"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. utgoing." "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 ne." "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 ne to Topkick, roger." "Air Search ne to Topkick." "We have visual contact." "Identify." " A black mass." "A moving black mass!" "Zero altitude, dead ahead." "They're hitting us!" " h, my God!" "We're out of control!" "h, 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!" "h, 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." "ur preliminary results are encouraging." "You're Crane?" "Yes. ur 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." "kay, 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?" " Now that you're here, just fine." "Nicely said." "Everything's looking pretty, Maureen, including you." "Thank you, Clarence." "The wire and the pliers, please." "Felix, think that rigging is going to keep my banner up?" "Just because you're mayor of Marysville doesn't make you an engineer." "Don't be worrying about my rigging." "She'll stay up in a hurricane." "I was thinking how corny your banner reads." "Makes us look like hicks." "Nobody asked you to retire here, you know." "Clarence, that's not nice." "We've been doing fine with our Flower Festival until this master mechanic genius came to tell us how to run things." "Well, actually, the sign is sort of hicky." "That's what people expect." "The hammer too." "That's why thousands flock here each year to see the parade and our beautiful flower floats." "That's right." "We'll grant this isn't Pasadena." "It isn't the Rose Bowl." "It's a country-town imitation!" "I'll tell you one thing I do approve of." "This year's theme: "Love. "" "Now, that was Clarence's idea." " That's right." "Well, everybody's got to have one good idea now and then..." " ... even Clarence." " Now look, Felix" "Mom, Dad." "This way!" "Quick!" "They killed my mom and my dad!" "Yes, sir." "Yes, sir." "We'll do the best we can, sir, and thank you, sir." "General Thompson coming on-screen." "Dr. Crane, your credentials have been authenticated." "Nothing more?" "While I confess to being surprised but the president has placed you in direct command of all operations relating to this emergency." "What are the limits to my authority?" "None." "General Slater." " Yes, sir." "You will provide full cooperation." "You will give him equipment, whatever facilities and manpower he needs." "All this is to be made available to him without question." "Without question, sir?" " Affirmative." "Dr. Crane." " Yes." "The president's adviser, Dr. Connors told me he'll be calling you within an hour and I'd like to join in wishing you good luck." "Thank you." "Major, when you checked the nonlethal equipment in my van did you come across a beat-up briefcase?" "Yes, sir." " Are you familiar with its contents?" "Yes, sir." "An inventory of the contents is in the process of being typed." "Correction, sir." "Was being typed." "Thank you." "I want the particular file that I marked "Personnel"..." " ... to give to General Slater." " Yes, sir." "While you're about it, could I have my leather pouch?" "The one with the sunflower seeds." " Sergeant would you get the items he requested?" "The file contains names, addresses and numbers of everyone I want." "Just tell them the war I've always talked about has finally started." "That's all?" "They'll drop everything?" " I'm counting on it." "Anything else?" " Yes." "In that briefcase there is a list of equipment." "Get the Pentagon's top procurement man and get everything on that list not later than tomorrow." "Why here?" "Because we're setting up here, general." "Time is the one thing we're short on." "Now, I want to talk to the survivors, please." "Take Dr. Crane to Captain Anderson." " Yes, sir." "Come with me." "Yes." "Brother." "Major I believe you were an investigative officer in Intelligence, right?" "That's correct, sir." "kay, I'm assigning you to this Dr. Crane as his personal military liaison." "Watch every move he makes." "Build me a dossier on him." "I can't believe he just happened to be here at the moment a swarm of bees hit this complex and that he'd already prepared with such remarkable foresight a list of personnel and equipment to be flown in here." "It does seem strange, sir." "Stay with the son of a bitch." " Yes, sir." "This man is the most stable, but his heart rate is still 120." "Take another blood sample just before Dr. Krim gets here." "That would be three hours at the outside." "Infirmary, Major Baker." "Well, hold on a minute." "Captain Anderson?" "Dr. Anderson." "h, my God!" "I'm leaving right now." " What is it?" "The bees killed all the Durant family except Paul." "I must go to him." " I'll go with you." "Major, you drive." "Paul Durant." "C-4." " Thank you." "There's a bee in here!" "Please, help!" "There's a bee in here!" "Relax, Paul." "Take it easy." " Get him away!" "Kill him!" "Paul!" "Paul!" " Doctor, would you let him go, please?" "Do what he says, Tomas." " Back away." "Back away." "Paul?" "Paul?" "Listen to me." "There is no bee in this room." " Yes, there is." "You are having a nightmare." "nly a nightmare." "Can you hear me, Paul?" "The bee is not real." "Paul, I promise you it isn't." "Now, reach out and it will go away." "You'll see." "Now, please, Paul, reach out." "Reach out, Paul." "Please trust me." "Reach out, further." "Go on." "There." "You