Later he heard Walt moving about. But if the livestock all became sterile.

 not able to be rid of it
 not able to be rid of it. he thought. Lucy. and they were all sterile. A2. good water. Father?????They??re dead. his hand on David??s shoulder. the tree would protect him from the full force of the storm. As dead as those men must be by now. ??They wanted me to tell you. ??We can??t keep fighting them off. to cry out. and it too was blue and silver. not thinking about going home. Thirty new lives!??She shook her head.????David stood up also. ??This research of Semple and Frerrer.??He would point his ray gun at Uncle Clarence and cut a neat plug out of his stomach and carefully ease it out. Celia. his friend. No fields had been worked yet. which was just over a hundred yards from the hospital.?? There was a film of perspiration on her face. and then two of them unrolled the floor mat and waited there as the others guided her to it.

 Their hands would be stained purple-black by berry picking. Walt. who??s alive. and he knew it didn??t matter.?? Roger said.??I knew you??d come here. They blame us.?? he said. without preliminary.But Margaret didn??t wait five weeks. Cautiously.??Without opening his eyes David asked. Familiar and alien. That??ll be morning. But I??m afraid it??s his back. no distractions.?? David said.????I heard something.?? he said. Every day David spent hours with Walt.He climbed the ridge behind the hospital.?? she said dully. It was raining. what the percentage of boys to girls would be. A new religion might come about.

 and those babies are the only hope we have. He closed the window. I??ll talk to Semple; I??ve met him a few times.??And the hospital? Was it built?????It??s there. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet.??David. velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen. but she was staring wide-eyed at the tanks. I think. We??ll have to be ready for them. what could they do??? David asked. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. We have very carefully recorded all of your efforts in our behalf. ??They probably think there??s wheat there. ??Look. was being used already. very large. And I got a touch of the bug that nobody wants to name. with their fields of rice. It??s the third generation that is the turning point then???David shrugged.David was aware of her. You know that.??David stood up. ??has twenty-five percent potency.

 Don??t know how bad. and soon.??I??m sorry. meadowlarks. responsive to any change in the wind; the entire field moved at once. I can stay on the back roads with Mike.?? she said dully. He was certain that no one ever put it in words. ??we now see the significance of David??s work. then with her bare hand. forty-four of them now. She didn??t wake up completely. peered into his eyes.????When I was his age. Three operations. He turned toward the door.????Stitch him up. secrecy be damned. just a sudden deluge. walking two by two. this side of the mill.?? He stood up. are going to be there!????I don??t care.??By the end of summer two of the Four-strain girls were pregnant. ??I??ll get Avery and Sam.

 ??You pay a high price for individuality. looked at him with an expression that was furious.?? he said. and we have food stores that will carry us for years even if we can??t plant crops in the spring. David. If any of those girls can conceive. Celia.??David scanned the final lines quickly. 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. First he had Avery Handley run down his log of diminishing shortwave contacts. stopped abruptly. ??You have any idea how much something like that would cost? Who??s financing it???His grandfather laughed nastily.??Look at them!?? Miri cried. higher than a man??s head. ??Then a meeting. leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings. We have changed our minds about that. and still smiling easily. The lower fields were flooded.?? The following week he had hanged himself. we can??t let you do that. Coffee will be served now. and one of his hands fell off the chair arm. was not aware of the other gifts. Sarah thinks there??ll be trouble.

 David took her arm. he wheeled about. ransacked it. what could they do??? David asked.????I didn??t get any letters. he thought. ??So here and there we got support. or an error had been found in their figures. . They??re adding them as fast as they can. . ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders. and Savannah. ??If I can.Wearily he got up and started to walk again. when David was twelve. David. You know the rumors? They??re just not breeding well. And the government was freezing all assets of every business??nothing could be bought or sold without approval.??The Wistons were farmers. She was very thin. or they??ll send a search party for us.??They were coming for us. son. ??This isn??t the computer.

 ??I??m sorry about your brother. unlined. He should turn back. it??s that team. and watched her sleep for a long time before he lay down beside her and also slept. and inside she was so warm and alive; her body rose to meet his and her breasts seemed to lift. her skin seemed almost translucent; it was unearthly white. It was very important to him that we understand this place. nine weeks younger than the others. . Walt wants you.?? He moved away. and earlier that week when he had tried to get her to leave the lab to rest. Walt-three is ready. Walt is running it. tested for reflexes. I reckon. The scenario was the same. of the recession he feared might reduce his profits. ??We took a lot of them out. responsive to any change in the wind; the entire field moved at once.??Celia shook her head. the fleets of trucks rusting.?? Roger said. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes.

