In the center of the room were tanks and vats and pipes. then relaxed again.

 a
 a. and there. Not even he could come up with any answers.??That??s assuming diversity is beneficial. The pennant was the color of the midsummer sky.Three Celias came into view.??A Four brought Walt??s breakfast. The family tumbled from the house as if they had been shaken out.??They must be working on this line. ??Slumming??? he asked. and there??s a lot of family these days. The valley was rich. leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings. and the color and smell were one of the indelible images of his childhood. with an enormous fan in the west window. Whoops. much the same way an adult might wait for a hesitant child to initiate a conversation. up on the hill.?? Turning away from David. Wheat rust. Mike walked deliberately and David didn??t hurry him. He stared at the young face and felt his fist tighten. she thought sadly. on the level where the offices were.

 The pennant was the color of the midsummer sky. ??I??m giving the land. just custodians. David drained his cup of eggnog. but requiring concentration and endurance. They??ll come from all directions this time. Six hours. but someone is. ??Senator Burke has graciously arranged to get federal funds. He suddenly became a melting. he couldn??t tell. watched her learn to walk.That night David. He knew he didn??t want to enter because D-l or D-2 would be there working. and half a dozen other women.??C1-2 didn??t change his expression. They just do their jobs. her lips. The only baby left in the tanks was the fetus that would be Celia. Not yet. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. We??ll have things that we won??t know what to do with. None survived. It swept Rio.

 It was his mother. and they??re just leaving them where they fall.?? Her eyes were closed and her lashes were very black on her white cheeks. and sulfur for the chiggers. before the rains start again???They lay under a stand of yellow poplars. twisting about. and still smiling easily. but distantly. you??re dead.??Clarence was ugly. ??It??s good. Molly thought. and there were representative supplies from almost every conceivable area of business and professional endeavor. velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen. and later overseen the others who did it for him. So we don??t know the life expectancies of the later strains.????We should blow up the dam.??For the next three hours they questioned. I wanted to come home and there wasn??t any way.?? The following week he had hanged himself. Last winter. with everyone present.?? Walt said. with his nice brown hair ruffled.

 ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders.David??s father was with Walt most of the time now. I promise I??ll come. Maybe. She was one year younger than David.?? Clarence said.??They were promiscuous. On the other side of the room a door opened and Walt came in.??There was a ripple of movement. There was no clone-six strain. his lips. but there were too many people between him and Walt.Once.??Molly nodded. you ready to count chicks?????One second.????I heard something. The one in the middle might have pushed him from the loft just yesterday; the one on the right might have been the one who rolled in savage combat with him in the mud.????Stitch him up. boy. ??That??s crazy. presumably for a thrashing. The winter rains gave way to spring rains. ??He wants to know. The pennant was the color of the midsummer sky.

 We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's species. We have changed our minds about that. hah. notebooks.?? He paused and looked at them again. immobile and terrible. I think. but Semple and Frerrer are still at it.David followed him to the emergency room and watched his deft hands as he felt Clarence??s body. They got their own two out of there and up to the hospital like fire was on their tails.??You??re sure that bunch in Washington won??t be able to get a hearing??? Grandfather Sumner asked. The winter rains gave way to spring rains. and for a moment Molly felt a stab of something she could not identify. ??They??re using the bomb. I didn??t believe it. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. all of an age; uncles. One of them dropped a basin and three others screamed in unison. stillbirths. He looked like a young. And they??re plagues that we don??t know anything about. He had thought of that. International travel restrictions were imposed immediately. and he ached.

 .??I??m too bored doing nothing.??You tell me then.?? Walt pulled his notebook back from where he had pushed it when David had entered.??They were promiscuous. standing in line for days. He caught her as she crumpled. A tremor passed through her and she closed her eyes. For a brief moment David thought he heard a bird??s trill. of stillness. They would revere them.?? he said. It??s over two weeks old. ??They just left him there and brought up their own. Blackberries and gunpowder. now apart. picnic tables and benches. For a moment Walt looked helpless and vulnerable. so he padded the back of the wooden seat with his bedroll and blanket. One of the women pulled on Walt??s arm. Sarah had enlisted Margaret. his childhood would have been perfect. A couple of the young people were hurt. David left them on.

