As the bikes’ headlights lit up the tunnel around the creatures, Dot could see they were all dressed in black leather jackets - but she couldn’t make out their faces, because they were wearing helmets and goggles.

“It’s a Cyber-rat attack group!” whispered Mr Mouse. “Lie as still as you can!”

Dot was really frightened now, as the bikes came to a halt just above her, hovering in a big circle like a cloud. Then with a kind of hissing, they all came down onto the net floor. Dot squeezed her eyes shut and tried to lie as flat as possible, but she could feel their beady eyes staring at her.

“Hey amigos - what have we here?” shouted the lead rat. There was a kind of sniggering from the other rats as they jumped off their bikes and walked towards her, their scaly tails slithering slimily along the floor of the cyber-tunnel. They smelt, too – that kind of sour smell you get when someone hasn’t washed their clothes for weeks!

Dot felt sick – she couldn’t think what to do and she couldn’t see how even Wizard was going to be able to protect her, even though she could hear his fiercest growl rumbling in his throat. Then suddenly, something like a black shadow came gliding out of the side of the cyber-tunnel.

She heard a whisper - “Hey brothers ‘n sister, leave this to me – be my pleasure, watch ‘n see!” - and a sleek black cat with flashing yellow eyes shot into the glare of the headlights!

There was a piercing shriek as it seemed almost to double in size, and a huge black paw - complete with a set of the sharpest-looking claws Dot had ever seen - swiped down at the crowd of Cyber-rats. They definitely didn’t like it!

Their ratty sniggering turned into squeals of panic as they ran back to their bikes, stumbling and falling over each other in total terror! They almost fell onto the machines, frantically kick-starting the motors with the horrible whining noise Dot had heard before. And they were only just in time – the huge, sleek cat’s glittering claws seemed to be everywhere, slashing at the Cyber-rats’ dirty leather jackets, scratching the paint off their bikes, grabbing at their scaly tails, banging their helmets together as they flew off, still squealing in fright.

Within minutes, they were all gone, speeding away in a blaze of noise and light, their long tails flying out behind them, shaking their fists as they disappeared - leaving nothing behind except their sour, pooey smell.

Dot took a deep breath (and wished she hadn’t – not with that stink still in the air!)

They’d been saved – just in time – but by who?