Ten years after the prologue, Domin, Fabry, and Hallemeier enter Helena’s sitting room. They arrange flowers and talk vaguely about problems with robots. When Helena and her nurse Nana enter, the directors leave. Helena and Nana discuss robots having fits and their dislike of and pity for the robots. Domin returns, announces it’s the anniversary of Helena’s arrival, and they—now a married couple—kiss. He gives her gifts from Busman, Fabry, and Gall, and explains that Hallemeier made the flowers. Domin shows Helena his gift—a gunboat outside the window.

Domin says they haven’t gotten mail for a week, and claims to not be worried. Domin and Helena discuss events between the Prologue and the current moment—human workers destroying robots, robots killing people with weapons in defense, and wars fought with robot soldiers run by the governments. Helena wants to run away with the directors. Fabry phones Domin with news that causes him to leave Helena. Domin tells her to not go outside.

Helena sends Nana to find a newspaper, but the only one she can find is a week old. Nana reads about war in the Balkans where robots killed humans. She also reads about how people aren’t being born—there are no human babies.