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《切尔诺贝利》第2集剧本-英文原版

发布者: 小白兔| 2019-6-17 22:28
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摘要: CHERNOBYLEpisode 2 - "Please Remain Calm"Written byCraig MazinSeptember 21, 2018Copyright© 2018 Home Box Office, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDNO PORTION OF THIS SCRIPT MAY BE PERFORMED, PUBLISHE ...



CHERNOBYL
Episode 2 - "Please Remain Calm"
Written by
Craig Mazin
September 21, 2018
Copyright© 2018 Home Box Office, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
NO PORTION OF THIS SCRIPT MAY BE PERFORMED, PUBLISHED,
REPRODUCED, EXHIBITED, SOLD OR DISTRIBUTED BY ANY MEANS, OR
QUOTED OR PUBLISHED IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING ON ANY
WEBSITE, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF HOME BOX OFFICE,
INC. THIS MATERIAL IS THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE, INC.
AND IS INTENDED FOR AND RESTRICTED TO USE BY HOME BOX
OFFICE, INC. ONLY. DISTRIBUTION OR DISCLOSURE OF THIS
MATERIAL TO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS IS PROHIBITED.
201 OVER BLACK 201
Stodgy classical music, played through a tinny radio
speaker. Over it, a voice begins to recite poetry:
VOICE (ON RADIO)
You know I believe that the Russia
we fight for / is not the dull town
where I lived at a loss /
202 EXT. BYELORUSIAN INST. FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY - MORNING 202
We PAN across an empty parking lot until we find a single
car, a Lada Riva-- there all by itself in front of a drab,
generic Soviet building on the outskirts of a city.
VOICE (ON RADIO)
But those country tracks our ancestors
followed / the graves where they lie
with the old Russian cross /
TITLE:
8:30 A.M., APRIL 26
7 HOURS AFTER THE EXPLOSION
203 INT. LABORATORY - CONTINUOUS 203
A large room with multiple lab desks, sinks, cabinets and
racks of scientific equipment, periodic table charts on the
walls, labels with the familiar RADIATION sign...
VOICE (ON RADIO)
I feel that for me, it was countryside
Russia / that first made me feel I
must truly belong / to the tedious
miles between village and village /
the tears of the widow, the women's
sad song /
The room is empty but for: A WOMAN, 40's - FACE DOWN at a
table, her salt-and-pepper hair splayed around her head.
Next to her, a stack of technical documents. Coffee cup.
Half-eaten sandwich. Soviet poetry droning from a RADIO.
We PUSH IN on her. She might be dead.
VOICE (ON RADIO)
We see alongside us the deaths of
our comrades / by old Russian
practice, soldiers laid end to end /
1.
We stay on the woman. Hear the SOUND of the lab door opening.
VOICE (ON RADIO)
And yet I still feel proud of the
dearest of countries / The great
bitter land I was born to defend.
Someone enters. Drops a small paper bag next to her HEAD.
VOICE (ON RADIO)
That was Konstantin Simonov's poem
"to Alexei Surkov," written in--
CLICK. The unseen person turns the radio off, and ULANA
KHOMYUK, the sleeping woman, raises her head.
KHOMYUK
(disoriented)
Whumm?
DMITRI, 30, puts a THERMOS in front of her.
DMITRI
You work too hard.
Khomyuk rubs her face. Checks her watch. Then looks around.
KHOMYUK
Where is everyone?
DMITRI
They refused to come in.
KHOMYUK
Why?
DMITRI
It's Saturday.
Oh. Right. Then:
KHOMYUK
Why did you come in?
DMITRI
I work too hard.
(wipes his brow)
Uch, it's boiling in here.
He crosses to a WINDOW. He LIFTS the window OPEN, and
almost instantly:
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
2.
Dmitri and Khomyuk turn in adrenaline shock to: a DOSIMETER
mounted on the wall. A split second, then:
Dmitri SLAMS the window shut. Then rushes to the dosimeter.
Presses a button to silence the alarm. Reads the meter.
DMITRI
Eight milliroentgen. What-- ?
Dmitri anxiously glances at a METAL CASE with radiation
stickers. Inside, boxes and tubes.
DMITRI
A leak?
Khomyuk hasn't taken her eyes off the window. Wide awake
now.
KHOMYUK
No. It would have gone off before.
It's coming from outside.
Dmitri sits down. Has the unthinkable finally happened?
DMITRI
The Americans?
IN CUTS - Khomyuk opens her drawer, pulls out a PILL
CONTAINER. Takes one pill. Then tosses him the bottle.
Snaps on LATEX GLOVES. Tears open a PACKET. A sterile WET
WIPE sample cloth is removed, folded...
Khomyuk WIPES along the SILL of the WINDOW in an "S"
pattern, pressing firmly, picking up dust, and then we're:
204 INT. HALLWAY 204
Khomyuk strides with purpose down the empty hall, sample in
hand. There's iron in this woman.
205 INT. SPECTOMETRY ROOM 205
THE SPECTROMETER - HUMS - Khomyuk stares at the screen.
Eyes flickering over the spiking lines. One line spikes
much higher than the other.
And just like that, she knows.
3.
206 INT. LABORATORY 206
Khomyuk barrels back into the lab, startling the waiting
Dmitri. She thrusts the SPECTROMETER PRINTOUT at him.
KHOMYUK
Iodine 131. It's not military. It's
uranium decay. U-235.
DMITRI
Reactor fuel.
He looks at her. Then catches up. A sick realization.
DMITRI
Ignalina. Maybe 240 kilometers away.
She turns to a shelf of BINDERS... pulls one, flips pages.
There. She picks up the lab phone. Dials a number.
IGNALINA OPERATOR (PHONE)
(rushed, loud)
Hello?
KHOMYUK
Yes, this is Ulana Khomyuk with the
Institute of Nuclear--
IGNALINA OPERATOR (PHONE)
You don't think we already know?
We're looking for it!
KHOMYUK
Looking for--
IGNALINA OPERATOR (PHONE)
We've got 4 milliroentgen here, I've
got men crawling over the whole
plant... no steam leak, no water
leak, nothing! We can't--
KHOMYUK
All right, stay calm.
IGNALINA OPERATOR (PHONE)
Don't tell me to stay calm, I want
to evacuate, Moscow tells us we
can't, and now you call? Who the
hell are you anyway--
Khomyuk hangs up on him. No time for this.
4.
KHOMYUK
They're at 4. It's not them. Who's
the next closest?
DMITRI
(shakes his head)
Chernobyl. But that's not possible,
it's 400 kilometers away.
KHOMYUK
No, too far for 8 milliroentgen.
They'd have to be split open. But
maybe they know something.
She finds the number in her directory, and dials. We hear
the other end - ring ring. As they wait:
DMITRI
Could it be a waste dump?
KHOMYUK
We'd be seeing other isotopes.
ring ring... ring ring...
DMITRI
Nuclear test? New kind of bomb?
KHOMYUK
We would have heard. That's what
half our people work on here.
ring ring... ring ring...
DMITRI
Something with the space program?
Like a satellite or-- what are they
saying down there?
KHOMYUK
I don't know. No one's answering the
phone.
Khomyuk and Dmitri realize at the same time. She puts the
receiver down on the table, and now he can hear it too.
ring ring... ring ring... ring ring... ring ring...
Oh god.
The ring of the the unanswered phone grows LOUDER and
LOUDER, blending into the sound of A SIREN as we CUT TO:
5.
207 EXT. PRIPYAT HOSPITAL - MORNING 207
An EMERGENCY VEHICLE screeches to a halt in front of the
building. We follow-- handheld-- chaos-- as emergency
workers WHEEL a patient rapidly into:
208 INT. PRIPYAT HOSPITAL - ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS 208
Madness. A war zone. The building is choked with people:
firemen, plant workers, men, women, children, babies...
Some people are vomiting. Others are passed out. Children
screaming. ZINCHENKO pushes through the crowd. Issuing
instructions to a frantic PRIPYAT NURSE who follows her.
ZINCHENKO
Get everyone started on an IV.
PRIPYAT NURSE
We don't have enough.
ZINCHENKO
All the children then.
PRIPYAT NURSE
We don't have enough.
ZINCHENKO
(snaps)
As many as you can! Just--
(looks around)
Where's the old man?
PRIPYAT NURSE
He's set up a burn ward in 16.
Shit. Zinchenko leaves the panicking nurse...
209 INT. MAKESHIFT BURN WARD - MOMENTS LATER 209
Men on gurneys. Some are screaming in pain.
Zinchenko ENTERS... wobbles slightly in a puddle of vomit
on the floor. Fuck. Regains her balance and sees:
THE OLD DOCTOR - dabbing at VASILY'S FACE with a wet
sponge, which he's dipping in a basin of WHITE FLUID.
ZINCHENKO
What are you doing? What is that?
6.
OLD DOCTOR
Milk. Much better than water.
My god. Zinchenko scans the men. We recognize Vasily.
Akimov. Toptunov. Sees the patterns of the burns on their
skin. Bodies swollen. Skin strangely tanned. Dark.
Zinchenko grabs the sponge out of the old doctor's hand.
Flings it aside. Then starts PULLING Vasily's BOOTS off.
OLD DOCTOR
Have you lost your mind?
ZINCHENKO
These are radiation burns. Their
clothes are contaminated.
Everyone stares in silence. Until:
ZINCHENKO
HELP ME.
The nurses are jarred into action. As they strip away
pants, jackets, helmets, shirts, socks, underwear...
ZINCHENKO
Get it all off. We're taking it down
to the basement.
The old doctor watches in utter confusion. The basement?
210 INT. THE BASEMENT - MOMENTS LATER 210
Feet STAMPEDE down the winding stairway.
EQUIPMENT and CLOTHING hits the concrete floor in a jumbled
pile. The nurses run back up for more as other nurses come
down and toss more clothing.
Zinchenko hurls her handful of clothing to the floor. Then
winces. Checks her hand where she was holding Vasily's
BOOT. Her palm is already BRIGHT RED.
She looks up to see a nurse staring. Are you all right?
ZINCHENKO
Let's get the rest.
Zinchenko heads back for more. The nurse follows, and:
211 OMITTED 211
7.
