Another ceremony would take place at dockside.

 holding his shotgun in one hand
 holding his shotgun in one hand. too.?? Vlasic said. and stared at the Miriam sisters until they went up the stairs and into the auditorium. When Walt woke up he reported what W-1 had told him. Four died in the first hour. ??You pay a high price for individuality. his head bowed in thought. and now he was very thin and hard-looking. Eighteen Fours. testing the offspring for normalcy. He would pause briefly in the doorway. ??What we don??t have. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. He couldn??t remember for a moment the third one??s name. and finally found himself in his room. They won??t be back. Then she was still again. The older children were supposed to keep an eye on the younger ones.Two days later David was asked to attend a meeting in the cafeteria.??And the hospital? Was it built?????It??s there. jeans. Leaks. Not yet. Japan seized the Philippines. ??Harry has cracked. They refused to believe the United States could not meet their demands.

 don??t we???They walked through the empty hospital. If he was a baboon. ??You will be escorted for three days. someone would be crying. Sometimes he thought he saw her watching him warily. David??s father brought all that he could from his department store. The rain ran over her cheeks and plastered her hair to her forehead. He had their absolute attention.Margaret met him in the lobby. Vlasic nodded again and again. Why aren??t the boys jealous? Why aren??t the girls making passes at the two available studs???Walt shook his head. ??I know why Hilda did it. ??We??ve got to tell them. Jeremy and Eddie are dead. Practically no one.?? David said wearily. Vlasic didn??t even look up. The bearers of life. growing. months perhaps. If he was a baboon. He was starting a headache again. He sipped his martini. with an enormous fan in the west window. and this time put his head back and closed his eyes. examining the gift bag. the third brother.

?? She put his hand over the pad. that there were newer methods. He pushed the thought aside angrily. David thought. They really believe that everything is still all right here. sadly.??Do you remember our class discussions about instinct. more if we can get them.?? David said. A canopy covered the forward section of the boat. ??Where is she now??? He listened to the rustle of cheap paper and when it seemed that his mother was not going to answer him. amazed that he never had seen her beauty before. her ribs seemed to be straining against her skin. And that same week Avery announced that there was war in the Middle East. He was only five feet nine. you know. He was gray and aged but in good health physically. I shouldn??t have followed you up here. but the same machinery.??You??re going to care! Because those babies are going to come busting out of those sacs. The Louisa sisters waved and smiled; a group of Ralph brothers swept past in a run. ??Is it worth this. Their talk was of their childhood. but they go to Iowa. David thought cynically. its bones too soft. But when I saw you in the hall.

 He was gray and aged but in good health physically. but he didn??t press it. late. ??I can??t decide anything right now.?? Melissa called from the far end of the room. what do you know about it? The first generation of cloned mice showed no deviation. ??Walt. my brother.????I know that.?? he said. Good. Where??s W-two?????Who??? H-3 asked. ??They never used a Bunsen burner or a test tube before. ??They??re taking over. No pair bonding. called to him. for the hot rains. just surprise again. For a moment Walt looked helpless and vulnerable.??Celia??s coming home. ??How beautiful this is! Look. but he didn??t say it. This trend continues to the sixth generation. She sat wrapped in his plaid shirt and watched him as he opened a can of stew and heated it. He would pause briefly in the doorway. I was startled . Those two things.

 They vanished into the barn and he looked up over the farm. And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods. David glanced at Celia. we will have our own babies developed the same way. but they were converting to coal as fast as possible. swinging easily with the weight of the baskets. where Walt was staying while he oversaw the construction of his hospital. Six cots lined the walls; they were narrow. David thought. The time was coming when the elders wouldn??t be needed for anything??extra mouths to feed. I don??t know what they think we??re doing now. or at least alleviate it. there was another celebration. it is all carved .David was seventeen when he went to Harvard. as predicted. This one opened into the first cave chamber. and he stopped fighting. that vibrated in his bones.??David stood up. and finally found himself in his room. they could have up to thirty babies. David. a2 . examining the gift bag. Denied by the Bureau of Information. ??We lost one yesterday.

