Balto: Espionage Tactics
By: Balto5670
This story, its corresponding plotline, and its characters are © 2006 Balto5670. The characters Balto, Jenna, Steele, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star are © 1995 Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.
Espionage: the act of spying; the use of spying or spies to gather secret information and complete secret tasks
Inspired by the game series Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action and Splinter Cell.
Prologue
Washington D.C., December 10, 2004, 2300 hours.
The room was deathly silent for awhile. Two dogs made up the occupation of the room; one sitting on a couch and the other holding a remote for a projector. The dog holding the remote walked in circles around the edges of the room as the projector booted up.
“Alright, listen up Balto,” the man said, “We’ve finally gotten the green light to proceed with the Intrusion Mission.”
“Intrusion
“Just wait a moment, I’m getting to that,” the dog, a German Shepherd replied, “Tell me, have you ever heard of a dog named Steele?”
The Shepherd pressed a button and a profile photo of a black and white dog appeared on the wall in front of Balto, a serious and angry look on Steele’s face.
“Isn’t he that former military sergeant? The one who was relieved of duty because of the way he handled his unit and then his unit left and joined him?”
“Precisely. Recently, Steele’s been holding a grudge against the
“Terrorist-themed assault? On what?”
“Have you ever heard of
The dog pressed the button again. A map of
“What is wrong with that dog?”
“We’re not sure, but all we can tell is that he’s leading a platoon of soldiers still loyal to him. He’s taken complete control of the facility and there’s no telling what he’ll do. There are four specific members to his unit to look out for though…”
The German Shepherd pressed the same button and four pictures appeared, one being Steele himself. The dog pulled out a laser pointer and shot the beam onto a tawny looking husky.
“Private First-Class Star, a master at handguns…”
The laser moved over a tan husky, a smirk on the dog’s face.
“Corporal Kaltag, an excellent sharpshooter and hand-to-hand combat master...”
The next picture was of a heavier looking dog, a distasteful look on his face.
“Private Nikki, an explosives expert…”
Finally, the laser settled upon the twisted smile of Steele.
“And Sergeant Steele, an excellent all-around fighter, an expert with any gun and fighting style, and a ruthless and merciless dog…”
The Shepherd sighed and put his laser pointer away, pressing the button on the remote yet again. The four photos vanished and were replaced with a picture of a Talon combat plane.
“We’ll be flying you over
“What’s the reward?”
“Always thinking for benefit, eh Balto? How about the satisfaction of doing your country an excellent service? That and the government will pay your taxes for five years.”
“Damn… Well, I suppose it’s better than nothing…” Balto muttered and chuckled softly.
“You’ll be outfitted with a handgun, the standard army-issue packs, a communicator so we can speak, a few clips of ammo, and enough rations for a day. That’s all you should need. Should you need anything else, you’ll have to procure-on-site. Remember, this is a stealth mission; you cannot let the enemy know you’re there… So, what do you say?”
The Shepherd pressed a different button and the projector turned off. Balto stood up and glanced at the Shepherd, nodding to him.
“Alright, Colonel McIntyre… Let’s do this…” Balto said determinedly.
Chapter 1
December 15, 2004. Above Alaskan airspace, 0600 hours.
A lone Talon combat air unit flew silently above the dark Alaskan sky. Below, the forest was silent. Inside the cockpit, the German Shepherd stood behind the pilots, analyzing every aspect of the mission. He pressed a button for the intercom system and spoke into the microphone.
“Are you doing alright back there, Balto?” Colonel McIntyre asked.
In the back of the plane, Balto sat on one of the benches, a soldier checking his outfit and equipment for any faults. When none were detected, he walked over to the control console and began preparing to open the back for Balto’s departure.
“Are you doing alright back there, Balto?” came the voice of Colonel McIntyre.
“Yeah, I’m fine!” Balto shouted so that the intercom could pick up his voice.
“Excellent. We’ll be approaching your D.O.P. (Drop off Point) in five minutes.”
“The suspense is killing me…” Balto muttered sarcastically.
Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The soldier finished depressurizing the back chamber so Balto could fall without any risks of pressure affects. He turned and pointed to Balto’s oxygen helmet beside him on the bench.
“Put your helmet on. Opening rear hatch now…” the dog said, pressing a button on the console.
As Balto pushed the helmet securely onto his head, the back hatch opened to reveal the Alaskan winter night. He stood up and walked over to the end of the plane, looking over the edge and down at the snow-covered forest. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the jump.
“All systems are a go!” the dog announced happily.
“Here’s your stop, Balto. Good luck…”
Balto opened his eyes and leaned forward, kicking off and dropping out of the plane. The wind ripped past his body as he rapidly fell down toward the Alaskan forest. In his ear, Balto could hear Colonel McIntyre’s voice.
“Remember, infiltrate the facility, kill the four elite soldiers, and destroy the weapon. Your codename for this mission will be “Wolf.” We’ve already sent a spy there to assist you in your mission. The codename of our mole is “Husky.” Make contact with our mole and your mission will become easier.”
“Will do, Colonel…” Balto replied, a tiny microphone pinned to his shirt collar relaying his voice back into the cockpit.
“Alright, you should hit the ground in three minutes. Before you collide into the snow and dirt at terminal force, press the clip on your harness for the drag chute to slow yourself down.”
“I know what a drag chute does, Colonel.”
“Alright then. Just making sure. Good luck, Wolf. I’ll keep in touch.”
A few minutes later, Balto entered the forest and pulled the chute, slowing his descent dramatically from a free-fall to a slow drift to the snow. As soon as Balto’s boots touched the ground, he unclipped the parachute harness from around his chest and rolled out of it, drawing his pistol and surveying the forest. Everything was calm and clear, a light flurry of snowflakes falling from the black sky.
“Wolf here, I’ve landed successfully… Beginning my approach to the facility…” Balto said to what-seemed-like no one.
Balto walked through the foot-high snow, his boots causing a soft crunching to echo through the silent forest. Everything was quiet… a little too eerily quiet. Balto’s brown and gold eyes scanned all around him as he walked, his gun at the ready, just in case. Despite his suspicions, Balto made it to the outskirts of the facility with no difficulty from anything.
Suspiciously, there were no guards around the iron-mesh fence surrounding the outside of rather large military compound. Balto dove to the snow and army-crawled to the fence. He glanced up and still saw no guards.
“Huh, that’s odd…” Balto whispered.
“What’s odd?” Balto heard in his ear and jumped slightly, realizing he’d forgotten to shut his communicator off.
“There’re no guards around the outside perimeter of the facility. It’s like the whole place is abandoned…” Balto answered, double checking again for any soldiers.
“Probably all wiped out by Steele’s forces. If anything, Steele’s guards will be on the inside. You should have a straight shot inside if there’re no guards. Good luck Wolf.”
Balto switched off the wireless communicator strapped to his shoulder and stood up. He shook the snow off of his dark green drab suit, standard issue for soldiers. Stowing his gun, Balto grabbed onto the mesh and climbed the fence, cutting through the barbed-wire at the top and dropping down onto the other side.
Cautiously, Balto drew out his handgun again and slowly walked through the snow, his boots making a gentle crunch underneath him that seemed to echo in the stillness of the compound. Balto slowly moved his eyes across his surrounding, searching for anyone, anyone at all. Suddenly, a distant engine caught his attention and Balto quickly dashed toward a structure and pressed his back against it, his dark green clothing blending in with the shadows well enough to hide him from the coming people.
From where Balto was, the engine got louder and louder until he realized it wasn’t one, but three motors! As he remained hidden, three snowmobiles pulled up and parked in front of the building Balto was leaning on. Fortunately, they didn’t see him and opened the doors, pulling their vehicles in and walking out, talking amongst themselves. As they pulled off their helmets, Balto saw that they were none other than Nikki, Kaltag, and Star, three of his four targets.
Balto resisted the urge to jump out and attempt to ice them all there and then; a move he knew would spell his doom very quickly. His eyes narrowed as he carried on watching the three dogs, eavesdropping on their conversation as best he could.
“That ride was the most amazing, the most incredible, the most exciting-” Kaltag started, rambling on.
“That ride was the best!” Star cut in, resulting in a blow to his head, courtesy of Kaltag.
“We’d better get back inside before Steele starts getting mad at us for being out so late. It’s already 6:30 in the morning. We’ve been out all night!” Nikki said. The other two nodded and they began to head toward the central structure, still talking between themselves.
“The central structure, huh?” Balto asked himself in a whisper as he watched the trio waltz off, quickly turning on his communicator, “Colonel, I’ve located the major structure of the facility. Beginning my approach now. Over and out.”
Balto turned off his communicator and followed behind the dogs, stepping in their footprints so to avoid anyone thinking there was anyone else there. He reached the main building just as the three closed the door. However, when Balto tried to open the door, it was locked, a cardkey reader at the side of the door. Silently muttering a curse, Balto pounded on the door and walked around the side of the building.
Balto kept his eyes on the ground, looking for another way in. When he spotted a ventilation grate, a smile slowly inched onto his face. Kneeling down, Balto used his knife to unscrew the hinges and pried the hatch open, crawling inside and into the building. Following the ventilation ducts, Balto came into a rather large hangar filled with crates. A few soldiers patrolled around the large storage area and Balto only just caught a glimpse of the trio before they stepped into an elevator and left his trail cold.
“Great… Might as well start by finding a security room or something…” Balto muttered and continued through the shafts.
Along the way, Balto saw a conference room. Just as he was about to pass it, thinking it was insignificant, a voice rang out that froze him in his tracks.
“What was that?” came an angry, husky-toned voice, “The US government still hasn’t given into our demands?!?!”
Balto stopped and glanced down, spotting an average dog, probably a soldier of some standing, and a black and white dog wearing a black combat suit, a furious and evil look on his face. Balto recognized him immediately: Steele.
“No sir… Not yet… We’ve had no word since yesterday,” the dog wearing a formal military suit said, standing firm and still.
“So they really think I won’t turn their own weapon against them do they? They’ll regret making that assumption…” Steele said, turning back to face a screen on the wall and reading over some data Balto couldn’t see, “Prepare the weapon… We’ll see how they cooperate once we wipe out
“Sir, do you think that’s wise? Maybe nuking one of the world’s largest cities isn’t the best idea…” the dog said, somewhat uncertainly.
“Corporal, your orders were given. Now execute them!” Steele said, glaring over his shoulder, “I’ll deal with the after-effects, you just need to prep the gun. I’ll pull the trigger, understood?”
“Y-yes, sir…” the dog said submissively before saluting and walking off, leaving Steele.
Balto grinned to himself. Time to complete part of his mission. Just as he reached for his gun, the door opened again and Nikki, Kaltag, and Star walked in with a scientist, a weak-looking Border Collie. They tossed him to the floor and looked up at Steele.
“This one refuses to continue his work, boss…” Nikki explained, causing a sigh to come from Steele, “Even after we let him work to save his skin.”
“He is the most ungrateful, the most self-absorbed, the most selfish-”
“He doesn’t care!” Star said and was once more bopped by Kaltag.
The scientist whimpered and was grabbed by Kaltag. The poor dog was lifted off his feet by the tan husky and held in mid-air. Steele glanced over his shoulder at the dog.
“So, you don’t want to work anymore?” Steele asked calmly, “Why not?”
“B-because I just can’t do it anymore!” the Collie stuttered, “I w-won’t help b-build a w-weapon that will be used to destroy my own c-country!”
“Very well… You don’t have to work anymore…” Steele said, a grin coming over his face, giving Balto a bad feeling, “How about a vacation, doctor?”
“A v-vacation? Really? You m-mean you’ll l-let me go?” the scientist asked, a grin coming across his face, “Oh thank you sir! Where will I be going?”
“Hell,” Steele said coldly and quickly spun around, drawing his handgun he had stowed in a holster on his belt and firing a round at the dog. The Collie gasped, spasmed, and went limp in Kaltag’s grip.
“Whoa!” Nikki said surprised as he inspected the perfect heart-shot on the scientist, “That was a bull’s eye!”
“That was the most accurate, the most dead-on, the most centered-” Kaltag started, shaking the dead dog in his hand.
“You got him!” Star piped in and pulled back as Kaltag went to hit him, only ending up running into the wall and falling to the ground.
“Dispose of his body. But first, show him to the other scientists. Tell them, “This is what’ll happen if they refuse to work.” Then just toss him out into the snow…” Steele said, walking out of the room, the trio following behind him.
“Wow… I guess in-tell was right about Steele’s personality…” Balto whispered and turned on his communicator, “Colonel, are you there?”
“Yes Wolf, I’m here. I’m talking to you from a base on the mainland of
“I just saw Sergeant Steele. Apparently, the stories are true. He’s cruel to everyone except those other three you told me to take out. I just saw him take out a scientist point-blank for refusing to work on this weapon we were talking about…”
“Yes, that sounds like Steele… Have you seen our other agent yet?”
“No, not yet. The only person here that doesn’t seem completely controlled by Steele is me.”
“Well, if you’re looking, our plan with Husky was to get close to Steele, earn his trust, and then wait for you to show up for you both to wipe him out and quell this treat. Look for someone close to Steele, but not entirely controlled by him.”
“Alright, got it. Wolf out.”
Balto flipped his communicator off and carried on crawling through the vent until a creak caused him to stop. He felt the steel plating beneath him begin to sink and he got a look of surprise. Suddenly, it gave way and Balto came crashing to the oak table in the conference room Steele had been in a moment before. He groaned and rolled to the floor, quickly getting up.
“Hey! What’s with all the noise?” came a voice from the hallway.
Balto gasped softly and glanced around rapidly. He spotted a locker and an up to it, opened it, and closed himself inside. Through the small grates at the top, Balto watched, keeping his breathing as quiet as possible. The door opened and a guard stepped into the conference room, pointing his rifle around. He saw the broken metal panel on the table and glanced up, spotting the open air vent.
“See? I told the mechanic that it needed fixing!” the guard exclaimed, walking over to the locker Balto was in, “I’m gonna grab my cell phone and laugh at that guy’s face!”
The moment, the guard opened the locker, Balto punched him, sending the dog backwards and onto the floor. Balto jumped out and pulled the guard to his feet, punching him again and tossing him across the table and into the wall. The guard exhaled and stopped moving, out cold from Balto’s assault. The wolfdog picked up the soldier and shoved him into the locker, closing it and making sure it was locked before drawing his pistol and walking out of the conference room.
Someone close to Steele… Balto thought as he walked down the hallway. As he rounded a corner, he saw a guard a foot away with his back to him. Quickly drawing his knife, Balto grabbed the guard and held him close, pressing the knife to the dog’s neck.
“Scream and you’re dead…” Balto whispered into the guard’s ear, “Tell me, where’s the Security Room?”
“W-what? W-who are you?” the guard asked, clearly afraid of the agent holding a knife to his throat.
“You’re not the one asking the questions here, I am. Now answer me! Where’s the Security Room?” Balto asked more forcefully, pressing the knife tighter to the dog’s neck.
“Alright, alright! I’ll talk, just don’t kill me!” the guard said and pointed down the hall, “Just at the end of the hall, the door on your right…”
“Thanks,” Balto replied and tightened his grip around the guard’s neck. The guard gasped and spasmed for a moment before going limp, unconscious from lack of oxygen.
Balto opened a nearby utility closet and tossed the guard inside, turning the lock on the door. Slowly, Balto walked down the hallway, stowing his knife and keeping his gun at the ready. He really didn’t want to fire it yet because he didn’t have a suppressor on it and the shot would attract even more guards.
Balto saw the door labeled “Security Room” and grinned. Pushing the door open, Balto saw three guards, two at the consoles and one near him. Before they could react, Balto grabbed the nearby guard and pressed his gun to the dog’s temple.
“Freeze!” Balto said and the other two soldiers stopped moving, “Make any kind of noise or movement and your friend dies. Now, do as I say. Stand up…”
The guards obediently rose to their feet and put their hands up in the air in surrender.
“Open that storage room there…” Balto ordered, motioning to a small storage area at the back of the room. Once more, the guards obeyed.
