Zap the Lab Rat – Part 1: The Experiment
The air in Westwood Middle School’s science lab buzzed with excitement. It was the last day before the weekend, and for Leo, Maya, and Ben, that meant one thing—helping their favorite teacher, Dr. Felix, with his latest experiment.
Dr. Felix wasn’t like other teachers. He didn’t just talk about science—he made it come alive. His basement lab, hidden beneath the school, was filled with bubbling beakers, flashing lights, and machines that hummed with mysterious energy. It was a paradise for kids who loved science.
“I’ve got something special today,” Dr. Felix announced, adjusting his lab coat. He held up a small glass vial filled with a glowing blue liquid. The liquid shimmered as if tiny lightning bolts were trapped inside.
Leo’s eyes widened. “Whoa, that looks like something straight out of a superhero movie.”
Dr. Felix chuckled. “Not quite. This is a neural enhancement serum—designed to improve brain function. We’re testing it on small animals before any further development.”
Ben, the most cautious of the three, frowned. “Uh… is that even safe?”
The teacher nodded. “Absolutely. It’s just meant to stimulate brain activity. Think of it like an energy drink for the mind.”
The kids watched as Dr. Felix walked over to a small cage in the corner. Inside sat Zap, a small brown rat with twitchy whiskers and beady black eyes. He wasn’t special—just a regular lab rat who had a habit of chewing on wires, earning him his name.
Maya leaned closer. “So you think this will make him… smarter?”
“That’s the idea,” Dr. Felix replied, carefully placing a dish inside the cage with a few drops of the glowing liquid.
Zap sniffed the dish, his tiny nose twitching in curiosity. Then, as if he couldn’t resist, he lapped up the glowing blue liquid.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—ZAP!
A spark of blue electricity crackled from Zap’s whiskers, and his entire body jerked. His fur puffed up like he’d been struck by lightning. His eyes flickered—first black, then an eerie glowing blue.
“Uh… was that supposed to happen?” Leo asked, stepping back.
Dr. Felix grabbed his notepad, furiously scribbling notes. “Fascinating! This is… unexpected.”
But then something even weirder happened.
Zap clutched his tiny head with his front paws and let out a frantic squeak—except it wasn’t just a squeak. It sounded like… words.
“Help me! What’s happening?! Where am I?!”
The room fell silent.
Maya’s mouth dropped open. “Did that rat just… talk?”
Zap scurried to the edge of his cage, gripping the metal bars with his tiny paws. His beady eyes darted from Leo to Maya to Ben. “Who are you people? Why am I in a cage?! What’s going on?!”
Ben stumbled backward, knocking over a stack of books. “Nope. Nope. I’m out. Rats don’t talk. This is not normal.”
Leo, despite being just as shocked, couldn’t look away. “Dr. Felix… what did you do?”
The teacher was just as stunned. He adjusted his glasses, staring at Zap with disbelief. “This… this shouldn’t be possible.”
Maya crouched down to Zap’s level. “Uh… hi?” she said cautiously.
Zap pressed his tiny paws against his head. “I—I don’t understand. One moment I was just… eating food and running through mazes, and now my brain is buzzing with thoughts! I know words! I understand everything!”
Dr. Felix muttered to himself, flipping through his notes. “The serum must have triggered a hyper-intelligence reaction in his neural pathways… but how?”
Leo turned to Zap. “So… you’re just a regular rat, and now you suddenly know stuff?”
Zap let out a frustrated sigh. “Not just stuff! I feel like I’ve been asleep my whole life, and now I’m awake! I understand science! Math! Theories! I could probably do calculus if I had a pencil!”
Ben crossed his arms. “I don’t trust this. What if he’s, like, some super-rat now? What if he wants to take over the world?”
Zap rolled his tiny eyes. “Please. I just want to get out of this cage.”
Maya looked at Dr. Felix. “We can’t keep him locked up. He’s… well, he’s aware now.”
The teacher hesitated, then nodded. “This is beyond anything I ever expected. But we can’t let anyone else find out—not yet. If the wrong people hear about this, they might take Zap away for experiments.”
Zap shuddered. “Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather not be a science experiment.”
Leo thought for a moment, then reached forward and unlatched the cage. Zap hesitated before stepping onto Leo’s outstretched hand. He climbed up to his shoulder, his tiny claws gripping Leo’s shirt.
Maya grinned. “Well, this just got way more interesting.”
Ben groaned. “Yeah, interesting in a ‘this is how horror movies start’ kind of way.”
Zap twitched his whiskers. “Trust me, Ben, I have no interest in world domination. I just want to figure out what happened to me. And maybe… eat some cheese?”
Leo laughed. “Fair enough.”
But as they were about to celebrate their new, unexpected genius-rat friend, a loud BANG echoed from upstairs.
Dr. Felix froze. “Someone’s here.”
Zap’s fur bristled. “And I have a bad feeling they’re not here for a science lesson.”
To be continued…
