I had an idea this morning, for a science-fiction short story, which could be developed into a summer blockbuster film. The trigger was an NPR segment about fish biologists in Washington (State), who are in a fairly desperate battle to prevent the highly-invasive Northern Pike from getting past Grand Coulee Dam, and thus into the entire downstream salmon eco-system, which the Pike would dominate and destroy.
But first, some background.
After my 4+ years with Enron Broadband fizzled into PTSD in 2001 (you may have seen the movie and followed the fraud trials), I experienced yet another in a life-long series of lucky breaks, and found myself under contract with The Nature Conservancy, developing an Invasive Weeds Monitoring database, from a stub that an Idaho biologist had begun.
Over the next few years, as the application grew (eventually attaining some modest success in the Invasives community), I learned a lot about the effects of invasive species, and the various methods that biologists have concocted to, if not control, at least to mediate their shocking effectiveness in destroying existing systems.
Among those tactics are simply physically removing the bad plants, or introducing 'biological controls' (i.e. another species that eats the bad guys).
So, here's my story idea (for which I make no claim to originality).
Imagine a person (could be male or female, but since I'm pitching this, he's a guy). He's a totally average human, in any 'developed' country. He is moderately comfortable and successful, according to the norms of the local culture. He is politically aware and involved, recycles as much as his abilities (and current market conditions) permit, and considers himself reasonably well-informed on science and history.
He has contributed to Jay Inslee's presidential campaign (too topical?), because he agrees that Climate Disruption is the central issue of his time, and that all other current issues (such as day-to-day political nonsense) are trivial compared with the potential for, shall we say, significant disruptions to continuing to enjoy a comfortable and fulfilling life for billions of people.
Then, one morning, he realizes that His species, humans, are Earth's primary Invasive Species, and that a Greater Intelligence is now determined to use whatever it can muster to, shall we say, remediate the threat. Chaos ensues.
Having difficulty envisioning a Sequel, but the cast will definitely be smaller.
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