“Now give me whatever keycards you have! Place them on the table there…” Balto said, pointing to a small coffee table in the center of the room. One of the guards pulled out a light blue card and placed it on the table.
“Now get in that storage room,” said Balto and watched the two move inside. He tossed the third guard in and quickly slammed the door, locking it immediately.
Sighing softly, Balto walked over and picked up the keycard, reading it. It was labeled “Security Level 3.” Tucking it in a pouch on his belt, Balto stowed his handgun and walked over to the consoles, getting to work. First, he shut down all cameras on this floor and a floor labeled “Armory,” then he turned off all alarms on the doors and overrode the old password with a new one so no one could change things back.
“That should leave them in disarray for awhile…” Balto said and turned to walk out when a guard walked in.
“Who’re y-” the soldier started, but was stopped when Balto instinctively drew his gun and put a round in the dog’s chest, sending him to the ground.
“Damn, not good…” Balto muttered and quickly jumped over the dead guard.
He quickly ran down the hallway, breathing heavily as he dashed to escape any ensuing guards. Quickly, Balto turned and ran into the bathroom, making his way into one of the stalls and locking it. Outside, several footfalls were heard, made by heavy boots. Balto glanced up and saw another air shaft. Without a second thought, Balto climbed into it and made his way back to the hangar he previously saw.
When Balto arrived in the ventilation above the hangar, the two guards were still there. Balto muttered a few profanities before opening the hatch and lowering himself to the floor. He pressed his back to one of the metal crates and waited for a guard to come by. As soon as one did, Balto slammed the dog’s head into the metal and tossed him to the ground. The other guard was attracted to the noise and as he came to see what was wrong, Balto pushed him to the ground, training his handgun on the soldier’s forehead.
“You look like you know something important…” Balto said, “What level’s the Armory on?”
“Why should I tell you?” the guard spat back, reaching for his pistol stowed in its holster on his leg. Balto saw this and shot the dog in the shoulder, brining forth a cry of pain and causing the soldier to fall back again.
“One more time…” Balto said, pulling the hammer back on his gun, “Where’s the Armory?” The guard hesitated for a moment before sighing dejectedly.
“It’s in the basement… The floor just below us… B1…” the guard told Balto.
“Thank you…” Balto said and pulled the trigger, sending the wounded guard crumpling to the floor.
Balto stowed his gun and pulled out his knife, slowly walking over to the elevator. He pressed the button to call the elevator and waited. As soon as it came, the doors opened and Balto saw yet another guard. Without thinking, Balto pushed the guard into the back wall of the elevator and sliced the knife across the soldier’s neck, killing another soldier.
Balto sighed softly as he wiped the blood off of his knife. He didn’t mean to kill that guard, it just sort of happened so suddenly.
But no use crying over it now… Balto thought and pressed the B1 button, sending the elevator into a steady decline. A soft ping marked his arrival and he stepped out into another large room. However, this room had doors on every side of it, marked with a different title.
Grinning Balto walked over to the one marked “Handguns.” Beside it was a keycard reader marked “Security Level 2.” Sliding his superior card through it, Balto heard a ping and the door unlocked. Pushing it open, Balto stepped inside and saw an empty gun rack in front of him. Though the guns were gone, several clips of ammo remained as well as a suppressor. Smiling widely, Balto grabbed the additional ammo and suppressor, quickly fitting it onto his handgun and examining it.
“Finally…” Balto whispered as he fired at a target pinned to the wall, his gun only making a muffled sound as the bullet pierced the center bull’s eye.
Chuckling softly, Balto stepped back outside and saw three guard pointing rifles at him. His face lost its triumphant smile as his mind took in the situation. His grip tightened on his gun as he stared at his new foes.
“Drop your gun and put your hands in the air!” one guard shouted.
Balto looked around for a way out of this scenario. He saw a large metal crate hanging above the guards and smiled. Slowly, Balto raised his hands, his gun still held tightly. As the aim was moved over the pulley holding the crate, Balto fired and pretended it was an accident, faking surprise as his gun went off. The guards began to laugh but were quickly silenced as two tons of steel crushed them.
“Who’s laughing now?” Balto asked and ran back to the elevator, pressing the button.
Balto looked up as the elevator opened and saw Steele, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star standing there. Just as he began to raise his handgun, Steele roundhouse kicked it out of his hands and kicked Balto in the chest, sending the wolfdog flying backwards and down to the concrete floor. The young dog sat up on his elbows and stared at Steele as he got closer, leaping to his feet.
Balto threw punch after punch at Steele, but the ex-military sergeant just expertly blocked every blow, grabbing Balto’s hand at one point and twisting his arm behind his back before kicking him into the crate Balto had shot down. Balto grunted as he hit the metal and fell to the ground again, getting back to his feet and running up to Steele, going to kick the dog in his torso.
Steele grabbed Balto’s leg and chuckled at the wolfdog’s surprised look. He flipped Balto, the agent ending up on his back again. Steele pressed one of his combat boots onto Balto’s chest and began pressing down hard.
“Who are you boy? A child who likes to play hero or a government agent sent on a suicide mission?” Steele asked mockingly as he drove his boot into Balto’s chest.
Balto gasped and groaned as Steele tried to crush him. He grabbed the dog’s boot and flipped Steele, the dog only managing to catch himself and turn his fall into a back flip. Balto got to his feet and saw Steele punch him twice, stumbling backward, but remained standing. Balto glared at Steele, who seemed to be enjoying himself and ran up to him again.
As Balto neared him, he drew his knife and turned his punch into a slash at Steele’s throat. Thought Steele dodged, the knife left a small cut on his muzzle. Steele scoffed and grabbed Balto’s arm, twisting until his enemy dropped the knife before kicking him in the side of his stomach and sending the beaten up wolfdog to the floor again. Balto felt someone grab his shirt and saw the face of Kaltag, who then tossed him into the crate again. Balto fell to the floor and looked up at his attackers, who laughed at his hopelessness.
Just then, the elevator opened again and the four turned to look at the newcomer. Steele seemed to be pleased with the new arrival, which most likely spelled bad news for Balto. As he looked up, Balto saw a beautiful red husky walk up to Steele, wearing a similar uniform that Balto had on, though he couldn’t see clearly due to the haze in his mind. However, she also had a red bandanna tied around her neck.
Probably took that uniform from the Armory… he thought and struggled to his feet.
“What’s going on here?” the husky asked, looking from Steele to Balto.
“Nothing Jenna, just taking care of an intruder…” Steele explained giving a smirk to Balto as the scruffy wolfdog stood up, “He’s got spirit and stamina, I’ll give him that, but he has no idea when he should just quit…”
Balto glared at Steele, and then looked back at Jenna. Now that he was standing, his vision wasn’t as blurred and he could see her better. She had a red and white coat that was smooth and shined in the light. Her long red hair fell down to her shoulders. The red part of her fur was on the top of her head, made up her hair, and ran down her back. Her paws, muzzle, neck, and top of her chest were pure white, and Balto guessed that the rest of her front was white as well. She had beautiful amber eyes that seemed to keep him completely stunned and her face was as soft and gentle as silk.
Balto was snapped out of his trance when he felt another blow land on the side of his muzzle, sending him stumbling back into the metal crate again. The four male dogs laughed again, enjoying Balto’s pain.
“Figures you couldn’t beat me…” Steele said viciously, “Half-breeds can only do things halfway…”
At those words, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star began to laugh again. Balto’s blood began to boil and he spun around, whacking Steele in the side of his face with one of his ammo clips. Steele grunted and fell to the concrete, his accomplices quickly shutting up. Despite the pain and blood streaming down his face, Balto stayed on his feet. As Steele got up, Balto dove for his dagger, but Star drew his one of his various handguns, this one a Colt Single Action Army, pulled the hammer back, and shot the dagger away from Balto.
Steele got up and growled angrily. He drew out his pistol and kicked Balto roughly in the side of his stomach. Balto groaned in agony and curled up, trying to avoid the pain. Steele aimed his gun at Balto’s head and growled again.
“Half-breed…” he muttered and tightened his grip on the trigger until Jenna ran up and pushed his hand out of the way, the bullet hitting the concrete only inches away from Balto’s head.
“Stop!” Jenna said suddenly, staring into Steele’s cold blue eyes, “He could become a bargaining chip… He’s worth more alive than he is dead…” Steele thought for a moment, and then holstered his gun again.
“Yeah, you’re right Jenna… Fine, we’ll keep him alive… For now…” Steele said and kicked Balto again, bringing another cry of pain from the beaten wolfdog, “Jenna, you come with me. Nikki, Kaltag, Star, knock this guy out and lock him up. I’ll see to him later…”
“No problem, boss! Star, go ahead,” Nikki said.
Star pulled out a Glock from his belt and placed a sedative in the chamber. He pulled the hammer back and fired it at Balto, the sedative bullet hitting him in his shoulder. Balto moaned again, suddenly feeling very weak and fatigued. Before he knew it, everything went black.
Chapter 2
Balto came around a few hours later. As he slowly opened his eyes, he could barely make out anything distinct. Everything was a vague blur to him right now and his body was so sore. Steadily, everything came back to him and he sat up, rubbing his head and groaning softly. Balto suddenly realized that he was in a cell and reached for his gun- only to find that it was gone, along with the rest of his things. Fortunately, his communicator still remained, seeing as it was safely hidden within his shirt. Balto turned it on and lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“This is Wolf… Does anybody read me?” Balto asked no one, his voice going into the small microphone.
“I read you, Wolf. It’s been five hours since our last transmission, what happened? What’s your current mission status?”
“Uhh, I’m a prisoner of war right now… Steele caught me and beat me up. I’m now locked up with nothing but my communicator and the clothes on my back… He’s a skilled fighter and a ruthless warrior… You weren’t kidding when you said he’d be a serious threat… Now I know why…”
“Yes, well, learn from experience, right? Just be careful from now on… Is there anyway you could escape right now?”
“No. None… There’s no ventilation shaft or anything… I guess they thought about that when they decided on which cell to lock me in…”
“Probably… This could be a serious problem, Wolf. If you can’t escape, then we have no hope. You’ll have to figure someway out. I’ll leave that to you. Over and out.”
Balto sighed and shut off his communicator. Slowly, he sat up and looked around his room again, finding no way out other than the door. He groaned with frustration and pounded the bed. He stood up and walked over to the door, leaning gently on it. Suddenly, the door pushed open and Balto fell to the cold, tiled flooring.
“What the- The door was unlocked?” Balto asked, climbing to his feet, “Why’d they leave it open? Are the guards really that stupid?”
Cautiously, Balto walked out and into the guard station the cells were in. He glanced around and saw absolutely no one. Just then, he heard someone walking up behind him.
“Don’t move,” came a female voice Balto recognized as Jenna’s. He felt the barrel of a gun press against his back and froze.
Before anything could happen, Balto spun around and kicked the handgun from her grasp. Jenna looked utterly surprised and when he went to grab her, she took his arm and flipped him to the ground. Balto hit the ground and kicked her legs out from underneath her, sending the crimson husky crashing on top of him. The two locked gazes for a moment before Jenna tried to get back up.
Balto grabbed her by her waist and pulled her back to the floor, holding her down. Jenna kicked him in his stomach and Balto groaned before collapsing to the floor. As Jenna got up, she pulled out another handgun and Balto grabbed the handgun he’d kicked away, both aiming at one another at the same time. Everything seemed to freeze for a moment, and then returned to normal.
“Who are you and why are you here?” Jenna asked, keeping her gun on his face, “This place is death. Who sent you here?”
“The US Government, but that’s none of your business,” Balto snapped back, “I’m going to stop Steele and you’re not gonna stop me. Even if it means killing you…”
“Wait, the
“Well, you guessed wrong!” Balto said, raising his voice slightly, his eyes narrowed, “Any last words?”
“No, you don’t understand!” Jenna said quickly, lowering her gun.
Bad move… Balto thought and shot to his feet, grabbing her wrist and twisting. Jenna cried out and dropped her handgun, Balto grabbing it and shoving it into his belt and pressing his gun to her forehead. Jenna gasped as she felt the cold steel of his gun press to her head, closing her eyes.
“You don’t understand…” Jenna started.
“I know you work for Steele and that’s all I need to know to kill you…” Balto replied.
“No, wait! Hear me out! If you don’t believe me, then you can shoot me…” Jenna said quickly, opening her eyes. Balto hesitated, then sighed softly.
“Fine. Start talking. But if you’re lying…” Balto replied and pulled the hammer back on the gun, showing her that he was serious about killing her.
“You’re a government agent, correct?” Jenna asked, “I know all about your mission…”
“How? You’re a spy, aren’t you?” Balto snapped back angrily.
“I thought you said you’d hear me out…” Jenna responded coolly, “I know all about your mission because it’s my mission as well… I’m the other agent; I’m your contact…”
Balto gasped slightly, his eyes widening. Then he realized this may be a trick and growled softly.
“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” Balto asked.
“Would I have left your cell unlocked then? Would I have given you your gun back?” Jenna asked irritated.
Balto glanced at the handgun in his paw. It was his, all right, suppressor and everything.
“Why’d you do that?”
“Because I’m your contact! I’m Husky!”
“Oh yeah? Then what’s my codename?” Balto asked Jenna.
“I don’t know… I wasn’t allowed any contact with Colonel McIntyre during this mission… I was supposed to get close to Steele and get his guard down for you… So I posed as a researcher and he kept me alive to be his girlfriend. He made my mission all too easy, but I’m still working on his trust…” Jenna explained.
“Hmm, fine… I suppose you filled everything I was told… However, if it turns out you were lying to me the whole time, I will kill you…” Balto told her, lowering his gun, “If you really are Husky, then where’s the rest of my stuff?”
“It’s in the Armory. I couldn’t get it all up to you, but I figured that your gun and knife would at least be better than nothing…” Jenna said, getting a nod from Balto.
“Alright, thanks…” Balto replied, taking his knife from her belt and stowing it in its sheath, “By the way, my codename’s Wolf…”
“Nice to meet you Wolf. I’m Husky,” Jenna said with a smile and a soft chuckle, “Well, seeing as you already know my real name, may I know yours?”
“Heh, nice try… I’ll tell you when I can fully trust you…” Balto said, grinning at her, “For now, let’s go get the rest of my stuff, then focus on Steele and his lackeys.”
“Sounds good to me, Wolf. Let’s go,” Jenna said and turned toward the door, only to find five guards standing there.
“Hands up!” one shouted, the rest raising their rifles to them.
Balto and Jenna exchanged a glance, then raised their handguns to the guards, pulling their triggers rapidly, felling three of the guards. The remaining two opened fire as Balto and Jenna took cover behind a desk, the bullets splintering, but not piercing the wood. Balto grinned and looked at Jenna.
“I love a good firefight…” Balto told her and popped up, firing three shots at the guard, striking one twice in his chest. Jenna followed his lead and the last guard dropped.
Just as they were about to stand up, footsteps were heard in the hall and three more guards arrived on the scene, firing at the damaged desk. Balto gritted his teeth and fired off a single shot, missing them all. Jenna fired twice and killed one of them. Balto took another shot and a guard grabbed his throat, screaming for a second before collapsing. Balto pulled out his knife and threw it at the final soldier, striking him in the face.
“Nice throw…” Jenna said, pushing her hair out of her eyes and over her shoulders.
“Thanks. It took a lot of practice…” Balto replied and pulled the knife out of the body, wiping it off before stowing it, “Come on, let’s get my stuff, then find our targets…”
Jenna nodded and stood up, ejecting her empty clip and shoving another magazine into her handgun. Both canines walked down the hallway toward the elevator, casually stepping over the bodies they’d left in their wake. Pressing the button, Balto and Jenna stepped into the elevator and pressed the B1 button. The elevator lurched upward and began to ascend to their chosen floor.
“So how long have you been here?” Balto asked glancing at her.
