[ORG] An Arcademan Universe Christmas

[Arcademan]

Writer's note: This is a re-write of a story I started last year however due to an unseen tragedy was unable to complete. This year I hope things turn out better. Enjoy.

Prologue...

Every year since anyone currently alive can remember, the 25th of December
marked a very special day throughout not just the world but the known universe
proper within the confines of The Arcademan Universe...a joyous occassion known
as Christmas Day. Every year on that day, Santa Claus would travel throughout
the Earth delivering gifts to all the children who were good and if for only a
brief instance...peace thoughout the lands. There were times when things didn't
exactly go as planned and once, those who would do everything in their powers to
halt Christmas tried their best. Fortunately for Santa and the gang at the North
Pole, he had friends...very powerful friends in the Arcade Brigade and its
leader...ARCADEMAN!

One such incident took place five years ago when the villainous Orb-Necro
kidnapped Santa and tried to force him into giving him the secrets of his
magical sleigh and using it for his own evil intentions. Not only would the
fiend have a potentially powerful object in his possession but also cause Santa
to miss his annual pilgrimage to all the world, leaving Christmas in absolute
ruins. Thanks to Arcademan, Flora and Mrs. Claus and the elves of the North
Pole, not to mention a young lady from an alternate world named Sakura Kinomoto,
Orb-Necro was defeated and Christmas arrived without any problems.

Per usual, as with every turn of the calendar, business at the North Pole, which
was normally steady, starts to kick it into high gear once the American
Thanksgiving holiday passes. As the days count down toward the 25th of December,
work progresses around the clock. Meanwhile in the back part of the workshop,
Santa looks around his shiny red sleigh. Perfection is a must if he's to deliver
all the presents since he only has a 24 hour window to do so. As he goes toward
the back of the sleigh, his wife Mrs. Claus enters the shop with a plate of
homemade cookies and milk.

"I brought you a snack, Pa." As Santa greets his wife with a kiss, he looks
somewhat dejectedly at the plate.

"Ma...not the cookies and milk again?" he said as he grabbed one of the
chocolate chip ones and nibbled on it a bit. "You know I'll be getting my fill
on those all throughout my Christmas night trip."

Mrs. Claus handed him the milk. "I know but from my view, you need to put some
more meat on yourself. Nobody likes a skinny Santa."

"I know that but if you want some meat on me, try giving me some meat.
Ahh...reindeer steaks sounds pretty tasty right about now!" joked Santa as the
reindeer in the stable next to his sleigh and workshop all popped their heads up
and looked concerned.

"I'm just fooling with you all. HO! HO! HO!!!" His trademark laugh echoed
throughout the building and with that, a comforting sign of the holiday goodwill
was fortified by the father of all Christmas.

"I'll whip you up a turkey sandwich then. How long are you going to be with the
sleigh?" asked Mrs. Claus.

"Almost done. There's one thing that looks a bit loose. I'll tighten it up and
then that's that."

As Mrs. Claus turned to the doorway that leads to their house from the workshop,
she noticed a bright light shine behind her. When she turned around to see what
it was, she noticed that Santa, along with his sleigh...were gone!

[Arcademan]

Chapitre I

Meanwhile near the headquarters of the Arcade Brigade...

Flying through the night's sky, Arcademan was thinking about events from the
past couple of years. The eradication of The Darkness and the saving of the
Earth and the universe itself took a toll on many of the heroes. Despite the
victory, there were untold deaths of many who's only fault was being in the
wrong place at the wrong time. Also though none of the heroes lost their lives,
some of them suffered personal and emotional trauma throughot the war, makking a
return to normal or super-normal life difficult at best. Lord Pyrogod and his
group of villains took advantage of the heroes' weakness and came close
themselves in destroying the heroes. Now...several months after the last battle, the
heroes were finally dealing with the normal affairs of civilization like crimes
and natural disasters, which in itself was more than enough to worry about.

Arcademan glided down to the front of the headquarters. A quick scan of its
security protocal and the door opens. As Arcademan enters, he glances over at
the calendar on the wall.

"Already getting close to Christmas." he says to himself. "Can't tell around
here since the temperature still reaches into the 80's. There's no such thing as
a white Christmas here, that's for sure."

Transending the stairs to the computer center, a familiar person was hard at
work at the bench. Not even looking up toward him, he says "Evening, Arcademan."

"Evening, Striker. How's it going?" as he looks over the hero the world knows as
The Midnight Striker. A hero in his own right, he is also one of the
technological brains within the Arcade Brigade. "Are you almost done?" quizzes
Arcademan as laying on the bench, Striker was putting the finishing touches on
what appeared to be a human being but was in fact an advanced automated
being...BattleTech.

"Just in time, Arcade. As you know, he first was severely damaged during our
battle with The Darkness. While going through repairs, we had to press him into
service when Pyrogod's goons launched that surprise attack. Fortunately for us he
saved us from that initial attack but unfortunately he was almost destroyed. And
now...six months later, I'm finally finished. Now let's boot him up and see if
he returns..."

"Almost funny, isn't it?" interrupted Arcademan. "To everyone else, he's only a
machine. To us, BattleTech is a valued member and friend...so much that we don't
call him an 'it'."

Striker nods in agreement as he flips a hidden switch on the android's body.
Scant moments later, BattleTech's eyes glow and then a few more moments' he sit
up on the table and looks at both Striker and Arcademan with a sense of
familiarity.

"BATTLETECH SYSTEM ONLINE...LINKING WITH ARCADE BRIGADE COMPUTER
MAINFRAME...LOADING...LOADING...GOOD EVENING STRIKER AND ARCADEMAN...AWAITING
NEW ORDERS..."

"Sounds like his own self to me, Striker." says Arcademan. "BattleTech, do you
remember the last thing that happened to you?"

