Chapter 8: Welcome to Chicago
Chicago April 8, 1929
Balto lifted his heavy head from the hay covered floor he had been passed out on. He looked around the small space he and the others now occupied. The cage was not much larger then a chicken coop and the iron bars began to show signs of rust. The floor creaked and moaned to every move, and the surroundings were damp and dank. Steele seemed to be already awake and was keeping an eye on the pups; he saw Balto stir and decided to check on him.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, it is about time you woke up." Balto stood and shook off the bits of hay on his back.
"I came to when we landed on that plane; they stuck me with some needle and knocked me back out."
"You said we were on a plane?" Steele asked with an inflection.
"Yes, why?"
"If they took us on a plane, then it is a safe bet we aren't anywhere near home. Heck, we may not even be in the States anymore!" Steele began to get nervous and make a rather loud ruckus. His commotion started to make the animals around them to follow suit. Animals all around them began to make even more noise, which in turn agitated even more. Soon the entire warehouse of animals had gone into a state of chaos. Among the sounds of the various animals, a door opened on the far side of the commodious room, followed by some futile shouting.
"Hey! What gives?" Balto knew the man's voice; it was Tony, the man who caught himself and Suki. Another man that Balto didn't recognize came out next with a shotgun. He fired the shotgun into the air, the animals quickly quelled and the room became as silent as the grave. "Rico! Cut that out! The boss is gonna be here any minute, and the last thing we need is another animal with pellets in it!"
"Well it worked didn't it?" Rico said, holding up the gun. Balto saw a new face enter the room, the man that drugged him, Andre.
"That is the so'n'so that took Loki and me." Steele whispered. Andre saw Rico with the gun and lost his temper.
"Rico! What in hell do you think you are doing? You wing one of these things and that is a few grand slipping out of our pockets! The next time these walking air raid sirens start up again use the prod! Now gimme that thing." Andre ripped the shotgun out of Rico's hands and wacked him in the shoulder with it. "Now get your act together, the big man's car just pulled up." Tony and Rico exchanged a single frightened look and snapped up into a near-military stride. All three marched out the open door with a strict silence.
"This boss of theirs is quite the honcho." Steele said with a smirk.
"Or very dangerous." Balto said flatly. Steele's smile disappeared and was replaced with the same look of fear the men had.
"Why do you think they took us?"
"One of them said something about a buyer; I think they plan on selling us away somewhere." Balto looked at the two still sleeping pups in the corner. "That is not going to happen."
"We need to get the blue-blazes out of here." Steele said back
"I agree wholeheartedly, but how?"
"I'm still working on that." While Steele and Balto strategized on their escape, the main door to the warehouse opened and an entourage of no less than thirty walked in. They heard chatter in the crowd. A well dressed man with a red tie stood in the center and motioned to the animals like a barker at a carnival.
"I'm guessing he is the grand-pubba." Steele said.
"I suppose, I can barely see him." Balto returned. Even though they were a fair distance away, he could hear the man's booming voice.
"Mr. Rouliani, you have done a fine job taking care of my investments, when can we expect to see a return in this fine specimen here?" Said the man as he pointed to a cage that contained a Bengal tiger.
"Watch out boss, this city cat here is not very nice." Rouliani warned.
"I said how much is he gonna make me, not if he'll kiss my feet." the man said obnoxiously.
"The latest buyer said she would be worth a nickel."
"50 Gee`s huh, not bad. Seeing she is practically feral." The tiger seemed to understand the underhanded comment and lunged at the bars. In quick response, Tony came up with a long metal rod and jabbed it at the tiger. Balto heard a snap and the tiger backed away quickly.
"Thank you, Mr. Kelanchi. Now then, about the latest catch." Rouliani said. "For you gentlemen that do not know, we have recently acquired not one but two of the famous dogs from the International Dog Sled Race earlier this year. I am sorry to inform you interested buyers, but the two adults have already been sold to a buyer in France. We do have another option for you however." Balto turned his head around and knew immediately as to who this Rouliani was referring to, Loki and Suki.
"Over my dead body." He mumbled under his breath. The entourage approached the cage and Steele's grand-puba leaned in on them. He cracked a wicked smile revealing a set of pearly white teeth and as he began to speak, Balto could smell something akin to rotting fish.
"Hello there buddy, I bid you welcome to my wonderful city of Chicago." In response, Balto let out a low growl.
"I don't think he likes you very much Mr. Capone." someone behind joked.
"Nonsense Mr. Young, I'm a natural with doggies." Capone tried to pat Balto on the head and he snapped at his hand, Balto felt his teeth make contact and a small metallic taste on his tongue. "Ack! Little bastard bit me!"
