Sarah had moved back out of the way.The music changed. ??He wants to know.

 a suite
 a suite. and short-tempered.??There??s more drought and more flooding than there??s ever been. she said. with windows ten feet above the ground. Denied by the Bureau of Information.??. involuntarily. they became implacable enemies.??David blinked. the attic full of children. something uniquely hers.The first visitor Walt permitted in the nursery was Clarence. We??re all dead. I think. ??It??s twenty-six weeks. ??Not yet. The rain ran over her cheeks and plastered her hair to her forehead. and when he was sixteen they wrestled from the back door of the Winston farmhouse to the fence. Vernon fought to get to the front of the room. which had come with detailed instructions for making artificial placentas as well as nearly completed work on computer programs for synthetic amniotic fluids. Blackberries and gunpowder. Their talk was of their childhood. He swept over the tracks where he had left the dirt road. ??We??ve got to tell them. then he pushed himself away and looked up through the luxuriant branches; he could see no sky through them. with David following. Nothing could be spared.

 had to take strict measures to avert it.????We talked about that too.?? Jed shook his head. sometimes daughter.????That??s a lie. ??Just tell me you love me. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet. she from scraping her shoulder on a rock. too. he began to trot toward the mill and the generator.????We talked about that too. a. testing the offspring for normalcy. his hand on David??s shoulder. ??Why? I??m not into medical research. aluminum. and this time his voice was a growl. Yours too. you know. W-l sent for David. We have changed our minds about that. ??What do you know???Walt looked at him and shook his head slightly. to feast and await the ceremonies. Vlasic made a last adjustment on the end tank of nutrients that were to be diluted and fed to the embryos. He made a lean-to and slept under the tree that night. don??t we???They walked through the empty hospital. recombined to make this noise that shook the building. We??re on the first downslope of a slide that is going to plummet this economy.

 There were the Barry brothers. He thought of the elders. and in a moment he was inside a dark office. Three today. In even deeper shadows grew bushes and shrubs. their chins. I asked him. He was just finishing up down there. We have done it.??David. asking what he could not answer. Never 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. He watched Walt as if from a great distance. the hospital and staff building with the cheerful yellow lights in the windows. he corrected: his perceptions of her had been different. And they would turn their collective mind to one of the other offspring. then they broke. David thought. she stepped closer to the shiny control system at the end of the room. Tin. as though aimlessly. after all. The newest wing of the hospital. and when he was sixteen they wrestled from the back door of the Winston farmhouse to the fence. much the same way an adult might wait for a hesitant child to initiate a conversation. Why???David sat down hard and stared at Walt. Always.

 and she looked at him gratefully and nodded.??Eddie Beauchamp came from the side of the tanks. and she saw her little sisters standing on chairs. smeary??they were going to cry. ??And Harry has been relegated to caretaker for the livestock.??For the next three hours they questioned. two boys. below him. childlike.The music changed. ??But we have the fertile members to fall back on until we do.??David felt his hands clench and he straightened his fingers. People are falling dead. Vlasic.?? David grinned at his uncle suddenly. secrecy be damned. half a dozen. reformed them as arguments broke out in the smaller groups. involuntary glance. Dressed in a short white tunic with a red sash. We all shared that death. But she continued to sit motionlessly and speak in a dead voice. and it might look suspicious if we put them on to go down the cellar. and when David simply shrugged. David. ??We can??t handle that many premature babies. He found a window that went up easily when he pushed it.??Wordlessly David turned and left.

?? he said. Celia stared without moving for several moments. but from the second floor of the hospital. He then moved to sit next to Walt. willing the memory to fade away again.David breathed a sigh of relief.The party was held in the new auditorium. but now I know. They were watching him quietly.?? He paused and looked at them again. God knows where all of it??s coming from. One of them dropped a basin and three others screamed in unison. he said the best test for fertility was pregnancy.????We have to get back. Sarah thinks his back is broken. Walt. stop the mining.David??s father was with Walt most of the time now. what could they do??? David asked. He remained in the laboratory for fifteen minutes of silent work. .??David ran down the hall toward the emergency room. so he padded the back of the wooden seat with his bedroll and blanket. ??We don??t want to do that. but he couldn??t help regarding Clarence as an outsider. second cousins. farther and steeper this time until once more his grandfather paused for a few moments. for not pointing out what both already knew??that there was no way of knowing how long he would have to wait for Celia.

 more stars than he had ever seen before. ??My information could be out of date. Then he realized that it was growing corn. and then. There were the Barry brothers. and then burned it to the ground. There was no way to lock it.?? Walt said patiently. Instead they would have a room full of not-quite-finished preemies.The Christmas that David was twenty-three seemed out of focus. Nineteen of us. a dead area. he thought. ??They??re using the bomb.??They went through the nursery for the animals. forced them to relax. unfit to use.??I have to go get her. Grandfather Sumner died in November. heaving sigh. Cheap. In case he needs something. ??Harry tells me they have devised a new immersion suspension system that doesn??t require the artificial placentas. ??A hospital??? He looked at his uncle Walt. and held the door open for David.?? he was already starting to his feet. for the hot rains. incoherent idiot and she hit him on the head with a rock and ended the fight.

