It was Germany, spring of 2013. He had no idea why he was here, where she was, or how he would find her. He did know what this friend had sent him a message about, however, so he chose to dwell on what was already known.

After walking for some time, he reached the small building that promised to take him…nowhere. The shack was barely larger than a bathroom, but once inside he spotted the thin staircase she had told him about. As he began to climb downward, Daniel paused every few moments to check for others traversing the metal structure. He reached the bottom and, being satisfied that the hallway was empty, he slowed his pace and withdrew his phone yet again, this time to answer. He was wrong – it wasn’t about the project; there had been an accident.

He began to run down the hallway, taking the corner at a dead run, heading for the complex. TSE was very careful to construct their structures the same way, even if continents apart. By the time he reached the base of the telescope, several others had sent him messages, informing him that there would be trouble waiting for him.