"Captain, we're approaching the coordinates. ETA, five minutes." Hans, the navigator reports.
"Prepare for jump. Low altitude jump." Sven, the pilot commands. He pulls back the throttle and begins the descent to the correct altitude.
"This is it, Harv. Finally. After years of research, we'll prove I'm right." Johan beams with satisfaction as he cinches his chute.
"Johan, you've been chasing the legend for decades. No one will believe you until you bring some samples home. But, you've got to return home." Harv says in reverence to Johan's belief.
"I've been preparing for this all my life. The plan is foolproof. Get yourself ready." Johan replies.
******
Johan and Harv land in the vast, blinding ocean of pure snow. The ice age of the last two hundred years has obliterated any visible trace of the tunnel's entrance. No one knows if the latest warming trend has melted enough snow and ice for Johan to reach the entrance.
Using his detector and surveyor equipment, Johan finds the metal entrance five feet under the snow and ice pack. They begin to dig.
While digging, Johan remembers listening to his grandfather recite an age-old legend. A tunnel and storerooms had been built to withstand a millennium of natural and man-made disasters. Its contents had been set aside for the future of man's survival. But, few people actually believe that hundreds of years ago someone had thought of the idea. Johan is one of the believers.
Johan feels intense excitement when the tunnel's entry door is finally revealed. They don their oxygen masks, pry open the door and point their flashlights down the long, pitch-black tunnel.
"It's down this tunnel and through several more doors. Then, we'll find the storerooms. This is exactly what our research discovered. We're doing good." Johan said.
When they reach the last door, Johan turns to Harv.
"This is it. Pray they have all survived."
Johan forces the door open and gasps in amazement. The room is bone dry and not one container is out of alignment on the shelves. All the annotations on the containers are in perfect condition.
Harv marvels at the genius of the 21st Century scientists. Their work and collections have survived.
After surveying dozens of shelves, Johan says, "Thank God. The seeds have survived and so will we."
"Prepare for jump. Low altitude jump." Sven, the pilot commands. He pulls back the throttle and begins the descent to the correct altitude.
"This is it, Harv. Finally. After years of research, we'll prove I'm right." Johan beams with satisfaction as he cinches his chute.
"Johan, you've been chasing the legend for decades. No one will believe you until you bring some samples home. But, you've got to return home." Harv says in reverence to Johan's belief.
"I've been preparing for this all my life. The plan is foolproof. Get yourself ready." Johan replies.
******
Johan and Harv land in the vast, blinding ocean of pure snow. The ice age of the last two hundred years has obliterated any visible trace of the tunnel's entrance. No one knows if the latest warming trend has melted enough snow and ice for Johan to reach the entrance.
Using his detector and surveyor equipment, Johan finds the metal entrance five feet under the snow and ice pack. They begin to dig.
While digging, Johan remembers listening to his grandfather recite an age-old legend. A tunnel and storerooms had been built to withstand a millennium of natural and man-made disasters. Its contents had been set aside for the future of man's survival. But, few people actually believe that hundreds of years ago someone had thought of the idea. Johan is one of the believers.
Johan feels intense excitement when the tunnel's entry door is finally revealed. They don their oxygen masks, pry open the door and point their flashlights down the long, pitch-black tunnel.
"It's down this tunnel and through several more doors. Then, we'll find the storerooms. This is exactly what our research discovered. We're doing good." Johan said.
When they reach the last door, Johan turns to Harv.
"This is it. Pray they have all survived."
Johan forces the door open and gasps in amazement. The room is bone dry and not one container is out of alignment on the shelves. All the annotations on the containers are in perfect condition.
Harv marvels at the genius of the 21st Century scientists. Their work and collections have survived.
After surveying dozens of shelves, Johan says, "Thank God. The seeds have survived and so will we."
