Atomic Twister (2002) Movie Script
[music playing]
[door creaking]
[wind howling]
Mom?
Mom!
We're gonna have to go, hun.
We have to get to safety, OK?
Go!
[music intensifies]
Mom, mom, I'm scared!
Come on!
[screaming]
Oh no, not the cellar.
Run to the thresher, babe.
Run!
Run!
Mom, come on!
I love you!
Mom!
Mom!
CAMPBELL: The boy and his mother are running from a tornado,
and they come to a wheat thresher.
Then the mother gets sucked up into the air.
And the boy grabs on, but he's not strong enough,
and he lets her go.
She flies up into the air.
He never saw his mother again.
[thunder]
Thanks again for working on a Saturday, Stacy.
I don't think it's going to be a permanent thing.
Stacy?
Stacy.
Oh.
I'm not in the mood to explain why Jake still
has sleepovers at his age.
JAKE: I had a great time last night.
Me too.
So, are you going to call me?
Of course.
You didn't call Louisa.
Louisa?
Well--
It's OK move on you know.
Yeah.
That's what I was doing last night.
It was a story, mom, just a story.
I don't see what the big deal is.
CORRINE: The big deal is that you're the only one who seems
to think it has a happy ending.
CAMPBELL: It wasn't a happy ending.
It was just scary.
It was fun to tell.
Campbell, honey, I know that you are angry about the move
here.
I'm not angry.
It's not my story.
Jake told it to me.
Jake?
Did Jake?
Jake told you that story?
CAMPBELL: Uh-huh.
Hey, did you see that girl he had over last night?
She was so hot.
OK, gotta go.
Stacy, here is some cash if you want
to take him out for dinner.
CAMPBELL: No.
Can we order in and play some games?
Uh, yeah.
Give me a kiss.
There he is.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's Campbell.
He's got a free lane.
Yeah!
I can't even do that.
Trying to make me lift that.
CORRINE: Campbell, I need to talk to Jake.
Mom.
Come on, just for a minute.
You can play with him all day.
All day?
[music playing]
Hi.
Can I talk to you?
Yeah, sure.
What's up?
That story that you told Campbell
about the mother being killed in front of her little boy.
Yeah.
Not a good story?
Not a good story, no.
STACY: Campbell, come inside and help me clean up.
His father just left us, and we've
just moved here, and Campbell--
well, he doesn't need to be scared right now, Jake.
I know, Corrine.
I'm sorry.
I didn't-- I didn't even think about that.
Well, he likes you, and I'm glad he likes you,
and I like you too.
Just be careful.
And there's one more thing.
Oh no.
Now, I wasn't even going to mention this,
because really, it's none of my business, but the women.
The women?
Campbell is 12, and when he sees
these women coming and going--
Now, Corrine, you know, that is not fair.
Coming and going-- there's been two women in two months,
all right?
It's not like I'm sleeping with the whole town.
I know.
And I know that you're just trying
to move on with your life.
Yes, yes, that's right.
I am.
I'm trying to move on with my life no less.
Man, this town talks.
I'm sorry.
I am out of line, and this is none of my business.
No.
Listen, I don't want to give Campbell
the wrong impression about that sort of thing either.
Believe me, I don't.
I'll tell you what, I make this,
and you start sleeping at their house.
What, from right here?
- Yeah. - All right.
I think that's an excellent way to handle it.
We can play horse to see what college he goes to too.
Yeah, yeah, but can you dunk?
I don't want you to change, Jake.
But just keep in mind that Campbell looks up to you.
It was a lucky shot, wasn't it, Corrine?
Don't forget to take your toothbrush.
Sheriff, we got weather reports coming in.
Looks like tornado weather.
Rollins, I want you to find Jake.
We need all the manpower we can get.
What?
Well, Sheriff, why Jake?
I mean, why not Carter?
If you want to fire Jake, just fire him,
but don't keep punishing him.
Punishing him?
He's doing that all by himself.
You're not going to find him standing there, deputy.
Don't think I didn't see that.
[thunder]
Good morning, Miss Maguire.
Hi, Stu.
How's your little girl doing?
Oh, she's doing well.
Thanks for asking.
She got right back on her bike, cast and all.
You should see her try to pedal when she can't bend her knee.
No points for style, but she's got guts.
She takes after her father.
Oh, no.
When I was laid up, I just sat in front of the TV.
Rang that cowbell every time I wanted another beer,
drove my wife crazy.
It was a damn good month.
Good times.
You have a good day, Miss Maguire.
You too, Stu.
Good morning.
Morning.
Hi, Corrine.
Hi, Manuel.
Neville and Potter here yet?
Neville's around.
Potter's giving us first tour, Boy Scouts.
Oh no, they're going to eat him alive.
Potter?
He's a grown man.
You don't understand, Manuel.
12-year-olds can smell fear.
What's a meltdown?
The term meltdown refers to the fuel rods in the reactor,
that they overheat and melt. But we
have backup system after backup system so that doesn't happen.
And even if it does, which it won't, but if it does,
the reactor is in containment, which means just that.
We can seal it up like a tomb.
Nothing gets in, nothing gets out, ever again.
If the fuel rods are in the containment room,
then what are those?
Those are used fuel rods.
This is where we store them after they've done
all their hard work for us.
See, the fuel rods are still hot and radioactive.
People think radiation is man-made.
It's not.
It's as powerful as the sun, but if you just left these things
out, exposed, I mean, sunblock don't help
if you don't have any skin.
Know what I mean?
Anyway, so this is where we store
them before we can move them to safe and protective story--
storage.
How long is that?
About 20 years.
How long do they have to be in the protective storage
you take them to?
About, uh, 300,000 to 400,000 years.
OK, well that about wraps up our tour.
Shelly here will be glad to show you out and explain
to you on the way how nuclear power
gets safer and safer every day.
[clapping]
Well done.
Well done.
Only a few of them were in tears.
Come on.
No one was in tears.
A little hint--
the key to planned tours with kids is evading questions.
POTTER: What were you doing?
Were you checking up on me?
I thought you hated those tours.
Corrine sent me out.
She didn't trust you.
Why did they bring in someone for that job, man?
That should've been yours.
That wasn't fair.
It's called affirmative action, Potter.
They wanted a woman for the job.
Corrine.
It's time to start our shift.
Have a good one.
You know something about women, right Jake?
Less and less every year.
Why?
No, not the babysitter.
No. No.
Nothing good can come from that.
You hear me, all right?
She's just a little too old for you.
I'm not a kid.
There's an old saying in the south.
You're not a man until your father says so.
I never did believe that though, all right?
So just be patient.
You're going to have to grow older
whether you like it or not.
Mom says you haven't.
[music playing]
[beeping]
BISHOP: Rollins, any sign of Jake?
No.
We've just been upgraded to tornado watch.
[wind howling]
[music playing]
You cannot possibly be checking
those systems that fast.
- Hey. - Hey.
Hey now. - How's it going?
Oh, I see.
You want to be handcuffed again, don't you?
This is not a coincidence.
Every girl he dates is a girl who hates me.
Nobody hates you.
Gloria hates me.
That's really nice.
OK, Gloria hates you.
But he's angry.
You dumped him.
Let him get it out.
You're just all kinds of naughty, aren't you?
Hey, Gloria?
Hey, Ashley.
Can I talk to you, like now?
What are you doing?
Are you a child?
You're targeting the woman that pisses me off the most.
She just came over to talk to me.
I just worked out.
My pheromones happen to be projecting very far right now.
Don't make me start swinging.
Just wait.
First of all, the women who, let's say,
aren't that fond of you are the only ones
that will talk to me, OK?
And second, no.
No second. No.
No first of all either.
I take it back. What do you care?
You dumped me.
You broke off the engagement.
Because when you get engaged, Jake, there's something
called setting a date.
And not setting a date for like eight months
is going to convince me that you want to get married.
Ashley, we set a date.
It was going to be June.
June of what year, Jake?
You're supposed to be specific about what year.
Please, please, just keep it down please.
What is this?
Did you call your father?
What, am I going to get arrested for flirting in public?
Don't blame me if you get further on your treadmill
than you do with your job.
Jake, Sheriff put you on duty today.
Why?
Carter's off too.
Why can't-- that's right, I forgot.
I'm the Sheriff department whipping boy.
Well, everyone needs a job skill, don't they, Jake?
That's nice.
I swear, sometimes I miss driving those damn trucks.
Do you want to play a game or something?
OK.
Can I choose?
Mm-hmm.
[wind howling]
[thunder]
It's only a tornado watch right now.
Yeah, of course.
They don't give you a tornado warning until your house is 50
feet from where you built it.
Where've you been?
You go.
OK.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
CORRINE: Hey, sweetie.
It's me, just checking in.
How are things going?
Campbell?
My mom just hung up on me.
Can we start over?
OK.
Campbell?
Is anyone else having trouble with their phones?
[thunder]
Jake, I can't contact Helman-Klein.
I can't tell if they got the tornado watch.
Telephone's down?
Yeah.
Cell phones won't go through the concrete.
I've seen this kind of weather before.
Yeah.
I'll go out there and make sure we have some contact with them,
just in case.