212 EXT. HOSPITAL FRONT DOORS - CONTINUOUS 212
A MOB of angry people are yelling and pleading with: A LINE
OF MILITARY POLICE, some with guns, some holding clubs.
HOSPITAL SOLDIER
We are at capacity. Please disperse!
LYUDMILLA is JOSTLED by the crowd. Near the front, the
soldiers physically PUSH people back. There's a SURGE of
movement from behind her... the soldiers PUSH back... and
in the chaos, she SLIPS past them... FALLS...
...then gets up and RUNS into the hospital. The soldiers
can't stop her. Too busy with the rest of the crowd. The
air fills with angry shouts and screams, and then:
213 INT. KREMLIN - DAY 213
Silence.
A stately corridor. Chandeliers. Floors shined to a polish.
And every few feet, the Soviet flag.
VALERY LEGASOV sits on a small chair against the wall near
one of the flags. Hair carefully combed. His best suit.
A door opens, and a woman, 40's, emerges. Pleasant. Courteous.
KREMLIN AIDE
Professor Legasov?
LEGASOV
(rises)
Yes?
KREMLIN AIDE
Oh no, not yet. They're finishing up
some other business. It'll be a few
more minutes. Can I get you some tea?
LEGASOV
No, I'm fine. Thank you.
She extends a document to him.
KREMLIN AIDE
I thought you might care to read
Deputy Secretary Shcherbina's report
while you wait.
8.
LEGASOV
Oh. Certainly. Thank you.
He takes the typewritten report, and she exits.
Legasov sits back down. Scans the first page. Hmm.
Flip. Second page. Scanning. Mmhmm.
Flip. Third page. Scanning.
Wait.
Oh my god.
He sits there, staring agape at the page. Then looks
around... is anyone else here? Has anyone else seen-- ??
The aide returns. Still pleasant and calm.
KREMLIN AIDE
All right, Professor. They're ready.
She sees the panic in his eyes.
KREMLIN AIDE
Is something wrong?
214 INT. KREMLIN HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER 214
WE LEAD: Legasov, on his face, watching as he forces
himself to walk... forces himself to stay calm, the report
clutched in his hand, still open to the third page.
Surely they know. They have to know...
He wipes his brow. Sweat. Mouth dry.
He passes SOLDIERS who push open doors, and he enters:
215 INT. KREMLIN CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 215
The inner sanctum. The center of Soviet power.
A long room lined with Soviet flags.
In the center of the room, a conference table. Men in their
seats. Some in Soviet military uniforms. Others in suits.
And at the head of the table, MIKHAIL GORBACHEV.
9.
Legasov's eyes dart nervously. Who among these men knows?
Who else is frightened? Who else feels sick to their
stomach?
Not one of them appears concerned at all.
Someone clears their throat, catching his attention.
This is BORIS SHCHERBINA, 67, barrel-chested, intimidating
brow. A bull of a man.
And Shcherbina nods toward a seat. As in: we are all
sitting. You are not. Sit.
Legasov rushes himself into his chair. Trying to keep his
hands from shaking.
Please. Let someone else say it. Not me. Anyone but me.
GORBACHEV
Thank you all for your duty to this
Commission. We'll begin with Deputy
Chairman Shcherbina's briefing, and
then we'll discuss next steps if
necessary.
If necessary?
SHCHERBINA
Thank you, General Secretary. I am
pleased to report the situation in
Chernobyl is stable.
What?
SHCHERBINA
We're coordinating with local Party
officials and plant management to
address the incident. Military and
civilian patrols have secured the
region, and Colonel-General Pikalov,
who commands troops specializing in
chemical hazards, has been
dispatched to the plant.
Legasov looks down at page three. Flips to the next page,
hoping that there's something that makes page three not
real. But page three is real.
10.
SHCHERBINA
In terms of radiation, Plant Director
Bryukhanov reports no more than 3.6
roentgen. I'm told that's the
equivalent of a chest x-ray.
(to the room)
So if you're overdue for a check-up...
The men chuckle. Legasov looks up again, eyes passing over
all of them, desperately searching for someone to meet eyes
with him, to say, "Yes, I know, I'll say it..."
SHCHERBINA
As for the fire, it's largely
contained. Pikalov and his men
should have it out soon enough.
GORBACHEV
Foreign press?
SHCHERBINA
(proudly)
Totally unaware.
Shcherbina nods across the table to CHARKOV, 63.
Of all the Soviet men... the balding, white-haired men with
round faces and black-rimmed glasses... Charkov is perhaps
the most exemplary of the type.
As if he were made in a factory.
SHCHERBINA
KGB First Deputy Chairman Charkov
assures me we've successfully
protected our security interests.
GORBACHEV
Good. Very good. Well, it seems like
it's well in hand--
Someone say something. Now. Say it.
GORBACHEV
--so if there's nothing else?
Legasov's mouth won't open. Tongue won't work.
GORBACHEV
Meeting adjourned.
Gorbachev rises. Everyone else gets up, and--
11.
LEGASOV
No!
Everyone turns to him. Shocked.
GORBACHEV
Pardon me?
Legasov realizes he said it. He said no. To Mikhail
Gorbachev. And he's terrified. But--
LEGASOV
We can't adjourn.
Shcherbina fixes a dark gaze on Legasov. There's a
disquieting rage in this man.
SHCHERBINA
This is Professor Legasov of the
Kurchatov Institute. Professor, if
you have a concern, feel free to
address it with me. Later.
Legasov gives a small nod. Cowed. Dying inside. But:
LEGASOV
I can't.
All eyes on him again. Everyone standing. And now he rises.
Sweaty, flustered, bad suit, crooked glasses.
LEGASOV
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry but--
(the report)
Page three-- the section on
casualties--
(reading)
"A fireman was severely burned on
his hand by a chunk of smooth, black
mineral on the ground outside the
reactor building." Smooth black
mineral!
(does no one--?)
Graphite. There's graphite on the
ground. Outside.
SHCHERBINA
There was a tank explosion. There's
debris. Of what importance is-- ?
LEGASOV
There's only one place in the entire
facility where you'll find graphite.
(MORE)
12.
Inside the core
LEGASOV (cont'd)
. If there's graphite
on the ground, it means it wasn't a
control system tank that exploded.
(beat)
It was the reactor core.
(the unthinkable)
It's open.
No one is sure how to react. And so they do what they have
always done.
They slowly turn toward Gorbachev to see how they should
feel about this.
For a moment, he is inscrutable. Then:
GORBACHEV
Comrade Shcherbina?
SHCHERBINA
General-Secretary, I assure you
Professor Legasov is mistaken.
Bryukhanov reports the reactor core
is intact. And the radiation--
Legasov's panic ferments to frustration. Impatience. The
words come flying out of him.
LEGASOV
Yes, "3.6 roentgen", which by the
way is not the equivalent of one
chest x-ray, but rather four hundred
chest x-rays. That number's been
bothering me for a different reason,
though. It's also the maximum
reading on low-limit dosimeters.
They gave us the number they had,
but I think the true number is much,
much higher. If I'm right, this
fireman was holding the equivalent
of four million x-rays. In his hand.
SHCHERBINA
(icy)
Professor Legasov. There is no place
for alarmist hysteria in this room.
LEGASOV
It's not alarmist if it's a fact!
GORBACHEV
I don't hear any facts at all.
13.
The room falls silent. A palpable sense of fear.
GORBACHEV
All I hear is a man I don't know
engaging in conjecture-- in direct
contradiction of what has been
reported by Party officials.
Shcherbina can barely repress a smile. And Legasov
remembers where he is. Who he's yelling in front of.
Oh god.
LEGASOV
I apologize. I didn't mean-- may I
express my concern as calmly and
respectfully as I can?
Shcherbina is about to cut him off, but Gorbachev raises a
hand to silence him. Then gestures to Legasov to continue,
and sits.
The rest of the room sits back down with him.
LEGASOV
An RBMK reactor uses uranium-235 as
fuel. Every atom of U-235 is like a
bullet traveling nearly the speed of
light, penetrating everything in its
path. Wood, metal, concrete, flesh. In
every gram of U-235, there are over a
billion trillion of these bullets.
(beat)
That's in one gram. Chernobyl holds
over three million grams of U-235.
And right now, it is on fire. And-- I
believe-- exposed. Wind will carry
radioactive particles across the
entire continent, and rain will bring
them down on us. Three million
billion trillion bullets in the water
we drink, the food we eat, in the air
we breathe. Each bullet-- capable of
damaging the genetic code in our
bodies. Each bullet capable of
bringing sickness, cancer, death.
Most of them will not stop firing for
a hundred years. Some of them will
not stop for fifty thousand years.
The air has gone out of the room. No one says a word. Then:
14.
GORBACHEV
And this-- concern-- stems entirely
from the description of a rock?
Everyone turns to stare at Legasov. Dead eyes, all of them.
LEGASOV
Yes.
A moment. Then Gorbachev turns to Shcherbina:
GORBACHEV
I want you to go to Chernobyl. Look at
the reactor. You personally. Report
directly back to me.
SHCHERBINA
A wise decision. I'll depart at once.
GORBACHEV
And take Legasov with you.
Legasov and Shcherbina both register surprise.
SHCHERBINA
Forgive me, Comrade General-
Secretary, but--
GORBACHEV
Do you know how a nuclear reactor
works, Boris Evdokimovich?
SHCHERBINA
No.
GORBACHEV
Then how will you know what you're
looking at?
Gorbachev strides out, followed by everyone else, until
there's no one left in the room but Legasov and Shcherbina.
Staring at each other.
216 EXT. MOSCOW - AIR FORCE BASE - AFTERNOON 216
The NOISE of HELICOPTER ROTORS.
Two SOLDIERS hold on to their hats as they lead the way
toward the helicopters. Legasov walks beside Shcherbina,
trying to keep up with the older man's athletic pace.
15.
217 I./E. HELICOPTER MID-FLIGHT - MOMENTS LATER 217
IN THE BACK - Legasov is sandwiched between the two
soldiers. White knuckles. Across from him, a very calm
Shcherbina. Legasov is the only one wearing his seat belt.
SHCHERBINA
Did you enjoy the meeting?
Legasov isn't quite sure what to say.
SHCHERBINA
You should know, it's not the first
time someone's tried to embarrass me
like that. I've been part of the
apparatus for over forty years now.
