ots . ▁The ▁two ▁discuss ▁the ▁possibility ▁that ▁extr ater rest rial ▁intellig ences ▁could ▁send ▁robot ic ▁prob es ▁to ▁study ▁other ▁plan ets . ▁After ▁inspect ing ▁the ▁Mul der ' s ▁spec imen , ▁Ivan ov ▁is ▁rendered ▁speech less ; ▁he ▁inform s ▁Mul der ▁that ▁the ▁spec imen ▁is , ▁technology - wise , ▁vast ly ▁superior ▁to ▁anything ▁he ' s ▁ever ▁seen . ▁S cul ly ▁arriv es ▁in ▁the ▁town ▁at ▁a ▁convenience ▁store , ▁finding ▁the ▁residents ▁succ umb ing ▁to ▁pan ic ▁over ▁the ▁ro aches . ▁She ▁attempts ▁to ▁calm ▁the ▁people ▁down , ▁however ▁the ▁store - go ers ▁fr ant ically ▁fle e ▁after ▁two ▁sc uff ling ▁pat rons ▁knock ▁over ▁a ▁display ▁of ▁ch oc olate ▁cand ies , ▁bel ieving ▁them ▁to ▁be ▁more ▁ro aches . ▁Meanwhile , ▁Mul der , ▁while ▁depart ing ▁Ivan ov ' s ▁lab , ▁catch es ▁another ▁ro ach ▁to ▁bring ▁to ▁Ber en baum , ▁but ▁this ▁time , ▁she ▁con cludes ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁a ▁seem ingly ▁normal ▁co ck ro ach . ▁S cul ly ▁finds ▁out ▁that ▁E cker le ▁was ▁research ing ▁d ung - der ived ▁m eth ane ▁as ▁an ▁alternative ▁fuel ▁source , ▁and ▁had ▁been ▁importing ▁animal ▁d ung ▁that ▁may ▁have ▁introduced ▁the ▁ro aches ▁to ▁the ▁area . ▁Upon ▁hearing ▁this , ▁Mul der ▁spec ul ates ▁that ▁the ▁ro aches ▁are ▁actually ▁extr ater rest rial ▁robot ic