The drivers of the two vans killed their lights moments before their engines ran out of gas, allowing them just enough time to pull safely over to the side of the road. But luckily for its occupants, by the time they filed out, the roar of a large vehicle from the south made the former prisoners fear for their lives until they realized their PSR rescuers didn't share in their anxiety. When the accordion door to the bus opened up, slightly illuminating the bus' interior, a grinning Lo leaned out of his seat, putting on his best Austrian accent, "Come with me if you want to live!" As the former occupants of the vans piled inside, Blue stopped in from on Lo starkly stating, "If you don't get out of my seat, YOU won't live." As everyone filed past a sitting 610, the former officer's nose perks up, "Man… you guys smell like you've come from a restaurant. So you eat good over there, or what? I'm jealous!" Don't be!" Lige said as he quickly passed 610's seat and sat down in the empty row behind him. "What the $#@^&$!?" Modo yelled out as a familiar face boarded the bus "Krista?" "Long story!" Nubulator states. "She's all good now, right Krista?" Krista nodded softly in Nubulator's direction before taking a seat across from Modo. As happy as the PSR members were to see the safe return of their comrades, it paled in comparison to Jose when he saw his children. Screaming in the narrow confines of the Bus, Jose blew past everyone to greet his children with hugs and kisses. The other two women and the strange blue-eyed man pulled his hoodie tighter over his head before taking his seat. When Nas saw the last person step aboard, he signaled to Blue that it was time to depart. As the bus slowly began lurching forward, Jose pounded the back of Jerry's seat. "Wait, how about my Debra?" Becks, anticipating Jose's emotional outburst, swallowed a gulp of air before sitting down behind him and resting a soft hand on his shoulder. "We're sorry, Jose. We searched the house, which is how we found Krista." Jose immediately stood up, gripping the bottom of his chin with his left hand. "Take me back. I want to kill those #@$#%@$!!!" Again, Jose found himself caught in an emotional tug of war. He was beyond ecstatic about getting his kids back. But his rage was through the rough upon discovering his wife of ten years was now diseased. "Well," Blue stated momentarily after gazing back at Jose from the driver's seat of the bus. Then, he moved the bus into the center lane of the southbound lane. "I think Jose, you may get your wish cause I see a dozen lights approaching our position." "Take the exit… entrance ramp," Fleet says. "They'll be approaching from the southbound lane, and with the divider, the best they can do is shoot at us." Blue followed Fleet's advice, so by the time their pursuers got to their position, the bus with its now jubilant passengers returned to the I-5 behind them. Nas turned to Fleet, "It can't be that easy—can it?" Fleet was about to respond when the grizzled veteran eyes narrowed into the distance. "Old friend… nothing is ever easy!" Before Nas could focus on what Fleet saw, half a dozen passengers of the bus, some PSR, while others, just minutes ago were prisoners, murmured chants of disappointment as they saw another group of vehicles in the distance. "Kill the lights before they see us!" EagleRob shouted to the front. Blue kills the bus' headlights, which also plunges the night interior lights of the bus into darkness. "Probably too late at this point… look!" Several smaller pairs of headlights fan out half a mile in the distance, taking up the wider lanes. Then, with its higher, wider pairs of lights, the vehicle in the middle suddenly went out." "This is not going to be good!" BearCat screamed from the gunner's mount, his eyes squinting through binoculars. Just a quarter-mile ahead and closing rapidly, the vehicle in the middle, BearCat concludes, is a tractor-trailer that veers into the right lane before sharply turning left and blocking up all five highway lanes. BearCat slid down the ladder from the gun mount. "The road is entirely blocked by a truck and its trailer, with vehicles setting up on both sides. They are going to trap us in and shoot us up from all sides, so we need to position ourselves behind the parts of the bus where there's protective plating." Immediately PSR went into action, moving like lightning to the designated safest areas of the bus, while E Nice and Lo helped the newer arrivals to where those areas were located. Fleet turns to Bucky'sRevenge and BearCat at the same time. Will the gun cut through that trailer?" "Not by itself! BearCat says in earnest before turning up from Blue. "I think it's time to show everyone our final addition to the bus!" Blue smiles, reaching down for the lever that used to correspond to the emergency brake, but what he pulls back on rocks the front of the bus as the protective box breaks away, revealing an armored wedge that raises two feet in front of the