Chapter 1: Tangled Web

“Sorrow was looking for the dimension ripper.”

Equinox sat in silence for a moment, fairly disturbed, even though he was the most powerful virus on the planet, an Ebola advance form with even further mutations than his kin, making him far stronger and far more dangerous. “Are you certain?” he asked quietly. “Yes. He was searching in the area where we used to store it; he didn’t know it was moved.” “Did he see you?” “No. We remained hidden.” Hantaviruses always referred to themselves as “we”, because a single virus unit was actually several individual creatures in a purple slimy fluid. Equinox knew that they could be nearly invisible if they wanted to, because their bodies, being in this form, could conform to any surface and shrink to very small size. Equinox spoke again. “If he was looking for it, I must find out why he intends to use it.” The Hanta spoke in the usual unsettling, whispering tone from every one of its individual viruses at once, creating an echo-like sound. “Do you think he will go through with his plan?” “I see no other reason for him to search for the ripper. I believe he may have found his target. Do you know who the target is?” “No, but I have seen something you will wish to investigate. He apparently has a secret room in his lair.” Equinox stood up. “You are correct in your belief. I must see just what Sorrow is doing.” The two of them walked through the abandoned industrial building that they, along with hundreds of other viruses and bacteria, called home. They made their way to a different part of the facility, not too far away, but isolated. Equinox spoke. “Is he there now?” “No. He is speaking to Nemesis.” This disturbed Equinox again. “I must not waste time, then,” he said. They reached a room, and Equinox pushed the door open. He hated coming in here; he was grateful that he so seldom had to do it. The whole area smelled like death itself, and had slime and blood all over the walls. In some places on the floor, half-eaten human remains lay, and in others, there were spots of black blood where Nemesis, a different advance form, had been forced to spit it out, an unpleasant effect of his disease. He was an actual monstrous embodiment of a certain illness, like every virus and bacterium there. They all received enormous power from what they were, but in turn, suffered from weaknesses caused by their disease. All, of course, included Equinox, but he, unlike many others, managed to prevent the viruses that mostly composed his tissues from wreaking havoc on his body. The two of them went to a door around a corner. It appeared sealed and unused, very well disguised. Equinox inserted a long spike he had on one of his four arms into the lock and jerked it, causing a grinding metallic clack. He shoved the door open…and stood there, baffled. “What is this?” he said, perplexed. He had expected to find a portrait or drawing of the target, surely some human, and a well-laid plan. Instead, he saw three walls (the door composed one wall of the room) covered with computer prints of a large number of pictures. Equinox picked up something he saw sitting on a nearby former oil barrel. It was a DVD, and a very, very old one at that. Equinox was only interested in the title. He looked at it in the dim light, and saw. “What?” he said, slowly. The title simply said “Balto”. Equinox set down the DVD. “What is Sorrow doing?” he said, baffled. The Hanta looked at the DVD. “I do not know. We should look around in here.” Equinox had only been forced to look for a few seconds. On the wall opposite the door, there was a picture of the handsome, gentle looking half-dog, half-wolf on the cover of the DVD. It was circled crudely several times with some kind of ink, and below it were scrawled three words: “THIS IS HIM.” Equinox was astonished. “So…Sorrow has found his target.” The Hanta observed the picture. “It’s him?” “Apparently so. This whole thing must be a plan; it just looks disorganized. Sorrow has likely been compiling it for months.” Equinox started a computer and read several information files about Balto, his friends, and his life. When he finished, he spoke to the Hanta. “Go and spy on Sorrow; I want to hear what he is saying to Nemesis.” The Hanta moved into the ventilation system, navigating through the ducts and tubes, looking down into each room. It didn’t take long for it to find where Sorrow was. He was in a room with several other advance forms, standing with them in a circle, Nemesis among them. Sorrow was speaking to the others. “It is finally time, my brothers. In merely a few days, we will have the power to kill every human and rule the world!” The others roared and shrieked with wicked celebration, and Sorrow continued. “And only one is in our way. Work with resolve and show no mercy.” He walked out of the circle and got a picture of Balto from a table. As he rejoined the others, they all put their hands together in the middle. Sorrow set the picture on their linked hands. “So, to you, Balto…” he said, placing two of his claws near the top of picture. He paused for a moment, then swiftly yanked his hand down, shredding the picture. “Cyanara. We’re on our way. Three hours, my kin.”

