Nightmare in 
Diablo Canyon

an Original Screenplay
by

ROB PERRY   
and
GEOFF WEINBERG



		PROLOGUE


In 1998 the NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION known as the 
NRC announced that the licensed reactors in the United States 
generated over 2,000 thousand GIGA-WATT-HOURS. Although 
reactor plant designs share many similarities, each can be considered 
unique. The unique characteristics of each plant design vary by vendor, 
licensee, design, and plant location. There are four reactor vendors, 
forty-eight licensees and eighty different designs. The 150 reactors 
licensed to operate during 1998 have accumulated over Four-thousand 
reactor-years of experience.  Nuclear Energy is here to stay! 

NRC NEWS
 
FADE IN

EXT.	MAJOR NATIONAL TELEVISION BROADCAST     
EXT.	NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON 
D.C. A distinguished looking Afro-American lady 
Dr. Debra Jackson. 

		JACKSON 
	(Steps up to the podium)
Hello, I'm Dr. Debra Jackson the 
Chairman of the NRC. And as you
know we have the responsibility 
for regulating nuclear energy 
plants. Recently we commissioned
a state of the art COMPUTER 
SYSTEM and it's the fulfillment
of a 7 year plan to build a new 
computer to assist us in keeping
watch over all of our nuclear 
power plants, allow me now to 
introduce MOTHER, the code name
we've given to the system. It's
designed to detect problems in
any of our commercial Reactors
and to automatically shut down 
any of our reactors in a matter
of minutes. Mother will bypass
standard regulatory process's 
which as you know, can take 
hours or days!

Applause from the audience.

		JACKSON  (Cont.)
Thank You. My colleague Dr. Nelson
will now  take your questions..

			CUT TO:

EXT.  DIABLO CANYON REACTOR ONE - CALIFORNIA     
EXT.  MASTER CONTROL ROOM
Two Nuclear Scientists are working late into the
night. DR. MOSS MORRISON the operations manager 
is on the phone with the operating manager of
DIABLO CANYON REACTOR TWO, DR. BRANT JILLIAN.

		MORRISON
Well, did you see "herself" on 
the broadcast last night?

		JILLIAN (V.O.)
Yes, she's very impressive, isn't
she! 

		MORRISON
The first time MOTHER shuts down my 
Reactor is the day I'm out of here!

		JILLIAN (V.O.)
Yeah, me too! 
 		
		MORRISON
They're at least three generations
behind on the UNIX release their 
running in D.C.

		JILLIAN (V.O.)
Don't kid me like that!

		MORRISON
I kid you not! 
		
				CUT TO:
 
EXT.  RIVER BEND REACTOR ONE - LOUISIANA,     
EXT.  MASTER CONTROL ROOM
Two Nuclear Scientists are working late into the morning. 
DR. GEORGE GOETZ the operations manager
has a large plush office and is on the phone 
with the operating manager of RIVER BEND 2, 
DR. SHERI JENSEN.

		GOETZ
Sheri, pick up, its me!

		GOETZ			
Sheri picks up.

		JENSEN (V.0.)
Hey, did you see Dr. Shirley
on the TV last night?

		GOETZ
Yes, I sure did!
		
		JENSEN
There's a lot going on 
with the Y2K upgrades. 

				CUT TO:

EXT.  NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON D.C.
EXT.  NATIONALLY TELEVISED BROADCAST
The quarterly reviews is in session and the speaker
is Dr. Joe Willis from the NRC Washington office. 
He's a tall man in his middle fifties, wearing a colorful bow tie.

		WILLIS
The Generic Safety Issues, (NUREG-0933) contains issues identified 
by NRC Computer Based Digital System Failures, and the IPE 
Database Basic Query Program NUREG-1021. 

He waits, looks around.

		WILLIS (Cont.)
Do we have any questions?

A well dressed beautiful slender young lady stands up and 
gets the attention of the speaker.

		WILLIS
Yes, the lady in the third row.

		CHASE
Yes, sir I'm CANDICE CHASE, the
Illinois Project leader for
the Y2K Compliance Committee. 
Based on the information I'm
Reading, we believe our reactors
at BRAIDWOOD, BYRON, CLINTON, 
DRESDEN, and LA SALLE COUNTY
is in dire jeopardy, and I want 
to get some answers from the 
Committee today.

CLOSE ON WILLIS 
He develops a nauseating look on his face.

