About a week had passed by since Gizmo had become a member of the Loud House. And though Clyde and the Santiagos had promised not to let others know about him, Lincoln couldn't seem to ignore the niggling concern in the back of his head that they wouldn't be able to keep Gizmo a secret for very long. As of now the ashen haired boy himself, along with Clyde and Charlie, was sitting in class listening to the daily announcement from their teacher, Mrs Johnson.
"Ok, kids, as you know the annual science fair is coming up soon and as part of your curriculum you'll be tasked with putting together a project to submit for the fair. You can either work alone or as part of a team; maximum three people." a collection of hushed murmurs varying from excited to nervous to aggravated swept over the class prompting Mrs Johnson to play her trump card. "And if the privilege of participating in the fair isn't enough for some of you, maybe the prize for the winning entry will be." those who had seemed disinterested immediately perked up, as the teacher continued explaining the terms of the contest Lincoln glanced behind him to Clyde and Charlie's desks, and the three friends didn't need to exchange anythign beyond smiles as they already knew they'd be teaming up for their entry.
XXX
"Ok, people! The competition's already strong since we'll be up against Lisa, which is precisely why we've chosen to form a group entry." Lincoln declared as the three of them were brainstorming possible projects in the lunch hall.
"Don't hold your breath too hard, Lincoln. Your sister still has more brain power than the three of us put together." Charlie doubted.
"Then again, Lisa is known for...'misunderstood', as she puts it, projects when it comes to contests." Clyde tried to raise their hopes. "Remember the biology contest where she submitted that mound of sentient garbage as a new means of waste disposal? It was incredible, sure, but it also scared off the judges and ate their clipboards so she got disqualified."
"So I'd say we definitely have a chance." Lincoln concluded.
"Yeah, but let's not make the same mistake as her by entering weird creatures into the contest." Charlie suggested to which the boys nodded. "Speaking of weird creatures, how's Gizmo?"
"Oh he's doing great." Lincoln smiled. "He's really settled into the house well and our care schedule seems to be working too. He gets to leave the attic and explore the house as long as one of us is with him and draws the curtains in any room so no sunlight gets in. Let me tell ya, I don't think I've ever seen Lucy this happy now that the house has to be dark more often than not."
"I, can imagine." Clyde shivered slightly of the thought of the ghostly girl slinking about the shadowy Loud House unseen like a poltergeist
"And feeding's not a problem since we just gave him the same meal times as the rest of our pets. Water's the only one we need to be most careful about. He almost got hit by a leak in the ceiling one time during a storm."
"Furball does sound like a handful." Charlie muttered.
"Yeah, but he's worth it. There's a never a dull moment when we're with him. Just yesterday he learned to drive Lola's car and when she caught him in it she spent ten whole minutes chasing him around the house trying to get it back. But then he started chasing her instead!" Lincoln laughed at the memory. "Luan even taped the whole thing and put the Benny Hill theme over it. I've gotta show it to you guys sometime."
"Man, Lincoln. If you told the others here about Gizmo, you'd probably be the coolest kid in school."
"Tempting as it may be, Clyde, you and I both know why we can't tell our friends about him."
"Yeah the labs n' all, I know."
"That and since he's a family pet, the coolness would be divided amongst me and my sisters."
"That too. But still, to have a pet that can sing, dance and even talk?"
"I'd certainly be open to having one." Charlie said. "It'd sure be nice to have a pet like him. And I know Bobby'd vouch for it."
"Too right! I'd sell my whole Ace Savvy collection for a Gizmo of my own." Clyde said dreamfully.
"What kinda gizmo?" the two boys and girl jumped when their other friends Rusty, Zach and Liam came to join them.
"Guys you startled us!" Lincoln frowned. "I get enough of that at home."
"Sorry man, Rocky sorta rubbed it off on me ever since he started hanging out with your spooky sister." Rusty apologised.
"It's like a virus." Charlie muttered disturbed.
"Anyway what's this we're hearin' about a gizmo?" Liam queried. "Some fancy new gadget Lisa's cookin' up or somethin'?"
"Uh, yeah! Just another gizmo she's been tinkering with. Typical Lisa."
"Cool, what is it?" Zach asked, the three growing curious. The others glanced at each other nervously.
