Invasion: Chapter 10: Picking Up The Pieces
After taking in his newfound respect among the remaining residents of Nome, Mika Kykalisko was finally able to see a doctor about his left elbow. He had injured it in the battle to liberate Nome from Soviet extremists who had overrun the town and nearly destroyed it. The diagnosis revealed that no bones were broken, the joint wasn't dislocated or thrown out of whack in any way, and that the pain would go away after a few days. It hurt when he bent it, so he was given two bags of ice to put on the afflicted area in order to dull the pain. All he suffered was a bruise.
It had been a strange day for the Finn. Earlier, he had saved Nome from certain doom. But in doing so, he lost his Outdoor Outfitters co-worker and battle comrade, David Stoner. David had been stabbed in the chest by a bayonet during the battle. It punctured the left ventricle of his heart, causing massive blood loss. He died later at the hospital. The same fate nearly befell Balto, who had suffered a gunshot wound to his right abdomen. No vital organs were hit, however, and he did survive. But survival didn't come easy. He had two serious complications while he was under. First, a blood clot had originated in a blood vessel that was punctured by the bullet. That caused Balto's blood pressure to drop. Second, when it finally stabilized, it had fallen to a dangerously low level. That resulted in a slow awakening from the anesthesia. Fortunately, he recovered from that scare.
It was nighttime by now, and Mika was now at a practice session with his band, Lapp Attack. His band mates - brother Kaj Kykalisko, Keith Black, Colin Stevenson, and Ryan Andrews - were happy to have their frontman back. Unfortunately, the pain in his elbow made it very difficult for him to play guitar. Mika played right-handed, so strumming wasn't a problem. Moving his left hand across the fret board, however, did involve bending that elbow. Therefore, the pain caused by bending it was, sadly, inevitable.
Their usual practice building was blown out in the attack, so the only place left for them to have a jam session in was an old shed that wasn't really used by any humans. Unfortunately, it was a frequent hangout for the dogs of Nome - especially in the evening hours, as it also happened to be their version of a bar/restaurant.
Lapp Attack were scheduled to perform at same club where they usually performed tomorrow night. However, because of the recent devastation, and with all the memorial and funeral services being planned for the victims, their show got postponed. It was decided, therefore, that this rehearsal would help them memorize the familiar songs as well as perfect the new songs that they were planning on playing. And because the pain in his elbow was too great, Mika did not strap on his Kramer Striker electric guitar at all that night. So the sound wasn't complete. He still used his headset microphone, which he also used for live shows.
"Are you guys sure you wanna keep playing even though the sound isn't right?" Mika asked his band mates.
"We can work on that once your elbow heals," replied Keith. "Which I hope is soon."
"The doctor said it should be fine after a few days," added Mika. "Has a new date for the concert been set?"
"Not yet," put in Colin. "Ryan and I are still working on that part."
"Yeah," added Ryan. "There are a lot of details to work out for the services for the victims of the invasion. It may be a while before we get this show in."
"I just hope we don't have to wait too long," finished Kaj.
They all agreed with that. And then went back to their practice.
Meanwhile, in the dog's shed, the remaining dog residents of Nome - most of the town's dog population did survive - were just hanging out, trying their best to put out of their minds the tumultuous events of the day.
The only thing really going on at the time was idol chit-chat among the dogs. Most of which was assorted rants and raves about the battle that had taken place earlier that day. Boris, Stella, Muk and Luk were among the shed's occupants at the time. Balto was still in a considerable amount of pain from the battle. When he got hit by the bullet, it wedged itself between two ribs, moving them apart, leaving tiny cracks in them. It hurt mostly when he laughed, belched, or did anything that moved that section.
"I tell you," said Balto. "I thought all those previous rescue missions I went on were dangerous. But today's rescue made those others look wimpy."
"You don't say," Nikki responded.
"That was the most treacherous, the most dangerous, the most..." put in Kaltag.
"That was scary out there!" interrupted Star.
Kaltag didn't even bother bonking Star on the head. He knew all too well what was meant by that.
"We know, already," he replied.