All right.
Here you go.
Nothing.
They're all down, Corrine.
Listen, we've got a tornado touching down.
Six miles on 129, heading straight towards Helman-Klein.
Do you hear me?
Straight at Helman-Klein.
It's going to hit the nuclear plant.
OK, I'm going outside to see if I
can get a signal on my cell.
What about the satellite phone?
We only use the satellite uplink for stage one alert.
Neville, take over while I'm gone.
[siren]
Look, has there been a tornado watch
issued or anything like that?
I love you too.
[screaming]
Now what the hell's going on?
Something happened to the power.
The transformer just got hit by a tornado, and Stu's dead.
He's dead?
Yeah.
We're losing power, Corrine.
Where's the backup?
The backup system should be initiating.
Why are we browning out, Gail?
Where's the backup?
I don't know.
Only one of the backup generators is working.
Generator A is right next to the transformers.
If they went, there's a good chance it went too.
OK.
OK.
Are we in control of the systems?
Negative.
Well, are the instruments working at least?
They're on the same grid.
OK.
We need to find a way to reduce power consumption.
We should call the NRC, Corrine.
There's a procedure for this I'm sure.
The procedure is to call the NRC
and evacuate all unnecessary personnel.
On a Saturday with a skeleton crew, that's irrelevant.
Neville, can you cut power by, say, 50%?
Yeah.
I can save some juice, start shutting
down non-vital systems.
Yeah.
POTTER: OK, here it is.
We call the NRC, and then we get everybody out of here.
Yeah. - Great.
Thanks, Potter.
Duly noted.
Neville, I'm going to need these instruments working ASAP.
Yes.
WOMAN (ON PHONE): Hello, NRC.
This is Corrine Maguire at Helman-Klein in Bassett County,
Tennessee.
I'm the active shift supervisor and I
am declaring a stage one alert.
We got a serious problem here.
I don't know what it's like inside,
but it's a mess out here.
Jake, what kind of damage are we talking about?
Is anyone hurt?
I don't know.
I don't see Stu, and his guard house was hit.
Dr. Jennings, a tornado just hit Helman-Klein in Tennessee.
They've declared a stage one alert.
WOMAN 1: Where's the review board meeting?
WOMAN 2: End of the hall.
Ms. Maguire, we're ready to receive the uplink.
I'm transmitting now.
WOMAN (ON PHONE): We're receiving
your transmission, Ms. Maguire.
[explosion]
Melissa, this is Jake.
I'm going in to check for some more damage.
Hello?
Hello?
Are you there?
Corrine.
We just lost the NRC.
Gail, try to get us back online with the NRC.
Neville, we still need to reduce power.
So shut down any of the non-vitals
that we still have control of.
Where the hell are you going?
Going outside to try to get a signal on my cell.
I didn't have a chance to before.
I should call them.
I am the shift supervisor, Neville, and it has to be me.
Corrine?
This only works locally, right?
Just the radios inside here, yeah.
Cooling pumps.
We can shut down some of the cooling pumps.
No.
Non-vitals only.
NEVILLE: No, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
He's right.
We've got two systems-- two.
They're redundant.
The diesel pumps will be enough.
We can shut down the electric pumps and save a lot of power.
Go ahead.
You want to shut down the electric coolant pumps?
They're redundant systems, Gail.
Corrine, is everyone all right?
Is anyone hurt?
Stu's dead.
We only have partial power.
I need to contact the NRC.
Are all the phones down?
Yeah, some of them are.
A power relay station was hit, but I have an emergency radio.
The Sheriff can call for you and hook the two of you up.
OK.
And I want to call Campbell and make sure he's all right.
He's fine, Corrine.
The tornado didn't hit town, not even close.
I can check on him if you want me to, but--
Yeah, do that.
Thanks.
Anything else?
Yeah.
Leave the emergency radio here, It may be the only way
that we can contact the NRC.
It'll only work outside.
OK.
Remember, only outside.
I'm declaring a stage one alert.
Tell the Sheriff.
He'll know what that means, OK?
A stage one alert.
How bad are we, Corrine?
We're all right.
Don't worry.
Just go back to town and take care of things there.
Who's the shift supervisor at Helman-Klein?
- Karen Maguire. - Give me her file.
What line is she on?
We just lost her.
You lost her?
Well, get her back, don't care how.
I want a site team in the air in 30 minutes.
Hey, Melissa.
Yeah, that message to the NRC from Corrine,
a stage one alert, you know what that means?
Let me ask the Sheriff.
Sheriff, what does a stage one alert mean?
Stage one alert means they have a problem.
Call the NRC.
Well, that's not anything, is it?
Stage two, evacuation personnel they put on standby.
Stage three, potential radiation leak,
total evacuation of the area.
Is there a stage four?
Stage four?
Stage four means boom.
No more West Tennessee.
What are you doing?
This is tornado weather.
How would you know?
You're from Los Angeles.
Look, if there were tornadoes, they'd put a warning on the TV.
[alert beeping]
Mm-hmm.
Go, go, run.
We've got the relay set up to Helman-Klein, line two.
This is Martin Jennings.
Who am I speaking to?
This is Martin Jennings.
Who am I speaking to?
It's Corrine Maguire.
Corrine, what's your situation there?
CORRINE: We only have partial power.
Backup is at 50%.
One generator down.
Do you have control of the facility?
CORRINE: Negative.
We are only partially in control.
On some of the systems, some of the instruments
are down, frozen.
OK, have you started the procedure?
Have you shut down all non-vital systems?
CORRINE: In the process, but we do
not have control of some of the systems to shut them down.
OK, Corrine.
We have a site team on its way, should be
arriving in maybe three hours.
I don't know.
This storm does not seem to be letting up.
You let us worry about that.
Martin, I'd give you all of my worries if you'd take them.
That's my job, Corrine.
You know that.
Now listen, we need to determine the intervals
that will be in contact.
Well, this radio only works outside.
We cannot communicate if I am in the control room.
OK.
How about every 15 minutes then?
Fine.
That's fine.
15 minutes it is.
Now, so far you've done everything right.
So until we arrive, you just keep
doing what you're doing, OK?
I'll speak with you in 15 minutes.
Understood.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
BISHOP: Hey, how are you?
Daddy, I'm fine.
Someone told you about my fight with Jake, huh?
I don't know anything about that.
Then why are you calling?
It's getting nasty.
A tornado hit.
Oh no. BISHOP: Yeah.
Look, I think it might be a good idea, I don't know,
for you to just get out of town.
You want me to do what?
Get out of town.
Just get in a car and drive west.
ASHLEY: Since when do you evacuate a town
because of tornado warnings?
It's just--
What, you're not going to tell me?
All right, that's it. I'm coming over.
Ashley, no.
You're acting crazy, OK?
I'm coming over.
BISHOP: Ashley--
[music playing]
Melissa, tell the Sheriff we've got two more.
NEVILLE: We've shut down everything
we can control from here.
Good.
I just talked to the NRC, and they're going
to be here in three hours.
Thank god.
Until then, we are going to start shutting down all
non-essential systems manually.
Does anyone know how to do that?
Yeah.
[wind howling]
Corrine, you've got two more tornadoes out there.
Corrine?
Corrine, answer me.
You've got two more coming at you.
Can that plant take another hit?
What the hell is going on, Jake?
Ash, I don't have time to fight with you.
Yeah, that's why I came here, to have a discussion with you
about us.
All right, then why are you here?
Because my father just told me to get out of town, OK?
Because of a tornado, Jake?
Can you tell me what the hell is going on?
You might want to ask your dad.
Sheriff.
Jake.
If the second twister turns west,
it's going to head straight towards town.
Ashley, damn it, what are you doing here?
I want to know what the hell is going on.
There's nothing you can do about it.
It's Helman-Klein.
Was it hit?
It's about to get hit again.
Again?
Can it handle another one?
I mean, two twisters?
It's supposed to.
We don't know.
Nobody knows.
It can't be another one, can it?
Corrine?
Oh my god.
Corrine, did we just get hit by another twister?
CORRINE: Neville, we still need to reduce power.
Just keep shutting down anything that's
not absolutely necessary.
Did we get hit by another tornado?
We still need more power, Neville.
That's a yes.
Oh great.
We're in a nuclear power plant, and we can't get power.
This is no time for irony, Potter.
The instruments we do have read fine, Corrine.
Yeah, well, I'd prefer it if all our instruments
were working, Gail.
I'd feel better.
The site team's been grounded.
By whom?
The pilots grounded themselves in Memphis.
We've made a request to the military
for some all-weather craft.
Send them on the ground then, in trucks, I don't care.
It's already been done.
They're en route.
It's been 15 minutes.
Get in contact with Corrine again.
Let them know the cavalry's stuck in the mud.
[music playing]
Sheriff, I got the National Weather Service on the line.
The second twister's turned west towards the east side of town.
Initiate the siren. Call the clinic.
Tell them to expect casualties. - Jake, where are you going?
I told Corrine I'd take care of Campbell.
I need you at the power plant.
I gave her my word, Sheriff.
I'll head out and help the plant.
Thanks, Rollins.
Ashley, where are you going?
