Invasion: Chapter 9: Tense Moments

Mika Kykalisko and the Army Rangers who had just saved him from the Soviet extremists hurried down the mountainside toward Nome. In the Finn's arms, Balto was barely hanging on after sustaining a gunshot wound to his right side in the battle. He was still breathing, but it was noticeably faint. The wound had already been bandaged in an attempt to stop the blood loss. Other dogs that had been wounded but were still alive were also being taken back to town. On the way, they passed Steele, who was still limping in after landing askew on his left rear leg. Seeing that another ally of his was in pain, Mika alerted one of the troops accompanying him to the injured husky, and without any further delay, he too was on his way to the town animal hospital. Meanwhile, the residents of Nome had already come out of hiding. They had been out since Mika and David had drawn the invaders out of town. And they were quite relieved when the Army and National Guard showed up and quickly ended the battle. Word had also spread about Mika's return after being away for two months. None of that mattered much now. The lives of a sizable chunk of the town's population - both human and animal - were now hanging in the balance. Several civilians had been injured early in the assault on Nome. Most of them suffered only minor injuries. The one who got the worst of it was David Stoner. He took a bayonet stab right to the chest and had lost a lot of blood. Mika had somehow emerged unscathed, and even he wasn't sure how. But that didn't concern him. Not one bit. The remaining dogs who did not take part in the battle saw the emergency convoy enter town and had started to panic at the sight of their fellow canine residents of Nome injured and being carried back. Jenna in particular was in a state of disbelief at the sight of Balto being carried unconscious in Mika's arms. Eventually, the battle casualties that were still alive made it to the hospital and the veterinarian hospital. After dropping Balto off, Mika immediately went over to the hospital to see how David was doing. Aleu had lost half of her pack in the onslaught. But those that did survive were not seriously injured. Most of them weren't even hurt at all in one way or another. Upon arrival at the hospital, Mika immediately asked about David's condition. He had been told that David was already in the emergency room being attended to. However, his condition was very grave. The bayonet had punctured a hole in the left ventricle of David's heart, and he was losing blood very rapidly. His wife, Jessica, and son, Michael, were waiting outside the room where David was being worked on. Also there was Mika's mother, Erja, and brother, Kaj. His father, Toni, had been injured when a wooden board fell on him and almost crushed his lower right leg. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" said Mika's mother as she hugged him. "Yes, I'm okay," Mika replied. "Where's Dad?" "He broke a bone in his lower right leg," said Kaj. "Our house was practically destroyed by those creeps." "Not to mention half the town," added Mika. "Any of you know how David's doing?" "Not to well," said Jessica, who overheard what their conversation. 'What happened to him?" asked Erja. "You wouldn't believe it even if I told you," replied Mika. "Well, you were there," said Jessica. "You know what happened." Mika eventually revealed that he had followed the Soviets since they burned the town of Wales, where he had been hospitalized for two months. After catching up to them here at Nome, he eventually shot and killed two of the extremists, which started the battle. After which, he led them on a chase before ditching them to reload. Unbeknownst to him, he had stopped at David's house. When David and his family were attacked, he decided to join Mika and fight back. In doing so, they led the enemy outside of town into the nearby mountains. That was where most of the battle was fought. In the process, David got stabbed and Mika had almost been killed several times. But with help from some unlikely allies - not to mention the timely arrival of the Army and National Guard - the invaders were soundly defeated. "You mean you were actually fighting those guys?" asked Kaj. "Dude, that's awesome!" "No, it's not!" their mother protested. "What were you thinking?" "Did you not here the part about Wales being totally destroyed by them?" Mika retorted back in a tone his mother didn't like. "I was the only one who survived the attack! I was the only one who could've stopped them! David came to my assistance out of his own free will! So don't any of you accuse me of intentionally starting a fight! Because I didn't start it! But I sure finished it." "You tell them, bro!" exclaimed Kaj. The two brothers exchanged a high-ten, went "Huh" and faked banging their heads together.
