Christmas Contest Entry: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year - Christmas Contest Entry
By Timebender #10897

Over the bleak, cold arctic north a large BADGE landing craft buzzed through the gray skies. Gliding next to it was the stone hero Gargoyle, keenly watching the white land below.
Nova sat in the command seat of this large craft while his trusty robots managed the controls. He touched a comm device attached to his ear, “Anything yet, Gar?”
Gar answered, “Just snow. I...WATCH OUT!”
The proximity alarm went off and the whole craft lurched to the side as something slammed into them. The whole craft spun out of control, the three robots on the bridge rolled about like toys in a storm while Nova kept his firm grip on the command chair.
Nova looked out the front windows as they fell out of the sky and slammed into the ground. Waves of white powder spewed from either side of the ship as they plowed across the frozen north. After the sliding came to a stop, Nova shoved the emergency exit open and jumped out.
Gar landed next to him, "Sir, look!"
A demon approached, “Ah, Director Nova. It’s been a while.”
“What is it this time, Krampus? You and I both know you’re unable to get into Santa’s palace.”
Krampus resembled a man with shaggy hair all over his body, long demonic horns on his head, a long tail, and goat-like legs. He smiled at Nova with those fangs of his, “True, I could never get into that place. But, things have changed.”
“What are you talking about?”
Krampus answers, “These Morphons are spectacular little blessings, now aren’t they? Some humans have been turned almost into gods with them, and some into demons...depends on what they do with them I suppose. I, already being nearly a god myself, found them to be most delightful.”
Nova growled, “What have you done?”
“What I was always meant to do, punish the nasty little brats of this world. And with Santa out of my way, I think I can do my job unhindered. I think I will go eat at least ten thousand children, for starters. I believe that should make up for the lost years with Santa holding me back. Then, who knows? Maybe I’ll eat a few thousand more, all before Christmas.”
“No, you can’t,” Nova exclaimed.
Krampus laughed, “Who will stop me? Without Santa’s cheer, and morphons surging through my body, I am invulnerable. Now, I think I’ll start with a nice aged appetizer.” He jumped at Nova but was blindsided by a full-body slam from Gar. Without a second thought, Gar punched the demon hard enough to send him sprawling ten feet back across the snow.
“Stay away, monster,” Gar commanded.
Krampus sat there, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose. “You’re an interesting foe. I’ll enjoy playing with you when I’m done. But, alas, I have other plans.” He vanished in a black puff of smoke, leaving only a cackle in its wake.
Nova let out a furious scoff, “This is serious.”
"What was that thing?" Gar asked.
"A demon who dines on little children. Since you can fly, head back to BADGE HQ and alert the leagues that Krampus must be defeated. I’ll stay here and call on any heroes who can help me find Santa and set this all straight. GO!”
Gar took to the skies while Nova headed back into his wrecked ship. He activated his comm, “Nova to all heroes, I need anyone who can help me find Santa, this is a matter of planetary emergency.”
*     *     *     *     *
To most, Christmas is a time of joy and cheer, but to many, especially to those who are jobless and without loved ones, it is a time of depression.  That is why Timebender is out on patrol, to find those who are out trying to harm either themselves or others because of such feelings.

He has successfully talked down 3 suicides and disarmed a mall shooter when his N-dimensional senses alert him to something manifesting in a nearby house.  Sending one of his time clones to scout inside, he sees Krampus grabbing a child who is playing some kind of violent computer game.  The Demon starts exclaiming something about the child's naughty habits and how delicious they are going to be when they vanish from its claws.

"Hey, you are interrupting my snack.  Well, no matter, there are millions more like him.  There is no way you can keep me from devouring them all," Krampus says as he locates the time clone leaving with the child.

The original Timebendeer appears, "Who are you, and why are you threatening this child?"

Krampus pauses, then responds, "I am Krampus, the counterpart of Santa Claus who punishes the naughty.  I have been locked away for a long time, and look at the state the world has gotten into.  Both rewards and punishments are needed.  Now the Morphons have freed me and given me the power to do as  I will.  You can not hope to stop me.  There are millions of naughty children in this country alone when I have made an example by eating a few thousand of them the world will be a better place."

Timebender senses a number of his time clones appearing from the future and wonders what they are up to.  He will find out eventually, his first task is to find out if he CAN stop this thing.  Timebender tries every attack he knows, but nothing he can try can seem to hurt Krampus.  The creature appears to be invulnerable.

Timebender reasons it out, if this creature is a counterpart to Santa, he only has power on Christmas Eve.  If he can not harm Krampus, the only thing to do is remove the children.  He travels backward in time, grabbing the child that was here and moving him forward to dawn.  He calls all his alternate selves and they appear all over the city, taking children out of their beds and homes in the now and placing them out of harm's way, in the future.

Technically it is Kidnapping, a crime, but it is a crime that will save lives.  He can not stop with doing it once though, he has to save every child he can.  That means replaying the night over and over, stretching his time power to the limit.

One of him follows Krampus, letting his other selves know who the demon is after at any given moment. Timebender's problem is not knowing which children qualify for punishment, so his other selves have to save all of them.

Eventually, he collapses, there are simply too many children to save them all, even for someone with his powers.  One analog after another falls to fatigue.  His last thought on his final analog was that he hopes someone else can finish the job.