The Storykeepers

Chapter Six: Raging Waters Part 3: Escape

A few feet outside of the palace, Benjamin, Kasidy, Carol, and Jim waited patiently in Viking gear as a long line of soldiers marched past them.

“We could be here for hours.”  Carol groaned.

“I hate the thought of Nerys held prisoner by that madman, Nero.”  Kasidy sighed.

“Why’s Nero mad at Nerys, Ben?”  Jim asked.  As far as he knew, Nerys hadn’t done anything to Nero.

“Well, he’s not that kind of mad, Jim.”  Benjamin said calmly.

“What kind of mad is he?”  Jim asked.

“Well, he’s like that man Jesus met in Garassa.”  Benjamin explained.

“Who was he?”  Carol asked.

“Well you see,” Benjamin began.  “One day, Jesus and his disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee to a place called Garassa where there lived a wild man.  He slept in a cave, and the local villagers were terrified of him.  Shortly after Jesus and the disciples arrived, the wild man appeared before him.

“‘What do you want with me, Jesus?’  The wild man asked.  ‘Son of the most high god!’

“‘Come out of this man, evil spirit!’  Jesus called out.

“‘For god’s sake, don’t torment me!’  The wild man called out.

“‘What is your name?’  Jesus asked.

“‘I am Legion!’  The wild man called out.  ‘We are as numerous as the Roman Army!’

“Legion begged Jesus not to send him away, asking, ‘Send us among the pigs.  Let us go into them!’

“As loving to his enemies as his friends, Jesus did as Legion asked and sent him into a group of nearby pigs as they oinked angrily and rushed away.  When the villagers came to see what had happened, they came to see for themselves.  They were astonished to see the wild man now fully clothed and in his right mind.  They became frightened and begged Jesus to leave the area.  As Jesus and the others were about to sail away, the man appeared and begged Jesus to let him go with them.

“However, Jesus said, ‘Go home to your friends and family.  Tell them what God has done for you.’

“Jesus sailed away, and the man did as he was asked.

“I like the Legion Story, Ben.”  Jim said with a happy smile.  He liked how Jesus was even nice to the bad people.  “Is that the end?”

“That’s the end.”  Benjamin said with a smile.

“Yeah?”  Carol asked.  “Well this legion goes on forever.”

“I don’t know about that.”  Benjamin said with a smile as one of the soldiers tripped and stopped the line, allowing the gang to head off.

“Look, we can cross.”  Carol said in awe.

“Alright everybody.”  Benjamin said as he pushed a cart full of food they’d all made forward.

“We made it!”  Jim called out excitedly.  “We made it!”

“I think it’s a little early for a celebration.”  Benjamin said plainly as he put on a Viking’s helmet and a wig.  “Get your disguises on everybody.  The tough part of our mission is just beginning.”

Jim, along with everyone else, hoped this plan would work.

At the palace, Nero was sitting there with Ayel looking over reports from his guards and senators when he heard something.

“Hail Nero!”  A man with black hair, a goatee, and an odd Viking outfit said with a thick French accent.  He was also joined by a woman and two young children in similar outfits.  “I am Pierre, a famous baker from Gall, and this is my family.  We have brought pastries for the Galactic Praetor.”

“Pastries, you say?”  Nero asked.  He had always had what humans would call “a sweet tooth.”

“Oui.”  Pierre said.  “In honor of… Uh… The twenty-first birthday of Nero’s uncle’s third cousin on his mother’s side, twice removed.  We have prepared a selection of our finest culinary treats.”

“Third cousin on my mother’s side…?”  Nero wondered.  His family was so large, he lost track of his family line, so some of his family tree was harder to recall.

“Oui.”  Pierre said.  “Now if your majesty pleases, I will describe for him the pastries.  These are our fruit filled pastries.”

Nero smiled as he held up one and tasted it.  The pastry was excellent.

George poked his head out of a hollow statue of a woman holding an urn of water.  The statue was connected to the sewers.

“Worf, Odo, Benjamin’s here.”  George said as Worf poked out his head to see while Odo simply stretched his neck out.

“Look at that outfit!”  Worf laughed, and George had to admit Worf was right in Benjamin’s odd Viking get-up.  Just then, the statue began wobbling.

“Hey, this thing’s loose!”  George called out in a whisper.  That could be useful for later.

