Dodds takes a breath. “For one thing, we know it’s imperative that we get our surface ships into the area before another nation stumbles upon this buried mass.”

“You’re dancing around the facts like a politician, Director Dodds, and you know that pisses me off. There’s something you aren’t telling me. What is it?”

“I’m sorry, you’re right, there is more, a lot more. I guess I’m still a bit stunned myself. Some of us, including me, now believe the deep-space radio signal we received was never meant for us. It—it may have been intended to trigger something within this alien structure.”

Chaney stares at Dodds, incredulous. “By trigger, you mean awaken?”

“No, sir. More like activate.”

“Activate? Explain.”

Debra Aldrich removes a six-page report from her file. “Sir, this is a copy of a SOSUS report sent to NOAA last month from a biologist in Florida. The report details unidentifiable sounds originating from beneath the seafloor within the Chicxulub impact crater. Unfortunately, the acting NOAA director was a little slow getting around to verifying the information, but we’ve now confirmed the high-pitched acoustics are originating from directly within this buried ovoid structure. There appears to be a high level of complex activity going on within this mass, most likely mechanical in nature.”

The NASA director nods. “As a follow-up, we had the Navy’s central receiving station in Dam Neck run a complete analysis of all high-decibel acoustics recorded within the Gulf area over the last six months. Although the sounds appear only as background static, data confirms the subterranean acoustics first began on September 23, at precisely the same time the deep-space radio signal first reached Earth.”

Chaney closes his eyes and massages his temples, feeling overwhelmed.

“There’s something else, Ennis.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus, Marvin. Do you think you could give me a minute to swallow before you … never mind, just go ahead.”

“Sorry, I know this is all a bit mind-boggling, eh?”

“Finish—”

“We completed our analysis of the black tide. Once the toxin comes in contact with organic tissue, it doesn’t just cause the cellular walls to decompose, it actually alters its basic chemical composition at the molecular level, leading to a total loss of cell-wall integrity. The stuff works like acid, and the result, as we’ve seen, is a total bleed out. But here’s what’s interesting—the substance isn’t a virus or even a living organism, but it does carry heavy traces of silicon and a bizarre DNA.”

“DNA? Christ, Marvin, what are you saying?”

“It’s just a theory—”

“No more games. What is it?”

“Zoological elimination. Fecal matter.”

“Fecal matter? You mean it’s shit?”

“Uh, yes, but more accurately, alien shit—very old alien shit. The sludge contains chemical traces of elements we believe originated from a living organism, a silicon-based life-form.”