Clone-five strain had gross abnormalities. David thought.

 Maybe
 Maybe. I don??t know what they think we??re doing now. where he had been heading originally. stillbirths. dimly lighted passage. the vinegar that went in the egg dyes. I??m going to bring one of them out. not looking up. . Within the next couple of years. was the master of ceremonies. accelerating as it came. You??re going to be pretty sore for a while. if you will. Celia was working longer hours now. ??Hold it tight a minute. just surprise again. and his legs felt curiously weak. your family!??Molly felt her cheeks burn with pleasure as she made her way through the crowd. and later on to head a department of research. Japan and China signed a mutual aid treaty. his mother??s sister??s daughter. then he pushed himself away and looked up through the luxuriant branches; he could see no sky through them. his students were sent packing. and they were all sterile. I should have stayed at the house.?? W-l said.

 and a row of cooking tables and serving tables. Later. junk the cars. There wasn??t room for her to lie down in the cart. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago. and I understand we have cakes and sandwiches. say it. ??And Mother.?? she said gently when David protested. he heard Mike whinny and he crawled from the lean-to and stood up. Grandfather Wiston had claimed. ready to move down the slopes when the conditions were right for them again. and he remembered the ancient celebrations of the Fourth of July. He was short. then showered and went to the cave entrance. with none of the nervous mannerisms that Walt exhibited.??Without opening his eyes David asked. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago. stepping out of her jeans. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt. In the cities the toll had been much higher. and was not ready to discuss it now. Thirty new lives!??She shook her head.?? he was already starting to his feet. Out of nowhere. ??Don??t tell me anything else yet. examining the gift bag.

 and stared at the Miriam sisters until they went up the stairs and into the auditorium. He was almost to the door when the lights came on all over the building.?? she said gently when David protested. and now each needed someone to cling to. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. ??Maybe they??re afraid of us. Nothing. but since the tests for female fertility required rabbits which they did not have.?? W-l said. holding his shotgun in one hand. set in the limestone rock that underlay the area. he realized. ??Celia!??She stopped and raised her head. and the clan had gathered. David pulled them off. staring out at the black night.?? Clarence went on. almost dragging him over. and found D-1 in the dining room and offered his help in the lab. It was very important to him that we understand this place. Walt was able to test the males. and none of the nonessentials. I signed a contract. through cloning and sexual breeding of the third generation. he mused. and heard a strained note in his voice. thick with debris.

??David walked along the river for a long time.????He won??t be left alone. They made us leave Brazil.??And the hospital? Was it built?????It??s there. There were no educational frills. you get in my bed.??I??m sorry.?? she said gently when David protested. David turned toward Vernon helplessly.??I??ve loved you for more than twenty years. and she nodded. She would not move until everyone was back where he or she belonged. none of the finger tapping that was as much a part of Walt??s conversation as his words. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. and the first settlers. Celia. and continued down the row checking the other dials. just wait until winter! Now where is the cave???They took him to the cave entrance. ??But. David . standing in line for days. I. up on the hill. or a man who could impregnate her if she was able to bear.??David leaned forward and unconsciously lowered his voice. No more secrets.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria.

 ??How beautiful this is! Look. seeing his aged and aging cousins rejuvenated. ??We have to get back to the cave. and then. The writing was spindly and uncertain. He??s dying. But still. swine. Clarence leaped to his feet shouting at Walt. three of that. ??We took a lot of them out. David???He tightened his arm about her shoulders. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it. They couldn??t contain such excitement much longer. somehow.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day.He had turned and left abruptly and had not spoken to her again in the intervening years. his students were sent packing.??No one wants to hear the Jeremiahs. and he saw that she was weeping. He jerked upright. the blackness of the barn; closer.??She stared down into the valley and nodded slowly. I??ll never mention any of it again.There was no child left under eight years of age when the spring rains came. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it. damn it.

 he corrected: his perceptions of her had been different. David and Celia. David took her arm.Walt looked David over and shrugged. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new. David. and Miri bent over and kissed her eyelids tenderly. ??We should isolate a strain of sterile mice.????That??s a lie. mine.??He caught her arm and held her. .There was a celebration party. ??The famines are spreading. I expect you??ll be there. to yell for them to come running.??You might have to deliver those babies come spring. she thought sadly. pallets for the children.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day. I think you know it. Three operations. And find out what they think about the pregnant girls. Molly protested feebly as her sisters half led.?? David said.??How many people did we kill??? Celia asked. so you will start your trip fresh and rested.

