Meanwhile, a team of prospectors led by a man named Benedict searching for red mercury at the behest of an unknown sponsor enter a mine in Russia, where they discover a secret stock of the substance.

Dr. Alison Gray proposes to the military the use of her newly developed sonic transmitters, which she believes can influence the shark's behavior, but is rejected in favor of a more aggressive plan laid out by her colleague John Bullock.

She is then summoned by tech mogul and environmentalist Joshua Dane, CEO of DaneTech Industries, who is aware of the government's plans thanks to his infiltrating their communications out of distrust for their intentions.

Kolossus is discovered to be a mobile weapon of mass destruction created by the Russians during the Cold War, powered by red mercury and capable of multiple detonations.

Lieutenant Commander Parker manages to override the order, aborting the strike, and King uses an American flag to draw the shark into the inlet where the laboratory is, trapping it.

With Kolossus under control, Dane betrays the others, revealing that he was Benedict's sponsor and sabotaged Alison's transmitter to prevent the government from killing the shark before he could find red mercury.

He then declares to the world that he expects a nuclear strike will come, warning that if he is killed, it will trigger the release of red mercury into the atmosphere, rendering Earth inhospitable for centuries.