Professor Loft had been re-captured in Cairo by Colonel Wang and his tong supporters (see A New Day and A New Day Part 2). While his daughter Clara and her friends discussed their next move at Mick's Place, the professor had been taken under duress to the Oasis Al Masala by his captors to decipher the hieroglyphic inscription on a small obelisk.
---oXo---
The camp at Oasis Al Masala, early evening. Colonel Wang and his men have retired early for the night after a tiring day's travel, a guard has been placed on the tent containing Professor Loft.
Also in the area is an expedition led by von Tiddenheim (archaeologist, explorer and adventurer); needing to replenish their water supply they have headed to the Oasis Al Masala. As they reach the oasis they see the camp. Von Tiddenheim cautiously halts the convoy and calls out to the camp ...."Hello there" ...
His call rouses the campers from their rest, a group of armed men confront von Tiddenheim's party (who carefully get out their fire-arms)... The leader of the armed men, Colonel Wang, tells them to move on .... then drops his hand - his men open fire ....
no-one is hit, but von Tiddenheims party returns fire downing two of the opposition ...
the fire-fight continues, Colonel Wang is down and his men are falling back ....
von Tiddenheim's party have the upper hand; and the tong are on the run (into their lorry and off into the desert...)
They search the camp and find Professor Loft, shaken up by the gun battle...
von Tiddenheim recognises the professor, who he'd met at a conference. After a brandy was administered and the oasis secured, they went over to examine the obelisk together
A short time later a group of British troops emerged out of the desert (on patrol in the area they had been sent to investigate the gun-fire)....
von Tiddenheim tells the British officer what had happened and introduces him to the Professor ..
---oXo---
The Professor now freed returns to Cairo under the protection of the British authorities and is re-united with his daughter...
---oXo---
The nefarious activities of the Rule of Six organisation still continue... what are they going to do with the Pyramidion and how does it fit into their plans ?
While intelligence agencies try learn more about the plans of the Rule of Six, other involved parties carry on with their own investigations; these include :
- Clara Loft searching for answers to why her father was abducted with help from her friends and the Incorrigibles
- the adventurer journalist Kit Campion and his friends..
- Sir Ray Landsmith searching for the lair of Mu Fanchu
