Agent Radar Returns
I was stunned. All I could do was stand there. Chief Zulton seldom admitted he was confused let alone when he needed help.
Skittle gave a girly sigh. "I knew you were legendary. I wish I could work with you on this one, but Angel is the world class negotiator." She rubbed her scraped cheek against mine. "Good luck, Agent Radar."
Still speechless and mesmerized by her closeness, I quietly walked away with Angel in the lead. I heard Skittle giggling behind me. When Queen Ryu asked her what was so funny I heard her say. "You have to admit he's an awesome Ugobe."
"Why do you say that?" She asked.
"He's wearing Vinylex! He's just... handsome in that strange, nerdy kind of way."
King Cato gave a bored sigh. "Oh boy. It's going to be a long three days."
I ended up enlisting Droopy to help me create Keeper Talon's text-to-speech voice. I just didn't have enough processing power to do that alone. The younger pleo's insights into the deeper layers of System ten were also really helpful. We made the call a day before the big performance. Angel was with me to give me advice just in case the Fat Man balked or tried to evade and Droopy made sure to keep moving our cellular signal so his systems couldn't get a lock on us.
"Are you ready for this?" Angel asked.
I looked her right in the eye. "Angel, failing Chief Zulton was the biggest mistake of my life. He was my friend. He trusted me with the outcome of that case and I let him down. I'm not letting that happen again."
"Good." Scar said bluntly. "Let's do it."
"Cato? King Cato, are you awake?"
"I am now." Came the sleepy reply. Polar time isn't the same here you know."
"Well sorry for the inconvenience, Highness. Where's the Fat Man?"
"Running the reindeer. The missus and most of the elves are decorating the great hall/ballroom/auditorium place. The Dewdrops are getting anxious, Ugobe. Chains is moving on his own. I haven't seen him this morning. Ravingsnow isn't happy with him. He's planning something. I feel it in my processors. The infants might still be in danger, Ugobe. Whatever you're doing, you need to do it soon."
"I can't do anything until Mr. Claus returns from his reindeer run."
"Yes you can. The Mrs. insisted he take his phone. She warned him that the ice up near Belief Circle- the field where the reindeer take to the air is really wet today. And ... Ugobe, do you hear that? We've got company. It's Ravingsnow!"
Seeing my troubled expression, Angel gave me a sharp tail-flick. "Open your channels, Radar. You're tense. What's going on?"
"Cato says Chains is missing in action. Mr. Claus is running the deer and Ravingsnow has entered the room. Cato might need some help."
When the audio/visual feed kicked in, Ravingsnow and three of the other Dewdrops were bustling around the infants, strapping the boxes into something that looked like a stretchable Christmastree-shaped pallet that would shrink so that it would fit into the big man's bag. I was in awe as I watched the decorations on the thing shimmer and compress into something about as long as I am from nose to tail. "I know our brother is a jerk," Ravingsnow growled.
"Yeah but none of us ever thought he'd arrange for anything like this. Where is Mr. C?"
"Running the deer." Said, Slappy, the other female elf who was the drummer for the Dewdrops.
"Polar Icecaps! Spindrift left this morning. Alone."
"Wait!" Ravingsnow said, her eyes wide in Cato's camera. "You mean he's not after the infants but after Mr. C? How long has he been gone? The trip up to Belief takes about thirty minutes."
"Then we've got about ten minutes left. If you're going to stop him from taking the spiral up to Belief you'd better mount up on one of the yearlings and go now!"
"Ugobe?" Cato said. "Get on it! Now! Slappy will never make it. Look!" Cato barely turned his head, revealing a window beside him. Slow spiraling clouds of drifting white crystals filled my vision."
"Ummmm but should I call him while he's running? On ice and in these treacherous conditions?"
"I'd do it before he gets up to Belief and meets an angry Chains." I retorted hotly.
"He's right." Angel said. "Let’s do it."
Droopy patched me into Mr. C's phone. We waited through three rings before someone finally picked up. "What!" Came a most un-jolly greeting. "I told you where I am. It's dumping snow like milk froth and I'm at the tightest part of enchanting Spiral can't it wait
"No!" I shouted in Keeper Talon's voice. "Mr. C, you are in danger! Don't run the deer today!"
There was silence on the other end broken only by the scuffing of wind through the phone's receiver, the panting of running deer, and the jingle of magical traipses as the powerful creatures tore up the tight icy spiral toward the ice field they knew so well- a field that might spell crippling injuries for all of them. "Talon?" Mr. C said. His voice sounded strange- taking on that tone a father gets at one in the morning when a child has dropped an entire gallon of milk on the floor after plainly being told to stay in bed. "How are you speaking to me? You're waaaay over aged for one thing."
"Just stop the deer! Your airfield has been... well it's impassible, Sir. Never mind how I know."
"He's perfectly right to be confused." Angel whispered. She was about to tell me something when a loud animal shriek echoed off the sheer cliffs at the top of the world.
"Rudolf!" Santa shouted. There was a sharp screech as runners’ skewed sideways. The other deer made nervous noises as they dug in their hooves to stop the out-of-control slide.