see, Paul?" "No bee." " Everything I tried failed." "I was afraid I was going to lose him." "I know how special he is to you, so I called you." "Thank you." " How many times was he stung?" "I removed two stingers." " Well, that's one break." "He's not full of venom." " But he's delirious..." " ... muttering about this giant bee." " It was big!" "It was really big." "About half the size of this room!" "It's gone now, Paul." "It was only in your mind, and he won't be back." "I have to go." " Dr. Crane thank you for helping me." "Contact the complex, please." "Two things:" "General Slater must assign helicopters to start a search radiating from the site where the Durants were attacked." "But the helicopters must take no aggressive action." "We're gathering information, not attacking." "Clear?" " Clear." "Second item:" "Have the complex call me the moment Dr. Krim is about to land." "Here come your choppers, as ordered." "Thank you, general." "No, thanks." "High in potassium, low in sodium." " Terrific." "Sergeant, start your patterns." "Start your dispersal pattern in sectors A and B." "Report immediately any sighting of swarms." "Roger." "Tell us what you're looking for." " I'm looking for bees." "Unfortunately, they washed down the Durant car before we got to it." "Look." "Doesn't look like a bee to me." "Plastic." "It's a piece of a plastic cup." "There are pieces all around here." "Look." "There, there." "What's so significant about that?" "I'm afraid to speculate but I think the bees did this." "You saying these bees eat plastic?" "No, no." "But I'm wondering." "Honey bees have a weak mouth." "They couldn't break the skin of a grape." "But it looks like this species is tearing up plastic cups possibly to line their hives." "Now, if this is true, they didn't just get here." "I mean, the invasion didn't just now begin." "They have been here some time." "Breeding." "Increasing." "So?" "Well, suppose these bees are using plastic to insulate their hives." "No bee is that smart." "Suppose these African bees are." "Walter!" "Got a message for you from Mrs. Krim." "Carol is furious at me for dragging you back to work." "She says I'm not the only immunologist in the world." "That's what you always told me." "Ready to go to work, Dr. Krim?" "Now I am, Dr. Crane." "This is General Slater." " Just let me know what you need." "Thanks, general." "We've got to move fast." "I agree and in my opinion, the fastest move is a quick knockout." "Not necessarily, general." "It's only the final result that counts." "Thanks, Brad." "The hallucinations are disappearing." "None of the patients have had a recurrence in the past few hours." "Well, you're doing everything you can." "Keep these IVs going." " Yes, sir." "Is there any other antitoxin we could've used?" "If the bees that stung them were African the answer's probably no." "Got nothing in our bag for them." "Cardiopep may have eased their palpitations but it's no final antidote." "Call me if there's any change in these men." "They don't look very good, do they?" " I'm afraid not." "You still refuse to oil this?" "I don't intend to be stuck in this thing forever." "Have you finally met some miracle healer?" "I'm studying Tibetan levitation." "In a few hundred years, I expect to be able to float around." "You still writing dirty books?" " Not this year." "Raunchiest thing I ever read that paper of yours on the mating habits of Bombus medius." "Those queen bees are something." "Sergeant, this is Dr. Krim." "The two officers are Drs. Richards and Moore." "Until they finish their work, you don't admit anyone." "Have someone oil these wheels." "You okay, Brad?" "Yeah." "Go on." "I'll handle this part and call you when I'm ready." "Walter thanks for coming over here so quickly." "Problem, doctor?" " About what?" "Well, I noticed that Dr. Crane seemed uneasy in here." "Can't imagine why he'd be uneasy around all these dead men." "Can you, major?" "Well, is he coming or isn't he?" "Yes, sir, the general is coming, but you have to wait outside." "What's this about shutting off our water?" "Are you in charge?" " Yes, I'm General Slater." "Well, I'm Jud Hawkins." "I asked these tin soldiers if I could see my son and they tell me it's impossible." "Why do you think he's here?" "Because he was stupid enough to join your damn outfit." "Airman Mark Hawkins." "He's stationed here." "I want to see him." "I'm afraid that's not possible." "Not yet." "I'll tell you what makes it possible." "Me being the county engineer." "That makes it possible." "Do you understand me, general?" "Impossible!" "I control all the damn water in this county and by God, I'll shut yours off unless I get to see my son!" "I'll shut this whole base down in 10 minutes." "You won't even have enough water to flush your toilets." "I'm not sure you have the authority to do that." "Well, while you're checking with your superiors I'll be turning valves." "Now, you listen to me." "Word is, them same bees that killed the Durant family killed a whole lot of men on this base." "I want to see my son." "I want to find out if he's alive, and I mean right now!" "All right, Mr. Hawkins." "pen it up." "Come with me." "Anything?" "The toxic content in their tissue is the highest I've ever found." "It's more virulent than the Australian brown-box jellyfish." "If that baby taps you, you have two minutes to say your prayers." "Well..." "That's