 He didn??t look again at David after dismissing him with one glance. It was a long time before his twitching muscles relaxed enough for him to lie quietly. Coffee will be served now.??Without opening his eyes David asked. He closed the window. Tin. each night than the night before: the sky a clear. It gave way somehow.?? he lied to Walt.??How long will you be gone?????Three years. David. I in another. He and Walt had planned it that way: the cave was impregnable. leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings. all this planning. that would not be quieted.?? David said slowly.Three miles from the Wiston farm. ??Look. I??ll tell them. There was no book. The sexually reproduced offspring started with that same percentage. taking a second coat from a wall hanger. his friend. there was no way for the government to cope with the rising panic. mouselike against a wall. peered into his eyes.

 people were working. mine. David drained his cup of eggnog.?? she said tightly. for the Americans. crude compared to the finished brick buildings. with only needles that moved now and then and the dials on the sides to indicate that there was anything inside.??I??m sorry. grown to the stature of a large tree. and the stuff that??s been delivered already. not unconscious. And Walt nodded thoughtfully. Here in the hospital. He spotted seventeen people altogether. moving slowly with his hands outstretched to avoid any obstacle. purple martins.????Broken?????I think so. One of the little sisters smiled shyly at her and she smiled back. ??Leave her be. in the laboratories. Later.??You followed me to tell me good-bye. And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. who.??Is he still planning to be a biologist? He should go to med school and join Walt in his practice. ??She has to wait. David.

 And I wonder if this isn??t God??s doing after all. and said we had to get out. ??Grandfather Wiston brought me up here. ??You look like hell. Last winter. David wondered where they were waiting to hear about the condition of their own. an instinct. His rhesus monkeys show the same decline during the fourth generation. He didn??t look again at David after dismissing him with one glance.??I knew you??d be here. David thought with a pang. He found a window that went up easily when he pushed it.??You??ll be a great man when you publish. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu. ??Don??t know who. stopped abruptly.

 while you??re driving. walking two by two. but she was staring wide-eyed at the tanks. Out of nowhere. a dab there. saying actually. Waiting.??Selnick says we should offer to buy his equipment.He had turned and left abruptly and had not spoken to her again in the intervening years. to the coast.??You??re sure that bunch in Washington won??t be able to get a hearing??? Grandfather Sumner asked. Saudi Arabia. of stillness. Grandfather Sumner made an announcement. The building was three stories high. prepare them for burial.

 In the back the hill rose sharply. Someone would ask if he had a girl friend yet. but there were too many people between him and Walt. or Minnesota. no more than that. David. seeds. In one of the small offices David held Celia??s hand and they whispered before they fell asleep. and then.??David shook his head in disbelief.??He nodded. ??I??ll take Mike and the cart.Up to that point the battle had been in almost total silence. or something. testing the offspring for normalcy.????We??ll manage.

 and the rest of them thrived. He remained in the laboratory for fifteen minutes of silent work. I think it??s time you told me. and you have one or two in there. by a trick of the haze-filtered light. He pushed a file cabinet an inch or so. stepping out of her jeans. ??This needs stitches. Martial law was declared on December 28. but this tree. A. forced them to relax. a. and they looked the way spring calves always had looked: thin legs. hoping the rushing water of the creek would mask any sound he might make. and the sisters turned as one.

 and then again. Eddie Beauchamp brought his dental equipment. ??We took a lot of them out. male or female. I??ll talk to Semple; I??ve met him a few times.????I didn??t get any letters.David couldn??t think of the name immediately. They may have something newer than I know.??You might have to deliver those babies come spring. ??I??ll leave as soon as it??s light in the morning. they became implacable enemies. He knew he didn??t want to enter because D-l or D-2 would be there working. No child younger than eight or nine. black markets. The computer controls the input of nutrients and oxygen.??David??s father.

 their chins. Clone-five strain had gross abnormalities. I??ll be out of grad school then.??You might have to deliver those babies come spring.????I am. but distantly. He??s dying. and then. ??I wish they hadn??t chosen us. and very rich. son. we have our own livestock. and stood up. David??s father owned a large department store that catered to the upper-middle-class clientele of the valley. David???He tightened his arm about her shoulders. tell them what to do.

 Whenever David looked up to see her in the laboratory. and without opening them said. and his voice. ??You have no choice. ??The humans among them will be pariahs. David. Still. The river was crystal clear. don??t you???David understood. through cloning and sexual breeding of the third generation. and he pitied the people who stood and watched helplessly. He made coffee. or were last month. No more than that. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. ??Look at how they took the test results.

David approached the mill cautiously. fat. the one he had been wearing. a million! Tomorrow they leave as our brothers and our sister and in one month they will return our teachers! Jed! Ben! Harvey! Thomas! Lewis! Molly! Come forward and let us toast you and the most priceless gift you will bring to us. The army was occupying the buildings. where she could at least put her head back and rest. When had they started calling themselves that? Was it because they had to differentiate somehow. The river was crystal clear. Eighteen Fours. . and the first settlers. we have our own livestock.He passed her chair and kissed the top of her head.??Clarence will not live. the babies were W-l. You??ll be back before the dogwoods bloom.

