Chapter Five: Berlin, Germany

Samson led his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings towards the end of Prenzlauer Allee. “So, what’s the plan, Samson?” Jesse asked.

Samson pondered the question awhile before speaking again. “Maybe, since we don’t really know the city of Berlin, we should impersonate tourists,” he decided, finally, “This is to avoid any problems with the people of Berlin. As tourists, we will have a tour of Berlin in English, so that way we’d know where everything is and we’d get through here faster.”

The group considered and then Ptolemy crossed his arms over his chest, “Oh sure, Samson, impersonation is your specialty,” he quipped, “but what about the rest of us?”

Samson sighed, “I, Paradise, Ziero, and the Ancient Xeroxians in the group will pretend to be Earthlings and request a tour of Berlin,” he answered. “But, we would have to locate the Visitor Center of Berlin, Germany, first.”

Samson perused the street corner for the Berlin Visitor Center and when he couldn’t find it, Ziero used the GPS on his wrist phone to give him a guided tour to the visitor center in Berlin, Germany.

Samson and Ziero led the group south on Prenzlauer Allee until Prenzlauer Allee became Karl-Liebknecht-Street. They continued straight until Karl-Liebknecht-Street became Pariser Platz and it wasn’t long before they stood before the Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg Gate was packed full of tourists of different nationalities"from Americans in the U.S. to European and Asian groups"so Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings had to wait a while before getting to speak to the clerk at the Berlin Tourist Information center.

When Samson and his group finally entered, the clerk immediately recognized Samson from the news. “I can't believe it!” he exclaimed in German. “It’s you! You’re the guy from Tagesschau! Samson, is it? Welcome to Berlin! How may I assist you today?”

“We would like to be given a tour of Berlin, Germany in English,” Samson replied.

Samson’s statement seemed to surprise the clerk because of the expression he gave him and the question that followed, “We? Who’s we?” the clerk asked.

“All of us,” Samson replied, stretching his arms out wide. “They’re with me,” he added pointing behind himself.

There was a pause and then the clerk said, “Okay! I can do that for you!”

He left the desk to get Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings some maps. He got his buddy to man the desk while he’s gone, then he turned to Samson and his group.

“So, where are you and your friends coming from?” he asked.

He knew that they were from planet Xerox, but he just wanted to confirm the location. To his surprise, Samson and his entire group collectively say, “America.”

The guy laughs, unconvinced, “Really?” he asked, “I thought you were from planet Xerox?”

Oops, Samson thought, I forgot about that distress signal I sent out. It’s the only flaw in an otherwise perfect plan. He now knows that we’re lying. Samson was clearly stumped and the man was waiting for an explanation. He didn’t seem too happy that Samson decided to lie to him because his smile was slowly fading into a stern look.

Seeing that this could get ugly really quick, Exaephor Smith broke the silence, “Well, yeah we came by that way, but we were originally from America,” he said nodding.

Samson smiled and nodded, “Yeah, good ‘ole USA. That’s where we’re from, originally,” he chimed in.

The guy looked back and forth between Samson and Exaephor Smith for a while. He was silent for so long, Samson began to get nervous.

Finally, he spoke, “Okay.”

He went back behind the desk and it was clear that he was skeptical of Samson’s and Exaephor Smith’s answer but he continued setting up their tour of Berlin.

“What all would you like to see of Berlin, Germany?” the clerk asked.

“Everything,” Samson said.

There was silence and it was clear the guy was looking for a definite answer.

“All the major attractions and the living quarters of the people of Berlin,” Samson sighed, “And if possible, could you tell us the history of Berlin, Germany?”

The clerk nodded, “Sure, I could give you a tour of Berlin, Germany that consists of a tour of the major attractions of Berlin, Germany and the history of Berlin,” he replied. “Would that be the history of the Cold War in Berlin and the Berlin Wall history?”

Samson nodded, “Yes, we’ll take that,” he said. “But what about the tour of the living quarters of the people of Berlin?”

The clerk sighed, “I can’t just let you go into the living quarters of the people of Berlin without special permission,” he said, “I’m sorry.”