“About a week or so…” Jenna replied, “It only took me a day to go from researcher to Steele’s girl… He’s surprisingly gentler to me than anyone else… Though I’m sure you haven’t seen his cruelty yet…”
“Actually, I have…” Balto replied, recalling that scientist and his recent beating, “I saw him kill a scientist point-blank for being loyal to his country, and then he beat the living daylights out of me… That guy’s as ruthless as they come…”
“You haven’t seen the half of it…” Jenna said distastefully, “He’s taken the Head of Design’s office for himself. It’s rather large, has a fireplace and loveseat, a large desk, a computer with access to every computer in the facility, it’s pretty much the best room in the building. A couple of days ago, we were cuddling in front of the fire and he had one of his best guards executed just because he walked in on us… But it wasn’t an ordinary execution. He had him hung by his feet and beaten to death by his fellow guards who were shouting “piñata” the whole time!”
“Wait, did you say you and Steele were cuddling?” Balto asked a slight smirk on his face.
“Don’t look too much into it…” Jenna said blandly, “I have no feelings for that bastard. He’s a threat to the country and I’ll be glad to see him die. I swear, if he puts his arm around me one more time, I think I’m gonna throw up!”
Balto laughed at Jenna’s words. After a minute, the elevator doors opened to reveal the empty Armory. Jenna led Balto over to a door that read “High-Security Equipment.” Balto looked at the keycard reader and felt his mouth drop open.
“Ah, forget it Jenna. The door requires a Level 9 Security Card!” Balto said, pointing to the reader.
“Where do you think I got your gun from?” Jenna asked with a smirk. She pulled out a keycard and swiped it through the reader, a satisfying ping emitted a moment later.
Jenna opened the door and led Balto inside. Lying out on a metal examination table was Balto’s confiscated equipment. Smiling, Balto grabbed his lost items and equip them once more. Once he was outfitted again, he stowed his handgun and smirked at Jenna.
“How do I look now?” he asked, causing Jenna to laugh.
“Fit for combat. Now let’s go before someone catches us!” she said and opened the door, walking out into the Armory. As soon as she stepped outside, Jenna heard someone approaching her.
“Hey Jenna…” came the voice of Steele. Jenna gasped and stared at him.
“Oh, hey Steele… You scared me,” she said, closing the door and hearing it lock, Balto now safely trapped inside. Balto saw the door shut and lock in front of him and gasped in surprise, his eyes narrowing. He walked up and pressed his ear to the door so he could hear why Jenna had locked him inside.
“I’ve been looking for you… Say, why were you in that room?” Steele asked. Jenna kept her cool and answered.
“I was making sure all of that agent’s items were accounted for. So far, everything’s there…” Jenna said, playing with her bandanna, “You were looking for me? Why’s that?”
“Why else, Jen?” Steele asked placing a paw around her shoulders, “Why else would I come looking for you?” Jenna fought back a gag and succeeded, forcing a smile as she stared into his malicious blue eyes.
“Hmm, I don’t know… So, you came looking for me because you were lonely?” she asked, playing her part as his girlfriend, no matter how much she hated it.
“You bet… I figured out the perfect way for us to celebrate once the government gives into our demands…” Steele said softly, pulling her closer to him, “It’s a surprise though, I want you to be shocked when you find out what it is…”
“The suspense is killing me…” Jenna said, doing her best to hide the sarcasm in her voice, “So the
“No, not yet… But trust me Jen, we will soon enough. Now that we have their agent, it’s just a matter of time… About that, I was just about to go check on him.”
“I already did, Steele… He’s still out like a light…” Jenna said softly back, placing a paw on his chest, “You really did a number on him… Now I can see how you’re so strong… Being in the army must’ve done that to you…”
“You’d be surprised, baby… Well, I suppose no sense on checking on him if you just did… No way the fool would wake up that quickly… I’m gonna go check on the weapon’s progress. You know where that is, right?”
“Yeah, I know. See you later, big guy…” Jenna said flirtatiously.
Steele chuckled softly and walked off, taking the elevator back up. Jenna smiled at him as he walked away, then opened the door when he was gone, causing Balto to tumble out on top of her, the two agents hitting the ground. Balto stared down at Jenna, who lay beneath him, and laughed.
“We really need to stop meeting like this…” he replied and got up, offering his hand to help her up.
“Yeah, it’s getting a bit painful…” Jenna replied and took his hand, standing up with his help, “I swear, I’m gonna be sick…”
“Sounded like you really like him, eh Jen?” Balto asked, grinning playfully at her.
“You wanna go back in that room, hot shot?” Jenna asked, grinning back. The two laughed and looked around.
“So, where do we need to head now?” Balto asked, looking back at his teammate.
“Well, from here, we take an indoor bridge across to another complex. That’s where the weapon is being held…” Jenna explained, looking at Balto as she spoke.
“What is this weapon anyway?” Balto asked, wondering what could be so deadly that it could threaten the whole
“Not sure… I never got into the area where it was being held… You need Security Level 10 to get into where the weapon is being worked on, so I haven’t the slightest clue…” Jenna replied, wondering the exact same thing.
“Alright, the bridge it is… Hang on; let me report back to Colonel McIntyre first…”
Chapter 3
Balto flipped on his communicator and walked a few steps away from Jenna so he could speak in private. He waited a few seconds to make sure he’d be received by the military’s radio.
“This is Wolf. Can anyone hear me?” Balto whispered into his mini microphone.
“Loud and clear Wolf. What’s your mission status thus far?”
“I’ve successfully escaped and retrieved my lost equipment. I had help from my partner, Husky.”
“Ah, so you two did meet up after all. So, how’re things going for you two?”
“We’re pretty good as a team, but why didn’t you tell me that Husky was a female?”
“She personally asked for gender discretion.”
“Why would she ask for that?”
“Probably because most people would figure female agents wouldn’t be as good as male agents. It’s not all that uncommon, you know. Anyhoo, she asked that her gender not be discussed and that she’d accept any gender for a partner. Turns out, you filled her very vague description perfectly, so you two were partnered up. Any problems with that?”
“Well, no. She’s an excellent gunfighter and fairly good at close-quarters combat, but what if she starts getting attached to the enemy?”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. Wolf, do you know what her first words were once I finished briefing her?”
“No, I can’t say I do.”
“She said “When do I get to shoot him?” I wouldn’t be afraid of her getting too close to him; she’s trained for this kind of stuff.”
“Alright. But first, I want to make sure I’ve got the right girl as my partner… She’s a crimson and cream Husky, right?”
“Right. Hence her codename.”
“Alright. Continuing with the mission now. Wolf out.”
Balto turned off his communicator and sighed softly. He’d never worked with a female partner before and had no idea on how this was going to turn out. As soon as he turned around, he heard the elevator open and out walked Star. He took a quick look at the two and drew out twin Single Action Army revolvers before they could raise their guns. Fortunately, they weren’t trying to raise their guns and instead dove behind cover.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, pointing one gun at Balto’s hiding place and the other at Jenna’s, “Jenna, what are you doing with him? Are you turning traitorous on Steele?”
“Star, I’ve been on
“I knew it! I knew something was wrong about you!” Star shouted and fired off a round, chipping the concrete pillar Jenna was behind and firing once at the metal crate Balto was behind, “I’ll take you both out and bring your bodies back to Steele! I’ll be promoted and revered as a hero in his eyes! No more hitting Star!”
“Give up Star, it’s two against one!” Balto shouted back.
“While it may be, I’ve got enough handguns to take you two down five times over!” Star said, firing off one more shot from each gun.
“Right…” Balto said to himself, “Private First-Class Star, master of handguns…”
Balto poked his handgun out briefly and fired four random shots, all of them near Star, but all missed. Star laughed and focused his attention on Balto, emptying his SAAs on Balto’s crate. Jenna took this moment and fired, striking Star in his shoulder. Star cried out and dropped his revolvers, pulling out a Glock and firing five shots at Jenna, missing every one.
Balto then popped out and shot, hitting Star in his leg. Star yelped and fell to his knees, pulling out a Beretta as well and shooting at both of them. Balto sighed and shook his head.
While he may have more guns, he’s overexcited and wasting ammo like crazy! Balto thought as Star kept firing off bullets one at a time.
“You can’t win! I’ll be the best and Kaltag won’t get to hit me anymore!” he said proudly, still shooting off blanks at his unseen foes.
Balto shook his head again as he heard Star’s guns click empty. He popped out the side of the crate and shot Star in his other shoulder, Jenna doing the same except hitting his other leg. Star fell backwards and dropped his empty guns, quickly pulling out two Smith and Wesson’s. He sat up and fired them off repeatedly, using half of their bullets in a matter of seconds.
“You… can’t… beat… me!” Star said, his words broken by his gunshots.
After a few more seconds, Star went dry. His guns clicked empty and he tossed them to the floor. As he reached around his belt for another gun, he found he had one problem- he had no more guns left. A look of panic spread across Star’s face as Balto and Jenna came out and slowly approached him. Star tried to scurry away, but had nowhere to run to.
“Out of ammo, Star…” Balto said as he finished his approach, “A fatal mistake of a trigger-happy gunslinger like you…”
Star whimpered slightly as Balto and Jenna loomed above him. Balto placed his boot on Star’s chest and held him down as he aimed his handgun at Star’s face. Balto shook his head slowly, his eyes judgmental.
“Game over, Star…” Balto said and pulled the trigger, silencing the dog permanently.
“Think he’s in a better place?” Jenna asked, staring down at the body of Star.
“Better than if he was still with Steele…” Balto murmured, walking over to the elevator and opening it, “Coming?”
Jenna nodded silently and followed Balto inside the elevator. Jenna pressed the 4th Floor button and the doors closed, the elevator lurching upward. Balto and Jenna stood in silence as they ascended to the fourth floor, the bridge to the other building. Suddenly, the elevator stopped on the 3rd Floor- and the doors opened to reveal a single guard.
Balto grabbed the poor guard and pulled him into the elevator, Jenna quickly pressing the button again to shut the doors. Balto slammed the guard into the metal wall twice before giving him a quick blow to the side of his face, knocking the dog out. He stowed his handgun, took the soldier’s M16 and made sure it was fully loaded, smiling in satisfaction when he saw it was.
The elevator doors opened and both agents stepped out, guns raised in ready. Before them, a large corridor led to another building off in the distance, connecting the two facilities. Balto lowered his rifle and motioned for Jenna to follow, both of them beginning to walk down the very long hallway-bridge. About halfway, they began to feel nervous.
“Strange… There’re no guards here…” Jenna said feeling slightly unnerved.
“Hmm, I wonder why that is-” Balto began and saw two black boxes, one on either side of the hallway. As Jenna stepped forward, a red beam was seen as her foot broke it in half and a beep was heard.
“JENNA! GET BACK!” Balto shouted and grabbed her shirt, pulling her back as a large explosion shook the hallway, sending the two dogs flying backward.
Balto hit the ground and grunted as Jenna landed on top of him. A section of the hallway shook and crumbled, falling down to the ground from the explosion. The two agents stared in amazement and panted slightly. Balto sighed in relief as he let his head fall back to the tiled floor. Jenna glanced back at him and lay back on his chest, giving him a soft smile.
“You saved my life…” Jenna said softly, staring into his brown and gold eyes, “Thank you, Wolf…”
“No problem Jenna… Only doing my job…” Balto replied, staring back into her amber eyes, but quickly snapping out of it, “Well, the bridge is out… Probably Nikki’s doing… So, what now?”
“Well, there is an underground passageway that’ll lead us to the other building. It’s on the third basement,” Jenna explained, “Hoping that it hasn’t been rigged as well… But Nikki isn’t the brightest dog out there… He probably thought that explosion would’ve killed you… Good thing you had me, right?”
“Yeah…” Balto said, smiling at her, “Well, we can head down there as soon as you get off me…”
“Oh, sorry…” Jenna said, blushing and quickly climbing off of her teammate.
“It’s alright…” Balto said to her and climbed to his feet, “Alright, B3 you said, right?”
“Yep! Let’s go,” Jenna said, grabbing her dropped handgun and walking off back toward the elevator. Balto grabbed his rifle and carried off after Jenna.
Steele felt the tremor of the explosion from his new office. He smiled in satisfaction, picking up his wine glass that was standing on his desk. He trusted Jenna’s word, but when he went to taunt the agent some more, all he found were a bunch of bodies and an empty cell. He’d ordered Nikki to rig the bridge with C4 and was glad that the pesky agent was done with, once and for all. He chuckled darkly and took another sip of his wine. Everything was working perfectly to his plan… or at least it was now, now that the agent is dead.
Pressing the intercom system set up on his desk, Steele spoke through to one of his top-four teammates. This time, he was speaking to Nikki.
“Excellent work, Nikki. If I no longer see that agent, you’ll be getting a raise…” Steele said, grinning evilly.
“Thanks boss,” came the voice of Nikki through the system, “I told yous I wouldn’t let yous down.”
“Well, we’ll see if your handiwork paid off… Steele out,” replied Steele, before pressing a different button, switching his contact to Star, “Star, have you located any trace of the agent?”
Nothing but static came through the intercom. Steele pressed the Talk button again and narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Star, did you hear me? I asked if you saw that agent. Yes or no?”
Static again. Steele was now getting annoyed and slightly worried. Pressing the button again, he let his anger slip out.
“Private First-Class Star, do you read me or not?!?!” he shouted through the speaker to his comrade. Just then, the double oak doors opened and a grim-faced Kaltag walked in, striding up to Steele’s desk.
“No, he doesn’t read you…” Kaltag said gravely, “He’s dead.”
Kaltag tossed Star’s gun belt along with his various assortment of handguns onto the desk. Steele just stared at the guns for a moment before shifting his gaze up to Kaltag.
“How?” he asked, unwilling to believe that one of his elite soldiers had fallen.
“Apparently, we’ve underestimated that agent…” Kaltag replied plainly, his eyes not leaving Steele’s for a moment, “He’s disabled our cameras, so we have no idea of what went on. All we found was his body, a single round put right through his head…”
“That’s impossible. Star survived for six days on his own, just with those guns and now you’re telling me he’s dead?!?!” Steele asked, raising his voice, “I refuse to believe that one agent was able to defeat a military trained soldier who’s mastered every type of handgun ever made!”
“Do you want to see his body?” Kaltag asked, keeping his cool, “It’s the most gruesome, the most disturbing, the most down-heartening-”
Just then, Kaltag realized Star wasn’t there to interrupt him anymore. He sighed sadly, his ears lowering in sorrow for his lost friend. Kaltag saluted Steele before walking out of his office again, closing the doors behind him. Steele pressed Nikki’s frequency and spoke to him again.
“Nikki, change of plans…” Steele said neutrally, his eyes flashing with anger, “I want you to rig that underground tunnel with as much C4 as possible. That agent has just killed Star and I’ll be damned if I let his death go without being avenged! Now make sure there’s enough explosives down there so that agent never sees the light of day ever again!”
Angrily, Steele sighed and clasped his hands across one another, leaning back in the armchair situated behind the desk. Thoughts flashed through his mind of Star being killed, but he quickly shoved them away. He wasn’t about to let some government agent ruin his master plans, not now! He’d come too far to just lie down and die. If that agent wanted this facility back, he’d better be ready to fight, because Steele was bringing the fight to him.
The elevator doors slid open and Balto and Jenna stepped out into the white hallway, guns at the ready. Balto moved the barrel of his rife in a sweeping motion down the hall, ready for anything and everything. Jenna kept her handgun at the ready, the slightest movement and she’d have her gun trained on it faster than it could react. After their near-death experience with Nikki’s explosives, they weren’t about to let anything get by them now.
Balto saw a camera and realized he hadn’t shut them down on this floor. Raising his rifle, he put a single round through the lens, effectively shutting it down for good. Smirking, he carried on down the hallway, Jenna by his side. He motioned to her bandanna and eyed it for a moment.
“Where’d you get that? You from the Western states?” Balto asked. Jenna glanced at her bandanna, laughed softly and shook her head.
“No, it’s just something my mother gave to me when I was little…” Jenna explained, touching it gingerly, “I’ve had it most of my life and I’m never letting it go.”
“Sentimental value, huh?” asked Balto, giving her a small smile.
