novelraw Book 6 - Chapter 38 - Phage
Book 6 - Chapter 38 - Phage
[What the fuck was that?] Nora asked across the group chat.
[CBeRN’s Fungicide solution,] I replied. [He already had the dispersal method primed when he drove up.]
[I would have appreciated a heads up,] Nora grumbled. [That shit was so thick that it blotted out the sun. If I hadn’t caught sight of the missile before it detonated, I would have thought it was some sort of Antithesis attack.]
[Yeah, he completely caught me off guard too,] I said. [How’s the situation look out there?]
[Uhhh… I’m not seeing any change yet,] Nora said hesitantly. There was a momentary pause before she spoke up again. [No wait! The fungus is beginning to break down; the top layer is becoming less spongy, and more of a slurry.]
[Hopefully that means it’s working,] I replied. [Wild, are you there?]
[Yes?] Wild replied after a second.
[Do you think you can cook up something that could break down the Antithesis quickly, over a large area? It doesn’t need to be especially resilient, or long-lasting, I think we just need to take advantage of this anti-fungal and deprive the Antithesis of as much biomass as possible.]
[That makes sense. Gimme a couple minutes and I’ll cook something up,] she said.
[Sounds good, deploy it as soon as it’s ready. I’m going to head back to the wall to start arranging a counteroffensive,] I declared.
[About time,] Mud grumbled. [Let’s cause some damage.]
I silenced the group chat for a minute and turned towards Bern. “You could have given us a little bit of a heads-up before launching, you startled Nora.”
He gave me a small, apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, but time was of the essence. While I was over here, I was notified that some hotheads deployed their phage canisters early, which meant that the Antithesis had already been exposed and could have started adapting.”
“Wonderful,” I grumbled. “How long do you think we have before the fungus becomes immune?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had to deal with an Antithesis mycorrhizal network before. The phage is designed to spread extremely rapidly and attack the entire network at once, which makes it much harder for the Antithesis to breed new strains and develop immunity. On top of that, since the fungus is so aggressive, if the adaptation isn’t done carefully, there’s a good chance that the new strain could either disconnect from the hive or even turn on them, so they can’t just churn through the strains like they do with their troops.”
“Excuse me? What is the mycorr- whatever network?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “I’m street smart, not book smart, remember?”
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“Mycorrhizal network. That’s when fungi form a symbiotic relationship with other plants, improving the efficiency of their roots. It seemed like the best description of this lifeform,” Bern replied. “Anyways, long story short, I find it unlikely that the Antithesis will find a cure for the phage quickly.”
“Then why did you rush to deploy the phage here?” I asked.
“Because, while the phage spreads quickly, it’s not instant. The more infection vectors we introduce, the faster the phage expands, and the less chance the Antithesis have to adapt. That’s why we originally planned for simultaneous deployment. That would have given the phage the greatest chance of completely eliminating the fungus,” Bern explained.
“I got it, I think. Thanks, Bern,” I muttered before taking a deep breath and standing up straight. “I’m going to head back to the wall now. Even though there’s a chance the phage may completely wipe out the fungal network, we have to assume that the Antithesis may eventually figure out a way to breed some immunity into it and the network will reassert itself. If that’s the case, we need to do as much damage to the Antithesis before that happens. What are you going to do?”
“Oh, I think I’ll join you. I want to monitor the progression of the phage, and the best place to do that is on the front line. Besides, I have a few new chemical formulas that I want to field test. I just need a few minutes to suit up,” he replied casually.
“In that case I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I said. “If you can’t find me, just ask a bear--they’ll all know where to find me.”
“Alright, have fun! See you soon,” Bern declared, before turning back to his caravan. The top and sides slid back into place as he walked over, and by the time he and it was back in one piece, allowing him to saunter inside.
Once he disappeared, I turned on my heel and started jogging back towards the wall. I briefly went over a couple different scenarios in my head before finally figuring out what I wanted to do.
[I want everyone to gather in front of the main gates,] I declared over the command network. [We’re going to push out.]
[Do you really think that’s a good idea, boss? The walls and minefields are the only things that have been keeping those colossal models from overrunning us,] Deadbeat asked.
[That mist was an antifungal that Bern developed. Although there’s a chance it may completely destroy the fungus, experience has taught me to expect the worst when it comes to the Antithesis, so I want to cause as much damage as we can. The more biomass we destroy, the less the Antithesis will have to throw at the assault team,] I explained. [Spooky, start moving Bear Force One forward and lay waste to anything that wanders into range. I’ve been told that the hive has developed anti-missile defenses, so fly low and stay away from the hive complex for now. I don’t want the carrier to take unnecessary damage.]
[Right now?] Dusty asked suspiciously. [As in, you may want it to tank some shots later?]
[We have no idea how the battle is going to go, so I’m not completely ruling it out,] I replied. [Dial-up and Lag may be able to roll over the Antithesis’ forces, but I suspect it’s exceptionally hard to storm a hive when you’re driving a tank the size of Bear Force One,] I replied.
[Wait… have you been planning on rushing forward to join the assault the entire time?] Deadbeat asked.
[Planning, no? Looking for an opening? Absolutely. This fucking hive, and the Antithesis pouring out of it, have been doing everything in their power to crush our defenses over the last few days, and I’d really like to get some payback. I’d also like to prove that, when the cards are down, we don’t need to rely upon the Mars samurai.]
[I’m not sure why that matters, but okay…] Bandit murmured.
[I still think it’s a bad idea,] Deadbeat declared.
[I’m not going to have everyone push recklessly, just prune the Antithesis forces a little bit,] I replied. [If we happen to get all the way to the hive, despite all the Antithesis’ resistance, I don’t see a reason why we should stop.]
[You’re up to something,] Heavy muttered.
[I have no idea what you’re talking about,] I replied indignantly. [Now hurry up; I’d like to have a face-to-face in five minutes. See you soon.]
“You know, you’re a terrible liar,” Nyx announced, taking control of a random bear that was wandering by and jogging after me. “You absolutely have a plan.”
“I don’t!… But I have some ideas. The bears won’t be able to hold up to those behemoths without the help of Bear Force One, even with the help of their new missile systems. However, if there's one advantage of sitting behind our walls repelling the Antithesis over the last few days is: it's been extremely lucrative for me, both point and token wise,” I said. “So, before I go talk to the squad, let’s talk upgrades.”