chuckled slightly.

“Wow… That’s amazing… I mean, I knew Sarge was incredible, but who knew he was also a talented hacker?” the guard asked. The second one laughed and patted his friend’s shoulder.

“Just another reason to respect him more, huh pal?” the second one asked, getting a nod from the first.

“Yeah… Hey, the elevator’s here…” the first soldier responded as the elevator doors opened.

Balto watched the two dogs walk inside, then saw the doors close. He moved around the corner to the elevator doors and pressed the Call button. Sighing, Balto tapped his foot as he waited for the elevator to come back. After a minute, Balto heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see three soldiers spot him.

“Hey, you!” one of the guards shouted at Balto just as the elevator opened up.

Balto growled softly to himself and quickly raised his handgun, firing off three shots as he backed up into the elevator. One of his shots struck a guard in the chest, dropping the guard with a final shriek of pain. The other two leveled their rifles and began firing as Balto pressed the Offices button and pressed his back to the wall of the elevator as the rifle bullets ripped through the air in front of him and pierced the back wall. As the door closed, Balto heard the final few pings of their last bullets hitting the metal elevator doors.

Sighing with relief, Balto wiped his brow as the elevator lurched upward. Balto ejected the clip in his handgun and counted up the six remaining bullets loaded in it before replacing it in his gun. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Balto saw a lone soldier standing there, waiting for the elevator. As the guard gasped with surprise, Balto put a bullet through his enemy’s forehead and grabbed the body before it could hit the ground.

“Shit… Didn’t expect that…” Balto muttered to himself and he looked up and down the hallway. Spotting no other enemy soldier, Balto slowly dragged the guard into a nearby bathroom and tossed him into one of the stalls and locking it.

Balto glanced around the bathroom before slowly walking out into the hallway again. He heard a door open nearby and glanced around for a hiding place. Noticing the hallways were narrow enough for only two dogs, Balto ran up one wall and kicked off, placing one foot on each wall and standing in midair on either wall roughly ten feet up the wall. Below him, a single guard walked down the hallway, rifle held at the ready as he patrolled.

“I don’t see why they make me patrol this hallway… Nothing ever happens here…” the guard muttered to himself.

Balto smirked as he listened to the guard’s protests. Once the armed dog was beneath him, Balto dropped down and brought a combat boot down on top of the soldier’s head, sending him to the ground. Balto checked for a pulse and found the dog still alive, then dragged him into the bathroom and locked him in another stall. Sighing, Balto turned and walked back out into the hall and down an adjacent hall to a pair of oak doors, gold words reading “Head of Design.”

“This is the place…” Balto said to himself, smiling as he stowed his handgun and placed a hand on the doorknob.

As Balto turned the knob and opened the door, he saw a large, ornate office. Inside was a large mahogany desk, bookcases, a TV, a computer and laptop situated on the desk, and on the left side of the room was a lit fireplace and a loveseat- with Steele and Jenna sitting in it. Balto winced, realizing he’d forgotten about Steele and stepped inside, silently closing the door behind him. On the far wall, just behind the desk, was another wooden door. Balto silently tried to sneak to the other side of the room, moving slowly and silently.

“Yeah, I know, Steele…” Jenna said softly and glanced at Steele, then saw Balto and held back a gasp.

Jenna gave Balto a look that said “What are you doing here?” Balto motioned to the door and Jenna nodded slightly. Steele turned and stared into Jenna’s lavender eyes, smiling widely.

“You’re really beautiful, Jenna… Aren’t you glad you’re here, with me, instead of being forced to work?” Steele asked softly. Jenna felt like just walking away, but couldn’t or else he’d catch Balto.

“Thanks…” Jenna replied in a soft tone of voice, giving him a sweet smile that easily deceived the twisted Sergeant.

Balto quietly continued to move along until he was roughly halfway to the door. However, as he was circling around the desk, one of the pouches on his belt hit a pen on Steele’s desk, knocking it to the floor with a clatter. As Steele went to go see what caused the noise, Jenna grabbed Steele’s head and pulled him into a kiss. Balto gasped softly at Jenna’s distraction, but quickly took the moment and walked over to the door, then through it. Once Balto was out of sight, Jenna broke the kiss.

