, they slowly then moved their place lights up the body. Paying attention to every detail of scratches and dirt that cover its body, when they reached the head they were greeted with the familiar red eyes.
Towering over them was SLA-01, it found them.
(If I had to describe this robot, it looks like the robots from "I, Robot" but with a bit more bulk, similar to the beta Ironman suit.)
When the light reached its eyes, however, it rear back let out a horrific static sound that sounded like a metallic roar as well.
"UUUUUAAAGAGGAAGGAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The robot's posture was now more threatening as it started to move closer to the two children. With every step it took, Double-D and Luna would step back. Their eyes were focused on the machine, none of them daring to look away.
Luna then remembered something, "Double-D, don't you know how to shut it down?"
"Oh you're right!" exclaimed Double-D.
He walked up towards SLA and stopped when he was two feet in front of him. The robot then raised his arms, ready to come down hard on the young genius. Luna instinctively closed her eyes and looked away.
"Code 11011, Eddward Marion Vincent, process code control, alt, delete!" yelled Double-D as he stood firm.
The robot then suddenly stopped moving and froze in place. After a few seconds later its red eyes turned off and its upper slouched with its arms hanging.
Luna then opened her eyes and was shocked to see the deactivated robot.
"What, did you just do?" she asked.
Double-D turned to face her and answered, "Lisa and I installed a fail-safe just in case of emergencies. All Lisa and I have to do is recite a few codes and our full names to shut it down."
"That's cool," said Luna as she kept her distance, but then she realized something.
Luna then started giggling again before asking, "Your middle name is Marion?"
"I'd prefer if you didn't tell your siblings. The last thing I need is 10 more people laughing at me," replied Double-D. After a few seconds of waiting for Luna to pull herself together, Double-D decided to contact the others.
But behind Double-D, the robot's eyes started flickering and then its arms began to slowly shake. These actions went unnoticed by the two until it lifted itself up.
Luna watched in horror as she saw the robot standing upright again and looming over Double-D.
Double-D was busy turning on his walkie-talkie when he noticed Luna's strange expression.
"Luna, what's wrong?" he asked.
She continued to stare with wide eyes and trembling lips, only being able to lift up her shaky arm to point behind Double-D. He then turned around and was met with the robot's face, and it's static roar.
"UUUUUUUAAAAAAAGAGAGGGGGGHHH!"
…
"RUUUUUUNNN!"
Immediately the two started running through the woods, with adrenaline coursing through their vines they hoped that they would lose the machine eventually. Double-D was behind Luna as he yelled into the walkie-talkie.
"THE FAIL-SAFE DIDN'T WORK! ABORT THE MISSION! ABORT THE MISSION!"
"Double-D is that you?" asked Lana.
"What did the dork say?" asked Kevin.
"What do you mean it didn't work? I was sure we made it full proof," stated Lisa.
"IT REACTIVATED ITSELF! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS JUST RUN!" yelled Double-D.
(At Lincoln's group)
All three look worriedly at the walkie-talkie in Lincoln's hand, unsure of what to do.
"Oh my gosh you guys, what do we do?!" asked Leni who fearing for their safety.
"I'M COMING DOUBLE-D!" yelled Ed as he blindly ran into the dark forest.
Lincoln tried to reach for him and yelled, "ED WAIT!"
But Ed was already gone, Lincoln then sighed before turning to Leni.
"Look Leni, let's get out of here as quick as possible."
Still afraid Leni nodded to Lincoln's plan and then they made their way.
(Back at Double-D and Luna)
The two were still running and didn't stop for a single second since they began.
"Is it chasing us?!" asked Luna.
Double-D then looked over his shoulder and horrified. The robot was catching up to them as it effortlessly broke down the branches or any obstacle in its way.
"OH DEAR OH DEAR OH DE-"
Double-D once again didn't pay attention to where he was going, and this time a tree root tripped him. However, when he fell to the ground, his right leg landed on sharp rocks, causing a deep gash.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" yelled Double-D in pain as held his leg, trying to stop the bleeding.
Luna didn't notice Double-D's screams at first, so she continued running, but after not hearing Double-D for a few seconds she asked again.
"Dude, didn't you hear me?! I asked if-" she stopped herself and stopped running when she didn't see him.