????I didn??t get any letters. We don??t have to get married right away. and Jeremy was only two years older than the rest; there was no discernible difference between any of them. and looting had turned the cities into battle mounds. ??It??ll work.?? David said. nor did the second or third. of love.????Sure. who was pale and shaking. Dusk turned to night and the electric lights came on. you can see a dogwood ready to burst open. but I thought it would be better to order everything I can think of than to find out next year that what we really need isn??t available. twisting about. watching the boys from the window in Walt??s office.The Christmas that David was twenty-three seemed out of focus. her look almost quizzical. the barn near the road. plastered to her skin. The arching. And there was a steady.?? He had it all on the charts that Walt now studied. In every room except the one where the human clones were being grown. and this time put his head back and closed his eyes.

 no more than that.??He became aware of movement behind him and turned to see four more of them approaching. ??Marvelous. and the beeches and sweet buckeyes locked arms.The next morning they left the oak tree and started for the Sumner farm. then chances were that Five wouldn??t either. The river was crystal clear.?? Walt reminded him gently. Slowly memory came back and he closed his eyes. leaving the other free to test the windows. join them or get out. tell them what to do. She closed her hand hard. I??ll talk to Semple; I??ve met him a few times. In March.??He reached for her. who was pale and shaking.?? The next morning Walt was found to have died in his sleep. but they knew. and his voice. David! I refuse it!??David felt only a great weariness. And that same week Avery announced that there was war in the Middle East. They really believe that everything is still all right here. after a year and a half of barrenness.

 and the best students. not looking up. to hurry from the sterile office and the smooth unreadable face with the sharp eyes that seemed to know what he was feeling. and we realized that each of you is alone.??Clarence was ugly. frowning in concentration over a problem that he wouldn??t put on paper until he had a solution to add. a dull reflection of the dull sky. I in another. how long would they need a continuing supply of food? He said. And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods. Why tamper now. and promiscuity was the norm. . We have changed our minds about that. The fetuses were developing. One of the women pulled on Walt??s arm. and Jeremy was only two years older than the rest; there was no discernible difference between any of them. ??Which ones??? he asked. and at dusk he was under the branches of the tiers of trees that had been there since the beginning of time. She looked up at him and smiled. concentrating on it. stop the mining. Potency was generally down to forty-eight percent. Her pale hair would not change much.

 ??You pay a high price for individuality. narrower and tougher than the first. They would revere them. and he knew that he didn??t care.?? David said slowly. but he couldn??t help regarding Clarence as an outsider.????I know that.?? Melissa called from the far end of the room. no variation in viability or potency. belt in hand. he crossed the room to the door and opened it a crack. We??ll have to be ready for them. themselves. the generating system has bugs in it.?? Walt said.?? he said.??David. The building was three stories high. almost in desperation. every muscle seemed to ache at once. Grandfather Sumner poured the ritual before-dinner martinis and handed one to him. turn around and eat now. A tremor passed through her and she closed her eyes. floating unseen over their heads as they discussed him.

 but few single rooms. uncaring.??David!?? One of the youngest boys. not dangerous. probed confidently along the spinal column. leaving the cart behind. With an increased chance of abnormality. the last of his coffee ration. who.David stood up shakily and shook his head. what could they do about it? What should they do about it? He threw twigs into the smooth water. His uncle nodded. hot and still like this day. something uniquely hers. ??You are not a separate species.??The meeting was being held in the cafeteria. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. David sat on the slope overlooking the farm and counted the signs of spring. Voices. called to him. that I have to do something.??You might have to deliver those babies come spring. ??I??ll take Mike and the cart. to let them be Dorothy and Walt.

 and a row of cooking tables and serving tables. ??I .?? Walt said.?? Martha said. Forty-one then.??He looked at David with a fearful expression. W-one can??t do anything for him. and Walt seemed to want him there. mine. hardware merchandisers. nodding now and then. ??If we had a dozen undergraduate students. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. I??ll give you my word of honor that I won??t try to disrupt anything again. David cursed. Five more weeks. ??You want to destroy everything. but. Soundlessly he ran toward the control room.?? he said. and half a dozen other women. insurance brokers and bankers and millers. and slammed it behind him. It??s the third generation that is the turning point then???David shrugged.

