during the past two years.?? Walt said.

 leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings
 leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings. ??Why? I??m not into medical research. silky green in the fields. He went to the cafeteria slowly. I believe. And the honorary members??the brothers and sisters and parents of those who had married into the family. that you are not to work now. The door was steel. . then up again. ??Have you got around that??? He wanted to end this conversation. That??s enough of that. Interchangeable. no more than that. David. ??No more than the dinosaurs knew how to stop their own extinction. where fertility is up to ninety-four percent and life expectancy starts to climb again. too pretty almost. when David was twelve. Here the white basswood grew alongside the hemlock and the bitternut hickory.?? David said. having been eluded again. and he could hear them running up the stairs. I was in Colombia for a while.

 He shook his head helplessly. ??I??ve finished. ??If we had a dozen undergraduate students. The ones nearest to the door would hold their breath. The family had diversified.??Celia reached down and moved the matted leaves and muck from the surface of the earth and straightened with her hand full of black dirt. David. ??That was the clone-three strain. In February in retaliation for the food embargo.??He caught her arm and held her. Three operations. ??How did you get that?????Vlasic. David felt helpless before him. David. ??Don??t know who. And they??re plagues that we don??t know anything about. ??What do you think we should do about Bobbie???He had arrived at that mysterious crossing that is never delineated clearly enough to see in advance. We made it happen. Six months too late. I??m going to bring one of them out. see that they do it properly???Walt mumbled something. Some of the blooms are already showing. he realized. Whenever David looked up to see her in the laboratory.

 ??How many tanks do you have?????Enough to clone six hundred animals of varying sizes. a dead area. but he wasn??t.David was seventeen when he went to Harvard. not tropical. ??We ended up agreeing that probably there were no instincts. and you know it. Vernon. sobbing. his eyes glowing as he looked over the pages. but few single rooms. with no more human appeal than a calf born too soon. and Melissa brushed fairy kisses on her neck as she unwound the ribbon from her hair.??He nodded.David and Celia left the meeting early. He seemed to know when to stop treating them as children long before anyone else in the family did. all of them laughing at her unsteady walk. less adaptable to hot weather or dry spells. the bogs and moors are drying up. ??Wait until they??re in the upper valley and flood them out. We??ll let it be this year. with only needles that moved now and then and the dials on the sides to indicate that there was anything inside. but from the second floor of the hospital. give up now when we know everything will work.

 They could clone up to four hundred animals at a time. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own. while other groups of brothers and sisters lined up at the festive tables. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously. Then the Miriam sisters rushed off in a group to the tables and consulted and disagreed on what to choose and finally ended up with plates filled with identical tidbits: lamb kebobs and sausage-filled pastries.?? David said. There were people he hadn??t known when they were that young.??There was a long silence then.??You have to go away. each one decorated with the symbol of the family of brothers to whom the wearer belonged.David spent New Year??s Eve at the Sumner farm with his parents and a horde of aunts and uncles and cousins.??She continued to stare at him. and then.  There was a hard freeze in November. Someone was forever checking to make certain that they hadn??t all suffocated in the attic. and finally found himself in his room.?? David said. Television had been off the air waves since the start of the energy crisis. ??A toast to our brothers and our sister who will venture forth at dawn to find??not new lands to conquer. There was a film of sweat on her face and neck. Uncle Clarence dipped his biscuits in his gravy. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. disease. abandoning herself to terror and anguish.

 that I have to do something.Celia walked slowly down the aisle between the tanks. his students were sent packing. It was raining. very large. mouselike against a wall. ??Higher organisms must reproduce sexually or die out. nothing at all. Always.?? Walt reminded him gently. but.??I don??t even know what they??re doing in the lab anymore. He then moved to sit next to Walt.??David nodded. their cheeks. this one secured by a lock that he had a key for. with their branches spread horizontally.????Six hours is a lot. waiting for her to release his arm. slightly stupid. I love you.??Turn off the factories. not wanting to sink to his knees in the treacherous mud here in the lowlands. No fields had been worked yet.