Dad, I'm a nurse, OK?
I need to be there when the tornado hits.
Where's the siren?
[siren]
Rollins, tell Corrine when you see her I'm
heading over to Campbell.
OK.
Jake, are you OK?
Why wouldn't I be OK?
Just with what happened, the tornadoes.
It was a long time ago, Ash.
OK, 4A, last one.
I don't think it's anything.
I think it's the cafeteria.
Did you bring a flashlight?
[wind howling]
Campbell, let's go.
In the hall.
Stay here.
We've got more power.
Nice work, Neville.
How's the reactor?
It's running a little hot.
A little hot?
Only two degrees.
Is it rising?
I don't know.
I'm watching.
Waste pool is definitely running hot.
They both are?
Well, that's not a coincidence.
We just lost pressure on the diesel pumps.
[alarm]
What the hell is going on?
We got our instruments back, but we're running
hot along the coolant lines.
The diesel pumps are damaged, and something's
wrong with the electrical pumps.
I shut down the electrical pumps.
Why would you do that?
You said you wanted power.
I gave you power.
Turn them back on, Neville.
Get down.
Is it going to hit us?
It doesn't even know where it's going to hit.
[music playing]
Gail, how are we doing on the waste pool?
It's getting hotter, too hot.
It's not getting enough water coolant.
We have a leak somewhere.
At this rate, water in the waste pool
will evaporate in 45 minutes.
I need those electrical pumps, Neville.
If that water evaporates and those fuel rods are exposed--
We know, Potter.
It's going to throw radiation up into the atmosphere
like a volcano.
Potter, we know.
Neville, where are the electrical pumps?
They're-- they're not responding, The electrical
pumps aren't turning back on.
Go to SCRAM procedures now.
Shut off the reactor.
Without the NRC?
And what would the NRC say, Neville?
They would say go to SCRAM procedures.
The NRC is not here.
We are.
I don't need the checklist.
Use the checklist, Neville.
We need water in that waste pool, Neville.
It is steaming up.
It's bad, Corrine.
We have another problem.
I don't want to hear it.
The reactor's not shutting down.
Shut it down, Neville.
I can't.
We've lost computer control from here.
I'm going to alert the NRC.
Neville, Potter, prepare to shut the reactor down manually.
Where's the radio?
Oh.
[phone ringing]
Corrine, Potter recalculated the math.
The used fuel rods will be exposed
in less than 39 minutes.
Corrine, this is going to make Chernobyl
look like a firecracker.
No.
We've got to go to stage two procedures now.
Dump the emergency tanks into the waste pool.
That might buy us some time.
[music playing]
We lost our radio.
So we are on our own, everybody.
We're on our own.
We've got half of the state in our radius,
including our families and my little boy.
Now, this is not going to happen on our watch.
Do you understand me?
We are not going to let this happen.
Lisa, why haven't we heard from them?
The Sheriff's office is sending out a car,
but they think Helman-Klein was hit by a second tornado.
We're going to shut down the reactor manually,
and then we'll divert the reactor's water
coolant into the waste pool.
It's getting hotter faster, Corrine.
At this rate, the water coolant will evaporate in the pumps
before it even gets to the waste pool to replenish it.
Great.
We're leaking and evaporating.
Wait, if we increase the pressure of the pumps,
it will raise the boiling point.
It'll still be leaking, but it won't evaporate.
That can give us a few more minutes until we
can shut down the reactor.
Can the pipes handle more pressure?
POTTER: If the pipes burst, then nothing gets
through, no coolant, nothing.
Can the pipes handle it?
Well, if we don't try, it doesn't matter either way,
does it?
OK, let's do it.
Gail, you stay here and you increase
the pressure to 2,200 PSI.
2,200?
Shut up, Potter.
If there's damage in the containment room,
it could be hot.
We'd better suit up.
[music playing]
We're going to be fine, OK?
We're going to be fine.
It stopped.
I'm going to go take a look.
Stay here.
Wait.
Wait!
Stacy, you're scaring me.
We need a damage assessment, Manuel.
Communication is down.
I'm here for a relay so you can talk to the NRC.
I understand.
Corrine, we've only got six feet of water
separating those fuel rods from us.
It's getting hotter.
Stacy, Stacy, are you OK?
[screams]
Stacy.
How's the pressure holding up, Gail?
You're on borrowed time.
Where the hell is everyone?
In the containment room shutting down the reactor.
My god, why?
Did the NRC recommend that?
No, Corrine did.
Our coolant's at 20% capacity.
The waste pool is not getting enough water coolant
to contain the fuel rods.
After we shut down the reactor, we're
going to divert some of the coolant to the waste pool.
Ready?
No.
Oh.
Damn, that's too bad.
Let's go.
Corrine, I'm sorry about shutting
down the electric pumps.
I-- I didn't--
it never occurred to me we couldn't turn them back on.
Neville, you're forgiven for not expecting us
to be hit by another tornado.
There's our leak.
There are the circuits.
Gail, how's the pressure?
Just hurry up and shut it down.
Wait, hold it.
NEVILLE: What is it?
You were right, radiation leak.
Shut it down.
The pipes can't take anymore.
Corrine, this is Manuel.
What the hell are you doing?
No time to explain, Manuel.
You've got three minutes.
Do you understand that?
Then I lock down the containment building
and reduce the water pressure to normal.
You reduce that water pressure without shutting that reactor
down and the water is going to evaporate before it
even reaches the waste pool.
Those rods will be exposed in 20 minutes.
If those pipes burst, the whole reactor
is exposed in five with a meltdown as its encore.
Now, you've got three minutes to shut the reactor down
or you're locked in there.
I've got a million other people to worry
about, not just you three.
Three minutes, Gail.
That's all they get.
You reduce pressure and you lock down.
We're going to have to walk through this water.
That's 100 microcuries, Corrine.
We go in there, we got about a week to make our peace.
[people yelling]
Campbell?
Campbell!
Campbell?
Stacy?
Stacy?
Stacy, stay with me.
Stacy, come on. Look at me.
Look at me. We got to go.
Look at me.
Come on, stay with me.
Come on.
I need some help here.
Come on, Stacy.
Campbell?
Stacy, stay with me.
Look at me.
Stay with me.
[music playing]
Have you got the NRC yet?
This is Manuel Fluentez, supervisor of Helman-Klein.
Martin Jennings, Manuel.
MANUEL (ON PHONE): Martin, we have a serious risk
of a fuel rod exposure.
The coolant is at 20%.
We're risking a drop to 0%.
I cannot-- I repeat, I cannot-- assure you that
the waste pool is contained.
Start evacuation.
MANUEL (ON PHONE): No, Martin, you don't understand.
It's too late for that.
You'll only start a panic.
We've only got minutes, not hours.
What?
MANUEL (ON PHONE): Minutes.
This is not a stage three.
We are at an imminent stage four.
I repeat, we are at a stage four.
GAIL (ON RADIO): I think Manuel's right.
I will lock down containment in 60 seconds.
I don't want to, but I will.
Get.
I shut down the pumps.
It's my fault. I gave that order.
You didn't know, Neville.
That's why they didn't give me the plant.
You see, I kind of crack under pressure.
Now listen, get out.
Get out!
[music playing]
You did it.
It's shutting down.
The reactor's shutting down.
They did it.
They shut down the reactor.
How much time did that buy us before the fuel
rods are exposed?
We reroute what coolant we can.
Maybe another 20 minutes?
Lower the pressure below danger levels.
We're not out of this yet, not by a long shot.
Get the fire trucks, Corrine.
What?
The fire trucks.
Good call.
Campbell!
Campbell!
Have you seen the boy that lives in this house?
Has anyone seen Campbell?
Deputy!
Has anyone seen the boy?
Deputy!
What?
I saw him go.
Where?
I tried to stop him, but he took off
down the road on his bike after the tornado hit.
Thank you.
[music playing]
CORRINE (ON RADIO): This is Corrine
Maguire at Helman-Klein.
We need fire engines immediately.
This is of the utmost importance.
This is an emergency.
Corrine, this is Jake.
What the hell is going on?
Jake?
Is Campbell OK?
I'm looking for him, Corrine.
What do you mean you're looking for him?
Your house took a hit, the tornado.
Is Campbell OK?
He took off.
Someone saw him on his bike.
My guess is that he's trying to get to you.
I'm heading out there now.
But why didn't Stacy stop him?
Stacy's dead, Corrine.
She didn't make it.
Corrine?
Are you talking to the NRC?
Where's their site team?
No, this is the deputy.
My son is missing.
We need you in here, Corrine.
He's my son.
I know, but--
Give me your keys, Manuel.
No, you cannot go, Corrine.
We need you.
He is my son.
Jake?
JAKE (ON RADIO): Corrine, I will find him.
You understand me?
I will find Campbell.
Corrine, can you trust me?
Just this one time, trust me.
I will find him.
MANUEL: We need you in there, Corrine.
It's going to be bad.
The place is going to blow.
Corrine, if Jake says he'll do it, he'll do it.
Jake, you find him and you keep him safe.
Get him away from here.
You get as far away from here as possible.
Do you understand me?
Take care of my little boy, Jake.
