The town of Nome, Alaska, 1947
Two years... It's been two years since the end of the second world war and peace returned to the world once again. But millions of people lost their lives in the war and rebuilding what was destroyed was going to take a long time and the people around the world were still recovering from the war but it was difficult because the war left eternal scars on the world.
Still... Now that the peace has returned, the people were more than willing to move on from the horrors of the war and build a better world and move towards a lighter future.
As for Nome, the war never reached the town but most of its male population were enlisted and sent to the battles during the war. Some of them returned when the war ended but most of them didn't come back alive. It saddened the people of Nome that some of their people didn't return when the war ended but at least Nome didn't get to see the horrors of the war because the brave me of the town gave their lives for their country.
It took time but the people of Nome eventually moved on and went on with their lives now that the world was at peace again. Even though they couldn't know for sure how long the peace was going to last, they did know that only together they could build a better future for themselves and everyone else in the world.
But it wasn't only humans who dreamed about a better future, it was also the dogs of the town. Mainly a wolf-dog hybrid named Balto, his wife Jenna, his children, and friends who hoped for a world without war, death, and suffering. All they ever wanted was to live happy lives without any fear and be a family till the end.
Speaking of Balto, he was currently with his wife Jenna on the walk around the town and talking, mostly about the recent events and how things were going.
"So, how's everything back home, Jenna?" Balto asked.
"Good actually. Rosy's parents are doing well although it won't be long before they'll have to retire. They can be at work only a few more years before they're too old for work," Jenna said.
"Speaking of Rosy. I can't believe that she's already a full-grown woman. Time sure goes fast," Balto said.
"Yes, it does," Jenna said with little sadness in her voice.
Balto couldn't help but notice his wife's sudden change of mood and thought that he should try to make her feel better by talking to her about what was bothering her.
"Jenna, are you alright?" Balto asked.
Jenna knew that she couldn't hide what was bothering her from her husband so she decided to tell him.
"It's about Rosy," Jenna revealed.
"Rosy? Is she okay?" Balto asked.
"Yes, she's alright. But she has decided to leave Nome," Jenna told Balto.
"What?! Why does she want to leave Nome?" Balto asked while feeling shocked about what his wife just told him.
"She wants to see the world and she believes that she can help her parents if she finds a better job from somewhere else," Jenna explained.
"But this is her home. She can't just leave, it would make all of us sad," Balto protested.
"I feel the same, dear. But Rosy is an adult now and she is free to make her own decisions," Jenna said.
Balto knew that his wife was right and now that Rosy was a full-grown woman, she was free to make her own decisions, choose wherever she goes, and do what she thinks is for the best.
But the idea of Rosy leaving Nome still saddened Balto because it felt like the time when his daughter Aleu crossed the great water to lead the pack of wolves to safety knowing that she may never come back.
As the years passed, Balto felt like his family was slowly falling apart. First, Aleu left to the other side of the world, Kodi nearly broke his ties with him after the race against the plane, and now Rosy was going to leave Nome to who knows where.
Jenna could see the depression in her husband's eyes so she gently nuzzled his neck fur. Balto couldn't help smile and muzzle his wife back as his worries and sorrows began to vanish away. Even though his daughter was gone and Rosy was planning to leave, Balto still had Jenna who loved him as much as he loved her.
After they were done nuzzling each other, Balto and Jenna decided that it was time to go back home.
"Maybe we should go back home now, Balto. It's getting colder out here," Jenna said.
"All right, honey. We can go back now," Balto said before he and his wife headed back to Jenna's owners' house.
Meanwhile in the Arctic Ocean
The hordes of fish swam peacefully under the walls of ice that covered the cold Arctic Ocean for kilometers. Along with those fishes also swam some seals that were hiding from the polar bears that walked on the surface, and there was a single bowhead whale some distance away swimming in the deepest parts of the ocean.
It was peaceful and quiet in the ocean until suddenly the fishes and seals began to swim away from the area when something was approaching. A few seconds later, a large whale-like creature made of metal appeared from the depths. But it wasn't a whale, it was a submarine with a strong armor plating, 12 torpedo launchers, and a big glass enclosure in front of the sub. The submarine's name was Ulysses (from Atlantis the Lost Empire) and it was on an exploratory mission in the Arctic Ocean.
The sub had at least 200 crewmen on board doing their duties to keep the sub going while the officers navigated the submarine and gave orders to the crew from the bridge. It also carried a lot of different vehicles and many types of firearms from many different countries.
The Ulysses was created by Whitmore Industries owned by a billionaire named Preston Whitmore and was registered as a civilian vessel at first but it was later bought by the United States government and given to the US military for testing. Whitmore wasn't very happy about it at first because Ulysses was meant for exploring, not for military use, but he eventually agreed to sell the submarine to the government along with vehicles and hardware with it.
While the submarine was traveling across the ice-cold sea, two young men were playing chess in their quarters. These two men were Lieutenant Jason Connor and Chief Engineer Jake O'Neill. They served together in the US Army during the war but they were students in New York's university before that. They've known each other ever since their childhood and have been friends for as long as they could remember.
After the war ended, Jason and Jake spent most of their time in New York before they were recruited to the mission to test the Ulysses. And since Jason was eager to explore and Jake to see how the submarine works, they couldn't refuse.
After over a half-hour of playing chess, Jason won the game.
"And... Checkmate," Jason said as he took down Jake's king.
"Oh come on! How come I always lose every time we play chess," Jake complained.