The Hanta rushed back through the ducts and back into Sorrow’s lair, where Equinox was waiting. “Well?” said the advance form. “He is going through with it,” replied the Hanta. “There is no doubt. He leaves in three hours.” Equinox sighed. “Then there is no choice. I must interfere with Sorrow’s plan. And in order to do that, I need to find out more about it.” Equinox found one of Sorrow’s notes on the wall, and read it. It said: “ANYONE HE KNOWS CAN BE USED. THEY WILL ALL DIE AT THE HANDS OF MY ADVANCE FORMS…OR THEIR MICROSCOPIC BRETHREN.” “I see,” Equinox said. “Is he going to use the others?” said the Hanta. Equinox nodded. “How many?” “All of them. I suspected that Sorrow would use them, and apparently, he doesn’t care whether it’s by outright butchery, or fatal infection. Let us see how he intends each of them to die…” The list began just to the right of Sorrow’s note. For each group, it was set up with the names scrawled above pictures of the target, with lines drawn below the pictures to converge at the names of the attackers. Equinox looked over it, and it read as follows: “NIKKI, KALTAG, STAR: RABIES. DIXIE, SYLVIE: SALMONELLA. STEELE: CLOSTRIDIUM.” “Gruesome,” Equinox said quietly, reading on. “STREPTOCOCCUS, STAPHYLOCOCCUS. THESE WILL SERVE AS WARRIORS; THEY WILL HAVE NO TARGET.” “My word,” Equinox said. “Staph? The threat is escalating. Cocci bacteria. The perfect warriors.” Going on, he came across an unexpected one. “BALTO.” “I see Sorrow saved a special one for him,” said the Hanta. “Yes,” Equinox replied, his voice grave. “Special…and very deadly. If that breaks out in the town, it will make the diphtheria epidemic look like a few cases of head colds. No one will survive.” The Hanta looked at the name of the attacker. “YERSINIA, ABADDON.” “Do you think Sorrow really wants to kill him yet?” Equinox smiled wryly. Moving on, he saw a large silhouetted drawing of Alaska on the wall with a bacillus-shaped silhouette over it, and a note that said “I MUST FIND THIS.” “I knew it,” Equinox snarled, standing there for a while. Eventually, he spoke again. “I am going to find out more about Balto’s world,” he said, picking up the DVD. He went into a different room and turned on an old DVD player that had been left in a lounge by the former human owners. He watched the story all the way through, knowing that the more he could find out, the better able he would be able to figure out a plan. When the movie was minutes from the end, the Hanta entered the room. It prepared to speak to Equinox, but the advance form spoke first. “It is so strange…” Equinox was staring intently at the screen, looking like he was deeply engaged in thought. The Hanta looked and saw Balto and Jenna smile at each other. Balto ran over to Jenna, and they jumped in a circle, overjoyed to see each other again. They stopped, their noses almost touching, and nuzzled each other tenderly. “Fascinating…” Equinox whispered. “What?” said the Hanta. “Love,” replied Equinox. “It seems so complicated, but the concept is very interesting.” Equinox was saying this completely out of curiosity; viruses and bacteria didn’t feel love, hence didn’t understand it. Equinox had heard many different things about it, but every time he saw it, he wished vaguely that he could understand such a great mystery. On the screen, Balto and Jenna smiled lovingly at each other. Equinox took special notice of Balto’s smile. “That will be helpful,” he said. “Their love, I mean. It will help him survive and keep him going.” The Hanta nodded. As the movie ended, Equinox spoke again. “Did you come here to speak to me?” “Yes. I found something. Sorrow has another collection of targets, labeled ‘critical threats’.” Equinox stood up and spoke. “That must have a double meaning. It must mean ones that it would hurt Balto the most if they were harmed, but also that the ones he sends to kill them will be extremely powerful. Let me see this.” They went back into Sorrow’s secret room, and Equinox observed the second collection, which was set up the same way as the first one. “Critical indeed,” he said. He began reading. “ROSY: CORYNEBACTERIUM, BACKLASH.” Equinox smiled wryly. “I see Sorrow still retains his sick sense of humor. I doubt, though, that those there will find it as funny.” He moved on, and was surprised to see four targets connected to one type: “MYCOBACTERIUM.” “Hopefully Nome has never seen the likes of those before,” he said, and began to read the targets. “MUK, LUK, BORIS: NEMESIS.” “That seems bold,” said the Hanta. “Placing three critical targets under the handling of one pathogen? Sorrow has great faith in Nemesis.” “Faith not misplaced,” Equinox said. He looked on, to the last target. “JENNA.” “Well,” said Equinox, “who has Sorrow saved for you? It must be something deadly…” He looked down, and his face took on a look of shock and dread. “Oh, Sorrow…” The message was not a name. It said “I WILL HANDLE THIS ONE MYSELF.” Next to this message was another picture, one of Balto and Jenna standing in a dark place, light refracting through broken bottles on a mound of dirt in the background and casting beautiful rainbow beams over them. They were just standing there, looking at each other, their faces filled with love. Beneath the picture, a message was scrawled on the wall, which read “LOVE IS EXPLOITABLE. THIS IS PLAN A.” Equinox lowered and shook his head. “Balto…” he said darkly. “If only you knew what was about to happen to you. To your friends. To her…” He looked back up at the picture of Jenna, thinking out loud. “If Sorrow takes her…” he said, pausing for a moment, “…it will be inevitable. Somehow, it will happen.” The Hanta didn’t know what Equinox was talking about, but didn’t ask, as the advance form was already headed for the door. “I know what I must do now. Send Necrosis and Immolator here, and have them bring the ripper. Need I tell you not to come back after you contact them?” “I understand,” said the Hanta, going quickly on its errand. Equinox looked back at the picture of Balto and Jenna. “I am so sorry for you,” he said. “Please, listen to me.”

