CHERNOBYL

Episode 1 - "1:23:45"

Written by

Craig Mazin

August 15, 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.
 1.

101 OVER BLACK 101

A man's voice, tinny, over audio cassette hiss.

RECORDED VOICE
What is the cost of lies?

102 INT. MOSCOW APARTMENT 102

A CIGARETTE - slowly burns in an ashtray.

RECORDED VOICE
It's not that we'll mistake them for
the truth. The real danger is that
if we hear enough lies, then we no
longer recognize the truth at all.
What can we do then? What else is
left but to abandon even the hope of
truth, and content ourselves
instead... with stories.

The apartment is cramped. Bookshelves. Stacks of scientific

journals. Soviet-era furniture. Nicotine wallpaper.

RECORDED VOICE
In these stories, it doesn't matter
who the heroes are. All we want to
know is: who is to blame? Well. In
this story, it was Anatoly Dyatlov.
And he was the best choice. An
arrogant, unpleasant man, he ran the
room that night, he gave the
orders... and no friends. Or at
least not important ones.

A CAT pads softly over a TYPEWRITER on a wooden desk.

Through an open archway, we see a MAN sitting at a kitchen
table. Takes the cigarette from the ashtray. Smokes.

RECORDED VOICE
And now Dyatlov will spend the next
ten years in a prison labour camp.

IN THE KITCHEN - the soft tick-tick-tick of a small CLOCK

on the kitchen table. It's a little past 1:00 AM.

TITLE: MOSCOW - APRIL 26, 1988

Next to the clock: a cup of tea, the ashtray, and a chunky

Soviet-era AUDIO CASSETTE RECORDER. Tape playing.
 2.

RECORDED VOICE
Of course that sentence is doubly
unfair. There were far greater
criminals than him at work.

The listening man is: VALERY LEGASOV, 52. Glasses. Pale

skin, a bit papery. His hair is thinning in odd patches.

RECORDED VOICE
And as for what Dyatlov did do, the
man doesn't deserve prison.

Legasov takes a drag on his cigarette. Listening calmly to

his own voice playing back through the recorder.

RECORDED VOICE
He deserves death.

Legasov presses STOP on the recorder. Picks up a small

microphone wired to the cassette player. Hits PLAY/RECORD.

LEGASOV
But instead, ten years for "criminal
mismanagement". What does that mean?
No one knows and it doesn't matter.
What does matter is that to them,
justice was done. Because you see? A
just world is a sane world.
(beat)
There is nothing sane about
Chernobyl. What happened there, what
happened after... even the good we
did... all of it... all of it...
(beat)
Madness.

He removes his glasses. Rubs his eyes. Exhausted.

LEGASOV
I've given you everything I know.
They'll try to deny it, the way they
always do. Will you prevail? I do not
know. I only know you'll do your best
to try.

Legasov presses STOP. Then REWIND. As the tape spins, we

see: FIVE OTHER TAPES on the table, each numbered.

Legasov crosses to a WINDOW. Moves the curtain slightly to

the side and peeks down at:

HIS POV - a CAR parked across the street. The interior

LIGHT is on. It's always on. Someone's always there.
 3.

103 EXT. MOSCOW APT. BUILDING - NIGHT 103

Moscow is dead quiet. Legasov carefully steps outside,

remaing in shadow, holding his COAT closed with his hands.
There's a slight bulge. Across the street - THE PARKED CAR.

A MAN sits in the car. Dome light on. He's pouring coffee
from a thermos into a cup, and while he's distracted,
Legasov quickly PASSES through the BEAM of a streetlamp to:

A DARK ALLEY next to his building. Back in shadows. He

moves past the rubbish bins and into a small garden area.
Then removes the PACKAGE from inside his coat, and stashes
it in a small air vent, well out of view.

Now, only one final task remains. He checks his watch.

1:19. Nearly time. He removes a single cigarette from a
nearly full pack. Tosses the rest of the pack away.

104 INT. LEGASOV'S APARTMENT - MINUTES LATER 104

The cat is now on the kitchen table. It raises its head at

the sound of the door opening and closing.

Legasov enters. Removes his jacket. Moves quickly to the

window and checks once again.

HIS POV: the car light is still on. But no one's gotten
out. He was unseen.

Legasov lights his one cigarette. A long draw. Checks his

watch again. Another draw. He's rushing now.

He places four small bowls on the floor in a row. Fills

each with scraps of boiled chicken from a plate.

Walks back to the table. Another drag of the cigarette.

Looks at the clock. It's now 1:23. Okay. Rests the
cigarette back in the ashtray. Walks out of frame.

We stay with the CAT and the CLOCK. We HEAR: a closet door
opening... something jangles.

The second hand ticks. It's 1:23 and 20 seconds.

SOUND: footsteps

1:23 and 30 seconds.

SOUND: a chair is moved

1:23 and 40 seconds

 4.

...now silence as the cat lowers its head, bored. Tick tick
tick tick. 1:23:41, 42, 43, 44 --

SOUND: a chair toppling and a sharp SNAP.

The cat lifts its head. Startled.

REVERSE TO REVEAL - Legasov's legs, hanging in mid-air,

slightly turning, out of focus in the background.

The cigarette still burns. Smoke curls.

DISSOLVE TO:

105 EXT. PRIPYAT - NIGHT 105

VIEW THROUGH GLASS - a small city of 50,000 people, mostly

living in large block apartment buildings.

Beyond that, LIGHTS clustered in the distance, perhaps two

or three miles away. Some white, some red, some blinking.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

TITLE: PRIPYAT, UKRAINE - USSR

TWO YEARS AND ONE MINUTE EARLIER

We PULL BACK to see we're:

106 INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 106

Looking out at the blinking lights of the nearby power

plant through a WINDOW. This apartment is simple. Sparse.
Flat, powder blue walls. Tiny kitchenette.

ON THE WALL - a PHOTO of a young man holding a woman off

the ground. She's laughing. Scared. In love. Next to the
photo, a calendar. The year is 1986.

We hear: a woman RETCHING off-screen. A toilet flushing.

LYUDMILLA IGNATENKO, 23, emerges from the bathroom.

Catching her breath. Sick. But happy. Something beautiful.

She peers in to her bedroom, where her husband VASILY, 25,

sleeps soundly. Good. She'll tell him later.

Oh. Her cigarette in the ashtray. No more smoking. She

quickly stubs it out. A growing HISS. Lyudmilla crosses out
of frame. We hear tea being poured.
 5.

THROUGH THE WINDOW - we see but do not hear a small

EXPLOSION at the power plant, followed almost instantly by
a MASSIVE EXPLOSION that turns night into day. And still,
no sound. A mute apocalypse.

One second goes by. Lyudmilla re-enters frame. Oblivious.

Two seconds. She sits down.

Three seconds - SHOCKWAVE - like a massive fist SLAMMING

into the side of the building... and she jolts back.

The BEDROOM DOOR flings open, and Vasily emerges.

Sleeveless undershirt, pyjama bottoms. Confused. The noise.

He joins Lyudmilla at the window. Sees...

FIRES ringing a terrible crimson-red GLOW at the power

plant, as if the building has opened a gate to hell.

And rising out of the inferno-- an unnatural, glowing,

BRIGHT BLUE COLUMN OF LIGHT, like a beacon shooting
straight up into the sky... seemingly to the stars.

Dogs begin barking. Apartment lights turn on. Pripyat

awakens. It's 1:24 AM.

107 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 01:24 AM 107

No sound except distant hissing noises.

All we see is SWIRLING WHITE DUST, illuminated by emergency

BACKUP LIGHTS. And now we make out:

MEN - the control room operators, dressed identically in

white uniforms. White paper hats covering their heads. All
in the same position. Cowering.

Except for one man, who stands. 55 years old, gray

mustache, white hair swept back on his head. This is
ANATOLY DYATLOV.

CLOSE ON DYATLOV - SLOW MOTION - the white dust swirls

eerily around his face. He's bewildered. Shell-shocked.

We hear a voice echoing as if from far away:

VOICE (O.S.)
Comrade Dyatlov? Comrade Dyatlov?

Time SNAPS BACK into rhythm, and Dyatlov registers:

 6.

ALEXANDR AKIMOV, 33, black mustache, glasses. Staring at

him - saying his name.

AKIMOV
Comrade Dyatlov?

DYATLOV
What just happened?

AKIMOV
I don't know.

BRAZHNIK, 20's, enters the control room in a panic.

BRAZHNIK
There's a fire in the turbine hall.
Something blew up...

Dyatlov pauses. Lost in thought? His face is unreadable.

Agonizing seconds tick by. Then he turns coldly to Akimov.

DYATLOV
The turbine hall. The control system
tank. Hydrogen. You and Toptunov--
you morons blew the tank.

LEONID TOPTUNOV, 25, blond, thin, terrified. His boyish

moustache is a struggling, wispy version of Akimov's.

TOPTUNOV
No, that's not--

Akimov signals Toptunov not to argue.

DYATLOV
(to the room)
This is an emergency. Everyone stay
calm. Our first priority is--

PEREVOZCHENKO, 30's, bursts in. Panting. Frantic.

PEREVOZCHENKO
It exploded.

DYATLOV
We know. Akimov-- are we cooling the
reactor core?

AKIMOV
We shut it down.
(MORE)
 7.

AKIMOV (cont'd)
(checks the panel)
But the control rods are still--
they're not all the way in-- I
disengaged the clutch. I don't--

Perevozchenko watches Akimov and Dyatlov talking about the

reactor.. are they out of their minds?

DYATLOV
Alright. I'll disconnect the servos
from the standby console. You two!

ACROSS THE ROOM: BORIS STOLYARCHUK and IGOR KIRSCHENBAUM,

late 20's, sit together at a control panel. Shell-shocked.

DYATLOV
Get the backup pumps running. We
need water moving through the core.
That's all that matters.

As Dyatlov heads for the door--

PEREVOZCHENKO
There is no core.

Dyatlov stops. Turns. Everyone in the room stares. Two

TRAINEES, PROSKURYAKOV and KUDRYAVTSEV, both 30, look at
each other. For the first time, real fear.

PEREVOZCHENKO
It exploded. The core exploded.

A beat, then Dyatlov shakes his head in disgust.

DYATLOV
He's in shock. Get him out of here.

PEREVOZCHENKO
The lid is off. The stack is
burning. I saw it.

DYATLOV
(calmly)
You're confused. RBMK reactor cores
don't explode. Akimov...

Akimov hesitates. Stares at the control panel. A plastic

cover is lifted up over a large black switch labeled AZ-5.
Then he looks at young, frightened Toptunov.
 8.

AKIMOV
Don't worry, Leonid. We did
everything right. Something--
something strange has happened.

Toptunov grabs Akimov's arm. Whispers to him.

TOPTUNOV
Do you taste metal?

DYATLOV
Akimov.

Akimov tastes the metal in his mouth. Then:

AKIMOV
Comrade Perevozschenko, what you're
saying is physically impossible. A
core can't explode. It has to be the
tank.

Perevozchenko looks at Akimov in disbelief.

DYATLOV
We're wasting time. LET'S GO. Get
the hydrogen out of the generators,
and pump water into the core.

As Dyatlov turns to exit--

BRAZHNIK
What about the fire?

Dyatlov looks back at him. Annoyed.

DYATLOV
Call the fire brigade.

Dyaltov EXITS.

108 INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE CONTROL ROOM 4 - CONTINUOUS 108

Battery-powered emergency lights shine into swirls of dust.

We hear a distant ALARM blaring. Someone's shouting.

DYATLOV - strides with purpose. No emotion. Stone cold.

Then stops. Feels the COLD AIR on his face. Turns to:

A SMALL LANDING with a WINDOW. The glass has been BLOWN IN,
and shards litter the floor. Dyatlov walks slowly across
the broken glass to the window...
 9.

He walks up to the open window. Looks at the grounds below.

Chunks of DEBRIS litter the ground. Hard to tell in the

moonlight just what it is. But some of it is BURNING.

Dyatlov stares at the debris for a moment. Then calmly

turns and continues down the hall.

109 EXT. CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT - CONTINUOUS 109

THE BURNING RUBBLE - thick black chunks of GRAPHITE, with

smooth channels carved through them.

We lift up from the rubble... and now we see:

REACTOR BUILDING #4 - and the massive GAPING HOLE in its

side - tons of steel and graphite and plaster and
cinderblock vomited out from the blast...

FIRES burn in scattered pockets where red-hot graphite has

ignited the tar-covered roof. Pouring out from somewhere
inside the building, BLACK SMOKE. And still, the awful
scarlet glow. And still, the impossible BEACON of BLUE
LIGHT spiring up...

We hear: crackling static - and a strange, repeating audio

tone.

CUT TO BLACK

110 OVER BLACK 110

The tone stops as a new audio signal is connected. Then -

voices over a phone or perhaps a radio, speaking Russian.

This is a recording of the actual call made that night.

Translation only is SUBTITLED over black:

PRIPYAT EMERGENCY DISPATCH

Hello, is this Military Fire Station
2?

MILITARY FIRE STATION 2

Yes.

PRIPYAT EMERGENCY DISPATCH

What's happening with the accident?
 10.

MILITARY FIRE STATION 2

Explosion in the main building
between third and fourth blocks.

PRIPYAT EMERGENCY DISPATCH

Are there people there?

MILITARY FIRE STATION 2

Yes.

(We hear another voice on the military fire station end)

OTHER VOICE
Wake up the bosses. Call them.

MILITARY FIRE STATION 2

I already called mine.

OTHER VOICE
Wake them up, wake them all up. Wake
up the entire officer's block.

AUDIO TONE - then a new call

FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Department.

PRIPYAT EMERGENCY DISPATCH

Hello, Ivankov?

FIRE DEPARTMENT
Yes. Yes?

PRIPYAT FIRE DISPATCH

You've been called to Pripyat.
Hello?

FIRE DEPARTMENT
Yes. Yes I can hear you.

PRIPYAT FIRE DISPATCH

At the nuclear plant over there, in
the third and fourth blocks. The
roof is on fire.

AUDIO TONE - call ends

The black is WIPED OPEN into light, and we're:

 11.

111 INT. LYUDMILLA AND VASILY'S APARTMENT - N OW 111

--in a CLOSET, looking out at VASILY, in a t-shirt and

uniform pants. He grabs his boots.

Lyudmilla watches him nervously.

LYUDMILLA
You're not on call tonight.

He hustles to get his boots on.

VASILY
They're bringing everyone in. Military
and civil. Pripyat, Polesskoe. Even
Kiev. It's a big one.

LYUDMILLA
It doesn't look right. The color.

VASILY
Pravik thinks they're shining
floodlights or something.

LYUDMILLA
But are there chemicals?

He pulls on his jacket.

VASILY
Chemicals? No, the problem's the
roof. It's covered in tar. It's
going to burn all night and stink
like hell. But that's the worst of
it.

She opens her mouth to say something, but he takes her face
in his hands. Gives her a kiss.

VASILY
Go to sleep. It'll be over before
you wake.

112 OMITTED 112

113 OMITTED 113

 12.

114 INT. INSIDE REACTOR BUILDING #4 - SAME TIME 114

Dark hallway. Smoke. Sparks shower down from severed

electric lines arcing into flooding water. Steam hissing.

PEREVOZCHENKO lurches into view.

We LEAD him through the twisted, mangled maze. A disaster

area of debris, collapsed ceilings, spurting steam...

But he pushes through until he gets to an OPEN DOOR - and

we follow him in to:

DOSIMETRY - NIKOLAI GORBACHENKO is cowering under his desk.

SPARKS exploding down from a hole in the ceiling.

GORBACHENKO
Is it war?

Perevozchenko searches frantically through the debris.

PEREVOZCHENKO
Where's the dosimeter?

GORBACHENKO
Here... here...

Gorbachenko crawls out and hands Perevozchenko a brown

leather case with the DOSIMETER. We hear something heavy
COLLAPSING above them. Gorbachenko flinches.

GORBACHENKO
Are they bombing?

Perevozchenko doesn't answer. Just stares at the dosimeter

in disbelief.

PEREVOZCHENKO
What the fuck is this? 3.6 roentgen?

GORBACHENKO
That's as high as it goes. The good
one's locked in a safe. I don't have
the key--
(sees)
Valera-- your face...

Perevozchenko's face has DARKENED. A reddish brown TAN. He

doesn't know. Doesn't care.

He throws the useless dosimeter aside and grabs

Gorbachenko, lifting him to his feet.
 13.

PEREVOZCHENKO
I'm going to find Khodemchuk. You
get Shashenok. He's in 604. Go. Go!

Perevozchenko wanders DOWN A TUNNEL away from us and we

swing around to Gorbachenko, who is terrified.

Now WE FOLLOW GORBACHENKO as he heads up a steep staircase

into DARKNESS - coming around on him so we're leading him,
watching his face as it's illuminated by sparks and the
orange flicker of SPOT FIRES...

A MAN LURCHES OUT OF THE DARKNESS into Gorbachenko and

VOMITS BLOOD in a violent ejection, spattering
Gorbachenko's white uniform with red.

GORBACHENKO
Shit!

The man stumbles away from us, and we WHIP around to

PROSKURYAKOV and KUDRYAVTSEV, the trainees, running down
the stairs at us.

PROSKURYAKOV
We need to get to the reactor hall.
The lift's destroyed.

GORBACHENKO
(points)
Across to the stairs. That way.

The trainees run off in that direction. Gorbachenko yells

after them...

GORBACHENKO
Why are you going there?

No answer. They're gone. Then he sees: a METAL DOOR ahead.

The number 604 stencilled in the concrete beside it.

We follow him in to the DEVASTATED ROOM - debris

everywhere, and in a puddle of water, under a fallen BEAM--

Oh god. SHASHENOK - pinned. Bloody foam bubbling from his

mouth. But breathing.

A FIGURE STUMBLES BY in the doorway. Gorbachenko sees.

GORBACHENKO
HEY!

A BUILDING 4 WORKER STUMBLES BACK - trickle of blood down

the side of his face. DUST in his hair.
 14.

GORBACHENKO
Help me.

The Building 4 Worker joins Gorbachenko. They ROLL the beam

off Shashenok, then PULL HIM UP by his arms...

They support him from under each armpit, his arms around
their necks. Gorbachenko presses Shashenok's RIGHT HAND
tight to his chest to keep him steady, and as they MOVE:

--we LEAVE THEM and DROP DOWN through a HOLE in the floor,
past a cross-section of torn up plumbing and wires, and
arrive one floor below in the complex to find:

PEREVOZCHENKO - his face even DARKER now - skin beginning

to swell - wading through more floodwater and debris,
including CHUNKS of BLACK MATERIAL...

From somewhere, the steady sound of BANG, BANG, BANG -

metal on metal...

Perevozchenko climbs upstairs out of the water and:

BANG - a bent metal DOOR pops open, and a new face -

YUVCHENKO, emerges holding a fire extinguisher.

PEREVOZCHENKO
Have you seen Khodemchuk?

YUVCHENKO
No-- where's Viktor?

Perevozchenko starts to shake his head "I don't know" -

then vomit cascades out from his mouth, his nose. Yuvchenko
backs away in fright, drops the extinguisher and--

--now WE FOLLOW YUVCHENKO, 25 years-old, 6'5", powerful and

athletic, as he RUNS deeper into the complex, jumping over
LIVE WIRES and debris, as fast as he can... until he sees--

YUVCHENKO
VIKTOR? VIKTOR?

--a body next to a large PUMP. Yuvchenko runs over to:

VIKTOR DEGTYARENKO, 31 - burned and covered in blood... we

can barely make out a face at all beyond the whites of his
eyes.

He's trembling. Seizing.

YUVCHENKO
Can you stand?
 15.

VIKTOR
Kh-- dem-ch-- Khdem--

Viktor stops trying to make his mouth work. His eyes roll
to the left - toward a BLASTED OPEN WALL.

Yuvchenko stands up, and we FOLLOW as he walks slowly

through the opening into:

THE PUMP ROOM - in ruins. Massive chunks of concrete

embedded in the enormous machinery.

From underneath one massive column, a steady trickle of

blood. We can't see Khodemchuk under there.

But we know he's dead.

One section of wall - three foot thick concrete and rebar -

rocks back and forth as if it were rubber.

We follow Yuvchenko's eyes to: A PUDDLE OF WATER on the

ground, coming from a broken pipe.

In the reflection of the shimmering water - strange WHITE

DOTS...

We come up and around on Yuvchenko and look down on him as

he lifts his head - stunned beyond words--

And we TURN to see what he sees. An enormous, impossible

hole in the ceiling of the building.

And the stars shining down.

115 INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE CONTROL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 115

CLOSE ON - DYATLOV - walking back toward Control Room 4.

His face as stoic as ever. Granite jaw. Unblinking eyes.

He stops at the sound of SIRENS approaching from outside...

a lot of them... and growing louder...

Then he resumes walking. No change in expression.

116 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 116

Akimov is at the panel. Toptunov is dialing a phone.

TOPTUNOV
No answer. The internal lines are
down.
 16.

AKIMOV
Keep trying. Try all of them.

Dyatlov enters.

DYATLOV
I dropped the control rods from the
other panel.

AKIMOV
They're still up.

DYATLOV
What?

AKIMOV
They're only a third in, I don't
know why-- I already sent the
trainees to the reactor hall to
lower them by hand.

DYATLOV
(frustrated)
What about the pumps?

TOPTUNOV
I can't get through to Khodemchuk.
The phones are down.

DYATLOV
Fuck the phones and fuck Khodemchuk.
Are the pumps on or not?

AKIMOV
Stolyarchuk?

STOLYARCHUK, looks up like a deer in the headlights.

Doesn't want Dyatlov's eyes on him.

STOLYARCHUK
My panel's not working. I tried
calling for the electricians but--

DYATLOV
I don't give a shit about the panel!
I need water in my reactor core. Get
down there and make sure those pumps
are on.

Stolyarchuk looks at Akimov, but Akimov won't look back. No

one will challenge this. Kirschenbaum wants to say
something, but the words stick in his throat.
 17.

DYATLOV
Now.

Cowed, Stolyarchuk scurries out of the control room.

Dyatlov turns back to Akimov.

DYATLOV
What does the dosimeter say?

AKIMOV
3.6 roentgen. But that's as high as
the meter--

Dyatlov waves him off.

DYATLOV
3.6 -- not great, not terrible.

Toptunov looks at Akimov. Scared. And once again, Akimov

comforts him... his mantra...

AKIMOV
We did everything right.

117 EXT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 117

SIRENS BLARE.

POV through the windshield of a fire engine as it

approaches the reactor building. A few fire engines are
already there, lights flashing.

Firefighters are rushing... connecting fire engines to the

power plant water supply...

We follow VASILY out of the truck. He and his fellow

firefighters are dressed the same. Boots and jackets and
helmets... but no gloves. And underneath the jackets...
white t-shirts.

He looks at the building. From here, he can see the spot

fires up on the roof. But there's a MASSIVE plume of smoke
billowing up from somewhere inside the building.

And fainter now, but still there, the trace of that

impossible blue light...

Now that he's close to it, Vasily realizes this is much

bigger, and much worse, than it seemed from afar.

MISHA (O.S.)
Vasily...
 18.

Vasily looks over at MISHA, 23, another firefighter. Misha

is standing next to a pile of the BLACK RUBBLE. There are
strange SMOOTH GROOVES running through it. It almost looks
like bits of SCULPTURE.

MISHA
What is this?

Misha picks up a piece of the rubble with his bare hand.

MISHA
It's warm.

VASILY
I don't know. Don't fuck around with
it. Let's just get these hooked up.

Misha tosses the rubble aside.

Vasily begins pulling connection hoses from the side of the

engine. As he pulls, the smoke wafts by him, and he SPITS.

VASILY
You taste metal?

MISHA
Yeah. What is that?

VASILY
(worried)
I don't know. The valves, Misha!
Let's go!

As Vasily pulls the hoses, MISHA starts opening a water

supply valve with a wrench.

Misha takes his hand off the wrench-- the hand he held the
warm rubble with-- and SHAKES it in the air.

It hurts.

It hurts more than it should.

118 INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 118

Gorbachenko and the Building 4 Worker emerge from smoke,

stumbling ahead as best they can, still carrying SHASHENOK
around their shoulders.

GORBACHENKO
Someone!
 19.

Another PLANT WORKER heads over to sub in for Gorbachenko.

Relieved of his burden, Gorbachenko immediately falls to

his hands and knees and begins VOMITING.

As he wretches, he winces in pain... his right hand hurts.

And his chest. He pulls his uniform shirt open to reveal:

ON GORBACHENKO'S CHEST, there's a strip of FAINT RED, and

then below in BRIGHT RED, a round shape and four smaller
RED OVALS.

An arm. A palm. Fingertips.

A BURN MARK in the shape of Shashenok's HAND.

119 INT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - BOWELS - CONTINUOUS 119

PROSKURYAKOV and KUDRYAVTSEV enter a long corridor. As they

move down the seemingly endless hallway, they see:

A FIGURE in the distance, moving slowly toward them,

carrying something large over his shoulder.

They walk toward each other, meeting in the middle of this

strange purgatory, and now Proskuryakov and Kudryavtsev see
the figure is YUVCHENKO. And he has a limp, bloody VIKTOR
slung over his shoulder. Oh god. They stare, unsure of what
to say. Finally:

YUVCHENKO
What do you need?

Oh. Right.

PROSKURYAKOV
We have to get into the reactor hall
to lower the control rods. But the
door is jammed in.

YUVCHENKO
I don't think there are control
rods. I don't think there's a core.

PROSKURYAKOV
No, you're mistaken. Akimov said.

Yuvchenko considers. Then lowers Viktor to the ground.

Rests him against the wall.

PROSKURYAKOV
Does he need a doctor?
 20.

YUVCHENKO
No.

120 INT. REACTOR BUILDING - LEVEL 36 - MOMENTS LATER 120

Yuvchenko leads the two trainees down a dark, SPARKING

hall. They're SWEATING. Tremendous heat up here. Smoke.

They're close to the fire.

PROSKURYAKOV
Up there.

Ahead: a LARGE METAL DOOR, covered in DUST, bent slightly

toward them, as if punched by a huge fist.

Yuvchenko turns to the trainees.

YUVCHENKO
Are you sure?

PROSKURYAKOV
Akimov--

Yuvchenko puts his hand up. Doesn't matter. If they're

right, they need to go in. And if they're wrong...

YUVCHENKO
I'll hold it open. Move quickly.

They nod. Yuvchenko tests the door. It barely gives.

Yuvchenko presses the side of his body against the door,

plants his powerful legs, and with a grunt:

PUSHES the door open - just wide enough for the trainees to
pass through.

The door's weight is pushing back... Yuvchenko's brute

strength is the only thing keeping it propped open.

YUVCHENKO
Go go go--

The trainees SQUEEZE through into:

121 INT. MAIN REACTOR HALL - CONTINUOUS 121

The trainees enter the UPPER LEVEL of the hall, on a

catwalk high above the reactor pit.
 21.

They stare in utter shock at:

THE UPPER BIOLOGICAL SHIELD - a massive 1,000 ton, 45 foot

diameter STEEL circle.

It's the cover of the reactor core. Except it's not

covering the core anymore. It's been blown nearly UPRIGHT,
like the lifted-up top of a soup can.

And spidering out from its exposed underside, hundreds of

TWISTED FUEL CHANNELS, like bristles on the end of a brush.

And underneath that, like a bomb crater in the floor:

THE OPEN REACTOR PIT - burning graphite, torn fuel rods.

Their minds cannot comprehend.

They are staring into a wide-open nuclear reactor.

One of them finally gasps in a breath. Already feeling a

wave of nausea. He looks at the other trainee. The man's
face is dark brown. An instant nuclear tan.

And the way the other trainee is staring back at him, he

knows he looks the same.

They STUMBLE BACKWARD...

122 INT. REACTOR BUILDING - LEVEL 36 - CONTINUOUS 122

Yuvchenko grits his teeth... digging in... and then:

THE TRAINEES run back out of the room. They don't stop.
They just run.

Yuvchenko lets the door finally CLOSE. Shouts after them.

YUVCHENKO
Hey!

No answer. And then: pain. Intense, searing pain.

He lifts his uniform shirt. His shoulder... bright red.

He lowers the waist of his trousers. His hip, BURNED to the

flesh below the skin. The movement of the cloth against it
nearly makes him pass out...

He looks back at the door.

 22.

IN THE DUST - the pattern of where his body had been

pressed against the door.

Shoulder. Hip. Lower leg.

He backs away in horror, then HOBBLES off, his burnt leg

barely working... shouting into the dark after the
trainees-- as if they could help him now.

YUVCHENKO
HEY!

123 EXT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 123

The night is lit up by the flashing lights of emergency

vehicles. Dozens of firefighters are already at work
getting water on the fire they can see.

FROM O.S. - a man SCREAMS in agony. Vasily stops and turns

to see:

MISHA - on the ground, screaming, held in place by their

commanding officer, PRAVIK, 24.

A MEDIC has begun to slowly REMOVE the GLOVE from Misha's

hand. With every inch, Misha howls in pain.

Pravik sees Vasily.

PRAVIK
Ignatenko! Get on his hose!

Vasily runs a few feet to the pump truck Misha was

stationed on. He picks the hose up from the ground. He's
joined by a truck pump operator, TITENOK, 24--

--who quickly opens the valves on the truck. Vasily begins

spraying a BLAST of water into a burning pile of rubble.

ANOTHER SCREAM, as the medic finally pulls the GLOVE OFF of

Misha, and now Vasily sees:

Misha's HAND is burnt beyond recognition. Strips of skin

hanging off of it.

Pravik and the medic stare at it, stunned.

Vasily sees the BLACK RUBBLE Misha held. Just feet away
from him.

He takes one step back from it.

 23.

And keeps spraying.

124 EXT. VASILY & LYUDMILLA'S APARTMENT BLDG.- SAME 124

Lyudmilla stands outside along with other people from the

building, looking up at the sky, which reflects the unseen
fire with an eerie glow.

No one seems nervous. No one except her.

OKSANA (O.S.)
Lyudmilla!

OKSANA, 30, walks with a CROWD of people from the building

next door. Men, women, children... about fifteen of them.

Some of the women carry infants. Some, like Oksana, push

BABY PRAMS.

OKSANA
You want to come with us?

LYUDMILLA
Come where?

OKSANA
We're going to the railroad bridge
to get a better look. It's not like
anyone can sleep with all the
sirens.

LYUDMILLA
I don't think you should. It could
be dangerous.

Oksana's husband, MIKHAIL, scoffs.

MIKHAIL
What do you mean dangerous? It's a
fire. It's over there, we're over
here.

Oksana gives Mikhail an angry whack on the arm.

MIKHAIL
What?
(realizes)
Oh.

Oksana crosses to Lyudmilla. Puts a comforting hand on her.

 24.

OKSANA
Is Vasily-- ?

Lyudmilla nods.

OKSANA
Did he say it was bad?

LYUDMILLA
No. He said it was just the roof.

There. You see?

OKSANA
He's never gotten hurt before. None
of the boys have. Yes? He'll be
fine. Get some rest.

Oskana gives her a hug, and then rejoins the rest of the
group on their way to the railroad bridge.

Small children skip along, laughing, excited to be out in

the middle of the night.

Lyudmilla looks out at the distant glow.

She couldn't say why or how she knows. She just does.
Something's wrong.

125 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 1:50 AM 125

CLOSE ON: Dyatlov. Standing with his back against the wall.
Palms together in front of his mouth. Tapping his fingers.
Thinking. Then:

DYATLOV
The tank. It's big enough.

Akimov and Toptunov turn to look at him.

DYATLOV
This kind of explosion. The control
tank on 71, it's 100 cubic meters.

AKIMOV
110.

DYATLOV
(see?)
110. It could do this. Definitely.
 25.

He's nodding to himself. As if someone else is convincing

him of this fact. Then:

The door OPENS. And before we can see what they see,
Toptunov covers his mouth with his hand. Jesus...

It's PROSKURYAKOV. His face is now DARK BROWN. Eyes nearly

swollen shut.

PROSKURYAKOV
It's gone. I looked right into it. I
looked into the core.

Akimov stares in shock at Dyatlov. Panic rising inside him.

But Dyatlov doesn't even flinch.

DYATLOV
Did you lower the control rods or
not?

Proskuryakov turns to him in confusion.

Then begins RETCHING.

DYATLOV
(disgusted)
Take him to the infirmary.
(beat)
Toptunov! Take him!

Toptunov rushes over to the trainee, and as he helps him

out of the room--

TOPTUNOV
Where's Kudryavtsev?

PROSKURYAKOV
He fell...

Toptunov exits with Proskuryakov, shouting:

TOPTUNOV (O.S.)
I need a medic! Anyone?!

Dyatlov resumes leaning against the wall. Fingers back in

front of his mouth. Then he feels Akimov's eyes on him.

DYATLOV
He's delusional.

AKIMOV
His face.
 26.

DYATLOV
(waves it off)
Ruptured condenser lines. The
feedwater is mildly contaminated.
He'll be fine. I've seen worse.

Akimov looks down. That can't be true. But the alternative

is unthinkable.

DYATLOV
Do we still have a phone line to the
outside?
(beat)
Akimov?

Akimov looks back up. Nods.

DYATLOV
Call in the day shift.

Oh god.

AKIMOV
But... if--

DYATLOV
We have to keep water flowing
through the core. We need
electricians, mechanics-- we need
bodies. How many times do I have to
say it?

Akimov still hesitates.

Dyatlov deliberately walks toward Akimov. Unblinking. Cold.

DYATLOV
I'm going to the Administration
Building now. To call Bryukhanov.
And Fomin. They're going to want a
full report. I don't know if I can
make things better for you. But I
can certainly make them worse.

He stops just inches from Akimov's face.

DYATLOV
Call in the day shift, Comrade
Akimov.

Akimov swallows. Then:

 27.

AKIMOV
Yes. Comrade Dyatlov.

Dyatlov stares into Akimov's eyes a beat too long. Then

nods, satisfied... and exits.

126 EXT. PRIPYAT HOSPITAL - SAME 126

Near silence. Barely crickets. We're in front of PRIPYAT

HOSPITAL - five interconnected buildings, each six storeys
tall.

The buildings are oddly generic. Soviet cookie-cutters,

made of concrete and institutional white tiling.

There are large letters on the roof. We'll translate.

SUBTITLE: HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE - RICHES OF THE COUNTRY

127 INT. HOSPITAL - MATERNITY LABOUR WARD - CONTINUOUS 127

Off-screen, we hear a woman is GROANING and STRAINING in

pain. But we're looking at:

SVETLANA ZINCHENKO, 25, wearing a doctor's jacket. She's

staring out the window at the distant fire.

OLD MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)

You're doing fine. Raise her up. A
little more.

Behind her: THE LABOUR WARD. A large, open space. Bare

walls - white tile halfway up, sickly mint-green the rest.
Electrical lines are routed up the surface of the walls.

The floor is brown tile, with drains set in every ten feet.

There are a SIX delivery gurneys... simple steel frame cots

with thin mattress pads and crude gynecological stirrups.

Bright fluorescents beat down on: TWO WOMEN on the cots,

each in labour. Hairnets on, hospital gown covering their
tops, nude from the waist down, in stirrups.

Nurses attend to them, along with AN OLD DOCTOR, likely in

his 70's.

It may be 1986, but in here, it seems more like 1886.

A nurse HAND-CRANKS a cot to help raise a woman's head.

 28.

OLD DOCTOR
Good. There. Okay.

He points to the patients as he instructs the nurse.

OLD DOCTOR
This one, maybe an hour. The other
two, not until morning.

He talks a bit too loudly. Hard of hearing.