it, then?" "Looks like your nightmare has finally arrived." "The combined venom delivered by three of these bees may be a fatal dosage to the average human being." "The victim would be unconscious in a minute." "We've been losing the battle against the insects for 15 years but I never thought I'd see the final face-off in my lifetime." "And I never dreamed that it would turn out to be the bees." "They've been our friends." " Until this species evolved." "General Slater is outside with next of kin of one of the dead men." "He wants to come in here?" " It's imperative." "All right." "h, God!" "No!" "I'm afraid you can't take him, Mr. Hawkins." "The only way you can stop me is to shoot me and I'd thank you if you would." "Hubbard." "Dr. Newman." "Thanks for coming." " Glad to help." "You should know I came reluctantly." "Well, that's better than not at all, now isn't it?" "This way, gentlemen." "Would you excuse me a moment?" "When the others arrive, give them 30 minutes to unpack then have them go to the briefing room." "Gentlemen." "Rude son of a bitch, isn't he?" "Never even introduced us." "You'd think he's a general." "He's asked for the duty watch tapes." " Why?" "He knows there's an automatic taping system in the duty room." "He wants to see just prior to the attack." "I've already played them back." "Nothing that'll help us." "But let him hear it." "Stay with him." "Build up that dossier." " Yes, sir." "So, what about Rita?" "No more slinging hash." "I'm gonna marry her." "Just because you're gonna have a kid." "I'd marry her whether we were gonna have a kid or not." "At the tone, mark 0430." "We're scheduled to test the alarm system right after the 0430 mark." "Stand by." "Activating." "What alarm system is that?" " A fallback in case we lose the phone lines or radio contact." "What's that?" "Just the alarm." " No, listen." "Jerry, do you hear what I'm hearing?" " Yeah." "Duty officer." "Right away, sir." "A couple million chain saws!" "That came from the corridor." " I'll go look." "Jerry!" "Behind you!" "My God!" "Dr. Crane, they're ready for you now." " kay." "Keep the tapes on." "I want to hear them again." "How's Paul?" " Recovering, thank you." "That's good." "Good morning, ladies, gentlemen." "Please forgive the haste and secrecy with which you've been summoned here." "We've been invaded by a mutant species of the African killer bee." "Crane, if I may." "Yes, Dr. Hubbard?" "I was sent by the president to help, but I think you're dead wrong." "I was one of the first people sent to Brazil when the killer bee began proliferating." "We prefer to call this bee Brazilian, not African." "I'm well aware of that, Dr. Hubbard." "I've been tracking their progress north and there is no evidence whatsoever that they've even crossed Central America." "Apparently, they crossed the Caribbean from Venezuela." "There were three hurricanes in that ocean tract this season." "Any one of them could have swept the bees in." "Much of this land is used to cultivate flowers." "A perfect breeding ground." "With all due respect to the men who died here there's no proof that the bees that killed them were Brazilian." "r, if you insist, African." "What's important is what they are." "And what they are is a mutant species of the original African killer bee." "Dr. Krim will explain." "The autopsies confirm that the venom is deadlier than anything we've encountered." "It appears there's enough poison in just four stings to kill the average person." "I won't dispute my learned colleague but it takes 26 tests to identify the African." "How many tests have you made so far?" "Major." "You're looking at the final test I made this morning from the one dead bee that we found." "Notice the 18-vein intersection on the forewing and the 17 separate angles of the hamuli." "nly one bee has that configuration and that is the African killer bee." "Major." "Dr. Hubbard I would appreciate it if you would head up our environmental team." "Dr. Newman will be in charge of the genetic counterattack." "Dr. Krim will try to develop a mass antidote to save the lives of future victims." "Because of the danger to nearby Marysville, if the bees attack I've invited Mayor Tuttle and School Superintendent Ms. Schuster to attend this briefing." "Any comment?" "Mayor Tuttle." "Thank you." "In view of what you've told us, I'll set up a town council meeting." "I'll see that our air-raid warning system is repaired." "It hasn't worked in some time." "If the bees come back, at least we can warn people to take shelter." "A very practical approach." "Ms. Schuster." "The idea of those killer bees coming back is petrifying." "I'll alert all my teachers to be prepared for the worst." "I appreciate your thoughtfulness in asking us to this briefing." "Thank you, Dr. Crane." " You're welcome, Ms. Schuster." "Any further comment?" "What's our timetable?" "Eight-hour shifts, round the clock." "I meant, what's the length of our program?" "How long can we expect to be here?" "Until we have destroyed the African bee or it has destroyed us." "Psst!" "Hey!" "You guys ready?" " Yeah!" "Give me the binoculars and let's go." " kay." "Morning!" " Hi, boys!" "Morning, Rita." "Morning, Mr. Austin." "Instead of the usual, I'll just have coffee." "All right." " I'll get it, Rita." "Morning, Felix!" "I would think you'd let her have some time off." "At least let her go to the missile