“As my most loyal partners, I am trusting you with a deep secret.” Necrosis, a Lassa advance form, and Immolator, a Hantavirus advance form, stood before Equinox in Sorrow’s lair. Equinox spoke seriously to the point of being threatening, in a hushed voice. “No viruses, and definitely no bacteria are to know of this. Is that clear?” The two advance forms nodded. “Alright, then. I believe Sorrow has found his target.” This startled the others. “Are you serious?” said Necrosis. “Completely.” He held up the DVD. “Interesting,” said Immolator. “Quite unexpected.” Equinox nodded. “I am going to interfere with Sorrow’s plan. I shall go back to this place before he does and warn the target.” “When will you do this?” said Immolator. “Sorrow was last seen speaking to Nemesis. Needless to say, I only have a little time.” “Do you expect the target to be able to escape death even if you warn him?” said Necrosis. “That depends on whether or not he takes my advice.” Equinox turned toward the dimension ripper. Truly a marvelous invention, it increased a contained energy-matter vibration until it reached the ideal frequency of the space-time spectrum, bursting a hole in it. “Now listen,” he said. “This is going to require careful timing. I will go back. When I do, listen for my communication. If I do not contact you within five minutes, you can assume something has gone wrong. If that happens, you must destroy the ripper immediately. If I fail, Sorrow succeeds, and that cannot be allowed to happen. Understood?” The others nodded, and he continued. “If I do communicate within five minutes, you must put the ripper back where its new storage place is, not the old one. I want Sorrow to be able to find it. If it is moved again, he will become suspicious. I cannot have him becoming suspicious of me at all, until a certain moment, which will only come if this ‘Balto’ takes my advice.” “What is your plan?” asked Immolator. “That I will tell no one…except him. I hope he listens.” Equinox pressed the Activate button on the ripper after entering the date and location. A deep thrum resonated around the room, and they could almost see space buckling under the pressure. The thrum built to a whine, and there was a loud splitting sound. A visible crack appeared out of thin air in the middle of the ripper, and Equinox walked up to it. “We wish you luck,” said Necrosis. “No,” said Equinox, nodding at the DVD. “Wish him luck.” He stepped into the crack, and was yanked into it by a tremendous force. He flew at breakneck speed through time and space, in a small tunnel that had been opened through them both. As he flew, he saw that white bands, lining the tunnel, were bending, gradually becoming rings about it. When they were perpendicular to the direction of the tunnel, there was a violent wham, and Equinox was floating down through space only, not time, but still being transported by the ripper. For a moment, he saw it below: a great white land, extending as far as he could see, aside from the ocean. He could see a little town, and he was drifting toward it. Suddenly, he was sucked into a silvery funnel, which pulled him down much faster…

