Warning: This story contains violence, profanity, and other themes note suitable for children under 14 years of age. If you are a minor, and you come across this story, do not continue reading. This is your only warning. After this, it's your choice to read or not.
January 6th 1951, 4:34 AM,
Balto sat in front of Brent's grave in his lab. Nome hadn't been the same without the professor. In the centre of town, a statue of Brent MacWolf was erected in his memory for his heroic deed. Balto stifled a tear as he thought of his best friend. Jenna walked up behind him and kissed him on the cheek.
''Balto, it's 4:34. You've been here for five hours now.''
Balto turned to Jenna and sniffled.
''Jen, Brent would do the same if I was in his shoes.'' He said sadly. Balto then collapsed into Jenna's arms, crying. Unaware to both Jenna and Balto, Brent MacWolf watched from heaven. He shed a tear at the sight.
''Oh jeez,'' he muttered, ''I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but I guess that promise has just gone as far down as I did.''
Six hours later,
Brent was called into a meeting with the big man himself. Brent walked into God's office and sat down in a chair across from the boss. God was in his white dog form; one of many he has.
''Brent Edward MacWolf, I have grave news for you.''
''What is it, O mighty Lord?'' Brent asked. God leaned forward and replied in a grim voice.
''Brent, I looked into the future and I foresee a terrible fate for two of your friends.''
Brent's eyes went wide.
''What do you mean?'' he asked.
''All I can tell you is that you are given another chance at life.'' God said. Brent was shocked.
''Really? You mean I'm going to live again?'' Brent exclaimed. God nodded.
''Yes, but you will only be in your dog form. Your human form is no longer in existence. Now you must return to Earth before this tragedy occurs.'' God then held up his hands and a bright light surrounded Brent MacWolf. The clouds parted under his feet and Brent was transformed into his real form. He then slowly lowered to the ground.
On Earth, Balto walked past Brent's house. Suddenly, he looked up and saw a bright light descending from heaven. Balto ran to where the light was going to touch the ground, and to his surprise, the light stopped just about three feet above him. A person reached the edge of the light beam and fell to earth.
''Oh man, next time I take the public transit system.''
When the dust cleared, Balto almost had a heart attack.
''Brent?'' he gasped and hugged Brent warmly, crying as he did so.
''It's okay Balto, it's okay buddy. Everything will be fine.'' Brent patted Balto on the back. Balto then led Brent to Jenna's house. It took only ten minutes to get there.
When both Balto and Brent arrived, Jenna was no where to be found.
''Where's Jenna?'' Brent asked. Balto shrugged.
''She's probably talking with Dixie and Sylvie,'' he replied, ''Aleu must be with them too. She's not here as well.''
''Aleu's come back to Nome?'' Brent asked.
''Just for a visit.'' Balto explained. Brent nodded and sat down on the snow. Just then, he noticed a note on the door. He pulled it off the nail it as secured to and nearly went blind with shock.
''Balto,'' he exclaimed, ''get over here!''
Balto ran over and saw the note.
''What's it say?'' he questioned. Brent cleared his throat and read the note;
Dear Balto,
You and I have been in conflict before, but now is the time we end it once and for all. I have taken the two things that you treasure the most. Jenna and Aleu are my prisoners, and you'll never see them again! However, if you wish to surrender yourself, feel free to come to my base.
Klondike Mk II
''Klondike!'' Balto spluttered.
''Mark II!'' Brent added.
''This is nuts! I destroyed that freak with Hartwell II! It couldn't be him!'' Balto shouted.
''Well, I think the first thing is to gather our forces and get Jenna and Aleu back.'' Brent exclaimed. Balto sighed.
''Great idea, but there's one small problem. Where's his base?''
Brent pointed to the bottom of the note.
''A keen eye for detail doesn't hurt at all Balto. He wrote this ransom note on a piece of paper with his business name on it. We just have to find out where Wolf Industries is.'' Brent replied. Balto thought for a minute, then nodded.
''And I think I know! Follow me.'' Balto walked to Rosie's parents' room and grabbed a 9mm handgun. Engraved into the bottom was the name Wolf Industries, as well as the address and location.
''They're the biggest manufacturers of firearms in Alaska. I have a feeling that Klondike set this up. He has enough guns to make us into the world's most gory Swiss cheese.'' Balto said. Brent held his chin. He knew they needed another member. Someone who was courageous, stealthy and not afraid to shoot people. Just then, Kodi came running up.
''Dad! I heard the news! Mom and Aleu have been kidnapped?''
''Brent! You're alive?'' he questioned. Brent nodded.
''Unfortunately, you heard right.'' Brent remarked. Kodi's jaw dropped.
''Wait until I get my hands on those bastards! They'll pay!'' Kodi growled. Brent then got an idea.
''Kodi, how's your accuracy?''
Kodi stared at him.
''I can shoot a target's bull-eye at 300 yards, why?'' he asked. Brent smiled.
''Because I need someone who can shoot a sniper rifle without missing anything.''
Kodi's face had the look of determination on it.
''Well, if you're asking me if I'm going to help save my family, then you got yourself a sniper!'' Kodi agreed. Brent smiled and asked the two to follow him. Both Balto and Kodi looked at each other, but followed.
Brent MacWolf's house, five minutes later…
Brent's house still bore the damage from the attacks Klondike had done. The secret lab still looked like it did before Brent had been heroically defeated. Brent walked up to the back wall and opened a small panel in the wall. He pressed his hand up to it and a secret door opened, revealing a room with enough firepower to take on the SWAT team. Brent grabbed an SSR 4000 sniper rifle, a silenced 9mm pistol with a laser sight, and a Meyer Bullpup machine gun and threw them to Kodi. Next he grabbed an AK-47, a 9mm pistol and a D5K sub-machine gun and gave them to Balto. Finally, Brent grabbed himself a Sentinel rocket launcher, an Eagle 10 12mm handgun, an RC-P90 and a .44 Magnum with a scope.
''Where'd you get these guns from anyway?'' Kodi asked. Brent smiled.
''Before I was a professor, I was a secret agent for a top-secret organisation called SF-6 (Refer to my 009 Brent MacWolf spy series for that story). I left it after I nearly got my head cleaned off my shoulders. I was lucky, but I figured I'd kill myself eventually if I continued to work there. So I turned in my resignation papers and took my small arsenal with me out the front door.''
Balto loaded his AK-47 and replied, ''well then, let's kick some robot ass.''
Outside the gates of Wolf Industries, 12:04 AM, January 7th 1951,
The factory looked larger than Balto, Brent or Kodi had imagined. All three hid behind a transport truck to avoid being seen. Brent ran over the plan in whispers.
''Okay, here's the plan. I have a feeling that Jenna and Aleu are hidden somewhere in the centre of the factory, presumably in Klondike's office. Kodi, you get into your sniper spot just above us here. There should be a large rock ledge where you can sniper. Luckily, your rifle is silenced, so your location won't be given away. But if you need to, use your other guns. Your job Kodi is to cover Balto and I as we sneak into the base. Now Balto, you and I are going to be in the most immediate danger out of the three of us. You see, as soon as we enter the building, Kodi can't cover for us. I sure hope you can shoot a gun.'' Brent then handed Kodi and Balto a walkie-talkie. Balto armed his AK-47 and nodded.
''Sure I can fire a gun. I go skeet shooting as a hobby.'' He assured Brent. He smiled and loaded his handgun, his .44 Magnum and his RC-P90. Kodi peered around the corner and ran up to his sniper spot. After only two minutes or so, his voice came quietly over Brent's walkie-talkie.
''I'm in position.''
''What do you see?'' Brent asked. Kodi scanned the base area with his rifle and answered, ''the base is strangely inactive. It's like it's deserted.''
Brent knew better. He'd been in situations like this before. He radioed back to Kodi, ''let's keep radio silence from here on in. I think those creeps are monitoring our radio frequency. I don't think they'll find us in the forest though.''
Balto gave him a surprised look.
''Why'd you give away or position?'' he asked quietly. Brent pointed behind the base.
''The forest is over there Balto. It was a bluff.'' He answered. Balto nodded as he followed Brent to the fence. Luckily, Brent still had his P-Branch Omega Spy watch from his spy days. Brent set his watch to laser and slowly cut a hole in the fence to walk through. When the hole was completed, Brent and Balto sneaked into the base. The only entrance to the base was an air duct near the ground. Kodi watched as Balto and Brent opened the hatch and crawled into the shaft. Brent replaced the hatch. Kodi knew they needed extra help in there and jumped from his sniper post. He had to follow his father and friend. He had a bad feeling about this mission.
