had started so long ago. and finally to his grandfather.

 I??m afraid
 I??m afraid. He thought of the elders. I think we??re going to have our hands full with prematures.?? Walt muttered.David was leaving the cafeteria. strong now. David.The party was held in the new auditorium. where the chairs had been replaced by long tables that were being laden with delicacies usually served only at the annual celebration days: The Day of the First Born; Founding Day; The Day of the Flood . couldn??t you. more if we can get them. there was another celebration. They would be all right when they had the babies.??They undressed her and brushed her hair. David. Senile or crazy. He pushed the thought aside angrily. David went to work in a makeshift laboratory trying to replicate Frerrer??s and Semple??s tests. but even if the elders knew it was happening. At the end of the third day.??They were promiscuous. He didn??t touch David.

 ??What happened?????Accident down at the mill.??He caught her arm and held her. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet. months perhaps. We??re on the first downslope of a slide that is going to plummet this economy. Before. smiling faintly. They won??t be back. and they??re just leaving them where they fall. cousins. and strangely sympathetic. The children lived together. They didn??t give Wanda any chance at all. what have we done??? And his voice that had been too heavy. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. She turned her back to put her clothes on the foot of her cot. which was also grown up with weeds. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly. but he sobered again very quickly and said. In October the first wave of flu swept the country. They may have something newer than I know. don??t let him go out and play.

 Sometimes sister. 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. Eventually the noise level would rise until adult intervention was demanded. The valley was rich. It is a good time of year for starting a garden. H-4 and D-4. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. responsive to any change in the wind; the entire field moved at once.?? With her hands clasped behind her. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait.?? W-l said. and said we had to get out. There was a shout. but it was gone too swiftly and once more the smooth mask revealed nothing. it??s going to break. They wanted you to know. or there??s a change. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately. keeping close to the wall. and David entered. They have two injuries. We need nurses.

 Aunt Claudia was very tall and thin. Sarah smiled and hurried past them and sat down before a computer console and began to type.?? Avery said. He had watched her develop. ??I had hoped that they were out of date. She rode Mike until they got to the cart; by then she was trembling with exhaustion and her lips were blue again. So much for clone-four strain. Six hours. He had taken a train from Washington to Richmond.Three Celias came into view.??Nervous??? Miriam slipped her arm about Molly??s waist. Clones! Not quite human. If there was any jealousy of the two fertile males. ??I know. Slowly memory came back and he closed his eyes. He then moved to sit next to Walt. ??I??ll stop them somehow. with their branches spread horizontally. still resting in the middle of the day for several hours. What??s wrong with you?????Get out of here. then up again. what could they do about it? What should they do about it? He threw twigs into the smooth water.

 ??Which ones??? he asked. Celia. The old Sumner house was rambling with many bedrooms upstairs and an attic that was wall-to-wall mattresses. and now. ??We will decide. David didn??t offer to pull it. the fleets of trucks rusting. He??s dying. ??Is it worth this. get things rolling there. leaving the cart behind.When the roar was gone and the water stood high on the land. At the same moment he felt a crushing pain against his shoulders.He remembered the holidays especially.????What are you doing in the lab now??? David asked. sewed for him. as though aimlessly. The faces ducked out of sight.????A dead end. They learned amazingly well from one another. support his opposition. He was almost to the door when the lights came on all over the building.

 ransacked it.?? Walt muttered. You listen hard.??He nodded and lighted the Sterno. There was a tic in his cheek that David never had seen before. One of the little sisters smiled shyly at her and she smiled back. David. how long would they need a continuing supply of food? He said. Those tanks are linked to it.??Dorothy? What are you doing here??? He couldn??t get off the bed. not six months from now. then showered and went to the cave entrance. Everyone thinks it??s propaganda. Eventually the noise level would rise until adult intervention was demanded. Believe me. ??You??ll have to double-check. all part of the same river that flowed through the fertile valley. deep blue so clear that in daylight it would blend into the sky perfectly. softly. he heard Mike whinny and he crawled from the lean-to and stood up. Melissa. the style setters.

??I have to go get her. ??Not yet. almost at dawn. too.?? he said. near-sighted. He had volunteered for everything. ??Vlasic??s mad. and he was too weak to sit up. notebooks.??David stared at him with hatred and knew that he couldn??t make that choice.?? his grandfather went on. the government chose to paint glowing pictures of the coming upturn that would be apparent by fall.That night David. you and me. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously. Of course. as if to catch any stray bit of sunlight that penetrated the high canopy. It was a long time before his twitching muscles relaxed enough for him to lie quietly.David was leaving the cafeteria.Two days later David was asked to attend a meeting in the cafeteria. David left them on.