Men like you come along all the time.
So smart. So confident.
(beat)
Funny. I can't remember any of their
names.
(beat)
How does a nuclear reactor work?
LEGASOV
What?
SHCHERBINA
It's a simple question.
LEGASOV
It's hardly a simple answer.
SHCHERBINA
Of course-- you presume I'm too stupid
to understand. So I'll restate. Tell
me how a nuclear reactor works, or
I'll have one of these soldiers throw
you out of this helicopter.
Legasov slowly looks at the soldiers. Neither one of them
seems fazed by that suggestion in the slightest. Okay...
LEGASOV
So-- a nuclear reactor generates
electricity with steam.
Shcherbina nods. Good. Continue.
LEGASOV
The steam turns a turbine, which
generates electricity.
(MORE)
16.
But where a typical power plant
LEGASOV (cont'd)
makes steam by burning coal, a
nuclear plant--
Legasov pats his jacket pockets. Looking for--
Shcherbina calmly hands Legasov a pen and a copy of the
report he just presented.
Legasov nods in nervous thanks. Turns the document over,
and begins sketching as he talks.
LEGASOV
--a nuclear plant uses something
called fission. We take an unstable
element like uranium-235, which has
too many neutrons. A neutron is--
SHCHERBINA
The bullet.
LEGASOV
Yes. The bullet. So, bullets are
flying off of the uranium.
He shows Shcherbina the page as he sketches.
LEGASOV
Now, if you put enough of these
uranium atoms close together, the
bullets from one atom will eventually
hit another atom. The force of this
impact splits that atom apart,
releasing a tremendous amount of
energy. Fission. But-- that
fissioning atom releases even more
bullets, which slam into even more
atoms. More fission leads to more
fission-- and the result is a chain
reaction.
(beat)
You see the problem with that, right?
SHCHERBINA
I'm not in your classroom. Just tell
me the answer.
Oh.
LEGASOV
The chain reaction will grow and
grow, never stopping until all the
uranium fissions.
(MORE)
17.
The fuel quickly burns out,
LEGASOV (cont'd)
releasing a massive amount of energy
in an instant. This is the principle
behind a nuclear bomb. So:
(the sketch)
Control rods. See... these rods are
the fuel rods. They contain the
uranium. These rods are control
rods. They're made of boron. Now--
why do you think they're--
Oh. Right. Not in a classroom.
LEGASOV
They're made of boron because it's
excellent at capturing neutrons. It
absorbs them. If you lower a control
rod between two fuel rods, it acts
like a bullet proof vest, keeping
these neutrons from smashing into
these atoms, and the reaction slows.
If you raise it, the fuel rods can
fire neutrons at each other, and the
reaction increases. Water is pumped
through the core, the heat of
fission turns it to steam, and the
result: electricity.
Shcherbina reaches out and takes the sketch. Studies it.
SHCHERBINA
And the graphite?
LEGASOV
Ah-- the neutrons are moving so
fast-- we call this "flux"-- it's
relatively unlikely that they'll hit
other uranium atoms. To make the
chain reaction possible, you have to
slow them down. In the RBMK
reactors, we surround the fuel rods
with graphite to moderate-- slow
down-- the neutron flux.
Shcherbina stares at the sketch. Then:
SHCHERBINA
Good. I know how a nuclear reactor
works. Now I don't need you.
Shcherbina leans back in his seat and closes his eyes to
sleep. A happy little smile on his face.
18.
218 EXT. BYELORUSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY HQ - MINSK - AFTERNOON 218
An impossibly gray, Soviet building.
219 INT. OFFICE RECEPTION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 219
A portrait of LENIN.
Khomyuk sits across from it on a squat couch. Tense. From
behind a closed door, we hear MEN LAUGHING.
A sheepish female AIDE, 60's, sits at a desk near the door.
AIDE
Perhaps if you came back another-- ?
KHOMYUK
I've waited three hours. I can wait longer.
The DOOR OPENS, and two men emerge in good spirits. One is
CHULKOV, 50's. The other is GARANIN, 57, overfed.
GARANIN
Wonderful... just wonderful...
KHOMYUK
(rises)
Deputy Secretary Garanin.
Garanin doesn't drop his smile, but he glances over to his
aide, who looks like a dog about to get beaten. Who's this?
AIDE
Ulana Khomyuk of the Byelorusian
Institute for Nuclear Energy.
The slightest hitch in his smile. Then right back to:
GARANIN
Oh? What a pleasure. May I introduce
Ilya Ivanovich Chulkov, the eminent
poet? We were just discussing--
KHOMYUK
I'm here about Chernobyl.
Garanin's smile freezes on his face. Then to Chulkov.
Guides him warmly to the door.
GARANIN
Such a lovely time. Please, visit
again soon.
19.
Chulkov heads out, confused. Garanin closes the door behind
him, then turns back to Khomyuk. No longer smiling.
220 INT. GARANIN'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER 220
He pours himself a glass of vodka.
GARANIN
I must tell you-- this is why no one
likes scientists. When we have a
disease to cure, where are they? In
a lab. Noses in their books. And so,
grandma dies.
He crosses to his desk.
GARANIN
But when there isn't a problem?
They're everywhere. Spreading fear.
KHOMYUK
I know about Chernobyl.
GARANIN
Oh?
KHOMYUK
I know the core is either partially
or completely exposed.
GARANIN
(shrugs)
Whatever that means.
KHOMYUK
And I know that if you don't
immediately issue iodine tablets and
then evacuate this city, hundreds of
thousands will get cancer, and god
only knows how many will die.
For a moment, her fear rattles him. But only for a moment.
GARANIN
Yes, very good, there has been an
accident at Chernobyl, but I have
been assured there is no problem.
KHOMYUK
I'm telling you there is.
20.
GARANIN
I prefer my opinion to yours.
KHOMYUK
I'm a nuclear physicist. Before you
were Deputy Secretary, you worked in
a shoe factory.
GARANIN
(stiffens)
Yes. I worked in a shoe factory. And
now I'm in charge.
(raises his glass)
"To the workers of the world."
He downs his drink. Meeting over.
221 INT. OFFICE RECEPTION ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 221
Khomyuk walks out of Garanin's office. Closes the door
behind her. His AIDE looks nervous.
Khomyuk fishes the PILL BOTTLE out of her purse.
KHOMYUK
Stable iodine will keep your thyroid
from absorbing radioactive iodine.
Take one pill each day for as long
as they last. And go east-- as far
away from Minsk as you can.
Khomyuk hands her the pills, and exits.
The aide stares at the pills, then quickly takes one and
shoves the bottle into her own purse.
222 OMITTED 222
223 INT. PRIPYAT HOSPITAL - LATE AFTERNOON 223
Lyudmilla pushes her way through the throngs of miserable
people. The hallways are choked with sick people.
Some are being treated while they lie on the floor. We hear
the sound of a SCREAMING BABY from off-screen.
Lyudmilla sees a nurse coming toward her.
LYUDMILLA
Can you help me, I'm looking for--
21.
The nurse doesn't acknowledge her. Just rushes by.
Lyudmilla turns a corner and stops when she sees: Oksana's
husband MIKHAIL, standing in the corridor.
He's holding his baby, who is screaming-- not a wail of
hunger or fatigue, but the sharp, staccato cry of PAIN.
MIKHAIL
Lyudmilla.
She stares in shock at him. His eyes are bloodshot. Face
puffy. Both his and his baby's skin are reddish/tan.
She approaches and sees that he's standing in front of a
window looking into a TREATMENT ROOM.
THROUGH THE WINDOW - she sees OKSANA and her FOUR-YEAR OLD
SON in the room - both sharing a single gurney. Oksana's
dress is covered in vomit.
ZINCHENKO, her hand BANDAGED, is hooking the four-year old
up to an IV. The little boy's head lolls... he doesn't even
react when Zinchenko pushes the needle in.
They're both TANNED... just like Mikhail and the baby.
MIKHAIL
Take her.
LYUDMILLA
What?
He extends his baby out to her.
MIKHAIL
Take her. Take her away from here.
He retches, then holds the baby out again. Raising his
volume to be heard over his daughter's SCREAMING.
MIKHAIL
Please. Take her. Take her.
Lyudmilla, scared, reaches out for the baby when:
PRIPYAT NURSE
Get away from them!
The Pripyat Nurse rushes over to Lyudmilla. Starts pushing
her back from Mikhail.
22.
PRIPYAT NURSE
You want to get sick? Go!
Lyudmilla backs away, then turns and rushes away. Mikhail
is still holding his baby out.
MIKHAIL
TAKE HER! PLEASE TAKE HER!
224 INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER 224
Lyudmilla rounds the corner, then finally stops. Covers her
mouth with a shaky hand. Overwhelmed.
Then sees: a MILITARY OFFICER, MAJOR BUROV, 45, passing by.
She runs to catch up to him.
LYUDMILLA
Excuse me... I am Vasily Ignatenko's
wife...
MAJOR BUROV
(no time for her)
I don't know him.
LYUDMILLA
No, he's a fireman. Ignatenko.
Ignatenko. 6th Paramilitary Fire and
Rescue Unit... I have to find him...
(stops him)
Please.
Burov relents. He pulls a folded paper from his pocket. A
list of names. Scans it. Then:
MAJOR BUROV
Ignatenko. He's being transported by
helicopter to Moscow. Hospital #6.
LYUDMILLA
Why? Is he all right? Can I see him?
MAJOR BUROV
(enough already)
You want to see him? Go to Moscow.
LYUDMILLA
But-- we're not allowed out of--
They arrive at a hallway guarded by soldiers. Lyudmilla can
no longer follow him.
23.
MAJOR BUROV
You have permission. Tell them Major
Burov sent you.
He walks down the hall. She calls out after him.
LYUDMILLA
When are they taking him?
MAJOR BUROV
Now.
225 EXT. FIELD OUTSIDE PRIPYAT - DUSK 225
VASILY - on a gurney - is loaded into a HELICOPTER along
with some other firefighters and plant workers...
226 EXT. SKIES OVER CHERNOBYL - MOMENTS LATER 226
The helicopters sweep by in formation. A moment, then...
The COMMISSION HELICOPTERS blow into frame, heading in the
opposite direction... moving toward Chernobyl...
