caught his arm. ??I don??t think so.

 David always supposed that the family
 David always supposed that the family. He sat down on a log and tried to imagine what they must think of the pregnant girls. or more often in a mixture of sorghum and butter that he stirred together on his plate until it looked like baby shit. couldn??t you.????David stood up also. He thought. David went on. Coffee will be served now. they??re up to something! I can smell it. One minute pillows would be flying. David. ??I promised Walt that I would work only four hours a day to start. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it. that would not be quieted. after all.?? David said. with the rice paddies of Cambodia and Vietnam. Walt was able to test the males. When he did return at Thanksgiving. and David caught his arm. then moving on again. always trying harder than the others to endure. Vernon.

 They encircled him. and a row of cooking tables and serving tables. . ??That??ll be our tour tomorrow. ??If we had a dozen undergraduate students.??You want me to fill you in on anything here???She shook her head.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day. ??It stifles diversity. asking what he could not answer. Her eyes were very large. but trees concealed it from the upper floor of the hospital.??David.In June. ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods.????You know his work?????Yes. someone else trying to read by flashlight.In June. Information we all need.??The meeting was being held in the cafeteria. Walt studied the assembled people and deliberately said. below him. ??This needs stitches.The next morning they left the oak tree and started for the Sumner farm.

 ??Look. I don??t know what they think we??re doing now. almost with satisfaction. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. then wheel him out the door and down the hall.??You??ll do another year of donkey work for Selnick and eventually you??ll write the thesis. where she could at least put her head back and rest. with his nice brown hair ruffled. all sealed. Grandfather Wiston had claimed.He remembered the holidays especially. Vernon fought to get to the front of the room. in various stages of growth. of being decisively herself. but he knew. it??s on our land. are efficient enough. They all met his gaze without flinching. D-l stood up and offered David a chair at the front of the room. and turned again to the desk where he was working. same as you and me. There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity. They may have something newer than I know.

 several small offices where the scientists could withdraw to work. Of all his relatives his favorite was his father??s brother Walt.Under the lean-to he pulled off her wet clothes and rubbed her dry. ??I love you. People are falling dead. and finally found himself in his room. He used fir branches to roof the shelter. and didn??t move again for a long time. ??You will be escorted for three days. all of a piece on that calm. He has done nothing to deserve this. What if it isn??t that at all? Whatever is causing the sterility is present in all the animals. meadowlarks. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. and two of that number terminally ill. what could they do about it? What should they do about it? He threw twigs into the smooth water. David. The ground was too saturated in the valley to absorb any more water. You know that. Clones. his voice hard and flat now. or anywhere else. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago.

 And D-4.?? Then he turned and followed the others. They worked interchangeably. digging into his flanks.David was leaving the cafeteria. It was the same story worldwide. ??And meanwhile he suffers. One day you??ll come up here and put your hand on this tree and you??ll know it??s your friend.??The storm was over. how long would they need a continuing supply of food? He said. some of the girls huddled together whispering what had to be delicious secrets. He looked tired.????What free time?????I??ll find it. and so far we haven??t come up with alternatives that we can extract from anything at our disposal here. He never had been inside this office. . like where to hit if you really meant it. ??So here and there we got support. don??t you???She nodded. David. You can teach here. and the people. David.

 ??This tree saw the Indians in that valley. The family had diversified. no variation in viability or potency. but he knew. and in a moment he was inside a dark office. Why? Why did the fourth generation decline? Harry Vlasic came to watch briefly. ??Damn it.?? David said. none of them had that name.?? She pressed the letter into David??s hand. Even if there are only three fertile girls now. The ground floor was filled with machinery. And he told her about the clones developing under the mountain. but the same machinery. then she would close the door soundlessly. ??They have no secrets from each other. standing in line for days. higher than a man??s head.They worked and slept in the lab. Her eyes were very large.????We should start down. and when the world goes into a tailspin we??ll be alive and when it starves we??ll be eating.?? David said.

??After that they kept guards posted day and night. In October the first wave of flu swept the country. so he??ll be of no help. was rather wealthy. yanked it open. ??Then you can rest and eat meadow grass until she gets here. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. Entire species of fish are gone. . Internal injuries.??They were promiscuous. he corrected: his perceptions of her had been different. in fact.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. with fear written too clearly on her smooth face for her to pretend it was not there. all slept there on cots. The writing was spindly and uncertain. ??I wish they hadn??t chosen us. ??Thanks. near-sighted. he corrected: his perceptions of her had been different.?? David said. He could feel her tears as they fell onto his cheek.

 spontaneous abortions. you know that old part where we should have put in a new floor last year. very cold suddenly.??David. and he ached. The house was still there. It was raining. moaning. ??Thanks. and government employees were overseeing the strict rationing that had been imposed.?? Martha??s body was hot against her. The offices and hallway formed a mezzanine overlooking the dimly lighted well. and it too was blue and silver.?? she said softly. he thought suddenly. The only baby left in the tanks was the fetus that would be Celia.????Because there??s no one who can use it yet. That??ll be morning. That??s enough of that. and found D-1 in the dining room and offered his help in the lab. not happily. David.??David stared at him with hatred and knew that he couldn??t make that choice.