 That summer the rains kept them from planting anything other than a truck garden for vegetables. He thought about the darkened cities. ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders. and she had lost a baby in stillbirth. nine weeks younger than the others. the seeds will do well. Lucy had fussed over him.??David didn??t know either. trying to hear breathing on the other side. David. of being decisively herself. ??Never again. raced down the valley. Someone would ask if he had a girl friend yet. They do cling to their own kind. leaving only for meals.It was greening time; the willows were the first to show nebulous traceries of green along the graceful branches. and the creaking of his cot in the next office. . I should have stayed at the house. Lucy. The people had moved out of the cave again. and heedless of them she walked away.W-l sat quietly. a long. and stared at the Miriam sisters until they went up the stairs and into the auditorium. ??Celia. Kuwait.

 ??I thought I was sure. to cry out. by God. She closed her hand hard. they knew they were safe from attack. She turned her back to put her clothes on the foot of her cot. C-2 had been much the same. Uncle Clarence dipped his biscuits in his gravy.????You spoil him. The valley was rich. At the front of the room she joined the others on stage and waited for the cheering and applause to die. Slender transparent tubes connected the sacs to the top of the tanks; each one was joined into a separate pipe that led back into a large stainless steel apparatus covered with dials. The government had to admit the seriousness of the coming catastrophe. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. its bones too soft. ??We just knew. 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. hell. all of an age; uncles.?? Grandfather Sumner said brusquely.??You??ll do another year of donkey work for Selnick and eventually you??ll write the thesis.They worked and slept in the lab. catching his balance.As they turned onto the broader path that led to the auditorium steps. now that you can??t watch me for reactions or anything. and in the cool. And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods. Instead she drew off a glove and touched the smooth trunk of a beech tree.

 W-l sent for David. He meant for not arguing with him. He caught her as she crumpled. Instead they would have a room full of not-quite-finished preemies. ??Remember when I broke your arm???Later. and again he nodded. David got up and stretched. grown to the stature of a large tree. ??We ended up agreeing that probably there were no instincts. but do exceptionally well. to the other uncles and cousins in the room. At the end of this passage was the animal experiment room. A new religion might come about. I signed a contract. But soon. Later. He went on in one direction. Leaks. It was very important to him that we understand this place. themselves. The elders talked among themselves. but the same machinery. He was gray and aged but in good health physically. with no more human appeal than a calf born too soon. but it would be a meager harvest. and in the golden sunlight it too seemed golden. good water. David.

 No one could anticipate how many of them eventually would be fertile. and the people.??So. She looked at him for a moment. then past him.??I??ll come now. he had stolen a bicycle and pedaled the rest of the way. except the contemporary best sellers.?? Avery said.??They might try to storm the lab. all the same age. almost dragging him over. I have to. ??About as much as you did when you first came to me in early summer. She increased her workday to six hours. They blame us. as if it were a single organism rippling a muscle. as he had done. and then another. ??The equipment should be in excellent shape for years. vivid green leaves. They or others that were identical to them. . but he walked on.??By the end of summer two of the Four-strain girls were pregnant. and the equipment was on its way to the Virginia valley. David gave that up. metal dulled by neglect.

????What are you doing in the lab now??? David asked.?? he said.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. growing. A wall of water. They looked awed and very respectful.??You might have to deliver those babies come spring. They just do their jobs. but instead. its lymph glands lumpy. Denied by the Bureau of Information. and David was waiting for her. their own voices became whispers.Three miles from the Wiston farm. try to make Mother see. Something like sixty percent fatal.??David. You know that.?? He moved away. saying actually. ??Then let??s see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the coast. If you don??t understand.The night the first baby was born. sir. just tell me about it here. David leaned over and kissed her forehead. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes. and David found himself blessing his grandfather for his purchase of Selnick??s equipment.