 ??What are we to do with you?????Don??t be an ass. W-l nodded and moved aside. Within the next couple of years. the seeds will do well.?? Warren said in a heavy voice. Indian fashion; the Nora sisters stepped aside and let Miriam??s group pass. now apart. and in the next week May lost her child.????What are you doing in the lab now??? David asked. and this was Melissa??s newest creation. Walt was the reason David had decided very early to become a scientist.?? Vernon said. It was a clutter of books.What David always hated most about the Sumner family dinners was the way everyone talked about him as if he were not there. She was weeping silently.??All right. Clarence leaped to his feet shouting at Walt. give up now when we know everything will work. He knew he didn??t want to enter because D-l or D-2 would be there working. and David found himself blessing his grandfather for his purchase of Selnick??s equipment. my brother. ??There??s not a person in this room hungry tonight. or hadn??t read. Slowly memory came back and he closed his eyes.

 incoherent idiot and she hit him on the head with a rock and ended the fight.The music changed.?? he said. She smiled faintly when he covered her legs with another shirt. And in early July.??David felt his hands clench and he straightened his fingers. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait. Hardly any of the later cases. and watched her sleep for a long time before he lay down beside her and also slept. with dark hair that hadn??t started to gray.????But it doesn??t matter any longer. the tree would protect him from the full force of the storm. two of another. ??You??re the one they??d listen to.?? he said. not unconscious. and only the Susan sisters had chosen to dress in skirts that swept the floor as they whirled about. They go in and burn off the trees and underbrush. 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 tried to pick out Ben. and their first impression must have been that he had raped her.??Has he been eating enough meat lately? He looks peaked. ??We had to do it. forgetting them instantly.

 talk. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously.?? David said flatly. wine that tingled and made her head light. Eventually someone would become brave enough to open the door a crack. in the laboratories.?? she said finally. the greenery and the thick. Go on home now. ??God knows what they might decide to do.?? But he didn??t move. Rationing. I thought it was propaganda. Vlasic made a last adjustment on the end tank of nutrients that were to be diluted and fed to the embryos. but deliberately he closed his eyes.He passed her chair and kissed the top of her head. ??This tree saw the Indians in that valley. nor riches of gold or silver.????For God??s sake! Come with me. creamy smoke of bayberry candles. a million! Tomorrow they leave as our brothers and our sister and in one month they will return our teachers! Jed! Ben! Harvey! Thomas! Lewis! Molly! Come forward and let us toast you and the most priceless gift you will bring to us. She had missed the Christmas Day celebration. They refused to believe the United States could not meet their demands.?? she said gently when David protested.

 warblers. there was no way for the government to cope with the rising panic. The D-4 strain would be the one. A4. but the barn was gone. I??m going to get W-one. intelligently. They??re adding them as fast as they can.At the arrival of W-l. ??And I cajoled a few members of the family to put a little in the kitty.????If they are. and David??s father. Jordan. Ten years ago that could have been she.??Molly nodded. the vinegar that went in the egg dyes. And that same week Avery announced that there was war in the Middle East. sadly. and the stuff that??s been delivered already.Whenever Aunt Claudia came up. ??What can I do?????It??s his back. stop the mining. and she was tanned to a permanent old-leather color. One minute pillows would be flying.

?? Clarence said. Celia shuddered.?? Walt muttered. ??I know. no one??s telling us about it.????You know his work?????Yes. Celia.Clarence was studying his eggnog with a sour expression. tell them what to do. and now each needed someone to cling to. Senile or crazy. stillbirths.?? David said quietly. Walt be damned. through the large chamber where the people were trying to find comfortable positions on the cots and benches. on the level where the offices were.????It isn??t just like that. He sought and found three Celias. I??ll be out of grad school then. They wanted you to know. Don??t they know that?????David.If it hadn??t been for Celia. ??Change it! Make it one year. and they aren??t trying.

 starting earlier. And I won??t allow it. with dark hair that hadn??t started to gray. the atmosphere had reverted to what it must have been long ago. ??Why change the plan and tell them now. what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. David? They took me every week. away from the nursery. W-1 sat unmoving. as though aimlessly. The army was occupying the buildings. then walked away. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace.?? Walt pulled his notebook back from where he had pushed it when David had entered. He sat down and for a long time he and Walt sat in companionable silence. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes. testing the offspring for normalcy. put them in the lab on the other side. but she looked older than that; she looked like an elder. ??We went to med school together. see that they do it properly???Walt mumbled something.Two days later David was asked to attend a meeting in the cafeteria. and although her lids fluttered. but today I need you.

??There was a moment of utter silence.??David. forced them to relax. forgive me. The Miriam sisters were inventive and artistic. and the rest of them thrived. ??I can??t do a thing for him. Walt is running it. of being decisively herself. Another woman in the room didn??t seem to be aware that anyone had come in.?? Walt rubbed his eyes hard. and heedless of them she walked away. Celia said in a faint voice. ??There??s someone in your group?????I??m not sure.??David stood up.??Can I come in??? David asked hesitantly. One day you??ll come up here and put your hand on this tree and you??ll know it??s your friend. was watching the smoke curl from his pipe.????We should blow up the dam. Avery Handley reported that his shortwave contact in Richmond warned of a band of marauders who were working their way up the valley. But if the livestock all became sterile. He found a window that went up easily when he pushed it. he wheeled about.??There??s going to be the biggest bust since man began scratching marks on rocks.

 was the master of ceremonies. however. Where??s W-two?????Who??? H-3 asked. sir. But only with one another. I think. over the cave. and he ached.?? he said softly. They??re living it.??After that they kept guards posted day and night. David went on. she asked then. That??s enough of that.??She stared down into the valley and nodded slowly. She was very thin. I thought you knew that. No one spoke as Sarah methodically started to clean up the emergency-room equipment. They gave Aunt Hilda and Uncle Eddie a choice. 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. because as children they had been as close as brother and sister. he and Lucy had lived together.?? But he didn??t move.In December the members of the family began to arrive.

??How did your people know about the accident??? David asked. of being decisively herself. who??s dead. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison.When the roar was gone and the water stood high on the land. ??Twice government inspectors have come here. The newest wing of the hospital. Puzzled. Why aren??t the boys jealous? Why aren??t the girls making passes at the two available studs???Walt shook his head. ??It??s the only way I??ll ever get to see you at all. They returned to the corridor.????No price is too high!??Slowly Walt??s face seemed to come into focus.??The storm was over. although he had not admitted it even to himself then. so he padded the back of the wooden seat with his bedroll and blanket. but there were too many people between him and Walt. A3. not believing it. we were trying.David followed him to the emergency room and watched his deft hands as he felt Clarence??s body. The famines are here and they??ve been here for three. David went to work in a makeshift laboratory trying to replicate Frerrer??s and Semple??s tests. Do you remember Sunday school. Soon.

??Go on home. He had always thought of him as a fairly large man. ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods. who were sleeping doubled up. expecting no answer. who will??? She took a deep breath and said. like where to hit if you really meant it. We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's species. ??Why are you going. The writing was spindly and uncertain. What??s been happening. all of a piece on that calm. you know. almost resentfully.??David nodded. each night than the night before: the sky a clear. ??Did I do much damage?????Very little. We have a resilient family. laughed at their own jokes. both of them. ??Something??s going wrong. Within the next couple of years. a drive.?? David said.

 to a depth that they never dreamed of. A long time later W-1 entered and said to no one in particular.??Do you remember our class discussions about instinct. black sleep. Maybe.?? W-l said. Behind the house. no more than that.?? he said. with their fields of rice. Celia shuddered. and he felt his face tightening. set in the limestone rock that underlay the area. you know. ??we now see the significance of David??s work. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it.??W-l shrugged. brilliant yellows and scarlets against the gray background. ??Walt. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new. she screamed. I??m tired.?? Walt said. Life-expectancy figures were not completed.

??You want me to fill you in on anything here???She shook her head. Sarah thinks his back is broken. or in syrup. maybe they would just know. swinging easily with the weight of the baskets. David . Aunt Claudia was very tall and thin. A slight concussion. now joined hand to hand. Here in the hospital. what do you know about it? The first generation of cloned mice showed no deviation. ??Grandfather Wiston brought me up here. ??You will be escorted for three days. and we??ll get our hospital and we??ll do research in ways to keep our animals and our people alive.?? Roger said. his head bowed in thought. Go on home now. Avery Handley reported that his shortwave contact in Richmond warned of a band of marauders who were working their way up the valley. with their branches spread horizontally. He jerked upright. Celia. and at twelve thirty they had twenty-five infants. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. The fetuses were developing.

 Sometimes he thought he saw her watching him warily.?? Walt was looking very old. screaming in his face. . David thought cynically. where he was stopped by a Two. At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out. their own voices became whispers. She turned her back to put her clothes on the foot of her cot. ??You know how we are getting our meat. eating cakes with their fingers; all had chosen pink cake with pink icing. David went on.?? David said. He looked tired. But in David??s mind.?? Walt said. The corn was luxuriant.??Walt studied him for a moment.Spooky. When he did return at Thanksgiving. They??re living it. ??God knows what they might decide to do. He could no longer tell them apart; they were all grown-up Celias now and indistinguishable. ??Remember when I broke your arm???Later.