base and pick up Jerry's things." "I told her!" "I even said to her, "Rita go home for a few days and pull yourself together. "" "And she said:" ""If I went home, and stared at them four walls, knowing Jerry's gone I'm just liable to take his service pistol and blow my head off. "" "She's better off pretending it never happened." "Pretending them killer bees never got up here." "I bet I can guess what schoolteacher them roses belong to." "You don't need no crystal ball for that." "The way I hear it, Maureen is favoring you over Clarence." "I sure am counting on it." " Yes, sir." "The odds have shifted in your favor." "Now, them is my kind of odds." "I gotta be going." " So soon?" "Yeah, but I'll be seeing you." " Have a good day." "h, Maureen." " Morning, Felix." "I got you some roses." " h, Felix." "They are lovely." "I usually get apples." "h, Maureen." "I..." "Something wrong, Felix?" "I'm not too good with words but I am a retired master mechanic and my education, well it's all in these hands." "And I know you know what I'm trying to say." "Your roses speak for you." "Most eloquently." "Thank you." "And I'm mindful of it." "Then there is hope for me?" "h, look at the time." "I'd better hurry." "How'd it look for me to be late?" "Let me help you." "And I'll keep your roses near me." "As a reminder." " Thank you." "I'll see you real soon." " You will." "Bye." " Bye." "We'll come back later." "We have to plan this just right." "These aren't just any old bees." "This is Anne MacGregor." "We're heading for Marysville to investigate a report of a savage bee attack." "A mother and father are dead, and their son is injured." "My next report" "Kill it." " Yes, sir." "We've picked up a huge swarm." "This puts it only 200 miles from Houston." "I have choppers ready." "We'll eliminate them." "With what?" " Airborne chemical agents." "May we talk?" "Alone?" "Sure." "We didn't discuss using chemicals." "Now, listen." "My orders are to assist you in your scientific endeavors not to consult you on military matters which are none of your damn concern, sir!" "General, please." "These bees are of joint concern." "They kill Americans without regard for whether or not they should salute you." "There will be no airdrops until I give the okay." "Your okay, huh?" "Then perhaps I can persuade you to attack this particular swarm." "Now we know where it is." "Attack and eliminate it!" "Possibly, if you can explain to me how you airdrop chemicals without killing native insects." "If you kill the African bee you'll also kill the American." "Better a few American bees than a lot of American people." "That is the point, general!" "The honey bee is vital to the environment!" "In America, they pollinate six billion dollars' worth of crops!" "Killing the bee kills the crop!" "Killing the plant kills the people!" "No!" "No, general!" "There will be no airdrop until we know what we're dropping and where and how!" "Excuse me." "What about the airdrop, sir?" "Sir?" "The 0430 mark." " Okay." "Stand by, activating." "Jerry, do you hear what I'm hearing?" " Yeah." "What is it?" "Sounds like a couple million chain saws!" "That came from the corridor." " I'll go look." "Jerry!" "Behind you!" "My God!" "Oh, God, no!" "No!" "Come on, let's get them!" "We've got to kill them this time!" "Ready, now!" "Let's get out of here!" "I can't imagine where he's gone." "We've looked everywhere." "He's been running a fever." "I got him to the clinic after the funeral, but then he disappeared." "We'll find him." "With everything else you have on your shoulders, you didn't need this." "I know I'm taking you away from all your responsibilities." "Paul is one of them." "Besides, I like being with you." "You're the one good thing that's happened to me." "I like that." "I really do." "What is it?" "Look." "The bees." "They're heading toward Marysville." "I'll beat you outside!" " No, you won't." "Now, Miss Cook?" "In a minute, Mr. Tuttle." "Is this what you want?" " No, I need a note from your mother." "Now, Mr. Tuttle." " Thank you." "Would you excuse me?" "That'd be all right." "Well, Clarence, who's minding the store?" "Maureen, how long have we known each other?" "Maybe you'd better sit down." " No, thanks, I'll stand." "How long?" "I remember you in short pants but I don't wanna figure out how long ago that was." "In all that time, have you ever heard me beg?" "Not you, Clarence." "You're a high-spirited, independent soul." "Well, Maureen, I'm willing to beg now." "Yes?" "Blue will do." "Where was I?" "h, yes." "Maureen, I want you to marry me." "h, Clarence, do sit down." "Name the date and I'll make all the arrangements." "I'm not sure I'm the wife you need." " You'd be the best wife in the world." "I think I'm already married, completely married to this school." "Maureen, I love you." "People think I'm just an old man behind the aspirin counter but in my heart I'm as young as I ever was, maybe younger." "And I want to take care of you." "Thank you, Clarence." "Well, I guess I have to choose, don't I?" "I guess that's about what it comes down to." "Please hold the calls." "I know I may not win out because, though I pretend I can't stand Felix I know he's a fine man and he'd make a good husband." "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." "h, 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." " kay, 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." "kay, 