“So, you are awake.”

His bed was oddly upright. Nathan blinked. Why was it so dark? And why was he standing up? No, not standing. His feet weren’t touching the ground. He was hanging from his arms.

“So, you are awake.”

That voice was unfamiliar, so it probably wasn’t something with Eric that had gone weird. What happened? The last thing he remembered, he was fighting… Oh. He was in his suit. That would explain a lot, except why he was upright. And why he was sweating so much. The air wasn’t that warm.

“So, you are awake.”

Well, if he was in his suit, he probably needed to turn it on to see what was happening. He channeled power to the camera. In front of him stood a white man in a white robe, gold cross on the front. Of course, it was entirely possible that the person wasn’t a man, but people with giant gold crosses on them who kidnapped superheroes usually wouldn’t identify as trans even if they were. His upper face and hair were covered by a white mask with gold trim, but there were wrinkles around his mouth that suggested he was an older man. Possibly in his sixties to seventies. Then again, maybe he was a dedicated smoker.

Nathan channeled power to the radio, but he didn’t even get static. That was probably fried too.

“So, you are awake,” the man said again.

“Yeah, how’d you guess?” Nathan asked, adding power to the voice modulator.

“The Lord told me, as he has told me many things,” the man said.

Right. He’d just been repeating it until Nathan responded, but he’d wanted to see what the man would say about it. Nathan looked around. The area had brick walls, which were too common in the Cove to tell him where he was, and seemed to be lit by daylight from above. He glanced up. The roof was open to the sky and there was an old-fashioned fire escape above him. An alleyway, maybe? Last he remembered, he’d been flying above the city. He looked up at his arms. They were suspended from beneath and the ropes weren't in line with his arm gadgets. Nathan looked down at his feet. His boots were missing, and without them, he couldn’t fly. He was stuck.

“Now, it is time to show the world your fate,” the man said. He walked over to a camera, and a red light turned on. “Say hello to your audience.”

“What’s going on?” Nathan asked.

“I will cure you of your illness,” the man said. “I am the Convert. I have seen the light, and it is my duty to spread it among all who are sick and lost.”

Nathan raised his eyebrows. “You’re the guy who tortured a woman last night, aren’t you?” His heart was pounding. Way too much, actually. It felt like it was about to leap out of his chest.

“She was lost. I had to show her the way,” Convert said, voice strong, though he looked a bit nervous and glanced at the camera.

And then his heart skipped a beat. Convert had electricity powers, didn’t he? He’d zapped Nathan. That must have fried his pacemaker. Probably also fried everything else on him.

Nathan took a deep breath. So, his pacemaker was broken and nobody knew where he was. They would probably start along his last known flight path and fan out until they found him. All he had to do was hold out until then. Agreeing with Convert until he was rescued might be the best plan.

Except for the camera. He eyed it. “So, you’re recording… whatever this is?” he asked.

“Streaming it,” Convert said with the pride of someone who had conquered Everest. “This is all online right now.”

That was a problem. If there was a video of him actually listening to Convert, that would be taken out of context no matter what his excuse was. Then again, it might also work in his favor: if Convert hurt him on-camera, then Convert would lose sympathy. Given how nervous Convert had looked at the mention of Blythe Martins, Nathan would bet that Convert knew it, too. That gave him more leeway to argue with whatever Convert had to say. “Where are we?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about that,” Convert said. “I’ve planned for this. Nobody will bother us.”

That sounded like he’d taken Nathan far away. “Well, then. What do you have planned?”

“I will teach you what sins you have committed, and ensure you repent.”

Nathan tilted his head. “And what sins would those be? You tortured Blythe Martins because she had powers. I’m not confirmed to have any powers.” At least, not according to the wiki.

“Whether you have them or not, you conspire and consort with those who do. Is it not written in the Word?” Convert pulled out a bible. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Exodus 22:18.”

“Ah, yes,” Nathan said. The Mishpatim. “Except that’s Exodus 22:17, not 18. And you still don’t know whether I have any powers, so why are you bothering me?”

Convert gave him a deeply offended look. “You have failed the commandment and conspired with witches! And I know for a fact that you are also guilty of the Sin of Sodom.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Lack of hospitality and extreme nationalism?”

“Sodomy!”

“Right. So, jingoism.”

Convert’s mouth twisted. “No! It is unclean sexual acts!”

“Oh, like when you have sex outside the shower?”

“No! Sex between two men is sodomy!”

Nathan bit back a laugh. “But what can two men do that a man and a woman can’t? I mean, women also have mouths and butts.”