OLD DOCTOR
And how is it downstairs, Doctor
Zinchenko?

ZINCHENKO
Quiet.

He removes his gloves. Throughout their conversation, one

of the women in labour continues to GROAN in pain.

OLD DOCTOR
Always is. Nothing at this hour but
babies. You know I once went two
days without sleep? Ten women went
into labour at the same time-- did I
ever tell you this story?

Zinchenko's still staring out the window. Distracted.

ZINCHENKO
Yes.

The old doctor is a bit hurt by that.

OLD DOCTOR
Well, I won't need you in here for a
while. If you want, get some rest in
the break room.

He opens one of the patient's charts. Begins making

handwritten notations. Zinchenko finally turns to him.

ZINCHENKO
They haven't brought anyone in from
the fire.

OLD DOCTOR
What fire?

ZINCHENKO
The power plant.
 29.

OLD DOCTOR
Oh? Then it must not be too bad.

ZINCHENKO
Do we stock iodine?

He didn't hear that over the woman's groaning.

OLD DOCTOR
Hmm?

ZINCHENKO
(louder)
Iodine.

He looks up from his chart.

OLD DOCTOR
You mean disinfectant?

ZINCHENKO
No. Pills. Does the hospital stock
iodine pills?

OLD DOCTOR
Iodine pills...
(confused)
Why would we have iodine pills?

Off her face, we hear the shrill RING of:

128 INT. VIKTOR BRYUKHANOV'S BEDROOM - 2:00 AM 128

--a bedside TELEPHONE. One ring. Two. Three. VIKTOR

BRYUKHANOV-- 50, wavy dark hair, pockmarked cheeks-- slowly
wakes. Fumbles for the light. Answers the phone.

BRYUKHANOV
Hel--

His voice catches on a wad of phlegm that had settled in

while he slept. He clears his throat.

BRYUKHANOV
Hello?

He listens for a second, then sits straight up. Behind him

in bed, his wife rolls over. Now awake. A beat, then:

BRYUKHANOV
Who else knows this? Have you called
Fomin?
(MORE)
 30.

BRYUKHANOV (cont'd)
(beat)
Of course I want you to call him. If
I'm up, he's up.

Bryukhanov slams the phone down. Gets out of bed.

BRYUKHANOV
Shit!

129 EXT. POWER PLANT - ADMINISTRATION BLDG. - 2:30 AM 129

NIKOLAI FOMIN, 50, balding, glasses, bad suit, stands

waiting by the administration building. He watches as:

A boxy GAZ Volga drives right up to him. Bryukhanov

emerges. Also in a suit. He looks down toward the far end
of the plant, past the firetrucks and flashing lights, to
see where Reactor Building 4 very much on fire.

And in an instant, Bryukhanov can envision a very likely

fate for himself. An inquiry. An arrest. A trial. A bullet.

FOMIN
Whatever the cause, the important
thing is neither you nor I--

Bryukhanov walks away from Fomin mid-sentence, striding

toward the Administration Building.

Fomin checks to see if anyone saw that small humiliation.

Then hustles to keep up.

130 INT. ADMINISTRATION BLDG. - CHECKPOINT - SECONDS LATER 130

Bryukhanov enters, striding quickly past guards. A distant

alarm sound can be heard in this simple lobby area, as well
as the occasional blast of firetruck sirens from outside.

He makes a sharp turn past the reception desk toward a

GUARD, who is holding open a METAL DOOR.

131 INT. NARROW STAIRWELL - SECONDS LATER 131

Bryukhanov moves down the stairs with purpose. Fomin still

trying to keep up.

They arrive at: a small, bare anteroom. In front of them,

two large, STEEL BLAST DOORS - the kind you might see on a
bank vault.
 31.

A guard cranks a metal WHEEL on the left door, then PULLS

THE DOOR OPEN.

132 INT. CHERNOBYL BUNKER - SECONDS LATER 132

Bryukhanov and Fomin pass through as the blast door CLANGS

behind them with a heavy thud.

We can no longer hear the alarms or sirens. No sound from

the outside world in here at all.

Just the heavy CLACK of their shoes as they walk across the
shiny, polished concrete floor.

The bunker contains many rooms... it could almost pass for

an office center but for the too-low ceilings, exposed
ductwork and repetitive, white-washed cinderblock walls.

Bryukhanov and Fomin enter:

133 INT. BUNKER COMMAND ROOM - CONTINUOUS 133

A simple room with a large oval conference table. Eighteen

chairs. A few phones. On the walls, maps, schematics and
emergency procedure posters.

Bryukhanov sees Dyatlov waiting for them in the room.

BRYUKHANOV
(pissed off)
I take it the safety test was a
failure?

Bryukhanov sits at the head of the table. Fomin takes a

chair next to him-- his sidekick-- and scowls at Dyatlov.

DYATLOV
We have the situation under control.

FOMIN
Under control? It doesn't look--

BRYUKHANOV
Shut up, Fomin.
(miserable)
I have to tell the Central Committee
about this. Do you realize that? I
have to get on a phone and tell
Maryin, or god forbid Frolyshev, my
power plant is on fire?
 32.

DYATLOV
No one can blame you for this,
Director Bryukhanov.

BRYUKHANOV
Well of course no one can blame me
for this. How can I be responsible?
I was sleeping!

Bryukhanov pulls out a pen and notepad from his jacket

pocket.

BRYUKHANOV
Tell me what happened. Quickly.

DYATLOV
We ran the test exactly as Chief
Engineer Fomin approved.

Fomin sees what Dyatlov just did there. Motherfucker.

DYATLOV
Unit Shift Chief Akimov and Engineer
Toptunov encountered technical
difficulties, leading to an
accumulation of hydrogen in the
control system tank. It regrettably
ignited, damaging the plant and
setting the roof on fire.

Bryukhanov glances at Fomin. Does that sound right?

FOMIN
The tank is quite large. It's the
only logical explanation. And of
course, Deputy Chief Engineer
Dyatlov was directly supervising the
test--

Dyatlov registers the return fire. Touché.

FOMIN
--so he would know best.

BRYUKHANOV
(taking notes)
--hydrogen tank, fire. And the
reactor?

DYATLOV
We're taking measures to ensure a
steady flow of water through the
core.
 33.

BRYUKHANOV
What about radiation?

Dyatlov hesitates for a brief moment. Then:

DYATLOV
Obviously down here it's nothing.
But in the reactor building I'm
being told 3.6 roentgen per hour.

BRYUKHANOV
That's not great. But it's not
horrifying.

FOMIN
Not at all. From the feedwater, I
assume?

Dyatlov nods.

FOMIN
We'll have to limit shifts to six
hours at a time. But otherwise--

BRYUKHANOV
The dosimetrists should be checking
regularly. Have them use the good
meter. From the safe.

Dyatlov blinks at that. But otherwise... no reaction.

Bryukhanov pulls a phone closer to him.

BRYUKHANOV
Right. I'll call Maryin.
(to Fomin)
Wake up the local Executive
Committee. There'll be orders coming
down.

Bryukhanov takes a short breath... steels himself... then

picks up the phone.

134 EXT. RAILROAD BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS 134

A simple, paved bridge passing 20 feet above the railroad

lines.

The CROWD we saw before-- two dozen people-- has gathered

here to watch the fire. Some share vodka. Some smoke. A few
of the men have their small children up on their shoulders.
 34.

The fire occasionally shifts colors... like a rainbow.

Mikhail stands with Oksana. She jiggles her pram slightly
to keep her baby calm. Her four-year old son is pulling on
her dress. He's tired.

FOUR-YEAR OLD
Mama--

OKSANA
Sshh. Here.

She gives the boy a cracker. Then, to her husband--

OKSANA
What do you think makes the colours?

MIKHAIL
Oh, it's the fuel for sure.

OKSANA
"Oh it's the fuel for sure"? What do
you know about it? You clean floors
at the train station.

MIKHAIL
(defensive)
My friend Yuri works in the plant.
He says it runs cool. No fire, no
gas. Just... whatever it is.

OKSANA
They should tell us whatever it is.

Mikhail looks at her. Oh come on...

OKSANA
We live near it.

MIKHAIL
It's atoms. Yuri says the only thing
is-- you can't walk right up to the
fuel. But if you do--
(vodka)
One glass per hour for four hours.

OKSANA
Isn't Yuri a plumber?

MIKHAIL
(yes, but)
At the nuclear power plant.
 35.

His point well-made, Mikhail clinks his vodka cup to one of

his mate's.

Oksana shakes her head. Boys. Then she nestles into Mikhail
for warmth. They all watch the fire. Calm. Peaceful, even.

OKSANA
It is beautiful...

The wind picks up, breezing through their hair. And with
it, swirls of soot in the air, like tiny bits of paper.

SLOW MOTION - as the particles swirl around them. The

people stand there on the bridge, just a mile from the
burning power plant, laughing, drinking...

Children laugh and run in circles, trying to grab the black

snowflakes of floating soot from the air.

Mikhail, watches excitedly, his baby now in his arms. The

infant stares calmly at the distant light.

135 INT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 135

STOLYARCHUK wanders through the torn open warzone of the

reactor building.

Doesn't seem real. A dreamscape of billowing steam drifting

across ripped metal and ruptured concrete.

As the steam dissipates, he sees:

A MAN, sitting on a piece of damaged equipment. All alone.

Breathing slowly, but heavily. Like a dying animal.

Stolyarchuk walks toward him. Nervous.

The man turns to him. It's YUVCHENKO-- the one who held the
reactor hall door open for the trainees.

YUVCHENKO
Do you have a cigarette?

Stolyarchuk fishes a pack from his pocket, and hands

Yuvchenko a cigarette. The big man reaches for it with his
left arm, as if that's the only part of his body working.

Stolyarchuk lights the cigarette for him. Yuvchenko takes a

drag...
 36.

SPARKS sprinkle around them, illuminating the steam. It's

beautiful in its own way. Yuvchenko nods with his head--
come sit with me...

Stolyarchuk walks around to the right of Yuvchenko and sits

on the equipment next to him.

And that's when he sees: BLOOD, seeping through Yuvchenko's

shirt in three patches: shoulder, hip, lower leg.

It's wet. These aren't wounds that slowly close. These are
wounds that slowly open.

Finally, Stolyarchuk finds his voice.

STOLYARCHUK
Do you need help?

Yuvchenko takes a drag. Savoring every moment. Then:

YUVCHENKO
It's over.

And now the sound of: WATER from outside, being SPRAYED by
firehoses. It's penetrating the building from the floor
above and begins SPRINKLING DOWN on them... like rain.

Stolyarchuk raises his face to the rain. The world's gone

mad. The sound of the water rises, and we're:

136 EXT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 136

Firefighters battle the blaze. VASILY mans a hose. He

glances back at the ladder... the one Kolya went up.

There's no one there.

A firefighter is on all fours nearby. Vomiting.

Pravik emerges from the darkness. Face darkened with soot.

Or something else...

PRAVIK
We've done all we can from the
perimeter. We have to start making
our way to the roof.

Vasily glances again at the sick firefighter. Then back to

the Chief. Scared.
 37.

PRAVIK
There's a fire, Vasily. It has to be
put out.

Do you understand?

Yes. The job.

Vasily shuts his hose off and drags it over toward a

brigade of men who are heading for the gaping HOLE in the
side of the building.

FROM INSIDE THE HOLE - LOOKING OUT THROUGH FLAMES - Vasily,

Pravik, Tishchura, and Titenok are climbing up the rubble,
their images distorted by the heat.

They open their nozzles as they advance...

From BEHIND THEM - we rise up to see:

They're heading straight toward the exposed REACTOR HALL -

and the roaring fire belching out from the OPEN CORE...

ON VASILY - gritting his teeth - the heat is tremendous...

but there's something else - a pain he shouldn't be
feeling... pins and needles...

And in his visor, a reflection of the fire--

--and strange BLUE FLASHES OF LIGHT...

137 OMITTED 137

138 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 3:30 AM 138

Akimov stands by the control panel. Toptunov next to him.

They're silent.

REVERSE TO REVEAL: Stolyarchuk. Looking at them. Also

silent.

Behind him, Kirschenbaum. Everyone looks ashen. Then:

AKIMOV
What about the auxiliary-- ?

Stolyarchuk shakes his head. No.

STOLYARCHUK
The pumps are gone. Electrical is
gone.
 38.

TOPTUNOV
The core?

STOLYARCHUK
I didn't go there. And I won't.
(beat)
I think it's time we faced--

AKIMOV
(not interested)
No. We need water in the core or
there's a risk of meltdown. We have
to open the valves.

STOLYARCHUK
Sasha--

AKIMOV
What is it you want, Boris? If it's
true, then we're all dead. A million
people are dead. Is that what you
need to hear?

More shocked silence. Then Akimov turns to Toptunov.

AKIMOV
We'll open the valves by hand.

STOLYARCHUK
By hand? The number of valves, the
amount of time to turn them-- you're
talking about hours in there...!

AKIMOV
Then help us.

STOLYARCHUK
Help you do what? Pump water into a
ditch? THERE'S NOTHING THERE.
(to Toptunov)
Leonid-- I'm begging you.

Toptunov is terrified. But Akimov is his boss. His mentor.

He averts his eyes. He has no choice.

Akimov gestures to Kirschenbaum.

AKIMOV
Watch the panel while we're gone.

KIRSCHENBAUM
It's not working.
 39.

AKIMOV
Just watch it!

He leaves. Toptunov doesn't look back at anyone. Just

follows Akimov out. Stolyarchuk watches them go. Knows
he'll never see them again.

139 EXT. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 139

DOZENS of WORKERS are assembled in a line. Shuffling into

the building.

SITNIKOV, 46, waits. Looks nervously at the glow of the

SPOT FIRES on the roof at the other end of the plant.

DAY SHIFT WORKER

Guess we know why they called us in
early.

SITNIKOV
Is anyone saying what happened?

DAY SHIFT WORKER

They were running the safety test on
the turbines and blew the control
system tank.

Sitnikov looks at the man. Control system tank? That?

DAY SHIFT WORKER

Doesn't make sense to me either.
(quieter)
What about sabotage? A bomb?

NIGHT SHIFT WORKER (O.S.)

Sitnikov!

Sitnikov turns to see a frantic worker running up to him.

NIGHT SHIFT WORKER

Bryukhanov wants us to use the good
dosimeter, but it's in the safe, and
we can't find the key.

SITNIKOV
It's in Building 2. No one's-- ?

Sitnikov steps out of line. Can't believe the incompetence.

SITNIKOV
(snaps)
Follow me.
 40.

As he strides off to Building 2...

140 INT. BUNKER COMMAND ROOM - 4 A.M. 140

Bryukhanov, Fomin and Dyatlov are waiting-- then Bryukhanov

rises as: THE PRIPYAT COMMUNIST PARTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
enters. Twelve men, ages varying from 30 to 60.

BRYUKHANOV
Gentlemen, welcome. Please, find a
seat, there's plenty of room--

The COMMITTEE MEMBERS take their chairs around the conference

table. A guard helps an ELDERLY MAN WITH A CANE - 85 years
old - over to a single, nicer chair in the corner of the room.

BRYUKHANOV
I apologize for the lateness of the
hour. And rest assured, we're all
very safe down here. We built this
shelter to withstand a nuclear
attack by the Americans, so I think
we'll be fine.

Some of the Members smile. Most do not. The Old Man in the
corner has his hands folded over his cane. Eyes closed.
Possibly already asleep.

BRYUKHANOV
As you can see, we have experienced an
accident. A large control tank
malfunctioned, damaging reactor
building #4 and starting a fire. I
have spoken directly to Deputy
Secretary Maryin. Maryin spoke to
Deputy Chief Frolyshev, Frolyshev to
Central Committee member Dolghikh, and
Dolghikh to General Secretary
Gorbachev.

An impressive murmur in the room. This is big time.

BRYUKHANOV
Because the Central Committee has the
greatest respect for the work of the
Pripyat Executive Committee, they
have asked me to brief you on matters
as they stand. First, the accident is
well under control.

Most of the Members express relief.

 41.

BRYUKHANOV
Second, because the efforts of the
Soviet nuclear industry are
considered key state secrets, it is
important that we ensure this
incident has no adverse consequences.

The Members glance at each other. Here it comes.

BRYUKHANOV
To prevent a panic, the Central
Committee has ordered a detachment
of military police to Pripyat.

And there it is. PETROV, 30, displeased, speaks up.

PETROV
How large of a detachment?

BRYUKHANOV
(uncomfortable)
Between two and four thousand men.

Whispers. Quiet crosstalk. Four thousand? Martial law? Why

so many police?

PETROV
What's really going on here? How
dangerous is this?

FOMIN
There's mild radiation, but it's
limited to the plant itself.

PETROV
No it isn't.

FOMIN
Excuse me?

PETROV
(stands)
I said no it isn't. Who do you think
you're talking to? Some country
idiot? I went to university. And I
have eyes in my head.
(to the Committee)
You saw men outside vomiting. You
saw men with burns. There's more
radiation than they're saying. We
have wives here. We have children. I
say we evacuate the town.
 42.

More whispers. Evacuate? To where? No, he's right-- no,

he's insane, an alarmist!

BRYUKHANOV
Gentlemen, please! My wife is here.
Do you think I would keep her in
Pripyat if it weren't safe?

PETROV
Bryukhanov-- the fucking air is glowing!

More crosstalk. Voices rising now. Bryukhanov has lost

control of the room. Dyatlov tries to step in.

DYATLOV
The Cherenkov effect-- it's a
completely normal phenomenon, it can
happen with minimal radiation--

No one listens to him. Loudly arguing with each other now.

And then: tap tap tap ... TAP TAP TAP

They turn to: THE OLD MAN in the corner. Tapping his cane
on the floor. Everyone quiets down.

The old man is ZHARKOV. He makes a motion to stand. The

guard comes over quickly to help him up, but Zharkov waves
him off. He can do it on his own. He rises slowly, then:

ZHARKOV
I wonder-- how many of you know the
name of this place? We all call it
"Chernobyl" of course, but what is
its proper name?

They look at each other. No clue. Until:

BRYUKHANOV
The Vladimir I. Lenin Nuclear Power
Station.

ZHARKOV
Exactly. Vladimir I. Lenin. And how
proud he would be of you tonight--
(to Petrov)
--especially you, young man... and
the passion you have for the people.
For is that not the sole purpose of
the apparatus of the State?

Zharkov looks at them, his old eyes twinkling with memories

of great days... of great men...
 43.

ZHARKOV
From the Central Committee all the
way down to each of us in this
room-- we represent the perfect
expression of the collective will of
the Soviet proletariat.

The Members take this in. Sobered. But proud.

ZHARKOV
Sometimes, we forget. Sometimes, we
fall prey to fear. But our faith in
Soviet socialism will always be
rewarded. Always. The State tells us
the situation is not dangerous. Have
faith. The State tells us they do
not want a panic. Listen well.

Zharkov turns to Petrov once again.

ZHARKOV
True, when the people see police,
they will be scared. But it is my
experience that when the people ask
questions that are not in their own
best interest, they should simply be
told to keep their minds on their
labour-- and to leave matters of the
State to the State.

Zharkov scans the room. Has them in the palm of his hand.

ZHARKOV
We seal off the city. No one leaves.
And cut the phone lines. Contain the
spread of misinformation. That is
how you keep the people from
undermining the fruits of their own
labour. That is how your names
become inscribed in the hallways of
the Kremlin.

The men in the room look back at him in reverence. Dreaming

of promotions. Certificates. Maybe even medals.

ZHARKOV
Yes, comrades. We will all be
rewarded for what we do here
tonight.
(beat)
This is our moment to shine.
 44.

A beat-- then: APPLAUSE. The Committee Members rise to

their feet. Wonderful! Wonderful! Bryukhanov, Fomin and
Dyatlov stand and applaud as well. The system is working.
All will be fine.

Petrov looks across the table at another younger Committee

Member. They both seem to understand that reason has lost.
There's no choice but to clap along with everyone else.

Applause for delusion. Applause for death.

Applause for the Vladimir I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station.

141 INT. BUNKER - OUTSIDE THE COMMAND ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 141

SITNIKOV listens to the applause coming from behind the

door of the command room. He's sweaty. Nervous.

The door to the conference room opens, and Bryukhanov sees

the Pripyat ministers out. Shaking their hands. Smiling.

But once the ministers are out of sight, the smile drops.
Back to business. He sees Sitnikov waiting. What's this guy
doing here? A guard whispers to Bryukhanov.

Ah. Fine. Bryukhanov signals for Sitnikov to enter.

142 INT. BUNKER COMMAND ROOM - CONTINUOUS 142

Sitnikov enters. Sees Fomin and Dyatlov there.

BRYUKHANOV
Well?

SITNIKOV
I sent my dosimetrists into the
reactor building. The large
dosimeter from the safe, the one
with the thousand roentgen capac--

DYATLOV
(snaps)
What was the number?

SITNIKOV
There was none. The meter burned out
the second it was turned on.

Dyatlov shrugs. Suddenly calm.

 45.

DYATLOV
Typical.

BRYUKHANOV
See? This is what Moscow does. They
send us shit equipment, and they
wonder why things go wrong.

SITNIKOV
We found another dosimeter.

Dyatlov tenses again.

SITNIKOV
From the military fire department.
It only goes to 200 roentgen, but
it's better than the small ones.

FOMIN
And?

Sitnikov hesitates. All his life, he's been warned not to

be the bearer of bad news.

SITNIKOV
It maxed out. Two hundred roentgen.

Fomin, Bryukhanov and Dyatlov register shock. Then:

FOMIN
What game are you playing?

SITNIKOV
No-- I asked him, he took multiple
measurements, my best man--

BRYUKHANOV
It's another faulty meter. You're
wasting our time.

SITNIKOV
I checked the meter against a
control--

DYATLOV
What's wrong with you? How do you
get that number from feedwater
leaking from a blown tank?

SITNIKOV
You don't.
 46.

DYATLOV
Then what the fuck are you talking
about?

A long silence. Then:

SITNIKOV
I walked around the exterior of
building 4. I think there's
graphite. In the rubble.

Bryukhanov looks at Fomin and Dyatlov, who scoff.

DYATLOV
You didn't see graphite.

SITNIKOV
I did.

DYATLOV
You didn't. YOU DIDN'T. Because it's
NOT THERE.

Fomin steps in. A calmer voice.

FOMIN
Are you suggesting the core-- what?
Exploded?

SITNIKOV
Yes.

FOMIN
Sitnikov. You're a nuclear engineer.
So am I. Please tell me how an RBMK
reactor core "explodes". Not a
meltdown-- an explosion. I'd love to
know.

SITNIKOV
I can't.

FOMIN
Are you stupid?

SITNIKOV
No.

FOMIN
Then why can't you?
 47.

SITNIKOV
I don't-- I don't see how it could
explode.

Fomin throws up his arms. Looks at Bryukhanov. See? Not

possible.

SITNIKOV
But it did.

Dyatlov slams his fist down on the table.

DYATLOV
Enough!

They all turn to him. Startled.

DYATLOV
I'll go up to the vent block roof.
From there, you can look right down
into Reactor Building 4. I'll see it
with my own eyes.

He stops. An odd look on his face. Then:

He VOMITS violently. The others move back in shock.

Dyatlov stares at the vomit on the floor. In a daze.

DYATLOV
I apologize.

He tries to lean on the table for support, but misses

completely and COLLAPSES to the ground.

BRYUKHANOV
Guards!

Three guards run in.

BRYUKHANOV
Take him to the medic. Or the
hospital. Whatever he needs.

Two of the guards lift Dyatlov off the floor. Begin helping
him walk out. Dyatlov has a strange look on his face.

We've seen it before. Right after the explosion.

Bewildered.
 48.

FOMIN
(to Bryukhanov)
It's the feedwater. He's been around
it all night.

Bryukhanov nods. Then Fomin glances at Sitnikov.

FOMIN
You go then.

SITNIKOV
What?

FOMIN
Go to the vent block roof and report
back what you see.

SITNIKOV
No. No, I won't do that.

Fomin and Bryukhanov stare at him. Did he just say "no"?

BRYUKHANOV
Of course you will.

Bryukhanov looks to the remaining guard. Gives him a "make

sure he does it" nod.

Sitnikov turns pale. No way out of this.

FOMIN
You'll be fine. You'll see...

No he won't. Sitnikov turns, looks at the guard... then

walks out. Like a man going to the gallows.

The guard follows him.

143 INT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - 4:30 AM 143

AKIMOV and TOPTUNOV, sloshing through water and debris up

to their knees. They stop and see:

REVEAL - STANDPIPES - dozens of them in a convoluted array,

with more VALVES than we could ever count.

AKIMOV
Okay. Let's begin.

He moves ahead. Toptunov doesn't.

 49.

AKIMOV
Leonid.

Toptunov nods. Right. He joins Akimov at the standpipes.

Each takes a valve. Begins turning.

The valves are TIGHT. They're straining to make them move

at all.

AKIMOV
All the way, okay? All the way open.

No sound but that awful, distant hissing, and the sharp

metal squeal of the valves. Then:

TOPTUNOV
I'm sorry.

AKIMOV
There's nothing to be sorry for. I
told you-- we did nothing wrong.

TOPTUNOV
But we did.

Akimov stops turning his valve. Doesn't answer. Doesn't

look at Toptunov.

Just stands quietly for a second.

Then puts his hands back on the valve and resumes turning.

144 EXT. VENT BLOCK ROOF - EARLY DAWN 144

A metal utility door opens. Sitnikov steps out on to the

tar paper and gravel roof. Takes a few steps, then looks
back at:

THE GUARD - who waits back - no expression. Just a blank

face and an AK-47 slung by a strap over his shoulder.

Sitnikov turns away - looks out at the sky. The horizon is

just starting to lighten.

From up here, he can see the flashing of emergency vehicles

below. And ahead of him:

THE EDGE OF THE ROOF - and beyond it, coming up from

underneath... SMOKE and the glow of FLAMES.

Beyond the edge of that roof is the viewpoint down into

Reactor Building 4.
 50.

And either it is or is not open to the air.

And either he is or is not about to die.

He looks at his watch. 6 AM.

He starts walking. Slowly. Forcing each step. The crunch of

his shoes in gravel. The feeling of his heart in his chest.

THE EDGE - looms closer

Fifteen feet away. Ten feet. Five feet.

He stops.

Closes his eyes. A prayer-- or a memory-- or a goodbye.

Then he opens his eyes, and--

BEHIND SITNIKOV - we watch as he walks to the edge.

He looks over.

Just for a second.

Then lifts his head, turns, and starts walking back.

The guard is watching.

Sitnikov has begun to cry.

And the sound of the world fades away...

145 INT./EXT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE - SLOW MOTION 145

DYATLOV is helped out of the building, stumbling, his arm

around an emergency worker. He looks and sees:

Firefighters on the ground. Their friends screaming for

help. A female SECURITY GUARD is on her hands and knees.
Dazed. Blood streaming from her nose. The left side of her
face is red and blistered.

Dyatlov sees VASILY and Titenok carrying Pravik on a

stretcher. But Vasily passes out and FALLS... vomiting...
Pravik is dumped to the ground... crying out in pain...

Dyatlov looks out toward the damaged end of the plant, the
cascade of rubble...

It doesn't make sense. What happened?

 51.

SITNIKOV, nuclear tan on his face from that brief moment of

exposure, sits in the bunker command room. Bryukhanov and
Fomin are yelling at him. Threatening him. Gesturing in
disbelief and contempt.

Sitnikov isn't listening. Doesn't care if they believe him

or not. He's thinking about what he's lost. Who he's lost.

ZINCHENKO, the young doctor, is ASLEEP in a small exam room

by the reception lobby. Nurses are RUNNING in the hallway
in the foreground.

Zinchenko wakens, and walks out into the lobby-- toward the
main entrance-- and sees through the open doors:

FLASHING LIGHTS - ambulances and fire engines streaming

toward the hospital. More than she ever wanted to see
heading her way...

And now, the sound of: A PHONE RINGING

146 INT. LEGASOV'S APARTMENT - EARLY MORNING 146

The cat lifts its head. Awakened by the sound.

LEGASOV wakes up. It's two years before we first met him,
but he looks much younger. Full head of hair. More weight
in his face. Healthy color.

He gets out of bed, crosses out of his room, makes his way
into the kitchen, and answers the phone.

LEGASOV
Hello?

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
Valery Legasov?

LEGASOV
Yes?

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
You are the Legasov who is the First
Deputy Director of the Kurchatov
Institute of Atomic Energy?

Legasov feels his pajama shirt pocket for his glasses. But
left them back in the bedroom.

LEGASOV
Yes. That's--
 52.

He picks up the table clock to get it closer to his eyes.

It's 7:00.

LEGASOV
Who am I spea-- ?

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
This is Boris Shcherbina, Deputy
Chairman of the Council of Ministers
and head of the Bureau for Fuel and
Energy. There's been an accident at
the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Legasov is immediately alert.

LEGASOV
How bad is it?

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
No need to panic. There was a fire.
It's mostly put out. The system
control tank exploded.

LEGASOV
Control system tank. Is the core-- ?

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
We've ordered them to continuously
pump water.

LEGASOV
I see. And contamination?

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
Mild. The plant manager, Bryukhanov,
is reporting 3.6 roentgen per hour.

LEGASOV
Well, no, that's-- that's actually
quite significant. The surrounding
areas should be evacuated--

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
(cuts him off)
You're an expert on RBMK reactors,
correct?

LEGASOV
Yes, I've studied--
 53.

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
General Secretary Gorbachev has
appointed a committee to manage the
accident. You're on it. We'll
convene at two this afternoon.

LEGASOV
(concerned)
That late? I'm sorry, but I think
given the radiation you're
reporting, it might be best to--

SHCHERBINA (PHONE)
Legasov. You're on this committee to
answer direct questions about the
function of an RBMK reactor if they
should happen to arise. Nothing
else. Certainly not policy. Do you
understand?

LEGASOV
Yes. Of course. I didn't mean to--

Click. Shcherbina has hung up. Legasov hangs up as well and

rises. Gears already spinning. 3.6 roentgen... ? A strange
number. The control system tank? It makes no sense.

He moves to his window. Opens the curtains to the SUNRISE.

MATCH TO:

147 EXT. CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT - 7 AM 147

The SUN, brightening to a glare. BOOM DOWN to find:

The torn-open reactor building, even more horrifying in the

daylight.

148 INT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 148

We move low and slow through a strange MIST - water vapour

hovering thick - flooding and debris have almost turned the
facility into a swamp...

We turn a corner and as the mist dissipates, we see:

AKIMOV AND TOPTUNOV, still by the valves. Both weak from

radiation sickness. Faces swelling. Hands trembling and
reddened.
 54.

They've been here for hours. Each of them barely conscious.

Hardly enough strength to turn the valves.

But still, they try.

We FOLLOW the maze of standpipes, bending around and

climbing up damaged concrete walls until at last:

THE END of the pipes. Torn open.

Water gurgling out of them in small spurts. Not cooling a

reactor core. Not doing anything at all.

Just puddling into broken concrete, and then spilling down

a METAL DRAIN GRATE.

149 EXT. CHERNOBYL - MONTAGE - CONTINUOUS 149

The roof fires are out. But the fire within the core rages,
unseen. Smoke plumes out, moving in the wind...

OVER THE FOREST BETWEEN THE REACTOR AND PRIPYAT - we can

see the path the deadly wind has been taking, because a
wide swath of the trees have turned a terrible RUST ORANGE
color.

THE HOSPITAL, surrounded by a parking lot of emergency

vehicles...

THE STREETS, as concerned shopkeepers open up for the day's

business. We see MILITARY VEHICLES passing by in the B.G...

And a line of CHILDREN, 7-years old, in their uniforms and

book bags, holding hands and laughing as they walk to
school.

Move in and low to the ground now... until we're just

looking at the children's shoes as they pass by.

A moment or two, and they're out of frame.

Then a BIRD drops to the ground in front of us, hitting the

cement with a sickening sound. It twitches for a moment,
then goes utterly still.

END OF EPISODE ONE

 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.
 1.

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 /
 2.

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
 3.

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.

 4.

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.

 5.

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:
 6.

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?
 7.

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

 8.

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.
 9.

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.

 10.

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.
 11.

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--

 12.

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)
 13.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
Inside the core. 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.
 14.

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:
 15.

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.
 16.

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)
 17.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
But where a typical power plant
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)
 18.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
The fuel quickly burns out,
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.
 19.

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.
 20.

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.
 21.

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--
 22.

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.
 23.

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.
 24.

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.

 25.

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 LEGASOV
I don't see how you can tell For god's sake, look at the
that from here-- 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 SHCHERBINA
Boris Evdokimovich-- Don't use my name.

LEGASOV SHCHERBINA
--if we fly directly over an I didn't ask your advice.
open reactor core--

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.

 26.

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!
 27.

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.
 28.

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?
 29.

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.
 30.

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.
 31.

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)
 32.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
Forty-eight more tomorrow. And it
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 SHCHERBINA
Comrade... 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--
 33.

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?!
 34.

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.
 35.

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:
 36.

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.

 37.

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.
 38.

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]
 39.

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?
 40.

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.
 41.

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.
 42.

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?

 43.

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.
 44.

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)
 45.

PETER JENNINGS (ON TV) (cont'd)

The Soviets may have been fairly
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.
 46.

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.
 47.

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.
 48.

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.

 49.

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?
 50.

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)
 51.

KHOMYUK (cont'd)
(beat)
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.
 52.

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.
 53.

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)
 54.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
The uranium will begin to melt the
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:
 55.

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"?
 56.

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.
 57.

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.
 58.

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.
 59.

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:

 60.

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.

 61.

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?
 62.

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

 CHERNOBYL

Episode 3 - "Open Wide, O Earth"

Written by

Craig Mazin

July 20, 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.
 1.

301 INT. DUCTS - WHERE WE WERE AT THE END OF EPISODE 2 301

PANICKED BREATHING. DARKNESS. WATER RUSHING.

Then: whir whir whir whir...

A SMALL, DIM LIGHT begins to fade up in the darkness,

PULSING brighter and brighter with each whir whir whir...

BEZPALOV - is holding a small hand-powered DYNO TORCH. With

every squeeze, the light grows brighter... then starts to
dim down...

BARANOV moves the DOSIMETER closer to the meager rising/

falling light. Then signals to Ananenko... look at this...
but Ananenko shakes his head. Doesn't matter. Stay calm.

whir whir whirwhirwhirwhirwhir

Ananenko makes gentle movements now with his hand. To both

of them. "Slow your breathing. Don't panic."

whir... whir.... whir.......

The three men wrestle with their fear. Control their

breathing. Then Ananenko grabs Bezpalov by the wrist. Moves
Bezpalov's free hand toward the back of his wetsuit.

Grab it.

Bezpalov grabs it. Then Baranov grabs on to him, so that all

three are now holding on to each other.

Ananenko holds his hand up to them. Makes a FIST. "Tight."

They tighten their grips. If they let go... they are lost.

whir whir whir whir...

Bezpalov moves the dyno torch around so they can see:

THE WALL OF THE DUCT.

Water continues to slowly fill the space

Ananenko moves slowly toward the wall... the two other men
following along in a chain...

When they get to the wall, Ananenko grabs hold of a PIPE.

There are SIX pipes running along the wall. He counts
down... first, second, third, fourth.
 2.

Fourth. That's the one that leads to the sluice gate. He

begins FEELING HIS WAY forward, hand over hand, never losing
contact with the fourth pipe...

...and the others follow in the near darkness.

whir whir whir...

302 EXT. CHERNOBYL - VICINITY OF THE HATCH - SAME 302

Pikalov, Shcherbina and Legasov stand waiting. No one says a

word. Then Shcherbina checks his watch.