"Dude?" she asked as fear grew inside her body. Taking her flashlight she quickly scanned the area, after a few seconds she found him, but…
The robot was dragging him away by his injured leg.
"LUUUUUNNNAAAAAAA!" he screamed in sheer horror before disappearing into the woods.
And just quickly as it came, it left, leaving the forest silent once again.
Luna stood there with wide eyes and unimaginable fear in her soul. Her whole body started to shake when one thought came to her mind.
'He's gone, and it's all your fault.'
Tears started building up in her eyes, she wouldn't accept it. She couldn't take it.
"DOUBLE-D!"
(Lori's group)
Lori and Nazz stopped walking when the girls heard faint screams in the distance.
"Dude let's get out of here quickly," suggested Nazz feeling new fear grow inside her.
"No complaints here, let's pick up the pace," replied Lori.
The two started to walk again, but immediately stopped when they heard noises. It sounded like footsteps, and they were getting closer. Lori and Nazz then turned to the direction of the noise and prepared themselves, but they weren't made for who it was when they burst out of a bush.
"Luna?" asked the girls.
Luna was hunched over and out of breath, desperately gasping for air. When Luna looked up and saw Lori and Nazz, she immediately ran to them in a panic.
"GUYSGUYSYOUGOTTAHELPMETHETHINGCAMEOUTOFNOWHEREANDWERANBUTTHENIT-"
"Wow, Luna! Calm down, what happened?" asked Lori as she placed her hands on her sisters' shoulders.
Nazz asked as well, "And where's Double-D? I thought he was with you."
After hearing those words, Luna's arms went numb, and she looked down at the ground. Lori then started to hear small whimpers coming from her.
In a whisper, she answered, "It took him."
Lori couldn't hear her, so she asked again, "What?"
Luna then looked up at Lori with tears running down her face, "It… it…. Took…."
Luna couldn't finish her sentence as she quickly grabbed Lori into a tight hug. Lori was surprised by this, but despite that, she knew Luna needed comfort now. So she returned the hug and slowly started to stroke Luna's hair, trying to calm her down.
Lori then softly spoke to her sister, "Shh, it's okay. It's going to be okay."
"No it's not, it's all my fault!" replied Luna.
All Nazz could do was watch on, she didn't know what to do, and hundreds of thoughts were going through her mind. One of them was the wellbeing of Double-D.
"UUUUUUAUUAAAAAAAAGGHGHGAA!"
Suddenly the machines roar could be heard from the forest, getting everyone's attention.
"Let's move," was all Lori needed to say before everyone took off.
(Lana's group)
"Woah that sounded close Rolf," said Lana.
"Indeed it did, we must make haste and return to the others," said Rolf as they started to take their leave.
But before they could leave, they heard Charles growling.
Grrrrrrrrrrr
"What's wrong boy?" asked Lana as she crouched down next to him.
"Umm, Lana Loud-girl," said Rolf with fear as he pointed ahead of Charles direction.
Lana then looked up and saw that a short distance from them were two glowing red lights, and they weren't moving at all.
Not taking any chances Lana quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie and tried to call someone, "Guys, the robot's here. We're not far from the entrance to the forest, can someone please come?"
No one responded to Lana's words, but something did.
The red lights started moving, and heavy footsteps could be heard. It was coming closer.
Lana started to become fearful and asked, "Rolf, what do we do?"
When Rolf didn't respond Lana looked back and saw Rolf was gone. Confused by this she quickly looked around and then she saw him running away.
"Apologies Lana, but Rolf must water the weeds!" said Rolf as he continued to run.
Lana then yelled back, "SERIOUSLY!"
"UUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHUAHUAGAHAU!"
Suddenly the robot started charging towards Lana. Without hesitation, she grabbed Charles and made a run for it. She headed straight for the edge of the forest, hoping to find someone that can help her.
Unfortunately, her leg got caught by a tree root, this caused her to fall and drop Charles in the process. She tried to pick herself back up but she couldn't. She then looked back and saw her left leg was stuck between two tree roots. She tried to pull herself free, but her leg didn't budge.
WARF! WARF! WARF! WARF!
When Charles started barking that's when Lana noticed that the robot was towering over her, staring at her with those red eyes. It slowly crouched down and leaned towards Lana.
