'We've got to get out of here, Sam.'

'Thanks for pointing it out.'

'Can you jump?'

Crowe stared down. 'I don't know.'

'Do you have a better idea that might work in the next ten seconds?'

'No.'

'We'll escape in a Deepflight.' Anawak stretched out his arms. 'Just jump. I'll catch you.'

'Forget it, Leon. You'd be better off standing to one side.'

'Come on, Sam. Stop talking, start jumping.'

Crowe cast a final look over her shoulder. The flames were licking towards her. 'OK, Leon, here goes.'

Well Deck

Where the hell had Anawak got to? The submersible rocked gently on the water. Johanson crouched on top of it. There was nothing in the darkness to indicate the presence of the yrr. Why would there be? It wasn't as though an attack would be necessary. All they had to do was bide their time and wait for the vessel to sink. In the end they'd humbled even the mighty Independence. The five minutes were up.

Strictly speaking, he could go. There'd still be a submersible left for Anawak and Crowe.

But if Anawak returned with Crowe and Shankar, they'd have to use both boats. He couldn't leave.

Under his breath he started humming Mahler's Symphony No. 1.

'Sigur!'

Johanson spun round. Pain stabbed through his upper body, preventing him breathing. Li was standing behind him, level with the boat. Two slim cylinders lay beside her on the jetty. She was pointing a gun at him.

'Come down from the boat, Sigur. Don't force me to shoot.'

Johanson grabbed the chain attaching the Deepflight to the rack.

'Move.'

'Are you threatening me, Jude?' He gave a dry laugh as he tried to think. He had to delay her. He needed to improvise – to stall her, keep her talking until Anawak arrived. 'Well, I wouldn't shoot if I were you. Not if you're planning on using this sub.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'You'll see soon enough.'

'Explain yourself.'

'All these explanations are tedious, don't you think? Come on, General Commander Li, don't be shy – shoot me now and find out later.'

Li hesitated. 'What have you done to the boat, you goddamn jerk?'

'You'll never believe this,' Johanson struggled to his feet, 'but I'm actually going to tell you. In fact, I'll even help you fix it providing you'll explain yourself to me!

'There's no time.'

'Uh-huh. That's awkward.'

Li glared at him. She lowered the gun. 'Ask away.'

'Oh, surely you know the question already. Why?'

'Do you really have to ask?' Li snorted. 'Why don't you use that high-powered brain of yours? What do you think the world would do without America? There's only one enduring model of national and international order that works for every individual in every single society, and that's the American one. We can't allow the world to solve this problem. We can't allow the UN to solve it. The yrr have inflicted untold damage on humanity, but their stock of knowledge and understanding could be even more deadly. Who would you like to see inherit that knowledge, Sigur?'

'Those most competent to deal with it.'

'Exactly.'

'But that's what we were working towards, Jude. Don't we want the same things? We could reach an agreement with the yrr. We could-'

'Don't you get it? We don't have that option. It's against the interests of my country. That knowledge belongs to the United States of America, and we're obliged to do everything in our power to prevent others attaining it. It leaves us with no choice: we have to liberate the planet from the yrr. Even agreeing to coexist would be an admission of failure – a sign of our defeat, the defeat of humanity, of our faith in God and the world's faith in American supremacy. But the worst thing about coexisting with the yrr would be the new world order that would follow. We'd all be equal in the eyes of the yrr. Any state with the requisite technology would be able to communicate with them. They'd all try to forge alliances, try to seize the yrr's knowledge – who knows? In the end the yrr might even be conquered. And whoever conquers the yrr will rule the planet.' She took a step towards him. 'Don't you see what that would mean? There's a species down there that uses biotechnology of a kind we'd never even dreamed of. The only way of communicating with them is by biological means. The whole world will start experimenting with microbes, and there'll be nothing we can do. We can't let that happen. There's no alternative but to destroy the yrr. America has to take charge. We can't afford to cede power to anyone else – and especially not to that joke of a UN assembly, where every last scumbag gets a vote.'

'You must be out of your mind,' said Johanson. He was racked with coughing. 'What kind of a person are you, Li?'

'The kind who's devoted to God and to-'

'The only thing you're devoted to is your career. You're power-crazy.'

'I believe in God and my country,' Li yelled. 'I believe that the United States has a calling to save humanity and to-'

'Put everyone else in their place once and for all.'

'So what? Everyone always wants America to do all the dirty work, and now we're doing it. It's only right. We can't allow the world to share in the yrr's knowledge, so we have to destroy them and preserve that knowledge for ourselves. Then there'll be no doubt who controls the fate of the planet. Hostile regimes or dictators won't stand a chance. No one will be capable of contesting our supremacy.'

'What you're planning is the destruction of mankind.'

Li flashed her teeth in a grin. 'You scientists are always so quick to come up with these tired old objections. None of you ever had the courage to think we could defeat our enemy – it didn't even occur to you that annihilating the yrr would solve all our problems. You just keep whining away about how eliminating amoebas could destroy the planet's ecosystem. Well, the yrr are destroying the ecosystem already. They're wiping us out! Don't you think a little short-term environmental damage is a fair price to pay for restoring us to our position as the dominant race?'

'You're the only one who's interested in domination, you poor fool. How are you going to deal with the worms and stop the-'

'We'll poison them all. Once the yrr are out of the way, we'll be able to do what we like down there.'

'You'll be poisoning humans.'

'Well, here's a thing, Sigur. Destroying humans is an opportunity in itself. It would do the planet a favour if there was a little more air to go round.' Li's eyes narrowed. 'And now get out of my way.'

Johanson didn't move. He clung to the chain, and shook his head slowly. 'I've sabotaged the boat,' he said.

'I don't believe you.'

'Then you'll have to take your chances.'

Li nodded. 'I will.'

Her arm jerked up and she fired. Johanson tried to dodge sideways. He felt the bullet perforate his sternum and a wave of pain washed through him.

She'd shot him, the bitch.

His fingers let go of the chain. He wobbled, tried to say something, then fell belly first into the pilot's pod.

Deck Elevator

The instant he saw Crowe leaping towards him Anawak was seized with doubt. Arms flailing, Crowe had launched herself too far to the left. He ran sideways, arms outstretched, hoping that the impact wouldn't pitch them into the sea.

For all her daintiness, Crowe still hit him like a speeding bus.

Anawak toppled backwards, Crowe on top of him. They were sliding down the slope. He heard her screaming and his own voice joined in. The back of his head banged on the asphalt, as he tried to brace his heels against the surface. It was the second time in one day that he'd had a bad experience on the elevator, and he hoped it would be the last- whatever the outcome.