"Yep," added Balto. "This one definitely tops the list."
The only battle survivors who were completely unharmed were Dusty, Kodi, Ralph and Kirby. They were originally part of the expedition Balto had led to the battlefield after he heard that Mika was in trouble. On the way up, they found David lying mortally wounded on a mountainside. Thinking there might still be a chance to save him, Kodi, Ralph, Kirby and Dusty took David back into town, hoping he could be saved. Alas, their effort to save him proved futile, even though they did make it to the hospital.
"How did you dogs manage to avoid getting hit early on?" asked Boris, sounding confused.
"Sneak attacks," replied Dingo. "That was the strategy. Pick a target, attack from behind, and distract them long enough for Mika to finish them off."
"And yet, most of you did get hit eventually," said Muk.
"They caught on to our plan," put in Attu. "But how most of us escaped with only minor injuries, I swear I'll never know."
"I guess we just got lucky," said Kodi. "Well, most of us did, anyway."
He added that last line when he realized that both his dad and Steele, with their respective injuries - bullet wound and twisted knee, being far more serious - that some got off worse than others. It was then that Boris, Stella, Muk and Luk knew the extent of Balto's injuries. Because they waited outside, they didn't know about any of this until just now. Even Balto himself didn't know how bad he had been hurt. And he was surprised when he did find out.
Around this time, a somewhat familiar sound caught their attention. It was from a familiar sounding band that they had all come to know and like, but it wasn't a familiar song.
"What's that?" asked Dusty.
"Sounds a like a Lapp Attack rehearsal," replied Jenna.
"I don't recognize that song," added Ralph.
"It must be a new one," put in Balto. "Come on, let's go check it out."
They got up, walked out of the shed, and followed the sound to its source.
The sound was traced to the dogs' bar/restaurant. Sure enough, when they arrived, Lapp Attack was working on a new song of theirs.
Don't Look Back
I never knew what it meant to me
'Till someone just took the best of me
If it's some kind of conspiracy
Then no-one gets to the rest of me
I'm turning over leaves, I'm holding up my head
I'm healing over hurt and learning to forget
I said don't look back, let it fade and let it go
Don't look back, let it fade and let it go, oh
You make your way in a crazy world
Get all mixed up by a crazy girl
When all you want is some honesty
But then all she gives you is sympathy
I'm opening new doors, I'm clearing out the shelf
I'm loosening my act and laughing to myself
I said don't look back, let it fade and let it go
Don't look back, let it fade and let it go, oh
Don't be afraid of the choices you've made
And try not to give any quarter
There's no more to say
I'm walking away and I'll never look back
I said don't look back, let it fade and let it go
Don't look back, let it fade and let it go
(Mika vocal solo for final lines of song)
I said don't look back, let it fade and let it go
Don't look back
(keyboard sound follows vocals)
Let it go
Let it go
The dogs walked in during the first run through the chorus and were quite surprised to see Mika without his guitar. But they did like what they heard, even though they didn't voice their opinions until the end of the song.
"Boys, that was brilliant," said Doc after they finished.
"Thanks, Doc," Mika replied. He then turned to his band mates and said, "Alright boys, take five."
"And not a minute too soon," said Ryan.
"Now what?" Keith asked.
"The pad where the pedal hits the kick drum has a crack in it," Ryan responded.
"Well, hopefully you have a spare," added Colin. Ryan held one up to show that he did indeed have a spare.
At which point they all exchanged high-fives. Several complementary howls rang out from the other dogs.
"Why no guitar, Mika?" asked Balto.
"Well, I bruised my left elbow during the battle," Mika answered. "It hurts when I bend it. And because grabbing the neck of the guitar and moving my left hand across the fret board involves bending that elbow, it impossible for me to play it without causing any pain."
"I thought you guys had a place to play," said Steele. "What are you doing here?"
"The building where we usually practice in got destroyed by the extremists," Mika responded. "This was the only building that we could find that wasn't really used by anybody. Seriously, none of us knew at first that this was a hangout for you dogs." Noticing the bandage around Steele's left knee,
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