Aleu and her own pack were still tied up with the rest of the remaining invaders and unable to come to Mika's rescue.
Sensing that his Finnish friend was in trouble, Balto managed to round up about two dozen dogs to go with him and assist Mika. But by the time they got to the battle scene, Mika was being tied up and hauled away by the extremists.
One thing they couldn't miss was the sight of David lying motionless on the ground nearby, blood leaking from his chest. Some of the dogs that followed Balto up to the battleground were left feeling somewhat nauseated by what they saw. Balto ran over to check on David, hoping to find at least one sign of life. They couldn't do anything right then and there to help him. If David was to have even a slight chance of survival, he would have to be taken to the hospital immediately.
"Is he alive?" asked Dusty, sounding very worried.
"I can't tell," replied Balto. "Listen, Dusty, Kodi, Ralph, Kirby. Take David to the hospital now. I'll take the rest of the team and go rescue Mika."
No one bothered arguing with that. Kirby, Ralph, Kodi, and Dusty had already started carrying David into town. Meanwhile, Balto took the rest of the team to pursue the extremists and rescue Mika. Eventually they caught up, only to see the Finn facing the edge of a cliff with roughly a dozen guns pointed at him. The extremists were planning to execute him, firing squad-style.
"This looks bad," said Nikki, who was among the dogs that came along on the rescue attempt.
"Oh, yes indeed," added Kaltag, who was virtually out of words to describe what he was seeing.
After assessing the situation, Balto and company devised a battle plan. Each one would pick one of the invaders, attack that particular invader, and keep them busy long enough for Mika to finish them off. Once explained and agreed upon, the plan was immediately put into action.
The sudden assault from behind caught the extremists completely by surprise. So, too, was Mika. Sensing his chance, he reloaded his guns and joined the attack. Whenever he was approached by an enemy, he was able to quickly dispose of that target and move on to the next one.
However, it didn't take long before the enemy caught on and started fighting back. The plan was already starting to collapse, as most of the rescue team had been cut down within the first five minutes. Balto, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, and Steele were still left, and they were faring better than their teammates. Steele, however, had to abandon the fight after getting thrown off the back of one of the Soviets and landing at a crooked angle on one leg.
"Aaaaahhhh!" he screamed in pain. "Dog down! Left rear leg in major pain! Ah!"
"Get out while you can, Steele," Balto ordered to him. "You can't do any good in your current condition!"
"Sorry!" Steele responded as he limped away. None of the extremists went after him. One almost did but was told to let him go.
Mika was still able to carry out his part of the battle plan. He even went so far as to dispose of an enemy target while Balto and his team still had it distracted. It was working, however.
But once again, the enemy was catching on. Eventually, Mika, Balto, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star were cornered at the ledge with the enemy's guns pointed right at them. There was still a good deal of distance between them, however. Still, they all knew that this could very well be how it ends.
Suddenly, one of them heard what sounded like an engine and propeller blades rotating.
"Look!" said Balto.
A squadron of airplanes was approaching. Mika drew out his binoculars to see who they were.
"They're U.S. fighter planes!" he exclaimed.
Word of what happened in Wales - and a few other towns - had reached the Lower 48. Eventually, the Army and the National Guard were called in to stop the foreign attackers.
Immediately, the Soviet extremists started firing back. Their efforts, however were in vain. Even the group that was still tangling with Aleu and her pack were being mowed down easily. Sensing their chance, Mika and company rejoined the battle. When their reinforcements couldn't stop the enemy, Mika and his canine comrades did. In the midst of all the chaos, one extremists decided to take out Mika. Seeing what might happen, Balto attacked. While he was busy saving Mika, another invader took action to save his comrade, knocking Balto off his back and then firing to keep him away. One of those shots, however, struck Balto right in the ribs on his right side. He howled in pain before staggering around and falling over a short distance down the mountainside. He landed on the same side in which he was shot.
"Balto, NO!" Mika screamed upon seeing what had just happened. He then busted off two shots from his revolver, both of which dusted off the invaders who tried to kill him and had shot Balto.
Quickly, the remaining extremists were finished off. Mika, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, and about half of Aleu's pack were still standing. The Army and National Guard troops that had quelled the battle went to check on the survivors.
"Are you alright, sir?" one of them asked Mika.
"Yes," Mika replied. "Wish I could say the same for everybody on our side."
Having dropped David off at the hospital, Kodi, Dusty, Kirby, and Ralph returned to the battlefield, only to find that the battle was over. On their way up, they passed the spot where Balto lie unconscious.
"Dad!" Kodi exclaimed seeing his father nearly dead and checking for vital signs. Balto was still breathing, although barely.
"Come on," said Dusty. "We have to get him to the vet immediately."
As they were about to do so, Mika and two Army Rangers reached the scene.
"Is he alright?" asked one of the two rangers who was with Mika at the time.
"I don't know," Mika responded. "I don't know. Come on, let's get him to the vet now."
With that, Mika took Balto in both of his arms and ran as fast as he could into town, knowing full well that the life of Nome's canine hero was at stake. As was the life of his Outdoor Outfitters coworker, David Stoner.
Will Balto and David survive their respective battle injuries? Will Nome recover from the destructive onslaught? Find out in Chapter 9: Tense Moments.
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