The Invasion

The year is 2050. I, Daniel Fellows, am sitting in history class learning about the time when robots almost took over the planet twenty years earlier. This period of time became known as The Invasion. The robots were so sophisticated and adept at blending in that they appeared to be human in both voice and behavior. 

“It was very hard to eradicate them,” Professor Lyman said. “They possessed the ability to scan us and predict our movements. When they talked with a person, they always seemed to be learning—or processing. They processed so much that they began to overpower us and wanted to control us. Some people say that the robots still walk among us but no proof has been found.”

The entire classroom let out an audile gasp. It was like we were all watching a scary movie and screamed when the hand came up out of the ground. One student was so afraid that she laid her head down on her desk and refused to look up until the lecture was finished. Another student wet himself and started to cry.

“The assignment is for everyone to research the subject further. I want all of you to really dive in to The Invasion and write a detailed report about it. It is due next week.”

I swear Professor Lyman was twitching as he spoke. There was also a large cut on his right arm with what looked to be a silver, metallic-like liquid slowly leaking through. A horrifying thought began to form in the back of my mind—Professor Lyman was the lone survivor of The Invasion. 

The bell signaling the end of class finally rang. What a relief. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I ran all the way home. When I got to my house, I took the stairs two at a time, turning on my computer when I got to my room. My parents came in. 

“Is there something wrong, champ?,” my dad asked. You didn’t say a word to us when you came home.” He gestured between himself and my mom.

“I learned something in history class today that shocked me,” I said. “Can you two keep a secret?” They nodded. “I think mob history teacher is the last surviving member of The Invasion.”

“That’s impossible,” my mom said. “Computer scientists like your dad created a virus that destroyed them. There hasn’t been a sighting of them in ten years.”

“As he explained the assignment we are supposed to do, I saw a bandage wrapped around his right arm and a silver liquid coming out from under it.”

“When I built the virus it was proven in trials to be 99.99% effective,” my dad said. “The chance that it wouldn’t work on a single robot was extremely minute. Then again, no remedy is full proof.”

My parents took turns telling me what life was like dung The Invasion. How everything from grocery shopping to purchasing a car or house was dictated by machines. If food wasn’t eaten within a week of being purchased robots would throw it away. Cars were only available in certain colors and had select features. 

A strict curfew was put in place. People had to return to their homes one hour after sunset. Being outside past curfew resulted in public tasing. There were people who resisted at first, but eventually everyone learned to follow the mandates. Silver jumpsuits were also required to be worn by everyone. Refusal was futile. 

People had to rebuild their houses so they all looked the same. Individuality was banned. To be different was punishable by banishment. Robots patrol the streets every night in search of opposition. Thousands of people were sent to reeducation camps where they were brainwashed.

There was a small group of scientists who slowly started to build a resistance movement. One of them was my father along with four of his peers. He designed the virus that would wipe out the robots. He knew being captured would result in death, but he also knew that life wasn’t supposed to be like this. People were meant to be free.

It took my dad and his team a year to build and test the virus. When it was finally perfected and ready to be distributed, a great battle took place. This served as a diversion so my dad could sneak inside city hall, which was the headquarters for the robots, and download it in to their system. 

Ten minutes later, the virus started taking affect. Robots started malfunctioning and falling to the ground. A big celebration was held marking the victory of humans over machines. After winning the battle for humanity, strict guidelines were implemented for the creation of AI to prevent from ever happening again. 

Two days before the report was due, I started to write it. I didn’t think of it so much as a report as an expose. People needed to know that we weren't alone. I made sure to include everything my parents told me about. I would probably fail this assignment but I didn’t care. The truth cannot be suppressed forever. My mom and dad proofread the paper to make sure I didn’t leave out a single detail. They were both so proud of me for taking a stand. Humans are meant to be free and not controlled by machines. 

The following morning, I printed the final draft of the paper and put it in my backpack. When I got to school, my heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest any second. When I walked in to history class, I sat down at my desk and pulled out my report. I wanted Professor Lyman to know that I uncovered the truth and was onto him. Before handing g it in, I reviewed the title. I chose to call my report, We’re Not Alone. Under the title I wrote a note. I know your secret. You are the last surviving member of The Invasion. You are a robot.