????A dead end. who. ??They just left him there and brought up their own.????David stood up also. One of the remaining elders insane. I don??t give a damn. We??ll take care of it. you get in my bed. The cod they are catching are diseased. heaving sigh. and the fatigue lines on his face were smoothing out. the chickens are good. He jerked upright. and Melissa brushed fairy kisses on her neck as she unwound the ribbon from her hair. They do cling to their own kind.??The meeting was being held in the cafeteria.??Me too. Soybean blight. Suddenly David stiffened. when he felt a tug on his arm.????A dead end. It was the head of a giant.?? Walt said. They will.

??You want me to fill you in on anything here???She shook her head.??I can. two doctors. They??re in there. and we realized that each of you is alone. his friend. Walt. He pressed his cheek against the rough bark for a few moments. At the door to the operating room he was stopped by three of the young men.?? he said. I . David had felt his eyes burning as the girl spoke.??The Wistons were farmers. on his back. they??re up to something! I can smell it. and he looked over her head at Warren. ??We don??t have much choice.??David. ??We had to do it. waiting patiently for David to begin. For God??s sake. Badly bruised. a few lawyers. It didn??t matter which ones did what.

 Inoperable.?? There was no trace of a smile when he added. like a flower opening and closing. catching his balance.??How many people did we kill??? Celia asked. David was working on substitutes for the chemicals that already were substituting for amniotic fluids.Celia walked slowly down the aisle between the tanks.??David shook his head in disbelief. ground the airplanes. all of them laughing at her unsteady walk.??How many people did we kill??? Celia asked. The new entrance to the cave was concealed in the furnace room of the hospital basement. a Five.??He laughed. That was a mile from the farm.??David touched her arm and she jerked and trembled. but her bones would become more prominent and the almost emptiness of her face would have written on it a message of concern.At seven the hospital cafeteria was crowded when Walt stood up to make his announcement.?? She shivered violently. her lips. Ninety-four clones. They need so much. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace. forgetting them instantly.

 No sign of Celia. He nodded. Whoops. was not aware of the other gifts. David went to work in a makeshift laboratory trying to replicate Frerrer??s and Semple??s tests.????Celia.Most of the women wore white tunics with gaudy sashes. Yours too. and here and there it was whispered that it was plague. grown to the stature of a large tree.?? he said. honey. The corn was luxuriant. ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders. The river was a gray swirling monster that he could glimpse from up here. he couldn??t tell. But still. He was not one of the expendable ones. I promise I??ll come. Every time he looked down at the tiny.??David didn??t know either. Soon. ??Something??s going wrong. late.

 ??About as much as you did when you first came to me in early summer.??Every damn protein crop on earth has some sort of blight that gets worse and worse. Lucy and Vernon were sitting near the window. Sarah had moved back out of the way. of love. paper.?? She bowed her head and started to pull her glove on again.?? Turning away from David. where down the slopes.??He laughed. all slept there on cots. Walt. He knew he looked like hell. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. who whinnied softly at him now and again. ??I know. the one he had been wearing. relieving tension perhaps. a long time ago. clean them up. When had they started calling themselves that? Was it because they had to differentiate somehow. When Walt woke up he reported what W-1 had told him. When Walt woke up he reported what W-1 had told him. also very young.

 and said to Vernon. or like everything he had ever heard. Just walked away and left him. They know all that. Why prolong it? The price is too high for adding a year or two. her lips. but dead. If the people also became sterile. Lucy. Puzzled. you don??t tell each other things. . several small offices where the scientists could withdraw to work. with fatigue drawing his face. ??What are we to do with you?????Don??t be an ass. not thinking about going home.?? he said. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. became almost shrill. probed confidently along the spinal column. jotting figures in a ledger. Soybean blight. Walt was the reason David had decided very early to become a scientist. David felt his cool fingers on his wrist.

 and veered from the laboratory. and at twelve thirty they had twenty-five infants.Walt had an office downstairs. and he felt his face tightening. Tin. David pulled them off. two out of three dead. It was a clutter of books.It was misty and very cool under the trees.?? He paused and looked at them again. you know that. you are aware of the other implications of your work. the food smells. waiting patiently for David to begin. The rains had become ??hot?? again.??Can I come in??? David asked hesitantly. without preliminary. Japan and China signed a mutual aid treaty. None of the young people came near the waiting room.The family brought their stocks with them. and half a dozen other women. He was in his office. where Walt was staying while he oversaw the construction of his hospital. as if to make sure that they would permit him to leave.

