Once out on the open road, Lord Lagan pushed his foot down to the floor, feeling the exhilarating surge of power as he was pressed back into his seat. Inside the headrest, an accelerometer detected the forward motion and triggered a small clockwork mechanism into life. It was comprised of readily available electronic components which worked silently, taking power from a couple of 9-volt batteries. The car and its driver hurtled along the main road, slowing down to take the smaller road which briefly ran alongside Loch Ness before heading onwards towards Loch Mhor and Lagan’s hotel. The clockwork mechanism bided its time, counting down towards a pre-set assignment as the car sped along the narrow road, past isolated whitewashed cottages. Then, without warning the electronic timepiece triggered a small but powerful solenoid, forcefully pushing a syringe through the headrest into the back of Lord Lagan’s neck. Simultaneously a syringe pump whirred quietly as it administered a small quantity of liquid through the needle and into his flesh.

The car swerved, Lord Lagan swearing as he fought to regain control of the careering vehicle with one hand as the other encountered the needle poking out of his headrest.

“What the bloody hell?”