Samson sighed, “Alright, we’ll take the tour with just the tour of the major attractions in Berlin, Germany and the history of the Cold War in Berlin and the Berlin Wall,” he said.

The clerk nodded, “Okay that’ll be €480,” he replied.

Samson squinted, “How much is that in American dollars?” he asked.

The clerk sighed and after a while he replied, “$566.58 American dollars.”

Samson sighed as he supplied the money needed to pay for the tour of Berlin. The clerk accepted the money and left his desk for his colleague. He led Samson and his group out of the Berlin Tourist Info center and in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

“My name is Leopold Eberhart and I’ll be your tour guide for today,” he said. “I hope you enjoy your stay here at Berlin and drink in all that Berlin has to offer you. I hope you find this tour informative, exciting, and adventurous. Please watch for pedestrians and other obstacles as we make our departure from the Berlin Tourist Info.”

He led them away from the Tourist Info, “As you probably already know, this is the Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg Gate is an 18th century neoclassical triumphal arch here in Berlin, and one of the best known landmarks of Germany. The Brandenburg Gate is built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of a road that led from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel or Brandenburg City. Brandenburg City is located on the banks of the River Havel, hence the name Brandenburg an der Havel. This is the western part of Berlin and the city center. One block to the north is the Reichstag Building, which houses the German parliament. The Brandenburg Gate was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and it was built by the Prussian architect Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791. Unfortunately, since the Brandenburg Gate suffered from a lot of damage during World War II, it had to be restored between the years 2000 and 2002 by the Berlin Monument Conservation Foundation. In spite of the damages the Brandenburg Gate suffered from, even today it is considered a symbol of the tumultuous history of Europe and Germany, and it is also considered a symbol of European unity and peace. Let’s cross the street over to the Reichstag Building.”

Leopold led them over to the Reichstag Building via Ebertstraße/B2/B5 and Scheidemannstraße. On the way to the Reichstag, he gave them an overview of the places they were passing by: “This is the foundation Brandenburg gate,” he said, pointing at a large building to their right as they passed it by, “the foundation Brandenburg gate is a grand 4-story building that is a host to live performances, cultural events & conferences. Next to the foundation Brandenburg gate we have the Hopfingerbräu im Palais, or Sky Lounge, which is a German restaurant that serves some of Berlin’s best dishes and we have the Vertretung der Regierung von Québec Büro Berlin, which is the Representation of the Government of Québec, for Québec City. Also, next to the foundation Brandenburg gate and the Sky Lounge, we have the Sausage at the Brandenburg gate, a snack kiosk in Berlin, Germany that is very popular for their French Fries and hot and cold drinks.”

He led them up the Ebertstraße past a fence or wall of white crosses. “This memorial is the Weisse Kreuze or White Crosses, if you will. It was built to commemorate the deaths of the victims that tried to escape West Berlin from the GDR or German Democratic Republic after the border was sealed off by the Berlin Wall. These victims were either shot by the GDR or they died in their escape,” Leopold said as he led Samson and the group towards Scheidemannstraße.

He led them past a part of the Reichstag Building, “At the roof there is an entrance to the restaurant Käfer or the Beetle Roof Garden Restaurant in Berlin. This restaurant serves a collection of fine dishes and their marinated saddle of venison on apple-celery salad with cream of smoked trout and radish is exquisite!” They passed by another building but Leopold disregarded it and pointed them towards the Reichstag Building, “And here we are,” he said, “the Reichstag Building. As you already know, this building is Germany’s Parliament Building. It is also a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany that was constructed to house the Imperial Diet or general assembly of the German Empire. The Reichstag was opened in 1894 and it housed the Imperial Diet until 1933, when the Reichstag was severely damaged after being set on fire. The fire was a result of an arson or deliberate attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on the 27th of February in 1933.”

“The fire was started by an unemployed bricklayer, Van der Lubbe and he was sentenced to death. As a result of the Reichstag fire, Nazi Germany was established. The building stopped being used after World War II and the two parliaments of Germany began meeting in separate buildings. The German Democratic Republic met in the Palace of Republic in East Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany met in the Federal house in Bonn, another city in Germany. The Reichstag was given protection from the elements and partially refurbished in the 1960s, but it wasn’t fully restored until 1990 and it once again became the meeting place of the German parliament after its completion in 1999.” He turned to face Samson and his group, “Let’s go inside,” he said as he opened the front entrance of the Reichstag building.