"You don't lose every time, Jake. You did beat me in chess last week," Jason reminded his friend.
"Oh... Well. I... Uh. I'm just better at fixing and building stuff," Jake said feeling a little awkward.
"I know. You can fix and build practically anything," Jason said.
"Well, what can I say? I have good hands," Jake said.
"Indeed. I still remember how you helped the combat engineers to make a new machine gun prototype when we were in the Pacific during the war," Jason said.
"I was just giving them ideas about how to make the gun more accurate, powerful, and comfortable for the shooter. The engineers did most of the work," Jake explained.
"But it was thanks to your ideas that it worked," Jason reminded.
"Okay, you have a point there, bro. But you also did heroic things during the war. Like the time when you rescued those Japanese civilians from being used as suicide bombers or when you dragged the wounded paratroopers to safety in France," Jake said recalling what they did during the war.
"I was only doing my duty," Jason simply said.
"But the people looked up to you back when. You even got respect from the German soldiers when you stopped some crazy French resistance fighters and Russian soldiers from executing them," Jake said.
"I only did what I thought was right. I couldn't let the French and Russians execute those men just because they wanted vengeance," Jason said explaining his reasons.
"But you had to kill those French resistance fighters and Russian soldiers with your submachine gun to stop the execution and you nearly got court-martialed for it," Jake said.
"Wouldn't have been the first time. I almost got court-martialed when I shot an insane paratrooper in the legs before he could kill a German prisoner," Jason said recalling the events of the D-Day.
"But still, to do what's right no matter what takes a lot of courage and wisdom. You should feel proud of yourself," Jake said admiring the heroics Jason did during the war.
Jason couldn't help but smile at what Jake said because moments like these made them feel like they were brothers and it was that bond that always saved them from tough and dangerous situations they have ever faced.
Jason was about to suggest a new game until a loud voice echoed from the loudspeaker.
"Jason Connor and Jake O'Neill to the bridge immediately!"
"Whoa! What do you think that was about, bro?" Jake asked.
"I don't know but we better not keep the captain waiting," Jason said.
Jake nodded before they grabbed their army jackets and left their cabin towards the sub's bridge.
Meanwhile in Eastern Siberia
It was beautiful and peaceful in the land of Siberia. The winter arrived a month ago but the snow was already covering the whole land and the coastal waters were already frozen solid. If you looked at the ice during the full moon, you could see the light being reflected from the ice giving you a clear view at night.
Even though it was quiet in the forest, it wasn't without life. A lot of animals have either gone hibernating or were currently resting before they would go search for food for their packs and offspring. All the wolves in the pack were sleeping except one, their pack leader who was lying on the cliff looking at the stars and frozen ocean.
This female wolf was Aleu, the daughter of Balto and Jenna who crossed the great water to lead her pack towards a brighter future as her grandmother Aniu predicted. Aleu's life as a leader of the pack was challenging but she was a natural leader just like her father and she has done well so far.
While Aleu was looking at the stars and frozen sea, she couldn't help but think about her parents, her family, friends, everyone who stayed on the other side of the sea when she left with the wolves.
"Papa, mama, everyone. I miss all of you and I wish I could come back to see you but I can't. My pack needs me and I don't know when the ice bridge will form up again," Aleu thought sadly.
Even though it's been years since she left her home and became a leader of the pack, the ice bridge hasn't formed up again. She was concerned that she may never see her parents and siblings ever again. She made friends in the pack who cared about her and would give their lives for her and she was grateful to have good friends who understand her but sadly it wasn't the same as her family on the other side of the sea.
"There must be some way for me to go see my parents and siblings. I have my responsibilities for the pack but want to see my family. Please, there must be a way," Aleu thought while praying for a way to go back to see her family.
Little did she know, her grandmother Aniu stood in the forest looking at her granddaughter. It pained her to see her beloved grandchild like this but she knew it was all part of the greater path. Aleu was going to be tested and challenged just like the time when Balto endured such hardships when he was an outcast in Nome.
Aniu just sat there watching Aleu until she suddenly felt something strange. She didn't hear or smell anything but she felt like something or someone suddenly appeared into the scene. She turned to see if someone was there but she didn't see anyone which felt very strange. But when Aniu turned back to her granddaughter, someone spoke to her.
"She won't be alone."
Aniu was startled before she turned but to her surprise, she saw a human standing next to her dressed in clothes made of wool, and his head was covered in a hood. But the strange part was that the human didn't have any smells, he didn't leave tracks, and he just appeared out of nowhere.
When the man turned to Aniu, she got a good look on his face. He was a white-skinned man with brown hair and with a heart-warming smile and who seemed to be very wise and friendly (ascended Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1 series). It took Aniu only a second to recognize him and realize that the human next to her was an ascended being.
"Daniel, you know you shouldn't scare a wolf just like that. Especially a spirit wolf," Aniu said.
"Sorry, old habits die hard," Daniel said with a smile.
Aniu couldn't help but laugh a little at what Daniel just said.
"It's good to see you again, Daniel," Aniu said with a smile.
"You too, Aniu. How's everything going here on the lower planes?" Daniel asked.
"As good as they can be. The peace has returned and once again good has defeated evil," Aniu said referring to the war.
"Yeah, I heard about that," Daniel said.
"Maybe the peace would have returned sooner if you would have helped," Aniu said.
"*Sighs* Aniu. You know that I can't interfere with the affairs of the lower planes. Neither human nor any other life," Daniel said.
"Because the other ascended would stop you and take you away if you break their rules, I know," Aniu said sadly.