The streets of Nome were dark by the current time of the evening, and the night air was beginning to stir and snuff out any remainder of the warmth provided by the sun, which had already sunk below the mountains in the distance. It was around this time that the dogs of the town often came out from their homes, or left other business, and gathered in one special place. It was an old storage building, long since abandoned by the people of the town, which the dogs had converted into a restaurant, complete with a bar, lounge, and dance floor, swiping food to serve and gathering old furniture, which they crudely modified to accommodate the customers. A radio connected to a makeshift sound system made of several more radios allowed music to be dispersed throughout the building. Here, the dogs made an intoxicating nightlife, which always passed unnoticed under the very noses of the humans, eating good food, drinking fruit juice, and dancing to the always-playing music. At the moment, Balto didn’t feel much interest in those things. No, he was slightly more interested in something else, or rather someone else. He walked through the restaurant, dimly lit by various colored lights and candles, navigating around the patrons and the dance floor. He looked around, hoping to spot her…there she was, lying on one of the cushion-laden chairs in the lounge, which was permanently leaned back to make it long enough to recline on comfortably. She didn’t see him at first, because she wasn’t looking in his direction, but when he stopped, just after he saw her, she looked his way and saw him. She smiled, dulcet sweetness crossing her face, and he winked at her, grinning. She let her left hind leg hang over the side of the chair, and he stared, admiring its appealing curves. He walked toward her, and she broke into a grin as she watched him move, thinking of the contact she would soon be having with the muscles that continually showed and hid themselves as he walked. He went around the chair, observing the small space remaining for him to lie on, which would, of course, directly result in a physically intimate position. She turned over to face him, and he lay down. “Hey, Jenna babe,” he said. “Hi, sweetheart,” she replied. They kissed softly and nuzzled each other. They put their paws around one another, pulling each other closer, and Jenna drew a heavy breath as a rush of passion shot through her, rising from the feel of Balto squeezing her body gently. She nuzzled his neck, pressing her muzzle against him, her breath stirring his fur, and it was his turn to gasp. “The low light does wonders,” Jenna whispered. Balto nodded. “You bet,” he replied. “It’s perfect here now; dimmed lights, hot music, a soft chair…” “And a very handsome lover,” Jenna said. “Hey,” Balto said, “who’s this telling me that I’m good looking? Most guys in this town would kill to be in this position with someone as beautiful as you.” He caressed Jenna, and she giggled. “That can still give me chills.” She pressed up against Balto and kissed him, running her paws over his neck and shoulders, and he shivered. “Likewise. Let’s have some more of this…” They shared two passionate kisses. Balto kissed Jenna’s chest and neck, and she titled her head back, breathing hard, loving the sensation. They moved to where their noses were nearly touching, and Balto saw that Jenna was gasping for breath. “Are you gonna go all euphoric on me, baby?” he asked. Jenna nodded. “Yeah, love,” she panted, then kissed him hard on the lips. “And you’re gonna be behind me all the way.” She licked his face romantically. Balto began to pant, his passion flaring up strongly. They locked eyes for a moment, then pulled each other close and began kissing and stroking one another, falling into a glimmering, sweet mini-world of pleasure-drunk ecstasy, acknowledging nothing else around them but each other as being of any consequence, or worthy of attention. They came back to the restaurant after a few overwhelming moments, both trembling from the rush. “That is so good…” Balto said. “When I kiss you, I can taste…” “Maple syrup. Thick, rich maple syrup.” “How’d you know?” “What do you think you taste like?” “I love you, Jenna.” “I love you, Balto.” They nuzzled each other, just enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed so close, the fine touch of each other’s fur. Finally, they each looked into the other’s eyes again. “I think I’ll have more syrup,” Jenna said. “Only if you share,” Balto said. “That’s fine,” Jenna said. “You know it’ll never run out.” “Then I’ll just keep taking it.” They moved toward each other and kissed delicately, their lips touching ever so gently, holding it for several seconds. They moved apart, barely an inch, and whispered their love to each other again.