I am trusting you.
I know.
Dr. Jennings, they found the original blueprints.
Original blueprints?
It was modernized in '87, but we found
the original '67 blueprints.
And?
There is another diesel engine in the old maintenance area,
near the waste pool.
The 10 electric pumps that are down without power,
we can hook them up to that diesel engine.
Good work.
Good work.
[wind howling]
Campbell.
Oh, thank God.
[siren]
Hey, Campbell.
Came on, Campbell, get in the car.
Let's go.
It's Jake.
Come on, Campbell.
Come on.
Let's go.
Come on.
You're all right.
Put your seat belt on.
Manuel, have you heard from Jake yet?
I've just been talking to the NRC.
They found some original blueprints.
There's another diesel engine in the plant.
It hasn't been used in 15 years, but it's there.
What about fuel?
We need to get some.
All right.
RAYMOND ZIFF (ON RADIO): This is Raymond Ziff
reporting from where a tornado has just
crossed paths with Highway 6.
There are no casualties at this time,
but traffic is backed up for miles.
And there's damage at the Helman-Klein nuclear power
plant.
Multiple residents have been evacuated--
[turns off radio]
Melissa, you there?
Yeah.
We're here, Jake.
Jake.
JAKE (ON RADIO): Listen, I can't get a hold of the plant.
If you talk to Corrine, tell her that I have Campbell.
He's with me.
He's safe.
BISHOP (ON RADIO): Jake, listen to me, we've got a--
We've got a situation.
Jake, look.
[music playing]
Sheriff, I'll have to call you back.
Jake, damn it, listen to me!
Don't move.
Sir, you need to get in my car.
There's a tornado.
There's a good chance it's heading this way.
There's a woman down there.
What?
She's driving the other car.
Stay there.
Ma'am are you OK?
ASHLEY: Help me.
Are you OK?
ASHLEY: I'm scared.
Ashley?
Jake?
Oh my god, Jake, is that you?
Ashley, just hold on, all right?
Just hold on.
I'm coming down.
Hurry, Jake.
Can you please hurry?
[music intensifies]
Dear god.
Going to find the diesel engine.
Go there.
We'll take care of the waste pool.
Follow me.
Corrine, we're sitting at 200 gallons per minute,
but the waste pool is getting hotter.
Potter, this could be it.
Can you get the gate?
Gail, we found the diesel engine.
Now, we're going to need a hose, let's
say 50 yards just to be safe.
Now where's the damn fuel tanker?
[music playing]
Sir, I need your help.
The thing's almost on top of us.
Listen to me.
I need you to lower me.
When it's over, lift the winch and bring it back up.
There's not enough time.
There's time.
You can lower me.
Ashley, I'm coming.
ASHLEY: Hurry Jake!
Let's go!
We have to rearrange the grid.
Put the pumps on the diesel engine.
We're losing an inch a minute.
We've only got a foot left.
Manuel's got it covered.
MANUEL: I don't care how damn hot it gets.
We keep filling that pool with water.
If water evaporates and the assembly is exposed,
we've got a nuclear bomb going off.
Ash, just hold on!
ASHLEY: Jake, please hurry.
Just stay there, baby.
Stay there.
I got you.
Grab my hand.
There you go.
Jake, it's coming!
This isn't some plea to get my attention, is it?
Get me out of here, Jake.
Please.
Get a hold.
Come on, kid.
I'm not leaving Jake.
Come on.
We're not going to die here, OK?
Fine, fine, kill yourself.
Hurry, Jake!
Ready?
Hold on.
Jake.
I got you.
I'm not going to let you go.
Jake, I'm slipping.
Jake.
I've got you.
I got you.
YOUNG JAKE: Hold tight.
Hold tight, mom!
Mom!
[music playing]
Hit the winch!
Campbell, you listen to me.
You listen.
You never ever let anyone tell you different--
What you did was incredibly brave.
You saved our lives.
You're a man now.
Let's go.
Come on, let's go.
Get inside.
FIREFIGHTER: Hold it steady, hold it steady.
FIREFIGHTER: I've got your lines.
FIREFIGHTER: Needs more pressure.
FIREFIGHTER: Aim it over there.
FIREFIGHTER: Hold it steady now.
MANUEL: Keep that centered.
The water level's still dropping.
Gail, how are we doing?
It's slowing down.
The hoses are helping, but we still need that diesel engine
up and running.
All right.
Deputy, got any word on that diesel fuel?
It's Jake.
Jake, is Campbell all right?
Mom?
Oh, baby, hi.
Are you all right? Are you hurt?
Mom, I'm OK.
Jake found me.
You are a very, very brave boy.
You know that?
I'm a very brave man.
Oh, hold on, buddy.
You got plenty of time for that.
I love you.
I love you too, mom.
Let me talk to Jake, OK?
He's OK, Corrine.
I know.
I can hear that.
Jake, thank you.
You don't have to thank me.
Campbell and I are even.
Jake, what direction you heading?
West. Why?
There's supposed be a Salter diesel truck heading west,
but it's late. We need that fuel.
I just saw Salter truck going east,
heading away from you guys.
What did he say?
Jake, you run that bastard down.
Do you hear me?
You get that truck here to this plant.
If we don't get that diesel fuel here, we lose everything.
And I mean everything for 100 miles.
Do you understand me?
I gotcha.
[tires squealing]
REPORTER: Unconfirmed reports have
at least two tornadoes hitting the Helman-Klein nuclear power
plant.
Significant damage has been sustained, but as of yet
there are no details.
No way.
REPORTER: Storm watch warnings remain
in effect until further notice.
No way am I turning around, not for this kind of pay.
CORRINE: We're losing that water too fast.
He's not going to have enough time.
[music playing]
Corrine, we're losing 250 gallons a minute.
Even with the hoses, we're still losing
more than we're putting in.
Can you get more hoses in there?
We'll have to save one hose for the diesel fuel.
Gail, how's Potter coming on switching those water pumps
over to the diesel generators?
I think I got it.
If that diesel engine starts, I think we should
have those pumps going again.
[siren]
[music playing]
Pull over.
Pull over now.
Hold on, all right?
[tires squealing]
Get out.
Get out.
[truck horn]
This is not a good idea.
[truck horn]
Crap!
Get out of the vehicle now!
Get out.
Now.
Get over there.
Get over there.
Stand right there, right here.
Move the car to the driveway, sweetheart.
It's blocking me.
I love you.
I love you too.
Come on.
Woo hoo, it's been a while.
[truck horn]
Where's the site team?
30 miles away from the plant.
Great, close enough to be killed,
too far to be of any use.
I'm sorry.
We just lost another hose, Corrine.
Three men have passed out from the heat.
We're down to minutes here.
I got you.
Here we go.
Let's get him out of here.
FIREFIGHTER: It's too hot!
I don't know how long I can hold this.
Take five, Jesse.
That's an order.
We're going to need more men to man those hoses.
We'll try.
They're going to need containment suits.
OK.
[music playing]
[truck horn]
Jake, follow me.
Down there.
It's a water hose.
Yeah.
Improvising.
GAIL (ON RADIO): We just lost another one, Corrine.
We're not going to make it.
I don't have time for that right now, Gail.
Corrine, is this under control?
- Yeah. - I'll go with them.
All right.
I got it.
They need you.
OK.
FIREFIGHTER: Having trouble here.
FIREFIGHTER: Keep holding on.
FIREFIGHTER: Keep it in the pool.
FIREFIGHTER: Hang on.
FIREFIGHTER: It's too hot!
Jake, I've heard this room is radioactive, right?
Yeah.
FIREFIGHTER: It's not filling!
FIREFIGHTER: Keep it going.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Warning-- fuel rods
will be exposed in one minute.
Warning-- fuel rods will be exposed in 45 seconds.
It's really cooking.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Warning-- fuel rods
will be exposed in 25 seconds.
GAIL: We're losing it.
We're losing it.
Start, you son of a bitch!
[engine powering up]
We got it!
We got it! We got it!
We got it!
We got it!
We got it!
That's all we were waiting for, right?
I think so.
Can you help my men over there?
Yeah.
Oh my god.
God, I hate this job.
We did it.
We did it!
We did it!
Hey.
Hey.
Nice work.
Yeah.
You too.
Helman-Klein just reported in.
They're damaged, but they're stable.
They're downgrading back to stage one.
Thank you.
REPORTER: Company officials and the NRC
have confirmed that quick thinking
by the well-trained staff may have very well
diverted a nuclear disaster.
This is Louise Wallace at the Helman-Klein
nuclear power plant-- - Mom!
Campbell?
Campbell!
Mom.
[music playing]
Are you OK?
Yeah.
Jake said you saved the day, huh?
Thank you.
Never going to let you go, you know that?
I know that.
I do.
How does June of this year sound?
That sounds like a plan.
Yeah, Sheriff, your little girl's safe and sound, sir.
She's in good hands.
Rollins, thank you.
Thank you for the Update.
ROLLINS (ON RADIO): Oh, and Sheriff?
Looks like Jake's back in the family again.
They just set a date for him to become your son-in-law.
Copy that.
The mess is in there.
Oh, I'm so proud of you.
