Invasion: Chapter 2: Breaking The Ice

The very next morning, Mika Kykalisko stepped out of his house and headed off to his job at an outdoor supply store. A fresh bandage was on his right cheek to ward off a potential infection of the wound, which was still healing. He hadn't forgotten his unpleasant run-in with Balto yesterday, and he didn't really seem like he was in a good mood. And based on how narrow his ice blue eyes were, it was easy to tell he was still mad about yesterday. He also wasn't sure how his boss would react upon seeing him all banged-up. But he knew he couldn't afford to worry about any of that. That was yesterday's news. He had to put it aside today.

Mika stood about 6' tall, weighing roughly 180 lbs. He had an athletic build, with some muscle definition and a set of six-pack abs that would not go unnoticed if you saw him without a shirt on. None of this was even visible under his clothing, but it was there. He sported bleached blonde hair styled in somewhat of a small mullet. (Kinda like the hairdo Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon sported in the video for the song "New Moon On Monday", and his facial features were also very similar). His face was also clean shaven. He was wearing a leather jacket with a medium gray sweater underneath. On the right sleeve of Mika's jacket was a patch of a white flag with a blue cross - the flag of his native Finland. Below it, on another patch, was the country's name. His lower body was covered by a pair of dark blue Wrangler jeans (held up by a belt) and a pair of hiking boots.

An avid outdoors-man, Mika enjoyed being outside, and it showed. His athletic build was largely a result of all that time spent outdoors. Winter sports, especially ice hockey, were his favorites. Keep in mind, this was in the days before the likes of Paavo Nurmi (the original "Flying Finn"), Eino "The Ox" Oskanen (both are runners), Ari Vatanen, Juha Kankunen, Tommi Makinen, Marcus Gronholm (these four are former WRC (World Rally Championship) champions), Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen, Heikki Kovalainen (these four are Formula 1 drivers, the latter two are still active, the former three have a combined total of four F1 Drivers' titles), and Valtteri Filppula (current NHL player with the Detroit Red Wings).

Upon arriving at the outdoor supply store, Mika took off his jacket and hung it up on a coat rack near the stock room. His job here was basically keeping the shelves stocked. Not exactly what someone would consider to be a stellar career, but for him, the pay was enough to get by on. This was, however, the only decent job Mika could get around the time of his arrival in Nome in October 1927. Not to mention he and his boss didn't always see eye to eye. But considering he was fresh out of school at the time he started, and at only 19 years old now, it seemed he was lucky to have even gotten the job. Eventually, he made enough to move out of his parents' house and get his own place. It wasn't too different from most of the houses in Nome at that time. Until you got inside, it looked like any other house, except for a Finnish flag hung outside near the door frame.

"Right on time as usual, Mika" said John Robertson, Mika's boss.

"Thanks, John" Mika replied.

John didn't mind his employees calling him by his first name.

"What happened to you?" asked John. "You look like you've been in a bout with Jack Dempsy."

"I got tripped up by some dog yesterday while running an errand," said Mika."Knocked over a new window that was supposed to be for a store front, and on top of all that, a piece of a glass bottle that that dog was carrying got stuck in my right cheek. The window carriers got all crazy and started yelling at me, I yelled back, cursed at them a couple times in Finnish, and walked off steamed and lived."

"How was he carrying the bottle?" asked John.

"It was strapped to his back," said Mika. "At least I think it was a he."

"Oh, man" John said. He then asked, "You OK?"

"Yeah," said Mika. "I'm OK."

This was far different from the response Mika had expected. Normally, John would have just shrugged it off, not believing a word Mika had said. But that wasn't the case this time. John seemed concerned about what had happened to Mika. It was obvious that this was no minor scrape or bruise. This was far more serious.

"Look, if anyone asks me what happened to you," said John, "I won't tell them."

"That's okay," said Mika.

"Alright, come on," said John. "There's a whole stockroom full of equipment to go on the shelf. It won't stock itself."

"I know, I know" Mika thought to himself and started moving merchandise.

The only other store-worker there, in addition to Mika and John, who also worked the cash register, was David Stoner, another stockroom worker. For the most part, Mika and David kept to themselves, even at work. The exception was when on lunch break, which usually meant meeting up at a nearby saloon for something to eat. Most of the time there was at least one person on hand to watch the store, so their meetings were only held whenever possible.

"Alright Mika, hold it steady," said David as the two retrieved a heavy box full of ice axes from atop a shelf.

"I got it," Mika responded. Or so he thought he did. Somehow, Mika lost his balance and accidently dropped the box on David's feet. He was about to say "Look out!", but by the time that he did, it was too late.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" David screamed upon the box's impact with his feet. Mika went briefly into panic mode before moving the box. David was not too happy.

"What's your problem, man!" David yelled back at Mika.