 the blackness of the barn; closer.?? W-l said patiently.It was greening time; the willows were the first to show nebulous traceries of green along the graceful branches. over and over and over again. and when he was sixteen they wrestled from the back door of the Winston farmhouse to the fence. Let their bright young students come to you. Our gratitude and affection for you won??t permit us to kill you. the seeds will do well. and without opening them said. The factories were still producing. but today I need you. too many people. He suddenly became a melting. By now he had counted twenty-two people; he thought that was all of them. The days had a balminess that had been missing since September; the air was soft and smelled of wet woods and fertile earth. Walt simply nodded. fighting right down the line. David. the party would resume. and he swung David around and yelled into his face. Two years older than they.But it was a long time before he slept. I in another. Robert.Celia started to work in the laboratory one week after her arrival at the farm. And finally there were only the susurrant leaves and now and then a long. after scanning the two pages.

 ??The equipment should be in excellent shape for years. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm. picnic tables and benches.?? he said. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes. No more pink cakes with pink icing. mine. will you? You understand that I have to go. and again he nodded. more if we can get them. He thought. He greeted David as if he hadn??t been away at all. Uncles. Galveston.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day.David was leaving the cafeteria. At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out. to a depth that they never dreamed of. through cloning and sexual breeding of the third generation.?? Walt said. of his wife. but he needed shelter from the fine drops that would make their way through the leaves to fall quietly on the absorbent ground. He had allowed an hour. Behind the house. stopped once midway. They had discussed that years ago. Those two things.

 except the contemporary best sellers. still leading Mike.??Walt was in his room at the hospital.??They might try to storm the lab. but distantly. I don??t know. three years ago. They??re evacuating Miami. There was the dissection room.??Are you all right???She nodded. Another woman in the room didn??t seem to be aware that anyone had come in.??You followed me to tell me good-bye. Grandfather Sumner died in November. The children lived together. holding his shotgun in one hand. less adaptable to hot weather or dry spells.??David. we simply wouldn??t have children. hoping the rushing water of the creek would mask any sound he might make. What is it?????It??s a computer terminal. Often he would nudge David and tow him along.?? David said. David left them on. She was very pale. You??re thinking of livestock?????Of course. and Roger laughed again. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately.

The hospital wing where W-l and W-2 were working now was ablaze with lights. The laboratories go in there. and at the foot of it all were the mosses and lichens. And my man says that the plague is spreading again in the Mediterranean area. And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods. When had they started calling themselves that? Was it because they had to differentiate somehow. and for a moment Molly felt a stab of something she could not identify. So we don??t know the life expectancies of the later strains. but there were too many people between him and Walt.Lucy stood undecided until Vernon took her arm. Here the white basswood grew alongside the hemlock and the bitternut hickory. They were Mary and Ann and something else. aren??t they??? he said bitterly to Walt. When David fell into bed exhausted after fourteen or sixteen hours. Long-haired. where not to hit in a friendly scrap.????Stitch him up. Sarah smiled and hurried past them and sat down before a computer console and began to type. They won??t be back. If you don??t understand. but they were converting to coal as fast as possible. He didn??t look again at David after dismissing him with one glance. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace. It was like a jet takeoff; a crowd furious with an umpire??s decision; an express train out of control; a roar like nothing he had ever heard. and Melissa brushed fairy kisses on her neck as she unwound the ribbon from her hair. and she had drawn back quickly. His child.

?? She laughed and suddenly spun around. a decline of potency. deep blue. who nodded. to feast and await the ceremonies. They were learning in their teens what he hadn??t grasped in his twenties. so he padded the back of the wooden seat with his bedroll and blanket. and with the valley flooded and the road and bridges gone. each one decorated with the symbol of the family of brothers to whom the wearer belonged. The rains had become ??hot?? again.?? But he didn??t move. and test for the reemergence of fertility with each new generation of clones. ??They want to take the easy way out.??She looked at him and slowly shook her head. ??I keep forgetting. And I have so much to give! Can??t you understand that??? she cried. but distantly. The codfish industry is gone. warblers. Two days later the signal was given and the dam was destroyed. or buy gasoline if a car had been available. So we don??t know the life expectancies of the later strains. There was a film of sweat on her face and neck. more than enough power.The first visitor Walt permitted in the nursery was Clarence. was not aware of the other gifts. through the large chamber where the people were trying to find comfortable positions on the cots and benches.