"THE VILLAIN DESTRUX ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE LIFE OF DISRUPTION AND MYSTIQUE
ROSE...I STEPPED IN THE WAY OF THE BLAST TO PROTECT THEIR WELL-BEING PER MY
DIRECTIVE...ACCORDING TO MY INTERNAL SENSORS, THAT EVENT OCCURRED FIVE MONTHS,
27 DAYS, 19 HOURS AND 14 SECONDS AGO..."

"Congratulations, Striker. You did a fantastic job."

Though his face is completely covered by a helmet and mask, one could tell
Striker was smiling. "I also did major improvements on his body armor and
defensive capabilities. He should be able to withstand tougher attack in the
future, mostly because I'm tired of rebuilding him all the time." he said
half-jokingly.

As the three walk to the main room of the headquarters, Arcademan was enjoying
things for a change. Enjoyment was definitely lacking so this really made his
day. "And not a moment too soon. With Christmas coming up, we really could use
the old holiday spirit and start..." BattleTech stopped and turned toward
Arcademan.

"QUERY...HOLIDAY SPIRIT? I DO NOT KNOW OF SUCH A TERM...PLEASE ENLIGHTEN MY
PROGRAM ON THIS..."

"Uh...kind of hard to explain..." Arcademan was stuttering to find the exact
words. "The Christmas seasonis suppose to bring out goodwill toward men, deck
the halls, Santa Claus, Ho Ho Ho...er...a...Wiki it in your program,
rust-bucket!"

Arcademan was flustered as Striker did everything in his power NOT to laugh.
After a minute, BattleTech reached his programmed conclusion.

"I CAN UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF SUCH AN IDEALISM HOWEVER WHY A FICTIONAL
CHARACTER CAN INFLUENCE IT I CANNOT..." This time it was Arcademan who
interrupted.

"Santa Claus is as real as you and I. I have helped him in the past so wherever
you got you information, they got it all wrong." BattleTech looked puzzled,
first at Striker, then to Arcademan. Then a loud, monotone voice came from
him...

"PROVE IT!!!"

[Arcademan]

Chapitre II

"You know...I really hate technology!" mumbled Arcademan as he turned to the
automated being known as BattleTech. "The only way I can do that is if I take
you to his workshop at the North Pole...and this is his busy time of year."

"INTERJECTION...THERE ARE NO STRUCTURES LOCATED AT THE NORTH POLE...THUS CLAIMS
TO HIS WORKSHOP THERE ARE NOT ACCURATE. ACCORDING TO SATSCAN A041 NO VISIBLE
ITEMS ARE PRESENT THERE."

"Hmmm...that's where you're wrong, my friend." said Arcademan. "Striker, if you
don't mind?" Striker punched up some information and images on the main computer
screen inside of the Arcade Brigade Headquarters' main room.

"The site itself is not visible or accessible to regular people. It exists in a
slightly different dimension. It vibrates out of the reach of the Earth
Dimension. Only those who can match the frequency of said vibrations can see
anything there. That's why no navigational software can track it." Arcademan
almost smiled as he seemed to one-up the android.

"SUCH A CONCEPT IS INDEED POSSIBLE HOWEVER THE ONLY WAY ITS EXISTANCE CAN BE
PROVEN IS IF WE VISIT THE NORTH POLE."

Arcademan sighed but then said "Agreed. We'll have to download some info inside
of your mainframe so you can duplicate the vibrational barrier which will then
allow you access to the workshop as well as something to prevent your
auto-controllers from freezing in the harsh enviroment."

As the three heroes prepared to go, the heroine known as Eclipse walked in to
the headquarters. She was one of the original heroes created by The White Wizard
hundreds of years before Arcademan and the other heroes and was resurrected
during the war against The Darkness. Though initially trapped for eternity with
a villain to save the Arcademan Universe, she managed to survive the encounter
and help win the war. Afterward, Eclipse left the Earth to explore the universe
as the forces of darkness and light, in which she had powers over, slowly became
to tilt toward darkness and she felt it a danger to everyone on the planet. Now
she had returned.

"How's it going guys?" as she greeted them. "Looks like something important is
happening. Anything I can do to help out in any way?"

Arcademan turns. "Glad to see you returned. How are your internal struggles with
your powers going?"

Hesitant at first, Eclipse filled everyone in on what's been happening. "It's
still a struggle but for the duration, the balance is even. So...about what you
guys were talking about..."

Arcademan answered back. "Well, I'm taking BattleTech up to the North Pole to go
see Santa Claus." Perplexed at first, Eclipse tilted her head.

"Did you say Santa Claus?"

"Yes...yes I did." snaps back Arcademan, his face dead serious when he said it.

"Wow! I wonder how Mister Kringle is doing after all these centuries?" Arcademan
could hardly believe what he heard.

"So...you know him?" asked Striker, who was just as surprised as Arcademan upon
hearing her statement.

"Sure. He was one of the beings The White Wizard introduced to me when I was
created. Such a nice guy...jolly too. Since you two are going to visit him,
would you mind me coming along as well?" asked the young lady, though in this
case appearances are definitely deceiving as she's been around for over 500
years.

"No problem, Eclipse." says Arcademan. "BattleTech is ready for the trip so
let's get a move on. Even at full speed, it'll take some time to get to the
North Pole."

Eclipse's fingertips began to glow brightly. "Perhaps I can assist in the
journey. With the powers and spirits of the Firebird and Shadowhawk within me, I
can take a shortcut through dimensions. I assume you can both handle such harsh
conditions of this kind of travel."

"I can as long as I don't make it a habit." says Arcademan.

"MY ARMORED CASING CAN WITHSTAND INTERDIMENSIONAL TRAVEL FOR BRIEF DURATION
WITHOUT ASSISTANCE." chimed in BattleTech.

"Okay, lady, gentleman and er...a...robot...let's do it!" Eclipse waved her
hands in the air around the three, first bathed in darkness, then in light.
After a few tense seconds, the light faded away and the three were gone, leaving
Striker all alone in the Arcade Brigade headquarters.