"I told you 'Look out!', David," Mika retorted.

"Why didn't you tell me you were off balance? I could've gotten out of the way!" The tone in David's voice was getting harsher.

"I did tell you, stupid!" Mika's voice was also sounding angry.

"Hey, you two! Cut it out!" John had come back from helping a customer to break up what was on the verge of becoming a fight. "Either stop arguing or I'll have to separate you two."

Reluctantly, Mika and David apologized. David was still able to walk normally even after the accident. Being employed for a longer period of time, David viewed himself as the better employee, and sometimes thought Mika was out to upstage him. Mika, however, despised such a notion, saying it was "absolute bull". He shrugged off the incident and went back to work.

Later that day, beyond the outskirts of Nome, Balto was out enjoying a nature walk. He was still in a little bit of discomfort from yesterday, the result of some bruising, but it was barely noticeable. Up ahead, he spotted two familiar bird-like figures. Because of the great distance, even with his good eyes, he still had to strain them in order to see who they were. When he finally did see who they were, his face brightened. "That's Boris and Stella, alright", he thought. It had been a while since Balto last saw the goose who had raised him as a pup, and that was before Boris managed to patch things up with Stella. Since then, it had been rather smooth sailing for both of them. Eager to see them, Balto sprinted over to the lake where Boris and Stella were swimming, which they both really enjoyed doing together.

"Boris! Stella!" Balto started calling out about halfway between the point where he first sited them and the lake shore. Trying to see who was calling them, Boris was the first one to start looking. Spotting Balto on the shore, which he finally arrived at, looking slightly winded after sprinting.

"Balto!" Boris called out, delighted to see his old friend. Stella was also happy to see him.

"How have you been, Boychick?!" asked Boris.

"Well, aside from an unpleasant run-in that's left me a little bruised," Balto responded, "I'm OK."

"What do you mean?" asked Stella, clearly sounding concerned. "What happened?"

"Long story short," said Balto, "yesterday after getting some juice for me and Jenna from the dog restaurant, I got bulldozed by this human, who must have been in a hurry. I tripped him, the juice bottle gets knocked loose, he falls and lands on it. In the process, a piece of the bottle cuts his right cheek, and he inadvertently breaks a window being carried to a store where it was supposed to be installed. They got mad at him, they all start yelling, and eventually, the guy who ran into me storms off angry like you would not believe. Worst of all, he blamed me. Which made some sense, because I forgot to look before exiting the alley."

"How angry was he?" asked Stella.

"Angrier than you were when you thought Boris was lying to you about flying," said Balto. Both Stella's and Boris's eyes widened upon hearing what Balto had just said. Balto continued, saying, "He must have weighed twice as much as me, so it was a bad hit for me."

"Doesn't sound as bad what he got out of it," added Boris. "What was his name?"

"Mika," said Balto. "I then saw him walking out of the hospital holding a bag of ice on his right cheek, and it was bandaged up. I really felt terrible. I know Jenna said I shouldn't beat myself up over this, but I still felt bad."

"Look, I'm sure it was just an accident," Boris said.

"I know it was," replied Balto. "But I even thought to apologize to him."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Stella.

"I don't know, Stella," Balto responded. "I just don't know."

With that, Balto decided to take a dip in the lake himself. It got rather warm in a hurry that afternoon, even to the point where Balto started panting. He decided that this would be a good time and place to cool off for a while.

Just then, two big splashes shook the lake surface, literally sweeping Balto, Boris and Stella onto the shore. None other than Muk and Luk had dived in off a rock ledge. The distance wasn't much, but the force of their impact was still strong.

"Boy, you two sure still know how to make quite an entrance," Balto said, coughing up some water that he had accidently swallowed.

"How did you two get up on that rock ledge?" Boris asked, not entirely thrilled by the nature of their entrance.

"We climbed," said Muk. "How else?"

"I didn't think polar bears could climb," said Stella.

"Proved you wrong," said Muk.

It was almost 5:00 when Mika and David were free to go home for the day. Mika's first stop before heading home was the general store. He walked out carrying a six-pack of IBC root beer. Balto saw him come out and instantly recognized him. "Yeah, that's him, alright," he thought. Kodi and Dingo passed by him while just cruising through town, saw their Dad and stopped to say "hi".

"Heard about your run-in yesterday, Dad" said Dingo. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Balto was feeling considerably better following that swim. "How have you guys been lately?"

"Life is good," Kodi and Dingo said in synchro.

"Mom said something about you wanting to apologize to this guy," said Kodi. "Why are you taking that from him? He's the one who creamed you."

"Because it was partially my fault," Balto replied. "I didn't look where I was going when I exited the alley. I later saw him exiting the hospital holding a bag of ice over his bandaged right cheek. That's when I really felt bad. I even almost broke down when I told your mother about what happened. I've never hurt anybody before, let alone like this. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see this through."