“Don’t we have to pay to visit this place?” Samson asked.

“Don’t worry, everything’s been taken care of,” Leopold replied.

Upon entering the Reichstag building, they noticed a mirrored central column of the dome of the Reichstag. The column was standing on a mirrored circular platform. Samson could only guess that this was how the dome of the Reichstag was held up, but he wasn’t completely sure. Leopold led them towards the mirrored column, “This is the Reichstag dome’s central column which directs sunlight into the building so that visitors can see the working of the chamber. The mirrored interior of the Reichstag also keeps the carbon emissions of the building low by involving the use of direct sunlight through the mirrored cone to provide the Reichstag with light. But since the sun has not shone today, we’ve had to rely on another source for light.”

Leopold led Samson and his group towards two steel, spiraling ramps that have the same likeness to a double-helix. He led them up one of the ramps to the Reichstag dome, “The Reichstag dome’s transparent design symbolizes Berlin’s attempt to move away from a past of Nazism and towards a future with a heavier emphasis on a united, democratic Germany. The dome also symbolizes that the people are above the government, which wasn’t the case during National Socialism.”

The interior of the Cupola, the Reichstag dome, contained a large circular skylight ceiling. It was fashioned completely out of glass with an upside down bowl-like platform underneath the ceiling that was also fashioned completely out of glass. Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings went over to one of the windows and looked out over the city of Berlin. After a while Leopold joined them.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” he said. “Look, you can even see the Brandenburg Gate from here.” They looked and saw that he was right about seeing the Brandenburg Gate from the dome of the Reichstag Building.

“Yeah, it sure is beautiful,” Samson sighed. They enjoyed the view a while before leaving for their next destination: The Pergamon Museum.

Leopold led Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings out of the Reichstag Building to the right. They went up the Paul-Löbe-Allee following the route towards their destination. As they left the Reichstag Building and took to the right, they came across the River Spree as it sparkled in the street lights.

“Ah, it is beautiful, yes? That is the River Spree,” Leopold said. “It flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg, and Berlin states of Germany. The River Spree is 400 kilometers long and as a left bank tributary of the River Havel, it is the river on which the original center of Berlin was built.”

They followed along the side of the River Spree until it was finally out of sight, replaced by a line of shops and restaurants along the Georgenstraße, or George street. Their route took them back to the River Spree, where they crossed a bridge into the Pergamon Museum.

“The Pergamon-museum was designed by Alfred Messel, but its construction was overseen by Ludwig Hoffmann and lasted twenty years, from 1910 to 1930,” Leopold explained. “For a while, a smaller building stood here on Museum Island, but because of inadequate foundations it was demolished. The new, larger Pergamon-museum was built as a three-wing complex. The museum houses three of the National Museums in Berlin’s collections: the collection of Classical Antiquities, front Asian’s Museum, and the Museum of Islamic Art. The very impressive reconstructions of massive archeological structures such as the Pergamon Altar, Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon, and the Mshatta Facade, have made the Pergamon-museum famous throughout the world. As a result, it is the most visited museum at the National Museums and in Germany as a whole.”

Leopold led Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians on a tour through the South wing of the Pergamon-museum, which featured the Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon, and the Museum of Islamic Art, telling them about each one:

“The Market Gate of Miletus is a large marble monument in the Pergamon Museum about 30 meters wide, 16 meters tall, and 5 meters deep. The two-story artifact has three doorways and a number of juts and recesses. At roof level and in between the floors are friezes with bull and flower reliefs. The artifact’s protruding gables are supported by Corinthian and Tuscan columns. However, the gate is not wholly original, since very little of the lower floors survived the centuries, and additional material added includes brick, cement, and steel. The gate is attached to the wall behind it by two iron beams.

The Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon is the entrance into Babylon. Through the Ishtar Gate ran the Processional Way which displayed a glorious array of lions, bulls, and dragons that served as protection for the city of Babylon and symbols of the goddess Ishtar. Nebuchadnezzar was so proud of the construction of this gate that he placed an inscription on the side. There is no telling where he placed the inscription on the original structure but on this replica the inscription was placed on the left side of the left tower. The inscription said ‘I Nebuchadnezzar laid the foundations of the gates down to the ground water level and had them built out of pure blue stone.’  But that is not fully what the inscription on the structure said.

The Museum of Islamic Art is the only institution of its kind in Germany and the oldest in the West. It houses one of the world’s finest collections of Islamic art from nearly all regions of Islamic rule. The collection is displayed chronologically, which allows us to follow the different stylistic phases of Islamic Art. Come, take a look around.”

 Leopold led the group into the Museum of Islamic Art to check out the exhibits. There were only a small number of the most important works of art on display. They witnessed a very rich art and archaeological collection of archival photographs on Islamic art and architecture as well as an internationally outstanding library focused on art, architecture and archaeology in the world of Islam.

“Wow, they have every kind of book you could name or even dream of reading on Islamic art in an entire lifetime!” Samson exclaimed. “Rob would love it here.”

“Who’s Rob?” Tamar asked, “And why would he love it here?”

“Rob’s my neighbor,” Samson replied. “He loves to read and he loves anything on art. That’s why he and my father were very good friends. And that’s why he would love it here.”

“Really? What kind of art?” Ptolemy asked, sarcastically.

“Any kind of art and architecture,” Samson sighed. “My father was his friend because Rob was interested in his type of art. Now, if you’re done interrogating me, we should get back to the tour.”

Leopold smirked, “I can sense tension between you two,” he said to Samson and Ptolemy. “Is everything alright?”

Samson nodded, “Yes, everything’s fine,” he replied, side glancing at Ptolemy.

“Okay, if so, and if you’re done looking, then allow me to escort you and your group to your next destination,” Leopold said. “Follow me.”

Leopold led Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings out of the Museum of Islamic Art, back through the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way, and out through the Market Gate of Miletus. Before long, they were out of the Pergamon-museum.

They followed Leopold to the right and back the way they came, it seemed, until he led them down a road different from the one they had previously travelled by. This road was a little further past the road by which they came to the Pergamon and contained a view of the River Spree. After a while, they crossed over the River Spree and passed by a bunch of businesses and shops. After a couple of turns, they found themselves standing on a grassy area in front of the Berlin Wall Memorial.

“During the Cold War in Europe, Berlin was separated down its middle by a huge wall because of the collapse of Germany and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The idea for the wall was imposed by the Soviet Union to limit the ability of France, Great Britain, and the United States to travel to their sectors of Berlin, which laid within Russian-occupied Germany. The Wall completely cut off any traffic between East and West Berlin,” Leopold explained. “But, November 9, 1989 had something else in store for Berlin. This was when the Berlin Wall fell. There was a huge celebration as chunks of the wall were pulled away piece by piece. This is the Berlin Wall Memorial, which contains the last piece of the Berlin Wall with the preserved grounds behind it and is thus able to convey the strengthening of the border until 1989. So, what do you think?”

“Why save it? Why not just demolish it like the rest of the Berlin Wall?” Tamar asked.

“We save it to remember,” Leopold replied, “because you never know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. That’s an old English proverb. It means that if you are unaware of your history, it will repeat itself.”

Ptolemy glanced at Samson, “That’s some very valuable information, Leopold,” he pondered. “Wouldn’t you think, so, Samson?”

“Yeah, very valuable,” Samson replied, absent-mindedly. He snapped back into focus, “Wait, what are you talking about, Ptolemy?”

“It was just an observation, that’s all,” Ptolemy replied.

“You two seem to have had some history,” Leopold said to Ptolemy and Samson.

“Dude, I have never seen this man before, okay?” Samson replied. “I was just introduced to him a few days ago. So, if we have had any history, it would have to be recent.”

“Hmm, he doesn’t remember,” Ptolemy observed.

“Remember what?” Samson asked.

“Never mind,” Ptolemy replied. “If you don’t know then I don’t know.”