front grill. Fleet out over the front of the hood, shaking his head with a near child-like smile on his face. "I don't even want to know what it took to install that thing, but we have a chance between that thing in the gun!" The first bullet from Oscar's men pierced the bus' front windshield, where no protective plating was covered. When the second bullet missed FLeet's ear by a few inches, the PSR leader ducked down, using his hands to mimic the rest of the bus's occupants doing the same thing. "Will these platings hold?" One of the prisoners from Oscar's basement asked. Bema, who was sitting behind the man, quickly replied, "We'll answer that if we live." With the frequency of the bullets slowly picking up, Nas gave the order that the 4 B's were waiting for. "Blue… floor it! Bema… activate the lights. Then, BearCat… let er rip!" Blue floored the bus to its maximum speed while Bema duck-walked his way to the bus's modified exterior lighting panel. With a flip of the switch, not only do the front headlights engage with a visual brilliance that was not standard issued. Half a dozen high-intensity lights on the top of the bus, which was angled at forty-five and ninety degrees, lit up, just in time for the men on the side who had the bus dead to rights to unleash their weapons fire. While the lights made it impossible to miss the bus, striking the shooters in the eye reduced their accuracy on the bus's vial targets considerably. Finally, BearCat engaged the .25 caliber, which rattled off like the sound of a large turboprop starting up. The only thing near as loud was the bullet stock that tore off the ladder at such a velocity that they actually began to spark wherever they touched metal. The bullets met their mark in the middle of the trailer before BearCat's aim lowered it down to the steel frame, weakening it every few seconds as the bus approached. Now just over twenty-five feet and closing rapidly, more gunfire made it through the gaps in the armor plating. Nas felt a sting in his right hip, noticing a round penetrated the walking-talking he would use to reach Saska and the others once they got in range. CityofChamps released several expletives as a bullet pierced the bus's exterior, ricocheted off BearCat's ladder, and tore throw his upper trap muscle, narrowly missing bone by two inches. Three seats up, Jose's children screamed in horror as the bus continued to get pulled from nearly all sides, with the occasional bullet finding its way in. "Hold onto your azzes!" Blue screamed before the bus's wedge struck the trailer dead-center, where BearCat focused his aim. The bus rocked violently from the impact, making its occupants feel like it had just been hit with a tank round. Recovering quickly to his feet and surging forward to the front, Fleet stuck his head between Blue and the shaken Bucky'sRevenge who immediately killed rooftop lights. "How's our wedge?" Bucky'sRevenge leaned out over the hood, grimacing as the wedge had been bent at a much lower angle than before the impact. "It's intact… barely. But I wouldn't suggest we plow through another semi any time soon." Patting Blue on the shoulder, Fleet gave the veteran PSR member his best' that-a-boy remark by simply saying," "Good driving!" Nas came to the BearCat's ladder, only to find him already coming down, taking careful measurements with each step. "First off, are you okay? Second, I take it we aren't being pursued?" Nas asked. "We aren't being pursued at the moment," BearCat says. "But I'm afraid me on the turret is done. We didn't think about putting in any dampening in the mount. The test-firing we did was only for a few seconds. That prolonged burst… my hands are numb. I couldn't even hold rings of the ladder on my way down." Modo immediately stood up, looking down at the ammo feed before turning his attention to BearCat. "I'll take his spot. How much ammo do you think we have left?" BearCat looked down at the ammo crate, fishing his hands around inside. "I'd say about thirty seconds." "That's it?" Modo said. Nodding his head in affirmation, BearCat simply stated, "Gun eats up ammo quick. You do it right, and it will be enough, assuming we don't run into a military Bradley." Donna Trace waved her hand for attention. "If your gun guy didn't see anyone coming, shouldn't we okay?" "Can't guarantee that," Nas replied. "Our tearing through that trailer more than likely left a mess on the road. But, on the other hand, they could be just regathering themselves. Like we mentioned hours ago. They know where we are going. If they want us bad enough, and I can't see why they wouldn't after what we've done, they will come again." "What if we pulled off an exit, and chilled out for a few hours?" Pat Trace asked. "Surely, they will pass by us without a clue where we are." "And then, they'd be between us and our goal," Fleet said sternly. "We don't want that. We want to keep ahead of them as long as possible. We'll cross that bridge if they catch up to us then."