“Yeah… It means a lot to me…”
Jenna returned his smile and carried on surveying the halls. Her amber eyes darted around the empty corridors. She held her breath and raised her hand, motioning for Balto to stop. Balto froze and looked around.
“What is it?” he asked, giving Jenna a strange look.
“There’re no guards here either… Nikki’s down here…” Jenna told him, pointing her handgun down the hallway.
“How do you know that?” Balto asked, his eyebrows rising in interest.
“When I was here before you, they were doing tests with the guards. Whenever Nikki was setting up explosives, they would evacuate that area… There were no guards on the bridge and there’s none here, so Nikki must be here…” explained Jenna, getting a surprised look from Balto.
“Wow… That’s impressive Jenna…” he complimented, “Better keep our guard up then, huh?”
“Yeah, with Nikki, be ready for anything…”
Both agents cautiously proceeded down the long white corridors, keeping their eyes on the walls and floors for any explosives. When they finally reached the connecting hall, they sighed with relief. It had been smooth sailing so far, so why would it not continue? Using her keycard, Jenna opened the door and revealed a large tiled tunnel, going on as far as Balto could see.
“This is it?” Balto asked, staring down the tunnel.
“Yep… This is it… Come on, we can get across faster in one of these…” Jenna said, leading him over to a small collection of jeeps parked along the wall.
She climbed in the passenger seat as Balto took the driver’s side. Starting the ignition, Balto pulled them out and began to speed down the tunnels. Nothing bad happened as they drove on. About halfway down the tunnel, Balto chuckled and glanced at Jenna.
“See? You thought Nikki was rigging this place with explosives, but it turned out he did-” Balto said, but was cut off by a sudden explosion.
The explosion came from underneath the vehicle, sending it flying through the air and spinning. Balto and Jenna screamed as the jeep slammed to the ground on its side and skidded for several yards. It then jumped and crashed again, landing completely upside down. Groaning, Balto crawled out and pulled Jenna out along with him, helping her to her feet.
“You alright Jen?” Balto asked, looking her in the eyes.
“Yeah… I’m fine…” she replied, brushing herself off.
Suddenly, another explosion sounded and the tunnel began to quake. Balto and Jenna looked around nervously and saw the tunnel beginning to collapse behind them. Gritting his teeth, Balto motioned down the tunnel.
“C’mon, run!” he shouted to Jenna and both agents dashed as quickly as they could down the tunnel.
Rocks began to cave in behind them as the tunnel collapsed. Nikki’s work had been done; the tunnel was attempting to crush them. Balto and Jenna kept running, panting hard as they gave it their all. Despite their attempts, the falling rocks still came closer and closer to them. Just as they were about to be smashed, Balto grabbed Jenna and leaped forward, barely getting them out of the way as the cave-in finished.
“Are we dead yet?” Jenna asked, her voice muffled by the concrete flooring. Balto looked up and saw their luck.
“No Jen, we’re not dead… We’re probably the luckiest dogs on the planet right about now…” he said and Jenna looked up to see what he was talking about, chuckling weakly as she saw their good fortune.
“Wow… Now that was close… Let’s not do anything like that again, alright?”
“No promises… Come on, let’s keep moving…” Balto said, grinning at her and climbing to his feet. Jenna got up as well and the two finished their walk to the other end of the tunnel and to the other building.
Jenna walked him over to the other side and was about to open the door when she heard guards talking on the other side. Gasping softly, she backed up a bit, looking around for another escape. Spotting a ladder and hatch going up, she pointed to it.
“Up there, Wolf…” she said and Balto nodded, running up to it and beginning his ascent. Once at the top, he moved the hatch just enough to be able to look around. He saw snow and concrete, the outside of the other part of the facility, but no guards on the outside. Slinging his rifle across his shoulder, Balto drew his handgun and moved the hatch, climbing up first to secure the area. Jenna climbed up a moment later and closed the hatch behind them.
“Is this the entrance?” Balto asked, pointing to a metal shutter. Jenna nodded and ran up to it, sliding her card through a nearby scanner. The shutter began to open and Jenna grinned at her teammate.
“After you…” she said and Balto chuckled softly, stepping inside, Jenna right behind him.
Inside, there were a large amount of shells that could be fired from a missile launcher, all of them marked with a nuclear symbol. Balto began to worry more and more about this weapon, wondering what used nuclear warheads as shells.
“You know what these were made for?” Balto asked Jenna, pointing his gun at one.
“No, I told you, I haven’t been here before,” Jenna answered, placing a paw on his handgun and lowering its aim to the floor, “Could you not point that at them? I’d rather not be marked KIA, alright?”
“Yeah… Right…” Balto replied, lowering his ears in embarrassment for his carelessness.
The two agents moved onward, eventually arriving in another hangar area. This one, however, was filled with large sheets of steel. Balto was about to go inspect one when a gunshot caused him to freeze in his tracks. He quickly dove behind a stack of steel and glanced out, spotting a gun holding a handgun.
Damn! How could I have been so careless? Balto thought and growled softly at himself.
“Come out with your hands up now!” the guard demanded and began to reach for his radio.
Before the guard to grab his radio, Balto jumped out and put three bullets into the dog’s chest. The guard shouted and fell over. From his right, a short burst of fire was heard, barely missing his head. Jenna came out this time and fired of two shots, hitting that guard in his face and stomach. When both guards were dead, Jenna walked over to Balto, an angry frown on her face.
“Are you nuts? You almost got yourself killed just now!” she said, chastising Balto.
“Look, I’m sorry, alright? Happy now? It was a mistake…” Balto snapped back, raising his hands defensively. Jenna sighed and softened her voice.
“I know… I’m sorry Balto… It’s just- this mission has me stressed a bit... I think I need a vacation after this…” she replied calmly.
“How’s a week in the
“That sounds perfect… I think I just might do that… Thanks for the suggestion…” Jenna answered and motioned for them to carry on, “Come on, let’s go…”
Just as she was about to walk on, the elevator in the hangar opened and Jenna gasped. She quickly shoved Balto behind a stack of metal and out of view, stowing her handgun quickly. Steele stepped out of the elevator and saw her and the dead guards. His face took an expression of confusion as he approached Jenna.
“Jenna, what happened here?” he asked, staring at her.
“I don’t know… I just came through here and the guards were dead… I guess that agent is here, huh?” Jenna said, faking innocence, which Steele bought into.
“He must be… I’ll put the guards on secondary alert then… Come on, I think it’s time you and I spent some time together, hmm? This job’s been such a stress on me and I figured we could use some relaxation time, what to you think?”
“I think that sounds great Steele...” Jenna said, putting on a sweet smile.
“Great! Come on, let’s go…” Steele said, leading Jenna back towards the elevator.
Balto glanced over the steel sheets and gave Jenna a questioning glance. Jenna gave him a look that said ‘Continue the mission. I’ll catch up to you later,’ and stepped into the elevator with Steele. The doors closed and the elevator began to ascend. Sighing heavily, Balto came out of hiding and walked over to the elevator, pressing the Call button and waiting for it to return.
The moment the elevator returned, Balto stepped inside and saw three buttons: Labs, Arms, and Offices. He sighed as he stared at them, trying to decide on which one to press. Just then, he got a call on his radio. He turned it on and listened in.
“Wolf, do you copy?”
“Yeah, I here ya…” Balto replied, “What do you need Colonel?”
“We’ve just received information that one of the
“Alright Colonel, will do. What’s the dog’s name?”
“His name is Doctor Kalgan. He’s one of the world’s most brilliant nuclear physicists. Please try to keep him alive, but if he is KIA, then it doesn’t matter… All that matters are the primary objectives. Good luck Wolf.”
“Understood sir. Wolf, over and out,” Balto finished and shut off his radio, pressing the Lab button.
The elevator doors closed and it began its slow descent downward into the labs. As soon as the doors opened, Balto went to step out, but heard footfalls approaching the elevator. He quickly kicked off the back wall and supported himself up on the roof of the elevator, waiting until a solo guard entered. As the dog went to press a button, Balto dropped down and brought his boot down onto the soldier’s head, dropping him like a ton of bricks.
“Sleep tight, buddy…” Balto said mockingly.
Balto then grabbed the unconscious guard and pulled him out of the elevator and into a long, beige-tiled hallway. Grabbing the handle to a door marked “Utility Closet” and tossed the guard in with the brooms. Shutting the door silently, Balto withdrew his handgun and warily carried on down the hall. He passed several offices until he reached a double-set of metal doors labeled “Private Lab.”
“This has to be the place…” Balto murmured to himself and pressed the button on the side of the doors.
The metal doors slid open with a whoosh and Balto slowly stepped inside, gun held at the ready. As he walked in, he passed down a small hallway, the right wall made entirely of glass. Through the panes of glass, Balto could see a large laboratory with a single dog working at a computer, his back to Balto. Silently, Balto walked into the lab through a glass door set in the windows and saw the scientist, a Border Collie, turn around and gasp as he saw Balto.
“W-who are you?” the dog asked nervously, rising to his feet, “What are you doing here?”
“Calm down, I’m here to help you…” Balto replied, holstering his handgun, “My name’s Wolf. I’m here to get you outta here…”
The dog looked suspiciously at Balto, and then sighed with relief. He dropped his arms and gave Balto a relieved smile.
“Oh, thank God you’re here! I’m Doctor Kalgan…”
“Whoa, slow down… They’re ready?” Balto asked urgently, “They can attack at any time?”
“No, not yet…” Kalgan explained, shaking his head, “They have the weapon all set up and they have enough ammo to turn
“So they’re making you finish work on the weapon, then they’ll try and take your code?” asked Balto, getting a nod from the scientist.
“Yep. They’ll probably torture me until I crack, then they’ll probably kill me…”
“Is there any other way for them to fire it if they don’t have the code?” Balto asked.
“Well, if they had an expert hacker, then they could probably crack the code, but what’s the chances of that?” asked
“You never know…” Balto said uncertainly, staring at the floor before looking back up at
Just as
“Nice job, Doc…” Kaltag said, picking up the report
Kaltag was stopped when one of the soldiers slapped him. Kaltag sighed sadly as he was cut off, nodding to the soldier who had assaulted him. With Star gone, he’d had the soldiers slap him to compensate for the loss of Star’s constant cutting in. He then gave the report to the other guard and turned on
“Now, all we need is that code of yours…” he said coolly, “What is it?”
“I dunno…”
“Don’t play coy with me…” Kaltag said, slightly irritated, “Now tell me or you’ll regret it… You’ll be in for the worst, the most painful, the most unbearable-”
Once more, Kaltag was slapped, cutting him off. The tan husky rubbed his cheek, and walked over to the fallen Border Collie. He picked him up by the collar of his shirt and stared right into
“Speak now or forever hold your peace…” Kaltag whispered bitterly, “Or end up like your brother… Steele put a round through his head, point-blank…” When the scientist refused to answer, Kaltag tossed the dog across the room and into a cabinet.
Kaltag pulled out a handgun and slowly advanced on
“We’ll be back later…” Kaltag said down to
Kaltag motioned to his soldiers and the two dogs saluted him. The trio then walked out of the lab and out of sight. After Balto heard the automated metal doors open and close, he came out of the cabinet he’d moved into while Kaltag had hit
“I just wanna get out of here…”
“I will, just calm down… I’m sorry about your brother… But tell me, where is the weapon being held?” Balto asked, staring intently at
“It’s in the
“The Head of Design’s Office? The one Steele took over?” Balto asked urgently, growling as
“One can only hope…” said
“Alright…” Balto said, nodding in agreement, “By the way, what is this super-weapon?”
“Have you ever heard of a rail gun?”
“A stealth-missile launcher?!?!” Balto repeated urgently, “So they can attack anywhere in the
“Precisely…”
“Got it…” replied Balto and pulled out his handgun, “Stay here then… I’ll handle the weapon…”
“You alright? Need something for that?” Balto asked.
“Naw, I’ll be fine…” he answered and continued typing away, “You should hurry though… The guards may be here at anytime…”
Balto nodded and admired
“So it’s true about the Sergeant, huh?”
“Yep. I guess he is as skilled as they all say he is…”
Balto pressed his back to the wall and peered around the corner. He saw two armed soldiers standing in front of the elevator, apparently waiting for it. One shook his head in amazement and chuckled slightly.
“Wow… That’s amazing… I mean, I knew Sarge was incredible, but who knew he was also a talented hacker?” the guard asked. The second one laughed and patted his friend’s shoulder.
“Just another reason to respect him more, huh pal?” the second one asked, getting a nod from the first.
“Yeah… Hey, the elevator’s here…” the first soldier responded as the elevator doors opened.
Balto watched the two dogs walk inside, then saw the doors close. He moved around the corner to the elevator doors and pressed the Call button. Sighing, Balto tapped his foot as he waited for the elevator to come back. After a minute, Balto heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see three soldiers spot him.
“Hey, you!” one of the guards shouted at Balto just as the elevator opened up.
Balto growled softly to himself and quickly raised his handgun, firing off three shots as he backed up into the elevator. One of his shots struck a guard in the chest, dropping the guard with a final shriek of pain. The other two leveled their rifles and began firing as Balto pressed the Offices button and pressed his back to the wall of the elevator as the rifle bullets ripped through the air in front of him and pierced the back wall. As the door closed, Balto heard the final few pings of their last bullets hitting the metal elevator doors.
Sighing with relief, Balto wiped his brow as the elevator lurched upward. Balto ejected the clip in his handgun and counted up the six remaining bullets loaded in it before replacing it in his gun. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Balto saw a lone soldier standing there, waiting for the elevator. As the guard gasped with surprise, Balto put a bullet through his enemy’s forehead and grabbed the body before it could hit the ground.
“Shit… Didn’t expect that…” Balto muttered to himself and he looked up and down the hallway. Spotting no other enemy soldier, Balto slowly dragged the guard into a nearby bathroom and tossed him into one of the stalls and locking it.
Balto glanced around the bathroom before slowly walking out into the hallway again. He heard a door open nearby and glanced around for a hiding place. Noticing the hallways were narrow enough for only two dogs, Balto ran up one wall and kicked off, placing one foot on each wall and standing in midair on either wall roughly ten feet up the wall. Below him, a single guard walked down the hallway, rifle held at the ready as he patrolled.
“I don’t see why they make me patrol this hallway… Nothing ever happens here…” the guard muttered to himself.
Balto smirked as he listened to the guard’s protests. Once the armed dog was beneath him, Balto dropped down and brought a combat boot down on top of the soldier’s head, sending him to the ground. Balto checked for a pulse and found the dog still alive, then dragged him into the bathroom and locked him in another stall. Sighing, Balto turned and walked back out into the hall and down an adjacent hall to a pair of oak doors, gold words reading “Head of Design.”
“This is the place…” Balto said to himself, smiling as he stowed his handgun and placed a hand on the doorknob.
As Balto turned the knob and opened the door, he saw a large, ornate office. Inside was a large mahogany desk, bookcases, a TV, a computer and laptop situated on the desk, and on the left side of the room was a lit fireplace and a loveseat- with Steele and Jenna sitting in it. Balto winced, realizing he’d forgotten about Steele and stepped inside, silently closing the door behind him. On the far wall, just behind the desk, was another wooden door. Balto silently tried to sneak to the other side of the room, moving slowly and silently.
“Yeah, I know, Steele…” Jenna said softly and glanced at Steele, then saw Balto and held back a gasp.
Jenna gave Balto a look that said “What are you doing here?” Balto motioned to the door and Jenna nodded slightly. Steele turned and stared into Jenna’s lavender eyes, smiling widely.
“You’re really beautiful, Jenna… Aren’t you glad you’re here, with me, instead of being forced to work?” Steele asked softly. Jenna felt like just walking away, but couldn’t or else he’d catch Balto.
“Thanks…” Jenna replied in a soft tone of voice, giving him a sweet smile that easily deceived the twisted Sergeant.
Balto quietly continued to move along until he was roughly halfway to the door. However, as he was circling around the desk, one of the pouches on his belt hit a pen on Steele’s desk, knocking it to the floor with a clatter. As Steele went to go see what caused the noise, Jenna grabbed Steele’s head and pulled him into a kiss. Balto gasped softly at Jenna’s distraction, but quickly took the moment and walked over to the door, then through it. Once Balto was out of sight, Jenna broke the kiss.
