arms. Steele cried out in fear. “No…” he gasped, taking a step backwards. “Steele,” Balto said, approaching him, “relax. Don’t panic. Just let me…” “No! No!” Steele was backing up quickly, but he ran into a corner, and began shaking uncontrollably. “Look, I know I was wrong! I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did! I’m sorry, alright? Please don’t kill me!” “I’m not here to kill you, Steele!” Steele jumped up and darted past Balto in order to give himself some room to move back. “I don’t know how you got those things, but…just don’t hurt me, please! I’ve learned my lesson!” “I’m not going to hurt you! I’m here to protect you!” Steele was confused. “From what?” Balto looked up suddenly. “From that!” he shouted.

Steele turned around and saw a massive brown-colored monster, with a body packed with muscle, raise one arm. Two long, curved blades sprang out from hidden slits in the skin of the forearm, and it roared and swung at him. Steele cried out and jumped into the air, the blades sending snow flying as they struck the ground beneath him. He came down, and the monster shot a pair of blades out of its other arm. Steele was sure he was dead; the beast snarled at him, its black eyes narrowed and unsympathetic as it swung down. Suddenly, a flash of yellow crossed Steele’s vision, and a metallic clack rang out as the blade collided with the extended teeth of one of Balto’s virus arms. This was followed by a punch from the other virus arm that knocked the advance form back. Steele got up and moved quickly off to the side, staring with fright at his would-be killer. It was a hulking beast that looked like it could crash through brick walls without flinching, and it stood somewhat awkwardly, staring at Balto. “So now it is my turn,” it said. “Sorrow truly didn’t know whether or not you would bother to save this one, considering your past.” “Well, then, it sounds like Sorrow didn’t do enough research to find out I’m not like that. I’m continually taking him to be less and less intelligent. Is he just going to keep sending you all out one by one like this?” “I doubt it, but I’m glad he is now. I have been looking forward…” The advance form’s right arm twisted and stiffened suddenly, and its breath was strangled at the same time. It stood there, mouth open as if it were trying to scream, and after a few moments, it suddenly returned to normal, gasping for breath. “Pity I am so strong, yet plagued by this constant paralysis.” “Is that part of your disease?” “Naturally. When you die of me, it is because your very lungs are rendered useless for breathing. I do not create a death so easy as some, and this is your day to feel it. To feel…tetanus.” “I think I’ll pass on that.” “Fine. I could just infect him instead.” The advance form gestured toward Steele. “Would you even stop me? Would you truly care? Perhaps you would actually enjoy watching him spasm and choke. Well? What is your choice?” Balto looked at Steele. He was breathing hard, and Balto could see in his eyes that Steele was afraid Balto would let the advance form kill him. He pleaded to Balto silently with his eyes…but Balto’s mind was already made up. So, without waiting any longer, he leapt into the air and struck the advance form’s jaw with a mighty blow. The beast staggered backwards, but only a few steps. This unnerved Balto; the blow would have knocked any other advance form on its back, but this one stayed standing. Then, it regained its balance and attacked back. Balto ducked under its first swing, and its arm blades tore clean through a thick wooden beam, collapsing the small back porch of the building they were behind. Balto punched the advance form, but it had frighteningly little effect. The beast lashed out with its leg, planting its knee in Balto’s jaw and sending him flying away. Balto extended the virus arms out to either side of his body and caught the corners of two buildings, stopping his uncontrolled backwards flight. The advance form came at him, rushing like a bull, blades extended forward. At the very last moment, Balto propelled himself upward, keeping one virus arm tensed at the advance form’s neck height. The beast ran right into the virus arm, taking itself clean off its feet and landing on its back, stunned as its head hit the ground. Balto came down on his feet and tried to punch the advance form, but it grabbed the incoming virus arm, having recovered very quickly. It stood up, wrapping its other arm around Balto’s body. With a mighty roar, it slammed him into the ground with incredible force. Balto let out a strangled groan as the air was crushed from his lungs, and he found himself unable to get up. The advance form picked him up and threw him, his body tumbling through the shallow snow. When he stopped tumbling, the advance form began walking toward him again. As Balto tried to gather his wits about him, he noticed a loose brick on the ground next to him. The advance form stopped next to him and reached down to pick him up again…and then Balto rolled over and smashed the brick into its face. It shrieked, silver-colored blood from its mouth spattering on a nearby wall, and it jumped up, backing away. Balto threw the brick into its shin, causing it to stumble, and he got up and jumped, swinging a virus arm upward to smash into the monster’s solar plexus. It yelled, flying into the air and coming down on its stomach, hard. It got up as Balto landed and extended its arm blades, swinging them like axes. Balto dodged blow after blow easily, being much quicker than the sluggish creature. He did not attack back; he was waiting for a particular moment, which suddenly came. The tetanus bacteria struck the creature’s body again, and it froze stiff, its arms twisting horribly. Balto went around behind it and punched it in the back of the head, causing it to fall to the snow. He stood on its back and wrapped one virus arm around its neck, the other around its temples. He pulled back, gradually, but powerfully. The advance form began screaming and struggling, but it couldn’t reach Balto. Small cracks started to emanate from its neck as it bent further and further backward, and it yelled with pain, trying desperately to get up. Balto just kept pulling, and the cracks got louder and louder, becoming awful wet splitting noises. Eventually, he gave a hard yank, and there was a sharper snap, after which the beast finally died.

