“So...what now?” One asked.
The other scratched his head. “I didn’t know it was so big. I mean, I wanted to get on the news for stealing this thing, but...wow, it was heavier than it looks.”
“Hey, I got an idea.” The first one announced.
Another voice above them said, “Actually, I have a better idea...no matter what idiocy was going to come out of your mouth.”
Starmaster hovered in the air over the two crooks, his arms folded and his expression less-than-amused.
“Aw crud, it’s a cape.” The first crook said.
The second pulled out a gun. “I ain’t go’n back to jail!” he shot, but the bullet merely bounced off.
Starmaster slowly lowered himself to the ground and said, “I see that you two aren’t much of a challenge, so I will not fight you. But...” he tilted his head, “I hear the police, on their way, responding to my call. Now you can try to fight, run, or turn yourself in. Whichever path you choose, you’ll end up in cuffs. Trust me.”
Exclaiming a few select expletives, both men knelt down and waited for the police. Starmaster picked up the massive tribute to Joe Louis and carried it to a safer place. He spent a moment examining the damage to the display itself.
The police arrived and had the two men in cuffs in a matter of moments. One officer came over to Starmaster.
“You think it’s damaged bad?”
“Nah, just some scratches on the arm. Will take a little welding to get it back into...”
Everyone jumped when they heard a loud thump, followed by another.
“What was that?” The officer looked around.
Starmaster looked up and down the thinly populated streets. “I don’t know. It’s the middle of the night. Detroit isn’t normally bustling too much at this hour in January.”
The officer clicked his walkie talkie just as a massive shadow creature walked around a building. Two red glowing eyes stared down at them.
“Oh, that isn’t right.” The officer said.
“Please repeat that.” The lady on the other end of his walkie asked.
Starmaster shoved him back. “Run, get away. That’s Krampus... I think.”
The officer didn’t need more encouragement and beat a hasty retreat, dragging along the crooks with him as he jumped into his car.
Starmaster rose in the air and stared down at the monster approaching him. “It can’t be Krampus. I watched him die out in the ocean.”
The monster, which had the body shape of Krampus, rushed toward him. There was hardly any definition to the figure, and an inky shadow misted all around him.
Before Starmaster could call for aid from BADGE, the monster set him upon. The fight was epic. Starmaster was not going down easily, but neither was this strange creature. The battle threatened to damage the city, so Starmaster drove the fight toward the water. The giant Krampus thing stepped back and then lunged for Starmaster. With a well placed psychic blast, Starmaster sent this thing stumbling backward, tripping it over the permanently docked riverboat. The monster plowed into the Detroit River.
While it lay on its back in the water, sinking down, Starmaster formed a psionic blade from the hilt he had made to enhance his powers. He made a massive arch in the sky and went for a heart stabbing motion at the creature’s chest.
Darkness followed a blinding smash as Starmaster was hit. He felt his body crash into the ground and was out for a moment. He awoke to the sounds and lights of emergency help. Local police and an ambulance were present, as well as a unit from BADGE.
“Starmaster? Are you with us?” Agent Justin asked.
Starmaster realized he was on a gurney being wheeled toward the ambulance. “I’m alive.”
“What happened?”
“It was Krampus...I...” A mask was placed over his face to provide extra oxygen.
“Please, don’t exert yourself too much. You need medical attention. Sir,” the EMT looked at Justin, “You will have to get his statement later.” With that, Starmaster was raced into the ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital.
***
EB hopped as quickly as he could through the BADGE spacestation. He dodged heroes and agents alike as he dashed for the operations center. He paused for a second, ogled a particularly cute girl in a revealing super suit, and then finished his mad rush to his job.
Blasting out of the elevator, EB zipped right over to Director Nova. “At your service, Mr. Director sir!” he stopped with a paw up to his forehead like a salute.
Nova handed a tablet over to Gar, who walked it back to a robot to be processed. The Director casually said, “Did you get through to him?”
“I did indeed. But, since Christmas was just a few weeks ago and this year he tried my idea of giving out actual gifts, which was a brilliant idea. I mean, seriously, the people of Earth are so happy to have all their Christmas gifts. And the heroes are looking better and BADGE finally is out of the dog-house with the United Nations. It’s like Christmas was great for us all. And... what was I talking about?”
“SANTA!” Nova bellowed and then pinched the bridge of his nose as he calmed down.
“Oh, right. Yeah, I got him. But, he wasn’t up for a communication right now. He said he can give you a report later.”
Nova looked up at the screen as reports and information flooded by. “We have a potential crisis on our hands and I need his input about this.”
EB looked at the screen, one eyebrow and ear cocked, “Uh, I know those are all really cool numbers and diagrams, but I don’t understand them. What’s the crisis that needs Santa’s attention?”
“You know that we have been getting reports of a strange shadow monster showing up and then disappearing?”
“Yeah. It’s real creepy. I thought it was the Spirit of Halloween, but... he’s not this mean.”
“No. And last night it injured one of our heroes.”
“THE BIG JERK! Who was hurt? I’ll go shove an egg up that shadows...”
“It was Starmaster. He’s going to be fine. But, he gave us some information we haven’t had yet.” Nova clicked a button and a small window activated with Agent Justin reporting in.
“This is Agent Justin. I am in Detroit, Michigan. Starmaster has encountered the shadow monster and has identified it as Krampus. He was the only eyewitness outside of one police officer and two criminals, all of which agreed with the description.” The video stopped.
EB frowned, “Krampus? But he died. We all watched him die.”
“I know. This is very confusing. The only person who knows the most about Krampus is Santa, and that’s why I need to talk to him.”
Chase walked into the room. “Don’t forget, Krampus was my uncle for more than three centuries.”
Nova turned to her. “I understand that. However, Santa was his brother and knew him for a lot longer. If there is anything that Krampus left behind that could do this, your father will know. That is, unless you know something that you haven’t told me?”
“No.” Chase admitted. “I’m in the dark as well. I don’t know what this is, but I just know it isn’t from Krampus. He was evil in the end, but he was not truly evil at heart. This thing is mindlessly wicked.”
Gar rushed over with the tablet in his hand. “Director, we are getting an active report of an attack by this thing in Buenos Aires. It is attacking NullForce. She is sending us active feed from her body cam.”
“On screen, now!”
Gar flicked his stone fingers over the tablet, and the video played on the screen.
A shaky, dizzying view of the metropolis filled the monitors. They could see hands and arms from the person wearing this cam as she sped toward a three story tall shadow monster.
“Nullforce! Don’t go in alone!”
“Sir, the communications aren’t active. She can’t hear you.” Gar said.
“Then activate them, I...”
They all cringed when they saw her hit hard by a giant claw and crash through windows of an office building, coming to a stop in a pile of chairs and a desk. On the screen, the camera was still feeding and they could see out the windows of this office. The giant shadow face of Krampus came close to the building and looked in. Then, it vanished like smoke being blown away on a strong breeze.
Chase pointed at one of the robots. “Contact authorities in Buenos Aires. Get aide to that location now.”
EB said, “what happened? Why did it stop?”
“I don’t know. But, I did learn something.”
Gar asked, “What?”
“It took her down and was able to attack the city, but stopped.”
EB now asked, “What does it mean?”
“That thing isn’t going after civilians, governments, or military targets. It’s after heroes and I want to know why.”
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