“Heh, wow Jenna… That was a shocker…” Steele said grinning and licking his lips, “Let’s do that again…”
Just as Steele leaned in to kiss Jenna again, the double doors opened and two guards walked in. They saluted and stood at attention before Steele.
“Sir! We’ve just received reports that the agent has to be somewhere on the premises,” one guard said as he stood completely still. Steele growled furiously and pulled out his handgun, firing a shot and destroying the soldier’s right eye. The dog dropped to the floor, dead, and Steele pointed the gun at the other soldier.
“Do you have anything to report as well?” Steele asked angrily.
“N-no s-sir!” the soldier said, terrified of his commanding officer.
“Good… Now scram!” Steele shouted, watching the guard grab his dead companion and run out faster than if he was under fire. Steele smirked and holstered his gun, turning back to Jenna.
“Now… Where were we?” he asked slyly, leaning toward Jenna again. Just as their lips were about to meet, the intercom system on Steele’s desk sent the voice of Kaltag into the room.
“Steele? Are you there? This is Corporal Kaltag, do you read me?”
Steele sighed with irritation and rose from the loveseat. Slowly, he walked over to his desk and pressed a button on the intercom unit.
“I’m here Kaltag. What’s up?” he asked into the speaker.
“It’s Doctor Kalgan, sir. We have all the info we need from him, but he won’t tell us the code to activate the weapon.”
Steele growled with annoyance at the scientist.
He’s been trying my patience for far too long… Steele thought bitterly, rubbing his eyes as he thought. After a moment, he pressed the button again and gave Kaltag his next order.
“I’ll hack the system… We don’t need his code…”
There was a moment of silence in the office. After a brief period, Kaltag’s voice came through again.
“What should we do with him then?”
Steele grinned maliciously. He knew exactly what to do with the insubordinate doctor. Chuckling darkly, he activated the intercom and grinned wickedly.
“Kill him…”
Chapter 4
The bridge to the
“This place never ceases to amaze me…” Balto murmured, shaking his head. Slowly, Balto walked onto the platform and glanced at the controls.
They were simple enough, a single button that was labeled Activate. Chuckling slightly, Balto went to press the button, when the door he’d just come through opened and closed again. Gasping, Balto glanced up and grabbed onto the railing above him and pulled himself up, just out of sight from those below. Beneath him, Balto saw Steele and Jenna board and press the button. The platform shuddered slightly and began to move across the gap.
“You know Jenna, I’m glad we’re getting to know each other better…” Steele said, wrapping an arm around Jenna and holding her close.
Balto growled softly, then realized what he’d done. Steele heard the noise and glanced up, spotting Balto above them. He drew out his handgun and fired, scratching Balto’s shoulder. Balto winced as he felt a slight pain in his right shoulder and fell off the platform. Steele looked over the railing and saw nothing.
“Stupid half-breed agent…” Steele muttered to himself, “At least he’s gone now…”
Jenna looked over the edge as well and saw nothing as well. She gasped slightly, but hid the horror on her face as she came away from the railing. Below, Balto had just barely caught onto one of the metal bars of the platform and was holding on for dear life. Keeping as silent and out of sight as possible, he rode underneath as the platform finished its approach to the
After a few minutes, Balto pulled himself back up onto the platform and then walked out onto the outdoor catwalks along the side of the building. The cold Alaskan air whipped around him, causing Balto to shiver slightly, but thankfully his suit was insulated so he was warm enough to survive. As he walked along, he came to a turn at the corner of the building and was about to take it until a familiar black and white dog came around and saw Balto. Both dogs gasped and got ready for a fight.
“You!” Steele shouted in anger, “How many times do I have to kill you, boy?”
Balto went for Steele, throwing punch after punch, but Steele blocked every single attack expertly. Steele returned a few punches, which Balto dodged, both dogs forcing each other back and forth across the metal catwalk. Every so often, Balto or Steele would score a lucky shot on one another, but many of the assaults were blocked or dodged.
After close to ten minutes of intense close-quarters combat, Steele got a powerful hit in on Balto, sending the wolfdog reeling. As Balto tried to recover, Steele punched Balto’s stomach, causing the agent to double over in agony. Steele then grabbed Balto’s suit and tossed him over the edge of the catwalk. Fortunately, Balto grabbed the rail and spun himself back around, bringing his combat boot forcefully to the side of Steele’s head. Steele stumbled backwards, but didn’t fall.
Balto then carried on punching Steele, landing blow after blow on the sergeant’s muscular body. After several hits, Steele caught on and grabbed Balto’s fist as his enemy threw another punch. Balto gasped as Steele grabbed his hand, then felt Steele toss him through the air and into a stack of steel crates. Balto groaned in pain and felt Steele grab his leg. Steele tossed the beaten-up wolfdog to the other end of the catwalk. Balto anticipated this and masterfully placed his hands on the metal flooring and back-flipped so he was standing against Steele again.
Growling angrily, Steele ran up to Balto and continued their fight, kicking Balto in his side, then punching the wolfdog in his face. Balto fell backward and slumped against the railing. As Steele went to grab him to finish Balto off, Balto grabbed Steele’s shirt and head-butted him hard, stunning Steele temporarily. Balto the turned and ran off down the catwalk. Ahead of him, he could see a door leading inside the
Crying out in pain, Balto stumbled and fell to his knees. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Steele walk up to him, pistol drawn. He kicked Balto to the ground and placed a boot on the agent’s shoulder, rolling him onto his back. Balto merely stared up at Steele as the evil dog pulled the hammer back on his handgun and trained it on Balto’s forehead.
“Time to die, half-breed…” Steele spat bitterly, an evil and triumphant look on his face, “One-and-for-all…” Then Steele pulled the trigger.
Click!
That was the only sound that came from Steele’s gun; the sound of an empty clip. Steele gasped slightly and stared at his gun. Balto took his momentary distraction and kicked Steele in his groin. As the dog keeled over, Balto took to his feet and kept running for the door, gripping his injured left side as he ran. Once at the door, Balto pulled it open and ran down the tiled hallway, a patch of his green suit turning a dark crimson color. His run becoming a limp, he moved until he saw a door titled “Executive Office.”
Balto grunted as he moved over to it and pulled the door open. Limping inside, he slammed the door shut and turned the lock on the door, hearing the satisfying click. His vision began to go a little blurry as he continued to lose blood. He knew none of his vitals had been hit, or else he would have been dead by now. Walking uneasily over to an armchair, Balto tried to sit down, but ended up collapsing onto the floor. Groaning, he rolled onto his back, a buzzing in his head and his vision now completely blurred. He activated his radio and tried to speak.
“This is Wolf… Can… can anyone hear me?” he asked weakly, his voice becoming heavier and fainter.
“Wolf? Wolf, what’s wrong?” Colonel McIntyre asked worriedly.
“I’ve been… hit… I’m losing blood fast…” Balto explained weakly, “I can hardly see… a thing… My head hurts…”
“Easy now, Wolf… We need to get you patched up… Just hold on and we can walk you through everything…”
“Can’t… stay… awake…” Balto said in a barely audible whisper, his eyes drooping, “Everything… going… black…”
“What? No, Wolf, stay awake!”
“Wolf… out…”
“WOLF!!! No, come in Wolf! Com in! Wolf! Wolf!!!”
Balto’s last words were his final ones. His vision became pitch-black and the protests of Colonel McIntyre were lost to the drowsiness he was starting to feel. Slowly, his body relaxed and went limp on the ground as his eyes closed. Within seconds, Balto was unconscious, steadily bleeding to death.
From outside, the door to where Balto lay shook as someone tried to open it. An irritated sigh was heard, then the sound of a moving grate. A few moments later, the air vent in the ceiling of the office was removed and a red and white husky dropped inside. Jenna took one look around and saw Balto passed out on the floor.
“Wolf!” Jenna exclaimed as she spotted him, quickly running up to his side and kneeling down to examine his wound, “Oh, Wolf… What happened? Don’t worry, I’m gonna help you…”
Jenna quickly pulled a small medical kit from her belt and opened it up. She inspected both sides of Balto, noticing that the bullet had gone clear through his body. Jenna grabbed an iodine bottle and opened the top, rubbing some of the liquid on a cotton ball, and then applying it to the bullet wound. She saw Balto flinch slightly in his unconscious state, but he settled quickly. Jenna sighed softly and pulled out a roll of linen bandaging, pulled Balto’s dark green shirt off, and began tying it around his lower torso. Once she finished patching Balto up, she moved around to the desk in the room and turned on the computer on the desk and began to type away at something.
Balto could see nothing but black in his mind. He looked around, back and forth, but nothing. Growling softly, Balto began to run through the darkness, every footstep he took taking him absolutely nowhere different. After several minutes, Balto stopped running and sighed with annoyance as he looked around into the blackness.
“Perfect…” Balto muttered, then perked his ears up as he heard voices.
“Wolf! Wolf, wake up!” came the voice of Colonel McIntyre.
“Wolf! Oh please, Wolf… get up… Get up…” the voice of Jenna rang out.
“Jenna? Colonel?” Balto asked into the dark void, looking around for them.
“Damn half-breed… You bit off more than you could chew… Have fun in Hell…” Steele’s taunting voice said. Balto gritted his teeth and began to run again, looking everywhere for the voices.
“What’s going on? Where are you?” Balto shouted out to nothing. A bright light slowly began to overtake the black and his body. Balto had to close his eyes from the light as he slowly woke up…
Balto’s eyelids fluttered slightly as he slowly opened up his brown-gold wolf eyes. Everything was a vague blur, but things steadily settled into proportion and he could make things out clearly. A throbbing pain was in the lower-left side of his torso, but he knew he wasn’t dead or bleeding anymore. Glancing down, he saw someone had bandaged him up while he was out. Sitting up, Balto looked around and saw Jenna, fast asleep in the armchair behind the desk.
“Thank you, Jenna…” he whispered, slowly getting to his feet and pulling his shirt back on. He looked down at his radio and noticed Jenna had shut it off for him. He turned it on and spoke.
“This is Wolf… I’m alive…” he said into the mini-microphone and chuckled when he heard distant cheers through his earpiece.
“Excellent work Wolf! How did you survive?”
“Jenna… Husky, saved my life… She patched me up while I was out of it…” he explained, giving Jenna a warm, thankful smile.
“Excellent teamwork! Be sure to thank her properly; if she hadn’t come along, you would’ve bled out in twenty minutes.”
“I will… How long was I out for, anyway?”
“Roughly three hours…”
“Three hours?!?!” Balto exclaimed, checking his wristwatch and confirming that fact, “Oh shit…
Before the Colonel could reply, Balto turned the radio off and quickly drew out his handgun. He grabbed a nutrition bar from one of his various pouches and quickly ate it to replenish his energy, then unlocked the door and ran out. Moving down the hallway, Balto heard a door behind him open and quickly spun around, raising his gun to the dog that stepped out into the hall- and lowered it when he saw it was Jenna. Jenna gasped and ran up to him, embracing him tightly.
“Wolf! Oh thank God you’re alright!” Jenna said happily, smiling widely, “I thought you were gonna die!” Balto chuckled slightly and hugged Jenna back.
“Hey, it’s alright… I’m tough… I’m alive…” Balto replied, grinning back at her, then spotting a security camera, “Oh Hell… We’ve been caught…” Jenna smirked and waved to the camera.
“No we’re not. While you were asleep, I disabled all the security alarms and cameras in this building!” Jenna explained, smiling in self-satisfaction. Balto stared at her, impressed by her skills.
“Wow Jenna… Great job!” he said and patted her on the shoulder, the motioning down the hallway with his gun, “We’d better hurry. We need to find Doctor Kalgan before something happens to him!”
“Um, Wolf…” Jenna said softly, swallowing hard, “
“What?” he asked plainly, still staring at her.
“Kaltag… He killed
Balto continued to simply stare for a moment as Jenna’s words sank into his mind. He shook his head a little, then chuckled weakly. He turned and faced down the hall, a look of disbelief on his face. Growling slightly, Balto punched the wall and shouted in irritation.
“No! Come on!” he shouted to no one, “Can’t things go smoothly for once today?!?!”
“Wolf, calm down…” Jenna said softly, placing a hand on his back, “It’s alright… He wasn’t a necessary objective, was he?” Balto sighed softly and cooled down, turning to face Jenna.
“No… No he wasn’t…” Balto replied, turning back down the hallway, “Where does this hallway lead?”
“To an elevator that’ll take us to the Weapons Hangar down below… It’s a large hangar filled with various weaponry…” Jenna said.
“Alright let’s go there… C’mon…” he said and led the way down the hallway.
The two agents proceeded down the long hall and took a right turn, spotting the metal doors of an elevator. Balto pressed the button beside them and the doors opened, revealing a glass elevator. Balto and Jenna stepped inside and Balto pressed the Down button. The elevator began its steady decline and through the glass, both dogs could see a huge concrete and metal hangar loaded with crates of various sizes.
Balto stared in amazement at the amounts of crates and Jenna gasped in surprise. Once the elevator reached the bottom, the doors opened and both dogs stepped out into the hangar, walking around and inspecting for any enemies. Above them, the metal catwalks were silent and the ground around them was eerily still. Balto glanced around and began to get worried as they walked between the crates.
“Something’s not right here…” Balto said, stopping as he raised his handgun.
“Yeah…” Jenna replied, “Where are all the guards? You’d think there’d be more, especially here…”
Balto turned to say something to Jenna, but froze. Jenna stared in confusion at Balto and he motioned to her chest. Glancing down, Jenna saw a bright red dot in the center of her chest. Slowly, it moved down to her knee and Jenna gave Balto a worried look.
“Wolf?” she asked softly, her voice shaking slightly.
Before Balto could answer, a loud gunshot pierced the silent air. Jenna’s knee gave way in a spray of blood as the bullet hit her and she went down. Instantly, the laser sight moved to her other knee and fired again, bringing Jenna down, then shot her left shoulder, sending her down to the ground. Balto quickly moved behind a crate, then turned the corner, firing off five random shots to scare their assailant before hiding again as another round pierced the corner of the crate where he had been only a second before.
“Damn it!” Balto swore angrily as he ejected his empty clip and loaded a fresh one into his gun, “Jenna, hold on…”
“Don’t come for me…” Jenna said, breathing heavier as she lay on her back, a pool of blood forming beneath her, “It’s… It’s Kaltag… He’s the only sniper in the lot… He’s using me as bait to lure you out… It’s the- oldest trick in the book…”
Jenna chuckled weakly as she lay there, wincing from the sharp pains filling her body. Balto gritted his teeth and pulled his rifle from around his shoulders, firing off the entire clip at every catwalk, hoping to find Kaltag. As he emptied his clip, another round was fired from a snipe rifle and Balto’s rifle was thrown from his grip. Not wasting any time, Balto dove behind cover again.
“He’s on the fourth catwalk down…” Balto said to himself, then glanced at Jenna, “Hold on Jen… I’m gonna get you outta this… Just hang on for a little while longer…”
Jenna slowly nodded to Balto and winced once more. Balto silently swore to himself for being so careless and began to weave around the crates, searching for one specific crate. After several minutes of searching, Balto found the crate he was looking for to save Jenna and win the fight. Sighing with relief, Balto pulled out his combat knife and pried open a crate labeled ‘Sniper Rifles.’ Balto pulled one out, grabbed a clip of ammo, loaded it, and ran back to Jenna- only to find she was gone.
“What? How?” Balto asked himself, then decided to worry about it later.
Balto peeked around the corner and could just barely spot the outline of a tan husky lying prone across one of the many metal catwalks overhead. Balto lay down and slowly peered out, rifle pointed out in the direction of Kaltag. Looking through the scope, Balto could see the husky’s head, shoulders, and his rifle. Balto fired, but his bullet missed Kaltag’s head by an inch, instead striking a bolt holding the catwalk up. The catwalk creaked, shuddered, then collapsed, sending Kaltag twenty feet down to the concrete floor.