A few minutes later, Balto and Jenna were walking close, heading home. “How was your day?” Balto asked. “Can’t complain,” Jenna replied. “Yours?” “Okay, I guess. It wasn’t nearly as good without you.” They nuzzled each other. “At least you’re here now,” said Jenna. She kissed Balto’s neck, and he pulled her in to him with one paw. “Whoa, now. We should at least go inside instead of doing this out in the street.” “You’re right. Let’s go.” They walked into the boiler room and shut the door behind them. For a moment, they were happy just to stare into each other’s eyes, but Jenna succumbed to temptation and leaned forward, standing taller to kiss Balto’s forehead. When she moved back, he reached out a paw and caressed her face, and she sighed. Balto spoke. “I got really lucky, you know. Winning your heart?” “So did I. I’m glad you fell in love with me.” They gave each other a long, slow, passionate kiss, after which they just stared into each other’s eyes again. “Boy, do I love you,” said Jenna. “Hey, me too, darling,” said Balto. Jenna paused for a minute before speaking again. “How far would you go, Balto? To protect me, I mean?” Balto looked at her with deep seriousness. “I would do anything for you, Jenna. Anything. No matter the cost or the danger, I would do it. If the world got between us, I would smash it out of the way.” Jenna smiled and kissed his muzzle. “You’re pretty hot when you say things like that.” Balto took one of her paws and licked the pads, causing her to shiver. “You’d better believe it,” he said. Desire burned in Jenna’s eyes and voice. “Can I have some of that heat?” Balto moved close to her, his nose barely an inch from hers, lowering his voice to a strong, passionate tone. “You’ve already got it, Jenna. Red is the color of love, you know.” “I want you, badly. Please, Balto. Touch me.” They moved in to each other, kissing and nuzzling. Giggling, they put their paws around each other and shared a long kiss. Suddenly, the door opened. “Jenna, Balto! Come look at this!” Balto and Jenna looked up to see Dixie standing at the door, beckoning them. Through the open door, they could see a few other dogs walking slowly and then stopping, staring at something with open mouths. “You’ve gotta see this, you two! Come on!” They walked out of the boiler room and looked where all the other dogs were staring. It was a relatively nearby mountain, its top partially obscured by strange, luminous clouds. Lightning was emerging from the clouds, four bolts, all reaching out to strike the mountain’s summit, over and over. The dogs just stared, silenced by the sight and sounds, low roars and screams as the bolts tore the air. “What in the world…” Doc said slowly. The bolts suddenly brightened, then all struck at once. There was a visible flash from the mountain, and a sharp vibration through the ground. Then, silence. “Um…” said Kaltag, “should we go up and look?”

The walk up the mountain was not very difficult, although the dogs had spent a good deal of energy walking to its foot. Curiosity motivated their brains to drive their bodies on. It was less than an hour before they reached the point where the lightning had been striking. It was fairly easy to find; steam from heated snow was rising and visible from some distance. When they reached the spot, they saw that a hole had been blown into the ground, and that the steam was coming from its perimeter. The dogs walked up to it nervously and peered in. For a moment, they were quiet, and then Balto spoke. “What’s going on?” Indeed, all of the dogs were thinking that question. “It’s…empty,” said Sylvie. Star climbed down into the hole and began digging, stopping after a few seconds. “Yep,” he said, “it’s empty.” All present stared into the hole, perplexed. Dixie happened to notice disturbed snow at the edge of the hole. “Look, everybody! Something was here; we just weren’t fast enough!” They all looked, and it was obvious that something had been there. Had been. Star, climbing out of the hole, saw something in the snow. “Hey, look at this!” The dogs crowded around to see what Star had found. It was a minute amount of a bright yellow substance, some sort of liquid too viscous to be absorbed by the snow. “What is that?” said Jenna. Star touched it with his paw, and then sniffed it. “That’s…blood.” “Blood? But why is it yellow?” “Yeah,” Balto said, quietly. “And what on earth bleeds yellow instead of red?” They all looked around nervously, expecting to see some kind of monster lurking nearby, but there was nothing. “Oh, well,” said Steele. “Might as well go home.” The dogs ambled down the mountain, talking amongst each other about what they had seen. Balto and Jenna stayed for a minute longer than the rest, giving themselves some time to kiss. “Mmm, oh yeah,” said Balto. “That never gets old.” “I think it gets better. Let’s prove it, hmm?” They kissed again and began panting. “You’re right. It’s better.” “Yeah,” said Jenna. “Let’s go home; it’s a lot cozier.” They walked down the mountain and back into town. Before they got home, Balto remembered something. “Hey, Jenna, I need to find out when the next race is from Morse. I’ll be home in ten minutes tops.” “Okay. I’ll be waiting. I love you.” “I love you, too.” They kissed, and Balto ran off into a different part of town.

