Scott Charters Fiction | SWARM | Sci-Fi. Horror. Thriller | Can military stop this? Trillions start flying. Start attacking and there is nothing to stop the nest wherever it is...
A team of dedicated scientists come across a pristine planet...
They discover quickly that life "does exist" and has the capacity to learn and adjust very quickly.
Feeding off anything that it comes in contact with.
It grows exponentially and when it finds something warm and full of life like humans…
it’s a feeding frenzy.
SWARM
1 of 8
SPACESHIP.
SPLIT-LEVEL COCKPIT.
In the quiet awaiting the arrival of the crew, two males begin the live broadcast as do all expeditions and stand looking proudly at all the screens and panels surrounding them.
Pendulum: 'The ship is a first-of-its-kind able to "breathe" with its lung-like structure.'
Lewis: 'We are very excited. It looks like two leaves together.' Explaining; dramatizing it with his hands. 'This is the first time-.'
Lewis was interrupted.
Pendulum: '-Ever a mock-up prototype,' Pause for attention. 'Has been cleared by authorities to get the green light to build.' Looking smug.
Lewis: 'Just to say thanks and-.' Lewis stopped as he could see a counter telling them end of broadcast snippet.
The small screen went black.
They stood in the cockpit open area facing to the back of the ship.
A young woman's face appeared in from the void.
From her point of view; two small, skinny males in over-sized one-piece overalls.
Tate: 'Amanda Tate.' She went to shake their hands.
They hesitated.
Tate: 'Amanda or Tate-.' Smiling.
Pendulum: 'Tate is fine.'
The space went quiet.
Tate: 'I'm bio engineering,' Pause.
'Naturalist consultant where I do a lot of visual recording.' She stopped.
'Naturalist consultant where I do a lot of visual recording.' She stopped.
Pendulum: 'Aahhmm are you all packed for this trip?'
Tate swung her thumb back and nodded smiling.
She quietly went outside to pick up her bag.
2 of 8
SPACESHIP.
SPLIT-LEVEL COCKPIT.
Lewis and Pendulum could hear voices.
Pendulum's eyes went wide.
A very large; wide-shouldered, tall man entered with Tate following.
He was a towering figure and both Lewis and Pendulum were checking the ceiling height - just.
Night: 'Night.' He extends his large hand. His embroidered badge said Station Supervisor.
Both Lewis and Pendulum walk over to shake hands looking at his large hand.
A screen shows crew names and Lewis catches Tates' Title.
Lewis: 'Tate!'
Tate turns around over-looking the cockpit open area.
Lewis: 'You're the pilot.'
Tate explodes into a smile.
Pendulum took a moment then looked her up and down.
Pendulum: 'If you don't mind me saying, you look really young to-.'
Tate: 'That's what my daughter says all the time.' Tate's smile was wide and infectious.
Lewis was silent then looked down to the screen he was holding.
Lewis: 'Only one more to go.'
Night: 'Well, I'm going to settle in.' With a deep voice walking over to the steps and descended into the split-level cockpit.
Grechnik: Low voice. 'Hello everyone.'
Everyone turned seeing a military-style dressed young man.
Pendulum: 'Are you a cadet by any chance?'
Tate: 'Hi I'm Amanda. How are you?' Warmly greeting Grechnik.
Grechnik: 'I'm Grechnik.' Nodding.
Pausing. 'Long story but I'm the engineer. Again long story.'
Lewis: Spoke with a teacher's tone. 'Right then, if we're all here and welcome. We might get on our way.'
Pendulum: Swinging in his thickly padded chair. 'Intro's can wait.'
3 of 8
SPACESHIP.
SPLIT-LEVEL COCKPIT.
Suddenly the cockpit area lit up.
Pendulum tried to hide his uneasiness with "his" brand new ship as he knew what was next and suddenly framed gates slid open and ahead, was the rest of the space station.
A chorus of wow went through the headsets.
Pendulum: 'I'm actually responsible for the colour.'Tate: 'And what a great colour it is too eh?' Chiming.
Pendulum: 'Thank youp.' Quietly muffled.
Pendulum: 'Thank youp.' Quietly muffled.
