by Chris Hechtl
“Oh.”
“You really need to watch the calorie intake. Also your blood sugar. You do not want to end up as a diabetic because of the cookies,” Nick warned.
“Oh. But …”
“Scoop them into the box,” Nick ordered.
“The box? Oh, okay …,” Charles scooped the cookies up into the box. He hit the button. It turned from red to green after a moment.
“It what, teleported back?”
“No, the system converted the caloric energy into electrical energy for us.”
“Oh.”
“It's a drop in the bucket but every little bit helps. Speaking of which,” Nick said as he pulled a box nearly a meter long out of his bag, “don't forget the milk.”
“Okay,” Charles said, pouring the milk into the box as well. He did remember to leave a thank you card and then turned to Nick. “Got it?”
“It's bulky,” Nick grunted. “We really should have powered suits,” he grunted.
“Here,” Charles said, moving in to help. He carefully helped the older man get the rather hefty package under the tree.
“Done?” he asked softly.
“Let me check my list,” Nick said, touching his glasses. His eyes scanned and then he nodded. “You did the stockings?”
“Yes,” Charles replied, turning to let the other man see the stockings. “Hanging them from the stairs is different. Tricky though.”
“When you don't have a fireplace, anything goes,” Nick replied. They could hear stirring above. “The kids are awake.”
“Or a pet,” Charles murmured. “Shall we?” he asked, putting his index finger up.
“Not quite yet,” Nick said. He waited a bit, then when he was sure the kids were on the way down he winked. “I'll go first.” He put his finger alongside his nose, which triggered the teleport procedure. He immediately dematerialized. Air rushed in to where he had once been in a slight woosh.
“That is so cool,” Charles murmured.
He had to wait for the system to reset itself though, so he stood there anxiously as he heard the kids murmuring sleepily at the top of the stairs.
“Charles, you've got movement. One child is going to the bathroom; the other is headed your way,” HQ stated over the radio net.
“Roger,” Charles murmured. He heard feet rush down the stairs then stop. Then to his surprise a white and brown cat came down first. She stopped at the sight of him then came over warily.
“Cat,” he said, touching his ear.
“More incoming,” the elf replied. Charles heard a light switch click then feet rushing down the first flight of stairs. He looked at the teleport count down. It got to five and lit yellow just as the kids rounded the corner. When it got to one, he put his finger to his nose, but it didn't trigger. He pulled his hand back, then tried it again just as the kids peaked around the corner to him. He couldn't help himself; he winked just as the little tykes looked. They stared gaping at him as the teleporter kicked and he was whisked away.
“That was fun,” Charles said with a grin. He was a bit jittery from the experience, but the kid's reaction had been awesome, just as he'd imagined. “Though why it waited so long …,” he shook his head.
“I wanted you to get the full experience,” Nick chuckled. “So I told them to give it a couple extra seconds.”
“I see. You wanted me to get caught?” Charles asked, turning an eye on the older man.
Nick spread his gloved hands apart. “Half the fun is to see the kids and then poof, away. I bet they are at a window somewhere looking for us.”
“And that explains the jingling of sleigh bells over the speakers,” Charles said with a nod.
“Exactly. Ready for the next house?”
“Let's do it!”
“That's the spirit. We'll make a proper Santa out of you yet.”
~~~*~~~
“Don't sit,” Nick warned. Charles shot him a confused look. Nick shook his head. “Trust me on this. The up and down is horrible on your knees. And once you've sat, a bit it's harder to get moving again. Standing is rough on your feet, but it is better than feeling that way.”
“Okay,” Charles said as he watched Nick set his bag down on his chair and then roll his shoulders and do some stretches. He did the same. Nick nodded in approval.
“Use this time wisely. Check your gloves to make sure they are clean. If you need a new set, there are spares on board. If we run out, we'll have to get some from HQ.”
“Okay.”
“Check your suit for problems. Electronics too. Your suit powers some of the electronics so you should be good there.”