*****
The next couple of hours went by uneventfully, as Fleet gave the okay for the bus to pull over for a few minutes for bathroom breaks and to stretch the legs. While all of PSR had stepped off, the majority of the new passengers declined, with Jose adding that if trouble arrived quickly, they didn't want to waste time having over twenty people filing back on the bus at once. Per Nas' calculations, they were thirty minutes to the border and another half an hour to PSR Canada. BearCat, who managed to get partial feeling back in his hands, confirmed that they had more than enough diesel to make the trip. "Zip your flies, people!" Modo croaked. "Single light coming up fast!" Everyone poured back on the idling bus in seconds, allowing Blue to pull off before the source of the light got close enough to be a problem. "They use bikes," Nubulator said. "Probably sending a scout ahead to ID us. After what they know about our capabilities, they probably won't get too close, at least not yet." Nubulator was barely finishing his words when the motorcycle quickly accelerated, closing half the distance to the bus in several seconds. "Take him out!" Fleet barked in Modo's direction, sending the Steeler fan scurrying up the ladder to the gunner's mount. Modo lets off several bursts in the motorcycle's direction. Still, after missing his first attempt, the rider began weaving in and out in a pattern that made his path unpredictable. "You've got to lead him!" CityofChamps scolded Modo from the base of the ladder. Modo shot his Steeler brethren an icy stare. "This isn't a #@^ videogame!" "Stop firing!" BearCat yelled as he joined CityofChamps at the bottom of the ladder. "He's trying to get us to expel our ammo! You had better believe whatever they have left, they are about a mile back, just waiting for this biker to give them the go-ahead to pull up!" Fleet patted BearCat on the shoulder upon passing, "Good point! Once we lose that Gun, and they confirm it, it's over." "That's assuming whatever they have left is formidable," E Nice added. "Yeah… about that," Lo announced loudly as he squinted through a portion of the rear window that wasn't protected by plating. "I'm going to assume the big rig I'm barely about to make out far back will constitute something formidable. I also see several vehicles flanking it on both sides." Fleet, his heart pounding in his chest, turned to Nas. "Please tell me we are near the border?" "Just a few minutes, Fleet," Nas quickly responded. "But I doubt these guys will stop, especially since Lige and they stated that many, if not all, are from Canada. As the border checkpoint came into view, the collective hearts of everyone inside the bus heart's sank. "It's like Effin Fort Knox!" Becks groaned. A mile ahead and closing rapidly, all the lanes of pass through were barricaded. Above that, multiple guard towers stood facing southward. "Any chance they are unmanned?" EagleRob said to 610. Before 610 could turn to answer, a bullet passed through the upper part of the bus, exiting out of the rear. 610's non-verbal response to his Eagle brethren was just a smirk. Nas ran to the front of the bus like a madman, "Blue? "That wedge going to make it?" "No!" Responded Blue. "Well, not if it isn't softened up!" Seconds later, Modo releases a burst in the direction of the border's fortifications, causing the gunners who had just gotten their positions to scurry out of the line of fire. Modo then refocused his aim on the fortified lane #3 in the middle of the checkpoint, shredding the wood and metal just as the bus blew through the lane. As soon as their distance would allow it, Penn quickly spun the turret one-hundred-and eighty degrees and completely decimated the tower lookout, causing all of its debris to collapse down into the lane they just passed through. "You go, boy!" Jerry yelled, slapping the ladder that led to the turret. "I have to admit," Nas said. "That was some quick thinking on your part. They have no clue where we are heading. We can be on this road ten more minutes or ten more hours. That's not to say they won't stop looking, but hopefully, by the time they free themselves-" Nas cuts his words short as a tremendous explosion from the direction from behind the bus, as the truck that trailed them punched through the debris field, ultimately leading to its immediate jack-knife onto its right side. Then, the massive vehicle began grinding up the roadway for over one hundred feet before reaching a fiery stop. When the truck finally stopped, two motorcycles and four vehicles blew past it. "I swear we must be on a movie set," Snerb says. "Cause this ish keeps coming at us constantly in waves!" "You aren't the only one feeling this way!" Fleet responds. "I, for one, feel like parking