With a whining noise, two little red wings came out of the side of Adrienne’s search engine, and settled into place with a thud. It was a bit like what you can hear in an aeroplane when its wheels tuck themselves away after you’ve taken off. Only, they were all hovering over the search field, while other search engines zoomed past them, above and below – some quite close, but never even touching Adrienne’s engine.

“O-K!” said Adrienne. “Now, we search. We need – Munchenmeat Awards 2002… go!” Her little red squirrel’s paw darted over a huge row of buttons in front of her. It was like a computer keyboard but much bigger. As she tapped out the words, the keyboard played a little tune.

Listening hard, Dot thought the music reminded her of something, but she couldn’t work out what it was. So annoying when that happens, she thought – now I won’t be able to get it out of my head all day!

“O-K!” said Adrienne again, her sleek red head with its little tufty ears on one side. “Zo far – zo good!” But we must refine, now – even though I ‘ave ze latest Search Master, ‘e needs more to work on. Too many names for ‘im… so we try again… now, where in zese companies would we find ze name… ah!

Once again she tapped away like lightning at the control panel in front of her. “We will try their publicity page, I think! They would want to tell the newspapers and TV about taking part in ze Munchenmeat Awards, non?”

This time the little tune – what IS it, thought Dot? – played even faster. So fast that you could hardly make out what it was.

“WHAT a racket!” said Mr Mouse, who’d been taking a quick nap (as usual) “Can’tcha turn the sound system down, babe?”

“Babe?” said Adrienne, turning round a looking at Mr Mouse in a way that reminded Dot of her head teacher Mrs Rudman. “Babe? What is this babe you are saying Meester Mouse? My name is Adrienne!”

“Whatever!” said Mr Mouse, with a flick of his paw. “I was just trying to catch some Zees!” (that’s the way you say the letter ‘Z’ in America - he means go to sleep, like when you go “Zzzzzzz…” oh you’ve got it? Oh… all right then… )

But the tune didn’t stop – it suddenly got faster and faster, and then Adrienne’s search engine started to rock from side to side.

“Zut!” the little squirrel went. “What ees this? Overload! Fold scanners!”

She grabbed a shiny silver lever by the side of her seat and pulled hard, peering over the side at the two red wings on either side of the search engine. Again there was the “Weee – yip!” noise but the wings hardly moved an inch.

“ZUT!” went Adrienne again. Suddenly the front of the search engine tipped down, and the little craft and its two trucks began to dive down towards the search fields below. Wizzie let out his biggest warning bark.

“What’s happening Adrienne!” shouted Dot – she could hardly hear herself over the noise of the little tune, playing faster than ever.

Adrienne turned round with the little tufts on her squirrel ears standing right up on end. “ ‘Old on my friends!” she yelled. “We ‘ave a system crash – we’re going in!”