Inside the shaft was as dark as a tomb. The only source of light was Brent's watch. Its hands glowed in the dark, yet it gave off so little light. Balto suddenly stopped, making Brent crash into him.
''What gives?'' Brent hissed. Balto pointed down. Brent looked down through a vent cover to see a hallway. Four guards walked in pairs of two, each pair carried a hostage. Balto started to crawl forward followed by Brent. Soon, they arrived at a large room. The vent cover in front of the two was their only viewpoint. Balto and Brent watched as Jenna and Aleu were roughly wrestled and strapped into a machine. Klondike walked in and smiled. Jenna gave him a look that could sink a ship.
''You son of a bitch! Let us go!'' she threatened. Klondike smiled and struck Jenna in the face with his fist. It left a red mark on her cheek.
''Be thankful you're still alive,'' Klondike said sternly, ''I could have killed you if I wanted to. But instead, I'll just use you.''
Suddenly, Klondike turned to the vent shaft and fired at the vent cover. Balto jumped back, causing the entire shaft to fall from the ceiling. Guards surrounded the fallen shaft as the dust cleared. Brent and Balto were one step ahead of them though. Both jumped up and started firing. Balto took out a fair share of guards with his AK-47, while Brent's RC-P90 literally turned the guards he shot into pieces of flesh. Klondike jumped into the machine and smiled.
''Too late to stop me now fools!'' Klondike then held up a remote. Just as he was about to push the button on it, the remote was shot from his hand. Everyone who was alive in the room turned to the doorway. Kodi stood with a smoking sniper rifle in his hand.
''Thought you might need a hand.'' He replied as he rushed for the remote. Grabbing it, Kodi tripped and smashed into Brent and Balto. Kodi accidentally pushed the button, and the machine disappeared. Then, as if it had forgotten something, the machine returned. Kodi stared at it.
''What the hell is that thing?'' he questioned. Brent examined it and found a small game cartridge inside.
''This is a Game Sphere.'' he exclaimed.
''A what?'' Balto asked.
''In the year 2020, the game company Nintendo® created a truly revolutionary simulation system for agents, which was the Game Sphere. It plays every shooting game Nintendo® has ever made, and it puts you into the game. It seems that Klondike had gotten his hands on one and he used it to take Jenna and Aleu into…'' Brent then stopped and stared at the game. It was the game he had done his training in when he started at SF-6.
''Into what? Tell us damn it!'' Kodi demanded.
''The game Perfect Dark™. It's a futuristic shooting game based in the year 2355 AD.'' Brent explained.
''So that maniac took my daughter and my wife into a video game!'' Balto shouted and aimed his AK-47 at the machine. Brent ran up and grabbed the gun from Balto.
''Are you crazy! Jenna and Aleu are in the game cartridge! This thing's the only way to get them back! But we have to go in after them to save them!'' Brent yelled. Balto calmed down and stepped into the machine. Kodi followed, and Brent followed Kodi. All three sat down and Brent pressed the button on the remote and felt the machine shaking.
''W-w-what's g-g-g-going o-o-on?'' Balto asked as the machine shook harder and harder. Finally, it disappeared.
dataDyne Headquarters, 11:13 PM, June 24th 2355,
The machine re-appeared on the top of a large skyscraper. Brent, Balto and Kodi stumbled out of the machine and fell onto the roof, all about as dizzy as a drunken man. All three friends wore jump suits; Brent had a navy blue one, Kodi had grey, and Balto had black. Brent then looked around. He had played Perfect Dark™ before, and he knew what to do.
''We're on top of dataDyne Headquarters!'' he exclaimed. Balto sat up and stared at him.
''dataDyne! Care to explain, Brent?'' he questioned.
Brent loaded his Eagle 10 and attached a silencer bit to it. He turned to Balto and Kodi and replied, ''okay guys, the first thing you guys have to remember is that we only get one life in this game. This is the disadvantage of the Game Sphere. As soon as you are defeated in the game, you're sent back to the real world, in the same form that you were in when you entered the game. So if you want to save Jenna and Aleu, then you'll have to stay on your feet, stay focused and most importantly, stay alive.''
Balto and Kodi nodded and followed Brent down a set of stairs and toward a door. Suddenly, an Irish Setter holding a CMP150 Hand machine gun in his hand walked into view. Brent put up his hand to stop Balto and Kodi and aimed. The Setter turned and got a bullet right in his head. His eyes turned upwards and he fell backward onto the ground. No blood, just his body disappeared. Kodi nearly threw up at the sight. Brent reached down and grabbed the gun the Setter dropped.
''Don't worry Kodi, this system is designed so that every game has been censored. Now come on, we have to get to the laboratory to rescue a scientist named Dr. Caroll,'' Brent then blushed a small bit, ''I will warn you guys though, I haven't played this game for about four or so years, so I don't remember everything that's going to happen. So I want you guys to be on your toes at all times. There's going to be no time to rest until we complete the mission.''
Kodi and Balto nodded and walked through the door. Kodi took point. He turned the corner and saw another Setter standing near the corner.
''Hey you!'' he exclaimed and fired his CMP150 at Kodi. Kodi took a bullet in the shoulder and fell backward. Balto saw this and shot his pistol at the Setter. He spun sideways and fell down a set of stairs that led to the floor. Balto then turned to Kodi and saw that he was getting back up onto his feet. Brent smiled at Balto's confusion.
''I forgot to mention you don't die as quick as the guards do. All three of us have life meters that is replenished at the end of each mission,'' Brent then glared at Kodi, ''what did I tell you? What did I say? You have to be careful. Don't rush into things. Remember, until the mission is over, you're in constant danger. Keep that in mind for the rest of the missions, it may keep you in this game.'' Brent turned and walked down the stairs. He approached a computer monitor that hung off the wall. It was the internal security hub for the headquarters. Brent reached into his back pocket and pulled out an ECM mine, placing it on the monitor. He then turned to Balto and Kodi.
''Next thing we have to do is to grab the necklace from the building's owner. The necklace has an organic sensor in it, so it'll only work if the necklace's owner is still alive. If they're unconscious, it'll still work. Now come on.'' Brent opened the door that led to a staircase and pointed his Eagle down the stairs. Balto and Kodi walked down the stairs, keeping their guns trained on the doorway below. Brent followed, and soon all three were at the closed door that led to the set of offices on the 25th floor. Kodi held his gun and opened the door a crack. The floor was crawling with guards, and they looked like they meant business. Kodi quietly closed the door and turned to Balto and Brent.
''We have got a big problem. There are enough bogies to create a really stiff resistance against us. We might have to wait until the time's right to head for the owner's office.'' He explained. Brent nodded.
''You're starting to think like a real agent now Kodi. But unfortunately, every second we waste is one second longer that Jenna and Aleu have to stay as hostages. But even with that in mind, we have to stay focused. I think maybe if we run for it, we'll make it. The office is on the same floor as us, so we just have to keep our guns at the ready to shoot.'' Brent replied. Balto armed his gun and turned the doorknob, slowly opening the door. All three agents ran out of the doorway and headed for the office of the head of dataDyne. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets ricocheted off the floor and walls near Brent. He turned and fired at the guard, who dropped like a stone. Brent turned to Balto and exclaimed, ''you guys get the necklace, I'll cover you.''
Kodi and Balto nodded and opened the head's office. Inside stood a female Irish Setter in a blue jump suit. Her red hair flowed over the suit almost beautifully. At her feet was the unconscious figure of Cassandra De Vries, the head of dataDyne. Balto recognised her in a second.
''Sasha! What're you doing here? I haven't seen you in years!'' he replied. Sasha, the sassy lassie from All Dogs Go To Heaven 2™ had somehow managed to get her self into the game. She shrugged.
''Hello Balto, I was kidnapped by a grey malamute, and Charlie should be in this game as well. He jumped into that strange machine that brought me here, and he was sent here as well. Luckily, I managed to escape from that crazy malamute. I was sent to the beginning of the game, just like you guys.''
Kodi shook his head.
''Well, since we're doing the same objectives, we should work together. Maybe we can complete this stupid game faster if we work together.''
Just then, Brent burst through the door backwards. He fell onto his back as about twenty or so guards walked in. Balto grabbed his pistol and fired. Three guards dropped, and one of their guns slid over to him. Balto picked up the CMP150 and aimed it. He grinned and fired.
The rest of the guards fell like dominoes. Brent stared at Balto as he stood, still holding the gun. His hand shook and he dropped the gun. Sasha walked up and patted him on the back.
''Don't worry about it Balto. These guys are just computer-generated dogs. They come back to life when the game is reset. Right now, we have to stay focused on our objectives.''
Brent got to his feet.