More fearful than before Lana continued to try and free herself, but she couldn't. Charles then decided to attack the machine by biting on one of its legs, but the robot didn't even notice him.
Its gaze was only focused on Lana, as it slowly stretched its left arm towards her.
Lana feared for her life as tears started to full her eyes. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and hoped the terror would end soon.
"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"
BAM!
Suddenly Lynn came from the side and slammed the robot's head with her bat. The bat shattered into pieces, but it managed to knock the robot off balance. While the robot was trying to stand up, Lynn ran towards Lana and tried to free her.
Still shaken Lana tried to talk, "L…Lynn?"
"Don't worry, your big sis is here," responded Lynn with a determined grin. Lynn then grabbed Lana and ran while carrying her.
"Come on Charles, lets book it!" yelled Lynn getting the family dog's attention. They all started running in a specific direction.
Lynn didn't look back, she didn't want to be reminded that they're being chased. Her main focus was to get Lana safe, and luckily she didn't have to wait long.
They had reached the edge of the forest with the rest of the children with the exception of Ed and Double-D. Everyone was standing in the road in their own group busy retelling the previous events.
Lynn quickly glanced back at the forest to see if the robot was chasing them, and luckily it wasn't.
"Yo Lynn, where were ya?" asked Kevin as he walked towards Lynn.
Lynn then placed Lana on the ground before answering, "For your information, I was saving my sister from the monster."
"For the last time, it's an automaton! Not a monster!" exclaimed Lisa who overheard their conversation.
Lincoln was busy talking with Leni, and he didn't notice Eddy walking up to him.
"Hey Linc, where's Ed?" he asked.
"He ran off on his own and- WOW!" said Lincoln when he turned towards Eddy. Eddy's clothes were torn, shredded and he was covered in bruises all over his body.
"Oh my gosh! Don't panic I got a bandage!" said Leni as she walked towards Eddy.
"What happened to you?" asked Lincoln.
While Leni was placing bandages on Eddy, he answered, "Let's just say there were two monsters in the forest."
Lincoln gave Lola a distasteful glare, and she responded with an innocent shrug.
Everyone decided it would be best to rest for a bit and rethink their next strategy.
(2:45 am)
All the children were currently resting in the living room of the Louds. After everyone settled down, Luna and Lana decided to share stories of their encounters. Needless to say, the siblings were sending a barrage of death glares in Rolf's direction when Lana finished her story.
Luna found it extremely difficult to tell her story, and she left out the parts where she and Double-D just talked with each other. She loved her sisters, but she didn't want them to go crazy over something that might be nothing.
When Luna finished her story, Lisa told everyone to wait for her, and that she might have a plan.
At the moment everyone was waiting for her in the living room, and Luna was sitting on the couch. She hugged a pillow and kept blaming herself for what happened to Double-D. Leni sat beside her and tried her best to comfort her.
Having run out of patience, the bandage covered Eddy finally yelled, "That's it I'm out of here!"
He turned around and headed straight for the front door. Before he could place his hand on the doorknob, he was stopped by Lynn.
"Wow there, where do you think you're going?" she asked as she grabbed his shoulder.
"Where does it look like, out," said Eddy as if it was an indisputable fact.
"You can't be serious, just wait a little bit and-"
Eddy pulled his shoulder away from Lynn's hand and then yelled, "Wait!? I've been waiting long enough! My best friends are out there, and you expect me to sit around here to wait for poindexter?! Forget that!"
Lincoln walked up to Eddy with a saddened expression before speaking, "Eddy, there's a chance that they might be-"
"NO THEY'RE NOT!" yelled Eddy causing everyone to stay quiet.
He then continued, "You've only known them for a few weeks, but I've known them for almost my whole life. Trust me when I say this, there's nothing that they can't survive."
...
"Well, he's right about one thing," said Lisa who just came into the room. Everyone was now looking at her, wanting to know what she meant.
"Eddward is still alive. I've implanted him with a tracking chip that can relay information to me such as location and vital signs," stated Lisa as she held out a small tablet that displayed various pieces of information.
Everyone was silent for a few seconds until Nazz asked, "You put a tracking device on Double-D?"
"Of course, knowing the health and whereabouts of my lab partner is crucial for research," replied Lisa as if it was a regular thing.