Mere moments later, a brightly lit globe appeared at the North Pole, then an
eerie darkness enveloped the light, then finally melted away into nothingness as
Arcademan, Eclipse and BattleTech arrived at their destination. Arcademan shook
for a moment, then looked around.

"Okay...interesting way of travelling. BattleTech, Striker programmed you with
the vibrational frequency that will enable you to see the place. Eclipse, hold
on to BattleTech while he does that and I'll use my own powers to transcend the
barrier." For a brief time, all three vibrate as if they were a film on a screen
growing out of focus. Then suddenly, Santa's workshop and buildings appeared,
first out of focus, then sharper until they were in tuned with the surrounding
landscape.

"Incredible!" said Ecipse as she stared at the buildings. "It's much bigger than
the last time I visited, otherwise it hasn't changed much in over five
centuries."

BattleTech also examined the surroundings. "IT APPEARS YOU WERE CORRECT,
ARCADEMAN....DOWNLOADING VISUAL INFORMATION...SCANNING...NOTE: A FEMALE HUMANOID
IS APPROACHING. AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS."

It was Mrs. Claus coming over to where the three heroes were standing.
"Arcademan? Thank heavens you came. I was about to call you!" Her voice has some
concern.

"What's wrong?" asked Arcademan. "Where's your husband?"

"That's what I was going to call you about. He's gone! Vanished and with only 48
hours until Christmas!"

[Arcademan]

Chapitre III

"What an incredible coincidence!" said Eclipse. "For us to appear right when
Santa Claus has disappeared..."

Arcademan interrupted. "A wise woman once told me that there is no such thing as
coincidence in the world...the only thing is hitsuzen! Now Mrs. Claus...take us
to where you last saw your husband please."

The four walked through the light snowy trail leading toward the workshop, more
specifically the back corner near the reindeer stable where Santa's sleigh is
kept.

"He was working on it at the time, getting ready for Christmas and all that
stuff, don't you know. I was heading back to the kitchen to get him a snack.
Suddenly there was a flash of light and when I turned around, he was
gone...along with the sleigh." Despite telling the heroes calmly, Mrs. Claus was
visibly worried.

The heroes looked around the spot where the sleigh once stood. "No fresh track
leading away from here so he didn't leave on the physical plane." said Eclipse.
Arcademan focused his x-ray vision and swept the area. "No signs of anyone else
in here that shouldn't be here and there's no signs of a physical struggle to
boot."

"MASTER ARCADEMAN...MISTRESS ECLIPSE...MY SENSORS ARE DETECTING A UNIQUE POWER
FLUCTUATION...SCANNING...SCANNING...DET ECTING FAINT TRACES OF TACHYON
RADIATION. DOWNLOADING AND CROSS-REFERENCE...LOADING...TACHYON POWER SOURCE
CONSISTANT WITH GALLIFREY TIME TRAVELING TECHNOLOGY...TIME AND RELATIVE DIMENSION
IN SPACE VEHICLE." BattleTech finished with his usual computer monotone voice.

"His sleigh has the limited powers and abilities of a Tardis. Somehow it
activated while Santa was around it and both of them vanished into the time
stream." speculated Arcademan. "Though we're not sure if it was accidental or
not, the real question is how can we track it, especially when you consider the
countless alternate dimensions and time zones? This is much worse than finding a
needle in a haystack. If there was only some clue..."

"ARCADEMAN...ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS PARTICULAR TECHNOLOGY LEAVES AN UNIQUE
ENERGY SIGNATURE PATTERN. IF THERE IS A RECORD OF SAID PATTERN, WE HAVE A
27.34524% CHANCE OF FOLLOWING IT..."

Eclipse added. "I do have a limited ability to transend the curtains between
dimensions, like the way we three arrived though I may only be able to do such a
couple of times so pinpointing Santa's sleigh would be critical in finding him,
especially before Christmas."

Mrs. Claus suddendly remembered. "Our head elf Dingle! He knows many of Pa's
secrets. Maybe he knows something about this energy you're talking about!" She
walks across the workshop to a phone. "Elf toyshop...this is Mrs. Claus. Could
you send Dingle over to the workshop please?"

A scant moment later, Dingle walks in and notices Arcademan immediately. "Howdy,
friend Arcademan. What brings you to the North Pole?" Almost immediately, Dingle
glanced over in the workshop corner when Santa's sleigh should be and noticed it
gone.

"Oh no! Where is the sleigh...and where's Santa?!!" Dingle's voice was very
panicky at that point.

"Calm down, Dingle. That's why we're here and we're hoping you can help us out."
said Arcademan in a reassuring tone. After telling the head elf what thet
believe happened, Dingle rushed over to a desk with a computer. "All the specs
to Santa's sleigh are here since he's always tinkering with it and trying to
make it better. I'm sure the info's in there but I don't have clearance to it
nor do I know the password. Do you, Mrs. Claus?"

"Heavens to Betsy I don't know. Computers aren't my thing. Now what?" asked Mrs.
Claus.

BattleTech sat down in front of the computer, then pulled out a cable from a
hidden compartment on his chest and plugged it into the computer. "ATTEMPTING TO
OVERRIDE ENTRY...LOADING...LOADING...FIREWALL BLOCKING
ACCESS...BYPASS...PASSWORD ACK1NYSSIL...ACCESS GRANTED. INFORMATION PERTAINING
TO POWER SOURCE SIGNATURE TO SLEIGH RECOVERED."

Arcademan turned to Mrs. Claus and Dingle. "We can follow him. We will bring him
back and Christmas will return. Eclipse, BattleTech...let's go!" Eclipse raised
both her hands and released the powers of the firebird and shadowhawk...its
energies enveloped the trio and then in a flash of light swallowed by darkness,
they were gone.