''I couldn't have said it better Sasha. Next thing we have to do is attach another EMC mine to the external security hub. This'll enable us to escape on the drop ship with Dr. Caroll.'' Brent explained and walked through the office door, followed by Kodi, Balto and Sasha. All four entered the elevator and watched as it went down to the 1st floor. Suddenly, an alarm started to go off. Brent knew what was about to happen. He was used to this sort of thing. Brent loaded his CMP150 and exclaimed, ''take out every guard you see, use as much force as you can muster. We have to get to that hub!'' The elevator door opened and all four agents dispersed. Balto was to place the mine on the hub, while Brent, Kodi and Sasha kept the guards busy. Brent walked up behind a guy and placed his gun against the back of his head. He fired, and made a hole right through the guy's head. Kodi was doing his best to shoot at five guards, but it wasn't helping him at all. He then noticed a fuel tank near them. Kodi aimed and shot the tank, which caused an explosion. The guards flew over his head and slammed into the wall. Kodi grabbed a CMP150 and some extra ammo. Sasha was using her body as a weapon rather than her gun. She stood near a desk and seduced her enemies with her sly motions. Then, like a peregrine falcon diving for her pray, Sasha kicked them back onto the ground. She smiled and blew them a kiss as she grabbed a key card that lay on the floor near one of the guards. Meanwhile, Balto had managed to sneak into the room where the external security hub was located. He placed the mine on it and radioed to Brent.
''Objective complete. ECM mine on the hub. What's next?''
Brent voice came back in a few seconds.
''Next, we have to get to the lab. Go toward the left side of the stairs and enter the elevator. I'll find Sasha and Kodi, you just go.''
The line went silent. Balto pulled out his gun and ran for the elevator, taking out guards as he went. Balto arrived just as Brent, Kodi and Sasha came around the corner. All four bordered the elevator and headed for the lab.
dataDyne labs, 11:58 PM,
The elevator opened and all four friends walked out. Brent took point and led the trio to a door. He pulled out his CMP150 and opened the door. Two boxers intercepted him and fired. Brent dodged and returned their fire. The door at the back of the room opened and four guards ran into the room and surrounded Brent. Sasha grabbed Balto's gun and fired at the guards. They were slain on their spots. Sasha blew the smoke off the gun and handed it back to Balto.
''It's all too easy for me.'' She answered slyly. Brent turned and headed into the next room. There were about five doors. The first objective was to photograph a radioactive isotope that was being kept at dataDyne for research. Sasha pulled out a small robot and replied, ''I've got it.''
She walked through a door with the label "Caution" on it and defeated the guards behind it. Sasha then set up the robot and piloted it to the isotope, taking the picture and bringing it back within a minute. In the meantime, Brent had managed to gain entrance to Sector 2 of the labs. This led to another series of doors, only this time it was in a set of hallways instead of a giant room. Sasha joined the three as they walked slowly down the first hallway. At the end was another hallway, though it led to the right. Three guards stood in their way, but it wasn't a big challenge to eliminate them. This hallway led to a door marked "Sector Three." Brent opened it and found himself in a large room. Two guards ran around. Brent stepped aside and gave Kodi a chance to prove himself.
''Be my guest Kodi.'' Brent said as Kodi dropped the guards with two shots each. Brent ran up and grabbed a small object from one of the fallen guards. Suddenly, he and his friends were given a health boost.
''I must have grabbed a shield.'' Brent admitted. Sasha gave him a smug look.
''I don't think I need this.'' She said. Brent sighed and gave Sasha the chance to take point, which she accepted. The door that led to Sector Four opened to a small room with a security door and a laptop computer at the end of it. All four agents walked into the room and were surprised by two masked guards with green guns. Brent knew what they were in a second.
''Dragons.'' He muttered.
''What?'' Sasha and Kodi asked.
''The Dragon is a powerful machine gun that can hold about thirty bullets per magazine. It also has a proximity self-destruct feature. We're in trouble now.'' He answered grimly as the guards armed their guns. Kodi then made his move. He jumped at the guards and knocked their guns out of their hands. Brent and Balto picked up a gun each and fired. Both guards fell to the ground, both decapitated. Sasha walked up to the laptop and replied, ''this must be what controls the security doors.''
Kodi jumped in and remarked, ''piece of cake! I just have to disarm the system. I just don't know how.''
Brent walked up and pulled out a gadget. He plugged it into the laptop and stood back. The gadget reprogrammed the system and the doors unlocked. Brent smiled and walked down the hallway, still holding his Dragon.
The door that led to Sector Five was the last door to go through. Brent opened it to a surprisingly empty room. After this part, he had forgotten what was next. Brent opened a door that had "Restricted" on it and to his surprise and shock, two drone guns sat on the ceiling. Both looked at him and fired. Brent stumbled backward and fell onto the floor. Balto ran up and destroyed both guns. Brent had taken a huge amount of damage, and his shield was gone. Balto helped his friend to his feet and the four walked into the main lab. The room was empty.
''Dr. Caroll,'' Sasha called, ''Dr. Caroll are you here?''
Just then, a voice filled the room.
''Well, is it safe?'' it asked. Kodi nodded.
''Yeah.'' He answered. A large section of the wall then lifted up and a small robotic AI floated toward the four.
''Hey, you're a…''Sasha started. Dr. Caroll stopped her.
''Very professionally done, my friends. But now isn't the time. I have vital information I must give to the Institute about dataDyne.'' He replied and headed for the door.
Lab elevator to lobby floor, 12:43 AM,
The elevator opened up and Brent pointed his pistol out into the hallway. The coast was clear. Brent made a motion to move forward for his comrades. Dr. Caroll followed Sasha closely.
''You know, I'm a free Sapient AI.'' He lifted his eyebrows. Sasha groaned and replied; ''I'm married.''
''Oh, sorry about that.'' Dr. Caroll answered in an embarrassed tone. Brent suddenly put up his hand.
''Looks like we've been spotted by a camera.'' He whispered. Suddenly, all the lights in the lobby went off. It was completely dark. Brent pulled out his spy sunglasses and switched them to Night-Vision mode. The room became green and he could see everything in detail. Brent then passed everyone a pair.
''I brought these glasses just in case. I had about five, so I grabbed all of them.'' He explained as the four walked into the hallway. Just then, they heard voices.
''You think those agents will try to escape?'' one asked. The other lit up a cigarette and replied, ''nah, they're way too stupid to do so.''
Kodi nearly ran around the corner, when Brent grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
''Kodi, remember what I told you,'' he whispered, ''stay focused on the mission.''
Kodi nodded and calmed down. Brent then aimed around the corner and fired at the guards. One fell, and the other just stood there in surprise. Kodi popped from around the corner and shot the other guy. The five then proceeded toward the foyer elevator. Just then, three guards popped up and fired. Kodi took a few more points of damage, and Sasha got her first bullet. Both had their shields depleted. Balto pulled out his CMP150 and took out the guards. Dr. Caroll opened the security-locked elevator and everyone got inside.
As soon as the elevator reached the 25th floor, the first thing that had to be done was to get to the roof. The path was relatively unguarded, until they reached the stairs that led to the roof. Six female bodyguards, each holding shotguns, appeared on the stairs. Sasha turned to Brent and replied, ''let me handle these annoyances. You guys get to the roof with Dr. Caroll.
Brent shook his head.
''No, I'm staying. I know what to do as well. Balto and Kodi should take Caroll to the roof.''
Sasha nodded.
''I guess there's no stopping you. Now let's kick some ass!'' she exclaimed and pulled out her pistol. Both Brent and Sasha started to fire, while Balto and Kodi managed to get up the stairs. On the roof, two Golden Retrievers stood with a rocket launcher in their hands. Both seemed that they didn't understand how to us it.
''I think you turn it this way!'' one replied and flipped the launcher backward. The other grabbed it and turned it upside down.
''No, it goes this way!'' he protested. Kodi walked up and tapped them on the shoulder.
''What do you want?'' the first Retriever questioned. Kodi grabbed the launcher and replied, ''it goes this way!''
''Oh, thanks,'' the other Retriever thanked Kodi, but then realised what was going on, ''oh no, please don't shoot…''
Kodi fired the rocket, sending the two backward and off the building. Kodi lowered the launcher and turned to Balto.
''Easy as pie.'' He replied and waited for the drop ship. Brent and Sasha came up the stairs, both looking like they'd been through a war. Each held a shotgun. Suddenly, Cassandra De Vries and four bodyguards appeared near the stairs, and the drop ship did the same near the side of the building.
''Stop right there!'' Cassandra ordered. Sasha turned and asked, ''what do you want, you old broad?''