“I don't get that …. You mentioned the cookies but the suits?”
“It's a complex nanoweave built into the fabric. It takes your body heat and motion and turns it into electrical energy.”
“Oh.”
“It's not very efficient but every little bit helps,” Nick said.
“Yeah, about that …. How much energy do you get from the cookies? The food?” Charles asked as they waited their turn for the next stop. Santas were moving in and out of the shuttle at a steady pace. They were ninth in the set, so they had another two minutes he judged before it was their turn.
“It depends on how much sugar there is. But not a lot.”
“So is it okay if I try one once and a while?”
“Have at it. Just don't get carried away like I said,” Nick warned.
“Of course not. But I want the full Santa experience. It helps to put me in the mood,” Charles replied.
Nick snorted. “As long as you don't start singing Jingle Bells, I'm good.”
Charles chuckled.
“You two are up in ten,” Cedric said, pointing to the duo.
“That's our cue,” Nick said, slinging the bag once more. Charles did as well.
~~~*~~~
Twenty houses in and Charles was pretty sure he had the hang of it. The home decorations were nice to see, but they were starting to blur together. He noted a few of the veteran Santas were prepping themselves with floor plans in advance. One, Adam, was even stretching and going through the motions he was going to use. Apparently he and a black Santa, Mark, were in some sort of competition on who could get the best time in a single night.
“You took the history courses of course, right?”
“The basics,” Charles agreed with a nod. “Mostly the basic twentieth and twenty-first century version, though I do remember some of the material on the deeper history of Santa and Father Christmas,” he admitted.
“Ah yes, Father Christmas. Odin,” Nick replied with a grin. “We're sticking to America though. There are region-specific Santa teams for the other continents.”
“I'd like to see it sometime.”
“Take a couple of the other courses and chat with the group. You'll need to learn the languages too.”
“Ah.”
“Histories, traditions …”
“It is a lot to take in. Now I'm glad we've got the nags,” Charles said, taking his off to clean a bit of dust off the right lens.
“Indeed.”
“Brigade though?”
“Hmm?”
“Santa's Brigade?”
Nick snorted. “It was going to be named Santa's Companions but well …,” he shrugged.
“Too many echoes of Krampus, Belsnickel, and the others?” Charles asked.
“You know your history,” Nick said with a nod of approval.
“If we're going to be doing this worldwide, I thought I should do my research.” Charles shook his head. He sighed heavily. “I've forgotten so much.”
Nick raised a sculpted eyebrow. “Really?”
Charles spread his gloved hands apart. “I always took an interest in my name. Kringle,” he said. Nick nodded. “Ever since I was a child it intrigued me, I was fascinated by Santa. My mother used to tease me about becoming him one day.”
“And here you are.”
“Yes.”
“You two are
up,” Cedric said and then pointed to the yellow light. He held up a five count, and then counted down with his fingers.
~~~*~~~
On their thirtieth, or was it twenty-ninth stop? Charles wasn't sure. He shrugged such thoughts off. As if it counted, he thought. They ran into a slight problem when Charles ported in with a sleeping pair of children on the couch. Charles thought they were going to port out and route around, but Nick shook his head and quietly pulled packages out.
At the sounds of their work, the mother came in. She paused, then smiled beautifully at them in her robe. Nick looked up, gave her a wink and nod, then put a finger to his lips. She nodded, eyes shining. They finished up, and then Nick ported out as the mother went to sit next to the kids. She gently shook them awake just in time to see Charles wave to them. The kids blinked in surprise and waved back at him, all smiles. He put his finger alongside his nose and ported out.
~~~*~~~
Eight hours into the night, they had to pause so the shuttle could refuel. “How are we doing?” Nick asked, turning to the elf. “Any problems?”
