Creating a Monster, Covidhum
For a long time, the extraterrestrial beings have researched and experimented on the way to invade earth, and redeem the planet from its self-destructive habits. With global warming and unruly populations, a group of aliens has identified a way to control the effects without raising much attention. Moreover, they are adopting a new monster theme once elaborated by Asma, concerning the moral imagination. For a monster to impact and effect on the society, they need not to hurt physically; instead, all they need is set a pattern of fear, and the nation will reckon. With the monster, the alien’s purpose not only to control human activities but also to persuade the world to rethink their moral instincts. What better way to attack earth secretly, other than using a virus pandemic? Any human would instead choose the uncomfortable worms that rumble the stomach endless than have the bio-engineered lungworm, possessing an elusive virus.
The lungworm did not naturally develop into the alien Nano-laboratories. It took the genetic engineering of an ancient and destructive unknown group, and a unique species of the Star Wars’ brain worm. The aliens are rare and invasive species: When bio-engineered with the brain worm, the destruction is rapid and massive. After years of experimentation, the aliens launched the virus-infested infection and called it the Covidhum. The monster was launched in one of the developed nations. The strategy was to weaken the earth using its strongest pillar, that is, the economy. If people got sick, then the countries would lose a significant amount of labor, resulting in an uncertainty in the marketplace. The strategy aims at provoking a monstrous imagination (Asma) that will evoke an apocalyptic event stemming from the fear of change.
Covidhum Description
The Covidhum is a monster that most would ignore, if given a chance to view it on a microscope; however, the monster’s impact on the body is significant. The parasitic alien monster is a nanobot assimilating the characteristics of the brain worm. Its nanobot-like structure, resembles the Mortis vampire dart that attacked soldiers, transforming them into the monsters they intended to destroy (Diem).
The Covidhum is a worm with an almost elusive size. The worm remains dormant until it gets into the human body and controls it. Through the respiratory system, Covidhum possesses the victim and assimilates into a monster. The monster resembles a slithering worm, with a cone-shaped head and spiky tail. Its head is the artificial intelligence section since it houses a sensitive sensor. The sensor enables Covidhum to translate information in real-time, with a high precision in sensitivity and capture. Besides, soon it has taken full control of the host, the victim becomes the external demonstration of the inner monster. The infected human develops a projected eyesight with an orange color, which helps Covidhum predict its next victim. Though not visible to naked human eyes, the victim is a ghost zombie rooming-in search of victims.
Additionally, nanotechnology enables the victim to emits a blast of bio-engineered fumes, like the gaseous oxygen that humans breathe. The mouth is an arena of snake-like carnivore teeth, with a saliva that contains a serum full of micro-viruses, only activated soon they align in a victim’s lungs.
Covidhum Abilities
Covidhum resembles the standard worm, but its attack is not merely a viral attack: The attack is a nuclear explosion, only that it is confined in the body. All incarnations of the Covidhum have significant abilities to consume the host’s energy and brain functioning immediately, and unknowingly control it. In particular, Covidhum acquires its monstrous skills, superpowers, robotic intelligence, durability, and sensory by consuming the victim’s immunity. Soon the Covidhum has acquired full possession; it manipulates the body’s reflexes to assume a pneumonia-like condition. With the symptoms, not even a lung specialist would identify the victim’s diagnosis. The monster’s masking character increases its active life.
Besides, the monstrous action spreads rapidly in a society because its effect is airborne. Breathing the same air with a victim, necessitates the monster to subdivide itself into sub-Covidhums, that assumes the full capabilities of the parent Covidum. Just like the Rudolph Parasite incarnation, the subsequent sub-Covidhums retains the original energy, managing to shape-shift into a carrier victim that enables faster spread.
In Rudolph’s incarnation, he can absorb Superman’s powers and vulnerabilities; however, the superpower results in his downfall. In contrast, Covidhum incorporates the victim’s anatomy, while the victim’s immunity is manipulated into a vulnerability, enabling further damage. Furthermore, the sensor positioned at the head has an anti-homeostasis fluid that reverses the body’s regulatory functions by exploiting the brain’s hypothalamus section; in the end, the victim weakens and dies.
Finally, the monster does not die off when a corpse is buried; however, it decomposes into carbon-like nanoparticles that are recirculated into the atmosphere. The rebirth ability likens to Toro and Hogan’s analogy, vampires never die. While vampires persist because of the psychological creation adapted by fiction generations, nature enables the Covidhum’s rebirth. Hence, a renaissance continues the cycle of the monster.
Drivers of The Monster’s Negative Capabilities
The main driver is human interactions. The monster thrives when human beings in close contact. The enabling factor of Covidhum contrasts with other historical monsters, such as the Frankenstein. The Frankenstein repels social interaction since the humans shun him away because of his grotesque appearance; as a result, he seeks revenge towards the creator. On the other hand, Covidhum is attracted to humans since they enable his pandemic desire. The Covidhum purposes of harming the humans because their activities harm Covidhum creator’s future residence.
According to Asma, monsters display our fears, and the goal “is to be prepared, not scared, to use our heads, and cut off their heads” (Asma 63). Contrary, with Covidhum, it spreads fear of uncertainty, and people prefer to avoid it other than eliminate it. After all, how would you fight a monster that thrives in the breathable air? Also, to apply Asma’s perception of “using our heads,” you will need a functioning brain: A brain absent since that’s the focal point of the monster.
In conclusion, Covidhum expresses our most significant fear of apocalypse and economic recessions. Although the monster was designed to mitigate the human-destructive activities, its impact is apocalyptic. Recently, the US government released footage of unidentified flying objects; over the years, the internet has exposed similar alien-like footage. As a result, with the monster, the world defines that it is an act of retribution. Finally, with the beast focusing on productive populations, society calculates significant losses in the global economy.
Works Cited
Asma, Stephen T. “Monsters and the Moral Imagination.” On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears, Oxford UP, 2011, pp. 61-67.
Diem, J.C. Mortis Vampire Series: Bundle 3. J.C. Diem, 2016. https://www.mccc.edu/student_library_online.shtml. Accessed 15 May 2020.
Eghigian, Greg. “Making UFOs make sense: Ufology, science, and the history of their mutual mistrust.” Public Understanding of Science, vol. 26, no. 5, 2015, pp. 612-626.
Jones, Jason. “This Week on The Clone Wars: Confront the Enemy Within in “Brain Invaders.” WIRED, 3 Dec. 2009, www.wired.com/2009/12/this-week-on-the-clone-wars-confront-the-enemy-within-in-brain-invaders/. Accessed 15 May 2020.
LeVine, Harry. Genetic engineering and biological weapons. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2006. https://www.mccc.edu/student_library_online.shtml. Accessed 15 May 2020.
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Shelley, Mary. “From Frankenstein.” Frankenstein, 3rd ed., Broadview P, 2012, pp. 20-22.
Toro, Guillermo D., and Chuck Hogan. “Why Vampires Never Die.” 3rd ed., HarperCollins UK, 2010, pp. 36-39.