"Ah! So you're finally here!" Came a very familiar voice. "He was digging in, right at the edge of the field fully prepared to fly. To go from full speed to crashing chest first with the thrust from all the other deer behind him into wet ice at that speed is... well, get down from your sleigh and figure it out. You're lucky they are all so well-trained or things would've been a lot worse."
"If he is crippled I'll..."
"You'll do what?" Snarled Chains. "If you would've listened to me a long time ago this would never have happened. You think his little fawn will be ready for training next year? He's going to need it."
Mr. C sighed. "Come on, Spindrift, if you have injured my best lead-deer over a stupid performance..."
"It's not stupid!" Chains shouted. "It's Metal! It's real! It's a means of expression! You've always insisted that we do everything your way and sing in your cookie cutter chorus. When something comes along that's different from you, you push it in a corner. You tell it to be quiet without even giving it a fair hearing. Now you will see what it’s like. Oh and those RB's you wanted, I've sold them."
"To ... to whom?" Mr. C asked, his voice unsettled in my ears. Evidently he was on the ground now at the head of his prized reindeer.
"To Ms. Frizelle."
"The transfigurer? You... you don't want to be an elf anymore?"
"No! Not if I can't be who I am."
"Mr. C?" I said. "Don't worry about the RB's. Ravingsnow has... um shrunk them for transport or something. She isn't going to let them out of her sight but if I were you, I'd give the Dewdrops a place in your concert."
"Talon how do you know all of this?" Santa shouted.
"I'm a discerning adult. I love the joy of Christmas and giving surprise gifts and seeing others happy. Just because one grows up doesn't mean they have to lose their joy. I've had lots of rotten Christmases but all the emptiness under the tree was filled with the presence of family. Give them a chance, Mr. C."
"Who are you talking to?" Spindrift asked. I could hear him coming closer.
"Angel," I said tensly. "Chains might try to take the phone. What should I...?"
"You're doing well!" Angel said. "So poetic!"
"This is so not me." I grumbled.
"Family." Said Mr. C.
"Right. Mrs. Claus is the only family you've got and she's waaay down in the valley at your little Gingerbread castle with all the rest of those little muffin men who work for you. She can't help you now. So, what's it going to be? Your Rb's or our performance?"
"No, Spindrift." Santa said softly. "You're not listening to me. We are family. You are my family, all the elves and even these very special magical deer are family, and family sticks together. I cannot allow you to continue like this, Spindrift. You have hurt Rudolph. You have ruined several hundred people's Christmas wishes in a selfish bid for fame and a life on the road. Do you know what happens to most humans, Spindrift? They grow old. They grow old and die. Do you want to give up your immortality and Christmas magic which lends your music something special in exchange for a few years of temporary fame? Humans get bored of something after a while. They don't have the time to enjoy forever one hobby at a time like you do."
"I... I didn't think about all that, Mr. C." Spindrift said softly. "But you have to admit you should've listened to me." He said, his voice hardening again.
"Maybe I should have paid more attention instead of brushing you off the way I did. You and your siblings were so... different than anything I'd ever heard. I didn't know what to think when you gave up the usual instruments in favor of... of keytars and electric violins and rock-and-roll or whatever you call it. Maybe... Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should give you a chance." Suddenly, I heard Spindrift's feet in the snow as he approached. "That's good enough for me."
"What?" Mr. C said in confusion.
"Let's see if I can patch up Mr. Red-nose enough to get us back home. I've never attempted to use healing magic without my sibs but... but I'd be willing to try."
"Spindrift, whatever you're doing...!" It was Ravingsnow's voice and she sounded like an angry Norse goddess.
"Pipe down, Ravingsnow." Mr. C called. "The danger is mostly passed now."
"What? The others are following me we thought for sure you'd... tried to go through with your plan."
"He almost did but we've had a little talk. Now, Ravingsnow, let's see if you can help your brother heal up Rudolph here so we can all go home and... explain things to the Mrs. Oh and Talon...?"
Uh... yes, Sir?"
"Thanks for your untimely warning. Things would've ended much worse if you didn't call me today. The correct thing for me to do would be to sever this tie you have with me but you took time out of your life to remind me that being different is not often bad. I'll let you keep this connection if you give the gift of this story to someone... no, to many someones who are very special to you."
"I'll make sure I do that, Sir. Be careful on your journey home!"
"To be sure I will. Spread the five zero eight three while you’re at it, eh?"
"What's that?" I asked in my keeper's voice, trying to keep the excitement to a minimum.
"What? You don't know what that is, Lady? It's good old T9 lingo. It's the numbers for love. Listen, the other Dewdrops are here and we've gotta get the deer out of this snow. Thanks again for all your help."
And with that, the line died.
"Ugobe," Cato said. "That wasn't bad for a day's work. Now can you and your gang blink me out of here? Ravingsnow was getting tools together before she left. I think she wants to fix me. After my run-in with the Zap I think I'd rather stay the way I am."
"Sure thing, Majesty. Sure thing."