[music playing]
[door creaking]
[wind howling]
Mom?
Mom!
We're gonna have to go, hun.
We have to get to safety, OK?
Go!
[music intensifies]
Mom, mom, I'm scared!
Come on!
[screaming]
Oh no, not the cellar.
Run to the thresher, babe.
Run!
Run!
Mom, come on!
I love you!
Mom!
Mom!
CAMPBELL: The boy and his mother are running from a tornado,
and they come to a wheat thresher.
Then the mother gets sucked up into the air.
And the boy grabs on, but he's not strong enough,
and he lets her go.
She flies up into the air.
He never saw his mother again.
[thunder]
Thanks again for working on a Saturday, Stacy.
I don't think it's going to be a permanent thing.
Stacy?
Stacy.
Oh.
I'm not in the mood to explain why Jake still
has sleepovers at his age.
JAKE: I had a great time last night.
Me too.
So, are you going to call me?
Of course.
You didn't call Louisa.
Louisa?
Well--
It's OK move on you know.
Yeah.
That's what I was doing last night.
It was a story, mom, just a story.
I don't see what the big deal is.
CORRINE: The big deal is that you're the only one who seems
to think it has a happy ending.
CAMPBELL: It wasn't a happy ending.
It was just scary.
It was fun to tell.
Campbell, honey, I know that you are angry about the move
here.
I'm not angry.
It's not my story.
Jake told it to me.
Jake?
Did Jake?
Jake told you that story?
CAMPBELL: Uh-huh.
Hey, did you see that girl he had over last night?
She was so hot.
OK, gotta go.
Stacy, here is some cash if you want
to take him out for dinner.
CAMPBELL: No.
Can we order in and play some games?
Uh, yeah.
Give me a kiss.
There he is.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's Campbell.
He's got a free lane.
Yeah!
I can't even do that.
Trying to make me lift that.
CORRINE: Campbell, I need to talk to Jake.
Mom.
Come on, just for a minute.
You can play with him all day.
All day?
[music playing]
Hi.
Can I talk to you?
Yeah, sure.
What's up?
That story that you told Campbell
about the mother being killed in front of her little boy.
Yeah.
Not a good story?
Not a good story, no.
STACY: Campbell, come inside and help me clean up.
His father just left us, and we've
just moved here, and Campbell--
well, he doesn't need to be scared right now, Jake.
I know, Corrine.
I'm sorry.
I didn't-- I didn't even think about that.
Well, he likes you, and I'm glad he likes you,
and I like you too.
Just be careful.
And there's one more thing.
Oh no.
Now, I wasn't even going to mention this,
because really, it's none of my business, but the women.
The women?
Campbell is 12, and when he sees
these women coming and going--
Now, Corrine, you know, that is not fair.
Coming and going-- there's been two women in two months,
all right?
It's not like I'm sleeping with the whole town.
I know.
And I know that you're just trying
to move on with your life.
Yes, yes, that's right.
I am.
I'm trying to move on with my life no less.
Man, this town talks.
I'm sorry.
I am out of line, and this is none of my business.
No.
Listen, I don't want to give Campbell
the wrong impression about that sort of thing either.
Believe me, I don't.
I'll tell you what, I make this,
and you start sleeping at their house.
What, from right here?
- Yeah. - All right.
I think that's an excellent way to handle it.
We can play horse to see what college he goes to too.
Yeah, yeah, but can you dunk?
I don't want you to change, Jake.
But just keep in mind that Campbell looks up to you.
It was a lucky shot, wasn't it, Corrine?
Don't forget to take your toothbrush.
Sheriff, we got weather reports coming in.
Looks like tornado weather.
Rollins, I want you to find Jake.
We need all the manpower we can get.
What?
Well, Sheriff, why Jake?
I mean, why not Carter?
If you want to fire Jake, just fire him,
but don't keep punishing him.
Punishing him?
He's doing that all by himself.
You're not going to find him standing there, deputy.
Don't think I didn't see that.
[thunder]
Good morning, Miss Maguire.
Hi, Stu.
How's your little girl doing?
Oh, she's doing well.
Thanks for asking.
She got right back on her bike, cast and all.
You should see her try to pedal when she can't bend her knee.
No points for style, but she's got guts.
She takes after her father.
Oh, no.
When I was laid up, I just sat in front of the TV.
Rang that cowbell every time I wanted another beer,
drove my wife crazy.
It was a damn good month.
Good times.
You have a good day, Miss Maguire.
You too, Stu.
Good morning.
Morning.
Hi, Corrine.
Hi, Manuel.
Neville and Potter here yet?
Neville's around.
Potter's giving us first tour, Boy Scouts.
Oh no, they're going to eat him alive.
Potter?
He's a grown man.
You don't understand, Manuel.
12-year-olds can smell fear.
What's a meltdown?
The term meltdown refers to the fuel rods in the reactor,
that they overheat and melt. But we
have backup system after backup system so that doesn't happen.
And even if it does, which it won't, but if it does,
the reactor is in containment, which means just that.
We can seal it up like a tomb.
Nothing gets in, nothing gets out, ever again.
If the fuel rods are in the containment room,
then what are those?
Those are used fuel rods.
This is where we store them after they've done
all their hard work for us.
See, the fuel rods are still hot and radioactive.
People think radiation is man-made.
It's not.
It's as powerful as the sun, but if you just left these things
out, exposed, I mean, sunblock don't help
if you don't have any skin.
Know what I mean?
Anyway, so this is where we store
them before we can move them to safe and protective story--
storage.
How long is that?
About 20 years.
How long do they have to be in the protective storage
you take them to?
About, uh, 300,000 to 400,000 years.
OK, well that about wraps up our tour.
Shelly here will be glad to show you out and explain
to you on the way how nuclear power
gets safer and safer every day.
[clapping]
Well done.
Well done.
Only a few of them were in tears.
Come on.
No one was in tears.
A little hint--
the key to planned tours with kids is evading questions.
POTTER: What were you doing?
Were you checking up on me?
I thought you hated those tours.
Corrine sent me out.
She didn't trust you.
Why did they bring in someone for that job, man?
That should've been yours.
That wasn't fair.
It's called affirmative action, Potter.
They wanted a woman for the job.
Corrine.
It's time to start our shift.
Have a good one.
You know something about women, right Jake?
Less and less every year.
Why?
No, not the babysitter.
No. No.
Nothing good can come from that.
You hear me, all right?
She's just a little too old for you.
I'm not a kid.
There's an old saying in the south.
You're not a man until your father says so.
I never did believe that though, all right?
So just be patient.
You're going to have to grow older
whether you like it or not.
Mom says you haven't.
[music playing]
[beeping]
BISHOP: Rollins, any sign of Jake?
No.
We've just been upgraded to tornado watch.
[wind howling]
[music playing]
You cannot possibly be checking
those systems that fast.
- Hey. - Hey.
Hey now. - How's it going?
Oh, I see.
You want to be handcuffed again, don't you?
This is not a coincidence.
Every girl he dates is a girl who hates me.
Nobody hates you.
Gloria hates me.
That's really nice.
OK, Gloria hates you.
But he's angry.
You dumped him.
Let him get it out.
You're just all kinds of naughty, aren't you?
Hey, Gloria?
Hey, Ashley.
Can I talk to you, like now?
What are you doing?
Are you a child?
You're targeting the woman that pisses me off the most.
She just came over to talk to me.
I just worked out.
My pheromones happen to be projecting very far right now.
Don't make me start swinging.
Just wait.
First of all, the women who, let's say,
aren't that fond of you are the only ones
that will talk to me, OK?
And second, no.
No second. No.
No first of all either.
I take it back. What do you care?
You dumped me.
You broke off the engagement.
Because when you get engaged, Jake, there's something
called setting a date.
And not setting a date for like eight months
is going to convince me that you want to get married.
Ashley, we set a date.
It was going to be June.
June of what year, Jake?
You're supposed to be specific about what year.
Please, please, just keep it down please.
What is this?
Did you call your father?
What, am I going to get arrested for flirting in public?
Don't blame me if you get further on your treadmill
than you do with your job.
Jake, Sheriff put you on duty today.
Why?
Carter's off too.
Why can't-- that's right, I forgot.
I'm the Sheriff department whipping boy.
Well, everyone needs a job skill, don't they, Jake?
That's nice.
I swear, sometimes I miss driving those damn trucks.
Do you want to play a game or something?
OK.
Can I choose?
Mm-hmm.
[wind howling]
[thunder]
It's only a tornado watch right now.
Yeah, of course.
They don't give you a tornado warning until your house is 50
feet from where you built it.
Where've you been?
You go.
OK.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
CORRINE: Hey, sweetie.
It's me, just checking in.
How are things going?
Campbell?
My mom just hung up on me.
Can we start over?
OK.
Campbell?
Is anyone else having trouble with their phones?
[thunder]
Jake, I can't contact Helman-Klein.
I can't tell if they got the tornado watch.
Telephone's down?
Yeah.
Cell phones won't go through the concrete.
I've seen this kind of weather before.
Yeah.
I'll go out there and make sure we have some contact with them,
just in case.
All right.
