As I walked towards the Van of Dreams, I hadn't realised how big it actually was, I had only ever seen it from the photos that Jacob and Reece had shown us in the conference room no more than half an hour ago. They often went about developing different things, some we were told about others we weren't. Father Christmas trusted them completely, so they had a lot of leeway when it came to what they worked on. He always said that for every ninety-nine ideas they came up with that didn't work, there would be that one time that would change the world or help us when we needed it most. Looking at the Van of Dreams in front of me I knew he had been right about this perhaps being the one idea that we needed the most.
It was huge, there was no other way of describing it, the size of two single Decker buses joined together, bright red on the outside with Van of Dreams inscribed down both sides in white letters that went from top to bottom, it wasn't the most discreet lettering I'd ever seen, twelve silver wheels that came up to our chests ran down each side in groups of two.
"Blimey" said Tommy his mouth slightly ajar
"Impressive isn't it?" smiled Reece proudly watching our faces as we took it all in.
"You can say that again" said William looking the Van up and down.
"Here let me open the door for you" said Jacob pressing a button on a key fob in his hand.
The door appeared from the front of the Van and slowly started to push forward before stopping and sliding along the side of the van. A metal staircase slowly fell to the ground, each step lit up with purple lights and a hand rail ran down the side.
"After you" said Jacob looking at me and waving me forward.
I just nodded and gripped the rail taking one step at a time trying to not let the others see how excited I was. I had never seen anything like this before. The others followed me up the steps into the Van nervously as we were still trying to get over what we had seen so far, although that was nothing compared to what awaited us.
Opposite me were two big black leather seats, a touch panel in front of the one farthest away from me. Screens hung in front of the blacked out windscreen, as I looked along the length of the Van there were similar seats situated next to each other, purple lights lit the pathway between them to a metal door with a port hole in it about half way up. In front of each seat was a small TV screen mounted on an arm that looked like it could be moved back and forth.
"If everybody would like to take a seat we shall be on our way" Reece said sitting into the leather seat at the front. Jacob was pressing the fob key and watching as the staircase folded itself into the floor we had just walked down.
We all looked at each other in awe and slowly sat ourselves into the leather seats around us, a seat belt appeared from the side of the chairs and wound itself around us clicking into place.
"Everyone okay?" Asked Jacob as he sat into his seat and turned the screen on above him next to Reece at the front of the Van.
"Yeah, Er, were just a little overwhelmed by it all to be honest" I said looking at the others a smile spreading across my face as wide as the Van itself.
"Everyone's like that the first time they see it" smiled Reece, he was really proud of what they had built and it showed on his face as his eyes lit up when he spoke.
"Father Christmas kept pushing buttons and bouncing up and down in the chairs" laughed Jacob shaking at his head at the memory.
"The Boss has seen this?" asked William his eyes widening in astonishment
"Of course he has, it was his idea really" replied Jacob confidently pushing more buttons in front of him
"Why?" I asked wondering what the Boss had in mind when he asked them to build this.
"In case anything happened to the his sleigh when he was delivering presents we would be able to go and get him and finish it off" Reece said knowingly "Now then everyone strapped in?" he wriggled in his seat getting himself comfortable.
"Is this tight enough?" asked Tommy pulling on his seat belt
"You'll be fine" Emily reassured him, but checking her own belt just to be on the safe side
"Okay then, lets go" and with that Reece pressed a button and we were all pushed back into our seats
Tommy let out a little whimper, William looked like he was praying, Emily had a large grin on her face, Liam has open mouthed, Michael was gripping his seat with all his might, Billy was trying not to laugh at Michael, who's knuckles were turning white and I sat there fascinated at that was going on in front of me. Reece and Jacob chattering away, pressing buttons and watching as the snow in front of us sprayed up onto the windscreen which had now become clear, allowing us to see where we were going.
Jacob flipped another switch, I didn't think we were going to make it, we seemed to be running out of snow, the edge of a cliff appearing in front us at an alarming rate, when suddenly Reece pulled back hard on the steering wheel and we rose into the night sky, stars shinning brightly above us, the village getting smaller and smaller as we raced towards Tokyo and our first stop in retrieving the Reindeer.
