Frank Schatzing - The Swarm

All of a sudden there was a thunderous bang. A fiery cloud spread over the island, crackling and bursting like a firework display. Powerful vibrations shook the deck, then plumes of flames shot out of the inferno, stretching towards them.

The cook screamed. He jumped up, took a step backwards, stumbled, and toppled over the side. Crowe tried to grab his outstretched hands. For a split second he steadied himself, face twisted with fear, then fell. He hit the rising stern gate, then disappeared. Crowe heard a splash, drew back from the edge in horror, and glanced around.

She was surrounded by flames. Everywhere around her the asphalt was burning. It was unbearably hot. Only the starboard quarter had escaped the shower of fire. For the first time she was seized with real despair.

The heat forced her to retreat. She ran to the starboard quarter and continued along the side.

Past the equipment for the elevator.

What now?

'Sam?'

Great, now she was hearing things too. Or had someone just called her name? Impossible.

'Sam Crowe?'

Someone was calling her name.

'I'm over here,' she veiled.

Where was the voice coming from? There was no sign of anyone on the flight deck.

Then it dawned on her.

She leaned cautiously over the edge and saw the outline of the platform, tilting towards the sea.

'Sam?'

'I'm here! Up here!'

She was screaming her heart out. All of a sudden someone ran on to the platform, looking up at the deck.

It was Anawak.

'Leon!' she called. 'Leon, I'm up here!'

'Jesus, Sam.' He stared up at her. 'I'll come and get you.'

'How?'

'I'll run up.'

'There's nowhere left to run,' she shouted. 'It's a mass of flames; the island, the flight deck, everything.'

'Where's Murray?'

'Dead.'

'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?'