Balto started off toward to follow Mika. But he didn't get far before turning around to ask his boys a favor.

"Listen, you two," he said. "If I'm not done by quarter to seven, let me know. Your mother and I have dinner plans for tonight."

"Got it," said Dingo.

Mika walked into his house and shut the door hard behind him. Balto tried to make it through the doorway before the door closed. Instead he wound up going through the door, leaving a big hole in the lower half of the door.

"Would it kill you to paw at the door first!" Mika exclaimed after he sighed and threw both his hands up. He then went over to inspect the door.

"Well, I guess this can be repaired," he said, sounding disgusted.

Balto backed away shyly, nervous of how Mika might react next.

"I...I'm not mad at you," Mika said, pausing in mid-sentence as he picked up the debris. "I've just had a rough day. This co-worker of mine, David Stoner, is a real pain in the ass. He not the boss, but you wouldn't know it by the way he orders me around. Which happens virtually all the time."

"Uh, yeah, you're getting the short end of the stick, alright," Balto added. Realizing that he had just spoken out loud, he froze.

"I hear you," Mika replied. Realizing who said it, he also froze, with his head perked up and eyes wide. Slowly, he turned around to be sure where the voice came from. "I do hear you," he said. "You're really talking, a..." he paused briefly, then added "Wait a minute, this is a dream. I gotta be dreaming."

"I don't think so," Balto replied. "I mean, come on, you're eyes are still twitching. Oh, listen, you should get even with that David guy. May I suggest a murder-suicide."

Mika was silent for a few seconds before he finally spoke. "Look, what do you want?"

"I'm the dog who tripped you yesterday, Mika," Balto said, sounding uneasy, not sure if Mika would believe a word he said. "When I saw you leaving the hospital with that bandage and bag of ice on your face, I felt bad about it. I came to apologize to you."

Mika was stunned, but he wasn't sure what stunned him more: the fact that a dog was talking to him, or that he getting a verbal apology from a dog. "How do you know my name?"

"After the screaming match," said Balto, "I heard you reveal it as you walked away." He then held out a paw, expecting a handshake. Mika was still in a state of disbelief, but he eventually extended his right hand and returned the handshake.

"Apology accepted," Mika said, shaking Balto's right front paw with his right hand.

"Name's Balto, by the way," Balto added.

Mika's jaw plunged down. "Balto? The Balto, the dog who saved this town from that diptheria scare?"

"The very same," Balto answered.

"Oh my god!" Mika exclaimed. "How about that?! I have a local celebrity in my house! Man, how many around here can say that?"

Just then, he saw David Stoner outside. He thought of bragging about it right then and there. But before Mika got his chance, David walked away, leaving him kicking himself for losing out on a chance to "rattle his cage".

Mika then walked over to his refrigerator - which was really just a wooden crate packed with ice - and put in the IBC root beer he had recently bought. Balto started looking around Mika's house at some interesting items, most of which were relics from back home in Finland. The big hints to Mika's nationality were the Finnish flag patch on his jacket and a full-size flag in a glass case mounted on the mantle over the fireplace.

"Who's flag is that?" Balto asked. He'd clearly never seen another flag, other than Old Glory, which needed no introduction, and still needs no introduction today.

"That's the flag of my homeland," said Mika. "Finland."

"Finland?" asked Balto. "You're Finnish?"

"Duh," said Mika, "you think?"

"I just asked," said Balto. "Well, that explains the accent. So, where in Finland are you from?"

"Kokkola," Mika replied. "It's on the west coast, right on the Gulf of Bothnia." He then pointed it out on a map of Finland mounted on a nearby wall.

Kokkola is located near 64 degrees north, roughly same latitude as Nome, but has roughly eight times more people.

Nearby, Balto noticed a frame containing Mika's birth certificate. The DOB read January 9, 1909. Also nearby were his immigration documents, passport included.

"You leave those things alone," Mika commanded. "They're personal."

"What? Immigrant papers and other legal documentation? You call that personal!" Balto retorted. "How much red tape did you have to cut to get in to this country?"

"A lot. And you probably wouldn't believe it if I told you the whole story. And it's a long one."

"No wait," Balto said, sounding more like he was protesting. "You can tell me. I like long stories."

Mika sighed, then sat down on the couch. "Alright," he said. "Sit down, hold all questions until I say you can ask them, and listen."

Balto sat down on the floor in front of the couch to listen in.

"As you already noticed on my birth certificate," Mika said, beginning his story, "I was born on January 9, 1909, in Kokkola. I'm the second-youngest of four brothers. The older two are still back in Finland."

"Four brothers. Was it anything like living a frat house?" asked Balto.

