then jumped out of it and began plummeting. Reacting fast, Balto pulled the trigger and stopped his fall, then lightly pushed the trigger upward, slowly letting himself reel down to the ground, only a couple dozen feet below him now. Once he reached the ground, he pressed the button on his grappling gun and the hook released, allowing Balto to wind the gun back up into itself.

Once he’d gotten himself set and replaced his gun, he made sure he still had the folder. On confirmation of that, he ran a few dozen yards behind a few boulders, climbing onto a motorbike and revving it, listening to the engine roar. Before any guards could figure out what had happened, Balto sped off, vanishing into a cloud of dust in the distance.

Two days later, Balto was back in Washington D.C., driving back from the airport to the house he’d purchased with Jenna. Since he’d gotten news that she was pregnant, Balto had been on edge ever since he’d safely gotten away from that Mexican prison with his targeted objective: a file that he was instructed to not look at under any circumstances. After he’d dropped it off at the Pentagon, safely in the care of Colonel McIntyre, he’d headed straight for his home.

Balto arrived back at the house twenty minutes later, smiling widely at the sight of their large-sized home. They’d bought it just before they’d left on their honeymoon months ago. Getting out of his car and grabbing his suitcase and briefcase, Balto quickly unlocked the door and rushed inside.

“Jenna! I’m back!” he shouted, still smiling at nothing, “Where are you?”

“Right here, Balto…” Jenna answered, rounding a corner and walking up to him, smiling widely as she stared at a photograph of something. Balto put his cases down and approached her, taking her in a loving embrace.

“Miss me Jen?” he asked softly, kissing her cheek.

“Every minute, Balto…” she replied, smiling at him as she pulled back a bit and held up the photograph, “Take a look at this…”

“What’s this Jenna?” he asked, taking it and looking it over several times before looking back to Jenna, “Jen… is this for real? You’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

“Nope… That’s all for real…” she said, joy filling her voice and amber eyes, “You can call the hospital up if you want to. They’ll tell you it’s true as well…”

“Jen, I… This is… I- I can’t believe this is for real!” he exclaimed, beaming at Jenna.

“I know! I’m still trying to grasp this for a fact!” Jenna practically squealed, wrapping her arms around Balto’s neck and staring at the ultrasound photograph, “The doctor’s say that it’s probably gonna be a boy…”

“Yeah, I can see why they’d say that…” replied Balto with a soft chuckle, looking at Jenna and kissing her gently, “I love you so much, Jen… I can’t believe we’re going to be parents…”

“It’s just a matter of time now, Balto… It’s all just a matter of time…” Jenna remarked, kissing Balto back and grinning, “So, what was the major mission for Mr. Secret Agent this time?”

“Actually, it wasn’t another assassination mission like the last few times… This time it was something I truly love: infiltration…” Balto replied with a grin back at her.

“Broke the main power breakers?”

“Yup.”

“Deleted all video archives for that day?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Kill anyone while you were there?”

“You know it…” Balto said, chuckling softly, “Anyway, the Colonel needed me to get this prison file on some Niju Suarez guy… I have no idea who he is, but apparently McIntyre needed it to confirm something on him and whatnot…”

“Well, at least you’re alright…” Jenna said, kissing Balto’s cheek softly, “Glad you got what you wanted…” Jenna let go of her husband and walked back down the hallway. Balto smiled at her as he watched her walk away.

“I am too, Jenna… I am too…” he said softly to no one before taking his cases upstairs to unpack.

            Six months passed quickly for the secret agent. Jenna was relieved of her duties due to her pregnancy, taking a leave of absence to determine if she wanted to return to the agency or not. After all, with a child, she wouldn’t be able to leave the house much. So, with great reluctance, Jenna decided to turn in her papers of resignation into the agency to be able to take care of their upcoming child.

Now, Jenna was heavily pregnant and had just checked into the hospital, due to deliver any moment now... Balto paced back and forth in the waiting room, hoping that everything would be alright…

Washington D.C., December 16th 2005, 2246 hours.

            Eternity. That’s what seemed to pass by Balto as he waited and waited and waited for what seemed like forever for any word on Jenna’s condition. His cell phone rang for what seemed like the three-hundredth time that night. He growled softly as he checked the caller: Col. McIntyre. Flipping it open, he placed it to the side of his head.