Legasov says nothing. Just keeps staring at the hatch.

SHCHERBINA
Is it possible the water has already
killed them?

LEGASOV
Yes.

SHCHERBINA
So then what?
(beat)
If it doesn't work?

Legasov doesn't answer. Because there is no answer.

303 INT. DUCTS - SAME 303

Dark. It's deeper here. And emerging from the pitch black...

...the three men. Holding tight to each other. Following

that single pipe. Their only hope. The barest of light
coming from Bezpalov, whose hand is getting tired.

The pulsing of the torch is lower... lower...

They get closer to us. Closer. Closer. Breathing louder.

Water rising up to their WAIST. And then:

A JARRING NOISE

REVERSE TO SEE: in the darkness, Ananenko has walked right

into the CLOSED SLUICE GATE. His MASK is knocked askew.

BARANOV - moves quickly. Adjusts the mask back onto

Baranov's face.

whirwhirwhirwhirwhir
 3.

Breathe. You're okay. Look. We did it. We found the gate.

On the sluice gate - TWO RUSTY WHEEL VALVES on either side.

Ananenko wades to one. Bezpalov gives Baranov the dyno
torch, and moves to the other.

The valves look as if they have never been turned.

If they can't open them, then this was for nothing. The men
put their hands on the valves.

Look at each other. And then: THEY PUT their all into it...
and before we can even see if the wheels budge--

304 EXT. CHERNOBYL - VICINITY OF THE HATCH - LATER 304

Shcherbina paces. Pikalov stares at the ground.

Legasov stares silently at the hatch.

And then: a noise... loud enough that it can be heard even

from here. A heavy THUMP THUMP THUMP on the hatch.

Soldiers rush over. Open the hatch.

BEZPALOV emerges. Soaked from the waist down, and SHOUTING

in triumph.

The soldiers BURST into cheers and applause as Baranov and

Ananenko follow Bezpalov out...

Legasov, Shcherbina and Pikalov all slump with relief. They

did it. Shcherbina motions to Pikalov, who immediately heads
toward some military firemen.

PIKALOV
Bring the hoses in. Start pumping.

Shcherbina CLAPS Legasov on the shoulder. Beaming.

SHCHERBINA
Look. Look at our boys!

ON THE THREE - surrounded by cheering soldiers. They look

absolutely fine. Bezpalov takes a swig of vodka.

It's a jubilant scene, but Legasov looks as if he's going to

throw up.

LEGASOV
Get them to the doctors.
 4.

Legasov walks away. Shcherbina absorbs that, then looks back

at the scene. The men continue to hug and congratulate the
divers and each other, even as the military firefighters
bring in the pump hoses...

Ananenko catches sight of Shcherbina. The man who told him

it must be done.

The smile fades from Ananenko's face. Replaced with the

simple pride of a man who knows he may have just given his
life to his people.

He raises a bottle to Shcherbina, and Shcherbina solemnly

nods back.

305 EXT. NOVAYA BASMANAYA STREET - MOSCOW - AFTERNOON 305

A large, imposing stone building set back from the street.

Two stories, with tall windows in orderly rows.

LYUDMILLA, the firefighter's wife, enters frame, carrying

her dingy suitcase. A country mouse far from home.

She stops in front of the building. Looks up at it. She's

never felt so small or afraid in her life.

TITLE:

APRIL 30, 1986

HOSPITAL NUMBER 6, MOSCOW

306 INT. HOSPITAL NUMBER 6 - MOMENTS LATER 306

Lyudmilla approaches the receptionist at the front desk.

The receptionist, YENINA, 30, is filling out some paperwork.

Lyudmilla just stands there, waiting silently.

Finally, Yenina STAMPS the paperwork, removes her reading

glasses, and:

YENINA
Yes?

Lyudmilla dutifully recites what the military officer told

her to say.

LYUDMILLA
I'm here to see my husband, Vasily
Ignatenko. He's a firefighter from
Chernobyl. I have permission.
 5.

YENINA
Chernobyl? I'm sorry. No visitors.

LYUDMILLA
But-- Major Burov, he told me-- he
said--

YENINA
No exceptions.

LYUDMILLA
Please-- I came all the way from
Kievskaya oblast...

Yenina is unmoved. Just keeps staring.

Lyudmilla puts her suitcase down, and opens her purse. Digs
out some crumpled MONEY. Holds it out silently to the
receptionist.

Yenina looks at the money, then grabs a small slip of paper,

selects a STAMP from her wheel, and-- TWHACK. Stamps a
visitor's pass.

She takes Lyudmilla's money, and hands her the pass.

307 INT. HALLWAY - RADIATION WING - MOMENTS LATER 307

Lyudmilla walks down the hall with her suitcase and her
stamped pass.

She sees a DOCTOR, VETROVA, 30's, wearing a cloth face mask.

LYUDMILLA
Excuse me?

Vetrova turns. Surprised to see a visitor. She lowers her

face mask.

VETROVA
Who are you? What are you doing up
here?

LYUDMILLA
I have a pass.

VETROVA
You can't be here. It's not safe.

Lyudmilla starts into her recitation.

 6.

LYUDMILLA
I'm here to see my husband, Vasily
Ignatenko. He's a firefighter from--

VETROVA
I know who Ignatenko is, but you
can't.

Lyudmilla tries to hold back her tears. It's not working.

LYUDMILLA
But I have permission. I have--

Lyudmilla opens her purse once more. There's not much left.

Vetrova realizes what Lyudmilla's doing. Oh god. She puts

her hand on Lyudmilla's. No need for that...

VETROVA
(reluctant)
You can have thirty minutes with him.
Not a minute more.

Lyudmilla, relieved, nods.

VETROVA
And you cannot touch him. In any way.
Do you understand?

LYUDMILLA
Yes.

The doctor hesitates, then:

VETROVA
Room 15.

LYUDMILLA
(overwhelmed)
Thank you.

As Lyudmilla starts to walk down the hall--

VETROVA
You're not pregnant, are you?

Lyudmilla stops. Turns back to the doctor.

LYUDMILLA
No.

The doctor nods. Go on then.

 7.

308 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY / ROOM 15 - MOMENTS LATER 308

Lyudmilla rounds a corner. Room 12... 13... 14... Room 15.

She screws up her courage, and then pushes the door open.

REVEAL: the FIREFIGHTERS... Vasily sitting up on one bed,

Kibenok and Pravik sitting side-by-side on the other.

Pravik is hooked up to an IV. And they're each in hospital

pyjamas. Skin reddened, as if sunburned. But otherwise?

They're fine. Playing cards, in fact. Pravik looks up.

PRAVIK
Look who the cat dragged in.

Vasily sees Lyudmilla. A big grin breaks out on his face.

VASILY
What did I tell you? There's no
hiding from this woman...

The firefighters laugh. Vasily rises as Lyudmilla drops her

suitcase and RUSHES into his arms, hugging and kissing him
as she weeps for joy.

VASILY
Ow ow... easy! Easy!

She backs off slightly, but just keeps sobbing on him.

VASILY
It's okay. Shhh, Lyusya, shhh. I'm
okay. We're all okay...

SOUND RISES: military drums, a massive crowd cheering, and:

309 EXT. RED SQUARE - MOSCOW - DAY [FILE FOOTAGE] 309

FILE FOOTAGE - A bright, sunny days. Thousands of people.

Red flags everywhere. Children in uniforms. Soldiers
marching in formation. Trucks display nuclear missiles.

TITLE:

MAY 1, 1986
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY

5 DAYS AFTER THE EXPLOSION

 8.

310 INT. GARANIN'S OFFICE - MINSK - SAME 310

Garanin is on the phone. Through the window, we hear the

cheering of PEOPLE on the street.

GARANIN
Yes, the parade's already begun. All
of Minsk is out on the street, which
is why I felt it was--
(beat)
Of course not-- but the wind has been
blowing in from the southeast since
early morning. From Kiev. From
Cherno-- no, no... but if we were to
cancel now, just as a precaution-- I
understand, but then perhaps we
should issue iodine tablets to--

He's been cut off again. Then, defeated:

GARANIN
Yes. Certainly you're right. It was
foolish of me to call. I apologize.
Thank you for your wisdom, Minister.
Please-- enjoy the 100th anniversary
of International Workers' Day.

Garanin places the phone receiver back on the cradle. Then

walks to the window. We can't see the parade. We can only
see him watching helplessly.

He picks up his jacket, which is covered in civilian

MEDALS-- the ceremonial finery of a Party leader. He puts it
on, buttons it, straightens it, takes a breath--

--and heads out to join the parade.

311 OMITTED 311

312 INT. MILITARY HELICOPTER - DAY 312

Mid-flight. A RADIOMETRIC CREW is in the back. Full

protective suits. The door is open, and they're holding
RADIOMETERS out to sample the smoky air.

We hear the telltale CRACKLE of a GEIGER COUNTER... and as

the helicopter washes through a PLUME OF SMOKE, the clicking
suddenly explodes into DEAFENING STATIC...
 9.

313 EXT. REACTOR SITE - SAME 313

The helicopter is CIRCLING above the destroyed reactor.

TITLE:

MAY 2, 1986

314 EXT. REACTOR SITE - LATER 314

Trailers have been set up near the site as mobile offices. A

web of FIRE HOSES extend out from the ruins toward Pikalov's
specialized military fire trucks, each with pumps running.

FLOOD LIGHTS have been set up to illuminate the work area.

Men move back and forth, some wearing gas masks. Others not.

PIKALOV - talks with one of the radiometrists who was on the

helicopter. Then walks back to:

LEGASOV and SHCHERBINA - who stand over a workbench covered

in maps. They're mid-argument.

LEGASOV
How did this happen? Who gave them
this idea?

SHCHERBINA
Are you suggesting I did?

LEGASOV
Well someone decided the evacuation
zone should be thirty kilometers,
when we know--
(points to the map)
Here! Caesium-137 in Gomel District.
Two HUNDRED kilometers away!

Pikalov waits. Uncomfortable. Clearly has information to

share, but doesn't want to interrupt.

SHCHERBINA
It was decided.

LEGASOV
Based on WHAT?

SHCHERBINA
I don't know.
 10.

LEGASOV
(disbelief)
Forgive me. Maybe I've spent too much
time in my lab. Or maybe I'm stupid.
But is this really how it all works?
An uninformed, arbitrary decision
that will cost who knows how many
lives is made by some apparatchik?
Some career Party man?

SHCHERBINA
(angered)
I am a career Party man. You should
mind your tone, Comrade Legasov.

Legasov stares oddly at Shcherbina. Wasn't expecting that

defense. It almost seemed... calculated.

PIKALOV
(ahem)
Comrades.

They turn to him. He's holding a piece of paper in his hand.

PIKALOV
We have visual confirmation that the
fire is nearly extinguished. There
has also been a reduction in iodine-
131 and caesium-137 emissions.

SHCHERBINA
Good.
(to Legasov)
Yes?

PIKALOV
But the temperature is rising. And--

He trails off. Then simply hands the paper to Legasov. It's

a SPECTROGRAPH. Legasov stares at the chart for a moment.

LEGASOV
There's a spike in zirconium-95. It's
from the cladding on the fuel rods.

SHCHERBINA
Which means what?

LEGASOV
We use zirconium to contain the
uranium because its melting point is
so high.
(MORE)
 11.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
A graphite fire alone isn't hot
enough to vaporise it. It's the fuel
itself.
(beat)
The meltdown has begun.

The sound of a HELICOPTER buzzing by. The air churns up DUST

from the ground, and we DISSOLVE TO:

315 INT. THE REACTOR - NOW 315

AN EMPTY WATER BASIN - puddles of dark water, rust marks on

the walls, and extending down from the ceiling, a large
DRAINAGE PIPE, like an upside-down T.

We hold for a moment. Then a thin line of dark MAGMA drips

out of drain... dangles in the air, then hits the ground
with a SIZZLE.

Another line from the other opening. And then, without

warning:

A HUGE MASS of CORIUM POURS OUT AND DOWN - from both sides
of the drainpipe - thick, deadly lava, bubbling and POOLING
with a SIZZLE on the concrete below...

We're watching a nuclear reactor core melting down. This is

what it looks like. Hypnotic, and almost beautiful.

Almost.

We hear the concrete CRACKLING, and we cut to:

316 INT. HALLWAY - RADIATION WING -HOSPITAL NO.6 - NIGHT 316

Drip... drip... drip...

A small, rusty DRINKING FOUNTAIN drips. Each drip echoing

slightly in the:

EMPTY HOSPITAL HALLWAY - where Lyudmilla sits in a chair.

Sleeping. No sound but the low buzz of the fluorescent
lights, and drip... drip... drip...

And then a low moan from off screen.

Lyudmilla shifts a bit. Troubled sleep.

Another moan. Another. Then a man SCREAMING in pain.

 12.

Lyudmilla instantly wakes. It's silent in the hallway again.

Was that a dream?

Another SCREAM. Louder. She leaps to her feet, and:

317 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM 15 / HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER 317

Lyudmilla enters the room. Two nurses are attending to

Vasily, blocking Lyudmilla's view of him.

The other two beds are EMPTY, save for BLOOD STAINS on both
of them.

The nurses are clearly struggling.

HOSPITAL 6 NURSE
You have to stop moving. We can't get
the needle in if you don't stop
moving.

His screaming is terrible. Lyudmilla moves towards the

nurses, panicked.

LYUDMILLA
You're hurting him!

She pulls at one of the nurses, and sees:

VASILY - covered in LESIONS. His face, his arms, his neck...

everywhere there is skin, there are tiny open SORES, some
bleeding, some coated in weeping pus.

Vasily writhes in AGONY as the other nurse attempts to hold

him down by his burning skin in order to inject morphine.

Lyudmilla can only stare in horror.

HOSPITAL 6 NURSE
You can't be in here.

LYUDMILLA
What's happening to him...?

Vasily SCREAMS again.

HOSPITAL 6 NURSE
YOU CAN'T BE IN HERE!

The nurse PUSHES Lyudmilla out of the room, and then heads
back to help her colleague.
 13.

Lyudmilla stands alone in the hallway, helpless, listening

to her husband screaming... as if he's been set on fire...

We hold on her listening until it's too much to bear, and:

318 INT. KREMLIN CONF. ROOM / INT. COMMAND ROOM - NIGHT 318

Gorbachev's grim face.

ON HIS DESK in the corner of the room - seven newspapers

from major Western nations. On each one, a stapled
translation. They're all about the same thing. Chernobyl.

The PHONE RINGS. He answers.

GORBACHEV
Yes.
(beat)
Put them through.
(beat)
Well?

INTERCUT WITH: Shcherbina on the phone in the command suite

at the Polissya. Legasov next to him, on a second handset.

SHCHERBINA
The graphite fire is nearly out, and
the bubbler tanks are being drained.
We have successfully eliminated the
risk of thermal explosion.

Gorbachev slowly exhales. Then realizes Shcherbina has

fallen quiet on the other end.

GORBACHEV
And?

SHCHERBINA
The situation inside the core is
deteriorating faster than
anticipated. The concrete pad will
hold for 6 to 8 weeks, but after
that, Legasov estimates a 50% chance
the fuel will breach the pad and melt
down into the groundwater itself.

GORBACHEV
And where does that groundwater go?

SHCHERBINA
The Pripyat River, which feeds into
the Dnieper.
(MORE)
 14.

SHCHERBINA (cont'd)
The primary water supply for
approximately fifty million people--
not to mention crops and livestock--
would be... unusable.

Gorbachev closes his eyes. Can't take it anymore.

SHCHERBINA
We are recommending we install a heat
exchanger under the pad to lower the
core temperature and halt the
meltdown. In order to do this, I'm
told we'll need all of the liquid
nitrogen in the Soviet Union.

GORBACHEV
(long pause, then)
Alright.

SHCHERBINA
And of course, we'll need--

GORBACHEV
Whatever you need, you have it. That
should be clear by now. Is there
anything else?

SHCHERBINA
My apologies. No. Thank you for--

But:

LEGASOV
Yes. I wanted to address the 30
kilometer exclusion zone--

Shcherbina reacts. What does Legasov think he's doing?

GORBACHEV
What exclusion zone? Is that Legasov?
What are you-- ?

SHCHERBINA
(jumping in quickly)
Minor details, General Secretary.
Premier Ryzhkov has determined that--

GORBACHEV
(angry)
If he determined, then he determined.

Shcherbina glares at Legasov. Idiot.

 15.

GORBACHEV
Legasov, you are there for one
purpose, do you understand? To make
this stop. I don't want questions. I
want to know when this will be over.

LEGASOV
If you mean, when will Chernobyl be
completely safe, the half-life of
Plutonium-239 is 24,000 years.
(beat)
Perhaps we should just say, "Not
within our lifetimes."

A stunned Gorbachev hangs on the phone for a few silent

moments... and then slowly hangs up. Then:

SHCHERBINA
I think you and I should take a walk.

LEGASOV
(wary)
It's late. I'm tired.

SHCHERBINA
(not negotiable)
We're taking a walk.

319 EXT. PRIPYAT - STREET - NIGHT 319

A DOG walks steadily, tail wagging. Happy. A bit of SAUSAGE

sails into frame, and the dog snatches it out of the air.
Now another DOG enters frame. Then a CAT.

REVEAL: Shcherbina and Legasov walking down the abandoned

city street. Street lamps shining for no one.

As they go, Shcherbina casually rips pieces of a large

kolbasa and tosses them back to the left-behind pets, a
dozen of whom follow him like he's some kind of Pied Piper.

SHCHERBINA
Would you like some kolbasa?

LEGASOV
(enough with this)
What is it you want? An apology? I
won't sit back and let these people--

SHCHERBINA
What's going to happen to our boys?
 16.

LEGASOV
What boys? The divers?

SHCHERBINA
The divers, the firefighters, the men
in the control room. What does the
radiation do to them? Precisely.

Legasov doesn't want to answer this question. But:

LEGASOV
At the levels some of them were
exposed to... ionizing radiation
tears the cellular structure apart.
The skin blisters, turns red, then
dark. There's nausea, dizziness,
fever, loss of consciousness.

Shcherbina throws the last of the sausage into the night,

and the pets chase after it, disappearing into the dark.

SHCHERBINA
Continue.

LEGASOV
This is followed by a latency period.
The immediate effects subside. The
patients appear to be recovering.
Healthy, even. But they aren't.

They arrive at a bench. Shcherbina sits. Legasov joins him.

SHCHERBINA
(calmly, again)
Continue.

LEGASOV
This lasts for only a day or two.
Then the cellular damage begins to
manifest. The bone marrow dies, the
immune system fails, and the soft
tissue and organs begin to decompose.
The arteries and veins spill open
like sieves, to the point where you
can't even administer morphine for
the pain, which is-- unimaginable.
And within three days to three weeks,
you are dead. That is what will
happen to those boys.

Shcherbina takes it in. Then:

 17.

SHCHERBINA
Strange. How the things we can't see
are the most dangerous.
(beat)
And what about us?

LEGASOV
We've gotten a steady dose, but much
less of it. Not strong enough to kill
the cells, but consistent enough to
damage the DNA. In time... cancer. Or
aplastic anemia. Either way, fatal.

SHCHERBINA
Well. In a sense, it would seem we've
gotten off easily then... Valery.

His first name. Legasov notes the familiarity. The kind

between friends. A moment between them, and then Shcherbina
just barely nods his head to the left.

Was that a signal? Legasov glances back down the street in

the direction of Shcherbina's nod, and sees:

THIRTY METERS BEHIND THEM - a MAN AND WOMAN under a street

lamp. Clearly following from a distance.

But not just any man and woman. The "husband and wife" from
the bar. The wife who asked Legasov if there were anything
to worry about.

They don't seem worried now at all. Nor do they seem like a
husband and wife. They just stare back at Legasov.

Dead-eyed. Expressionless. And above all, no attempt to

disguise who they truly are.

Legasov turns back to look straight ahead. Terrified. My

god... that night... he almost told them what he knew...

Shcherbina resumes walking. Legasov moves with him. Stiffly.

Trying not to look back.

SHCHERBINA
Now you know why I wanted to take a
walk. Obviously the work site is
bugged. But I suspect our rooms as
well. Even our bathrooms. They say
you haven't taken a proper shit until
you've done it in front of the KGB.

And now Legasov understands the reason for Shcherbina's

impassioned defense of the Soviet state.
 18.

LEGASOV
I've seen them before. They've been
here the whole time.

Shcherbina sighs. Legasov is a smart man, and yet so stupid.

SHCHERBINA
Of course they've been here the whole
time. If we're seeing them out in the
open now-- it's because they want us
to know.

Legasov glances back one more time at the man and woman. But
keeps walking along with Shcherbina.

And the pets... and the KGB... keep following.

320 INT. POLISSYA HOTEL - LOBBY BAR - NIGHT 320

Legasov, returning, crosses through the now-abandoned lobby,

then sees:

KHOMYUK alone at the lobby bar, papers spread out around

her. Scribbling calculations. A bottle of vodka and a glass.

He hesitates. Makes a silent decision. Then crosses over and

takes a seat near her at the bar.

She glances up at him from her work, then eyes back down to
her calculations. But she slides a spectrograph page over to
him from the top of her papers. Keeps her eyes on her work
as she talks.

KHOMYUK
You've seen that? The fuel is melting
faster than we expected. The pad--

LEGASOV
I know. I have a plan.

KHOMYUK
Heat exchanger, I hope.

LEGASOV
Yes.
(her equations)
There's something I've wanted to ask
you, Comrade. But I see you've been
asking it yourself.

She finally slams her pencil down. Beyond frustrated. The

anger of a relentless mind facing an unsolvable puzzle.
 19.

KHOMYUK
Why did it explode. I've worked the
numbers over and over, presuming the
worst possible conditions in an RBMK
reactor, and I get the same answer
every time.

LEGASOV
Which is?

KHOMYUK
It's not possible.

LEGASOV
And yet.

They sit in silence for a moment. Then:

LEGASOV
I've spoken to the director of your
institute. He says you're difficult
and brutally stubborn.
(beat)
Which I'm hoping for.

He takes her page of calculations.

LEGASOV
You're not going to solve this here.
Not on paper.

She leans forward. Activated. Yes... a hunt. A chase. For

the truth.

LEGASOV
I'm authorizing you to conduct a full
inquiry. Begin in Moscow. Hospital
Number 6. Talk to everyone who was in
the control room that night--
Dyatlov, Akimov, Toptunov-- we need
to know exactly what occurred. Moment
by moment, decision by decision. No
detail is too small. Go now. While
they're still alive. Because if we do
not find out how this happened-- then
it will happen again.

Understood. Feeling the thrill of the chase, she gathers her

papers and rises to leave. Then:

LEGASOV
And Khomyuk...
 20.

She turns back. He makes a subtle gesture around himself, as

in-- "the system around us is watching... listening..."

LEGASOV
Be careful.

And we see a twinge in her now. Asking questions and seeking

truth in the Soviet Union is a dangerous game. She nods
stiffly to him, and exits.

We hear BOISTEROUS LAUGHTER now, and cut to:

321 EXT. COAL MINES - TULA, RUSSIA - DAY 321

A group of forty-five MINERS on break. Vodka. Cigarettes.

Behind them, conveyor belts and hoppers. Bulldozers and
dust. Rolling hills pierced by cart tracks.

These men are hard. Blackened faces. Blackened lungs. Young

and old. Thick bellies. Tough muscle. But right now...

OLD MINER
Wait wait I have one, I have one...
so every Friday, Maxim The Factory
Guard sees Yaroslav The Worker coming
out of the factory with a wheelbarrow
full of hay. And each time, Maxim
looks through the hay to see what
Yaroslav's stealing, but he never
finds anything. They do this for
thirty years until Maxim says,
"Yaroslav, I'm retiring. It's my last
day. I promise-- I won't tell anyone,
but I have to know. What have you
been stealing?" And Yaroslav says--

The other miners all shout back at him.

THE MINERS
"I've been stealing the
wheelbarrows!"

They all break out laughing, except for the miner who was
telling the joke.

OLD MINER
Oh, fuck off all of you...

GLUKHOV, 40, short and stocky-- a fire hydrant of a man--

waves his hand to get their attention. His turn.
 21.

GLUKHOV
Okay okay, here's one-- what's as big
as a house, burns 20 liters of fuel
an hour, puts out a huge amount of
smoke and noise, and cuts an apple
into three pieces?
(beat)
A Soviet machine for cutting apples
into four pieces.

The men explode with laughter. Except for:

OLD MINER
That's bullshit! It's not even
funny...!

But the miners keep laughing. And Glukhov is laughing the

loudest at his own joke, until he sees:

TWO MILITARY TROOP TRANSPORT TRUCKS approaching in the

distance, led by a BLACK SEDAN with a small Soviet FLAG on
the hood. His smile fades. And now they all turn to see it.

One of the miners SPITS in disgust at the sight of the car.

Glukhov rises and starts walking out to meet their unwelcome

guests. The rest of the miners follow, like a gang on their
way to a rumble.

322 INT. TROOP TRANSPORT TRUCK - MOMENTS LATER 322

DRIVER'S POV - looking through the windshield of the lead

bus as it follows the sedan into the mining facility. Wipers
on to keep the COAL DUST from settling like snow.

And ahead... nearly four dozen angry men... waiting.

323 EXT. COAL MINES - CONTINUOUS 323

The sedan comes to a stop. The driver gets out, walks around
to the passenger side, and opens the door for:

MIKHAIL SHADOV, 40's, ugly pale-blue suit. He emerges,

already intimidated by the hardass miners glaring at him. So
he puffs himself up. Opts for his most authoritative voice.

SHADOV
Who is in charge here?

GLUKHOV
I'm the crew chief.
 22.

Shadov makes a show of taking a NOTEPAD and PEN from his coat.

SHADOV
I am Shadov. Minister of Coal
Industries.

GLUKHOV
We know who you are.

And they clearly don't care. This isn't working. Don't let
them see you sweat. Shadov tries again. Louder.

SHADOV
How many men work here?

GLUKHOV
Forty-five on this shift. One hundred
total.

SHADOV
I need all one hundred men to gather
their equipment and get on the buses.

GLUKHOV
Do you? To where?

TWO SOLDIERS have emerged from the troop transport trucks,

each holding an AK-47. They're young. Shadov glances at
them, then turns back to the miners. Renewed confidence.

SHADOV
That's classified.

The miners look at each other. This could get ugly. But
Glukhov isn't worried. He's looking at the soldiers.

GLUKHOV
Go ahead. Start shooting. You don't
have enough bullets for all of us.
Kill as many as you can, whoever's
left over will beat the piss out of
each of you.

Shadov deflates. Knows he's lost. But one of the soldiers...

YOUNG SOLDIER
You can't talk to us like--

GLUKHOV
Shut the fuck up.

The soldier shuts the fuck up. Now he knows he's lost too.
Shadov and the soldiers stand chastened, like school boys.
 23.

GLUKHOV
This is Tula. This is our mine. We
don't leave unless you tell us why.

Defeated, Shadov considers the men before him. "Classified"

be damned. All he can do now is tell them the truth. He puts
his notepad and pen back in his coat.

SHADOV
You are going to Chernobyl.

Glukhov stares at him. Stunned. They all are.

SHADOV
You know what's happened there?

GLUKHOV
We dig up coal. Not bodies.

SHADOV
The reactor fuel is going to sink
into the ground and poison the water
from Kiev to the Black Sea. All of
it. Forever, they say. They want you
to stop that from happening.

The miners whisper to each other. Can that be true?

GLUKHOV
And how are we supposed to do that?

SHADOV
They didn't tell me, because I don't
need to know. Do you need to know? Or
have you heard enough?

Glukhov sucks his teeth. Thinks. Then turns back to his men.
Well? The Old Miner lifts his head.

OLD MINER
Who, if not us?

Glukhov nods. Then slowly walks up to Shadov... pats his

DIRTY HAND on Shadov's shoulder, getting the Minister's blue
suit all sooty...

...and heads toward the truck. Shadov barely has time to see
the mess Glukhov's made of him when: THE REST OF THE MINERS
slowly parade past him toward the trucks--

--each one making sure to PAT Shadov on the shoulder... the

chest... the belly... covering him in BLACK COAL DUST.
 24.

As the OLD MINER walks by, he gives Shadov a very friendly,

and very sooty, PAT ON THE CHEEK.

OLD MINER
Now you look like the Minister of
Coal...

The miners laugh, and we cut to:

324 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM 15 - DARK 324

CLOSE ON: Lyudmilla, sitting in a chair in the dark room. A

vigil. From just off-camera, we can hear rattling breaths.

REVEAL: Vasily Ignatenko in his hospital bed. Barely

recognizable. His hair is gone. Eyebrows too. His skin is
covered in strange, discolored patches... red, green and
blue bruising, as if he had been beaten.

His body is swollen.

His lips are split open in places, and covered in a thick,

white plaque.

He is 25-years old. He looks so much older.

And all she can do is watch him sleep.

Until-- he stops breathing.

LYUDMILLA
Vasya?

And then: he draws in a sharp breath.

Thank god. She leans over and kisses him on his forehead. He
opens his eyes. Groans. Frustrated.

VASILY
They told you no touching. It's not
safe.

LYUDMILLA
They touch you. If it's safe for them
it's safe for me.

She reaches for a cup of water with a straw. He shakes his

head. No. Then:

VASILY
How are the others?
 25.

LYUDMILLA
They took them to a special room.
They won't tell me where.

He doesn't respond. Then:

VASILY
Open the curtains.

She sets the cup down and crosses to the window behind him.
Pulls the curtain aside. BRIGHT DAYLIGHT floods in.

Vasily instantly closes his eyes in pain. Lyudmilla quickly

returns to his side, and places special, bandaged DARKENED
LENSES gently over his eyes.

He waits for the pain to subside. Then...

VASILY
What do you see? Tell me everything.

She turns slowly back to the window. From here, the only
view is a dismal array of brutally ugly apartment buildings,
and a grim highway just beyond.

LYUDMILLA
I see the Red Square from here. The
Kremlin, the Mausoleum, Spasskaya
Tower...

He nods. Pleased.

VASILY
Saint Basil's?

LYUDMILLA
Yes. It's beautiful.

VASILY
You see? I told you I'd show you
Moscow one day. I told you.

She walks back to him. Sits down. Gently takes his hand. The
flesh hangs strangely from his bones, as if it's separating.

LYUDMILLA
Thank you, my love.

BEHIND HER - through the interior window facing the hospital

hallway, we see a figure in PROTECTIVE GEAR passing by...
 26.

325 INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 325

KHOMYUK strides down the hallway in medical clothing. Rubber

gloves. Rubber booties. Sleeves and pants cuffs tucked in.

In her hand, a notebook and pen. She stops in front of a

door, then takes a breath, and raises a cloth face-mask in
place to cover her nose and mouth.

She opens the door.

INSIDE THE HOSPITAL ROOM - a man stands in a hospital gown,

his back to us, staring out the window. He turns slowly at
the sound of the door.

It's DYATLOV. His hair is now missing in patches. His

eyebrows are gone. But otherwise-- he seems oddly fine. No
trace of the morphine delirium we saw before.

He gestures to an uneaten tray of food. Contemptous.

DYATLOV
I'm not eating that. It's shit. Bring
me something else.

KHOMYUK
I'm not a nurse, Comrade Dyatlov. I'm
a nuclear physicist.

Oh really? Her? A sneer, then:

DYATLOV
Well then, Comrade Nuclear Physicist,
unless you happen to have a butter
and caviar sandwich with you, you can
get the fuck out of my room.

And with that, he turns away.

326 EXT. REACTOR SITE - DAY 326

BUSES pull up to the site, just fifty meters or so away from

the blown-open reactor building.

The miners get out... and stare in shock at the sight in

front of them. Soldiers hand out GAS MASKS to them as they
file off the bus.

MINER
Where do we need to go?
 27.

SOLDIER
Straight ahead.

The miners stumble forward. This is far from a mine. They're

unsure what they're doing or where they're supposed to be.

327 INT. MOBILE OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER 327

Legasov sits with Shcherbina. A map of the power plant on

the small table in front of them.

Legasov smokes. Worried.

SHCHERBINA
What.

LEGASOV
I'm not good at this, Boris.
(beat)
The lying.

SHCHERBINA
Have you ever spent time with miners?

LEGASOV
No.

SHCHERBINA
My advice? Tell the truth. These men
work in the dark. They see
everything.

A KNOCK on the door, then it opens. A soldier, announcing--

SOLDIER
Andrei Glukhov. Crew chief.

Shcherbina nods. The soldier backs away, and GLUKHOV enters,

gas mask in hand. He sits himself down unceremoniously, and
drops the gas mask on the table. Gestures at it.

GLUKHOV
Do these work?

LEGASOV
To an extent.

Glukhov shrugs. Better than nothing. Then points at

Legasov's pack of cigarettes.

LEGASOV
Of course.
 28.

He holds the cigarettes out to Glukhov, who casually takes

the entire pack. Lights one up, pockets the rest for later.

GLUKHOV
Well? What's the job?

Legasov clears his throat. All right. He points to the map.

LEGASOV
We need to install a liquid nitrogen
heat exchanger underneath this
concrete pad. There's no way to
approach it from the interior of the
building. We have to come at it from
underground.

GLUKHOV
And what's above the pad?

Again, right to the point. Legasov glances at Shcherbina,

who gives a tiny nod. "Tell the truth."

LEGASOV
The core of the nuclear reactor,
which is melting down.

GLUKHOV
(melting down?)
What. Like-- ?

He makes a dropping gesture.

LEGASOV
Essentially.

GLUKHOV
Is it going to fall on us?

LEGASOV
Not if you're done within six weeks.

Glukhov takes a long drag on his cigarette. Staring

carefully at Legasov. Then:

GLUKHOV
Dimensions?

LEGASOV
(points at the map)
You'll break ground here, tunnel 150
metres to here, and then excavate
a 30 metre by 30 metre space for the
heat exchanger.
(MORE)
 29.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
(beat)
And because we need to keep
disruption of the ground to a
minimum, we cannot use heavy
equipment. It must be done by hand.

Glukhov whistles. That's a big job.

GLUKHOV
We'll need more men. At least four
hundred. And we'll have to work
around the clock.
(beat)
How deep do you want this tunnel? Six
metres?

LEGASOV
Twelve.

GLUKHOV
Twelve? Why?

LEGASOV
For your protection. At that depth,
you will be shielded from much of the
radiation.

GLUKHOV
The entrance to the tunnel won't be
twelve metres down.

LEGASOV
No.

GLUKHOV
And we're not twelve metres down
right now.

LEGASOV
No. We're not.

Ah. So this is the situation.

SHCHERBINA
We have some equipment here on site,
but more will arrive by midnight. You
can start in the morning.

Glukhov stubs out his cigarette. Rises. Grabs his gas mask
off the table.
 30.

GLUKHOV
We'll start now. I don't want my men
here one second more than they have
to be.

He stares at his gas mask for a moment.

GLUKHOV
If these worked, you'd be wearing
them.

He tosses the gas mask back on the table, and exits.

CUT TO:

328 NEAR PITCH BLACK 328

The sound of muffled men shouting to each other. A heavy

RATTLE of metal...

TITLE:

MAY 6, 1986

And then a MINER shifts his head to UNBLOCK the lights

behind him, and now we see him and a coworker PUSHING a MINE
CART full of dirt around a CORNER and--

329 EXT. REACTOR SITE - DAY - MOMENTS LATER 329

They EMERGE from the MOUTH of the tunnel shaft, and quickly
TILT the minecart to empty the dirt.

They wear simple white uniforms, and simple white caps, much
in the style of the reactor control room workers. But these
men are covered in dirt. And dripping in sweat.