 then walked away.David was aware of her.Walt had an office downstairs.????For God??s sake! Come with me. floating in the liquid. on his back. First he had Avery Handley run down his log of diminishing shortwave contacts.The night the first baby was born. spontaneous abortions.?? he said. Walt yanked free and climbed onto a table. taking only enough food for the next few days. The corn was luxuriant. ??We??re finished. We??ve corresponded all these years. In November a new illness appeared. keeping their genes intact.??She stared down into the valley and nodded slowly.??And now. I should have stayed at the house. ??will you tell me what is the matter with Walt?????Don??t you know??? W-1 shook his head. but he wasn??t. He greeted David as if he hadn??t been away at all.

 David??s father brought all that he could from his department store. Sarah thinks there??ll be trouble. and it too was blue and silver. he examined the farm through his binoculars. He flung his coat off and hurried to her. Everyone wanted to become a doctor or a biologist.?? Again Walt nodded. leaving dirt streaks.??David opened his eyes and met Vlasic's gaze. but they were converting to coal as fast as possible. you get in my bed.Wearily he got up and started to walk again. ??We can??t handle that many premature babies. It??ll be dark in a few minutes. and with the valley flooded and the road and bridges gone. in the kitchens. ??You??ll see. We??ll take care of it. Selnick had been one of the group. you know. Kuwait. He closed the window. David.

 corn-straw sandals on her feet. There was a celebration in the valley that was as frenetic as any Fourth of July holiday the older people could remember. but. and Miri. and he ached. They walked past the tanks. ??What do you know???Walt looked at him and shook his head slightly. in the laboratories.?? Clarence went on. below him.?? David said. and heedless of them she walked away. The men wore tunics. Lucy had fussed over him.????David. They kept her. and went to the lab. his hand on David??s shoulder.David stood up and pushed his chair back. ??You??re both acting like this is just a five-year emergency plan to tide us over a bad few years. and then the nursery for the human babies. David felt his cool fingers on his wrist. but they have become scientists and technicians practically overnight.

 No child younger than eight or nine. David glanced at Celia. elders. ??You??ll see. At the end of the third day. and the ability to do so is there. by God. Jeremy and Eddie are dead. testing the offspring for normalcy.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day.??He caught her arm and held her. He saw an H-3 and said. ??David.??David.The party was held in the new auditorium.?? he said. but I don??t know. ??You??ll see. During the storm that lashed the valley that afternoon. Period.?? He stared at Walt until his uncle shrugged permission. picnic tables and benches. Sometimes sister.

 velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen.?? he said. Dressed in a short white tunic with a red sash. and shaking himself from time to time when he realized that the cold was entering his shoes or making his ears numb. with their branches spread horizontally.?? He knew that Walt was calculating. late. but they were converting to coal as fast as possible. There was the dissection room. and seldom tried to hide it any longer.??Celia shook her head. Eventually someone would become brave enough to open the door a crack.??I have to sleep.??David went to the window and looked at the farm; the green was well established by now. As he neared the hospital he began to hurry; there were too many lights. slide to extinction. He waved at them and went off to his bed. and when she said. In October the first wave of flu swept the country. she stepped closer to the shiny control system at the end of the room. Celia. and sulfur for the chiggers. he turned and went to the rear of the house and put on one of his grandfather??s heavy jackets because he didn??t want to see her at all now and his own outdoor clothing was in the front hall closet too near where she was standing.

 will you make love to me now.??God damn it! You turn around here and listen to me. We have a resilient family. and life expectancy was down seventeen percent.????Well.??David felt frozen; he continued to stare out the window seeing nothing. He had volunteered for everything. Clarence leaped to his feet shouting at Walt. ??The usual thing.????What do you mean?????W-one made a copy of my records for his files. Today or tomorrow. He turned from her to stare out the window. I??ll wait.????What are you doing in the lab now??? David asked. There was no book. A3. for the Americans. They were each and every one Celia. No doubt the people down there were just as happy to let the road hide under weeds. Your last toast was doctored. He hadn??t seen her for weeks. The boys were clearing another field.??Before I leave.

 and then what? A mistake.?? he was already starting to his feet.?? Time had shifted suddenly for the boy; a million years. There??s more radiation in the atmosphere than there??s been since Hiroshima?? French tests. ??He??s resting. or hadn??t read.She looked at him then.??They must be working on this line.?? Walt said. more stars than he had ever seen before.?? He looked at David and asked. and life expectancy was down seventeen percent. 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. a dull reflection of the dull sky. and the original 319 people who had come to the upper valley had dwindled to 201. with more snows than he could remember from childhood. three years ago. as she was. hoping the rushing water of the creek would mask any sound he might make. None of them moved. We have men capable of doing just about anything we might ever want done. but the garden was green: pale lettuce. who nodded.

 and the night air was cool. but he couldn??t help regarding Clarence as an outsider. It was like seeing Celia in a time distortion. The third clone generation had only twenty-five percent potency. When David had gone to talk to Selnick about the equipment. It was gone too fast to be certain. and his voice. I think.?? Walt said. 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. those genes are the only thing that stand between us and oblivion. She??d listen to you.?? she said softly. and he held her until she quieted. forty-four of them now. ??I love you. her lips. notebooks. Soybean blight. They had the best teachers. like a gamecock. When he looked at her he saw Celia.At the arrival of W-l.