In her cell, Nerys drew the sign of the fish on the ground before she heard a door creek open and quickly rubbed it away.  The door opened as Spock stood there.

“What do you want?”  Nerys asked.  “I guess you’re here to torture me.  Well go ahead!  I’m not afraid of you!”

Nerys noticed a jar in Spock’s hand.

“What’s that?”  Nerys asked.  “Poison?”

“It’s water.”  Spock said plainly.  “If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t bother with poison,”

“I see your point.”  Nerys said as she took the water and drank.  Something about Spock was beginning to grow on Nerys.  Maybe because he was nicer than most of Nero’s other guards.

“And these are our famous cream filled pastries.”  Pierre went on as Nero tried one and smiled.

“Mmm…”  Nero said.  “Delicious.”

“And lastly, the crème de la crème.”  Pierre said as he held up a pastry.  “I’d advise against eating this pastry.  It is special.  It is my world famous Secret Poison Torture Pastry.  One bite and…”

Pierre made a slitting motion with his throat.

“How delightful.”  Nero said as he smirked even wider.  “I must have a demonstration.”

“It’s a pity you don’t have any of those loathsome Christians around.”  Pierre said with a sigh.  “They make especially good Torture Pastry victims.”

“You don’t say?”  Nero said as he thought of the Christian they’d just captured.  “Guard, fetch me the Christian prisoner at once!”

The men did so.

In Nerys’ cell, Spock and Nerys continued to talk.

“You know, you don’t have to die.”  Spock said helpfully.  “I’ve seen Nero pardon people like you before.”

“Sure.”  Nerys said with a scoff.  She’d heard about those traitors.  “If they deny Jesus.”

“You don’t have to deny a thing.”  Spock insisted sympathetically.  “You just have to accept that Nero is also a god.”

“Then I guess I have to die.”  Nerys said with conviction.  She’d never abandon his believes just to save her own skin.

“Who is this Jesus that inspires such crazy loyalty in his followers?”  Spock asked.  “I would have liked to have met such a man.”

“You still can.”  Nerys encouraged Remy.

“That’s illogical.”  Spock said.  “He’s dead.  How can I-”

“Shh!”  Nerys said quickly as she heard two approaching soldiers.

“Praetor demands to see the prisoner at once.”  The guard said as he opened the door.

At that, Nerys was dragged into the throne room again as Nero stood there.

“Welcome back Christian.”  Nero said plainly.  “I didn’t want to send you to the lions on an empty stomach, and my baker friend here has a pastry that’s to die for.”

Nerys quickly observed Nero’s smirk and knew something was up.  The baker then walked up to Nerys, and she quickly recognized him as Benjamin.

“Ben?”  Nerys asked in a whisper.  “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t worry.”  Benjamin whispered back.  “Everything’s under control.  Just follow my lead.”  Benjamin’s voice then shifted into a French accent.  “And now Christian Wretch, eat this Poison Torture Pastry, so we can all watch you go into convulsions and collapse dead on the floor!

“No, I won’t!”  Nerys said.  The guards then held Nerys’ arms up as Benjamin shoved the pastry into her mouth.

“Everything’s getting dark…” Nerys gasped after swallowing the pastry.  “I’m so cold!  Good-bye, cruel world!”

Nerys then let herself drop to the floor, coughing and sputtering.  After her performance, Nerys hardly dared to breathe.

“Did you see his tortured expression?!”  Nero asked with dark glee.  “Did you hear his agonized gasps?  It was wonderful.  I’ll take six dozen of those pastries for the next Governor’s ball.”

“Of course, Praetor.”  Benjamin said.  “And now for no extra charge, we will remove the body from your imperial sight.”

“Thank you.”  Nero said.  “It’s quite refreshing for someone to take the rubbish out without being asked.”

As Nerys felt her body be put onto the wagon, she could smell the pastries, and the smoke tickled her nose, and Nerys ended up sneezing.

“Gazuntite.”  Mudd said as if nothing had happened.

“Thank you.”  Nerys said since the guards had already blocked off the exit.

“I suspected a trick.”  Nero said as his smirk widened.  “Arrest them.  Poison Torture Pastries indeed?  “Did you really think you could fool Praetor?  Throw them to the lions at once!”