Sometimes it felt sad and frustrating for Daniel to just stand there watching doing nothing and be powerless to interfere but as an ascended being, he had to follow the collective rules of the ascended.
Sometimes it didn't feel right or fair but Daniel knew that if he interfered or broke the rules, the others would stop him and he might never see Earth or the people he loved again, that's why he couldn't take the risk of breaking the rules of the ascended.
Daniel then decided to try to change the mood a little happier so he changed the topic.
"How's Aleu and others doing?" Daniel asked.
"She's been doing well really. Her life as a leader of the pack has been challenging but she has done well so far," Aniu told Daniel.
"Yeah, she's a natural leader. I think she got it from her father," Daniel said.
"Yes. But she has been a little sad lately," Aniu said.
"She misses her family back in Alaska, doesn't she?" Daniel asked.
"Yes. She wants to go to see them but she must cross the great water first and she can't do it without an ice bridge. She and her pack has been here in Siberia for years and the ice bridge hasn't formed up again ever since they got here. Yet she hopes that there is some way for her to go back to see her family," Aniu explained.
After Aniu told him about Aleu and what she going through, Daniel started thinking. He knew that he couldn't interfere because it was forbidden but there had to be some way for him to help Aleu without breaking the rules. He thought about it for a moment until he got an idea.
"Maybe I can help," Daniel said.
"How?" Aniu asked as she got curious.
"I can't do it directly but maybe I can alter the weather a little so it would be cold enough to form the ice bridge," Daniel explained.
"But won't the other ascended stop you?" Aniu asked.
"As long as I don't interfere with Aleu and her pack, I don't think they will," Daniel said.
"You mean you're bending the rules?" Aniu asked.
"It wouldn't be the first time and I'm not the only one who has done that," Daniel said referring to his teacher and the one who helped him ascend, Oma Desala.
"But if you change the climate a little, how long would it take?" Aniu asked.
"I'm not sure, I've never done this before. It might take minutes or hours but if I get this done soon, the ice bridge should have formed by morning," Daniel explained.
"You do know that this isn't gonna be easy," Aniu told him.
"Yeah, I know. The process is complicated and there is no room for errors but I believe I can do this," Daniel said.
Aniu felt so happy that Daniel was willing to risk his ascension to help her granddaughter to find happiness. Even though the risks of breaking the rules were high and the other ascended might come to stop him, Daniel was still willing to take the risk to help Aleu.
"Thank you, Daniel, thank you so much. If Aleu would be here with us, I know she would be thanking you as well," Aniu said happily.
"I'm always happy to help everyone, Aniu. You, your daughter, everyone. And as I said, she won't be alone," Daniel said while looking at Aleu before he turned into a white bright source of light and started the process.
Meanwhile in the Ulysses
While Jason and Jake were walking towards the bridge, they had to go a few levels up before they arrived at the hallway that was going to take them straight to the bridge. While they were walking towards the bridge, Jake couldn't help but wonder out loud why the captain wanted to see them.
"Why do you think the captain wants to see us, Jason?" Jake asked.
"I don't have clue, Jake. But it must be very important since he used the loudspeaker to summon us," Jason said.
"I just hope it won't be something terrible. Like a sea monster or evil spirits," Jake said.
"I thought you didn't believe in monsters or spirits," Jason said.
"Sorry, bro. These situations kind of make me think too much," Jake said.
"It's okay, bro. We'll find out what this is about when we get to bridge," Jason said.
Jake nodded before they continued their walk to the bridge. They soon arrived at the sub's bridge where the captain was waiting. When the two soldiers were behind him, the captain turned around to face them.
This man was Captain John Sumner who used to be the commander of the squad Jason and Jake served in during the war. But before that, he was their military mentor in the army when Jason and Jake were fresh recruits. They went through a lot together and fought side by side till the war ended.
"Ah, Connor, O'Neill. About time you showed up," Sumner said.
"Sorry about the delay, sir. We came here as soon as we could," Jason said.
"We just took a little detour on our way here," Jake added.
"It's alright, boys. I understand," Sumner said.
"Thank you, sir. What is the reason you called us here?" Jason asked.
"Ten minutes ago, our radar detected something unusual while we were approaching the east coast of Siberia," Sumner told them.
"Siberia? Isn't it forbidden for us to go there because it's the Soviet Union's territory?" Jason asked.
"Yes, but fortunately we're still on the international waters so we don't have to worry about running into the Soviet Navy," Sumner explained.
It was a relief that they didn't have to worry about accidentally going to the waters belonging to the Russians but they still had the matter of the "Unusual" to discuss.
"What was exactly this 'unusual' thing that our radar detected, sir?" Jake asked.
"I think you should see it yourself," Sumner said before taking them to the part of the bridge where the radar equipment was.
After Sumner told the radioman to move from his seat, Jake took the seat, put on the headphones, and started analyzing the unusual readings the sub's radar detected. At first, it seemed like some sort of sonar reading but not like the ones left by submarines or naval mines, this one was something else and entirely different.
"Well, O'Neill. What is it?" Sumner asked.
"I'm not sure, sir. I've never seen anything like this," Jake said.
"But is it coming from the eastern coast of Siberia or somewhere else?" Sumner asked.
"Well, as best as I can tell. It was on Siberia's east coast until it suddenly disappeared and then reappeared somewhere between Siberia and Alaska," Jake explained.
"But we don't have any idea what it is?" Jason asked.
"Sadly no, bro," Jake confirmed.
"Is it any threat to us? Sumner asked.