Kaltag shouted out in surprise as he plummeted down to the ground, then scrambled behind a box, clutching his rifle close to his chest. He pulled out his handgun and fired three shots off in random directions, hoping to scare Balto off long enough for Kaltag to get into a better position. Balto heard the shots and saw them miss completely. Grabbing his sniper rifle, Balto ran toward Kaltag until he came to the crate Kaltag was behind. Climbing on top of the crate, Balto stared down at Kaltag and raised his rifle to the tan husky’s head.
From the corner of his eyes, Kaltag spotted Balto and raised his rifle at the same time. Both dogs fired, each one striking the other’s sniper rifle and throwing it from their hands. Balto jumped down and kicked Kaltag in his chest. Kaltag stumbled backward, but regained his composure and got into an attack position.
“I should warn you… I’m expertly trained in hand-to-hand combat…” Kaltag said, grinning arrogantly. Balto assumed a similar attack stance and glared at Kaltag.
“So am I…” Balto replied in a mutter, then lunged at Kaltag.
Kaltag blocked every attack Balto sent his way. After a moment, Kaltag caught onto Balto’s momentum and grabbed his enemy’s fist and twisted Balto’s arm behind his back. Balto groaned as he was spun around and felt Kaltag kick him into a crate. Balto collapsed, but got up again, going at Kaltag with all the strength and speed he could muster up within his body. Kaltag was taken back by Balto’s sudden rejuvenation. After a few seconds, Balto got a shot in on Kaltag, slamming his fist into the tan husky’s muzzle and sending him flying backwards into a pile of crates.
Balto glared at Kaltag as his enemy slowly rose to his feet again. Both dogs were at it again a moment later, both dogs fighting fiercely. Though Balto had more strength and stamina, Kaltag was faster and had a more finessed technique of combat. Kaltag gave a quick kick to Balto’s stomach, then to his head as Balto started to double over. The wolfdog fell onto his back and panted heavily.
Damn… he thought to himself, Kaltag’s certainly an expert fighter… But I know one way to beat him…
Not hesitating for a moment, Balto leaped to his feet and threw a quick jab at Kaltag’s side, landing the blow and stunning him temporarily. With that moment, Balto reached for his handgun and Kaltag did the same, both dogs pointing their weapons at one another, point-blank. They stared each other down, a fire burning in either one’s eyes.
“What now, Corporal?” Balto asked, “You gonna pull the trigger? The recoil will cause me to pull the trigger as well…”
“I’m not gonna shoot you, wolfdog…” Kaltag responded, “I’m gonna do this.”
Kaltag spun and kicked Balto’s gun from his hands. He had moved so fast that Balto hadn’t had the time to react until it was too late. As Kaltag regained his composure, Balto grabbed the husky’s arm and hit him in the elbow, causing Kaltag to drop his handgun. Balto then dove for his gun a few feet away on the concrete floor. Kaltag noticed Balto’s move and used his boot to kick his handgun into the air, grabbing for it as Balto wrapped his fingers around his gun. Hitting the ground and spinning, Balto lay on his back and pointed as gun at Kaltag as Kaltag trained his pistol on Balto. Then both dogs fired, the sounds of two simultaneous gunshots echoing through the hangar.
For a moment, time stood still. Everything seemed to freeze the way it was. Balto didn’t know who had hit who, or if anyone had been shot at all. After a moment, things seemed to move again and he saw the concrete beside his head explode and saw a red splatter appear on Kaltag’s side. Kaltag shouted in pain and reeled backwards, knowing he’d missed and Balto had hit. Grabbing his rifle, Kaltag quickly limped away through the hangar. Balto rose to his feet and gave chase, but as he turned the way Kaltag had gone, his target had vanished.
“Damn it…” Balto murmured, looking cautiously around, “Where’d he go?”
Slowly, Balto stepped in between boxes and crates of weapons, looking around for Kaltag. He kept his handgun raised, poised to fire at the slightest hint of movement. As he stepped behind a box, the wood beside his head exploded and splintered as it was shot. Not wasting any time, Balto ran back the way he came and knew where Kaltag was now.
“Come out agent!” Kaltag shouted, his voice echoing from everywhere, “It’s easier to die, but if you’d prefer to hide, then I’d enjoy the fun just as much! This will be the most exciting, the most thrilling, the most heart-pounding-”
Before Kaltag could say anymore, Balto fired off a shot near Kaltag, hitting the crate beside where the sniper lay in wait. Kaltag flinched slightly and shut up. He glanced through his scope again, scanning between the crates he could see, trying to find Balto.
I need to find my rifle… Balto thought to himself as he weaved between boxes.
After searching for a few minutes, Balto spotted his rifle lying out in the open, right where he’d left it. Quickly scrambling for it, he reached for it and saw the concrete right in front of his hands fly up as it was shot.
“Ah-ah-ah! No touching the rifle, wolfdog!” Kaltag shouted to Balto, grinning mischievously as he looked through his scope, taking aim at Balto’s rifle again.
Growling, Balto slowly took a few steps back. With a silent prayer, he ran forward and dove for his rifle. His hands grabbed the barrel of the sniper rifle and he rolled with it behind cover just as he heard another shot rip through the air. Landing safely behind a box with his prize, Balto grinned widely and ran off to find a good spot to shoot from. The fight had now become an all-out sniper duel.
Kaltag gritted his teeth a she reloaded his empty rifle. Once he shoved the new clip in, he glanced around the hangar for his opponent. Balto, on the other hand, was trying to find a suitable sniping point. Finally finding one situated between two boxes, he wedged himself between them and gazed through his scope, scanning the area for Kaltag. Everything was dead-silent for the longest time. After a moment, Balto got a sight on Kaltag and smirked to himself.
Victory is mine… he thought to himself as he leveled his sniper rifle and trained the sights on the scope on Kaltag’s head. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Kaltag saw him and stood up, trying to aim as rapidly as possible. However, Kaltag’s aim was off and he hit Balto’s rifle instead of Balto, sending the gun into the air just above Balto. The rifle smoothly fell down and into Balto’s hands as he raised his rifle again to fire as Kaltag trained it on Balto’s head. Then both snipers pulled their triggers.
Kaltag felt something strike him in his chest and glanced down. Balto had hit him straight through his chest. The tan husky chuckled weakly, dropped his rifle, and fell from the box to the concrete floor. Balto dropped his rifle as well and ran toward Kaltag; Kaltag’s shot had missed a lethal hit by an inch and instead hit the crate behind him. As Balto approached his fallen enemy, Kaltag lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He chuckled as he saw Balto and stared up at Balto.
“You know something, it’s funny…” Kaltag said, his voice choked and a little raspy, “I was trained as a sniper… Yet here I am… I’ve been sniped… Isn’t it ironic? A sniper ended by a sniper… I thought I was good enough to live through any battle… But I guess I was wrong… I’m just weak…”
“No… You’re not weak…” Balto said, kneeling down beside Kaltag, “You fought well… You put up a tough fight for me… A much better battle than Star did… I wasn’t sure who was going to win… I just got a lucky hit… You’re not weak… You’re strong; stronger than most other snipers I’ve seen… You didn’t flee from combat. You stood your ground to the death… That’s the spirit of a true soldier…”
Kaltag smiled slightly and chuckled. Balto knew his enemy didn’t have long to live and decided to at least make such an honorable soldier and sniper die with respect. Kaltag looked over at his rifle and motioned to it.
“My rifle… May I have it?” he asked weakly, glancing up at Balto again. Balto nodded and picked up Kaltag’s fallen weapon, placing it in the husky’s hands. Kaltag held his sniper rifle across his chest, his white suit quickly turning a deep red color from Balto’s inflicted wounds.
“What’s you name, agent?” Kaltag asked softly, “I need to know the name of the dog who bested me…” Balto hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the dying dog.
“Balto…” he answered slowly, “My name’s Balto…”
“Steele’s the one who’s holding all the chips…” Kaltag told Balto with what energy he had left, “Most of these soldiers… They didn’t want to be here… But Steele knew things… things that got them to follow him through this rebellion… They’re as much prisoners as everyone else… They die because he says so… All because he says so… Ya know, I’m glad you’re the one to kill me… I… I shot Jenna by mistake… I saw the green uniform and thought it was you… If you didn’t take me out, Steele would have… Just end all this…”
Kaltag glanced up at the ceiling, then back at Balto. A puddle of blood had begun to spread across the concrete floor beneath him and his breathing had become much heavier and forced. Nodding to Balto, Kaltag closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
“Alright Balto… Finish me off…” he said dejectedly.
Sighing softly, Balto rose to his feet. Slowly, he pulled out his handgun from its holster on his belt and pulled the hammer back. Gradually, he raised it until it was trained on Kaltag’s forehead. Kaltag gave Balto a small smile and closed his eyes once more- and Balto pulled the trigger.
Bang!
And Corporal Kaltag was finished.
The next order of business on Balto’s list was to locate Jenna and the super weapon, then take out Nikki and Steele. Walking through a metal door on the far end of the Weapons Hangar, Balto found himself in another hallway. Slowly and warily walking down it, Balto eventually found himself facing another pair of metal doors.
Strange that there’s still no guards… Balto thought to himself.
Balto pressed the buttons beside the metal doors and watched them slide open. Stepping inside, Balto saw a large boiler room, furnaces on every side of him and the blistering heat was almost unbearable. In fact, as soon as Balto stepped inside, he began to sweat profusely. Wiping his brow off, he carried on walking through the hot room. As he stepped through the gigantic room, Balto heard a sharp beep and gasped. Not hesitating to think what it was, Balto jumped backwards just as the furnace beside him exploded in a fiery ball.
“What the hell?” Balto asked no one as he landed and looked around. A deep laugh echoed around him, coming in clear over the hissing of the furnaces.
“So, you’re the one who killed Star!” came the voice of Nikki, “Well, you’re not gettin’ outta here alive!”
Nikki… Balto thought as he cautiously proceeded through the boiler room, Gotta look out for his traps… Balto warily stepped around pipes and furnaces, keeping his ears perked and his body on high alert. After a few more moments, another beep was heard and Balto rolled forward and out of the way of another explosion. Gritting his teeth in irritation, Balto grabbed his handgun from the steel floor and slinked through the room, hunting down his quarry.
As he walked, Balto heard the sound of a machine gun being loaded and glanced to his left. He saw Nikki holding an M-16, a large grin on his face.
Shit… Balto thought as Nikki pulled the trigger. Balto dashed like mad as the rapidly firing bullets pierced the metal wall just inches behind him. Dropping, Balto skidded behind a furnace and sighed with relief, reaching for his M-16- only to find it wasn’t there.
Damn, that’s right… I left it back when I was fighting Kaltag… Balto thought, mentally chastising himself for his stupidity. Cocking his pistol, the gray-brown wolfdog rose up and pressed his back to the wall, slowly sidling across the cold metal surface as he searched for Nikki. As Balto was about to put his foot down, he saw a small black box on the side of one of the boilers. Grinning, Balto bent down and pressed a few buttons, disabling Nikki’s Claymore mine.
“Nice try, Nikki…” Balto muttered to himself.
“Thanks…” Nikki replied to Balto’s side and the agent gasped. Without having to look, Balto hit the floor as dozens of bullets whizzed over his head.
Balto heard Nikki’s assault rifle run dry and heard the dog eject the empty clip. Balto quickly raised himself to a kneeling position and shot Nikki twice in his chest. Nikki laughed and grinned slyly at Balto.
“A bullet-proof vest… Made of flak and a composite base of steel and aluminum!” Nikki announced proudly, jamming a fresh clip of ammo into his rifle.
Balto gritted his teeth as he ducked in cover again as Nikki unleashed a hail of bullets above Balto again. Growling in anger, Balto silently crawled on the ground just out of sight as Nikki continued to fire off rounds where he previously was. Once Balto was far enough away, he rose to his feet and circled back around to where Nikki was. As he saw the back of his enemy’s unarmored head, he raised his gun and took a step forward to get a better shot.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, another beep was heard and Balto closed his eyes, muttering a silent profanity as the boiler in front of him exploded, sending him flying through the air and slamming against one of the metal walls. Balto grunted and groaned as he hit the floor. Above his head, sparks flew as Nikki shot through the smoke of the explosion in an attempt to finish off Balto. Balto grabbed his fallen handgun and scrambled behind cover. He peered out and fired three more shots at Nikki, hitting his torso.
“Come on!” Balto shouted and hid again, ejecting his empty clip and replacing it with a fully loaded one.
“No chance, agent!” Nikki shouted back and fired off a few rounds at the boiler Balto was behind to startle him.
Balto glanced around the corner and spotted Nikki standing beside a boiler. On one side of the boiler was one of Nikki’s many Claymore mines. Grinning, Balto figured out a way to kill Nikki. Mentally preparing himself, he moved around behind Nikki, silently circling to his side. Once he was at Nikki’s left side and the Claymore mine was in view, Balto cocked his handgun and grinned widely.
“Hey Nikki!” Balto shouted, catching Nikki’s attention as the dog turned to face him, “So long!”
As Nikki began to raise his M-16 to Balto, the wolfdog agent aimed his pistol at the Claymore mine and pulled the trigger. Another explosion was heard and Nikki was tossed through the air, landing on the floor with a hard thud. As Nikki landed, another beep was heard as the stunned dog triggered another Claymore mine and was blown up again. The far end of the boiler room was engulfed in flames as Nikki blew up along with several boilers.
“Thanks for the set-up, Nikki…” Balto said, “Never could’ve beaten you without it…”
Turning to the other door, Balto walked over to it and walked out into yet another hall. His suit was singed slightly and covered in ash. Balto brushed himself off and proceeded with his mission. As he walked, Balto activated his radio, a large smile on his face. Three of his five objectives were complete. Now all he had to do was wipe out the weapon and finish off Steele.
“Wolf here. Colonel, I have some great news…”
“Go on Wolf. Let’s hear the great news!”
“I’ve succeeded in eliminating Nikki, Kaltag, and Star… Only Steele remains. Then I’ll destroy the weapon.”
“Excellent work Wolf! Only two more objectives to go and you’re home-free! Now, listen, Steele will most likely try to-”
But before Colonel McIntyre could finish, he was cut off by a burst of static. Balto lost his smile and turned to his radio. It was in working condition, but for some reason it just stopped working.
“What? Colonel, do you read me? Colonel, come in!”
Nothing but static again. Balto growled in anger, then sighed dejectedly. He turned his radio off and knew exactly what was going on. Steele was blocking any and all transmissions to this part of the facility. Balto was cut-off from his support team and the outside world.
“Perfect…” Balto muttered agitatedly, “Thank you, Steele…”
Balto growled softly as he proceeded down the halls. Still, no guards were to be found. Balto began to feel even more nervous. Proceeding onward, he came to a door marked “Medical Room.” Balto’s mind instantly snapped back to Jenna and he opened the door, stepping inside. The occupants of the room were a doctor and a soldier, asleep on one of the beds. As soon as the doctor saw Balto, the wolfdog hit a pressure point on the back of the dog’s neck, dropping him to the floor. He then hid the unconscious doctor in an adjacent office and walked over to the empty bed, picking up the medical report lying on it and read it.
It was a detailed medical report on Jenna. Balto felt his heart-rate increase as he carried on reading the medical report. He sighed with relief when he got to the part that stated she was alright and they’d patched her up. Dropping the report back onto the bed, Balto turned around and walked out into the hallway, moving further down it.
I have to find her… I just HAVE to, he thought to himself as he ran down the hall. At the end, he saw a steel door and ran up to it, watching it open automatically and stepping inside. As he ran in, he found himself staring at a large steel cannon-shaped gun in front of him. Balto’s mouth gaped open as he slowly walked up to it. Around it on catwalks all around the weapon were dozens of guards.
