“You’re volunteering Numbuh 3?” Numbuh 1 asked in surprise. Everyone else had refused to take part in the experiment, fearing what they would become if they took it. Kuki had to be much braver then he ever gave her credit for to volunteer so eagerly.

“Of coarse I am, I looooooove babies. They are so soft and cute and you can dress them up and make them spit up and cuddle them and make them dance and…” Numbuh 3 could have gone on for hours, but Numbuh 1 covered her mouth before she could blather on and on. Kuki didn’t get the full ramifications of the experiment, but he wasn’t going to correct her. No one knew how babies came about, but most kids thought the process had to be really boring and take forever. It took almost a year for babies to finally show up so it had to be a real drag.

“Thank you for volunteering Numbuh 3, but we need a boy involved in this too. Everyone knows that it takes a mommy and a daddy to make a baby.” Numbuh 1 explained and held up a second test tube. Everyone nodded to what their leader said. No one understood how babies were created, but they knew that there always needed to be parents for it to work. A tense silence settled over the group as none of the boys stepped forward. They stared among each other, waiting for the other to say something. He silence ended when Numbuh 3 grabbed her favourite Australian’s arm.

“Numbuh 4 volunteers! Numbuh 4 volunteers!” She sang as she dragged Wally to Numbuh 1. Numbuh 4 gapped at Numbuh 3 as she pulled him towards their leader before ripping his arm free of her grip.

“I do not volunteer!” He screamed and tried to stomp away, but Numbuh 3 grabbed him by the collar. He snarled and batted her hand away, refusing to play this game anymore. No stupid girl was going to make him have a baby, it was dumb. He wanted to play video games and mess around, not create some stupid baby with a stupid girl. It was stupid, really stupid, he kept telling himself. Numbuh 4 didn’t see the hurt expression on Numbuh 3’s face, but she heard what she said from behind him.

“You’re scared,” she teased and Numbuh 4 froze mid-step. He spun around and stomped back towards Kuki. He jabbed his finger into her chest and screamed at her. “I am not scared!”
“You’re scared, scardie scared because your scared,” Numbuh 3 sang as she giggled and danced around her friend. “Numbuh 4 is scared. Numbuh 4 is scared. Numbuh 4 is scared. Numbuh 4 is scared. Numbuh 4 is scared….”

“AM NOT!” Seething and planning to prove he wasn’t scared of nothing he jumped up onto the podium beside Numbuh 1 and grabbed the second test tube from his hand. Numbuh 1 tried to tell him to only take a few drops, but Numbuh 4 upended the whole thing and drank it all in one gulp. He drank every last drop and smiled down at Numbuh 3 triumphantly. “Told you I wasn’t scared!”

“No, but you are stupid,” Numbuh 5 sighed. She had to give it to Kuki that was one smart move. Watching the hyperactive Asian join her fellow parent to be on the podium, she took the other beaker and like Numbuh 4 drank the whole thing in one gulp. Numbuh 5 looked at her friend carefully, wondering if inside that flirty little brain there wasn’t more going on then everyone else suspected.

“Yummy! Cotton candy flavour!” Numbuh 3 giggled as she gave back the test tube to Numbuh 1 and stood beside Wally. She looked happily at him as he stared blankly forward with his mouth hanging open. He was in shock, not because of the serum, but rather the fact that Numbuh 3 had outsmarted him easily. He was never going to live it down. He was totally focused on himself until he heard Numbuh 3 let out a painful sounding gasp.

“Numbuh 3!” He cried out as she fell to her knees. He knelled down beside her, holding onto her shoulders as she gasped for air. Staring at her as she struggled to breath, Wally never noticed that she was changing until Numbuh 1 screamed in his ear.

“Everyone back away! Numbuh 3 is…is…bloating up!”