"I don't know, sir. The reading is still active but surprisingly neither the Russians nor Americans have detected it," Jake said.
"What do you mean, bro?" Jason asked.
"This reading is rather unique. It seems that it can't be detected on the normal frequencies," Jake explained.
"Then how did we detect it in the first place?" Jason asked.
"Our radar frequencies were in the right set at the time. I'd say that we were lucky to even detect this reading," Jake explained.
This was getting weirder by the minute. They had no idea what they detected was or what it was doing in the middle of nowhere between Alaska and Siberia. But since they were close to the reading's location, they might as well go to investigate.
"How far are from the reading's current position?" Sumner asked.
"It would take us fifteen minutes to get there, sir. Do you want us to go to check it out? Jake asked.
"If other navies haven't detected it, it must be something important and worth investigating," Sumner said.
"I agree that we should check it out, sir, but I recommend that we exercise extreme caution. We don't know what this thing is or what it can do," Jason advised.
"Agreed. Take us there," Sumner ordered.
"Yes, sir," Jason said before he went up and took the sub's wheel.
They had no idea what they were following or if they were in any danger but they were the only crew in the area so they had to go and find out what their radar detected. Little did they know, that strange reading they were following was a certain ascended being who was helping a certain female wolf by forming the ice bridge between Siberia and Alaska.
Meanwhile in Nome
After they got back to Jenna's owners' house, Balto and his wife headed to the house's attic where they usually sleep, rest, and sometimes talk. But when they laid down on their bunk on the floor, Balto couldn't help but wonder how his daughter Aleu was doing.
It's been years since he saw Aleu going to the other side of the great water leading her pack towards a brighter future. He knew it in his heart that his daughter was a good leader and she was leading her pack as best as she could. But he still missed her and wanted to see her again but he knew that the moment Aleu left with the pack, there was a good chance that she may never return from the other side of the world.
It felt unfair that Balto couldn't see his daughter but sadly there was nothing he could do about it. Aleu was on the other side of the sea and the only way for her to come back was via the ice bridge that hasn't formed up again for years. It would make Balto happy to see Aleu again and to see how much she has grown and if she had a family of her own now but he knew it was impossible right now.
Jenna noticed her husband's depression and nuzzled him.
"Are you alright, Balto?" Jenna asked.
"I just miss her so much," Balto confessed.
"Aleu?" Jenna asked.
"Yes. I just can't help but wonder how she's doing, how much she has grown, and if she has given us grandchildren," Balto said.
"I know you miss her, I miss her too. But we can't lose hope. I'm sure we will see her again one day," Jenna said.
"But it has been years since the last time we saw her. How long do we have to wait?" Balto asked.
"As I said, dear. Don't lose your hope. We'll keep waiting for our daughter to return even if it takes the rest of our lives," Jenna said trying to cheer up her husband.
Balto couldn't help but smile at his wife's wise words. He felt so lucky that he had her as his mate.
"I'm so glad that I met you, Jenna," Balto said as he nuzzled his wife.
"And I'm glad that I met you, Balto," Jenna said with love in her voice.
Once they both were done nuzzling, they laid back down to their bunk fell asleep. Little did they know that Balto's mother Aniu was watching them with a loving smile on her face.
"Do not worry, my son. You will see your daughter again," Aniu said before she vanished.
Meanwhile in the Ulysses
It took fifteen minutes as Jake said it would but they finally arrived at the location where their radar detected that strange reading they were now following. But so far they haven't seen or detected anything unusual ever since they arrived.
"Still nothing?" Sumner asked.
"No, sir. Nothing on radar," Jake said as he was monitoring the radar.
"No visual on anything either, sir. Except for a lot of seawater and some small fishes," Jason said while navigating the submarine.
"This cannot be. Are you saying that whatever we're following just vanished?" Sumner asked.
"Right now it looks that way, sir," Jason said.
But while the Ulysses was traveling across the cold sea, the crew didn't notice that ice started forming up around the water. And as it kept growing, it kept getting thicker and thicker until it started forming up what looked like a bridge.
But when the huge armored submarine reached a certain point of the Arctic Ocean, Jason began to notice the ice forming up in front of them some distance away from them.
"Uh, captain," Jason said.
"What is it?" Sumner asked.
"You better come to take a look at this, sir," Jason said while pointing his finger at where he was looking at.
Sumner walked next to Jason and looked at where Jason was pointing at but when he did so, he and the rest of the crew on the bridge were stunned. In front of them was a huge amount of ice that came out of nowhere.
"Where the hell did all that ice come from?!" Sumner asked.
"I don't know, sir. But it wasn't there five minutes ago," Jason said being as confused as Sumner was.
"What about that reading? Are we still tracking it?" Sumner asked Jake.
"I'm afraid not, captain. It just disappeared," Jake said.
But before they could discuss further the matter, the ice in front of them started growing again. It grew so big that it got in front of the submarine so that it was now on the collision course to the newly formed iceberg.
"An iceberg straight ahead, captain!" Jason yelled.
"An evasive maneuver to the left!" Sumner ordered.
"Aye aye, sir!" Jason said as he started turning the wheel to the left.
As they approached the iceberg, Ulysses was slowly turning to the left to avoid the iceberg. As they got closer and closer, the sub was turning more to the left but the crew on the bridge weren't sure if they were gonna make it.
"We're gonna hit it, captain!" One of the crew members panicked.
"Brace for impact!" Sumner told the crew via the loudspeaker.