The ship appeared "suspended" out of its cage-like dock and all that could be heard was flight jargon between Tate and Grechnik then her voice; clearly but warmly asked Night for instructions then asked everyone.
Tate: 'Are we ready or are we ready?'
The ship turned effortlessly to the right over-looking the entire space station to which thousands of people called home and there before them was the flight controller lit up for only spaceships to see.
The ship turned effortlessly to the right over-looking the entire space station to which thousands of people called home and there before them was the flight controller lit up for only spaceships to see.
Into her microphone.
'And thank you very much for all your kindly assistance.' Breaking into giggly laughter as the ship then turned back around 180 degrees. 'And yes, you too take care.' Tate's voice switched back to the crew.
'If you're ready and you want to go clap your hands.'
Numbers on the brow of the ships front dashboard raced from four numbers to five to six to seven.
'That, Ladies and Gentlemen is it.'
Tate said bubbly through the headset.
4 of 8
The spaceship has landed on one of several satellite planets in the area and is a standard "land & explore".
SPACESHIP.
SPLIT-LEVEL COCKPIT.
Night: 'Ripe for exploration.'
Pendulum: 'A primordial swamp.'
Lewis: 'Any life found here would be invaluable for research.'
~
They fire probes at the surface and see first-hand just how untouched the planet is.
The probes instantly show the landscape and some parts are deep in liquid.
Night: 'Obviously underwater.' Acting like an idiot.
Tate: Smirking. 'So not drinkable.'
Pendulum: 'Would you drink a yellow mucusy-?'
~
An alarm sounds and screens change to show motion detection.
Night: 'Fourth probe detecting-'
Pendulum swings a look.
All crew sections are designed to "face away" from each other.
Night: 'Numbers. Racing.'
Pendulum: 'Could you be a little more - exact -?'
Night: 'Tens of thousands. Hundreds of millions?'
Tate: 'You see that?'
Night: 'Yep.'
Tate: 'Not good. Not good.'
Pendulum: 'No, it is not.'
Before Tate could say. 'Contacting base yes?'
The SWARM has started and soon the windows are covered.
The SWARM has started and soon the windows are covered.
Lewis unlocks safety harness, slides hand along the wall and drops into the window pane feeling lumps.
Eyes go wide.
Most unlock their harnesses to see "behind" to open cockpit area.
Night: 'Coming through the glass.'
Pendulum: 'There's multiple mesh screens on all windows before the glass. That’s impossible.'
Lewis: 'You feel it then.'
5 of 8
SPACESHIP.SPLIT-LEVEL COCKPIT.
YELLOW LIQUID ALIEN PLANET
SPACE STATION
RESCUE POD.
Suddenly another window bulges then a crack.
Night dives for a breathing mask then throws more to each of the others.
Tate and Grechnik sound like they are choking.
Their masks fall to the ground.
The other three watch in horror as the two fall to the ground without a sound and are convulsing.
The three remaining immediately get inside fire chambers sealing themselves off telling each other to launch immediately and they do but Night has mistaken the ship's fire cabin for the fire chamber.
YELLOW LIQUID ALIEN PLANET
The top third of the spaceship is suddenly propelled into the planet’s sky and as they blast away, an enormous tentacle appears out of the swamp and pulls the rescue pod back down and into the yellow liquid.
~
SPACE STATION.Night survives and recalls how he got out.
Night: 'Simply. I cannot explain why. But I'm here and they are down there.'
Richards: 'This is standard procedure; protocol but I need you to focus and tell me - us exactly what you did.'
Night: 'I am Lieutenant Rory Night, am a Station Supervisor; one of three who must accompany any designated, authorized -' He tried not to roll his eyes, 'Destination-through-to-recovery missions. I initiated the emergency flight clearance and, I couldn't believe it, it responded and the ship ELATECH launched.
Everything went everywhere. I just held on. No tentacles.
Those mosquito bug things just disappeared and everything went black.'
Everything went everywhere. I just held on. No tentacles.
Those mosquito bug things just disappeared and everything went black.'
Richards: 'Including you.' He smiled. 'But you're back and that's important.'
6 of 8
INSIDE SHUTTLE.
SWAMP.
The two remaining inside the swamp are still sending and communicating with base.
~
SPACE STATION.
