ground with a clang, and Rudolph kicked at the switches. "This is an express run. No stops, no services."
The Clock engaged, and everything froze for an instant. The air was thick and heavy. The red light spilling from the base of the cylinder took on a tactile weight, an ooze that leaked like blood across the floor. The flames of the angels' swords slowed to frozen streams of orange and yellow light.
"I don't know how long it'll run," Rudolph said, his voice slipping and slurring. "But I'm not sticking around to find out." He made a dash for the exit, past the trio of angels.
We were all slowed by the Nuclear Clock's field—its bubble outside of Time was only partially effective here. We weren't completely untethered from Time, but we were certainly operating at an angle to it, an angle much more acute than the angels'. Their movements were even slower than ours.
They could clearly still think just as quickly as we could because their movements shifted from completely clumsy to marginally accurate as they tried to stop us. A flaming sword, lined with slow fire, cleanly missed Comet's head, but Dasher had to dodge the angel's backswing. Santa caught an angelic blade on his pistol, and the weapon slowly spun out of his grip. Donner ducked the angel's arm and drove a heavy shoulder upward, knocking him aside. The angel fell back in slow motion, his wings curling around his body like a flower closing at night.
Michael wasn't at the top of the hierarchy because of his consummate skill at greeting folk at the door. He corrected quickly to the Time shift, and his aim became true. His hand came down on David Anderson as Vixen ran past, and the man had only a moment to open his mouth in alarm before he was pulled off the reindeer. Vixen felt the man's weight shift across his back, and he tried to turn around, but the angel's swift sword stroke brought him up short.
The other reindeer couldn't fire their weapons for fear of hitting David Anderson and they faltered, unsure how to proceed. David Anderson was trying to wriggle free of the angel's grasp. Santa was shouting something from the hallway back to the café. Vixen pranced about just beyond Michael's reach.
Rudolph came back at a full gallop, his hooves barely touching the ground. He leaped, clearing Michael's raised sword, his head nearly smacking into the ceiling. As he sailed over the angel's head, he kicked back with his hooves, striking Michael hard between the wings. He landed on the far side of the trio of angels. "Go!" he shouted. "There isn't any time. Go!" His face was flush in the light from the bleeding Nuclear Clock.
Vixen grabbed David Anderson while Comet and Dasher dropped crosshairs on Michael and opened up. Archangels were equally bulletproof, but the force of the rounds was enough to keep him off balance. Long enough for the rest of us to get into the hallway that led to the white door and the café.
The red glow faded as we ran, and the reindeer stumbled out of the Clock's field, and the ambient sounds scaled upward. Santa slid off Donner as we reached the end of the hallway, and the muscular reindeer lowered his head and plowed through the handleless door. The team followed close on his hooves, leaping through the hole he had made. We were calling Michael's bluff.
It was chaos in the café: the patrons all scrambling for cover as Cupid emptied the rest of one of his guns at the big windows, clearing an easy egress for all of us. The reindeer bounced off chairs and tables, their hooves knocking against the wood and recklessly knocking aside cups and saucers.
I looked back as Blitzen jumped through the window. Comet and Dasher were right behind Santa. Smoke was billowing out of the ruined door, white and pink. The red light from the Clock was getting brighter. Santa dove through the window, tucking and rolling like a twelve-year-old Olympic gymnast as the back of the café exploded into a fountain of light.
"Move! Move! Move!" Santa shouted as he
The Clock engaged, and everything froze for an instant. The air was thick and heavy. The red light spilling from the base of the cylinder took on a tactile weight, an ooze that leaked like blood across the floor. The flames of the angels' swords slowed to frozen streams of orange and yellow light.
"I don't know how long it'll run," Rudolph said, his voice slipping and slurring. "But I'm not sticking around to find out." He made a dash for the exit, past the trio of angels.
We were all slowed by the Nuclear Clock's field—its bubble outside of Time was only partially effective here. We weren't completely untethered from Time, but we were certainly operating at an angle to it, an angle much more acute than the angels'. Their movements were even slower than ours.
They could clearly still think just as quickly as we could because their movements shifted from completely clumsy to marginally accurate as they tried to stop us. A flaming sword, lined with slow fire, cleanly missed Comet's head, but Dasher had to dodge the angel's backswing. Santa caught an angelic blade on his pistol, and the weapon slowly spun out of his grip. Donner ducked the angel's arm and drove a heavy shoulder upward, knocking him aside. The angel fell back in slow motion, his wings curling around his body like a flower closing at night.
Michael wasn't at the top of the hierarchy because of his consummate skill at greeting folk at the door. He corrected quickly to the Time shift, and his aim became true. His hand came down on David Anderson as Vixen ran past, and the man had only a moment to open his mouth in alarm before he was pulled off the reindeer. Vixen felt the man's weight shift across his back, and he tried to turn around, but the angel's swift sword stroke brought him up short.
The other reindeer couldn't fire their weapons for fear of hitting David Anderson and they faltered, unsure how to proceed. David Anderson was trying to wriggle free of the angel's grasp. Santa was shouting something from the hallway back to the café. Vixen pranced about just beyond Michael's reach.
Rudolph came back at a full gallop, his hooves barely touching the ground. He leaped, clearing Michael's raised sword, his head nearly smacking into the ceiling. As he sailed over the angel's head, he kicked back with his hooves, striking Michael hard between the wings. He landed on the far side of the trio of angels. "Go!" he shouted. "There isn't any time. Go!" His face was flush in the light from the bleeding Nuclear Clock.
Vixen grabbed David Anderson while Comet and Dasher dropped crosshairs on Michael and opened up. Archangels were equally bulletproof, but the force of the rounds was enough to keep him off balance. Long enough for the rest of us to get into the hallway that led to the white door and the café.
The red glow faded as we ran, and the reindeer stumbled out of the Clock's field, and the ambient sounds scaled upward. Santa slid off Donner as we reached the end of the hallway, and the muscular reindeer lowered his head and plowed through the handleless door. The team followed close on his hooves, leaping through the hole he had made. We were calling Michael's bluff.
It was chaos in the café: the patrons all scrambling for cover as Cupid emptied the rest of one of his guns at the big windows, clearing an easy egress for all of us. The reindeer bounced off chairs and tables, their hooves knocking against the wood and recklessly knocking aside cups and saucers.
I looked back as Blitzen jumped through the window. Comet and Dasher were right behind Santa. Smoke was billowing out of the ruined door, white and pink. The red light from the Clock was getting brighter. Santa dove through the window, tucking and rolling like a twelve-year-old Olympic gymnast as the back of the café exploded into a fountain of light.
"Move! Move! Move!" Santa shouted as he
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