"Well it's a, it's a...Lisa!" Lincoln spotted the genius herself passing by who turned her head when she heard her name. "What's that new 'gizmo' you've been working on? My friends would love to hear about it." Lincoln snuck a wink at her and nudged his head toward the other boys. It only took a second for Lisa to get the message as she began to formulate a response.
"Well, uh, gentlemen, I'm glad you asked. See I've been developing a...well, I can't tell you!"
"What? Why not?" Rusty asked.
"It's my entry for the science fair. I wan't it to be a surprise! My super secret gizmo."
"Oh, I gotcha." Liam nodded.
"Well knowing your accomplishments it'll probably be worth the wait." Zach assumed. "Hang on! If it's a surprise why does Lincoln know about it?"
"Well of course he knows about it, we live in the same house." Lisa replied matter of factly as she approached the table whilst rolling up a set of papers she was carrying. "But it seems he forgot to keep his mouth shut about it." she then softly swatted the top of Lincoln's head with the rolled up documents three times. "Silly. Doofus. Brother. We don't want anyone finding out about the gizmo. Right?"
"Yup. Yeah, you're right, I'm a dope. Won't happen again." Lincoln grinned sheepishly.
"Thank you. And I expect the same from you as well, Clyde, Charlie." she eyed the african american boy and latino girl who nodded understandingly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some now crinkled documents to overlook. Good day to you, Sirs and Ma'am." she concluded before shuffling off leaving Lincoln, Clyde and Charlie to drop a silent sigh of relief.
XXX
After school had concluded the three friends made their way back to the Loud House to begin brainstorming ideas for their project. Upon entering they found the sisters gathered in the living room engaged in their own respective activities (Ronnie Anne made sure to remove Clyde's glasses so he wouldn't faint when he saw Lori). The matriarch of the siblings was curled up on the couch texting while Gizmo was curled up in her lap purring as she scratched his big ears.
Needless to say, the little hairball had found something to bond with each of the family over in one way or another since he'd entered their lives. Singing and dancing with Luna for starters and he quite enjoyed Lola's tea parties (or more accurately the cookies that came with them) much to Lana's shock, though she'd managed to stop her twin from giving him princess makeovers. The grease monkey herself seemed to have bonded with Gizmo the most being the animal lover she was (though he preferred not to indulge in her more...questionable past times like raiding the trash for tid bits). Naturally she'd introduced him to her other pets which the mogwai had taken a liking to just as he'd done so with the family pets. Speaking of which, the Loud Pets had grown to like Gizmo too; he'd got his foot in the door by helping them steal some treats due to having the luxury they dreamed of: opposable thumbs.
"Hey, guys I'm home. If you need me I'll be in the dining room with my friends so we can get started on our project."
"Oooooh~! Inviting Charlie over to study? Good choice going for the classic, Romeo!" Lynn teased as the rest of the girls voiced their excited squeals.
"Ignore them. I don't let their matchmaking get to me. It's not like they're gonna set up a candlelit dinner behind our backs or anything." Lincoln joked
"Denial is the first sign of love, bro!" Luna said causing Lincoln to flush as Charlie rolled her eyes while smirking.
"Hey, I get it. Besides I'm not letting your sister's matchmaking force us to work separately on this. We're a team, right partner?"
"Ahem!" Clyde frowned at her as he cleered his throat. "What am I, chopped liver?"
"Right, partners." She corrected herself.
"Thank you. Can I have my specs back, now?"
"It's your funeral if you see her clearly, man." Charlie warned him of Lori's image as she handed him back his glasses. As they sat down at the table to get to work, Gizmo awoke from his nap and felt his stomach as it growled. He pawed at Lori's chest to get ehr attention and pointed to his open mouth.
"Nyum-nyum." he squeaked causing Lori to smile at the adorable request.
"Looks like someone's hungry." She said.
"Oh I'll handle it, Lori. I'm feeling kinda snacky myself." Lynn spoke up as she carried Gizmo into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and fished out a couple of sandwiches. "Here you go, Giz." she said handing him one before the two dug in and after they'd finished Gizmo made a drinking motion indicating he was thirsty.
"Dang it, we're out of milk!" Lynn cursed as she checked the fridge before spotting a jug of lemonade. "Hey guys! Do you think it's safe for Gizmo to drink lemonade?! It's more fruitjuice than water right?!" she called from the kitchen.
"Lisa what do you think?" Lana asked.