There is a SIGN nailed to the side of the shaft entrance...

yellow Cyrillic lettering on a piece of brown plywood.

SUBTITLE: Comrades: our goal, 24/7, is to advance the tunnel

by 13 metres each day

GLUKHOV emerges from the tunnel, right behind them. Jumps up

out of the entrance trench.

GLUKHOV
Quickly. Back in. You two! Behind
them.
(MORE)
 31.

GLUKHOV (cont'd)
(to another miner)
Iosif, get another spool of wire, and
tell group three to switch with two.

They move quickly, and without care. Jumping down into the
dirt. Wiping the sweaty dust from their faces. No one is
wearing a mask.

Glukhov looks up at the SUN. It's beating down, and it's not
even noon yet.

He walks over to a crude, brown INTERCOM BOX set on top of

some SANDBAGS. Pushes a button on it twice. It emits two
signal tones. Bweee bwee... then we hear a VOICE, crackling
through the tiny speaker.

MINER (INTERCOM)
Yes?

GLUKHOV
What is it up to?

MINER (INTERCOM)
Fifty.

Glukhov hangs his head in frustration. Then sees:

GLUKHOV
Hey. HEY, you!

PIKALOV, issuing commands to his radiometrists, looks over

to see: this short, angry miner MARCHING toward him.

GLUKHOV
We need fans. Thirty or forty.

PIKALOV
For what purpose?

GLUKHOV
What do you mean? What purpose? To
dig your fucking tunnel, what else?

One of Pikalov's men reacts, angrily, but Glukhov jabs his

finger in the air at the soldier.

GLUKHOV
Who's talking to you? Who?

Pikalov raises a hand. Gets in between them.

PIKALOV
Comrades--
 32.

GLUKHOV
(back to Pikalov)
It's 50 degrees down there. We can't
breathe with the masks, we can't
breathe without the masks. It's an
oven. We need ventilation.

PIKALOV
Fans will put dust in the air. The
dust will go in your lungs.

GLUKHOV
I've been filling my lungs with dust
for twenty years.

PIKALOV
Not this dust. I'm sorry. But for
your own good-- no fans.

Pikalov and his men walk away, leaving a frustrated Glukhov.

We LOWER DOWN - INTO THE EARTH itself... until we come to:

330 INT. THE TUNNEL - NOW 330

A cramped shaft, dimly lit by bulb strung along swales of

electrical cord.

Five miners are jammed against each other like rats in a

nest, stooped over in the low tunnel, PICKING and SHOVELING
into the earth as fast as they can manage.

The heat is intense. Rippling the air in spots. They drip

sweat, but they keep working.

Gritting teeth. Muscles burning. And even without fans, the

DUST swirls around them... it SHIMMERS in front of the
lights... and we can literally see them inhaling it...

A miner swings his PICK right at us, and we cut to:

331 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 331

LEONID TOPTUNOV, the young control room engineer, lies in a

bed. Most of his hair is gone. Bits of his mustache remain
in small patches. His body looks just as bad as Ignatenko's.
Discolored. Swollen. Thousand yard stare.

He barely glances as KHOMYUK enters the room. Then back to

the thousand yard stare.
 33.

She moves the chair back a few feet from his bed to maintain
a safer distance, and sits. Still in full protection, mask
covering her mouth. Notebook open in her lap. Pen poised.

She hesitates. Difficult to interrogate someone who is dying

in front of your eyes. But no choice.

KHOMYUK
My name is Ulana Khomyuk. I am a
nuclear physicist working with the
Chernobyl Commission. I want you to
tell me everything that happened the
night of the accident. Is that all
right?

TOPTUNOV
(hurts to speak)
Yes. I want to tell.

KHOMYUK
(reluctantly)
Alright. Your official title was--

TOPTUNOV
(a strange pride)
My name is Leonid Fedorovych
Toptunov. I am the Senior Reactor
Control Chief Engineer at Chernobyl
Nuclear Power Plant.

She stops writing. Surprised.

KHOMYUK
Senior engineer? How old are you?

He slowly turns his head to face her.

TOPTUNOV
I'm 25.

And now BLOOD begins leaking from his nostrils. Steady

rivulets... coming out too easily. Coming out too thin.

Khomyuk crosses to the bedside table, picks up some cotton

gauze, leans over Toptunov, and presses it gently to his
nose.

They're looking straight at each other.

Her face covered by a mask. His face covered by the gauze.

Nothing revealed but eyes gazing into eyes.
 34.

332 EXT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 332

The long hallway - then a BLOND MAN steps into view. 30's,
mustache. Rolling a sucking candy around in his mouth. He
looks around. Oddly out of place, and yet zero emotion.

Just a dead look. It should be quite clear what he is.

He steps out of the way as ORDERLIES come by, wheeling a

GURNEY - with VASILY, the dark lenses shielding his eyes
from the light. Lyudmilla follows right behind.

We move WITH THEM, leaving the Blond Man behind.

VASILY
(scared)
Lyusya...?

LYUDMILLA
I'm here.

They round a corner, and move toward a single room at the

end of the hallway. Double doors.

VETROVA emerges from the room. Visible behind her, in the

center of the room, we see heavy, CLEAR PLASTIC SHEETING
dangling in overlapping strips from the ceiling.

As the orderlies bring Vasily into the room, Vetrova STOPS

Lyudmilla from following. Shocked to even see her.

VETROVA
Have you been here this whole time?

LYUDMILLA
No one said I should leave.

VETROVA
I did. Thirty minutes, I said!

LYUDMILLA
(anger)
Well where have you been? When he's
in pain? When his sores stick to his
gown? When he soils himself five
times a night-- I've been taking care
of him. Where have you been?

Vetrova draws on every ounce of calm she has.

 35.

VETROVA
I have been in the north and west
wing where there are dozens of
patients from Chernobyl, exactly like
him. It isn't safe for you here.

LYUDMILLA
He's my husband.

VETROVA
Not anymore. He's something else now.
Do you understand? He's dangerous to
you.

Lyudmilla doesn't understand. Or pretends not to?

LYUDMILLA
He's burned.

Vetrova can only shake her head. Tired. No, exhausted.

VETROVA
Go home.

All the fight leaves Lyudmilla, and she regresses to an

almost child-like desperation and fear.

LYUDMILLA
Please. It won't be much longer.
(can barely say it)
I don't want him to die alone.

Vetrova closes her eyes. Angry at herself for this. Angry

that this is happening at all. Then:

VETROVA
Stay on the other side of the
plastic. Or I will have you removed
by security.

Before Lyudmilla can respond, Vetrova WALKS AWAY. Then the

orderlies exit the room and move past her as well.

Her husband is now in there alone.

333 INT. ISOLATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 333

We're on Vasily's side of the TRANSPARENT CURTAIN. Through

the plastic, we see the DOOR open.

Lyudmilla approaches. Then stops just on the other side of

the plastic.
 36.

VASILY
Lyusya?

A pause, then LYUDMILLA pushes through PLASTIC. On our side

now. On Vasily's side. Stands right next to him.

LYUDMILLA
Yes, my love.

VASILY
Is it day?

LYUDMILLA
No, it's nighttime now.

VASILY
(confused)
I think I had a dream. But it's gone.

LYUDMILLA
Vasya.
(beat)
We're going to have a baby.

He doesn't respond. Perhaps too delirious to understand. But

then... his HAND lifts slightly off the bed. Trembling. The
SKIN sloughing off. He's reaching for her.

He heard. He knows.

And she gently reaches back to take his hand in hers.

334 INT. MOBILE OFFICE - CHERNOBYL COMMAND - NIGHT 334

A plate with boiled chicken and beets. Untouched. A bottle

of iodine pills. A full glass of water. A stack of maps.
Books. Notepads. Blueprints.

Legasov writes a LIST. Four pages in already. Hand cramping.

He puts his pen down, takes his glasses off. Rubs his eyes.

Picks up the glass of water. Then puts it down. His hand is

TREMBLING. He stares at it, then:

THE DOOR OPENS - and Shcherbina enters. Ebullient. A bottle

of VODKA in his hand. He smiles at Legasov.

SHCHERBINA
The fire is out.

He plunks the bottle down. Unscrews the cap, and tosses it.
It lands in the corner with a plink.
 37.

SHCHERBINA
It's out, Valera! And the miners are
making incredible progress. They say
the whole job will be finished in
four weeks. Four, can you believe it?

He takes Legasov's WATER GLASS, empties it into the waste

basket, and starts pouring vodka.

But Legasov just stares blankly at his list.

Shcherbina puts the vodka bottle down. Sighs. Just wants to

find some small joy, even now. Even knowing what he knows.

SHCHERBINA
I know the job isn't over. But it's
the beginning of the end.

The beginning of the end? Legasov looks up. A strange look

of pity on his face. And then... he slowly shakes his head.

No.

The smile fades from Shcherbina's face, and: KNOCK KNOCK

KNOCK on the door. Shcherbina crosses over and opens it. A
soldier is standing there.

SOLDIER
I'm sorry to bother you, Deputy
Minister, but-- it's the miners.

Shcherbina looks back at Legasov. What now?

335 EXT. REACTOR SITE - MOMENTS LATER 335

Legasov and Shcherbina follow the soldier through the work

site, under the glare of FLOODLIGHTS. They walk around a
truck and stop dead, as they see:

THE MINERS - working. Digging, emptying the carts, doing

their job.

In the nude.

Well, they have their shoes on. And their paper hats. But
otherwise? Completely naked.

Legasov and Shcherbina just stare dumbstruck. And then they

sees GLUKHOV, as naked as the others.

Legasov raises a hand to him. "May we have a word?"

 38.

Glukhov walks over to them. Zero self-consciousness.

GLUKHOV
What?

Legasov isn't quite sure what to say.

GLUKHOV
They won't give us fans, and it's too
hot for clothes. So we're digging the
old way. This is how our fathers
mined.

Oh.

GLUKHOV
We're still wearing the fucking hats.
What do you need?

LEGASOV
You aren't as protected without--

GLUKHOV
Are you telling me it will make a
difference?

Legasov hesitates. Then remembers who he's dealing with.

Shakes his head. No. It won't.

Which is what Glukhov expected. He looks back at his men,

then turns to Shcherbina.

GLUKHOV
When this is over-- will we be taken
care of?

Legasov and Shcherbina say nothing. There's no point in

lying to this man.

Glukhov stares back at them in disgusted disappointment.

Then without another word, he heads back to the tunnel.

Naked. And resigned.

336 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT 336

A pen writes in Cyrillic in a notebook. Half a page of

notes. The other page full. Six or seven pages behind that
one. The pen underlines something. Then:

KHOMYUK stops writing. Looks at Toptunov.

 39.

KHOMYUK
So the power level jumped from 200 to
400 megawatts.

TOPTUNOV
Yes. Very fast.

KHOMYUK
Why didn't you press the AZ-5 button
and shut the reactor down?

TOPTUNOV
We did. I reported the increase to
Akimov-- and he pressed the button.

Khomyuk puts her pen down.

KHOMYUK
That's not possible, Leonid.

He turns to her. Grunting in pain from the effort.

TOPTUNOV
He did. I saw him do it. I swear. And
that's when it exploded.

She leans back. Utter disbelief. Silence, then:

KHOMYUK
What?

TOPTUNOV
I wasn't supposed to be there.
(tears in his eyes)
It wasn't supposed to be me.

Khomyuk can only stare in shock.

Vetrova enters with a nurse, who wheels a tray of medicine.

VETROVA
I'm sorry, he needs rest now.

Khomyuk rises.

KHOMYUK
Of course.
(mind spinning)
Which room is Akimov?

VETROVA
27.
 40.

337 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM 27 - LATER 337

CLOSE ON - Khomyuk's notebook. She finishes writing "pressed

AZ-5, large jolt, then explosion" (Cyrillic).

REVEAL - Khomyuk sitting in a different chair. Akimov's

room. We never see Akimov. He remains off-camera. But we
HEAR him. A terrible, rattling breath.

Khomyuk's face tells us all we need to know about what

Akimov must look like. There is terrible pity for him. And
horror at what he is suffering.

KHOMYUK
Thank you, Comrade Akimov. You should
rest now.

She gets up to leave, sick to her stomach and on the verge

of tears. And we stay CLOSE on her as she HEARS him... his
awful voice... pained and confused and heartbreaking.

AKIMOV (O.S.)
We did everything right... we did
everything right...

338 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 338

Khomyuk emerges from Akimov's room. Cold sweats. She chokes

back the nausea. Breathe... breathe... easy, easy...

She begins walking down the hallway, trying to absorb what

has become of these men. And what they've told her.

Breathe. Breathe. You're okay.

She turns a corner, then STOPS short. What is she seeing?

REVEAL - she is right in front of the door into VASILY

IGNATENKO'S room. She looks through the window.

IN THE ROOM - Lyudmilla is sitting inside the protective

plastic sheeting.

She is saying something to her husband that we cannot hear.

She touches him with her left hand. But her right hand is
held gently on her belly. She's smiling.

Khomyuk stares in utter shock, then BARGES INTO:

 41.

339 INT. ISOLATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS 339

She FLINGS the plastic slats aside and GRABS Lyudmilla by

the wrist.

KHOMYUK
Get up!

Khomyuk PULLS Lyudmilla from the chair, and begins DRAGGING

her by the wrist toward the door.

VASILY
Lyusya?

LYUDMILLA
LET ME GO!

VASILY
Lyusya?

But Khomyuk keeps DRAGGING, pulling Lyudmilla out into the

hallway...

LYUDMILLA
(screaming)
STOP IT! STOP IT!

VETROVA comes running over, drawn by the noise.

KHOMYUK
You let her in that room? Inside the
plastic? Touching him?

VETROVA LYUDMILLA
What did I tell you? It's not true!

KHOMYUK
Did you know she's pregnant?

Vetrova absorbs that in shock. Gapes at Lyudmilla.

VETROVA
What have you done?

Lyudmilla, scared, starts to cry. Shaking her head. No.

Nothing. Nothing...

VETROVA
(again, terrified)
What have you DONE?

Khomyuk lets go of Lyudmilla. Turns on Vetrova.

 42.

KHOMYUK
What kind of place is this? Where is
her protection? Do you have ANY IDEA
what you're dealing with?

VETROVA
Of course I do. Please, I don't
want--

KHOMYUK
No. People are going to hear about
this.

VETROVA
Wait--

KHOMYUK
People are going to hear! You
understand? Everyone is going to
hear!

The BLOND MAN steps in her path, stopping her short.

BLOND MAN
What is everyone going to hear?

Khomyuk knows instantly what this is. And that she's made a
terrible mistake. Only one way out of this.

KHOMYUK
I'm here on behalf of the official
Chernobyl commission. I have been
authorized by Valery Legasov to--

She glances behind her, sensing ANOTHER MAN arriving from

the other direction. Standing behind her now.

KHOMYUK
You can check this. My name is--

BLOND MAN
We know who you are.
(and again)
What is everyone going to hear?

340 EXT. KREMLIN - MORNING 340

The sun rises over Moscow...

TITLE:

MAY 7, 1986
 43.

341 INT. KREMLIN HALLWAY - MORNING 341

The same room we saw when Legasov first arrived at the

Kremlin.

And he's sitting in that little chair again. Waiting. This

time, an empty chair next to him.

A moment, then SHCHERBINA arrives. Sits down next to

Legasov.

SHCHERBINA
You have your notes?

LEGASOV
Yes.

Shcherbina seems preoccupied. Then:

SHCHERBINA
Khomyuk was arrested last night.

LEGASOV
What? Why?

SHCHERBINA
I don't know.

LEGASOV
Was it-- ?

SHCHERBINA
Of course it was. I'm working on it.

LEGASOV
Boris, I can't--

SHCHERBINA
I'm working on it. What else do you
want from me?
(beat)
Fix your tie, for god's sake.

Legasov has no choice but to accept this. And attempt to fix

his crooked tie. Then:

A door opens, and the AIDE emerges with a pleasant smile.

KREMLIN AIDE
They'll see you now.
 44.

342 INT. KREMLIN CONFERENCE ROOM - MORNING 342

Gorbachev, the bureaucrats, and generals listen.

SHCHERBINA (O.S.)
...and after thousands of sorties,
our brave helicopter crews
successfully extinguished the fire.

Legasov is staring at one man across the table. At CHARKOV.

The KGB minister.

SHCHERBINA
The miners are working heroically to
ensure that the fuel does not reach
the groundwater. Furthermore, there
is no longer a threat of additional
explosion. The Soviet People have
faced this challenge, and they have
risen to the task. They, and everyone
in this room, are to be commended.

A palpable sense of relief in the room. Finally.

SHCHERBINA
Lastly, Professor Legasov and I have
been vigilant to protect the security
interests of the State. Since the
unfortunate release of information
directly following the accident, we
believe there has been no further
lapse. Comrade Charkov, we hope we
have lived up to the higest standards
of the KGB.

Charkov gives a non-committal smile.

CHARKOV
You have.
(glances at Legasov)
Of course you have.

Legasov, caught staring, quickly averts his eyes.

SHCHERBINA
Thank you. Professor Legasov will now
speak about the work that remains.

Shcherbina sits, and Legasov rises. Reads from notes.

LEGASOV
Thank you. Deputy Minister Shcherbina
has given you the good news.
(MORE)
 45.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
And it is good. The immediate danger
is over. But now, I am afraid, a long
war must begin.

He glances up for a reaction. There is none. He continues.

LEGASOV
There is an enormous amount of
radioactive debris and contamination
spread across a zone of approximately
2,600 square kilometers. This entire
region must be completely evacuated.
Men will need to go to every town,
every village, to ensure this.

Another look. Again, no one seems deeply concerned.

LEGASOV
All animals still surviving within
the zone-- domesticated or wild--
must be presumed contaminated, and
will have to be destroyed to prevent
the spread of radiation and disease.

He turns a page. Unnerved by the silence.

LEGASOV
In the immediate area around
Chernobyl, every tree, every rock...
the very ground itself has absorbed
dangerous amounts of radionuclides,
which will be carried by the wind or
rain if left exposed. We will have to
raze forests. And we will have to rip
up the top layer of earth, and bury
it under itself. Approximately 100
square kilometers. Finally, we will
need to construct a containment
structure around the power plant
itself, which of course is still
extremely--
(beat)
There will be deaths.

He's finished. Sits. A silence. Then a young general,

NIKOLAI TARAKANOV, 45, speaks up.

TARAKANOV
What amount of time, what number of
men do you require?
 46.

SHCHERBINA
We expect this liquidation effort to
take three years, and approximately
750,000 men, including a number of
doctors and structural engineers.

GORBACHEV
(still stuck on--)
How many deaths?

LEGASOV
Thousands. Perhaps tens of thousands.

Gorbachev absorbs that. The brutal weight of it. But there

is no choice.

GORBACHEV
Begin at once.

343 INT. KREMLIN HALLWAY - LATER 343

Meeting over. Legasov and Shcherbina emerge... and Legasov

sees CHARKOV ahead, walking away.

He can't help himself. Walks fast to chase Charkov down.

SHCHERBINA
(alarmed)
Valery...

But all Shcherbina can do is follow Legasov, and:

LEGASOV
Comrade Charkov.

Charkov stops and turns around. Ah.

CHARKOV
Yes, Professor?

LEGASOV
My associate was arrested last night.

CHARKOV
Oh?

LEGASOV
I mean no disrespect, but I was
wondering if you could tell me why.
 47.

CHARKOV
I'm sorry. I don't know who you're
talking about.

LEGASOV
(yes you do)
She was arrested by the KGB.

Charkov says nothing. Just an "and?" face...

LEGASOV
You are First Deputy Chairman of the
KGB.

CHARKOV
(friendly chuckle)
I am! That's why I don't have to
bother with arresting people anymore.

LEGASOV
But you are bothering to have your
people follow me.

Okay. That's enough of that. Shcherbina takes Legasov's arm

to lead him away.

SHCHERBINA
Professor, the Deputy Chairman is a
busy--

CHARKOV
No, no, it's perfectly understandable.
(to Legasov, warmly)
Comrade, I know you've heard the
stories about us. When I hear them,
even I am shocked. But we're not what
people say. Yes, people are following
you. People are following those
people.
(points)
And you see them?

Two non-descript men in suits at the end of the hallway.

CHARKOV
They follow me. The KGB is a circle
of accountability. Nothing more.

LEGASOV
(at a loss)
You know the job we're doing. Do you
really not trust us?
 48.

CHARKOV
Of course I do! But you know the old
Russian proverb: "Trust, but verify."
And the Americans think Ronald Reagan
came up with that! Can you imagine?
(warmly)
It was very nice speaking with you.

As he turns away:

LEGASOV
I need her.

Charkov turns back. All warmth gone. Icewater stare.

CHARKOV
So you will be accountable for her?

Legasov registers the implicit threat. Even so, he nods.

CHARKOV
Then it's done.

LEGASOV
Her name is--

CHARKOV
I know who she is.
(back to friendly)
Good day, Professor.

He walks off. Legasov feels Shcherbina's eyes on him. Knows

he's about to get a lecture. But:

SHCHERBINA
No, that went surprisingly well. You
came off like a naive idiot.
(off Legasov's look)
Naive idiots aren't a threat.

344 EXT. PRISON - MOSCOW - NIGHT 344

A squat, red building with a castle-like tower. Thunder

rumbles in the distance. A storm is coming.

TITLE:

BUTYRSKAYA PRISON, MOSCOW

 49.

345 INT. HOLDING CELL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS 345

THE BLOND MAN walks down the dimly lit, narrow hallway. The
ugly paint can't disguise the brutish, 19th century walls.

All around us, the sounds of caged men. Junkies. Drunks.

Lunatics. Enemies of the state. And occasionally, the scream
of someone in pain.

Legasov follows the Blond Man to:

KHOMYUK'S JAIL CELL. She's sitting on the floor, back

against the wall. And she is still, absurdly, in her
radiation-protective outfit.

She looks up at Legasov. A bit of relief. But mostly, numb.

The Blond Man unlocks the barred door and slides it open.

BLOND MAN
I'll come back when the paperwork is
complete.

Legasov nods, and steps into the cell. The Blond Man closes
the door, locks it, and exits. Legasov stands there.

LEGASOV
Are you all right?

KHOMYUK
They didn't hurt me.
(beat)
They let a pregnant woman into a room
with a-- it doesn't matter. They were
stupid. I was stupid.

The misery of it all washes over her.

KHOMYUK
Dyatlov won't talk to me. Toptunov
and Akimov, yes, but...
(can still see him)
Akimov. Valery, his face is gone...

LEGASOV
You want to stop.

KHOMYUK
(stares at him)
Is that a choice I even have?

He slowly sits down next to her on the floor. She takes a

long look at him. He's not well. And now she feels guilty.
 50.

LEGASOV
Do you think the fuel will actually
melt through the concrete pad?

A strange non-sequitur.

KHOMYUK
What?

LEGASOV
It's a matter of probability, of
course. So... odds?

She doesn't understand this shift in tone, but--

KHOMYUK
I don't know. A forty percent chance?

LEGASOV
I've said fifty. Either way, the
numbers mean the same thing. "Maybe."
Maybe the core will melt down to the
groundwater. Maybe the miners I've
told to dig under the reactor will
save millions of lives. Or maybe I'm
killing them for nothing.

And now, shame. A confession.

LEGASOV
I don't want to do this anymore. I
want to stop.
(beat)
But I can't. So tomorrow, I will wake
up and make more decisions that will
kill more people, because there is no
alternative. And no, I don't think
you have a choice any more than I do.
I think, despite the lies, the
stupidity--
(the jail)
--even this... you are compelled. The
problem has been assigned, and you
will stop at nothing to find the
answer. That is who you are.

And she knows he's right.

KHOMYUK
A lunatic, then.

LEGASOV
A scientist.
 51.

THE CELL DOOR - opens. The Blond Man stands waiting.

346 INT. BOOKING DESK - MOMENTS LATER 346

Legasov waits while Khomyuk signs papers to receive her

personal items. She hands the form across a desk to a prison
attendant, who heads into a back room with the form, leaving
them alone for a moment.

There's something gnawing at her. Until she can't ignore it

any longer... and she turns to Legasov.

KHOMYUK
Did you know they were running a
safety test?

Legasov sighs. Yes. He heard. It's madness.

KHOMYUK
There's something else. Akimov says he
shut the reactor down, and Toptunov
confirms it. They pressed AZ-5.

LEGASOV
Apparently not soon enough.

KHOMYUK
No. They say Akimov pressed AZ-5, and
then the reactor exploded.

He stiffens. A jolt of fear in his stomach. She doesn't see.

KHOMYUK
If it had been just one of them, I
would have written it off as faulty
memory or even delusion... but they
both agreed. They were adamant.

She turns to him. Legasov seems lost in thought.

KHOMYUK
Comrade?

He snaps out of it. Turns to her.

LEGASOV
Do you think it's possible?

KHOMYUK
No. I think it makes no sense. I
think it's what I would say if I
wanted to cover my own mistakes.
 52.

LEGASOV
But?

KHOMYUK
I believed them.

A beat, then he moves in close to her. Sotto voce, so no one

can overhear.

LEGASOV
Then you should pursue it. We have to
pursue every possibility, no matter
how unlikely... and no matter what--
or who-- is to blame.

Understood.

The prison attendant returns with a bin holding Khomyuk's

personal effects. As she gathers her items...

KHOMYUK
I'll go back to the hospital now and
reinterview Akimov and Toptunov... if
they're still awake.

LEGASOV
They're not.

She meets his eyes. Dead? Yes. They're gone. She's surprised
by the depth of her own grief, and:

SOUND FADES/MUSIC RISES

347 EXT. FINAL MONTAGE 347

As the music plays, we dissolve from moment to moment,

drifting back and forth like a ghost...

OUTSIDE HOSPITAL NO. 6 - Lyudmilla exits the building. Numb.

Suitcase in hand. The door closes behind her, but she
doesn't look back. There's nothing left to see.

ISOLATION ROOM - Vasily's bed is now empty. An orderly

removes the blood-stained sheets.

MOSCOW CITY STREET - Soldiers with CLIPBOARDS walk down the

street, and begin heading into apartment buildings.

ACROSS THE STREET - more soldiers, heading into more

buildings. Dozens of them. Old women watch. They've seen
this before. Men will be taken now. Some won't come back.
 53.

HOSPITAL LOADING DOCK - SEVEN GURNEYS, each holding a

PLASTIC-WRAPPED BODY. Two men in FULL HAZMAT SUITS lift one
of the bodies and place it into a nondescript PLYWOOD
COFFIN.

MOSCOW PARKING LOT - a man at the front of a queue gets some

papers stamped and handed back to him. He moves off to the
left, and the next man steps up. This is PAVEL, 23, thin,
pale and frightened. He shivers a bit in the cold drizzle
that's begun to fall. He hands his documents to the unseen
officer.

STAMP. Papers are handed back, and Pavel is ushered off.

We will see him again.

HOSPITAL LOADING DOCK - the Hazmat men roughly hammer a lid

onto the plywood coffin, then lift it and put it down into:
A LARGER, ENTIRELY METAL COFFIN. Now they lift a heavy METAL
LID, and place it on top.

HOSPITAL LOADING DOCK - a Hazmat man is WELDING the metal

coffin shut. A reflection of SHOWERING SPARKS in the clear
plastic window covering his face.

As the sparks RISE to fill our view, the music FADES...

...and is replaced by the TOLLING OF A BELL.

348 EXT. MITINSKOE CEMETERY - MOSCOW - LATE AFTERNOON 348

A small gathering of mourners stand under a gray sky. Some

are crying. Lyudmilla is not. She stares blankly ahead.

In front of the mourners, a line of soldiers.

We move through them to see: a large TRENCH has been dug in

the State graveyard, about thirty feet away. There are
already SIX METAL COFFINS in the trench.

A TRUCK-MOUNTED CRANE moves into view, carrying the last of

the WELDED-SHUT COFFINS. It lowers it down into the trench,
where two SOLDIERS wait to hold it in place.

The CRANE TRUCK pulls away, and the soldiers quickly

scramble up and out of the trench. Frightened.

Lyudmilla stares straight ahead. Then, in a quiet voice, to

herself... almost a whisper...
 54.

LYUDMILLA
Open wide, O earth, and receive what
was formed from you by the hand of God.

And now, a sound you do not hear at funerals. The deep THRUM
of a heavy motor.

Lyudmilla watches, shaken, as:

A CEMENT MIXER backs into position at the edge of the

trench, and CONCRETE begins pouring out, FILLING THE TRENCH
with the METAL COFFINS.

Lyudmilla's eyes fill with tears, and she trembles from the
horror of it, but she does not look away.

CLOSE ON: a METAL COFFIN. The concrete rises around it, and
we wait and watch over the agonizing seconds...

...until the coffin disappears under the wet gray, and:

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE THREE

 CHERNOBYL

Episode 4 - "The Happiness Of All Mankind"

Written by

Craig Mazin

July 24, 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.
 1.

401 OVER BLACK 401

The sound of liquid, intermittently spattering against

metal. Rhythmic. FADE IN TO:

402 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY 402

Two wrinkled, aged hands work the udder of a COW. Milk

spurts down into an old METAL PAIL.

MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)

It's time to go.

REVEAL: an OLD WOMAN, stocky, babushka, sitting on a small

wooden stool. She continues to milk the cow.

Her cloudy eyes gaze straight ahead at her task. The job she
has done a thousand times.

The SOLDIER, 27, tall, strong, stubbly face, sweating in his

uniform, stands a few feet behind her.

They're in a weed-filled front yard. A dilapidated wooden

fence, paint faded and peeling, slumps and weaves around the
small property.

In the near background, a tiny home. Logs and concrete. A

rippled tin roof. At least as old as its owner.

The soldier wipes his brow. Then waves a cloud of gnats

away. Frustrated.

SOLDIER
Did you hear me?

She keeps milking.

SOLDIER
This is an evacuation. You
understand? You have to come with me.

She does not stop milking. But:

OLD WOMAN
Why?

SOLDIER
Why? Because they told me, so now I'm
telling you. Everyone in this
village. Everyone. It's not safe
here. There's radiation in the air.
What's wrong with you?
 2.

OLD WOMAN
Do you know how old I am?

The soldier slumps. Hot. Sweaty. This is miserable.

SOLDIER
I don't know. Old.

OLD WOMAN
I am 82. I have lived here my whole
life. Right here. That house. This
place. What do I care about safe?

SOLDIER
I have a job. Don't cause trouble.

OLD WOMAN
Trouble. Tschh. You are not the first
soldier to stand here with a gun.
When I was 12, the revolution came.

Oh, for god's sake...

OLD WOMAN
Czar's men. Then Bolsheviks. Boys
like you marching in lines. They told
us to leave. No. Then there was
Stalin, and his famine. The
Holodomor. My parents died. Two of my
sisters died. They told the rest of
us to leave. No.

The soldier softens a bit. Doesn't want to be disrespectful.

OLD WOMAN
Then the Great War. German boys.
Russian boys. More soldiers. More
famine. More bodies. My brothers
never came home. But I stayed. And I
am still here. After all that I've
seen. So I should leave now-- because
of something I cannot see at all? No.

The pail is full. She stops milking.

The soldier takes a couple of steps forward. Reaches down

gently to take the pail. She doesn't move to stop him.

He lifts it up, walks a few steps, and then SPILLS THE MILK
OUT on to the ground--

--where it SPLASHES into a puddle right next to a SIMILAR

PUDDLE... a dark-and-white milky spot on the ground.
 3.

She doesn't turn to look at him. Just waits.

Fine. He walks back to her. Hands her the pail.

She takes it, places it under the cow's udder. A small sigh.

And then she begins milking again.

SOUND: a TRUCK HORN. The soldier turns and looks out to THE
DIRT ROAD, where a military bus is WAITING. Yeah. He knows.
Just a minute.

The soldier looks back at her. Resolute now. All business.

SOLDIER
Please stand up now.

She does not. Nor does she speak. The only sound is the soft
moo of the cow. The milk hitting the bottom of the pail.

The soldier puts his hand on his holster.

THE OLD WOMAN - hears the SNAP of a button as the soldier

unholsters his weapon. But she doesn't move. Keeps milking.

The soldier draws his Makarov. Chambers a round.

cha-chik

SOLDIER
This is your last warning.

She keeps milking. The soldier purses his lips. Sweat

rolling down from his forehead. Then he takes aim.

CLOSE ON THE OLD WOMAN - tired eyes. Ready. Her hands keep
milking. Like they always have. All these years. All this--

GUNSHOT

She blinks.

THE COW - topples to the ground with a heavy thud. Milk

still leaking from its udder.

The old woman just stares at it. White rivulets dribbling

out into the soil. Then they stop.

SOLDIER (O.S.)
It's time to go.

CUT TO TITLES
 4.

END TITLES, CUT TO:

403 OMITTED 403

404 EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX COURTYARD - DAY 404

A bloc of IDENTICAL APARTMENT BUILDINGS. In the center

courtyard, a small PLAYGROUND. Some young mothers stand
together, smoking, watching their children play.

SCORE RISES

TITLE:

KIEV, UKRAINE
AUGUST, 1986

405 INT. UNFURNISHED FLAT - SAME 405

An empty apartment. Lyudmilla enters the frame from behind.

REVERSE TO - C.U. LYUDMILLA - looking at the empty space.

This is where she will live now. This is her home.

She looks back at the BUILDING CONCIERGE, a woman in her

50's, who stands waiting by the door. Lyudmilla nods. Yes.

WIDER SHOT - Lyudmilla stands in the empty space. We see

that her belly has grown. About five months pregnant now.

The concierge leaves, and now Lyudmilla is alone.

Her hand absent-mindedly goes to her stomach.

No. Not alone.

MUFFLED VOICES (O.S.)

Point five. Point seven. Point five.

406 EXT. AN OPEN FIELD NEAR A POND - MORNING 406

CLOSE ON: A GAS MASK-covered face. It stares dead ahead. In

the dark lenses of the goggles, the distorted reflection of
men... moving slowly in a pack through early morning FOG...

THE SURVEY TEAM - thirty soldiers, each wearing plasticky

green radiation suits, hoods pulled tight over their heads.
Their masks make them look like strange, nightmarish birds.
 5.

They move in a fanned-out formation holding RADIOMETERS in

front of them, like astronauts exploring a distant planet.

THE TEAM LEADER - holds a map in his hand. He makes

notations as they call their numbers out.

SURVEY TEAM
Point three. Point seven. Point six.

From off-camera:

SURVEY SOLDIER (O.S.)

Fifteen.

The soldiers stop dead. All turn as one. The lack of

expression on the masked faces somehow makes it worse.

REVEAL: a soldier holding his radiometer out toward a tree.

A child's RUSTY BICYCLE leans against it. Someone rode here
to swim in the pond, and left the bike behind because of a
flat tire. The soldier turns back. Repeats.

SURVEY SOLDIER
Fifteen.

The team springs into action. Half the soldiers rush over to
the hotspot. Using their radiometers to find the perimeter.

The others grab supplies from the truck. They work in

perfect coordination to erect fencing around the hotspot.

A final sign planted in the ground. A yellow triangle.

Cyrillic lettering. But we won't need a translation.

The red RADIATION SYMBOL on the sign is enough.

The sound of approaching HELICOPTER BLADES, and the Team

Leader looks up, his masked face staring at the sky.

SCORE CARRIES US THROUGH TO:

407 OMITTED 407

408 INT. LYUDMILLA & VASILY'S PRIPYAT APT. - CONTINUOUS 408

Where we first met them... the night of the explosion. The

apartment is mostly as we saw it then. Lyudmilla's cigarette
in the ASHTRAY, stubbed out a lifetime ago.
 6.