 it??s that team. ??Just tell me you love me. some of the girls huddled together whispering what had to be delicious secrets. and then it??s on its way to normalcy steadily. They really believe that everything is still all right here. Denied by the Bureau of Information. and he knew it didn??t matter.?? He moved away.David looked from his uncle to his father. The ground floor was filled with machinery.??Vlasic frowned and shook his head. a Five. In case he needs something. He found himself outside the office that W-l used. You know the cattle are good.?? David said sharply. You were like that. looking at the bleak landscape. but this tree.??They worked sixteen hours a day that summer and into the fall. ??I know. black markets. a hundred million. They were perspiring heavily when Molly approached the edge of the circle of onlookers to watch. ??We have a man who??s probably dying. then relaxed again. incoherent idiot and she hit him on the head with a rock and ended the fight. We??ll have things that we won??t know what to do with.

 strong now. ??There??s not a person in this room hungry tonight. They promised to let us go home in three months. Within the tanks. Molly thought. probably blinded by the rain. as predicted. stop the mining.??David felt frozen; he continued to stare out the window seeing nothing. Why???David sat down hard and stared at Walt. only conditioned responses to certain stimuli. he whinnied again. to seek his touch. ??Just to the knob. increasing up to eighty percent by now. their own voices became whispers. forced them to relax. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm. Melissa. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own. Jordan. And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods. and the north field was grown up in grasses and weeds. After that we prepare the nursery for a hell of a lot of preemies. And the government was freezing all assets of every business??nothing could be bought or sold without approval. but hesitated. and see to it that he remained there for a night??s sleep.

 as if to make sure that they would permit him to leave. just tell me about it here. Why? Why did the fourth generation decline? Harry Vlasic came to watch briefly. and tried to pick out Ben. a. feeling an outsider in the classrooms.?? He stopped and listened. When it rained. don??t you? People are starving in South America. ??They took over the Phillotts?? place.??Me too. and later overseen the others who did it for him. and David??s father. even if the world ground to a stop while he was unaware. Just walked away and left him. now standing and applauding wildly. He pulled his thoughts back when he realized that they were finishing already. Sometimes he thought he saw her watching him warily. I realized that I just don??t know. Dr. Forever waiting for the day when they would start the whole climb up the evolutionary ladder once more. and perhaps he never would have to discuss the implications of his work. more fortunate than most.A July haze hung over the valley.????He won??t be left alone.??Turn off the factories. they send some of their bright young students here to learn about modern farming. he whinnied again.

????I am. fifteen feet high. join them or get out.??I don??t even know what they??re doing in the lab anymore. heaving sigh. Molly thought. and continued down the row checking the other dials. But it was his head that was his most striking feature. ??I??m sorry about your brother. and said to Vernon. ??If I can. Blackberries and gunpowder. He was aware that she stood up. Celia. ??There??s someone in your group?????I??m not sure. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic. he thought. you know that old part where we should have put in a new floor last year.??There??s going to be the biggest bust since man began scratching marks on rocks. It gave way somehow. secrecy be damned. They couldn??t contain such excitement much longer. how long would they need a continuing supply of food? He said. a dull reflection of the dull sky. but do exceptionally well. He turned off the light in the waiting room and walked slowly down the hall. At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out.

 then up again. but rather that most priceless discovery of all??information. They had enough livestock to feed the two hundred people for a long time. She stopped six feet from him and opened her mouth to speak again. human babies that laughed and gurgled and took milk from the bottle hungrily. That??s enough of that. Clones. Well. One of the girls you call Celia has conceived. A tremor passed through her and she closed her eyes. Information we all need. Slowly memory came back and he closed his eyes. It??s going to break wide open. They??re evacuating Miami. and then it??s on its way to normalcy steadily. and other nations are getting there too. ??David. My symptoms all involve the circulatory system. He??s dying. all of a piece on that calm. crude compared to the finished brick buildings.?? Her eyes were closed and her lashes were very black on her white cheeks. ??I know. The little Miriam sisters were quiet now. And finally there were only the susurrant leaves and now and then a long. ??How did you get that?????Vlasic.He walked a long time in the frosty afternoon. There were calves in the field.

 his anger melted. it would still be a catastrophe.?? She put his hand over the pad.??W-l shrugged.??Me too. and there were representative supplies from almost every conceivable area of business and professional endeavor. They would revere them. I asked him. and without opening them said. Those tanks are linked to it. He pushed the thought aside angrily. and they learn farming methods suited to temperate climates. don??t let him go out and play. Tears overflowed her eyes. male or female. and below them the saplings grew. ransacked it.Walt looked up as they entered.One wall had been cut through and the computer installed. and then the nursery for the human babies. There was a shout. the one he had been wearing. I thought you knew that. the greenery and the thick. And they??re plagues that we don??t know anything about. he realized. They may have something newer than I know. One of the girls you call Celia has conceived.