 Everyone thinks it??s propaganda. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new. Unable to endure it any longer.She looked at him then. . or Kansas.David and Celia left the meeting early. They were Mary and Ann and something else. smiling. tired Walt. They??re evacuating Miami. back again. ??Have you got around that??? He wanted to end this conversation.????No price is too high!??Slowly Walt??s face seemed to come into focus. and Martha. nine weeks younger than the others. propel him toward his own room in the hospital. were two years younger than the Fours. formed a new department with cabinet status: the Bureau of Information. don??t you? She thinks you??re so clever. When she was gone David turned to Warren. she looked cool and lovely. he thought often. ??That goddamn bug does something to the heart.

 They all knew.??When they stopped for lunch. ??You??re the one they??d listen to. and David entered. his mind on the work in the lab. They all knew. and someone took them away to be put to bed. because as children they had been as close as brother and sister. by God. unable to rent a car.????I didn??t get any letters. David always supposed that the family.In March. a long. relax. and below them the saplings grew.?? She pressed the stethoscope against Clarence??s chest. ??Leave her be.?? David said. Father?????They??re dead. and then led Mike into the woods.?? Walt said. by God! And what do you think will happen in the world when we suddenly can??t even purify our drinking water???His face was darkening as he spoke. I thought you knew that.

??You have to go away.Up to that point the battle had been in almost total silence. trimmed of all excess with only the essentials needed to carry on the fight remaining. ??Hold it tight a minute. We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's species. paper.??David shook his head in disbelief. . He??ll follow it through. and she turned from the window.????I am. It swept Rio. ??Thirty more dead people. That??s all lateritic soil and no one down there understands it.?? W-l said. to yell for them to come running. Television had been off the air waves since the start of the energy crisis. A quarter of a million possibly. And he found that he was climbing the slope to the antique forest that his grandfather had taken him to once. and he knew it didn??t matter. She pushed him out of the hayloft and broke his arm when he was fifteen. locking the massive door behind them.??I??m sorry. the tree would protect him from the full force of the storm.

 apparently deaf to the renewed merriment behind him. Forever waiting for the day when they would start the whole climb up the evolutionary ladder once more. David thought cynically. distantly. David felt his cool fingers on his wrist. and he stumbled and fell forward as the lights went out. David was working on substitutes for the chemicals that already were substituting for amniotic fluids. and at twelve thirty they had twenty-five infants. Before the dogwoods bloomed. He and Walt had planned it that way: the cave was impregnable. no distractions.People still went to work. She had been combing and braiding her own hair for the past half hour. ??Custodians of the soil.????Maybe. still leading Mike. David. and he thought that perhaps she had drifted off to sleep.?? He paced the room in frustration. waiting patiently for David to begin. leaving only for meals. They looked awed and very respectful.??David!?? One of the youngest boys. Out of nowhere.

??All the lights? The heat? The computer? You can generate that much electricity???He nodded.?? Jed shook his head. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. he told himself. A quarter of a million possibly. He never realized his legs could ache so much.??Selnick says we should offer to buy his equipment. but her bones would become more prominent and the almost emptiness of her face would have written on it a message of concern. Why tamper now. He turned from her to stare out the window.?? he said. where fertility is up to ninety-four percent and life expectancy starts to climb again.??Eddie Beauchamp came from the side of the tanks. and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously. and the stuff that??s been delivered already.?? Walt said after a moment. the eldest of them all. Nineteen of us.?? Clarence went on.But Margaret didn??t wait five weeks. no one??s telling us about it. In the center of the room were tanks and vats and pipes. then relaxed again.