It was Dr Claw who spoke first.

"Gadget!"

Lena made a sign to the guards. Then Claw leapt out of the chair with a speed incredible for a man of his years. He drew a gum gun from his belt and fired one bolt after another, pinning Lena and the Network agents to the walls. One of the guards aimed his own gun, but Claw fired straight into his face. The big man collapsed, clutching at the gum and crying.

"Aaargh! I can't breathe! I can't..."

Everyone watched, as he subsided quietly on the floor.

For once, Lena had nothing to say. Everyone was stunned, except for Talon, who looked sulky.

"Oh. Don't notice I'm here, will ya?"

Inspector Gadget cleared his throat. He had been longing to say these words for years, but he knew already they would sound lame.

"Irving Felonious Claw, I am arresting you for attempted world domination." He glanced at Talon. "And for the murder of David Morales and several others I will have to catalogue."

There was ferocious laughter from Claw.

"Say it again! I have so little amusement, since he left." He looked at Talon, who took a step nearer to him. His voice was dangerously controlled.

"You killed my father. And you tried to kill my mother. Your own sister!"

There was a snort of amusement from Claw.

"He was not fit to marry a Claw. And your mother betrayed the family."

"For marrying a man she loved?" Talon looked into the blue eyes. He could see the contempt in them.

"You could have been my heir, Talon! Had everything! I invested all I had in you!" There was another snort, this time of derision. "Clearly a wasted effort. Your success rate was abysmal! Your vanity and your affection for her destroyed you every time!" He indicated Penny. "Just like your mother. You threw away your birthright, to become an ordinary, pathetic citizen in a feeble world!"

He reached beneath the control panel. There was a loud miaow! as he produced a large and luxurious cat basket. MAD Cat – the real one – sat within, grinning.

"And now you can BE an ordinary citizen! In a MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD world! Ruled from the Moon. The puppet President will be OURS!" He spun the gun round to face the technician. "Prepare for blast-off!"

The technician yelped, and covered his face.

"OK! OK. Whatever you say." He made himself busy at the controls.

Dr Claw stepped over to the smoke-filled door. He took one last look at Gadget. Although the mask hid his face, Penny felt he was smiling.

"Nothing to say, Gadget? No last-minute solution? No Go-go-Gadget Here's The Answer?"

Gadget's face remained impassive. His voice sounded as steely as his body as he said:

"The Earth is well rid of you."

Claw's eyes blazed. Then he took up the cat basket and stepped through the door. It slid shut after him.

The technician spoke into his mike.

"Are you ready, in there? Blast-off in minus one hundred seconds."

The President's voice was heard, over a speaker.

"Hey, who's this goofball? OW!"

Penny winced, as she heard the gum gun go off. She hoped President Burger had the sense to keep his mouth shut, for once, before Claw glued it shut for him.

In all their missions, she had never felt so afraid. She tried not to imagine what was coming. A world ruled by MAD... possibly at war with the Network for control... with President Burger as their figurehead. There was little point in marrying Talon now. They wouldn't survive long enough to enjoy their life together.

She forced herself to keep listening to the technician, as the seconds started to tick down, and the final countdown began.

"Blast-off in minus fifty seconds. Forty. Thirty. Twenty..."

They all watched as he reached for the red button.

"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two...

'ONE..."