Snow was falling as Drak, Frankie, and Howler were exiting the local orphanage late on Christmas eve. The manageress, a large, boisterous woman, gave them each a big bear hug and a smooch on the cheek.
"You boys have done it again!" she said smiling. "The children will be so surprised to find all those toys tomorrow morning!"
"Aw, shucks!" Frankie said, blushing.
"Always glad to help the kids," Howler added.
They said their good byes and Merry Christmasses and started down the path towards the Drakster.
"Well guys, that's the last stop," Drak said. "What do you say we get back to Headquarters and call it a night?"
Frankie and Howler agreed.
They all got into the Drakster and drove off.
*~Meanwhile, on O.G.R.E. island.~*
Kittie was walking past her father's lab on her way to bed. There was a light comming out from under the door. Kittie let herself in.
Dr. Dred was sitting in his lab, putting the finishing touches on another device.
"Dad, it's late. What are you doing?" Kittie asked.
"This is Doomsday Device number 55," He said. "It has to be ready for tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?"
"Because I'm going to use it tomorrow to finally bring the world to its knees!" he said, excitedly. "There. It's done."
He put the last piece into place and picked it up. He carried it out of the lab towards the war room. Kittie followed.
"But, dad," she said, "tomorrow's Christmas."
"I know," he replied, "What better day is there? Everyone will be opening up presents and singing carols and having fun and nobody will expect the attack!"
"Dad, that's so low," Kittie scolded.
"Well I never liked the holiday anyway," he explained. "Dreds never celebrate on such goody-goody occasions."
They got to the war room Dr. Dred went in and placed the device on the desk.
"There," he said. "It will be ready and waiting in the morning."
"Dad," she pleaded, "it's the one day out of the year when everybody can get together and stop fighting and say 'Hey, let's just be friends for awhile, okay'. Why can't you?"
"Because, I don't care," he said. "World domination waits for no one."
Dr. Dred walked out of the war room and locked the door. He then headed towards an elevator.
"No one gave you presents as a kid, did they dad?" Kittie asked.
"Of course they did. Just not at Christmas," he replied.
He pushed a button and the elevator opened.
"Why are you so concerned about this holiday anyway?" he asked, entering the elevator, "I never celebrated it with you either."
"Just because we never celebrated it doesn't mean I can't like the holiday." she explained.
"Well, to each his own. As for me, I'm getting the world in my stocking tomorrow." he said, chuckling as the door closed.
Kittie threw up her hands and sighed heavily.
The elevator took Dr. Dred up two levels to his private quarters. He went to his room, changed into his nightclothes and a stocking cap and went to bed.
He was sound asleep when a voice beside his bed woke him up.
"Hey!" it said.
Dr. Dred stirred a little.
"Hey!" the voice said louder.
Dr. Dred opened his eyes and said, "Wha?"
"HEY!" the voice yelled, still louder.
Dr. Dred sat upright in bed. Standing by the side of his bed, was Howler, in monster form.
"You!" he snapped. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"
"I'm the ghost of Christmases Past," he said.
"Oh, very funny!" Dr. Dred quipped, "O.G.R.E.! Howler's in my room! Come get him!"
"They can't hear you," he said, "And I'm not Howler. I'm the ghost of Christmases past."
"Well, I'll just have to get you myself then. Come here!" Dr. Dred snapped as he bolted forward and tried to grab Howler. His hands went through him as though he wasn't even there. Dr. Dred looked at him, stunned.
"I told you. I'm not Holwer," the ghost said, "I'm the Ghost of Christmases Past."
Dr. Dred was confused. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I'm here to show you scenes from your past Christmases to try and change your evil ways," the ghost said.
"You can't," Dr. Dred gloated, "I never celebrated Christmas."
"I know," the ghost replied, "I had to bring a scene from one of your birthdays."
The ghost motioned to the end of the bed where a scene played out.
A little boy, around age 5, was ripping open a package. A man was watching him from a chair. The little boy's face litup as he saw what was in the package and he gave the man a big hug.
"Thanks, dad!" the little boy said as the scene faded.
Dr. Dred had a smile on his face.
"Hey!" he said, "That was me and my father! It was my fifth birthday!"
"And what was in that package?" the ghost asked.
"That was my first working nuclear reactor kit!" he said.
The ghost got a funny look on his face.
"I remember that very well!" Dr. Dred continued. "There was an incident and dad's skin still glows in the dark from it!"
"Well...um..." the ghost stammered, "let's just go on to something else, shall we. Years later, you were sent to a boarding school and pretty much ignored weren't you?"
"Yes!" Dr. Dred replied. "I loved that school! That's where I learned all of my evil ways! I sent my daughter there!"
"Oh, forget it!" the ghost said and faded away.
"Hey!" Dr. Dred called, "aren't we going to see any more of my great childhood?"
Suddenly, another ghost appeared. This one looked like Frankie and was wearing a Santa hat.
"Hi!" the ghost said.
"Who are you?" Dr. Dred asked.
"I am the Ghost of Christmas present," the ghost said. "I am here to show you scenes from here and now to try and change your evil ways."
"Oh, well. Get on with it." Dr. Dred replied.
"Okay," the ghost said. "Take a look at what's going to happen tomorrow morning."
He motioned to the end of the bed and another scene played out.
This scene showed a number of children of various ages standing out on the street, crying.
"Why are they all crying?" Dr. Dred asked.
The ghost got a sad look on his face. "They're all sad because your doomsday device ruined everybody's Christmas."