So this is where they all ran off to… Balto thought to himself as he scanned the large hangar. Above him was a room that looked like it could be a control room. Reasoning that it probably was, he decided to go check it out. Balto ran over to the stairs that led up to one of the two levels of catwalks, removed the suppressor, and fired off a shot, then hid under the stairs. One of the guards heard the noise and ran down the stairs to inspect the source of the sound. Once he reached the base of the stairs, Balto hit the soldier on the back of the head and dragged his unconscious body into the shadows and hit him.
Replacing his suppressor, Balto went up the stairs, talking them two at a time. When he reached the first level of catwalks, he ducked behind a stack of steel crates as a guard walked by him. Balto shot the guard in the back of his head, then hid the body behind the crates. Moving up another flight of stairs to the top level of catwalks, Balto slinked through the shadows until he came to a pair of soldiers talking to one another.
“Look, all I’m saying is that we really should be getting paid better for this job. I mean, we’re guarding the freakin’ weapon, we should at least get-”
Before the guard could finish, Balto put a round through the soldier’s neck, then through the other one’s head. Both soldiers dropped and Balto continued down the catwalk until he got to the control room. Crouching beneath the window on the front, he peeked up slightly to see Steele and Jenna inside. Steele was pacing back and forth while Jenna worked on a computer.
What is she doing? Balto asked in thought, staring at her. Balto silently moved around to the side of the room where the door was slightly open. Inside, he could clearly hear every word that the two said.
“Have you gotten the activation code yet, Jenna?” Steele asked her as he paced back and forth.
“Almost, Steele… Just give me a few more minutes…” Jenna answered, staring intently at the computer screen, “Once I finish hacking
“Excellent… Now remember: you didn’t do this. I did, understand?” Steele asked, stopping behind her.
“Yeah yeah, I know… All your doing…” replied Jenna as she continued working, “Almost done…”
Balto couldn’t believe what was going on. Jenna was working for Steele! Unable to take it, Balto turned and stood in the doorway, pistol raised at the two of them. He glared angrily at Steele and Jenna, ready to pull the trigger if necessary.
“Freeze, both of you!” Balto shouted furiously, “You’re both under arrest by the authority of the United States Federal Government!”
Steele stopped his pacing, his back to Balto. Jenna spun around and stared in surprise at Balto. He gave her an angry look; a look of betrayal. Steele chuckled, then turned around to smirk at the wolfdog.
“The
Balto growled and cocked his handgun, pointing it fiercely at Steele. Just as Balto was about to pull the trigger on Steele, another gunshot rang out and Balto’s pistol was thrown from his grip. Balto watched his gun fall to the floor below, then turned his gaze to Jenna, who was holding her handgun drawn, pointed at Balto. A look of shock and betrayal crossed Balto’s face at Jenna’s actions.
“Nice work, Jenna…” Steele said, grinning at her, “Now take him to the prisons so I can deal with him later…”
Jenna nodded and stood up, motioning out the door with her handgun. Sighing with defeat, Balto raised his hands and walked out onto the catwalks, then down to the floor and out into the hallway, Jenna keeping her gun held to him all the way. As the two walked down the hallway, they were about to pass a janitorial closet. Taking the opportune moment to his advantage, Balto grabbed Jenna’s arm and twisted it behind her back, then kicking the door open and tossing her into the closet.
Balto walked inside and closed the door just as Jenna got to her feet. He grabbed the red and white husky by her neck, lifting her off the ground and tightening his grip. Jenna began to flail slightly as she was choked and gasped for air.
“So Jenna, trading sides to Steele’s team huh?” Balto asked angrily, “When you decided on this, did you expect to get away without running into me?”
“Wolf… Please… Listen to me…” Jenna said weakly, trying to break out of his strong grip, “I’m not on Steele’s side… I’m really not…”
“Then what were you doing on that computer? Playing a game of Solitaire?!?!” Balto asked, his voice close to a shout, “You expect me to believe you?!?!”
“Wolf….. Please….. Don’t do this…..” Jenna gasped out, her body going limp in his hands, “It’s not….. what you….. think…..”
Balto watched as Jenna almost passed out in his grip. Thinking for a moment, he decided to hear her out and tossed her to the floor. Jenna gasped for air and lay sprawled out on the floor, panting for air. Balto leaned against the wall and stared neutrally at Jenna.
“Alright… Start talking…” Balto demanded, “But if you’re tricking me, I swear I’ll kill you…”
“Wolf, I know it looks like I’m betraying you and the
“Why not Jenna?” Balto asked suddenly, “I’d gladly die for my country and my mission! I’d readily give up my life…”
“But I’m not ready for you to give up your life!” Jenna said back quickly, “I love you!”
Balto stared at Jenna in surprise. He didn’t know she felt that way about him. Slowly, Balto’s mind took in her words and he heard them echo throughout his mind. Moving from the wall, Balto walked over to Jenna and knelt beside her, helping her up into a sitting position and then stared into her eyes.
“Jenna… The number one rule of being an espionage agent is never get attached to anyone who your enemies can use against you…” Balto said softly, “But I know you’re tough and you know I’m tough, so our enemies can’t use us against each other… So to hell with that rule… Because I love you too, Jenna…”
Jenna glanced up at Balto and smiled slightly. She sniffled and wiped the tears away from his face. Her smile then turned into a sly grin as she stared back into his eyes.
“So are you going to tell me your real name now, Mr. Wolf?” Jenna asked, laughing slightly. Balto chuckled, and then nodded slowly.
“My name’s Balto…” Balto answered, smiling at Jenna, “Nice to meet you, Jenna…”
Jenna laughed, then grinned at him. She leaped on him and knocked him to the floor, lying on top of him. Leaning down, Jenna gently kissed Balto, their lips locking for a few seconds before she pulled back. Both dogs smiled at one another before the door opened and a soldier stared at the two of them.
“Um, who are you?” the soldier asked Balto, then turned to Jenna, “And aren’t you Steele’s girl?”
“Nope,” Jenna corrected, drawing her pistol and shooting the guard, “I’m Balto’s girl.”
Balto chuckled as he watched Jenna take down the dog and slowly climbed out from underneath her. He got to his feet and helped Jenna up as well. He pulled the body into the closet and shut the door, running down the hallway with Jenna by his side.
“Come on! We have to stop Steele before he activates that weapon!” Balto exclaimed as he dashed, “If he fires it, then it’s game over for us, for the government, and for the whole
Chapter 5
Balto and Jenna wasted no time running back into the hangar where the weapon was. Looking around, Balto spotted his handgun lying on the floor a few dozen feet away. He dashed for it and wrapped his fingers around it, a wide smile coming across his face as he retrieved his weapon. Nodding to Jenna, both agents ran up the stairs and shot the new guards posted on-duty. From the control room, Steele saw everything and watched as the two of them came closer and closer to him.
Just as Balto was about to run into the control room, Steele pressed a button on the main console and the door was sealed by a metal shutter. Growling, Balto ran back around to the catwalk in front of the control room and glared at Steele as the dog smirked behind the glass. Swiftly raising his gun, Balto fired, the bullet striking the glass right where Steele’s heart was- but nothing happened. Balto lowered his gun and stared in confusion as Steele burst into laughter.
“Foolish half-breed! You can’t kill me!” Steele said mockingly into a headset he wore, his voice being projected throughout the hangar, “This window is made of bullet-proof glass, those doors made of titanium-alloy! There’s no way in hell that you’re getting in here!”
“We’ll see about that…” Balto muttered, then turned to Jenna, “Keep an eye on Steele; I’ll be right back… I have a plan…”
Jenna nodded and watched Balto run back down to the ground floor and into the hallway before vanishing from sight. She turned her gaze back to Steele and glared at him, tightening her grip on her pistol. Steele smirked at her and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Hello Jenna…” Steele said coolly, “Well, here we are…”
“Don’t try any of your tricks on me, Steele!” Jenna snapped back, giving him a poisonous glare, “I’m stronger than I look! I’m not gonna fall for anything!” Steele chuckled softly into his headset, still giving Jenna a cool, calm look.
“Strong girl… But how strong are you really?” Steele asked evilly. He pressed a button on the console and the shutter opened up and Steele stepped out into the open.
As Jenna raised her gun to fire, Steele raised his pistol and pulled his trigger first, sending Jenna’s gun to the other end of the catwalk. Smirking, Steele re-holstered his handgun and removed his headset, letting it drop to the metal flooring. He slowly advanced on Jenna, cracking his knuckles with every step.
“Let’s see just how strong you are…”
Meanwhile, Balto pushed through the door and into the boiler room. He carefully looked around for any remaining Claymore mines and sighed with relief when he spotted no others. Several of the boilers and furnaces had been destroyed in his battle with Nikki, but many remained intact. Walking over to a panel with several thermostats, Balto searched through them all.
Spotting one that was labeled “Control Room,” Balto grinned mischievously. Balto chuckled as he turned the temperature up from 65 degrees to 100 degrees.
“Have fun with that sauna, Steele…” Balto said to himself as he began to walk back to the hangar, “It’ll only be a matter of minutes before Steele will have to open that door!”
Once Balto arrived back into the hangar, he grinned victoriously as he walked up the stairs. He didn’t hear or see Jenna on the catwalks and began to worry. Quickly, he ran back to the control room and saw the door wide open. Looking inside, he saw no one and the laptop Jenna was using to hack with was gone.
“Jenna?” Balto called out, his voice echoing around the silent hangar, “Jenna?!?!”
“Jenna can’t hear you…” came the evil voice of Steele, “She’s been beaten…”
Balto quickly turned around and saw Steele standing on the control platform. In his hands was the laptop Jenna was using, and laying on the metal floor of the platform was an unconscious crimson-and-cream color husky. Balto growled and took two steps forward, raising his handgun to Steele’s body.
“Steele, I swear, if you’ve hurt her I’ll make you wish you hadn’t!” Balto snarled, receiving a wicked laugh from Steele.
“Ooh fighting words, agent… or should I say ‘Balto’?” Steele asked, chuckling when he saw Balto’s surprised look, “Oh don’t be so shocked… Jenna was whispering your name just before she passed out… Have you ever seen someone pass out from lack of oxygen? It’s rather interesting…”
Balto growled angrily and pulled the hammer back on his handgun. Steele smirked and laughed at Balto again. He glanced at the laptop’s screen for a moment, then back to Balto.
“You wanna shoot me? Shoot me…” Steele responded haughtily, “But if you do, this platform will explode… A neural link is connected to a pound of C4 underneath this platform. As soon as my brain shuts down, the bombs go off and Jenna dies…”
Balto continued growling furiously and lowered the hammer on his gun, but kept it level with Steele’s head. A soft ping was emitted from Steele’s laptop and he glanced at the screen- and grinned triumphantly. He glared at Balto, the same grin still on his face.
“Guess what that just was…” Steele said to Balto, “That was the sound signaling
Laughing manically, Steele walked over to the console on the platform. Copying the code on his laptop, Steele input the code into the terminal and grinned as the words “ACCEPTED” flashed across the screen. Slowly, the platform began to rise away from the catwalk as the weapon prepared itself to fire. Balto stowed his handgun and ran across the catwalk and jumped onto the rising platform just as it pulled away completely.
Steele turned around and glared as he saw Balto pull himself up onto the platform as it moved up the side of the weapon to halfway down the barrel. He punched Balto hard as the agent got to his feet, sending the wolfdog down to the floor again.
“Stupid half-breed! Don’t you see? It’s too late!” Steele said proudly, “You can’t stop me from firing this weapon! You can only deactivate it with the cardkey!”
Steele pulled out a chain from around his neck, revealing a shiny-silver card. Steele then tucked the cardkey back inside his shirt and pressed a few buttons as Balto got to his feet. The cannon shuddered and slowly began to rise towards the ceiling. Balto growled and watched as Steele climbed on top of the barrel of the large cannon as the weapon leveled itself out. Above them, the roof began to move aside, revealing the dark Alaskan sky above.
Balto climbed off of the platform and onto the weapon, facing off against Steele. The two dogs glared at each other as the cannon slowly rose up into the open, the cold air whipping around them. Steele glanced at the laptop still in his hands and pressed the Enter key, starting a countdown timer.
“Ten minutes, Balto…” Steele said over the wind, “Ten minutes is all you have to disarm this weapon before
Without a moment’s hesitation, Steele tossed the laptop off the edge of the cannon, watching it fall hundreds of feet to the hangar far below. Balto’s eyes followed the portable computer until it left his sight, then turned back to Steele. Quickly dashing up to Steele, Balto engaged Steele in combat, throwing one punch after another. Steele simply smirked as he blocked Balto’s attacks, then returned one right into the side of the wolfdog’s muzzle.
Balto grunted softly and took a few steps back from the recoil, almost losing his balance when a powerful gust of wind blew across the cannon. Steele laughed evilly and slowly advanced on Balto.
Not good… Balto thought as he glanced around the open air, With the winds up here, one punch could be fatal… Gotta get this weapon back into the hangar, and fast! Balto raised his arms defensively, blocking a powerful jab right at his face. Steele kept trying to break Balto’s defense, but Balto stayed firm in his blocking.
“Why won’t you just give in and die, you stupid half-breed wolfdog agent!” Steele snarled, “Just DIE!!!”
Balto didn’t reply to Steele, instead avoiding and blocking Steele’s every attack. After several minutes of intense combat, Steele gave a sweeping kick and knocked Balto off of his feet. Balto gasped as he fell to the surface of the rail gun and stared with fear up at his enemy. Laughing, Steele placed his boot on Balto’s chest and pressed down hard, cutting off Balto’s oxygen supply. Gasping for breath, Balto tried to push Steele’s leg off, but to no avail.
“See what happens when you mess with the best, half-breed?” asked Steele in a chastising manner, “You die like the rest…”
Balto continued to choke as Steele tried to crush his lungs. Slowly, Balto’s one hand fell down to his belt as he used the other to keep the sergeant from completely smashing him. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his combat knife tucked in its sheath on his belt, Balto drew out his knife and stabbed Steele in the foot. Steele shouted in pain and pulled back from Balto as the wolfdog withdrew his knife from Steele’s boot.
As Steele stumbled backward, Balto sprang to his feet, gripped his knife tightly, and ran at Steele. The black and white husky just barely dodged a lethal strike from Balto, pulling out his own knife and turning the fist fight to a knife fight. Both dogs ran at one another and swung their knives. The sounds of the rushing wind were accompanied by the clashing of steel on steel as knife hit knife. As Balto went to lunge at Steele, he lost his footing and slipped slightly. Steele took this moment to his advantage and sliced into Balto’s right shoulder.
Crying out in pain, Balto stumbled back and fell to the surface of the weapon once more, his knife slipping from his grip and falling to the platform beside Jenna and sticking into the metal. Balto glanced down at Jenna, then up at Steele. He tossed his knife a few times in the air, catching it by the hilt every time. He then placed his boot on Balto’s chest and laughed triumphantly.
“So long half-breed! It’s been fun!” Steele said with a dark joy in his voice.
Balto’s eyes grew wide with fear as he knew what would come next. Without a moment’s hesitation or second thought, Steele pushed Balto off the edge of the rail gun. Screaming as he was knocked off, Balto plummeted down toward the ground. Just as he thought it was the end, Balto felt someone grab his hand as he fell. Opening his eyes, Balto saw Jenna leaning over the railing of the control platform, her hand wrapped firmly around his wrist. Balto grabbed her wrist as well and Jenna pulled him up to safety.
Steele glared down at Balto and Jenna, growling with fury. He stowed his knife and pulled out his handgun, taking aim at Jenna’s head. Balto noticed this and pulled out his pistol faster than he’d ever done before and fired, knocking Steele’s gun from his hands.
“You deactivate the rail gun, I’ll handle Steele…” Balto said and Jenna nodded, running over to the control console as Balto began to climb back up onto the rail gun. Steele smirked as he saw Balto stand up against him again.
“You really have no common sense, do you boy?” Steele asked infuriatingly, “Give up, just lay down and die, it’s over!”
“Not so long as I draw breath…” Balto replied with fierce determination. Steele smirked and scoffed at Balto.
“We’ll see how long that lasts…” Steele snapped back and charged Balto.
