Character Relationship Map: Locusts

Characters

• Maddy Rierdon (played by Lucy Lawless) — protagonist
• Peter Axelrod (played by John Heard) — protagonist
• General Miller (played by Gregory Alan Williams) — supporting
• Willy (played by Drew Seeley) — minor
• Lorelei Wentworth (played by Natalija Nogulich) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Maddy Rierdon → Peter Axelrod (Professional Former Student And Professor)

  Peter is revealed to be Maddy's former professor, and she now supervises him at the USDA.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Maddy Rierdon → Willy (Narrative Indirect Crisis Connection)

  Willy's escape from the locust laboratory precedes Maddy's investigation of the red-flagged facility and the discovery of Peter's experiment.

• Peter Axelrod → General Miller (Conflict Containment Dispute)

  Peter is uneasy when federal authorities reveal plans to use VX gas, and he later joins Maddy in opposing that method.

• Lorelei Wentworth → General Miller (Conflict Policy Disagreement)

  Lorelei supports the electricity plan, whereas Miller remains skeptical and says he will act if it fails.

• Lorelei Wentworth → Maddy Rierdon (Alliance Policy Allies)

  Lorelei defends Maddy's electrical plan and explains that unused national power can be rerouted through the grids.

• Maddy Rierdon → General Miller (Conflict Strategic Opponents)

  Miller supports using VX nerve gas against the swarms, while Maddy objects and smashes the VX container during the helicopter mission.

Story Analysis

A scientist and her allies confront engineered locust swarms while choosing a solution that protects civilians from both the insects and extreme military action.

Plot Progression

1. The Laboratory Breach
2. The Swarms Spread
3. The VX Threat
4. The Electrical Discovery
5. Power Against Plague