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.
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.
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. Reveaclass="underline" 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.
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.
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?
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:
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...