 		CHASE 
We have a serious concern for
the NRC Computer System called
MOTHER.

		WILLIS
Yes, and what is your concern?

		CHASE
Sir, the concern the State of Illinois has for MOTHER 
is that when the clock strikes midnight in the year 
2000 we in the State, are not sure what MOTHER 
is going to do!  

		WILLIS
Ms. CHASE, you should not concern yourself with 
this anomaly, it's a Federal problem and we are on it.

		CHASE
Sir, with all respect to all the Federal agencies and 
the NRC I SAY BULLSHIT TO THAT!

		WILLIS
I'm sorry, Ms. CHASE, the standing committee has met all 
guidelines and more. 

		CHASE
Simply, Dr Willis, your MOTHER computer system 
regulates everything we do, and we recently heard 
hat Mother is built on a platform that is 3 Generations 
behind, in operating system structure, and cannot 
upgrade. Can you or the committee confirm this? 

		WILLIS
Miss, Mother, is the vital link for the welfare and safety 
of the people of United States.

Willis point into the audience. Man in the fifth row 
stands up to speak but is cut off by Candace CHASE.

		WILLIS
 You Sir in the Fifth Row.

		CHASE
(Trying to control her voice)
Excuse Me, (A beat.) MOTHER is using a version of 
UNIX that is seven years old! Didn't you hear me 
before, you cannot upgrade to Y2K compliance, 
unless you install a Y2K patch or go to a newer 
version of UNIX!

Talking into the Audience.

		WILLIS
So?

		CHASE
So? What kind of a response is that? Don't you know 
ANYTHING  about COMPUTERS OR SOFTWARE?

		WILLIS
Please try and control yourself Ms CHASE!

		CHASE
We are nine months away from the end of the millennium 
and we don't have any idea what mother is going to do 
to our reactors. Can you just imagine midnight in the 
year 2000 the entire United States of America will 
evaporate in one big nuclear cloud, and all you can 
say is SO!

A level of discussion starts in the audience. Volume increases. 
Willis turns around and addresses one of his staff, a thin short 
Oriental man. He stands up and walks up to 
the podium.

		WILLIS
	(Hits the gavel)
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is DR. KEN WONG CHIEF 
INFORMATION OFFICER of the NRC. I will let the 
best informed expert in the field answer your question.  
		
WONG, a very refined oriental man moves to the Podium.

		CHASE
Dr. WONG, when are you going to update MOTHERS 
operating system?

		WONG
We'll upgrade the System very soon. 

		CHASE
That doesn't tell us squat, Dr. WONG, we need an 
estimated completion date, you know ECD.

		WONG
We plan to update the system
no later than Thanksgiving Weekend.

		CHASE
Why wait that long, Professor WONG, what if 
you have bugs in the new version, you only 
have 30 days to fix it and what if you can't fix it?

WONG, turns around and says something to Willis.

		WONG
Ms. CHASE, we don't expect any problems. 

		CHASE
I don't think any of the Nuclear Reactors will be 
up on midnight year 2000!

Ms. CHASE grabs her portfolio case and walks 
out of the meeting.

				CUT TO:

EXT.  WASINGTON DC HOTEL ROW   RAINY NIGHT

DR. GOETZ is seen getting out of his cab and heading 
for the hotel lobby. CANDICE CHASE is waiting for him, 
under the bus shelter close by. She see's him, and runs 
over, getting soaking wet in the rain. 

		CHASE
George!

GOETZ turns, looks up, see's Candy CHASE.

		CHASE
Hello Stranger.
			
He holds her arm, happy to see her, with a quick 
look around him.

		GOETZ
Quick, lets get out of the rain.

		CHASE
Where can we talk?

		GOETZ
Let's go into the lobby, and 
find a quiet corner where we 
can talk.

				CUT TO:



EXT.  DIABLO CANYON REACTOR ONE - CALIFORNIA
EXT.  MASTER CONTROL ROOM
Two Nuclear Scientists are meeting in a conference room. 
DR. MOSS MORRISON manager of reactor one and
DR. BRANT JILLIAN manager of reactor two.

		MORRISON
More bad news, Dr. WONG still hasn't brought 
Mother off line!

		JILLIAN (V.O.)
No kidding, have you heard the Latest about MOTHER.

		MORRISON 
I'm afraid to ask. 

		JILLIAN (V.O.)
The day before the Thanksgiving Holidays we have to provide a 
dump of our operating system and it has to match a mirrored
dump done two days later after they do the fix. 