The crew and everyone on the bridge prepared for impact but out of luck, Ulysses was able to evade the iceberg in time. But everyone's sigh of relief was cut short when the right side of the submarine hit the iceberg.
The sub trembled from the impact and lost its balance for a minute but Jason was able to stabilize it and get it back on course. Now that they made it, Sumner turned to his officers and requested a status report.
"What's the status?" Sumner asked.
"Some of the crew was injured from the impact but there are no casualties, sir," one of the officers said.
"O'Neill, damage report," Sumner asked Jake.
"The right side of the sub got several scratches from the iceberg and the section in that area was flooded but the men in there were able to seal it in time," Jake reported.
"What about the engines?" Sumner asked.
"Some of them overloaded but the mechanics are fixing them right now," Jake said.
They were suddenly interrupted when Jason called them.
"Captain, we've got a problem," Jason said.
"What is it?" Sumner asked.
"We're slowing down. The engines are at full power but our speed doesn't match that," Jason told Sumner.
"How can it be?" Sumner asked.
"Maybe the power cables were damaged in the impact," Jake theorized.
"Go to the engine room and make a full diagnostic," Sumner ordered.
"Yes, sir," Jake said before heading to the engine room with other mechanics and engineers.
"Connor, I want you to go to the map room and check if there are any harbors nearby," Sumner ordered.
"Yes, sir," Jason before he gave the wheel to another officer and headed to the map room.
Later
After they made a full diagnostic and checked all of their options, Jason and others were in the Captain's cabin discussing their situation and what they should do.
"What's the status of the engines?" Sumner asked.
"There was some damage but we were able to fix it, sir. But that's not our biggest problem," Jake said.
"Then what is?" Sumner asked.
"We were right that some of the power cables were damaged when we hit the iceberg. And with the cables damaged, the power won't go from the generators to the engines," Jake explained.
"But wouldn't we have lost all the power and be sinking already?" Sumner asked.
"I said that some of the cables were damaged, not all of them. Most of them are still intact but they'll only pump enough juice to make our engines work at 70 percent," Jake explained.
"One main cable and several smaller ones were damaged in the impact so we were very lucky. If more cables would have been damaged, we wouldn't have enough power to even move the sub," one of the engineers said.
"It's like leaking water pipes, sir. We have a lot of power but not all of it goes to the engines because some of it leaks out from the damaged cables," Jason simplified.
"But can we repair them?" Sumner asked.
"Unfortunately no as long as we're underwater. We might be able to patch them up but if we want to make full repairs, we'll have to surface and dock Ulysses," Jake explained.
"And is there any harbor where we can dock Ulysses?" Sumner asked.
Jason pulled a map from the cabinet, put it on the table, and spread it for everyone to see. It was a map about the Arctic Ocean between Alaska and Siberia with the nearest seaports on it.
"There are several seaports and towns with harbors nearby but we can't go to them just like that," Jason said.
"We probably can't go to any harbors in Siberia because we don't have the Soviet Navy's permission and I don't think they'll give us that even if we ask nicely," Sumner said.
"No, sir. And there's also a lot of ice on top of us preventing us from surfacing," Jake added.
"I've checked all of our options and there's only one place we can go to dock Ulysses and repair it without worrying about trespassing or causing a political incident," Jason explained.
"And that is?" Sumner asked.
Instead of answering, Jason pointed at their best option on the map. It was the town of Nome in Alaska.
"Nome? Are you sure about this, Connor?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sure," Jason confirmed.
"But aren't the ports in Nome too small for Ulysses to dock?" One of the officers asked.
"Not necessarily. The harbor in Nome was made a lot bigger to dock multiple warships during the war. They even have the airfield for planes," Jason explained.
"But isn't ice gonna block us even in Nome?" Sumner asked.
"We can use torpedoes to blow up the ice but first we must inform Nome's mayor about our arrival," Jason said.
"That's gonna be a problem because the ice is blocking the radio signals. We can't hear them and they can't hear us," Jake said.
"That's why we're gonna send one Sub Pod ahead of Ulysses to inform the mayor about our arrival," Jason said.
"That makes sense. The Sub Pod is faster than Ulysses and it can fire torpedoes to blow up ice in its way," Jake agreed.
"But isn't Nome too far away for a Sub Pod to reach it from here?" Sumner asked.
"I can modify the engines to take it further and I can also add something to torpedoes to make them more effective," Jake suggested.
"And while the Sub Pod goes to Nome, the Ulysses will follow but the Sub Pod should reach Nome before you do," Jason added.
"I assume that you two want to volunteer for this mission," Sumner said as he looked at Jason and Jake.
"You know we do, sir," Jason said.
Sumner knew from experience that when Jason and Jake volunteered for something, they meant it. It was their way, to save as many people as they could by volunteering for something dangerous and they did always survive as long as they had each other, like brothers. Sumner couldn't help but feel proud of the two former rookies he trained himself and has been commanding ever since their first battle.
"Very well. You may prepare the Sub Pod for the trip," Sumner said.
"Sir, yes, sir," both Jason and Jake said before they left the cabin to prepare for their trip.
Meanwhile in Eastern Siberia
The sun was rising on the horizon as the morning began to dawn. When the sunlight hit Aleu's face, she opened her eyes and looked at the frozen sea. But as soon as she did so, she couldn't believe her eyes. Right in front of the coast was the ice bridge, the same bridge that she used to lead her pack from Alaska to Siberia.
"*gasps* Am I seeing things? Could it be?" Aleu thought while looking at the ice bridge.