As the guards pursued the gang, who were zigzagging everywhere, George, Odo, and Worf remained where they were.

“We’ve gotta help them!”  George said quickly.

“How?”  Odo asked.

“Help me topple this statue over.”  George said as they both shook around inside the hollow statue.

“This is crazy!”  Worf called out.

“Stop complaining and start shaking!”  George countered.

As the guards cornered the group, Nerys and Benjamin each took a shield and knocked the guards down as they tossed the shields at them, knocking enough guards out to clear a path.

Kasidy, Carol, and Jim assisted them by tossing the left over pastries at all of them.  Unfortunately, they still ended up cornered in the end near a large marble statue of a woman holding a pot of water.

“Bravo.”  Nero said darkly as he floated through the crowd.  “Bravos.  Bravisimo.  I can only hope you’ll perform as well in the lion pits.”

Just then, the statue began to tip over.

“Look out!”  A soldier called as the statue collapsed onto the ground while everyone else fled the area.

“My statue!”  Nero called out in alarm.  “My beautiful statue.”

“Ben!”  George whispered from where the statue had fallen, and the gang turned to see George and Worf inside a small square hole.  “Over here!”

Benjamin then noticed Odo's face appear in the smoke and gesture for them to go.

The smoke provided an excellent cover as the gang went in one person at a time with Nerys going last when Spock approached Nerys with the scroll.  After a moment, Spock handed Nerys the scroll.

“Here.”  Spock said.  “Now hurry, before I change my mind.”

Nerys smiled.  Maybe there was some hope for people like Spock after all.

“They’re getting away!”  Nero called out, obviously noticing their shadowy shapes in the smoke.  “AFTER THEM!”

They made it to the river where a barrel waited for them just as several guards followed.

“Ben, catch!”  Nerys called out as she tossed the scroll to Benjamin before diving in herself with Odo.

“Alright, let’s get out of here!”  Benjamin called out.

They rushed down the aqueduct on their barrel as Odo became a chain Nerys held up to stop one set of guards from following them on a barrel before catching up with the others.

When a second group of soldiers grabbed onto a cape Benjamin had worn for his disguise, Jim caused him to lose their grip on him by tossing his helmet at them, which also shocked them into smashing into the side of the aqueduct, ruining their chance to pursue.

As the last group of soldiers closed in on the gang, they were saved by pure luck.  While they passed by the aqueduct inspector, the inspector’s aid put in a new filter, completely missing the gang, and the guards were caught in the filter.

“I do say.”  The inspector said.  “I should have thought you chaps would know better.”

In the San Francisco end of an aqueduct, two Christians, Julian Bashir and his girlfriend Ezri Dax, nervously waited by the aqueduct.

“Nerys was supposed to be here hours ago.”  Julian pointed out with a groan.  “We better go tell the others.”

“But what are we going to tell them?”  Ezri asked.  “Those people risked their lives to be here tonight.”

“I know that.”  Julian said.  “But what can we do?  We don’t have a story.”

“I… I guess you’re right.”  Ezri said with a sigh before she stopped.  “Wait, look up there.”

The gang passed by the rendezvous point.

“There they are!”  Nerys called out as they stopped the barrel.  “Ben, get ready to hand off the scroll.”

“No problem, I’ve got it right here.”  Benjamin said when he opened up his cape to find the pocket in it empty.  “Uh… Uh-oh.”

“Looking for this?”  Kasidy asked with a smirk as she handed the scroll to Benjamin.

“What would I do without you?”  Benjamin asked with a smile as he kissed Kasidy’s cheek.

“Benjamin!”  Odo groaned impatiently.

“Sorry.”  Benjamin said with a smirk as he tossed down the scroll as Julian caught it.

“Thank you!”  Julian called out.  “Thank you all!”

“Don’t mention it!”  Benjamin called out as he turned to the children.  “Because of your faith and bravery, hundreds of Christians will hear a new story tonight.”

“What story will they hear, Ben?”  Jim asked.

“Well,” Benjamin said.  “It’s the story of how Jesus and his disciples got caught in a terrible storm over the Sea of Galilee.”

At the San Francisco Story Meeting, the substitute Story-Teller, Leonard McCoy, unfurled the scroll and began reading.

“That evening, Jesus turned to his disciples and said, ‘Come, let’s cross over to the other side.’”