this %@##$^% and settle this the ole-fashioned way. But seeing how they want us extra dead for all we've done, it's doubtful they play fair. The two motorcycles stormed up, getting close enough for the rear passengers of the bus to see their faces underneath the helmets. Waiving in and out of lanes, trying their best to maintain the distraction as the four vehicles close the distance. Once in range, all the cars let loose at the bus's rear, tearing into the armor that prevents the bullets from entering the bus. Unfortunately for one PSR member, there's one thing that is not armored. "Uh… Snerb?" E Nice says as he looks out over a narrow gap in the bus's fractured rear window. They are tearing your Ninja to pieces. It's already on fire. It never dawned on us that we are hauling around a bomb on our backs if things went sideways, which they've clearly already have." "Say no more!" Snerb says, charging to the back of the bus, and begins to loosen the supports that anchor his Ninja to the back of the bus. "Goodbye, baby…" With the release of the last chain, Snerb's smoldering Kawasaki Ninja separates from the bus, initially landing perfectly on its tires before cartwheeling down the road like an armored tumbleweed. The two closest vehicles zip out of the way, exposing the bikers who were caught off just enough as they tried to predict the actions of the surrounding cars that the bike on the left overturned. At the same time, the remaining motorcycle was completely obliterated upon impact with Snerb's Ninja. "Save that last burst till the vehicles get close," Fleet says. RIP to those bikes!" Snerb turns back around, walking with purpose back to his seat. "I hope this makes up for the whole Oliver debacle." Fleet, resting a firm, reassuring hand on Snerb's shoulder, smiles at the veteran PSR member, "No… no, it doesn't!" Nas begins walking back and forth in the bus rows, screaming, "Just gotta make it ten more minutes!" Nas' words hadn't left his mouth more than ten seconds before the front two vehicles got close enough to flank the bus and immediately open fire from the sides. Penn climbed the ladder but the moment he stuck his head up, around tore through the plastic shield guard. A few seconds later, he tried again, only to once again be met with gunfire. "This is ticking me off!" Penn said admittedly. "Now or never, ladies!" Fleet says. Starting with EagleRob, and then the others, several PSR members on both sides of the bus reach under their seats, retrieve the assault rifles from the barracks, and immediately up in the direction of the cars. Those flanking vehicles on both sides' engines erupt in a gaseous mixture of oil, antifreeze, and wiper fluid as the bullets tear into and through anything not meant to withstand forceful penetration of that magnitude. "Five minutes out!" Nas yelled. Becks began nodding her head approvingly to Nas' words. "I think we are going to make it!" That's when the outermost right rear wheels of the bus blew up. Seconds later, the outermost left rear one followed suit. E Nice runs to the front of the Bus alongside Nas. "Wag that azz, Blue! We're done if they shoot out any of the remaining tires!" "It may not take that long," Blue said, the whites of his knuckles straining to hold the steering wheel. Those four tires that support the bus' rear aren't just for show. They help support the balance of the weight of something this massive. At this speed, any adverse swerving will put that much more pressure on the remaining two tires." Bema squints his eyes between two of the protective plates inside his window. "The cars are lining up to get behind us to take out the last two tires!" Modo yelled. "Well…" Blue retorted. "IF they are going to take out our tires anyway, we might as well take them out with us!" Although Blue didn't verbally tell Nas what he was about to do, the veteran PSR member knew there was only one thing he could do. While a mashing down on the brake pedal, Blue caused the bus to decelerate immediately. The first vehicle, a custom-lowered Honda Civic, had no chance. Its driver never had an opportunity to apply his brakes before three-fourths of the vehicle found its way under the bus, tearing through the muffler and exhaust system. "Great!" Blue said with a shrug that this thing now handles like a tank, but it also sounds like one too." The last remaining vehicle, a twenty-year-old Nissan Pathfinder, kept its distance as its four passengers fired round after round at the bus' right rear tire. Still, because the driver didn't want to get close enough within range of the bus' side fire, it could not get close enough to get an accurate shot. Turns out they didn't have to. In the back of the bus, several PSR members began scrunching up their noses. "Smell