This is a scene-by-scene description of the play, with illustrations by Heikki Vuorramnaa we get them.
THIS PAGE IS IN PROCESS - READ AT YOUR PERIL (i.e. the story may not yet be complete!)

See Act One for a description of what my (DHC) strategy is in creating this kind of synopsis.
SKETCH INDICATIONS are for the artist who is working on the sketches.
If you come back later (OK, maybe not later today), you'll see what he's
drawn based on the scenes, the lyrics and my descriptions!

It's Saturday morning, and Pete, Sheila and a group of Zeros lounge in Molly's livingroom, watching Saturday morning cartoons. Molly's out. Ned didn't come home last night. The gossip is that Ned spent the night with Octavia.

"How could Octavia fall for a nuclear arms entrepreneur?" Adele laughs. "Come on, she's just doing it for the publicity."

"No," says Pete, "I think she really likes him. Ned can turn on the charm when he wants to."

"Come on," Terry laughs, "she's just pumping him for information."

"Oh, who knows?" says Sheila, totally exasperated. "It's all so crazy. Life used to be simple."

"Things were either right or wrong." Pete agrees.

[Music begins for #17 Motorola]

"Black or white!" shouts Sheila, jumping up!

"Now everything's 'economically feasible'" yells Terry, jumping onto the coffee table.

"Politically viable!" shouts Adele, standing on a chair.

"In the interests of National Security," Pete chimes in, leaping to join Sheila.

"What about MY security, " Sheila whoops. "Boy, I wish I could go back and live in the reruns!"

MUSIC CUE: #17 Motorola [Audio

"Hey, it's time for Space Girl reruns!" Terry yells. And the Zeros all leap back to their seats in front of the TV.

Suddenly the door flies open and Molly steps into the room. She's already stressed and unhappy and with one look at the mayhem in her livingroom, she completely blows up. She orders everyone one and she and Pete start arguing about Sheila.

"You were fine before you started seeing her.," Molly taunts.

"Great. Blame it on Sheila. The only thing she did was give me the confidence to say what I believe to you." Pete retorts. "What happened to you Mollly? You used to be so hip. You used to have your own knapsack. We used to be so close."

"Oh great. This guy's giving me lectures about closeness and he's running off to hole up somewhere in the middle of nowhere."

"At least I admit I'm running away. You already ran away – two million light years inside yourself. And, hey, you know what? You're not so safe in that shelter of Ned's. You know what happens when the bomb drops? It's so hot it starts to suck all the air out of the earth. And that's where you're going to be. Sucking for air in some black hole."

"Who told you that charming fact? Miss Zero IQ?"

"Yeah, Mo, try to convince yourself, 'Better Ned than Dead.' but it's the same difference." He gets up, grabs his jacket and heads to the door. "Where IS Ned anyway? Oh, I forgot, politics makes strange bedfellows. Maybe Ned found a woman with blood in her veins. Maybe YOU should watch Space Girl. You might remember something about what you used to believe in." And he storms out the door.

Molly collapses on the couch and drops her head in her hands.

MUSIC CUE: We hear an echo of Octavia's voice singing:

"One day, something inside you,
Somehow bursts in your head,
Yearns to be heard, begs to be said..."

Molly responds, singing sadly:
"Close your eyes and you feel it.
Touch my hand and it's there.
Hold my breath and I will need it."
(spoken) I need it ....

And the lights fade...

[SKETCH - Pete and Molly fight]

AUDIO [no audio yet]

Early that evening, Pete finds Sheila outside the club. She seems glum. He sits beside her on the stoop and they look at the stars.

"Nice night." Sheila muses. "I sure like being here. It's real pretty here, even though it's the city. Listen. Crickets. I love the sound of crickets. Makes me feel like I might really be alive."

"Course you're alive!" Pete laughs.

"Yeah, I know. But I forget," Sheila sighs. "I sure miss my grandma's house. I used to hear crickets there. And the train whistle. Lonesome and sweet. Yeah, I know it's a cliche. But it is lonesome and sweet. I miss my Grandma. I remember when my Grandma died. I guess I almost felt closer to her then than I ever did before. I felt her sort of roll into my heart. It's like she became a part of me when she died. My, there sure was a lot of people at her funeral.

"Oh, funerals. Bummer man. I hate funerals. I'd rather just get eaten by a tiger."

"I love funerals! And you could have a funeral even if you did get eaten by a tiger. I love funerals. I love singing those hymns. I love all the good things they say about people. I love how everybody tries to help everybody else. And everybody feels like it's OK to be emotional. I want a great big funeral!"

"You LIKE all that?" Pete, looks at her.

"Yeah – it makes me feel like part of somethin' that's gonna keep goin' on."

MUSIC CUE: Who Will Mourn Me [Audio]

The lights fade on Pete and Sheila kissing on the stoop. As they fade, we hear the sound of a television announcer's voice announcing the next episode of Space Girl.

As the voice continues, the lights rise on Molly's apartment. She's fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV. On the TV, we see Octavia in a Space Girl outfit, battling cartoon enemies. Like most superheros, she speaks her lines in between daring acts of physical prowess.

(Announcer's voice) "When we left Space Girl last week, the world was poised on the eve of destruction.

Molly stirs in her sleep, "Space Girl," she mumbles, "save me!"

Space Girl whacks a drooling gila monster and shouts out of the TV set, "Oh go save yourself, you little wimp."

Molly, rises from the couch in her sleep, "But YOU'RE the hero!"

"Be your own hero!" Space Girl yells, pulling out her sword and stabbing a huge red blob, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"But the world's a mess," Molly whines.

"This is news?" Space Girl counters. "It's always been a mess. Thanks for finally noticing."

"But I don't know what to do!" Molly cries. "Space Girl, please!! I need you!"

