whispered before picking up Brad’s handgun and walking out of the alleys…

            Kodi silently undid the hatch blocking him from slipping out of the ventilation shaft he was currently in. Once he got it done, he kicked it open and slid into the office, Kirby sliding out behind him. Kodi checked his SOAW and growled softly at it. That had three and a half hours at most to complete their mission. Things weren’t beginning to look so good…

“Hey, why the glum look buddy?” Kirby asked, tapping Kodi on the shoulder. Kodi looked shocked for a moment before sighing softly and handing the dog-tags he’d taken from Niju to Kirby.

“Take a look at these and then you’ll see what’s got me down…” Kodi replied unemotionally, “Plus we’ve got less than four hours before our mission is a total failure…”

“Well we’d better get a move on then, huh?” Kirby asked with a chuckle, then inspected the dog-tags and nearly passed out when he realized whose they were, “Balto’s?! Niju had your father’s dog-tags?! How the hell’d he get his paws on these?!”

“The same way he got his paws on fuel for a thousand missiles… He stole them, right from my Dad on our first mission…” Kodi said, heaving a heavy sigh, “He risked his identity to save my life that night… and I yelled at him from thousands of miles away… He probably thinks I hate him right now…”

“Hey, don’t talk like that… You’re talking like you’ve given up already…” Kirby said, playfully punching Kodi’s arm, “C’mon, the fight’s not over yet… You can make up with your Dad once we get back, guaranteed! Now come on, we’ve got a mad terrorist to stop!” Kodi grinned and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right! Let’s kick Niju’s ass and then I’ll worry about those other things later… I mean, what’s the worst he could do with dog-tags anyway?” Kodi asked with a laugh, walking out into another hallway and looking around, “Coast’s clear…”

“Great… But now how are we gonna find Niju?” Kirby asked, looking to Kodi, who wore a satisfactory grin as he asked that question, “What did you do Kodi? You look like you’re hiding something…”

“I am…” Kodi replied, pulling out a small GPS, “When I took those dog-tags from Niju, I replaced them wit something… a homing beacon. I’ve been tracking him for an hour now… Right now, he’s about three hundred meters west of our current position…”

“Alright! Way to go Kodi!” Kirby said, patting his teammate on the back, “Lead the way, pal!” Kodi nodded and looked at the GPS, leading Kirby down the hallways in search of the elusive Niju…

About a half hour later, both agents sat with their backs against a wall, Kodi still looking at his GPS. Kirby took a swig of water from his canteen before replacing it and checking how many rounds he had left, counting nine. He jammed the magazine back in and turned to Kodi.

“Found out where he is yet?” Kirby asked, Kodi replying with a shake of his head.

“Not really… The damn wolf is always on the move, it’s so hard to keep track of where he is and to predict where he may be going to next!” Kodi exclaimed, then grinned slightly, “Ok, he’s stopped moving for now… He’s currently in… that Storeroom we’d met up in… Wait, he’s moving again… Now he’s… back in the Missile Hangar…” Just then, their radios crackled to life as a transmission came into them.

“Hello there agents…” Niju said through their radios, “While I have enjoyed our little game, I’m afraid I’ve had enough playing now… I want to finish this and you want to finish this, so come to the Missile Hangar and we’ll fight like men…”

“Heh, like hell he’ll fight fair…” Kirby murmured, “That bastard’s had us running all around this place, I doubt the guy just wants to end things now… It’s probably a trap for us to fall into… How dumb does he think we are?! I mean, come on! Anyone could see that’s a trap!”

“Unless that’s what he wants us to think…” Kodi said, looking at Kirby, “Unless he wants us to suspect it’s a trap so we’ll go in an opposite direction and actually fall into one he set up for us somewhere else…”

“Hmm, tough call then, huh?” Kirby said, standing up again, “So, what are we going to do?”

“You’re going to go up a floor and get to the Missile Hangar via the catwalks…” Kodi explained, rising to his feet as well and drawing his handgun, “I’ll enter via this floor… That way if it is a trap, we can intercept it and help one another out from different angles…”

“Sounds good to me… You gonna be alright facing off against Niju alone?” Kirby asked, cocking his head slightly. Kodi nodded slowly in approval.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine… And besides, it’s not just a mission to me anymore now…” Kodi said, his eyes flashing with a spark of vengeance, “This time it’s personal… I’m gonna get him for what he’s done and what he’s put my Dad through…”

“Alright… Good luck pal…” Kirby said. Both agents saluted one another before Kirby ran off to find the elevators to take him back up to the upper floor. Kodi glanced down at his GPS and followed the red dot, using it as a guide to navigate the hallways and find his way toward the Missile Hangar.

