Unmistakably a Sanctuary

 This alternate contains an alternate. And both are better.

When their captor comes in to take Hank away, Jeremiah offers an alternative.

“No please, take me.” Jeremiah Danvers said in a rush. The alien lowered his fist. “I might not like him very much, but I cannot let this continue. We have rules even in plain war. You don't keep hacking at a man after he's down. He's no longer any threat to you. If for no other reason than to prove you're better than us - better than him, leave him be."

“I do not understand what you are suggesting.”

Jeremiah hesitated for a moment. "He has a beacon to activate in emergency and call for extraction. Activate the beacon and leave him...or drop him off somewhere. Other agents will find him. I'll go with you."

“You would give up your freedom for this man's life?” He said, mystified.

“For his freedom AND his life...yes. And to be completely open, I'd rather not go back. If you let me go with you...well you'd be doing exactly that. In a way you'd be giving me a new life. And almost certainly a better one. It comes down to this, if you will not only let him Live but let him Go, then without your order to the contrary I will not leave your side. I will not run and I will not fight. I take my oath on it.”

A soft smile grew on the other man's face. He crouched down, put the back of his hand against Henshaw's temple. The man drifted to sleep. “Activate the beacon. Then we'll get out of here.”

“Stop this!" The alien raised his fist, relenting from his assault. “Is this how you prove your superiority? Attacking a defenseless solider?”

“You defend him, why? Who is he to you?”

“He is my commanding officer. I make no excuses for his actions nor my own. He's no longer any threat to you, leave him alone. We have rules even in war, you don't kick a man when he's down. If for no other reason than to prove you're better than us –better than him– leave him be.” My words must have made an impact because he stepped away from us. 'You are a strange one, whoever you are.' I heard the man say. Although I'm not entirely sure he said it.

“I'd be happy to never see his like again. But I cannot trust that you would leave me alone. I cannot simply let you go.”

“You don't want him anywhere near you. I understand. I hope that...Do you have the same problem with me?” The stranger stepped closer to me, almost like he was taking my measure. I did the same and found myself rather drawn to the man. I saw something noble in him. He was a solider and an experienced one at that. He had seen enough battle to value life. I hoped I wasn't creating things out of nothing.

“You, I have no problem with.” He said finally.

“Then let him go. I'll stay.”

“I honestly do not understand what you are trying to say.”

“I'm asking that you let him go. He has a beacon in his vest pocket. Let our people find him and bring him home. But don't let them find me here.”

“You would give up your freedom for this man's life?”

“For his freedom and his life, yes.”

He seemed mystified anyone would make such a sacrifice. Indeed he was looking at me with such an incredulous expression I had to fight to keep from laughing at him. Looking a little harder at his green skin I realized he was surprised a human solider would so willingly surrender themselves to the care of an alien solider. I had to assure him of my grasp of the situation, as much as my sincerity. “For his safety and freedom. I swear to you on anything that would matter, if you will not only let him Live but let him Go, you can take me. I will not leave and I will not fight. I take my oath on it.”

He bent down, put the back of his hand to Hank's temple and stood up.

"Activate the beacon and let's get out of here."

I activated the beacon and stood up. “We should learn each-others names.”

“We should get to shelter first.”

We walked for a couple of hours, headed southeast near as I could tell. Eventually we came to an old schoolhouse. He motioned me in. there were two rooms, one on either side fo the breezeway. In the room to the left there was a coffee table, a floor lamp and even a makeshift mattress propped up on cinder blocks. “I hope you'll be comfortable here. There's a lavatory and laundry room. I have a friend I must visit before sundown.”

“Your name.” I reminded him.

“I am, J'onn Jo'nzz.”: He said haltingly.

“I'm Jeremiah Danvers. And maybe I don't get to say this now, but for my part you can consider me a friend. Thank you.” I said in a rush.

“ I should be thanking you.” He quipped. And left without another word.

The next morning he came back. I stood the instant he walked into the room. He looked thoroughly uncomfortable. “I do not know...I don't intend...” He stammered.

I realized he had misinterpreted my overture. “I'm sorry. I stood at attention every time Hank entered the room. Old habits really must die hard.”

J'onn nodded in understanding. “A sign of respect or fear?”

“Respect, for his authority and position. He was my superior offic...”

I paused, realizing what he'd said. “I do not FEAR you. Of that you may be assured.”

“Then please, no unneeded courtesy or ceremony. It comes off as pretense.”

“Take your own advice.” He actually smiled at me. But didn't say anything else. I realized the ball was still in my court. “Do I, actaully intimidate You?” I asked him.

“Confuse me, yes. I can tell there is more to you than most. You are, as Sarrin would no doubt say, 'a glorious exception'.”

“You mean I'm a better human than most humans you know?”

“Exactly that.” He took a deep breath. “Shall we have an exchange of truths?”

“I'm game.”

“Tell me why you are so unshaken by me.”

