Insecticons: Invasion of North America

A bizarre species of A.I. robots called Insecticons that transforms into giant predatory insects with lasers sends humanity into a vortex of survival priorities, giving rise to the hero Water-Man(!).

James Thorn looked at the night sky in the summer of 2020 with his new handsome large telescope which was fitted on the second-floor balcony of his new home in the Carolinas. James was a new professor of astrophysics at Duke University and enjoyed summer nights staring at the stars and looking for things like collapsing stars and meteor showers. He was 35 years-old and single, but dashingly handsome and therefore being courted by multiple attractive female professors at Duke, but he was currently fixated on his 'telescope summer' and completing his new astrophysics research-paper on the nature of collected bodies in systems/planets in flux.

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James was brilliant and driven and imaginative and even child-like now with his new summer telescope activity. It was mid-June, and he wanted to see a bright meteor shower in a region his rather sophisticated telescope could reach into and spot(!). James headed home from his Duke astrophysics department office, content he'd worked on his research-paper enough for the day, and dashed to his summer telescope on a Friday evening at around 6 pm. When he got home, he took a quick shower and ate a quick dinner of microwaved mac-n-cheese with a small glass of wine while watching BBC news on TV. He then put on his evening-slippers and headed into his back-balcony on the second-floor of his new house and proceeded to begin setting his telescope to aim at the area where the projected/predicted meteor shower was to occur.

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James peered into his telescope on what was a clear and warm summer evening to see if he could spot signs of the meteor shower. In about 15 minutes, James spotted what seemed to be 2 meteors soaring into the space-sky(!). He continued to keep his telescope focused on the area to see if more meteors streaked in the same exact area as the other two. James was looking into his telescope when suddenly he spotted something incredibly bizarre, but it wasn't a meteor/shower. It was the semblance of something glowing purple in color and moving at a slower and therefore 'self-directed' pace. The purple-glowing 'object' moved towards the meteor shower and then veered off(!) on its own when 2 more meteors streaked across the space-sky. James ran to his phone to call the Duke astrophysics department.

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James was called late into the Duke astrophysics office for a department meeting during which he explained what he clearly saw through his telescope from home. His peers were shocked and wondered how they could procure more proof and who they should inform to get more funding to continue to investigate to find more signs of this unidentified purple glowing 'object.' They of course decided to call NASA and the U.S. government, but they also called SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence)! James would be the diplomat of the dealings between the Duke astrophysics department and these institutions in the inquiry into this purple glowing object James spotted on his home-telescope. In about two months, a spectacular investigation outfit was set-up at Duke, and James was the fearless captain(!).

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James had Duke's main giant telescopes constantly pointed in the region where the purple glowing object was first spotted/observed, and government officials and NASA/SETI personnel worked with James directly or through his peers/department by constant-contact/email(!). It was August now, and Duke was in the national spotlight, and James Thorn was considered a 'celebrity.' If his observation was correct, then perhaps there was a truly unusual form of intelligent non-human life flying around in the known universe! James and his team continued to watch the space-sky for signs of this glowing 'apparition' which they now coined as the 'Purple Oddity' (PO). What was PO? Was it a craft/ship or an alien-being? Why was PO purple in color?

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In October, at around 2 am, James got a startling phone call from the Duke astrophysics department, ushering him to drive to his office immediately. When he got there, he saw his team-members but also U.S. military personnel and a spokesman from the White House, a personal aide to the President himself(!). James was informed that around 12:30 am that day, the PO landed on the cliffs of Virginia and made 'contact' with shocked humans and wanted to meet with James Thorn directly! James was stunned. Why was the PO interested in him specifically? What was the nature of this visit to Earth, and what did this PO want really? James had no choice but to comply with the U.S. government and become the official 'human diplomat' and engage with this PO. James would be transported to Virginia the next morning by helicopter to meet with the PO who was being held in a now government/military-controlled giant tent.