I looked across at Tommy, who had his eyes shut tight now and seemed to be mumbling something to himself about making sure he didn't die. He never was any good at flying, not since we'd left Ireland on dragons all those years ago. William was taping away on his phone, calmer now that we were in the air. Reece and Jacob were looking at a map on the screen above their heads at the front and Michael, Billy, Liam and Emily were making there way towards the back of the van deep in conversation.
I undid my seat belt and walked to the front of the van, touching Jacob gently on the shoulder so as not to startle him.
"How long till we get there?" I asked watching the stars flash past us through the windscreen
"1hr tops, were flying faster than the speed of sound now so it wont be long". He replied not taking his eyes of the screen in front of him which was showing our flight path as a mixture of dots across the screen.
"The signal is still in the same place" Reece said looking at me handing me the tablet from the conference room.
"Good that means he doesn't think we are coming" I said watching the dots flash at a steady pace and not move from their original positions.
"What's the plan when we get there, Tokyo is a big place?" Jacob asked
"William's working on making contact with an Elf who will help us find their location, as soon as he does that we can start making plans" I replied handing the tablet back to Reece
"Hows Tommy? He doesn't like flying does he?" Jacob asked nodding towards Tommy who now had his eyes open and was starting to undo his belt
"No he doesn't, I don't think he's ever really forgiven me for strapping him in that baby chair and letting the dragon fly off with him on its back" I smiled at the memory, Tommy had screamed all the time he was in the air, but he couldn't stay on the dragon and it was the only way we could get to the North Pole at the time. Although it was 7 years ago, the memory was still fresh in my mind.
"Hahaha so it is true then, I thought that was just a tale people told" said Jacob laughing so much that tears sprung from his eyes
"No unfortunately for him its all true" I smiled looking at my friend who was now struggling to get out of the chair
"Sammy? I have made contact with Himari Niko our contact on the ground, she says shell be waiting for us when we land". William called placing his phone back in his pocket.
"Excellent well done William" I said patting Jacob and Reece on their shoulders and turning towards him.
I smiled at him as I walked towards the back of the coach where the others had gone. I walked through the metal door and in the kitchen area, a microwave, a small fridge freezer, cupboard's and a sink ran down one side the other had a small folding table set against the wall. I walked through the next door into the sleeping compartment, double beds on both sides enough for all us to sleep in, curtains for a little privacy ran down the length of each bed.
I looked through the portal of the door at the end of the room and watched them all for a moment deep in conversation, not knowing I was there. They were in what looked like the stables part of the van, hay scattered on the floor and four wooden stalls, two on each side. My friends, all wanting to help me get the Reindeer back, all not knowing what danger they were about to face but none the less all keen to help me overcome Carl. I wanted to protect them, to tell them that me and Tommy would do this on our own but knowing that it was pointless, we were in this together. I decided to let them be and walked back to my seat next to Tommy who was now fiddling with the screen attached to his chair.
"Sammy?" Tommy asked
"Yes mate?" I replied sitting down next to him
"Why after all this time? I mean we beat him once he cant think that we wont beat him again can he?" He asked looking thoughtful
"I don't know mate, I really don't know, you watched the video what do you think?" I asked Tommy
"Its Carl isn't it? His lips move and I don't believe a word he says, there's no doubt he's got the Reindeer and the boss, but why hide them all over the world?" He'd given up on the screen and was now opening a can of drink he'd found in the arm of his chair "He must know that even with the Reindeer gone we have back up plans in place in case they are ill are something on the day? He worked there long enough didn't he, he knows every little bit about the place and how its run. He cant think that we wont find them can he?" he took a long drink from the can and placed it in the holder in the arm of the chair.
"Carl never does anything without a reason, he wants his job back and me gone, we know that much. I just have bad feeling that there is more to this than we know. It just seems to simple for him doesn't it." I shrugged
"Yes it does, I mean he's kidnapped the Reindeer and the boss, yet he's given you a chance to get them back before Christmas Eve, why do that if he wants you gone, there is more to this there's got to be". He looked at me and I could see it was troubling him, he wanted answers at his stage that I couldn't give him so I decided to change the subject
"How's the er backside? Still sore?" I smiled
"Like a ring of fire mate, like a ring of fire, I don't know why I do it to myself sometimes but they challenge me and well you know I cant turn a challenge down". He started to laugh
"Hahaha very true". I laughed back
"Sammy?" It was Emily with the others beside her, Id been laughing so hard that I hadn't heard her walking down the aisle
"Hi" I said smiling at her, we hadn't had a chance to discuss what had happened since we had first found out and it worried me that I was taking her into danger.
