…how an ordinary schoolgirl became an

INTERNET VOYAGER!

CRAKKETA CRAKKETA CRAKKETA! Another huge thunderclap. And now, the deep black night coming out from the "split" in the Search Zone sky was flooding over the sides of the huge zip-like opening - which was also getting bigger and bigger, like the school bag of a giant being pulled apart.

The blackness seemed to kind of move like oil in the Search Zone sky - sliding silently over everything. It reminded Dot of the time her Dad took her to the garage to pick up their Skoda, Wilhelmina, after it had been serviced. Just as they were waiting to pay the bill, there had been a huge "CLANG!" from outside - one of the mechanics had backed a car he was fixing into a big drum of oil and knocked it over. The oil - thick and gungy and "black as your hat", like her Uncle Ron Thomms would say - had spread all over the floor of the garage, just like the blackness of the Search Zone sky was spreading now.

"It's a blackdown!" said Deirdre. " 'Old on tight now dearie!"

Looking out of the side window of the van, Dot suddenly realized she could hardly see Adrienne's search engine any more. It was there still - she could see that much - but now it looked all grey and fuzzy, like your TV set does when it goes wrong sometimes. You would never have believed that its real colour was bright red, with all the shiny brass bits on it too.

And there was a kind of a rain falling past it - only as Dot looked she saw it wasn't falling at all, but going upwards! The "drops" were strange too - they were diamond-shaped, and they turned round and round as they came up past the Search Engine. Some of them hit the windows of Ron and Deirdre's van, with a kind of "shhlip!" noise, as if they were pieces of jelly.

"Bark-bark-bark!" It was Wizzie's special warning sound. "Bark-bark-bark!" Dot looked back again through the windscreen of the van and her heart missed a beat. The oily, creeping "blackdown" was almost on top of them - she hadn't realized how close it was getting. And it looked really horrible, now she could see it... it had a kind of front to it which was shiny and curved, with strange bumpy bits coming and going all along it, like the way a snake's body moves as it goes along.

Ron saw Dot looking. "That's the energy front that's pulling the blackdown along" he said, pointing. "When you can see it like that, means it's really close. Only thing is you can't tell how close. If you - "

SHLURVIDDLESHLURSPLOOSH!!

When Dot thought about it later, she couldn't help thinking that being in the Mopples' van when they were hit by the blackdown was like being swallowed up in an enormous tub of Slush Puppy - black Slush Puppy!

"This is it!" shouted Ron.

The van bounced like someone does in a bouncy castle - and then started to twist and turn, moving crazily from side to side, as if it were rolling along in a river - not on but in it. But the blackdown wasn't like water, it was thick and grungey - you could kind of feel it even inside the van. And everything was as black as the darkest night, without a glimmer of light to be seen through the windows now. Inside the van, special lighting had come on, glowing a funny orange colour so that everyone looked sort of orangey too, like when you go under those old-fashioned street lights.

Dot looked as hard as she could through the side window next to her, but there was no sign of Adrienne's search engine, which had been right next to them before. The blackdown was just too thick. But as she looked and looked, she started to see it wasn't quite the same as oil after all.

It was really made up of lot and lots of different strands, like the threads you can see when you look closely at a sweater or a T-shirt. And each of the strands was twisting against the van... that was what made it move the way it was doing, up and down, side to side - one moment pushing its front up in the air, then twisting it around as it were a kitchen cloth being wrung out over a sink.

And it was getting noisier and noisier, with the shlurping, swooshing sound of the blackdown itself all mixed up with the old van creaking and groaning as the blackdown squeezed and shoved it around.

"So far so good wiv your shielding!" said Deirdre. She didn't seem at all nervous, Dot thought. It made her feel a lot better, but there was till something yukky about being in the middle of the grungey blackdown stuff.

"Yuss she's coping well now" said Ron. "Told ya!"

But just then, the van went up in the air again - and up again, just like a fair ground ride. Dot could feel the seat belt holding her in tightening against her tummy. Up... and up... and up. She took a deep breath and put out her hand to stroke Wiz to make him feel better. He whined anxiously. "Don't like this Dot!" he said, his big eyes wide open in the strange orange light inside the van.

Up... and up... and up. Now the van was almost standing on its end. This is getting scary, Dot thought.

And she was right! " 'Old on tight!" said Ron suddenly. "We're going over!"