227 INT. COMMISSION HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS 227
The pilot calls back to the men in the back.
PILOT
We're approaching the power plant.
Shcherbina looks out the small side window. From his
vantage, nothing but green forest and blue skies.
SHCHERBINA
Beautiful. You should enjoy this
view, Legasov. While you have one.
Legasov ignores that. He's craning his neck. Left...
right... which way? The helicopter BANKS, and he sees:
SMOKE... which is blown away to reveal:
CHERNOBYL - tilted toward him through the helicopter
window... the reactor building blown open... the fire
pouring out of the center... and a faint BLUE GLOW
flickering around the air over the reactor...
And scattered on the roof, CHUNKS of BLACK GRAPHITE.
24.
LEGASOV
(to himself)
What have they done?
Shcherbina is just as shocked. Never expected this.
SHCHERBINA
Can you see the core from here?
LEGASOV
I don't need to. Look at the
graphite on the roof. The entire
building's blown open. It's exposed.
SHCHERBINA
I don't see how you can tell
that from here--
LEGASOV
For god's sake, look at the
glow-- the radiation is
ionizing the air!
SHCHERBINA
If we can't see it, we don't know.
(to the pilot)
Get us directly over the building.
LEGASOV
Boris Evdokimovich--
SHCHERBINA
Don't use my name.
LEGASOV
--if we fly directly over an
open reactor core--
SHCHERBINA
I didn't ask your advice.
LEGASOV
--we'll be dead within a week. Dead.
The soldiers look at each other. And in the front, the
pilot registers what was just said.
PILOT
Sir?
Shcherbina's face is set in grim determination.
SHCHERBINA
I have my orders from General-
Secretary Gorbachev. You have your
orders from me. Get us over the
reactor core, or I'll have you shot.
Legasov UNBUCKLES himself. Turns toward the cockpit.
25.
LEGASOV
If you fly over the core, I promise
you-- by tomorrow morning, you'll be
begging for that bullet.
ON THE PILOT - sweating... three seconds from the
reactor... two seconds... one second...
The pilot YANKS on the stick. LEGASOV tumbles from his
seat, SLAMMING into the side of the helicopter as--
228 EXT. OVER CHERNOBYL - CONTINUOUS 228
--the helicopter PEELS OFF at the last moment and heads
AWAY from the reactor. And one by one, the trailing
helicopters peel off and FOLLOW...
229 EXT. CHERNOBYL BASE CAMP - 3 KM FROM REACTOR - SUNSET 229
SLOW MOTION - SMOKE swirls - men in PROTECTIVE GEAR emerge
silently from the cloud. White jumpsuits. Black gloves. The
fashion of the apocalypse.
WIDE TO REVEAL - THE SITE - workers, some in protective
gear, others wearing only military uniforms, are building a
makeshift camp. Trucks, crates... and LIGHTS. Generators
crank to life and light FLOODS the site, catching waves of
soot passing through their beams. In the distance--
Chernobyl, and the plume of black smoke...
FOMIN follows BRYUKHANOV through the gauntlet of soldiers.
He glances at the men in PROTECTIVE SUITS...
FOMIN
Overkill. Pikalov's showing off. To
make us look bad.
BRYUKHANOV
It doesn't matter how it looks.
Bryukhanov stops. A stiff BREEZE has picked up. Fomin joins
him. They're looking at: the COMMISSION HELICOPTERS landing
on the ground nearby. Rotors kicking up a dusty wind.
BRYUKHANOV
Shcherbina's a pure bureaucrat, as
stupid as he is pigheaded. We'll
tell him the truth in the simplest
terms possible, and we'll be fine.
(yells to)
Pikalov!
26.
GENERAL VLADIMIR PIKALOV - 62, lifelong veteran, is signing
orders for his men. He looks over at Bryukhanov with all the
resentment of decades of taking orders from bureaucrats.
As he heads toward them:
THEIR POV OF - THE HELICOPTER - the SOLDIERS have exited,
along with the PILOT.
Now SHCHERBINA gets out, followed by LEGASOV. Shcherbina
speaks briefly to the soldiers, then begins crossing to
Bryukhanov, Fomin and Pikalov.
The soldiers stay behind with Legasov and the pilot. Not
with them. Guarding them.
As Shcherbina nears Bryukhanov:
BRYUKHANOV
Comrade Shcherbina-- Chief Engineer
Fomin, Colonel-General Pikalov and I
are honored by your arrival.
FOMIN
Deeply, deeply honored.
BRYUKHANOV
(shut up, Fomin)
Naturally, we regret the
circumstances of the visit, but as
you can see, we're making excellent
progress containing the damage.
We've also begun an inquiry into the
cause of the accident, and I have a
list of individuals we believe are
accountable.
Bryukhanov hands Shcherbina a paper with a list of NAMES.
Shcherbina takes it with an approving GRUNT, and removes
some reading glasses from his jacket pocket.
BY THE HELICOPTER - Legasov looks out toward the reactor.
Acid fear in his stomach. THEN: one of the SOLDIERS from
the helicopter approaches. Nods at Legasov to follow.
SHCHERBINA - stands with Bryukhanov and Fomin-- a united
front-- silently confronting the approaching Legasov. Then:
BRYUKHANOV
Professor Legasov. I understand
you've been saying dangerous things.
27.
FOMIN
Very dangerous things.
(his preening speech)
Apparently our reactor core
"exploded." Please tell me how an
RBMK reactor core "explodes". I'd
love to know.
Legasov glares at Fomin with pure hatred.
LEGASOV
I'm not prepared to explain it at
this time.
FOMIN
(pleased)
As I presumed. He has no answer.
BRYUKHANOV
Disgraceful, really. To spread
disinformation at a time like this.
Shcherbina stares at Legasov. Weighing his fate? Legasov
meets his eyes. If this is his end, so be it. Then:
SHCHERBINA
(to Bryukhanov)
Why did I see graphite on the roof?
Bryukhanov is startled by the question. So is Legasov.
SHCHERBINA
Graphite is only found in the core,
where it's used as a neutron flux
moderator-- correct?
Holy shit. Bryukhanov passes the buck immediately to:
BRYUKHANOV
Fomin, why did the Deputy Chairman
see graphite on the roof?
FOMIN
There can't be, I-- Comrade
Shcherbina, my apologies, but
graphite? That's... that's not
possible.
(scrambling)
Perhaps you saw burnt concrete?
28.
SHCHERBINA
Ah, now there you made a mistake,
because while I don't know much
about nuclear reactors, I know a lot
about concrete.
FOMIN
(panicking)
Comrade, I assure you--
SHCHERBINA
I understand. You think Legasov is
wrong. So-- how shall we prove it?
No answer. Shcherbina turns to Pikalov. Well?
PIKALOV
Our high-range dosimeter just
arrived. We could cover one of our
trucks with lead shielding, mount
the dosimeter on the front...
Shcherbina turns to Legasov. Satisfied? Legasov nods.
LEGASOV
(to Pikalov)
Have one of your men drive as close
to the fire as he can, and give him
every bit of protection you have.
But understand-- even with the lead
shielding-- it may not be enough.
Pikalov understands. And doesn't hesitate.
PIKALOV
Then I'll do it myself.
230 EXT. CHERNOBYL - SOUTH OF THE POWER PLANT - NIGHT 230
Smoky haze from the fire, visible in the nearly-full moon,
blankets the ground.
The air occasionally flickers with an eerie fluorescent
glow. No one here. No movement, no life.
Until.
HEADLIGHTS appear - an ARMORED TRUCK approaches from the
east...
INTERCUT WITH - PIKALOV, driving the truck, in full gear.
Gas mask concealing his face.
29.
ON THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK - a large DOSIMETER, blinking
lights, secured to the grill with MASKING TAPE.
PIKALOV'S POV - through the windowscreen - the POWER PLANT
CHAIN LINK FENCE - and beyond it, the back side of Reactor
Building #4 - and the fire raging from within...
He slows as he approaches the gate. Stop. Hesitates. Then:
TURNS AROUND. Starts to drive away.
Then STOPS again.
ON PIKALOV - SHIFTING the truck into REVERSE, and:
STOMPS on the ACCELERATOR, and:
THE TRUCK - gears whining as it picks up speed, heading
backwards, and:
SMASHES through the GATE, sending chain link and steel
poles scattering aside...
The truck stops again, then turns slowly to face its
destination.
PIKALOV'S POV - through the windowscreen - as he drives
SLOWLY NOW, his headlights illuminate the desolate
landscape of the broken power plant.
We stay in his POV as he weaves through: chunks of burning
graphite. The wreckage of pumps and machinery thrown from
somewhere deep in the building...
And as he turns around to the west side of the building:
ABANDONED FIRE TRUCKS... OPEN HOSES still connected to the
plant hydrants, SPEWING WATER into drainage grates...
ON PIKALOV - he turns the wheel, searching for the closest
spot, and as he comes around a turn, we can see his eyes
widen, even through the goggles of his face mask...
Because he sees it now.
And reflected against his windshield--
--a terrible, UNNATURAL light.
231 INT. TEMP. MILITARY SHELTER - BASE CAMP - NIGHT 231
A temporary command tent. Bryukhanov and Fomin sit in
silence. Across the room, Legasov sits alone.
30.
And in the middle of the room, between them... Shcherbina.
Waiting with no expression whatsoever.
No one looks at anyone. No one says a word. Then-- a
SOLDIER enters.
SOLDIER
He's back.
232 EXT. BASE CAMP - MOMENTS LATER 232
Shcherbina strides out, followed by Legasov, Bryukhanov and
Fomin. The armored truck is 100 meters away, and men in
protective gear are HOSING IT DOWN with a WHITE FOAM.
Twenty meters away, men hose down PIKALOV - still in his
gear - and then help him remove his hood... gas mask...
unzip the overalls... he unbuckles the boots...
Finally, Pikalov walks over to them.
PIKALOV
It's not three roentgen.
They hang in anticipation. Everyone's fate in the balance.
PIKALOV
It's fifteen thousand.
Legasov closes his eyes. That was the number he expected.
Fomin is speechless. Bryukhanov scoffs.
BRYUKHANOV
Comrade Shcherbina--
Shcherbina fixes his deadly glare on Bryukhanov, who
instantly shuts up. Then Shcherbina turns to Legasov.
