But this time, he wasn't giving orders to Lucia. He was aiming his rage at the Zeensucker.

“That won't work” said Hombellyton.

And it didn't. The Zeensucker continued to float lazily towards Lucia the Tracboat and her crew, its mouth gaping wider and wider.

And now that it was close, Dot could smell it too. It gave off a sickly, sour kind of scent, rather like milk that's just gone off.

And she could feel it, too - a sort of warm, fuzzy feeling, that made you feel lazy and weak, as if you could hardly move.

Walpurgis gave her a nudge. “That's its drugglefield you're feeling” he whispered. “Whatever you do, DON'T go to sleep!”

But there didn't seem to be much chance of that for anyone - because if anything Nascarbalone Trinth was angrier than ever about this invasion of his Tzone, and he was more than ready to make his feelings known. Loudly.

“By the power accorded to me as Zonemaster of Tzone 66, I COMMAND YOU to cease netflight immediately and make yourself available to the Hold-Majors for questioning and destruction!” he bellowed. “HALT - AND - STOP!!!”

Just as he finished, a datastream came spiralling towards them, twisting evenly as it delivered some hypertext from one side of Tzone 66 to the other. Its course meant it had to pass through the net-sky directly between Lucia and the Zeensucker - which was now not much more than ten metres away.

The Zeensucker stopped, and lazily turned its head to look at it. Then, just as if to prove what it could do, one of the stick-fronds in the centre of its grungy body shot out and wrapped itself round the spiralling datastream.

The datastream let out a squealing noise that made the hairs on the back of Dot’s neck stand on end, and struggled in the clammy grip of the stick frond, twisting and turning desperately in a bid to be free.

Not a chance. Smoothly, like a tennis player lobbing a ball over the net, the Zeensucker lobbed the datastream, still twisting, to the stick frond nearest to its mouth. With a hissing sound of breath taken in (like when you open your mouth and breathe in deeply) the datastream disappeared into its giant mouth.

Then phlock – phlock – phlock, the doomed net creature was passed from sucker to sucker down the Zeensucker’s throat, still squealing till it went out of sight.

Then, from deep inside the monster came a crunching, grinding sound and the squealing stopped.

It was a terrifying sight – but it only served to make Nascarbalone angrier still.

With a bellowing roar, he launched himself off the side of Lucia, his huge black wings beating the net-air, and shot straight towards the Zeensucker. As he did so, his great beaky mouth opened wide, showing a sharp forked tongue.

Dot held her breath as he flew straight towards the gaping mouth of the net-monster.

“GO, Nascarbalone!” shouted Walpurgis, and all the TricTrucTrackers cheered.

At the very last minute – when it looked as if the enraged Zonemaster was going to fly right into the Zeensucker’s glistening, gaping jaws – Nascarbalone shot straight up in the air above the monster, flew along its back, then soared upwards again with great beats of his glistening wings.

It looked like a very uneven fight. “Can’t we help?” asked Dot.

“No, we can’t! said Katzilow angrily. “We can’t get out of Trinth’s slowbeam! It’s still on!”

And it was true – the grey, misty net had closed round them again after the Zonemaster had gone through it to take on the Zeensucker.

“And even if we could get out, that… that slimy thing has still got us in its drugglefield!”

That was true too. Dot felt horribly weak, as if she hadn’t slept for a month.

But it didn’t seem as if Nascarbalone needed their help! As they watched, he turned in a sweeping curve that brought him round behind the Zeensucker.

“He’s going for his strength spot!” said Carmeramalita excitedly. “But he’s got to get it EXACTLY right – between the fourth and fifth top eye!”

For the first time the Zeensucker looked scared, trying to see where its attacker would come from, wobbling its great fat head around – even closing its huge mouth, forming a long, slimy grin, in an effort to move better. Its stick fronds extended above it, waving like the tentacles of a giant octopus as they searched for their attacker.

No good! Straight as an arrow, Nascarbalone Trinth shot down along the creature’s back and, with a triumphant shout, landed on it, gripping its scales with both claws and burying his forked tongue into a spot behind the Zeensucker’s head.

The monster let out a great groan, and twisted desperately, trying to get Trinth off it, shuddering and jerking with all its might. All its stick-fronds had fallen down along its sides, as if an electric current had been switched off. But try as it might, it couldn’t shift Nascarbalone.

“Outstanding!” said Wiz, his tail wagging furiously. “BarkbarkbarkBARKBARK!”

But then suddenly, the Zonemaster’s grip on the Zeensucker seemed to weaken. His head snapped back and his forked tongue came out of the monster’s back. As it did so, the stick-fronds came back to life – and one wrapped itself round Nascarbalone, and began to drag him towards the monster’s huge mouth, which was gaping open again.

“Oh NO!” shouted Walpurgis. “The Zeensucker’s found his back-up strength! Look OUT, Nascy!”

Though he was struggling with all his might the Zonemaster turned towards Lucia. And what happened next was the biggest surprise Dot could ever remember in all of her net-voyaging!

“Don’t – worry - ” he gasped, digging his claws into the Zeensucker’s back, but still being dragged forward. “GO! I’m in charge! I’ll deal with this!”

With a sticky, tearing sound another stick-frond wrapped itself round the struggling Zonemaster, pulling him closer still to its gaping jaws.

“GO!” he said again. “I relent you! All charges dropped! Tell the Hold-Majors to free you! Tell them… Code T40X! Code T40X!”

With the tip of one wing – and a huge effort – he turned off his slowbeam. Immediately, the sky above Lucia lightened, and she shook herself, as if waking up from a bad dream.

And then - even though he was in desperate danger - Nascarbalone gave them all a huge shock.

He actually smiled! A big, go-for-it smile! “I’ll catch you lot one day! You’ll see!” he croaked, pushing back against the Zeensucker’s stick-fronds with all his might.

“Now, GO! And GOOD LUCK!”