Keller and Shaw looked nervously at each other, and then at the others. Elsa's rant had left them shaken, and they were starting to understand just how difficult it would be for them to ever be trusted members of Santa's team.
Before either of them could do anything, Bez walked up to them and looked them over. There was a sharply calculating glint in her eyes, one that made Keller and Shaw feel like they were being visually disected.
"You know, I have to side with Elsa on this." She said, an almost casually ominous note in her voice. "I lost a crewmate to you two." She said quietly, narrowing her eyes at them. "And other friends besides him." She turned away and took a seat across the room, where she could watch the pair.
"Look, before anyone else tears into us," Shaw began. "Can we offer some help?"
"Ah, yes, that reminds me." Diane said, cutting Shaw off. "You remember the green orb Criter mentioned before-" She winced and shook her head. "Before he died? According to these two, Miranda has loads more, and all of them set to do nasty things." Diane pulled the nullified orb she had found in the post office from her pocket, and showed it to the others.
Nutcracker gaped for a moment, looking horrified.
Don't worry, this one's been neutralized." Diane reassured. "But there's more."
"She is planning an attack." Thande added. "For tonight."
"What?" Sigma exclaimed. "Tonight? And you bring in some of her own minions?"
Better they're with us than with her, mate." Diane said matter-of-factly.
"We're not with her anymore!" Keller exclaimed desperately. "I don't know what we have to do to convince you!"
"Oh, I'm sure something will come up." Matrix spoke up, a knowing glint in his eyes. "I have a feeling you'll get a chance. And if things turn sour, well...I figure you can guess what will happen to you."
Keller and Shaw nodded nervously.
Matrix smiled. "Excellent. Now, do you have any other information we might find useful for tonight? I'm in no hurry to lose any more comrades." His expression darkened. "I've lost far too many patients. There's been enough death around here to last me for a long time."
Meanwhile, things were getting chaotic back at Miranda's base...
"What do you mean, you won't get me food?!" She howled, stamping her foot. "I'm starving, you rotten little brat, but its obvious all you can think about is yourself! I can't believe you want me to STARVE! I can't go hunt for myself," She whined. "since it's day time, but you obviously don't care."
"Miranda-" Her minion began.
"Shut up! If you won't get me food, I'll settle for something...like you!"
She lunged at the hapless minion and sank her fangs in his neck. Her other minions watched in disgust as she guzzled greedily from the still whimpering man. She tossed the drained body aside and wiped a sloppy trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.
She scowled at the minions. "What're you staring at! I need to eat, morons!" She paced around her base irritably. "Tonight, I'll finally get my revenge on that fat pig Santa! Half the idiots over there are already deader than dirt, so it'll be a snap to kill the rest." She smiled evily. "And then I'll have a nice big blood meal! I'll drain 'em all!" She snickered. "Since they're no match for me...I'll send them a little present..." She pulled a sickly green-brown orb from her pocket and set to work.
Things were still bumpy back at Santa's base. Keller and Shaw had been left nearly alone in the living room, with Thande to guard them, and a few others who were wary of leaving the two alone.
So, you're joining us, eh, mate?" Diane said to Nutcracker.
He nodded. "I've had some battle experience as you know, and couldn't just send someone, not without going myself...Not when it's a vampire, and Santa's life and so many others at risk."
The Sugarplum Fairy nodded. "You're a good friend and an honourable man. Santa knows that." she said.
Nutcracker appeared to be moved by this, but Diane didn't give him much chance to react.
"Don't be surprised when you find another war zone when you get back home." she quipped.
Nutcracker chuckled. "Our friend will shake things up for those royals, I'm sure. I'm glad she gets along with Clara Marie and myself though."
That's because you two are reasonable and down to earth." said Diane. "I shudder to think how it would be if Miranda and Pirlipat got together."
Nutcracker shuddered. "Ugh. Let's not go there."
Criter had been listening to things as they unfolded. Part of him wanted to rush out and look these two in the face, but he knew breaking his cover before these two were proven could be catastrophic. He paced restlessly around the room, and, more out of habit than anything else, glanced over at Dingy. He stopped in his tracks. Dingy was stirring slightly, and sat up at length.
"Dingy!" Criter exclaimed.
Dingy started, and looked around the room in surprise. "Oh! Hello, Mr. Criter!" He said with a smile. "You look a little worse for wear."