that?" E Nice says. "Smells like…" "Rubber!" Jerry finished. "Burning rubber! Those deflated tires, the roadway is starting to tear them up. The heat they will create probably won't help preserve the remaining two. Blue! Slow down, or else we are going to catch fire back here. "We're so close!" Nas says. "I can almost see Jindred laughing from here!" "Are we really going to lead these guys back to our new home?" Jerry asks Nas. "At this point, it doesn't matter," Nas responded. "If we make our stand here, there's no telling if we can get the bus moving again. There could be even more of these guys on their way, for all we know. So we make our stand here, and next thing you know, ten more cars come flying up. So we have this guy follow us to the mansion and ensure he never makes it out." A half a dozen twists and turns later, and the left rear wheel is completely engulfed. Nas picks up his radio, "Guys, I don't know if you can hear me at the mansion cause my radio has been shot, but we're coming in hot… literally!!!" When Blue sharply turns into the driveway that held PSR Canada, the remaining left wheel finally gave up its fierce fight, exploding with the blow, slamming the bus's rear to the ground and slamming half its occupants to the floor. Seconds later, the Pathfinder whips into the driveway, partially blocking its entrance. The five occupants who exit immediately scamper towards the Pathfinder's rear liftgate. "No #@^$#@%& way!" 610 says as she sees two of the men put together an RPG. Knowing there's no time for everyone to depart the bus, he pulls out his Gun for what he thinks has to be the best shot of his entire life. Just as 610 lines up his shot, a blast occurs from up the hill so loud that he and everyone else on the bus hear it. The Pathfinder suddenly erupts in a viscous shockwave that nearly turns the bus over. Nas pulls up his radio, "Whoever made that shot… we owe you a beer!" Fleet stands up, releasing a monstrous roar. "Everyone! We've arrived. And more importantly, we've arrived safely!" "Have you now?" One of the hoodie-wearing former prisoner/now passengers had been quiet with his head down since the moment he boarded the bus. Finally, the man stood up, showing off the bulletproof vest he swiped on his way out of Oscar's place. Gun in his left hand, the man pulled back on a hoodie, revealing his dazzling blue eyes. "Seems like to me you aren't home till you actually step foot inside that new haven of yours. PSR Canada! Hah! What a stupid name!" "It can't be!" Lo muttered. "It's…" "Mutha-$#@^$#% Oliver!" Snerb grunts through gritted teeth. "THIS is Oliver!" Fleet said before turning to Nubulator and the others who rescued him. "Nobody checked out the people we rescued?" Lige, shrugging his shoulders in indifference, "Hey, it's not like we had time to card everyone." "What do you want man?" Snerb said with his Gun firmly in his hand but pointing to the floor. "What you going to do, Oliver? Shoot us all? You got enough time to shoot once, assuming it's just me. Then, the minute I hit the ground, my PSR family will take you out." "You struggle to see the big picture, Snerb" Oliver says as he angles his Gun towards the diesel drum behind. "Why kill one when you can kill them all? You guys are ultimately responsible for his actions. I don't see Peen or Coc. Did they succumb to some sort of coughing spell? Now… I'm pretty sure one of you is fast enough to get a shot off, but with this vest I'm sporting, no way you can kill me before I get a shot off. Thanks a lot, boys and girls, for the trip. Blame your shortly-lived success on Snerb!" Way in the back of the bus, a gunshot silences all the bus' conversation. For years to come, the last one on PSR Canada, the bullet fired didn't come from Oliver but Krista's outstretched, unwavering hand. Oliver's pistol hit the floor loudly as his gun hand thumbed at the wound in the center of his chest as if it was something he could wipe away. Half a second later, blood tricked down Oliver's lips, which were now moving rapidly, searching for the words to describe his final moments accurately. Nothing comprehendible came forth before he fell face-first to the floor of the bus. Nubulator looked over at Krista and gave her an appreciative smile. "I think we all are glad I went back for ya!" Everyone joyfully exited the bus, relieved that their ordeal was finally over, and made their way up the rest of the driveway where Saska, Morkim, and Jindred were sitting around a table on the deck while Jin operated the grill. "Who do we have to anoint for saving us?" Fleet says as every PSR member passing by gives their Canadian brother a heartfelt hug. Morkim says points above him, showing one of PSR Canada's overlooks. Fleet squits his eyes up and immediately