Space Girl kicks a silver razor-handed robot into outerspace, then turns to Molly and shakes her head.
OK, listen Molly ...

MUSIC CUE: One Day / Something [Audio - no audio yet]

Molly wakes up with a bang from her Space Girl dream, and sits upright on the couch. "I have to stop Ned!" she cries, jumps up, grabs her coat and runs out the door.

[SKETCH: Molly beggin Space Girl for heop, or Octavia as Space Girl battling robots -- mostly because I'd love to see what Heikki's robots would look like ... although actually I'd love to see any type of monster Heikki would draw]

Meanwhile, back at the club, Octavia & Ned and all the Zeros are dancing. Behind them looms a huge multicolored missile, like a prop from the Macy's Day parade. Octavia and Ned waltz as if they were Ginger and Fred and the bomb were a fountain in Rome. They are dressed in tuxedo and gown. The Zeros waltz, too, but they all weary gauzy shrouds and their faces are covered by faceless grey masks.

MUSIC CUE: "Tell Me Your Nightmares Reprise" [Audio - no audio yet]

As the song builds, Ned sings:
I dreamt that it finally happened
The song of the sirens filled the air.
I dreamt that it finally happened
And you and I were there.

I dreamt that it finally happened!
We were there! You and I!
And just as I took you into my arms,
The burst and rush of clouds filled the sky!
No more waiting!
FINALLY, FINALLY NOW!

The Zeros begin to file forward, each with their own tale of nightmare:
"I dreamt that it finally happened. The bomb is about to drop ...
"I dreamt about evacuation ...
"I dreamt that I was running with hundreds of people ...
Together they tell a tale of horror and annihilation. From different parts of the stage, they converge into one huddled mass, until one small voice speaks: "I dreamt I crawled into a basement, alone, praying to die..."

MUSIC CUE: "Paradise Awaits Them" [Audio - no audio yet]

As if it were a lullabye, or a hushed love song, Octavia and Ned sing:
"Paradise awaits them when they rise out of the darkness after the end
Fresh new day no on to harm us, brand new world, no one to spoil it, after the end."

The song builds from a tender lullaby,and at it's deafening crescendo, Ned yells: "I can't wait any longer! Tell them to drop the big one now!"

In slow motion, the Zeros fall, one on top of the other, until they are a huge pile of shrouds with Ned and Octavia twirling in the spotlight.

Suddenly Molly appears at the door to the club, out of breath from running. She sees the pile of shrouds and Ned in Octavia's arms and shrieks, "Ned! Octavia! What did you do to these people??? You said we'd never use the bomb!"

"Molly!" Ned runs to her.

"You killed them! The two of you killed them!" Molly shrieks.

"Molly, it's just a game," Ned cries. "A war game. An enactment. It's not real."

"It IS real!" Molly screams and moving to the pile of Zeros, she touches them. "They're not just zeros. They're real people. Their deaths should be important."

MUSIC CUE: "When the End Comes" [Audio]

Slowly the Zeros and Octavia slink away, leaving Ned, Pete and Molly.

Ned, Pete & the bomb are alone in the Zero Club. Slowly, Molly turns and walks to the huge bomb on the cabaret stage and steps inside it. Ned and Pete watch, as if in a trance, and only seem to wake up when she disappears. Then then both rush up to the bomb.

"Molly," Ned says, with the tight sound of a voice nearly out of control, "come out of that bomb."

"Molly, please come out," Pete adds.

Silence from Molly.

"You'll get stuck in there, Mo," Pete sings to her. "Olly Olly Oxen Free. Come out, come out wherever you are."

"Sweetheart, darling," says Ned. "Dont you want to come stand by Ned during his big press conference? Why don't you come out HERE to wait for the big one to fall, darling?"

"Crap!" says Pete. "How am I going to get her on the plane if she's inside that thing."

"She's not getting on a plane. She's staying here." says Ned.

"Says who?" Pete retorts.

"Molly is my secretary! She can't leave without two weeks written notice. Bomb or no bomb, she's in the office Monday morning at 8 AM sharp."

"This bomb's gonna be in a pressurized luggage compartment of a 747 Sunday night, buddy," Pete says, shoving Ned.

"Hey! Don't get physical, buster." Ned shoves back. "Look, if you don't back off, I'm gonna push a button that blows you to --"

"REQUIEM!!" Suddenly Octavia's voice fills the room. "REQUIEM!"

With the Zeros following, she enters like a high priestess singing ....

MUSIC CUE: Requiem [Audio]

This takes us to the end of a single moment. Like the experience of your life flashing before you in a single moment, this play is what flashed through me one moment in 1981 when I waited at a crosswalk in New York City, looked down and saw a stencil the real Zero Club had painted on the sidewalk. It think it said, "Five Miles to Ground Zero - this way for Megatons of Fun." The humor, the despair, the comaraderie, the hope, the hopelessness, the desire to escape, the fantasy that I could be strong enough to withstand Armageddon -- everything I tried to write in this play flashed through me in that moment, and at the end of that flash, I ended where this play ends now.

But this can't be the end.

The writing of this play is what moved me from hopelessness and isolation to action. My fear unfroze in that moment and this play was the torent that poured out. Through it, I learned that hope for me is in the expression and sharing of my fear. I don't have an answer for how to fix the world, I only know I've found one way to be part of it, to melt my own fear. I can only tell you my way - the way Octavia told Molly:

Absolute Now -- Absolute Here
Absolutely positively bright and shining clear

Starting with you, starting with now,
Starting this moment you start to know how.

All of the rest fades from your view - All of a sudden you're absolutely you.
Absolutely Now, this is where your life can start.
Absolutely here with you - this time live it from the heart.

MUSIC CUE: Absolute Now [Audio]