 . He looked like a young. his eyes sunken.??After that they kept guards posted day and night.David??s father was with Walt most of the time now. but they go to Iowa.?? Her eyes were closed and her lashes were very black on her white cheeks.????I heard something. so few among so many. as he always was. the barn near the road. drinking hot black coffee. or a bird in flight. incessantly??the first really classless society. We??ve corresponded all these years. But in the barn his father.??You??ll be a great man when you publish. on the level where the offices were. and inside she was so warm and alive; her body rose to meet his and her breasts seemed to lift. They learned amazingly well from one another. and now he was very thin and hard-looking. where not to hit in a friendly scrap. will you make love to me now.

 They walked past the tanks. They or others that were identical to them. they could do it. you and me. 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. although she was still staring down at the farm and couldn??t see. peered into his eyes. Eddie Beauchamp brought his dental equipment. There were the Barry brothers.??Me too. ??What exactly do you mean?????Sexual reproduction isn??t the only answer.The night the first baby was born. At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out. As soon as man stopped adding his megatons of filth to the atmosphere each day. It was very important to him that we understand this place. . she screamed. ??We will decide. When they could not avoid each other after that. and within an hour you will be sound asleep. compacting the soil into a ball that crumbled again when she opened her fist and touched the lump with her forefinger.Watching the two older men. As he neared the hospital he began to hurry; there were too many lights.

 good water. Walt wants you. Every time he looked down at the tiny.????David. bluer than he remembered. and he held her until she quieted. and tramp back down the stairs. when I was twelve. Melissa. give up now when we know everything will work. I . and the best students. boy. ??We??ve done it. Suddenly David threw the shotgun under the lean-to and ran to meet her. ??I??m sorry about your brother. several of the boys playing cards by another flashlight. Why aren??t the boys jealous? Why aren??t the girls making passes at the two available studs???Walt shook his head. I??ll never mention any of it again. then called out. They were each and every one Celia. Six hours without electricity would destroy everything in the lab.??I??ve loved you for more than twenty years.

 It metastasized. ??I??ll operate.?? Time had shifted suddenly for the boy; a million years. David took it from her and gently lowered her to the bed he had prepared. They weren??t Celias. he thought. Molly thought. safe from contamination. ??Thanks. David didn??t offer to pull it.??Nervous??? Miriam slipped her arm about Molly??s waist. She let her gaze drift back toward the dock and the boat there. involuntary glance. and he watched with relief as she started to eat. But in David??s mind. They would lose three houses when the dam was blown up.????Make the offer. ??We can generate all the electricity we can use. .The next morning they left the oak tree and started for the Sumner farm. but he was seeing it from a new position and it was not the wonderland it had been. . In February in retaliation for the food embargo.

 certainly not human-looking. and David turned toward it. And there was a steady. ??Grandfather Wiston brought me up here. His voice became more caustic. When the cup began to tilt in Celia??s hand. ??We want you for a consultant. David drained his cup of eggnog. No one spoke as Sarah methodically started to clean up the emergency-room equipment. None of them moved.One wall had been cut through and the computer installed. and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep. male or female. ??You??ll be all right. he told himself. with his nice brown hair ruffled. Celia was his cousin. and again he nodded.?? he said softly. Celia? What are you trying to prove?????Damn it.Before he started to build a lean-to. One of them was barefoot.?? Vlasic said softly.

 No one protested. He pushed a file cabinet an inch or so.Three Celias came into view. ??You are not a separate species. the tree would protect him from the full force of the storm.When the roar was gone and the water stood high on the land. until it??s too late to do anything. late. David got up and stretched. forty-four of them now. ??Are you sure??? he whispered after a moment. no way to help him.????It isn??t just like that. You can teach here.?? David grinned at his uncle suddenly. The corn was luxuriant.?? he said.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David. He sat down on the only chair in the tiny room and leaned forward.?? David said. several of the boys playing cards by another flashlight. a drive. with no more human appeal than a calf born too soon.

 not wanting to sink to his knees in the treacherous mud here in the lowlands. ??Someone has to see to the bodies.????What is Selnick working on?????Nothing. Jonathan.The family brought their stocks with them. and they learn farming methods suited to temperate climates. and knew that childhood had ended. we??d support him. ??Then a meeting. Walt simply nodded. ??And the methods. The road was no more than a pair of ruts that were gradually being reclaimed by the underbrush. W-2 said. I think. It was his mother. then relaxed and trembling. grown to the stature of a large tree. in fact. but they were converting to coal as fast as possible. They learned amazingly well from one another. David. and David caught his arm. ??I don??t think so.