By now the steel plates were fully open. There was a gaping chasm below the glass plug. Delaware strained to see through the darkness. No blue glow, no lightning, no orcas, and no sign of the other three dolphins. She sank lower, below the level of the deck, until her hands were touching the glass, scanning the depths for the rest of the fleet. Suddenly a fourth dolphin shot into view, banking sharply and swimming into the sluice. Greywolf nodded, and Delaware gave the OK to Roscovitz. The steel plates moved slowly together, closing with a dull thud. Inside the sluice the sensors went to work, testing the water for impurities and toxins. After a few seconds the green light came on, and the all-clear went to Roscovitz's control panel. Noiselessly the glass flaps slid open.

As soon as the gap was wide enough, the dolphins pushed into the basin, where Greywolf and Anawak were ready to receive them.

PEAK WATCHED AS Roscovitz closed the glass flaps, his eyes fixed on the monitors. Rubin was at the edge of the basin, peering down at the sluice.

'And then there were two,' Roscovitz muttered to himself.

Whistling and clicking came to them from the speakers: the dolphins left outside sounded increasingly frantic. Greywolf raised his head above the water, followed by Anawak and Delaware.

'What are they saying?' asked Peak.

'Same as before,' said Greywolf 'Unknown life-form and orcas. Anything new on the monitors?'

'No.'

'Which isn't to say that we're clear. Let's fetch the other two in.'

Peak stared. A deep blue glow was emanating from the edges of the screens.

'You'd better get a move on,' he said. 'It's coming closer.'

The scientists dived back towards the sluice. Peak dialled the CIC. 'What can you see up there?'

'The ring's still contracting.' Li's voice rasped through the speakers on the console. "The helicopters have reported that it's disappearing under water, but we can still see it clearly on the satellite footage. Seems to be trying to get under the boat. Any second now the blue light should come on.'

'It's on already. Listen, what are we dealing with? The blue cloud?'

'Sal?' That was Johanson's voice. 'I think the cloud has gone. The cells are aggregating. It's a dense funnel of jelly, and it's contracting. I don't know what's going on, but I think you'd better finish up down there.'

'We're almost done. Rosco?'

'I'm on the case,' said Roscovitz. 'The sluice is open.'

ANAWAK WAS STARING in fascination through the glass. This time things looked very different as the steel flaps swung open. Earlier they'd peered into murky green gloom. Now the depths were aglow with blue light, faint at first, but growing steadily stronger.

This doesn't look like the cloud, he thought. It was almost as though they were encircled by light. He recalled the satellite images of the Independence floating at the centre of the enormous funnel's mouth.

Then it hit him that he was looking down inside the tube. His stomach turned at the thought of its vastness. Panic took hold of him. As the fifth dolphin appeared out of nowhere and shot into the sluice, he drew back from the hatch, barely able to control the urge to flee. Anawak forced himself to stay calm. A second later, the sixth dolphin entered the sluice. The steel flaps closed. The sensors tested the water, gave the OK to Roscovitz and the glass hatch opened.

BROWNING BOUNDED FORWARD and landed on the Deepflight.

'Hey! What do you think you're doing?' asked Roscovitz.

'Well, the dolphins are inside now, aren't they? I'm doing my job.'

'I didn't mean it like that.'

'Sure you didn't.' Browning crouched to open a compartment at the stern. 'I'm going to fix this damn thing.'

'This isn't the time, Browning,' Peak said testily. 'We've got more important stuff to deal with. Stop messing about.' He couldn't tear his eyes away from the screens. The light was getting brighter.

'Sal, are you finished down there?'

'Yeah. What's going on?'

'Part of the funnel is pushing itself under the boat.'

'Can that stuff cause us any damage?'

'I doubt it. I can't imagine any organism causing the Independence to so much as wobble. Not even these creatures. They're like muscular jelly.'

'And they're right below us,' said Rubin, from the edge of the basin. His eyes were gleaming. 'Open the sluice again, Luther. Pronto.'

'What?' Roscovitz stared at him in disbelief 'Are you crazy?'

In a few steps Rubin was alongside him at the desk. 'General?' he called, leaning into the mike.

The speakers crackled. 'What do you want, Mick?'

'We've got a fantastic opportunity to get hold of a significant sample of that jelly. I'm suggesting that we open the sluice but Peak and Roscovitz-'

'Jude, it's too risky,' said Peak. 'Anything could get in.'

'All we have to do is open the hatch in the keel and wait,' said Rubin. 'Maybe it'll spark their curiosity. We'll catch a few big lumps of jelly, then seal off the sluice. It'll give us a lovely big sample for testing. What do you say?'

'What if it's contaminated?' objected Roscovitz.

'Why are you all so negative? We'll know if it's contaminated. The glass flaps stay closed until we're sure it's OK.'

Peak shook his head. 'I'm not in favour.'

Rubin rolled his eyes. 'General, we'll never get a chance like this again!'

'All right,' said Li. 'But be careful.'

Rubin laughed excitedly, walked to the edge of the basin and waved his arms.

'Hey! Get a move on, can't you?' he shouted to Greywolf, Anawak and Delaware, who were busy unharnessing the dolphins. 'Hurry up and-' They were under water and couldn't hear him. 'OK, forget it. Luther, open the hatch. There's nothing to worry about while the glass flaps are closed.'

'Shouldn't we wait until-'

'We don't have time,' Rubin snapped at him. 'You heard what Li said. If we wait, the jelly will be gone. All you have to do is let a little into the sluice, then close it. A cubic metre or so should do fine.'

Roscovitz felt like shoving Rubin into the water, but Li had given the bastard her permission.

She'd given the order to open the hatch. He pressed the button.

DELAWARE WAS DEALING with a particularly excitable dolphin. It was fidgety and impatient, and as she tried to unstrap its camera, it darted away. Harness trailing through the water, it sped towards the sluice. Delaware saw it circling the hatch and swam after it, taking long, powerful strokes.

She didn't hear the discussion on the jetty.

Come on, she willed the dolphin silently. Come over here. What's the matter? There's nothing to be afraid of.

Then she saw what was wrong.

The steel flaps were swinging open.

For a second she was so astonished that she stopped swimming and sank through the water until her toes touched the glass. The flaps were still moving. The sea beneath them glowed a vivid blue. Flashes of lightning shot through the water.

What the hell was Roscovitz playing at?

The dolphin darted back and forth around the hatch. It swam over to her and prodded her with its snout, trying to ward her away. When Delaware failed to respond, it swivelled and sped off.

She stared into the luminescent depths.

She could see outlines, shadows flitting back and forth, then a dark patch drawing closer, getting bigger.

It was approaching at high speed.

The patch became clearer, and assumed its normal form.

Suddenly she knew what it was. She recognised the enormous rounded head with its black beak and white chin, the even rows of teeth between the half-open jaws. It was the biggest of its kind she'd ever seen. It was rising vertically from the depths, gaining speed all the time, with no intention of stopping. Her mind raced. Within a split second the snippets of information came together. The glass hatch was made of armoured glass and was solidly built, but not solid enough to withstand a collision with a living missile. The creature measured at least twelve metres. At top speed it could propel itself out of the water at fifty-six kilometres an hour.