Samson sighed, “Fine,” he said, “Leopold, will you do the honors of leading us back to the Brandenburg Gate?”

Leopold nodded, “Certainly. Follow me,” he said.

Leopold led Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings away from the Berlin Wall Memorial and back to the Brandenburg Gate. “So, what now?” he asked.

Samson sighed, “I know you said before that we couldn’t go into the neighborhoods of the people of Berlin, Germany without special permission, but please, this is urgent,” he said. “The fate of the world is at stake. I know you saw the distress signal. So, please, help us.”

Leopold was silent for a while before answering, “Fine,” he sighed, “but just this once. Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone.”

He went behind the desk and opened a little book. “Berlin, Germany was placed on lock-down and all of its neighborhoods placed under special surveillance after this darkness fell over all of the Earth,” he said. “That is why you needed special permission. I can ask that you be an exception since they also know of the distress signal you sent out. I understand that it is not just Earth under this darkness, am I correct?”

Samson nodded, “Yeah, it is every planet in The Living Circle,” he replied. “But, who is ‘they’?”

“The Berlin Police,” Leopold replied.

He dialed a number on the telephone in there, said something in German, and hung up the phone. “Let’s go outside,” Leopold said as he led Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings out of the Brandenburg Gate Tourist Info Center. Outside, they found a group of Berlin police cars waiting for them. An officer stepped out of one of the cars and shook hands with Leopold.

They had a conversation in German for a while then Leopold finally turned to Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings, “They can only speak German so tell me what they want to know and I’ll translate,” he said. “They want to know what is going on and why you and your friends want to go into the neighborhoods of Berlin, Germany.”

“We need to recruit more Earthlings to help us defeat The Chaos,” Samson replied. “That’s our original reason for coming here and The Chaos is the reason for this darkness that has spread over this entire dimension. We have only five days left to put an end to this rise of Chaos and we need Germany’s help to do this. So, what do you say?”

Leopold turned to the officers and repeated what Samson had said in German. The officers were silent for a while before discussing among themselves. They turned to Leopold and they had a conversation for several minutes. Leopold sighed and turned to Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings. “They said they will help but at a cost,” he said. “They want for you to never return to Germany after they’ve helped you to enter the neighborhoods in Berlin, Germany and allowed you to recruit there.”

Samson sighed, “Okay,” he said, “Fair enough.” He looked at Exaephor Smith, “I guess we’re banished after this,” he said.

Exaephor Smith shrugged, “It’s worth the reward,” he said. “A small price to pay, for the number of lives this will save.”

Samson nodded, “Alright then,” he sighed. “Let’s do this.”

Leopold turned to the officers and said something to them in German. One of the officers made a call and after a while another police car pulled up beside the Berlin Tourist Info. The officer that placed the call started a conversation in German with the officer in the car. After a while, he turned to Leopold and they shook hands. The officers departed and Leopold turned to the other officer that had just arrived, “Thank you for doing this,” he said.

The officer smiled, “My pleasure, Mr. Eberhart,” he said. “I can understand how hard it is to travel with someone you can’t understand. I’m glad to be doing this.” He turned to Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings, “We should get going right? Earth only has five days to live according to your calculations and according to ours, that’s not very long. I understand you have a long way to go. You have somewhere else to go after you’re done here in Germany, am I right?”

Samson nodded, “Yeah, but how do you know?” he asked.

“My boy, I can see it in your eyes,” the officer replied. “Your final destination before leaving Earth with your army.”

“But, who are you?” Exaephor asked.

“I’m Officer Andros,” the officer replied. “That’s all you need to know.”

He got in his car, “This car isn’t big enough to hold all of you,” he said. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Maybe we could follow behind the car?” Samson asked.

The officer considered for a while before answering, “Alright. Just make sure you don’t get yourselves hurt.”

Samson nodded, “Sure thing, Officer Andros,” he said. “Not a problem.”

The officer nodded and closed the door to his car. The first neighborhood district he drove them to was Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The heart of downtown Berlin, this neighborhood was packed with theaters, museums, and fine dining establishments and it was lit up like a light. The Charlottenburg palace was a sight to see with its bright, colorful lights brightening up its gates and walls.