I couldn't help chuckling. “I'm rather familiar with at least one very cool alien. Two if you count my adopted son. And not all the aliens the D.E.O. encountered were hostiles to be caged. Something we took to heart and took into account with almost every alien we dealt with. For whatever reason, we honestly thought you were a threat. Your physical appearance had nothing to do with it. Even if it did? I can trust the evidence of my eyes.”

“So you trust me not to be your jailer?”

“I'm..not..sure how to take that actually. And it isn't intimidation you are sensing from me as much as...uncertainty. I don't know what to expect. And you are surprising the hell out of me.”

“I don't intend to treat you as any sort of captive Jeremiah. I never did. You are my guest. As welcome here as myself.”

“Would I seem ungrateful to ask why you are being so kind to me?” J'onn gave a start. “I wasn't an eager participant but I was on a mission to kill you.”

“I've lived on this planet for 300 years and you were the first human to treat me as an equal, knowing who I really was. I've looked human for most of my time on your planet. My race are shape-shifters. If I wanted to I could look like your commanding officer. You and Henshaw are the first humans in more than 50 years to see me as I truly am FIRST. And you didn't fear me. Actually, I don't think either of you were particularly afraid of me.”

“Hank is narrow-minded and stubborn. But he isn't as bad as most people think.” Suddenly I felt like hanging my head. “I owe you an apology. I do not understand how but we were VERY wrong about you. And I am sorry.”

"Jeremiah...Well for one thing may I call you that?"

"Of course."

"Jeremiah. You're different. And it seems you do not know what is worthy of honor.” He shook his head, as if amazed he was explaining something so simple to someone like me. “If I didn't have as high an opinion of you, you wouldn't be here."

“What is this place?” I asked him.

“A...a place that you have to see for yourself. Are you ready?”

“Just let me wash my hands.” I joked. He moved back. “I was kidding. I'm ready.”

In this Earth, Jeremiah broke Nikita out of the D.E.O after working there for almost 5 years and seeing Nothing that would indicate she was an enemy or a threat. Also Jeremiah's adopted son is Superman. Didn't want to give that away.

I just discovered The Chosen

The Chosen season 1 episode four is not the first time WE meet Simon and Andrew. I always assumed the series introduced each of these characters the first time Jesus met them. But while he calls each and every one of his disciples on their first meeting, we see them and get to know them before hand. Which is amazing. It starts when Jesus starts calling his disciples, right before his time comes to begin his ministry. But it starts with him being a face in the crowd to the main characters. And 4 episodes into the show he begins calling them. None fo their stories started when he called them and none fo their lives ended the day they were called. The only way to tell the story through their eyes, which is a major point of the show, is to establish what each of their individual eyes were. You see them talk and debate with each-other. And a few of them even knew each-other from before.

The show weaves a narrative where two brothers Andrew and Simon are in trouble because of their debts to Rome. They meet with a tax collector Matthew who helps them. Matthew was born to privilege and is protected by a roman official named Quintus. And this is before Jesus passes by Matthew's tax collecting booth and calls/chooses him. The five season historical drama The Chosen was something I was always interested in, but didn't know a damn thing about beyond what was on paper. Nothing drew me to the show. I only recently even watched a couple of the scenes on YouTube. I understood what it was about. the unique take of individualizing the disciples and telling his story through there eyes there's one thing I never realized. Now let me back up and say I've checked seasons 2-4 out of the library once and didn't watch any of it. I never saw the scenes where Jesus called his disciples.

So I saw the YouTube clips of when he called Matthew. And something clicked in my head. A couple fo things actually. One that Gaius, a Roman solider who was with him told him he was being crazy throwing everything away to follow this street preacher. Making him the first dropout. Like Francois, aka St. Francis of Assisi Matthew threw away a life of privilege to follow God.

But also one of my favorite passages in the Gospels is of the Faithful Centurion. It's found in  Matthew chapter 8 and one other place. There is a Roman Centurion, Gaius who comes to Jesus and asks him to heal his servant. But anyway this centurion's name is Gaius. So when I heard Matthew call this Roman solider Gaius I thought maybe he would be the faithful Centurion to come later. So I watched that scene. I saw the potential for a tapestry. And when I looked at the episode list I saw they had made one. Not just people like Nicodemus, Zacheaus and the Faithful Centurion having met him or seen him before they are shown in the gospels, but the disciples themselves, the Apostles being part of each-others lives before being called to follow a man they each recognize as the Messiah.

Most of the time in the gospels Jesus calls someone nearby and they leave everything and follow them. Nothing else is known about most of the disciples who were called. There is no relationship, no context. Only Andrew and his brother Simon (Peter) James and John, and Matthew's stories are told as encounters. Here Nathaniel, Simon Z and at least one other disciple encounter, meet with and accept Jesus invitation to join him. That 'addition' is what makes the unique approach of having Jesus story told through his disciples eyes even work. Now remember I said that in Matthew 8 he's asking Jesus to heal his servant? In Matthew 8 the centurion comes himself. In Luke 7 he sent people to ask him to come and when Jesus was on his way the centurion "sent friends to say 'lord I am not worthy you should come under my roof, only speak the word and my servant shall be healed'."

