Chapter 16: Starlight Escape Part 1: Travel to New Gotham
Clark, Lois, and the kids were taking an uber to New Gotham as Imra looked outside to see the light.
"The stars are so bright." Imra noted in awe. Spending most of her life in New Metropolis, she'd never seen a truly starlit night like Clark and Kell had.
"A little too bright, Imra." Kell pointed out. "Brainiac's guards could spot us a mile away. We never should've taken this road in the first place."
"Don't worry, Kell." Clark assured his younger brother. "Our friends in New Gotham assured me that if anyone can get us there, it's Eric."
Kell looked at the driver's seat as Eric Strauss in the front seat, talking to the passenger side of it. Eric had brown hair that was going gray and bright green eyes.
"I don't see how." Kell responded. "He's as old as the hills, deaf as a stone, and he talks to that helmet he's got on the other seat."
"No, no, no, Nabu!" Eric argued to the aforementioned helmet. "We go left at the next junction. Not right!"
"Clark," Ayla asked. "Why are we going all the way to New Gotham for a story meeting?"
"Because it's getting too dangerous in New Metropolis, Ayla." Clark explained. "As more people become Christians, Brainiac sends more guards to catch us."
All of a sudden, there was a bright glow from the helmet.
"What's that, Nabu?" Eric asked. "Imperial guards? Well I sure don't sense any guards."
"Oh that's a relief." Kell groaned. "Eric doesn't sense any-"
"Guards!" Dick called out as he pointed out of the uber as several guards were following them on motorcycles.
"Guess you were right, Nabu." Eric said as he floored the acceleration pedal. "Hold on everybody!"
The car burst forward as the guards pursued them. Despite a few twists and turns, the guards were still coming up fast behind them.
"They're gaining on us!" Garth called out.
"Don't worry!" Eric called out. "I'll lost them!"
"If you've got any tricks up your sleeves, you better use them right now!" Kell called out.
"Right?!" Eric called out. "Only an idiot would go right with people right on his tail! We wanna go left… NOW!"
Eric drove off the road down a steep hillside as the car began speeding out of control.
"Are you trying to get us killed?!" Kell called out.
"Sit down!" Eric argued back as he took the helmet and put it on.
All of a sudden becoming dressed in a blue suit with gold gloves and boots, Eric moved the car up into the air and into a clearing surrounded by trees as he then took the helmet off and sighed.
"Whoa." Everyone said.
"Yeah, sometimes it's best to let Nabu drive." Eric explained as he leaned back as they heard the guards ride past, unaware of where they went. "He sure knows how to make one heck of a ride!"
"Is everyone alright?" Clark asked.
"I think so." Lois responded.
Kell walked out and found that during the initial fall, one of the tires was badly damaged.
"Well the car's not." Kell groaned. "So much for the story meeting. We'll never make it to New Gotham now."
"Don't be so sure." Eric said as he took out a spare tire from the trunk. "I said I was gonna get you guys to New Gotham, and I'm gonna do just that. Just give me an hour or so, and we'll be on our way again in no time."
"I'm cold…" Ayla groaned.
"I think we can do something about that." Clark said with a smile.
()()()()()
Eventually, the group made a small fire to keep warm while Eric worked on the car.
"Where'd the leaders in New Gotham find that old smuggler anyway?" Kell asked.
"No one knows much about Eric." Clark explained. "I only knew about him because of Kent, but they do say he's traveled every road and footpath from here to Korugar."
"Hey, there goes another one!" Dick called out as he pointed up, and they all looked at the falling star.
"Why do stars fall, Clark?" Ayla asked.
"I couldn't tell you, Ayla." Clark said with a chuckle. "That's a question for astronomers."
"Who?" Garth asked.
"Astronomers are people who study space, particularly the stars, and in fact, a group of ancient astronomers called Magi play an important part in one of my favorite stories.
"A long time ago, before any of us were ever born, several Magi discovered a new star. They knew the star meant that a special king had been born. So they decided to follow the star to Israel in the hope of finding him. The Magi traveled for nearly two years before finally arriving in Israel's capital city, Jerusalem. Unfortunately, there was another king living in Israel at the time, and his name was Herod. He was a vain, cruel, moody man who lived in constant fear.
"'Someone is trying to steal my throne! I know it!' He would often say.
"You see, he would do anything, even kill his own wife and family to remain king, and the visit by the Magi did little to comfort him.
"'Great king,' they said. 'We have come to worship the child who was born to be the king of the Jews. Do you know where we may find him?'
"'I am king of the Jews!' Herod called out angrily to his advisors a short time later. 'Their only king! Where can I find the other king of which they spoke?!'
"'In Bethlehem,' one of Herod's holy men explained. 'As the prophet Micah wrote hundreds of years ago.'
"Upon learning this, Herod immediately called for another meeting with the Magi and said, 'The child you seek is in Bethlehem. When you find him, come back and tell me where he is for I would like to worship him too.'
"And so, the Magi journeyed to nearby Bethlehem. By then, the child they had come to see was now nearly two years old. He was staying in Bethlehem with his parents, Joseph and Mary. Upon meeting him, the Magi opened the gifts they had brought for him. Gold fit for a king, frankincense for worship, and Myrrh. This last gift was a strange one. Myrrh is usually used in the burial of the dead. Perhaps the Magi knew that much sorrow would come to this small boy. However, that night, the Magi were warned by an angel of the Lord not to go back to Herod, so then, just as suddenly as they arrived, they left. No one knows where they went for certain, but one thing is certain. They didn't return to Herod's palace. For days, Herod waited, and when he realized the Magi had tricked him, he flew into one of his terrible rages.
"'Those meddling sorcerers are trying to hide the child from me!' Herod called out. 'So be it. By the time I'm finished, they'll wish they served him up to me on a plate!'
"Herod then called his captain of the guards and said, 'Assemble your men. They are to scourer the city of Bethlehem and kill every male child under the age of two! No one must escape alive, do you understand?! That's an order!'
"The guard reluctantly agreed and headed out."
"How did Joseph and Mary manage to escape, Clark?" Imra asked.
"Yeah, Clark!" Garth called out. "Finish the story!"
"Well," Clark resumed. "The same night Herod ordered his men to kill all the newborn children, Joseph was warned by an angel of the lord in a terrible dream about Herod's plan. Joseph and Mary knew from the dream that they had to escape, but they didn't have much time. For sure enough, Herod's men carried out their orders. Though Joseph, Mary, and Jesus managed to escape, the sound of weeping mothers that night was a sad sound indeed. And so, the family made their way to Egypt."
"Wow." Dick remarked after the story was over. "King Herod sounds almost as bad as Brainiac."
"At least Joseph, Mary, and Jesus didn't get caught." Imra pointed out.
"Yeah, well we might not be so lucky if those guards decide to double back." Kell said as he stood up. "I'll see what's taking so long."
Kell approached the car, still frustrated at the dangerously slow pace things were going as he saw Eric putting the final touches on the wheel.
"No, Nabu." Eric said. "You've got it all wrong. It goes, two rabbis go into the tavern, and they've got a duck."
"I'd hate to interrupt, but how's the wheel coming?" Kell said as loud as he dared.
"And then they asked the innkeeper if he serves ducks." Eric went on, apparently not hearing Kell.
"What am I doing?" Kell groaned. "This old kook couldn't hear a thunderbolt if it hit him in the ear."
"Watch it, sonny!" Eric said quickly, much to Kell's surprise. "It's a long walk to New Gotham."
Kell then walked off, thoroughly confused about how deaf Eric actually was.
Well, I'm back for more.