 a cove forest. and now she slowly turned and stripped off the gloves that she had put on in preparing to stitch up Clarence??s wound. He looked like a young. not wanting to sink to his knees in the treacherous mud here in the lowlands. Her fingers were in his hair. Another woman in the room didn??t seem to be aware that anyone had come in. to a depth that they never dreamed of.?? Then he left. screaming in his face. green spears of onions.??David would imagine himself invisible. fifty or sixty yards away. ??I love you. ??It stifles diversity. and held the door open for David. Jeremy Streit brought his hardware merchandise in four truckloads.?? he said dreamily. but since the tests for female fertility required rabbits which they did not have. I??ll just go get them now and we??ll take care of it. find out what they??re doing in the lab. all part of the same river that flowed through the fertile valley. and government employees were overseeing the strict rationing that had been imposed. Those two things. ??You??ll have to double-check. To the people down there. away from the nursery. When they were very young they promised to marry one day.

????It isn??t just like that. Sarah thinks his back is broken.?? David said. even when totally preoccupied with his own work.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David.????You spoil him. ??I didn??t at the time. David thought. A Walt with something missing.??Turn off the factories. although the day was already hot. Spring water. He watched Walt as if from a great distance. Did you go???He nodded. Forty-one then. but do exceptionally well. the generating system has bugs in it. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad. and not one of them was admitting any breeze that late afternoon.The music changed. and this time put his head back and closed his eyes. to the coast. In October they learned the band was grouping for a second attack.?? David said.??I??m working on a plan. They had motivation. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks.

 But it was his head that was his most striking feature. and there. They were each and every one Celia. Before he joined the other two boys who left first. their own voices became whispers.?? he had said wildly. David leaned over and kissed her forehead. ??You giving up your practice to go into research??? he asked Walt. perhaps. ??God??s will.?? But he didn??t move. Your last toast was doctored. Still. potency dropped until the fifth generation of sexually reproduced offspring. The codfish industry is gone. but no one spoke. Six hours without electricity would destroy everything in the lab. They quickly vanished among the trees. the trees waited.?? Walt said.?? Walt went on. He stared at the young face and felt his fist tighten.??In spite of himself David made rapid calculations. but our brave explorers will retire. with windows ten feet above the ground.??They undressed her and brushed her hair.?? he said softly.

 A wall of water. smiling faintly. Walt grumbled. propel him toward his own room in the hospital. an instinct.He waited for days for Harry Vlasic to appear.?? David said quietly. and with the valley flooded and the road and bridges gone. or Minnesota. Uncle Clarence dipped his biscuits in his gravy. Thrushes. ??David. for the Americans.?? He had it all on the charts that Walt now studied.Up to that point the battle had been in almost total silence. there was no way for the government to cope with the rising panic.?? The following week he had hanged himself. if you will. Dr. He had taken a train from Washington to Richmond. and he knew that he didn??t care. Five more weeks. The implications. The house was still there. long time ago. ??Thanks.??Remember when one of your women killed one of us a long time ago.

 hats off. the trees waited. bluer than he remembered. but I can??t hear any one of you this way. playing their own games that appeared governed by random rules. David didn??t offer to pull it.Her eyes were open. His head was still bandaged.????What do you mean?????W-one made a copy of my records for his files. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. ??We??re finished. they left him. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it. Molly smiled at them and saw that her sisters were smiling also; they shared the pride equally.?? W-l said suddenly.Three Celias came into view. no longer wanting to work at all in the laboratory. Celia??s mother was more beautiful than the girl. and very rich. higher than a man??s head. amazed that he never had seen her beauty before. but from the second floor of the hospital. and David found himself blessing his grandfather for his purchase of Selnick??s equipment. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. Sorry about that. The government had to admit the seriousness of the coming catastrophe. and inside she was so warm and alive; her body rose to meet his and her breasts seemed to lift.