They passed by a bunch of businesses and shops before coming to their first residence, the Apartments Victoria. These apartments were five stories tall and shone about with lights. There were lights on the building and lights on the ground around the building. “The Apartments Victoria,” Officer Andros said, “Aren’t they a beauty?”

“Yeah, they sure are,” Samson said.

Officer Andros walked across the parking lot and knocked on the door of one of the apartments on the lower level of the building. After a while, a man came to the door and shook hands with Officer Andros. His hair had fallen out in the male-patterned baldness fashion but he still had a few gray hairs over his bald scalp. He was wearing a white T-shirt over his pot-belly figure and jeans and he carried a beer can in his hand. He even smelled of beer. He and Officer Andros had a conversation in German for a while before Officer Andros turned to Samson and his group of Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings. “This is Mr. Daunhauer,” Officer Andros said, “and this is his apartment. Mr. Daunhauer, this is Samson and his group. He is their leader.”

Samson managed a smile, “Thanks Officer Andros,” he said, feeling embarrassed. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Daunhauer.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Samson,” Mr. Daunhauer said, shaking his hand, “How may I help you today?”

“Well, first let me ask you a question,” Samson said. “Did you catch the distress signal on the news a couple of days ago?”

“What distress signal?” Mr. Daunhauer asked.

“The distress signal was the American broadcast that was aired over Tagesschau a couple of days ago,” Officer Andros said. “Those with a TV supposedly had caught it, but there are some who didn’t. Mr. Daunhauer, were you among the ones who didn’t catch it? What were you doing a couple days ago?”

Mr. Daunhauer thought about it for a while before he finally understood what they meant. “Oh, that distress signal,” he gasped. “Yeah, I saw that.”

“Well, what do you think?” Officer Andros asked. “Will you help?”

“We’ll have to go inside to discuss this,” Mr. Daunhauer said as he rushed Officer Andros, Samson and his group into his apartment.

His apartment was very nicely decorated and furnished, but it was lacking in dimensions. “Why do we have to be inside to discuss this?” Samson asked. “Don’t you think it is a little snug in here, Mr. Daunhauer?”

Mr. Daunhauer sighed, “We have to be inside to discuss what we should do about the Rise of Chaos because there are still people out here that don’t believe in that,” he replied hastily. “I’m telling you, they will kill a man in an instant if he mentions anything about what was broadcast on Tagesschau a couple of days ago. Some of them even shot their TV sets just for the heck of it. It’s brutal. You guys have a lot of guts coming here asking for help from an old man like me. A lot of guts.”

Samson sighed, “We’re desperate, Mr. Daunhauer,” he said. “The Chaos is rising fast. We need an army to help defeat The Chaos and stop its rising before the seven days are up. We need Earth’s cooperation. It’s not just planet Xerox The Chaos is after, but Earth as well. The destruction of both planets will bring about the destruction of The Living Circle. And that’ll mean the end of time as we know it. We need your help. Please.”

Mr. Daunhauer shook his head, “No,” he said, flatly. “I can’t do it.”

“Why can’t you do it?” Samson demanded.

“The people will kill me! My whole neighborhood would, if I chose to go along with you guys and proclaim that I believe in the Rise of Chaos, they will turn against me and murder me when I come back!” Mr. Daunhauer exclaimed. “I’m not having it! I refuse to be put up for death, not here, not ever!”

“So that’s it, just like that, you’ll let Earth be consumed by The Chaos just to preserve your own life?” Samson asked. “What good will life do you if you have nowhere to live it? If you have no place to call your home, what good will life do you?”

“I don’t know,” Mr. Daunhauer said.

“It’s nighttime here in Berlin, Germany, right Mr. Daunhauer?” Samson asked. “Look out the window and tell me what do you see?”

Mr. Daunhauer looked out the window and sighed, “It’s all dark but I see the street lights,” he replied.

“No. Look at the sky,” Samson said, “Do you see the sun? Do you see a moon? Do you see the stars?”

“No. It’s all black. The sky is always black, even during the day,” Mr. Daunhauer replied.