Matthew's account is so different and a more personal account because it is. Matthew was actually there. Luke, whoever he was did not meet Jesus of Nazareth and was a gentile. He was recording these things about 40 years after Jesus crucifixion. The powerfulness not just of a centurion asking a Jew for help, to heal merely a servant when he could just as easily order it, but a man who didn't know anything about the messiah, with boldness and confidence absolutely freaking sure Jesus, whoever he was could do this. Instead of believing he could do this because of who he was. A roman solider calling Jesus 'Lord', wasn't recognizing him as the messiah. But as a lord. Someone with power, authority. Someone against whom he was unworthy. I want to see what kind of tapestry they weave.

It will be a great and worthy journey. Of that I have absolutely no doubt.

Found Tal's Masterpiece

This was not only mislabeled, it was halfway down on an ambiguously labeled document. And especially with Tal-Rho/Superman or Superman Defeated stories I look for names related to the story. This is one of the newer copies actually. And more powerful and original in its design and execution.

“Pledge to me that you truly submit and I promise to let them live unharmed.”

Clark looked down at his adopted daughter. “I submit.”

“Show me where you live.”

Clark lifted himself into the air, Tal followed close behind. In a few minutes they landed in Clark's front yard. Lois rushed out the front door. “Clark, what is going on?”

“I...have to go with Tal. You and Aisha will be fine.”

“Clark I...” Clark cupped Lois' face with his hands.

“I love you. You and our daughter, you're all that matter to me. I'll be fine.”

“It's time to go Kal.”

Superman walked back to Tal-Rho. He stood a step behind his brother, looking with love and hope at his family. Tal Rho launched himself into the air. Clark followed suit. As he followed Tal-Rho, Clark couldn't help wondering what he would find, what Tal would be like. Until two weeks ago, he had thought that 'Morgan Edge' was running people off their land and taking them away from their families. Morgan Edge, as it had turned out was a Kryptonian named Tal-Rho, and his half-brother. The sincerity in Edges eyes as he'd pleaded 'join me__of your own free will.” was unquestionably genuine. By threatening Aisha, Tal had forced his hand. Forced him to surrender. He understood Tal-Rho enough to know acting out for being circumvented was not in the man's nature. He couldn't imagine Tal would set him loose on the people of Metropolis. Beyond this, he could not even guess his brother's plans.

The first thing Tal-Rho did when they arrived inside his fortress was to command Kal-El to remove the 'chosen one' symbol from his torso__and his shirt along with it. Kal-El sat on the ground and tore his uniform at the waist. Pulling the now loose cloth over his head, in this way he obeyed his brother. He straightened his back but did not stand up. Tal took a spire of Kryptonite and literally bound it to his brothers chest. “You'll get used to it eventually Ka-rean.” Tal said, stepping away.

“'small one'. I should have expected that. If this is to make me compliant, it is not necessary. I wouldn't run from you if I hadn't just sworn to obey you.”

Tal Rho walked in a tight circle around his brother, gesturing with his hands as he went. “If you're worried about this crystal ending your life, don't be. It's not pure Kryptonite. Rather a graft of Nth metal infused with the radioactive substance which bears that name. And you will live a long life under its influence. The question Kal-El, is what are we to do with you? Kal-El is your true name, and probably the one thing I can still recognize in you. It's a twist of irony really. The last son of the noble and most ancient house of El, brought to heel by a discarded bastard.”

“You're not nearly as callous as you present yourself to be Tal.” Kal-El said with a firm jaw. “And you were never rejected. Not by our mother. And not by me.”

“What do you call joining with the humans rather than your own people?!”

“I call it choosing to protect humanity as I have always done. Replacing humans with Kryptonian minds, that is something I can never agree to. I will stand against any such plan if I have the choice. But I have not rejected YOU. And I never will.”

Strangely enough, Tal-Rho seemed genuinely pleased by this. He waved his hand over the spire of infused kryptonite. “Pretty soon I'll take that off. Pretty soon your word will be all I need. But until then, this stays on. And you stay down.”

“I don't understand why you're even doing this.”

“I need you weak enough that you can't interfere with our plans.”

“...OUR plans?”

“My father, Zeta-Rho.”

The pit in Clark's stomach grew about three sizes in that moment.

“You know the name?” Tal asked, genuinely curious.

“No. It's just, I surrendered to you. I didn't know any one else...”

“An easy mistake to fix.” A gravelly voice said from somewhere at Clark's left.

“He has vowed his submission father.”

“So he is...no longer a danger to the plan.”

Tal looked down at his brother, who shook his head sadly. “I promised Tal I wouldn't fight him. Whatever your plan is...TAL does not have to worry about me getting in the way.”

“So, it seems you've finally done something right for a change.”

“This is the last in a line of things I've done right.” Tal muttered under his breath.

“Yes but this is the one that matters!” Zeta Rho barked venomously.

“Of course father.” Tal replied with sincere respect.