SHCHERBINA
What does that number mean?
LEGASOV
It means the core is open and the
fuel is melting down. It means the
fire we're watching with our own
eyes is giving off nearly twice the
radiation released by the bomb in
Hiroshima. And that's every single
hour. Hour after hour.
(checks his watch)
Twenty hours since the explosion.
Forty bombs' worth by now.
(MORE)
31.
Forty-eight more tomorrow. And it
LEGASOV (cont'd)
will not stop. Not in a week. Not in
a month. It will burn and spread its
poison until the entire continent is
dead.
No one says a word. Then Shcherbina turns to a soldier.
SHCHERBINA
Please escort Comrades Bryukhanov
and Fomin to the local Party
headquarters.
Just as Bryukhanov foresaw. They're being arrested.
SHCHERBINA
Thank you for your service,
gentlemen.
Bryukhanov attempts a protest, even as he knows it's
pointless.
BRYUKHANOV
Comrade...
SHCHERBINA
You're excused.
Discussion over. Two more soldiers move in and guide
Bryukhanov and Fomin away.
FOMIN
Dyatlov was in charge! It was Dyatlov!
And they're gone. Shcherbina takes a moment. Doesn't notice
Legasov's disquiet about what just happened. Just:
SHCHERBINA
Tell me how to put it out.
PIKALOV
We'll use helicopters. Drop water on
it, like a forest fire.
LEGASOV
No-- no-- you don't understand.
You're dealing with something that
has never occurred on this planet
before. This isn't a "fire". It's a
fissioning reactor core burning at
over 2,000 degrees. The heat will
instantly vaporize the water-- or
worse, ionize it, and then you're--
32.
SHCHERBINA
(no time)
How do we--
LEGASOV
Sand. Sand and boron. Thousands of
drops because the helicopters can't
go directly over the core, so much of
it is going to miss, and there are
other-- risks-- but I don't see any
other way.
SHCHERBINA
How much sand and boron?
LEGASOV
Well I can't be as accurate as I'd--
SHCHERBINA
For god's sake-- roughly.
LEGASOV
Five thousand tons?
Shcherbina and Pikalov look at each other. Five thousand tons?
LEGASOV
And obviously we need to immediately
evacuate an enormous area of--
SHCHERBINA
(bristles)
Never mind that. Focus on the fire.
LEGASOV
I am focusing on the fire. The wind
is carrying the smoke, all that
radiation-- at least evacuate
Pripyat! It's three kilometers away!
SHCHERBINA
That's my decision to make.
LEGASOV
Then make it.
SHCHERBINA
I've been told not to.
LEGASOV
Is it or is it not your decision?!
33.
SHCHERBINA
I am in charge here! This will go much
easier if you talk to me about things
you DO understand, and do NOT talk to
me about things you do NOT understand.
With that Shcherbina turns and walks off in a huff.
LEGASOV
(shouts after him)
Where are you going?
SHCHERBINA
(shouts back)
I'm GOING to get you five thousand
tons of sand and boron!
And just like that, he's gone. Legasov stands there, unsure
of what to do. Or where to go.
PIKALOV
There's a hotel.
Legasov looks at him. A hotel? It's all so surreal... but...
233 EXT. POLISSYA HOTEL - PRIPYAT - NIGHT 233
A six storey, white building. Typical Soviet brutalist
design. Could just as easily be a prison.
Legasov is dropped off by a Red Army UAZ-469, which drives
away, leaving him alone. He looks around, still in shock.
A FEW CITIZENS - take their nightly strolls. Walk their
pets. No one knows. And he can't tell them.
234 INT. POLISSYA HOTEL - LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER 234
Legasov slowly walks through the lobby, like he's in a
waking nightmare. The hotel is quiet, but there are the
bellhops... the front desk attendants... the maids...
He turns and sees: a BAR off to the side. He crosses over
to it and takes a seat. Everything feels upside-down.
Around the bend of the bar, a couple. HUSBAND and WIFE from
the looks of it. 30's, probably locals. Sharing a quiet but
merry conversation. Perhaps a birthday night out.
34.
The BARTENDER, 20-ish woman, unscrews the cap on a bottle
of vodka and takes a upturned glass from the bar. Legasov
points to one of the glasses that are FACE DOWN on the bar.
LEGASOV
I'd prefer one of those.
She looks at him oddly. Uhh, okay. She takes one of the
glasses he wants, and pours him his drink.
The HUSBAND AND WIFE have stopped chatting. They've noticed
this. Legasov doesn't realize they're looking at him until:
LOCAL WIFE
Moscow?
He looks over at her. What? Oh. His clothes... or his face?
He nods. Lost.
LOCAL WIFE
Superstitious?
Your strange request about the glass?
Oh. Yeah. Superstitious. He turns back to his drink, but:
LOCAL WIFE
Are you here because of the fire?
Please stop asking questions. Legasov nods. Yes. The wife
and husband share a look. Then:
LOCAL WIFE
Anything we should be worried about?
Legasov turns to them. They're trying to disguise their
concern... their fear... but doing a poor job of it.
A long pause. Tell them. Tell them. Tell them.
LEGASOV
No.
The couple do another poor job of disguising their relief.
They each raise a glass to him. He raises his to them, and
then he drinks. Fast.
CLOSE ON LEGASOV: the bottle enters frame. Pours another.
We stay CLOSE ON LEGASOV, soaking in his fear and guilt and
frustration, and all sound FADES TO SILENCE.
DISSOLVE TO:
35.
235 EXT. ABOVE THE PRIPYAT FOREST - MORNING 235
WE MOVE SILENTLY IN THE AIR - over the pine forest. What
started as a narrow band of reddish/brown trees has
widened. Death is spreading.
236 INT. FOREST - CONTINUOUS 236
A thick mist hangs over the ground. The only sound is the
occasional creak of wood.
The mist shifts, and now we see the forest floor. Blanketed
in dead pine needles.
The corpse of a deer.
Now we hear: a faint whup-whup-whup-whup
In the distance, PINE NEEDLES are blown off of dead
trees... the sound grows to a DEAFENING ROAR... the wave of
air and pine needles rushes closer, and:
LOOK UP THROUGH THE TREES TO SEE: a squadron of SOVIET AIR
FORCE HELICOPTERS flying by in formation.
237 EXT. ABOVE THE FOREST - CONTINUOUS 237
The helicopters bank around toward Chernobyl.
TITLE:
MORNING, APRIL 27
30 HOURS AFTER THE EXPLOSION
238 OMITTED 238
239 EXT. ROOF OF ADMIN BUILDING - CHERNOBYL - CONTINUOUS 239
LEGASOV stands on the roof, watching the helicopters
through binoculars.
Shcherbina stands next to him. Behind them, set up on a
small portable table, is a STASIUK, a RADIO OFFICER with a
radio and microphone.
We hear the squawk of voices over the radio.
36.
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
Boris squadron, maintain altitude,
hold at 5 kilometers. Anna squadron
proceed to pattern. Lead One begin
approach. Keep clear of the
construction cranes on the south
edge of the zone, and move in from
the east.
As Legasov watches, four helicopters come closer. Three
remain in a holding pattern while the LEAD COPTER begins to
move slowly toward the reactor site.
PILOT (RADIO)
Anna squadron to pattern, Lead One
on approach from east.
The lead helicopter BANKS as it begins to move toward the
PLUME OF SMOKE. Legasov watches. Nervous.
LEGASOV
Remind them about the perimeter.
Stasiuk looks to Shcherbina for the okay on that.
Shcherbina scowls. Doesn't like taking orders from Legasov.
But nods. Fine.
STASIUK
(into mic)
They cannot fly directly over the
fire. A minimum of a ten meter
perimeter.
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
Ten meter perimeter, copy.
A bit of static, then:
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
Lead One, per preflight-- maintain
minimum ten meter perimeter.
PILOT (RADIO)
Cop[distortion].
Legasov continues to peer through the binoculars.
Shcherbina just watches with his eyes. Unblinking.
The helicopter moves slowly toward the plume of smoke.
PILOT (RADIO)
Forty meters. [distortion]-five
Thirty.
37.
The smoke suddenly SHIFTS, and washing over the helicopter,
partially obscuring it.
Legasov lowers the binoculars. He's lost sight of the
copter.
ON THE RADIO - the signal is starting to distort. Then:
PILOT (RADIO)
(breaking up)
--visibility, I [can't]--
(breaking up)
--twent[y]--
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
Lead One, repeat.
PILOT (RADIO)
[distortion] are we [distortion]
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
Repeat. Repeat.
The wind shifts, and the smoke moves away, briefly
REVEALING THE COPTER. It's drifting RIGHT OVER THE FIRE.
LEGASOV
No no no-- they're too close.
The smoke returns, OBSCURING THE HELICOPTER again.
Stasiuk looks to Shcherbina.
LEGASOV
(no time for this)
They cannot go over the core-- tell
them!
Shcherbina gives Stasiuk another nod. Do it.
STASIUK
Lead One is too close, I repeat they
are too close!
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
Copy.
(beat)
Lead One, you are inside the
perimeter. Abort. Abort.
PILOT (RADIO)
[distortion] can't [distortion]
38.
As the wind buffets the smoke, we catch GLIMPSES of the
helicopter. It's hovering RIGHT OVER THE FIRE, now facing
the wrong way.
STASIUK
Abort. Abort. Abort.
BASE COMMAND
Abort abort. Lead One--
PILOT
[distorted] I can't [distorted]
oh... oh... [distorted]
ON THE RADIO - LOUD STATIC... worse than silence. Then:
Legasov, Shcherbina and Stasiuk watch in horror as the wind
shifts the smoke away, revealing:
The helicopter is still just hovering there. Right over the
mouth of the open reactor.
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
Lead One. Lead One.
Nothing. Radio silence.
And then the helicopter slowly DRIFTS toward a CONSTRUCTION
CRANE... off kilter, tilting ODDLY as if drunk...
...and its rotor blades STRIKE the steel cable hanging from
the crane... the BLADES DISINTEGRATE, and--
--the helicopter ROLLS OVER and PLUMMETS from the sky.
Legasov turns away. Doesn't want to look. But he hears the
distant THUD of the impact. His stomach turns.
Shcherbina hangs his head. The worst possible beginning.