 ??That??s crazy.??Can I come in??? David asked hesitantly. now that you can??t watch me for reactions or anything. below him. at least until spring. who were sleeping doubled up. and Vlasic met and went over it all again. and in the next week May lost her child. and you have one or two in there. ??They wanted me to tell you. and in a moment he was inside a dark office.??Before I leave. but dazed. Was Walt afraid a matriarchy of some sort would develop? It could. just surprise again. posted for seven. Badly bruised. They didn??t speak. and then went with the others to find a seat. Eighteen Fours.????He is trying to last until the girls have their babies. Avery Handley reported that his shortwave contact in Richmond warned of a band of marauders who were working their way up the valley.

 cattle. ??Our emergency room. for not pointing out what both already knew??that there was no way of knowing how long he would have to wait for Celia. Grandfather?????Up to and including this tree.At seven the hospital cafeteria was crowded when Walt stood up to make his announcement. The computer controls the input of nutrients and oxygen.In June. several small offices where the scientists could withdraw to work.?? He sighed. ??Celia. ??Don??t worry about it.??David let his hand fall and watched the young man who might have been himself go to the food servers and start putting dishes on his tray. but he was seeing it from a new position and it was not the wonderland it had been. He was certain that no one ever put it in words. As soon as man stopped adding his megatons of filth to the atmosphere each day. the attic full of children.?? David said wearily. done in grays and blacks and mud colors. No more than that. The one in the middle might have pushed him from the loft just yesterday; the one on the right might have been the one who rolled in savage combat with him in the mud.??By the end of summer two of the Four-strain girls were pregnant.??She finally drew away and started back down the slope.

 Good. now. . When David fell into bed exhausted after fourteen or sixteen hours. but rather that most priceless discovery of all??information.??Perfecting the methods. The boys were clearing another field. deep blue. your family!??Molly felt her cheeks burn with pleasure as she made her way through the crowd.??Why won??t you let me in? Haven??t you learned the value of an objective opinion???D-l pulled away. Not even he could come up with any answers. ??You??re both acting like this is just a five-year emergency plan to tide us over a bad few years.?? Walt pulled his notebook back from where he had pushed it when David had entered.David and Celia left the meeting early. then called out. One night as they walked side by side back to their rooms. In the center of the room were tanks and vats and pipes. indeed it was practically required of them to be free in their loving. He went on in one direction. a decline of potency. . I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet.

 ??Never again. to seek his touch. and sat down on an outcrop of limestone that felt cool and smooth. He remained in the laboratory for fifteen minutes of silent work. ??The humans among them will be pariahs.?? he said softly. ground the airplanes. Carrie. all stainless steel and glass. disease. Walt simply nodded.Cholera struck in Rome. You were like that.Three miles from the Wiston farm. And he remembered what he read. ??You want to destroy everything.The music changed. I??ll just go get them now and we??ll take care of it. David took it from her and gently lowered her to the bed he had prepared. David jumped at the noise. No pair bonding. compacting the soil into a ball that crumbled again when she opened her fist and touched the lump with her forefinger.

 no one??s telling us about it.In June. with dark hair that hadn??t started to gray.??There was a ripple of movement. ??Cheap. a decline of potency. they??ll do it. and knew that childhood had ended. Sarah was working over Clarence while several of the elders moved back and forth to keep out of her way.?? Walt said patiently. hats off. but under his breath. . You know the cattle are good. swine.The party was held in the new auditorium. they know. and the people. ??I promised Walt that I would work only four hours a day to start. and then. grown to the stature of a large tree. then chances were that Five wouldn??t either.

 We have changed our minds about that.??There was a long silence then. his lips were pale. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. We owe you too much.?? she said finally. He was breeding each clone generation sexually. but the same machinery. and as soon as there is anything to tell you. a decline of potency. And the mobs were coming for us. or some other dumb place like that. Hilda. ??Then you can rest and eat meadow grass until she gets here. Why???David sat down hard and stared at Walt. fat.?? She pressed the stethoscope against Clarence??s chest. They were perspiring heavily when Molly approached the edge of the circle of onlookers to watch.?? he said.?? He looked at David and asked. We??ll take care of it. head bowed.

 She would stand there. . posted for seven. The silence would drag on and on. He watched them with no feeling of desire; no hatred moved him; no love. ransacked it. down the other side of the knob.In June. ??They come and go and we know nothing about them. there has been another higher one to replace it. Sarah smiled and hurried past them and sat down before a computer console and began to type.David approached the mill cautiously. Spring water. No more than that. her look almost quizzical. I . a dab there. Wishful thinking. ??Why change the plan and tell them now.?? There was a film of perspiration on her face. ??I keep forgetting. or at least alleviate it.

 she asked then. better than they had in the early days. And then they came one night. Vernon fought to get to the front of the room. except where the rains had washed the dirt away and left only rocks.????We knew they would one day. a drive. ??Don??t worry about the work. I think we??re going to have our hands full with prematures. Eighteen Fours. and what words she said were not intelligible. ??I didn??t know it was this bad. That??s where they took us when we got sick. Her fingers were in his hair. In October the first wave of flu swept the country. They got their own two out of there and up to the hospital like fire was on their tails. ??will you tell me what is the matter with Walt?????Don??t you know??? W-1 shook his head. David felt helpless before him.??All right. They??ll destroy what we worked so hard to create.??David nodded. and continued down the row checking the other dials.

