The Cedars of Lebanon

1. Escape

The world is ending.

Stars are falling out of the sky, and the westerly, not long ago calm as a waiting tiger, now pounces the Westphalia lowlands. Fire flows from Berlin to Frankfurt, while the government has gone into hiding. No hope, just despair, as the prophecy draws unto the fateful night. Humanity, after five thousand years of recorded history, prepares for its humble finale.

Dr. Erica Mohler, the lead scientist from Bundeswehr's elite research unit Buro-10, still wants to save lives. In a warehouse facility outside the town of Niedermohr, she's arguing with the soldiers sent to evacuate her.

"I can make it work!" Erica points at the tall, ring-like metal structure and shouts. The inter-dimensional portal device, IDX-1, is the pinnacle of modern technology. It is her life's work, and embodies all her memories - her youth, her career, and Thomas, whom she loved and lost.

Captain Gedeck raises a palm and urges calm. "We don't have time, Dr. Mohler. The American plane is leaving with or without you."

"Just listen," says Erica. "Right now, the device can only create a corridor for two seconds, roughly. But if I can overlay the original Sumerian schematics onto ours, as I've always done in the past, I can find a way to extend the duration up to ten seconds. That way, we can help more people."

"And how many more people is that?" asks Gedeck. "Two more, three more? Look, I'm just a soldier, but I get the science. If you join the Americans in their underground bunker, you'll live and help rebuild our society."

Erica lowers her head. "Logically, yes. And what about you guys?"

"Bunker's just for you," says Gedeck. "We've been ordered to fulfill our duty until the very end. So please, don't let our sacrifice go to waste. Come with us, doctor. Now."

Against her heart's compulsion, Erica settles for reason. She knows IDX-1 is a lost cause. She looks around - all her colleagues have deserted their posts already - and murmurs farewell to the place she holds dearest. She grabs her backpack, her laptop computer, and follows Gedeck outside.

The KSK special forces convoy is waiting by the curbside. It consists of three Mercedes G-Wagons in woodlands camo, and Gedeck rides with Erica in the middle vehicle. The convoy's mission is to escort Erica to Ramstein Air Base and put her on the last US Air Force C-17 leaving Europe within the hour. The military bunker in Colorado is offering shelter to 100 able-bodied and bright-minded people selected by the United Nations - and Erica's name is on the roster.

"Move out." The convoy pulls away from the warehouse facility. And Erica is in tears because her fight is over. "Blessed are the meek," she often quotes from the Holy Book, and it has been her mantra to give without hold back. But not only has she failed her mantra and the world at large, she has also failed the person she cared for the most: Thomas Bo.