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.
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 reveaclass="underline"
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.
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.
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!
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.
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?
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?