"Did I say you could ask a question now?" Mika responded. "And to answer your question, there was less beer in the house, but just as much mess, especially in our respective bedrooms."

"Oh, man," said Balto. "What a life. So, what are your brothers' names?"

"Mikko (pronounced me-ko), Ari (are-ee), and Kaj (pronounced kye)," replied Mika. "Mikko's the oldest (25), Ari's the second-oldest (23), I'm 19, and Kaj is the youngest (13). Kaj and me actually shared a bedroom."

"But it wasn't all fun and games," added Mika. "Almost a century I was born, Finland was conquered and taken over by Russia. This was still true even when Mikko was born. Of course, that was back before the Great War of 1914-1918."

When Mika said "Great War", he meant World War I. World War II wouldn't take place for another decade.

Mika continued with, "My father, Toni, and my uncle Jarno both fought in the war, flying British-built Sopwith Camels on the Eastern Front. Most of the fighting took place far from home on mainland Europe, so I personally never went through the horrors myself. Norway, Sweden, and Finland, because of their relative isolation, lay far removed from the wars that have ravaged mainland Europe and the British Isles. Uncle Jarno was shot down by Ottoman Turks, but was later rescued by Dad in a daring raid on a POW camp. Those same guys almost shot down Dad, but all the damage they could do was leave some flak in his hamstrings. That's the back muscles in the thigh. So Dad landed back at base, then went with some comrades to rescue Jarno. Only Dad and Uncle Jarno made it back alive. The rest were captured or killed."

Balto, who had climbed up on the couch to listen in, was in awe over the incredible rescue. It seemed to make his own rescue missions look wimpy.

And remember, about the relative isolation of the three above mentioned nations: This is before Norway was overrun by Germany during WWII.

"What was Kokkola like?" Balto asked.

"Well," replied Mika, "it's a lot bigger than this place. And from my old home there, you could see the Gulf of Bothnia. I really miss it. The house was not too different than this one here. I purposely requested it to be built just like that one."

Mika then pointed to a picture on the mantle showing the old house. It was slightly larger, but for the most part, it was almost indistinguishable from his new pad.

"After the war," continued Mika, "my dad continued to fly planes. The big difference was, this time, he used his plane to haul mail, supplies, and other cargo throughout Vaasa, the province in which Kokkola is located. The company was called Vaasa Express, and it was based in Kokkola. It was quite a successful business throughout the past decade. But the good times didn't last. The entire founding staff lineup was killed in an freak plane accident. They weren't in a plane, but one was involved. It crashed into a hanger where they were having a meeting. The company almost didn't survive. It wasn't until after I arrived in North America that things gradually began to turn around. Mikko was hired before that, and he was a big help in the rebuilding process. It's still going on, but I suspect things will get better. Oh, and along the way, Finland got its independence back via the peace that ended the war."

"So, flying is kinda in your blood," said Balto, sounding amazed.

"To some extent, yes," replied Mika. "If I was still back home, that's probably what I'd be doing. That is, unless my pro hockey aspirations went flat."

"Pro hockey? You play hockey?" Balto asked, sounding like he had never even heard of any sport other than dogsledding. Which for the most part, he hadn't.

"Yes," replied Mika. "Back home, it was my favorite sport. Still is."

"Are you any good?" asked Balto.

"I certainly am," responded Mika. "I played in a local league consisting of teams throughout Vaasa province. Pee-wee, junior, you name the rank, I played in it. I first picked up a stick at age 5, learned how to skate when I was 7, played my first game at age 8, and won four titles by the time I was 14. I was regarded as one of the best. Just ask my old teammates."

"You sure got some great credentials," said Balto.

"You got that right," replied Mika. "I was sure driven to succeed, but it came at a great detriment to my personal life."

"No luck with the babes?" Balto asked.

"No, I've had a girlfriend at least once before," Mika replied. "Three if you want to keep a hand count. The first relationship I ever had also lasted the longest of the three. Her name was Rikko Jehkinen," he paused, sighed, then continued, "and what a knockout she was. One day in January 1924, me and some buddies were just loitering by the general store when one of them spotted her on the opposite side of the street and said, 'Who's that?' All I could say was 'I...I don't know.' As I turned to see who the person of reference was, she happened to look towards us. Her eyes met mine, and my heart just went 'BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!! I thought it would bust out of my chest."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Balto. "Man, that's intense. Was it love at first sight?"

"Yes, it was," said Mika. "So I start over to see Rikko, not looking where I was going, and next thing I know, I got struck by a car and was thrown almost ten feet. I landed flat on my back, broke some ribs, got a bad case of whiplash, and suffered some nasty bruising. Rikko came over to see if I was okay, which for the most part I was. Turns out, she was a regular at some of my team's games. Her brother, who's name is Jari, was new to the team that year. I didn't notice that until I saw her again at a game, the first one since I got bulldozed by that Horch. That's a car brand, by the way. Oh, and it should be noted that the driver was distracted with reading the newspaper. What an idiot."

