Christmas Story: Santa is Missing by Timebender

Thank you Timebender for entering the Christmas Fiction Contest. Here is their story...

(By Dan Peyton)

Over the bleak, cold arctic north a large BADGE landing craft buzzed through the gray skies. Gliding next to it was the stone hero Gargoyle, keenly watching the white land below.

Nova sat in the command seat of this large craft while his trusty robots managed the controls. He touched a comm device attached to his ear, “Anything yet, Gar?”

Gar answered, “Just snow. I...WATCH OUT!”

The proximity alarm went off and the whole craft lurched to the side as something slammed into them. The whole craft spun out of control, the three robots on the bridge rolled about like toys in a storm while Nova kept his firm grip on the command chair.

Nova looked out the front windows as they fell out of the sky and slammed into the ground. Waves of white powder spewed from either side of the ship as they plowed across the frozen north. After the sliding came to a stop, Nova shoved the emergency exit open and jumped out.

Gar landed next to him, "Sir, look!"
A demon approached,“Ah, Director Nova. It’s been a while.”

“What is it this time, Krampus? You and I both know you’re unable to get into Santa’s palace.”

Krampus resembled a man with shaggy hair all over his body, long demonic horns on his head, a long tail, and goat-like legs. He smiled at Nova with those fangs of his, “True, I could never get into that place. But, things have changed.”
“What are you talking about?”

Krampus answers, “These Morphons are spectacular little blessings, now aren’t they? Some humans have been turned almost into gods with them, and some into demons...depends on what they do with them I suppose. I, already being nearly a god myself, found them to be most delightful.”

Nova growled, “What have you done?”

“What I was always meant to do, punish the nasty little brats of this world. And with Santa out of my way, I think I can do my job unhindered. I think I will go eat at least ten thousand children, for starters. I believe that should make up for the lost years with Santa holding me back. Then, who knows? Maybe I’ll eat a few thousand more, all before Christmas.”

“No, you can’t,” Nova exclaimed.

Krampus laughed, “Who will stop me? Without Santa’s cheer, and morphons surging through my body, I am invulnerable. Now, I think I’ll start with a nice aged appetizer.” He jumped at Nova but was blindsided by a full-body slam from Gar. Without a second thought, Gar punched the demon hard enough to send him sprawling ten feet backward across the snow.

“Stay away, monster,” Gar commanded.

Krampus sat there, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose. “You’re an interesting foe. I’ll enjoy playing with you when I’m done. But, alas, I have other plans.” He vanished in a black puff of smoke, leaving only a cackle in its wake.

Nova let out a furious scoff, “This is serious.”
"What was that thing?" Gar asked.
"A demon who dines on little children. Since you can fly, head back to BADGE HQ and alert the leagues that Krampus must be defeated. I’ll stay here and call on any heroes who can help me find Santa and set this all straight. GO!”

Gar took to the skies while Nova headed back into his wrecked ship. He activated his comm, “Nova to all heroes, I need anyone who can help me find Santa, this is a matter of planetary emergency.”

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(By Timebender) 

Timebender was rescuing children from being eaten by Krampus when he got Director Nova's message. What his other selves are doing is important, but so is this. He picks one analog and sends them off on a different mission, find Santa.

Finding Santa is never easy, even at normal times. While every child knows he lives at the North Pole, any scientist can tell you that he is not there when they look. That is because the North Pole where Santa lives is actually part of the Mythic realms, pocket or side dimensions associated with the "real" world which are located in the four hidden dimensions of space.

Science can tell you there are actually seven dimensions on a subatomic scale, not three. There is some thought that what is called Dark Matter is actually other three dimensional worlds that touch ours only on these subatomic levels...or possibly share only one or two dimensions with our own.

Santa's Workshop is one of those places, is shares two dimensions with our reality, but the third exists in what is to us only thoughts and dreams. As a result, it can only be found by those who believe it is there, something scientists with their objectivity can not do.

Having learned to see in these worlds during his fight with the Crooked Man, and existing in multiple universes thanks to the Options Oracle, Timebender can see and travel to the Mythic Realms, including Santa's Workshop, Heaven, and Hell.

Timebender exerts his powers a bit to flex time, arriving at the North Pole BEFORE Midnight in GMT so he can see what happened. As he has learned, while travelling in time he can not change the past, only see it.

He sees the Elves preparing things for the big night. Santa's reindeer being yoked to the sleigh, the toybag being magically filled so that the contents are able to be pulled out one at a time on the reverse order they are put in only, and the bag only weighs as much as the last item put into it.

He sees Krampus too, hidden in the shadows of the bright North Pole, in a dark echo. His place barred from the world, though Timebender is not sure how that was done.

He observes what happen, a rip in space-time releases Morphons into the space where Krampus is. The Demon gains great power, amplifying the powers he already has as Santa's flip side. He hits the North Pole just before Midnight, carrying his own sack. He wades through the Elves and grabs Santa, stuffing him into the sack, then inverts Santa's own bag into that sack as well, so that Santa is buried on the bottom of billions of undelivered gifts.

Well fudge, this is going to be tough, looks like the only way to get Santa out is to deliver all the gifts in the bag, in the reverse of the normal order to boot.

Fortunately, Krampus leaves the bag behind as he goes out to Torment the naughty children. Timebender is able to enter Krampus' world and take the bag.

Now comes the hard part, making the deliveries. Fortunately the reindeer know which way to go, he just has to get them to run the route backwards...or rather, they will run it forwards and HE will be inverted carrying the bag. He will get on the sleigh at the end of the run, and ride backwards through time until the start, dropping off the gifts until he can pull Santa out of the bag at the START of the run.

This is going to get confusing, but he has to leave NOW before he and Santa Arrive. Then Santa is going to be making the same deliveries at the same time, going Forwards in time...so what he will really be going amounts to putting the toys in Santa's bag just before Santa needs them.

Sometimes, Timebender hates his powers, even he gets confused by time travel. Still he heads into the future to close the time loop without encountering himself and gets on Santa's Sleigh as it arrives back at the end of the night.

Keeping himself inverted and moving at Santa speed all night long is going to leave him more than just exhausted...but doing what is necessary is what Heroes do.