Mrs. Claus whispered a prayer for the safe return of her husband and the heroes,
then turned to Dingle. "Whatever you do, don't tell ANYONE that Santa's gone. If
anyone asks for him, make up an excuse or call me."

"Yes ma'am! Mum's the word! No peep from me, no sirree Bob!" Dingle headed back
to the toyshop. Mrs. Claus retreated back to the house to await news, not
knowing that another shimmering light appeared outside of the gates of the North
Pole...

[Arcademan]

Chapitre IV

Like a tunnel carved through the very fabric of space and time, the three heroes
dart through the dimensional stargate created by Eclipse's powers of the
Firebird and Shadowhawk. Both natural enemies, the twin energy beings reside
within the body of the heroine, always an eternal struggle of light and
darkness. Because the dark aspects of the balance was tilting in its favor,
Eclipse left Earth but since returned as she felt the balance was more
controllable however during this trip, some of the strain of maintaining such
balance started to show as Arcademan noticed a visual change around Eclipse's
body.

"BattleTech, do you notice that dark aura of energy around her body?" Though in
interdimensional space, Arcademan could communicate with BattleTech with an
intercom system.

"NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, I CAN DETECT SUCH AN AURA, MASTER ARCADEMAN. ANY
SUGGESTION ON THE SITUATION WOULD BE ADVISABLE SINCE MAGIC IS OUTSIDE OF MY
PERAMETERS."

Arcademan nudged Eclipse, who looked at him what looked like an evil impression
on her face but then noticing him, nodded to him assurring that she was all
right. Then she said "Looks like this is the spot. Brace for impact!"

"Wait! What do you mean impact?!!" yelled Arcademan. Then suddenly the tunnel
faded from around them and the next split second, all three beings hit the
ground with a thunderous crash...hard enough to leave a nice sized crater.
Moments later, the three crawled out of the hole in the ground created by their
arrival.

"Geez Eclipse! A little more warning next time! I felt that one!" said Arcademan
but then noticed as Eclipse and BattleTech were crawling out, the two were
visibly shakened. The hero helped her up and out. "Are you okay, Eclipse? And
what about you, BattleTech.

"I MANAGED TO ENGAGE MY FORCE SHIELD AT THE LAST MOMENT HOWEVER THE IMPACT
DAMAGED SOME OF MY LEG CIRCUITS. SCANNING...SCANNING. MEMORY INTACT AND RUNNING
CURRENTLY ON 85% POWER. ESTIMATE SELF-REPAIR ON LEG: 29 MINUTES HOWEVER CAN
STILL WALK AND FUNCTION WITHIN SET PERAMETERS."

Eclipse did not respond to Arcademan as she stood with her eyes closed as if in
deep meditation. The dark aura surrounding her was stronger than he had noticed
earlier but after a minute, the energy seem to be absorbed into her body. The
young lady then opened her eyes slightly then collapsed to the ground. Once
again Arcademan helped her to her feet.

"Thanks, Arcademan. As you can see, the Shadowhawk tries to be the more dominant
enery force. It takes comlete and total willpower and the Firebird to regain the
balance. Hence the original reason I left Earth for if I lose that balance, than
darkness will claim me and strike against the Beings of Light." She finished in
a dejected tone but Arcademan held her hand.

"I know how the constant struggle between darkness and light is...believe me.
I'm a Being of Darkness fighting on the side of Light so I do know partially
what you're going through. If you need any help or assistance, please let me
know." Eclipse nods in acceptance.

"Okay...let's see if we can pick up the trail for Santa Claus and get him home
for Christmas." states Arcademan. "For starters, do we know where we are...and
don't say Earth. I know we're on 'a' Earth but which one? It does seem a little
familiar."

Eclipse looked around. "I...I'm not sure. Give me a moment to get my bearings.
What about you, BattleTech? Can you read the vibratory waves of the different
Earths?"

"MASTERS STRIKER AND TECKNIGHT PROGRAMMED ME WITH THEIR KNOWN KNOWLEDGE OF KNOW
EARTHS AND THEIR DIMENSIONAL VIBRATIONS. IF THIS IS ONE OF THE WORLDS, I WILL BE
ABLE TO DETECT SUCH PATTERNS." BattleTech began to emit beeps and lights as he
attempted to find out the answer however Arcademan, who flew up slightly into
the air and looked around appeared to find out the answer himself.

"There's a city about 25 miles due south of here and now that I see a few
things, I know exactly where we are and that is..."

"ANALYSIS COMPLETE. THE INFORMATION DOWNLOADED INTO MY MEMORY CORE SUGGESTS THAT
THIS IS DESIGNATED EARTH-S."

"As I was saying...Earth-S...Shazam's world. Home of Captain Marvel and the
Marvel Family. And the city...Fawcett City. Let's head on over there and see if
I can find out where Captain Marvel is and see if he's noticed anything out of
the ordinary recently."

As the trio took to the air and started their flight toward Fawcett City,
Eclipse looked around and studied the scenery and thought to herself. "So...this
is the home of Mighty Adam...the one who fought along my side during The
Darkness War both hundreds of years ago and recently. I wonder what made him
embrace the side of darkness?"

As the heroes reached the outskirts of the city, there was a sudden loud boom. A
streak of red flew past them, followed almost immediately by a similar streak of
blue. As they looked ahead, they noticed two people striking thunderous blows
between each other: one dressed in red, the other black and both bearing the
lightning emblem across their respectful chests.

Both Arcademan and Eclipse said also simutaneously "Captain Marvel"..."Black
Adam."

[Arcademan]

Chapitre V

Before the newly arrived heroes from the Arcademan Universe could intervene in
the battle between the hero Captain Marvel and the villain Black Adam on the
planet known as Earth-S, nearby buildings began to collapse due to the
tremendous shockwaves of the punches being delivered. Arcademan motioned to both
Eclipse and BattleTech to rescue any people endangered. As they went to do so,
Arcademan couldn't help but think about the situation.