But there is plaster dust covering the table where she sat.
And rat droppings. The calendar is frozen, and will forever
be, on April 1986.

SCORE CARRIES US THROUGH TO:

409 INT. HOTEL ROOM - POLISSYA 409

CLOSE ON: LEGASOV - by the window. Lost in thought. Smoking.

Anxious.

PHONE: rings, jarring Legasov back to reality. He picks it

up.

LEGASOV
Legasov.
(checks his watch)
Alright. I'll be there to meet him.

He stubs his cigarette out in the ashtray, and:

410 EXT. REACTOR SITE / MOBILE OFFICE 410

A military car heads down the long road toward--

DRIVER'S POV - the approaching CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT

The car pulls into the reactor site area and comes to a
stop. GENERAL TARAKANOV emerges. He stops to take it all in.
A grim pause. Then he strides toward the MOBILE OFFICE.

411 INT. MOBILE OFFICE 411

CLOSE ON AN BLACK AND WHITE AERIAL PHOTO of CHERNOBYL. The

massive, gaping wound in Building 4. Wreckage still covers
the roof of the building.

Tarakanov sits at the table with Legasov and Shcherbina.

Just staring at the photo. Then he flips to the next. And
the next. Images of utter destruction.

LEGASOV
The atom is a humbling thing.

TARAKANOV
Not humbling.
(drops the photos)
Humiliating. Why is the core still
exposed to the air? Why haven't we
already covered it?
 7.

LEGASOV
We want to. But we can't get close
enough. The debris on the roof is
graphite from the core itself. Until
we push it off the roof and back down
into the reactor, it will kill anyone
who goes near it.

As he speaks, he pulls photos to show Tarakanov.

LEGASOV
You can see the roof has three
levels. We've named the sections--
that small one there is Katya. About
a thousand roentgen per hour. Presume
two hours of exposure is fatal.
(points again)
The one on the side-- Nina. Two
thousand roentgen. One hour, fatal.

Tarakanov shakes his head. Hard to believe such a thing

could be true. Rocks. Rubble. A building.

TARAKANOV
We used remote-controlled bulldozers
in Afghanistan. Maybe--

SHCHERBINA
Too heavy. They'd fall right through.

TARAKANOV
So then-- ?

LEGASOV
Moon rovers.

Tarakanov looks at Legasov. I'm sorry, moon rovers?

LEGASOV
Lunokhod STR-1's. They're light, and
if we line them with lead, they can
withstand the radiation.

SHCHERBINA
We couldn't put a man on the moon, at
least we can keep a man off a roof.

LEGASOV
That is the most important thing,
General. Under no circumstances can
men go up there. Robots only.

Taraknov looks back at the photo.

 8.

TARAKANOV
What about this large section?

Legasov and Shcherbina fall silent. Then:

SHCHERBINA
Masha.

Tarakanov picks up the tone in the older man's voice.

Reverence. Or is it dread?

LEGASOV
Twelve thousand roentgen. If you
stood there in full protective gear,
head to toe-- you would receive a
lifetime dose in ninety seconds. At
two minutes, your life expectancy is
cut in half. By three minutes--
you're dead within months.

Tarakanov looks down at the photo of MASHA. Graphite chunks

enlarged in the photo as blurred, ominous shadows...

LEGASOV
Even the lunar rovers won't work on
Masha. That amount of gamma radiation
penetrates everything. The particles
literally shred the circuits in
microchips apart. If it's more
complicated than a light switch,
Masha will destroy it.

SHCHERBINA
I think it's fair to say this piece
of roof is the most dangerous place
on the planet.

TARAKANOV
(stunned)
So... what do we do?

SHCHERBINA
That's what we were going to ask you.

412 EXT. REACTOR SITE - CONTINUOUS 412

In the far distance, a small LINE OF BUSES is barely

visible, moving toward us.
 9.

413 INT. BUS - CONTINUOUS 413

Men. All men. 20's and 30's. Two in each seat. No

expressions. Hard faces. Most have the look of men who have
seen war. Except for:

PAVEL, 23, the thin boy we saw at the end of the last
episode. He sits in a window seat, nervous. Crowded slightly
by the huge man next to him.

PAVEL'S POV - through the window, nothing but open country.

And then, as the bus slows... MILITARY VEHICLES. A
checkpoint. Two soldiers in gas masks.

As the soldiers wave the bus through, Pavel sees a third

soldier on his hands and knees, vomiting on the ground.

Pavel quickly looks away from the window. Stares straight

ahead. Afraid.

414 EXT. LIQUIDATOR CAMP - LATER 414

The buses are parked in a field. The men stream out. Pavel
exits, clutching his conscript papers in his hand.

Ahead of him - TENTS. Scores of them. Makeshift shelters,

large enough to house eight men each. As Pavel follows along
with the others toward a check-in point, we see:

COOKS - stir enormous vats of god-knows-what over field

stoves. SUPPLY MEN unload crates from trucks and stack them
on the ground. Each crate holds the same thing.

VODKA. Hundreds of crates. Thousands of bottles.

In the background, a row of men squatting over a trench

latrine. Other men throw garbage into a fire pit.

415 EXT. TENTS - LATER 415

Pavel carries a pile of folded UNIFORM CLOTHING, two boots,

and a cap. A small BLACK AND WHITE PIECE OF PLASTIC - like a
rectangular badge - is now clipped to his shirt.

He's checking the numbers posted on the tents. 101... 102...

 10.

416 INT. TENT - MOMENTS LATER 416

Pavel pushes through the flap and enters the small tent.
Inside, we see it's the kind you'd set up on a battlefield
for temporary quarters. In fact, the exact kind.

Except for the empty vodka bottles scattered around. Most of

the cots are empty, but messy, as if their occupants have
already left to do their jobs. But there is one man...
sitting on his cot, cleaning a RIFLE. This is GARO, 30,
Armenian, thin. The same PLASTIC BADGE clipped to his shirt.

Garo turns to Pavel, and we see: his right eye is CLOUDED

OVER. Dead. A small scar winds around the socket.

PAVEL
I was sent here? Tent 103?

Another MAN, face down on a COT, groans. Turns over, wakes

up. Disoriented. As he sits up, an empty bottle rolls off
his cot, and hits the ground with a dull thunk.

This is BACHO, 36. Tall, muscular. Pants but no shirt. His

entire body-- his posture, his build, the way he juts his
head-- appears to be designed to commit violence.

He squints at Pavel through bleary eyes.

BACHO
New?

PAVEL
Yes.

Bacho rises... all 6'1" of him. Picks up a nearly-finished

vodka bottle and a METAL CUP. Walks with a slight sway to
Pavel. Offers the bottle.

BACHO
It's okay. It's free.

PAVEL
It's a little early.

Bacho shrugs. Yes, that's true. He holds out his hand. Pavel
shakes with him, wincing a bit as the big man squeezes his
hand.

BACHO
Bacho.

PAVEL
Pavel.
 11.

Bacho picks up a shirt. Also a PLASTIC BADGE on it. He puts

it on while he talks.

BACHO
So what unit were you in?

PAVEL
They had me in the motor pool in
Kiev, but--

BACHO
No no, not this bullshit.
Afghanistan. What unit?

PAVEL
I wasn't in Afghanistan. I'm not in
the military.

Bacho takes that in. Wooooow. He turns to Garo.

BACHO
They're running out of men.

Garo nods. Yup.

Bacho wipes his nose. Then SLAPS his own cheeks with his
hands. Takes a huge breath. Shakes the cobwebs out. Then
claps Pavel on the arm. Hard enough to leave a bruise.

BACHO
Alright. Let's go.

Bacho exits the tent. Pavel just stands there. Then sees
Garo staring grimly at him with his one good eye.

417 EXT. TENTS - MOMENTS LATER 417

Pavel rushes to catch up with Bacho, who starts pointing

things out to him as they go.

BACHO
Showers. Food. Those guys over there?
They dig up the ground. Those guys,
they cut down trees. Those guys I
think evacuate people, you know? Like
villagers?

Pavel gestures toward a different group of men.

PAVEL
What about them?
 12.

BACHO
I don't know them. Fuck them.
(sees, yells)
Janek, you Latvian whore!

JANEK, 25, picks through a PILE OF STUFF... boots, caps, tin

cups, pots, pans. He looks up and sees Bacho walking at him
with purpose. Shit. That's not good.

JANEK
I'm not Latvian, I'm Estonian.

BACHO
Well guess what, no one gives a shit.
Give me an egg basket.

JANEK
I only have one, I promised it to--

Bacho juts his face toward Janek. Fist cocked.

BACHO
Give me the fucking basket.

JANEK
Okay, okay...!

Janek pulls a CURVED PIECE OF FLAT GRAY METAL from the pile.
It has four small holes punched into it, with shoelaces
running through them. Like... a metal loincloth?

Bacho snatches it out of Janek's hand. Then makes a motion

to smash Janek in the head with it. Janek FLINCHES back.
Then Bacho points to Pavel. Eyes still glaring at Janek.

BACHO
He's with me, you understand? Nobody
messes with him.

Janek raises his hands up... doesn't want trouble. Bacho,

still scowling, gives a satisfied grunt. Then he turns to
Pavel-- instantly calm again-- and hands him the bent metal.

BACHO
We make these from lead scrap. Put it
on under your balls.

His balls? Pavel looks at the metal. Then realizes that

Bacho is staring at him. As in... waiting.

PAVEL
Now?
 13.

BACHO
No, you should wait until the
radiation gives you a cunt. Yes now.

Pavel looks around. Okay. He drops his trousers.

BACHO
Over your clothes. Holy shit.

Embarrassed, Pavel pulls his trousers back up. While he puts

his egg basket on, Bacho continues to smoke. And talk.

BACHO
You ever go hunting?

PAVEL
No.

BACHO
Well, today's your lucky day. You,
me, that one-eyed Armenian in the
tent? Garo? We do animal control.

PAVEL
Animal control?

Bacho makes a gun gesture with his hand.

BACHO
They're radioactive, so that's that
with them. And the best part? It's
mostly pets. They're happy to see
you, they run right up to you! Bang!
Load the bodies on a truck, dump them
in a pit, bury them in concrete...
and then we drink.

Pavel finishes tying the egg basket on.

BACHO
As much vodka as you want, plus a
thousand rubles. It's almost worth
it, you know?

Without warning, he SLAPS his hand hard against Pavel's

crotch. Right in the egg basket. Pavel flinches in pain.

BACHO
Good. Let's go get you a gun.

Bacho strides off, and once again, Pavel follows.

 14.

418 EXT. MOSCOW UNIVERSITY LIBRARY - DAY 418

The foreboding building, with its jutting central tower

covered in bone-white tile, looks more like a prison
fortress than a repository of knowledge.

419 INT. SECURITY CHECK-IN - CONTINUOUS 419

Khomyuk waits by a check-in desk in front of a security

gate. A SECURITY OFFICER - male, 30's, has her credentials
in front of him on his desk.

He painstakingly records her information into a LOGBOOK. No

sound but the scratching of his pen, a tunk-tunk-tunk of an
unseen clock, and the hum of overhead lights.

Finally, he hands her credentials back, then hits a button.

There's a BUZZ, and the security gate clicks open.

420 INT. LIBRARY ARCHIVE - LATER 420

A large, two-level reading room. Long wooden tables run the

length of it. KHOMYUK sits alone at the end of one of the
tables. Stacks of books. Journals. Maps. Notepads.

And a THICK BINDER with page after page of a dot matrix

printout... an infodump from a computer, no doubt.

We catch bits of her work as she progresses. Mathematical

calculations. Notations referring to time of day. Marked-up
diagrams of a nuclear reactor. Photographs of control room
instrumentation... panel schematics...

She circles A3-5 (AZ-5 in Cyrillic) on a schematic.

Leans back. Thinks. Then checks one of her books. No. What
she's looking for won't be in there. She tears a blank page
from her notepad and starts writing.

421 INT. LIBRARY ARCHIVE - REFERENCE DESK - LATER 421

An elderly male librarian sits behind an open window... a

bit like a bank teller. Behind him, a few desks and walls of
card catalogs. The secure reference section.

He looks up from his work. Sees Khomyuk waiting.

LIBRARIAN
Yes?
 15.

She hands him the piece of note paper through the window.

KHOMYUK
I need to see the following
documents. They're listed as
permission only.

He takes the paper... and then a LETTER she hands him.

KHOMYUK
I'm working for the Central Committee.

He puts on his glasses. But before he can even read the

letter, a MAN IN A SUIT, 40 comes into view behind him.

The KGB agent takes the list from the old man, who meekly
looks down without protest. He walks back to a desk. Picks
up a phone. Dials.

While he mutters to someone on the phone, Khomyuk waits

quietly. The old librarian still keeps his eyes down.
Doesn't want to know her. Doesn't want trouble.

THE AGENT - has a BLACK PENCIL in his hand. Whoever he's

called is giving him instructions. He swipes the pencil
across her list. Once... twice... three times...

Khomyuk holds her anger in. The agent finally hangs up.
Walks back to the librarian. Puts the piece of paper down.

Every single request has been CROSSED OUT except for one.

AGENT
She can have that one.

The agent lifts his head to stare at Khomyuk. A challenge

for her to argue. But all he gets back is:

KHOMYUK
Thank you, comrade.

He gives a little smile. Oh well. Perhaps next time.

422 EXT. FARMLAND - DAY 422

Over SCORE... no other sound... SLO-MO... dreamlike...

BIRD'S EYE VIEW - an enormous, wide-open cabbage field. NEAT

ROWS of vegetables. Then:

THREE BULLDOZERS - enter frame, moving in a line, perfect

unison, destroying the harvest in rows just as neat.
 16.

423 EXT. VILLAGE - DAY 423

SCORE/SLO-MO continues:

THREE CHOPPERS glide like mosquitoes over a small, abandoned

village, each dumping FOUR EVEN STREAMS of BROWN
DECONTAMINANT, which land on everything like paint.

424 EXT. PRIPYAT STREET - DAY 424

SCORE/SLO-MO continues

PUMP TRUCKS roll down the main street, each spraying an arc
of BROWN FOAM DECONTAMINANT to the side.

MEN IN PROTECTIVE SUITS - hoods drawn tight, faces covered

in GAS MASKS, walk in front of the procession of trucks,
spraying the road in a waving motion with handheld-nozzles
connected to TANKS strapped to their back.

It almost seems celebratory. Some kind of sick parade...

FADE TO BLACK

425 OMITTED 425

426 OMITTED 426

427 A DARK BLOB AGAINST BLUE - OUT OF FOCUS - RESOLVES TO: 427

428 EXT. ROOF - KATYA - DAY 428

A chunk of GRAPHITE. Scattered beyond it, more of the same.

The bits of rock sitting on the scorched pitch-covered roof
give the impression of an alien surface.

And adding to that eerie sense... in the B.G., we see a

FOUR-WHEELED VEHICLE - like a retrofuturistic go-cart,
sitting on the roof.

The LUNAR ROVER. It's about eight feet long. Steel piping.
Cameras mounted on articulated arms. The tires are paper
thin, with barely-there hubs made of needle-like spokes.

A BULLDOZER ARM AND BLADE have been welded onto its front.
 17.

429 INT. REMOTE COMMAND CENTER - CONTINUOUS 429

A small, undamaged room under the roof.

OPERATORS sit at a small table. Control equipment and small,

square TELEVISION MONITORS are stacked. And a COMPUTER. On
the walls, PHOTOS of the roof.

A boxy CONTROL MODULE sits on the desk. Cables running in

and out. Two switches. Two rows of LIGHTS. The lights are
all currently RED.

Legasov and Shcherbina watch, nervous, as Tarakanov waits

with a walkie-talkie by his ear. Then:

WALKIE-TALKIE
We're clear.

Tarakanov takes a breath. Then to his operators:

TARAKANOV
Bring up the cameras.

The lead operator, JUGHASHVILI, hits the first switch on the

control module. THREE RED LIGHTS - turn GREEN. The other
three remain red.

THE MONITORS - flicker to life. Different IMAGES of the roof

from the rover's cameras. And ONE REMOTE SITE CAMERA showing
the LUNAR ROVER ITSELF.

TARAKANOV
Signal?

JUGHASHVILI
Acceptable. Running onboard
diagnostics.

TARAKANOV
Tell me when we can start moving it.

Shcherbina moves in closer to stare at the montior.

SHCHERBINA
To think that's what they put on the
moon...

LEGASOV
Well, not that one.

SHCHERBINA
(glares)
I know not that one.
 18.

Legasov shrugs. Sorry.

TARAKANOV
This rover was in storage, and I'm
told they can build two more. That
should cover Katya and Nina.

SHCHERBINA
And Masha?

TARAKANOV
The Central Committee has informed me
they've found something that can work
up there. From the outside.

LEGASOV
American?

TARAKANOV
Of course not. No, it's a German
police robot. West German, though.
You can imagine that wasn't easy.

JUGHASHVILI
Diagnostics complete, ready to engage
main power and motor.

Legasov and Shcherbina get ready. If this doesn't work...

TARAKANOV
Begin.

The operator turns the second switch on the control module.

Nothing. The lights stay red. Everyone is dead quiet. Then:

TARAKANOV
Again.

The operator goes back to the switch. Off. Then on. Still
nothing. Red lights.

The monitors continue to show the rover's view of the roof.

Slightly askew. The graphite chunks. The bits of fuel
assembly. All at rest.

TARAKANOV
Again.

Like a doctor refusing to acknowledge a patient is dead.

Once more, the operator switches the power off. Then on. And
again, nothing. Red lights. Then... in rapid succession...
 19.

GREEN.

TARAKANOV
(my god)
Can you move it?

The operator grabs hold of his remote, and begins pushing

the small joystick.

ON THE MONITORS - a lag, then... IT MOVES.

The operators react. Breathing. Laughing. On the screen, the

rover is moving along, starting to PUSH DEBRIS. Doing
exactly what they had hoped.

Shcherbina makes a fist in the air. Triumph. Then sees...

SHCHERBINA
Valery? Is that...? Is that a smile?

Legasov sheepishly waves him off. But yes. A smile. The

first one we've seen on his face.

Shcherbina puts his arm around Legasov. Hugs him close,

laughing. Yes. YES! Hope.

430 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 430

Dyatlov sits in a chair. Smoking. Looking out the window.

His hair appears to have come back a bit. A bit of
moustache, though it wasn't what it was. The lesions have
faded. But he does not look healthy. At all.

Behind him, a knock on the door. He doesn't answer. We hear

the door opening, and:

KHOMYUK (O.S.)
I see your condition has improved.

Dyatlov turns. Sees her there, back in her protective

clothing. In her hand, a small manila folder.

He waves her away in contempt.

DYATLOV
No. Leave.

KHOMYUK
I need your help.
 20.

Dyatlov raises his arms slightly to the side to show her all
of the IV tubes running in and out of him. How is he
supposed to help anyone? But:

KHOMYUK
Akimov initiated AZ-5. When you gave
him the order, was--

DYATLOV
Order? What order? Toptunov called it
out, Akimov pressed it. That was the
only good decision they made.
Incompetent morons.

KHOMYUK
(ignores that)
Can you confirm the reactor exploded
after they attempted to shut it down?

He gives her a strange smile.

DYATLOV
How do I even know it exploded? Hmm?

Out of patience, she opens her folder, pulls out a PHOTO,

and SLAPS IT DOWN in front of him.

It's an AERIAL VIEW of the EXPLODED REACTOR.

And for a moment, Dyatlov is shaken. He pushes it away.

Already doing whatever mental gymnastics are required to
forget what he just saw.

But Khomyuk knows he won't forget it. She takes the photo
back, and hands him a JOURNAL ARTICLE from her folder.

KHOMYUK
I pulled this from the state
archives, written in 1976. It's about
the operation of RBMK reactors under
extreme conditions.

Dyatlov barely looks at it.

DYATLOV
So?

KHOMYUK
The names of the authors have been
redacted. And two pages have been
removed.
 21.

Dyatlov hesitates. An old, habitual paranoia rises. Is she

testing him?

DYATLOV
The State must protect its secrets,
Comrade Khomyuk. Do you dare suggest
otherwise?

KHOMYUK
(quieter)
They made a mistake. They didn't
redact the table of contents.

He slowly flips to the first page. Sees it.

KHOMYUK
The missing pages apparently refer to
a positive void coefficient and AZ-5.
Does that mean anything to you?

DYATLOV
(suspicious)
What are you after here? Why are you
asking me this?

KHOMYUK
You worked with this reactor. You
know it better than I do--

DYATLOV
So everything's my fault then? Is
that what this is?

KHOMYUK
(snaps)
I'm not here to blame you. I'm here
to find out what happened. And
whether you realize it or not, I am
the best chance you have to avoid a
bullet. Can you help me or not?

Dyatlov stares at her. Then flips through the article to the

missing section. Scans around it briefly. Then, honestly:

DYATLOV
I have no idea what would have gone
here. Void coefficients have nothing
to do with AZ-5.

He tosses the article at her. Dismissive.

DYATLOV
There. Now you can go.
 22.

She picks the article up from the floor. Then:

KHOMYUK
(disgusted)
You're not even curious.

DYATLOV
What for? You think the right
question will get you the truth?
There is no truth. Ask the bosses
whatever you want.

He stubs out his cigarette.

DYATLOV
You will get the lie.
(beat)
And I will get the bullet.

431 INT. TRUCK - DAY 431

A stakebed truck. Bacho drives. Garo sits next to the other

window. Pavel is squeezed in between.

Bacho is peering at a MAP he has on the dashboard. It keeps

falling. Son of a bitch. He grabs it, then reaches across
Pavel to Garo, who hands him a bottle of vodka.

Bacho drinks and drives. Grabs the map again. Drinks again.
The truck jostles on the uneven road.

BACHO
Fucking thing.

Pavel is nervous. Bacho offers him the bottle.

PAVEL
No. Thank you.

BACHO
What, are you afraid we're going to
run out? Trust me, we won't. It's the
one thing we always have. In
Afghanistan, when we needed guns,
they sent vodka. We needed
penicillin? They sent vodka. Boots,
morphine, fuel? Never the right
things. Never enough. Except the
vodka. So you might as well drink.

Bacho turns to Pavel. Not looking at the road at all.

 23.

BACHO
I'm not asking. I'm telling. Because
of the radiation. It protects you.
(catches the map)
Where the fuck are we? Garo?

Garo shrugs. Takes the vodka bottle.

PAVEL
Do they tell you how much there is?

BACHO
How much what there is?

PAVEL
Radiation.

Bacho laughs. And Garo starts to chuckle along with him.

Pavel isn't sure what that means.

PAVEL
I saw a man throwing up. On the side
of the road.

BACHO
Yeah, that happens.

Pavel touches the white-and-black badge on his shirt. The

one they all wear.

PAVEL
But we have these. To measure. So
they know.
(no response)
The radiation we get.

BACHO
That's right. They check them every
day. You're allowed to get a total of
24 roentgen. If you hit 24, you get
to go home. And if you go over 24,
your commanding officer gets arrested
for negligence. Maybe even shot. Does
that make you feel better?

PAVEL
Yes.
(beat)
How much do you have?

BACHO
Me? They tell me I have 23 roentgen.
Go ahead, ask Garo how much he has.
 24.

Before Pavel can ask or Garo can answer--

BACHO
He has 23. We all have 23. And we
will never have more than 23. You
understand now?

Pavel falls silent. Yes. He does understand.

Bacho points ahead.

BACHO
Ay! There it is. Fuck this map. I
told you I knew where I was.

432 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS 432

The truck rumbles toward a SMALL VILLAGE - a few dozen

buildings... one main street... all quiet. No one left.

433 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER 433

The truck squeals to a stop. The three men get out, and walk
around to the back of the truck. Bacho pulls the back of the
stakebed down, and opens a LARGE METAL BOX.

It's full of BULLETS. Hundreds? Thousands? They're bound in

clusters of five rounds each, held together by thin steel
stripper clips.

Bacho forks over a fistful of bullets to Pavel. Garo takes

three Mosin-Nagant rifles from the back of the truck.

Bacho loads his rifle, then sees Pavel struggling. Wow.

Bacho grabs the gun from Pavel. Shows him how to insert the
stripper clip. Bullets go in, empty clip comes out. Slide
the bolt to chamber.

BACHO
Got it? Okay. Now listen. I only have
two rules. One, don't point this gun
at me. That's easy, right?
(gestures to Garo)
Point it at this piece of shit, I
don't give a fuck. Never me. Two, if
you hit an animal and they don't die,
you keep shooting until they do.
(gets in Pavel's face)
Don't let them suffer-- or I'll kill
you. Understand? I mean it. I've
killed a lot of people.
 25.

Pavel glances at Garo, who gives a tiny nod. It's true.

Bacho has killed a lot of people.

Pavel looks back at Bacho. Yes. Understood.

BACHO
(friendly pat)
Then we're ready.

434 EXT. VILLAGE - MAIN STREET - MOMENTS LATER 434

Eerily quiet. A few cars are where their owners left them.
Some clothing hangs on a line, swaying in the breeze.

THE THREE MEN walk down the street. Rifles at the ready.
Bacho turns to Pavel.

BACHO
Watch.

Bacho gives a WHISTLE. The kind you might give to a dog.

And sure enough... there's a BARK. And another. And now,

tentatively emerging from alleys and empty buildings...

DOGS. And CATS. Hungry. But clearly domesticated. Tails

wagging. Hopeful eyes.

Bacho turns to Pavel.

BACHO
When we start, they'll run where they
feel safe. Always inside. So we go
door to door, okay? Okay.

And without warning, Bacho raises his rifle and FIRES. We

hear a YELP, and he FIRES again.

We don't see it. We just hear BARKING and HOWLING as Bacho

and Garo keep walking, right out of frame, FIRING. Gunshots.
Sliding bolts. Shells hitting the ground. Gunshots.

PAVEL - stands in horror, blinking every time a GUNSHOT rips

through the air. He hasn't even raised his rifle.

PAVEL'S POV - Bacho turns back to him. In the B.G., we see

some scattered corpses of dogs.

BACHO
HEY!

Pavel snaps out of it.

 26.

BACHO
(points to an alley)
Door to door. Do your job.

Pavel nods, frightened, and moves toward the alley.

435 EXT. ALLEY - CONTINUOUS 435

Pavel walks slowly down the alley. Forcing himself to

breathe. Trying not to throw up.

A SHEPHERD MUTT lifts its head from a pile of RUBBISH.

Sniffs the air. Even in the bedlam, desperate to be fed.

Pavel stops. Raises his rifle. Shaky hands. Finger on the

trigger. But... can't. Lowers the gun. Then: the dog TURNS
TO HIM. And BARES its TEETH.

Pavel backs up. The dog stalks forward. Starvation and time
have turned it feral. The dog growls, protecting its rubbish
pile, and what little food is in it. Snaps and barks.

Pavel waves his rifle at it, as if the animal might

understand.

PAVEL
Go!

The dog keeps advancing. Faster. Pavel keeps backing up.

PAVEL
GET AWAY.

The dog BARKS... CHARGES, and:

CLOSE ON PAVEL - panicked - he SHOOTS...

We HEAR BUT DO NOT SEE - the dog YELP in pain and thud to
the ground. And now the sound of rapid, wheezing breaths.

We stay on Pavel, who moves closer to where the dog fell.

Shock on his face. At what he did. Agonizing seconds tick
by. A scared man. The sound of a dying animal. Heavy
breathing. Pain. And then:

BOOM. A bit of BLOOD spatters up into Pavel's face. No more

sound from the dog.

BACHO - stands there. Angrily EJECTS the shell from his

rifle, chambers another one, and then gets in Pavel's face.
Nose to nose. Dead serious.
 27.

BACHO
Don't let them suffer.

PAVEL
I'm sorry.

Bacho glares into Pavel's face-- then points down.

BACHO
You're dragging that on the truck.

Bacho marches off, and Pavel stands there, staring down in

shock at the dead dog. In the background, steady gunfire.

436 EXT. VILLAGE SQUARE - LATER 436

THUNK. A vodka bottle is slammed down on a table. Now wedges

of cheese. Salami. A loaf of bread. Bacho and Garo sit at a
table outside an abandoned cafe. They use their knives to
cut the loaf, stab at the meat and cheese. Big mouthfuls.
Deep swigs of vodka.

Bacho looks over at PAVEL - who sits apart. Shellshocked.

BACHO
(mouth full)
You going to eat or what?

Pavel stares at the street. Streaks of blood and tracks in

the dirt where the animals died... and were dragged away.

BACHO
Hey.

Pavel shakes his head. No. Bacho shrugs. Takes Pavel's food,
adds it to his pile. Then realizes... Pavel is wiping at his
eyes. Fighting off tears.

Ah, shit. Bacho and Garo share a glance. Garo nods at him.
"Do something." So Bacho pours vodka into Pavel's cup, who
shakes his head no.

BACHO
(gentle, but firm)
Drink.
(he does)
Again.

Pavel takes another swig.

 28.

BACHO
Look... this happens to everyone
their first time. Normally when they
kill a man, but for you-- a dog. Eh,
so what? There's no shame in it.

This isn't going well. Pavel takes another drink. Wants to

get numb. Bacho tries again.

BACHO
Garo, you remember your first time?

As per usual, he doesn't wait for an answer.

BACHO
My first time-- Afghanistan-- we were
moving through a house-- a man was
suddenly there-- and I shot him in
the stomach. That's a real war story.
They're never good stories, like in
movies. They're shit. Man is there,
boom, stomach.
(what can you do?)
I was so scared, I didn't pull the
trigger again for the rest of the
day. I thought, well-- that's it,
Bacho. You put a bullet in someone.
You're not you anymore. You'll never
be you again. But then you wake up
the next morning, and... you're still
you. And you realize-- that was you
all along. You just didn't know.

A long pause. Then:

GARO
The happiness of all mankind.

The first words we've heard him speak.

BACHO
What?

Garo points across the street at:

A PROPAGANDA BANNER - slung between two buildings over the

main street. A picture of Lenin on one side, and a proud
Soviet worker on the other.

And in between, Cyrillic lettering.

 29.

GARO
"Our goal is the happiness of all
mankind."

The three men stare at the absurd sign hanging over the
blood-stained street in a dead town.

Then Bacho gets up. Oddly chipper. No cracks in his dam.

BACHO
I'm happy. I'm happy every day.

He grabs his gun. Then:

BACHO
Back to work.

Bacho marches off. Pavel looks at his rifle. Then picks it

up. Vodka in his veins. Takes a breath.

Yes. Back to work. He gets up, and follows.

437 EXT. REACTOR ROOF - "KATYA" - DAY 437

Seemingly empty, but for the debris. Less, though, than we

saw before.

And then: a LUNAR ROVER enters frame, PUSHING DEBRIS along

with its small bulldozer blade... moving toward the edge...

438 EXT. LOOKING UP AT THE EDGE - CONTINUOUS 438

We're twenty feet below the roofline here, pointing straight

up at the edge of Katya.

The ROVER slowly appears, and pushes GRAPHITE off the edge.
It cascades down toward us...

439 EXT. THE REACTOR - MIDAIR - CONTINUOUS 439

WIDE - from this distance, we can see it all. The tiny

rover. The falling graphite.

The debris plummets from the roof and down into THE GAPING
CRATER where the reactor used to be.

Then we swing around slowly to find the larger section of

roof. MASHA - the deadliest place on Earth. Still covered in
debris. Still untouched.
 30.

Still waiting.

TITLE:

SEPTEMBER, 1986

440 INT. REMOTE COMMAND CENTER - DAY 440

Multiple rover camera POVs are visible on the monitors.

Jughashvili and the other operators drive them with their
joysticks.

There are more computers now. More control modules. All of

the lights are green.

Shcherbina watches them work. Behind him, Legasov sketches

cleanup paths on the photos of the roof.

They turn in unison TARAKANOV enters.

TARAKANOV
It's here.

441 EXT. REACTOR SITE - MOMENTS LATER 441

TRUCK DOORS OPEN

Legasov and Shcherbina watch as Tarakanov organizes the

offloading of the truck's sole cargo.

TARAKANOV
Careful now. Slow. SLOW. That's it.

Soldiers gingerly offload an ORANGE, HIGH-TECH ROBOTIC

VEHICLE with TANK TREADS. It's far more muscular than the
flimsy lunar rovers.

TARAKANOV
(proudly)
Joker.

Legasov and Shcherbina turn to Tarakanov. What now?

TARAKANOV
That's what the Germans named it.
"Joker."
 31.

SHCHERBINA
(heavy sigh)
Germans.
(beat)
Is it ready?

TARAKANOV
It's ready.

Shcherbina looks at Legasov. Legasov nods.

SHCHERBINA
So. Let's introduce Joker to Masha.

442 OMITTED 442

443 EXT. MASHA - LATER 443

CLOSE TO THE ROOF SURFACE - black chunks of graphite. One of

the pieces has the tell-tale smooth semicircle in it... the
channel for a fuel rod...

The wind picks up... granular bits of deadly graphite swirl,

and - JOKER lands SOFTLY on the rubble.

The cable coupling detaches, and the helicopter QUICKLY

swerves away from the deadly roof.

Joker sits there. Impressive. Armored. Strong. This is

clearly a superior vehicle. A match for Masha.

444 INT. REMOTE COMMAND CENTER - CONTINUOUS 444

Legasov, Shcherbina and Tarakanov stand behind the

operators. Nervous anticipation.

JUGHASHVILI
Good signal.

TARAKANOV
Cameras.

Jughashvili hits a switch on the control module. A GREEN

LIGHT immediately comes on.

ON THE MONITORS - views from Joker's cameras.

Legasov and Shcherbina watch intently. So far, so good.

 32.

TARAKANOV
Motors.

Jughashvili hits more switches on the control module. The

lights go GREEN in succession. Joker is the real deal.

JUGHASHVILI
Motor good, signal good.

TARAKANOV
All right. Let's start easy. Forward
one metre, reverse one metre.

The operator pushes a joystick. Legasov and Shcherbina stare

at the monitors. Unblinking. Please.

ON THE MONITOR - the image SHIFTS... as Joker MOVES.

JUGHASHVILI
Forward one.

The men in the room are all smiling.

SHCHERBINA
(nudges Legasov)
Germans!

JUGHASHVILI
Reverse one.

He pulls back on the joystick, and on the monitor, we can

tell Joker is faithfully moving backwards.

Then: THE MONITORS lose signal. STATIC.

CONTROL MODULE - the GREEN LIGHTS start to turn RED... one,

two, three.... then ALL of them.

Dead silence in the room. No one breathes. Then:

TARAKANOV
Did you lose the signal?

The operators are flipping switches. Checking the remote

TRANSMITTER boxes. Sweating.

JUGHASHVILI
It's not the signal. It's the
vehicle.

He turns back to Tarakanov. Pale. At a total loss.

 33.

JUGHASHVILI
It's dead.

They all stand there in shock. All but for Shcherbina.

We PUSH IN ON HIM - see the RAGE building inside...

CUT TO:

445 INT./EXT. MOBILE OFFICE - LATER 445

Legasov and Tarakanov. Wincing at the sounds of FURNITURE

SMASHING and GLASS BREAKING.

REVEAL - they're in front of the mobile command trailer.

It's ROCKING from within. And now we hear Shcherbina's
muffled voice, screaming.

INTERCUT BETWEEN - INTERIOR and EXTERIOR of MOBILE OFFICE

SHCHERBINA (O.S.)
GOOD! GOOD, I WANT THEM TO HEAR! DO
YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING? THE MEN
WE'RE BURNING? BURNING!!!

The sound of something TOPPLING. Then a STOMPING noise.

