'And if we don't find out what it is,' said Frost, 'I swear to God that we'll all he in for an almighty soaking. And it won't have anything to do with the slope collapsing near America or Japan.'

LI WAS WORKING on her laptop. Alone in her enormous suite, she was everywhere, with everyone, all at once. She'd watched the scientists work in the containment lab, listening to what they said. Every room in the Chateau was under audio and video surveillance. The same went for Nanaimo, the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Aquarium. Scientists' homes within a certain radius had also been bugged, including Ford, Oliviera and Fenwick's flats, the boat that Anawak lived on, and even his apartment in Vancouver. The committee's eyes and ears were everywhere. Information escaped them only if it was exchanged outside – in the open air or in restaurants and pubs. That irked Li, but there was nothing she could do about it, short of implanting every scientist with a chip.

The intranet surveillance was an unqualified success. Bohrmann and Frost were currently online, as was Karen Weaver, who was analysing satellite data relating to the Gulf Stream. Now, that was interesting, as were the simulations from Kiel. Setting up the network had been an inspired idea. Of course, there was no way of actually seeing or hearing what its users were thinking, but everything they did, every page they consulted, was saved and could be tracked at any time. If Vanderhilt turned out to be right in his terrorism theory, which Li doubted, it would be legitimate to interrogate them all. Ostensibly they were clean. None had links to any extremist organisations or Arab countries, but you could never be too careful. Even if the CIA's suspicions proved unfounded, it was still useful to be able to peer over the scientists' shoulders without their knowledge. It was always best to obtain the facts as they emerged.

She switched back to Nanaimo and listened to Johanson and Oliviera, as they headed towards the elevators. They were talking about the safety precautions in the biohazard lab. Oliviera said something about the chemical shower being strong enough to bleach them to the bone and Johanson made a joke. They both laughed and rode up to ground level.

Why didn't Johanson tell anyone of his theory? He'd almost mentioned it when he was in his suite with Weaver, straight after the presentation, but had lapsed into allusions.

Li made a series of phone calls, spoke to Peak in New York, then looked at her watch. It was time for Vanderbilt's report. She left her suite and went along the corridor to a secure room on the southern side of the Chateau. It was the equivalent of the War Room in the White House, and was tap-proof, like the conference room. Vanderbilt and two of his team were waiting for her. The CIA chief had only just returned from Nanaimo by helicopter, and was even more dishevelled than usual.

'Can we get Washington on the line?' she asked, without bothering to say hello.

'Well, we could,' said Vanderbilt, 'but it wouldn't do much good-'

'Cut to the chase, Jack.'

'If you want to speak to the President, there's no point in calling Washington. He's not there.'

NANAIMO, Vancouver Island

As she was leaving the elevator with Johanson, Oliviera ran into Fenwick and Anawak in the foyer. 'Where've you been?' she asked, surprised.

'For a stroll.' Anawak beamed at her. 'Been having fun in the lab?'

'Yeah, right.' Oliviera grimaced. 'It looks as though Europe's problems are washing in our direction. The jelly in the crabs was an old friend of ours. But that's not all they were carrying. Roche has isolated a biological agent.'

'Pfiesteria?' asked Anawak.

'Not far off,' said Johanson. 'It's a mutation of a mutation, as it were. The new strain is far more toxic than the European variety.'

'We had to sacrifice a few mice,' said Oliviera. 'We shut them in with a dead crab and they died within minutes.'

Fenwick took an involuntary step back. 'Is the toxin contagious?'

'Oh, no. Feel free to kiss me, if you like. The poison they produce can't be passed between humans. We're not dealing with a virus – it's essentially a bacteriological invasion. The trouble is, the whole thing spirals out of control once the Pfiesteria get into the water. They keep spreading exponentially, long after the crabs have given up the ghost. All but one was dead on arrival, and now the last one's gone too.'

'Kamikaze crabs,' Anawak muttered.

'Their job is to get the bacteria to land, just as the worms' mission was to import it into the ice,' said Johanson. 'After that, they perish. Jellyfish, mussels, even the jelly – none of these organisms live long, but they all fulfill their function.'

'Harming us at all cost.'

'Absolutely. Even the whales have become suicidal,' said Fenwick. 'Aggressive behaviour is normally part of a survival strategy, like flight, but there's no evidence of it here.'

Johanson smiled. His dark eyes flashed. 'I'm not so sure about that. I'd say there's a clear survival strategy at the heart of all this.'

Fenwick stared at him. 'You're starting to sound like Vanderbilt.'

'Actually, no. Vanderbilt's right in some respects, but fundamentally I don't agree with him.' Johanson paused. 'But before too long, he'll be sounding like me.'

LI

'What's that supposed to mean?' demanded Li, as she sat down. 'If the President's not in Washington, where is he?'

'He's heading for Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska,' said Vanderbilt. 'Swarms of crabs have shown up in Chesapeake Bay and along the Potomac river. They seem to be marching up the estuary. We've also had reported sightings near Alexandria and just south of Arlington, but we're awaiting confirmation.'

'Who decided on Offutt?'

Vanderbilt shrugged. 'The White House chief of staff is afraid that Washington's about to turn into another New York,' he said. 'But you know the President. He fought against it tooth and nail. He was all for confronting the crabs and declaring war on the bastards in person. But in the end he agreed to a break in the country.'

Li thought for a moment. Offutt was the home of the United States Strategic Command, the control centre for America's nuclear weapons. The base was the ideal place to protect the President. It was situated at the heart of the country, out of reach of any danger emerging from the sea. From there the President could communicate with the National Security Council over a secure satellite link and exercise the full powers of government.

'We can't afford this kind of sloppiness,' she said vehemently. 'For future reference, Jack, I expect to be informed of this kind of thing straight away. If anything so much as sticks its head out of the water anywhere in the world, I want to know.'

I'll see what I can do,' said Vanderbilt. 'Maybe we can set up some talks with a few local dolphins and-'

'What's more, I certainly want to be informed if anyone sends the President anywhere else.'

Vanderbilt smiled jovially. 'If I could make a suggestion-'

Li cut him off: 'And I expect you to find out exactly what's happening in Washington. We need full information within the next two hours. If the reports turn out to be true, we'll evacuate the affected areas and turn Washington into an exclusion zone, like New York.'

'Funny you should mention it,' Vanderbilt said equably, 'but I was just going to say the same thing.'

'Good. What else have you got for me?'

'Shit and more shit,' he said.

'I'm used to that.'

'That's why I've been scraping around for all the bad news I can find. I'd hate for you to have withdrawal symptoms. OK, let's start with Georges Bank. NOAA was planning to send down two dive robots to scoop up some worms for research purposes. That, um, went fine.'