"Damn! Who would've thought the trail to find Santa would end up here. My
guess is those two blurs that went by us earlier were Mary Marvel and Captain
Marvel Junior. Though finding Santa is a priority, I can't stand by and let
innocent people get hurt."

Using their own super-powers and abilities, Arcademan and the others saved the
people and cleared any dangerous hazards however that would be only a respite
unless the two mightiest mortals could be stopped or at least move their battle
to a safer spot.

"I don't know how you got back here, Adam!" shouted Captain Marvel. "I thought
you wanted no part of this world anymore after the Darkness War!" And threw a
haymaker punch that sent Black Adam reeling for a moment.

"I don't need to explain things to the likes of you!" shouted Adam back at Cap.
"Suffice to say, I'm back and I'll turn your beloved Fawcett City to rubble when
I get done!" However before the villain could get back into the fight, Arcademan
flies straight into his back and pushes him toward the outskirts of Fawcett City
and into the nearby forest.

"YOU!!!" shouted Black Adam. "I swore the next time I saw you, I would kill
you!!!" as he grabbed Arcademan by the neck and slowly began to squeeze him. As
he gasp for air, Arcademan's eyes glowed and twin beams of heat vision struck
Adam's face, making him let go of the choke hold. As the World's Mightiest
Villain shook of the effects, he heard a familiar voice from behind. As he
turned, he saw Eclipse.

"Mighty Adam...why have you come back here? You told me you were going to
explore the far reaches of space and get away from the turmoil of this planet."
asked the heroine. Black Adam paused and then the two floated down to the ground
on the edge of the forest as Captain Marvel and BattleTech checked up on the
downed Arcademan, still clutching his throat.

"You were correct, Eclipse. Out in space, I was somewhat happy and content in my
explorations. Then suddenly without warning, a rip in the fabric of space formed
around me. I was sucked into it and for what seemed like days, I was trapped.
Then the world came back into focus around and the next thing I knew I was back
on Earth and in Fawcett City. My instincts took over and surmised that I was
brought back to take over this planet and that I can not escape my fate." Adam's
voice, before was filled with anger however the presence of his old friend from
centuries ago had a strange, calming effect on his speech and mannerisms.

"Holy Moley! You thought someone her was behind this?" questioned Captain
Marvel. "Maybe Sivana or Mister Mind could have..." however Cap was cut off by
BattleTech.

"SENSORS INDICATE THE SIGNATURE TACHYON ENERGY FROM SANTA'S SLEIGH. SPECULATION:
THE RIFT IN SPACE WAS CAUSE BY SANTA CLAUS."

Arcademan, now recovered, stood face to face with Black Adam. "You wouldn't
happen to know where it came from. This is very important to us and you help
would be appreciated. The lives of several million people are at stake on my
world."

Adam gave Arcademan a look that would kill, then turned to Cap and shot him the
same look. Then he turned to Eclipse and his stance soften. "I believe so
however the only way back is going to The Rock of Eternity." Captain Marvel was
worried about this since though the Rock of Eternity, one with the powers of
Shazam like the both of them can go to any place in space and time. Then he
spoke up.

"I'll contact the wizard to let you go...only on your promise that you will stay
away from Earth. Do swear you, Adam?" The former hero of the wizard Shazam
nodded in agreement. As Adam led the three heroes of the Arcademan Universe
away, Mary and Junior arrived...a little sore but none the worse for wear.

"Where's Black Adam?" asked Junior. Cap answered back. "He's gone back to
space...thanks to some friends. I'll explain at home but now we're overdue at the
WHIZ Christmas party." and the World's Mightiest Family flew back to Fawcett City 
as the sun slowly sank in the western horizon.

The Rock of Eternity...an impossibility yet it stands in the very boundries of
space and time. Its caretaker is the mighty wizard Shazam. The place's unique
ability to transend all points in space and time is well-guarded by the wizard.
As the quartet land at the summit of the peak, Shazam appears in his ethereal
form.

"Captain Marvel has filled me in on what has transpired and you are allowed to
access the Rock of Eternity on the grounds that you do not return, Black Adam."

Black Adam responds. "I'm doing this to help out an old friend and a planet
where I've done some good for humanity but mark my word, you senile old fool. I
won't return for now but when I do, you will regret all that you've done against
me!" With that comment, he flew around the Rock of Eternity, hauling his three
allies sealed in BattleTech's energy shield, mainly to allow Eclipse to regain
her full dimensional travelling abilities. The world went out of focus briefly
and after a few moments, it came back into focus as the four found themselves in
space, several hundreds of thousands of light years away. Almost immediately,
BattleTech detected the energy from Santa's sleigh.

Eclipse turned to Black Adam. "Thank you for all your help, Mighty Adam. You may
be marked as a villain here and you may be evil but you will forever be a friend
to me."

Arcademan added. "I know we hate each other's guts and I will get back at you
for what you did to me. Still, you helped saved our world during the Darkness
War and we are grateful for that."

The forms of the Shadowhawk and Firebird engulfed the three heroes and seemingly
a hole opened up in space and then they were gone. Adam smiled and then flew off
into the vastness of space.

After another blinding trip through the tunnel rift, the three heroes landed on
what appeared to be Earth once more. Arcademan looked around.

"Our Earth or somewhere else?" but before the others could respond, a big, white
puffy creature landed smack into Arcademan's face and uttered a single
sound..."Meyko!!!"

[Arcademan]

Chapitre VI

Arcademan immediately grabbed the white creature by its long ears and pulled it
off his face.

"I don't believe it...Mokona?!!"

The white creature responed. "I don't know who you are but you grab my ears like
Kurogane does!"

As Arcademan set Mokono down and his two comrades came to his side, he saw the
shadow of four people emerging from the side of a mountain trailing leading up
to them. He glared at them and recognizes the group.

"Eclipse, BattleTech...these are the people who helped me defeat the aspect of
The Darkness when I was on Cardcaptor Sakura's Earth. They are Syaoran,
Kurogane, Fai D Flowright and Princess Sakura. Each one of them are from a
different world themselves." Once in view, the quartet of world travellers
greeted Arcademan, to whom they fought with during the Darkness War.

"Good to see you again, friend Arcademan!" said Syaoran shaking his hand. "I
don't know why you're here and what you're doing but it's good to see you once
more."

"I'm not sure why myself but we're on a bit of a journey through the worlds
ourselves looking for Santa Claus." answered Arcademan. The four gave him
puzzled looks.

"You know...Christmas, holidays, ho-ho-ho, red suit with a white beard riding in
a sleigh?" Now their puzzled looks turned into looks of utter confusion.

"I have no idea what Christmas is." said Kurogane. "Any of you heard of it?"

Fai chimed in. "No and I would have seen something as extraordinary as a red
suited bearded man riding a sleigh." Syaoran and Sakura shook their heads as
well but suddenly Mokona spoke up.

"Where I came from, we had Christmas, Yuko and I would drink lots of sake and
open presents on that day!"

Eclipse studied the landscape around them. "There was a reason we were
transported right here but I don't detect any traces of Santa. BattleTech?"

"SCANNING...SCANNING...IN PROGRESS."

Kurogane leaned over to Arcademan. "Your friend...he's not exactly human, isn't
he?" However before Arcademan could respond, BattleTech interrupted.

"SENSORS DETECT A HUGE SURGE OF ENERGY AROUND US. PORTAL OPENING IMMINENT!
UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED!" As if on cue, portals appear around the
group and ninja-like men step out, clawed weapons in hand ready to do battle.

"Fei-Wang Reed!" uttered Syaoran under his breathe. "Mokona, keep Princess
Sakura and the other woman safe while we deal with these guys!" Eclipse shot him
a disgusted look. "Keep me safe? Do you think I'm sort of feeble female
mortal?!!" Without warning, Eclipse leaped in front of two of Reed's attack
force members and with a mighty punch, took them both out, their heads rolling
off their bodies.

"Robots!" exclaimed Arcademan cracking his fists. "I'm going to enjoy this.
Looks like Christmas is coming early for me...no offense, BattleTech."

"NONE TAKEN, MASTER ARCADEMAN. THEIR PURPOSE IS FOR EVIL AND MUST BE STOPPED!"

Pity the robotic army of Fei-Wang Reed for they face off against the mightiest
heroes and fighters of many world and in a painfully short time, all of them lay
dow in broken limbs and parts at the hands of Arcademan, Eclipse, BattlTech,
Syaoran, Kurogane and Fai.

"Wasn't much of a fight." exclaimed Kurogane. "You still fight the good fight,
Arcademan and so do your two partners there. Well done!" He gave a sly smile.

Fai put his hand on his chin. "If those guys attacked us and Mokona transported
us to this world, then their must be one of Sakura's feathers here."

Mokona bounced in front of the wizard of Seresu. "I did find it! I even said
'Meykko' and my eyes turned all wide!

"That's what you said when we first arrived here!" Arcademan said. "If that's
the case..."

"Then the feather's either around here or on one of you!" finished Syaoran. With
that bit of information, Eclipse transformed into the light of the Firebird.
Immediately a feather came of the tip of her wings and landed on Princess
Sakura, who fell back into a deep trance as the feather was absorbed into
her...one of her missing memories.

Moments later after Sakura had recovered, the two groups prepare to say their
goodbyes as Mokona begins to open a pathway to their next destination and
perhaps to another one of Sakura's feathers. Arcademan and Syaoran shake hands.

"Goodbye and good luck on your journey." said Arcademan. "Likewise, Arcademan."
he answered back. "I hope you find this 'Santa' person you're looking for. Safe
journey." As they do their fade-out from the world, BattleTech notices
something.

"MASTER ARCADEMAN...MISTRESS ECLIPSE...I AM DETECTING TACHYON ENERGY SIGNATURE
FROM SANTA'S SLEIGH. IT IS COMING FROM THE PORTAL THAT OUR ALLIES ARE LEAVING
THROUGH. WE MUST MOVE QUICKLY!"

As the portal carrying the five begins to fade, Arcademan, Eclipse and
BattleTech jump into it and as before, are carried through the depths of space
and time. After a few moments of darkness and swirling lights, the world focuses
once more around the trio as they land in a snowbank outside of a house. Looking
around briefly, Arcademan also notices two individuals in front of the house in
the act of kissing each other but were startled by their sudden appearance. Then
one of them turns to the three sitting in the snow.

"Is that you, Arcademan?" Stunned at first, he walked over to the couple and
smiled.

"Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li. We're on your world!"

Sakura hugged the caped hero from the Earth known as the Arcademan Universe as
the two have met on several occassions. Arcademan also shook the hand of Syaoran
Li as he was also familiar with Sakura's boyfriend since they were part of The
Darkness War.

"You remember BattleTech and I believe this is the first time you're meeting
Eclipse. She was The White Wizard's first champion on my world who knew Clow
Reed.

"Pleasure to meet you, Eclipse!" Sakura said in a pleasent tone. BattleTech."
She still harbored a grudge against the android since the last time she visited
the Arcademan Universe, BattleTech was trying to eliminate her over a slight
misunderstanding so her greeting towards him was unusually cold, even for her.

"So, how's Cher doing?" asked Sakura, referring to Cherry Blossom, the
Cardcaptor of the Arcademan Universe whom she met in their last adventure a few
months ago.

"She's fine but I have a more important situation at the moment. As much as I
like to say this is a pleasure trip, we're here on urgent business." answered
Arcademan.