Back on the mountain, on the other side, the trees were being disturbed by a downward-gusting wind. It became more violent, and four different lightning bolts began to strike the ground, building in intensity. After a few moments, they became brighter, and all four hit the ground at once. A thunderous boom echoed around, accompanied by a brilliant flash of light. A wide hole was blasted in the snow, the edges steaming from heat. From inside the hole, the noise of labored breathing rose…

After he found out the race time, Balto was walking home casually, having no reason to be afraid of the back alleys he was traveling through. He turned a left, thinking of how he could be especially pleasing to Jenna that night.

“Balto.”

Balto yelped and spun around. Someone was standing in the shadows. Balto opened his mouth to reply, assuming at first that it was another dog. That is, until he got a better look at whoever, or whatever it was. Although he could not see the mysterious being very well, it was definitely not a dog. It had four legs, but they didn’t have paws; to Balto, they looked like tentacles. He looked up, and up…the creature was around 8 feet tall. In addition, there was its color. Bright, sickly yellow, just like the blood that the dogs had found in the hole on the mountain, with sharp-edged black streaks. It had four arms, two of which each had a long pair of claws. The other two each had an eighteen-inch, needle-thin spike on the ends. The creature’s eyes were also yellow, and faintly luminous. “Do not fear,” it said. Balto spoke. “Who are you?” “I am Equinox, Ebola advance form.” Balto’s face took on a quizzical look. “Ebola?” “It is a deadly virus from Africa. It causes fever and death by massive bleeding, internal and external, dissolving tissues and vessels. I am a mutated version of the virus itself.” Balto shrank back, justifiably uneasy. “Do not be afraid,” said Equinox. “I am not here to harm you, and no one here is in danger of the disease.” Balto swallowed his fear. “Um…are you whatever appeared on the mountain but went away?” “Yes.” “Where did you come from?” “I came from the year 2084 A.D., in the future.” Balto’s jaw dropped. “2084? That’s…that’s 159 years from now! How can you be from that time?” “In the future, humans invent a device called a dimension ripper. It tears a hole in time and space, allowing the user to cross them. I used it to come here.” Balto decided that, although it was shocking, this at least made sense. Equinox spoke again. “I have come to bring you a dire warning. If you ignore this warning, you will almost certainly be killed.” Fear crept back into Balto’s heart as Equinox continued. “The greatest abomination in the history of all nature is about to come after you. He is like me, but he is a bacterium, not a virus. He is seeking something, a terrible power, and you are in his way. To eliminate you, he will do anything…including killing the one you love.” Balto’s fear turned to complete dread. He inhaled. “Jenna…” “Yes. He will stop at nothing.” Fighting down his adrenaline, Balto spoke again. “Well…how do I stop him?” What little of Equinox’s face could be seen became very grave. “This monster has many servants, and they will not make this easy for you. I can give you tools to help you fight them, but it won’t exactly be…pleasant. You may find what I am about to say hard to understand, but you don’t have to now. These tools will not be meant for what you will think they will be. You will find out what they are truly for in time.” Balto was confused by those words, but he pushed the confusion out of his head and looked up at Equinox. “I want them.” Equinox nodded and, pointing the long spikes on his arms forward, stuck them a short amount into Balto’s chest. “Ah!” he gasped, hissing through clenched teeth. In about a second, Equinox withdrew the spikes. Balto was confused. “But…what’s that?” “You’ll find out,” said Equinox, turning and beginning to walk away. Balto called after him. “Just one question,” he said. Equinox paused, and Balto continued. “When is he coming?” The creature looked sidelong over his shoulder. “He’s already here. Be on your guard. When you see him, you will know. Good luck.” With that, he walked away, vanishing into the dark. Balto looked in a frozen puddle at the two punctures on his chest and winced. “Better get home,” he thought.