The radio's distorted signal drops to a muted HISS. Then:
BASE COMMAND (RADIO)
(solemn)
Please advise.
STASIUK
(shaken)
Sir? What do I tell the others?
SHCHERBINA
Legasov.
(nothing)
Legasov, is there another way to do this?
39.
Legasov shakes his head "no". Shcherbina turns back to
Stasiuk.
SHCHERBINA
Send the next one in. And tell them
to approach from the west.
Legasov walks away. Overwhelmed. Shcherbina lets him go.
240 OMITTED 240
241 OMITTED 241
242 OMITTED 242
243 OMITTED 243
244 OMITTED 244
245 OMITTED 245
246 EXT. KURCHATOV INSTITUTE - MOSCOW - DAY 246
The most Soviet building imaginable. A four story, brown
box with a band of ugly orange tiling just under the roof.
We hear a PHONE RINGING.
247 INT. MARINA'S OFFICE / KHOMYUK'S LAB - CONTINUOUS 247
MARINA, 40's, scientist in a lab, answers the phone.
MARINA
Kurchatov Institute Laboratory 4.
INTERCUT WITH: KHOMYUK, in her lab, on the phone. Dmitri
sits with her, listening to Khomyuk's end of the
conversation.
KHOMYUK
Marina Gruzinskaya, it's Ulana
Khomyuk from Minsk.
40.
Marina tenses. Already knows what this is about. Glances at
her phone, with its lit up buttons. This is a nuclear lab
in the Soviet Union. No such thing as a private call.
MARINA
(stiffly pleasant)
Oh, yes, how nice of you to phone.
It's been too long.
Khomyuk registers the woman's tone. Good.
KHOMYUK
It has. I was actually calling about
our friend-- you know, the one in
the country?
MARINA
Yes, of course.
KHOMYUK
I wanted to see how he was doing.
It's so hot there right now.
MARINA
Yes, it's extremely hot. But--
(thinks)
His nephews are flying in, and they
always bring cool weather with them.
KHOMYUK
Oh? Which nephews?
MARINA
Simka, who's 14, and little Boris,
who just turned 5.
Khomyuk looks at the small reference PERIODIC TABLE taped
on the wall under some cabinets. Sees the symbols for Si
(14) and B (5).
KHOMYUK
Well that's wonderful. Of course,
children can make you even hotter
when they're crawling all over you.
MARINA
That's true. But what can you do?
KHOMYUK
Maybe I'll go visit them.
41.
MARINA
No, they don't want visitors. I'm
sorry, I have to get back to work.
It's very busy right now. Goodbye.
Khomyuk hears the CLICK as Marina hangs up. She puts the
phone down.
KHOMYUK
They're dropping sand and boron on
the fire.
DMITRI
It's what I would do.
KHOMYUK
Yes, I'm sure it is.
She moves across the lab to a low storage unit with wide
drawers. Begins pulling open the drawers, looking for--
--there. A set of BLUEPRINTS. She puts them on her desk.
Dmitri joins her, curious, as she hunts through the
blueprints for something. Flip, flip, flip, flip -- there.
An elevation of an industrial building. HER FINGER traces
down... to a cross-section of two EMPTY SPACES.
She thinks for a second, then FOLDS UP the blueprints and
moves to the exit.
DMITRI
Where are you going?
KHOMYUK
(not looking back)
Chernobyl.
248 INT. POLISSYA HOTEL - SHCHERBINA'S SUITE - DAY 248
A minimalist suite. Bedroom with an attached area for a
sofa, chair, coffee table. On it, plates of untouched food.
Ashtrays full of cigarettes.
They've been holed up in here for a bit.
LEGASOV stands by the window. Staring out and down at
something-- perhaps on the street below. We don't see what.
From outside, the steady drone of distant HELICOPTERS.
SHCHERBINA enters. Legasov turns to him. News?
42.
SHCHERBINA
It's been smooth. Twenty drops.
No change in Legasov's somber expression. Shcherbina's
short fuse is immediately lit.
SHCHERBINA
What.
LEGASOV
There are fifty thousand people in
this city.
So. This argument again.
SHCHERBINA
Professor Ilyin-- who is also on the
commission-- says the radiation isn't
high enough to evacuate--
LEGASOV
Ilyin isn't a physicist--
SHCHERBINA
He's a medical doctor. If he says
it's safe, it's safe.
LEGASOV
Not if they stay here.
SHCHERBINA
We're staying here...
LEGASOV
Yes we are. And we'll be dead in
five years.
The second the words leave his mouth, Legasov regrets them.
Shcherbina stands in total shock. Gutted.
LEGASOV
I'm-- I'm sorry, I didn't--
Shcherbina limply waves him off. Stop talking.
He sits down. Trying to swallow what he's just been told.
THE PHONE RINGS. Jars us. Shcherbina picks it up, in a daze.
SHCHERBINA
Shcherbina.
43.
Legasov watches Shcherbina's face as he listens to the
person on the other end. After a few long seconds...
SHCHERBINA
Thank you.
He hangs up. All of the fight gone out of him.
SHCHERBINA
A nuclear plant in Sweden detected
radiation. And identified it as a
byproduct of our fuel. The Americans
took satellite photos-- the reactor
building. The smoke. The fire. The
whole world knows.
Shcherbina joins Legasov at the window. Stares out. Pale.
SHCHERBINA
The wind's been blowing toward
Germany. They're not letting
children play outside in Frankfurt.
THEIR POV: CHILDREN at a playground just across the street.
MUSIC: the familiar ABC NIGHTLY NEWS fanfare.
249 EXT. PLAYGROUND - CONTINUOUS 249
As children laugh and play, we hear the voice of:
PETER JENNINGS (V.O.)
There has been a nuclear accident in
the Soviet Union, and the Soviets
have admitted that it happened.
In the near distance, the PLUME OF BLACK SMOKE continues to
rise from Chernobyl...
250 INT. KREMLIN CONFERENCE ROOM 250
Gorbachev sits alone, watching a VHS PLAYBACK of a Western
news report on television. Grim.
PETER JENNINGS (ON TV)
The Soviet version is this: one of
the atomic reactors at the Chernobyl
Atomic Power Plant near the city of
Kiev was damaged, and there is
speculation in Moscow that people
were injured and may have died.
(MORE)
44.
The Soviets may have been fairly
PETER JENNINGS (ON TV) (cont'd)
quick to acknowledge the accident
because evidence-- in the form of
mild nuclear radiation--
251 EXT. HIGHWAY - UKRAINIAN COUNTRYSIDE 251
A motorcycle parked on the left shoulder of a WINDING
HIGHWAY in the middle of nowhere. A young man is attempting
to fix a thrown chain.
His girlfriend stands waiting. Smoking.
PETER JENNINGS (V.O.)
--had already reached beyond the
Soviet borders to Scandinavia.
An EMPTY KIEV CITY BUS rounds the bend and ROARS past them,
heading north down the highway.
Then another. And another. And another.
The girl nudges her boyfriend to get his attention. He
rises, and they both watch in confusion as:
Kiev city buses keep coming, one after the other...
252 EXT. PRIPYAT STREET - DAY 252
People walk outside. Push prams. Carry groceries.
A MILITARY truck rumbles into view. There are LOUDSPEAKERS
mounted to the truck. A PIERCING electronic SQUEAL.
A female voice echoes out from the loudspeakers. A
recording. Slow, deliberate, oddly calm.
LOUDSPEAKER
ATTENTION.
And despite the eerie sedation of her voice, the people on
the street immediately begin BACKING AWAY from the truck.
Frightened. Whatever this is, it won't be good.
LOUDSPEAKER
ATTENTION.
45.
253 EXT. PRIPYAT - VARIOUS - MONTAGE 253
The LOUDSPEAKER TRUCKS are everywhere, crawling at a
snail's pace through the city.
LOUDSPEAKER
ATTENTION.
SOLDIERS begin moving in formation toward groups of people,
who put their arms up, submissively moving backwards.
LOUDSPEAKER
ATTENTION.
TITLE:
2 P.M., APRIL 27
36 HOURS AFTER THE EXPLOSION
Soldiers are stopping cars. Gesturing for people to get
out. Leave the cars... leave everything in the cars...
LOUDSPEAKER
FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE RESIDENTS
OF PRIPYAT.
Soldiers head into buildings. Fists POUND on doors.
LOUDSPEAKER
THE CITY COUNCIL INFORMS YOU THAT DUE
TO THE ACCIDENT AT CHERNOBYL POWER
STATION IN THE CITY OF PRIPYAT--
The KIEV BUSES begin arriving. Soldiers clear people out of
stores. Panicky parents grab their children from playgrounds.
Teachers leads students out of school in single file lines.
LOUDSPEAKER
--THE RADIOACTIVE CONDITIONS IN THE
VICINITY ARE DETERIORATING.
In the HOSPITAL - soldiers move through the hallways. Usher
patients out of bed. People are removing their own IV's...
Soldiers push the incapacitated out in gurneys. Even they
cannot stay.
ZINCHENKO is treating MIKHAIL and OKSANA'S BABY, who is
still shrieking in Mikhail's arms.
46.
LOUDSPEAKER
THE COMMUNIST PARTY, ITS OFFICIALS,
AND THE ARMED FORCES ARE TAKING
NECESSARY STEPS TO COMBAT THIS.
A soldier gestures for her to leave. She refuses. He grabs
her. Another soldier takes the baby from Mikhail, who tries
to stop them, but he has no strength. All he can do is cry.
Zinchenko fights to get to the baby, but they DRAG her
away.
LOUDSPEAKER
NEVERTHELESS, WITH THE VIEW TO KEEP
PEOPLE AS SAFE AND HEALTHY AS
POSSIBLE--
ON THE STREETS - people are being lined up to board buses.
Scared, but compliant. Like livestock.
Nearby, a CRYING LITTLE GIRL. Alone. A soldier enters and
casually LIFTS HER and takes her away. No one says a word.
LOUDSPEAKER
--THE CHILDREN BEING THE TOP
PRIORITY, WE NEED TO TEMPORARILY
EVACUATE THE CITIZENS IN THE NEAREST
TOWNS OF KIEV OBLAST.
People file into the streets, all under the watchful eye of
soldiers. Some of them are barely dressed.