''Give back our sapient! You don't know what you're doing!'' she protested. Sasha smiled and answered, 'of course I know! I'm leaving!''
She then jumped into the ship, Dr. Caroll in hand. A barrage of shotgun fire erupted. Kodi and Brent followed, but Balto stayed. He held his gun and started to fire. Brent reached out and grabbed Balto by the cuff of his jump suit. The ship lifted into the air and disappeared.
In the ship, all four sat down and relaxed. Just then, they seemed to de-materialise into thin air.
Area 51 Branch, Groom Dry Lake, Nevada, 8:43 PM, June 26th 2355,
The five agents re-appeared on a helicopter pad near a branch of the infamous Area 51. Brent looked around and scratched his head.
''That's funny, there were a few levels before this one. Why didn't we play them?''
Balto shrugged.
''Maybe these are Klondike's favourite levels.'' He suggested. Brent then snapped his fingers.
''Klondike must have programmed this copy of PD to only include certain levels. And I have a bad feeling…''
Brent suddenly hushed himself. He then pointed down below the helicopter pad. Two guards and an auto gun sat below. Brent whispered to his team what the plan was.
''Okay guys, all we have to do is get into that base. We'll split up into teams; Sasha and I are Team Alpha. Kodi and Balto, you're Team Beta. Alpha will do the harder objectives; mainly attaching a communications link the radio dish here and disarming the robot interceptors. Beta will plant this Class-4 bomb in the bunker just inside the base area to disarm the Air Intercept radar. Then we'll both meet up and enter the hangar. Got it guys?'' Brent stuck out his hand. Sasha, Balto and Kodi placed theirs on his and whispered, ''got it.''
The team them split up. Brent and Sasha slid down a piece of steel re-bar and landed on the ground. Both ran around the corner and came across a guard who hadn't noticed them. Brent chuckled and walked up right behind the guy. He felt someone breathing down his neck, so he turned and got pistol-whipped in the face. He fell backward, out like a light. Brent grabbed the Spaniel's MagSec4 and walked toward the end of the canyon. He stopped Sasha and threw a grenade to his left. It exploded, and took out an auto gun with it. Balto and Kodi then showed up. Sasha had played this game before (how, I can't say for sure), so she explained what to do next.
''Okay Beta, the Radar bunker is through that hole in the gate. I have a feeling that there are some land mines under the ground, so be careful. We'll rendezvous near those hangar doors.''
Kodi and Balto nodded and headed in their respective directions. Brent and Sasha walked down a small corridor and reached the backside of the base. Another auto gun stood near the radio antenna, but it wasn't the challenge. The robot interceptors would go online and cause serious damage if they attached the comm. Link too soon. Brent then came up with a plan.
''Sasha, you attached the link, I'll handle the interceptors.''
Sasha nodded and both split up. Sasha ran to the antenna and lowered the dish. She then waited for Brent to destroy the interceptors.
''Son of a bitch, why won't these things die?'' Brent exclaimed as he shot the last bullet in his fifth magazine at the interceptor. Suddenly, he felt a barrel pressing against the back of his head.
''They're made from an indestructible metal alloy. Too bad you aren't.'' A Golden Retriever guard replied. Brent closed his eyes. Sasha saw this and pulled out her pistol. She aimed and quickly fired. The bullet knocked the guard's MagSec4 to the ground. The man bent down to grab it, and Brent unleashed a powerful kick to his face, flipping him on his back. Brent then reached into his jump suit and found a single grenade with a yellow strip around the top. Brent smiled. He held an N-Bomb; a powerful neutron bomb that creates a giant energy pulse and destroys anything within the pulse area. Brent pulled the pin and threw it. He ran to where Sasha was hiding and jumped, sending both of them into a ditch. The N-Bomb went off, sending pieces of debris everywhere. Sasha had no clue was had happened, but all she knew was that Brent was on top of her, taking all the pain for her. When the pulse stopped, Brent poked his head out of the ditch. All three interceptors were in ruins, but the antenna still stood. Sasha got to her feet and gave Brent a small kiss.
''Thanks tiger.'' She replied in a sassy tone as she walked over to the antenna and placed the link. Brent smiled and grabbed his walkie-talkie.
''Balto, Balto, come in. This is Brent.''
A voice came over the line.
''Balto here, we completed the third objective. The mines have been dealt with, so you guys can just walk across to the hangar doors.''
''Affirmative Balto,'' Brent replied, ''our objective are complete too. Keep your guard up. I bet you any money that they'll have a welcoming party when we get to the hangar. We'll be over in about a few minutes.''
Brent then felt something softly bump into him. He turned and saw a Hover Bike sitting in front of him. Brent jumped on and waited for Sasha. She jumped on his shoulder and the two were off. Brent called up to her, ''watch out for the low bridge.''
But too late. Sasha's head slammed right into the top of the corridor. She fell to the ground, and got back onto her feet, an anger expression now lined her face.
''Hold still so I can cream you MacWolf!''
Brent gave her a silly grin and sped forward.
''It was an accident, calm down!'' Brent protested. Suddenly, a distorted voice came over Brent's walkie-talkie.
''Quit playing around,'' it ordered, ''you have to rendezvous with me in the hangar. Now get going!''
Brent and Sasha went through the now open main gate and headed for the hangar door. Brent opened it, and to his surprise, a bomb sat near some highly explosive barrels. He dove backward as the bomb went off. The entire hangar shook and fell downward. Brent re-gained his composure and replied, ''well, I guess that elevator's out of order. Well have to use the other one.''
Brent opened the other hangar door and walked inside, followed by the others. The door closed and the elevator went down.
''Get ready.'' Brent whispered as the bottom floor door opened up. A slue of guards rushed the elevator. Everyone was firing like mad, dropping guards like flies. Finally, all four agents were able to move ahead into the main hangar. They walked up a small ramp and across a series of catwalks. Finally, they reached an elevator. Brent pressed the Down button and the doors opened, revealing a sole guard. Brent aimed his gun and he surrendered. Kodi grabbed him and pushed the guard out of the way. But he pulled a pistol out and fired. Kodi fell forward; his health took a small hit. He got back up and grabbed the man, throwing him over the guard rain and onto the floor below. Kodi then walked into the elevator and the door closed.
The doors opened to another slue of guards, only this time; they were more spread out. Sasha and Balto cleared the guards on the catwalk, while Kodi and Brent took out guards on the hangar floor. Then, after about ten minutes of non-stop shooting, the hangar was clear. Balto led the team to a large door under the ramp. He opened it and saw a guard. Suddenly, there came the sound of a Revolver, and the Retriever fell forward. The person who owned the Revolver was a German Shepherd, one that was a bit scruffy around the edges. He wore a guard's uniform, and had a pair of sunglasses on. Sasha stared at the dog. He then took off his sunglasses and smiled.
''Sasha, I can't believe you didn't know it was me.'' He said. Brent knew this guy from one of his favourite movies.
''Charlie Barkin! Is it really you?'' he asked. Charlie nodded.
''Of course it's me. But what are you guys doing in here?'' he asked. Balto was the one who explained.
''I had my wife and daughter kidnapped. My son Kodi, and friend Brent here decided to follow this guy into a machine, and we ended up in this game.'' Balto explained. Charlie sighed.
''You know, I feel really bad right now,'' his ears drooped, ''I got my wife back, but yours is still missing.''
''Forget about it Charlie,'' Kodi replied, ''we'll get my mom back, I promise!''
''Well, I think you'll need my help in order to do that Kodi,'' Charlie pointed to a floating crate, ''this crate contains explosives. There's only one way to get into the labs and save our little friend and to complete this mission. I marked an "X" on the weakest section of wall near the back of the storage area. You should be able to make a hole wide enough to walk through.''
''But what about you'' Sasha asked. Charlie held his gun tightly.
''I'll stay here and keep a low profile. I'd do what I can to help. Good luck,'' he then added, ''oh, one more thing. That crate doesn't like to be shot.''
''Well duh!'' Brent said. But Charlie was already out of earshot. Balto grabbed the crate and noted, ''this thing's pretty light. It should be easy for us to push it.''
''Yeah,'' Kodi added, ''but the problem with that would be the enemy gunfire. We'll have to be very quiet if we want to get to the target.''
Brent nodded and put his hands into his jump suit pocket. Suddenly, he pulled out his old Piton Gun. It had saved him many times before, and it could save them again. Brent peeked around the corner and aimed the piton. It fired silently and imbedded itself into the far wall, oblivious to the guards. Brent then attached the piton rope to the crate and explained, ''this rope is both strong and completely invisible. It's made from a clear form or plastic that was re-enforced to be able to support my weight. This crate is lighter than I am, so we'll have no problem pulling it toward us. But we have to be quick. The rope is lying on the ground right now, and a guard could trip on it. Come on, there's a cargo elevator near the adjacent wall here. We can take it up to the top floor there.''