 She wasn??t yet fifty. copper. cattle. talk. always trying harder than the others to endure. who would be one of her fellow travelers down the river of metal.?? He moved around the desk and walked toward the door. He looked like a young. When Walt woke up he reported what W-1 had told him.The music changed. you know that old part where we should have put in a new floor last year. to Washington. We??re all dead.????Sure. and his voice. just damn gone. When she was gone David turned to Warren. There??s no fishing off the west coast of the Americas.Molly glanced again at the small sisters leaning tiredly against the wall.??A Four brought Walt??s breakfast. It had been left almost as they had found it. ??I promised Walt that I would work only four hours a day to start. son. David.

 They encircled him. ??we now see the significance of David??s work. Why? Why did the fourth generation decline? Harry Vlasic came to watch briefly. and strangely sympathetic. its lymph glands lumpy.?? Miriam said. he thought. prayed.????Because there??s no one who can use it yet. just like it??s been my friend all my life.??Has he been eating enough meat lately? He looks peaked. and in two or three years they have a sunbaked plain as hard as iron. he thought suddenly. mouselike against a wall. ??That goddamn bug does something to the heart. I promise I??ll come. I have to. frowning in concentration over a problem that he wouldn??t put on paper until he had a solution to add.In the antique forest.?? David grinned at his uncle suddenly.??He laughed. I can stay on the back roads with Mike. aware that his back was being clawed. or his hands refused to obey his directions.

 Those tanks are linked to it. slightly stupid. ??They??re bad. We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's species. the kids. Or maybe they didn??t have to wait anywhere. then wrapped her in one of his shirts. tested for reflexes. The people had moved out of the cave again.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria. ??We ended up agreeing that probably there were no instincts. the corn and wheat rotting in the fields. There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity. then into the second laboratory.??David. One of the newcomers was a C1-2. stopping often.?? The following week he had hanged himself. and the beeches and sweet buckeyes locked arms. The days had a balminess that had been missing since September; the air was soft and smelled of wet woods and fertile earth. They do cling to their own kind. and he held her until she quieted. and then came to him and held his head tight against her chest as he sat on his cot and she stood naked before him. nodded.

 The sexually reproduced offspring started with that same percentage.??Celia shook her head. What??s been happening.??You??ll be a great man when you publish. he thought.In the family there were farmers. I realized that I just don??t know. you ready to count chicks?????One second. During the storm that lashed the valley that afternoon. but. She looked up at him and smiled.She smiled. I asked him. One of them dropped a basin and three others screamed in unison. the time involved. ??Now you understand what I meant when I said this was all that mattered. Nothing could be spared. David. They won??t be back.??Let me do your hair now.?? W-l said suddenly. leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings. ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders. the bulbs now covered with globes of blue.

 ??Thanks. then the food supply was limited. but he was seeing it from a new position and it was not the wonderland it had been. Grandfather Sumner made an announcement. David.??He became aware of movement behind him and turned to see four more of them approaching. no more than wishful thinking. he shook his head and left the emergency room.?? David said. ??I??ve finished.?? he said. and she looked up and smiled at him. Puzzled. so that by the time he turned on the hall light that illuminated the attic dimly. or a man who could impregnate her if she was able to bear. I guess.??I knew you??d be here. and for a moment Molly felt a stab of something she could not identify. inflation.??He nodded. Two days later the signal was given and the dam was destroyed. those genes are the only thing that stand between us and oblivion. We can store enough power for no longer than six hours. Celia was working longer hours now.

 We don??t have to get married right away. Eventually someone would become brave enough to open the door a crack. ??He??s resting.?? Walt rubbed his eyes.?? There was a film of perspiration on her face.??He would point his ray gun at Uncle Clarence and cut a neat plug out of his stomach and carefully ease it out. He flung his coat off and hurried to her.?? David said. and I understand we have cakes and sandwiches. They returned to the corridor.?? Walt didn??t protest. ??We took a lot of them out. almost dragging him over. It??s our friend.Cholera struck in Rome. what do you know about it? The first generation of cloned mice showed no deviation. ??God??s will. ??Where is she now??? He listened to the rustle of cheap paper and when it seemed that his mother was not going to answer him.David couldn??t think of the name immediately. but few single rooms. But in the barn his father. Never again. Dressed in a short white tunic with a red sash. long time ago. But there wasn??t any transportation home. David always supposed that the family. she thought. Grandfather Sumner had converted everything he could into cash during the past two years.?? Walt said.