…how an ordinary schoolgirl became an

INTERNET VOYAGER!

BLARP! BLARP! BLARP!

The alarm sound was coming from Ron and Deirdre's dirty white van, which was still hovering gently next to them high up above the Search Zone floor. Deirdre looked up sharply.

" 'Allo!" she said. "Looks like someone out there needs a bit of help Ron!"

With a quick hop, Ron ran back up the link, still quivering in its funny electric way between the Mopples' van and Adrienne's search engine. He pushed the front door back and - WHAT a mess! With a grunt, Ron reached inside and moved some old Yorkie wrappers, a can of coke, a copy of an Internet magazine called 'Server Savers' and an old jumper - and pulled out a funny old black phone with a curly cable. The cable was all tangled up and wouldn't come out far enough so he had to pull on it really hard - and it still wouldn't!

BLARP! BLARP! BLARP! went the alarm.

"All right, all right!" grumbled Ron. "Gissa moment!"

"You just won't sort that flipping phone out will you?" said Deirdre, jumping on the link to join him. "Give it here!"

Dot gasped as Deirdre grabbed it from Ron - and threw it over the side of the van! But then she saw why she'd one it. Bobbing up and down in the sky over the Search Zone floor (a Search Engine shaped like an ice cream cone JUST missed getting tangled up in it as it zoomed by) the phone spiralled round and round and round - till suddenly the curly cable was all untangled again.

Must remember how to do that, thought Dot with a grin - Dad's always getting fed up 'cos our phone cable gets all tangled up like that.

BLARP-BLARP! BLARP-BLARP! BLARP-BLARP! went the alarm, getting louder and louder.

"Very good Dezza!" said Ron in an embarrassed sort of a way, pulling the phone back up and clicking on a red button on the handset. The alarm sound stopped, as suddenly as it had started.

"Yerss... yersss... oh deary me... what, all OVER them?" went Ron. "Yersss... right... we're on our way!"

"And?" went Deirdre, trying to sort out the mess Ron had left behind when he was looking for the phone in a panic. "What's up then?"

"It's a biggy Dezza" said Ron, looking serious. "Them cyber-rats has been up to their old tricks again! Gone and made an Open Port virus, they have! Caught at least half a dozen search engines before they got a shutdown in and rewrote!"

"Open port - mais non, zat is bad!" said Adrienne, looking very serious. "How long?"

"Well" said Ron "at least 2.6 seconds. Which meant, they took EVERY flaming THING that was on the Internet straightinto their PC's, all at once! Straight in - no selection or streaming with Open Port, you know! Meltdown!"

"We can't do all that on our own Ronnie" said Deirdre, looking worried.

"Won't have to!" said Ron. "there's a Full Muster Call gorn out!"

"What" said Mr Mouse "is a Full Muster Call?" "Means every Mopple who can, 'as to be there!" replied Ron. He dug around in the pocket on the front of his overalls, took out a big Yorkie bar and bit off a chunk. He waved the Yorkie at Mr Mouse and then put it down on the dashboard of the van - which wasn't very clean either! Yuk thought Dot. "We can sort it all right if we work together. Now then Deirdre - time to say our goodbyes!"

The two Mopples jumped back on the link and came back into Adrienne's cockpit. Ron bundled up the pipe and the wires he'd been using to fix her jammed-up PC, and ran back over into the van. He sat down in the driver's seat and gave them all a big bulldog grin. "Cheerio then!" he said. "Be good - and if you can't be good, be lucky!"

Deirdre picked up her mop and her blue bucket - sorry, Overload Reclamation Facility. "Ta-ta then dear" she said to Adrienne. "Give us a call if you need us again, won't you?" Adrienne smiled. "I 'ope I will not - but many many thanks - and au revoir!!"

Deirdre waggled a wing at Dot. "You take care my dear and good luck with helping your daddy! And keep that cheeky little chap in order won't you now!"

"More like me keeping her in order!" muttered the Canadian cheese hunter.

"And where's Wizard then?" Deirdre went on. "Must say goodbye to the doggy!"

Dot looked round. Yes, where was Wiz? "Wiz!" she went. "WIZZIE! Where are you?"

Now, the thing you have to understand about Wizzo is that he loves chocolate. Especially Yorkies. And that was where he was - in Ron's van. Only, not where you could see him. He'd nipped in the back, naughty dog, to enjoy it in peace.

But, of course, Dot didn't know that. Nor did Adrienne or Ron or Deirdre. Or Mr Mouse. Who, as usual, had to have his say.

"Why can't that mutt just be where he's gotta be?"

Dot flushed. Mr Mouse really was too bad sometimes. "I'm sure he doesn't mean to cause any trouble" she said crossly. "He just..." But then she saw the wrapper for Ron's Yorkies. I wonder, she thought...

"Well - 'e is not 'ere in my search engine" said Adrienne. "Dorothee - why don't you go and see if 'e is somewhere in Ron and Deirdre's van?"

Dot had already had the same idea - but she still didn't like the look of the link. Deirdre caught her looking doubtfully at it and laughed.

" 'S all right dear" she said. "Look!" And she hopped up onto the link and jumped up and down on it. Then she walked across with a chuckle. "Come and 'ave a look then" she said. "Plenty of room for a little 'un!"

After that Dot felt she had to go over. She put out one foot and felt it. It was kind of springy and bouncy - but very firm too. Taking a deep breath, she started to walk over - and four steps later she was in Ron's van.

"Welcome aboard!" he said with a grin, taking off his baseball cap and bowing. "Take a gander round" (he meant "have a look"!) "but don't be too long love, 'cos we've got to be off!"

It was as jumbly inside as it looked outside - but it still had a homely feeling, especially with Ron and Deirdre settling themselves comfortably into their seats. Looking in the back, all Dot could see was a great big heap of equipment - wires, pipes, some spare Deirdre-style mops, some computer keyboards and a shiny new case with 'Apple Mac' on it. And two big brown boxes like the ones you see in your corner shop - one labelled 'Salt and Vinegar Crisps' and another one marled 'Yorkie Bars - 400 pieces'. "Wiz!" she called. "Wizzie!"

There was a rustling sound and a sort of snuffling noise. Dot knew whatthat meant. "Come on Wiz!" she said, shaking her head. "Promise I'm not cross with you - not yet! But we've got no time for this - we've got to get on with helping Dad!"

But just then the alarm sounded again, louder than ever this time - and what happened next left no time for feeling cross, or anything else!!