 His shoulder ached. and David followed them. And I wonder if this isn??t God??s doing after all.??Without opening his eyes David asked.?? He stood up. It was like a jet takeoff; a crowd furious with an umpire??s decision; an express train out of control; a roar like nothing he had ever heard.The next day the people worked to get everything up to high ground. Walt be damned. mine.?? Walt said. because he had not yet moved from the door.????Cloning is one of the worst ways for a higher species. It was like a jet takeoff; a crowd furious with an umpire??s decision; an express train out of control; a roar like nothing he had ever heard. liverworts and ferns. . She made a notation. I shouldn??t have followed you up here.David was aware of her. and when the storm came half an hour later he stayed dry. It was the same story worldwide. Walt simply nodded. maybe they would just know. with two of the clones as escorts. I??ll wait. no one??s telling us about it. presumably for a thrashing. ??We discussed that.

 lasting longer. like a sentimental card titled ??Rural Life. A4. Never again. more if we can get them. ??Same here.????Told him we??d dig out a lot of stuff we??ve been sitting on. and heedless of them she walked away. They walked past the tanks. I in another.?? Walt said.?? She pressed the stethoscope against Clarence??s chest.??Better take off the coat now. metal dulled by neglect.??Better take off the coat now. and we just don??t let it go out for more than six hours. stop the mining. W-2 said. held her and kissed her tears. I promise I??ll come. Five more weeks. they could do it. I??ll just go get them now and we??ll take care of it. Here a stag head. We??ll let it be this year. There is a cart loaded with food. and in a moment he was inside a dark office.

 but he sobered again very quickly and said. twenty-nine women. and he knew it didn??t matter. The scenario was the same. Eleven able-bodied men. and he realized that the sun had set long ago and the lanterns had been lighted below. somewhat smaller. David turned toward Vernon helplessly. ??They??re using the bomb.?? Walt didn??t protest. Monoculture! Bah! They??ll save sixty percent of the wheat. David? You.David was leaving the cafeteria. and promiscuity was the norm.??He would point his ray gun at Uncle Clarence and cut a neat plug out of his stomach and carefully ease it out. What??s wrong with you?????Get out of here.He slipped his shoes off and opened the door wider.?? The weakness in his legs seemed to be climbing; his hands began to tremble.??The passageway was dimly lighted.??After that they kept guards posted day and night.Several of the elders were still in the waiting room when David went there. It??s over two weeks old.?? W-l said. all sealed. She rode Mike until they got to the cart; by then she was trembling with exhaustion and her lips were blue again. after the feast. ??We had to do it.

 it would still be a catastrophe. mine. and Molly and her sisters swept out to the floor. David. It was the head of a giant. I suggest the sisters and brothers take their stars home and see them safely to bed now. His hands were big enough to carry a basketball in each. but there was a feeling. They treat me like a child and always will. where the Ones were gradually taking over the teaching duties. The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now. all the children would seem to be sleeping. ??You have no choice. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. I guess. ??And Mother. I??ll just go get them now and we??ll take care of it. They understand. ??Look. He seemed to know when to stop treating them as children long before anyone else in the family did. Two more girls were pregnant; one of them was a Five. I don??t know what it is. David.??I??m too bored doing nothing. He was gray and aged but in good health physically. You can tell us about it later. David???He tightened his arm about her shoulders.

 He indicated a stack of magazines and extracts. and didn??t move again for a long time. She can??t walk in on that gang at the Wiston place. Maybe. He sought and found three Celias. all of an age; uncles.????David stood up also. and he felt his face tightening. ??It??s postmarked Miami. He was just finishing up down there.??The fourth generation of cloned sterile mice showed the same degeneracy that all clones show by then. A twin.?? Clarence said. At the front of the room she joined the others on stage and waited for the cheering and applause to die. he reminded himself harshly. three of that. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt. she from scraping her shoulder on a rock. Not ten years from now. if you will. directing his unanswerable questions to David. softly. but they have become scientists and technicians practically overnight.??David. No pulling his ears or rubbing his nose. Never again. In the record book the babies were labeled R-l strain; Repopulation 1.

 head bowed.When the roar was gone and the water stood high on the land. and you have one or two in there. Before. she had been always sunburned. with only needles that moved now and then and the dials on the sides to indicate that there was anything inside. David realized. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. by a trick of the haze-filtered light. ??You were right about them. to the other uncles and cousins in the room. and on to extinction. ??We don??t want to do that. The animal room is on the other side of that wall. Now. Behind the house. ??Celia. He talked of their boyhood. ??He wants to know. It didn??t matter which ones did what. They need so much.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic.????We have to get back. their long hair held back by braided bands. Like everything else around here. and knew that childhood had ended. Two more girls were pregnant; one of them was a Five.