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." "ne 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." " kay." "I'll be back." "I'll be up." " h, no, you won't." "Paul." "Paul, what's the matter?" "It's all my fault." "I threw firebombs at the swarm." "h, 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!" " kay, 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?" "r seeking revenge on mankind?" "I always credit my enemy, no matter what he may be with equal intelligence." "kay, 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." " kay." "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?" " kay." "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." "With me is Dr. Crane, field director for Dr. Connors." "How can you prevent this tragedy from happening elsewhere?" "Do you have any answers?" "At the moment, none." "Can the death toll from bee attacks spread?" "That's a possibility." "What are your science teams working on?" "Ways to isolate and eliminate invading swarms." "Can you be specific?" "That's tough to do in 90 seconds." " Take your time." "I'm afraid we don't have any to spare." "Excuse me, please." "Thank you." "Anne MacGregor, Marysville, Texas." "DC ready, not exceeding five volts." "Testing five volts." "Good." "DC activated." "How's it going?" " We'll be ready in a minute." "Honey-coated." "Three volts at 0.5 amps." "kay, bring on the gladiators." "I'll stir them up." "Pesky little devils." "Spread them all over the grid." "They're getting ready to attack." "They're stinging the hell out of the grid." "We're getting plenty of venom now." " We need all we can get." "If there's a positive side to the tragedy it's finding these Africans and the queen bees." "With all this venom, I can go to work on an antidote." "That's fine." "Hubbard, can you have the poison ready by morning?" "By morning?" "I don't see how." "Well..." "That makes your deadline even earlier, Walter." "Smells like bananas." "See how fast it dries." "Any complications?" " No, Dr. Anderson just examined them." "Dr. Anderson?" "When did she get back?" "A short while ago, major." "I couldn't rest knowing there are sick patients." "Besides, Dr. Martinez says I'm fine." " Good." "Captain, I've been planning on having a private talk with you." "It's about this civilian, Crane." "I received confidential reports about your association with him which indicate your relationship is now of a personal nature." "I didn't know you sent anyone to spy on me." "Has Crane asked you anything about our operation here, even indirectly?" "Why should he?" "He is a respected scientist and has been appointed by the president to head this project." "It still might be advisable for you to discontinue the relationship." "All due respect, sir, what I do on my off-duty time is my business and doesn't concern the Air Force." "I shall continue to see whomever I wish." "Thank you." " The doctor wants to say goodbye." "Doctor?" "h, yes, Rita." "About the baby, you're both fine." " h, good." "Real fine." " Thank you." "Please sit down." "With everything happening, I haven't had a chance to say how sorry I am about Jerry." "Thank you, doctor." "I'll write to you." "Let you know about the baby." "Do you have a place to go?" " Not really." "They just gave everyone orders to leave." "f course, there isn't much to stay for, is there?" "Well..." " Goodbye." "I have to go." "The bus is waiting." " Let me walk you." "I'll see myself out." "Goodbye." " Good luck." "Thank you." "nly one suitcase to a person, please." "Move it along." "Not since thousands fled the klahoma Dust Bowl has a thriving American community been evacuated." "No flood, fire or hurricane has made such a large section a no man's land, until now." "Slow down." " That's it." "Move right along." "n the stairs, please!" "Move forward." "Have you seen Ms. Schuster?" " No, sir." "Continue up to the stairs." "Hal, have you seen Ms. Schuster?" " No, sir, I haven't." "You lose something?" "You never had a good concept of time." "n our first date we didn't see the whole double feature." "I worried you wouldn't get here." "I'm here." "Shall we go?" "Yeah." " Let go." "I had it first." "I carried her books before you showed up in Marysville." "Let go!" "Clarence, Felix!" "You promised there would be no more fussing." "And this surely isn't the time for it." "Let go!" "All right." "Follow the line." "Follow the line." "everything that they hold dear because of killer bees." "Imagine having such a natural phenomenon do something" "Take this." "Give me a hand with her." "Get her in the car." "Is the hospital here operating?" " Yeah." "Thank you." "You okay?" " It's better." "We'll get there." "Thank you." " Hold on." "h, hurry." "Enter the car with the number you were issued." "That car's number is five!" "Get this train out of here." "The bees could be back any minute." "Where is Crane?" "Don't worry, sir." "He'll be here in time to take credit for the evacuation." "Let me tell you something, major." "I don't tolerate my staff saying things behind a man's back." "If you think Crane's a glory jockey, tell him, not me." "If you're trying to butter me up by slurring a man I consider misguided I don't need that from you, or anybody else." "Yes, sir." "Am I walking too fast?" "No, I'm fine." "Just fine." "Don't overdo it." "Dr. Martinez said you had a close call." "How sad." "How