Chương 6: Old Neighbors on the Graffiti Highway
As Barbara and the Ghost tried to hold off the New World Order, a 2002 era blue ford raced towards them. It screeched to stop and an older man sitting in the driver seat called out to them.
"GET IT!"
Without hesitation, Barbara hopped into the old ford's cab. The two yelled for the Ghost to hop in. However, New World Order troops were pouring into the building. The Ghost held his sledgehammer tightly when the older man hopped out of the cab and reloaded the .50 cal on his back.
"Caroline would've loved to see ya."
"Roland?"
"No time, just hop in the bed!"
The Ghost leapt backwards into the bed of the pickup once Roland had shut his door. The Old Blue Ford tore away from the museum flying down a few roads before getting on the abandoned highway heading for Pennsylvania. New World Order troops drove after them in their electric troop carriers. Even with the Ghost's added weight, the old ford ripped away from them flying down the abandoned highway entering a stretch of the highway surrounded by trees. The truck bounced and bucked as it drove down the deteriorating highway. Faded mile-markers and exit signs flew past them in a blur. They drove for the next two hours before suddenly Roland slammed on the brakes, the tires squealing trying to stop the old ford pickup. The Ghost dragged his hand through broken asphalt to help slow the truck down. Once they'd stopped, they all piled out of the truck to see there was no highway left about a hundred feet in front of the truck and a dense fog-like mist had covered what remained of the highway.
"The fuck...." Started Roland before the Ghost covered his and Barbara's airways.
"Child, the hell are you doing?"
"The air here is lethally toxic. Put these masks on, then clip the carabiner tethers to my utility hooks."
As Barbara and Roland put on their masks, the Ghost looked out at the fog.
"Whatcha see, old neighbor?" asked Roland, clipping his carabiner to the utility hook.
"That's not fog." said the Ghost as he pointed outwards towards a section of road. What had once looked like a dense fog could now clearly be seen rising from the highway and from within the ground.
"What in the hell....."
"This is Centralia, Pennsylvania. A city that was abandoned due to an underground coal mine fire that's been burning since 1962."
"Wait, been burning... as in..." Said Barbara looking at the dense cloud.
"Yes, as in it is still burning to this day. That's why the air here is too toxic. It's a combination of smoke and steam. Driving through is impossible and there's no way in hell we're getting captured."
"Wait, I get the fire part, but why can't we take my truck?" Inquired Roland pulling a lever-action rifle from the truck.
"The fire made the ground unstable. Whole buildings have been swallowed up and buried buildings only added more fuel for the fires. We need to be careful, and quick. The New World Order will most likely be here soon."
The other two nodded and gathered their things, while the Ghost finished sealing his armor. He activated a switch on his suit that turned off his cooling fan and his air intake fans. As both airways were sealed, a medium sized oxygen tank, embedded into the OPCA, began pumping breaths of oxygen into all three of their systems.
As they got ready to enter the sense cloud of steam and smoke, the New World Order troops rounded the corner.
"RUN!" yelled the Ghost as he opened fire at the transport trucks. As the trucks hissed to an airbrake stop, the Ghost ran into the massive cloud after Roland and Barbara. He activated his recovery beacon Dr. Sue had made for the armor and vanished into the cloud. Once he'd caught up, the three walked into the dully, glowing orange city of Centralia, Pennsylvania. However, a bright light revealed the New World Order driving their transport truck onto the road they were standing on. The Ghost threw Barbara and Roland onto his shoulders and started sprinting. The busted hydraulic in the knee of the suit hardly hindered him. As one of the trucks slammed into a speed bump, the road behind the Ghost gave way, letting far more toxic fumes into the air as the first truck fell into the hole, dragging all of its occupants with it.
The Ghost kept running, keeping an eye on the depleting oxygen meter. The Ghost pushed himself harder than he ever had. The meter was at fifty percent and falling as they were over fifty percent of their way through Centralia.
Meanwhile, the planes, jets and helicopters had arrived in Ottawa. Dr. Sue and the Ottawans weren't pleased to learn the Ghost wasn't onboard . However, Dr. Sue's lab assistant and wife rushed to her carrying a tablet.
"Madie! Take a look!"
Madie Sue grabbed the tablet to see the recovery beacon was running through Centralia Pennsylvania.
"I WANT A HUEY WITH A WINCH READY TO FLY. NOW! God damn it!" Yelled Dr. Sue as she grabbed a pistol from one of the Lurkers and hopped into Don's Huey.
"Ma'am?"
"Take me outside this area. Now. We are not losing the Ghost of Ottawa!"
"You got it."
The Huey was rigged up with a winch then took off heading for Pennsylvania.
Back in Centralia, the Ghost was seventy-five percent of the way across the toxic city. His oxygen dipped into the thirty percent mark, but he kept pushing. His legs burned from the lactic acid build up, he was overheating, being cooked inside the suit without cooling fans, but kept running. His body was screaming, but his mind screamed louder. "Save them.... SAVE THEM!"
His strides became faster and his heart pounded harder, as he crossed the ninety-five percent mark. The toxicity meter fell drastically but his oxygen was at fifteen percent. He made the decision to give the two the last fifteen percent as he adrenaline charged the last five percent of the way out of Centralia to see the approaching Huey helicopter. Dr. Sue looked down to see the Ghost barrel out of the smoke and steam running like a bear was chasing him. He eventually slowed down and opened the suit's vents gasping for air. Barbara and Roland hooked up the special winch to him then were pulled into the Huey by the two mechanics onboard. Dr. Sue raised the Ghost up and ordered the Huey to return home.
"Dr. Sue, meet Roland and Barbara. Both are my old neighbors, and I just save their asses. Oh, Barbara is the leader of the Liberty Lurkers, Roland saved our butts afterwards, and I blew out every single damn hydraulic in this suit. My bad..."
Dr. Sue laughed and shook her head as the Huey flew back to Ottawa.
Meanwhile, the New World Order had sent a single still-frame image to Rothschild.
"What exactly am I looking at here?"
"My lord, this is an image of a rebel wearing some kind of advanced armor."
The soldier was met by Rothschild's cold, red-pupiled stare. His body shivered as the soldier watched a doctor injects Rothschild in the arm with another syringe full of something.
"I want you to inform Soros of something for me."
"W-What is it my m-master?"
"Tell him if the United States continues to be an issue, I shall wipe it off the map... PERSONALLY!"
The soldier ran out of the room as the doctor bandaged the injection point. "Lord Rothschild, try to take it easy. These Eugenic Enhancement Bone Marrow Injection Shots need time to take root."
"I know that doctor. I need to be super, no... a superior version of mankind to achieve my goals. No nation shall be able to stop me. Tell that Neo-Fascist leader of yours I said thank you for the generous donation."
"He already knows sir. He is grateful you spared his life."
"Good. Now, that's enough for today. Come back, same time and same number of doses. This world will hear my name... and fucking tremble." Said Rothschild rushing the once beautiful fountain pen he was holding. As it fell, the black ink stained the throne of the Kings and Queens of the land once known as Great Britain. Buckingham Palace was now Rothschild's New World Throne.
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