Brent led his friends silently to the cargo elevator. Suddenly, they heard the elevator coming down. Sasha and Kodi hid behind the corner, while Balto and Brent ducked behind a set of crates. Three German Shepherd guards walked out of the elevator, each holding Dragons. They turned to their right and walked down the corridor. All four bordered the elevator and rod it to the top. As the door opened, Balto aimed his pistol out of the door and saw two guards standing near the door they needed to go through. Balto aimed and picked them both off in no time. Brent patted Balto on the back and said, ''nice one Balto. You're getting good.''
The four agents then walked toward the door and grabbed the rope attached to the crate. They pulled as hard as they could, and eventually, the crate was floating near them. Brent opened the door and looked up. Four guards had seen him and were running for the elevator. Brent took a Dragon from the floor and set it to Proximity Self-destruct. He threw it into the elevator shaft and ran for cover, taking the crate with him. The elevator came down and touched the Dragon, setting it off. All four guards on it were killed instantly. Brent grabbed the crate as Balto, Kodi and Sasha walked into the blackened elevator. Brent walked in just as the doors closed. The elevator creaked upward and stopped on the upper floor. Just as Charlie had said, an X sat on the far wall. Brent pulled the crate up to it and ran for cover.
''Ready everyone?'' he asked. His friends pulled out their guns and aimed.
''Fire!'' Brent exclaimed. Balto, Kodi and Sasha fired their guns simultaneously, setting off the crate. The explosion blew a hole in the wall, killing a scientist in the process. Brent put up his hand to stop his friends from firing and ran to grab the man's outfit. He put it on and stepped into the adjacent hallway. He turned and replied, ''I'll get you guys some disguises, but I'll have to be quick. Stay out of sight.''
Brent hid his Eagle and walked down the hallway. Many guards passed him, and a few even said "hello" to him. But Brent was looking for a set of clothes. Finally, he found a storage closet filled with spare lab clothes. He grabbed two male disguises, and one female one. Just then, a lab technician walked in and saw Brent taking some clothes.
''Hey! What're you doing with those clothes?'' he questioned suspiciously. Brent slowly turned and answered, ''I'm giving these to some new scientists that joined today.'' He lied. The guard nodded and stepped out of the way.
''Okay, you're free to go.'' He said as Brent walked down the hallway.
''Gullible, as usual.'' Brent thought as he handed his friends the disguises. They donned them and holstered their weapons. Finally, all four walked to the door that led to the Autopsy labs. A Dachshund hound stood behind a small, thin glass window on the door. He saw the four at the door and opened it. Brent headed for the autopsy lab and opened the door. Suddenly, the Dachshund noticed Sasha. There wasn't a female Irish Setter on the staff list. He pulled out a pistol and yelled, ''they aren't scientists! They're intruders!''
Brent heard this and pulled out his pistol and fired. Five guards fell. Balto pulled out his pistol and laid it across a guard's head. Sasha kicked another guard in the groin. He fell down in pain. She then laid him sideways with a gigantic swing of her leg. Kodi grabbed two guards and slammed their heads together, knocking both out. Brent walked up to the door and kicked it down. The two scientists inside dropped their tools and ducked. Brent then saw whom they were rescuing.
''Oh my god!'' he exclaimed. Brent grabbed the operating table and shoved it out the door. Just then, he got a call from Charlie.
''Guys, we have to meet up. The guards are getting suspicious of me.'' The line went dead. Brent feared the worst. He ran forward, followed by Balto, Kodi and Sasha. He turned his head and replied, ''cover me guys.''
The door opened to an empty hallway. Brent turned a corner and walked down a decline to another door. Beyond it was the safe hiding place for the crash victim. Brent closed the door and turned to Balto and his friends.
''Now what?'' he asked. Sasha knew what the next move was.
''Follow me.'' She said and led her friends to a door. She opened it and shot the two scientists in the room. A maintenance shaft had been opened. The four agents walked down it to yet another door. Through this was a large room filled with tanks of fuel. Brent pressed a button on the wall, and an electrically locked door swung open. Sasha led the team across a catwalk to one final door. She opened it and saw Charlie leaning against the far wall. He smiled.
''Bout time you guys. Now come on, we have to save that crash survivor.'' Charlie replied smugly as he led the team across the catwalk and to the electric-door. This time, it was locked. Brent pressed the button. The door opened to reveal four heavily armed guards. Charlie aimed and fired. The guards fell easily. Charlie then ran into the room and pulled out some explosives. He planted them and ran back. The bombs exploded, creating a huge hole in the wall. All five agents ran through the door and found the alternate entrance to the hiding place. They walked in and saw that the survivor was waking up. He sat up and looked around.
''I'm alive,'' he spluttered, ''I thought I was a goner! Brent? Balto? What is going on?''
''Rail Wolf!'' Balto questioned. Charlie even seemed surprised.
''Yup, it's me. I was in the way when Charlie here tried to save Sasha. I had been walking by when I saw something happening, so I went over to investigate. I was then shoved into that strange machine and I ended up in a space ship. This must be that game Perfect Dark™, huh?'' Rail Wolf asked. Brent nodded.
''It appears that Klondike must have something big planned. Whatever it is, we have to stop it. But first, we have to get outta this hell hole.''
All six entered the hangar again and saw a Maian craft tethered to the floor. Known to many as Greys, the Maians were a race of aliens that had been orbiting the planet since they discovered life on its surface about seven hundred years ago. Rail Wolf, even though he was not a Maian himself, seemed to know how to fly this strange craft.
''Uh oh, it only has five seats,'' he replied grimly, ''one person'll have to stay behind and open the hangar doors.''
''Well Rail Wolf, since you know how to fly this thing, get in it!'' Balto exclaimed. Rail Wolf nodded and jumped into the driver's seat. Brent nodded.
''I'll open the doors.'' He said. Kodi shook his head.
''But what about you? There's gotta be another way out of here, right?'' he questioned.
''I'll get out on that hover bike,'' Brent explained as he ran for the first console, ''now cover me.''
Brent typed away on the console just as a slue of guards poured out the hole in the wall. Kodi, Balto, Sasha and Charlie held them off, and soon Brent was at the second console. He turned to the four and yelled, ''get in the ship damn it!''
The four agents ceased their fire and jumped into the craft. The hangar doors opened and the Maian ship flew out into the sky. Brent then turned to the exit. He had to escape. There was a hover bike floating on the ground near the hiding place, so all Brent had to do was ride the bike down the maintenance shaft and go out the hangar door in the room where Charlie met them. Easier said than done. The bike would have to fit into the small hallways and squeeze by the containment capsules in the cryo room. Brent jumped over the guard-rail and headed for the bike. He leaped on and flew toward the door. It opened and a guard walked right into the bike's path. Brent slammed right in him, throwing the poor guy backward into the wall, killing him upon impact. Brent shook off the shock and continued on.
Brent smashed through the cryo room door and surprised the guards within. They didn't have time to fire before they were under the hover bike. Brent burst through the maintenance room door and headed for the emergency hangar. The door at the end was locked tightly, so he couldn't get through. Brent jumped off the bike and walked to a control pad that sat just a bit out of the way. He pressed a few buttons and the door opened. Brent jumped onto the bike and rocketed out the door, emerging in the area where Sasha had nearly died just an hour before. Above, he saw a CI Jump ship. He was heading back to HQ. The Carrington Institute.
Carrington Institute, June 27th 2355, 6:34 AM,
The head of the Carrington Institute, Daniel Carrington, sat behind his desk as the five agents sat and listened. Carrington was a 62 year old Boarder Collie with a grey business suit and a black tie.
''Good job in rescuing the Maian crash survivor agents,'' he replied in a Welsh accent, ''but unfortunately, we seem to have another problem on our hands. You see, while you were rescuing Rail Wolf, a meeting between Cassandra De Vries and the head of the National Security Association, Trent Easton occurred at the G5 Building. We managed to gain this holo-tape of the meeting thanks to one of our other agents,'' Carrington then handed Balto the tape, ''Easton is planning to kidnap the President of the United States on his private plane Air Force One. Your mission is to stop Easton. Give this tape to the President.''
All five gave a unanimous agreement and walked out.