“Heh, wow Jenna… That was a shocker…” Steele said grinning and licking his lips, “Let’s do that again…”

Just as Steele leaned in to kiss Jenna again, the double doors opened and two guards walked in. They saluted and stood at attention before Steele.

“Sir! We’ve just received reports that the agent has to be somewhere on the premises,” one guard said as he stood completely still. Steele growled furiously and pulled out his handgun, firing a shot and destroying the soldier’s right eye. The dog dropped to the floor, dead, and Steele pointed the gun at the other soldier.

“Do you have anything to report as well?” Steele asked angrily.

“N-no s-sir!” the soldier said, terrified of his commanding officer.

“Good… Now scram!” Steele shouted, watching the guard grab his dead companion and run out faster than if he was under fire. Steele smirked and holstered his gun, turning back to Jenna.

“Now… Where were we?” he asked slyly, leaning toward Jenna again. Just as their lips were about to meet, the intercom system on Steele’s desk sent the voice of Kaltag into the room.

“Steele? Are you there? This is Corporal Kaltag, do you read me?”

Steele sighed with irritation and rose from the loveseat. Slowly, he walked over to his desk and pressed a button on the intercom unit.

“I’m here Kaltag. What’s up?” he asked into the speaker.

“It’s Doctor Kalgan, sir. We have all the info we need from him, but he won’t tell us the code to activate the weapon.”

Steele growled with annoyance at the scientist.

He’s been trying my patience for far too long… Steele thought bitterly, rubbing his eyes as he thought. After a moment, he pressed the button again and gave Kaltag his next order.

“I’ll hack the system… We don’t need his code…”

There was a moment of silence in the office. After a brief period, Kaltag’s voice came through again.

“What should we do with him then?”

Steele grinned maliciously. He knew exactly what to do with the insubordinate doctor. Chuckling darkly, he activated the intercom and grinned wickedly.

“Kill him…”

Chapter 4

            The bridge to the Weapons Building was much different than Balto had expected. In fact, it wasn’t a bridge at all; it was a platform large enough to hold three dogs that was pulled across the open gap between the two facilities by a steel-nylon cable, like a chairlift that goes sideways.

“This place never ceases to amaze me…” Balto murmured, shaking his head. Slowly, Balto walked onto the platform and glanced at the controls.

They were simple enough, a single button that was labeled Activate. Chuckling slightly, Balto went to press the button, when the door he’d just come through opened and closed again. Gasping, Balto glanced up and grabbed onto the railing above him and pulled himself up, just out of sight from those below. Beneath him, Balto saw Steele and Jenna board and press the button. The platform shuddered slightly and began to move across the gap.

“You know Jenna, I’m glad we’re getting to know each other better…” Steele said, wrapping an arm around Jenna and holding her close.

Balto growled softly, then realized what he’d done. Steele heard the noise and glanced up, spotting Balto above them. He drew out his handgun and fired, scratching Balto’s shoulder. Balto winced as he felt a slight pain in his right shoulder and fell off the platform. Steele looked over the railing and saw nothing.

“Stupid half-breed agent…” Steele muttered to himself, “At least he’s gone now…”

Jenna looked over the edge as well and saw nothing as well. She gasped slightly, but hid the horror on her face as she came away from the railing. Below, Balto had just barely caught onto one of the metal bars of the platform and was holding on for dear life. Keeping as silent and out of sight as possible, he rode underneath as the platform finished its approach to the Weapons Building and Steele and Jenna walked off.

After a few minutes, Balto pulled himself back up onto the platform and then walked out onto the outdoor catwalks along the side of the building. The cold Alaskan air whipped around him, causing Balto to shiver slightly, but thankfully his suit was insulated so he was warm enough to survive. As he walked along, he came to a turn at the corner of the building and was about to take it until a familiar black and white dog came around and saw Balto. Both dogs gasped and got ready for a fight.

“You!” Steele shouted in anger, “How many times do I have to kill you, boy?”

Balto went for Steele, throwing punch after punch, but Steele blocked every single attack expertly.