“Balto here… What is it Colonel?” he asked quickly, still pacing back and forth in a continuous circuit around the room.

“I was just calling to confirm about the file you brought us back in the summer from Mexico…” Colonel McIntyre said from the other end, “Plus I was calling to check up on Jenna. Has there been any word on her yet?”

“No Colonel… None yet… And the suspense is killing me!” Balto said, placing a hand on his forehead, “I think this is the worst moment I’ve been in… I feel so useless right now!”

“Well, just take it easy over there Balto… I’m certain things will be fine at the end of the day…” McIntyre said reassuringly, “Anyway, as I was saying before, about that file on Niju Suarez… It turns out he’s just the dog we were looking for all along… Balto, he could be a very serious threat to our country… Can you come in tomorrow? We need to discuss this matter, preferably in person…”

“Yeah, I’ll try to get in tomorrow…” Balto said with a heavy sigh, then looked up as he heard someone enter the waiting room and spotted the doctor who was in charge of Jenna, “I’m gonna have to go now… I’ll see you tomorrow…”

“Mr. Harrand, we’ve got the most recent update on your wife, Jenna Harrand…” the doctor said, smiling at the wolfdog, “She gave a successful delivery at 11:40 PM. Congratulations sir, you’re a father now…” Balto stared at the dog in the white coat for a moment before nodding slowly.

“May I go see her now?” he asked, then receiving a nod, asked, “Which room is she in?”

“She’s in Room #137,” the doctor said and no sooner had he finished speaking than Balto had dashed past him and down the pale-blue tiled hallways of the hospital.

After a few minutes, he came to Room 137 and took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside. He saw a nurse checking a few things before giving him a warm smile and exiting the room. Jenna lay in her bed, clutching a small bundle to her chest. She looked up at him and gave him a loving smile, gently rocking the bundle back and forth.

“Hello Balto… Come and see your new son…” Jenna said softly. Balto swallowed slightly and slowly approached the bed, staring down at the small red and white husky-looking wolfdog clad in blankets, fast asleep.

“Oh Jenna… He’s beautiful… It is a he, right?” he asked, getting a small nod from Jenna, “Look at him… He’s got your coat…”

“He is beautiful, isn’t he?” Jenna asked in a soft whisper, then beamed at Balto, “Oh Balto… This is the happiest moment of my life… I love you so much…”

“I love you just as much, Jenna… This is the best moment in my life too…” he replied in a soft tone, brown and gold eyes still locked on his newborn son, “What shall we name him, Jen?”

“I’m not sure, Balto… I was hoping you’d have some ideas…” Jenna said, giving him a sheepish grin. Balto thought for a moment, than came up with one.

“How about Kodiak?” he asked, looking back to Jenna for her reaction, “Kodiak Harrand… How’s that sound?”

“That’s a perfect name, Balto…” Jenna said softly, beaming up at Balto then smiling down at their son, “Hello Kodiak… Welcome to the world…”

Balto smiled down at his son, joy and pride filling him to the brim, coursing through his body like the blood in his veins. Never before had the young wolfdog felt so happy, so overcome with pure bliss as he stared at his beautiful wife and his beautiful son. But now, he knew that he had also taken on a new task with his son, a new mission he knew would be perilous, demanding, and testing in many ways. Balto was not just a government agent; he had now become a father.

The next day, Balto arrived promptly to the Pentagon, striding through the door without any hold-up by just a wave of his government identification card, proving he was a top-ranked agent. He walked through the large establishment and to the office of a dog he knew very well: Colonel McIntyre. The German Shepherd sat at his desk, sorting through files and manila folders that nearly-completely covered the top. As Balto walked in, he looked up and smiled widely at his friend.

“Balto! It’s great to see you!” he said cheerfully, standing up and walking over to the wolfdog, giving him a friendly hand-shake, “I’m so glad you were able to make it in today!... You seem a little tired though…”

“Well, you’d look the same if you spent nearly all of last night in the hospital helping out your wife…” Balto remarked with a chuckle.

“So everything went well then?”

“Everything went smoothly… I have a son now… His name’s Kodiak…”

“Kodiak… Good name…” the colonel said, then realized he’d been getting off-track, “Anyway, I