A topical drabble: Foaly belongs to Eoin Colfer, the title to Douglas Adams and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

Is there no end to Foaly's genius? Not only does he mesmerize Tim Berners-Lee into creating the Internet but he's responsible for a special radio edition of Torchwood which has the answer to this puzzle. (Torchwood: Lost Souls, BBC Radio 4, today, 10th September, at 2.15 BST. Check out the BBC website.)


Forty-two or Alice in Wonderland

Uncharacteristically, Foaly was enjoying a rare moment of reflection. The cost was massive and accelerating; the Council had spent a fortune on treatment for mesmer burnout; recruitment and turnover in the Tech. Section was at an all time high and E39 under Geneva had been upgraded a record seventeen times.

Nevertheless, as he watched the remote link to the Centaurian Experimental Research Network, Foaly discerned not one particle of regret. The expense didn't matter. This was why the LEP was created: hunting down rogue elements. And his quarry was within sight.

'Now,' he said, beaming, 'our paths will collide, Higgs.'


Author's Note: Dedicated to all those who enjoyed 'The Hunting of the Quark'. No prizes for guessing why the title is Forty-Two but extra LEPtons if you know why the alternative title includes the word Alice - although it would more appropriate if it were Atlas.