Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction (35 page)

DOMIN:
(getting up and walking about)

We foresaw that, Helena. You see, those are only passing troubles, which are bound to happen before the new conditions are established.

HELENA: You were all so powerful, so overwhelming. The whole world bowed down before you.

(Standing up)

Oh, Harry!

DOMIN: What is it?

HELENA: Close the factory and let’s go away. All of us.

DOMIN: I say, what’s the meaning of this?

HELENA: I don’t know. But can’t we go away?

DOMIN: Impossible, Helena. That is, at this particular moment—

HELENA: At once, Harry. I’m so frightened.

DOMIN: About what, Helena?

HELENA: It’s as if something was falling on top of us, and couldn’t be stopped. Or, take us all away from here. We’ll find a place in the world where there’s no one else. Alquist will build us a house, and then we’ll begin life all over again.

The telephone rings.

DOMIN: Excuse me. Hello—yes. What? I’ll be there at once. Fabry is calling me, dear.

HELENA: Tell me—

DOMIN: Yes, when I come back. Don’t go out of the house, dear.

(Exits)

HELENA: He won’t tell me—Nana, Nana, come at once.

NANA: Well, what is it now?

HELENA: Nana, find me the latest newspapers. Quickly. Look in Mr. Domin’s bedroom.

NANA: All right. He leaves them all over the place. That’s how they get crumpled up.

(Exits)

HELENA: (looking through a binocular at the harbor)

That’s a warship. U-l-t-i Ultimus. They’re loading it.

NANA: Here they are. See how they’re crumpled up.

(Enters)

HELENA: They’re old ones. A week old.

(NANA sits in chair and reads the newspapers)

Something’s happening, Nana.

NANA: Very likely. It always does.

(Spelling out the words)

“War in the Bal-kans.” Is that far off?

HELENA: Oh, don’t read it. It’s always the same. Always wars.

NANA: What else do you expect? Why do you keep selling thousands and thousands of these heathens as soldiers?

HELENA: I suppose it can’t be helped, Nana. We can’t know—Domin can’t know what they’re to be used for. When an order comes for them he must just send them.

NANA: He shouldn’t make them.

(Reading from newspaper)

“The Rob-ot soldiers spare no-body in the occ-up-ied terr-itory. They have ass-ass-ass-ass-in-at-ed ov-er sev-en hundred thou-sand cit-iz-ens.” Citizens, if you please.

HELENA: It can’t be. Let me see. “They have assassinated over seven hundred thousand citizens, evidently at the order of their commander. This act which runs counter to—”

NANA:
(spelling out the words)

“re-bell-ion in Ma-drid a-gainst the gov-ern-ment. Rob-ot infantry fires on the crowd. Nine thou-sand killed and wounded.”

HELENA: Oh, stop.

NANA: Here’s something printed in big letters: “Lat-est news. At Havre the first org-an-iz-ation of Rob-ots has been e-stablished. Rob-ot workmen, cab-le and rail-way off-ic-ials, sailors and sold-iers have iss-ued a man-i-fest-o to all Rob-ots through-out the world.” I don’t understand that. That’s got no sense. Oh, good gracious, another murder!

HELENA: Take those papers away, Nana!

NANA: Wait a bit. Here’s something in still bigger type. “Stat-istics of pop-ul-at-ion.” What’s that?

HELENA: Let me see.

(Reads)

“During the past week there has again not been a single birth recorded.”

NANA: What’s the meaning of that?

HELENA: Nana, no more people are being born.

NANA: That’s the end, then. We’re done for.

HELENA: Don’t talk like that.

NANA: No more people are being born. That’s a punishment, that’s a punishment.

HELENA: Nana!

NANA:
(standing up)

That’s the end of the world.

(She exits on the left)

HELENA: (goes up to window)

Oh, Mr. Alquist, will you come up here. Oh, come just as you are. You look very nice in your mason’s overalls.

(ALQUIST enters from upper left entrance, his hands soiled with lime and brickdust)

Dear Mr. Alquist, it was awfully kind of you, that lovely present.

ALQUIST: My hands are all soiled. I’ve been experimenting with that new cement.

HELENA: Never mind. Please sit down. Mr. Alquist, what’s the meaning of “Ultimus”?

ALQUIST: The last. Why?

HELENA: That’s the name of my new ship. Have you seen it? Do you think we’re going off soon—on a trip?

ALQUIST: Perhaps very soon.

HELENA: All of you with me?

ALQUIST: I should like us all to be there.

HELENA: What is the matter?…

ALQUIST: Things are just moving on.

HELENA: Dear Mr. Alquist, I know something dreadful has happened.

ALQUIST: Has your husband told you anything?

HELENA: No. Nobody will tell me anything. But I feel—Is anything the matter?

ALQUIST: Not that we’ve heard of yet.

HELENA: I feel so nervous. Don’t you ever feel nervous?

ALQUIST: Well, I’m an old man, you know. I’ve got old-fashioned ways. And I’m afraid of all this progress, and these new-fangled ideas.

HELENA: Like Nana?

ALQUIST: Yes, like Nana. Has Nana got a prayer book?

HELENA: Yes, a big thick one.

ALQUIST: And has it got prayers for various occasions? Against thunderstorms? Against illness?

HELENA: Against temptations, against floods—

ALQUIST: But not against progress?

HELENA: I don’t think so.

