“Well... well... well... ”

It was the grindy voice of Nascarbalone Trinth.

Walpurgis' shoulders slumped as he and his TricTrucTrackers floated down to a halt on the soft ground of the Tzone.

The super-strict Zonemaster of TZ66 looked down at them from Lucia, his claws in their shiny boots tapping up and down, one after the other, as they rested on the edge of the Tracboat.

She looked kind of... well, slumped, as if she didn't like having her unwelcome visitor on board one little bit. It added to Dot's bad feeling. But at least, she thought anxiously, that flipping Buzby in Wiz's tummy has stopped his neep-barping - maybe because we've found Nascarbalone for him. Or he's found us, worse luck!

“What a LOVELY surprise” Nascarbalone went on. “I really thought I'd seen the last of you for a little while, but here we all are, together again!”

Then a really strange thing started happening to his face. A sort of twisting, turning movement, as if he were eating a sandwich and bitten into something he didn't like the taste of.

“Oh no” muttered Eldenbeam, “Not that!”

Nascarbalone Trinth was smiling. Or trying to. But it was the kind of smile that makes you want to hide behind the sofa!

Walpurgis swallowed hard. “Ah, Zonemaster!!” he croaked. “Fancy seeing you here!”

Trinth's smile faded and his eyes glittered. “Well it is MY zone” he said. “Why wouldn't I be here?”

“Not strictly true, actually” murmured Katzilow to Dot (who was still sitting in Walpurgis' courtesy carrier, and getting a bit uncomfortable, to tell the truth - it felt like her legs were going to sleep.) “The Tzones are under the governorship of the Zildiths of Phargon. * He just runs it for them, worse luck!”

Nascarbalone swung round. “Do you have some wisdom to share with us, TricTrucTracker Katzilow?” He lent forward, opening his long curved beak slightly and putting his head on one side. The “smile” had gone completely now and his black, black eyes glittered more than ever. “Or is it a private joke?”

It was scary - but Dot had this strange and uncomfortable feeling she'd seen such a look before. Oh yes, of course! It was just like Mrs Rudman when she caught someone talking in class.

Only, she doesn't have a beak or claws in big shiny boots, of course. Thought I'd better make that clear.

Fromage squeaked in alarm and burrowed himself away completely under the shoulder of Dot's T-shirt.

“Oh, no” said Katzilow carelessly. “Nothing really!”

Trinth straightened up and swung round to look hard into Walpurgis' eyes. The lead TricTrucTracker returned the stare. Dot tried not to look over his shoulder from her seat in the courtesy carrier. Walpurgis seemed to have completely forgotten she was there.

There was a pause which seemed to go on for ever. A gentle wind made the tent walls of Colony Cerulean flap briefly, and the shifting light of the Tzone changed colour, making them - and all the Colony tents stretching away into the distance - look a bit pink.

“I believe” said Nascarbalone Trinth slowly “I believe you may have something that belongs to ME.”

Buzby!

Don’t hiccup Wiz!

“You know” he went on “you KNOW the penalty for removing Tzone elements from their proper allocationment” (Silly word. Just means place!) “within a Tzone.” He paused and looked round them all again. He was clearly enjoying this.

“IMMEDIATE removal of ALL present visit and searching privileges. SURRENDER of all data absorbed.” Oh NO, thought Dot. We've only just got Mr Mouse's Wisp data! “BANISHMENT from the affected Tzone for 2 netcades.” (A “netcade” is 10 net years. So, 20 net-years!) “For re-securing a TZ device, namely, one Buzby, A FINE of 5,000 netcredits!” Dot felt Walpurgis wince. “And - ”

“HIC!” went Wiz.

Nascarbalone stopped. “WHAT is the matter with that furry thing?” he asked angrily. (Cheek!!) “Does he not know not to interrupt a Zonemaster when he is speaking a judgment?”

“Now, hang on, Zonemaster Trinth” said Walpurgis. “You can't just - ”

“Oh - geraniums!” whispered Wiz in Dot's ear. “I remember now! I just couldn't stop sneez - ”

An anxious look came across his face. “In fact I think I'm - I think I'm going to - ” - he took a deep breath - “sneeze - now - ah... Ah... AH - AH-TISHOOOOOOOOOOO!”

It was a sneeze and a half - what Dot's Gran calls a big blow out. Nascarbalone Trinth nearly fell off the side of Lucia, Carmeramalita let out a squeal, and Walpurgis and the other TricTrucTrackers all jumped - with Hombellyton actually falling over, arms flailing, as he came back down.

But it really was a blow-out for Buzby - because the little bee-like creature that had been giving Wiz so much trouble came shooting out of his mouth like a rocket.

And he was off!

“Buzby! Retrack! RETRACK!” shouted Nascarbalone.

But the little creature was already 500 metres away and flying faster than ever.

“RE-TRACKTRACKTRACK!” bellowed the Zonemaster, his face going purple.

No way!

Trinth looked desperately at the fast-vanishing Buzby. Then he looked down at the TricTrucTrackers. Then he looked back towards where Buzby now was - little more than a speck on the TZ66 horizon.

“I'll - you - I'll come back - don't - ”

Then he couldn't hold himself back any more.

With a kind of grinding shout, he lifted up his massive wings, and was off!