"Well techniqually lemonade does contain water, but then the majority of foods do as well. The rules say Gizmo should be kept away from water, but the purity of it remains unknown. Blast it, why did those rules have to be so vague in their description?!" the little einstein said growing frustrated.
"I'll take that as a yes." Lynn responded as she poured herself and Gizmo a glass and to her relief saw him drink it heartily. But upon drinking her own the jock clutched her gut when she felt it bubble.
"Uh-oh. I knew that chili dog from lunch would come back to haunt me!" she then sprinted past everyone and made a beeline for the bathroom.
"She really needs to cut back on the rich food." Clyde grimaced knowing what was coming next for the sporty girl.
"Yeah but she never listens." Lincoln shook his head. About ten minutes passed before Lynn emerged from the bathroom.
"Looks like we're out of air freshener too!" she called as the others groaned in disgust. As she went to the kitchen sink to wash her hands she snarled when no water would come out of the tap. "Aww come on! Lana the water main's actin' up again!"
"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Lana plodded to the sink with her tools at the ready as she crawled into the cupboard underneath to look at the pipes. After tapping a few she jammed one of her wrenches onto one and began twisting it. "Tell me when it start's flowing, Lynn!" she said to her sister who nodded and twisted the taps as Lana adjusted the plumbing until the sound of rushing water reached Lana's ears and she gasped.
"It's rushing in too fast! Take cover!" before anyone could react water violently sprayed from the tap but what really drew everyone's attention was that the water was heading straight for Gizmo.
"NOOOOOOOOOO~!" Lincoln's voice slowed to a crawl as the geyser of water cascaded down onto Gizmo, dousing him completely in it. And as soon as it had touched him, Gizmo let out a piercing cry as he fell to the floor and began flailing about like a fish on dry land.
"GIZMO!" everyone screamed as they gathered around him, wringing their hands in a panic, not knowing what to do. But their fear only grew when Gizmo's fur began to convulse and writhe as though it were boiling.
"What's happening to Gizzy?!" Lola cried.
"His back's bubbling like hot oil!" Ronnie Anne shouted.
"He's not supposed to get wet!" Lori panicked. "Lisa do something!"
"What can I possibly do?! I'm as ignorant of our pet as the rest of you!" but before an argument could break out, something small and fuzzy popped out of Gizmo's back with a Pew! The kid's heads darted in all directions as they followed the bouncing object until it came to a stop in the middle of the carpet.
"...What is it?" Leni asked no one in particular as the furball began to pulse and throb like a beating heart before it began to gradually grow.
"I think...it's alive." Lucy voice barely passed a whisper before everyone's attention was drawn back to Gizmo as ten more furballs sprang from his fur. Pew-Pew-Pew-Pew Pew-Pew! they bounced around the living room like ping pong balls forcing some of the siblings to duck and dodge. One landed in the waste paper basket while others fell behind the sofa or into the fireplace and a couple continued to bounce wildly even as they grew bigger. At this point Gizmo had stopped spazzing and had managed to sit up groaning as he held his head in his paws.
"Giz, are you alright?!" Lana picked him up and held him close as they saw the first furball had sprouted four little limbs and pair of huge ears which unfolded to reveal a familiar cute muzzle and eyes. The furball had transformed into another mogwai only this one had a different fur pattern than Gizmo did as well as white cowlick on top of its head. It looked at the Loud family and gave them a large cheeky grin
"T...Two Gizmos?!" Clyde gawked in equal disbelief as the Louds were in. "Then that means..." the air was soon filled with a multitude of yawns, giggles and squeaks. Out of the chimney came three more brown and white mogwai dusted with soot. From behind the couch, a black and white mogwai with a rather grumpy face that would rival Mr Grouse crawled out followed by another brown and white one, only this one had slightly floppy ears, black patches around its eyes and a pair of buck teeth. The goofy mogwai let out small curious 'hyucks' as he tried to climb over the grumpy one who grunted and squeaked back at him in annoyance. The kids looked up when they saw the lamp swinging back and forth before a pitch black mogwai tumbled out of the shade which Lucy caught in her hands.
