The Legion of Nothing

And how would we do it if we could? All of these fleshy masses around us had to be part of the core of the organism. If we could cause massive damage to core systems, that would tend to throw the larger system out of whack.

Even if it didn’t work, it seemed like the kind of thing might make it easier for Haley and company.

Over the comm, I said, “The big masses look like parts of the Fungus Collective’s internal systems. If we cause massive damage to them, we might free Bouman’s team and maybe people in the city. So maybe we go all out on them?”

I got that out as more tendril monsters formed out of mushroom flesh from deeper in the room—closer to the parking garage itself.

As I fired at the oncoming horde with the laser, Jaclyn blurred, turning more into splattered parts, but also saying, “Unless the teleportation block is down… Is it?”

In the brief pause that followed, Izzy took out three tendril monsters with the same punch, following it up with a targeted scream that caused two more to explode.

The sound of Brooke’s breathing came over the comm, “Not yet. I tried. It’s not as solid.”

A glance at Bouman showed sweat on his cheek despite the addition of mushroom flesh. He was breathing heavily too, most likely because he’d been resisting her attempt, but maybe because he’d also been trying to free himself.

I took the fact that there were now so many tendril monsters filling the parking garage as a kind of endorsement of my plan. If the Fungus Collective was comfortable with being here, would they be throwing their troops at us like this? I doubted it.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Daniel said over the comm, throwing a group of tendril monsters into the ceiling with enough force to embed bits of them in the concrete while the rest fell to the floor. Letting out a breath, he added, “It leads to better options.”

“Then let’s do it,” Jaclyn said, turning a line of tendril monsters into splatters without even being slowed by their attempts to grab her.

“Cool,” I said. I’d been scanning the room for hints of heat, electrical impulses or other cues as to where the most activity was and where it was moving.

Heat turned out to be the biggest clue. It wasn’t much, but it made the groups of root-like tendrils linking the larger masses more obvious. The bundles of long white threads became larger as they went further in the direction of the main garage.

“We should focus on everything in that direction,” I said, burning down a few tendril monsters that had formed out of the floor by way of illustration.

The larger room ahead of us appeared to be nothing but fleshy masses and tendril monsters now.

I hoped we didn’t get tired out before it was over. Daniel had been doing a lot. I could feel that I’d been active even with the Rocket suit doing most of the work. Even Izzy and Jaclyn would get tired eventually.

The fact that the tendril monsters still stumbled and didn’t quite seem all there didn’t change how many of them there were.

Still, if we could make it easier for Haley’s team to get Alex in, it would all be worth it. I just had to remember that this was a marathon and not a sprint while also remembering not to be too stingy to make a splash.

“I’m starting the barrage,” I thought into my implant—which reproduced it over the comm as I let fly with a series of boombots.

I aimed the bots to allow Izzy and Jaclyn to get into position as easily as possible, going for the cluster of tendril monsters that blocked us from the main area of the room.

Our section stood just off the main area. All of the parking spots were marked “Reserved for City Hall Staff.” The opening between the two sections was wide enough for two large cars to pass through, but full of tendril monsters and an oozing fleshy mass.

My bots turned that doorway into a circle of fire, burning the tendril monsters into ash-covered humanoid sculptures. I’d shot five boombots into the fleshy mass, configuring the blast shapes so that the majority of the creature would fly away from us.

I was more successful than expected. The mass did more than explode. It disintegrated and not into dust. It disintegrated into chunks that ranged in size from ground meat bits to fist-sized, some of them embedding themselves into the walls, others hitting tendril monsters that happened to be behind the mass, sometimes going straight through the monster.

It also ended any streak I might have had at avoiding property damage, hitting more than one car in the garage with enough force to shatter windows, dent the body, and start car alarms.

One of the damaged cars was a red Corvette. Multiple fist-sized chunks had embedded themselves in the fiberglass body. I felt bad about that one, but given the circumstances, insurance probably covered the damage.

In the end, it was only a car.

I wouldn’t be able to use bots like that without running out before I wanted to, but it made for an intimidating opening on the main room. The Fungus Collective couldn’t ignore this, could it?

Izzy made it into the gap without me having to suggest it and screamed into the main room. I’d seen her scream and destroy a building’s structural integrity, but her control had gotten better since then—which was good given that we were underground.

With all of the tendril monsters and masses of mushroom flesh in the room, it was impossible for her to miss. Her scream was a sonic attack, but one that made my sonics look underpowered. Even controlled, the blast created a line through the middle of the room. In that line, nothing survived, the tendril monsters darkening to mushy goo as the sound pounded them.

While still dying, the fleshy masses did better, their exposed flesh turning to goo, but the opposite side was solid. That said, the closest ones were annihilated, exploding into wet chunks, mushroom juice dripping on the floor.

In that moment, I felt hope. We might be able to win this thing outright.