who didn't treat him like an outsider. He was well-respected by his fellow band-mates, and became their most influential member, although his voice was noticeably muffled by his thick Finnish accent. Lapp Attack may not be the most popular band in America, but considering that they were relatively new to the music scene, they always drew a good crowd. They also had a very distinctive sound that was far ahead of its time.
Considering that this was her first show, Jenna really enjoyed it. She couldn't help but sing along with all six songs, even though she didn't know all the words. Balto usually had to help out with that, which was okay with her. They both liked "(I Just) Died In Your Arms" a lot.
"Great show, eh?" Balto asked.
"Yeah!" replied Jenna very enthusiastically. "I loved it! You were right. Mika does make for a good singer."
After the show, the stage was cleared for the next act, and Lapp Attack headed backstage to relax and watch the next act from backstage.
When the last show ended, everyone in the audience was free to go and meet the performers backstage. Most were there signing autographs, and Lapp Attack didn't pass up a chance to meet with the fans.
Jenna was particularly excited about going backstage for the meet-and-greet session, and she almost couldn't contain her excitement as she and Balto headed to the backstage area where the performers and fans were gathered.
"That's one small step for a new fan," she said.
"And one giant line for an autograph," said Steele, who was in line ahead of them.
The happy look faded from Jenna's face when she saw how long the line was. It was as if her spirit had been put through a meat grinder.
"What brings you here?" asked Balto. He had never seen Steele at a show before.
"I'm a huge Lapp Attack fan," replied Steele.
"I see," added Balto. "Word has it you kept a member in the band, am I hearing this right?"
"Yeah," said Steele. "Ryan was on the verge of quitting because he didn't think they were cool. But a certain action I performed at a show back in March kept him in the band."
"What exactly did you do?" Balto asked.
"Watch and learn, wolf-dog," Steele replied.
"This I gotta see," said Balto.
"How long is the wait?" Jenna asked.
"Well," said Steele in response, "wait time varies. The lines are usually long, so it helps to get here as early as possible."
"So I see," said Jenna.
The line eventually moved along, albeit rather slowly. After about fifteen minutes, Balto and Jenna only had Steele in front of them. Behind them, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star were still raving about the show. Kodi and his team were behind that trio.
Mika noticed them approaching and thought, "Oh, man, now my band mates are really gonna raze me about my newfound ability." Apparently Keith, Colin and Ryan had found out backstage before the show and had been razzing Mika about it.
"Hey, Mika," said Keith. "Don't look now, but you got a ton of fans waiting in line right now." He started laughing to himself.
"Shut up, Keith," Mika retorted.
Before going up front for the signings, all the fans waiting in line could pick up a lithograph picture of their favorite performer(s) to sign. Balto, Jenna, and company didn't hesitate to get one a piece. Finally, their wait was over and nobody was in front of them in line.
"Well," said Mika, "I can tell the fan base has clearly crossed the species boundary."
"Hey, hey," said Colin. "I thought we only played to human fans. Real fans."
"Oh, I'm a real fan," added Steele. "Remember this one, guys?"
He grabbed a lantern, balanced it on his nose, and screamed "LAPP ATTACK RUUUUUUUUUUUUULES!!!!!!!!!!"
"What did he say?" asked Colin.
"He said 'Lapp Attack rules!'" replied Mika.
"Oh yeah, I remember that," said Kaj. "March 9th, Row C, Seat 10."
"And to think I was about to quit the band until I saw that lighter," added Ryan.
"So, were signing all of these lithographs for you?" asked Mika.
"All of them," replied Balto.
"Get ready, boys," said Mika. "We might all get a bad case of writer's cramp after we're done with signing all these."
Jenna was carrying them under her bandana so nobody would get teeth marks on them. Mika, Kaj, Keith, Colin and Ryan all signed them, though not exactly in that order, and gave them back when they were done. Afterwards, they all headed home for the night, each carrying their own respective signed lithographs tucked under their collars. Jenna carried hers' and Balto's under her bandana.
"Did you have a good time?" Balto asked Jenna.
"Oh, yes, definitely!"Jenna said sounding very excited. "Remember when we last had this much fun together?"
"How long ago was that?" asked Balto.
"Before the pups were born," Jenna answered back. "Oh, baby, I've been waiting for this moment." She then nuzzled lovingly under Balto's chin and said, "I could just die in your arms."