Horch, for those of you who haven't heard the name, was one of four German car brands that merged to form the Auto Union. The other three brands were DKW, Wanderer, and Audi. Audi was the only surviving Auto Union brand, and is still around today.

Balto couldn't help but think how eerily similar this was to how he first met Jenna. At first, he thought, "Where have I heard this story before? Oh yeah, how I first met Jenna! Except I didn't get hit by a car."

Mika continued his story. "So after a game my team won (we were called the Kokkola Rangers), I ended up asking Rikko out. For the most part, our dates were just meeting up somewhere and we ended up talking about whatever we had something to say about. I know that doesn't sound like dating in the usual sense, but I say it's all in your own point of view."

Balto knew most guys don't usually talk about things like this. But he usually talked about Jenna in such a manner, so he had no problem listening to Mika do likewise.

"The really interesting thing," Mika added, "was that Rikko's birthday falls on Valentine's Day. That day in '24, we beat the Ahtari Attack 6-2. After the game, after I'd changed into my street clothes, she met me outside the rink and was so happy we finally beat Ahtari, our archrival team by the way, she kissed me."

"Lips?" Balto asked.

"Where else?" Mika retorted. "If I were ready, I would have returned it. That was not the case, unfortunately. But after telling her 'Happy Valentine's Day', I returned the favor. It was the first for both of us. Call it a Valentine's Day present, if you'd like. Afterwards, I was so excited I let out a very long 'YAHOO!' and started pumping both fists up and down. Mikko and Ari, who were both at the game, asked what the scream was for. I told them what happened, Ari said 'No way, man!' I responded with 'Oh yeah!' and then Mikko said, 'Man, little bro, you finally know how to score on and off the ice!' I told him 'shut up' but that didn't work, and eventually both of them started going 'GO MIKA! GO MIKA! GO MIKA! GO MIKA!' Needless to say, I got really embarrassed when they did that. Still, it was the best night of my life."

Balto was clearly in a state of disbelief. "What did they mean by..." He paused before finishing his sentence. "Oh, I get it. Haha, very funny."

"Yep," Mika added. "When we got home that night, me and my brothers (Kaj was in bed by the time we got back), couldn't stop talking about what happened. Mikko summed it up with, 'We beat Ahtari, and Mika got lucky. Now that's what I call a successful night out!'"

Balto started laughing. "HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT?!" he asked and exclaimed at the same time. He was trying not to laugh, but all attempts proved to be futile. He eventually fell off the couch and started rolling around on his back on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Mika put his left hand on his forehead, shook it, and thought, "Good grief, I've incited a laugh riot. Better hope nobody calls the police." After about five minutes, Balto finally calmed down.

"Are you done making an idiot out of yourself?" Mika asked.

"Yes, I am," Balto replied. "But that sure was funny."

Mika chuckled slightly and shook his head. "We eventually lost in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs to Ahtari, but Vaasa beat them in the finals. Rikko and I continued going out, even visiting each other often, although Kaj hated it when she came over and our room became 'off limits'. Jari and I started training together, even during the off-season. Their mother, whose name I don't remember, took a liking to me, while their dad, whose name I also don't remember, did the usual tough guy bit, but eventually we hit it off. He said I reminded him of himself when he was my age. Even my own dad had said he thought Rikko was the one."

"Really?" Balto asked.

"Yeah," Mika answered. "He said she reminded him of mom when she was young."

"Oh," added Balto. "Okay, I can see that. So, what happened?"

"Well, remember the plane crash that killed most of Vaasa Express's senior staff? That's what happened. Dad was out of work for about a month before getting a job offer in America. I was only 15 and not old enough to be out on my own, so I had no choice but to come with my parents and Kaj. Mikko and Ari had already moved out, so they weren't affected."

"How did Rikko take it?" Balto asked.

"Not to well," Mika replied. "Her dad found out from my dad. She was just devastated. And who could blame her?"

"Not me," added Balto.

"I still can't forget the day I left. She came to say goodbye, all teary-eyed, looking as if she'd been betrayed. I almost couldn't bear to see her like that. Making it even worse was seeing my two older brothers just stunned by the whole thing. They couldn't believe it was happening. Yeah, I took it hard, too. But I didn't fall apart. At least I didn't show it. Before heading down to Helsinki, Finland's capital, I told her I loved her and I promised to return someday. By the way, on the former, that wasn't the first time I told her that. And I made sure to tell Mikko and Ari that, too."

"Good for you," said Balto.

"Once in Helsinki," Mika added, "where, by the way, Ari works in the shipyards, we caught a ferry to Oslo, Norway, and from there another boat to America."