“Fine, fine,” Cedric said with a thumbs-up. Each shuttle had a specific area to cover. There were two shuttles in reserve in case of failure. Each continent was broken down by region. Only a blizzard could keep the Santas away, and not for long. If they had problems due to weather, they would pull out, do other areas, then the entire unit would hit the snowbound areas from low altitude. It was a hairy experience Charles had heard; some of the Santas had told some wild stories. He'd wondered why they hadn't gone above the storm and teleported down until an instructor had informed them about the teleporter's many limitations.
The best Santas could do ten homes an hour … if the area they were working in was clustered properly. The rising sun chased them west, urging them to finish quickly.
The entire setup was quite efficient he knew. They were using a modified version of delivery program and algorithms to make the most efficient route possible. “Just getting around the various flight restrictions is a hassle,” Nick said to his partner with a grimace.
Charles nodded. “I thought it would be.” He wasn't sure how they'd managed it. Shuttles normally only came down over water.
“The teleporter is range limited too, which is why we go in teams of two when possible, with a driver of course,” Nick said, nodding to the elf.
“I see,” Charles said with a slight hint of disapproval in his voice.
Nick eyed him. “You sound disappointed.”
“It's not very traditional.”
“It is as close as we can get. Teams work best on large families. Don't worry, you'll get your chance to solo soon enough.”
“Well, to be honest I'd wanted a chance to crack the whip and drive the sleigh,” Charles chuckled.
Nick snorted. “If we have time, you might get your chance. But we have to finish up first.”
“Now there's an incentive.” Charles cocked his head. He much rather liked that over bragging rights with the other Santas. He wasn't there to show off; he wanted the full experience. “Why don't you just set up a portal of some sort in each home? Drop in and out?”
“Each bag is expensive. We've gotten the price down but trust me, don't lose that bag.”
“Okay.”
“Don't worry, it has fail safes for tracking and to disable it. But don't leave it behind.”
“I don't plan to.”
“It's happened once. Which is why you have your glasses and HUD. And the reminders,” Nick said pointedly. “It's not just to keep you on schedule. One forgotten item off the checklist means we have to go back and correct it. Which snowballs.”
Charles grimaced slightly. “The nags,” he said. Each Santa and field elf was outfitted with a pair of spectacles that were both eye protection and a HUD linked to a tiny computer built into his suit. It allowed him to send and receive information from the sleigh and the base. It also had a tiny camera built into the rim that acted as a night vision system. It fed the night vision to the HUD to let him see in the dark. The thing that looked like a hearing aide around his right ear was actually a small transceiver, microphone, speaker, and battery unit.
“Right.”
“Isn't this um, sexist? Any worries about getting sued?”
“The ladies can work this too. There are two ladies who dress as Santa and four more that dress as Mrs. Claus. But most prefer to stay in the base as an elf. We have a very low retention for women in this line of work. It is very demanding.”
“I see that,” Charles said, rubbing the small of his back. “I'm glad you told me to put that weight belt on. I almost left it out.”
“Don't. Trust me. By the time this evening is over you'll be slathering yourself in Ben gay and praising that thing. The bag and gear do not appear heavy but after a while it wears on you.”
“Gotcha.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Is the boss considering going commercial?” Nick eyed him. “I'll take that as a no … crap.” He frowned at the blinking yellow light indicating their next stop is imminent. “Um … No offense.”
“The answer is no. We've got enough money. Though some parents give us the money they were going to use to buy gifts too. And we do take donations.”
“I see,” Charles said as he hefted the bag.
~~~*~~~
During the evening 1 Santa was injured. Terry had tripped on a low coffee table in the dark. His ankle had been twisted despite the high boots and ankle support. Cedric and Nick checked him out and then patted him on the knee. “You're out of this, Terry, sorry.”
“But…”
“You know you can't put any weight on that. I know you don't want to disappoint but I want you around next year.”
Terry looked crestfallen. “Who will cover my shift?”
