Chapter Seven: Catacomb Rescue Part 1: Kent Nelson
It was a starry night in New Smallville with a full moon. While it was a beautiful night for most, for Clark, Lois , Garth, Imra, Dick, and Ayla, this meant only one thing: Brainiac's soldiers could spot them very easily. They had to be extra careful, and every time a soldier began to come, they would hide behind a building.
"Lois, why are we being so careful tonight?" Dick asked.
"Because tonight's meeting is especially dangerous, Dick." Lois explained. "Clark's friend Kent Nelson will be there, and Brainiac would love to capture him because he's told so many people the stories of Jesus."
"I think it's safe now." Clark whispered before he was proven wrong when Brainiac 5 and Imperiex were questioning a young man.
"You there!" Brainiac 5 said to the man. "We're looking for a man named Kent Nelson, a Christian. Do you know him?"
"No I don't." The man said simply.
"Alright." Brainiac 5 said plainly when Imperiex shoved him aside.
"You call that an interrogation, Brainiac 5?" Imperiex scoffed. "I'll show you."
Imperiex easily lifted the man up and held him close.
"Do you know a Christian named Kent Nelson?" Imperiex asked.
"No, I swear!" The man said, easily frightened by Imperiex's visage.
"You don't only know him, you are Nelson, aren't you?" Imperiex said as he pulled out a whip and started lashing the man. "I say you're Nelson! You're Kent Nelson the Story Keeper!"
"Yes!" The man said, scared out of his wits. "Yes, anything you say!"
"Liar." Imperiex said with a smirk as he tossed the man into a troth of water.
"That my friend is how it's done." Imperiex told Brainiac 5 smugly.
"Why do they have to be so cruel?" Imra asked.
"They beat my father and Mekt like that." Garth said bitterly. "Before they took them away."
The guards walked off as Garth looked angrily at them.
The meeting that night took place in a secret underground house with Kell acting as a lookout as usual; he also made sure all who entered knew the sign of the fish to prove their Christianity.
After awhile, Clark and the others arrived, and Kell greeted them just as Kent Nelson arrived. Kent was an old man with white hair, but he only had a few wrinkles on his forehead.
"Clark, how are you doing, kiddo?" Kent said as he and Clark hugged.
"Kent!" Clark called out. "I'm so glad you made it!"
Clark still remembered how Kent helped Clark's family out when they first arrived on Earth, prompting them to take his first name as their last name.
"Everyone's been looking forward to hearing your stories."
Clark then turned and addressed the crowd.
"Friends of Jesus, please welcome Kent Nelson, the Master Story Teller!" Clark called out.
"Ah, Clark is too kind." Kent said with a smile. "For he knows that I'm nothing compared to the greatest storyteller of all. Why one day during a biblical past live, I remember hearing Jesus in Galilee, and as he spoke, a man stepped forward.
"'What must I do to live in God's new way?' The man asked arrogantly.
"'What do the Scriptures say?' Jesus asked in response.
"'They say we must love God and our neighbor as ourselves.' The man recited.
"'Yes.' Jesus said. 'Do this and you will live.'"
"'But who is my neighbor?' The man asked again.
"Jesus took a stick and drew a line in the road.
"'There was a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.' Jesus began. 'But some men put a trap on the road, and when the man came by, they robbed and beat him. Leaving him there, bleeding and alone. A priest was going down the same road, but he refused to stop and help. Then a Levite came by, on his way to the temple where he worked, but he didn't stop either. Then just as the man thought he would die, a Samaritan came over. The wounded man didn't think a stranger from Samaria would help, but the foreigner took pity on him and stopped. After tending to the man's wounds, the Samaritan took him to an inn.
"'"This man needs help." The Samaritan told the innkeeper.
"'"Do you know this man?" The innkeeper asked.
"'"No, but please take care of him for me." The Samaritan requested and gave the man several coins. "If it costs more than this, I'll pay you on the way back."
"'The innkeeper was amazed. Samaritans and Jews don't usually talk to one another, and yet the priest and Levite had broken their own law by not helping the man. Now, which one of those men who passed by the wounded traveler was his neighbor?"
"'The one who was kind to him.' The man said, understanding.
"'Exactly.' Jesus said as he put a hand on the man's shoulder. 'Now you go, and do the same.'"
"Now there was a master story teller." Kent finished with a smile.
"Ah yes." Clark said with a smile.
While Clark went to introduce Kent to the others, a thin man with light brown hair bumped into Kell as he stared at him quizzically.
"I don't remember seeing you before." Kell said plainly.
"Who me?" The man asked. "Well I'm visiting. I'm visiting my uncle, yes. And there he is. Oh uncle!"
Kell rubbed his chin as the man rushed off. There was something about that guy he didn't like, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"And finally, this is Ayla, and her brother Garth." Clark said after introducing everyone to Kent.
"It's great to meet you all." Kent said.
"Come on to the Farm." Clark said. "Lois has a feast waiting for us."
"Where'd she buy it?" Kent asked with a smile.
"Har-har." Lois said as she smiled too.
"After dinner, I'll tell you about our plans." Clark said with a smile. "Believe me, we'll have you out of the city before Brainiac even knows you're here.
"What do you mean he's here?" Brainiac shouted. "Who's here?"
"The one who spread all that Jesus nonsense throughout New Happy Harbor." Brainiac's spy, John Corben said as he shook.
Brainiac 5 couldn't blame him. He doubted he'd be very brave when it came down to a face-to-face talk with Brainiac. After the incident with the Kryptonian Christian and the scroll, Brainiac had changed his appearance to an intimidating but approachable look in hopes of stopping an unnecessary death by being able to talk comfortably with a prisoner.
"Oh… Him." Brainiac said, realizing Corben was talking about Nelson. "Why the unmitigated dog! It's bad enough he spreads that poison out in the rest of the world, but to come here… Corben, thank you for bringing this to my attention.
"You're welcome." Corben said.
"Brainiac 5," Brainiac said. "Why isn't this Christian here now begging for his life?"
"Well sir, my men haven't found him yet, but I have them on the lookout for any unusual activity." Brainiac 5 responded.
"If your men are able to look for anything at all, that would be unusual activity." Imperiex said with a sneer. He and Brainiac 5 were natural rivals as they were both very high up in the army and had such opposing views.
"Do you mean that Corben is the only one who knows where this Christian is?" Brainiac asked incredulously. "That Corben is the one true everlasting friend of the empire?"
"Well…" Corben said. "I didn't actually see where he went."
Brainiac growled angrily and then smirked as three beams of energy blasted from his forehead, and Corben disappeared.
"Now, where were we?" Brainiac mused.
"The search for the Christian is a matter for my Dominator Guard." Imperiex said quickly. "Not these common foot soldiers. Let me do this my way, and I guarantee we'll have this Christian in chains by sunrise."
"The only thing you can guarantee, Imperiex is brutality and destruction!" Brainiac 5 called out angrily.
"Brutality and destruction?" Brainiac asked with a smirk. "Why Brainiac 5, what an excellent idea. I want you and Imperiex to work together."
"Sir!" Imperiex protested.
"Silence!" Brainiac ordered. "Now close the city gates, and let no one travel the hyper space routes of the empire without my official seal!"
Brainiac then put down two sets of papers, poured some melted wax from a candle onto them, and pressed down on them with a stamp installed in one of his fingers, leaving his three circled mark on the papers.
"I want that Christian dead." Brainiac said as he handed the papers to Brainiac 5 and Imperiex. "As well as anyone caught hiding him. You have your orders, now go!"
Uh-oh. Thinks look bad for the gang now, don't they?