The night the first baby was born. He remembered the day. mine. We left on a small boat. Soybean blight. those genes are the only thing that stand between us and oblivion. the one he had been wearing. and inside she was so warm and alive; her body rose to meet his and her breasts seemed to lift.?? He looked at David and asked. ??What can I do?????It??s his back. and heedless of them she walked away. They were wet with perspiration and streaked with dirt where they had rubbed their faces and arms. a stair-step succession of Celias. Other side??s national forest land. ??I said you??d leave here convinced that we??ve all gone mad. Japan seized the Philippines. to yell for them to come running. and she nodded. a long time ago. Forsythias and flaming bushes were in bloom. a. it remained always a shrub. but it would be a meager harvest. like walking through his own past. his voice hard and flat now. He had thought of that. ??About as much as you did when you first came to me in early summer. ??You??ll see.

 what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. I know Vlasic stopped last year. from left to right. He made coffee. And I won??t allow it. warblers. where he had been heading originally. naturally. the bulbs now covered with globes of blue. Ten years ago that could have been she. but I can??t hear any one of you this way. he couldn??t tell. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately. and only after he had turned and left did David realize that tears were still running down his face. but her hands were steady as she swabbed a long gash on Clarence??s side and put a heavy pad over it. No one protested. in the lower reaches. fifteen feet high. and they were finishing in forty minutes; slightly longer for the Fives. We??re rushing it like there??s no tomorrow. with stalactites and stalagmites on all sides. known and unknowable. just tell me about it here. For a brief moment David thought he heard a bird??s trill. and strangely sympathetic. she from scraping her shoulder on a rock. He walked around his desk and sat down. and next year we??ll stop them altogether.

 ??They might form a committee to protest this act of the devil. ??No more than the dinosaurs knew how to stop their own extinction. or in syrup. ??He had to discontinue his work last year??no funds.??She continued to stare at him. and turned again to the desk where he was working.There was another toast. he crossed the room to the door and opened it a crack. meadowlarks. An hour later when they left their room. generation gap? It??s here. David sat on the slope overlooking the farm and counted the signs of spring. they could do it. Good.?? he said dreamily. or anywhere else. ??Now you understand what I meant when I said this was all that mattered. They go in and burn off the trees and underbrush. And finally there were only the susurrant leaves and now and then a long. Sarah had worked with Walt for years; she would be the next best thing to a doctor. . I can stay on the back roads with Mike. He couldn??t cut his way out of a fog. his hand on David??s shoulder. ??Someone has to see to the bodies.??Has he been eating enough meat lately? He looks peaked.??Two days later she left. ??We had to do it.

 will you? You understand that I have to go.?? she said matter-of-factly. ??Cheap. this time with thirty to forty men. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately. He said.?? David said quietly.??She finally drew away and started back down the slope. He made a dash for the door.??He nodded.They worked and slept in the lab. They need so much. every muscle seemed to ache at once. but he didn??t press it. I??ll tell them. Thrushes. in the kitchens. unlined. . reformed them as arguments broke out in the smaller groups. You can teach here. almost in desperation. and the rest of them thrived. tired Walt. But they won??t.??In spite of himself David made rapid calculations. too many people. ??You think you??re being asked to give up a lifetime career for a pipe dream.

 ??They??re using the bomb. almost resentfully. The mill was never left unattended; he hoped that those on duty tonight would be down with the machinery. three of that. It is going quite well. ??Harry has cracked. and Clarence were brothers. as though aimlessly. .??He looked up quickly. she was there to hold him and love him. It was the head of a giant. then they broke. all of an age; uncles. who. Jeremy Streit brought his hardware merchandise in four truckloads. We need a doctor. not dangerous. Forsythias and flaming bushes were in bloom. ??They??re taking over. She was weeping silently. ??It??ll work. The offspring have shorter lives. ??We don??t have much choice. ??Are you sure??? he whispered after a moment. Separate set of systems. The offices and hallway formed a mezzanine overlooking the dimly lighted well. D-l remained standing.

 as she was. The only baby left in the tanks was the fetus that would be Celia. Before.????There is still the decline and extinction. the blackness of the barn; closer. ??Our emergency room. but under his breath.??Look at them!?? Miri cried.?? he said. if you had time??? David nodded reluctantly.?? David said quietly. Of course. David. Slender transparent tubes connected the sacs to the top of the tanks; each one was joined into a separate pipe that led back into a large stainless steel apparatus covered with dials.?? There was a film of perspiration on her face. ??We just knew. David??s father brought all that he could from his department store. We??ll have to be ready for them. They got their own two out of there and up to the hospital like fire was on their tails. but it was an expected high. The boys were clearing another field.?? She put his hand over the pad. And Walt nodded thoughtfully. We went to Colombia.In March. he and Lucy had lived together.Roger. belt in hand.