“Get that swelling under control. We'll cover it, the rest of us. We're a team, remember?” Nick said, giving the other man's shoulder a squeeze. Terry nodded. Nick split the other drops up amongst the other Santas. No one groaned or complained. Many stopped to pat Terry on the shoulder.
Charles realized they were all dedicated to the work. It wasn't really work, it was tiring but it was a labor of love. He felt for Terry but with Terry down he finally had a chance to solo. He was suddenly both excited and dreading the idea.
~~~*~~~
Two and a half hours to go before dawn Adam had a scary encounter with a dog. He was unhurt but his suit was torn up by the Great Dane. Nick and Charles were filled in when they each teleported in.
“I damn near stuck my finger up my nose getting out of there,” Adam said, still breathing hard. Charles chuckled.
“We'll send them a nasty email after the holiday. There is no excuse for that, you could have been killed,” Nick said, eyes flashing. “You up for this?” Nick asked, turning to Charles.
Charles nodded. “Sure. Let's do it.”
Adam got himself under control and then borrowed Terry's coat. He couldn't do anything about his pants though, the right leg and boot had been torn up. The dog hadn't bit him; it had been his claws that had done the worst of the damage. Adam had wisely distracted the dog with a bone in the mouth until they could teleport him out.
“I'm out,” he sighed.
“I knew that already,” Nick said, shaking his head. “You can see if Cedric packed a needle and thread but I doubt it,” he said.
Cedric frowned thoughtfully. “I can check.”
“Put it in the kit for next time if you hadn't,” Nick advised. The Load Master nodded.
“We can try some rigging tape,” Charles said thoughtfully. The others turned to him. “The wardrobe master did it during a couple of plays I was in.”
“It will be tacky. No,” Nick said.
“Do it from the inside. So you can't see it. Turn the pants inside out, tape up the rips from the inside, then there you go,” Charles said.
Nick looked thoughtful for a moment and then turned to Terry and Adam. “Give it a go. What do we have to lose?” Both men no
dded. “In the meantime we'll fill in,” he said. He looked at Charles. Charles unplugged his sack and stood.
Right then,” Nick sighed as Charles nodded to Cedric. The jump light turned green and he was off again.
~~~*~~~
When they finished their route they were exhausted but elated just as dawn cracked the horizon behind them. The shuttle climbed into the air over the Pacific Ocean for home. “All here and accounted for,” Cedric said, checking them off on his tablet. “Time to head back to North Pole city for some eggnog!” he said with a grin.
Many of the weary Santas cheered and high fived. Others pulled off their gloves and outer coats and got comfortable for the ride back.
Nick looked over to Charles. “Do you want to try flying the sleigh? Or I should say sit in the hot seat while the auto pilot gets us back to base?” He asked, indicating the ladder to the pilot's compartment.
“No, maybe next time. I see I need to work out a bit more,” Charles said with a shake of his head. He wasn't that old but it was tiring. The elf load master handed him a cup of coffee then turned with a steaming ornate cup with reindeer on it. He handed it to Charles. “Here you go Nicholas. Hot cocoa just the way you like it as usual.”
“Thanks Cedric,” Nick said with a grin as he took the cup. He sniffed it and then looked at Charles curiously. “What?”
“You're the boss?”
“Yeah…” Nick drawled.
“No, the boss. The owner…” Nick's eyes twinkled. Finally Charles caught on. He nodded slowly. “You were checking me out. From the beginning. But I thought you'd have someone else do the training?”
“I like to do such things hands on. To see if you really are worthy to wear the suit,” Nick said. He took a sip of cocoa then sighed in appreciation. Cedric snorted and then left to get the other Santas their drinks. One was snoring softly. He pulled out an embroidered Santa afghan and draped it over the sleeper then kept going. The other Santas murmured among themselves but most were just relaxing.
“So, did I pass?” Charles asked, anxious to find out.
Nick smiled. “I don't know, did you?”
“I want to do it again. I know I can do more,” Charles vowed. “And I so want to see the kid's faces when they open the gifts we delivered.”