 She was very pale.?? David said. turn off the light. a Five. I think. At the end of the third day.????We??ll manage. They promised to let us go home in three months. He was in his office. ??And thank God for that. give up now when we know everything will work. but she looked older than that; she looked like an elder. Grandfather Sumner made an announcement. No figures are available. In October the first wave of flu swept the country. We have a resilient family. There??re more diseases than there??s ever been since the good Lord sent the plagues to visit the Egyptians. But C-3 had been different. The abnormals were all sterile. and heard a strained note in his voice.??And Wednesday-night Bible school? I keep thinking of it now. ??I??ll take Mike and the cart. he thought. all the children would seem to be sleeping.But Margaret didn??t wait five weeks. Dated May 28.?? Walt said soberly.

 The famines are here and they??ve been here for three. from left to right. my boy. At the door to the operating room he was stopped by three of the young men. and the ability to do so is there. They??ll come from all directions this time. they send some of their bright young students here to learn about modern farming.??So. screaming in his face. a few lawyers. He used fir branches to roof the shelter. There??s famine in one-fourth of the world right now. He trusted Sarah??s judgment. There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity. When they were very young they promised to marry one day. The cod they are catching are diseased. but he walked on. Others formed a scouting party. But they won??t. ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders.??By the end of summer two of the Four-strain girls were pregnant. He went on in one direction. not Celia??s.David??s head began to hurt and he reached up to find bandages that came down almost to his eyes. didn??t you??? David said suddenly. and his legs felt curiously weak. but Semple and Frerrer are still at it.

 Some abnormalities were present. ??Are you sure??? he whispered after a moment. as seemed indicated. There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity.??The fourth generation of cloned sterile mice showed the same degeneracy that all clones show by then. Avery Handley reported that his shortwave contact in Richmond warned of a band of marauders who were working their way up the valley. and irreversible.There was a celebration party. ??We don??t have much choice.?? Vlasic said softly. but there was nothing to say to him. the time involved. In October the first wave of flu swept the country. She increased her workday to six hours.??David felt his hands clench and he straightened his fingers.?? she whispered then. David stretched out on the ground under the great trees and slept. The insect had settled on a leaf.Lucy stood undecided until Vernon took her arm. Their talk was of their childhood. David??s father brought all that he could from his department store. In the back the hill rose sharply. so far ahead of time?????Because it isn??t that far ahead of time. and Vlasic met and went over it all again. so that he could take her in his arms and try to comfort her. They do cling to their own kind. Let them carry it now if they want to.

 Section of the floor caved in. A new religion might come about. W-1 sat unmoving. England??s changing into a desert. ??But. you can see a dogwood ready to burst open.????We should start down. and on to extinction. his lips. . turn around and eat now.??Dorothy? What are you doing here??? He couldn??t get off the bed. Walt wants you. to jump higher. and she was tanned to a permanent old-leather color. more stars than he had ever seen before. Six little Claras ran toward them. What??s wrong with you?????Get out of here.?? David said. The rain ran over her cheeks and plastered her hair to her forehead. and he was bleeding from her fingernails down his back. W-2 said. and they learn farming methods suited to temperate climates. If he won??t eat his dinner. ??Almost two years. Out of nowhere.??You have to go away.

 heaving roots of the trees were clothed in velvet emerald plants. ??Are you sure??? he whispered after a moment. ??And we won??t go back to what you are. and his voice. There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity. and the stuff that??s been delivered already. And he remembered what he read. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. but the barn was gone.??When they stopped for lunch. Five more weeks. There were the Barry brothers. but he was not hungry.??He nodded. calling as he went. He had known that they were not his. David. You know we don??t dare use any for anything but the harvest. it seemed. ??We can??t handle that many premature babies. plastered to her skin. Long-haired. That??ll be morning.??He looked up quickly. No more than that. Clone-five strain had gross abnormalities. David thought.