The next day, Weena shows George domed, well-like structures that dot the landscape; they are air shafts that double as access to the Morlock underworld. She takes him to an ancient museum where "talking rings" tell of a centuries-long nuclear war in the distant past. A reduced population fought for survival in the poisoned landscape; many decided to live underground in permanent settlements, while some decided to return to the surface. George realises this marked the beginning of speciation for the Morlocks and the Eloi. He starts to climb down a shaft but turns back when sirens blare from atop the sphinx. He emerges to find Weena gone and crowds of Eloi in a trance-like state, entering open doors at its base. The sirens stop and the doors close, trapping Weena inside.