ROBODOG

On Velma’s command, her gang of cats had disguised themselves as a person. They were standing on each other’s shoulders like an acrobatics act.

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Pavarotti was on the bottom, then Codger, then Slash, with Velma at the top.

Once on each other’s shoulders, the tower of cats dressed in a long coat, a hat and sunglasses.

Velma had cat-burgled the lot from her mistresses’ wardrobes.

Now fully in disguise, the tower of cats wobbled into the biggest pet shop in Bedlam. Slash stuffed his paw into a coat pocket, so it looked as if he were holding a gun.

Then Velma, at the top in her hat and dark glasses, gestured for all the dog treats to be handed over.

Clutching the haul in four sets of paws, the tower of cats wobbled out of the shop.

Then they did the same at the next pet shop. And the next. And the next.

Soon Velma and her gang had robbed every single pet shop in the city of dog treats.

All they needed now was a truck. So, when they spotted one idling outside a pet shop making a delivery, the engine still running, the cats leaped in and drove off. Velma was at the steering wheel, Slash was on the accelerator pedal, Pavarotti was on the clutch and brake pedals, and Codger was on the gear stick.

“COME BACK HERE!” shouted the driver.

But the cats were too quick for him. They sped off down the road, crashing into everything in sight:

Being a cat, Velma had never taken her driving test. Come to think of it, she had never had a lesson! Not one!

Now, let’s dive down back under the ground, into the depths of Bedlam. Robodog was being towed by rats through a maze of the smaller sewerage tunnels…

“Left! Right! Right again! Watch out for the bend!” called Ratty.

Soon they found themselves in the SUPER-SEWER, the widest of all Bedlam’s sewerage tunnels. This one led directly out into the River Ooze, and from there it was a short distance to the ocean. The only chance our heroes had of stopping Mighty Mind and Hammerhands making off with those one billion dollars was to intercept them before they made it to the river. Once that mini-submarine was in open water, escape was inevitable. The river flowed into the ocean, and from the ocean the criminals could reach anywhere in the world.

After our heroes had travelled through miles of dark tunnels, a tiny dot appeared in the distance. The dot became bigger and bigger until it was a bright circle of light.

“We’ve nearly made it!” exclaimed Ratty.

“How do you know we are not too late?” asked Robodog.

“Listen!” said the big one.

The whisk motor engine was switched off and they drifted silently in their ice-cream tub along the river of gunge.

From behind them in the super-sewer came the hum of the mini-submarine.

WHIRR!

“Our shortcut worked! They are moments away,” said Ratty. “Now we just need to work out how to stop them!”

“WE WILL BOARD THEIR VESSEL AND NIBBLE THEM BOTH TO DEATH!” proclaimed the little one, much to the delight of the others.

“YES!”

“I know a way!” chirped Robodog. “A way I can bring them in alive!”

“BORING!” cried the rats.

“Spin me round!”

The rats did as they were told, so now Robodog’s bottom was facing the circle of light.

“Get back!” he warned.

THWLICK!

Then…

Robodog fired a rope net from his bottom.

It clung to the end of the super-sewer like a spider’s web.

TWANG!

“You’re a genius!” exclaimed Ratty.

“Well, I am not thick!” agreed Robodog.

All this time, Mighty Mind’s mini-submarine had been surging straight towards them through the gunge.

SPLURGE!

“We need to get out of their way!” cried Ratty.

“There isn’t time!” shouted the big ugly one.

“Prepare for impact!” called Robodog. “In three, two…”

But before he could say “one”, the mini-submarine crashed into them.

THWACK!

Everyone spun towards the net…

TWANG!

…before rebounding at terrific speed, shooting them all back up the super-sewer!

WHOOMPH!