Legasov lights his cigarette. He looks over and sees: A

SOLDIER, standing nearby. Frightened at the noise and anger
coming from inside that trailer.

SHCHERBINA (O.S.)
YOU THINK I CARE? I'M A DEAD MAN!
TELL RYZHKOV! TELL LIGACHEV! TELL
GORBACHEV! TELL THEM! TELL--

Then the sounds of PLASTIC being battered... the sad

clinking of a damaged BELL... and...

WHAM. The trailer door gets KICKED OPEN, and Shcherbina

emerges, red-faced.

He HURLS the smashed remnants of a TELEPHONE into the air...

the cord trailing behind it... sending it clattering to the
ground in pieces.

Legasov and Tarakanov wait quietly for Shcherbina to catch

his breath. It takes some time. Then:
 34.

SHCHERBINA
The official position of the State is
that a global nuclear catastrophe is
not possible in the Soviet Union.
(beat)
They told the international community
the highest detected level of
radiation was 2,000 roentgen.

Legasov is stunned. Oh god. No.

SHCHERBINA
They gave the propaganda number to
the Germans. The robot was never
going to work.

Tarakanov closes his eyes. Hangs his head. The three men
stand there, dejected. Lost.

Then Shcherbina, now drained of all his fight, turns to the

nearby soldier.

SHCHERBINA
We need a new phone.

446 INT. BASE CAMP TENT - NIGHT 446

CLOSE ON: two glasses. Vodka pours into each.

Shcherbina hands a weary Tarakanov one glass. Takes the

other for himself. A heavy RAIN batters the tent from
outside. Water occasionally drips in through faulty seams.

SHCHERBINA
(drinks, then)
What if we don't clear it?

LEGASOV (O.S.)
We have to clear it.

Legasov sits off to the side. Scribbling notations on a pad.

Never looks up. Keeps scribbling as he talks.

LEGASOV
If we don't clear the roof, we can't
build a cover over it. If we can't
build a cover, that's 12,000
roentgen. Nearly twice the radiation
from the bomb in Hiroshima, every
hour, hour after--
 35.

SHCHERBINA
(waves him off)
Yes, okay, I remember.
(back to Tarakanov)
What about lead? We could-- I don't
know. We could melt it down, then
pour it from above, like a coating.

TARAKANOV
First of all, we've already used most
of the lead we had--

SHCHERBINA
There's lead sheeting around
instruments in the other reactor
buildings. The soldiers are stripping
it to make their armor.

TARAKANOV
Are you serious?

Yes. Shcherbina is serious. Tarakanov shakes his head.

Embarrassing. But back to the bigger issue:

TARAKANOV
Even if, you're still talking about
boiling metal in a helicopter-- and
it's lead, Boris. It'll weigh a ton...

Shcherbina puts his hands up. All right. It was stupid.

TARAKANOV
What if we shoot the graphite into
the hole?

Shcherbina looks up from his drink. Excuse me?

TARAKANOV
We have heavy caliber bullets--
exploding bullets, so they won't just
ricochet... they push...

SHCHERBINA
You want to shoot exploding bullets
at an exposed nuclear reactor?

TARAKANOV
(sheepish)
Well--
 36.

SHCHERBINA
No, let's go light the roof back on
fire. It was so easy to put out the
first time.
(frustrated)
What are we even talking about? We
need another robot. Something that
can withstand the radiation.

TARAKANOV
I've asked. There's nothing.

SHCHERBINA
The Americans--

TARAKANOV
If the Americans have that kind of
technology, do you really think they
would give it to us? And even if they
would-- the Central Committee will
never stoop to ask. You know it, and
I know it.
(beat)
There are no robots.

LEGASOV (O.S.)
Biorobots.

Shcherbina and Tarakanov turn to Legasov. He's been so

quiet, they almost forgot he was there.

SHCHERBINA
What was that?

Legasov removes his glasses. Stares down at the calculations

on his notepad. Utterly defeated.

LEGASOV
We use biorobots.

He finally turns to look at them. Grim.

LEGASOV
Men.

And so, the unthinkable has finally been said.

447 EXT. ANOTHER TINY VILLAGE - ANOTHER DAY 447

A cold, gray day. We're in a DEAD FIELD. Plowed earth. The

everpresent RADIATION SIGNS stuck in the ground where
scarecrows might have once gone.
 37.

IN THE DISTANCE - a small farming village. Barely a dozen

tiny homes.

GUNSHOTS echo in the air.

448 EXT. TINY VILLAGE - STREET 448

PAVEL - walks slowly. Dispassionately. SHOOTING. Aim.

Trigger. Fire. Bolt. Shell. Bolt. Aim. Trigger. Fire.

It's only been a month, but he looks older somehow. A bit

thinner. Sleepless eyes. A numbness.

REVEAL - BACHO and GARO walking along side him. Aiming.

Firing. The sounds of barking. Yelping. Running.

At last, they stop. Animal corpses are scattered along the

street in front of them.

BACHO
A lot today. More than I thought.

PAVEL
(looks around)
Where are they getting food?

Bacho points between two houses, where a large, ramshackle

wooden CHICKEN COOP sits. Dark stains near the opening.

BACHO
They eat the chickens.
(loads more bullets)
Then they eat each other.

He tosses the stripper clip aside. Chambers a round.

BACHO
Check the houses.

449 INT. FARMHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER 449

The barest light streams in through thin drapes. We're

looking down a narrow hallway toward the front door.

Uneven wooden floors. Cement block walls painted in pastels,

and stained with rust from the rain that's leaked through
the tin roof. Almost no furniture. Utter poverty.

The door OPENS. Locks are either not needed or not available
in a place like this.
 38.

Pavel enters slowly, eyes adjusting to the light.

A door to his right. He quietly pushes it open, wincing at

the SQUEAK of the neglected hinges. Peers in. Nothing.

He moves down the hall, keeping his footsteps light. Eyes

peeled for any movement.

Then he hears... a weird little chirpy noise. A bird maybe?

He MOVES SLOWLY DOWN THE HALL...

450 INT. FARMHOUSE KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS 450

LOW ANGLE - a cramped kitchen. Basin with no tap. Rickety

shelves nailed to the wall. Torn-open packages of food,
broken jars, a spilled bag of flour on the floor...

And that weird little chirpy noise again. Louder here. And a
soft BREATHING.

PAVEL - pushes slowly through the swinging door to the

kitchen. He looks down. To the right. To the left.

And stops. Oh god.

PAVEL'S POV - ON THE FLOOR, amidst the garbage... a POODLE

MUTT BITCH lies on the ground, panting softly and sitting
with her LITTER OF SIX PUPPIES... just a few months old.

BACHO (O.S.)
(yelling from outside)
Pavel?

Pavel looks dumbstruck at the poodle and her puppies. The

bitch stares back at him. Helpless.

BACHO (O.S.)
PAVEL?

We hear FOOTSTEPS from outside, and behind Pavel, we see

BACHO enter the kitchen from the back door.

BACHO
(so there he is)
You don't hear me?

Pavel doesn't respond. Or turn around. Bacho marches over,

already enraged.

BACHO
Hey. I'm talking to--
 39.

Now Bacho sees the poodle and her litter. He slumps.

BACHO
Ah fuck.

Pavel finally turns to him. It's clear from his face that
this is too much. He can't. He can't do it.

Bacho nods before Pavel has to say it.

BACHO
Just go outside.
(beat)
Go.

Pavel wants to stop this. But he can't. This is their job.

451 EXT. BACK OF FARMHOUSE - CONTINUOUS 451

Pavel emerges. Walks five steps and: GUNSHOT.

He stops. Another GUNSHOT. Another. Another. Another.

A pause. Pavel takes a small CANTEEN from his belt. Unscrews

the cap. Takes a drink. Winces. It's not water.

GUNSHOT. Pavel steels himself. Canteen back to his mouth.

GUNSHOT. Pavel keeps drinking.

452 INT. TRUCK - LATER 452

POV - through the TRUCK'S WINDSHIELD as it approaches:

THE BURIAL PIT - a large hole in the middle of a field,

maybe twenty feet wide and six feet deep.

Three men stand waiting with shovels. A fourth man is

climbing up out of the pit. They've just finished. Behind
them, backed up to the edge of the pit, is a CEMENT TRUCK.

ON BACHO - with Pavel and Garo next to him as always. He

slows the truck and turns the wheel...

453 EXT. BURIAL PIT - LATER 453

The STAKEBED has been TILTED UP on its arm, and the last of
the corpses drop down into the pit.
 40.

Garo and Pavel stand aside from the pit. Not looking in.
They've seen it enough times.

BACHO - has his hand on the lever controlling the arm. He

waits for the last of the corpses to fall, then signals to
the men across the pit.

The cement truck operator begins the FLOW of CEMENT into the
pit. It slops down, and we watch as it begins to flow over
the corpses like a blanket.

SLOW FADE OUT:

454 OMITTED 454

455 OMITTED 455

456 OMITTED 456

457 INT./EXT. REACTOR SITE - THE PASSING OF DAYS - MONTAGE 457

SCORE - a steady pulse. Adrenaline.

TITLE:

OCTOBER, 1986

- MILITARY TRUCKS PULL UP - soldiers hop out the back.

Double-timing. No smiles. No chatter. Grim business.

TARAKANOV (O.S.)
Comrade soldiers.

- SOLDIERS grab GEAR from a pile. Dingy mustard-yellow

boiler suits. Rubber boots. Rubber aprons. Rubber mittens.

TARAKANOV (O.S.)
The Soviet people have had enough of
this accident. They want us to clean
it up, and we are entrusting you with
this serious task.

- SOLDIERS suit up. Cowls pulled down over their heads.

Boots and gloves. Goggles. Respirators. Faces disappear.

- BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS - REACTOR BUILDING 3 - BRIEFING

AREA - soldiers in full gear are gathered around Tarakanov.
He paces as he addresses them.
 41.

TARAKANOV
Because of the nature of the working
area, you will each have no more than
ninety seconds to solve this problem.

- SOLDIERS help each other don HANDCRAFTED LEAD APRONS,

crudely hammered sheets of dark metal.

- BRIEFING AREA - TARAKANOV, different day, unshaven,

talking to different soldiers.

TARAKANOV
If you follow instructions and
perform your work correctly, you will
be fine. There's nothing terrible up
there. But safety is our first
priority.

- BOOTS clomp up the metal stairs that lead to the roof.

TARAKANOV (O.S.)
You will enter Reactor Building 3.

- THE SOLDIERS - covered head to toe, faces obscured behind

masks, move slowly up the narrow stairway, their way lit by
work lights strung along the low ceiling.

TARAKANOV (O.S.)
Climb the stairs, but do not
immediately proceed to the roof.

- BRIEFING AREA - NEW SOLDIERS listen to Tarakanov's speech.

His voice is hoarse. He's done this hundreds of times now.

TARAKANOV
When you get to the top, wait inside
behind the entrance to the roof and
catch your breath. You will need it
for what comes next.

He points at photos of the roof that are pinned to the wall.

TARAKANOV
This is the working area. We have to
clear the graphite. Some of it is in
blocks weighing approximately 40 to
50 kilograms each. It must all be
thrown over the side here.

- TOP OF THE STAIRS - a dark landing. Soldiers, all weighed

down by their lead aprons, catch their breath from the long
climb. BEYOND THEM - looking down a narrow corridor... an
OPENING. A rectangle of BRIGHT LIGHT. Waiting.
 42.

- BRIEFING AREA - different day, new soldiers. Tarakanov

delivers his speech. Pointing to a BLACK-AND-WHITE
TELEVISION, on which plays footage of prior soldiers.

TARAKANOV
Here. Watch your comrades moving fast
from this opening--

- TOP OF THE STAIRS - a masked soldier stares ahead at the

bright rectangle of light. Like a portal to another world.

- BRIEFING AREA

TARAKANOV
--then turning to the left and
entering the working area here.

- TOP OF THE STAIRS - four soldiers walk slowly toward the

rectangle of light, shovels in their hands.

TARAKANOV (O.S.)
Take care not to stumble. There is a
hole in the roof. Take care not to
fall. If any part of your skin is
exposed, exit the work area at once.

- BRIEFING AREA - new day, new soldiers. Tarakanov finishes

his litany.

TARAKANOV
Do you understand your mission as I
have described it?

SOLDIERS (UNISON)
Yes, Comrade General.

TARAKANOV
These are the most important ninety
seconds of your lives. Commit your
task to memory. Then do your job.

458 INT. TOP OF STAIRS - NEAR ENTRANCE TO MASHA - DAY 458

FOUR SOLDIERS are silhouetted against the BRIGHT LIGHT of

the opening that leads out to Masha. Shovels in hand.

A radiological soldier straps DOSIMETERS to their waists. We

can already hear steady CLICKING. But he shows no worry.

We can't see the faces of the men. But we sense their fear.

THE SITE OFFICER - holds a stopwatch.

 43.

SITE OFFICER
It's time to go. After ninety
seconds, I will ring a bell. When you
hear it, return immediately. Drop
your shovels in that bin, and proceed
down the hallway for decontamination.
(beat)
Above all-- while you are on the
roof, you will throw the debris over
the rail. You will not look over the
rail. Is that clear?

They nod.

SITE OFFICER
(checks his stopwatch)
Very well. On my mark. Ready. Go.

459 EXT. MASHA - NOW 459

BEGIN UNINTERRUPTED TRACKING SHOT

The following unfolds in real time. The shift will last

ninety seconds. We will be with them for all ninety seconds.

The men scramble out on to the roof, moving as quickly as

they can. One LOSES HIS FOOTING on a piece of graphite.
Catches his balance. Keeps going.

THE DOSIMETERS - will serve as our SCORE. The clicks

increase in frequency and pitch. It sounds like heavy rain
on a tin roof now.

A soldier PLUNGES his shovel into a pile of BROKEN GRAPHITE

RUBBLE. Lifts it. Heavier than it looks.

He carries his load toward the RAILING... his breathing loud

in our ears... the dosimeter volume JUMPS in fits and
starts... now a constant, heavy STATIC NOISE...

We move away from him and find ANOTHER SOLDIER trying to

lift a LARGE GRAPHITE BLOCK with his shovel. Too heavy. A
second soldier runs over and joins in.

They LIFT the block in tandem, and as soon as it rises:

The dosimeter SPIKES in volume. They've uncovered a piece of

FUEL ROD. The terrifying cacophony of a million neutrons
firing against their bodies.

They don't stop. They waddle in unison toward the railing

just as the first soldier hurls his graphite over the edge.
 44.

We move to find: the FOURTH SOLDIER... striking a hardened

patch of BITUMEN and GRAPHITE with the blade of his shovel.
It refuses to give way.

He LEANS HIS BODY against the shovel, PUSHES, and then LOSES
HIS GRIP on the shovel handle. It clatters to the surface of
the roof. He quickly picks it back up. Breathing hard. Fear.

Another soldier APPEARS. Helps. You're okay. Keep going.

They both hammer away at the solidified black tar with their
shovels until it finally peels up. The fourth soldier lifts
it with his shovel.

We lead him as he runs to the railing, his boots crunching

on graphite. He gets to the edge and THROWS the shovel-load
over the railing, then SLIPS...

...and catches himself on the railing. Nearly went over. And

in that split-second, he LOOKS DOWN into:

THE OPEN REACTOR PIT.

DOSIMETER: a tornado of sound. Deafening. Distorted.

He backs off, and now another sound. Distant under the roar
of the dosimeter, but growing. Louder now.

THE BELL. clang... clang... clang...

It's over. Get back. The soldier turns, but:

HIS BOOT IS CAUGHT between two pieces of REBAR in CONCRETE.

Behind him, the other soldiers are already running back.

Clang... Clang... Clang...

Panic. Can't breathe. Dosimeter noise. Boot. Can't take it

off. Can't get free.

CLANG... CLANG... CLANG...

The soldier stabs at the rebar with his shovel blade... if

he misses... if he punctures the boot...

CLANG... CLANG... CLANG...

His boot PULLS FREE. He SPRINTS BACK to the opening as fast

as he can, slipping and sliding along the graphite, doesn't
matter... get off the roof... get off the roof... get off--

END TRACKING SHOT

 45.

460 INT. TOP OF THE STAIRS - CONTINUOUS 460

The soldier returns to the relative safety of the hallway.

The DOSIMETER noise subsides to a steady, low clicking. And
to think that once frightened us.

The soldier remembers that he's still holding the shovel.

His fingers gripped tight. He flings it into the bin.

Then he feels something. PAIN. He looks down at his boot.

There's a SMALL RIP in the rubber. He stares at it for a

moment, then:

SITE OFFICER (O.S.)

Comrade soldier.

The masked soldier looks up. The Site Officer stands ten
feet away. Safe distance. He points toward a corridor.

SITE OFFICER
You're done.

The soldier hesitates for a moment, as if he's not sure what

that even means...

...and then he nods, turns to the corridor that will take

him to decontamination, and exits.

We never saw his face. We never even knew his name.

The Site Officer watches him leave, then turns to: FOUR NEW
SOLDIERS, masked and suited up.

SITE OFFICER
It's time to go.

461 EXT. KIEV - APARTMENT COMPLEX COURTYARD - DAY 461

Children run by, bundled up against the cold, shouting and

yelling happily as they play.

We're back in the courtyard surrounded by blocky Soviet

apartment buildings.

LYUDMILLA - heavily pregnant, sits on a bench, still alone.

Watching the children play. Watching the mothers. And
fathers.

TITLE:

DECEMBER, 1986
 46.

A RUBBER BALL - bounces across the playground toward

Lyudmilla. She bends down with effort to pick it up, and a
LITTLE GIRL, 6, runs over to get it.

Lyudmilla smiles and hands the ball back to the girl, and
the girl smiles back.

Then the pain hits.

Lyudmilla doubles over. A contraction. The little girl's

smile fades. She just stares.

WIDE SHOT - from across the courtyard. Women gathered in the

foreground, chatting. In the B.G., Lyudmilla is doubled
over... the little girl standing next to her.

The PAIN hits again. Harder. She cries out. The little girl
RUNS AWAY, afraid... and finally, one of the grown women
turns to see Lyudmilla.

Another cry. They all see her now. It's like they're just
discovering she exists. And finally, two of the women start
running across the concrete courtyard to help her, and:

DISSOLVE TO:

462 EXT. PRIPYAT - LATE AFTERNOON 462

Silent streets. The freezing air is still. May Day banners

hang limp and torn. Dead trees line the streets.

And then, at the far end of the street - MOVEMENT. A Red

Army UAZ-469, the Soviet version of a Jeep, turns into view.
Slowly moving toward us.

463 EXT. PRIPYAT - CONTINUOUS 463

BIRD'S EYE VIEW - the UAZ drives down the street. Nothing
else moves in the dead, empty, silent city.

464 EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF PRIPYAT - MINUTES LATER 464

LOW TO THE GROUND - a cluster of dead bramble. The legs of a

CHILD'S DOLL stick out obscenely from the branches.

The UAZ enters, and rolls to a slow stop. KHOMYUK emerges

from the passenger side. A FILE FOLDER under her arm.
 47.

In front of them, an ugly building. Dull white tiles. Four

stories. Broken windows. She looks around. No one in sight.
No sound in the frigid air. They are completely alone.

She nods in thanks to the driver and turns to the building.

465 INT. DILAPIDATED BUILDING - MOMENTS LATER 465

Khomyuk walks slowly down a dim corridor. Broken glass

occasionally crunching under her feet. Her breath fogging in
the freezing air. This was an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Children's
artwork shares space on the walls with propaganda posters.

WATER drips down from the ceiling, plinking into puddles on

the concrete floor. The barest amount of daylight filters in
through the small windows in the classroom doors.

Khomyuk heads up a staircase to the second floor, and:

466 INT. SECOND FLOOR LANDING - CONTINUOUS 466

Peeling paint. Toppled chairs in a corner. Debris. Cards

feature letters of the alphabet ring the walls, interspersed
with framed pictures of Soviet dignitaries.

A fluorescent light half-hangs from the ceiling, suspended

by a few remaining wires.

SHCHERBINA and LEGASOV - are waiting on the landing.

SHCHERBINA
I'm sorry for all this. But we needed
to speak to you without...

The KGB listening. She understands. She climbs up the stairs

to them. All three are bundled up against the cold.
Shcherbina looks at Legasov. Tell her.

LEGASOV
They're putting Dyatlov on trial. And
Bryukhanov. And Fomin. We're going to
be called for expert testimony. All
three of us. But before that happens--

SHCHERBINA
The Central Committee is sending
Legasov to Vienna. It's the
headquarters of the International--
 48.

KHOMYUK
Atomic Energy Agency, I know what's
in Vienna--
(to Legasov)
What are they asking you do to?

LEGASOV
Tell the world what happened.

She feels a quick excitement. And fear. The promise of

revealing the truth. And then a flicker of resentment.
Because she's done the work. And he'll be the one in Vienna.

KHOMYUK
Well then you should know what
happened.

She opens her file folder. Hands him a report and additional
pages as she speaks...

KHOMYUK
I've constructed a timeline. Minute
by minute. Second by second in some
places. Every decision. Every button
press. Every turn of a switch.

SHCHERBINA
And? Are they guilty?

Legasov is flipping pages. Reading. Scanning. Absorbing.

KHOMYUK
Yes, of gross incompetence, violation
of safety regulations, recklessness
beyond belief... but the explosion?
I'm not sure.

And now Legasov closes her report. He's seen enough already.
His worst fear confirmed.

SHCHERBINA
What do you mean you're not sure?

She's bored of dealing with Shcherbina. He won't comprehend.

Not quickly enough at least. She turns back to Legasov.

KHOMYUK
I've analyzed the data. Toptunov was
telling the truth. They shut the
reactor down, and then it exploded.

She hands him the journal article from her file folder.
 49.

KHOMYUK
I think this article may have the
answer. But two pages have been
removed.

Then she sees on Legasov's face-- foreknowledge. And guilt?

She realizes:

KHOMYUK
You know what they are. You've seen
them before.

LEGASOV
Please believe me when I tell you-- I
did not know it could lead to an
explosion. None of us knew.

KHOMYUK
(anger rising)
None of you knew what.

Legasov lifts two toppled chairs into position, then slowly

sits down. Khomyuk sits in the other.

LEGASOV
In 1975 at the RBMK reactor in
Leningrad, a fuel channel ruptured.
The operators pressed AZ-5, but
instead of the power immediately going
down, for a brief moment-- it went up.

KHOMYUK
How is that possible?

LEGASOV
That was the very question asked by a
colleague of mine named Volkov. He's
the one who wrote this article.
(to Shcherbina)
When the RBMK runs at low power, as it
was that night, it's notoriously
unstable. Prone to-- swings-- in
reactivity. Under normal circumstances,
control rods can compensate for that.

KHOMYUK
Under normal circumstances.
(her report)
The Chernobyl staff stalled the
reactor during the test. They pulled
almost all of the control rods to
bring the power back up.
 50.

LEGASOV
This is what Volkov learned from
Leningrad. If the boron rods are
completely withdrawn from the core,
when they're put back in, the first
thing into the reactor isn't boron.
(beat)
It's graphite. The boron control rods
have graphite tips that displace
water and steam. Reactivity doesn't
go down. It goes up. Dramatically.

Khomyuk leans back. In shock. But Shcherbina can only stand

there dumbly, waiting for an explanation.

LEGASOV
Imagine there's a fire in a building.
You turn on a hose, but instead of
water coming out, it sprays petrol
instead.

SHCHERBINA
Then why in god's name did they push
that button?

KHOMYUK
(finally understands)
They didn't know.

And now Shcherbina takes another chair and sits. My god...

LEGASOV
Volkov warned the Kremlin ten years
ago. But there must be no doubt about
the supremacy of the Soviet nuclear
industry.

SHCHERBINA
(realizing)
The KGB classified it as a state
secret.

Yes.

LEGASOV
When I saw the reactor blown open, I
still didn't think it could be this
flaw in AZ-5... because the flaw will
not lead to an explosion unless the
operators have first willfully pushed
the reactor to the edge of disaster.
 51.

SHCHERBINA
So it is their fault.

LEGASOV
Yes.

KHOMYUK
But not only their fault.

LEGASOV
No.

KHOMYUK
And is that what you're going to say?
In Vienna? Valery, you have to tell
the truth. All of it.

SHCHERBINA
You can't possibly be that naive.

KHOMYUK
There are 16 RBMK reactors running
right now in the Soviet Union. We
have to fix them, and the only way to
make that happen is to go public. In
Vienna, in the West, and force the
Central Committee to take action.

SHCHERBINA
What you are proposing is that
Legasov humiliate a nation that is
obsessed with not being humiliated.

Shcherbina swallows his anger. Then, to Legasov:

SHCHERBINA
We can make a deal with the KGB. You
leave this information out in Vienna,
and they quietly allow us to fix the
remaining reactors.

KHOMYUK
A deal. With the KGB. And I'm
naive...

Legasov doesn't know how to respond. Caught between the two

of them. Between his heart and his mind.

SHCHERBINA
Valery, they will go after your
friends, your family--
 52.

KHOMYUK
You have a chance to talk to the
world. If it were me--

SHCHERBINA
But it isn't, is it. I have been a
part of this system for 44 years, so
listen carefully. I have known braver
souls than you, Khomyuk. Men who had
their moment and did nothing, because
when it is your life and the lives of
everyone you love, your moral
conviction doesn't mean a damn thing.
It leaves you. And all you want in
that moment is not to be shot.

A few seconds. Then she turns calmly to Legasov.

KHOMYUK
Do you know the name Vasily
Ignatenko?

Legasov shakes his head no.

KHOMYUK
He was a fireman. He died two weeks
after the accident. I've been looking
in on his widow. She gave birth
today. A girl.
(beat)
The baby lived four hours. She had 28
roentgen. They said the radiation
would have killed the mother, but the
baby absorbed it instead. Her baby.
(quietly)
We live in a country where children
have to die to save their mothers.
The hell with our names and the hell
with your deals. Someone has to start
telling the truth.

Legasov looks at them. Khomyuk, who is right. And

Shcherbina... who is also right. And only he can decide.

TARAKANOV (V.O.)
Congratulations, comrades.

467 EXT. MASHA - DAY 467

Completely clean of debris. Two men emerge onto the roof.

One carries a metal POLE. The other has a cylindrical case
strapped to his back.
 53.

TARAKANOV (V.O.)
You are the last of 3,828 men.

468 EXT. REACTOR SITE - CONTINUOUS 468

Tarakanov addresses a group of eight soldiers, still in

their heavy gear, but not wearing gloves or masks.

TARAKANOV
You have performed your duties
perfectly. I wish you good health and
long life. All of you are awarded
with a bonus of 800 rubles.

Tarakanov approaches the first soldier. Shakes his hand.

TARAKANOV
Thank you.

SOLDIER #1
I serve the Soviet Union.

Tarakanov moves to the second soldier. Shakes his hand.

TARAKANOV
Thank you.

SOLDIER #2
I serve the Soviet Union.

469 EXT. VERY TOP OF THE COOLING TOWER - CONTINUOUS 469

The two men attach a pole and RED FLAG to the top of the
tower. It flaps in the wind.

TARAKANOV (V.O.)
Thank you.

SOLDIER #3 (V.O.)
I serve the Soviet Union.

470 EXT. LIQUIDATOR CAMP - SAME 470

From here, we can see the REACTOR SITE in the near distance.
And the RED FLAG fluttering on the cooling tower.

PAVEL - stands in place, gazing out at it. He's gaunt.

Sallow skin. His hair seems thinner. Numb. Blank stare.

He's smoking now.

 54.

A YOUNG RECRUIT, 21, fresh-faced believer, walks up to

Pavel, and joins him looking out at the flag.

RECRUIT
Makes you proud, doesn't it, comrade?

Pavel doesn't look at him. Just keeps staring out.

RECRUIT
They sent me over to you. For
assignment.
(his radiation badge)
They gave me this to wear. I guess
everyone has one. We don't have
anything to worry about, right?

Pavel still doesn't look at him. But:

PAVEL
You can get up to 24 roentgen before
there's a problem.

RECRUIT
Oh. How much do you have?

Pavel keeps his eyes locked on the flag. Takes a long drag
on his cigarette. Then:

PAVEL
23.

DISSOLVE TO:

471 INT. HOSPITAL - DAY 471

The maternity ward. New mothers pass in front of us. Some

walking, some being wheeled. Cradling their newborns.

But we move through them like we're not there. Like we're a
ghost. Until we find an open door... and stop.

In a bare room, LYUDMILLA sits on the edge of the bed, still

in a hospital gown, looking out the window. Forgotten. And
alone.

She puts her hand to her belly, and:

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE FOUR

 CHERNOBYL

Episode 5 - "Vichnaya Pamyat"

Written by

Craig Mazin

August 3, 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.
 1.

501 EXT. PRIPYAT - DAY 501

The iconic "PRIPYAT 1970" sign on the outskirts of town.

Crisp and white. Colorful flowers planted at its base.

MUSIC: score, recalling memories of glory, or perhaps a

dream of a glory that never was.

502 EXT. PRIPYAT - VARIOUS - DAY 502

Even a planned Soviet city can look beautiful on a day like

this. Alive. Someone's dream of home...

SITNIKOV (who went to the roof) takes a stroll with his

wife. They hold hands. Their DAUGHTER, 4, toddles along in
front of them with their DOG.

OLD WOMEN sit together on a bench, gossiping and arguing as

they do each day.

YUVCHENKO (who held the reactor door open) - pulls his 2-

year old SON along in a little WAGON.

CITIZENS swim slowly across the community pool.

LYUDMILLA is in a shop with OKSANA. She looks out through

the shop window to the street, where she sees VASILY
standing with MIKHAIL, who holds his baby.

Mikhail offers to let Vasily hold the baby, and he does.

Lyudmilla watches her husband cradling the infant. Vasily

turns and sees her watching. He smiles at her. Pure love.
And she smiles back. Her husband. Her life. One day it will
be their baby. One day.

A figure passes behind Vasily in the background.

CLOSE ON - SHOES walking with purpose. We pull back to

reveal - ANATOLY DYATLOV.

Lunch sack in his hand. Cigarette in his mouth. Walking as

he does every single day. Walking to work. Ahead of him, up
and off in the distance... the CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT.

CUT TO TITLES

END TITLES, CUT TO:

 2.

503 INT. BRYUKHANOV'S OFFICE - DAY 503

TITLE:

APRIL 25, 1986

2:00 PM

FOMIN sits patiently across from Bryukhanov's desk. DYATLOV

sits in the other guest seat. Glances at Fomin. Casually
disdainful of him. Silence.

Then, finally:

FOMIN
I hear they might promote
Bryukhanov. This little problem we
have with the safety test? If it's
completed successfully... yes, I
think a promotion is very likely.
Who knows, maybe Moscow.

Dyatlov's eyes narrow.

FOMIN
Naturally they'll put me in charge
once he's gone. And then I'll need
someone to take my old job. I could
pick Sitnikov...

It takes a moment for Dyatlov to swallow his pride. Then:

DYATLOV
I would like to be considered.

FOMIN
I'll keep that in mind.

The door opens, and BRYUKHANOV enters. Fomin rises, but

Bryukhanov gives him an annoyed wave to sit the fuck down.
Then he starts opening desk drawers. Looking for something.

FOMIN
Viktor Petrovich, preparations for
the test have gone smoothly. Comrade
Dyatlov has been working per my
instructions, and Reactor 4 output
has been reduced to 1600 megawatts.
With your approval, we're ready to
continue lowering power to--

BRYUKHANOV
We have to wait.
 3.

Fomin and Dyatlov weren't expecting that. Not good.

FOMIN
Is there-- ?

BRYUKHANOV
You're going to ask me if there's a
problem, Nikolai? You can't read a
fucking face?

He's found a pack of cigarettes. Lights one. Tosses the

lighter down on his desk.

BRYUKHANOV
Three years I've been trying to
finish this test. Three years!
(beat)
I just got a call from the grid
controller in Kiev. He says we can't
lower power any further. Not for
another ten hours.

DYATLOV
A grid controller? Where does he get
off telling us--

BRYUKHANOV
It's not the grid controller's
decision, Dyatlov-- it's the end of
the month. All the productivity
quotas? Everyone's working overtime,
the factories need power, someone's
pushing down from above. Not that
we'll ever know who.
(smokes, then)
So do we have to scrap it or what?

FOMIN
No. I don't think so. If we need to
wait ten hours, we wait.

BRYUKHANOV
Running at half power? We're not
going to have stability issues?

FOMIN
No, I should think--

BRYUKHANOV
I'm not asking you.

Fomin musters a smile to cover his bile. As you wish, sir.

 4.

DYATLOV
It's safe. We'll maintain at 1600.
I'll go home, get some sleep, and
come back tonight. We'll proceed
then. I'll personally supervise the
test. And it will be completed.

Bryukhanov considers that. Then a grunt of satisfaction.

BRYUKHANOV
Well I'm not waiting around. Call me
when it's done.

He gets up and walks out. Dyatlov follows. But Fomin

lingers behind. Waits until they're gone. Then runs his
fingers covetously along the edge of Bryukhanov's desk. The
desk of a powerful man. A man in charge...

SOUND: a loud ELECTRONIC BUZZER/BELL

504 EXT. CITY - MORNING 504

A rambling, squat complex of white buildings dotted with

barred windows. We hear the BUZZER BELL again. The sound of
an institution on a rigid time schedule.

TITLE

LUKYANIVSKA PRISON, KIEV

MARCH, 1987

505 INT. LUKYANIVSKA PRISON CELL - SAME 505

We PAN slowly across the dismal cell to find: FOMIN,

dressed in the uniform of a Soviet prisoner, sitting on his
cot. Crying. He barely looks like the same man.

Fomin removes his glasses with trembling hands to wipe his

eyes, but the tears don't stop. They never stop. He stares
at the glasses in his hand. Yes. Today.

506 INT. LUKYANIVSKA PRISON HALLWAY - MINUTES LATER 506

The cell block door opens, and three SOLDIERS enter and
proceed down the hallway. The PRISON WARDEN stays behind.
We remain with him as he calls out names.

WARDEN
Bryukhanov.
 5.

A soldier stops at the first door. Unlocks it and slides

open. BRYUKHANOV, prison uniform, steps out. As the soldier
escorts him toward the cell block door...

WARDEN
Dyatlov.

A soldier opens a second door. DYATLOV steps out. He's

attempted to regrow his mustache, but it's barely there.
His posture is stooped. His skin is papery.

WARDEN
Fomin.

Down the hall, the third soldier opens a door. Then takes a
step back. Frozen.

WARDEN
Fomin!

The soldier turns, then starts RUNNING back toward us.

507 INT. FOMIN'S CELL - CONTINUOUS 507

We're ON THE FLOOR - looking across the room at the open

door through a CRACKED LENS. Fomin's SHATTERED GLASSES.

Shards are missing. BLOOD begins to SEEP FORWARD along the

floor. It pools around the glasses, then continues ahead.
More. And more.

An ALARM sounds.

508 EXT. MOSCOW STREET - AFTERNOON 508

A QUEUE of people waiting to purchase tobacco from a KIOSK.

It's Legasov turn. He buys a pack of cigarettes, walks a
few steps, takes out a cigarette, then almost runs into:

A MAN IN A SUIT (KGB DRIVER). The man doesn't need to say a

word. It's obvious what he is. He nods for Legasov to
follow. Legasov dutifully does. No choice.

509 EXT. ALLEYWAY AROUND THE CORNER - CONTINUOUS 509

A BLACK ZIL LIMO is parked on the street. The KGB Driver

opens the rear door, lets Legasov in, then CLOSES the door.
 6.

510 INT. SEDAN - MOMENTS LATER 510

CLOSE ON LEGASOV - sitting in the back seat, eyes forward.