Balto simply stood his ground and waited for Steele to get close. Once his enemy was within striking rage, Balto dodged Steele’s blow and grabbed the evil husky’s arm, flipping him through the air and down to the surface of the rail gun. Steele growled and leaped to his feet, spinning to face Balto and assuming an attack stance. Below on the platform, Jenna was busily trying to shut down the weapon. The red digital countdown timer read 2:15 and counting.
Balto cleared his mind of everything else and focused solely on Steele and himself. Every move Steele made, Balto made one to counter it. Steele was getting madder and madder at Balto with every passing moment. Pulling out his knife again, Steele lunged at Balto, going for a fatal strike to the wolfdog’s neck. However, Balto moved faster and sidled to the side of Steele, grabbing the sergeant’s arm and hitting his elbow. Steele lost all feeling in his right arm temporarily and dropped his knife, watching it fall off the cannon. Balto then hit Steele in the stomach, causing the dog to double over, then elbowed him in the back of his neck, sending the husky down to the cold, metal plating.
As soon as Steele went down, Jenna began to get very worried. The timer now read 0:27 and time was getting short. She had everything set up to shut it down, but needed the cardkey from Steele to finish the deactivation process.
“Damn…” she muttered to herself, then looked up at Balto, “Balto! I need a cardkey or something! Where is it?”
Balto thought for a moment, then remembered Steele had it. As Steele groaned softly, Balto knelt down beside the collapsed dog and rolled him over, reaching down his enemy’s shirt. Pulling the silver cardkey from around Steele’s neck, he tossed it down to Jenna.
“Jen! Think fast!” he shouted down, smiling when he saw Jenna catch it in her hand.
Jenna quickly inserted the cardkey into the designated slot and pressed a few buttons. The countdown timer vanished and the sound of the rail gun shutting down filled the air. Steele got back to his feet and glared at a grinning Balto with fury. As the husky opened his mouth to say something, the cannon shuddered and shook terribly and began to come crashing down to the hangar below.
“You idiots!” Steele shouted as the weapon rapidly fell downward, “There was no shutdown mechanism! The only way to stop the weapon was to destroy it and that’s what you just did! You didn’t deactivate it; you destroyed it!”
I don’t believe it! When Steele said it’d deactivate the weapon, he meant to get my hopes up just to crush them! Balto thought to himself as he tried to keep his balance, He never actually thought we’d deactivate it… or in this case, destroy it! Balto fought to stay on his feet as the rail gun began to shake violently and small explosions broke through the sides of the cannon. The barrel tilted almost completely vertical and Balto and Steele fell from it. Jenna began to fall from the platform, but caught the railing and saved herself as she watched the two dogs plunge to the ground.
Balto and Steele both screamed as they dove downward toward the concrete floor. As they were a few dozen feet above the ground, both military-trained canines grabbed crane hooks that were in the hangar that had been used in the construction of the rail gun. Both Balto and Steele panted heavily as they hung on, thankful they hadn’t died. The two glared at each other, but shouted in surprise when the rail gun collapsed right in front of them, still exploding and starting to burst into flames.
“JENNA!!!” Balto screamed in terror, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Nothing.
Balto quickly let go of the crane hook, not caring about the long drop to the ground. He hit the concrete and rolled to his feet, a throbbing pain now in his body. Steele was smarter, however, and swung back and forth, gathering up his momentum before letting go and leaping onto the catwalk. He then ran for the stairs, hell-bent on killing Balto for messing up his master-plan. Balto ran over to the wreckage and saw the crimson and cream husky slumped against the destroyed platform of the burning rail gun.
Balto ran up to her and carefully picked her up in his arms, carrying her out of the carnage and out to a clear section of the hangar, gently laying her down on the ground. She was unconscious and most likely choked from the smoke caused from the massive explosions. Placing his hands on Jenna’s chest, he pressed down several times, and then began CPR.
“C’mon Jen…” Balto whispered softly, “Don’t die on me… Not now…”
After another minute of CPR, Balto felt Jenna’s chest begin to rise and fall again. The husky sat up and began coughing terribly. Smiling, Balto held Jenna close to him as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Jenna rested her head on the wolfdog’s shoulder, slowly getting her bearings back again.
“B-Balto?” she asked weakly, her strength slowly returning.
“Shh, I’m here Jenna… It’s alright, the weapon’s gone… We’ve succeeded…” Balto replied in a soft whisper.
“Not yet…” Jenna said, urgently tapping his shoulder as she saw Steele walk up behind Balto.
Balto’s ears perked up as he heard the pull of a pistol’s hammer behind his head. He closed his eyes, knowing just who it was.
“Well half-breed, looks like I’ve found your major weakness…” Steele said evilly, holding his shiny silver pistol level with Balto’s head, “Love and emotion… Guess it finally brought you to this end… Goodbye, mutt…”
Just as Steele went to pull the trigger, Jenna pulled both Balto and herself to the side. The bullet ripped into the concrete as the two agents just barely got out of the way. Jenna reached for her handgun, only to realize she’d lost it when she fought Steele one-on-one. Balto, not wasting a single second, pulled out his pistol and shot Steele’s gun from his grip. Just as he moved the sights to Steele’s head, the evil husky placed a hand to his watch, finger dangerously close to pressing a button.
“Don’t move or I’ll press this button and start the self-destruction of this whole place!” Steele threatened, glaring maliciously, “You can kill me, but then you’d never get out in time!” Growling, Balto lowered his handgun as he returned Steele’s hateful glare.
“Fine…” Balto muttered and got to his feet, helping Jenna up as he stood. Steele grinned evilly and chuckled cruelly.
“Too bad half-breed!” Steele shot back, “I’m not the bargaining type when it comes to this matter!”
Steele pressed the button on his watch, sending a shock wave through the entire facility. From all around them, a computerized voice came on through the speakers, echoing through every building of
“The self-destruct system has been manually activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately. The facility shall be destroyed in fifteen minutes and counting…”
Balto growled and picked up a piece of metal from the destroyed rail gun. As Steele smirked in self-satisfaction, Balto whacked the dog with his melee weapon, knocking the twisted sergeant to the ground, completely stunning him. Balto sighed, and then turned to Jenna.
“It’s over Jen… We’re done for… There’s no way we can get out of here in time…” he said sadly, “It’s game over… We failed…”
“No we didn’t Balto!” Jenna exclaimed quickly, “There’s a way out of here from this hangar! Over there!”
Jenna pointed to a small hallway at the back of the hangar, then ran off toward it. Grinning, Balto ran after Jenna, keeping up beside her every step of the way. The two ran down the hallway for several minutes until they came to a large metal shutter. Jenna pressed a button beside it and it slid up to reveal another paved tunnel, a couple jeeps lining the side of the tunnel.
Climbing into the driver’s side, Jenna turned the key in the ignition and started the vehicle, waiting for Balto to climb into the passenger’s seat before pulling out and tearing down the tunnel. Everything was smooth for the first for minutes of driving, but after that, gunfire riddled the sides of the jeep. Balto turned around and saw two jeeps, two guards in each one. Each passenger held an M-16, taking aim at the getaway vehicle of the two agents.
Balto pulled out his handgun and aimed at one of the armed soldiers, pulling the trigger and smirking as he watched the dog fly backwards and out of the car. He then turned to the other jeep and fired twice, piercing the front wheels of the automobile and watching it spin out, then crash into the wall of the tunnel and blow up. As he went back to the other jeep, he felt the car he and Jenna were in shake violently as his enemy’s vehicle slammed into the side of their jeep.
Growling, Balto quickly raised his firearm and fired three rounds, all of them striking the dog in his torso and sending the jeep out of the chase. Around them, the computerized female voice came on again with another warning.
“The self-destruct system has been manually activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately. The facility shall be destroyed in ten minutes and counting.”
Jenna, upon hearing this, pressed the gas pedal down as far as it would go sending the jeep speeding off down the long, long tunnel. Balto looked back for anymore enemies and sighed with relief when he didn’t see any. Sitting back down, he gave Jenna a grin as they drove for their lives.
“Great going Jenna…” Balto said gleefully, “At this rate, we’ll be out of here just in time!”
“Yeah, thanks Balto…” Jenna replied, giving him a smile. It was silent for a moment before Balto broke the silence.
“Jenna, will you-” he started, but before he could finish, two gunshots hit the back of the jeep.
Balto quickly stood up on his seat again and glanced behind them. In another jeep sat Steele, driving right behind them with one hand, his pistol clutched in his other hand. A few trails fell down Steele’s face from where Balto had hit him before and a look of absolute hatred was on his face. Balto growled and returned the two shots, missing both of them.
“BALTO!!!” Steele shouted as he got closer and closer, “YOU WON’T LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!!!”
Balto ignored Steele’s yells and kept firing at his enemy until his gun ran dry. Ducking back down behind his seat, Balto ejected the empty magazine and loaded a new one, jumping up to fight Steele again. A bullet from Steele whizzed right by his face as he took aim at Steele and fired, missing his target. Above them, the voice came on again.
“The self-destruct system has been manually activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately. The facility shall be destroyed in five minutes and counting.”
“Damn it…” Balto murmured as he aimed and fired, hitting the windshield, but not Steele.
Steele gunned his engine and pulled up right beside Balto. He rammed the side of their jeep, trying to knock them into the wall. Balto growled and tried to shoot Steele, but the husky was a step ahead of Balto. He knocked the wolfdog’s handgun from his hands, sending it backward and onto Jenna’s lap. Balto glared at Steele and lunged for him, punching him repeatedly. Both dogs struggled as the two jeeps drove side by side.
After a minute, Steele got a powerful hit in on Balto, getting him right in his muzzle. Balto recoiled slightly, but kept his balance. Balto wiped away from the blood from his mouth and returned the punch to Steele, stunning him then hitting him again and again before slamming the dog’s head into the steering wheel and temporarily knocking him out. Grinning at his victory, Balto was about to kick Steele’s jeep away and watch the dog die until a low barrier appeared in front of them, blocking the exit of the tunnel, bright light pouring through it.
“Shit!” Balto and Jenna shouted in unison as Balto got back into his seat and grabbed the side of the car.
The two jeeps crashed into the barrier and flipped over, tumbling over the ground and spilling out into the cold outside of the
“Jen? Jenna? You alright?” he asked softly, shaking her gently. Jenna groaned a response and undid her seatbelt, letting Balto pull her out from the jeep and to her feet. She was a little beaten up from the crash, but other than that she was alright.
Balto wiped away a bit of blood from Jenna’s soft face and she did the same to him. From the other totaled automobile, the sound of snow crunching under boots was heard. The two agents glanced over and saw a very wounded Steele limp into view and glare at them. His breathing came out in heavy breaths and blood streamed down his face and torso. His ice-blue eyes were narrowed into an enraged glare as he stared at Balto and Jenna.
Steele grunted and slowly lifted his right arm, his handgun still firmly gripped in his hand. Aiming it at Balto, he weakly pulled the hammer back and growled softly at the wolfdog. Pulling the trigger, the three dogs heard the click of the empty gun. Despite his knowledge that his gun was empty, Steele kept pulling the trigger, receiving a click every time. Balto sighed and stared down at the ground, spotting his handgun a few feet away. Jenna walked over, picked it up, then walked back and placed it in Balto’s hands.
Balto nodded to Jenna and raised his arm, training his sights on Steele’s face. Steele continued to pull the trigger rapidly, desperately hoping to hear a gunshot and watch Balto fall, but nothing happened and his hopes went unfulfilled. Balto sighed and shook his head with pity.
“Goodbye Steele…” Balto said, giving the husky a neutral look. Without a second though, Balto pulled the trigger and heard the life-ending bang!
Steele’s forehead gave a spray of deep red blood as Balto’s shot hit its mark. The evil husky fell backwards, his empty gun sliding to the ground from his released grip. Steele’s body hit the ground with a soft thud, his body lying limp on the snow, the white powdery substance quickly turning red beneath Steele’s body. Balto walked over to Steele’s corpse and pulled the sergeant’s dog-tags off of him, putting them in his pocket and removing Steele’s watch. It read 0:08 seconds till detonation. Balto pressed a button and the countdown stopped; the self-destruction process had been aborted.
“It’s finished Jenna…” Balto said calmly to her as he stood up, “It’s over… The facility’s fine… Steele’s dead… We did it…” Jenna smiled and walked up to Balto, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.
“So, how do we get out of here?” she asked softly, staring at him intently.
“Like this…” Balto said and turned his beaten up radio on, “This is Wolf here, is this thing still operational?”
“Yes Wolf, your radio’s working… What is it?”
“Husky and I have completed the objectives and the targets have been eliminated… We’re ready for evac now…”
Through the radio’s earpiece, applause and cheers could be heard. Balto chuckled softly and waited for the Colonel’s response.
“Excellent work Wolf! We’ll send your evac to your position immediately!”
“Alright, we’ll wait by the helipad… Wolf out…” Balto finished and shut the radio off, then turned to Jenna, “Well, they’re certainly happy we succeeded… The helipad’s right over there, let’s get there and wait for our evac…”
Jenna nodded and slowly, both Balto and Jenna walked to the distant helipad. Once they arrived, they sat down and waited for their means of evacuation from
“Beautiful, huh?” Balto asked softly, “I have a house up here… I loved watching the sunrise… But it’s even better with you here…”
“Thanks Balto…” Jenna replied softly, gripping onto his arm.
After a few more minutes passed, the sounds of a helicopter could be heard approaching. Looking up, Balto and Jenna saw a
“Wolf! Husky! It’s great to see you two again!” he shouted over the whirring of the helicopter blades, “Or should I call you Balto and Jenna since your mission is over? Ah, it doesn’t matter! C’mon, let’s get back to the base so you can be properly rewarded!”
Balto and Jenna smiled and nodded to the Colonel and climbed into the back of the helicopter. They both took a seat next to one another, Jenna leaning her head on Balto’s shoulder and slowly falling asleep. Balto watched as she fell asleep, smiling warmly, then looked out the window at the large facility that had been hell for him over the past day. Colonel McIntyre got back into the cockpit and nodded to the pilot. The dog nodded back and lifted the aircraft off the ground and through the air, heading back to the Alaskan Military Base.
Back in the military base set near
“Today, a great threat has been removed from the
Balto approached Colonel McIntyre and saluted him. The Colonel placed a gold star badge on Balto’s uniform, smiling and saluted him back. Both dogs dropped their salute and Balto backed up as Jenna stepped up, saluted, and received her badge as well. The Colonel then turned back to the podium and continued.
“Everyone stand at attention and salute Balto Harrand and Jenna Shander, true warriors; true patriots,” he announced, saluting them once more.
The rest of the military force stood up and saluted as well. Balto and Jenna smiled at one another, then gazed out at all the soldiers saluting them. As soon as the salutes were dropped, another round of thunderous applause sounded from them. Hand-in-hand, Balto and Jenna walked down through the rows of cheering dogs and out of the room.
“So, shall we go back to my place until we can get out of
“Yes, I think we should… Then that trip you promised me in the
“Deal…”
Washington D.C., two months later…
Balto and Jenna stood beside one another in front of the altar. Before them, a jovial preacher resided over their wedding. He smiled at the two young lovers as he continued with the joyous ceremony.
“Do you, Balto Harrand, take Jenna Shander to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, to love and to hold, to honor and to cherish, for richer and for poorer, ‘till death do you part?”
“I do…”
“And do you, Jenna Shander, take Balto Harrand to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, to love and to hold, to honor and to cherish, for richer and for poorer, ‘till death do you part?”
“I do…”
“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the preacher said, smiling at Balto, “You may now kiss the bride.”
Balto smiled warmly and turned to Jenna, lifting her silken veil from in front of her beautiful face. The two lovers stared happily at one another before embracing and kissed one another gently. The entire military force of the
“So Balto… What’s your mission this time?” Jenna asked jokingly. Balto laughed softly and smiled joyously.
“My mission? I’m thinking an escort mission… There’s a female Husky who deserves a trip to the
With that, Balto let the blossom go into the wind, watching it blow away in the wind before kissing Jenna once more. Above them, the flag of the
Pinned to it were two golden stars, the stars of two patriots.
The End