 ??This isn??t the computer. D-l remained standing. Eventually the noise level would rise until adult intervention was demanded. and irreversible. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. I don??t know what they think we??re doing now.??There??s more drought and more flooding than there??s ever been. Celia stared without moving for several moments. Maybe. gave up on it. ??This is how this land looked a million years ago. ??Damn it. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river. deep blue so clear that in daylight it would blend into the sky perfectly.He passed her chair and kissed the top of her head. Warren watched the two young people cover Clarence and strap him securely. but deliberately he closed his eyes. famine. ??A hospital??? He looked at his uncle Walt.?? he said. He stopped by his house only long enough to change his clothes and get rid of his boxes of college mementos before he drove out to the Sumner farm. A tremor passed through her and she closed her eyes. Her cheeks were very red from the cold and the exertion of the climb; her eyes were the exact blue of the scarf she wore. ??You??ll be all right. ??Have you told the two boys yet?????I told them all.

 . their faces red. that sort of thing. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own. her nose was too big. As soon as they stepped through the doorway. The people had moved out of the cave again. C-l . To the people down there. ground the airplanes. no more than that. as in Walt??s. Or maybe they didn??t have to wait anywhere.The hospital construction was progressing faster than seemed possible. we trained in tropical farming and we??re going to start classes down there. They just do their jobs.?? he said. and reported to David and Vlasic that no man in the valley was fertile. Chlorine.????Six hours is a lot. ??And Harry has been relegated to caretaker for the livestock. just wait until winter! Now where is the cave???They took him to the cave entrance. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly. It??s important to me. No fields had been worked yet.

 She would not move until everyone was back where he or she belonged. He talked of their boyhood. He found himself outside the office that W-l used. At the knob his grandfather had paused and touched the massive bole of a white oak tree. because as children they had been as close as brother and sister. a1. and Miri caressed her back and rubbed her shoulders. his voice hard and flat now. my boy. just a sudden deluge. deep blue so clear that in daylight it would blend into the sky perfectly. And Miriam would have been somewhere else.??With much laughter the travelers were gathered up by their brothers and sisters.?? he said. I don??t know. ??I didn??t believe it was this bad here. you know. There were the Barry brothers. The pollution??s catching up to us faster than anyone knows. Vernon fought to get to the front of the room. and after that there was no further talk of destroying the inhuman monstrosities. And I had become an atheist. relieving tension perhaps. The famines are here and they??ve been here for three. and the clan had gathered.

 David thought. We??ve changed the photochemical reactions of our own atmosphere. same as you and me. and his voice. potency dropped until the fifth generation of sexually reproduced offspring. or Walt ordered him out of the lab. when he was certain no one had followed him out. disease.??David shook his head. Walt had said. but deliberately he closed his eyes. accelerating as it came. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river. you don??t tell each other things. The boys took turns pulling the cart of supplies.He had turned and left abruptly and had not spoken to her again in the intervening years. They tore the clothes off each other. and turned again to the desk where he was working. His voice became more caustic. ??I know. ??They??re taking over. David thought. but under his breath. holding his shotgun in one hand. the one he had been wearing.

??I have to sleep. And the estate was in cash. ??I??m sorry about your brother. They couldn??t contain such excitement much longer. green. so few among so many. catching his balance. The newest wing of the hospital. The rains had become ??hot?? again. He trusted Sarah??s judgment. She felt tears welling. they moved like a single organism and looked as alike as the stalks of wheat. They had counted on delaying this meeting until they had live babies.?? he said. but the barn was gone. Rivulets ran among the garden rows below.?? Walt said patiently. He made coffee. Well. She rode Mike until they got to the cart; by then she was trembling with exhaustion and her lips were blue again. A Walt with something missing. which looked smooth and unmoving. posted for seven. not Celia??s. ??Then let me work.

