I was hoping to actually get some work done on the tramp steamer, which is looking reproachfully at me as I write this, but unfortunately I’ve been busy, so instead we return to current events, at least on Ascension.
You will recall that the Forty Elephants Gang are trying to capture a mysterious Ivory Falcon, rumoured to be the personal property of The first Japanese Emperor, with a mystical message on the bases that confers knowledge to all who read it. Quite what this knowledge is, we don’t know, and the Forty Elephants don’t care: they do care that someone is willing to pay them a thousand British pounds for it, so they are being unusually persistent in their attempts to capture the item.
So far today, things have been mixed for both sides…
Captain Bryant has been attempting to persuade the bank staff to let him remove the Falcon before the 40 Elephants try and blow up the bank. Unfortunately, the bank clerk behind the door is too afraid to open it; so far the Captain has only been able to persuade the clerk to fetch the chief accountant, who proves equally reluctant…
Alice Diamond managed to get information on where the Falcon actually was, although it cost a fair amount, and caught the attention of Sergeant Williams:
Mary Carr tried to pick up some explosives, but failed to follow the correct health and safety procedures, so got her self knocked out of the game…
While Jim Bullock forgot that kicking down doors, whilst generally efficient, can attract unwelcome attention…
Realising that Jim’s presence can only mean one thing, the Royal Navy Air Service Police leap into the security van and race off, leaving Jim swearing and coughing. There’s a minor glitch where the dice show a failure to steer efficiently in the “Perilous area” but this results in no more than a lump being removed from the Casino wall and a few more scratches to an already battered van…
On the main street, Alice has learned that the Ivory Falcon is in the bank, so she and Florrie are racing towards it…
But Captain Bryant’s persistence has been rewarded; he and Sgt Williams have persuaded the timorous bank staff that the best way to keep the bank safe, is to remove the Ivory Falcon. They are loading it into their car…
Alice screams with rage and Florrie presses the accelerator, then suddenly the security van appears, blocking the road and also preventing them from shooting the police…
Unfortunately this was not the smooth operation that the police were aiming for, and Sergeant Coulson can’t stop the van in time, so it crashes into a warehouse, leaving just enough space for the Florrie to get past…
Captain Bryant throws the car into reverse, while Sgt. Williams exchanges gunfire with Alice, both managing to miss every time. Bryant stops and changes into first, and spins the wheel, aiming for a different alleyway…
Coulson, uninjured, but shaken by the crash, dismounts from the vehicle, ready in case more of the gang are lurking nearby…
But Alice has never been this close to the Ivory Falcon and shouts at Florrie to ignore everything else, just chase that police car: the others will catch up.
So much for this being the last episode: we will soon see the inevitable Pulp Alley chase sequence. Will Bryant be able to stave off the attack, or will Florrie and Alice finally get their prize?