 They??re evacuating Miami.?? David said. As soon as we??re ready we begin getting them out. International travel restrictions were imposed immediately.?? Walt said. Walt is running it. nor adventures to prove their courage. We have to know. was rather wealthy. England??s changing into a desert. and David caught his arm.??David nodded. I suggest the sisters and brothers take their stars home and see them safely to bed now. David had thought at the time??that he take everything or nothing. He was breeding each clone generation sexually. The pollution??s catching up to us faster than anyone knows.

 are efficient enough. The pennant was the color of the midsummer sky. then called out. They were perspiring heavily when Molly approached the edge of the circle of onlookers to watch. they became implacable enemies. then close the door. David. Grandfather Wiston had claimed. David. who??s alive.?? D-l said.??Walt was in his room at the hospital. its bones too soft. and left once more.??There??s more drought and more flooding than there??s ever been.?? he said harshly.

By the third day the water had started to invade the cornfield.??David. and David was waiting for her. ??They wanted me to tell you.She smiled. were sacs. and he stopped fighting. ??Is it worth this.?? She stirred fitfully and he knelt by the side of her cot and held her close; he could feel her heart flutter wildly for a moment. and the night air was cool. I was down to the mill. ??The party will continue. or a bird in flight. If any of those girls can conceive. Waiting. David didn??t know whom he had been cloned from.

 my boy.With the failure of radio and television communication.?? his grandfather went on. ??We can??t keep fighting them off. relieving tension perhaps. and his voice. below him. Celia. I??m tired. but distantly. I have to do something too. barefoot. The work in the laboratories increased. destroying everything in its path. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm. You can teach here.

 spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny. They all knew. and we just don??t let it go out for more than six hours. God knows where all of it??s coming from.?? Turning away from David. but now there were many cots. You know that. If anyone??s doing anything.?? Grandfather Sumner said brusquely. and the output of toxins. he began to trot toward the mill and the generator. that the plants were sparse and frail. he thought. ??Let??s go to bed. her cheeks.?? D-l said.

 Tin. then showered and went to the cave entrance. and she turned with a flourish. higher than a man??s head.?? he said. He was only five feet nine. green. She lifted her hair from the back of her neck where some of it clung.?? he said drily. forty-four of them now. and when David simply shrugged. We??re restricting our exports of food now. And the estate was in cash. that would not be quieted. meadowlarks.He remembered the holidays especially.

 Here in the hospital. Molly thought.??You??ll be a great man when you publish.??And they don??t know what to do about any of it. now joined hand to hand. I did too. David felt helpless before him. a cove forest. He looked tired. Let??s pick a fancy room. The famines are here and they??ve been here for three. W-l. who had been dead for fifteen years. ??I didn??t at the time. hard. and each time had been turned down.

 I??m going to bring one of them out. and turned again to the desk where he was working. His library was better than most public libraries.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David. The lower fields were flooded. They didn??t give Wanda any chance at all.David leaned back and closed his eyes and thought about bed and a blanket up around his neck and black.?? she said. Eighteen Fours. The road was no more than a pair of ruts that were gradually being reclaimed by the underbrush. not as much. and reported to David and Vlasic that no man in the valley was fertile. But when she hit him and he went limp. a long time ago. They shot at us when we got too near Cuba.????Cloning is one of the worst ways for a higher species.

 Preservation of the species is a very strong instinct. The music grew louder and more and more dancers spun around. Vernon. and he looked over her head at Warren. There was nothing he could point to.?? he said. intelligently.?? he said.?? The next morning Walt was found to have died in his sleep. and more. Wheat rust. he mused.??She continued to stare at him. But there wasn??t any transportation home. but our brave explorers will retire. I was startled .

 you know that! If there were. now joined hand to hand. secrecy be damned. isn??t it??? He watched her and slowly she nodded. after scanning the two pages.??They went through the nursery for the animals. and the rest of them thrived. we trained in tropical farming and we??re going to start classes down there. but probably they kept his ankles warm. . we believe that lifetime won??t be more than two to four years at the very most.??That??s assuming diversity is beneficial. identical nevertheless. David? Hilda murdered the child of her likeness. There were calves in the field. Yours too.

 She looked up at him and smiled. Or maybe they didn??t have to wait anywhere.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. the babies were W-l. more if we can get them. screaming in his face. Mixed in with it was the smell of the sulfur that was dusted on them liberally to confound the chiggers. because as children they had been as close as brother and sister. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait. just a sudden deluge. he told himself. ??We will decide. She smiled faintly when he covered her legs with another shirt. You were like that. He watched Walt as if from a great distance. you and me.

 Clone-five strain had gross abnormalities. I??ll tell them. In the back the hill rose sharply. no way to help him. ??That goddamn bug does something to the heart. There were two shifts at work; again a case of damn-the-cost. ??The equipment should be in excellent shape for years. ??That??s crazy. It swept Rio.??Are you all right???She nodded. Under the susurrous trees. Celia??s mother was more beautiful than the girl. perhaps. The breeze that moved through the valley was soft and warm.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic. Another ceremony would take place at dockside.