Chapter Seven: Catacomb Rescue Part 1: Kent Nelson
It was a starry night in Smallville with a full moon. While it was a beautiful night for most, for Clark, Lois, Oliver, Jonathan, Martha, Bruce, and Conner, this meant only one thing: Luthor'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.
"Martha, why are we being so careful tonight?" Bruce asked.
"Because tonight's meeting is especially dangerous, Bruce." Martha explained. "Jonathan's friend Kent Nelson will be there, and Lionel Luthor would love to capture him because he's told so many people the stories of Jesus."
"I think it's safe now." Jonathan whispered before he was proven wrong when Brainiac and Lex Luthor were questioning a young man.
"You there!" Lex 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." Lex said plainly when Brainiac shoved him aside.
"You call that an interrogation, Lex?" Brainiac scoffed. "I'll show you."
Brainiac easily lifted the man up and held him close.
"Do you know a Christian named Kent Nelson?" Brainiac asked.
"No, I swear!" The man said, easily frightened by Brainiac's visage.
"You don't only know him, you are Nelson, aren't you?" Brainiac 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." Brainiac said with a smirk as he tossed the man into a troth of water.
"That my friend is how it's done." Brainiac told Lex smugly.
"Why do they have to be so cruel?" Lois asked.
"They beat my father like that." Clark said bitterly. "Before they took them away."
The guards walked off as Clark looked angrily at them.
The meeting that night took place in a secret underground house with Oliver 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, Jonathan and the others arrived, and Oliver 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.
"Jonathan, how are you doing, kiddo?" Kent said as he and Jonathan hugged.
"Kent!" Jonathan called out. "I'm so glad you made it! Everyone's been looking forward to hearing your stories."
Jonathan then turned and addressed the crowd.
"Friends of Jesus, please welcome Kent Nelson, the Master Story Teller!" Jonathan called out.
"Ah, Jonathan 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 life, 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." Jonathan said with a smile.
While Jonathan went to introduce Kent to the others, a thin man with light brown hair bumped into Oliver as he stared at him quizzically.
"I don't remember seeing you before." Oliver said plainly.
"Who me?" The man asked. "Well I'm visiting. I'm visiting my uncle, yes. And there he is. Oh uncle!"
Oliver 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 Conner, and his brother Clark." Jonathan said after introducing everyone to Kent.
"It's great to meet you all." Kent said.
"Come on to the Farm." Jonathan said. "Martha has a feast waiting for us. After dinner, I'll tell you about our plans. Believe me, we'll have you out of the city before Lionel even knows you're here.
"What do you mean he's here?" Lionel shouted. "Who's here?"
"The one who spread all that Jesus nonsense throughout Happy Harbor." Lionel's spy, John Corben said as he shook.
Lex couldn't blame him. He doubted he'd be very brave when it came down to a face-to-face talk with his father.
"Oh... Him." Lionel 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.
"Lex," Lionel 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." Lex responded.
"If your men are able to look for anything at all, that would be unusual activity." Brainiac said with a sneer. He and Lex 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?" Lionel asked incredulously. "That Corben is the one true everlasting friend of the empire?"
"Well..." Corben said. "I didn't actually see where he went."
Lionel growled angrily and then smirked as he pushed the button on a device he was holding, and an explosion occurred in Corben's head, and he fell unconscious.
"Now, where were we?" Lionel mused.
"The search for the Christian is a matter for my Dominator Guard." Brainiac 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, Brainiac is brutality and destruction!" Lex called out angrily.
"Brutality and destruction?" Lionel asked with a smirk. "Why Lex, what an excellent idea. I want you and Brainiac to work together."
"Sir!" Brainiac protested.
"Silence!" Lionel ordered. "Now close the city gates, and let no one travel the highways of the empire without my official seal!"
Lionel then put down two sets of papers, poured some melted wax from a candle onto them, and pressed down on them with a stamp, leaving an L inside a rectangle on the papers.
"I want that Christian dead." Lionel said as he handed the papers to Brainiac and Lex. "As well as anyone caught hiding him. You have your orders, now go!"
Uh-oh. Things look bad for the gang now, don't they?