Criter laughed, walking up to Dingy's bed and taking a seat on the edge. "You're one to talk, Dingy."
Dingy giggled. "Do I really look that bad?"
"Oh, I've seen worse." Criter said, smiling mischeviously.
"Oh, come on, Mr. Criter. Tell me!"
"Well, put it this way. Anyone looking at you could tell you got in one heck of a spat."
Dingy nodded. "And it could have been much worse! I'm just glad we got out of-oh!" His eyes went wide. "Criter, we forgot the letters!"
Criter laughed. "The letters! Dingy, I was hardly worried about the letters. You were-" He stopped abruptly and had to begin again. "You were bleeding out in the snow, Dingy. Bringing the letters back was the last thing on my mind."
Dingy nodded. "Oh, all right." He looked around. "We the only ones home?"
Criter shook his head. "No, but we have to stay in. We...have company."
"Company?"
"Possible deserters. We're staying in here to maintain the illusion that we've died."
"Died?" Dingy exclaimed. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Two days, give or take a few hours."
Dingy shook his head. "Wow. I take a long nap, and I miss my own funeral! Anyway, why do we have to trick them? If they deserted that little brat queen, I say we trust them! They can help us stop her!"
Criter sighed. "It's not that simple, Dingy..."
Dingy frowned. "But...?"
"But nothing, Dingy. We've got to stay put until further notice."
Dingy yawned and nodded. "Fine." He sank back against his pillow. "I'm tired anyway." And with that, he fell asleep.
Criter sighed and stood up. He headed to the door and started listening to the outside again.
"...and that should be it." Shaw finished. "Those should be all the orbs she has. That we're aware of, anyway."
"And you think she'll use them tonight?" Matrix questioned.
"Most likely." Keller said. "There's a chance she might have some other orbs we aren't aware of, too."
Bez snorted. "So, really, you guys aren't much help at all."
Shaw shifted uncomfortably. "That's not-" He stopped abruptly and let out a yelp.
The others turned to face what he was starting at, and were equally shocked.
There was a face at the window, looking like a ghoulish rendition of Capri. It smiled demonically and walked through the window, closely followed by gruesome imitations of Criter and Dingy. The false Capri looked particularly haggard and pale, while the Criter and Dingy were badly torn up and bloody.
Gretel gasped, Ameh shuddered.
Nutcracker stared, open-mouthed.
Oh, really, what is this crap?" Diane demanded irritably of no one in particular.
The Capri smiled again. "Miss me?" It said before collapsing in a heap on the ground. It fell apart, limbs bouncing across the floor before vanishing.
Ameh uttered a few shrieks of horror and put her hands over her face.
The Criter and Dingy illusions attempted to speak, but could only let out choked gurgles before they too vanished.
"Ugh, that was - " Diane frowned.
"I believe the word is "sick." Gretel answered with a shudder.
"What - was - " Nutcracker started to say.
Bez scowled. "What the heck was that!?" She snarled.
Shaw swallowed. "A- a trick from Miranda. It has to be...they weren't actual doubles, just illusions...Miranda could probably do that with one of the orbs."
Keller nodded. "She probably trying to shake you up before tonight."
"It worked." Sigma said, shuddering.
"You okay, mate?" Diane went over to Ameh, who was still shaking.
Ameh uncovered her face and looked up, scowling, "But she won't be when I get to her!"
"What's happening in here?" Santa came rushing in from some other part of the house. "I thought I heard screaming."
"A real sickening Miranda trick, we think," Gretel explained.
Santa frowned.
"She always was a sick brat, but now that she's had a taste of power, she's gotten even worse." said Ameh.
More like she's always been this bad, but now she had a chance to give us a good demonstration." said Nutcracker with a disgusted frown.
"Well, one thing's for certain." Bez said, standing and squaring her shoulders. "Miranda means to fight dirty, and she's not going to hold anything back tonight. We need to give 'er all we've got." She smiled mirthlessly. "So we better get ready."
"What's going on in here?"NT peered in to the room and frowned. "Who're these two?"
Keller and Shaw grimaced. They weren't looking forward to another introduction.
"Meow! Meow!"
Oh, NT," Santa asked, "Could you let Spooky out?"
"Sure."