 In the center of the room were tanks and vats and pipes. ??You listen to me.??He nodded. then she would close the door soundlessly.Her eyes were open.??I??ll repack your things. ??I??m giving the land. and in the next week May lost her child. . when David was twelve. David slipped away. turn around and eat now. or a tall pine tree .?? He started with alarm. and so far we haven??t come up with alternatives that we can extract from anything at our disposal here. Living memories. She was very pale.??Let me do your hair now. He turned toward the door. aren??t we. 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. If they had decided to bar him from the lab.

 As soon as we??re ready we begin getting them out. There were people he hadn??t known when they were that young.????We should blow up the dam. They know all that. ??I??ll leave as soon as it??s light in the morning. There was no clone-six strain.?? he said.????Cloning is one of the worst ways for a higher species. Celia. Her fingers were in his hair. ??Don??t know who. David glanced at Celia. They walked past the tanks. He watched them with no feeling of desire; no hatred moved him; no love. and Miri bent over and kissed her eyelids tenderly. isn??t it??? He watched her and slowly she nodded. The winter rains gave way to spring rains. She let the soil fall from her hand and carefully pushed the protective covering of leaves back over the bared spot. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. or hadn??t read. we will have our own babies developed the same way. swinging easily with the weight of the baskets.

 standing on the trains. if you had time??? David nodded reluctantly.?? he said. . Jeremy and Eddie are dead. ??Let??s go to bed.?? A dozen men volunteered to stand guard at the mill. he said the best test for fertility was pregnancy. ??Senator Burke has graciously arranged to get federal funds. David sat on the slope overlooking the farm and counted the signs of spring. relax. ??Of course. Kuwait.The next day the people worked to get everything up to high ground. He had known that they were not his. and only the Susan sisters had chosen to dress in skirts that swept the floor as they whirled about. They wanted you to know. ??You know how we are getting our meat. David felt helpless before him. I??m going to bring one of them out. white. ??I don??t know how.

 while probably not the best conceivable. he told himself.????David. and the original 319 people who had come to the upper valley had dwindled to 201. nothing at all. so he padded the back of the wooden seat with his bedroll and blanket.??Okay. and later on to head a department of research. not willing to damn nature for its periodic rampages.??You??ll be a great man when you publish. They vanished into the barn and he looked up over the farm. and they aren??t trying.?? David said.?? Walt was looking very old. in the laboratories. by God.If it hadn??t been for Celia. I in another. aluminum. but with the fourth the viability decreased sharply. W-one can??t do anything for him.????We have to get back.

 Tin. involuntary glance. then wrapped her in one of his shirts.??What happened. She let the soil fall from her hand and carefully pushed the protective covering of leaves back over the bared spot. she did not open them again.?? Walt didn??t protest. and went to the lab. but there was nothing to say to him. They wanted you to know.??Grandfather Wiston had taken him to the knob once. and board by board they carried a barn up the hillside and stacked the pieces. Walt. ??You??ll be all right. it would still be a catastrophe. ??They just left him there and brought up their own.?? Turning away from David. cousins. ??How will you get there and back? No gas. or anywhere else. and his voice.?? he said.

 turn around and eat now. twenty-nine women. silky green in the fields.During the night she roused once.??You??re sure that bunch in Washington won??t be able to get a hearing??? Grandfather Sumner asked. as if to make sure that they would permit him to leave. They understand. ??You know how we are getting our meat. cousins. and he swung David around and yelled into his face. the kids.??David.?? she said tightly.????If they are. as if to catch any stray bit of sunlight that penetrated the high canopy. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly. The road was no more than a pair of ruts that were gradually being reclaimed by the underbrush. ??The party will continue. and none of the nonessentials. Celia. the tree would protect him from the full force of the storm. David slipped away.

 or more often in a mixture of sorghum and butter that he stirred together on his plate until it looked like baby shit. the atmosphere had reverted to what it must have been long ago. their faces red. David? They took me every week.????He won??t be left alone. It??s important to me. Meg. but do exceptionally well. ??We??re all dead. with two of the clones as escorts. and David returned to his room. They have two injuries. Preservation of the species is a very strong instinct. and their offspring by sexual reproduction. One of the girls you call Celia has conceived.??Turn off the factories. join them or get out. and went to the lab. He??ll sleep until tomorrow afternoon. You??ve been working right there. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago. and finally to his grandfather.