LOUDSPEAKER
FOR THESE REASONS, STARTING FROM
APRIL 27, 1986, 2 P.M., EACH
APARTMENT BLOCK WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE
A BUS AT ITS DISPOSAL, SUPERVISED BY
THE POLICE AND THE CITY OFFICIALS.
Outside, ZHARKOV, the elderly Pripyat minister who gave the
rousing speech in the Chernobyl command bunker, is helped
toward a bus by a soldier.
The old Soviet believer seems utterly confused. He doesn't
understand... they were told it was safe...
LOUDSPEAKER
THE SENIOR EXECUTIVES OF PUBLIC AND
INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES OF THE CITY
HAVE DECIDED ON THE LIST OF
EMPLOYEES NEEDED TO STAY IN PRIPYAT
TO MAINTAIN THESE FACILITIES IN GOOD
WORKING ORDER.
47.
At the buses, the soldiers start taking PETS away... adults
and children CRYING as dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters... all
pulled from their arms.
The people are going. The animals are staying.
LOUDSPEAKER
COMRADES LEAVING YOUR RESIDENCES
TEMPORARILY, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU
HAVE TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS,
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AND WATER, AND
SHUT THE WINDOWS.
NEAR THE HOSPITAL - Hundreds of patients on gurneys. Even
more stumbling around in hospital gowns. Soldiers trying to
get them into ambulances. Onto buses.
ZINCHENKO leans over a RUBBISH BIN. Vomiting. She finishes,
and stands back up weakly.
Looks at her hand. It's oozing fluid through the bandage.
Her other hand is bright red now. Blistering.
The Pripyat Nurse rushes over and leads Zinchenko to an
ambulance. She stumbles toward it. It doesn't matter now.
She's dying.
LOUDSPEAKER
PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND ORDERLY IN
THE PROCESS OF THIS SHORT TERM
EVACUATION.
The BUSES full of people begin to pull away... one after
another in a line... abandoned PET DOGS run after the
buses, trying to stay with their owners...
ON THE ROOF OF THE POLISSYA HOTEL - Legasov and Shcherbina
watch the evacuation in somber silence.
From here, we can see the scope of it.
The soldiers. The military vehicles. The abandoned cars.
The dogs and cats. The circling helicopters.
The Soviet flags. The propaganda billboards.
And the endless convoy of buses as they drive away with the
former citizens of Pripyat.
This time, it's Shcherbina who can't look. This time, it's
Shcherbina who turns and walks away.
And the loudspeaker recording begins again.
48.
LOUDSPEAKER
ATTENTION. ATTENTION. ATTENTION.
254 EXT. EDGE OF PRIPYAT - NIGHT 254
As the last of the buses rumbles past the military
checkpoint, a small CAR comes driving up toward the town.
Soldiers step out, hands raised. A few more ready their
rifles. The car slows to a stop. ZUKAUSKAS, a soldier,
moves toward the car.
ZUKAUSKAS
NO ENTRY. TURN AROUND.
But instead, KHOMYUK rolls down her window. There are a
dozen men with guns. She's terrified. But defiant.
ZUKAUSKAS
I said turn around. This is a
restricted zone.
KHOMYUK
I'm from the Byelorusian Institute
of Nuclear--
SOUND: a HELICOPTER ZOOMS BY overhead. LOW. She flinches
from the noise. The wind. This isn't where she belongs.
ZUKAUSKAS
Do you have permission?
KHOMYUK
Listen to me. I need to--
ZUKAUSKAS
Turn around right now, or I will
arrest you.
Only one option left. She gathers her courage.
KHOMYUK
If you arrest me, you should take me
to the highest possible authority.
Another HELICOPTER rockets by. The guards look at each
other. What is this woman on about?
49.
255 EXT. POLISSYA HOTEL - NIGHT 255
A Red Army UAZ-469 drives up to the hotel. There are lights
on in the lower windows. All of the windows above the first
storey are dark...
256 INT. POLISSYA HOTEL - BANQUET ROOM - NIGHT 256
The type of place where you might have a wedding. The fancy
lights and carpet are a strange contrast to Legasov and
Shcherbina, who sit at a banquet table, looking at a large
MAP of the region.
Legasov smokes as he talks. Shcherbina barely looks at the
map. Seems lost in his thoughts.
LEGASOV
We have to start a radiological
survey. Sector by sector. On foot--
dosimeters in hand--
Legasov realizes Shcherbina isn't listening.
LEGASOV
Are you all right?
Shcherbina lifts his head. Forces a reassuring smile. Then:
PIKALOV enters with KHOMYUK.
PIKALOV
I'm sorry to interrupt. The guards
arrested this woman at the south
checkpoint. I would have put her in a
cell, but--
KHOMYUK
--but he thought you should know
that I know.
Before Legasov can even ask--
KHOMYUK
I know your reactor core is exposed.
I know the graphite is on fire, the
fuel is melting, and you're dropping
sand and boron on it. Which you
probably thought was smart. But
you've made a mistake.
(MORE)
50.
(beat)
KHOMYUK (cont'd)
Ulana Yuriyvna Khomyuk, chief
physicist, Byelorusian Institute for
Nuclear Energy. You're Valery
Alexeyevich Legasov?
He nods. A bit bewildered.
KHOMYUK
Smothering the core will put the
fire out, but the temperature will
eventually increase. It will melt
down--
He raises a hand to stop her.
LEGASOV
Believe me, I'm perfectly aware. But
I estimate at least a month before
it melts through the lower concrete
pad, which gives us time to--
KHOMYUK
You don't have a month. You have
approximately two days.
Before Legasov can respond, she puts the BLUEPRINTS down on
top of their map. Points to the bottom of the reactor.
KHOMYUK
Yes, the fuel would take a month to
reach the concrete pad here, but
first it's going to burn through the
biological shield here by Tuesday.
And when it does, it's going to hit
these tanks. Bubbler pools. Reser--
LEGASOV
Reservoirs for the ECS. I understand
your concern, but I confirmed it
with plant personnel-- the tanks are
nearly empty.
KHOMYUK
No. They were nearly empty.
That gets Legasov's attention. He leans in, concerned, as
she points to the blueprints again.
KHOMYUK
Each of these points, here, here,
here in the reactor hall... all
drain to the bubbler pools.
51.
Legasov leans back. Beginning to understand.
KHOMYUK
I'm guessing every pipe in the
building ruptured. And then there
are those fire engines I saw on the
way in.
Pikalov turns to Legasov.
PIKALOV
The fire hoses are still connected.
They've been gushing water into the
structure this whole time.
LEGASOV
(horrified)
The tanks are full...
Shcherbina is utterly confused, but he can see from
Legasov's face-- something has gone terribly wrong.
257 INT./EXT. NEWS REPORTS - VARIOUS 257
The ugly globe-and-red-star logo of the Soviet nightly news
program VREMYA ("time") gives way to an oddly-framed
newsdesk in front of a large blue screen.
A female newsreader calmly reads a 14-second report. This
is footage of the actual newscast made on April 28th, 1986.
Translation only is SUBTITLED over the footage.
VREMYA NEWS ANCHOR
An official announcement from the
Council of Ministers. There has been
an accident at the Chernobyl atomic
power station. One of the atomic
reactors was damaged. Steps are
being taken to deal with the
situation, and aid is being given to
those affected. The government has
formed a commission of inquiry.
258 INT. KREMLIN CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT 258
The commission is assembled, waiting, including Legasov,
Shcherbina and Khomyuk, who sits with them.
Gorbachev enters. Weary. Visibly stressed. Everyone rises
and sits back down quickly as he takes his seat.
52.
GORBACHEV
I have ten minutes. Then I'm back on
the phone. Apologizing to our
friends. Apologizing to our enemies.
He glares at Legasov and Shcherbina.
GORBACHEV
Our power comes from the perception
of our power. Do you understand the
damage this has done? Do you
understand what's at stake?
(beat)
Boris.
SHCHERBINA
Professor Legasov will deliver our
briefing.
Gorbachev leans back. This isn't the stubborn, bull-headed
Shcherbina he knows. This man seems sullen, defeated...
Legasov stands up, eager to draw attention from Shcherbina.
LEGASOV
We do have-- some-- good news. The
air drops are working to douse the
fire. There has been a reduction in
radionuclide emissions, but the fire
will not be extinguished for at
least another two weeks.
Gorbachev hangs his head. Two weeks.
LEGASOV
There is also-- an additional
problem.
Gorbachev slowly raises his eyes. There's more?
Legasov opens a document binder in front of him. Everyone
in the room has the same one in front of them. As Legasov
turns pages, so do they, en masse.
The first page is a CROSS SECTION of the REACTOR.
LEGASOV
Nuclear fuel doesn't turn cold simply
because it's not on fire. In fact,
the temperature will likely rise as a
result of the blanket of sand we've
dropped.
(MORE)
53.
The uranium will begin to melt the
LEGASOV (cont'd)
sand around it, creating a kind of--
lava-- which will begin to melt down
through the shield below.
GORBACHEV
You've made... lava.
LEGASOV
(clears his throat)
I had anticipated this. I believed
we had time to reinforce this lower
concrete pad before the lava reached
the earth and contaminated the
groundwater. But as it turns out, I
was worried about the wrong thing.
Legasov turns the page. We now see a closer section of the
blueprint, focusing on the core and the pools underneath.
LEGASOV
It was my understanding the large
water tanks under the reactor were
essentially empty.
(gestures to)
This is Ulana Khomyuk of the
Byelorusian Institute. Thanks to her
insight, we are now aware that the
tanks are, in fact, full.
GORBACHEV
(impatient)
Of water. What exactly is the
problem here, Legasov?
Legasov nods to Khomyuk who rises. He sits down.
KHOMYUK
(the blueprint page)
When the lava enters these tanks, it
will instantly superheat and
vaporize approximately 7000 cubic
meters of water, causing a
significant thermal explosion.
The word "explosion" sits there for a moment. Then:
GORBACHEV
How significant?
A beat. Then:
54.
KHOMYUK
We estimate between two and four
megatons.
The men in the room react. My god.
Khomyuk flips to the next page. The room flips along with
her. The snap of papers moving.
This is a map of the Pripyat/Chernobyl region. She makes a
CIRCLING gesture on the page with her finger.