The Alaskan Presidential Base, Brooks Range, Alaska, 3:49 AM,
The five agents had been split up in teams. Team A-1 (Brent and Balto) were to sneak into the base and rendezvous with Team B-1 (Kodi and Charlie.) Sasha was Team C-1, and her job was to infiltrate the base posing as a presidential entourage. But first she had to obtain a disguise. Sasha had be equipped with a sedating crossbow which could knock someone out or kill them depending on which setting the shooter used. Sasha peeked out from behind the base and saw the cable car with the presidential entourage heading toward the docking bay. With her were two guards, both armed with Super Dragons, a variant of the original version. Sasha sneaked up to the small tunnel that led to the station. She armed her crossbow and waited. Sure enough, the entourage walked around the corner. Sasha fired. The woman screamed and fell backward. Just as Sasha was about to grab to disguise, the guards came running in. They rose their weapons and replied, ''freeze!''
Sasha rose her hands and answered, ''well of course I'm going to freeze. It's Alaska after all.''
The lead guard wasn't amused. He rose his Super Dragon and said, ''you think you're funny, eh? Well, laugh at this!''
He then fired, and the second guard followed. Sasha ducked behind the tunnel wall and pulled out her gun. It was a Falcon 2 with a scope, just like in the game. She loaded it and took a deep breath. Sasha jumped out from behind the wall and fired. The second guard to shoot got a bullet in between his eyes, while the lead guard took three bullets in his heart. Sasha then grabbed the disguise and changed into it. Sasha hid her Falcon 2 and walked through the front doors of the base. The secretary at the front desk was an Australian Shepherd. She wore a simple red business dress and spoke in a sweet voice.
''Good afternoon.'' She replied. Sasha nodded.
''Good afternoon to you as well.'' She answered. The secretary then unlocked the door that led to the inside of the base.
''You know the way from here.'' She replied as Sasha walked into the base. She ducked into the women's washroom and contacted Teams A-1 and B-1.
''A-1, B-1 this is C-1. Come in.'' she whispered over her comm. link.
''C-1, this is B-1,'' came Charlie's voice over the line, ''where is your position?''
''I'm in the washroom near the front doors.'' Sasha answered.
''Oh, sorry Sasha. I'll wait until you're done.'' Charlie remarked. Sasha sighed and dropped the link. She had to temporarily disable the security so that she could sneak onto AF1 without being noticed. The security computer was on the top floor, but the access stairs were somewhere around her current local. Sasha exited to washroom and walked down a hallway. She then found the stairs. Sasha walked up them and saw a white-clad German Shepherd guard near the computer. Sasha began to type away, yet the guard just stood there. When she had completed her hacking, a dataDyne renegade jumped out and shot at her. Sasha turned and shot him dead. She then walked over to the guard and tapped him on the shoulder. His body collapsed into a heap. It was a dummy; a fake guard. Sasha had no time to worry about him though. She had to get onto AF1. Teams A-1 and B-1 should have already managed to get onto the ship, but Sasha had to find it and board it as well. And what was worse was that AF1 was going to take off in about ten minutes. Sasha had to move. She reloaded her Falcon 2 and ran down the hallway, defeating guards left, right and centre. Finally, she reached the hangar where the presidential plane was being kept. Sasha hid her pistol and walked calmly onto the plane, unaware of what would happen later on. Air Force One's engines turned on and roared to life. It taxied on the spot and moved out into the Alaskan snowstorm. A few seconds pause, and the plane flew into the air.
Sasha met up with her team mates in AF1's cargo hold. Brent relayed the mission objectives to the rest of the agents.
''Okay guys now that we're on Air Force One, we have to warn the President about Easton. Sasha, since you are in an entourage disguise, you show him the holo-tape. Meanwhile, we'll lay low until the President is on our side.''
Sasha nodded and headed for the President's private room. Inside, Trent Easton sat with the President. Trent was a semi-tall Golden Retriever that wore a red business suit and black pants. But hidden under his suit was a golden DY357 magnum.
''Mr. President,'' he demanded, ''as the head of the NSA, I should have access to Pelagic II! I need the clearance to use it!''
The President, a Labrador terrier with a grey suit on, slammed his desk with his fist.
''Damn it man! How many times must I tell you? You cannot borrow Pelagic II for the dataDyne Corporation to use,'' he then sat down, ''now, let's get onto more sociable matters.''
But Trent was already storming out of the room, followed by one of his bodyguards.
''You'll be sorry Mr. President,'' Trent whispered and turned to his bodyguard, ''radio the UFO. We need to bring in the cavalry.''
When Trent disappeared down the stairs, Sasha walked into the room. The President stood up.
''Who are you young lady?'' he questioned sharply.
''I'm Sasha Barkin. Mr. President, Trent is trying to kidnap you!'
Sasha replied. The President shook his head.
''You can't make accusations like that without evidence! I ashume that
you have some?'' he asked. Sasha gave him the holo-tape.
''This is a recording of a meeting between Trent and the dataDyne
Corporation.'' Sasha said. The President grabbed the tape and plugged it
into his computer. He stared at the screen and replied, ''I don't
believe my eyes! I'm in your hands, what do we do now?''
Outside, a strange ship hovered near AF1. It lowered an umbilical and attached it to the hull of the presidential plane.
Back in the President's office, both he and Sasha felt a huge vibration.
''What the hell was that?'' the President questioned. Sasha then got a call from Balto.
''Sasha! A UFO has attached to Air Force One! Guards are pouring in like crazy! Get the President to the escape pod! We'll hold these guys off!''
The line then went dead. Sasha turned to the President.
''We have to get you to the escape pod. My comrades are holding off the invading guards.''
The President nodded and followed Sasha down the stairs and through the plane. When they reached a large portion of the plane, Trent stood against the far wall, with two of his bodyguards.
''Easton, you bastard,'' the President exclaimed, ''you were going to kidnap me!''
Easton laughed.
''So you did your homework, huh? Too late though Mr. President. You and that foolish girl are about to perish.''
''I don't think so pal!'' a voice called. All three men turned. The two guards took a bullet in the head, while Trent barely dodged one. He looked up and saw Charlie with a Revolver magnum. Sasha sneaked up behind Trent and quickly grabbed his gun, doubling back to the President and aiming her new pistol. Trent turned and replied, ''well, well, I guess I underestimated you. But no matter, our plan is almost complete anyway!''
Sasha aimed her pistol and clicked back the hammer.
''I beg to differ.'' She said and pulled the trigger. Trent flew backward, blood splattering against the back wall. The President opened a secret door and climbed down a ladder. Below was the escape pod. When the President secured himself inside, Brent grabbed a timed mine. He threw it into the umbilical and stepped back. The bomb went off, but it only damaged the umbilical. Balto was already on the comm. Link with Rail Wolf.
''Rail Wolf, can you destroy that umbilical?''
''Peace of cake Balto,'' Rail Wolf answered and flew his ship toward AF1, ''watch this.''
Suddenly, he stopped. Inside the UFO, he saw Jenna and Aleu tied up and unconscious.
''Rail Wolf, quit playing around and shoot!'' Brent exclaimed. Rail Wolf held his head and replied, ''out of options! Guys brace yourselves for impact!''
Rail Wolf backed up and smashed into the umbilical, sending all three ships toward the ground. The UFO defragmented into thin air, while the Maian ship and AF1 crashed into the ground.
Boreal Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada, June 28th 2355,
Balto awoke on the rain-soaked ground, with the scent of pine needles in his nose. Balto sat up and looked around. His friends started to awaken as well. Soon, all five were examining their location. Brent scratched his head.
''I don't remember this level in Perfect Dark™.'' He replied. Balto then saw a guard heading their way. He pulled everyone to the ground and pulled out his pistol, attaching a silencer to it. When the guard came into the open, Balto popped up and took the guy out. He dropped a K7 Avenger, a powerful dataDyne assault rifle. Balto picked it up and looked at Brent.
''Well, since you know this game, you should be able to find out the objectives for this mission.''
Brent nodded.
''I'll try,'' he then found a red button hidden in the bushes. Everything but the five froze in its place, ''ah, here we go. The objectives menu!''
Balto stared at the scene.
''What the hell?'' he blurted out.
''I pressed the Pause button. Now, here are our objectives,'' Brent then read out the objectives in order, ''1: Activate distress beacon so the Institute can find us, 2:Defeat drone guns so we can continue on, 3: Disable security cameras so there will be no evidence of us here, 4: Defeat snipers which will be patrolling the base area where Jenna and Aleu are being kept, 5: Rescue Jenna and Aleu and 6: Escape down the river in a boat that should be provided in the level here.
''Sounds simple enough.'' Kodi remarked. Charlie shook his head.
''I wish,'' he retorted, ''but I don't think this Klondike would have made this custom level easy. It's probably a last-ditch attempt to eliminate us. We'd better use caution. Brent, since you seem to know the most about this level, you should be on the lead team.''
