<br /><br />Prince: Part 14a – Valiant’s Last Stand

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Thursday, February 12

Prince: Part 14a – Valiant’s Last Stand

Caprice and Hammer were parked across the street from the warehouse.

Caprice was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on when there was a knock on his side of the car. He caught a glimpse of a knuckle rapping on the window, but it disappeared so quickly he wasn’t sure if he saw it.

“Did you hear that?” he asked Hammer.

Hammer peered over Caprice. “What are you on about Hot Pants?”

“Knocking!” He rolled down the window to look. “Somebody just knocked!”

Jim-Bean’s voice crackled over the comm. “I’m moving,” he whispered.

“Stand by to cut the lights,” said Hammer.

Caprice had the control panel up on his cistron. “Standing by.”

The camera feed was displayed on Hammer’s cistron. “We just lost the cameras.”

“Good job boys,” said Jim-Bean.

“What?” shouted Caprice into the comm. “We didn’t do anything!”

Hammer didn’t respond immediately. He was looking past Caprice.

Hope’s head, and just her head, floated on a long tendril of a neck near the open window. “Knock, knock,” she hissed.

“Out of the car! Now!” shouted Hammer, drawing his pistols.

Hammer slammed the door open, smacking the rubbery head, but she slammed it shut again with her face. Caprice managed to get the door open.

The car turned sideways. Hammer fell on top of Caprice and they both slid out of the car onto the pavement.

Hope flipped the car off of them. It sailed through the air, turning end over end, smashing into a telephone pole. It spun and land upside down on another car. Car alarms went off all down the street from the terrific explosion of screeching metal and broken glass.

Hammer fired both Glocks at her. Ignoring the gunfire, Hope encircled the broken telephone pole with both arms.

Hammer ran to one side behind another car, Caprice in the other.

WHAM! The telephone pole smashed down in front of Hammer, crushing the car nearly in half and sending shrapnel flying. He rolled and moved to another car.

He caught a glimpse of Caprice jogging down the street. Hammer cursed himself. Caprice was no combat veteran, he was an engineer at heart. He couldn’t be expected to face down something like this … [MORE]