"You didn't put a tracking device on all of us did you?" asked Eddy. Just then a faint beep could be heard coming from everyone's necks, but no one noticed it.
Lisa replied with her iconic nervous smile, "Nnnnooooooo,"
Lisa then quickly cleared her throat before changing the subject, "With that in mind we are able to locate Eddward and bring him back home safely. And if the automaton does appear I will have the privilege to use this."
Seemingly out of nowhere Lisa pulled out a makeshift raygun of some kind, causing everyone to take a step back.
"Lisa, what is that?" asked Lori.
"This friends and family is a handmade electromagnetic pulse generator. I was able to quickly build one using the family microwave and various other household items. You might want to buy a new hairdryer Lori," said Lisa causing Lori to give her an angry scowl.
Lisa then continued, "Since the automaton is able to override the fail-safe and power itself back on. I'll just have to take away his power."
With his arm folded Eddy gave Lisa a doubtful look when he asked, "And you're sure this invention won't fail like your last one."
"This device can harm organics too you know," replied Lisa as she started to aim for Eddy.
"WOW WOWWOW! Take it easy!" said Lincoln as he got between Eddy and Lisa.
Lisa then lowered her weapon and complied, "You're right, we have more pressing matters to attend to.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" yelled Luna as she jumped off of the couch with a determined glare.
Everyone nodded and headed out.
(3:30 am)
The children returned to the forest, but this time they stayed in one group that was led by Lisa. With flashlights in their hands, they followed Lisa in single file, making it easier to travel in the forest.
"I really hope those two are okay," said Luan to no one specifically.
With a reassuring smile, Lincoln responded, "I'm sure they are."
"Man I thought meeting a monster would be cool, but it really wasn't," said Lana.
"Well I'd still like to meet the tortured soul inside of it," stated Lucy, causing Lana to walk a bit faster.
Lisa had her weapon strapped on her back, and she was busy following the instructions on her tablet.
Eddy then came up beside her and asked, "Just a quick question brainiac. If you're so smart why didn't put a tracking device on your robot?"
Feeling a little annoyed Lisa answered, "I'm only human, I can't predict events that most likely wouldn't happen."
"Typical, guess you're not as smart as you think you are," said Eddy mockingly.
This angered Lisa, she stopped and turned towards him, "Now you listen to me-"
THUD
Suddenly the robot came out of nowhere landing in front of the group. As it stood up, it glared down at everyone menacingly, as it let out its static roar.
"UUUUUUUAAAAAAAGAGHUHUGUGUHUH!"
This caught everyone by surprise, and they didn't know what to do, but luckily Lisa did.
Fumbling a bit, Lisa pulled out her weapon and aimed it at the machine.
"TAKE THIS YOU MECHANICAL DELINQUENT!"
But before she could fire the robot quickly grabbed the weapon and broke it in half. It happened so fast it took a Lisa a second or two to realize the gun was no longer in her hands.
She turned to Eddy and said with shrugged shoulders, "Well I'm out of ideas."
"UUUUUAUAAGAGAHGHGAHGAHGA!"
Everyone then embraced each other, including Eddy and Lisa. With their eyes closed, they waited for their fate. And waited. And waited. And waited.
For a good few seconds, nothing else happened to the group. Confused by this everyone started to open their eyes, and they were even more confused now.
The robot appeared to be busy with Lisa's weapon, tearing parts off and assembling them in a new way.
"Umm, what's it doing?" asked Nazz.
Everyone then looked towards Lisa for an answer, and she said, "I have no idea."
Just then robot finished constructing a small metallic box of some kind. It then placed the box on its neck and connected various wires to it. It released another roar, but this time it slowly changed into a somewhat audible, deep static voice.
"UUUUUUUUUAABAN...UUNd...MMMFSHSN...JSijsIJSMS...MMMM...MM...MO...MO...MOTHEEERRRR."
Everyone was taken back by this, none of them knew how to react, so they stood there with wide eyes for a few seconds.
Lisa finally asked, "W...what did you say?"
The robot then crouched down and pointed at Lisa, "MO...MOTHER." It then slowly pointed his finger behind him and said, "F...F...FATHER."
Everyone then looked behind the robot, and the group saw the first beautiful thing in this night. It was a clearing with a small waterfall and pond. The whole area was laminated by dozens if not hundreds of fireflies. The scene was so serene and calming, it only caused more confusion for everyone.