Once Kodi arrived at the door labeled Hangar, he knew he’d reached his destination. A quick check of his GPS confirmed it for him and he shut it off before stowing the handheld unit again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly. For you, Dad… Kodi thought to himself before opening his burgundy eyes that burned with an intense fire. He grabbed the handle on the metal door and pulled it open, walking into the Hangar.

Many of the missile racks had been moved over to the sides, clearing a rather large area in the center for a fight. Kodi stepped out into the clearing, looking around for any kind of trap or ambush, but nothing happened and no one came. After a few moments, footsteps on concrete could be heard.

“So, the Husky came, did you?” Niju asked as he stepped into view, casually striding to the opposite end of the clearing of Kodi, “Where’s your larger friend? The Malamute?”

Kodi didn’t answer. He just stood there, glaring at Niju. He felt such a strong desire to kill him, to make sure the wolf paid for his crimes and sins. Niju scoffed slightly and shook his head, glaring back at Kodi.

“Well it makes no difference as to where he went… You’ll both be dead soon anyway, so who am I to care?” Niju asked, chuckling evilly. Kodi was silent again before he finally spoke out to his enemy.

“Why did you call us out Niju? Why didn’t you just keep on running and run out the clock until your contact arrived?” Kodi asked, “Why risk so much in a one-on-one fight with me when you could have easily secured a victory?”

“Because I wanted to prove my point to you…” Niju said with a low growl, eyes as  cold as ice as he stared at the agent opposing him, “You called me a coward before, remember? Well, I hate being condescended, especially by a rookie, a newbie… I decided to take you both on eventually, in a one-on-one close-quarters combat fight to the death…”

Kodi gasped slightly, shocked by Niju’s terms and conditions. After a moment of thought, he growled softly and holstered his handgun. Niju smirked and nodded in approval, assuming a fighting stance. Kodi got into a fighting stance as well, both dogs staring the other one down.

“Come on agent! Let me see what your father has taught you!” Niju shouted, grinning as he ran at Kodi. The wolf kicked at him, aiming for the legs, then torso, then head with three swift kicks. Kodi blocked the ones to his legs and head, but received the one to his stomach, stumbling backwards slightly. As Niju went to kick him again, Kodi caught on and grabbed his foot, flipping the wolf onto his back.

Kodi circled around Niju as he got up, the wolf lunging and striking Kodi in the stomach again. Kodi grunted and doubled over, falling to the ground. Niju laughed softly as Kodi got up, hitting Niju right in the muzzle and sending him reeling. Niju wiped a small trickle of blood from his muzzle and growled loudly, hitting Kodi twice in the face before grabbing the Husky’s neck and tossing him to the ground. Kodi groaned softly as his body hit the concrete, then felt Niju slam his boot into his chest, beginning to push down hard and force the air out of Kodi’s lungs.

“Look at yourself… You’re pathetic! You’re weak!” Niju snarled, grinning wickedly as he forced his boot down harder, listening to Kodi gasp and sputter for breath, his body flailing about on the ground, “Without Daddy there to protect you, you’re nothing… I was foolish to even consider you and your partner a threat! But no matter now… You’ll be dead soon and your teammate to follow… and both your parents are already dead now…”

Kodi’s eyes widened, then narrowed furiously. He growled viciously, grabbing Niju by the ankle. The wolf blood in him helped Kodi to lift and push Niju off, sending his enemy crashing to the floor. Kodi got up and advanced on Niju. From above, Kirby had just gotten onto the catwalk and was watching the fight, impressed by Kodi’s skills. Kodi continued advancing on Niju, the wolf kneeling on the floor.

Once Kodi got close enough, Niju pulled out his combat knife and lunged at Kodi. The young agent sidestepped just in time to save his life, but not to avoid getting a long slash across his chest. He cried out in pain and stumbled sideways slightly, regaining his footing and pulling out his combat knife, both canines beginning to circle one another.

Niju snarled and sliced at Kodi, the agent bringing up his knife to block the attack. Kodi swung back, hitting Niju’s knife. The two began exchanging blows, the steel of their weapons clashing against one another