"We've been talking and we've all decided that whatever happens, wherever you need to go we are all going with you, your not leaving us on this Van, because you think we may get hurt, were not discussing it its been decided". She crossed her arms across her chest and looked at the others who were nodding in agreement
I looked at all their faces, all the people I cared about the most in the world and knew at that moment that I had never been prouder of them.
"Okay" I nodded
"Did you hear me? I said we weren't going to take no for an answer" she looked at me a frown appearing on her face.
"I said okay" I smiled
"Oh well that's alright then" she said unfolding her arms
"But you have to do as I ask, no arguments, if we are going to do this we need to work together as a team" I said standing up
"Of course" and with that she lent forward and kissed me on the cheek gently.
"Buckle up people we are about to land" Reece said from the front "Oh and this time Jacob try to land a little gentler please"
"Gentler?" said Tommy nervously "Why what happened last time?"
"Oh don't worry about it" said Jacob "The bruising will soon go down eventually" he winked at Reece as he said it.
"Bruising? What bruising? Sammy tell them!" he was breaking out into a sweat now
"You'll be fine" I said sitting down as the seat belt began to wrap itself around me again. We suddenly dropped out of the sky and the ground below us came quicker and quicker towards us. Lights of the city below rushing towards us, even I was beginning to feel a little nervous, I was just about to say something when with a little bump the wheels touched the ground.
"There you go nothing to it" Jacob said smugly
The sigh of relief from around me was collective to say the least.
We left the coach one by one to find ourselves in a field surrounded by trees as high as the eye could see. The grass slightly damp from the frost that was appearing on the ground. The sound of our feet on the grass and the sounds of us breathing the only noise any of us could hear. We slowly walked forward cautious of what was waiting for us.
"Sammy I take it?" A voice came from in front of me as a small Japanese girl suddenly started to appear before my eyes. She had dark hair parted down the middle and cut short, a pink sweatshirt with writing on it I couldn't make out, blue jeans and, Nike trainers, her large brown eyes watching carefully as we all stopped dead surprised by her sudden appearance
"Himari?" I asked nervously, hoping that I had pronounced it correctly, looking at William for encouragement, he had told me the name of the agent Elf we were meeting just as we had gotten off of the Van.
"That's me" she replied bowing at her waist, I returned the gesture a sign of respect in Japan. "Please follow me we have a lot of work to do" she said looking at the others.
"Where are we going?" I asked starting to walk beside her
"To my HQ, what are you going to do with the Van?" she asked
"Oh that's okay we can make it invisible" said Jacob pressing a button on his fob, as we watched the Van disappear before our eyes
"Where's it gone?" asked Billy nervously
"How are we going to get home?" Michael asked looking at the space where the Van had been
"Its not gone its still there" said Reece "We've just turned on the cloaking device so as it looks like it isn't there"
"Impressive" said Himari "Well lets get going we don't have a lot of time I'm afraid"
"No your right we don't come on all lets get going" I said waving the others forward to join us.
We began to follow Himari through the woods in single file. I could hear the others talking amongst themselves trying to reassure each other that they weren't going to be attacked by a two headed monster lurking in the dark waiting to eat them all
"How much do you know?" Asked Himari as we neared the edge of the woods. I could see lights of the city in front of us and we had started to slow down a little to allow the others top catch up
"Just that they are somewhere in the city, but we don't know where" I replied looking back to make sure the others were keeping up.
"Hmm well there's something you need to know, things have escalated a little since you left. Carl has sent another message to us knowing you are going to look for the Reindeer and knowing that this would probably be the first stop as its the furthest away" she stopped and looked at me, I didn't like the look on her face, there was more she wasn't telling me.
"What did it say?" I asked quietly, this was the news I was dreading, Carl adding a twist to try and complicate things even more.
"He has set a timer in the building where he's keeping the Reindeer, we have 6 hrs to find them and deactivate it or hell blow them to kingdom come" she said handing me a phone with the message on it.
I looked at the screen and felt my stomach drop into my boots.
To be continued....................................
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