That put off the intro for a few moments, but then NT came back. "What's going on and who are they?"
Ameh shrugged. "Probably better if you didn't know." she muttered.
"They have fled from Miranda," said Santa. "This is Mr. Keller, and this is Mr. Shaw." He introduced them. "And this is NT," he said to them. "I think she's the only one besides all of the elves who you haven't yet met - and - " Santa said "She is Miranda's half-sister."
NT flushed. "No - I'm nothing to her except her worst enemy!" She checked herself and looked apologetically at Santa, "Sorry, Santa, I hope you didn't take that for me yelling at you. I don't want to be thought of, or referred to as anything sister to that girl."
"Understandable, considering all she's done. No offence taken." Santa said.
Elsa came in next. "Is somebody trying to make this place haunted and set everyone into a panic? I just saw the most bizarre - thing."
"One guess as to who's behind that." Gretel said. "An illusion of Dingy?"
Elsa nodded.
"Elsa," said Santa, "If you could send a blast to all of the elves, letting them know about this, and Miranda means to fight very nastily. They'll need to prepare as much as possible, for anything, including what magic she can throw at them via orbs or any other tools she may have in her arsenal."
"Yes, I'm on it." Elsa got out her Blackberry.
Santa got out a PDA and texted something.
In a few more moments, Jessica came in, followed by Pippi.
"Good. Now that we're all here, let's work out some plans." said Santa. "First, what have you to managed to learn about Miranda's characteristics - as a vampire?" Santa addressed Shaw and Keller.
"She's unstoppable in a feeding frenzy." Shaw said, a look of revulsion passing over his face.
"Yes, I'm sure," said Santa, "but what I'm really going for are details about her that can help us fight against her. Any weakness, any vulnerability she has."
Keller and Shaw exchanged looks, and Shaw shrugged. "We've seen her overpower everyone so far."
"Well," Santa said patiently, "We know she doesn't go out and sparkle in sunlight, so she's not a Twilight vampire. What does she do during the day? Is she active under cover of darkness, or does she go dormant and become for the sake of all appearance, dead?"
"No, she's awake during the day, especially now that she wants to wage war." Keller replied.
"Darn, there goes that idea."
"What's that, Elsa?" Santa asked.
"If she went comatose during the day, it would be easy enough to rob her of whatever magic gismos she has and then some."
Keller tried to keep a grin of amusement off his face. Never before had he thought of an elf getting it into their head to rob someone, especially a vampire.
"Where is her base?" Santa asked.
Shaw shook his head, "It's, well, the warehouse where all those hexed toys is part of it. She sometimes spends time in there, sometimes in the mail room, and especially in this other little outbuilding just behind that. It's under some cover, and there are a bunch of trees and bushes around it."
"Good." said Santa.
Elsa's blackberry beeped. "Message received, all is getting underway."
"Great." said Santa with a smile.
Elsa turned to NT, "I think now's the time."
NT nodded. "Santa," she asked.
"Yes?"
Elsa and I have a plan to get Norma's little baby out of harm's way and with any luck, find her a good home. It means I'll have to leave for a bit."
"That's a good idea, and while you're at it, can you get all the elves who are not to be in the battle, including children and the elderly and disabled, into one of the buildings and seal it off from attack?"
"Yes, that, we can do." said Elsa, and she quickly typed another message to the elf community. "Let's go." Elsa said to NT, who nodded and left the room with her.
In the meantime, back at Miranda's base, one more hapless person had lost his life to her, and two others were desperately trying to find a place to go where she wouldn't find them.
Miranda sat, brushing her hair and smirking in anticipation of the carnage she planned to dole out on Santa and his allies soon. It didn't bother as much that a couple of her men had just made a run for it, she planned to find them and finish them off later anyway.
"Hm," she chuckled to herself, "Bet they're all scared stupid! It's just too bad that I didn't really get a chance to finish that Monroe and those other two off myself." She took out a piece of paper, and an orb, and set to work. "Might as well entertain myself while I'm waiting to strike them all where it really hurts."
Soon as the orb touched the paper, images appeared on the sheet. Images of Criter, Dingy, and Capri, all looking utterly terrified and in pain as Miranda was coming toward them, fangs out, preparing to bite them.
"So, miss me?" An unearthly voice hissed in Miranda's ear, startling the heck out of her.
--