"Let me guess...Santa Claus." said Syaoran, which stunned the masked hero and
his friends. "There was a report of a person dressed as him appearing at Tokyo
Tower appearing out of thin air in a red sleigh. Everyone thought it a publicity
stunt as he gave out presents to all the kids and then as suddenly as he came,
he disappeared. I didn't think much of it until you showed up."

Sakura had a puzzled look. "You mean...?"

"Yes, Sakura...that's the same Santa you helped out on my world a few years
back. His sleigh is running out of control and we're trying to catch him and get
him back before Christmas." As soon as Arcademan said that, a distant clock
started chiming twelve times.

"Oh no!" shrieked Eclipse. "It's Christmas already. That means we're too late!"

"Not too late for regrets!" said Arcademan. "Sakura, Syaoran, can you take us to
the exact spot Santa was?"

"No problem, sir! Fly! Float!" Shouting out the name of the famed Sakura Cards,
originally created by the wizard Clow Reed, Sakura and Syaoran took to the air,
followed closely by Arcademan, Eclipse and BattleTech. In seconds, they reached
the base of the famed Tokyo Tower. Being midnight in Japan, it was deserted save
for the five.

"SENSORS HAVE CONFIRMED SANTA'S APPEARANCE HERE AND I NOW HAVE A LOCK ON HIS
SLEIGH'S ENERGY SIGNATURE."

"Excellent work, BattleTech. Eclipse, ready to take one more trip through the
dimensional gate?"

"I'm at full strength and in complete control. Let's do it!" answered back
Eclipse however before the three could leave, Sakura tugged at Arcademan's cape.

"Syaoran and I are going too!" as the two stood ready.

"Okay, let's do it. BattleTech, use your force shield to protect yourself.
Sakura, use The Shield Card on yourself and Syaoran and I'll be fine. No need to
use the extra energies to protect me. I should be fine and who knows what we may
encounter next so we need to have as much power as possible. Eclipse, open the
dimensional gate and let's bring Santa home!"

As before, there was complete darkness followed by swirling light. Once again,
the world around them came into focus as they found themselves in some sort of
room and standing in front of the group of travellers was the jolly old elf
himself...Santa Claus!

"Ho! Ho! Ho! I'm glad you found me, Arcademan." chuckled Santa. "I had a feeling
Mama would get a hold of you and you'd be searching for me. You're a sight for
sore eyes. And bless my stars, is that Eclipse and Sakura? I'm happy to see you
both once more!"

Arcademan looked around in the room filled with unusual machinery and gadgets.
"Santa, do you know where we are and how we can get you back home to the
Arcademan Universe, which I'm afraid it seems to be now past the start of
Christmas?"

Santa responded. "Well...I don't know where we are yet I know where we are at
the same time, according to the gentleman and his companions I was talking to
before you arrived and I believe he may be able to help."

As if on cue, a man standing in the shadow walked into the light and confronted
the group.

"You are aboard my ship. I am The Doctor and I think there's a solution to your
situation."

[Arcademan]

Final Chapitre

"Doctor...who?" responded Arcademan.

"No, just 'The Doctor' my hooded caped friend." he answered back. "These are my
two companions Amelia Pond and Rory Williams."

While everyone was exchanging pleasentries, The Doctor raised his voice. "Now if
I understand correctly, this person who claims he is Santa Claus but not the one
I know but one from another world and universe lost control of his sleigh and
was spiriling through different universes until quite by luck he came here and
attracted my attention, am I right so far?"

"Yes...except for the luck part. I do not believe in luck or coincidence." said
Arcademan.

"Well said, Arcademan...neither do I. Anyhow it appears his sleigh has a similar
energy frequency to my ship."

"CONCLUSION: YOUR SHIP IS A TIME VEHICLE KNOWN AS A TARDIS...TIME AND RELATIVE
DIMENSIONS IN SPACE...CAPABLE OF TIME AND SPACE TRAVEL.
SCANNING...SCANNING...THOUGH THE ENERGY SIGNSTURE IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, ITS
POWER FALLS WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF A TIME VESSEL."

The Doctor was shocked by BattleTech's analysis. "Your robotic friend is quite
correct. I am a Time Lord...last of my kind."

Eclipse responded this time. "There is a race of Time Lords in our universe from
a planet called Gallifrey but their purpose is to observe and not interfere with
the evolution of the universe."

While the heroes, Santa and The Doctor continued their conversations, Sakura and
Syaoran stood toward the back, the talk about different worlds and stuff way
over their heads, they were approached by Amy and Rory.

"So, are you two husband and wife, like myself and Rory?" Amy's comment made
Syaoran blush and Sakura nod her head real fast. Sakura tried to explain
themselves but the Doctor's companions couldn't understand her.

"My guess is that these two speak Japanese." said Rory as the Doctor reached
over to the control panel of the Tardis and pulled a lever. "Universal
translator. Now try and speak."

Sakura hesitated at first, then said "We are definitely not married!" Upon
saying that, Syaoran looked cross at Sakura. "What did you mean by that?!!" This
time it was the Cardcaptor that was blushing bright red. Their actions brought
the group to a laugh.

A short time later and a quick examination of the functions of Santa Claus'
sleigh, The Doctor spoke up.

"It does make sense now. Your sleigh is a Tardis of a sort. You're able to go
across the world in a 24 hour time span, it's most certainly bigger on the
inside than the outside because of all the massive gifts you collect. Only thing
I don't understand...how do the reindeer factor in and what's up with the one
with the glowing red nose?"

Santa leaned over and whispered to the Time Lord. "Merely show because what's a
sleigh that's not pulled by a team of animals, Ho! Ho! Ho!!!"

Eclipse was talking to Amy. So...Santa Claus and Arcademan being here...even the
robot BattleTech. You're remarkedly calm about such beings."