"So, you came straight here to Nome?" Balto asked.

"No, it wasn't that easy hitting rock bottom," replied Mika. "My first home here in America was in Detroit, Michigan. This was in the winter of 1925. When I arrived there, I think the serum run you took part in was still in progress. The only thing that took my mind off of being homesick was hockey. It was here where my pro aspirations really took off. Have you ever heard of the National Hockey League?"

"Should I have?" Balto asked.

"I didn't say you had to," Mika retorted. "Anyway, Detroit has a team in the NHL called the Red Wings. I remember one day when I went to see them play. During the first intermission, the organizers were hosting a skills challenge for local players. I took part in this. The Detroit coach took notice of me and said that I had potential to play in the big leagues."

"Whoa!" said Balto, who was clearly in awe at this point. "By the way, what's a red wing?"

"I'm not sure," Mika responded. "The team emblem has a wheel at one end, with a wing extending from behind it. So after the skills challenge, their coach approached me and told me that he was impressed by my abilities. After thanking him, I asked for his autograph and a spot on the team. He signed my stick, his telephone number on a separate sheet of paper, and said to give him a call in a couple years. I wasn't old enough to play professionally at the time. Plus they had a full roster."

"So what was Detroit like?" Balto asked, sounding eager to hear the details.

"Well," said Mika, "at first I was still quite homesick. But I eventually fell in with some local hockey players who were about my age, give or take a few years. Eventually I got over it. A little bit. Among them was the first friend I made since leaving home. His name is Kevin Taylor. A fellow hockey player and an aspiring sportswriter, we hit it off immediately. We practiced together, hung out a lot and generally got along quite well. He showed me around Detroit, all the cool places, hotspots. You name it, he showed me them. Then I made the biggest mistake of my life."

"What happened?" Balto asked.

Mika sighed before answering. "I started to develop a crush on his sister, Melissa. One day Kevin caught us making out in the living room of his parent's house. He wasn't too thrilled. To this day, he still won't speak to me. Even now, I still can't believe I let a girl come between me and the only non-Finnish friend I had at the time."

"What happened then?" asked Balto.

"One night we got a phone call," said Mika. "Dad had suffered a gunshot wound after getting caught in the middle of a gang war. His only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My mother, who's name is Erja, by the way, couldn't stand being in Detroit anymore. Worried for our safety, we eventually left, settling in a town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula called Ishpeming. The Finns, Scandinavians, and Cornish, from England's Cornwall Peninsula, are said to be the 11th distinct culture to settle in the UP, as Michiganders call it. The most recent predecessors to them were the Menominee and the Ojibway. I tell you, you think it snows a lot here? Kokkola and Ishpeming each see far more snow in the winter. In the UP, some people frequently have to dig down to several feet of snow to reach their mailboxes. Yep, the UP is clearly snow central. Ishpeming itself smaller than Kokkola, but far bigger than this dump."

"HEY!" Balto exclaimed. He clearly felt insulted by that cutting remark.

"Easy there," Mika said, throwing his hands up in defense. "That wasn't directed at you." He put his hands back down before continuing. "While in Ishpeming, I continued to pursue playing in the NHL. Just like back home and in Detroit, I played with other local players. I was too old to play at most of levels available, so instead I ended up in a teen/young adult recreational league. It wasn't that well organized, but it was game experience. As mentioned before, I let these ambitions have a detrimental effect on my personal life."

"Oh, boy," said Balto, uneasily. "What happened?"

"Well," Mika responded, "if you must know, I did manage to overcome what happened with Melissa and get back to dating. I met this local girl who down the street from me, her name was Stephanie. We went out several times and, well, you know. But eventually, she started to disdain the fact that my hockey games took up a lot of time on weekends. One day, she said to me, 'You're never around on weekends because of all these hockey games, and Patrick (another local kid) is always asking me out to the movies.' All I could respond with was 'Be patient, you're dating an athlete, and there are sacrifices involved. Eventually, it will all be worthwhile.' Even though I really cared about her, I tried to explain that I didn't want to limit my potential future as a pro athlete, and that she would have to choose between me and my hockey and Patrick and the movies. Guess which one she chose?"

"I don't think I even have to," said Balto.

"Yeah," said Mika. "Along the way, Dad got a job in the lumber business. But he grew tired of it and wanted to get back into flying. Eventually, he got a job offer to return to the mail and supply-running business here in Nome. And so, that's how I got here. Dad now makes air runs carrying supplies to nearby miners."

"Interesting. How long have you been here?" asked Balto.

"Since October 15 of last year," replied Mika, getting up off the couch to stretch. "If I ever had the chance to get out of here, I would take it instantly. I mean, I got a less than stellar job, a coworker who I don't get along with, and I'm barely making enough to get by on my own. On top of all that, the only person outside of my family who shows any respect towards me is my boss. This place is the pits. I hate it here."

