Chapter 6
December 22
Central Aerial Door Control Room, Production Facility, World Headquarters of Belschnikel International
There wasn’t enough room for everyone to fit inside a single control booth for the aerial doors. But half of the party, Peter, Bartholomew and Hattie sat inside the central control while they awaited Santa Claus’ return. The helicopter had led the Yeti pack en masse about five miles away. Once Qanik stopped producing the aurora effect they flew in a wide circle south of the North Pole buildings and then into the central aerial doors to land on the helipad again.
Hattie punched the close button and as the giant doors closed that sealed the facility up for good. Both ends and all three aerials were sealed. Unless any straggling Yeti inside managed to open one of them in hopes of bringing back the others, they would be safe.
Once on the ground with rotors coming to a halt, Qanik had to escort Josh back to Earth. He was a little dazed and smiling pleasantly. Qanik had already changed her form back, such that Hattie and the two agents never witnessed what Josh had seen her as.
“Come Hattie. Help him get to a chair for a moment,” the sprite said.
“Well,” Bartholomew gruffed. “Mission accomplished, Mr. Belschnikel.”
“Santa, remember?” Claus fussed. “We’re not done yet. I’ve radioed my elves and they should be coming in the same bypass entrance we used on the village end, but while they get working on this mess we’ve got to take back the village.”
Qanik and Bartholomew nodded, somewhat begrudgingly. But Peter asked, “Is that a priority with deliveries starting in two days now? Why can’t your home and offices wait until after Christmas morning?”
Santa shook a finger at him, “Because those buildings house the data center, and the primary workstation is in my home. The location data for the drones to deliver all these presents are run entirely by that equipment.”
Peter tutted. “You don’t have any system redundancy?”
“I beg your pardon?” Santa frowned. “I don’t need redundancy. This place runs on magic, you know. That’s why I’m up here.”
“And it’s why you’re having a need for a little redundancy at this point since the Yeti now know about it too,” Bartholomew interjected with his own finger-rattle and a wink to Peter.
Santa Claus grumped and stepped into the control booth with heavy clomping of his boots. Joshua wondered, not knowing Santa really well, how far the IPMA agents were able to push him before something bad happened. He imagined it was why Santa seemed a little sour about them showing up in the first place.
“Kids,” Claus gave a forced smile to the two of them. “Why don’t you stand outside for a moment while I show these folks what we’re up against.”
Hattie and Josh stepped outside while the other four crowded tightly around the controls and displays in the booth. They both managed to peer around elbows and such to get a view of the display Santa brought online. There was a great map of the buildings from an aerial perspective and sure enough it looked very much like the rough Yeti-built map Peter and Josh had discovered in the park on their trip northward. The spire seemed to be both Santa Claus’ home as well as the main communications array.
“So basically, if we work our way through the alleys of the buildings along the outer edge of the village then we can enter my offices through my home,” Santa concluded.
“You’re saying we have to go through Mrs. Claus’ back kitchen door?” Bartholomew said somewhat cynically.
Santa nodded. Peter snickered and asked, “Can I try one of her cookies?”
Before Claus could give any retort, Qanik asked, “She isn’t here, is she, Mr. Belschnikel?”
Santa turned back and shook his head. “As much as she loves Christmas, she can’t stand the perpetual night during the cold months of the year up here in the North Pole.”
All the adult faces around the big round red man in the chair were empathetic. But Hattie gave Josh a quizzical look and Josh himself hung his jaw open a little perplexed. Mrs. Claus doesn’t like the North Pole? he thought.
“It’s not the cold, heaven knows! She likes the cold,” Santa seemed to be attesting a little too strongly. “She just likes a little sunlight every day. So…she actually goes on vacation to the South Pole from Fall through Spring.”
There remained nothing but all sympathetic looks all around. It was almost as if they’d found Santa’s skeletons he kept in his closet. “Mrs. Claus goes on vacation for six months?!?” This time it was Hattie’s thoughts. Only, she was not as delicate as to keep them safely tucked in her head and spoke them, rather loudly, to the group.
Shaking his head, Santa added, “No. No. It’s not like that. I go visit her every week. And she keeps tab of the progress ahead of Christmas and helps keep all the business side of the operations running, what with supplies and materials and such. We’re equal partners, you know. She…just…”
“Doesn’t like the North Pole that much. I get it Santa. It’s okay,” Peter said reassuringly.
“Alright then,” Santa slapped his knees with his hands with finality. “Do we all know where we’re going then, in case we get split up?”
“Yes,” came the chorus of answers.
“Hattie, you’re with Qanik, and Josh you stick with Agent Samuel, right?” Bartholomew said.
Again a small round of agreements were voiced, and then out they headed to meet a couple elves by the service entrance.