SECONDARY STOCK ROOM.
Base declassifies team and wants to move on but Night recruits a small, solid, loyal team including Weed, Scanman and Richards to rescue his team stuck on planet T74es2. for what the remaining crew are reporting back is incredible.
RESCUE POD.
ALIEN PLANET.
YELLOW LIQUID.
UNDERWATER.
A contrast of grey shuttle window frames and a yellow glow of planetary liquid.
Pendulum is talking to the camera.
Pendulum: 'What we can see is hard to describe but I’ll try.'
SPACE STATION
SECONDARY STOCK ROOM
Night, Scanman and Weed fly "in", Richard's pilots a remote control ship to rescue Pendulum and Lewis who are still "trapped".
Lewis: 'It is a sea of yellow. It is amazing what we can see but...'
Pendulum: 'Have to agree; it's a City underwater but please get us out of here.'
YELLOW LIQUID.
ALIEN PLANET.
UNDERWATER.
RESCUE SHIP.
They do "rescue" them but Pendulum self-sacrifices as the rescue articulate arm remote is "smothered" but -
ALIEN PLANET.
Unbeknownst to all, mosquito lavi-like substance has sprayed-flicked inside the rescue ship and is en route to Space Station…
7 of 8
SPACE STATION.MESS AREA.
Vast, empty.
In a corner, a long table. The crew gathers.
Lewis: 'Under the surface is yet the first of many layers. I call it an egg onion. Hard on the outside, then some layers then a liquid-.'
Richards: 'Liquid middle?'
Lewis: 'As far as we went, liquid but then we started seeing hard material like wood but as strong as steel.'
Richards: 'Wood needs to be dry.'
Lewis: 'Correct yes.'
Richards: 'So-.'
Lewis: 'Well there must be pockets of air trapped.'
Richards: 'Oh, I can see where this is going. So you want us to go down along way and-.'
Lewis: 'And penetrate this and see what's there yes.'
~
SPACE STATION.CORRIDOR.
The crew meet up and are walking along a corridor and one asks the other where did Lewis get to?
8 of 8
SPACE STATION.CORRIDOR.
STOCK ROOMS.
SPACE STATION.
Lewis is covered in a SWARM.
Suddenly he convulses and vomits.
His skeleton protrudes through the layers of swarming alien mosquitoes and removes itself from the skin and muscle torso.
Now just a bloodied, dripping dark skeleton, he looks for and detects a vacant lab and walks to it.
Night, Scanman & Weed realise what is going on and give chase with remote control medical assist androids.
Lewis detects this and destroys, although flimsily one of these medical assist androids and continues on his / its way to the spare lab.
A "T" intersection is up ahead.
Lewis has to get through the medical assists blockade to get to the lab when he / it is stopped.
He / Its vision is blurring. It turns spinning.
Richards is standing there.
Richards: 'Protocol, procedure is one thing.' His hand twists and disjoints the spine.
Lewis's vision blackens.
Richards: 'But this base is another.'
He is swarmed by alien mosquitoes and heads towards the "T" intersection but instead of going into the spare lab, turns left to an air-lock door.
Richards: 'Open air-lock.' Moaning. Growling with immense pain.
Richards looks for identification door number.
It opens and he quickly enters.
The door closes.
Orange lights flash and stars appear behind Richards.
He holds on tight until all alien mosquitoes have gone.
Having looked around and into the vast empty space of stars.
Richards: Trying to yell. Mouthing. 'They have left the building.'
SPACE STATION.
MESS AREA.
All sorts of residents, staff and crews were in one of many open-plan staff rooms.
Richards: 'I knew someone was like me but who?'
Night: 'Had not a clue.'
Richards: 'I mean, I'm corporate but Lewis was corporate corporate corporate.'
Weed: Hung his head around a corner and smiled. 'Everybody back to normal schedules?' Not caring about response. 'Scanman and myself are resuming. Back to scouting more fascinating places to explore.'
Night: 'I found that one.'
Weed: 'Exactly our point.' Looking at Richards and at Scanman who too stuck his head around the corner.
END
That feeling when on the open road and insects either go around or over or get splatted on the windscreen, when you're heading into a a storm and the rain goes sideways and keeps getting heavier.
Dec '15