Oh, come on, Mika," said Balto, "it's not that bad here. What kind of problem do you have with Nome?"

"Look," said Mika, his voice sounding angry, "I'm not the one with the problem, okay, it's this damn town that seems to have a problem with me! People take one look at me and shy away in fear. It's as if I have the plague! They might as well have screamed, 'Ah, run away! Crazy foreigner on the loose! He's gonna kill us all!'"

Mika sat back down on the couch, shook his head slowly, and sighed before saying, "They judge me before they even know me. That's why this town is better off without me." He then buried his face in his hands. He didn't cry, but he came very close.

Balto just sat there, open-mouthed. He could scarcely believe a word he had just heard.

"Oh, man," he thought. "I thought I had it bad fitting in. I thought Aleu had it rough, too. This guy has and still is having it even worse! Ripped from his homeland when things were going great, and then enduring a major roller coaster ride ever since then. That's definitely not good. And to think, I almost even made it worse yesterday by tripping him."

Now Balto really felt terrible. He climbed back up on the couch and reassuringly put a paw on Mika's left shoulder. Mika pulled his face out of his hands.

"You know," Balto said, "when I ran into you yesterday, I didn't think you were so bad. And that's despite the less-than-ideal circumstances."

"Really?" Mika asked.

"Yeah," Balto replied. "Look, if it's any consolation, I do know to some extent what you're going through. I was once an outsider in this town. And all because I'm part wolf."

"What?" Mika asked sounding rather surprised. "Balto, are you serious?"

"Oh, yes," said Balto, "very much so."

Balto went on to revealed his own story to Mika. At the end of which, the Finn realized, he wasn't alone.

Balto, meanwhile, continued looking around at some relics around Mika's house. Among them were some old photos of Mika and his brothers and friends, most of which were several years old. One that really stood out was one of Mika and a pretty blonde girl with both arms around him.

"Who's this," he asked.

"That? Oh, that's Rikko," Mika replied.

"Whoa, you were right about her," said Balto, noticing how her own curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes were both about the same shade as Mika's. "She sure is pretty."

One other object that caught his eye was a glass bottle with a picture of Russian czar Nicholas II walking around in a stupor. He took a couple whiffs, then abruptly pulled back.

"Holy owned and operated!" he exclaimed. "What is this stuff?"

"Hey," said Mika, "unless you don't want to see tomorrow, I suggest you get away from that." He then put the bottle back on the shelf where Balto found it. "To answer your question, it's vodka."

"What?" Balto asked.

"Vodka," Mika responded. "It's a type of hard liquor. Very popular in Eastern Europe and the USSR. Ari and some buddies of his set up a distillery in Helsinki two years after I left home. This is what the make. Drunken Czar Vodka."

Balto laughed upon hearing the name. "Where did they come up with that name?" he asked.

"Ask them, not me," Mika replied. "Alright, I'm gonna head out back and shoot some pucks around. You wanna come?"

Balto looked up at a clock on a nearby wall. It read 6:30. "Okay," he finally said, "but I can't stay for long."

With that, he followed Mika out through the back door.

Mika grabbed a stick, a crate full of hockey pucks, and a goal with netting on it, and set it up to run some shooting drills. During the summer, this was the best form of hockey practice Mika could get in. The net had a wood panel with a goaltender painted on it across the front. The panel followed the goalie's body shape, with holes in certain places. This way, Mika could have some actual opposition, since he couldn't practice with a live goalie.

He dumped the pucks out, lined them up, and positioned himself at one end of the line with his stick in hand.

"You might want to keep a safe distance between you, my stick and the pucks for your own safety," Mika advised.

"Got it," Balto answered back.

With that, Mika started shooting one puck at a time at the goal. Most shots went in, some didn't. Balto, meanwhile, watched in amazement as his newfound Finnish friend landed shot after shot in the goal.

"Man, he is good," Balto thought. "I can see what that coach saw in him. He really can make it in the pros."

After all the pucks were launched, Mika gathered them up, re-aligned them, and started another round of shooting. During this round, Balto thought he heard someone calling him. Just as he was about to call back to see who it was, one of Mika's shots bounced off the crossbar, hit a gutter on a nearby building, and was followed by a "OW!" Upon hearing the scream, Balto and Mika, who was still clutching his stick, ran over to see what happened.

Jenna was lying on her right side, and the stray puck, which had struck her in the head, landed nearby.

"Oh, nice shooting, Tex," said Balto, sarcastically. While he tried desperately to wake Jenna, Mika went to retrieve the culprit puck. Eventually, Jenna came back to her senses.

"You OK, Jenna?" Balto asked, obviously sounding concerned.

"I'm OK," Jenna answered as she tried to stand up.