"Hey, hey," Balto answered back. "Don't actually die on me, missy."
They both laughed and again nuzzled each other as they walked home. They even couldn't help but start singing their favorite tune from the show, none other than (I Just) Died In Your Arms. Jenna sang the first half of the verses and where Kaj and Colin sang backup. Balto covered the first vocal lines, the second half of the verses, the chorus, and the filler. He even tried to imitate Kaj's guitar sound from the sections where the vocals and guitar didn't overlap. It wasn't that great, but with all due respect, he was clearly no electric guitar, nor was his name Kaj Kykalisko. All and all, they clearly had a great time.
Back at the club, Lapp Attack was packing up their equipment for the night and congratulating each other on a great show.
"Alright, fellows," said Mika, "that was one great performance."
"Yeah, definitely," put in Keith.
"Definitely awesome!" added Kaj.
"Rock solid!" interjected Colin.
"Man, we sure tore the place apart tonight!" finished Ryan.
They all agreed. With that said, they left the club with their equipment and headed home. Kaj, however, stayed back to take care of some last-minute business. After about ten minutes, he started for home. But he wasn't out the door for ten seconds before three strange figures tackled him and started pounding him. One of them even pulled out a knife and slashed Kaj's throat. It didn't bleed, but it was still a fairly deep cut.
Kaj immediately recognized the trio that was assaulting him. They were another group that had been ousted from a show earlier in the year after Lapp Attack rose to prominence. Angry, they had sought to sabotage Lapp Attack's performance. Kaj, however, got wind of the attempt and ratted them out. This resulted in the three being banned from playing at the club indefinitely. Now they really wanted revenge, by any means necessary. They were all a few years older than Kaj, and they easily overpowered him.
"What do you want?!" Kaj screamed, gasping for air.
"Revenge!" the knife-wielder replied.
Mika was already home by now, but he could clearly hear his brother screaming for help. Immediately, he picked up his Colt, loaded it, and ran off to help his brother.
By the time he got to the alley behind the club, Kaj was unconscious on the ground with the three punks still wailing on him. Overcome with rage, Mika pulled out his gun and fired a warning shot that almost hit one of them in the head.
"Get away from my brother, or the next shot won't miss!" Mika exclaimed.
"Back off, you, or your brother gets it again!" the knife-wielder yelled back.
"Don't even think about it, you shit-ass punk!" retorted Mika, his voice overflowing with rage. He also instantly recognized the perps.
Eventually, the rage finally set Mika off. He charged the attackers while waving his revolver. One of them knocked Mika's gun loose when he got to them, but Mika fought them off and went to his brother's aid. But the knife-wielder tripped him up, sending him to the ground.
But Mika got back up, and it was now a hand-to-hand battle. Mika eventually made a run for his gun, but was again stopped short by the knife-wielder. Knocked to the ground again, Mika tried a desperate kick to fend him off. His right foot connected with the attacker's chin, whipping his head back, knocking him over unconscious. Mika finally picked up his gun, and, seeing the others making an advance towards him, fired four shots, each one hitting them in the shins. They limped away in pain.
Mika immediately went to his brother's side and tried to revive him. He put one hand on Kaj's throat to stop any air from escaping his windpipe. Mika then picked up Kaj and made dash for the hospital, fearing the worst.
Balto was startled awake when he heard the gunshots go off. He jumped out of bed and ran to a nearby window, trying to listen in on where the shots came from and what was making them.
"Did you hear that?" he said, panicking slightly.
"Hear what?" asked Jenna, sounding tired.
"That 'bang, bang'," Balto replied. "It sounded like gunfire."
"What?" Jenna asked, not believing a word Balto had said. "Gunshots? Are you serious?"
"I call it as I hear it," Balto replied. "And besides, I know a gunshot when I hear it."
"Look, don't worry about it," said Jenna. "Come back to bed, dear."
Balto reluctantly walked away from the window went back to sleep, knowing something had to be wrong.
Mika burst through the front door of the hospital, still carrying Kaj in both arms.
"Emergency! Emergency!" he yelled.
"What's the matter, Mika?" said one of the doctors who was on call at the time. This was the same doctor who had treated Mika two days ago after Balto inadvertently tripped him.
"My brother got attacked by three goons in an alley," said Mika. "One of them slashed his throat with a knife."
"Oh my god,
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