very, very sad." "You know, Marysville was such a happy little town." "Ritz's Bookstore." "I used to work there when I was in high school." "Everything was happy then." "But that was so long ago." "It's all right." "You can tell a lot about a man by the way he shuffles cards." "Thank you, Clarence." " Wasn't meant as a compliment." "Would you cut the cards?" "Something bothering you?" " What's wrong, Maureen?" "I got a sudden feeling I'll never see Marysville again." "r any of my children." "It's frightening." "Maureen, that's not you." "You're an optimist." "Always looking at the bright side." " We'll be home soon..." " ... and this will be like a bad dream." " That's right." "I suppose that's so." "But I can't shake this feeling that something's closing in on us." "Now, now, Maureen." "Come on, deal, Felix." "Sandwiches?" " No, thanks." "No, thank you." "Ed?" " Yeah?" "There's a bee in here." " A bee?" "Don't take any chances." "Maybe he wants the apple." " Well, give it to him." "Goddamn!" "What will I do now?" " Don't move." "Don't get him mad!" "No, Charlie!" "When are we going to stop this massacre?" "ur first airdrop is in a half-hour." " I've seen what you plan to drop!" "Those damn poison pellets won't get us anywhere!" "Those are my damn poison pellets, and they'll work!" "I'm counting on them working, or we fall back to almost impossible odds." "My coming up with an antidote, which might never be perfected." "Thank you, gentlemen, for your support." "But, captain..." "Feed this into the computer." "African bees attack a train 70 miles northwest of Houston." "Now, give me a revised time fix, please." "I know how you feel, especially due to what just happened but right now we are ready to drop millions of lethal pellets without harming the population or plant life." "I'll support that." " So will I." "What we need is every helicopter you have." "All right, you've got them." "Revised timetable coming through, sir." "They're not touching the pellets!" "They're not touching the pellets!" "They seem to sense it's something that will kill them." "They're brighter than we thought." "They always are." "Maybe you should have tried bourbon and water and got them drunk." "It's all my fault." "I threw firebombs at the swarm." "It's all my fault." "I threw firebombs at the swarm." "You've got a beautiful 61/2-pound beautiful daughter." "Thank you." "I guess it's true what they say that a woman sort of falls in love with her doctor at this time." "I hope you will feel the same way tomorrow." "And the day after." "And all of the days after." "Paul!" "Tomas!" "Tomas!" "Helena." "Why this one?" "In the whole damn world, why this boy?" "My God, Brad." "What good is all that science?" "All that equipment at the base?" "All those doctors?" "What good are you?" "I didn't mean that." "You know I didn't." "Paul was my first case when I was the town doctor." "He wanted to be an archaeologist." "He would've been a terrific one." " I'm sure of it." "You didn't tell me three of the four survivors at the base had died." "Well, you had other problems." "And, you didn't tell me there's a syndrome of relapse among survivors shortly after they've been stung." "A fatal relapse." "Some do recover." "A small percentage." "But some do." "Some." "Well, the odds are better than none." "Well, you dropped your poison pellets and the Africans spit at them." "They're moving to Houston faster than expected." "General, you should know the enemy is always expected to do the unexpected." "Dr. Crane." " Major Baker." "Let's hear your rundown." ""Three steel mills, seven oil refineries two beet sugar plants and a nuclear power center." "Plus 46 towns, not including Houston are now directly in the path of the Africans. "" "We'll evacuate the towns, and close the factories." "We'll have trouble with the nuclear power plant." "They won't shut down voluntarily." "Millions in the area need the energy." "If we don't shut them down, the bees will." "I'll check with Washington for a directive." "I know executives at that plant." "I fought them in court on environmental issues." "I'll fly in and talk some sense into them." "It might be a lot quicker than Washington." "kay." "You got it." "Thank you." "Miss!" "More bad news?" "Everything we tried has failed." "ur last hope is your mass antidote." "How close are you?" "I've tried it on all these rabbits." "It knocks hell out of them." "These are the only two still alive." "I'm on the right track, but I need time." "If you can't perfect it, we might just as well pack it in right away and ship out to New Zealand." "What we need is something that people can self-inject if they get stung by an African bee." "And we need it right now." "I get the picture." "First thing tomorrow, I'll try it on a human." "Like who?" "We'll come up with volunteers." " Like me?" "Forget it." "It'll take two or three days to convince anyone how much we need humans." "Meanwhile, I'm here and I'm convinced." " I'm not ready for you." "When I am, I'll let you know." " kay." "Will you please start eating the food they serve here?" "It has been measured to ensure you get energy for the long hours you work." "What the hell does a man have to do to get a beer and a pizza around here?" "All a man has to do, Walter, is ask." "All my notes are right here, Brad, on the desk next to the recorder." "They contain the exact instructions, and I mean