She was taken out of her thoughts when one of her scouts ran to her from the forest.
"Leader, do you see that?" The scout asked while pointing at the ice bridge with her muzzle.
"Yes, I see it," Aleu confirmed. Now she knew for certain that she wasn't imagining things.
"The ice bridge has returned. But I swear that it wasn't there yesterday," the scout said.
"What do you mean?" Aleu asked.
"Last time it took months for the ice bridge to form up. I don't understand how it could have formed up again only in one night," the scout said.
Aleu knew that her scout had a point there. There was no way that the ice bridge could have formed up again only in one night. Unless someone or something was giving nature a little help in forming up the bridge again. But right now, Aleu didn't care. This was her chance to return to her homeland and see her family again after all these years. This was a chance she has prayed for a long time and she was going to take it.
"Wake up the pack and tell them to get ready for the journey back to our homeland. We're going home," Aleu ordered.
"Yes, pack leader," the scout said before jumping down to wake up the rest of the pack.
Aleu's heart was now filled with hope and happiness. Hope about seeing her family again and happiness because the spirits answered her prayers. Little did she know, ascended Daniel Jackson and her grandmother Aniu stood behind her in the forest with smiles on their faces.
"Thank you, Daniel. Thank you so much," Aniu thanked her ascended friend.
"It was nothing. I just help everyone who needs help even though the ascended rule book forbids it," Daniel said to his spirit wolf friend.
"And the other ascended didn't stop you when you were forming up the ice bridge?" Aniu asked.
"No. It's strange but none of them did," Daniel said.
It was strange that none of the ascended beings didn't come and stop Daniel but it didn't matter right now. The most important thing was the fact that Daniel was able to help Aleu when she asked for a chance to see her family again.
"I thought you said that it would take longer for you to form the ice bridge," Aniu said.
"Hey, even I can underestimate my powers sometimes," Daniel said feeling a little awkward.
"Come on, Daniel. I was just joking," Aniu said while giggling a little.
They both laughed a little at their funny moment until Aniu wanted to ask something.
"Daniel, can I ask you something?" Aniu asked.
"Of course," Daniel said kindly.
"Last night, you said that Aleu won't be alone. What did you mean by that?" Aniu asked curiously.
"Let's just say that I may have altered her's and certain someone's fates a little so they can find happiness in their lives when their paths cross," Daniel answered.
Aniu wasn't sure what Daniel meant by that but she knew in her heart that her ascended friend knew what he was doing and that this was all to help Aleu to find happiness in her life. As soon as the pack woke up and Aleu told them that it was time to begin their new journey, they ran to the ice bridge and started heading towards their homeland.
After Aleu made sure that everyone in the pack was counted for, she looked at the beautiful forests of Siberia one last time. But when she looked there, she saw a white wolf with a human standing next to her. She immediately recognized the wolf as her grandmother Aniu but she didn't recognize the human but somehow she could tell that he was friendly and kind.
As Aleu looked at them, she couldn't help but smile because she knew in her heart that her grandmother and her human friend would always watch over her and help her when needed. Then Aniu howled and Daniel waved goodbye before the spirit wolf vanished and the ascended turned into a pure white source of light before he disappeared to the sky.
Aleu wasn't sure what she just saw but she knew that she would see them again someday. After that, she turned back to her pack and started running on the ice bridge towards Alaska.
"Papa, mama, brothers, and sisters. I'm coming home," Aleu thought happily.
Meanwhile in the Ulysses
It took some time but Jason and Jake got the Sub Pod (from Atlantis the Lost Empire) ready for their trip to Nome. Jake modified the engines and torpedoes while Jason made sure all the Pod's systems were functional.
But before their departure, Jake helped the engineers to patch up the damaged power cables so Ulysses would make it to Nome. Time was the issue because, with its current state, the Ulysses wouldn't get very far but it would make it to Nome if they're lucky.
When everything was ready, Jason and Jake grabbed their gear and went towards the Sub Pod bay. When they got there, they saw Captain Sumner along with some officers waiting there for them.
"Here to see us off, sir?" Jake asked.
"Just wishing you two good luck, that's all," Sumner said with a smirk.
"I thought you once said during our training that we make our own luck," Jason said.
"True, but we can always wish good luck," Sumner said.
The boys and their mentor couldn't help but laugh at the joke that was just said. Once they were done laughing, they saluted one more time before Jason and Jake entered their Sub Pod. Jason would pilot the vehicle and Jake would operate the weapons. When Sumner was back on the sub's bridge and everything was on stand-by, he permitted the launch.
"Alright, Connor and O'Neill. You're good to go," Sumner told Jason and Jake via radio.
"Understood, sir," Jason said.
After that, the Sub Pod was launched from Ulysses and it took course towards Nome.
Later
It took some time but Jason and Jake eventually arrived at their destination. But because all the ice was blocking the top, they couldn't surface until they have made a hole big enough for the Sub Pod to fit through to the surface.
"Okay, here we are," Jason said.
"Never thought I'd say this but I miss Ulysses," Jake said.
"Don't worry, bro. Once we have cleared the way and told the mayor about our situation, we'll see that great sub again," Jason assured.
"Well, first we need to blow a hole on the ice above us. Could you move the pod up a little?" Jake asked.
"Sure," Jason replied.
He pulled the steering wheel and moved the Sub Pod so that its front side was aimed at the wall of ice above them. Once they were in the firing position, Jake looked through the aiming scope and prepared to fire.