"I'm sorry Al, I should have warned you. This one here is Balto; he is not exactly a dog, more of a wolf really." Rouliani said apologetically.
"Oh, so he is more wolf eh? Gentlemen, Snappy here made this a teachable moment. You see with wild animals, they'll never listen, but there is a way to make them to get in line." Capone grabbed the rod out of Tony's hand and jabbed it into Balto's side. The rod connected and sent a shock throughout his body. Balto felt the volts coarse up and down his body; every nerve and muscle snapped into action, causing him to jump way and fly into the opposite side of the cage. A dull pain emanated from his shoulder as he flew into a bar. He fell onto the floor of the cage and passed out. "Pain gentlemen, pain. It works not only with dogs but people too." He stuck Tony in the leg with the device, causing its target to collapse onto the concrete floor in a heap. "Next time, do your job, you nincompoop!" He switched off the rod and tossed it on to Tony's chest. The gaggle of bidders, mob-bosses and bodyguards moved on to the next animal on their list. Behind them Rico and Andre watched as Capone commenced with his display. As he looked on, Andre shook his head.
"What a pig." he said to himself.
"Whatcha say?" Rico asked.
"I said that man is a pig. Those shock rods are made for dangerous animals like Gertrude, not for sled dogs, wolf or no. Hell, if he had kept that up much longer on that setting, he would have spent a hundred grand on his little temper tantrum."
"How do you know that?"
"I built them."
"Jesus, what about Tony?" Rico was concerned for his colleague, of whom was still on the floor.
"He'll be fine in a couple of minutes. Come on; help me get him on his feet." Andre picked the rod up off of Tony's chest and tossed it away. They then helped him up onto a crate.
"I can't move my leg." Tony said in a dazed and absent voice.
"That is what happens when a hundred-thousand volts hits you." Andre knew his whole leg had cramped up and was not going to be very pleasant for a few minutes "Stay here pal, I'll be right back." Andre zipped into another room and came back with a glass of water and a bag of ice. "Here drink some water, Rico put this on his leg, it will help with the pain." Andre looked over his shoulder at the cage and saw an unconscious Balto on the side of the cage with Steele and the pups around him.
"Balto! Balto speak to me!" Steele shouted. "Come on buddy! Wake up!" Steele heard footsteps behind him and saw Andre walking towards him, Steele jumped at the side of the cage and began to snarl and bark at him. As he came closer, Steele snapped at him and he quickly backed off. Behind him, Suki licked the side of Balto's face.
"Papi! Wake up!" Balto lay there still as a statue. With Andre in retreat, Steele rushed back to Balto; he could see he was still breathing, just knocked out cold.
"He'll be ok kids; he just needs to sleep it off." Steele herded Suki and Loki around him and they all laid down around Balto to keep him warm. Steele heard a subtle whimper coming from Loki.
"Are you okay son?" Steele knew the answer to his own question.
"Why are they doing this to us papa?" Loki sniffled, a single tear rolled down his face and dropped onto the floor.
"I don't know kiddo, I don't know." Steele lied; he knew exactly what their fates were.
"Why did that man hurt Balto?"
"Because Balto bit him and he is not a nice man. Come now, get some sleep. I will wake you up when sleeping beauty here comes around, again." Loki curled up into a ball between Steele and Balto, Suki followed suit and they drifted to sleep. Steele also began to doze and laid his head down on his paws. He closed his eyes just long enough to miss the large bowl of water to appear on the other side of the cage. He snapped up and surveyed the outside of the cage, he saw Andre walking away and occasionally looking over his shoulder. Steele stood and walked to the bowl. He lapped up some of the water, it was cool and refreshing. He nosed the bowl to the others in the cage and splashed some Balto's way. The water landed on him and he twitched in reaction to the cool spray on him. After a few small splashes he began to come around. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he let out a low moan of pain.
"Steele, I'm up, you can stop-" another splash of water hit his face. "Hey, stop wasting it!" Steele stopped and smirked.
"Sorry, I was having too much fun."
"Right, let me have some." Balto attempted to stand but the pain from his shoulder flew out and he collapsed on the floor. He settled for crawling instead. The water felt good in his dehydrated mouth.
"Do you think it's broken?" Steele asked.
"No, just a sprain, doesn't mean it feels like a bed of tulips though."
"Well I got news for you Howler, that shoulder of yours is gonna be the least of our worries. In a few days, you and me are gonna be stuck in the middle of France and the kids of over there are-, I don't even want to think about it." Balto saw the concern in his eyes and knew immediately what they had to do.