“Exactly. And if we don’t do anything about it, together, more than just the sky will be black,” Samson said. “I’m talking about a huge black hole as large as the Milky Way Galaxy being formed from the destruction of The Living Circle and sucking up all that remains of The Living Circle.”

“There you go again with that Living Circle nonsense!” Mr. Daunhauer exclaimed.

“It’s not nonsense, Mr. Daunhauer. It’s the dimension we’re living in,” Samson replied. “I would give anything and everything I am just to see planet Eros again. What will you give for planet Earth?”

“Planet Eros?” Mr. Daunhauer asked. “What’s planet Eros and what happened to it?”

Samson told him that planet Eros was unable to support life and how that had happened. Mr. Daunhauer fell silent for a while before he finally spoke again, “Oh, wow,” he said.

“Can you imagine just how awful it will be if that same thing was to happen to Earth?” Samson asked him. “Just think about it, if Earth were to quit supporting life, where would you go if there was no planet Xerox? What would you do?”

“Off the top of my head, I’d say ask NASA,” Mr. Daunhauer said. “They’ve been talking about setting up a colony on Mars. Maybe they’d send us there?”

“But, think of it this way, if Earth doesn’t survive, there will be no colony on Mars because there will be no Mars. There will be no Living Circle,” Samson said. “All there will be is a huge black hole. No life whatsoever. Is that what you want?”

Mr. Daunhauer was silent for a while before speaking, “But, I’m an old man,” he replied. “How can I help? I would just get in the way. I’m sorry but I can’t help you.”

“Mr. Daunhauer, please,” Samson said.

“I said, I can’t. Now get out,” Mr. Daunhauer said as he put Officer Andros, Samson and his group out of his apartment.

“That went well,” Exaephor Smith said.

Office Andros led them to another apartment. By the time it was 10 pm, Officer Andros, Samson and his group had gone through almost every residence in Berlin, Germany and the most they could get were two volunteers, a Mr. Conrad Baldwin and a Mr. Aldric Dwight. They were tired. They hadn’t slept for hours and they began regretting ever going to Germany.

“Maybe we can swing back by here on our way back to planet Xerox?” Samson suggested. “You know, like a truck stop.”

Officer Andros turned to him, “So, you’re just going to give up on Germany like that?” he asked. “I haven’t seen anyone here with more heart than you, and you’re giving up? My boy that’s not the way to do it!”

“But, we’ve been to every residence here in Berlin, Germany,” he replied, “we’ve been walking all day, we’ve asked for volunteers to help bring down The Chaos but, aside from the two volunteers we got, all we got was a resounding ‘no’. What else is there to hope for in this town? Why not just take us back to the Brandenburg Gate? We’ve achieved nothing here.” The others agreed with Samson.

“My boy, you haven’t been to every residence here in Berlin, Germany just yet,” Officer Andros said with a smile. “There’s still one more house we haven’t been to yet.” He got in his car and led them to another residence, a house with a small front porch. Because there wasn’t much lighting, except for the streetlights, they couldn’t see anything but the frame of the house.

Officer Andros led them up to the door and knocked. After a while, a woman with dark hair opened the door, “Yes, officer?” she said meekly. “Is everything alright?” She wore a simple blue dress and black flats.

Officer Andros smiled, “Yes, everything is fine. I’m Officer Andros and I’m with the Berlin Police department,” he replied. “This is Samson and his group. I was just escorting them through the residences of Berlin, Germany.”

“Oh, okay, Officer Andros,” the woman replied, “but I thought we were on lockdown.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Officer Andros said. “To let you know that these people are safe. I should know, I’ve travelled with them.”

“Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you Officer Andros and Samson,” the woman said. “I’m Mrs. Ada Bauler. Please come in.”

She opened the door and allowed Officer Andros, Samson and his group to enter. Since it was a small house, the first room they came to was the living room. The only furniture they had was a couch in front of the TV and an armchair to a corner. They had a coffee table in the middle of the room. Since there wasn’t much space, Office Andros, Samson and his group decided to stand.

“Honey, who’s that at the door?” a male voice called from inside the house.