Here you go.
Nothing.
They're all down, Corrine.
Listen, we've got a tornado touching down.
Six miles on 129, heading straight towards Helman-Klein.
Do you hear me?
Straight at Helman-Klein.
It's going to hit the nuclear plant.
OK, I'm going outside to see if I
can get a signal on my cell.
What about the satellite phone?
We only use the satellite uplink for stage one alert.
Neville, take over while I'm gone.
[siren]
Look, has there been a tornado watch
issued or anything like that?
I love you too.
[screaming]
Now what the hell's going on?
Something happened to the power.
The transformer just got hit by a tornado, and Stu's dead.
He's dead?
Yeah.
We're losing power, Corrine.
Where's the backup?
The backup system should be initiating.
Why are we browning out, Gail?
Where's the backup?
I don't know.
Only one of the backup generators is working.
Generator A is right next to the transformers.
If they went, there's a good chance it went too.
OK.
OK.
Are we in control of the systems?
Negative.
Well, are the instruments working at least?
They're on the same grid.
OK.
We need to find a way to reduce power consumption.
We should call the NRC, Corrine.
There's a procedure for this I'm sure.
The procedure is to call the NRC
and evacuate all unnecessary personnel.
On a Saturday with a skeleton crew, that's irrelevant.
Neville, can you cut power by, say, 50%?
Yeah.
I can save some juice, start shutting
down non-vital systems.
Yeah.
POTTER: OK, here it is.
We call the NRC, and then we get everybody out of here.
Yeah. - Great.
Thanks, Potter.
Duly noted.
Neville, I'm going to need these instruments working ASAP.
Yes.
WOMAN (ON PHONE): Hello, NRC.
This is Corrine Maguire at Helman-Klein in Bassett County,
Tennessee.
I'm the active shift supervisor and I
am declaring a stage one alert.
We got a serious problem here.
I don't know what it's like inside,
but it's a mess out here.
Jake, what kind of damage are we talking about?
Is anyone hurt?
I don't know.
I don't see Stu, and his guard house was hit.
Dr. Jennings, a tornado just hit Helman-Klein in Tennessee.
They've declared a stage one alert.
WOMAN 1: Where's the review board meeting?
WOMAN 2: End of the hall.
Ms. Maguire, we're ready to receive the uplink.
I'm transmitting now.
WOMAN (ON PHONE): We're receiving
your transmission, Ms. Maguire.
[explosion]
Melissa, this is Jake.
I'm going in to check for some more damage.
Hello?
Hello?
Are you there?
Corrine.
We just lost the NRC.
Gail, try to get us back online with the NRC.
Neville, we still need to reduce power.
So shut down any of the non-vitals
that we still have control of.
Where the hell are you going?
Going outside to try to get a signal on my cell.
I didn't have a chance to before.
I should call them.
I am the shift supervisor, Neville, and it has to be me.
Corrine?
This only works locally, right?
Just the radios inside here, yeah.
Cooling pumps.
We can shut down some of the cooling pumps.
No.
Non-vitals only.
NEVILLE: No, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
He's right.
We've got two systems-- two.
They're redundant.
The diesel pumps will be enough.
We can shut down the electric pumps and save a lot of power.
Go ahead.
You want to shut down the electric coolant pumps?
They're redundant systems, Gail.
Corrine, is everyone all right?
Is anyone hurt?
Stu's dead.
We only have partial power.
I need to contact the NRC.
Are all the phones down?
Yeah, some of them are.
A power relay station was hit, but I have an emergency radio.
The Sheriff can call for you and hook the two of you up.
OK.
And I want to call Campbell and make sure he's all right.
He's fine, Corrine.
The tornado didn't hit town, not even close.
I can check on him if you want me to, but--
Yeah, do that.
Thanks.
Anything else?
Yeah.
Leave the emergency radio here, It may be the only way
that we can contact the NRC.
It'll only work outside.
OK.
Remember, only outside.
I'm declaring a stage one alert.
Tell the Sheriff.
He'll know what that means, OK?
A stage one alert.
How bad are we, Corrine?
We're all right.
Don't worry.
Just go back to town and take care of things there.
Who's the shift supervisor at Helman-Klein?
- Karen Maguire. - Give me her file.
What line is she on?
We just lost her.
You lost her?
Well, get her back, don't care how.
I want a site team in the air in 30 minutes.
Hey, Melissa.
Yeah, that message to the NRC from Corrine,
a stage one alert, you know what that means?
Let me ask the Sheriff.
Sheriff, what does a stage one alert mean?
Stage one alert means they have a problem.
Call the NRC.
Well, that's not anything, is it?
Stage two, evacuation personnel they put on standby.
Stage three, potential radiation leak,
total evacuation of the area.
Is there a stage four?
Stage four?
Stage four means boom.
No more West Tennessee.
What are you doing?
This is tornado weather.
How would you know?
You're from Los Angeles.
Look, if there were tornadoes, they'd put a warning on the TV.
[alert beeping]
Mm-hmm.
Go, go, run.
We've got the relay set up to Helman-Klein, line two.
This is Martin Jennings.
Who am I speaking to?
This is Martin Jennings.
Who am I speaking to?
It's Corrine Maguire.
Corrine, what's your situation there?
CORRINE: We only have partial power.
Backup is at 50%.
One generator down.
Do you have control of the facility?
CORRINE: Negative.
We are only partially in control.
On some of the systems, some of the instruments
are down, frozen.
OK, have you started the procedure?
Have you shut down all non-vital systems?
CORRINE: In the process, but we do
not have control of some of the systems to shut them down.
OK, Corrine.
We have a site team on its way, should be
arriving in maybe three hours.
I don't know.
This storm does not seem to be letting up.
You let us worry about that.
Martin, I'd give you all of my worries if you'd take them.
That's my job, Corrine.
You know that.
Now listen, we need to determine the intervals
that will be in contact.
Well, this radio only works outside.
We cannot communicate if I am in the control room.
OK.
How about every 15 minutes then?
Fine.
That's fine.
15 minutes it is.
Now, so far you've done everything right.
So until we arrive, you just keep
doing what you're doing, OK?
I'll speak with you in 15 minutes.
Understood.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
BISHOP: Hey, how are you?
Daddy, I'm fine.
Someone told you about my fight with Jake, huh?
I don't know anything about that.
Then why are you calling?
It's getting nasty.
A tornado hit.
Oh no. BISHOP: Yeah.
Look, I think it might be a good idea, I don't know,
for you to just get out of town.
You want me to do what?
Get out of town.
Just get in a car and drive west.
ASHLEY: Since when do you evacuate a town
because of tornado warnings?
It's just--
What, you're not going to tell me?
All right, that's it. I'm coming over.
Ashley, no.
You're acting crazy, OK?
I'm coming over.
BISHOP: Ashley--
[music playing]
Melissa, tell the Sheriff we've got two more.
NEVILLE: We've shut down everything
we can control from here.
Good.
I just talked to the NRC, and they're going
to be here in three hours.
Thank god.
Until then, we are going to start shutting down all
non-essential systems manually.
Does anyone know how to do that?
Yeah.
[wind howling]
Corrine, you've got two more tornadoes out there.
Corrine?
Corrine, answer me.
You've got two more coming at you.
Can that plant take another hit?
What the hell is going on, Jake?
Ash, I don't have time to fight with you.
Yeah, that's why I came here, to have a discussion with you
about us.
All right, then why are you here?
Because my father just told me to get out of town, OK?
Because of a tornado, Jake?
Can you tell me what the hell is going on?
You might want to ask your dad.
Sheriff.
Jake.
If the second twister turns west,
it's going to head straight towards town.
Ashley, damn it, what are you doing here?
I want to know what the hell is going on.
There's nothing you can do about it.
It's Helman-Klein.
Was it hit?
It's about to get hit again.
Again?
Can it handle another one?
I mean, two twisters?
It's supposed to.
We don't know.
Nobody knows.
It can't be another one, can it?
Corrine?
Oh my god.
Corrine, did we just get hit by another twister?
CORRINE: Neville, we still need to reduce power.
Just keep shutting down anything that's
not absolutely necessary.
Did we get hit by another tornado?
We still need more power, Neville.
That's a yes.
Oh great.
We're in a nuclear power plant, and we can't get power.
This is no time for irony, Potter.
The instruments we do have read fine, Corrine.
Yeah, well, I'd prefer it if all our instruments
were working, Gail.
I'd feel better.
The site team's been grounded.
By whom?
The pilots grounded themselves in Memphis.
We've made a request to the military
for some all-weather craft.
Send them on the ground then, in trucks, I don't care.
It's already been done.
They're en route.
It's been 15 minutes.
Get in contact with Corrine again.
Let them know the cavalry's stuck in the mud.
[music playing]
Sheriff, I got the National Weather Service on the line.
The second twister's turned west towards the east side of town.
Initiate the siren. Call the clinic.
Tell them to expect casualties. - Jake, where are you going?
I told Corrine I'd take care of Campbell.
I need you at the power plant.
I gave her my word, Sheriff.
I'll head out and help the plant.
Thanks, Rollins.
Ashley, where are you going?
Dad, I'm a nurse, OK?
