Inside 'The Swarm' Page #5

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But I know one thing. I love you.

I always have, and I always will...

...no matter what you decide.

How lucky I am.

Well...

...all right.

I'll give you both my answer

before the end of this school term.

How's that?

That's fair enough, I guess.

Oh, I brought these for you.

Thank you.

Why'd they send us varsity here?

Any stringer could cover this story.

No, this isn't just about

a family killed by bees.

Something else is going on.

I can feel it.

- We're first on the spot.

- Okay, Anne, if you say so.

Well, let's check in.

Get back.

I've got it right here in front of me.

The African bees!

The African bees are back!

Get everyone inside, and lock up!

Call the park! Call the field!

I'll call the school!

Get inside! The bees are coming!

Get inside!

The killer bees are coming!

Those bees are coming.

Get the kids into the building.

Don't you understand?

The killer bees are coming!

- Get them inside!

- Take any children with you!

Quickly, get inside!

Take your children with you!

If you see any children alone,

take them with you!

Keep all the vents closed

and don't let anybody out.

I understand.

I'll do it immediately.

Attention. Attention.

This is Miss Schuster.

Please listen very carefully.

A swarm of killer bees

is coming this way.

I want every teacher

and every student...

...to close off whatever area you may

be in at this very moment.

Children! Children!

It's all right.

Quiet. Quiet.

Here they come! Inside, fast!

Get it all on tape!

Close your windows and doors!

Stay inside! Please, listen to us!

Run!

- Brad!

- Get some ice!

They're coming in here!

- Is there a freezer?

- This way.

Get in it.

Mr. Harris! He's locked it!

Hey!

- Is he crazy?

- He's afraid of everything!

Aren't we safe in here?

I don't know.

No, the air conditioning.

They'll come through the vents.

Just a minute.

It's 40 degrees in here.

We'll be all right.

Bees don't function well

in temperatures under 50.

Helena!

I'm reporting from Marysville.

The swarm left a devastated community.

The town is reeling

from the vicious raid...

... that left many of

their friends dead.

The town was preparing

for its Flower Festival.

Authorities speculate

the nearby fields...

This is Frank Blair.

We await a statement from the

president's top adviser, Dr. Connors.

Dr. Connors is evaluating

data from Bradford Crane...

... the leading authority

on the deadly African bee.

Crane is now at the scene

of the tragedy.

- Dr. Krim.

- Did you locate him?

We're trying our mobile units.

Stand by.

Every opening into homes, churches,

schools and offices is being closed.

Scientific authorities are warning

against overreacting.

Scientists believe this tragedy

is a freak, localized phenomenon...

... and could not possibly be repeated.

Take it easy.

Okay, there we go.

Come this way.

Clear the way.

- Hello.

- Krim here.

Hi, it's Brad.

I just heard about Helena.

Is she all right?

- Still unconscious.

- Not good.

How are things back there?

Damned unsettling development here.

One of those four survivors

of the initial attack...

...Higgins, the airman...

With only two stings, he just died.

- What?

- He was doing fine.

I was thinking of releasing him.

Within minutes, his condition

turned critical. All the signs...

...of cardiovascular failure. He was

gone before we could reverse it.

Keep the survivors there until we

plot a recovery vs. relapse pattern.

How bad is it in Marysville?

About as bad as it can get.

216 dead, 33 victims still alive.

We don't know how many stings

per victim.

- We're too busy stabilizing them.

- Dr. Crane.

I'm sorry. I've got to go, Walter.

Is it me you're seeing, or a bee?

You.

- Dr. Crane.

- Yes?

General Slater is on the horn

with Washington.

- He requests your presence.

- Okay. I'll be back.

- I'll be up.

- Oh, no, you won't.

Paul.

Paul, what's the matter?

It's all my fault.

I threw firebombs at the swarm.

Oh, Paul.

You're going to have

to tell Dr. Crane.

I'd like to, general,

but Crane is in charge.

- I follow orders.

- We'll check them out.

Right. I'll keep in touch.

General.

Well, Crane, it's panic time

from coast to coast!

If we'd gone after the bees...

...instead of wasting time

with your science teams...

...we wouldn't be in this mess!

- Okay, what would you do?

I'd evacuate this area,

put up roadblocks across the state...

...and spray every tree and bush

from here to the gulf!

Let's take that a piece at a time.

Why evacuate?

Dr. Hubbard was out collecting

live Africans.

He brought them to the complex.

Thousands.

- How?

- They were on the surface of the lake.

Thirsty and exhausted.

We need specimens.

Wait! I don't see it that way.

The rest of the swarm

could be in the area.

- Major, get the final body count.

- Yes, sir.

General, you haven't

answered my question.

- What question?

- Why evacuate?

I've been trying to tell you.

When the swarm finds that their

friends have been taken captive...

...they might come back

to Marysville.

You endow the bees with human motives?

Like rescuing fellow bees?

Or seeking revenge on mankind?

I always credit my enemy,

no matter what he may be...

...with equal intelligence.

Okay, evacuate Marysville,

but not the complex.

- We won't waste time moving facilities!

- Agreed.

Now, about this spraying every bush

and tree between here and the gulf.

How will you manage?

Send out aircraft!

With radar and pesticides, I'd destroy

every African swarm in this country...

...wherever they are!

- Major?

- 232 dead, sir.

232 dead.

I know that, general!

The wind will carry pesticides across

cities, parks, farms and schools.

You have to choose

the lesser of two evils.

Ridiculous, general!

You want action and so do I!

We do it my way!

Now, give it a chance!

Dr. Crane!

Dr. Crane!

- I gotta talk to you.

- Okay.

It was my fault...

...what happened here with the bees.

I knew where they were...

...and I should've told you.

Why didn't you?

Because they killed my family!

I wanted to get them.

And I did,

I got a lot of them.

Then the rest of them

flew in the air and...

Hey, hey, Paul.

Come on.

I'd have done the same thing.

The exact same thing.

You gotta believe me.

Now, look at me, Paul.

Look at me.

When I was a little younger

than you...

...just about 7...

...we had a fire where we lived.

I lost my mother and father

that night.

It's not good to have to grow up

without a mother and father.

You can ask me.

I know firsthand.

I know a lot of unlucky kids

all over the world have to...

...but it sure isn't recommended.

Now...

...why don't you go back upstairs...

...and sort of keep an eye

on Dr. Anderson for me?

- Will you do that?

- Okay.

Good boy.

- Dr. Crane.

- Yes?

Can you give us 90 seconds?

- What can I tell you in 90 seconds?

- Everything you can.

Give me a second for my lead-in.

This is Anne MacGregor

in Marysville, Texas.

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