They then saw where the robot was pointing towards. There was a small makeshift shelter out of branches and leaves, and under that shelter lied an unconscious...
"DOUBLE-D!" yelled Luna as she ran towards him.
Before Double-D could wake up, Luna wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug that could rival Ed's.
"Oh my gosh dude! I'm so glad you're okay!" exclaimed Luna with watery eyes.
Luna was hugging Double-D so hard he could barely breathe.
"Luna, choking not breathing," said Double-D but Luna just continued to hug him.
That's when Luna noticed that Double-D wasn't the only one under the shelter. To Double-D's left was Victor the goat who greeted her with a bleat, and top of Victor was…
"Poo poo!"
"Lily?" asked Luna.
"LILY!?" yelled everyone.
Luna released Double-D from the hug, allowing him to breathe again and she then picked up Lily who was excited to see her big sister.
"I thought Lily was in mom and dad's room," said a confused Leni.
"She was, at least I thought so," replied Lori.
"That's it, it's pounding time you freak," said Kevin as he was busy cracking his knuckles.
Lynn joined in as well, "Why did you kidnap our sister you bucket of bolts!"
…..
"INFANT WAS SC…SCARED."
Lynn and Kevin dropped their fists after hearing the answer.
"T…TIME 00:50 AM"
(00:50 am)
SLA was scouting the forest, looking for any signs of humans. That's when it heard the faint cry of an infant in distress. Without hesitation, it ran towards the source and found itself in the backyard of the Loud's house.
It tried the back door, but it was locked. So it hurriedly ran to the front door, luckily it was open. Once SLA entered the house, it heard the cry again. It located the infant in the master bedroom.
Lying in a crib next to parents' bed was a crying Lily, and the parents didn't stir or move at all. SLA walked towards the crib and stood for a few seconds examining Lily.
Lily stopped crying when she saw the strange figure.
SLA slightly tilted its head to the right.
Lily then mirrored the action.
SLA approached the crib, and Lily just began to giggle, stretching out her arms towards it. It did a quick few calculations in its server, how much pressure and strength was needed to lift an infant.
With the least amount of pressure and strength it could output, SLA gently lifted up Lily much to her amusement.
(Present)
"You just kidnapped a baby because she was crying?!" exclaimed Sarah in disbelief.
"INFANT NE…NEEDED ATTEN…ATTENTION AND SECURITY" replied SLA.
"Why didn't you just wake up their parents?" asked Nazz.
"PARENTS UNRE… UNRESPONSIVE. SCANNERS SHOWN EXTR…EXTREME EXHAUSTION. MUCH NEEDED REST I…IS REQUIRED," it answered.
The Louds knew their parents had a chaotic life and was tiring from time to time. But they didn't know their parents were that tired. And they were silently cursing themselves for not checking on Lily.
SLA then continued, "I BROUGHT INF…INFANT HERE. TO KEEP SAFE AND TO KEEP COMPA…COMPANY."
"Then what did you plan to do with Rolf's livestock?!" yelled Rolf from the back.
"TIME 11:45 PM, I FOUND FARM ANIMAL AND… AND SAW YOU. I WANT…WANTED TO ASK IF THE CREATU…CREATURE BELONGED TO YOU, BUT YOU RAN," answered SLA.
"Hey, you're not fooling me with that nice guy stuff. What about everything else, our window, Vanzilla, the car crash, Lana-"
"And the amount of damage you did in Eddward's home?" said Lisa interrupting Lola.
SLA appeared to be shrinking under Lisa's glare.
"MOTHER I NEVE…NEVER INTENDED HARM. PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN," said SLA in a somewhat pleading voice.
Everyone was surprised by this, was this thing really scared of Lisa.
For better or worse Lisa allowed SLA to explain.
"WHEN FIRST ACTIVATED, MY SETTINGS WERE WRONG. LEG MOVEMENT, STRENGTH AND WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION WERE NOT CALI…CALIBRATED. CAUSED DAMAGE TO FATH…FATHER'S HOME. RAN AWAY BECAUSE FATHER W…WAS MAD."
"What about our window and Vanzilla?" asked Lola.
"Would you just forget about your stupid window already?" said an annoyed Eddy, earning a glare from Lola.
SLA continued, "AFTER FATHER'S HOME I W-WENT INTO ALLEY BEHIND YOUR HOME. I SAW YOU THREW FOOTWEAR AT A COM...COMMON FELIS CATUS. I THREW YOUR FOOTWEAR BACK TO RETURN I..IT, THEN YOU SCREAMED."
Lori then remembered that they were bothered by some alley cat, so she threw one of her shoes at it. That explains why they didn't find any rocks in the room.
"I WANTED TO ENTER T…THE HOUSE, SEE WHAT WAS WR…WRONG. BUT THEN I SAW VE...VEHICLE THAT NEEDED REPAIRS. I WAS BUSY SCANNING WHEN CANINE STARTLED ME. I RAN IN STREETLIGHT, AND IT FELL ON VEHICLE."
"And the car crash?" asked Johnny.
"RUNNING AWAY FROM L…LOUD NOISES I SAW SOMEONE WALKING IN THE MIDDLE OF RO…ROAD. HE WAS UNAWARE OF SP…SPEEDING VEHICLE COMING TOWARDS HIM."
"Wait a minute, the guy in the street. Was he tall, had a unibrow, and was wearing a tank top and underwear?" asked Eddy.
"DESCRIPTION IS AC…ACCURATE,"
Eddy then smiled and responded, "That big oaf, he must've been sleepwalking again."
"Who?" asked Lincoln.
"Ed sleepwalks from time to time, it's actually pretty funny," replied Eddy.
"No it's not Eddy!" yelled Double-D.
"I FORCEFULLY PUSHED HIM OUT OF W…WAY, BUT TOO LATE FOR ME. I RE…RESCUED DRIVER AND MESSAGED EMERGENCY SER…SERVICES."
"And I guess all the other times you were just trying to help," said Lana, SLA nodded to Lana's conclusion.
Luna who was sitting next to Double-D with Lily turned to him and asked, "But what about your leg?"
"Oh no, I fell while we were running and I cut myself pretty bad. He brought me here and treated me with medicinal herbs," answered Double-D.
"But, you were in so much pain. And he grabbed your wounded leg," said Luna with much concern.
"I know it seemed bad, and it did hurt, but he was actually blocking the blood flow. Making sure I didn't bleed further," replied Double-D.
"Wow, now I feel bad for hitting you with a bat," said Lynn as she looked away in shame.
"NO W…WORRIES. I UNDER… UNDERSTAND," said SLA.
Everyone started to see the robot from a different perspective now, and those red eyes were no longer menacing, but warm and comforting. And even though it was a machine, they felt that what it was saying was the truth.
"Well this is ummm, what's the word?" asked Eddy.
"Anti-climactic," said Double-D.
Eddy then realized that Lisa was quiet for some time now. It appeared as if she was still absorbing the information that was given to her. Before Eddy could ask what was wrong, she finally spoke.
"I'm so proud of you!" exclaimed Lisa in excitement, causing everyone else to be slightly confused.
Lisa continued, sounding more like a mother every second, "You were able to make decisions on your own, and you didn't need our help. You've shown great progress and processing power for a beta. And you helped others because it was morally the right thing to do, you even have emotions! You went beyond my expectations, I'm …. I'm proud you."
"THAT MAKES ME HA…HAPPY MOTHER," said SLA
"My child," said Lisa with watery eyes.
SLA reached out to Lisa, and she mirrored the gesture. Both of their hands were inches away from each other, and every passing second they came closer and closer.
"DIE METALLIC MENACE!"
CRUSH!
Suddenly Ed came out of nowhere and slammed a massive tree onto SAL.
"The spirit has been set free, we are safe!" yelled Ed as he stood proudly over his fallen enemy.
Everything happened so fast it took a few seconds for everyone to understand what happened. They all silently stared with mouths wide open, Lisa appeared to have been in complete shock.
Lisa with her eyes shadowed slowly turned towards Ed.
Ed noticed Lisa and said with an ignorant smile, "No need to thank me, Lisa, because I probably won't understand it."
