Chereads / The Starved Rock Series / Chapter 60 - Steadfast Enduring Will

Chapter 60 - Steadfast Enduring Will

Just before the Ghost's fight began, he was stopped by Madie Sue. 

"Ghost... You're not alone in this."

"I know Dr. Sue. Thank you."

Before he walked off, she grabbed his arm. He turned back to her.

"Was there something else?"

"Yes! I finished that prototype you asked for. It's ready." She handed him a different briefcase. As he opened it, it was his original WWII coveralls, and outfit with minor tweaks done to it, but this was something he knew he'd have to do, especially with the anti-meta sentiments beginning to bloom across Greater Ottawa. 

"Are you certain you have to do this?"

As the Ghost buttoned the golden buttons of the coveralls and turned around to face her, he smiled. 

"If not me, then who?" Said the Ghost marching onto the battlefield. "Give the other suits to others to use. I'll win my way."

As he crossed the field, his own mother raced at him, a blade in her hands, but he showed no fear. Rather, he called out to her as he walked. "I know the last twelve years have been a hellish nightmare for you. I know because they were for me."

She kept running at him, the distance between them growing ever smaller.

"An action of mine robbed you of your trust and faith in me. That I will forever be ashamed of, but in my one action it took you robbing me of my heart, my mind, my sanity, all because of an action never directed or meant to hurt you.... for that I am sorry."

Scott and Archie turned to see the Ghost raise his hands outstretched as the sunlight shone down on him revealing his outfit. 

"LOOK AT ME MOM! CAN YOU SEE THEM NOW!? CAN YOU SEE THE SCARS I HAVE COLLECTED IN ORDER TO REMEMBER THE SINS I'VE PAID FOR!?! CAN YOU SEE THEM!?"

The olive green coveralls had had the sleeves removed, revealing the multitude of scars upon his wrists, his shoulders, his neck, his cheeks, and special gloves designed to show the multitude of long scars that ran along the palms of his hands. He locked his eyes on her as she was now no more than twenty feet before him. 

"YOU TOLD ME YOU WANTED TO STOP THE BULLIES THAT WENT AFTER NANA! SO YOUR SOLUTION WAS TO BECOME ONE!? SHOW ME YOU ARE WILLING TO CHANGE! SHOW ME YOUR RESOLVE!"

His fierce determination froze the five and his sister in place. Rothschild grinned as he could see it in his own mind. The blade skewering the child she'd raised for the final time. The Ghost had no weapons after all, nothing could stop her.

In a blitz of Marine colors, the blade shattered into a thousand pieces. Rothschild's mind control was broken by Scott shattering the blade, standing before his son. 

"I like to settle things behind closed doors, but there was no other way. Settle your score with Rothschild, your mom and I will talk."

The Ghost blitzed past her, his eyes no longer filled with an anger that they'd perpetuated for twelve long years. She watched him raise his fist in the defense of all those who'd placed their faith in him. 

"He's... fighting for them.."

"Just like my mom taught him to. Just like my dad showed him to." Said Scott standing next to her. 

As the Ghost's hit landed, the Ottawans watched him seemingly bounce off Rothschild. 

"That's it?" Laughed Rothschild. The Ghost turned and pointed at Madie Sue as he made the motion across his lips of a zipper opening. 

"Ghost! WAIT!"

The Ghost shook his head and announced to the world, "Centrifugal Torque and Epicyclic Gear, output, 110% will-strength." His second punch sent Rothschild flying over the fields and sending him into the dirt. 

He turned to face his people, "I possess the abilities Transfer Case and Differential. Our scientists, engineers and more were sworn to secrecy. However, I swear to you, these abilities, on Might of John Henry and the Fight of Lemuel Curtis, shall put an end to Rothschild, here and NOW!" 

The Ghost leapt into the air towards Rothschild. The moment was caught by several key people with locked cameras on him and by the rest of their allies as Mike broadcasted every word spoken by the Ghost. 

"I AM THE HERO PERSEVERANCE, AND I WILL DEFEAT YOU!"

His cape disconnected from the rest of the costume revealing on the back of the coveralls was a sledgehammer and a golden rail spike on the left side and a singular Red Tail P-51 mustang on his back with the words "We Spit Fire" embroidered underneath it. As he fell from the sky, he took a deep breath and at the top of his lungs fired off another move. 

"ULTIMATE COMBO! STEEL-DRIVE ANGEL OF AMERICA!" In that moment the fist made contact with Rothschild's chest, his body was accelerated past the tyrant and he'd sent Rothschild spinning into the sky, puking up blood from the force of the hit. However, he wasn't done. The Ghost seemed to be levitating an inch above the ground with the energy surging through him. He smiled internally thanking his dad for taking him roller skating as a kid. He propelled himself forwards as if he had roller skates on, the energy increasing his speed as he approached Rothschild. The Tyrant had stood up and seen Archie in the crowd.

He never even came close to Archie, for the Ghost used his momentum to plow into Rothschild like a rocket-sled on rails. "Differential: Locomotive Gear." Rothschild tried to slow him down by slamming his feet into the ground, but all he did was rip up the blacktop as the two plowed into town on Route 71. 

"HOW! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" Demanded Rothschild. Perseverance refused to answer his question. Rather, he called out "Transfer Case: Tuskegee's Torque Limit." His legs kept using the Locomotive Gear move to propel him forwards, but now his right hand slammed punch after punch into Rothschild's side all thanks to Tuskegee's Torque Limit. Rothschild tried to move his arm in to steal his life energy but found it incredibly hard to do with every third punch aimed at his shoulder socket. The soles of his feet were being ground bloody as the hero kept hammering away at him.

"THIS ISN'T HOW THIS ENDS!" Yelled Rothschild as he fired off a burst of energy that allowed him to grab Perseverance by the neck. 

"YOUR LIFE IS MINE!" he grinned as red, yellow, and copper energy started flowing away from the Ottawan hero and into Rothschild. Suddenly, a purple mist poured from the Ghost and wrapped around Rothschild, choking him out causing him to drop the hero. Perseverance looked up and pulled into his mind once again.