Rossum´s Universal Robots (10 page)

Domin
Rossum’s manuscript?

Busman
That’s right. “And this piece of paper,” I’ll say to them, “tells us all about your great origins, your noble manufacture, and so on. My dear robots, without the scribbles on this piece of paper you will be unable to make a single new robot to keep you company: in twenty years, if you don’t mind my saying so, you will die out like flies. And that would be such a terrible pity for you. I’ll tell you what,” I’ll say to them, “why don’t you let all of us people here on Rossum’s island get onto that boat. In exchange, we’ll let you buy the factory and the whole island from us, and even include the secret of your manufacture. Let us sail away, in the peace of God, and we’ll let you, in the peace of God, continue manufacturing yourselves-twenty thousand, fifty thousand, a hundred thousand or more of you every day. My dear robots, this is a fair deal that I’m putting to you. Something for something.” That is what I would say to them, lads.

Domin
And do you really think we should let the secret of production out of our hands?

Busman
I do. And if not for good, then, er... Either we sell it to them or they find it here. However you like.

Domin
We could destroy Rossum’s manuscript, though.

Busman
Dear me, yes, we could destroy everything, not just the manuscript but ourselves as well and many other things. You should do as you think fit.

Hallemeier
(
turning back from window
) Damn it, he’s right, you know.

Domin
To actually sell them the means of production?

Busman
As you like.

Domin
There are... there are more than thirty people here on the island. We can either sell the robots the means of production and save those human souls, or we can destroy it and... it along with ourselves and everything.

Helena
Harry, please...

Domin
Wait, Helena. We’re talking about a serious matter here. What do you think, lads, to sell it or destroy it? Fabry?

Fabry
Sell it.

Domin
Gall.

Dr. Gall
Sell.

Domin
Hallemeier.

Hallemeier
Well for God’s sake of course we should sell it!

Domin
Alquist.

Alquist
The will of God.

Busman
Haha, dear me, you’re all mad! Why would anyone sell the whole manuscript?

Domin
Let’s not become liars, Busman!

Busman
(
jumping up
) Nonsense! For the sake of mankind the...

Domin
It’s in the interest of mankind to be honest.

Hallemeier
I should hope so too.

Domin
Lads, this is a tremendous step we’re taking. We’ll selling the fate of mankind; whoever holds the secret of production in his hand will be the master of the world.

Fabry
Sell it!

Domin
Mankind would never be free of the robots, it would never be possible to regain control of them...

Dr. Gall
Just stop all this and sell the manuscript!

Domin
The end of human history, the end of civilisation...

Hallemeier
Damnation, just sell it!

Domin
Alright lads! I myself,.... I wouldn’t hesitate a moment; for those people who I love....

Helena
Harry, is it me you’re asking?

Domin
No, that would be too much responsibility. This isn’t something for a girl like you.

Fabry
Who’ll be the one to negotiate...?

Domin
Wait. Just wait while I get the manuscript. (
exit left
)

Helena
Harry, please no, don’t go in there!

(
pause
)

Fabry
(
looking out window
) To escape from you, thousand headed death; from you, destroyed material and mindless hordes; the flood, the flood, mankind is once again to be saved on a single ship.

Dr. Gall
You needn’t worry, Helena; we’ll sail far away from here and establish a colony that will be better than any other; we can make a new beginning...

Helena
Oh, Gall, do be quiet!

Fabry
(
turning back
) Helen, life is worth living; and if it’s up to us we will... we’ll do something that we’ve so far been neglecting. Just one boat to start with, and then a little farm; Alquist can build us a house and you can be in charge over all of us. You’re so full of much love, so much life...

Hallemeier
I should say so.

Busman
Well I, for one, would certainly be happy to start all over again. Everything simple, a pastoral life just like the Old Testament. All that peace, all that fresh air...

Fabry
Our farm would give birth to a new mankind. A little island where the human race would start again, where it would gather new strength, strength of body and of soul. And God knows, as I believe myself, that after a few years we could reclaim the world.

Alquist
You’re a believer now, are you?

Fabry
I’m a believer, now. And I believe man will reclaim the world and become, once again, the lord of the land and the sea; that He will give rise to countless numbers of heroes who will lead the way out into the world with a soul that blazes with light. I believe, Alquist, that He will once again dream of conquering the planets and the suns.

Busman
Amen. So you see, Helena, the situation isn’t really all that bad.

(
Domin throws open door and enters
)

Domin
(
rasping
) Where is old Rossum’s manuscript?!

Busman
It’s in your safe. Where else would it be?

Domin
What’s happened to old Rossum’s manuscript?! Who’s... stolen it?

Dr. Gall
That’s not possible!

Hallemeier
Hell no! That’s just....

Busman
Dear Lord, that can’t be right!

Domin
Who stole it?

Helena
(
standing
) I did.

Domin
Where did you put it?

Helena
Harry, Harry, I’ll tell you everything! Oh God, please forgive me!

Domin
Where did you put it? Quickly!

Helena
I burned them. This morning. Both copies.

Domin
You burned them? Here in this fireplace?

Helena
(
throws herself down on knees
) Oh God, Harry!

Domin
(
runs to fireplace
) Burned it! (
kneels at fireplace and rakes it over with poker
) Nothing, there’s nothing here but ashes! Ah, here’s something! (
pulls out charred piece of paper, and reads
) “... and add... “

Dr. Gall
Let me see it. (
takes paper and reads
) “... and add the biogene to....”, and that’s all.

Domin
(
standing
) Nothing else?