		MORRISON
Yes, I know about that.
(He cringes)

		JILLIAN (V.O.)
Hell, if you don't do it Moss, they'll pull your license. 
They've been working on this system for over seven years.
And now when they're finally getting around to making 
MOTHERS UNIX SYSTEMS Y2K ready and at the last 
minute, go back to a test done three years ago? It doesn't
make sense!

JILLIAN covers his face in a panic look

				CUT TO:

EXT.  DIABLO CANYON REACTOR ONE - CALIFORNIA
EXT.  MASTER CONTROL ROOM
INT.   CONFERENCE ROOM

Seated. Moss MORRISON, Brant JILLIAN, Greeting
Candy CHASE.

		MORRISON
Welcome Candice, but why do you
want to move to California.

		CHASE		
I've lived in Illinois all of my entire life, and it was
time for a WONGe, besides the fact that I sometimes 
wished that I didn't live in my late fathers shadow.

		MORRISON
The great T.T. CHASE. What would this industry be 
without his efforts in safety and procedure.
Who knows what would have happened if he 
had not stepped in at 3 mile.

Suddenly, the sound of a klaxon breaks the silence,
it gets louder, the door to the conference room 
opens  the room shakes Red Alert Lights, and 
Audio Signals commence.

		MORRISON
Shit, what now!.

In runs Saul Marks, the operations supervisor.

		MORRISON
Yes, Saul what's happening ?

		MARKS
Moss, Brant, Mother just pulled SIX control rods, 
and Reactor 1 is shutting down, as we speak.

Brant and Moss look at each other, eyes wide open.
MORRISON picks up the red phone on the table and 
press's a button. The room shakes again.

		JILLIAN
It felt like something just tripped the intake 
pumps.

		MORRISON
How much time do we have?

		MARKS
We have about 10 minutes to 
save her before she shuts
down the reactor core.

		MORRISON
	(looking sick)
Ten minutes, grab your hat, lets get down there.

Candy see's them scrambling for hard hats, and 
she address's MORRISON.

		CHASE
Can I go?

		MORRISON
Sure, Get her a hat that 
fits, She's Hired!

INT: DIABLO ONE OPERATIONS ROOM

MORRISON gets off the wall phone on the engineering floor. 
CHASE and MARKS are studying the schematics.

		MORRISON
That was the NRC and they've given me a lame excuse on why
they pulled rods on Reactor One. Listen to this, they said
there was a spike in the CON-EDISON NORTHEASTERN 
POWER TIE.  Yeah right!

MORRISON throws his hard hat across the room, 
bouncing on the freshly polished tile floor. 

		JILLIAN
Who did that come from?

		MORRISON
Dr.  WONG. MOTHER shuts down my Reactor 
and it's blamed on CON EDISON!

MORRISON grapples with this, holds the back of 
his neck, finding the whole explanation difficult 
to accept. The room starts to shake again and 
all the red lights and klaxons are going off a 
second time.

		MORRISON
Where the hell did that come from?

		JILLIAN
I'm on it, (A beat.).
	(He scans through a few screens)
Something just tripped the outtake valves! 

MORRISON picks ups the red phone on the desk 
and punches a code he then asks for a code 
yellow alert.
				
		MORRISON
Saul, what's happening to the pumps.

		MARKS
Mother tripped the out-take pumps!
We're trying to bring them up now.


		MORRISON
How much time do we have?

		MARKS
If we don't get them started in the next fifteen minutes, 
we'll have to shut down the reactor!

MORRISON slams the phone down and gets a sick look
on his face.

		JILLIAN
How much time do we have?

		MORRISON
	(Looking very sick)
Fifteen minutes, and no time to Loose!

MORRISON, JILLIAN  and CHASE are talking to MARKS
all are looking at blueprints. 

		MORRISON
Brant, see if you can help Saul! Candy, do you know
anything about Westinghouse Reactors?

		CHASE
Do I know anything about Westinghouse reactors?

		MORRISON
	(Cuts in)
Well, as you can see we're Manually trying to start
the pumps, to avoid further disaster any way we can
override using the shutdown override? I've already signed 
on with my password so go for it!

CHASE unfolds the other drawings and finds a DOG
EAR'D one. She spreads it out and follow lines 
and diagrams with her fingers. She sits down at
the computer monitor and keyboard.