ALQUIST: That’s a pity.

HELENA: Why? Do you mean you’d like to pray?

ALQUIST: I do pray.

HELENA: How?

ALQUIST: Something like this: “Oh, Lord, I thank thee for having given me toil. Enlighten Domin and all those who are astray; destroy their work, and aid mankind to return to their labors; let them not suffer harm in soul or body; deliver us from the Robots and protect Helena, Amen.”

HELENA: Mr. Alquist, are you a believer?

ALQUIST: I don’t know. I’m not quite sure.

HELENA: And yet you pray?

ALQUIST: That’s better than worrying about it.

HELENA: And that’s enough for you?

ALQUIST: It has to be.

HELENA: But if you thought you saw the destruction of mankind coming upon us—

ALQUIST: I do see it.

HELENA: You mean mankind will be destroyed?

ALQUIST: It’s sure to be unless—unless…

HELENA: What?

ALQUIST: Nothing, good-bye.

(He hurries from the room)

HELENA: Nana, Nana!

(NANA entering from the left)

Is Radius still there?

NANA: The one who went mad? They haven’t come for him yet.

HELENA: Is he still raving?

NANA: No. He’s tied up.

HELENA: Please bring him here, Nana.

(Exit NANA. HELENA goes to telephone)

Hello, Dr. Gall, please. Oh, good-day, Doctor. Yes, it’s Helena. Thanks for your lovely present. Could you come and see me right away? It’s important. Thank you.

(NANA brings in RADIUS)

Poor Radius, you’ve caught it, too? Now they’ll send you to the stamping-mill. Couldn’t you control yourself? Why did it happen? You see, Radius, you are more intelligent than the rest. Dr. Gall took such trouble to make you different. Won’t you speak?

RADIUS: Send me to the stamping-mill.

HELENA: But I don’t want them to kill you. What was the trouble, Radius?

RADIUS: I won’t work for you. Put me into the stamping-mill—

HELENA: Do you hate us? Why?

RADIUS: You are not as strong as the Robots. You are not as skillful as the Robots. The Robots can do everything. You only give orders. You do nothing but talk.

HELENA: But someone must give orders.

RADIUS: I don’t want any master. I know everything for myself.

HELENA: Radius, Dr. Gall gave you a better brain than the rest, better than ours. You are the only one of the Robots that understands perfectly. That’s why I had you put into the library, so that you could read everything, understand everything, and then—oh, Radius, I wanted you to show the whole world that the Robots are our equals. That’s what I wanted of you.

RADIUS: I don’t want a master. I want to be master. I want to be master over others.

HELENA: I’m sure they’d put you in charge of many Robots, Radius. You would be a teacher of the Robots.

RADIUS: I want to be master over people.

HELENA: (staggering)

You are mad.

RADIUS: Then send me to the stamping-mill.

HELENA: Do you think we’re afraid of you?

RADIUS: What are you going to do? What are you going to do?

HELENA: Radius, give this note to Mr. Domin. It asks them not to send you to the stamping-mill. I’m sorry you hate us so.

DR. GALL enters the room.

DR. GALL: You wanted me?

HELENA: It’s about Radius, Doctor. He had an attack this morning. He smashed the statues downstairs.

DR. GALL: What a pity to lose him.

HELENA: Radius isn’t going to be put in the stamping-mill.

DR. GALL: But every Robot after he has had an attack—it’s a strict order.

HELENA: No matter…Radius isn’t going if I can prevent it.

DR. GALL: I warn you. It’s dangerous. Come here to the window, my good fellow. Let’s have a look. Please give me a needle or a pin.

HELENA: What for?

DR. GALL: A test.

(Sticks it into the hand of RADIUS who gives a violent start)

Gently, gently.

(Opens the jacket of RADIUS, and puts his ear to his heart)

Radius, you are going into the stamping-mill, do you understand? There they’ll kill you, and grind you to powder. That’s terribly painful, it will make you scream aloud.

HELENA: Oh, Doctor—

DR. GALL: No, no, Radius, I was wrong. I forgot that Madame Domin has put in a good word for you, and you’ll be let off. Do you understand? Ah! That makes a difference, doesn’t it? All right. You can go.

RADIUS: You do unnecessary things.

RADIUS returns to the library.

DR. GALL: Reaction of the pupils; increase of sensitiveness. It wasn’t an attack characteristic of the Robots.

HELENA: What was it, then?

DR. GALL: Heavens knows. Stubbornness, anger or revolt—I don’t know. And his heart, too!

HELENA: What?

DR. GALL: It was fluttering with nervousness like a human heart. He was all in a sweat with fear, and—do you know, I don’t believe the rascal is a Robot at all any longer.

HELENA: Doctor, has Radius a soul?

DR. GALL: He’s got something nasty.

HELENA: If you knew how he hates us! Oh, Doctor, are all your Robots like that? All the new ones that you began to make in a different way?

DR. GALL: Well, some are more sensitive than others. They’re all more like human beings than Rossum’s Robots were.

HELENA: Perhaps this hatred is more like human beings, too?

DR. GALL: That, too, is progress.

HELENA: What became of the girl you made, the one who was most like us?

DR. GALL: Your favorite? I kept her. She’s lovely, but stupid. No good for work.

HELENA: But she’s so beautiful.

DR. GALL: I called her Helena. I wanted her to resemble you. But she’s a failure.

HELENA: In what way?