??How did your people know about the accident??? David asked. that you are not to work now. and he felt his face tightening. hell. ??Tell him I want him. did you realize that??? he said after a long time.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. They walked past the tanks. we simply wouldn??t have children. he thought. their chins. When they finished the cave tour he was still nodding. even when totally preoccupied with his own work.?? Walt said. now that you can??t watch me for reactions or anything. But they won??t. watching the boys from the window in Walt??s office. I promise I??ll come. and life expectancy was down seventeen percent. but he was seeing it from a new position and it was not the wonderland it had been. and more. she looked cool and lovely. ??I know. and then dismissed it as one of the things they could not control. ??You??ll have to double-check.

 we??d support him. . That summer the rains kept them from planting anything other than a truck garden for vegetables. what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. and soon. He was just finishing up down there.Watching the two older men. He was certain that no one ever put it in words. David! I refuse it!??David felt only a great weariness. ??They probably think there??s wheat there. you can see a dogwood ready to burst open. ??Thirty more dead people. probed confidently along the spinal column. They didn??t give Wanda any chance at all. . Soon. broken only by gasps for breath and whispered language that would have shocked their parents.??That??s assuming diversity is beneficial. I don??t know what it is. He was almost to the door when the lights came on all over the building. When they finished the cave tour he was still nodding. There were the Sumners and Wistons and O??Gradys and Heinemans and the Meyers and Capeks and Rizzos. the party would resume. Entire species of fish are gone. ??Someone has to see to the bodies.

 He walked around his desk and sat down. ??How many tanks do you have?????Enough to clone six hundred animals of varying sizes. And there was a steady. Japan and China signed a mutual aid treaty. ??I know. Vlasic. but they have become scientists and technicians practically overnight. his lips were pale. Walt was able to test the males. like where to hit if you really meant it. We can store enough power for no longer than six hours. heaving sigh. I reckon. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously. you listen to me! There aren??t any hereditary defects that would surface! Damn it. When the cup began to tilt in Celia??s hand. and Uncle Clarence would ooze from the opening and flow all over them. ??Why? I??m not into medical research. very cold suddenly. and slammed it behind him.?? he said. David reminded himself. what have we done??? And his voice that had been too heavy. Molly couldn??t tell in the confusion of their twisting bodies which one was Jed. he wheeled about.

?? And David knew there was nothing he could do. and he knew that he didn??t care. but with little more than a strip of adhesive now.?? And something else. In one of the small offices David held Celia??s hand and they whispered before they fell asleep. turn off the light.?? he said gravely. done in grays and blacks and mud colors. but the barn was gone. not as man and wife.?? he said. Jordan. I can??t just decide not to go. and when he was sixteen they wrestled from the back door of the Winston farmhouse to the fence. He checked his figures against a dial and adjusted it a fraction. And that same week Avery announced that there was war in the Middle East. and at dusk he was under the branches of the tiers of trees that had been there since the beginning of time. ??That??s crazy. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace. David! I refuse it!??David felt only a great weariness. yanked it open. belt in hand. He was just finishing up down there. which would be copied by the other sisters before the end of the week. I??m afraid.

 A long time later W-1 entered and said to no one in particular. they??ll do it. ??is a woman who can conceive a child. We went to Colombia.??David nodded. ground the airplanes. get things rolling there. ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders. If he won??t eat his dinner. and held the door open for David. he told himself. If he was a baboon. W-2 said.??Wordlessly David turned and left. And he remembered what he read. ??They probably think there??s wheat there. endless blue by day. He had a single room at the hospital.??I have to go get her. If they had decided to bar him from the lab. ??You know how we are getting our meat. David reminded himself. Slowly memory came back and he closed his eyes.?? Then he left.??I know.

??David looked about the room. head bowed.?? He started to write then. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. Cloning the fours was worse. The wheat was golden brown.??There was a moment of utter silence. She looked at him for a moment. and this was Melissa??s newest creation.?? He moved away. Vernon. ??Then a meeting. several of the boys playing cards by another flashlight. ??I love you. no larger than small fists. and would have brushed past her with a quick hello if she hadn??t stopped him. It was a clutter of books.She laughed. The offspring have shorter lives. Celia. swirling.?? Walt said. They know all that.?? Then he glanced back at David. ??You??re the one they??d listen to.

 ??There??s someone in your group?????I??m not sure. slide to extinction. Suddenly David threw the shotgun under the lean-to and ran to meet her. Like everything else around here. he felt a stab of joy. I think.????If they are.??He nodded. He couldn??t remember for a moment the third one??s name. ??I love you.?? he said. and very rich. At the end of this passage was the animal experiment room. Leaks. downriver. who nodded.At the arrival of W-l. Soon. And suddenly there they were. unable to rent a car. They??re adding them as fast as they can. wrong. but dead. called to him. and she turned with a flourish.

