THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES

Post your loglines. Get and give feedback.

SWARM
By Donahue B. Silvis

GENRE: Fantasy
LOGLINE:

A beekeeper’s transformed into the superhero SWARM, he and his wasp followers safeguard a city from crime and especially from three evil men, who have created a thieving, destructive manlike flying drone robot, called DRONEMAN.

SYNOPSIS:

ON A SMALL BEE FARM SOUTH OF ATLANTA NEAL JACKSON, 30s, a blonde wavy-haired, six-foot-tall, averagely built beekeeper in a white bee suit and wearing gloves, is in his backfield. Working by the row of white beehive boxes, he’s keeping the bees in order and collecting honey.

The queen bee’s avoiding his hand; she flies away toward the back of the yard. Neal follows her. Four larger queen bees circle above his head. The queen bees land on the back of his neck and proceed to sting him. As the queen bees fly away, Neal rubs his neck; he's dizzy.

The next morning in street clothes, Neal walks past the honeybee boxes and out toward the hornet’s large hanging paper nest. As he approaches, the Hornets leave the nest and excitedly go into flight, and circle above him. He hears a loud humming noise, turning he sees swarms of other Bald-Faced Hornets and Yellow Jackets coming toward him. The thousands of bees drop down and cover his body. Then slowly, the bees lift him into the air. His face turns chalk white with black lines; his blonde hair is wavy and black; his blue eyes are now a purplish black. He has a handsome, fearless look.

He looks at the ground, but he doesn't fall. The thousands of bees are dancing in the air. Some are flying in a circle, while others are waggling, zigzagging. Neal's body is changing. His waist becomes pinched; his chest broadens; everything about Neal's body has changed. He's now six-foot-three and super muscular. Neal's clothes rip apart and are falling off. A thin line of translucent dark wings forms along the bottom of his now black arms. Neal's entire body becomes covered in a Dyneema-like black flexible fabric with three white rings circling each leg. The bees leave his body. Neal feels animated as he kicks off his shoes, which have ripped and are hanging off his feet. Each colony of bees has become excited and fly in patterns about the sky.

Unsteadily he begins moving through the air. The swarms of hornets and yellow jackets gather around him.

One week later, Neal, now as SWARM, has the characteristic features of the Bald-Face hornet. He's flying with the Hornets; SWARM stops in a standing position. He has mastered flying. SWARM and the Hornets now fly together while catching thieves and preventing crimes.

In a two-story house on the north side of Atlanta, LYMAN WACK 40s, a six-foot-two, psychopath hunchback man with long stringy hair hanging down his back, is standing with his assistant, ELDRITCH VIDIT, 30s, short, unstable, stout man with balding red hair. They walk into a joining backroom workshop where DREWLER, 50s, a mid-sized, sinewy, nefarious mechanical genius is working on a six-foot-six tall, lifelike, bluish metallic robot he named DRONEMAN.

The Droneman has incredible strength, flexibility, and is aeronautically sound. There's a GPS module that's responsible for the provision of Droneman's longitude, latitudes, and elevation points. They help him to navigate long distances. They set Droneman on a series of small robberies. The robot performs perfectly.

The chief of police and the force are confused. They can’t figure out what is going on as there are unusual robberies and other crimes solved. Then they become aware that a man is flying with Hornets and a huge, robust drone robot that can also fly.

Droneman robs an office, lifting the safe from the floor and flying away with it. Along the way, SWARM and the Hornets catch up with the robot. They fight, Droneman drops the safe but knocks SWARM dizzy. Droneman fly’s back to the two-story house. SWARM, stunned, is caught by the swarm of hornets, and they head back home.

The three thieves continue to have the robot drone commit robberies while SWARM looks for them. Then they decide to move. Unfortunately, SWARM is one day late in catching them, and the Droneman robot.

They have Droneman break into a casino and rob the money from the casino count room. Then they hide out on a vacant farm. The police have helicopters and most of the force looking for them. SWARM is also flying above Atlanta, watching for Droneman. Worried, they move to a destroyed nuclear military base now abandoned, but there are a few undamaged underground bunkers.

Lyman sends a letter to the Chief of Police, demanding ten million dollars, or else DRONEMAN will drop dynamite on a downtown building. The chief and mayor don’t pay.

Droneman is over the Atlanta Braves’ baseball field. He drops sticks of dynamite taped together. The dynamite explodes as SWARM, and the Hornets approach Droneman. SWARM grabs the robot, but it breaks away and flies in a different direction. SWARM goes after the robot. Other swarms of hornets appear if front of Droneman. He swats them as he continues. SWARM and the Hornets catch up and attack the robot. SWARM grabs its ears and twist as he believes they are its antenna; Hornets are covering the robot. The robot becomes disoriented and begins to fall into Dawson Forest, where the underground bunkers are. SWARM pulls away as the Hornets and Droneman crash into the tall trees.

SWARM drops down into the forest but can’t find the robot. SWARM calls the police and informs them of the robot coming down in Dawson Forest. SWARM continues walking through the forest. Not seeing any trace of the robot, he lifts into the air. He sees squad cars and hears police sirens as he returns home.

The police inform the military, and they both spend two days searching the forest for the robot.

Later, the robot returns to the three men. Drewler determines the Droneman is too damaged and, they need to leave Atlanta and go to Chicago or New York where he can get the parts to repair him.

SWARM and the police continue to search, but then realize the three thieves and their robot have left Atlanta.

Days later, SWARM flies over Atlanta and heads north. He crosses the countryside and farm area. Hornet and Yellow Jacket colonies fly up to meet him and then return to their nests. SWARM circles Dawson Forest and lands on top of a tall tree. He stands resting and looking at the view of Atlanta and Stone Mountain.

Nathaniel Baker

Rated this logline

register for stage 32 Register / Log In