“What the…” She whispered.

 

 

 “You take the structure blinding you off to see…and yet you still can’t not see. I find that so poignant.”

 

 

Aleu recognized the voice; she steadied herself for the approach.

 

 

“Kodi.” She hissed. “What are doing?”

 

 

Suddenly a large spotlight that shined down on her and only her blinded Aleu. Outside the circle of light that surrounded her, was darkness. Kodi stepped in out of the light. His clothing neat and pressed, Sled dog traced around his stomach and waist. He smiled as he saw Aleu, in her dress and heals, take a step back.

 

 

“Ah darling sister… come to join the party.”

 

 

Aleu saw it…traces of foam on his mouth. “Kodi, you…your….”

 

 

He waved his hand. “I spent a lot of time in the woods after your beloved Railroad lost me my job.”

 

 

He stepped into the circle, and approached Aleu. She took her stance and balled up her fists, ready for a fight.

 

 

“No need for any of that.” Kodi said.

 

 

“Where have you taken me, little brother.”? Aleu growled.

 

 

Kodi waved one hand. “All you need to know is I have a deal for you.”

 

 

Aleu braced herself. But the amount of foam she realized her brother had gone rabid in his days in the woods. “What?” she said, somewhat meekly.

 

 

“You agree to a fight…. to the death. Agree and I will let you go.”

 

 

Aleu looked at her brother, deep down inside she knew the Kodi who she had grown up with was there, suppressed by anger and rabid hatred.

 

 

“Kodi…don’t do this. We can help you.” She whispered to him, her eyes full of love and concern.

 

 

For a second there, Kodi looked as if he was going to give in.

 

 

“No…you wouldn’t.”

 

 

Aleu sighed. She would have to think fast.

 

 

“Ok.” She whispered, her head bowed in morbid grievance.

 

 

                                   

                        ***********************

 

 

 

 

Balto ran threw the streets of Nome. When Aleu hadn’t returned, he checked the restaurant for the waiter she had left with. A strange look at the manger’s face and he knew something wasn’t right.

 

 

Wasting no time, Balto ran to the Railroad’s roundhouse. Jenna was away on a maintenance of way train, so Aleu couldn’t have gone with her mother.

 

 

Balto may have been reaching middle age but his mind was still sharp and his since of direction keen. Another Blizzard was due on Nome for days. It wasn’t much to the town that had suffered threw many a storm, including the “Basher of 25” But Balto could feel the snow melting and sizzling on his head and neck as he charged down the tracks.

 

 

It had been years since Balto had even touched a sled, His legs and arms, although well fit and strong, hadn’t been put to the test in a long time. But now as he raced along the track he could feel that adrenaline pumping in him. A mix of love for his children and hatred for the events that pitted them against each other, along with a little bit of self loathing for unknowingly sticking Aleu in the center of the situation. He smiled and remembered years ago when a similar rush carried him miles in a storm to fetch a box of medicine, as well as the thought that a train could have done the same job within a day instead of the four days it took him on foot.

 

 

Throwing his jacket off he said to himself. “There was no railroad then…you can do this.” And he galloped off as fast as his two legs could carry him The wind in his ears and the snow flaying behind him.

 

 

                                   

 Hoping up onto the roadbed and right of way he saw a 2-6-0 shoving a string of flatcars, their decks buried under a layer of snow. He stood and watched as the locomotive grinded to a halt, steam hissing impatiently as the air pump ticked off the minutes like a breathing heart.

 

 

“What can I do for yah?” The engineer, a rather chunky looking husky said, an engineer’s stripped cap perched lopsided on his head.

 

 

“Do you know where I can find Aleu?” AJ called.

 

 

The dog nodded. “Sorry, haven’t seen her all day.”

 

 

Balto nodded, his mind starting to think haphazardly. “Does the road fallow the railroad tracks far?” he asked.