When he got the target in his sight, he pulled the trigger and fired a single torpedo at the ice. The torpedo hit the ice and exploded but it only made a small scratch on the ice.
"Damn it, that ice is thicker than I thought," Jake said.
"You may have to fire more than one torpedo," Jason suggested.
"We have only seven torpedoes left so we don't have a lot of attempts," Jake said.
"I know. But we came this far, we can't give up now," Jason said.
Jake nodded before he started firing again. This time he fired two torpedoes at the ice and it made a lot bigger scratch but it still wasn't enough. Now they had only five torpedoes left so they had to make them count.
Jake thought that they might as well take their chances so he fired all their torpedoes on the ice but as soon as they hit, there was a huge explosion.
The people of Nome were doing their daily routines until suddenly a huge amount of ice was blown to smithereens near their harbor. Everyone in the town, including dogs was frightened by an explosion and they all started panicking.
"What is going on?!"
"Are we under attack?!"
"It came from the Harbor!"
While the civilians were panicking in the snowy streets, Balto and Jenna were looking out the window from the attic to see what was happening.
"What is happening, Balto?" Jenna asked while being worried.
"I don't know but it can't be an attack, the war ended two years ago and no one has declared a new war," Balto said.
"Then what was that explosion?" Jenna asked.
Before Balto could answer his wife's question, their son named Kodi along with his mate Dusty came to the attic with worried looks on their faces.
"Mom, Dad, there's been an explosion in the harbor," Kodi said.
"Yes, we heard it," Balto said.
"But what caused the explosion?" Jenna asked.
"We don't know. We were hanging out in the boiler room when it happened," Dusty said.
"I think we should go and see what caused it," Balto suggested.
"No, Balto! What if there will be more explosions," Jenna said out of concern.
"We know it's risky, mom. But I think we should go and take a look," Kodi said agreeing with his father.
"But Kodi," Dusty said.
"Don't worry, dear. I'll be fine," Kodi assured his mate.
Jenna and Dusty knew that couldn't stop their mates from going so they agreed in the end.
"Alright, but Dusty and I are coming with you," Jenna said to her husband and son.
"What?! No way," both Balto and Kodi said at the same time.
"We can't stop you from going and you can't stop us from coming. Besides, our places are with you," Jenna said as she and Dusty nuzzled their mates.
Balto and Kodi knew their mates were right so they nodded and left the house towards the harbor. When they got there, they saw a lot of people looking at a big hole on the ice they assumed was made by the explosion.
But before anyone could decide what they should do, something came to the surface from the hole scarring the people. At first, they thought that it was a fish or seal but when they took a good look at it, they noticed that it wasn't a fish, it was a vehicle.
The people and dogs didn't get a chance to wonder for long when a hatch on top of the vehicle was opened and two young men in army uniforms with red A-like marks (the ones the soldiers had on their uniforms in Atlantis the Lost Empire) on their sleeves came out.
"See, I told you we would make it through," Jason said after he and Jake got out of their Sub Pod.
"One more minute under that ice and I would have gone crazy," Jake said.
Their conversation was cut short when one of Nome's citizens spoke to them.
"Uh, excuse me, gentlemen. But who are you and how did you just come here?" Rosy's father asked.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Lieutenant Jason Connor and this is Chief Engineer Jake O'Neill," Jason said introducing himself and Jake.
"We're from Ulysses," Jake added.
"Ulysses?" Rosy's mother asked.
"It's a new submarine we serve on," Jason clarified.
"But what are you doing all the way out here?" One of the mushers asked.
"Our submarine was damaged when it hit the iceberg. Our only option was to find the nearest harbor where we can dock it and fully repair it and Nome was the best choice on the list," Jason explained.
"But we couldn't contact you because the ice was blocking the radio signals so we came here with the Sub Pod to inform you," Jake added.
"But what was that explosion that happened just a few minutes ago?" The musher named Simpson asked.
"Sorry that we frightened you but we used torpedoes to blast a hole on the ice so we could surface," Jason answered while apologizing about frightening the whole town.
"An interesting vehicle you got there. It may not be a plane but it still fascinates me. How does it work?" The pilot named Duke asked.
"Well, it's equipped with an electric generator-"
Jake couldn't finish when Jason intervened.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but we don't have much time. We need to speak to your mayor and prepare your harbor for Ulysses's arrival," Jason said.
Everyone (except dogs) nodded and showed them away to the Mayor's house. While the town's people were escorting the two soldiers to the mayor's house, the dogs of Nome couldn't help but wonder what this was all about.
"Who were those two humans?" Dusty asked.
"I don't know but they looked like soldiers," Kodi said.
"They kept saying the name 'Ulysses'. What does that mean?" Jenna asked.
"I don't know, Jenna. But I get a feeling that we're gonna find out," Balto said.
Later
After Jason and Jake explained their situation to Nome's mayor, they were permitted to use Nome's harbor to dock Ulysses and conduct repairs. The Nome's harbor was a bit frozen when two soldiers along with some men of Nome started preparing it for Ulysses's arrival and it took a lot of work but they were able to clear off the ice and ready the harbor for the submarine to dock.
When everything was ready, everyone in Nome was waiting for the submarine's arrival, including the town's dog population.
"When is it gonna be here?" Rosy's father asked.
"They should be here soon. They'll just have to blow up some ice out of the way first and then carefully dock the sub to the harbor," Jason said.
"But our harbor is big enough for your submarine. Shouldn't it be easy to dock?" An adult Rosy asked.
"Not exactly, ma'am. Because our sub is damaged, they'll have to be careful when they dock so they don't accidentally damage it further," Jake explained.