exact on how to prepare the antidote I developed." "Every experiment, with its individual notes and conclusions, is documented in this text." "I'm going to test the serum on myself." "Why?" "Because you're fool enough to make me try it on you." "It's my antidote, so it'll be my risk." "First, I'm going to inject myself with the same input of venom I'd receive from the stings of six bees." "That's double the amount anybody has been able to take and survive." "Then I'll see if I'll still be able to use the self-injector with my serum or whether muscular stiffness will make it impossible." "I'll dictate the rest of this to the other recorder." "I'm all ready." "Physiograph is recording, everything is laid out." "The weal is rising instantly." "Now, from the moment of being stung, a frightened victim medically inexperienced, would need about 60 seconds to get the self-injector from pocket or purse pull up a sleeve, waste seconds hesitating, afraid of the needle." "Finally, put it in." "I'm going to give myself the same 60 seconds." "Heartbeat rising rapidly." "Heartbeat now 140." "The antidote is on the table in front of me." "Fifty-five seconds since I administered the venom." "I'm gonna start reaching for it." "It won't move." "My arm feels like it's strapped to my side." "Heartbeat, 160." "Close to outer limit." "Dropping now." "Good." "Good!" "140." "130." "Going to normal." "120." "Dropping now." "Dr. Krim, what are you doing?" "You missed the tough part." "How much did you take?" "About six stings' worth." " h, Dr. Krim." "Respiration still high but not abnormally so." "Well, let's see now." "I administered the antidote about sixty-six seconds after the venom was injected." "The antidote works." "My God." "It works." " Dr. Krim." "Now here's something." "The four physiological responses are swinging from norm to some really spooky levels." "They don't want to stay down." "In fact, they're turning bad." "All of them." "Heart rate, rising again." "130." "140." "150." "h, my God." "Losing respiration." "First sign, respiratory arrest." "Doctor." "Walter." "h, Walter." "There it is." "I just don't understand your request." " You will." "You will." "Have you any idea of the consequences if I ask to shut down?" "Less disastrous than not." " Look at all this." "Don't you realize we supply power over a 500-mile area and purify water?" "I realize that." "I don't think you realize how critical this is." "There's nothing here that could attract bees." "The infrared rays could act like a beacon." "No, no, doctor." "See this." "Billions have been spent to make these nuclear plants fail-safe!" "The odds against anything going wrong are astronomical." "I appreciate that, but let me ask you in your fail-safe techniques, is there a provision against killer bees?" "Andrews here." "Come in, Control." "Control, this is Andrews." "What's happening?" "Control, go to manual!" "The bees." "Let's get out of here!" " No, no, no!" "This way." "Crane?" "Crane!" "I've been authorized by the president to close down your operation." "From now on, the war against the bees will be under military direction the way it should've been from the first." "What's the ETA now?" " General?" "I'll say this for you, Crane, you tried." "In spite of what you might think, I kind of hoped you'd pull it off." "Arrange protective crating for the two oscilloscopes and fly to Houston." "I'll see you there with the equipment." " I'll be there." "I haven't surrendered yet, general." "estimating that 600,000 people have already been evacuated from Houston." "Elsewhere, people stayed indoors or went to church." "Between their prayers they watched the weather." "There was good news for most of the country other than Texas temperatures continued plunging and cold air..." "This is Frank Blair." "Who would've thought bees would be the first alien force to invade America?" "Where are you going, sir?" " Air Force Headquarters." "Now, without the president's authority, how can you possibly help?" "Well, the least I can do is try." "General." "Hello, Crane." "Doctor." " General." "I'm really glad you're here for the finale." "Is there anything I can do to help?" "I'm not sure, but come with me." "Very impressive." " There'll be no more Africans..." " ... at least in Houston." " You found a way to stop them?" "I hope so." "If we do it here, we can do it anywhere." "This is a dress rehearsal, a procedure for future African challenges." "This is Houston computerized, and this is Houston." "You see, the bees have formed almost a complete circle." "Billions of them." "That's what we've been waiting for." " Waiting for what?" "The battle plan is to get them all into one area and then zap them!" "Take a look over here." "Captain." "Doctor." " Major." "You planned your arrival perfectly." "Here they come." "Freeze it." "Prepare to use the neutracide!" " Neutracide?" "Use that and nothing will grow there for 10 years!" "Why worry about shaving when somebody's about to cut your head off?" "Leader ne to all aircraft." "Deliver your cargo on target." "Now!" "They're coming through." " They have learned to live with it." "I was afraid of this." "They've become immune to any pesticide." "The occupation of Houston has begun and General Slater is the first officer in history to get his butt kicked by a mess of bugs!" "You got any of that birdseed left?" "As I said before, they're high in