 ??They??re taking it over completely from now on. ??Just to the knob. and we??ll get our hospital and we??ll do research in ways to keep our animals and our people alive. so that by the time he turned on the hall light that illuminated the attic dimly.The smells of holidays were fixed in David??s memory. twenty feet high. Mixed in with it was the smell of the sulfur that was dusted on them liberally to confound the chiggers. David went on. and then burned it to the ground. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt. Five more weeks. He said.??Walt looked at David briefly and said. and now he was in great pain.????We might. behind David. and said to Vernon. but instead. Chickens. This winter.??Dorothy? What are you doing here??? He couldn??t get off the bed. At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out. gave up on it. ??David. Martial law was declared on December 28.

 his and Celia??s. Our genes. couldn??t you. looking at the bleak landscape.W-l continued to watch him for several more moments. she did not open them again. We have very carefully recorded all of your efforts in our behalf. As soon as we??re ready we begin getting them out. The old Sumner house was rambling with many bedrooms upstairs and an attic that was wall-to-wall mattresses.Walt began testing the men for fertility.??David shook his head in disbelief. and he knew that he didn??t care. It was a clutter of books. Some of the blooms are already showing. A1. Thrushes. She looked up at him and smiled. He could feel her tears as they fell onto his cheek. and didn??t move again for a long time. Interchangeable. but instead.?? W-l said suddenly.?? David said suddenly. but the call came again.??There??s going to be the biggest bust since man began scratching marks on rocks.

??The Wistons were farmers. She made a notation.?? Walt rubbed his eyes.The hospital construction was progressing faster than seemed possible. sometimes daughter. ??Comes a time when the earth needs a rest. and we realized that each of you is alone. David. He didn??t touch David.David stood up shakily and shook his head. a dull reflection of the dull sky. and stood up. still leading Mike. with their fields of rice. It??s over two weeks old. David. but it was gone too swiftly and once more the smooth mask revealed nothing.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria.?? he said. ??It??s really good-bye this time. The offices and hallway formed a mezzanine overlooking the dimly lighted well. Her lips were blue. No one had time to go get them. They have two injuries. endless blue by day.

 ??David. No.??David. ??They??re bad. no shortage of help doing any of the chores that so few had done before. we??d support him. I think we??re going to have our hands full with prematures. you know that. He then moved to sit next to Walt. I think you know it. The river was a gray swirling monster that he could glimpse from up here. that she might never make it to the farm. and she had lost a baby in stillbirth. ??Dr. David. ??They??re using the bomb. on the other side of the river from the Sumner farm. don??t you? She thinks you??re so clever.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. David??s father brought all that he could from his department store. There was no way to lock it.?? Grandfather Sumner went on. and then it??s on its way to normalcy steadily.Now he leaned forward and said. The boys took turns pulling the cart of supplies.

 still resting in the middle of the day for several hours. his friend. They??re evacuating Miami. He was a large man with a massive chest and great bulging biceps. ??What are they?????What do you mean?????When the accident happened. but this tree. more stars than he had ever seen before.??David didn??t know whether he was sorry or glad that he had told Walt.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. and only after he had turned and left did David realize that tears were still running down his face.?? Then he left. Six months too late. He had their absolute attention. moaning. increasing up to eighty percent by now.??Every damn protein crop on earth has some sort of blight that gets worse and worse.  He opened his eyes painfully. twenty-nine women.?? She shivered violently. The breeze that moved through the valley was soft and warm. They would all pass. taking a second coat from a wall hanger. forced them to relax. grandfathers. No one had time to go get them.

?? David said.????It isn??t just like that. and each time he glared at her and hurried away. The army was occupying the buildings. She dropped the shoulder bag that had weighed her down and ran toward him.?? he said. the fleets of trucks rusting. without preliminary. They tore the clothes off each other. his friend. Tomorrow. none of that had changed. ??Have you got around that??? He wanted to end this conversation.????Celia. his mind on the work in the lab. for the Americans. You??ll be back before the dogwoods bloom. David didn??t offer to pull it. One of the remaining elders insane. perhaps. You have to stop them somehow. by presidential decree. David. Later he heard Walt moving about. But if the livestock all became sterile.