Chapter 2 Prologue
"It's almost there, put it down!"
The submarine crashed into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean with a loud splash.
Alek Lebedev was gazing out at the world through the submarine's wide viewing window as the crane lowered the eighteen-ton submarine into the hole in the ice.He glanced uneasily at his two companions who were busy manipulating the machine, wondering what would happen to them as they dived to the bottom of the ocean.
"Cheer up, Alek," Maxim Volkov stopped what he was doing and encouraged, "We are about to be recorded in history," he turned to Torya Kozlov again, "Ready to dive in?"
Kozlov took a deep breath, nodded, and activated the radio to contact the crowd gathered on the ice. "Sub one is ready," he said.
Alek Lebedev flicked a switch, and the electric motor started with a grunt—their two-hour journey of 20,000 feet under the sea began.
Watching the eight-foot-long submarine quickly disappear from view, the head of the deep-sea manned submersible laboratory of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanography of the Russian Academy of Sciences smiled with satisfaction.He turned to the second sub and watched silently as it passed through the same hole in the ice and sank into the water.
The moment the No. 2 submarine was about to dive into the bottom of the sea, people saw a crew member give a thumbs up from inside the boat through the porthole.
The crowd that gathered to witness this process gradually dispersed, crossing the ice and walking towards the relatively warm icebreaker waiting nearby.There is a small control room on board, which closely monitors the movements of submarines one and two.
"I think we should have a shot of vodka," Uri Zayatsi suggested.The famous polar scientist was invited along with another oligarch to witness the occasion.The difference is that the latter spent a little money in order to obtain this honor.
Captain Vadim Gulubiev smiled at the bearded scientist and ordered a crew member to fetch a cup. "Actually, I shouldn't be doing this," he said openly, "but at this moment, why the hell not?"
Submarine No. 1 arrived at its destination first. "Lamp," said Tolya Kozlov.Maxim Volkov pulled the switch, and six powerful 5,000-watt searchlights were activated, illuminating the seabed in front of him. "Wow!" Alek exclaimed while lying on the viewing window, "Look there!" Others also became excited as they watched schools of bright pink fish swim by. "Okay," Kozlov said after a while, "We still have tasks to do, time is running out, let's get started." Volkov slid into the console seat and extended the robotic arms out from the sides of the sub.Over the next ten minutes or so, Volkov deftly used the robotic arm to collect geological samples from the seabed as his companions watched. Alek turned to the second set of robotic arms and looked out. "Is Submarine Two ready?" "It's almost there," replied Kozlov, who was in charge of communicating with another submarine. "Are you ready to film this?" "It's right at the focal length." At this time, the No. 2 submarine appeared in everyone's field of vision, and the powerful searchlight dazzled everyone's eyes. "The recording has started." The camera captured that moment - the mechanical arm firmly grasped the one-meter-high rust-proof titanium alloy Russian flag, slowly aligned it, and inserted it into the mud on the seabed. In the control room of the icebreaker above the sea, everyone who toasted watched the process unfold before their eyes, and their hearts were raised in their throats. "Time capsule—did they put the time capsule in it?" Someone in the crowd asked suddenly, and then all eyes converged on the monitor screen again. After a while, the camera on the No. 2 submarine pans to the titanium alloy capsule being buried in the seabed.Inside was a letter to posterity and another Russian flag emphasizing its sovereign ownership of the territory. "Comrades, this is a historic moment," Uri announced, grinning from ear to ear. "Looks like we should have a drink to celebrate." The captain replied.All the people gathered in front of the monitoring screen burst into hearty laughter. Thus began a chaotic political struggle among the countries bordering the Arctic Circle - involving Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark. The age-old question is brought up once again: Who should own the Arctic and its vast underwater resources? He misses his beloved country, his family, and the warmth of the sun, but he will never miss those turbulent times in the past. Another year has passed, but everything is the same as it was at the beginning of the year.Someday he'd make things right, but not today, a day to mourn the loss of another great hope. A young man sits on the snow-covered steps of a university, holding back tears and scrolling through Fox News on his laptop.Like many of his friends, he was saddened and angry at what he saw.The woman who could have brought a new dawn to his country was brutally erased from the world.He knew that people's lives would get worse until someone, like him, regardless of the right or wrong political views, found the root of the problem.He swore that one day he would change the future. He scrolled down the page, past the scathing headline: "Bhutto Assassination Plunges Pakistan Into Chaos" Benazir Bhutto was shot dead on Thursday.She was leaning out of the top hatch of the armored vehicle to wave to supporters.Soon after the incident, angry crowds rioted across Pakistan, jeopardizing any hope of democracy. Bhutto's death marks a new and grim chapter in Pakistan's bloody history.Twenty-eight years ago, former President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by the military government in this northern city. Twenty-eight years later, his daughter Benazir Bhutto was also assassinated here. Her death left the Pakistan People's Party leaderless and plunged 160 million Muslims into violence and recriminations.Bhutto's supporters accused Musharraf's government of failing to protect her, especially after death threats and previous assassination attempts. As word spread, supporters gathered at the hospital where Bhutto died, smashing glass doors, throwing stones at cars and repeatedly chanting: "Murderer, Musharraf, murderer!" At least nine people were killed in the riot . The young man finished watching the news and looked up at the sky full of snow.Hope this is the power Allah has given me to change everything that changes.
