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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 - 8 5 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.
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?