"Then it actually works then?" Dr. Dred said excitedly.
"Only until Drak Pack shows up and takes you to prison," the ghost replied.
The scene at the end of the bed changed as it showed the Drakster flying past the children. The children stopped crying and started cheering. One boy yelled, "Go get 'em, Drak Pack!" The scene disappeared.
"AAUGH! Get out!" Dr. Dred yelled at the ghost.
"Okay," the ghost said, "but there's one more ghost, and you're not going to like him."
The ghost disappeared, leaving Dr. Dred with his arms crossed and grumbling to himself.
The third and final ghost appeared. This one looked like Drak Jr.
Dr. Dred glared at him.
"Hi," the ghost said, "I'm the Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come. I'm here to show you scenes of future Christmases to try and change your evil ways."
Dr. Dred just glared.
"Well then," the ghost continued, "I'll just get right to the point. The next several Christmases you're going to be spending in prison with the rest of O.G.R.E. You're going to get out as an old man, get sent to the old criminal's rest home, and get much older and then die."
"Oh, goody!" Dr. Dred said, sarcastically.
"But," the ghost added, "not before you see your daughter finally take over the world."
Dr. Dred's face lit up.
"Really?" he asked excitedly. "By George, I knew that girl had it in her!"
"Yes," the ghost said, "You see, she eventually gets interested in politics. She studies hard and 24 years from now she runs for President of the United States and wins and becomes the first female president."
Dr. Dred's face dropped.
A scene played out at the end of the bed. A 42-year-old Kittie was being sworn in as president.
"Then," the ghost continued, "she solves all of America's problems. The budget is balanced, everybody has a job, nobody's homeless or hungry or miserable ever again. All the world's leaders ask her for advice and she solves all of their problems too. All the biggest criminals are sent to a moon colony in outer space where they can't be any trouble to any of the good people any more. Everybody likes her so much they even forget term limits and make her president, permanently."
"What about Drak Pack?" Dr. Dred asked, apprehensively.
"Well, Drak Jr. ran as her vice-president and Frankie and Howler were appointed cabinet positions." the ghost answered.
"I don't believe this!" Dr. Dred moaned, shaking his head.
"That's nothing," the ghost added. "She's married to Howler."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUGH!!!!"
Dr.Dred sat bolt upright in bed and screamed. He was drenched in a cold sweat and was shaking like a leaf.
He looked around the room for any sign of ghosts. Drak Pack's or otherwise. There weren't any.
Sunlight shone through a small porthole in his room.
He looked at his clock. It read 7:00 am.
"Heh heh!" he chuckled, "It was all a dream. It was all a really BAD dream."
He jumped out of bed.
"It's morning! There's still time!" he said as he ran from his room to the elevator.
Kittie sat at the kitchen table wearing a thick quilted bathrobe. She was buttering a toasted bagel and sipping from a steaming mug of hot cocoa when Dr. Dred rushed in.
"Kittie!" he said, making her jump a little.
"Dad, you startled me," she said.
"You're not President of the United States, are you?" he asked her.
"No. Wh..." she started.
"You're not married to Howler, are you?" he asked her, a little more seriously.
She looked at him a moment and said, "Dad, I think you need to check the ventilation in your chemistry lab. You must be breathing in some fumes or something."
"Then it was a dream," he sighed. "Well, I'm off to the war room!"
"You're not still going to use that thing today are you?" Kittie asked him.
"Of course I am!" he replied. "It's what I had planned, isn't it?"
He left the kitchen.
Kittie smiled a little. She sat there munching on her bagel and sipping on her cocoa. Every so often, she would slosh her bare feet in the basin of hot water underneath the table.
Soon, she heard footsteps, running to the kitchen. Dr. Dred burst in.
"It's gone!" he yelled.
"What's gone, daddy?" she asked.
"The doomsday device!" he said. "I distinctly remember leaving it on the desk in the war room and locking the door!"
"Yeah. I remember that too," she said and took a sip of her cocoa.
"You didn't see or hear anything last night did you?" he asked, desperately.
"Nope. Sorry," she replied.
"Where could it have gone?" he said, leaving the room again.
"I have no idea, dad," she said to herself and sloshed her feet.
Drak, Frankie, and Howler woke up early and went downstairs in pajamas and bathrobes to start their Christmas. Drak and Howler headed towards the kitchen where Draka and Joni were already making breakfast. Frankie stopped at the bottom of the stairs and yawned, stretching his arms over his head.
Frankie looked at the front door. He noticed something on the floor in front of it.
"What's this?" he asked, walking over and picking it up. Drak and Howler turned back to see.
"Hey! It's a card!" Frankie said excitedly. "It says, "To: Drak Pack'."
"Open it up," Drak said as he and Howler walked over to him.
Frankie opened the envelope and removed the card. On the front of the card was a picture of a Christmas tree with packages underneath. Frankie opened the card and read the inside. "It says, 'Merry Christmas, look outside'."
The boys looked at each other, then at the door.
Drak opened the door. There were footprints in the new snow, leading to and from the door.
On the front porch was a brightly wrapped package. A tag on the package read, "To: Drak Pack, From: Santa".
Drak carefully picked up the package. Who knew what could be inside. He brought it in and closed the door.
Drak put the package on a hallway table and looked at Frankie and Howler. He then sighed and carefully opened it up. They all looked inside. Inside, was a strange device and a booklet titled "Doomsday Device #55".
"Kittie!" they all said together as Drak closed the box and took it to the room where all the other confiscated devices were dismantled.