CHARKOV (O.S.)
How do you feel?

Legasov turns. Reveal: CHARKOV, the head of the KGB,

sitting next to him in the back.

CHARKOV
You went to the doctor yesterday.
How is your health?

LEGASOV
You don't know?

Charkov smiles. Very good. He opens his briefcase and

removes a NEWSPAPER. Hands it to Legasov. It's in German.

Below the fold on the front page, a PHOTOGRAPH of Legasov,

from the IAEA conference. And a caption in German.

CHARKOV
From Vienna. Do you read German?
(no?)
It says, "At last, a Soviet
scientist who tells the truth."
Obviously I resent the insinuation,
but I think it's fair to say you
made an excellent impression at the
conference. It turns out you're
quite good at this.

Legasov stares at the photo. Guilt rising inside him.

LEGASOV
At what? Lying?

CHARKOV
Statecraft, Legasov. Statecraft.

Charkov takes the newspaper back from Legasov. Puts it back

in his briefcase.

CHARKOV
The West is now satisfied that
Chernobyl was solely the result of
operator error. Which it essentially
was. We have you to thank for that.
And we intend to.

He hands Legasov another piece of paper. A list.

 7.

LEGASOV
(reads)
"Hero of the Soviet Union."

CHARKOV
Our highest honor. They haven't even
given it to me.

LEGASOV
"Promotion to Director of the
Kurchatov Institute."

Charkov gives that thin smile of his. He knows that's the

one Legasov wants.

LEGASOV
I'm humbled.

CHARKOV
I don't think there's anything
humble about you, Valery
Alexeyevich.

Charkov takes the paper back.

CHARKOV
And these rewards are not yours yet.
First, your testimony at the trial.

LEGASOV
Comrade Charkov, I understand my
duty to the State-- but you gave us
assurances. You said the reactors
would be made safe. It's been
months. There have been no changes
made, no changes even discussed...

CHARKOV
(again)
First, the trial. Once it's over, we
will have our villains, we will have
our hero... we will have our truth.
(uninterested)
After that, we can deal with the
reactors.

Charkov dismisses him with a wave of the hand. Nothing left

to say. Legasov opens the door to exit, and:

CHARKOV
Oh, I should mention-- the trial is
going to be somewhat delayed.
 8.

LEGASOV
Why?

CHARKOV
Talk to Shcherbina.

LEGASOV
(confused)
Shcherbina's in Kiev. I haven't
heard from him in--

CHARKOV
He returned to Moscow an hour ago.

Charkov gives Legasov that smile again.

CHARKOV
Or so I've been told.

The KGB DRIVER opens the door fully to let Legasov out.
Legasov EXITS and watches as the ZIL drives away.

511 INT. LIVING ROOM - SHCHERBINA'S APARTMENT - AFTERNOON 511

SHCHERBINA stands by the window, looking out. His hair is a

touch thinner. A subtle aging to his skin.

LEGASOV (O.S.)
When?

Shcherbina turns to LEGASOV - who sits in a chair. Ashen.

SHCHERBINA
Early this morning. He broke his
glasses and used the shards--
(his wrist)
They got to him in time. He's in the
hospital, under observation.

LEGASOV
Guilty conscience?

SHCHERBINA
Or he was making a statement.

SHCHERBINA'S DAUGHTER, 30, enters the room with a tea

service. Her son, 4, runs in and HUGS Shcherbina on the
leg. Shcherbina lights up. Lifts the boy with some effort.

SHCHERBINA
Did you bring grandpapa tea? Is that
what you did? You brought him tea?
 9.

He kisses his grandson on the forehead, then puts him back

down. Again, an effort. It was easy a year ago.

His daughter takes her son by the hand and exits.

Shcherbina's smile fades. Then:

SHCHERBINA
There's something else. The trial
won't be in Kiev. They've changed
the venue.

LEGASOV
Here, then?

SHCHERBINA
No. Chernobyl. To be clear, not the
power plant. The town.

LEGASOV
The evacuated town thirty kilometers
away from the reactor?

SHCHERBINA
Twenty, actually.

LEGASOV
For god's sake, why?

SHCHERBINA
I presume they want to demonstrate
that the exclusion zone is now safe
enough to hold a trial.

LEGASOV
Well it isn't.

SHCHERBINA
You don't look good.

LEGASOV
I'm not sleeping.

SHCHERBINA
Is that all?

Legasov doesn't answer. He just removes his glasses, weary.

Turns them around in his hand. Thinking about Fomin again.
Mystified by the man's actions.

LEGASOV
His glasses...

CUT TO:
 10.

512 INT. KHOMYUK'S LABORATORY - DAY 512

EXTREME CLOSE ON: the letters A3-5 (AZ-5 in Cyrillic).

Khomyuk stares at the Volkov article. Exhausted from

torturing herself. Wishing she'd never read it. Wishing she
didn't know.

Enough. She has work to do. She pushes the Volkov article
aside. Picks up a stack of requisition forms. Paperwork.
Endless paperwork. Scans the first form, then initials.

Next form. Initials. Next form...

She's lost focus again. This time, it's a FILE BOX that has
drawn her attention.

She hesitates, then crosses to the box, and lifts the lid.

Inside, NOTEBOOKS. About a dozen. She takes one out. Opens

it. Pages and pages... all filled with her handwriting.

She runs her fingers over the neat Cyrillic penmanship.

MEMORY (O.S.)
My name is Leonid Fedorovych
Toptunov. I am the Senior Reactor
Control Chief...

The voices are raspy. Strained. Turn a page...

MEMORY (O.S.)
Vasily Ivanovich Ignatenko. 6th
Paramilitary Fire/Rescue Unit...

Turn a page... the weakened voices begin to blend...

MEMORY (O.S.)
Svetlana Zinchenko, physician...
Anatoly Andreyevich Sitnikov, deputy
chief engineer...
Aleksander Genadyevich Kudryavtsev,
trainee...

She closes her eyes. She was with them all. Listened to
them all. Knew them all.

MEMORY (O.S.)
Electrical engineer...
Turbine operator...
Security guard...

She opens her eyes. Looks down at the page.

 11.

MEMORY (O.S.)
My name is Aleksander Fyodorovich
Akimov, Unit 4 Shift Leader.

She looks up from the notebook. An idea. And now more than
an idea. A decision.

She snaps the book shut, and:

CUT TO:

513 INT. LEGASOV'S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - DAY 513

Legasov stares at: TECHNICAL SCHEMATICS spread out on his

table like a visual representation of a CONTROL PANEL.

He smokes. Studies them silently. The table clock tick tick

ticks. The cat pads softly over stacks of BOOKS.

Legasov notices: two strands of HAIR on the schematics.

Long. Like they fell from the root.

He reaches up to his head and runs his fingers through his

hair. A few more STRANDS pull away without effort.

He studies the hair in his hand, shakes it off and wipes

the schematics clean. This isn't the first time.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Legasov snaps out of it. Startled. Heads to the door.

514 INT. LEGASOV'S STUDY - MOMENTS LATER 514

Khomyuk sits across from Legasov, the file box on her lap.
Neither of them sure who's supposed to talk first. Then:

LEGASOV
Did you take a train?

Oh for god's--

KHOMYUK
Yes, I took a train, now let's talk
about Vienna.
(as he reacts)
I haven't come to scold you. I know
how the world works. I'm a realist,
no matter what Shcherbina thinks.
 12.

LEGASOV
Then why are you here?

KHOMYUK
Because I'm brutally stubborn. Which
you were hoping for.

Right. So. As if to convince her...

LEGASOV
Charkov is saying they're going to
fix the reactors after the trial.

KHOMYUK
Do you believe him?

A pause. No. Of course not. But Khomyuk leans in.

KHOMYUK
The State will never willingly fix
the reactors, because acknowledging
the problem means admitting they
lied. They will have to be forced.

Forced? What is she on about?

KHOMYUK
At the trial, you're going to tell
the truth. You're going to convince
a jury.

Legasov stares at her as if she's lost her mind.

LEGASOV
It's a show trial. The "jury" has
already been given their verdict...

KHOMYUK
I'm not talking about them. The
Central Committee has invited
members of the scientific community
to observe the trial. Our
colleagues. From Kurchatov, from
Sredmash, from Minenergo...

And now Legasov sees where she's going.

KHOMYUK
They will be sitting in the crowd,
listening to every word you say. A
jury only we know is there.
(MORE)
 13.

KHOMYUK (cont'd)
And when your testimony arrives at
the moment of the explosion... that
is when our jury will finally hear
the truth.

LEGASOV
And do what with it?

KHOMYUK
Insist on reforms. Not just to the
RBMK, but the entire industry.

LEGASOV KHOMYUK
No, no, no... no. They need us to function. If
we refuse to work unless--

LEGASOV
Do you know what happened to Volkov?
The man who wrote the report you
found? They just removed him from
his position at the Institute.
Sacked for the crime of knowing. And
you think these scientists,
handpicked to witness a show trial,
will somehow be stirred to action?
By me? Because of some heroic stand
I take in defiance of the State?

KHOMYUK
Yes.

LEGASOV
Why?

KHOMYUK
Because you're Legasov. And you mean
something. I'd like to think if I
spoke out, it would be enough.
(beat)
But as I said, I know how the world
works.

LEGASOV
They will shoot me, Khomyuk.

Khomyuk lifts the lid off the box. Pulls out her notebooks,
and begins stacking them in a PILE on Legasov's table.

KHOMYUK
You told me to find out what
happened. I talked to dozens of
people. Every word they said, I
wrote down. All in these books.
 14.

The stack is about twelve books high. She pulls out two
more notebooks, and places them next to the larger stack.

KHOMYUK
(the two books)
These are the ones who are still
alive.
(the twelve books)
These are the ones who are dead.
They died rescuing each other.
Putting out fires. Tending to the
wounded. They didn't hesitate. They
didn't waver. They simply did what
had to be done.

LEGASOV
So have I. I went willingly to an
open reactor. I've also given my
life. Is that not enough?

KHOMYUK
I'm sorry. But it is not.

RISING SOUND: a distant, whistling wind

515 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY 515

CLOSE ON: a RUSTING CAR.

We SLOWLY RISE to reveal: more cars. And buses. Trucks.

Fire engines. Bulldozers. Helicopters. Acres and acres of
DEAD, CONTAMINATED VEHICLES, stacked in rows. A CEMETERY.

A BARBED WIRE FENCE dotted with garish red and orange

RADIATION SIGNS surrounds the vehicle graveyard. We move to
FIND: a convoy of cars moving down a distant ROAD in the
background.

TITLE

CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE

JULY, 1987

516 INT. CAR - COUNTRYSIDE - AS THEY DRIVE 516

A limousine. Khomyuk, Legasov and Shcherbina sit in a row

in the back. Somber. Straight ahead. On their way.

517 OMITTED 517

 15.

518 OMITTED 518

519 EXT. MILITARY CHECKPOINT - AS THEY DRIVE 519

CLOSE ON: the GAS MASK face of a CHECKPOINT SOLDIER. In the

dark lenses of the goggles, a DOUBLE REFLECTION of the
approaching line of CARS.

The GAS MASK SOLDIER waves them through.

As they proceed, we RISE UP TO SEE the caravan enter: THE

ABANDONED CITY OF CHERNOBYL. Rural. Small, squat buildings
ensconced among the trees.

The convoy proceeds to the LARGEST BUILDING. The Hall of

Culture. And looming behind the city in the distant B.G,
the nuclear power plant.

520 INT. TRIAL ROOM - DAY 520

CLOSE ON: ANDREI STEPASHIN, 50, the STATE PROSECUTOR, suit

and tie, reading rapidly and monotonically from a typed
speech.

STEPASHIN
The Central Committee of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
and the Presidium of the Supreme
Soviet of the U.S.S.R. has
determined that justice be carried
out on behalf of the People in
accordance with the general goal of
our Party as determined by its 20th,
21st and 22d Congresses, which is a
Leninist goal. It was, is and will
be the only immutable goal in the
Soviet state.

THE TRIAL ROOM - a small, repurposed auditorium setting.

Against the NORTH WALL of the room, a RED DAIS on the low
stage. Three middle-aged men in suits. Ceremonial chairs.
The man in the center is JUDGE MILAN KADNIKOV, 55. Behind
them, an orange-yellow curtain.

Against the WEST WALL, a pale blue curtain. In front of it,

a DEFENDANT BOX. Bryukhanov, Dyatlov and Fomin sit in the
box. Suit jackets. Two RED ARMY SOLDIERS stand guard on
either side.
 16.

THE REST OF THE ROOM - auditorium seats. Civilians, Soviet

officials, military. Near Stepashin, an EXPERT WITNESS
TABLE. Legasov, Khomyuk and Shcherbina.

As Stepashin DRONES, we're CLOSE ON LEGASOV. The air is

STIFLING. Hard to breathe. The HOT LIGHTS and mosquito-like
electric HUM of bulky Soviet press video cameras.

Legasov wipes sweat from his brow. A single, useless FAN in

the corner of the room goes ting ting ting ting ting...

STEPASHIN
The path of Leninist principles shall
be consistently and undeviatingly
followed as it expresses the vital
interests of the Soviet People, its
hopes and aspirations as we guide the
life of the Party and State. This
session of court is now open, Comrade
Judge Milan Kadnikov presiding.
Indictments--

As Stepashin recites the charges, Khomyuk leans in to

whisper to Legasov. He puts a hand up. Yes. He sees them.

Legasov glances over his shoulder, and we see: SIX PEOPLE,

four men, two women, seated together in the audience. Men
and women he knows. Scientists. The invisible jury...

STEPASHIN
Viktor Bryukhanov, Anatoly Dyatlov
and Nikolai Fomin are accused of
violating Article 220 Section 2 of
the Criminal Code of the Soviet Union
resulting in a nuclear disaster on
April 26, 1986. The State calls
witnesses Comrade Khomyuk of the
Byelorusian Nuclear Institute,
Comrade Legasov of the Kurchatov
Institute of Atomic Energy, and--
(show of deference)
--Comrade Boris Evdokimovich
Shcherbina, Deputy Chairman of the
Council of Ministers and head of the
Bureau for Fuel and Energy.

Stepashin sits down. There's a pause. Shcherbina leans

forward to look at Stepashin. Am I on?

Stepashin gives him a gentle nod, like a director

responsible for cueing his actors. Yes. You're on.
 17.

521 INT. TRIAL ROOM - LATER 521

CLOSE ON: A MODEL of REACTOR BUILDING #4, as it existed

before the explosion, is slowly WHEELED IN on a cart.

SHCHERBINA (O.S.)
It began with-- of all things-- a
safety test.

Shcherbina stands before the tribunal. Legasov and Khomyuk

sit at the table behind him.

SHCHERBINA
But why was there a need for a
safety test at all?

THE DEFENDANTS - listen silently. Fomin seems lost. In a

fog. Dyatlov remains stern. Bryukhanov hangs his head
slightly. He knows what's coming.

SHCHERBINA
Reactor #4 was not new when this
accident occurred. In fact, the
reactor went into operation on
December 20th, 1983. Eleven days
later, on the last day of year,
Plant Director Viktor Bryukhanov
signed this document--

He hands the document to the judges.

SHCHERBINA
--certifying that construction of
the reactor had been completed. As a
result of finishing this work before
the end of the year, Comrade
Bryukhanov was awarded Hero of
Socialist Labour.

Shcherbina turns his gaze on the defendants.

SHCHERBINA
Comrade Fomin was awarded for
Valorous Labour. Comrade Dyatlov was
given an Order of the Red Banner.
(beat)
But the work was not finished. And
that certificate... was a lie. In
order to sign that document, all
safety tests had to have been
successfully completed. And yet, one
remained.
 18.

As he talks, he points out various parts of the model.

SHCHERBINA
A nuclear reactor generates heat in
the core-- here. A series of pumps
here send a constant flow of cooling
water through the core. The core's
heat turns the water to steam, the
steam spins a turbine here, and the
result is electricity.
(beat)
But what if a power plant has no
power? What if the power feeding the
plant itself is disrupted? A
blackout, equipment failure... an
attack by a foreign enemy?

Shcherbina points to the pumps.

SHCHERBINA
If there is no power, the pumps
cannot move water through the core.
Without water, the core overheats,
and the fuel melts down. In short--
a nuclear disaster. The solution?
Three diesel fuel backup generators
here. So. Problem solved?
(beat)
No. Bryukhanov knew the problem was
not solved at all. The backup
generators took approximately one
minute to reach the speed required
to power the pumps and prevent a
meltdown. By that point, it would be
too late. And so-- we arrive at the
safety test.

Khomyuk leans back. Surprised. Impressed with his command.

SHCHERBINA
The theory was this: if the facility
lost power, the turbine-- which had
been spinning-- would take some time
to slow down and stop. What if you
could take the electricity it was
still generating, and transfer it to
the pumps? What if the dying turbine
could keep the pumps working long
enough to bridge the sixty-second
gap until the generators came on?

He looks up at the judges. Suddenly insecure.

 19.

SHCHERBINA
Please, if you have any questions...

JUDGE KADNIKOV
No. Continue.

Shcherbina nods. Good. Proud of himself.

SHCHERBINA
To test this theory, the reactor is
placed in a reduced power mode-- 700
megawatts-- to simulate a blackout
condition. Then-- the turbines are
shut off, and as they slowly spin
down, their electrical output is
measured to see if it is sufficient
to power the pumps. The science is
strong-- but a test is only as good
as the men carrying it out. The
first time they tried, they failed.
The second time they tried, they
failed. The third time they tried,
they failed.
(beat)
The fourth time they tried-- was on
April 26th, 1986.

The room is silent. Shcherbina knows he's done well. He

enjoys the moment-- then crosses back to the table.

STEPASHIN (O.S.)
Comrade Khomyuk.

522 INT. TRIAL ROOM - LATER 522

New soldiers enter to relieve the guards by the defendants.

KHOMYUK (O.S.)
To understand what happened that
night, we have to look back ten
hours earlier.

KHOMYUK - stands in the center of the room, delivering her

testimony. She glances at: THE SIX SCIENTISTS. The "jury."
She wishes she could say the truth to them herself, right
here and now... but has to be Legasov. So she continues...

KHOMYUK
April 25th. The day the test was
meant to take place.
(MORE)
 20.

KHOMYUK (cont'd)
By two in the afternoon, the reactor
has been lowered by half from its
normal output of 3200 megawatts to
1600 megawatts, and is now ready to
be reduced to the final level for
the test. 700 megawatts. But before
they can proceed, there is a phone
call.
(beat)
Power grid officials in Kiev say
they cannot afford a further
reduction in electricity until after
midnight. They're asking for a ten
hour delay. This was the first
critical moment-- the first link in
the chain of disaster. Competent
management would have insisted on
canceling the test. These three men
allowed it to proceed.
(beat)
Why was this ten hour delay so
dangerous? It created two problems.
One is scientific in nature. The
other... is very human. That's the
one we'll consider first.
(beat)
At midnight--

DISSOLVE TO:

523 EXT. CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT - NIGHT 523

The glaring HEADLIGHTS of a BUS. It slows to a stop.

KHOMYUK (V.O.)
--there is a shift change.

The air brakes hiss. A line of men exit the bus, passing a
line of men waiting to get on.

TOPTUNOV steps out. He heads toward: THE POWER PLANT -

peaceful in the background.

524 INT. POWER PLANT - LOCKER ROOM 524

QUICK CUTS - men remove their clothing. Pictures of wives

and children on the inside of the locker doors.

We know their faces. Yuvchenko. Perevozchenko. Brazhnik.

Gorbanchenko. Stolyarchuk. Toptunov. And now... a man whose
name we've heard, but not yet seen.
 21.

PEREVOZCHENKO
Khodemchuk...!

KHODEMCHUK, slender, 35, leans out from behind his locker.

PEREVOZCHENKO
I brought a picture of the
motorcycle.

KHODEMCHUK
I already told you no.

PEREVOZCHENKO
You said you wanted to buy...

KHODEMCHUK
I was drunk.

PEREVOZCHENKO
So, you'll be drunk again-- and then
you'll have a motorcycle!

The men laugh.

525 OMITTED 525

526 INT. CLEAN ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 526

White uniforms-- pants, jackets, boots, hats,

underclothes-- are stacked on tables.

Nude men filter in from the locker room and grab uniforms.
Others (Perevozchenko, Toptunov, Brazhnik, Yuvchenko) are
already in the process of getting dressed.

The room is remarkably sterile, except for the fact that

most of the men are SMOKING.

As he suits up, Perevozchenko sees Khodemchuk enter.

PEREVOZCHENKO
Khodemchuk...

KHODEMCHUK
Forget it. Find another fool.

Perevozchenko sighs. Then turns to:

PEREVOZCHENKO
Toptunov--
 22.

BRAZHNIK
Toptunov? Look at him. He's too
young to drive. He's got more hair
on his face than on his balls.

The men laugh. Yuvchenko points at Toptunov's mustache.

YUVCHENKO
Hair? Is that what's on his lip?

More laughter. Toptunov shakes his head. Come on guys...

As Toptunov puts on his boots, Proskuryakov (the trainee),

already in uniform, pops his head into the room.

PROSKURYAKOV
Leonid Fedorovych... Akimov says to
come to the control room as soon as
you're ready.

TOPTUNOV
He's already here?

PROSKURYAKOV
He came in a little early. Something
about a test.

A test? What test?

527 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - MOMENTS LATER 527

Toptunov enters with the trainee. Akimov is at the main

control panel, staring at an open BINDER. Flipping pages.

Stolyarchuk and Kirschenbaum are at their panels. The other

trainee, Kudryavtsev, stands in the back, watching.

TOPTUNOV
Sasha?

Akimov turns, and Toptunov sees the worry on his face.

Akimov waves him over. Keeps his voice low.

AKIMOV
You know the test they were supposed
to run?

No, he doesn't. Then he glances at: THE OUTPUT DISPLAY - a

large box with RED LED DIGITS. It reads 1600. Why so low?
 23.

AKIMOV
The turbine rundown. The one they
tried last year? They couldn't do it
on the day shift so... they've given
it to us.

TOPTUNOV
To us? We don't even know what it--

Akimov puts a hand up. Sshhh. People are always listening.

TOPTUNOV
(voice low)
We don't know what it is.

AKIMOV
It's fine. We take it down to 700,
hold it there, and the rest is
Stolyarchuk and Kirschenbaum. But--
(beat)
Dyatlov is going to be supervising.

Now Toptunov knows why Akimov is worried. And with cause.

TOPTUNOV
I have to do something I've never
done before with Dyatlov over my
shoulder?

AKIMOV
Don't worry. We'll do it together.
I'm looking at the instructions now.

Toptunov glances down at the manual. Nods. All right, so

far, so good. He understands. Then he turns a page. There
is a NUMBERED LIST of instructions. There are black LINES
drawn through several of the items.

TOPTUNOV
Are we supposed to do those or not?

Impossible to say. Akimov picks up a PHONE. Dials. Then:

AKIMOV
Yes, this is Akimov in 4. We have
the manual for the rundown test, you
did this before on--
(listens)
Well in the program there are
instructions of what to do, and then
a lot of things are crossed out.
What should I-- ?
(MORE)
 24.

AKIMOV (cont'd)
(listens)
Are you sure? Right. Thank you.

He hangs up. Turns to Toptunov.

AKIMOV
He says to follow the crossed out
instructions.

TOPTUNOV
Then why were they crossed out?

The door flings open. DYATLOV strides in. Dressed in the

same white uniform. No warning, no greeting. All business.

DYATLOV
We've been cleared to run the test.
(checks the power)
1600. Good. Now-- is it too much to
ask that you all know what you're
doing?

TOPTUNOV
Well-- we...

AKIMOV
(cuts off Toptunov)
Yes. Absolutely.

DYATLOV
Stolyarchuk?

STOLYARCHUK
Yes.

DYATLOV
Kirschenbaum?

KIRSCHENBAUM
I haven't reviewed-- we only just
found out we--

Dyatlov grabs a BINDER from the desk in the center of the

room, and flings it at Kirschenbaum.

DYATLOV
There. Review it. Or just do what I
tell you. I think even you, as
stupid as you are, can manage that.

Dyatlov deliberately lights a cigarette. Checks his watch.

 25.

DYATLOV
Well? Let's go.

ON KIRSCHENBAUM - flipping through the binder. He's

muttering to Stolyarchuk.

KIRSCHENBAUM
I'm supposed to switch the turbine
off while the reactor's still
running? That's not a good--

But he's just loud enough for Dyatlov to hear.

DYATLOV
SHUT THE FUCK UP and do your job.

Kirschenbaum puts his hand up. Sorry... sorry...

DYATLOV
Toptunov. Reduce power to 700.

ON TOPTUNOV and AKIMOV, side by side over the controls.

TOPTUNOV
(a bare whisper)
I've never done this with the power
so low.

AKIMOV
(whispers back)
It's okay. I'm with you.

ON THE PANEL - Toptunov's finger begins pushing down on

buttons. One after another.

TOPTUNOV
Reducing power to 700...

KHOMYUK (V.O.)
I want you to think of Yuri Gagarin.

528 INT. TRIAL ROOM - DAY 528

Khomyuk addresses the room.

KHOMYUK
I want you to imagine he had been
told nothing of his mission into
space until the moment he was on the
launch pad.
(MORE)
 26.

KHOMYUK (cont'd)
I want you to imagine all he had was
a list of instructions he'd never
seen before, with some of them
crossed out.

The room is silent.

KHOMYUK
That is exactly what was happening
in the control room of Reactor 4.

She walks toward the defendants.

KHOMYUK
The night shift had not been trained
to perform the experiment. They
hadn't even been warned it was
happening. Leonid Toptunov-- the
operator responsible for controlling
and stabilizing the reactor that
night-- was all of 25-years old. And
his total experience on the job?
(beat)
Four months.
(beat)
This was the human problem created
by the delay. But inside the reactor
core-- in the space between atoms
themselves-- something far more
dangerous was forming. A poison.
(beat)
The time is 28 past midnight.

She crosses back to table and takes her seat next to

Legasov. Her part is over. It's up to him now.

Legasov takes a breath. Sweaty palms. tick tick tick of the

fan. In the back, someone coughs.

STEPASHIN
(glaring)
Comrade Legasov.

He nods. Yes. It's time. He rises, and:

529 INT. TRIAL ROOM - DAY - MOMENTS LATER 529

CLOSE ON - the WOBBLING WHEEL of a small metal pushcart.

A SOLDIER guides the cart into place in front of a large

white MAGNET BOARD on an easel, which another soldier
adjusts into place.
 27.

A LINE runs down the middle of the board, dividing it in

two. On the cart: PLACARDS, some BLUE, some RED. They each
have something written on them in Cyrillic.

It's all rather functional.

The guards step away, and Legasov takes his place by the
cart and easel. Looks out at the room. The lights. The
camera whine. Someone sniffles. His throat is closing.

He takes a breath. Focuses. And again, he sees them, sitting

in their row, listening attentively: THE SIX SCIENTISTS.

LEGASOV
I am pleased to see some of my
colleagues are here-- from the
Kurchatov Institute and Minenergo.

Khomyuk straightens up. He's acknowledged them. He's

thinking about them. There's a chance...

LEGASOV
But you don't need to be a nuclear
scientist to understand what happened
at Chernobyl. You only need to know
this: there are essentially two things
that happen inside a nuclear reactor.

He holds up a RED placard, and a BLUE placard.

LEGASOV
The "reactivity"-- which generates
the power-- goes up, or it goes down.
That's it. And all the operators do
is maintain the balance.

He fixes the RED placard - "Nuclear Fission" (R1) to the

top of the RIGHT COLUMN of the board. The words on the
placard are in Cyrillic. Doesn't matter.

All that matters is the BRIGHT RED COLOR.

LEGASOV
Uranium fuel. As uranium atoms split
apart and collide, reactivity goes
up. But if you don't balance the
reactivity, it never stops rising.

Next, Legasov puts the BLUE PLACARD - "Control Rods" (B1),

in the LEFT COLUMN. Balancing it out. Blue/cool, red/hot.
 28.

LEGASOV
Boron control rods. They reduce
reactivity, like brakes on a car.

He places another BLUE PLACARD - "Water" (B2) on the left.

LEGASOV
But there's a third factor to
consider. Water. Cool water takes
heat out of the system. But as it
does, it turns to steam, or what we
call a void.

He places two RED PLACARDS - "Positive Void Coefficient"

(R2) and another "Nuclear Fission" (R3) - on the right
side.

LEGASOV
In an RBMK reactor of the type used
at Chernobyl, there is something
called a "positive void
coefficient." What does that mean?
It means the more steam, the higher
the reactivity, which means more
heat, which means more steam-- it
would appear we have a vicious cycle
on our hands. And we would, if not
for this.

Legasov picks up a BLUE PLACARD - "Negative Temperature

Coefficient" (B3) and places it on the left column.

LEGASOV
Negative temperature coefficient.
When nuclear fuel gets hotter, it
gets less reactive. So--

He stares at the board. Even after all this time, he still

can't help but marvel at the science. He moves his hands
between the columns of RED and BLUE...

LEGASOV
--fuel increases reactivity. Control
rods and water reduce it. Steam
increases it, and the rise in
temperature reduces it. This is the
invisible dance that powers entire
cities without smoke or flame. And
it is beautiful...

He turns back to the room.

 29.

LEGASOV
When things are normal.

Legasov lifts up a BLUE PLACARD. "Xenon Poisoning" (B4).

LEGASOV
As uranium splits apart to release
energy, it breaks down into a new
element. Xenon. Xenon reduces
reactivity. This is the poison
Comrade Khomyuk mentioned. When the
core is running at full power, it
burns the xenon away before it can
cause a problem. But because of the
delay, Chernobyl Reactor 4 was held
at half power for ten hours. The
xenon did not burn away. It built up,
poisoning the core.

He places "Xenon Poisoning" (B4) on the board.

LEGASOV
We're starting to lose balance.

The BLUE column is longer than the RED. The words don't
matter. The colors tell the tale.

LEGASOV
At 28 past midnight, the reactor is
now primed to slow down. And yet, in
less than an hour, it will explode.
(beat)
If you can't understand how a
stalled reactor could lead to an
explosion, I do not blame you. After
all, you don't work in the control
room of a nuclear power plant.

He turns to the defendants.

LEGASOV
But as it turned out, the men who
did... did not understand it either.

530 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - NIGHT 530

THE LED DISPLAY: 1600. And then... it begins lowering.

1590. 1570. 1510...

Akimov and Toptunov stare up from the panel-- still

shoulder to shoulder, hands on buttons.
 30.

THE DISPLAY - 1450... 1395...

AKIMOV
Easy now. Slow it down.

Toptunov nods. Wipes sweat from his head. Makes an

adjustment.

AKIMOV
Good. Like that.

In the B.G. - Dyatlov PACES. Shaking his head.

DYATLOV
You should have been finished by
now.

AKIMOV
We're following protocol for
reduction rate.

DYATLOV
You're procrastinating. There are
ten other men in this plant who
would have done it already.

Toptunov glances at Akimov, but Akimov doesn't look back.

Just keeps his eyes on the panel.

AKIMOV
(to Toptunov)
Keep working. You're doing fine.

Dyatlov takes a cigarette from his pack. Tosses the pack on

to the table. Annoyed.

DYATLOV
Kirschenbaum. Come get me when these
old women are ready.

KIRSCHENBAUM
Yes, Comrade Dyatlov.

Dyatlov EXITS. Slams the door behind him.

531 INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE CONTROL ROOM 4 - CONTINUOUS 531

Dyatlov steps into the corridor. Lights his cigarette.

Checks his watch. Then looks through the window by the
landing, which faces out toward:

THE LIGHTS OF PRIPYAT - just a few on at this late hour.

 31.

532 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - MINUTES LATER 532

Kirschenbaum and Stolyarchuk wait quietly. Stolyarchuk

checks a meter... makes an adjustment to his panel.

Toptunov and Akimov continue to work their panel.

THE DISPLAY: 775... 765... 755...

AKIMOV
Okay. Very slow now. Let's coast
down to 700.

THE DISPLAY: 745... 725... 715...

AKIMOV
Whoa whoa whoa... slow!

TOPTUNOV
(confused)
I didn't move any rods there...

THE DISPLAY: 700... 680... 640... 590...

Akimov looks at the display. Utterly bewildered.

AKIMOV
What is this?

Toptunov puts his hands up.

TOPTUNOV
I'm not even touching it.

THE DISPLAY: 570... 550... 540...

533 INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE CONTROL ROOM 4 - CONTINUOUS 533

As Dyatlov finishes his cigarette, Akimov emerges from the

control room. Dyatlov turns to him and can immediately see
from Akimov's face that something's gone wrong. Again.

All he wanted was one fucking moment of quiet, and now...?

534 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - CONTINUOUS 534

Dyatlov storms in, followed by Akimov. And the first thing

Dyatlov sees is:

THE DISPLAY: 520... 515... 510...

 32.

AKIMOV
We did everything right. I think
maybe the core is poisoned...

DYATLOV
If you thought the core was poisoned
then you DIDN'T do everything right,
because you're CHOKING MY REACTOR!
Get it back up!

Akimov knows there's no sense in debating. Just:

AKIMOV
If we switch off LAC, it's possible
we could get more control...

DYATLOV
Do it. Go!

Akimov rushes back to Toptunov.

AKIMOV
Disable local automatic control, go
to global...

Toptunov hesitates, nervous--

AKIMOV
Leonid.

Right. Okay. Toptunov turns a series of switches. Presses

some buttons.

TOPTUNOV
LAC disabled. Global control
activated.

Everyone raises their head to:

THE DISPLAY: 500... 440... 260... 220...

Toptunov backs away from the panel in disbelief.

DYATLOV
What did you do?

TOPTUNOV
I did what you said! I switched--

DYATLOV
LOOK AT IT!

THE DISPLAY: 110... 75... 55...

 33.

AKIMOV
I don't understand....

THE DISPLAY: 35... 32... 30... and then holds.

DYATLOV
You fucking amateurs. You stalled
the reactor. HOW THE FUCK DID YOU
GET THIS JOB?

Toptunov puts his head in his hands. He looks like he's

about to cry. Akimov turns back to Dyatlov.

AKIMOV
Comrade--

DYATLOV
You're going to tell me you did
everything right again, you
incompetent arsehole?

Akimov slumps. It's over.

AKIMOV
I apologize for this unsatisfactory
result.

"Unsatisfactory result?" The phrase only serves to disgust

Dyatlov even further.

Akimov turns back to the panel.

DYATLOV
What are you doing?

Akimov look at Dyatlov. Isn't it obvious?

AKIMOV
We have to shut it all the way down.

Dyatlov is staring intently at him, but he's now strangely

calm, which is somehow worse.

DYATLOV
No.

AKIMOV
(what?)
But... we're in a xenon pit. We have
to shut down, wait 24 hours--
 34.

DYATLOV
No. We're doing the test tonight.
Raise the power to 700.

AKIMOV DYATLOV
We can't increase power from Don't talk to me about
here. The rules...! rules.

AKIMOV DYATLOV
If we fall from 80% of No, no-- we fell from 50% of
power, we can't increase-- power.

AKIMOV DYATLOV
From fifty percent is worse! The rules don't say 50.
There is no rule.

AKIMOV
Comrade Dyatlov, I apologize, but
what you're saying makes no sense.

DYATLOV
Raise the power.

Akimov looks down. Nerves rising. Dyatlov has gone too far.

AKIMOV
No.

Dyatlov can't believe it. He almost admires Akimov's gall.

AKIMOV
I won't do it. It isn't safe.

Toptunov straightens next to Akimov. Backing him up.