Dr. Gall
Nothing.

Busman
God almighty!

Domin
We’ve had it, then.

Helena
Oh, Harry

Domin
Stand up, Helena!

Helena
Forgive me first, please forgive me...

Domin
Yes, just stand up, d’you hear me? I can’t stand it when...

Fabry
(
lifting her up
) Please, don’t torture us.

Helena
(
standing
) Harry, what have I done?!

Domin
Yes, you’ll see.-Please sit down.

Hallemeier
Your hands are really shaking!

Busman
Haha, well Helena, maybe Gall and Hallemeier will know what the manuscript said by heart.

Hallemeier
Course we do. Well, a few things at least.

Dr. Gall
Yes, almost all of it, apart from the biogene and, er, and the omega enzyme. It was so infrequent that those things had to be made, they were only used in tiny quantities...

Busman
Who was it who made them?

Dr. Gall
That was me... once in a while... always following Rossum’s manuscript. You see, it was very complicated.

Busman
Well, never mind, were those two materials really so important.

Hallemeier
Well, somewhat... certainly they were.

Dr. Gall
What he means is that it depended on them whether the robots lived at all. They were the actual secret.

Domin
Gall, do you not think you could re-write Rossum’s formula from memory?

Dr. Gall
Out of the question.

Domin
Gall, try hard to remember! All our lives depend on it!

Dr. Gall
I couldn’t do it. Without a lot of experimentation it just wouldn’t be possible.

Domin
And what if you did some experiments?

Dr. Gall
That could take years. And even then... I’m not old Rossum.

Domin
(
turning to fireplace
) Down there, then, down there is the greatest triumph of the human spirit. That heap of ashes. (
kicks it
) So what do we do now?

Busman
(
in horror and despair
) God almighty! God almighty!

Helena
(
standing
) Harry! What... what have I done?!

Domin
Calm down, Helena. Just tell me why! Why did you burn it?

Helena
I’ve killed you all!

Busman
God almighty, we’ve had it!

Domin
Be quiet, Busman! Helena, tell me why you did it!

Helena
I wanted.. I wanted us to get away from here, all of us! So that there wouldn’t be any more factory or anything else... so that everything would be... It was horrible!

Domin
Helena, what was?

Helena
Making... making people like sterile flowers!

Domin
I don’t understand what you’re saying.

Helena
People have stopped having children... Harry, that was so vile! If we continued making robots then no-one would have any children any more... Nana said it was a punishment... all of them, all of them said they can’t have children because there were so many robots... And that’s why..., that’s why,... do you hear me?

Domin
Helena, what were you thinking of?

Helena
Yes, oh, Harry, I only meant it for the best!

Domin
(
wiping sweat
) We all only meant it for the best, too much for the best, all of mankind.

Fabry
You were quite right, Helena. Now the robots won’t be able to increase. They’ll die out. In twenty years...

Hallemeier
... not a one of them will be good for anything at all

Dr. Gall
And mankind will remain. In twenty years’ time the world will belong to them once more; even if there’s nothing more than a few savages on a tiny island...

Fabry
... that will be a beginning. And any beginning is better than nothing. In a thousand years they’ll have caught up with us again, and then go on further than we ever did...

Domin
... and fulfill the dreams we’ve only ever talked about.

Busman
Wait-how silly of me! Dear me, why didn’t I think of this before?

Hallemeier
What is it?

Busman
Five hundred and twenty million in cash and in cheques! Half a billion in the till! For half a billion they’ll sell... they’ll sell...

Dr. Gall
Have you gone mad, Busman?

Busman
I’m not a gentleman. But for half a billion (
blunders left
)

Domin
Where are you going?

Busman
Leave it, leave it! Mother of God, for half a billion you can buy anything! (
exit
)

Helena
What does Busman want? Why can’t he stay here with us?

(
pause
)

Hallemeier
Oh, it’s hot. It’s starting, the...

Dr. Gall
The agony.

Fabry
(
looking out of window
) They’re standing there like statues. It’s as if they were waiting for something to descend on them, or as if they thought their very silence would give rise to something terrible...

Dr. Gall
Crowd mentality.

Fabry
Maybe. It’s like a cloud all around them, they seem to quiver with it.

Helena
(
goes to window
) Oh God! Fabry, it’s horrible!

Fabry
There’s nothing more terrible than the crowd. That one in front-he’s their leader.

Helena
Which one?

Hallemeier
(
goes to window
) Point him out to me.

Fabry
The one that’s looking down. He was giving the orders at the harbour this morning.

Hallemeier
Ah, the one with the big bonce, you mean. He’s looking up now, see?

Helena
Gall, that’s Radius!

Dr. Gall
(
goes to window
) Yes.

Hallemeier
(
opens window
) I don’t like the look of him. Fabry, think you could hit a barn door at a hundred paces?

Fabry
I should hope so.

Hallemeier
Give it a try then!

Fabry
Alright. (
takes out revolver and takes aim
)

Helena
Oh God, no! Fabry, don’t shoot him...

Fabry
He’s their leader.

Helena
Stop it! He’s even looking at us!

Dr. Gall
Shoot him!

Helena
Fabry, please...

Fabry
(
lowers revolver
) As you say.

Hallemeier
(
shaking fist
) You bastard!

(
pause
)

Fabry
(
leaning out of window
) There goes Busman. For God’s sake, what’s Busman doing there out in front of the house?

Dr. Gall
(
leaning out of window
) He’s got some kind of bundles with him, paper or something.