 

 

The engineer nodded. “Yep, up until the old log mill…then it becomes a sled dog track that borders the railroad for a few miles. But the Log mill was abandoned”

 

 

“Was abandoned?” Balto asked, not sure why when he said it but something in his gut told him the engineer saw something out of the ordinary.

 

 

The Husky scratched his head and hat. “Yah, strange if I know. Smoke was poring out of the stack from the boiler rooms. So it looked like someone was using it.”

 

 

It hit Balto like the preverbal freight train. The Kenacot Company owned the old Log mill. The same company that was now deep in the “Northern Scandal”

 

 

“We need to get down there. Now, I’ll explain on the way!

 

 

“Balto Hop on!” The husky called.

 

 

Balto mounted the cab. “Thank Kirby, I owe you one.”

 

 

Kirby opened the throttle. The mogul’s wheels slipped for a few seconds on the icy rails before they gripped and while a high moan on her whistle, she started off down the track. As they passed the dispatcher’s office Kirby leaned out and called to a platelayer.

 

 

“Get Ol’ Doc to clear the line as far as Milepost 5.4! We’re an emergency train!” he yelled, grabbing the cord and giving a few blasts of the whistle.

 

 

 

 

                                    ******************

 

 

*****************

 

 

Aleu felt the tings of sweat drop from her head fur. The him of her skirt flittered in a small breeze from some unknown fan. Kodi stood a few feet away from her. His eyes flickering like flint. The cold air of the abounded warehouse was interrupted by water dripping from some unknown location.

 

 

“Kodi, we don’t have to do this.” Aleu said, her voice soft and full of love.

 

 

Kodi just stared at her, growling madly. Aleu got a good look at the shell that was once her brother, his clothing was ripped and in some places she could see that he had been scratching himself rabidly till the skin bled. Small rivers of foam dripped from his muzzle and his eyes seemed distant and clouded. Aleu felt a tear swell, knowing that her once proud brother had been driven to madness after his dreams where crushed.

 

 

“All of it…gone.” Kodi moaned. “My life…my team, my job.” His eyes focused on Aleu. “You…and that god damn railroad. Its steel tentacles sucking the lifeblood out of Nome.”

 

 

He sprang forward, his powerful sled dog legs propelling him across the room like a lightning bolt.

 

 

What saved Aleu in those two seconds was the distance between the two, a good eight feet. If she had been any closer then Kodi would have been all over her like an avalanche. As It was, Kodi struck her like a cannon ball at a glancing blow, throwing Aleu to the ground. She slid along the cement floor, knocking into he side of the old conveyer belt housing.

 

 

Aleu reached into the him of her dress and pulled out a small derringer, she planted into Kodi’s right arm, hoping to incapacitate him until help arrived.

 

 

Kodi was stopped in his tracks but did not fall. He was too muscular, his fur too thick. He grinned feverishly, Foam flopping on the dirt and cement.

 

 

“That pop-gun only holds two bullet dear sister.”

 

 

“I wish you stop calling me “Dear Sister” Aleu mumbled jumping to her feet, she kicked her heals off, wishing she had chosen a much less formal restaurant to dine in.

 

 

Now it was Kodi’s turn. He grabbed a chain that was dangling from the ceiling and started twirling it like a pare of numb chucks slowly advancing on Aleu.

 

 

Aleu chucked the derringer like a baseball. At four feet away it couldn’t miss. The little gun, as solid as a peace of rail, thudded off Kodi’s face, just above the muzzle and in-between the eyes.

 

 

The blow staggered him more then the bullet in his right shoulder. There was no grasp of pain, no blood curdling cry, he just merely grunted and charged Aleu.

 

 

Aleu tried to back flip over the belt, But Kodi grabbed her by her leg and chucked her across the room with strength no less then phenomenal.

 

 

Then as Kodi charged her again, Aleu grabbed the derringer, which had landed nearby and without hesitation, the thought that this was not her beloved brother she was among at but a monster

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