"Two...four-no five!" Lisa babbled amidst her shock as more and more mogwai came crawling out from their hiding places to join the striped one in front of the couch. Two more came out from under the dining room table. One was a mixture of dark grey and brown while another was all brown with a mop of white fur on top of its head. The only remaining furball which hadn't stopped bouncing landed in Luan's arms before it unfolded to reveal another brown and white mogwai only this one had a pair of bug eyes which rolled in its head as it let out a collection of crazed laughs. Luan dropped him in shock when he prodded her nose jokingly before the waste basket toppled over reminding the siblings there was still one mogwai left and as it moved the bits of scrap paper out of the way they gasped to see it was black and white like the grumpy one only this one had much more ridged ears, sharp teeth, fierce eyes and a mohawk. It let out a sinister hiss as it scuttled across the floor to join its siblings.
"...Eleven. E-E-Eleven!" Lisa stuttered as she counted the bunch of mogwai conversing with one another on the living room floor.
"But that can only mean, the water made Gizmo multiply!" Lincoln realised. "That's the cause of the second rule!"
"Well, I suppose I can understand why it's a rule." Lori said. "I mean having one mogwai is plenty of responsibility on its own, but one glass of water and you're stuck with twelve now?"
"Does, this mean I can have one now?" Clyde asked.
"Gee, I don't know, Clyde. I mean I don't even know if we have a say in the matter exactly." Lincoln replied, unsure.
"Come on, I'm plenty responsible. And besides, no offence, I doubt you guys can manage twelve Gizmos." he looked amongst the many new mogwai before he smiled at the grinning one with the cowlick. "Hey, that one's got a cool little stripe." he gently reached out to pet the mogwai. "Hey, buddy." Snap! The boy retracted his hand when the striped mogwai tried to bite his finger causing the other ones to snicker in amusment. "I, guess he's not as friendly as Gizmo is."
"Feisty little dust mop." Charlie glared at the striped mogwai.
"This...th-th-this is just beyond b-belief!" Lisa was a lisping mess as she'd flat out discarded her notebook and pen as was simply examining the new batch with her eyes alone. "Gizmo is capable of some form of parthenogenesis!"
"I don't as this often, but am I the only who doesn't know the meaning of that word?" Leni questioned her siblings and Clyde who all shook their heads.
"It means being able to produce offspring without the requirement of a mate or fertilisation at all." Lisa defined the term. "But I've never heard of it occuring in mammals." she scratched her head before her subconscious recalled the data from Gizmo's fur sample and she let out a huge gasp.
"GREAT SCOTT!"
"WHAT?!" the others yelped in surprise.
"The fur sample I took from Gizmo revealed that his dna contains molecules found in reptiles. They are one of the few rare species capable of asexual reproduction."
"Reptiles?!" Lana parotted.
"The only other mammals I know of that dispaly reptillian behavioural traits are echidnas and platypuses who are capable of laying eggs."
"Are you saying Gizmo's Australian?" Lynn asked.
"I don't know. But I can say that he is likely part of an unidentified mammal ethnic group."
"Look, all biology lecturers aside," Lori stepped in. "We still haven't figured out what we're gonna do with all these mogwai. Our number of pets has literally multiplied!"
"Well we should name them for starters." Leni chirped as she pointed to them one by one naming them as she went. "We'll call you Stripe," the cowlick mogwai. "You Mohawk," the black and white mogwai.
"Hey quit hogging them, Leni! I wanna name some too!" Lola spoke up as she eyed one of the three sooty mogwai. "I think I'll name you Pompom." she pointed to a particularly fluffy one.
"And your name's Scraps!" Lynn christined a rather scruffy one who was now nibbling on an old biscuit he'd pulled out from under the couch.
"Guys, you can't go naming them!" Lori snapped at her siblings. "We don't even know if we can keep them!" but they paid no notice as they were too engaged with the new batch. She sighed in annoyance until she noticed the third brown and white mogwai who appeared to be as equally univested in the situation as she was since he'd resorted to reading one of the nearby magazines. She couldn't help but smirk.
"Roberto." she named him.
"You too?" Lincoln frowned at her quick turnaround. "And you're naming him after Bobby?"
"That's kinda creepy." Charlie cringed at the name choice.
"He has his laid back attitude." the eldest child replied. Lincoln rolled his eyes before he noted the white topped mogwai. He chortled at the sight of its fur colour.
"Hey, that one looks like it has my hair." he pointed as the mogwai brushed a paw through its mop having noticed the boy's own hair as well. "In that case, I'm naming you what I'd want my own brother to be named, if I had one: Larry." he picked up the ashen-topped mogwai and showed him to the others. "Like looking in furry mirror right?" he grinned along with Larry causing the others to chuckle.
"Ha-ha, whaddya