claps his hands in excitement as he charges off the short winding stairway that leads to the overlook. Seconds later, Fleet, Nas, Becks, and Bema are the first ones from the bus to embrace an assortment of familiar faces. Standing before them are Kimber, Richie, DaRaider, Eyeland, and a host of others who haven't been seen in years. Leaning over the stone railing, taking a long draw of his cigarette, is Eddie, a smolder sniper rifle standing on his but next to him. "That shot… it was you???" Eddie flicks his unfinished cigarette away before looking up at Fleet just enough to catch his eyes. "Why the rest of these guys were playing cards? I was shooting cans half a mile away. Never hit a single can!" "Well… you nailed that giant gas drum in their car and saved us!" Fleet said. Eddie walks over and rests his hand on Fleet's shoulder, "Here's the thing… I was aiming for the shooter's hand!" Everyone in earshot exploded in laughter as Eddie received multiple attaboys before resting on one of the benches. Eddie looks up nonchalantly before grabbing two beer cans, "What can I say, " got lucky. Who knew they were driving in a giant gas can in the back. I mean, seriously??? Who does something like that???" Fleet, rubbing the back of his neck, avoids direct eye contact with Saska, "Yeah… who in their right minds would even think of something like that!"
Fleet, Lige and Nas waved off Jose and his kids, the Trace family, and the other people PSR was able to free from Oscar's prison. The vehicles they used belonged to some of the veteran PSR members who made the long trek to Canada and concluded it was the gracious thing to do by offering up their vehicles to those who wanted to get to Canada, but not spend the rest of their life at the PSR Mansion Canada. When the three re-entered the mansion, they rejoined the others at the large dinner table. Jindred had grilled up some burgers and dogs. Nubulator was just about to bite down on the sandwich when EagleRob plops down next to him. "Soooo... you still hungry? I would have thought that-" Nubulator immediately puts down his sandwich and walks away.
Nice job. Nice ending with Eddie coming through to save the day.
Thanks. Can't have Eddie die horrificly in everything I do.
I mainly put people who visit this "Entertainment" board in these. How often do you stop by? I don't think Snerb does, but I needed somebody who actually has a motorcyle.
Nice job. Nice ending with Eddie coming through to save the day.
Thanks. Can't have Eddie die horrificly in everything I do.
Awww see. We get along so much better when you decide not to write me off as the dude stuck on an island being brutally raped to death by a ton of savage fags.
Good job though, and I do like your stories here. Think it's an awesome contribution to the board in a unique way.
Nice job. Nice ending with Eddie coming through to save the day.
Thanks. Can't have Eddie die horrificly in everything I do.
I mainly put people who visit this "Entertainment" board in these. How often do you stop by? I don't think Snerb does, but I needed somebody who actually has a motorcyle.
I guess I know how to do MetsJets right.
I've read most of what you have written here but have not posted much if anything in here. Keep up the good work will be waiting to see what's next.
Thanks. Can't have Eddie die horrificly in everything I do.
I mainly put people who visit this "Entertainment" board in these. How often do you stop by? I don't think Snerb does, but I needed somebody who actually has a motorcyle.
I guess I know how to do MetsJets right.
I've read most of what you have written here but have not posted much if anything in here. Keep up the good work will be waiting to see what's next.
Pretty sure I've never included you in anything. That has to change, and I already have something in mind. Without prying, what is your "general" work field. If you don't mind putting it oiut there, just PM me.
I've read most of what you have written here but have not posted much if anything in here. Keep up the good work will be waiting to see what's next.
Pretty sure I've never included you in anything. That has to change, and I already have something in mind. Without prying, what is your "general" work field. If you don't mind putting it oiut there, just PM me.
Thanks.
His name to me is not the same here to most, and his general work field is being a kick ass fantasy football league manager. Dude always had my back with everything running leagues and what not, and we still talk to this day.
Old enough to be my father, yet still young enough to kick ass. We're like family. At least I'd like to think so.
Call him Scorpion, and just know what a great guy and warrior he is.
I guarantee most won't find another quite like him, my dude, my friend.