Li laid a hand on his arm. 'Jack, why would terrorists attack us from the depths?'

'To make people like you believe we're being bullied by E.T. And it's working, for Christ's sake – it's actually working.'

'We're not stupid, you know,' the national security adviser said irritably. 'No one's going to let down their guard. Frankly, Vanderbilt, your terrorism obsession isn't going to get us anywhere. We can search all we like for crazed mullahs and stinking rich arch-villains, but in the meantime the continental slope's going to cave in, our cities will be flooded and innocent Americans will die. So what do you suggest we do?

Vanderbilt crossed his arms. He looked like a smoldering Buddha.

'You know what, Jack?' Li said slowly. 'I think you just made a suggestion.'

'Namely?'

'To talk to the little schmucks. Make contact.'

The President pressed his fingertips together. His voice was measured. 'This is a test for all humanity. Perhaps God intended two powerful races to inhabit this planet – maybe the Good Book was right about the horned beast that comes up from the water. "Replenish the Earth, and subdue it." Those were the Lord's instructions, and He didn't give them to any kind of monster in the sea.'

'Hell, no,' grumbled Vanderbilt. 'He preached it to America directly.'

'This could be the final battle in the fight against evil.' The President straightened in his chair. 'And we've been appointed by God to fight for Him – and win.'

'Perhaps,' said Li, seizing on the idea, 'whoever wins this battle will govern the earth.'

Peak gave her a sideways look and said nothing.

'I think we should have a frank discussion with the other NATO states and the EU,' said the secretary of state, 'after which, we'll have to put the UN in the picture.'

Li jumped in: 'Of course, the UN won't be capable of handling this kind of operation, and we'll need to make that clear. Sure, they'll have people with know-how and ideas, and there's no reason why we shouldn't pick their brains. Let's enlist the help of our Asian and African allies as well – that sends out the right kind of message. But this is our chance to position ourselves at the head of the international community. Mankind isn't about to be wiped from the face of the Earth by a meteorite. This is a terrible threat we're facing, but we're going to overcome it – provided we get things right.'

'Have your counter-measures proven successful?' asked the national security adviser.

'We're running an international campaign to find an anti-serum that will protect against the toxins. Initiatives are under way to stop the advance of the crabs, bring a halt to the whale attacks and get rid of the worms – which is proving trickier than expected. We've taken all kinds of measures to contain the risks, but conventional solutions won't be enough. There's nothing we can do about the Gulf Stream, and the methane crisis is beyond our control. We could keep fishing worms out of the ocean in their millions, but if we can't see where they're coming from, there'll always be fresh plagues. Without the capacity to send down divers, probes or subs, we're as good as blind. Anything could be going on down there. In the course of this afternoon I was informed that two large drag nets have been lost near Georges Bank. In addition to that, there's no sign of the three trawlers that we'd dispatched to the Laurentian valley to sweep the seabed. Recon planes are out looking for them, but conditions are terrible. The Grand Banks are to the east of there, and the fog never lifts. Besides, a storm's been raging for the past two days.' She paused. 'There are thousands of other examples I could give you. All the reports coming in bear witness to our failure. OK, so the drone surveillance is working well, and troops with flame-throwers are beating back the crabs – but it's only temporary. They just crawl ashore elsewhere. The fact is, as far as the oceans are concerned, we don't call the shots. We never really called them in the first place, but now…'

'What about the sonar offensive?'

'We're still pressing ahead with it, but we're not anticipating any significant success. The only way we can get it to work is by killing the whales. They don't flee from the noise, as any creature with healthy instincts would do. I guess they're in horrible pain, but they don't have a choice – they're not in control. They're still terrorising the waters.'

'Speaking of control,' said the defense secretary, 'have you identified a strategy?'

I'd say we're looking at a five-point plan. The first step is to clear the waters of all human presence, whether on the surface or in the depths. Step two is to expel or annihilate the coastal population, as with northern Europe. Step three aims to destroy our infrastructure – the offshore industry in northern Europe would he a case in point. The disruption of the fishing industry also falls into this category – it's going to cause us some serious issues with malnutrition, especially in third-world countries. Step four targets the major cities, the pillars of our civilisation – urban populations are forced to retreat inland. And, finally, step five, the climate shifts, and the Earth becomes uninhabitable for our species. It either freezes or floods, warms up or cools down, or maybe all of those – we don't know the details.'

'But wouldn't that make it uninhabitable for the entire animal kingdom?' asked the national security adviser.

'On land, yes. It's fair to say it would wipe out most species of flora and fauna. I've been reliably informed, though, that the same thing happened fifty-five million years ago, with the net result that large numbers of animals and plants died out, making way for other species. They're bound to have thought very carefully about their own survival before precipitating a crisis like this.'

'Such destruction. It's…' The secretary of Homeland Security struggled for words. 'It's so extreme. It's inhuman…'

'Well, they're not human,' Li reminded him.

'What hope do we have of stopping them?'

'We've got to find out who they are,' said Vanderbilt.

Li turned to him. 'Don't tell me you're finally coming round?'

'Oh, I haven't changed my view,' Vanderbilt said evenly, 'but if you identify the purpose of an action, you'll identify the culprit. In this particular instance, I have to admit that the five-point strategy is the most convincing explanation I've heard. Now we need to find out more. Who exactly are they? Where are they? How can we see inside their minds?'

'And how are we going to stop them?' the defense secretary added.

'Evil,' muttered the President, his eyes narrowing. 'How best to vanquish evil?'

'We talk to them,' said Li.

'We make contact?'

'Even the devil's been known to bargain. I don't see any alternative.

Johanson reckons they're trying to keep us busy so we don't have time to think. We're not going to let that happen. We're still in a position to act, so let's find them and make contact. Then we'll strike.'

'You want to launch an offensive against deep-sea organisms?' The secretary of Homeland Security shook his head. 'Dear God.'

'Hold on. Are we all in agreement that we should take this theory seriously?' the director of the CIA asked. 'We're talking about it as though it were fact. Are we really prepared to believe that we share the planet with another intelligent species?'

'Only one species was made in the image of God,' the President said firmly, 'and that was mankind. These creatures may be intelligent, but just how intelligent remains to be seen. And I very much doubt that they've got any intrinsic right to inhabit this planet like we have. There's certainly no mention of them in the scriptures. But the fact that an alien life-form is to blame for all this chaos sounds logical to me.'