When he arrived, Jenna was waiting for him. “Hi, there. What happened? Was Morse not there?” “Yeah, he was. I just got into a…conversation on the way back.” “With whom?” Balto paused. “A stranger. I had never seen him before.” “Hmm. Someone did just move here. Everyone thought they had a dog; I guess they do. Shall we, love?” “Sure thing, baby.”

Balto was able to enjoy his alone time with Jenna, but afterwards, thoughts of what he had seen and heard flooded his mind, troubling him deeply. He stood staring at the moon out the front window, trying to quiet his mind, if only a little. Jenna walked up to him and nuzzled his cheek, kissing him. “How’s my man?” “Alright. Just need to stop my mind from racing.” He turned toward her, and they shared a kiss. Jenna moved up to him, pressing on the spike wounds, and he grunted with pain. She pulled back, concerned. “What is it, honey?” She saw the wounds, and her eyes widened. “Balto, oh, my word! How did that happen?” “I tripped on the way home and fell into a junk pile. Something got me.” “Oh man, Balto, are you okay?” “Yeah, babe, I’m fine.” “Are you sure? Those look deep.” “Not really. Honey, don’t worry about it. I’m okay, really.” Jenna went to lick the wounds, but as she did, Equinox’s words rang in Balto’s head: “It is a deadly virus…” Balto held Jenna back. “Please don’t, Jenna; they’re a little tender.” “Okay. I’m glad you didn’t get hurt worse.” They walked to their bed and lay down. Balto kissed and licked Jenna’s muzzle. “I really love you, Jenna,” he said. Jenna returned the kiss and nibbled Balto’s ear. “I love you so much, Balto.”

Balto watched Jenna, standing there, both of them surrounded by blasting wind. As Jenna looked at him, smiling, Balto could tell something was wrong, but he wasn’t sure what yet. He thought about telling her that he had a bad feeling, but suddenly, a snow bank several yards from them burst in a white shower. A beast appeared from behind it, seeming to materialize out of thin air. It was a muscular, worm-shaped creature with natural armor plating and hideous green skin. Several legs protruded from each side of its body, and it was using them to move at terrific speed. Its head was flattened and wide, and half its teeth stuck out over its lips. Its eyes were empty and lacked pupils or even a definite iris. It growled as it charged…straight for Jenna. Balto instinctively moved to get between her and the creature, but wait…he tried to move, but didn’t succeed. He tried again. No good, his paws seemed stuck to the ground. “Jenna!” he cried out. “Move!” She seemed to be paralyzed as well. Balto was desperate to move, to shove Jenna out of the way. He tried harder and harder; it was no use, there was no stopping it. The monster roared violently. “Please move! It’s going to…NO! JENNA!” It leaped. It bit…

Balto awakened, screaming in terror and kicking the blanket off of him. He tried to breathe, but his throat was so tight he could barely get any air. He whipped his head over to look at Jenna. She was lying there in the bed, not moving. He gasped and leaned over her, trying to hear a breath or feel a pulse. “Oh, please, oh, please, let her be alright, please, please…” Then, there it was. Laying his head on the side of her chest, he heard her heartbeat. He could feel her breathing. He put a paw on her cheek, feeling the warmth. She wasn’t dead, only asleep. The vision flashed in his mind again, and he whimpered with horror, lying back against the pillows. He put a paw over his eyes and began sobbing quietly. It had been tangible; he had felt the snow and the wind, he had heard every noise, he had seen… “It’s not real,” he began gasping, tears streaming down his cheeks, “it’s not real…it’s not real…” Jenna turned over, awakened, to see Balto crying. “Balto? Balto, what’s wrong? Balto!” She laid her body on his, and he took his paw away from his eyes. “Jenna,” he moaned, “Jenna…” “What happened? A nightmare?” Balto nodded and spoke with difficulty through his strangled throat and gasping sobs. “We both were out in the snow. Something came, a monster. It was running right at you. I tried to move, I tried to save you, but…but I couldn’t move, Jenna! I saw its teeth close on you…” He could no longer speak, and broke down into heavy sobs, shaking like a leaf. “It’s not real…it’s not real…” “You’re right, Balto, it’s not real. You’re right. Don’t be afraid.” Balto began hyperventilating, desperate for air. “Balto, no, slow down. Breathe slowly. Come on, now. Easy, my man.” Balto was able to slow his breathing. “Please!” he cried in fright. “Please tell me you’re okay, Jenna, please!” “I’m okay,” Jenna said soothingly. “I’m alright, see? Look at me.” She lifted one of Balto’s paws to her face, and he held it there. She kissed his paw. “I’m okay, love. I’m fine. See me? Hear my voice?” Balto nodded, drawing long, heavy breaths as his adrenaline wore off. “That’s it,” Jenna said, stroking his head. “Calm down. That’s my boy. Don’t be afraid, it wasn’t real. I’m alright.” Balto closed his eyes, and his breathing finally settled back to almost normal. It was still a little fast; his heart was beating with breakneck speed, but it too was slowing down. Jenna’s voice felt like a gentle warmth, bathing and calming it. “Are you alright?” “Yes. I’m alright now.” “Good.” She hugged him tightly. “That must have been some nightmare.” She pulled back, and Balto saw a tear fall from her eye. “Huh? Jenna, why are you crying?” Her voice shook. “You really scared me, sweetheart. That almost seemed like a panic attack.” Balto returned the hug. “I’m sorry,” he said. He lay his head down on a pillow, but Jenna kept hers up. “Balto,” she said, “I’ve been doing the math. Something appeared on that mountain tonight but left, on your way home, you had a conversation with a stranger, you have two unusual-looking injuries, and now, you’ve had a nightmare about monsters. Now, I know I may well be totally wrong on this, but I have a feeling that maybe you didn’t tell me everything.” Balto became very ashamed, and decided it would be best to confess. “You’re right. I didn’t fall into a junk pile. I lied to you, and I’m very sorry. It was wrong for me to take advantage of your trust like that. Please forgive me?” Jenna nodded and smiled reassuringly. “I forgive you, love. Thank you for saying you’re sorry; it lets me know you care about how I feel.” Balto’s ears drooped. “I just…I didn’t want to scare you. I saw something…disturbing. The stranger I met wasn’t a dog.” “I understand, and I forgive you, but I’d like to know what really happened.” “Well, when I was on the way home, I was walking through a back alley, and this…thing stopped me. It was huge and yellow, some kind of creature. It told me its name was Equinox, and that it was a mutant form of this African virus called Ebola. Anyway, it said it had a dire warning. An ‘abomination’ was about to come after me, so he said. He told me I was in the way of some kind of plan it had, and it would do anything to kill me. Thing is, anything included killing…killing you.” Jenna was a little frightened by this. “What is the ‘abomination’?” “He didn’t say anything other than it was like him, only a bacterium instead of a virus. I can’t imagine what it might be.” “Did he say when it would come?” “He said it was already here, and that when I saw it, I would recognize that that’s who it is.” “What are we going to do?” “He said he could give me tools to help me defend myself and you, but that it wouldn’t be nice. I asked that he give them to me, and he just stuck me with these spikes he had on two of his arms. It didn’t do anything; I have no idea what’s going on.” Balto shook his head slowly, feeling exhausted from the emotional drain. Jenna kissed him softly, rubbing his back, and he laid his head down, sighing at the feeling of his tense muscles loosening. After a few minutes, he sat up and hugged Jenna. “Do you want anything, darling?” he said. “No, I’m good,” she said. They snuggled up to each other and went to sleep, dark thoughts briefly kept from their minds by love.