I need to be there when the tornado hits.
Where's the siren?
[siren]
Rollins, tell Corrine when you see her I'm
heading over to Campbell.
OK.
Jake, are you OK?
Why wouldn't I be OK?
Just with what happened, the tornadoes.
It was a long time ago, Ash.
OK, 4A, last one.
I don't think it's anything.
I think it's the cafeteria.
Did you bring a flashlight?
[wind howling]
Campbell, let's go.
In the hall.
Stay here.
We've got more power.
Nice work, Neville.
How's the reactor?
It's running a little hot.
A little hot?
Only two degrees.
Is it rising?
I don't know.
I'm watching.
Waste pool is definitely running hot.
They both are?
Well, that's not a coincidence.
We just lost pressure on the diesel pumps.
[alarm]
What the hell is going on?
We got our instruments back, but we're running
hot along the coolant lines.
The diesel pumps are damaged, and something's
wrong with the electrical pumps.
I shut down the electrical pumps.
Why would you do that?
You said you wanted power.
I gave you power.
Turn them back on, Neville.
Get down.
Is it going to hit us?
It doesn't even know where it's going to hit.
[music playing]
Gail, how are we doing on the waste pool?
It's getting hotter, too hot.
It's not getting enough water coolant.
We have a leak somewhere.
At this rate, water in the waste pool
will evaporate in 45 minutes.
I need those electrical pumps, Neville.
If that water evaporates and those fuel rods are exposed--
We know, Potter.
It's going to throw radiation up into the atmosphere
like a volcano.
Potter, we know.
Neville, where are the electrical pumps?
They're-- they're not responding, The electrical
pumps aren't turning back on.
Go to SCRAM procedures now.
Shut off the reactor.
Without the NRC?
And what would the NRC say, Neville?
They would say go to SCRAM procedures.
The NRC is not here.
We are.
I don't need the checklist.
Use the checklist, Neville.
We need water in that waste pool, Neville.
It is steaming up.
It's bad, Corrine.
We have another problem.
I don't want to hear it.
The reactor's not shutting down.
Shut it down, Neville.
I can't.
We've lost computer control from here.
I'm going to alert the NRC.
Neville, Potter, prepare to shut the reactor down manually.
Where's the radio?
Oh.
[phone ringing]
Corrine, Potter recalculated the math.
The used fuel rods will be exposed
in less than 39 minutes.
Corrine, this is going to make Chernobyl
look like a firecracker.
No.
We've got to go to stage two procedures now.
Dump the emergency tanks into the waste pool.
That might buy us some time.
[music playing]
We lost our radio.
So we are on our own, everybody.
We're on our own.
We've got half of the state in our radius,
including our families and my little boy.
Now, this is not going to happen on our watch.
Do you understand me?
We are not going to let this happen.
Lisa, why haven't we heard from them?
The Sheriff's office is sending out a car,
but they think Helman-Klein was hit by a second tornado.
We're going to shut down the reactor manually,
and then we'll divert the reactor's water
coolant into the waste pool.
It's getting hotter faster, Corrine.
At this rate, the water coolant will evaporate in the pumps
before it even gets to the waste pool to replenish it.
Great.
We're leaking and evaporating.
Wait, if we increase the pressure of the pumps,
it will raise the boiling point.
It'll still be leaking, but it won't evaporate.
That can give us a few more minutes until we
can shut down the reactor.
Can the pipes handle more pressure?
POTTER: If the pipes burst, then nothing gets
through, no coolant, nothing.
Can the pipes handle it?
Well, if we don't try, it doesn't matter either way,
does it?
OK, let's do it.
Gail, you stay here and you increase
the pressure to 2,200 PSI.
2,200?
Shut up, Potter.
If there's damage in the containment room,
it could be hot.
We'd better suit up.
[music playing]
We're going to be fine, OK?
We're going to be fine.
It stopped.
I'm going to go take a look.
Stay here.
Wait.
Wait!
Stacy, you're scaring me.
We need a damage assessment, Manuel.
Communication is down.
I'm here for a relay so you can talk to the NRC.
I understand.
Corrine, we've only got six feet of water
separating those fuel rods from us.
It's getting hotter.
Stacy, Stacy, are you OK?
[screams]
Stacy.
How's the pressure holding up, Gail?
You're on borrowed time.
Where the hell is everyone?
In the containment room shutting down the reactor.
My god, why?
Did the NRC recommend that?
No, Corrine did.
Our coolant's at 20% capacity.
The waste pool is not getting enough water coolant
to contain the fuel rods.
After we shut down the reactor, we're
going to divert some of the coolant to the waste pool.
Ready?
No.
Oh.
Damn, that's too bad.
Let's go.
Corrine, I'm sorry about shutting
down the electric pumps.
I-- I didn't--
it never occurred to me we couldn't turn them back on.
Neville, you're forgiven for not expecting us
to be hit by another tornado.
There's our leak.
There are the circuits.
Gail, how's the pressure?
Just hurry up and shut it down.
Wait, hold it.
NEVILLE: What is it?
You were right, radiation leak.
Shut it down.
The pipes can't take anymore.
Corrine, this is Manuel.
What the hell are you doing?
No time to explain, Manuel.
You've got three minutes.
Do you understand that?
Then I lock down the containment building
and reduce the water pressure to normal.
You reduce that water pressure without shutting that reactor
down and the water is going to evaporate before it
even reaches the waste pool.
Those rods will be exposed in 20 minutes.
If those pipes burst, the whole reactor
is exposed in five with a meltdown as its encore.
Now, you've got three minutes to shut the reactor down
or you're locked in there.
I've got a million other people to worry
about, not just you three.
Three minutes, Gail.
That's all they get.
You reduce pressure and you lock down.
We're going to have to walk through this water.
That's 100 microcuries, Corrine.
We go in there, we got about a week to make our peace.
[people yelling]
Campbell?
Campbell!
Campbell?
Stacy?
Stacy?
Stacy, stay with me.
Stacy, come on. Look at me.
Look at me. We got to go.
Look at me.
Come on, stay with me.
Come on.
I need some help here.
Come on, Stacy.
Campbell?
Stacy, stay with me.
Look at me.
Stay with me.
[music playing]
Have you got the NRC yet?
This is Manuel Fluentez, supervisor of Helman-Klein.
Martin Jennings, Manuel.
MANUEL (ON PHONE): Martin, we have a serious risk
of a fuel rod exposure.
The coolant is at 20%.
We're risking a drop to 0%.
I cannot-- I repeat, I cannot-- assure you that
the waste pool is contained.
Start evacuation.
MANUEL (ON PHONE): No, Martin, you don't understand.
It's too late for that.
You'll only start a panic.
We've only got minutes, not hours.
What?
MANUEL (ON PHONE): Minutes.
This is not a stage three.
We are at an imminent stage four.
I repeat, we are at a stage four.
GAIL (ON RADIO): I think Manuel's right.
I will lock down containment in 60 seconds.
I don't want to, but I will.
Get.
I shut down the pumps.
It's my fault. I gave that order.
You didn't know, Neville.
That's why they didn't give me the plant.
You see, I kind of crack under pressure.
Now listen, get out.
Get out!
[music playing]
You did it.
It's shutting down.
The reactor's shutting down.
They did it.
They shut down the reactor.
How much time did that buy us before the fuel
rods are exposed?
We reroute what coolant we can.
Maybe another 20 minutes?
Lower the pressure below danger levels.
We're not out of this yet, not by a long shot.
Get the fire trucks, Corrine.
What?
The fire trucks.
Good call.
Campbell!
Campbell!
Have you seen the boy that lives in this house?
Has anyone seen Campbell?
Deputy!
Has anyone seen the boy?
Deputy!
What?
I saw him go.
Where?
I tried to stop him, but he took off
down the road on his bike after the tornado hit.
Thank you.
[music playing]
CORRINE (ON RADIO): This is Corrine
Maguire at Helman-Klein.
We need fire engines immediately.
This is of the utmost importance.
This is an emergency.
Corrine, this is Jake.
What the hell is going on?
Jake?
Is Campbell OK?
I'm looking for him, Corrine.
What do you mean you're looking for him?
Your house took a hit, the tornado.
Is Campbell OK?
He took off.
Someone saw him on his bike.
My guess is that he's trying to get to you.
I'm heading out there now.
But why didn't Stacy stop him?
Stacy's dead, Corrine.
She didn't make it.
Corrine?
Are you talking to the NRC?
Where's their site team?
No, this is the deputy.
My son is missing.
We need you in here, Corrine.
He's my son.
I know, but--
Give me your keys, Manuel.
No, you cannot go, Corrine.
We need you.
He is my son.
Jake?
JAKE (ON RADIO): Corrine, I will find him.
You understand me?
I will find Campbell.
Corrine, can you trust me?
Just this one time, trust me.
I will find him.
MANUEL: We need you in there, Corrine.
It's going to be bad.
The place is going to blow.
Corrine, if Jake says he'll do it, he'll do it.
Jake, you find him and you keep him safe.
Get him away from here.
You get as far away from here as possible.
Do you understand me?
Take care of my little boy, Jake.
I am trusting you.