Lisa then screamed with pure rage, "YOU IDIOTIC, DEFICIENT, IMBECILIC, MINDLESS, INANE, HALF-WITTED, NONSENSICAL, POINTLESS, OBTUSE MORON! YOU HAVE NO COMPREHENSION OF WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE! NOT ONLY HAVE YOU RUINED COUNTLESS MAN HOURS OF HARD LABOUR, BUT YOU'VE INVOKED THE RATH OF LISA LOUD! MARK MY WORDS EDWARD, I SHALL AVENGE MY CHILD!"
After her outburst, Lisa started to walk away in a huff, and everyone gave way for the raging toddler.
Ed walked over to Lincoln and asked, "Was that Lisa's dark side Lincoln?"
All Lincoln could do was let out a sigh before walking away himself.
"Well I'm going to bed," said Eddy as he made his way.
"Yeah,"
"Good idea,"
"I miss my bed,"
"Finally it's over,"
"Come Victor!" yelled Rolf and then Victor started to follow Rolf.
With Lily in her arms Luna helped Double-D to get on his feet then they followed the rest of the group. Knowing that the long night was finally over.
(6:00 am)
In the master bedroom of the Loud's house, Rita and Lynn senior woke up.
Getting out of bed they started to stretch their arms and backs, and it appeared they had earmuffs on.
Lynn took his off and said with a smile, "You know honey I gotta tell ya, buying these noise cancelation earmuffs was a great idea."
"I know, I haven't slept like that in years," replied Rita with a smile.
They both put on their bathrobes and headed downstairs. When they reached the kitchen they were amazed to find all their children there, and with bags under their eyes.
"Wow kiddos, what happened to you?" asked Lynn senior.
Lincoln answered, "We had trouble sleeping."
The parents looked at each other, and Rita then whispered, "Maybe we should get some for them too."
Lynn nodded to his wife's suggestion.
(At Double-D's House)
Double-D was in the basement busy carrying SAL's arm that he retrieved before returning home. He placed the robotic appendage on the table and let out a sigh.
"Well maybe one day we can build you again, but who knows if we'll ever be that lucky again," said Double-D as he hopped with one leg up the stairs, ready to clean up the mess.
Silence filled the basement again as darkness draped over it, all was silent. Except for a small sound of movement, coming from the arm.
End of Chapter
Oh boy how did you like that one? Were you scared? Did you enjoy it? Please let me know, your words mean a lot to me. Also I'd like to thank everyone who follows this story, honestly I can't thank you all enough.
Also I want to clarify something, Rolf is a coward. If you don't believe me then look at Rolf's history.
In 'Eds-Aggerate' Rolf runs away when they supposedly found the Mucky boys.
In 'The day the Ed stood still' Rolf was going to sacrifice Nazz for his own safety.
In 'The Big Picture Show' he pushed Kevin in front of him because he was too afraid of Eddy's big brother.
So in conclusion, Rolf is a coward when it comes to things he doesn't know and he would leave Lana in the woods. There's your explanation.
Also I don't know when I'll write another chapter because I really pushed myself to get this ready for Halloween. So I'm mentally, emotionally and physically tired.
Also I had no idea that NickTheIrkenArtist red my fanfiction. If you don't know he's an awesome artist that draws Loud House fan art. Please check out his profile at deviantart and twitter, you will not be disappointed. Speaking of art if anyone draws fan art of my story please let me know, I'd love to see how people interpret my story.
Big thanks to Hotspot the 626th for editing and helping me with ideas, and to MariusWales for the cover art, I still love it.
Anyways I hope you have a Happy Halloween and I'll see you guys next time.
(places a dusty record on a gramophone and turns it on)
Spooky, scary skeletons
Send shivers down your spine
Shrieking skulls will shock your soul
Seal your doom tonight
Spooky, scary skeletons
Speak with such a screech
You'll shake and shudder in surprise
When you hear these zombies shriek
We're sorry skeletons, you're so misunderstood
You only want to socialize, but I don't think we should
'Cause spooky, scary skeletons
Shout startling, shrilly screams
They'll sneak from their sarcophagus
And just won't leave you be
Spirits supernatural are shy whats all the fuss
But bags of bones seem so unsafe, it's semi-serious!
Spooky, scary skeletons
Are silly all the same
They'll smile and scrabble slowly by
And drive you so insane
Sticks and stones will break your bones
They seldom let you snooze
Spooky, scary skeletons
Will wake you with a booh!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!