''All right,'' Brent agreed, ''then Balto, you and me are Team Nome, while Sasha, Charlie and Kodi are Team Nenana. Okay then, we'll handle the snipers and the drone guns, while you guys sneak into the base and disable the security cameras while will give us a direct route to where Klondike is hiding Jenna and Aleu. Ready guys? Let's move!'' Brent and Balto then ran off into the forest, while Sasha, Charlie and Kodi laid low until they could sneak into the base. Brent and Balto ducked behind some bushes and watched as three guards walked by, each holding K7 Avengers. When they passed by, Brent radioed Rail Wolf.
''Rail Wolf, this is Brent. Come in.''
A partially transmitted voice answered the call.
''Brent is that you? I can't make out half of your words.'' Rail Wolf replied.
''Hold on,'' Brent then set the radio to a different frequency, ''is that better?''
''Yeah, much.''
''You okay?'' Balto asked.
''I'm fine, but my ship's totalled. I hit a lot of trees on the way down. Luckily, I noticed there was a small motor boat down the river, which should give us an escape method. But there are lots of guards around the area here. The base where Klondike is hiding Jenna and Aleu is huge! It's smaller than the Alaskan base, but it still is formidable. You guys'll have a hard time navigating through it. But I'm sure you'll figure it out. As for me, I'll head for the boat. I have a powerful weapon with me, so I should be safe. Rail Wolf out.''
Brent pocketed his radio and reloaded his pistol. He knew that they'd have to beware of the snipers in the area. Who knew, there could be someone aiming at them right at that very moment. Just then, a bullet buried itself into the ground inches from where Brent knelt. He whirled quickly and fired. The sniper fell from his treetop post and landed with a sickening crunch. Brent ran and grabbed the rifle. He then aimed around the bush. Three guards were heading their way. He picked them off easily. Balto and Brent then moved toward a tree. In the distance, Brent could see another sniper and a drone gun. Unfortunately, he only had enough ammo to take out one of the two. Brent chose the gun. He fired three bullets at it, making the gun explode. Brent then checked the sniper's magazine. Empty.
''Son of a bitch.'' Brent hissed and pulled out his pistol. The sniper was now aware of their position and started to fire. Brent aimed and fired. The sniper spun and cracked his head off the tree. His body hung limp from the tree, while the rifle fell to the ground. Brent and Balto moved cautiously to the rifle and grabbed the ammo. Suddenly, a noise caught Brent's attention. He followed the sound and found a female collie about the same age as he was. Her fur shone in the sunlight and her green eyes sparkled brightly. She seemed to have been beaten badly. Brent reached out to her, but she snapped at him.
''Get away from me, you filthy bastards!'' she exclaimed.
''Calm down ma'am,'' Brent replied, ''we're friends. My name's Brent MacWolf. What's yours?''
The collie gave a sigh of relief and answered, ''Ginger. Ginger Clayton.''
She grabbed Brent's outstretched hand and got to her feet. Both dogs stared into each other's eyes. Balto cleared his throat to get their attention Brent shook his head and asked, ''what's a beautiful girl like you doing out here?''
Ginger sighed.
''I was kidnapped by this mean dog and brought here. My family tried to stop him, but the dog just murdered them. My parents and my siblings. I'm an orphan.''
Brent shed a small tear.
''I know what it feels like,'' he sniffled, ''I'm an orphan too.''
Balto and Ginger gave him equally confused looks.
''Really!'' they both asked. Brent nodded.
''When I was a pup, I remember my parents, but they're only a few fuzzy memories. I wish I could see them again. (And little did he know that he would.)''
Brent then handed Ginger a gun.
''Can you use one of these?'' he asked. Ginger grabbed the gun and reloaded it.
''Of course.'' She said. Brent nodded and pointed into the bush.
''I want you to head for a boat down the river. I have a comrade waiting that can protect you, but use that gun if you have to.''
''What about you?'' Ginger questioned.
''Balto and I are heading to the base up ahead. We have to save his family.'' Brent explained. Ginger nodded and ran off into the bush. Brent and Balto's attention were then drawn to the path ahead. There was another drone gun, two snipers and a slue of guards carrying K7 Avengers and MagSec4s. Balto pulled out his K7 Avenger and pointed to the guards ahead. Brent nodded and aimed his rifle from behind a tree. He took a deep breath and fired at the snipers. Both fell from their posts.
Balto was next. Luckily, the K7 had a slight zoom on it, so it was easier to hit the enemies heading his way. Balto pulled the trigger and fell all the guards and the gun within one clip. Brent and Balto ran up and grabbed some more guns and ammunition. The path that led to the base had three more drone guns and a few more snipers. Brent sprinted to another bush, but tripped over something on the ground. Recovering, Brent saw that it was a rocket launcher. He picked it up and aimed for the front drone gun. Firing only one rocket, he destroyed all three guns at once. Brent then threw Balto his rifle.
''Do the honours Balto.'' Brent replied. Balto armed the gun and aimed.
''It would be my pleasure.'' He answered and fired. The first sniper fell backward onto the next one. Balto then shot the tree branch that the two were on. The branch was about ten feet off the ground, so the guard who was still alive didn't stand a chance. The branch broke and he fell to the ground. The final sniper aimed and managed to land one hit on Balto. His health took a big hit, but he still had enough health to aim and fire back. When the coast was clear, Brent radioed Team Nenana and entered the base. It was simply a hallway with cameras on each side. There was a locked door just down the hallway. When Team Nenana showed up, Charlie pulled out a laser and melted the door hinges. The door pivoted on the lock and swung inward. Charlie pulled out his Magnum and aimed it at the two technicians inside. They turned and threw up their hands.
''Calm down, I'm no gonna shoot you.'' Charlie remarked. One of the technicians reached for the alarm, but Charlie was too quick. He aimed and took out the alarm just seconds before the technician triggered it.
''Next time it'll be your head asshole, '' Charlie exclaimed, ''now shut down those cameras and alarms! And give me your access cards!''
The technicians nodded nervously and swiped their cards. They then disabled the security systems and handed Charlie the cards. Charlie threw them into the air and put a hole in each. They were useless now, which was good for the five agents. Charlie then bowed and replied, ''thank you gentlemen. But now we have an appointment with your boss.''
At the end of the hallway was a steel door. Brent pulled out his Data Uplink and started to hack his way through the security lock. The link gave a small beep and the door opened. All five agents pulled out their strongest firearms and walked toward the door at the end of the hallway. Balto kicked it down and saw Jenna and Aleu tied to chairs in the centre of the room. Jenna wore a pink jump suit, while Aleu had a faded blue one. Balto was about to free them, when the room went dark. Klondike gave an evil laugh as he appeared.
''Balto and company I presume,'' he remarked, ''you seem to think you can beat me. I highly doubt it though.''
''Why would you say that bolt-brain?'' Brent exclaimed. Klondike just blew him off.
''Because you foolish mortals, I am a perfect robot sapient, a specimen of technologically advanced robotics that can and will destroy this planet! How do you think you can defeat me with those pathetic guns of yours?'' Klondike questioned. Balto growled.
''We'll defeat you with courage and our friendship!'' he exclaimed. Klondike laughed even harder this time.
''Pathetic with a capital P!'' he retorted. Brent stepped forward. In his paw was a small chip. He smiled and plugged it into the game. Klondike stopped laughing and watched as the game's programming was customised even more.
''What did you do to my precious level?'' Klondike wailed. Brent grinned.
''I added a small little feature that will benefit us. Since your level is custom, it was easy to add a small addition,'' Suddenly, Brent's ammo meter went up to infinite ammo, as did Balto's, ''it was Game Shark™ cheat I put in. It gives Balto and I unlimited ammo for all our guns. I also received this.''
Brent then pulled out a laptop. He pressed a small button inside it and the small computer changed into a gun. Klondike still seemed confident.
''One little problem with your cheat code hotshot,'' he pointed to the gun, ''I knew this would happen, so I added my own little feature. Whatever a cheat is used, every gun in your arsenal becomes useless. The only way to restore the guns to working order is to make a sacrifice of four persons in the game. Normally, four guards would work, but since there are five of you, I thought it'd be a bit more interesting.''
Kodi and Charlie grabbed Balto and held him back.
''You sick monster,'' Balto yelled, ''you planned this the whole time! You wanted us to complete those objectives easily so we could just fall into your little trap!''
Klondike smiled.
''I commend you Balto,'' he replied, ''you're smarter than I originally thought.''