KHOMYUK
Everything within a 30 kilometer
radius will be completely destroyed,
including the other three nuclear
reactors at Chernobyl. The entirety
of radioactive material in all of the
cores will be ejected at force, and
dispersed by a massive shockwave--
She flips to the next page, and the room follows in turn. A
larger map. Byelorusia and Ukraine.
KHOMYUK
--which will extend approximately
200 kilometers and likely be fatal
to the entire population of Kiev as
well as a portion of Minsk.
Gorbachev lowers his head to his hand. Can't look. Doesn't
want to hear any more.
Khomyuk flips to the next page. The room follows. A map of
Europe and Asia.
KHOMYUK
The release of radiation will be
severe, and will impact all of
Soviet Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania
and Byelorusia, as well as Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary,
and most of East Germany.
She sits down. Report concluded. Gorbachev takes a moment
to absorb this, then:
GORBACHEV
What do you mean "impact"?
55.
LEGASOV
For much of the area, a nearly permanent
disruption of water and food supplies,
and a steep increase in the rates of
cancer and birth defects. I don't know
how many will die, but-- many.
He hesitates, then:
LEGASOV
For Byelorusia and Ukraine, "impact"
means completely uninhabitable. For
a minimum of one hundred years.
The men in the room are staggered.
GORBACHEV
There are fifty million people in
Byelorusia and Ukraine alone.
LEGASOV
Sixty. Yes.
GORBACHEV
How long before this happens?
LEGASOV
Approximately 48 to 72 hours.
Khomyuk watches their panic rise. Good. Panic is
appropriate.
LEGASOV
But-- we believe we have a solution.
Legasov flips to the next page. A larger schematic of the
power plant. The room flips along.
LEGASOV
We can pump the water from the
tanks. Unfortunately, they're sealed
off by a sluice gate, and the gate
can only be opened manually from
within the duct system itself. We
need to find three plant workers who
know the facility well enough to
enter the basement here, find their
way through all these ductways, get
to the sluice gate valve here, and
give us the access we need to pump
out the tanks.
(beat)
Of course we'll need your permission.
56.
GORBACHEV
Permission for what?
LEGASOV
The water in these ducts-- the level
of radioactive contamination--
KHOMYUK
(just say it)
They'll likely be dead in a week.
LEGASOV
We're asking your permission to kill
three men.
Gorbachev considers that. Turns to a GENERAL. Some kind of
silent communication between the two of them. Then:
GORBACHEV
Comrade Legasov. All victories
inevitably come at a cost. Sometimes
we count this cost in rubles.
(beat)
Sometimes we count it in lives.
259 EXT. PRIPYAT - VARIOUS - MORNING 259
We SILENTLY DRIFT through the empty city...
INSIDE CLASSROOMS - the desks are in an orderly grid.
Soviet propaganda on the wall. Lessons on the chalkboard.
OUTSIDE - tired, faded clothes hang from a drying line.
IN THE HOSPITAL - the wide, empty corridor. And now
different views. Equipment, beds, files... all scattered
about. A steady DRIP from a cracked IV bottle.
A BENCH ON THE STREET - a simple carving in the soft wood.
A worn pencil.
IN AN APARTMENT - a pair of old shoes next to an unmade bed.
A RESTAURANT - food still on tables, right where it was left.
THE FERRIS WHEEL - creaks gently in the breeze.
We PAN SLOWLY across the desolate ghost city until we land
on: the POLISSYA HOTEL.
57.
260 INT. HOTEL BANQUET ROOM - MORNING 260
Shcherbina sits behind a table. Legasov stands next to him,
pointing at the same facility schematic we just saw.
LEGASOV
--and open the sluice gate valve
here.
Legasov turns away from the schematic to face: THE MEN -
about thirty of them in civilian clothes, sitting on fancy
banquet chairs, and staring back at him. Grim.
LEGASOV
There are multiple valves, so we'll
need two to three men who know the
basement layout-- and of course any
volunteers will be rewarded. A
yearly stipend of 400 rubles...
The men stare back at him. Unmoved. Legasov tries again.
LEGASOV
And for those of you working in
reactors 1 and 2, promotions--
PLANT EMPLOYEE
Why are reactors 1 and 2 still
operating at all?
Murmurs of agreement.
PLANT EMPLOYEE
My friend was a security guard that
night. Her father tells me she's
dying. And we've all heard about the
firemen. Now you want us to swim
underneath a burning reactor? Do you
even know how contaminated it is?
LEGASOV
I don't have an exact number...
PLANT EMPLOYEE
You don't need an exact number to know
if it will kill us. But you won't even
tell us that. So why should we do this?
For what? 400 rubles?
SHCHERBINA
You'll do it because it must be done.
58.
Shcherbina slowly rises. Fixes his gaze on the men. His old
gaze. His old anger and determination. The Ukrainian bull.
SHCHERBINA
You'll do it because no one else can,
and if you don't, millions will die.
And if you tell me that's not enough,
I won't believe you.
The Plant Employee sits down. The others listen carefully
now, like they're finally hearing their native tongue.
SHCHERBINA
This is what has always set our people
apart. A thousand years of sacrifice
in our veins. And every generation
must know its own suffering. I spit on
the men who did this. And I curse the
price I have to pay. But I am making
my peace with it. You make yours. And
go into the water.
(beat)
Because it must be done.
Silence. Then... a MAN in the back rises. 30-years old.
ANANENKO
Ananenko.
A moment, then ANOTHER MAN rises. 40.
BEZPALOV
Bezpalov.
Then a THIRD MAN rises. 50.
BARANOV
Baranov.
Three men. Ready to die for what must be done.
Everyone looks at them like they're heroes. Because they
already are.
261 EXT. CHERNOBYL - NEAR ADMINISTRATION BUILDING - DAY 261
Pikalov's troops, in full hazard gear, stand by a
MAINTENANCE DOOR.
They silently turn, faceless behind their masks, to:
59.
THE THREE MEN: Ananenko, Bezpalov and Baranov-- each
dressed in HEAVY DIVING WET SUITS. Soldiers strap
DOSIMETERS to the men... one on the chest, one on an ankle.
Pikalov's men prepare the divers, like priests anointing
sacrifices. Tightening gloves. Fastening boots.
Then they cover the three men's heads with RESPIRATOR
MASKS. Ananenko, Bezpalov and Baranov are now FACELESS.
Ananenko and Bezpalov are given TORCHES and WRENCHES to
hold. Baranov is given a DOSIMETER on the end of a
TELESCOPING ROD.
It's time. A soldier TAPS on the maintenance door. Ready?
The three divers look at each other. Then nod. Ready.
A RISE - ONE HUNDRED METERS AWAY - where Pikalov,
Shcherbina and Legasov are watching.
Pikalov's men OPEN THE DOOR. The three divers ENTER.
262 INT. DUCTWAY ENTRANCE - SAME 262
The silhouettes of the three men are stark against the
WHITE RECTANGLE OF LIGHT in the opening.
They step into the darkness... and the DOOR SEALS BEHIND
THEM with a low, echoey BOOM.
They're sealed in now.
Pitch black. Then: a FLICKER of SPARKS floats down from
above, giving us a GLIMPSE of:
A METAL STAIRWAY DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS. Another flicker.
It's steep. Narrow. The layers of rustproofing are the
color of dried blood.
Then: LIGHT. Two torch beams cut through the air,
relflecting in the swirling particles of smoke and dust.
THE THREE - stand at the top of the steps. The light
catches enough of the bottom for them to see:
REFLECTIVE WATER AT THE BOTTOM - dark and deathly still.
Baranov holds out the dosimeter. Points it down the stairs.
The needle WOBBLES to the right.
No choice. It's the only way.
60.
They head down the stairs.
263 INT. THE DUCTS - MOMENTS LATER 263
LIGHT - ripples on the surface of WATER.
THE THREE - move through the duct. The water comes up to
their ANKLES here.
THE PASSAGEWAY - tight. Low. A claustrophic maze of PIPES
and ELECTRICAL CABLING. They duck their heads to go by.
No sound but their BREATH... and the occasional GROANING of
the building above them...
Ananenko and Bezpalov shine their torches on the seemingly
hundreds of interweaving pipes running along the sides of
the wall and the ceiling.
There's tiny writing on some of them. Ananenko points to a
pipe. "This one." Bezpalov nods. Yes. Follow it.
264 INT. DEEPER DOWN - MOMENTS LATER 264
Light bobs in the darkness as they round a bend, coming
toward us. The water is deeper now. Up to their SHINS.
As they pass an opening to a SIDE-TUNNEL, Baranov points
his dosimeter at it. The needle ROCKS HARD to the right.
Silently, he pushes the other two from behind. Move faster.
Keep going.
They follow the duct... torch lights shining on the PIPES
lining the sides... another turn... they're going DOWN
now... the water seems darker here... and it's RISING.
Ananenko shines his torch toward the sound, and they see:
WATER - SEEPING IN from cracks in the tunnel wall. It's
rising all around them now. Coming up to their KNEES.
Move faster. Keep going.
Their breathing gets heavier as they slosh through the
rising water. Ahead, an intersection. Three tunnels.
The pipes are bending and crossing over each other. The men
stop. Can't find the one they need.
Which way?
61.
Baranov moves the dosimeter toward the WATER spilling in.
The needle rises. The more water... the higher it goes...
He turns back to Ananenko and Bezpalov-- and sees them both
MOVING THEIR LIGHTS over the three possible paths to take,
trying to make sense of the maze of pipes...
THE WATER RISES
THE DOSIMETER RISES
And then...
ANANENKO'S TORCH GOES DEAD.
They stop. Turn to him. He HITS IT. But it's dead. Fried.
Then:
BEZPALOV'S TORCH FLICKERS.
The three men stare at it. We can only see their eyes
through the goggles of their masks. That's enough.
Terror.
Please. No.
Their only remaining torch FLICKERS again.
Bezpalov hits it. The light comes back on.
And then it goes OUT.
And we see nothing now.
No walls. No floor.
No direction.
Just the sound of three men lost in the rising water--
--and their BREATHING... growing FASTER and LOUDER until
it's too much to bear, and:
BLACK
END OF EPISODE TWO
62.

鲜花

握手

雷人

路过

鸡蛋

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