HELENA. It’s as if something was falling on top of us, and couldn’t be stopped. Oh, 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. (_Crosses to telephone on desk up L._) Excuse me. Hello--yes, what? I’ll be there at once. Fabry is calling me, my dear. (_Crosses L._) HELENA. Tell me-- (_She rushes up to him._) DOMIN. Yes, when I come back. Don’t go out of the house, dear. (_Exits L.2._) HELENA. He won’t tell me. (_NANA brings in a water carafe from L.1._) Nana, find me the latest newspapers. Quickly. Look in Mr. Domin’s bedroom. NANA. All right. (_Crosses R._) He leaves them all over the place. That’s how they get crumpled up. (_Continues muttering. Exits R._) HELENA. (_Looking through binoculars at the harbor_) That’s a warship. U-l-t-i--_Ultimus_. They’re loading. NANA. (_Enters R. with newspapers_) Here they are. See how they’re crumpled up. HELENA. (_Crosses down_) They’re old ones. A week old. (_Drops papers. BOTH at front of couch. NANA sits R. of table L.C. Puts on spectacles. Reads the newspapers._) Something’s happening, Nana. NANA. Very likely. It always does. (_Spelling out the words_) “W-a-r in B-a-l-k-a-n-s.” Is that far off? HELENA. Oh, don’t read it. It’s always the same. Always wars! (_Sits on couch._) 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 Robot soldiers spare no-body in the occ-up-ied terr-it-ory. They have ass-ass-ass-inat-ed ov-er sev-en hundred thous-and cit-iz-ens.” Citizens, if you please. HELENA. (_Rises and crosses and takes paper_) It can’t be. Let me see. (_Crossing to NANA_) They have assassinated over seven hundred thousand citizens, evidently at the order of their commander. (_Drops paper; crosses up C._) NANA. (_Spelling out the words from other paper she has picked up from the floor_) “Re-bell-ion in Ma-drid a-gainst the gov-ern-ment. Rob-ot in-fant-ry fires on the crowd. Nine thou-sand killed and wounded.” HELENA. Oh, stop! (_Goes up and looks toward the harbor._) NANA. Here’s something printed in big letters. “Latest news. At Havre the first org-an-iz-a-tion of Rob-ots has been e-stab-lished. Rob-ots work-men, sail-ors 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. (_Up C._) Take those papers away now. NANA. Wait a bit. Here’s something in still bigger type. “Stat-ist-ics of pop-ul-a-tion.” What’s that? HELENA. (_Coming down to NANA_) Let me see. (_Reads_) “During the past week there has again not been a single birth recorded.”