"Oh you guys? No problem. I've seen much worse like Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping
Angels. Compared to them, you're all normal. Besides, I've always believed in
Santa Claus." Amy smiled and that brought a similar smile to the face of
Eclipse.

Once again The Doctor commanded everyone's attention. "I can get you back to
your world but it's not going to be easy. I cannot travel myself to your
universe. The Tardis has issues doing that since I left someone I cared very
deeply for in such a similar place along with a piece of myself however thanks
to your robotic BattleTech, he gave me the specs and energy frequency to your
world so I can give you a push there. The rest would be up to you all. Ready?"

Before anyone could respond, The Doctor flipped a switch on the control panel
and the Tardis went spinning seemingly out of control.

"HOEEEEE!!!" screamed Sakura as she almost fell down but at the last moment was
caught by Syaoran. As the ship began to become stable, The Doctor opened the
door. Outside was a wormhole with immense cosmic clouds swirling about.

"This is your only chance, Santa. Time to return to your world." As the heroes
of the Arcademan Universe and Caprcaptor Universe jumped into Santa's sleigh,
Santa himself turned to his newfound friend.

"Merry Christmas Doctor, Amy and Rory...and thank you all for your help and
hospitality! Ho! Ho! Ho!!!" And with a sound similar to the Tardis, Santa's
sleigh took off from inside the ship and into the wormhole. Soon there was no
trace of either as the doors of the Tardis closed.

"Now that was interesting." said Rory, then he noticed by the base of the
control panel three wrapped gifts...from Santa to Amelia, Rory and The Doctor.
Each one picked up their gifts and saw a tag that said 'Do not open til
Christmas'. Amy looked dejected.

"But...it's July! I want to open it now!!!"

The Doctor hugged Amy. "No worries. How about a little trip back to the first
Christmas. I know a lovely pair named Joseph and Mary...something about a star
over Bethleham. They didn't know it was just the Tardis flying overhead."

MEANWHILE AT THE NORTH POLE...

After Arcademan, Eclipse and BattleTech left to look for Santa, Mrs. Claus
whispered a prayer for the safe return of her husband and the heroes, then
turned to Dingle. "Whatever you do, don't tell ANYONE that Santa's gone. If
anyone asks for him, make up an excuse or call me."

"Yes ma'am! Mum's the word! No peep from me, no sirree Bob!" Dingle headed back
to the toyshop. Mrs. Claus retreated back to the house to await news, not
knowing that another shimmering light appeared outside of the gates of the North
Pole. Out of the light came Santa riding his sleigh, along with his human cargo
of his friends of two worlds. As the sleigh came to a stop, Santa stepped out
and looked over to the North Pole. His shop and home was there right behind the
dimensional shield that keeps it hidden from normal eyes.

"Looks like that Doctor guy did it but according to my calculations, Christmas
day is almost done." Santa looked dejected as the others shared in his
grief...except the one incapable of such emotions, BattleTech.

"RECALABRATING INTERNAL SENSORS...GPS NAV-SAT IN ORBIT LINK
ESTABLISHED...RECALABRATION COMPLETE...INTERNAL CLOCK RESET...TWENTY-FOUR
DECEMBER 2011 1825 GMT."

"That means...we're back and according to Tech's info, we have plenty of time to
get ready for Christmas!" yelled Arcademan.

"So, what are we waiting for!" answered back Santa. "Let's do it!" As they
headed to his workshop, Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand.

"Time for us to return home to our world." Nodding in agreement, Sakura was
about to activate The Return card but Arcademan interrupted.

"And where do you think you two are going? Santa's going to need our help and
you're both needed to get us through Christmas. Are you up to it?"

"You bet!" Syaoran and Sakura both yelled together as they joined the others
toward Santa's workshop. Much to the delight of Mrs. Claus, Dingle and the rest
of the elves, Santa was back though through their perspective, they were gone
only 15 minutes, not 24 hours. As midnight climed in the first time zone of
Earth, Santa was at full strengh and speed, covering his route with
lightning-fast precision as if he was a strapping young man of years past,
helped out by his close friends of the Arcademan Universe and the Cardcaptor
Earth.

As they returned back to the North Pole after delivering every present to all
the good boys and girls, Santa finally got a chance to sit down and take a
breather as well as the others. As Mrs. Claus passed out cookies and milk to the
gang, Santa spoke to them.

"You know...every year after I'm done delivering the gifts, I'm so beat that I'm
sore for months and wonder if I can get back into shape and do it again next
year. Strangely this time...I feel like I can do this for another hundred years
and I have all of you to thank for that...for finding me through space and time,
getting me back on time and finally helping me with my mission. Words cannot
express my gratitude to everyone."

Sakura stood up and spoke. "You're Santa Claus. No thanks are neccesary. I was
always taught by my father that it was better to give than receive. I knew we
could do it...zettai daijôbu da yo."

"Arigatô, Sakura-san!" answered back Santa as everyone clapped and cheered for
another successful Christmas run.

Moments later, Arcademan said goodbye to Sakura and Syaoran as she began to
activate The Return Card. Eclipse kissed both of them and then shined some of
her energy around the two.

"This will allow you to return about 15 minutes after your originally left your
world. Godspeed!" As they started to fade away, Arcademan shouted "Don't you
dare tell Tomoyo what went on! She'll be heartbroken about not filming any of
it!" The laughter of Sakura and Syaoran could be heard, then dying as the two
returned home. Arcademan turned to Eclipse and BattleTech.

"Time to go home." Eclipse hesitated when Arcademan said that, then turned to
him.

"Yes...home. Back to Arcade Brigade Headquarters for all three of us. I'll warp
us there fast!"

"No! Wait!!!" yelled Arcademan as his scream faded away as the three disappeared
from the North Pole with Santa and the missus watching the whole thing.

"Another Christmas adventure over. I can't wait until next year! Ho! Ho! Ho!!!"

THE END!!!