Inside 'The Swarm'

---

Red-Two to Topkick.

Stand by.

Red-Two reporting, sir.

- Slater here.

- General, all personnel dead, sir.

No enemy force on site.

The only security breach a civilian

van, but no driver to be found.

Any evidence this is a preemptive

CW strike?

- No, sir.

- Coming in.

Go on in.

Sergeant.

Who the hell are you?

Relax, major. Please, take your finger

off the trigger and I will explain.

- That your van out by the gate?

- Yeah.

How'd you get in the complex?

It's a complicated story. It starts

a year ago, but let's skip that.

Let me tell you about last night

and this morning.

Search him.

What's that?

- Man your positions.

- Sunflower seeds.

Get it analyzed.

- Who is this?

- The van driver, sir.

- What the hell is he doing here?

- Unidentified force. Range, 30 miles.

- Closing from what direction?

- Not closing. Outgoing.

Check him out...

...and tell him to put his hands down.

- Yes, sir.

- What have you got?

- Estimated speed, seven miles per hour.

- Seven?

- Whatever it is, it's big.

Slater to Air Search One.

Contact and identify outgoing objects

bearing 183 degrees.

Distance, 30 miles. Estimated speed,

seven miles per hour.

Repeat, that's seven miles

per hour, not 700.

Air Search One to Topkick, roger.

Air Search One to Topkick.

We have visual contact.

- Identify.

- A black mass. A moving black mass!

Zero altitude, dead ahead.

- They're hitting us!

- Oh, my God!

We're out of control!

Oh, my God! Bees! Millions of bees!

Air Search 2-8 to Base.

- Bees! Millions of bees!

- Bees?

They're all around!

All over the canopy, trying to get in!

- Get above them, man! Take it up!

- I can't, sir. I'm losing power!

Oh, my God!

He's down, sir.

Good lord.

Call Hastings Air Force Base. Have

them scramble and track those bees.

Major! Bring him in here!

This is Capt. Cord

at the missile complex.

This is an order

from General Slater.

Scramble aircraft and track a swarm

of bees 30 miles from the complex.

Yes, bees!

Now, what's his story?

- Bradford Crane, sir.

- That all?

Ph.D., Institute of Advanced Study,

Princeton, via Cambridge.

- English?

- American, for the last eight years.

Well, Dr. Crane, you're in big trouble.

- What are you doing in this complex?

- I saw the swarms, early this morning.

There were so many they blotted out the

sun. I followed, but they were gone.

Then I saw the missile gates open

and I thought they'd flown down here.

I came to see if anybody was alive.

If I could help.

- In his van?

- Scientific equipment.

- What kind? Sabotage, explosives?

- Biological. We're checking it out.

- Who are you?

- I'm an entomologist.

- Bugs?

- Insects. What I do is not important.

What is important...

...is that there are other

swarms, and what these bees did...

...they can do all over

the Southwest...

...and all over the country.

- Bees killed the men here?

- Yes. Just like your choppers.

- I don't know what happened yet.

Thousands of people are stung

by bees every year.

It's rare if anybody dies

from bee stings!

- They have to be African, don't they?

- Killer bees?

- Yes.

- Not likely. I've read reports.

If they ever manage to come north,

it's 10 years away.

By whose timetable, general,

yours or theirs?

Either you're some crackpot...

...or there's a direct tie-up between

what's happened here and you!

We can clear that up,

and we'd better!

Kick on your system and patch

through to Dr. Connors.

- Arthur Connors, the adviser?

- That's him.

Are you trying to cite him

as your authority?

Dr. Connors hasn't the foggiest idea

whether I'm on or under this complex.

- I have to speak to him right now!

- Lock him up!

- Yes, sir.

- General, thank God you got here, sir.

- What?

- This is Dr. Anderson.

She managed to get six men into the

hospital in time to isolate them.

Two are dead, the others

are critical. I need antitoxins.

- I have cardiopep compound in my van.

- Cardiopep?

I just read an article

about cardiopep...

...by some scientist

named Crane, I think.

Our preliminary results

are encouraging.

You're Crane?

Yes. Our tests indicate cardiopep

normalizes irregular heartbeat.

Now, wait a minute. We're not

using experimental substances.

This is his area.

It seems to me if he feels...

I don't give a damn! You're the doctor!

Tell me what you need.

- I'll have it in 30 minutes.

- That's the problem. I don't know.

None of the procedures seem to help.

I need an immunologist.

Get the Center for Disease Control.

The best in the country is Walter Krim.

You'll find his card in my wallet.

Call him.

- Go ahead.

- I know him very well.

I'd be pleased to talk to him.

All right. Go with him. Go with him.

- What happened here, captain?

- I'm sorry. You mean you don't know?

Well, not exactly.

- We were attacked by bees.

- Attacked?

I was in the hospital bunker.

I turned on the video control unit,

saw what was happening...

...our men above ground were

literally covered with bees.

I used an air-conditioning duct

to lead the crew out.

The bees attacked when we reached

the hospital.

I managed to get six men inside.

It's damn hard to believe that...

...insects have accomplished what

nothing in the world could've done...

...except germ warfare

or a neutron bomb:

Neutralize an ICBM site.

Okay, let's go. Come on, Paul.

- All right.

- Wow. Isn't this beautiful?

Neat.

Here, Paul, take this.

- Here you go, hon.

- Thanks, babe.

Paul, look at that over there.

I think there's a waterfall

we can go to after.

- Hand me the cups, please.

- Sure.

Would you go to the car

and get the thermos?

Go away.

- It's just a bee. Leave him alone.

- They're into everything.

I'll get them.

Get out of the way, honey.

I think that's enough, you're gonna

wreck the food. I'm hungry.

It's so hot.

- Hey, wait for Paul.

- I can't. I'm starving.

Mom, Dad! Look!

Dad! Come on, get in the car.

Mom!

Dad!

Mom!

Mom! Dad!

General Thompson coming on-screen.

General, we've received

and decoded your report.

We're having credibility problems

with the nature of the attack.

Specifically, with your statement

it was not a chemical war strike.

We can find no evidence of that, sir.

Your suggestion the attack is natural.

What is that?

I'm having the same problem accepting

that swarms of bees attacked...

Has that civilian

been cleared, general?

No, sir.

What is he doing in our complex?

When I arrived with my special defense

unit, he was already inside the complex.

He claims he walked in through

the open gate.

I am Dr. Brad Crane, an entomologist.

I asked your man to check my

credentials with Dr. Arthur Connors.

Nobody believes me.

I have been placed in custody.

Every minute now is precious.

We have been invaded by an enemy

far more lethal than any human force.

Well, Dr. Crane, we're going to check

with the White House.

Dr. Connors had better know you,

for your sake.

- Afternoon, Felix.

- Afternoon, ma'am.

- How are you feeling today?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes