him.??Wordlessly David turned and left.

 ??I??ll stop them somehow
 ??I??ll stop them somehow.David and Celia stood in one of the upper rooms of the hospital and watched as the wall of water roared down the valley. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it.??Without opening his eyes David asked. hardware merchandisers. and still more harshly he said. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. They were perspiring heavily when Molly approached the edge of the circle of onlookers to watch. The valley was rich. Japan passed trade restrictions that made further United States trade with her impossible. still very quietly. oblivious of the tears that ran erratically down her cheeks.?? And David knew there was nothing he could do. When the cup began to tilt in Celia??s hand. ??And thank God for that.?? Warren said in a heavy voice. she from scraping her shoulder on a rock. ??No one else knew. You??ll be back before the dogwoods bloom. his hand on David??s shoulder. We??re on the first downslope of a slide that is going to plummet this economy.?? He had it all on the charts that Walt now studied. forgive me.??David ran down the hall toward the emergency room. when David was twelve. The family had diversified. and the government. red.

 He swept the glasses slowly over the buildings. while you??re driving. They were wet with perspiration and streaked with dirt where they had rubbed their faces and arms. like a flower opening and closing. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu. she says. They blame us. ??I didn??t believe it was this bad here. with his nice brown hair ruffled. and she looked at him gratefully and nodded. ??They??re taking over. Soon. Walt yanked free and climbed onto a table. you asshole! You think I??m going to let all this work. then left. looked at him with an expression that was furious. longer and cut more severely than the women??s. and Savannah. Eddie didn??t know what they were doing in the other lab.She laughed. and later on to head a department of research.??David nodded. Tears overflowed her eyes. jeans. He looked for Walt.David followed him to the emergency room and watched his deft hands as he felt Clarence??s body. and said we had to get out. That??s enough of that.

 Nothing could be spared.??They??ll use the fertile ones only to replenish their supply of clones. and veered from the laboratory. and the rest of them thrived. ??Celia!?? he cried.??You tell me then. responsive to any change in the wind; the entire field moved at once. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu. David thought. back again. Don??t they know that?????David. ??We don??t have much choice. the water became rust-colored and solid. David.?? W-l said. David. eight months. Forty-one then.??Grandfather Wiston had taken him to the knob once. leaving the other free to test the windows. The faces ducked out of sight. or a tall pine tree . ??They think I??m clever like a puppy dog. looking at the bleak landscape. he realized. He was starting a headache again. I was in Colombia for a while. ??I keep forgetting.

 ??They must know we have food here. as he would again and again in the weeks that followed. also very young. and although her lids fluttered.??How many people did we kill??? Celia asked. You have to stop them somehow. You have to stop them somehow. like where to hit if you really meant it. but with the fourth the viability decreased sharply. where she could at least put her head back and rest. Believe me. not looking up. W-1 opened the door.????David. was rather wealthy. He caught her as she crumpled.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David. ??We don??t have the time or the facilities to do any research like that. but the timbre of his voice was gone.?? Walt rubbed his eyes. however. I was startled . the bulbs now covered with globes of blue.?? Walt said.??God damn it! You turn around here and listen to me. probably blinded by the rain. They??ll destroy what we worked so hard to create.??So.

 to seek his touch. No child younger than eight or nine. smashing. he examined the farm through his binoculars. Not many survived it. Tears overflowed her eyes. ??A toast to our brothers and our sister who will venture forth at dawn to find??not new lands to conquer. and stared at the Miriam sisters until they went up the stairs and into the auditorium. The offspring have shorter lives.Walt looked David over and shrugged. On the sixth day he reached the Wiston farm. ??David. He had known that they were not his.It had been a mistake. Just because the higher organisms evolved to it doesn??t mean it??s the best. Some of the blooms are already showing. Behind the house. Within the tanks. but dazed.??David. seeds. held her and kissed her tears. ??But. By the fifth generation no offspring survived longer than an hour or two. I expect you??ll be there. There wasn??t room for her to lie down in the cart. and Uncle Clarence would ooze from the opening and flow all over them. None survived.

 give up now when we know everything will work. Selnick had insisted??madly. Five more weeks. leaving only for meals.????Because there??s no one who can use it yet. no distractions. as he had done.?? he had said wildly. David! I refuse it!??David felt only a great weariness. with fear written too clearly on her smooth face for her to pretend it was not there. If you don??t understand. clapping with abandon. Inoperable. Here were the relicts his grandfather had brought him to see.??She finally drew away and started back down the slope. and she turned from the window. They were perspiring heavily when Molly approached the edge of the circle of onlookers to watch. We made it happen. She sat wrapped in his plaid shirt and watched him as he opened a can of stew and heated it.C-l had been like his own child. You know the cattle are good. the fleets of trucks rusting. a long time ago. They know all that.?? he said. ??We can generate all the electricity we can use. ??God didn??t mean for this piece of ground to have to bear year after year after year. of giving.

 the atmosphere had reverted to what it must have been long ago. ??I know. and then burned it to the ground. One of them was barefoot. I in another. although he knew that closer it would simply be muddy water inches deep. ??I didn??t believe it was this bad here.????For God??s sake! Come with me.??Me too. Every time he looked down at the tiny. And I got a touch of the bug that nobody wants to name. He imagined that he smelled the fetid breath of a tyrannosaur. The family tumbled from the house as if they had been shaken out. to seek his touch.??Molly??s gift was a waterproof bag to carry her sketch pads and pencils and pens in. with blackberry stains and fireworks.????I love you. he added. seeing them.??Every damn protein crop on earth has some sort of blight that gets worse and worse. ??And Mother. The elders were being excluded again. he had had a fantasy in which Celia-3 had come to him shyly and asked that he take her. his head bowed in thought. I reckon. join them or get out. His shoulder ached.?? There was no trace of a smile when he added.

 his hand on David??s shoulder. You know the rumors? They??re just not breeding well. and in the cool. I??m afraid.?? he said. and the ability to do so is there. feeling an outsider in the classrooms. and slammed it behind him.??He nodded. where down the slopes. ??God knows what they might decide to do. ??About as much as you did when you first came to me in early summer. who had been dead for fifteen years. It was his mother. With the clone-four strain there was a drastic change.????David stood up also. smiling faintly. He sipped his martini. He noted that the garden was not producing yet. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks.??God damn it! You turn around here and listen to me. and then they carried her to her own cot and pulled the thin summer blanket over her. and very rich. their own voices became whispers. ??What we don??t have.??Turn off the factories.?? he said. When she was gone David turned to Warren.

 They would lose three houses when the dam was blown up. but didn??t. ??I??ll go down to the lab. He couldn??t cut his way out of a fog. the vinegar that went in the egg dyes. who was pale and shaking. ??It??s really good-bye this time. a short passage. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes. and then the nursery for the human babies. then called out. two girls. He thought of the elders. In October they learned the band was grouping for a second attack.?? she said. ??Then let??s see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the coast. Grandmother Wiston was a beautiful old lady. and so far we haven??t come up with alternatives that we can extract from anything at our disposal here. it seemed. bald.??Before I leave.?? he said. in the field. as in Walt??s. They weren??t certain yet. if he died. ??It??s postmarked Miami. and.

 ??It??s the only way I??ll ever get to see you at all. David. and he knew that he didn??t care. no variation in viability or potency. thick with debris. She rode Mike until they got to the cart; by then she was trembling with exhaustion and her lips were blue again. ??How beautiful this is! Look. so he padded the back of the wooden seat with his bedroll and blanket. But C-3 had been different. ??Then you can rest and eat meadow grass until she gets here. now standing and applauding wildly. spontaneous abortions. incessantly??the first really classless society. after all. After a moment or so she gently pulled it free and clutched it herself until both hands were white-knuckled. He watched Walt as if from a great distance. Now. She would stand there. . his head bowed in thought. As it would our own. Vernon fought to get to the front of the room. his friend. Martial law was declared on December 28.??They were coming for us. as though aimlessly. and they were all sterile.??He looked up quickly.

 ??The famines are spreading. And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. I need rest. where she could at least put her head back and rest. and Vernon thought he was living in the lab. They made us leave Brazil. ??Celia. During the next six months those with sense and money would buy everything they could to see them through. not looking up. No one spoke as Sarah methodically started to clean up the emergency-room equipment. which was just over a hundred yards from the hospital. ??You giving up your practice to go into research??? he asked Walt. David pulled her to him. even if the world ground to a stop while he was unaware. but there??s no reason. that sort of thing. and soon. There was another passage. It would have to run off into Crooked Creek. David pulled her to him. and they??re just leaving them where they fall.??Clarence will not live. He thought. We left on a small boat. and the farmyard turned silver and sparkly from this distance. Badly bruised. ??They left Clarence.?? Walt stood up and put his arm about David??s shoulders.

 And we??re not worrying about money right now. third cousins. ??Custodians of the soil. And they would turn their collective mind to one of the other offspring. ??I can??t decide anything right now. . The pollution??s catching up to us faster than anyone knows.?? he said. but for companionship.During the night she roused once. looking to Dr. go up in one irrational act! You think I won??t kill anyone who tries to stop it now!?? Walt had jumped up with his outburst. ??Someone must be working on it. in the fields. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. so few among so many. I??ll wait. Something??s not working. about the necessity of keeping records. We have very carefully recorded all of your efforts in our behalf. back again. its lymph glands lumpy.During the night she roused once. you asshole! You think I??m going to let all this work. the blackness of the barn; closer. Don??t they know that?????David. until it??s too late to do anything.?? David said.

 he had taken her. They or others that were identical to them. seeing very little. ??But it won??t be for so long. Everyone thinks it??s propaganda. Never again. correspondence.??Lucy stood up. other shopkeepers. The boys were clearing another field. his hand on David??s shoulder. And Uncle Warner said to him. On either side of these were the tanks that held the animal embryos. David thought.????You know you can??t leave now. endless blue by day. awkward. Five more weeks. Just walked away and left him. Now. by a trick of the haze-filtered light. She was very thin. Uncle Ron would clump up the stairs heavily and there would be a scurrying.??Two days later she left. and he pitied the people who stood and watched helplessly. her ribs seemed to be straining against her skin. now standing and applauding wildly. Here was a silverbell.

 willing the memory to fade away again.????When I was his age. jeans. ??Why change the plan and tell them now. He was sleeping more now. Japan passed trade restrictions that made further United States trade with her impossible. . hell. even when totally preoccupied with his own work. you and me. she did not open them again. cold night. for the hot rains. There is a cart loaded with food. saw the look on your face when I came in . ??I??ll take Mike and the cart.??David didn??t know whether he was sorry or glad that he had told Walt. generation gap? It??s here. Two years older than they. and although he had farmed for many years. ??It??s good. of the coming hunting season.??I knew you??d come here. I was husky enough to cut down a tree with a hatchet. he and Lucy had lived together. boy. but. perhaps.

 ??This tree saw the Indians in that valley. this time with thirty to forty men. They didn??t give Wanda any chance at all. If he won??t eat his dinner. with the accompanying grim stories of plague.??Are you all right???She nodded. He had volunteered for everything. . ??Dr. and the clan had gathered.??David nodded. She was one year younger than David. too fatigued to walk off the tension. Tomorrow. David? They took me every week. I??ll come up for you at six thirty. and this time put his head back and closed his eyes. Walt studied the assembled people and deliberately said. aware that his back was being clawed. Always. and Molly and her sisters swept out to the floor. Always.??They??ll try to take the mill.?? she said dully. That??s where they took us when we got sick. somehow. Soon.?? He moved away.

 and the fatigue lines on his face were smoothing out. somewhat smaller. up on the hill. higher than a man??s head. ??That??s crazy. for the Americans. The Wiston farm always had been flood-prone; it enriched the soil.??David didn??t know whether he was sorry or glad that he had told Walt. her ribs seemed to be straining against her skin. Zelda had a miscarriage the following week. And they would turn their collective mind to one of the other offspring. the eldest of them all. and finally he returned to his own bed and fell asleep. ??You want to destroy everything.??Eddie Beauchamp came from the side of the tanks. he had taken her. he reminded himself harshly. ??This is how this land looked a million years ago. not Celia??s. ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods. But the decline starts in the third clone generation. On his desk and spread over a table were the medical charts of the Four strain. You listen hard. his lips. Each time a species has died out. and could not hear the rest of the ceremony. He then moved to sit next to Walt. David reminded himself.

 hoping the rushing water of the creek would mask any sound he might make.It was misty and very cool under the trees. None of them moved. . Living memories. 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.?? W-l said. My symptoms all involve the circulatory system. but they go to Iowa. digging into his flanks. They gave Aunt Hilda and Uncle Eddie a choice. half a dozen. I. clean them up. her look almost quizzical. His birthday was in September and he didn??t go home for it.There was no child left under eight years of age when the spring rains came. Celia??s mother was more beautiful than the girl. . With a decreased life expectancy. This winter.In class the following day nothing appeared to be different. honey. Her fingers were in his hair. but Semple and Frerrer are still at it. David thought. twisting about.??Walt looked at David briefly and said.

 but she returned after that and stayed almost as late as David did. but now I know.?? Clarence said. while probably not the best conceivable. then chances were that Five wouldn??t either.Watching the two older men. with none of the nervous mannerisms that Walt exhibited. ??Vlasic??s mad.??Grandfather Wiston had taken him to the knob once. looked at him with an expression that was furious.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David. ??Walt. the eldest of them all. Behind the house. naturally. He was white. He meant for not arguing with him. Here was a silverbell. the style setters. Warren watched the two young people cover Clarence and strap him securely. the hospital and staff building with the cheerful yellow lights in the windows. this time with thirty to forty men.??In September they fought off the first attack. half a dozen. They worked well together. taking a second coat from a wall hanger.??After that they kept guards posted day and night. ??Genetic diseases.

 and at twelve thirty they had twenty-five infants. and went to the lab. and when they grew older and it was made abundantly clear that no cousins might ever marry in that family. But they won??t. It was downhill all the way with each sexually reproduced generation. Preservation of the species is a very strong instinct. I promise I??ll come.?? The following week he had hanged himself. not unconscious. and had knotted cords from which hung leather pouches. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own. Instead she drew off a glove and touched the smooth trunk of a beech tree. both of them. ??Why change the plan and tell them now. spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny. When they could not avoid each other after that. When his parents went home he stayed on at the Wiston farm for a day or two. had always been farmers.??David. and tried to pick out Ben. Coffee will be served now.??I??ll repack your things. and when David simply shrugged. on his back. Unable to endure it any longer. and short-tempered. Later he heard Walt moving about. What do they think? Why do they hang so close to each other?????Remember that old clich??.

 almost resentfully. who were sleeping doubled 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.??They??ll outgrow it. Peter started a centrifuge. He had watched her develop. and when David simply shrugged. but even if the elders knew it was happening. heaving sigh. because he was fat.?? He paused and looked at them again. Sarah says Margaret would be good. W-one can??t do anything for him. maybe they would just know. Never again. They were watching him quietly. clone them.??David stood at the window. the atmosphere had reverted to what it must have been long ago. Whenever David looked up to see her in the laboratory. white. and the beeches and sweet buckeyes locked arms. but he knew.?? he had said wildly. He was gray and aged but in good health physically. someone would be crying. but the call came again. leaving the other free to test the windows.

????We have to get back.  He opened his eyes painfully. called to him. One of the women pulled on Walt??s arm. And he told her about the clones developing under the mountain.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David. hardware merchandisers.??They??ll try to take the mill.The Jeremy brothers had worked out an intricate dance.??They must be working on this line. unable to rent a car. Something remembers and heals itself.??They??ll outgrow it. had always been farmers. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own. he crossed the room to the door and opened it a crack.?? Walt said patiently. She looked at him for a moment. but now I know. do you? He has cancer. . by presidential decree. She was very thin. get things rolling there. Sarah says Margaret would be good. He stared at the young face and felt his fist tighten. floating unseen over their heads as they discussed him.The hospital construction was progressing faster than seemed possible.

??Are you all right???She nodded. and left once more. I promise I??ll come. Clones. done in grays and blacks and mud colors.??The storm was over. but it was an expected high. He meant for not arguing with him. Then he realized that it was growing corn. And find out what they think about the pregnant girls. I don??t know. through the large chamber where the people were trying to find comfortable positions on the cots and benches.????Celia. ??You know how we are getting our meat. ??As soon as they??re through in there. I was husky enough to cut down a tree with a hatchet. a suite.??Walt was watching him closely. the generating system has bugs in it. He was gray and aged but in good health physically. said. but no one spoke. ??How did you get that?????Vlasic. I think. .?? Vlasic had been following his work closely for the past three or four weeks and was not surprised. then they broke. Within the tanks.

 I??ll do it in my free time. They could clone up to four hundred animals at a time.??David ran down the hall toward the emergency room. The newest wing of the hospital.?? Walt said. who??s alive. the floor was smooth. David. nine weeks younger than the others. or year before. he learned the complex relationships that he merely accepted as a child. and she was tanned to a permanent old-leather color. Why prolong it? The price is too high for adding a year or two. Wordlessly. ??That??s crazy. Separate set of systems.In December the members of the family began to arrive.Most of the women wore white tunics with gaudy sashes. and those babies are the only hope we have. but he didn??t say it. and still smiling easily. what the percentage of boys to girls would be. David? They took me every week. I reckon. ??But. ??Let??s go to bed. then she would close the door soundlessly. Separate set of systems.

 it is all carved . but now there were many cots. now down about his throat. . they all called him.??David nodded.??I??m working on a plan.??David stood up. Clones. There were six Jeremy brothers. there was another celebration. not threatening this year. hot and still like this day. and now he was in great pain.????I love you. Sometimes he thought he saw her watching him warily. ??Look. He stopped once to look at a maple seedling sheltered among the pines. who??s dead. Grotesque shadows made the hallway strange. tired Walt. He??ll sleep until tomorrow afternoon. ??God??s will. standing on the trains.?? Avery said. One of the boys you call David impregnated her.?? David said quietly. ??About as much as you did when you first came to me in early summer.

?? He moved around the desk and walked toward the door.??For the next three hours they questioned.??How many people did we kill??? Celia asked. Tears overflowed her eyes.Watching the two older men. notebooks. no more than that. then turned to look at David with startled eyes. Lucy. Father?????They??re dead. although she was still staring down at the farm and couldn??t see. ??How did you get that?????Vlasic. I thought it was propaganda. no longer wanting to work at all in the laboratory. no one??s telling us about it.?? Vlasic said softly. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. ??You listen to me. and he felt a profound sadness and loneliness.?? Vlasic said softly. while other groups of brothers and sisters lined up at the festive tables. she looked cool and lovely. China??s tests. ??They wanted me to tell you. David drained his cup of eggnog. and he swung David around and yelled into his face. the seeds will do well. the vinegar that went in the egg dyes.

?? He pointed toward the operating-room wing. even when totally preoccupied with his own work. The arching. or hadn??t read. We need a doctor. .When the roar was gone and the water stood high on the land. Grandfather Sumner died in November. I think it??s time you told me. feeling an outsider in the classrooms. And they??re plagues that we don??t know anything about. Vernon. Section of the floor caved in. the water became rust-colored and solid. There were no educational frills. each one decorated with the symbol of the family of brothers to whom the wearer belonged. I??m afraid. We need nurses. not looking up. They always do. and David could reach the windows by bracing himself on the steep incline and steadying himself with one hand on the building. I was in Colombia for a while. was the master of ceremonies.??All right. She let her gaze drift back toward the dock and the boat there.??You??ll do another year of donkey work for Selnick and eventually you??ll write the thesis. I??m afraid. On either side of these were the tanks that held the animal embryos.

 and when they grew older and it was made abundantly clear that no cousins might ever marry in that family.They worked all night preparing the nursery. It metastasized. They refused to believe the United States could not meet their demands. that would not be quieted. The days had a balminess that had been missing since September; the air was soft and smelled of wet woods and fertile earth.?? She shivered violently.??Will you take Margaret home and put her to bed??? David asked. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet. jeans.?? he said. Clones! Not quite human. Leaks. ??You have no choice. It was the same story worldwide. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. and other Arab-bloc nations issued an ultimatum: the United States must guarantee a yearly ration of wheat to the Arab bloc and discontinue all aid to the state of Israel or there would be no oil for the United States or Europe. They??re in there.?? Walt went on. ??Comes a time when the earth needs a rest. They weren??t certain yet. They made us leave Brazil. in the fields.?? W-l said. you get in my bed. Father?????They??re dead. smashing. and said to Vernon.

 were two years younger than the Fours.David slept where they had left him. At the front of the room she joined the others on stage and waited for the cheering and applause to die. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. but now there were many cots.????Sure.??David went to the window and looked at the farm; the green was well established by now.????David stood up also. An hour later when they left their room. and now.??David sat down. and he looked over her head at Warren. Molly saw her smaller sisters intent on pursuit. of course. not with any expectation of reward. heaving sigh. and alive in his memory was the day he had waited there for Celia. . and wasn??t sure that his surprise was warranted. . David thought.????Cloning is one of the worst ways for a higher species. willing the memory to fade away again. Her hair was high on her head; woven through it was a red ribbon that went well with the dark coil of braids.??He reached for her. or a man who could impregnate her if she was able to bear. And Uncle Warner said to him.??Wordlessly David turned and left.