Meanwhile, at the vet, all the dogs who had sustained injuries were already being treated to. Most of them were minor. Steele had twisted his knee as a result of landing askew on it when he thrown off the back of one of the extremists. He was quickly bandaged up and advised to keep the weight off that knee. Balto wasn't the only dog who had sustained a gunshot wound, but most of those who did and survived the initial hit were treated and released, as the vast majority were hit in a non-vital area. Balto, however, got the worst of it, having been hit in the right side. Further diagnosis revealed that the bullet didn't touch any vital organs. Instead, it got trapped by two ribs and was wedged in between them, enough to leave small cracks in both bones. However, the tip of the bullet did puncture a blood vessel, and the possibility of losing some blood upon removing it meant it would have to be taken out very carefully. Jenna was very distraught and insisted on being in the operating room with her mate. She was able to see him before the operation began. She had her paws up on the table and was in tears the whole time. Before being asked to leave the room, Jenna had something to say that she hoped who help Balto pull through. "Hold on, my love," she said as she held his left front paw, her voice sounding very choked up. "I know you can make it. I've seen you emerge okay from other dire situations before. I know you can do it again. I can't be in here with you during the operation. But I'll be waiting for you right outside the door. Don't give up!" By this point, Jenna was bawling her eyes out. "Come on, girl," said Rosy's father, grabbing Jenna's bandana. "Let's let the doctors do their job." Jenna took one look back at the operating table as she left the room.
Back at the human hospital, Toni Kykalisko emerged with a cast on his lower right leg. His family was relieved to see that he was okay. "I'm so glad you're okay!" exclaimed Erja as they embraced. "It's great to have you back, Dad," said Kaj as he and Mika joined in a group hug. "Kaj," Mika said to his brother, "Don't you think were getting a little old for group hugs?" "You two are never too old for a group hug," Toni responded. "How did you get back here, Mika?" "I'd been trailing those Soviets ever since they burned Wales to the ground," Mika replied. "I was the only survivor of the attack. And therefore, the only one left who was able to find out what they were up to and stop them! And I did! How's David?" "He's barely hanging on," said the doctor who came out with Toni. "He took the hit in a critical area, and right now his survival prospects are looking anywhere from very slim to none." "I know that much," added Mika. "I saw it happen. But I was tied up with three of the invaders attacking me simultaneously, so I couldn't do much of anything to help him." "And he and Dad are not the only casualties that we know in one way or another," put in Kaj. "Nick Jones, the guy we had lined up for lead singer in case you didn't return, was hit in the head by a airborne floorboard and was knocked unconscious. Now he's in a coma." Mika slapped his forehead with his right hand and shook it in disgust. Just then, Jessica and Michael came out of the operating room where David was, and she was teary-eyed beyond belief. "What's wrong?" asked Erja. "David died," said Jessica, sounding really choked up. Toni and Kaj's mouths dropped open. Mika's arms hung limp at his side. "Well," he said, "I think we all could have seen this coming from the minute he was brought here." He sighed, hung his head and shook it in disbelief. Just then, John Robertson, the owner of Outdoor Outfitters, came out of the bathroom. "What's going on?" he asked, not knowing what had just happened. "David just died," replied Mika. "Oh my god," said John, who was both shocked and saddened. He immediately offered his condolences and joined them in a group hug. "Hi, Mika," John said eventually. "Great to see you back." "Great to see you, too, John," Mika replied. John didn't mind Mika or David calling him by his first name. Or anybody else for that matter. "Uh, somebody's standing on my foot," said Toni. "Oh," said Michael, who realized he was standing on Toni's right foot. "Sorry." "Ah, don't worry about it," said Toni. "It's not my foot that's broken, anyway." Amidst all the talk, none of then even noticed Mika walk out. By the time they did, he was already long gone. Mika couldn't stand being in there, so he went home. His place wasn't in great shape. Several windows were blown out. There was some damage to the support beam. And some items had been burnt. It was amazing that the whole house didn't burn down. Mika then went into his liquor cabinet, grabbed the fifth of Drunken Czar he was keeping, and took several gulps from it. Distraught over his coworker's death, he then went on a drunken rampage. He smashed out the only two

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