With a cacophony of roars and shrieks, Ergo Ego’s army of dinosaurs stormed towards Spynosaur and Amber.

“These perils of prehistory won’t stop until we’re extinct. Move!” shouted Spynosaur as the armoured Ankylosaurus swung its wrecking-ball tail. While Amber threw herself to the ground, Spynosaur launched himself into the air on powerful legs. He landed on the Ankylosaurus’s back and clung on its rock-hard shell with his claws. The enraged Ankylosaurus swung its tail again, just as the Dimetrodon lunged. The Dimetrodon was struck on the head and fell back, reeling.

“How long until the brain-fog wears off?” asked Amber, skidding underneath a Diplodocus tail. “We can’t hold them off forev— AAH!”

Suddenly, Amber could see nothing but sky. The Pterodactyl had her in its claws.

“Amber! Hang on!” Spynosaur cried, watching the winged lizard carry his daughter into the air. He dived out of the way of the Dimetrodon’s snapping jaws, drawing his pistol mid-leap. He aimed and fired before he hit the ground.

WHHARK! screamed the Pterodactyl as the laser seared through its wing.

Amber felt her stomach lurch as the Pterodactyl released its grasp on her. She plummeted through the air towards the blue-green waters of the lake.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA–

“YAAAHahaha!” cried Amber, her scream turning to laughter as she and Spynosaur skyrocketed through the air over the heads of the deadly dinosaurs. Her dad spun in the air, putting himself between Amber and the ground.

THUDD.

“Dad…?” Amber groaned. Her father lay sprawled and winded. Amber’s head was spinning as she looked up to see the dinosaurs looming over them. They had her dad in their sights.

“Oi!” shouted Amber. She struggled to her feet, drenched and exhausted … and struck a pose so battle-ready that she even impressed herself. “If you want my dad, you’re going to have to go through me!”

“Spinning electric otter chocolate biscuit wheelbarrow attack!” Amber yelled, racing towards the dinosaurs and leaping feet first into the air.

“Amber, wait!” shouted Spynosaur.

As suddenly as they had appeared, the dinosaurs – and their strange prehistoric environment – vanished, to be replaced with the gloomy innards of the stone Sphinx.

Amber found herself flying straight towards a wall.

“Aaaa—”

THUMP.

“As I was trying to tell you, the effects of Ego’s brain-fog appear to have worn off,” said Spynosaur, getting to his feet.

“Thanks for the – ow – warning,” said Amber, lying splayed on the ground. “And now we’re back where we started.”

“Not quite,” said Spynosaur. He glanced around at the shadowy walls of the Sphinx. Time-bombs lined every surface, each one tick-tocking in unison.

“Are those…?” muttered Amber.

“They are indeed,” her father replied coolly. He grabbed Amber round the waist and ran towards the entrance faster than she’d ever seen him move. Amber found herself blinded by sunlight as they raced outside and then deafened by an almighty…

Spynosaur and Amber were flung through the air, before skidding and careening across the sand. Spynosaur threw himself on top of Amber as burning rubble rained down across the desert. After a moment they dared to look back – the Sphinx had been blown to smithereens.

“Awesome,” Amber said, watching plumes of black smoke billow into the air. “But M11’s not going to be happy…”

“She’ll forgive us,” said Spynosaur. “Because I now know the location of Ego’s meeting with P.O.I.S.O.N.”

“What? How?” Amber asked.

“It’s really very simple – the giant Ergo Ego we encountered in the brain-fog illusion wore a handkerchief covered in polka dots,” Spynosaur began. “The polka is the world’s eighth silliest dance. ‘Dancer’ is a reindeer that pulls a sleigh for Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus. Claws are sharp. B sharp is the third least popular note in music. Music makes the world go round. Round and round we go. ‘Go’ is the opposite of ‘stop’. Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Two, three, four. Five is the number of times Ergo Ego has tried to kill me. Me, myself and I. Eyes are the windows to the soul. Seoul is the capital of South Korea. A career as a spy can be short-lived. Shorts are worn in summer. Summer follows spring. A spring is a metal coil that can be pressed or pulled but returns to its former shape when released. Release the hounds. Ain’t nothing but a hound dog. Dog day afternoon. ‘Noon’ is another word for midday. Day follows night. Sun follows moon. And, one year ago today, I was tied to a space rocket and fired into the moon by Ergo Ego.”

“So … the meeting’s on the moon?” suggested Amber.

“So the meeting’s in Ego’s secret island lair in the Bermuda Triangle!” said Spynosaur. “That’s where he’ll gather the members of P.O.I.S.O.N. to unveil the real McGuffin. It’s so obvious. Like he wanted us to know…”

“If you say so,” said Amber with a baffled shrug. “But wait a minute – the Department blew up Ego’s lair after he shot you into the moon. It’s nothing but smithereens! You can’t have a secret meeting in the middle of smithereens.”

“He’s there, I know it… But I’m still missing something,” Spynosaur snarled, tapping his Super Secret Spy Watch™ to activate the Dino-soarer’s gravity beam. “Why all the red herrings and wild goose chases? What’s the point of it all? I’m starting to wonder if there even is a McGuffin… I’m starting to think we’re walking into a trap.”