"Zoinks Fred look at all those solar panels" Shaggy stared out of the window as the cab approached the Hatfield's farm, every available surface was covered with solar panels and any bit of land not devoted to farming crops was devoted to farming photons. The cab pulled up near the farmhouse, as they got out of the cab Fred noticed someone run into the house and could see they were making a phone call while looking at them. A tall thin figure emerged from the farmhouse and approached them and extended his hand.

"Ah Mr Jones and Mr Rogers I've been expecting you, I'm Leon Hatfield. Oh I see you brought your dog as well."

"Rog, rhere?" asked Scooby looking around

"Well he certainly is a most friendly fellow." Leon scratched Scooby behind the ear.

"Yeah, that's Scooby. Sorry we're late Mr Hatfield, these two insisted that we stop off for some drinks..." said Fred nodding his head in the direction of Shaggy and Scooby

"Call me Leon, we don't stand on formality here and don't worry about it, you need to stay hydrated. May I ask where your colleagues are?"

"Colleagues?" asked Fred and Shaggy shrugging their shoulders

"Daphne Blake and Velma... sorry, I can't remember her second name, the really clever pretty one"

"Dinkley" said Shaggy proudly "Velma Dinkley, the pretty one" Scooby gave a little chuckle at the expression on Fred's face.

"Yes that's right. So would you like to see around the farm? There's not much to see ever since the Gobbler took the crops"

"Like what's with all the solar panels man?"

"We're leading the way in clean, quiet farming here. We've even got one of the world's first hybrid-drive combine harvesters."

"Sweet!" said Fred "can we see it"

"Sure right this way" said Leon and lead them towards a large shed bedecked with solar panels. Next to it was another small structure, it appeared that all the cables from the solar panels ended up in that structure.

"The small shed is where we collect all the power, behind it is a place to charge the batteries used by the combine. We can also run a cable from the combine to a battery truck so it doesn't have to carry the batteries, much more efficient"

"Interesting" said Shaggy

"Genius!" exclaimed Fred, lost in the technical details as Leon continued to explain about the combine.

They got to the shed and Leon pulled open a hanger-like door to reveal what looked like a chrome covered combine harvester straight out of a 60's science fiction story.

"Crikeies!" whispered Fred his pupils dilating as far as they could go "can I?" motioning at the drivers seat

"Sure go right ahead" said Leon, Fred dashed into the cab

"You've got to excuse him" smiled Shaggy "he's been like this since High School"

"I've got the keys so he's not going to do..."

"Sorry!" shouted Fred as one of the levers came off in his hand

"...that much damage" Leon just shrugged his shoulders.

"Mind if we have a look round for clues while we're waiting?"asked Shaggy

"Sure, go right ahead, I'll be in the farmhouse if you need anything" said Leon as he left the barn and nodded to one of his workers.

"C'mon Scoob, we might as well look for clues, someone's got to"

"Reah!" replied Scooby, they headed towards the back of the combine just as a muffled 'wumph' sounded from the cabin indicating that Fred had found the air-bag.

Round the other side Shaggy's attention had been draw to an external control on the combine, he pulled out a small piece of material caught where a level met the panel "Hey, will you look at this Scoob"

"Red rur"

"Yeah, just like the piece our Velms found. Say, lets show Fred"

The next thing Shaggy and Scooby knew Fred had run into them knocking them to the floor several feet away. The next second a large hay-bale slammed into the ground where they had been.

"Zoinks, thanks Fred" said Shaggy as they picked themselves up and stared at the hay bale now occupying the space where they had been standing "W-where did that come from"

"At a first guess, up there" Fred pointed to the upper level of the shed "let's check it out"

Fred dashed up the ladder to the upper level followed with less enthusiasm by Shaggy and Scooby. At the top of the ladder was a small mezzanine floor which ran round the side of the shed. They checked around the floor, there was no sign of any hay-bales just the usual detritus of farm machinery parts and...

"Hey guys, take a look at this, oversize sneakers" Fred held up a pair of huge sneakers

"Man those are like size 20 feet someone here must have big feet. Therye almost as big as that sewing machine next to them"

"What a sewing machine and big sneakers doing in a shed with a high-tech combine"

"I don't know Shag, lets keep looking"

Above the bale's impact site Scooby found a couple of pieces of hay.

"Rook rarks on roor." Scooby pointed to a couple of faint marks on the floor pointing in the direction of the drop.

"Good work Scoob, it looks like the hay bale was pushed, but by who?" said Fred

"L-l-like I've got an i-idea" stammered Shaggy tapping Fred on the shoulder

"Who?"

"Him"

"GOBBLE! GOBBLE! GOBBLE!" The Gobbler had just climbed up the ladder they used and was now advancing on them.

"Quick that way" shouted Fred and they ran in the only direction available to them "We're faster than him, we can get round the other side, climb down and then get help"

They stopped dead in their tracks, the mezzanine floor didn't go all the way round

"There no way down" said Fred

"Raggy rhe rinks"

"What, oh yeah, good thinking Scoob" Shaggy and Scooby produced some soda cans and shook then as hard as they could as the Gobble rapidly closed the distance between them.

"5 Skull fizzy cola?" asked Fred

"Yeah we were saving it for the trip back but if we don't act now there won't be a way back."

Shaggy and Scooby stepped forward and opened the cans in the direction of the Gobbler, the creature roared in pain as the cola sprayed in its face, it ran back the way it came and almost fell down the ladder. It ran out of the shed door hollering at the top of it's voice. Fred turned to see Shaggy and Scooby finishing the drinks, both were slightly flushed and their eyes were watering

"Ahh that sure hits the spot eh Scoob"

"Roy red it Raggy"

Shaggy passed a can to Fred, he took a little sniff but quickly pushed the can back "Err thanks, but no thanks guys. Come on, lets get down and tell Leon, perhaps someone saw where it went"

"The Gobbler was here, again?" Leon stared at them "Are you sure, no one has said anything"

"What do you mean no one saw it?" asked Shaggy it was like big and red and shouting its head off.

"Sorry I guess we were just all looking the wrong way. Look you boy look like you've had quite a fright, I've called a cab to take you all back into town. Come back in a couple of days time, if you feel like it" and he ushered them out the door.

"But.." began Fred. Before they knew it they were in a cab heading back to the hotel

"Well, that was odd" said Fred

"You said it, Scooby and I were sure you'd like that cola"

"No Shag, it seemed that they wanted us off the farm quicker that the Gobbler."

"Ahh I hope the girls are having more luck than us" sighed Shaggy "at least of the Gobbler is here, the girls are safe"