Dyatlov walks slowly toward them. Calm. Nodding, as if

considering their words. The other men watch in fear.

DYATLOV
Safety first. Always. I've been
saying that for 25 years. That's how
long I've done this job. 25 years.
Is that longer than you, Akimov?

AKIMOV
Yes.

DYATLOV
Is it much longer?

AKIMOV
Yes.
 35.

Dyatlov turns to Toptunov.

DYATLOV
And you? With your mother's tit
barely out of your mouth?

Dyatlov shifts his granite gaze between them as he speaks.

DYATLOV
If I say it's safe, it's safe. If
the two of you disagree... you don't
have to work here. And you won't.
But not just here. You won't work at
Kursk. Or Ignalina. Or Leningrad, or
Novo-Voronezh. You won't work
anywhere ever again. I'll see to it.
I think you know-- I will see to it.
(beat)
Raise the power.

The room is silent. The display still reads 30. No one says
a word. Then... Akimov picks up a LOG BOOK from the panel.
Hands it to Dyatlov.

AKIMOV
I would like you to record your
command into the--

Dyatlov SLAPS it from Akimov's hand. It falls to the floor.

DYATLOV
Raise the power.

Dyatlov returns to his desk in the center of the room.

Akimov takes a long, slow breath, then turns to Toptunov.

They've lost. What other choice remains?

AKIMOV
Together, then.

Toptunov nods. All right. Together. They move their hands

toward the controls, and:

DYATLOV (O.S.)
I wasn't even there.

535 INT. TRIAL ROOM - DAY 535

CLOSE ON: Dyatlov. Hair thinner, moustache weaker... but in

his eyes, the same burning anger.
 36.

Legasov looks back from his board. Did he hear that right?

LEGASOV
What?

DYATLOV
I wasn't in the room when they
raised the power.

LEGASOV
If you weren't in the room, then
where were you?

Stepashin rises. Annoyed. At Legasov.

STEPASHIN
Comrade Legasov, you are a witness,
not a prosecutor. I will ask the
questions here.

Legasov backs off. Chastened. Of course. This is a show.

Play your role and no other.

Stepashin turns to Dyatlov.

STEPASHIN
If you weren't in the room, then
where were you?

Dyatlov shifts his eyes away from his interrogator. Shrugs.

DYATLOV
The toilet.

STEPASHIN
The toilet. Comrade Khomyuk
interviewed everyone who was in the
control room that night. They all
told the same story.

Stepashin picks up a packet of typed transcripts. Flips

through the pages, then reads:

STEPASHIN
"I knew what Dyatlov ordered was
wrong, but if I didn't do what he
said, I would be fired." Leonid
Toptunov, one day before he died.
No, Comrade Dyatlov, you were in the
room. You ordered them to raise the
power. This is a fact.
 37.

Scherbina suddenly starts COUGHING. He gets up, and moves

swiftly to the back of the room. Can't make it stop.

And as if that reminded Stepashin they've been at this for

hours-- he checks his watch, then nods to the Judge. Fine.
Call a recess. It's clear who's really in charge here.

JUDGE KADNIKOV
Court is now in recess. Thirty
minutes.

Kadnikov RISES, everyone else rises in turn, and we cut to:

536 EXT. CITY OF CHERNOBYL - PARK - LATER 536

An inept imitation statue of MICKEY MOUSE smiles

grotesquely through peeling paint.

The small park is just dust and dead grass now. A rusty
swing set. A jungle gym.

ON LEGASOV - across the street. Behind him in the near

distance, a small gathering of trialgoers on recess are
clustered. Smoking.

He sees ahead of him... the back of a man sitting on a

bench, alone, in the park. Another cough.

SHCHERBINA - sits on the bench, staring out at the late

afternoon sun. Legasov takes a seat next to him.

SHCHERBINA
Do you know anything about this
town? Chernobyl?

LEGASOV
Not really. No.

SHCHERBINA
It was mostly Jews and Poles. The
Jews were killed in pogroms, Stalin
forced out the Poles, then the Nazis
came and murdered whoever was left.
(looks around)
But after the war, people came here
to live anyway. They knew the ground
beneath their feet was soaked in
blood, but they didn't care. Dead
Jews, dead Poles, but not them. No
one ever thinks it will happen to
them. But here we are.
 38.

Shcherbina shows Legasov his handkerchief. It's mottled

with blood.

LEGASOV
How much time?

SHCHERBINA
Maybe a year. They're calling it a
"long illness." That doesn't seem
very long to me. I know-- you told
me. I believed you. At first. But--
time passed, and I didn't think it
would happen to me.
(beat)
I wasted it. I wasted it all. For
nothing.

LEGASOV
For nothing?

Shcherbina puts his hand up. Don't.

SHCHERBINA
Do you remember the morning I first
called you? Do you remember how
unconcerned I was? I don't believe
much that comes out of the Kremlin,
but when they told me they were
putting me in charge of the cleanup,
and they said it wasn't serious, I
believed them. Do you know why?

Legasov doesn't want to answer. But:

LEGASOV
Because they put you in charge.

Shcherbina nods. Of course Legasov knows. Everyone knows.

SHCHERBINA
I am an inconsequential man, Valera.
That's all I've ever been. I hoped
one day that I would matter. But I
didn't.
(turns to Legasov)
I just stood next to people who did.

Legasov stares back in disbelief.

LEGASOV
There are other scientists like me.
Any one of them could have done what
I did. But you--
(MORE)
 39.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
(beat)
Everything we asked for, everything
we needed. Men. Material. Lunar
rovers? Who else could have done
these things? They heard me, but
they listened to you. Of all the
ministers and all the deputies-- the
entire congregation of obedient
fools-- they mistakenly sent us the
one good man.
(beat)
For god's sake, Boris-- you were the
one who mattered the most.

Shcherbina is overwhelmed. And here and now, in a forgotten

park, in a dead city... absolution.

He looks back through tears at the land. The sky. His

country. The air fills his lungs.

SHCHERBINA
It is beautiful...

537 INT. TRIAL ROOM - LATER 537

The crowd filters back in, including Legasov and

Shcherbina. They return to the expert witness table, where
Khomyuk is waiting.

Khomyuk sees the change on Legasov's face. Something has

moved in him. She sees him look back once again to make
sure that The Six are still there in the audience.

Then EVERYONE RISES as the JUDGES return and take their

seats. Kadnikov nods to Stepashin, who turns to Legasov.

STEPASHIN
Comrade Legasov.

Legasov walks back to the whiteboard. There's purpose in

his step now. His voice is stronger.

LEGASOV
The time is 38 past midnight. The
reactor is nearly shut down, but the
operators of Reactor 4 are locked on
a path that leads directly to
disaster. There is no way to turn
back. They do not yet know it, but
the die is cast.
 40.

Legasov picks up a BLUE PLACARD. A second "Xenon Poisoning"

(B5) card. He adds it to the board.

LEGASOV
At 30 megawatts, xenon is still being
created, but none of it is burning
away. The reactor is drowning in
poison. To make matters worse--

--he REMOVES the bottom two red placards, "Positive Void

Coefficent" (R2) and "Nuclear Fission" (R3).

LEGASOV
--the reactor isn't hot enough to
produce sufficient steam.

THE BOARD: One red placard, five large blue ones.

LEGASOV
The only way to safely raise power
from this state is to do it very,
very slowly over the course of 24
hours. But Dyatlov wants it done
now. Akimov and Toptunov have only
one course of action. They begin
pulling control rods out. Dozens at
a time. Halfway out, three quarters
of the way out, and the power still
does not budge. So they begin to
pull them all the way out.
(beat)
There were 211 control rods in
Reactor 4. Akimov and Toptunov
completely withdrew 205.

Legasov REMOVES the first blue placard - "Control Rods"

(B1).

LEGASOV
Remember... control rods are the
brakes of this car. Of 211 rods,
only six now remain in the reactor.
As for the fuel--

Legasov REMOVES another blue placard - "Negative

Temperature Coefficient" (B3).

LEGASOV
--it's gone cold, so the negative
temperature coefficient is no longer
weighing down the reactivity.
(MORE)
 41.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
(beat)
And even still-- the xenon poisoning
is so strong, the best they can do
is raise the power to 200 megawatts.

Turns back to the room once more.

LEGASOV
The control rods are out. The
emergency system is disconnected.
The reactor is now a grenade without
a pin, and the only thing keeping it
in check is water... and xenon. It
is 1 in the morning. The test is
minutes away.

538 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - NIGHT 538

AKIMOV - punches buttons. Flips some switches. Constantly

moving his eyes back and forth between the console and the
LED POWER OUTPUT display, which holds at 200.

He slumps. Turns back to Dyatlov, who sits at the desk in

the center of the room, casually smoking.

AKIMOV
I'm sorry, but this is all we can
get. 200 megawatts. We've pulled
almost everything out.

Dyatlov exhales slowly. Thinks. Then:

DYATLOV
Well, if that's what we have, that's
what we have.

AKIMOV
But the test requires 700--

DYATLOV
(ignores Akimov)
Stolyarchuk, let's get ready. Switch
on pump four.

AKIMOV
Wait a second--

DYATLOV
Stolyarchuk!

Stolyarchuk hesitates.
 42.

AKIMOV
We barely have any steam as it is.
The turbine is going too slow for
the test to deliver valid--

DYATLOV
It's enough.

AKIMOV
--and if we add more water, there
will be even less steam--

DYATLOV
I SAID IT'S ENOUGH. I know what I'm
doing. Stolyarchuk.

Stolyarchuk relents, and hits switches while Kirschenbaum

watches-- utterly confused by this course of action.

STOLYARCHUK
Main Pump 4 is connected. We should
warn Khodemchuk... the pipes are
going to be jumping.

DYATLOV
Never mind him. Kirschenbaum--

But he's cut off by: AN ALARM - bleating from the panel.
Dyatlov puts his hands up. What now?

STOLYARCHUK
The steam in the separator drum is
too low-- five atmospheres...

DYATLOV
All right, let's all help him. Get
it up as best you can.

Stolyarchuk mutters to himself.

STOLYARCHUK
We should stop.

DYATLOV
(yells)
And turn that fucking thing off!

Akimov moves to another panel. Flips some override

switches. The alarm CEASES. Dyatlov checks the display.
Still 200. Now he looks at the clock. 1:07.

DYATLOV
You have fifteen minutes.
 43.

Akimov, Toptunov, Kirschenbaum and Stolyarchuk work on the

panels, trying to get the steam back in balance.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
Fifteen minutes.

539 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 539

Legasov stands by the board.

LEGASOV
They might as well have had fifteen
days. The problem they were facing
was not solvable. The power was too
low. The water was too high. The
test was already ruined. The results
would have been useless. But Dyatlov
didn't care. All he wanted to do was
report a completed test.
(beat)
1:22. Less than two minutes remain.

540 INT. REACTOR #4 FACILITY - VARIOUS - 1:22 AM 540

--OFFICE - YUVCHENKO sits at his desk flipping through a

technical manual.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
Yuvchenko, mechanical engineer, is
in his office.

--REACTOR HALL OBSERVATION ROOM - PEREVOZCHENKO looks out

over the HUGE REACTOR LID, 15m in diameter. The lid is made
up of 2,000 cubes of individual steel-capped channels.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
Perevozchenko, reactor section
foreman, is in the refueling hall,
high above the 1,000 ton steel
reactor cover.

--ROOM 604 - SHASHENOK is inspecting equipment. Taking

notes on his clipboard.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
Shashenok, automatic systems
adjuster, is in room 604.

--THE PUMP ROOM - where VIKTOR (Degtaryenko) stands by a

rats' nest of pipes and gauges. They're SHUDDERING.
 44.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
Degtaryenko...

Viktor looks across the room at:

LEGASOV (V.O.)
...and Khodemchuk, circulation
operators, are in the pump room.

Khodemchuk gives Viktor a baffled look. What is this?

LEGASOV (V.O.)
None of them have been told about
the test. None of them know what is
about to happen.

541 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 1:22:30 541

Toptunov stands by a large DOT-MATRIX PRINTER as it slowly

ejects a sheet of data.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
1:22 and 30 seconds. Toptunov sees a
report from the reactor's SKALA
computer system. Based on the
absence of sufficient control rods,
the computer is recommending the
reactor be shut down.

Toptunov hands the printout to Akimov, who reads it, frets,

then hands it to Dyatlov. Dyatlov doesn't take it. Just
looks at it. Barely.

DYATLOV
Of course it's saying that. It
doesn't know we're running a test.
(oddly cheerful)
All right boys. Another few minutes,
and it will all be over.
Kirschenbaum, when you're ready?

Kirschenbaum turns back to his panel. Deep breath. Akimov

and Toptunov walk back to their panels. Toptunov looks over
at Akimov. Akimov doesn't look back. Just:

AKIMOV
We did everything right.

Kirschenbaum reaches for a switch. Then:

 45.

KIRSCHENBAUM
Oscillograph on. Closing Number 8
throttle valve.

STOLYARCHUK
Generator rotor beginning rundown.

542 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 542

Legasov is staring at the room. It's dead quiet.

LEGASOV
1:23 and four seconds. With every
decision, they have pulled this
reactor back like a slingshot...
further than anyone has ever pulled.
(beat)
The test begins. The pumps are shut
down.
(opens his fist)
And they let go.

Legasov moves to the board. On the right, the single red

"Nuclear Fission" card (R1). On the left, blue "Water" (B2)
and "Xenon Poisoning" (B4, B5). He removes the "Water" (B2)
placard.

LEGASOV
The pumps stop moving water through
the reactor. The uranium fuel is now
unchecked by fresh coolant.
Unchecked by control rods. The
balance immediately swings in the
opposite direction. In less than a
second, reactivity increases.

543 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 1:23:05 543

The operators watch their panels. None of them notice the

power output display. 205... 210... 220...

544 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 544

LEGASOV
Inside the core, the remaining water
is quickly converting to steam. A
void is being created. There is no
fresh water to replace it.
 46.

As he speaks, he adds multiple RED PLACARDS to the right

column. "Positive Void Coefficient" (R2), "Nuclear Fission"
(R3), "Positive Void Coefficient" (R4), "Nuclear Fission"
(R5).

LEGASOV
Steam increases reactivity increases
heat increases steam increases
reactivity. The fuel is too cold to
counter the vicious cycle. The
remaining xenon decays away.

Legasov removes both blue "Xenon Poisoning" placards (B4,

B5). There are NONE on the left side now. And five RED ones
on the right.

LEGASOV
The power is rising. And nothing
left to stop it. 1:23 and 35
seconds...

545 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 1:23:35 545

Akimov and Toptunov watch the panel. Then Toptunov notices:

LIGHTS blinking on, one after another in quick succession
on the large CIRCULAR FUEL CHANNEL display.

Oh god. He looks up at the power output display.

320... 360... 400...

TOPTUNOV
We have a power surge! Sasha!

Everyone turns at once to look at the power output.

440... 500...

DYATLOV
(in shock)
What did you-- ?

546 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 546

CLOSE ON LEGASOV.

LEGASOV
1:23 and 40 seconds. The power is
surging. The men in Control Room 4
have only one option left.
(MORE)
 47.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
In every control room of every
nuclear reactor in the world, there
is a button with one single
purpose-- to "scram" or instantly
shut down the reaction. In Soviet
reactors, that button is called "AZ-
5". You press AZ-5, all of the
control rods insert at once, and the
reaction is stopped dead.
(beat)
But.

He stops. Glances over at Khomyuk, who knows that the

moment is almost upon them. Then the SIX SCIENTISTS.

And Khomyuk realizes-- he's going to do it. He's finally

going to tell the truth. But before he can say a word:

DYATLOV
What are you waiting for Legasov?
Tell your lies.

A hushed gasp from the room. Legasov turns in disbelief to

the defendant BOX, where Dyatlov glares back at him.

JUDGE KADNIKOV
Comrade Dyatlov, you will not be
warned again.

DYATLOV
Or what?

BRYUKHANOV
(shut up!)
For god's sake, Dyatlov--

DYATLOV
Legasov's already given it away. He
said before there was no way to
avoid what was coming. He knows
something.
(points to Khomyuk)
She knows something.

JUDGE KADNIKOV
Strike that from the record.

Dyatlov rises, jabbing his finger toward a stunned Legasov.

DYATLOV
I know what you are, Valery
Alexeyevich. You're a liar. You're a
liar and a coward.
 48.

The soldiers grab Dyatlov's arms to pull him away, but:

JUDGE KADNIKOV
We've heard enough for today. The
defendants will be remanded to
custody. Court will--

Legasov finds his voice.

LEGASOV
I haven't finished.

Stepashin turns his dark gaze on Legasov. How dare he?

LEGASOV
I have more evidence to give.

Shcherbina leans forward. Impossible for us to tell what

he's thinking...

STEPASHIN
It is not necessary. Your testimony
is concluded.
(to Kadnikov)
Your honor.

Legasov deflates. Turns back to Khomyuk. He tried. He tried

to do the right thing.

JUDGE KADNIKOV
Court is now adjourned. We will
resume tomorrow with--

Shcherbina rises. That wonderful, terrible look in his

eyes. The last stand of the stubborn, impossible Ukrainian.

SHCHERBINA
The trial continues.

Judge Kadnikov begins to sweat. This is different. He looks

at Stepashin, who falters.

JUDGE KADNIKOV
Comrade Shcherbina--

SHCHERBINA
Let him finish.

Stepashin is outranked. He glances at the CAMERAS. The dead

faces of the "press." The audience. KGB scattered among
them, no doubt. The show must go on. He gestures to
Legasov. Very well. It's your funeral.
 49.

Shcherbina nods to Legasov. He knows what Legasov has

decided to do. If we go down, we go down together. Legasov
nods back. Gratitude.

Now he looks out into the audience. There are the SIX
SCIENTISTS. Listening intently. Almost as if they, too,
know the choice he is about to make.

LEGASOV
Dyatlov broke every rule we have,
and pushed a reactor to the brink of
destruction. He did these things
believing there was a fail-safe. AZ-
5. A simple button to shut it all
down.
(beat)
But in the circumstance he created--
there wasn't. The shut-down system
had a fatal flaw.

Dyatlov listens in stunned horror. What did they not tell

him? What did he not know?

LEGASOV
At 1:23 and 40 seconds, Akimov
engages AZ-5.

547 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 1:23:40 547

Akimov flips the cover off the AZ-5 switch and PRESSES IT.

548 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 548

LEGASOV
The fully-withdrawn control rods
begin moving back into the reactor.
These rods are made of boron, which
reduces reactivity. But not their
tips. The tips are made of graphite,
which accelerates reactivity.

JUDGE KADNIKOV
(disbelief)
Why?

LEGASOV
Why? For the same reason our
reactors do not have containment
buildings around them like those in
the West.
(MORE)
 50.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
The same reason we don't use
properly enriched fuel in our cores.
The same reason we are the only
nation that builds water-cooled
graphite moderated reactors with a
positive void coefficient.
(beat)
It's cheaper.

Legasov turns back to the room. And to his jury.

LEGASOV
The first part of the rods that
enter the core are the graphite
tips. And when they do, the reaction
in the core, which had been rising--
now skyrockets. Every last molecule
of liquid water instantly converts
to steam, which expands and ruptures
a series of fuel rod channels.
(beat)
The control rods in those channels
can move no further. The tips are
fixed in position, endlessly
accelerating the reaction.

He lets it sink in.

LEGASOV
Chernobyl reactor 4 is now a nuclear
bomb.
(beat)
1:23 and 42 seconds.

549 INT. REACTOR HALL - 1:23:42 549

Perevozchenko is in the observation room, making notes on a

clipboard. He hears a terrible CLUNKING and HISSING.

He looks out through the window, and his jaw drops.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
Perevozchenko looks down on the
enormous steel lid of the reactor,
and sees the impossible.

THE LID - DOZENS of individual STEEL SQUARES are JOSTLING

UP AND DOWN like popcorn... now more of them. And MORE.
 51.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
The fuel channel caps, which each
weigh 350 kilograms, are jumping up
and down.

Perevozchenko DROPS his clipboard in horror, and RUNS out

of the room onto the catwalk... racing for the stairs...

LEGASOV (V.O.)
The pressure required to do this is
unimaginable. He runs to warn the
control room.

Perevozchenko half runs, half falls down the catwalks

stairs, scrambles back to his feet, and keeps running.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
But there's nothing he can do to
stop what is coming. 1:23:44.

550 INT. PUMP ROOM - 1:23:44 550

KHODEMCHUK backs away from the pumps. They are ROCKING in

place... valves begin to POP OFF like BULLETS...

551 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 1:23:44 551

Akimov's hand is still on the AZ-5 button. But the LED

DISPLAY is climbing. 700... 1000... 1800...

ON THE PANEL - hundreds of indicators and meters LIGHT UP

at once.

LEGASOV (V.O.)
The steam blows more fuel channels
apart. We do not know how high the
power went. We only know the final
reading. Reactor #4, designed to
operate at 3200 megawatts--

Akimov and Toptunov look up at THE LED DISPLAY as it

jumps... from 1800 to-- 4800 ... 9280... 12700... 24720...

552 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 552

LEGASOV
--went beyond 33,000.
(beat)
The pressure inside Reactor #4 can
no longer be held back.
(MORE)
 52.

LEGASOV (cont'd)
At long last-- we have arrived.
1:23:45. Explosion.

553 INT. REACTOR HALL - 1:23:45 553

EXPLOSION - a thunderous BLAST of SUPERHEATED VAPOR erupts

from the core. The massive STEEL REACTOR LID is BLOWN UP
and TO THE SIDE... like the open lid of a tin can.

The shockwave PUNCHES THROUGH THE CEILING, sending concrete

and glass into the night...

554 INT. JUST OUTSIDE THE REACTOR HALL - CONTINUOUS 554

Perevozchenko is THROWN to the ground. He turns back,

and... horror.

555 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - CONTINUOUS 555

A deep THUD echoes through the room. Everyone ducks a

bit... looking around... what the fuck was that?

556 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 556

CLOSE ON LEGASOV - retelling the story as if he lived

through it. In his mind... he has.

LEGASOV
In the instant the lid is thrown off
the reactor, oxygen rushes in. It
combines with hydrogen and
superheated graphite.

557 INT. REACTOR HALL - 1:23:47 557

A rush of air, and a terrible crackling as the gases inside

the core ignite, and:

558 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 558

LEGASOV
The chain of disaster-- is complete.

559 EXT. REACTOR #4 BUILDING - CONTINUOUS 559

CATACLYSM
 53.

--as the true power of the atom is finally released. In an

instant, the building becomes a VOLCANO. Nuclear forces
explode up and out, and turn NIGHT INTO DAY.

A PLUME of DEBRIS is sent ROCKETING 1,000 METERS INTO THE

AIR, as if shot from the center of the earth itself.

560 EXT. REACTOR BUILDING - C0NTINUOUS 560

A HAILSTORM of BURNING GRAPHITE comes raining down from the

plume... and as the last bits of deadly debris clatter back
to the surrounding roof and ground...

...a thin BLUE LIGHT materializes in the air, shining

straight up and down between the open reactor and the sky,
piercing through the choking black smoke.

The BLUE LIGHT widens... a color we were never meant to

know... a glowing column connecting the earth and heavens.
A trillion atoms set free. Death, the destroyer of worlds.

561 INT. CONTROL ROOM - REACTOR #4 - 1:24 AM 561

No sound except distant hissing noises. All we see is

SWIRLING WHITE DUST, illuminated by emergency BACKUP
LIGHTS. And now we make out:

The operators. Cowering. All except for Dyatlov.

CLOSE ON DYATLOV - SLOW MOTION - the white dust swirls

eerily around his face. He's bewildered. Shell-shocked.

We hear a voice echoing as if from far away:

VOICE (O.S.)
Comrade Dyatlov? Comrade Dyatlov?

DISSOLVE TO:

562 INT. TRIAL ROOM - NOW 562

DYATLOV, NOW - thinner and terribly older... but the

expression is the same. Shell-shocked.

LEGASOV
No one in the room that night knew
the shut-down button could act as a
detonator. They didn't know it--
because it was kept from them.
 54.

The six scientists listen in shock. A rare thing in the

air, the sound of truth...

JUDGE KADNIKOV
Comrade Legasov-- you are
contradicting--
(searches documents)
You are contradicting your own
testimony in Vienna--

LEGASOV
My testimony in Vienna was a lie. I
lied. To the world.

ON KHOMYUK - a mixture of disbelief and gratitude. At last,

someone has spoken the truth.

LEGASOV
I am not the only one who kept this
secret. There are many. We were
following orders. From the KGB, from
the Central Committee. And right
now, there are 16 reactors in the
Soviet Union with this same fatal
flaw. Three of them are still
running less than 20 kilometers
away... at Chernobyl.

Kadnikov is frightened by Legasov's words. But he too has

his orders. He too is at risk. And this is not the
narrative over which he was meant to preside.

JUDGE KADNIKOV
Professor Legasov, if you mean to
suggest the Soviet State is somehow
responsible for what happened, then
I must warn you-- you are treading
on dangerous ground.

LEGASOV
I've already trod on dangerous
ground. We're on dangerous ground
right now. Because of our secrets
and our lies. They are practically
what defines us. When the truth
offends, we lie and lie until we
cannot even remember it's there. But
it is still there. Every lie we tell
incurs a debt to the truth.
(beat)
Sooner or later, the debt is paid.
 55.

Legasov turns back to the six scientists. His colleagues.

His peers. His secret jury. His hope.

LEGASOV
That is how an RBMK reactor core
explodes.
(beat)
Lies.

And one by one, the scientists look down or avert their

eyes. Ashamed. Or frightened. Or in denial. It doesn't
matter which.

Legasov can tell from their faces. So can Khomyuk. It

didn't work. It wasn't enough. They've failed.

It's over.

563 INT. HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER 563

Legasov walks down the hallway that leads away from the
trial room. One of the ARMED SOLDIERS-- who had been
guarding the defendants-- now walks behind Legasov.
Guarding him.

They arrive at a DOOR. The soldier says nothing. Just

gestures to the door.

Legasov opens it, and walks into:

564 INT. FACILITY KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS 564

A large facility kitchen designed to supply catering for

the building. Or it once was. Now it's mostly empty, save
for a few scattered folding chairs.

Legasov takes a step into the room, then stops. Looks down.
There's a small DRAIN set in the floor. So. This is where
he dies. In an abandoned kitchen of an abandoned city in an
abandoned land. He closes his eyes.

BOOM.

The echoey thud of the DOOR behind him. The soldier has
left. Legasov is alone. He finds his breath, and we
DISSOLVE to:

565 OMITTED 565

 56.

566 INT. FACILITY KITCHEN - LATER 566

The door opens. CHARKOV enters. He closes the door behind

him, and takes a seat across from Legasov.

He reaches into his coat pocket. Removes a piece of paper.

Unfolds it. Puts on his glasses to read.

CHARKOV
Valery Alexeyevich Legasov. Son of
Alexei Legasov, Head of Ideological
Compliance, Central Committee.
(looks up)
You know what your father did there?

LEGASOV
Yes.

CHARKOV
(continues reading)
As a student, you had a leadership
position in Komsomol. Communist
Youth. Correct?

LEGASOV
You already know--

CHARKOV
Answer the question.

LEGASOV
Yes.

CHARKOV
At the Kurchatov Institute, you were
the Communist Party secretary. In
that position, you limited the
promotion of Jewish scientists.

A long pause.

LEGASOV
Yes.

CHARKOV
To curry favor with Kremlin
officials?

Yes.

This is how they break you. With the sins of your father.
With your own.
 57.

Charkov sighs. Puts the paper away.

CHARKOV
You're one of us, Legasov. You've
always been one of us. I can do
anything I want with you, anything,
but what I want the most is for you
to know that I know. You're not
brave. You're not heroic.
(beat)
You're just a dying man who forgot
himself.

Legasov looks down. No.

LEGASOV
I know who I am, and I know what
I've done. In a just world, I would
be shot for my lies.
(beat)
But not for this. Not for the truth.

CHARKOV
Scientists... and your idiot
obsession with reasons.
(leans in)
When the bullet hits your skull,
what will it matter why?

A grim moment. Then-- Charkov smiles. Leans back.

CHARKOV
No one's getting shot, Legasov. The
whole world saw you in Vienna. It
would be embarrassing to kill you
now. And for what? Your testimony
today will not be accepted by the
State. It will not be disseminated
in the press. It never happened.
(beat)
No, you will live-- however long you
have. But not as a scientist. Not
anymore. You'll keep your title and
your office, but no duties, no
authority, no friends. No one will
talk to you. No one will listen to
you. Other men-- lesser men-- will
receive credit for the things you
have done. Your legacy is now their
legacy. You'll live long enough to
see that.

Erased. He's being erased. Before he can speak--

 58.

CHARKOV
What role did Shcherbina play in
this?

LEGASOV
None. He didn't know what I was
going to say.

CHARKOV
What role did Khomyuk play in this?

LEGASOV
None. She didn't know either.

Charkov stares into Legasov's eyes. He sees no waver, no

blink, no false bravado. He wasn't expecting that.

CHARKOV
After all you've said and done
today, it would be-- curious-- if
you chose this moment to lie.

LEGASOV
(unfaltering)
I would think a man of your
experience would know a lie when he
hears one.

A long pause, as Charkov passes silent judgment. Then... he

nods. Very well. He believes. But:

CHARKOV
You will not meet or communicate
with either one of them ever again.
You will not communicate with anyone
about Chernobyl ever again. You will
remain so immaterial to the world
around you that when you finally do
die, it will be exceedingly hard to
tell that you ever lived at all.

LEGASOV
And if I refuse?

Charkov's eyes deaden. The face of a murderer. Then, as if

by the flip of a switch, an amiable shrug.

CHARKOV
Why worry about something that isn't
going to happen?

And Valery Legasov, as dead as a living man can be, can't

help but smile at that.
 59.

LEGASOV
"Why worry about something that
isn't going to happen." That's
perfect.
(beat)
They should put that on our money.

567 EXT. CITY OF CHERNOBYL - STREET - BEFORE SUNSET 567

The front door of the building opens. KGB men emerge. They
walk in unison, surrounding LEGASOV as they escort him.

Up ahead, a KGB agent waits by a CAR for Legasov. Legasov

turns back... and there they are, across the street.

Khomyuk and Shcherbina. Khomyuk fights back tears. She

knows what he did. She knows why. She knows what it means.

Legasov knows he can't say a word. All he has is his face,

his eyes, his heart. He absolves her as best he can.

And now, Shcherbina. His brother. His friend. His rock.

Shcherbina raises a hand in goodbye. They don't need words.
It happened. They mattered. And now it's over.

Legasov raises his hand back, then gets into the car. We
RISE UP - as the car pulls away...

SOUND: the HISS of an audio tape, and then:

LEGASOV (VO ON TAPE)

To be a scientist is to be naive. We
are so focused on our search for
truth, we fail to consider how few
actually want us to find it. But it
is always there, whether we can see
it or not, whether we choose to or
not. The truth doesn't care about
our needs or wants. It doesn't care
about our governments, our
ideologies, our religions. It will
lie in wait, for all time.

We RISE UP HIGHER - as the car disappears down the road.

LEGASOV (VO ON TAPE)

And this, at last, is the gift of
Chernobyl. Where I once would fear
the cost of truth, now I only ask:

CUT TO BLACK:
 60.

568 OVER BLACK 568

LEGASOV (VO ON TAPE)

What is the cost of lies?

569 INT./EXT. THE REAL PRIPYAT - TODAY 569

MUSIC: Vichnaya Pamyat (Eternal Memory)

Photos of Valery Legasov...

Valery Legasov took his own life at the age of 51

on April 26, 1988, exactly two years
after the explosion at Chernobyl.

The audio tapes of Legasov's memoirs were circulated

among the Soviet scientific community.

His suicide made it impossible for them to be ignored.

In the aftermath of his death, Soviet officials finally

acknowledged the design flaws of the RBMK nuclear reactors.

Those reactors were immediately retrofitted

to prevent an accident like Chernobyl from happening again.

Photographs of various scientists who participated in the

battle to clean up Chernobyl...

Legasov was aided by dozens of scientists

who worked tirelessly alongside him at Chernobyl.

Some spoke out against the official account of events

and were subject to denunciation, arrest and imprisonment.

The character of Ulana Khomyuk was created

to represent them all and to honor
their dedication and service to truth and humanity.

Photographs of Shcherbina...

Boris Shcherbina died on August 22, 1990...

four years and four months after he was sent to Chernobyl.

Images from the actual trial...

For their roles in the Chernobyl disaster,

Viktor Bryukhanov, Anatoly Dyatlov and Nikolai Fomin
were sentenced to ten years hard labor.

After his release, Nikolai Fomin returned to work...

at a nuclear power plant in Kalinin, Russia.
 61.

The final photo taken of Dyatlov, hunched over, thin, bald.

Anatoly Dyatlov died from radiation-related illness in 1995.

He was 64.

A photo of the real Khodemchuk standing with his young son.

Valery Khodemchuk's body was never recovered.

He is permanently entombed under Reactor 4.

EXISTING FOOTAGE: handheld video of someone in a protective

suit moving through the dark, dilapidated hallways...

The firefighters' clothing still remains

in the basement of Pripyat Hospital.

VIDEO: a dosimeter is held near one of the firefighter's

actual boots. The beeping turns into one long, loud alarm.

It is dangerously radioactive to this day.

Abandoned rooms in Pripyat...

Following the death of her husband and daughter,

Lyudmilla Ignatenko suffered multiple strokes.
Doctors told her she would never be able to bear a child.

They were wrong.

She lives with her son in Kiev.

The actual railway bridge...

Of the people who watched from the railway bridge,

it has been reported that none survived.

It is now known as "The Bridge of Death."

Photos of the miners...

400 miners worked around the clock for one month

to prevent a total nuclear meltdown.

It is estimated that at least 100 of them

died before the age of 40.

Photos of the interior of damaged reactor building 4...

It has been widely reported that the three divers

who drained the bubbler tanks
died as a result of their heroic actions.
 62.

In fact, all three survived after hospitalization.

Two are still alive today.

Photos of liquidators...

Over 600,000 people were conscripted to serve

in the Exclusion Zone.

Despite widespread accounts of sickness and death

as a result of radiation, the Soviet government kept no
official records of their fate.

High above the desolate countryside. Disintegrating boats

rust in piles on the shores of the Pripyat River.

The contaminated region of Ukraine and Belarus,

known as the Exclusion Zone,
ultimately encompassed 2,600 square kilometers.

Pripyat from above

Approximately 300,000 people were displaced

from their homes. They were told this was temporary.

It is still forbidden to return.

Footage of Gorbachev presiding over a Labor Day parade...

Mikhail Gorbachev presided over the Soviet Union

until its dissolution in 1991.

In 2006, he wrote, "The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl...

was perhaps the true cause of the collapse
of the Soviet Union."

We move around the power plant as it exists now. The

reactor building is entirely encased in a metal half-dome.

In 2017, work was completed on the New Safe Confinement at

Chernobyl at a cost of nearly two billion dollars.

It is designed to last 100 years.

EXISTING FOOTAGE: Doctors examine children. Some are

clearly sick.

Following the explosion, there was a dramatic spike

in cancer rates across Ukraine and Belarus.

The highest increase was among children.

PRIPYAT - we move slowly toward: A MONUMENT. Two large,

stone hands reaching up and cupping the reactor building.
 63.

We will never know the actual human cost of Chernobyl.

Most estimates range from 4,000 to 93,000 deaths.

The official Soviet death toll, unchanged since 1987...

...is 31.

FADE TO BLACK:

In memory of all who suffered and sacrificed.

END OF SERIES