“It’s okay, sweetie, it’s just Officer Andros and friends,” Mrs. Bauler called back. “Come in and introduce yourself.”

From the other room came a tall man with brown hair and a young boy, about sixteen or so, was with him. He also had brown hair. The man wore a pale blue button-down shirt, khakis, and brown loafers. Dressed like that, the man looked to be a business man. The boy wasn’t dressed so formally and instead wore a Soccer jersey, blue jeans and sneakers.

“Hello, I’m Jantis and this is my son Koby,” Jantis said. “What’s your names?”

Samson smiled, “I’m Samson and I must apologize but I do believe that it will take a while for all of us to introduce ourselves,” he said, “and we are really short on time.”

Jantis nodded, “Understandable,” he replied, “but what brings you here?”

“Officer Andros brought us here despite our wishes to leave Germany,” Samson replied. “He said that you guys could maybe help us.”

“But we’ve been to every residence in Berlin, Germany and when we told them our purpose for being there, all of them, except for the two we got, said ‘no’. All at once,” Exaephor Smith said. “Oh, and I’m Exaephor Smith by the way.”

“What’s your purpose for being here, Exaephor?” Mrs. Bauler and Jantis asked.

“Why don’t you tell them, Samson?” Exaephor asked. “I’m tired.”

Samson sighed, “Did you see the distress signal that was broadcast over Tagesschau a couple of days ago?” he asked.

Mrs. Bauler, Jantis and Koby all nodded.

“That’s why we’re here,” Samson replied. “The Chaos is rising and fast. He has already done a ton of damage to America and Mexico. There is no telling how long we have before he finally comes here. He has targeted the two planets that are the center of The Living Circle: Earth and planet Xerox. He hopes that by destroying Earth, he’ll succeed in destroying planet Xerox, thus destroying The Living Circle.”

Nothing but silence followed.

Samson sighed, “But, no one cares anyway,” he said. “I guess we were gambling with things that were just too great for us. We’ll leave you, now. Come on, guys let’s go.”

“Wait,” Koby called.

Samson turned around and sighed as Koby turned to his father. “Vati, can’t we help them?” he asked. “They’ve probably been travelling all day long looking for people to help defeat this Chaos guy, and they’re tired. They really need our help.”

Jantis thought about it for a while, “You sure about this Koby?” he asked. “You’re saying that you just believe them?”

“You don’t? After everything we’ve witnessed so far? How can we not believe it?”  Koby asked.

Jantis sighed, “Alright, son, we’ll help,” he said as he stood.

Mrs. Bauler stood up, “Are you sure about this, Jantis? You know that once you leave here, there’s no turning back,” she said.

“Don’t worry, Mutti,” Koby said, “We’re coming back.”

“You two are my special boys and I love you,” Mrs. Bauler said as she hugged them. “You return to me safely, you hear?”

“Yes, Mutti,” Koby said.

Mrs. Bauler turned to Samson with tears in her eyes, “Now you take good care of my boys, okay? Bring them back to me safely,” she pleaded.

“I will, Mrs. Bauler,” Samson replied.

Officer Andros opened the door and they all departed. Officer Andros shook Samson’s hand, “So, I guess you’re off to your next destination, aren’t you my boy?” he asked Samson.

Samson nodded, “Yeah, we have to get going soon if we want to stop The Chaos in time,” he replied.

“You be careful out there,” Officer Andros said. And at the tip of his hat, he was gone.

Samson turned to his group, “Okay, our last destination awaits,” he said. “Are you ready?”

Jantis and Koby nodded, “Where ever you lead us, we’ll be ready,” Jantis answered.

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Samson said. “Don’t forget that once we make it into the presence of The Chaos. Now, for our next stop we go to Tokyo, Japan.”

The ground beneath them began to rumble and shake. Structures began to crash to the ground and the ground beneath them began to split apart. It occurred to Samson that there was an earthquake happening. “Quick everyone hold hands!” he said as the ground beneath them continued to split apart. Before they knew it, they were standing on the streets of Tokyo, Japan.

Author's Note

Ignore any spelling errors or grammatical errors, please?