August 1977. Astronomers detect the so-called “WOW” signal: a burst of sound from deep space, near the constellation Sagittarius. The signal is believed to be extraterrestrial in origin. The next month, the astronomers send a reply. Boy, is that a huge mistake. Because more than four decades later, the alien intelligence has sent an invasion force of exactly one photon—and it’s the kind of microscopic threat we could have never seen coming…

In a desert town one hour north of L.A., Lieutenant Ron Pinkerton watches in horror as law-abiding citizens begin to lose their minds—and the laws of gravity. And then astrophysicist Marisa Stringfellow appears, telling Pinkerton the craziest thing he’s ever heard: an alien entity is taking over minds one by one and using their hijacked bodies to create as much mayhem as (in)humanly possible. The tell-tale sign: a violent twitch that means: goodbye, nervous system. And now humanity’s last chance lies in the hands of hardboiled cop and a heartbroken scientist… that is, until one of them begins to twitch.

Visual artist(s): Richard P. Clark, Janice Chiang