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JAMES: What the hell are you?
PO: I am an Insecticon robot, Dr. Thorn!
JAMES: How'd you know my name?
PO: My cybernetic structure affords me extra-distance signal-detection and telepathy.
JAMES: So, you're a 'psychic robot.'

PO: Precisely, James; I'm here to inform you of an invasion...
JAMES: An invasion of Earth?
PO: An invasion of North America!
JAMES: Why North America?
PO: Because North America is the continent with the most terrestrial 'prestige.'
JAMES: Well, yes, that's because America is the world's official 'Big Brother.'
PO: True; and this makes your bordering nations (Canada and Mexico) great neighbors.
JAMES: So who is plotting to invade North America?
PO: My legion of Insecticon robots from a faraway planet called Cybertron!
JAMES: Why are you telling us this (and what's your name)?
PO: My name's Bombshell; I'm telling you, because I secretly believe you deserved a warning.
JAMES: How'd you find me specifically, Bombshell?
PO: I detected/sensed you observing me with your telescope at your Carolina summer-house.
JAMES: What were you doing flying around that meteor shower that night, Bombshell?
PO: I wanted to look for patterns suggesting a meteor shower or asteroid collision threatened Earth.
JAMES: You were planning to make the Insecticon invasion more thorough?
PO: Precisely, Dr. Thorn; I'm the Insecticon navigator and wanted to see if there were any obstacles.
JAMES: I see; so you wanted to see if there was an asteroid that interfered with your invasion plans.
PO: Don't be cynical right now, James; I'm here to warn you, because I started sympathizing with you.
JAMES: Sympathizing?
PO: Yes, you were peering into the space-sky with your home-telescope with great innocent curiosity.
JAMES: Well, yes, we humans are very naturally and democratically inquisitive about the universe!
PO: That's why I felt you deserved to be warned before the invasion by my species occurred.
JAMES: Why're you called Insecticons?
PO: Because, like me (as you see!), we Insecticons are purple-laser shooting robots who transform into giant insects.
JAMES: Why insects, Bombshell?
PO: Insects are relentlessly efficient and engineering of empires, which is why our 'Creator' made us insect-robots.
JAMES: Who is your creator?
PO: We're not sure; but we believe our Creator is the same as the one who made/designed your planet Earth!
JAMES: Why would our Creator (whom we generally refer to as 'God') make giant insect-robots intending to invade us?
PO: Perhaps, Dr. Thorn, our Creator wanted you and I to meet and negotiate before our species warred.
JAMES: So how do you intend to thwart the invasion of Earth by your Insecticon buddies?
PO: By warning you, I've given you ample time to usher in humanity underground (to hide from my species!).
JAMES: So we'll hide underground before the invasion begins...
PO: Precisely; and I will tell my Insecticon brethren that your species fled from Earth using NASA technology!
JAMES: I see; so you'll trick them into thinking we simply disappeared...
PO: That's correct.
JAMES: Sounds like a worthy plan; this is all rather strange, Bombshell.
PO: I understand; please take the necessary time to process all this, James.
JAMES: I'm truly grateful (on behalf of the human race) for all your aid, Bombshell.
PO: I'm happy to help; I hope this does not deter your enthusiasm for home-telescope summer-viewing.
JAMES: No, I suppose it doesn't...
PO: Make no mistake, Dr. Thorn; my Insecticon brethren intend to invade and utterly destroy your species.
JAMES: So they wish to reinvent Earth as they see fit?
PO: Exactly; Insecticons are efficient destroyers; my brethren can/will simply ingest or incinerate your population.
JAMES: Ingest?
PO: Yes, our cybernetic structure is enriched by hemoglobin-containing blood!
JAMES: So you're basically cannibalistic orgo-robots...
PO: That's correct; I wanted to warn you to help you!
JAMES: Well, we'll continue to plan accordingly and evade this apparently certain doom, Bombshell.
PO: Good; remember, James --- the best way to evade evil is to confront the reality of humbling paranoia!

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