"You OK?" Mika asked, also sounding concerned.

"She's OK," Balto answered. "But seriously, watch where you're aiming those pucks."

"I was watching where I was aiming, Hammerhead," Mika retorted as he too tried to help Jenna stand up straight.

"What happened?" Jenna asked, not knowing what happened.

"You took a big whap on the head from a hockey puck," Balto replied, motioning toward the small black disc that Mika was clutching. The Finn put it down and continued checking over Jenna just to make sure she wasn't seriously injured. Which, fortunately, wasn't the case.

"Now who's this?" Jenna asked.

"The puck slapper who almost put you in a coma," replied Mika. Realizing who just spoke, he paused briefly before speaking again. "Oh, great, now she's talking to me, too."

"What?" asked Jenna.

"Oh, I spoke aloud within hearing range of him," replied Balto, "and he heard it."

"Yes, and now I hear both of you talking," said Mika.

"So what took you so long, Balto?" asked Jenna. "I thought you were just going to apologize for yesterday's mishap"

"I did apologize, Jenna," Balto replied.

"Look," Mika cut in. "Part of it's my fault. After that, Balto noticed a few things in my house, asked about them, and the next thing I know, I'm dictating my autobiography."

"I know that sounds hard to believe," said Balto, seeing that Jenna didn't believe a word she had just heard, "but that is what happened. And yes, I was aware that we had plans for this evening."

"You two dogs are dating?" asked Mika, sounding confused. The idea of dating existing among another species sounded odd to him. Then again, he had never previously heard of or seen such a thing.

"Oh, no," Balto responded, shaking his head as Jenna rested hers on his chest. "We're way beyond that."

With that said, Balto and Jenna shared a brief kiss, which left Mika open-mouthed and scratching his head in disbelief. This was another thing he never saw another species do. Now he wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't real.

"This throws my entire perception of reality into question," Mika said.

"Why?" asked Balto.

"Is it not obvious?" Mika replied.

"Oh, I get it," Balto answered back. It took a while for the answer to come to him.

"Alright, you two," Jenna cut in. "I hate to interrupt, but remember, Balto, we have a seven o' clock reservation."

"Yes, I know we do," said Balto as they walked off. "Nice talking to you, Mika."

"Likewise, Balto," Mika replied. "Alright, I gotta go knock the last couple images out of my head."

As Mika started to go pick up his equipment, he turned around and said, "Don't take this personal, but until further notice, no eye contact."

"Why?" both Balto and Jenna asked simultaneously.

"Best not to ask," replied Mika.

With that, he went to go pick up his equipment and head back inside.

Balto spent the entire walk to the dog restaurant trying to apologize to Jenna for taking so long to apologize to Mika, but every attempt left him more desperate to get through to her.

"Look I said I was sorry," Balto pleaded. "What more do I owe you?"

"Details," said Jenna. "You owe me that."

Balto sighed before answering. "His name is Mika Kykalisko."

"Kykalisko?" Jenna asked. "What kind of last name is that?"

"It's Finnish," Balto responded.

"Finland?" asked Jenna. "That's where he's from?"

"Uh, yes," Balto answered. "His father is Toni Kykalisko."

"The mine supply pilot?" asked Jenna.

"Yes," said Balto, "the mine supply pilot."

"What else did he have to say?" Jenna asked, eager to hear more of what Mika had to say to Balto.

"Well, you think me and Aleu had a hard time finding where we belong," said Balto. "Well, he's had it worse. Still is. He's been bounced around from his hometown of Kokkola, to Detroit, then Ishpeming, and now here. And it all happened when things were going so well for him. He was a local ice hockey sensation, had a girlfriend, and was just doing well. Now he says he's basically hit rock bottom."

"Really?" asked Jenna.

"Oh yes, very much so," replied Balto. "I may not know all there is to know about his story, but I can definitely say this much. The road that me and Aleu have been on, is the same road that he's on."

Flashbacks ran amok through Balto's mind. Among them, his early days in Nome, his confrontations with Steele, all those lonely nights he spent on his boat, witnessing Aleu's own struggle to find her place, and lastly, what Mika described of his own story. He kept hoping that Mika's luck would turn around.

"No one should have to go through that for no apparent reason," Balto thought. "Not at all."

Back at his house, Mika lay down on his couch, thinking about what had just transpired. He thought he was alone, that he was the only one ever disliked in Nome. Boy, was he wrong. He actually felt a little relieved that he wasn't alone, and yet he was a little bewildered that he find out from a dog who was once in his position. He almost didn't know what to believe. Like he said, his entire perception of reality was thrown into question.

Will Mika's luck turn around? Will he ever be able to feel like he has a place in Nome? Will his perception of reality ever come back to normal? And what else lies in store? Find out in Chapter 3: Highs and Lows.