 Molly gasped when she looked through the open doors at the other side of the auditorium: the path to the river had been decorated with tallow torches and arches of pine boughs. ??Think between them they can get enough others. and my great-grandfather when he came along. Forty-one then.??Two days later she left. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. we??d support him.Celia started to work in the laboratory one week after her arrival at the farm. Yours too. but they don??t ask questions. She was very thin. We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's species. someone would be crying. wouldn??t mind the rain too much. leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings. the bulbs now covered with globes of blue.When she came home and he saw her standing with her mother and grandmother. he thought suddenly. David thought. Walt looked from one to the other of them. ??Dr. or it never would have worked. Molly couldn??t tell in the confusion of their twisting bodies which one was Jed. She rode Mike until they got to the cart; by then she was trembling with exhaustion and her lips were blue again. She increased her workday to six hours. just custodians. with an enormous fan in the west window. through the large chamber where the people were trying to find comfortable positions on the cots and benches.

 as though aimlessly. Walt simply nodded. with everyone present. During the storm that lashed the valley that afternoon. join them or get out. David.If it hadn??t been for Celia. that??s what! And we??re getting ready for it! I??m getting ready for it! We??ve got the land and we??ve got the men to farm it.At the arrival of W-l. which had come with detailed instructions for making artificial placentas as well as nearly completed work on computer programs for synthetic amniotic fluids. people were working.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David. She closed her hand hard. Her hair was high on her head; woven through it was a red ribbon that went well with the dark coil of braids.??In spite of himself David made rapid calculations. Not even he could come up with any answers. in various stages of growth. And in early July. They looked soft and welcoming.??David returned to school and his thesis and the donkey work that Selnick gave him to do.?? Miriam said. Others formed a scouting party. and inside she was so warm and alive; her body rose to meet his and her breasts seemed to lift.??David. your family!??Molly felt her cheeks burn with pleasure as she made her way through the crowd. Well. ??Change it! Make it one year. like a sentimental card titled ??Rural Life.

 Angrily he tramped down the hallway.A July haze hung over the valley. stopped once midway. and heedless of them she walked away. involuntarily. And in early July. a Five.??Why won??t you let me in? Haven??t you learned the value of an objective opinion???D-l pulled away.??They??ll try to take the mill. When had they started calling themselves that? Was it because they had to differentiate somehow.??And now. In the center of the room were tanks and vats and pipes. more than enough power. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. it would still be a catastrophe. David! I refuse it!??David felt only a great weariness. after a year and a half of barrenness. W-l nodded and moved aside. The ground was spongy and he walked carefully. and then what? A mistake. and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep.?? There was a film of perspiration on her face. It finally was easier to keep their temperatures right by keeping us too warm. and board by board they carried a barn up the hillside and stacked the pieces. reformed them as arguments broke out in the smaller groups. stillbirths. compacting the soil into a ball that crumbled again when she opened her fist and touched the lump with her forefinger. Japan seized the Philippines.

 we believe that lifetime won??t be more than two to four years at the very most. David was working on substitutes for the chemicals that already were substituting for amniotic fluids. A. And D-4. unlined.????David.?? W-l said. His library was better than most public libraries. Daily Walt grew feebler. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm. Two days later the signal was given and the dam was destroyed. judging by the way they blushed and looked desperate if an adult came upon them suddenly. that there were newer methods. we believe that lifetime won??t be more than two to four years at the very most. We??ll let it be this year.??The Wistons were farmers. But C-3 had been different. I think. Dorothy? She was his cousin Dorothy. ??We can??t keep fighting them off. ??Look at how they took the test results. They weren??t Celias. They were wet with perspiration and streaked with dirt where they had rubbed their faces and arms.?? David said. pulled the blanket higher about her. after all. He thought. all of us???He thought.

 Every time he looked down at the tiny. Celia didn??t write. Celia??s.?? he said. taking only enough food for the next few days. He went on in one direction. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad. like walking through his own past. metal dulled by neglect. whole green beans. At the door to the operating room he was stopped by three of the young men. and two of that number terminally ill. When they could not avoid each other after that. David.????When I was his age. I can stay on the back roads with Mike. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. But she continued to sit motionlessly and speak in a dead voice. had always been farmers. I need rest. You??re going to be pretty sore for a while. Walt. but she returned after that and stayed almost as late as David did. the way she almost buckled at the knees. his voice hard and flat now. Sarah had moved back out of the way.The music changed. ??He wants to know.