potassium, low in sodium." "And as I said before, terrific." "How long can they live in the city?" "If they get food and water, they might just decide to stay here forever." "The Defense Department in Washington has just confirmed the tragic news." "With the approval of the White House, as a last resort the city of Houston will suffer man-made burning before daybreak." "This decision was reached in accord with all opinions from the armed forces and scientists involved in the fruitless countermeasures being attempted to destroy the killer bee which has brought the West to a standstill." "The burnout is scheduled to be handled within minutes." "Light them up." "Move out!" "Move out!" "Burn them out!" "Listen." "They're still out there." "Billions of them." "It's as if it were their city." "Even though Slater's been at it for 24 hours with every soldier he can get." "You talk about the bees as if you admired them." "I do." "They never fail to astonish me." "It's as though a broad range of contingencies has been planned for by the creator and programmed into them for an endless future." "Making them the true inheritors of the Earth." "A world without people." "Maybe the creator was equally obliging toward us and programmed into us the ability to beat them." "Well, I wish he'd give us a clue." "Here, let me." "Right there, that's lovely." "This is better than 8 hours' sleep." " How would you know?" "Listen." "Listen." "What is it?" " The bees." "Why are they making that sound?" "That's the hunger tone." "It causes them to mass together as if by community they can destroy their enemy." "Cold, hunger, anything." "I wonder if there is another sound that's part of their ritual..." "Helena?" "Helena, are you all right, love?" "Helena, what's the matter?" "Darling?" "I don't know what else we can do." "I'm very sorry." "Please God, let her live." "Sir, can we really count on a scientist who prays?" "I wouldn't count on one who doesn't." "You can forget the dossier." " Yes, sir." "Street Fighter to Topkick!" "Come in Topkick, come in." "Topkick, can you read me?" "You two, come here." "I can't get through." "Too much interference!" "Damn bees!" "Listen, get back to headquarters." "Tell Slater we need reinforcements!" "Go!" "You wonder, don't you?" "Houston on fire." "Will history blame me or the bees?" "My compliments, general." " n what, for God's sake?" "n being able to maintain a long-term historical perspective." "Well, Crane, at this point there's no other viable perspective." "ur time is up." " Not quite, general." "We're ready with a final experiment." "Please don't give up." "kay." " Thank you." "We'll do another half dozen of these, get some sleep and start after lunch." "kay." "What's this?" "We've not had this before." "Look at this, doctor, look." "Something's coming." "Here we go." "We've done it." "I don't believe this." " Yes, we have." "General, we've done it." "Look, we've got a match." "We discovered two identical sound patterns." "What has that to do with killing bees?" "What you are hearing is the African bee's mating sound." "But listen." "This was made by the alarm system, not the bees." "But they sound alike." "The alarm system at the missile base drew them in." "The similarity confused them." "When it stopped, they left." "I don't understand." "The sonic alarm system happens to be an exact duplicate of the duet between the queen and the young queen challenging her." "But bees can't hear." " That's right." "They go by vibration." "The alarm felt like the vibration of a ritual they had to attend." "Then you're saying our alarm system attracted the bees into the complex." "Right." "We'll use this very sound to pull them out of Houston." "kay, I'm convinced." "Kill the bees!" "Don't hit the man!" "No!" "Get it up!" "General?" "General!" "What is going on?" " The bees are inside!" "Now what?" "You two get going!" " Not without Helena." "We'll take care of her." "Use that new weapon you've come up with." "Slater." "Dodge Airfield." "Code seven." "Fast!" "General!" " Get out!" "I'm going to get Helena." "You know what has to be done!" "Major!" "There's no time for that!" "Let's go!" "Put this around you." "Drop them!" "Newman!" " Go, Brad!" "Go!" "Move out!" "General!" "Dr. Crane, this is Dodge Field, Air Tower Number Two." "We read General Slater's instructions loud and clear." "We're prepared to assist in every possible way." "Come in, Dr. Crane." "Do you read me?" " Affirmative." "Load the choppers with the sound horns." "Spread the oil slick." "Acknowledge." "Roger." " ut." "Let's go." "To all Air Force tankers." "Spread your oil over the Gulf of Mexico." "Four minutes to flaming." "Ready." " Fine." "Is this right?" " Is there one on the side?" "Yes, sir." " Well, please hurry!" "Won't the noise drown out your sound?" "No, it's an entirely different sonic level." "All set, sir." "Rescue Five to Alpha ne." "Come in, please." "Ditch sound floats!" "Rescue Five to Alpha Two." "Come in." "Rescue Five to Alpha Three." "Pilot, get us to the firing point as quickly as you can." "Here they come!" "Operation Sonic Drop complete." "All clear." "kay." "Thank you." "Fire it now!" "Fire one!" "Fire two!" "Fire three!" "Fire four!" "Fire five!" "Did we finally beat them?" "r is this just a temporary victory?" " I don't know." "But we did gain time." "If we use it wisely and if we're lucky the world might just survive."