While the soldiers were having a conversation with the people of Nome, Balto and all the dogs of Nome were observing the whole situation from the roofs without people noticing them.
"They're all waiting down there. Even Rosy is down there," Jenna said.
"Still, it's touching to see the girl all grown up," Boris said as he was about to cry.
"Come on now, Boris. We all grow up eventually. You cried a little when I became an adult," Balto joked.
"No offense, dad. But I think we should focus on the arrival of this Ulysses," Kodi said.
Balto nodded before he turned his attention to the crowd. The people waited and waited until they felt the ground shake a little.
"What's that? An earthquake?" Mr. Conner asked.
"It's not an earthquake, sir. Ulysses is firing torpedoes on ice to weaken it enough so they can surface," Jason said.
"But I thought you said that they can't surface as long as the ice is blocking the surface," Rosy's father said.
"Not necessarily. Ulysses's armor is strong enough to break weak ice but I hope the scratches won't get worse as a result," Jake explained.
"If you think it's dangerous then why do it at all?" Rosy's mother asked.
"We'll have to take our chances and we don't have much of the choice," Jason answered.
Their conversation was suddenly cut off when the ground started shaking again but this time a lot stronger. And this time, the ice near the harbor started breaking up. This made everyone in the town watch the scene as they witnessed the most magnificent sight they have ever seen in their lives.
As the ice broke, a huge submarine was rising from the water to the surface. The sight made everyone, even dogs amazed as they saw a huge submarine rising from the depths of the cold sea.
When Ulysses was fully surfaced, Jason and Jake received a radio call from Captain Sumner.
"Connor, O'Neill. Are you there?" Sumner asked via radio.
"We're here, sir. We read you loud and clear," Jason said.
"Glad to hear your voice, sons. We were starting to worry that you may not have made it to Nome," Sumner said.
"Well, you know us, sir. We have a habit of doing what seems impossible," Jake said.
"Yes you do, O'Neill. Yes, you do," Sumner said.
"Uh, excuse me, captain. But I think we have a lot to discuss, mostly about your vessel's repairs," the mayor said.
"Understood, mayor. Once we have docked our vessel, we'll discuss in your house," Sumner said.
While Sumner was having a conversation with his soldiers and Nome's mayor, Balto and others were still staring at Ulysses in awe.
"What is that thing?!" One of the dogs asked.
"I think that's Ulysses the soldiers talked about," Kodi said.
"But it's huge. How can anything like that even travel underwater?" Dusty asked.
"Well, the whales are huge and they can swim," one of the sled dogs joked.
"But they aren't made of metal," another dog said.
"Enough already. This is something that we won't see every day and seeing something like this is a lifetime opportunity. Just like when we saw a plane for the first time," Jenna said.
"Jenna is right. We should enjoy watching this while we still can," Balto said.
Everyone nodded before they turned their heads back to the submarine that was being docked to Nome's harbor.
A few days later
After Ulysses arrived and was docked at Nome's harbor, the crew began the repairs immediately. But it seemed that it was gonna take a while until Ulysses would be fully repaired so the crew was going to stay in Nome for a time being. They had no idea how long they were gonna stay in the town in the middle of nowhere but at least they were comfortable in there and the people welcomed them with open arms.
While Sumner and other officers were speaking with a mayor and other important people of Nome in the mayor's house, Jason and Jake were on the hotel's balcony talking about their current situation.
"Well, looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while," Jake said.
"Yeah, but it's not so bad. The people here are kind, the innkeeper gives us free food, and we can sleep in a hotel for free," Jason said.
"All that because we served our country in the war. I guess being a war hero has its benefits," Jake said.
"It certainly does," Jason agreed.
He knew that Nome was now their safe harbor until they have fully repaired Ulysses but there was still one thing that bothered Jason.
"You know what, I get this weird feeling that maybe we were brought here for a reason," Jason said.
"What do you mean, bro?" Jake asked.
"That mystery signal we followed, the ice appearing out of nowhere, us coming here. It can't be a coincidence," Jason said.
Jake knew that Jason had a point there. It was almost like someone or something wanted them to come to Nome for some reason.
"Now that I think about it, I think you're right. It can't be a coincidence," Jake agreed.
"But the real question is: Who or what wanted us to come here and for what purpose?" Jason asked.
"Well, I guess we will find out eventually. But right now, we should take it easy for a couple of days," Jake said.
"Yeah, you're right," Jason agreed.
As Jason and Jake were watching the northern lights glowing in the sky, it kind of reminded them of the good old times when they were having adventures all around the world.
"You know. Although it's peaceful and quiet in this part of the country, we still might get into all sorts of trouble, right," Jake said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we do. But we have gotten into trouble before and have always survived," Jason said.
"That's just what we do, bro. We get into trouble, survive, and help people in need," Jake said proudly.
"I couldn't agree more, bro," Jason said with a smile.
Even though they were stuck in Nome for a time being, the two soldiers knew that they were gonna be just fine. Even with the war over, they knew that their days as adventurers weren't over, not by a long shot. They still had a lot of adventures ahead of them and a lot to experience.
Balto and his family were also gonna have a wonderful and happy reunion with their daughter/sister soon now that Aleu was coming back home from Siberia with her pack.
There were also Aniu and Daniel Jackson watching over them from the higher planes and being their spiritual guides whenever Aleu or anyone needed guidance from the spirit wolf and ascended being.
But no matter what the future had in store for them, they would face it together, now and always.