I know.
Dr. Jennings, they found the original blueprints.
Original blueprints?
It was modernized in '87, but we found
the original '67 blueprints.
And?
There is another diesel engine in the old maintenance area,
near the waste pool.
The 10 electric pumps that are down without power,
we can hook them up to that diesel engine.
Good work.
Good work.
[wind howling]
Campbell.
Oh, thank God.
[siren]
Hey, Campbell.
Came on, Campbell, get in the car.
Let's go.
It's Jake.
Come on, Campbell.
Come on.
Let's go.
Come on.
You're all right.
Put your seat belt on.
Manuel, have you heard from Jake yet?
I've just been talking to the NRC.
They found some original blueprints.
There's another diesel engine in the plant.
It hasn't been used in 15 years, but it's there.
What about fuel?
We need to get some.
All right.
RAYMOND ZIFF (ON RADIO): This is Raymond Ziff
reporting from where a tornado has just
crossed paths with Highway 6.
There are no casualties at this time,
but traffic is backed up for miles.
And there's damage at the Helman-Klein nuclear power
plant.
Multiple residents have been evacuated--
[turns off radio]
Melissa, you there?
Yeah.
We're here, Jake.
Jake.
JAKE (ON RADIO): Listen, I can't get a hold of the plant.
If you talk to Corrine, tell her that I have Campbell.
He's with me.
He's safe.
BISHOP (ON RADIO): Jake, listen to me, we've got a--
We've got a situation.
Jake, look.
[music playing]
Sheriff, I'll have to call you back.
Jake, damn it, listen to me!
Don't move.
Sir, you need to get in my car.
There's a tornado.
There's a good chance it's heading this way.
There's a woman down there.
What?
She's driving the other car.
Stay there.
Ma'am are you OK?
ASHLEY: Help me.
Are you OK?
ASHLEY: I'm scared.
Ashley?
Jake?
Oh my god, Jake, is that you?
Ashley, just hold on, all right?
Just hold on.
I'm coming down.
Hurry, Jake.
Can you please hurry?
[music intensifies]
Dear god.
Going to find the diesel engine.
Go there.
We'll take care of the waste pool.
Follow me.
Corrine, we're sitting at 200 gallons per minute,
but the waste pool is getting hotter.
Potter, this could be it.
Can you get the gate?
Gail, we found the diesel engine.
Now, we're going to need a hose, let's
say 50 yards just to be safe.
Now where's the damn fuel tanker?
[music playing]
Sir, I need your help.
The thing's almost on top of us.
Listen to me.
I need you to lower me.
When it's over, lift the winch and bring it back up.
There's not enough time.
There's time.
You can lower me.
Ashley, I'm coming.
ASHLEY: Hurry Jake!
Let's go!
We have to rearrange the grid.
Put the pumps on the diesel engine.
We're losing an inch a minute.
We've only got a foot left.
Manuel's got it covered.
MANUEL: I don't care how damn hot it gets.
We keep filling that pool with water.
If water evaporates and the assembly is exposed,
we've got a nuclear bomb going off.
Ash, just hold on!
ASHLEY: Jake, please hurry.
Just stay there, baby.
Stay there.
I got you.
Grab my hand.
There you go.
Jake, it's coming!
This isn't some plea to get my attention, is it?
Get me out of here, Jake.
Please.
Get a hold.
Come on, kid.
I'm not leaving Jake.
Come on.
We're not going to die here, OK?
Fine, fine, kill yourself.
Hurry, Jake!
Ready?
Hold on.
Jake.
I got you.
I'm not going to let you go.
Jake, I'm slipping.
Jake.
I've got you.
I got you.
YOUNG JAKE: Hold tight.
Hold tight, mom!
Mom!
[music playing]
Hit the winch!
Campbell, you listen to me.
You listen.
You never ever let anyone tell you different--
What you did was incredibly brave.
You saved our lives.
You're a man now.
Let's go.
Come on, let's go.
Get inside.
FIREFIGHTER: Hold it steady, hold it steady.
FIREFIGHTER: I've got your lines.
FIREFIGHTER: Needs more pressure.
FIREFIGHTER: Aim it over there.
FIREFIGHTER: Hold it steady now.
MANUEL: Keep that centered.
The water level's still dropping.
Gail, how are we doing?
It's slowing down.
The hoses are helping, but we still need that diesel engine
up and running.
All right.
Deputy, got any word on that diesel fuel?
It's Jake.
Jake, is Campbell all right?
Mom?
Oh, baby, hi.
Are you all right? Are you hurt?
Mom, I'm OK.
Jake found me.
You are a very, very brave boy.
You know that?
I'm a very brave man.
Oh, hold on, buddy.
You got plenty of time for that.
I love you.
I love you too, mom.
Let me talk to Jake, OK?
He's OK, Corrine.
I know.
I can hear that.
Jake, thank you.
You don't have to thank me.
Campbell and I are even.
Jake, what direction you heading?
West. Why?
There's supposed be a Salter diesel truck heading west,
but it's late. We need that fuel.
I just saw Salter truck going east,
heading away from you guys.
What did he say?
Jake, you run that bastard down.
Do you hear me?
You get that truck here to this plant.
If we don't get that diesel fuel here, we lose everything.
And I mean everything for 100 miles.
Do you understand me?
I gotcha.
[tires squealing]
REPORTER: Unconfirmed reports have
at least two tornadoes hitting the Helman-Klein nuclear power
plant.
Significant damage has been sustained, but as of yet
there are no details.
No way.
REPORTER: Storm watch warnings remain
in effect until further notice.
No way am I turning around, not for this kind of pay.
CORRINE: We're losing that water too fast.
He's not going to have enough time.
[music playing]
Corrine, we're losing 250 gallons a minute.
Even with the hoses, we're still losing
more than we're putting in.
Can you get more hoses in there?
We'll have to save one hose for the diesel fuel.
Gail, how's Potter coming on switching those water pumps
over to the diesel generators?
I think I got it.
If that diesel engine starts, I think we should
have those pumps going again.
[siren]
[music playing]
Pull over.
Pull over now.
Hold on, all right?
[tires squealing]
Get out.
Get out.
[truck horn]
This is not a good idea.
[truck horn]
Crap!
Get out of the vehicle now!
Get out.
Now.
Get over there.
Get over there.
Stand right there, right here.
Move the car to the driveway, sweetheart.
It's blocking me.
I love you.
I love you too.
Come on.
Woo hoo, it's been a while.
[truck horn]
Where's the site team?
30 miles away from the plant.
Great, close enough to be killed,
too far to be of any use.
I'm sorry.
We just lost another hose, Corrine.
Three men have passed out from the heat.
We're down to minutes here.
I got you.
Here we go.
Let's get him out of here.
FIREFIGHTER: It's too hot!
I don't know how long I can hold this.
Take five, Jesse.
That's an order.
We're going to need more men to man those hoses.
We'll try.
They're going to need containment suits.
OK.
[music playing]
[truck horn]
Jake, follow me.
Down there.
It's a water hose.
Yeah.
Improvising.
GAIL (ON RADIO): We just lost another one, Corrine.
We're not going to make it.
I don't have time for that right now, Gail.
Corrine, is this under control?
- Yeah. - I'll go with them.
All right.
I got it.
They need you.
OK.
FIREFIGHTER: Having trouble here.
FIREFIGHTER: Keep holding on.
FIREFIGHTER: Keep it in the pool.
FIREFIGHTER: Hang on.
FIREFIGHTER: It's too hot!
Jake, I've heard this room is radioactive, right?
Yeah.
FIREFIGHTER: It's not filling!
FIREFIGHTER: Keep it going.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Warning-- fuel rods
will be exposed in one minute.
Warning-- fuel rods will be exposed in 45 seconds.
It's really cooking.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Warning-- fuel rods
will be exposed in 25 seconds.
GAIL: We're losing it.
We're losing it.
Start, you son of a bitch!
[engine powering up]
We got it!
We got it! We got it!
We got it!
We got it!
We got it!
That's all we were waiting for, right?
I think so.
Can you help my men over there?
Yeah.
Oh my god.
God, I hate this job.
We did it.
We did it!
We did it!
Hey.
Hey.
Nice work.
Yeah.
You too.
Helman-Klein just reported in.
They're damaged, but they're stable.
They're downgrading back to stage one.
Thank you.
REPORTER: Company officials and the NRC
have confirmed that quick thinking
by the well-trained staff may have very well
diverted a nuclear disaster.
This is Louise Wallace at the Helman-Klein
nuclear power plant-- - Mom!
Campbell?
Campbell!
Mom.
[music playing]
Are you OK?
Yeah.
Jake said you saved the day, huh?
Thank you.
Never going to let you go, you know that?
I know that.
I do.
How does June of this year sound?
That sounds like a plan.
Yeah, Sheriff, your little girl's safe and sound, sir.
She's in good hands.
Rollins, thank you.
Thank you for the Update.
ROLLINS (ON RADIO): Oh, and Sheriff?
Looks like Jake's back in the family again.
They just set a date for him to become your son-in-law.
Copy that.
The mess is in there.
Oh, I'm so proud of you.
[music playing]