He had to get out of there.
A sleek, elegant body darted forward.
He saw a smiling face: one of the dolphin fleet. Without hesitation Anawak held on to its dorsal fin. The dolphin continued at high speed, shooting out of the mass of tentacles and pulling him with it. Suddenly the view cleared. He clung to the dolphin and saw the orca approaching from the side. The dolphin shot upwards as the enormous jaws snapped shut behind them, missing by a hair's breadth. They rose through the surface, on course for the embankment.
THE SOLDIER PRESSED THE BUTTON.
The repair job had been carried out crudely, but it had worked. The steel flaps swung open, releasing the submersible. It continued on its downward path, dropping past the jelly that was surging through the sluice. Noiselessly it fell out of the vessel and disappeared into the depths of the ocean.
For a fraction of a second the soldier wondered whether it wouldn't be better to leave the flaps open, but he'd been instructed to close them, so he did. This time there was no submersible to get in the way. The flaps, driven by a powerful motor, cut into the vast trunk of the organism.
PEAK RAISED HIS gun hurriedly. He'd caught sight of Anawak. For a moment it had seemed that the orca had caught him, but then he'd reappeared above the water and the whale had sped across the pool. The soldiers were firing at the black back. The orca sank beneath the surface.
Had they hit it?
'Hatch is closing,' shouted the soldier from the controls.
Peak raised his hand in acknowledgement, then set off along the jetty. His eyes scanned the far side of the basin. Bullets could do nothing to harm the squid-like creature, and firing explosives at it seemed too risky. There were people in the pool.
GREYWOLF HAD COPIED Anawak's example, and swum into the tentacles. His arms powered through the water as he summoned all his energy and sped towards the side. After a few metres the main trunk of the jelly blocked his path and he had to turn round. He'd lost all sense of direction.
Tentacles wrapped themselves round him, encircling his shoulders. Greywolf felt sickened. He couldn't think any more. The images of Delaware's death played before his eyes in a never-ending loop of film. Ripping the tendrils away from his body, he tried to escape.
Suddenly he found himself back at the sluice. The submersible had vanished. He watched as the flaps closed, cutting into the jelly and slicing through its trunk. There was no mistaking the organism's reaction: it wasn't happy.
A MOUNTAIN OF WATER shot up towards Peak as the orca surged out of the basin in front of him. Too surprised to feel afraid, Peak stared into its jaws. He staggered backwards, and at the same time the entire well deck seemed to blast apart. The organism was raging in the water. Enormous snakes of jelly raced up to the ceiling in wild spirals, slapping against the walls and sweeping along the jetty. Peak heard screams and shots from the soldiers, saw bodies flying through the air and into the basin. Then his legs were knocked from under him, and he slammed down on to his back. The orca's body teetered towards him. Peak groaned, tightened his grip on the harpoon gun and was jerked into the water.
He sank in a maelstrom of bubbles. A shimmering blue coating stuck to his legs. He stabbed at it with his gun, and the vice-like hold relented. Above him the orca splashed back into the pool. A violent pressure wave sent Peak reeling through the water. He saw the jaws of the whale spring open, less than a metre away. He thrust the harpoon gun into its mouth and fired.
For a moment everything seemed to stop.
A dull explosion sounded inside the orca's head. It wasn't especially loud, but it turned the world red. Peak was catapulted backwards in a mass of flesh and blood. He tumbled through the water, hit the side of the basin, and pulled himself on to the jetty in a single fluid movement. Wheezing, he crawled on his belly away from the side. There was blood everywhere, and red slime was mixed with fatty tissue and splinters of bone. Peak tried to stand up, but slid and fell. Pain shot through him. His left foot was twisted at an awkward angle, but he barely noticed.
He stared incredulously at the scene unfolding around him.
The organism seemed to have worked itself into a frenzy. There was a chaos of flailing tentacles. Shelving units collapsed, and equipment flew through the air. Only one soldier was visible, running along the jetty and firing into the water. Then a giant arm swept him into the pool. Peak ducked as a semi-transparent stem whipped over his head. It wasn't a snake and it wasn't a tentacle – it was like nothing he'd ever encountered. The tip of the stem changed shape in mid-flight, assuming the form of a fish, then sprouting a host of thread-like feelers that spiralled through the air. The basin seemed filled with vast animals. Dorsal fins loomed out of the water and collapsed. Misshapen heads appeared, lost their contours and slumped into a featureless mass that splashed into the water.
Peak rubbed his eyes. Was he imagining it, or was the water level sinking? He could hear the drone of machinery. Then it hit him: they were pumping the water out of the well deck. The ballast tanks were emptying. The Independence's stern lifted imperceptibly as the contents of the artificial harbour ran into the sea. The raging tentacles retreated. Suddenly the whole organism disappeared under water. Peak pushed himself up against the wall and his left foot gave way. He was about to hit the deck when two hands grabbed him from behind. 'Lean on me,' said Greywolf.'
Peak hung on to the giant's shoulder. He himself wasn't small, but alongside Greywolf he felt scrawny and weak. Greywolf scooped him up and ran along the jetty to the embankment.
'Stop,' gasped Peak. 'You can put me down now.'
Greywolf lowered him gently. They were standing at the mouth of the tunnel that led to the laboratory. From there they overlooked the whole deck. Peak saw the sides of the dolphin tank emerge as the water level fell. The pump was still droning in the background. He thought of the people in the basin who were probably dead, the soldiers, Delaware, Browning…
Anawak.
He scanned the water. Where was Anawak?
Coughing, Anawak appeared near the embankment. Greywolf rushed over and helped him to the side. They watched as the water continued to sink. An enormous organism came into view, its surface emitting a dull blue glow. In shape, it resembled a slim whale or a stocky sea snake. It seemed to be looking for a way out. It shot round the pool, swimming into every corner, snaking along the walls, looking rapidly and systematically for an exit that didn't exist.
'Son of a bitch,' spluttered Peak. 'We're going to hang you out to dry.'
'No! We've got to save it!'
That was Rubin. Peak saw him emerge from the tunnel, trembling and hugging his chest.
'Save it?' echoed Anawak.
Hesitantly Rubin took a few steps closer. He kept a watchful eye on the basin, where the creature's laps were becoming ever more frantic. The water was barely two metres deep. The creature expanded its surface area, clearly trying to keep itself submerged.
'We'll never get another chance,' he said. 'Don't you see? We've got to get the chamber cleaned out – lose the crabs, change the water and shovel in the jelly. We'll be able to-'
With a single step Greywolf was upon him, hands round his neck, grip tightening. The biologist's eyes and mouth were wide open. His tongue lolled to the side.
'Jack!' Anawak was tearing at Greywolf's hands. 'Stop it, Jack!'
Peak struggled to his feet. 'Jack, there's no point,' he called out. 'Let go of him.'