There was no time to react: the packet rats latched onto TorrentBoy's armour faster than he could dodge them, and in a second, they had started sucking so much energy, the SpeedJet started to sink closer and closer to the ground.
“Not again!” TorrentBoy said as he fought to stay aloft. He bounced off the roof of a car, down the street, and smashed into the pavement just a few steps away from the doors to the sewage treatment plant!
Luckily, the force of the impact knocked the rats off him, too, so when he got up, he had time to react before they could get back at him again. He blasted at one, but missed … they were too small and quick to hit!
“Rezzit!” he barked, “how do you stop these things? I don't have time to pick them off one by one!”
“You don't have enough juice for most of my tricks…” Rezzit thought aloud, “how about the Encryption Cloak?”
“How's that going to help?”
“Oh, I dunno. It'll make you pretty and they'll fall in love with you? Just hurry up and do it!”
TorrentBoy grabbed the stunned Gabby close to him, then hit a button on the side of the Tracker Watch. In a second, he was wrapped head-to-toe in a dark grey cloak that fizzled like static. After a few seconds, he become invisible!
The packet rats all floated around aimlessly, trying to find him, but they couldn't figure out where he'd gone. TorrentBoy carefully edged away, back towards the treatment plant, and then made a mad dash for the giant hole in the middle.
There, down near the giant machine, he saw at least ten rhino-rillas (including Dundom) and Lord Thorax checking the screens on the side of a big, craggy computer.
“Three minutes, my lord,” said Dundom ominously, “The satellite is on schedule.”
“Excellent!” boomed Thorax, “prepare to interrupt the brainflow. I want full command immediately!”
“Yes, sir!” saluted Dundom.
Thorax looked up at the massive machine in the crater, stroked it gently. He was really a creepy guy, when you got to know him. He held a small remote control box in his hand, with a big red light on the side, covered with a small sheet of glass.
“Soon…” he said to himself, “soon I will command the entire world as my army! With just one push of this button, every mind on the planet will be mine, and then there will be nobody left to stop me!”
Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Um, who are you calling ‘nobody’?” TorrentBoy asked, and punched the remote control out of Thorax’s hands.
“No!” Thorax screamed as the control bounced down into the crater with the machine, “Dundom! Destroy him!”
Dundom and his guards started racing towards TorrentBoy, teeth bared like they were going to chew him up on the spot. He did a quick jump over their heads and started climbing the machine in the crater, pulling Gabby behind him as he went.
One of the rhino-rillas leapt up ahead of him, beating its chest with its big ugly hands. TorrentBoy stopped mid-step, reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of RatioDiscs, which he threw at the rhino-rilla’s feet. The discs slid under the soles of his shoes, and in a second, the monster was slipping and sliding straight past TorrentBoy, down the side of the machine, and into the crater!
Another rhino-rilla grabbed hold of Gabby’s foot, and she got yanked down and out of TorrentBoy’s reach! He tried to grab her before she fell, but it was no use … she was in the hands of the rhinos!
“Gabby!” he shouted.
“Come and get her, TorrentBrat!” laughed Dundom.
One of his other minions came bounding up holding the remote control. They’d found it already!
“Brains!” cried Gabby held tight by the guards.
“I’m coming, Gabby!” TorrentBoy yelled, and jumped down towards the bad guys. Dundom was ready: he grabbed TorrentBoy in mid-air and threw him against the wall so hard his helmet nearly cracked from the force.
He quickly got to his feet, powered up his gloves for more action. Dundom stormed up, the sharp horn on his nose sharp and ready to stab!
TorrentBoy dodged to the side, and Dundom got his nose stuck in the wall. But not for long … the big beast ripped himself free, turned and snorted angrily at his enemy.
“You can’t escape me, you smelly little brat.”
TorrentBoy smiled confidently.
“Escape you? I’m gonna kick your butt, Mr Uglypants!”
And with that, they charged at each other… Dundom lowered his head to ram, but TorrentBoy thought fast and dropped to the ground, sliding underneath the horn, and when he was right below Dundom’s gigantic stomach, he aimed his blaster straight up!
“Up we go!”
BOOM! Dundom was thrown so high in the air, he practically did a back flip before landing with a giant smashing noise right next to Thorax!
“That hurt,” groaned Dundom, and passed out.
Thorax snarled, pointed a trembling finger towards TorrentBoy, and screamed, “Get him, you fools!”
It was going to be a very nasty fight…
