Balto: Espionage Tactics

By: Balto5670

This story, its corresponding plotline, and its characters are © 2006 Balto5670. The characters Balto, Jenna, Steele, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star are © 1995 Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Espionage: the act of spying; the use of spying or spies to gather secret information and complete secret tasks

Inspired by the game series Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action and Splinter Cell.

Prologue

Washington D.C., December 10, 2004, 2300 hours.

            The room was deathly silent for awhile. Two dogs made up the occupation of the room; one sitting on a couch and the other holding a remote for a projector. The dog holding the remote walked in circles around the edges of the room as the projector booted up.

“Alright, listen up Balto,” the man said, “We’ve finally gotten the green light to proceed with the Intrusion Mission.”

“Intrusion Mission? What’s so different about this one? Aren’t all my missions intrusion missions?” the scruffy gray-brown wolfdog asked, leaning back in the couch and staring at the wall.

“Just wait a moment, I’m getting to that,” the dog, a German Shepherd replied, “Tell me, have you ever heard of a dog named Steele?”

The Shepherd pressed a button and a profile photo of a black and white dog appeared on the wall in front of Balto, a serious and angry look on Steele’s face.

“Isn’t he that former military sergeant? The one who was relieved of duty because of the way he handled his unit and then his unit left and joined him?”

“Precisely. Recently, Steele’s been holding a grudge against the US for letting him go. He claims that he was in charge and the way he led shouldn’t matter so long as America won. Apparently, the government thought differently. Now he’s gone and taken his unit and led them in a terrorist-themed assault.”

“Terrorist-themed assault? On what?”

“Have you ever heard of Night Fox Island? It’s a military controlled island off the coast of Alaska. Apparently, they were building a super-weapon up there in the facility based upon that island,” the Shepherd informed, “Steele is now using it as a threat, saying that if the US doesn’t turn over $2,000,000 and allow him to return as a sergeant, then he’ll use the weapon on his own country.”

The dog pressed the button again. A map of Alaska appeared and an island just off the coast was highlighted. Then a picture of a high-security facility flashed onto the wall. Balto sighed and shook his head.

“What is wrong with that dog?”

“We’re not sure, but all we can tell is that he’s leading a platoon of soldiers still loyal to him. He’s taken complete control of the facility and there’s no telling what he’ll do. There are four specific members to his unit to look out for though…”

The German Shepherd pressed the same button and four pictures appeared, one being Steele himself. The dog pulled out a laser pointer and shot the beam onto a tawny looking husky.

“Private First-Class Star, a master at handguns…”

The laser moved over a tan husky, a smirk on the dog’s face.

“Corporal Kaltag, an excellent sharpshooter and hand-to-hand combat master...”

The next picture was of a heavier looking dog, a distasteful look on his face.

“Private Nikki, an explosives expert…”

Finally, the laser settled upon the twisted smile of Steele.

“And Sergeant Steele, an excellent all-around fighter, an expert with any gun and fighting style, and a ruthless and merciless dog…”

The Shepherd sighed and put his laser pointer away, pressing the button on the remote yet again. The four photos vanished and were replaced with a picture of a Talon combat plane.

“We’ll be flying you over Night Fox Island in a combat Talon. It’s silent, so you’ll enter undetected. You’ll jump out and sky-dive about a mile away from the facility and into a small forest on the edge of the island. From there, you’ll need to gain entrance, wipe out those four dogs, and eliminate the super-weapon. Any questions?”

“What’s the reward?”

“Always thinking for benefit, eh Balto? How about the satisfaction of doing your country an excellent service? That and the government will pay your taxes for five years.”

“Damn… Well, I suppose it’s better than nothing…” Balto muttered and chuckled softly.

“You’ll be outfitted with a handgun, the standard army-issue packs, a communicator so we can speak, a few clips of ammo, and enough rations for a day. That’s all you should need. Should you need anything else, you’ll have to procure-on-site. Remember, this is a stealth mission; you cannot let the enemy know you’re there… So, what do you say?”

The Shepherd pressed a different button and the projector turned off. Balto stood up and glanced at the Shepherd, nodding to him.

“Alright, Colonel McIntyre… Let’s do this…” Balto said determinedly.

Chapter 1

December 15, 2004. Above Alaskan airspace, 0600 hours.

            A lone Talon combat air unit flew silently above the dark Alaskan sky. Below, the forest was silent. Inside the cockpit, the German Shepherd stood behind the pilots, analyzing every aspect of the mission. He pressed a button for the intercom system and spoke into the microphone.

“Are you doing alright back there, Balto?” Colonel McIntyre asked.

In the back of the plane, Balto sat on one of the benches, a soldier checking his outfit and equipment for any faults. When none were detected, he walked over to the control console and began preparing to open the back for Balto’s departure.

“Are you doing alright back there, Balto?” came the voice of Colonel McIntyre.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Balto shouted so that the intercom could pick up his voice.

“Excellent. We’ll be approaching your D.O.P. (Drop off Point) in five minutes.”

“The suspense is killing me…” Balto muttered sarcastically.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The soldier finished depressurizing the back chamber so Balto could fall without any risks of pressure affects. He turned and pointed to Balto’s oxygen helmet beside him on the bench.

“Put your helmet on. Opening rear hatch now…” the dog said, pressing a button on the console.

As Balto pushed the helmet securely onto his head, the back hatch opened to reveal the Alaskan winter night. He stood up and walked over to the end of the plane, looking over the edge and down at the snow-covered forest. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the jump.

“All systems are a go!” the dog announced happily.

“Here’s your stop, Balto. Good luck…”

Balto opened his eyes and leaned forward, kicking off and dropping out of the plane. The wind ripped past his body as he rapidly fell down toward the Alaskan forest. In his ear, Balto could hear Colonel McIntyre’s voice.

“Remember, infiltrate the facility, kill the four elite soldiers, and destroy the weapon. Your codename for this mission will be “Wolf.” We’ve already sent a spy there to assist you in your mission. The codename of our mole is “Husky.” Make contact with our mole and your mission will become easier.”

“Will do, Colonel…” Balto replied, a tiny microphone pinned to his shirt collar relaying his voice back into the cockpit.

“Alright, you should hit the ground in three minutes. Before you collide into the snow and dirt at terminal force, press the clip on your harness for the drag chute to slow yourself down.”

“I know what a drag chute does, Colonel.”

“Alright then. Just making sure. Good luck, Wolf. I’ll keep in touch.”

A few minutes later, Balto entered the forest and pulled the chute, slowing his descent dramatically from a free-fall to a slow drift to the snow. As soon as Balto’s boots touched the ground, he unclipped the parachute harness from around his chest and rolled out of it, drawing his pistol and surveying the forest. Everything was calm and clear, a light flurry of snowflakes falling from the black sky.

“Wolf here, I’ve landed successfully… Beginning my approach to the facility…” Balto said to what-seemed-like no one.

Balto walked through the foot-high snow, his boots causing a soft crunching to echo through the silent forest. Everything was quiet… a little too eerily quiet. Balto’s brown and gold eyes scanned all around him as he walked, his gun at the ready, just in case. Despite his suspicions, Balto made it to the outskirts of the facility with no difficulty from anything.

Suspiciously, there were no guards around the iron-mesh fence surrounding the outside of rather large military compound. Balto dove to the snow and army-crawled to the fence. He glanced up and still saw no guards.

“Huh, that’s odd…” Balto whispered.

“What’s odd?” Balto heard in his ear and jumped slightly, realizing he’d forgotten to shut his communicator