''Blow it out your ass!'' Balto blurted out. Klondike's smile melted away and was replaced with a snarl. He reached out and grabbed Kodi with a strange tentacle. Kodi struggled to free himself, but soon, he was being electrocuted.
''Kodi!'' Balto shouted.
''Dad,'' Kodi answered painfully, ''beat this bastard for me!''
Kodi then disappeared. Klondike laughed.
''One down, three to go.''
Balto snarled and almost lunged at the robot, but he held it back and turned to Brent.
''I'll go next.'' He said and turned to leave. But Sasha and Charlie grabbed his shoulder and pulled Balto back.
''We'll go.'' They answered together and stepped up. Klondike threw out the tentacles and grabbed them both. Soon, they too were being shocked.
''Balto, beat 'em good!'' Charlie exclaimed.
''And make him pay!'' Sasha added as the couple disappeared. Brent turned to Balto.
''You heard 'em Balto. I'll go in your place.'' He replied courageously and walked toward Klondike. Before Balto could stop him, Klondike was already shocking his best friend to death. Brent turned to Balto and yelled, ''this should help you beat this son of a bitch! Do it for all of us! Yeaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!''
Brent then disappeared. Balto fell to his knees and clutched his fists.
''I won't let your sacrifices be in vain.'' He whispered and stood up. Balto had acquired all the weapons and ammo his friend had had. Balto pulled out Brent's Laptop Gun and loaded it. Klondike smiled.
''Ready to die, half-dog?''
''You first.'' Balto answered angrily and pulled the trigger. The Laptop gun unloaded its payload pretty quick, and he managed to hit Klondike. But for some reason, the bullet holes just seemed to fix themselves, as if the metal had a mind of its own. Klondike grinned evilly.
''Your pathetic bullets won't kill me. I am made from a metal that can re-build itself a million times over.''
''How? How can this be true?'' Balto thought. Klondike smiled.
''My creator was a true genius.'' He said. Balto growled.
''Well, who was this creator of yours?'' he questioned. Klondike grinned and froze the whole game. Balto and Klondike then were sent to a lab. On the table was a robot's skeleton, and a scientist was fiddling with the internal circuitry. Klondike pointed to the scientist and replied, ''that was my creator. Doctor Edmond Fitzgerald, a leading expert in robotics. He built me to have been a robotic counterpart to you mutts. But it was not to be,'' the background shifted to a scene where Dr. Fitzgerald was laying on the ground dead, and Klondike (full completed and functional) was rampaging around, ''I was not a smart idea for the doctor to have added an intelligent AI to my circuitry. But if he hadn't, I wouldn't have turned out so perfect. Maybe it was destiny.''
''But your perfection came at the cost of human life!'' Balto exclaimed. Klondike shook his head.
''Balto, human life is expendable. Robot will soon rule the world.'' He said. Balto's eyes burst with fire. He knew that this metal that Klondike was made of had to have some sort of weakness. Everything does. He then thought of something. Balto pulled out a rocket launcher and aimed it. He fired the rocket and watched as Klondike exploded into pieces. He didn't re-build himself, so Balto untied Jenna and Aleu. Jenna hugged her husband tightly.
''Balto, I thought I'd never see you again!'' she cried. Aleu hugged her dad as well.
''Yeah, we thought we were goners!'' she added. Balto smiled but then saw the lights go back on.
''Let's get out of here, then we'll hug.'' He replied and led his family out of the base. When they got outside, Brent, Kodi, Sasha and Charlie fell from the sky and landed on the ground. Brent got to his feet ad saw Jenna and Aleu standing near Balto.
''Good job Balto,'' he replied, ''you saved them.''
''No time for that now Brent, let's get to that boat!'' Charlie exclaimed. Brent nodded and looked down the path. There were tons of guards heading their way.
''We can't get past those guards,'' he then looked at the river, ''guess we'll have to take the scenic route. I forgot my swim trunks, but Here goes''
Brent grabbed a hollow reed and jumped into the river. Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. They all grabbed reeds and followed Brent's lead. Under the river, the current was strong. Brent nearly slammed into a rock as he was swimming. The river led down to a small deep pool, and then it continues on. Brent looked ahead and saw the boat sitting in wait for the seven. He swam to shore and spat the reed out of his mouth. As he had told her, Ginger was waiting at the boat with Rail Wolf. Ginger turned and smiled at the sight of the soaked Brent. She ran over and gave him a small kiss. Brent held his cheek and went red. Kodi, Jenna and Aleu then surfaced, followed by Charlie and Sasha. But Balto was nowhere to be seen.
''There he is!'' Charlie pointed to a limp figure flowing down the river. Brent saw this and jumped into the boat. He pushed the throttle forward and headed for Balto. When he reached Balto's limp body, Brent hauled it out of the water and placed it in the boat. Brent then swung the boat around and headed back to shore. Everyone got on and Brent spun the small boat around again. Balto soon came too. His eyes slowly opened, and he sat up.
''What the hell happened?'' he mumbled.
''You nearly drowned.'' Jenna replied.
''Brent saved you.'' Charlie added. Balto smiled at his friend.
''Thank you my friend. I owe you one.'' He said. Brent shook his head.
''You just being my friend is reward enough, buddy. But right now, we have to get out of here.'' Suddenly, Aleu heard something coming up behind them. She turned and saw Klondike following in another boat.
''Crap,'' she yelped, ''Klondike coming up at full speed! Gun it Brent!''
''I would, but this is as fast as she goes!'' Brent answered grimly. Klondike growled and was soon neck and neck with the escapees' boat.
''I don't think so buddy!'' Klondike replied angrily. Brent smiled and side-slammed Klondike's boat, nearly tipping it.
''I wouldn't say that you overgrown waffle iron!'' Brent remarked and rammed the boat again. Klondike growled and went to ram the boat. Brent saw him coming and steered the boat toward a bunch of rocks. He trimmed the motor up and jumped off the rocks, leaving not a single hole in the hull. The boat soared through the air and landed. Brent trimmed down and sped forward. Klondike clamped the steering wheel tightly and sped forward. Brent then saw something he'd wished he hadn't. The sky, which meant only one thing.
''A waterfall!'' Brent yelled and tried to turn around, but it was no use. Ginger held him tightly as the boat and Klondike's boat plunged over the falls. Just then, the Game Sphere appeared under Brent's boat and transported them back to the real world. Klondike watched as the machine disappeared and the ground cam up to meet him.
''Curse you Balto!'' he roared as he smashed into the water and was destroyed forever.
Nome, Alaska, January 7th 1951,
The Game Sphere re-appeared in Brent's secret lab. Everyone stumbled out and sat down. Brent held his head and replied, ''I'm not going to play another video game for a long time!''
Ginger looked around and said, ''what a cool place!''
Brent smiled at her.
''I can show you around if you'd like.'' He offered. Ginger giggled.
''Thank you. You don't by chance have a spare room I can stay in?'' she asked.
''I think so,'' Brent answered and turned to his friends, ''I have to go guys. I'll see you tomorrow Balto.''
Balto nodded and smiled.
''What about us?'' Sasha asked.
''No offence to your town, but it's way too cold up here for us. We prefer San Francisco.'' Charlie added. Luckily, one of Brent's gadgets could be used a transporting device. Balto had seen Brent use it before, and h replied, ''I think this'll help.''
Balto picked up the gadget and aimed it. Charlie gave him a concerned look.
''Balto, what are you…''
''Trust me,'' Balto cut in,' this'll take you back home. Just hold each other's hands.''
Charlie nodded and grabbed Sasha's hand. Balto aimed and fired the gadget. A yellow beam shot from it and surrounded Charlie and Sasha. They both waved and disappeared in a flash of light. Soon, it was just Rail Wolf, Jenna, Aleu and Balto in the lab. Rail Wolf waved and said, ''I have to get back to my train now. I'm a few hours late as it is. And the boss'll never believe my story. See ya guys!''
He then walked up the stairs. Aleu was the next to leave.
''My pack's probably looking for me dad,'' she explained, ''I have to go.''
''I know honey.'' Balto nodded. Aleu gave her father a hug and departed. Jenna turned to her husband.
''Thank you Balto.'' She replied and gave her husband a kiss. Balto smiled and escorted her up the stairs.
Outside, Balto turned to see Brent and Ginger sitting on his new balcony, looking at the stars. He smiled.
''I knew he'd find love eventually.'' Balto thought as he went to spend some time with his wife.
God looked down from heaven and smiled.
''Mission MacWolf complete.''
ENDBrent MacWolf and Ginger Clayton are copyrighted by me © 2005. Do not use them in any circumstances without prior approval.
Perfect Dark is copyrighted by Nintendo and Rareware © 1999