		CHASE
Let me see what we can do! Ok, Main Turbine Generator 
Rated Output 1106 MWE, Ultimate Heat Sink, Supply to
Main Turbine Condenser, Pacific Ocean Ultimate Heat 
Sink , Supply to ECCS Service Water System  Pacific Ocean 
PWR Type, 4-loop, Westinghouse Turbine Generator, 
Arch Westinghouse and PG&E.

She pulls another drawing with the upper edge marked in red.

		CHASE  (Cont.)
Containment-Large Dry @ 47 PSIG's Steam Generator Model, U-Tube
Westinghouse Model 51, Steam GENS 4, Number of Main Steam
Isolation Valves, 4.

MORRISON is totally amazed at the knowledge CHASE
has about Westinghouse reactors. She runs 
keyboard and monitor like she was connected 
to the operating systems. 

		CHASE
Lets see Fuel rods, 193, Number
Fuel Rods per Assembly 264, Type
of Fuel Cladding Material, 
Zirconium.

		MORRISON
Well, what do you think, we have about five minutes before we 
have to dump it! Are you proficient in UNIX and core
control systems?

		CHASE
Am I proficient? Here we go, Chemical and Volume Control 
System. 

She types in some access commands. 

		CHASE (Cont.)
Centrifugal Pumps, two, Positive Displacement Pumps, one. 
Ok, almost there. Pump Flow Rate, 150 gallons per minute 
at 2510 pressure per square inch and 98 GPM at 2510
PSID with High Head Safety!

She continues to type in control commands. 

		MORRISON
Module three has the Injection System.

		CHASE
	(really revving)
Two Pumps, CVCS Centrifugal - Charging the Pumps, Flow Rate,
150 GPM at 2510 PSID! Its Clicking! Check Line!

Dr. JILLIAN and Dr. Marks head to MORRISON. They
are amazed at the way Candy is pumping the 
keyboard.

		CHASE (Cont.)
Pump Shutoff Head, 2565 PSID. Hold It Ok, now slow 
the intermediate head, safety injection systems-Up. 
Pumps Two - Six. Flow Rate, 425 GPM at 1085 PSID. 
OK  HERE WE GO PUMP SHUTOFF HEAD, ON!

A loud hum is heard, a klaxon shrikes and the room 
starts to vibrate. Brant and Marks get edgy, 
MORRISON stays calm, and gets a twinkle in his eye!
		CHASE
Ok, PSID 300, 350, 400, 600. What's this, it's asking for
an override pass word. She looks around the room 
and Dr. Marks speaks up.

		MARKS
The pass word is PLEASE.

		CHASE
Oh, that's original.

She types it in and waits, everyone looks on.

		CHASE
Dr. Marks, are you sure! Is it case sensitive?

		MARKS
Yes, it is, I'm sorry. All upper case! 
				
		CHASE
Ok guys, this is where they separate the men 
from the boys! 
		

		CHASE
MAINWATER FEEDER. (A beat.) Rock 
and roll it took it! Ok, up we go,
800, 900, 1100 OK were holding at
1520 PSID! Both Low Head Injection
System Pumps 3000 GPM at 155 PSID,
Pump Shutoff Head at less than 165
PSIG. 

Green lights start coming on all the panels in the 
control room. The crew is jumping up and down 
and yelling. (panic)

		CHASE (cont.)
Ok, now the Residual Heat Removal
System, RHR and LHI Pumps STAT.

She looks over at MARKS to do his part.

		CHASE (Cont.)
Yes, both Pumps at Shutoff Head
And Intermediate Head OK! 

MARKS Confirms-with a Nod,

		CHASE (Cont.)
MAIN FEED-WATER CONDENSATE. 
All three Pumps We're rocking
and rolling. Now CONDENSATE
BOOSTER. All Pumps ok!

Sound of Pumps Cranking Up. Pan on all the scientists 
faces and see the pure admiration of this performance 
by this young lady.

		CHASE
Both pumps on and Startup Feed
water, check. Start up auxiliary,
both Pumps ok. Decay Heat Aux.
Feed water Supply Source, ok! 
WERE UP AND RUNNING!!

		JILLIAN 
	(Confirms the Screens)
Containment, Dry, 47 PSIG. Steam
Generator, U-Tube, Steam Through
Line Moving into Vacuum 1-6 at
4200 BTU's, Isolation Valve Steam.

The three men look convinced that everything is back 
under control, they glance over at Candy CHASE with 
high professional admiration.

					CUT TO:

		GO TO CHAPTER TWO