Chapter 8: Catacomb Rescue: Part 2: The Search

While searching for Kent Nelson, Lex watched as Brainiac had his men break down a door and ransack the house to look for the Christian.
"Sometimes I don't understand." Lex said to Oswald, who was busy with some chicken he'd grabbed, which equated to talking to himself. "Even if they are different, these Christians don't seem so bad. Still my father is also my god, and I do as he commands. Guards, search that house!"
Lex's men entered a house across from where Imperiex was.

Clark was walking down the street with some bread when he noticed all the soldiers, led by Brainiac.
"You there!" Brainiac snapped. "What are you doing?"
"I was just making deliveries." Clark said nervously.
"Deliver this!" Brainiac called out as he cracked his whip at the cart Clark was pulling as it tumbled over. Avoiding the whip from Brainiac, Clark ran into Lex Luthor, the soldier who had captured Oliver last week.
"Hey, watch where you're going, boy!" Lex called out.
"Why don't you get your hands off of me?!" Clark shouted as he wrenched himself free.
"And why don't you get off the streets?" Lex retorted calmly.
Clark rushed off.
"One day, you're going to pay for this!" Clark called out. "You're all gonna pay!"

At the farm, everyone had finished eating, and the children crowded around Kent.
"Tell us a story!" Lois pleaded.
"Yeah, a story about Jesus!" Conner said as well.
"Kent will tell another story tonight." Jonathan said with a smile. "Right now, we have to discuss our plans to get him off of Earth."
"Does he have to leave?" Lois asked sadly.
"I'm afraid so, Lois." Kent said. "There are many people on Thanagar who have never heard the stories of Christ, and I have to plant the seeds."
Kent then left with Jonathan to talk as Martha sat down.
"He's gonna plant seeds on Thanagar?" Conner asked.
"I thought he was a Story Keeper. Not a farmer." Bruce said.
"Well Bruce, telling the stories of Jesus is like planting a seed in someone's heart." Martha explained.
"Lois!" Jonathan called from the staircase. "Tell them about the sewer!"
"Ah, yes." Martha said with a smile. "One day, Jesus was teaching a crowd by the sea.
"'Listen to this!' Jesus said. 'A farmer went to plant his crop. Now some seeds fell on the path, and the birds ate them. Some seeds fell on rocky ground. These shot up quickly because the soil was thin, but they were scorched by the sun. Some seeds fell among the thorn bushes, and the thorns grew up and choked them, so that they never ripened, but some seeds fell into good soil and made thirty times more grain. Some up to sixty, and others up to a hundred times more grain.'
"And Jesus then said, 'He who has ears, let them hear.'"
"Hear what?" Bruce asked. "I don't get it."
"Well, neither did his Disciples." Martha said. "At least, not at first. You see, after the story, Peter turned to Jesus and asked, 'Master, why do you speak in stories. Why not say what you mean, like you do with us?'
"Jesus responded, 'When I'm talking to you, I can talk about God's way plainly, about how God cares for everyone everywhere, but those who see me as I pass through their villages don't know me as well. I put things into stories. That way, those who want to hear me can, but those whose hearts are closed never do. Like the scriptures say, they look, but they don't really see what's there. They listen, but they don't understand.'
"Because if they did understand, they'd change their ways." Martha finished.
Just then, Clark burst in.
"Jonathan, Jonathan!" Clark shouted out. "The soldiers are coming! We've gotta hide Kent!"
"Clark, you and Lois take Kent to the catacombs and wait for me." Jonathan said quickly. "I'll keep the guards busy."
There was a knock on the door.
"Open up in the name of Lionel Luthor!" A voice called out.
"Hurry!" Jonathan asked.
As Clark and Lois took Kent to the kitchen to get him out by the window, the children and Martha quickly cleaned up.
"I said open this door!" The soldier called out again.
"I'm coming." Jonathan said. "I'm coming."
Jonathan opened the door to find Cobblepot.
"Oswald!" Jonathan called out with a smile.
"Oh, Jonathan." Cobblepot said in shock. "I didn't realize this was your farm."
"Come in." Jonathan said kindly. "Come in."
"I'm afraid I'll have to." Oswald said. "Luthor's orders. We're searching the whole district."

In the kitchen, Clark tried to push Kent out while Lois pulled.
"Come on, Mr. Nelson!" Lois groaned.

"So, are you searching for anyone in particular?" Martha asked.
"Well actually..." Cobblepot began before he turned to some bread Martha had just pulled out of the oven. "Wow, those look good."
"By all means, help yourself." Jonathan said kindly.
Cobblepot began to eat a loaf of the bread when Brainiac came in.
"Well Cobblepot, hoping to find a Christian beneath that crust?!" Brainiac asked.
"No." Cobblepot said nervously. "Sorry sir. I was just about to-"
Brainiac shoved the bread into Cobblepot's mouth when he turned to the others.
"Search this place!" Brainiac called out, and the guards pounded through the whole bakery as Martha held Conner and Bruce close to her.
After their searches turned up nothing, there was a loud thump.
"What was that?" Brainiac asked as he went into the kitchen to find a picture of Jonathan shaking hands with Lionel.
"Lionel Luthor's farmer, eh?" Brainiac asked as he turned to Jonathan. "If I find you've been hiding that Story Keeper, I'll harvest you."

Outside of a rundown road, Lois helped Clark and Kent sneak into the catacombs that ran throughout Metropolis and Smallville.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Clark asked.
"I know these tunnels like the back of my hand." Lois said offhandedly. "I had to leave down here for a month after the fire."
They then walked on.

Back at the farm, Jonathan, Martha, Bruce, and Conner cleaned up.
"At least the children are safe." Jonathan said reassuringly. "And they didn't find Kent."
"Jonathan." A voice whispered.
"What was that?" Bruce asked.
"Jonathan." The voice whispered again as Conner noticed it was coming from the picture in the kitchen.
"The picture's talking." Conner said in awe.
"Conner, it's just Oliver." Jonathan said good naturedly as he lifted the picture as Oliver hoped in.
"Jonathan, you won't believe it!" Oliver said excitedly. "We've gathered a whole cartful of food and clothing for Kent to take to our friends on Thanagar!"
"That's wonderful!" Martha said.
"Yeah, and I've got these!" Oliver said as he pulled out a piece of paper with Luthor's seal on it. "Traveling papers."
"Traveling papers?" Conner asked.
"Luthor set up check points all over the city, but with these, once Kent's out of the country, he can travel anywhere in the empire!"
"Excellent." Jonathan said. "Oliver, tell everyone to bring their gifts to the Thanagar Christians to J'onn's cave, here. We'll meet you there tonight."
"But that's outside the city." Bruce said confusedly. "How will you get Kent there?"
"Catacombs, my boy." Jonathan said with a laugh. "They don't call us underground Christians for nothing."

Oh, now that was a good stroke of luck for the gang.