Notes:
Submarine No. 1 arrived at its destination first. "Lamp," said Tolya Kozlov.Maxim Volkov pulled the switch, and six powerful 5,000-watt searchlights were activated, illuminating the seabed in front of him. "Wow!" Alek exclaimed while lying on the viewing window, "Look there!" Others also became excited as they watched schools of bright pink fish swim by. "Okay," Kozlov said after a while, "We still have tasks to do, time is running out, let's get started." Volkov slid into the console seat and extended the robotic arms out from the sides of the sub.Over the next ten minutes or so, Volkov deftly used the robotic arm to collect geological samples from the seabed as his companions watched. Alek turned to the second set of robotic arms and looked out. "Is Submarine Two ready?" "It's almost there," replied Kozlov, who was in charge of communicating with another submarine. "Are you ready to film this?" "It's right at the focal length." At this time, the No. 2 submarine appeared in everyone's field of vision, and the powerful searchlight dazzled everyone's eyes. "The recording has started." The camera captured that moment - the mechanical arm firmly grasped the one-meter-high rust-proof titanium alloy Russian flag, slowly aligned it, and inserted it into the mud on the seabed. In the control room of the icebreaker above the sea, everyone who toasted watched the process unfold before their eyes, and their hearts were raised in their throats. "Time capsule—did they put the time capsule in it?" Someone in the crowd asked suddenly, and then all eyes converged on the monitor screen again. After a while, the camera on the No. 2 submarine pans to the titanium alloy capsule being buried in the seabed.Inside was a letter to posterity and another Russian flag emphasizing its sovereign ownership of the territory. "Comrades, this is a historic moment," Uri announced, grinning from ear to ear. "Looks like we should have a drink to celebrate." The captain replied.All the people gathered in front of the monitoring screen burst into hearty laughter. Thus began a chaotic political struggle among the countries bordering the Arctic Circle - involving Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark. The age-old question is brought up once again: Who should own the Arctic and its vast underwater resources? He misses his beloved country, his family, and the warmth of the sun, but he will never miss those turbulent times in the past. Another year has passed, but everything is the same as it was at the beginning of the year.Someday he'd make things right, but not today, a day to mourn the loss of another great hope. A young man sits on the snow-covered steps of a university, holding back tears and scrolling through Fox News on his laptop.Like many of his friends, he was saddened and angry at what he saw.The woman who could have brought a new dawn to his country was brutally erased from the world.He knew that people's lives would get worse until someone, like him, regardless of the right or wrong political views, found the root of the problem.He swore that one day he would change the future. He scrolled down the page, past the scathing headline: "Bhutto Assassination Plunges Pakistan Into Chaos" Benazir Bhutto was shot dead on Thursday.She was leaning out of the top hatch of the armored vehicle to wave to supporters.Soon after the incident, angry crowds rioted across Pakistan, jeopardizing any hope of democracy. Bhutto's death marks a new and grim chapter in Pakistan's bloody history.Twenty-eight years ago, former President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by the military government in this northern city. Twenty-eight years later, his daughter Benazir Bhutto was also assassinated here. Her death left the Pakistan People's Party leaderless and plunged 160 million Muslims into violence and recriminations.Bhutto's supporters accused Musharraf's government of failing to protect her, especially after death threats and previous assassination attempts. As word spread, supporters gathered at the hospital where Bhutto died, smashing glass doors, throwing stones at cars and repeatedly chanting: "Murderer, Musharraf, murderer!" At least nine people were killed in the riot . The young man finished watching the news and looked up at the sky full of snow.Hope this is the power Allah has given me to change everything that changes.
Notes: