Chapter 4

4 RANK OPENS A TALL LAB CABINET AND WHEELS OUT A FULL-SIZE F skeleton. "Whoa!" says Watson. "Nice," says Janegoodall. "Two hundred and six bones total in an adult human being," says Frank. "And you use almost all of them when you pitch." Janegoodall bends the connected humerus, radius, and ulna arm bones at the elbow joint and then nods.

"I was reading about one of Watson's favorite inventors..." Frank pins a picture of an old guy with crazy eyebrows and a long, wavy beard up on the Wall of Science. Watson licks two of his candies. "Leonardo da Vinci." Watson sticks the sweet and sour candies together. "Hey! That's an even better name than EveryTaste. I'll call my new candy invention the da Vinci!"

"Born April 15, 1452," Klink recites. "Italian painter, sculptor, inventor, musician, mathematician, engineer, and writer." "I saw this drawing da Vinci did when he was studying the human body," continues Frank. "And I had the idea—double the skeleton, double the power!" Janegoodall flips the skeleton's femur. "What?"

"So Klink and Klank and I have an idea for a great improvement." Frank digs around in the pile of toys and models in the lab. Frank finds what he is searching for and holds up two arms and two legs.

"Wow," says Janegoodall. Frank and Klink quickly attach the extra arms and legs to Klank. "Oh yeah!" says Klank. "Two times arms and two times legs make me two times human!" "Ummm, I don't think it works like that," says Janegoodall. "And also—" "Arms all set!" calls Frank. "Legs all set," calls Klink. "Klank all set," calls Klank. Frank plops a baseball into one of Klank's four hands. "Watson! Come here. I want you... to catch. Klink, you record speeds." Watson puts down his candy invention and picks up the catcher's mitt. Klank flexes all his arms. "I am Two Times New, Improved Klank!" "Wonderful," says Klink. "It is just a shame that your brain size could not be improved."

"Hey," says Klank. "Is that a joke?" "Test One!" says Frank. "Klank, wind up and pitch a slow ball to Watson." Klank bends all four of his arms in a double imitation of Janegoodall's windup motion. He steps forward with his two left legs, windmills his two right arms, and pitches a perfect toss to Watson. "Great," says Frank. "Now back up, really put all four of your arms into it, and try to pitch a little faster." "Wait, wait, wait a minute," says Watson. "I need some protection." Watson digs through a pile of junk. "Hey, how about a catcher's mask?" Frank punches out the bottom of a birdcage and hands it to Watson. "Awww, come on." "It's for Science," says Frank. "And to help Janegoodall win the starting pitcher spot as our Midville Mud Hen ace."