Balto burned the body and turned to face Steele. “What the heck…” said the sled dog, staring at the virus arms. “They’re for fighting things like that monster,” Balto said. “I got them from a stranger. Listen, you should go hide in the boiler room so no more of these things will find you.” “More? Why are they after me?” “They aren’t after you; they’re after me. They attacked you so I would come to save you, and the thing attacking you would have a chance to kill me.” “So…you came here to save me, even though it could’ve meant you getting killed?” “Yes.” “Gee…” Steele looked down at the snow. “I feel kind of ashamed. I mean…after everything that I did to you, that you would still do this for me? I sure don’t deserve it.” “You don’t have to deserve it, Steele. I don’t hate you, and I don’t hold grudges.” “Wow…that’s cool, Balto. Um…thank you.” “No problem. Go and hide, quickly. I’ll explain better when I get the chance.” Steele nodded and ran off for the boiler room, and Balto took a rest, hoping the pain from the advance form’s successful attacks would soon go away. He didn’t want to think about what he would have to do next, but he couldn’t help thinking of Jenna. He longed to caress her lips with his in a gentle kiss, or to feel her soft fur as he nuzzled her tenderly, if only just once more. He shook his head, feeling drained, wondering how he could go on further. Then, he realized that he could go on, and he had to go on. As long as there was a hope of getting Jenna back, he would keep fighting until he had her safely in his protection again. If that turned out to be impossible, then he would die trying. That thought didn’t frighten him; Jenna was all that mattered to him. He remembered what he had told her a few nights ago: “No matter the cost or the danger, I would do it. If the world got between us, I would smash it out of the way.” He was fully prepared to do just that for her sake. His strength and resolve restored, he headed for the warehouse again, ready to face another test in the continuing game of death.

Jenna was rudely awakened as Sorrow stormed into the room, kicking various items about the place, obviously venting pent-up anger. Rather than frightening her, this actually gave her more hope. If Sorrow was this angry, it must have been because Balto was still alive, still foiling the advance form’s plans. A strep throat advance form came to the door. “Excuse me, Sorrow, but the others are wondering what happens now? Our initial plans have all failed.” Sorrow had begun pacing, thinking about what to do next, but now stopped. A smile crept onto his face, and he turned and looked at Jenna, responding to the question. “Get some more rest…because we’re going out tomorrow. I’ve just had an idea for another challenge. I’ll write the clue today and give you instructions for the other advance forms. We’re playing this part by ear, since it wasn’t in my original plans, but I think it has a much higher chance of proceeding in our favor.” He chuckled. “Oh, yes. This will be amusing indeed.” He sat down to write the clue, and Jenna went over to a window and looked out. In the distance, she could see Nome, and the ocean off to the right. Something caught her attention near the ocean, and she squinted. Light was reflecting off of some sort of structure…no, wait, it was Balto’s boat, the one he had lived on before he became her husband. Suddenly, she realized; if she could see the boat from there, she could tell Balto how to get to the hideout if he was able to save her. She left the window, not wanting Sorrow to discover what she