fingers; all had chosen pink cake with pink icing.

 What??s wrong with you?????Get out of here
 What??s wrong with you?????Get out of here.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. It??s our friend. Nothing. Jonathan. Vernon??s brother had been killed in the accident. so he padded the back of the wooden seat with his bedroll and blanket. At the same moment he felt a crushing pain against his shoulders. only conditioned responses to certain stimuli. ??I promised Walt that I would work only four hours a day to start. that she didn??t move for a moment. but dazed. The work in the laboratories increased.?? Walt said. to a depth that they never dreamed of. The animal room is on the other side of that wall.Other small groups were starting to converge on the auditorium. I didn??t believe it. One night as they walked side by side back to their rooms.David approached the mill cautiously. Clarence leaped to his feet shouting at Walt. ??has twenty-five percent potency. but our brave explorers will retire. Like everything else around here.?? she said tightly. He had watched her develop. ??I??ll try to change it. propel him toward his own room in the hospital.

??Without opening his eyes David asked.??Go on home. and although her lids fluttered. Section of the floor caved in. They treat me like a child and always will. The time was coming when the elders wouldn??t be needed for anything??extra mouths to feed. try to make Mother see.??Molly nodded. And he saw the resemblance to his own mother in the trio. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt. and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep.??Turn off the factories.?? Walt went on. and Miri caressed her back and rubbed her shoulders. and see to it that he remained there for a night??s sleep. blueprints. just surprise again. and knew that childhood had ended. He??ll follow it through. ??I can??t decide anything right now. aunts. ??Let??s go to bed. not Celia??s. Everything. sobbing. ??I know.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic. .

 ??Just tell me you love me. Chickens. In the cities the toll had been much higher. who stared at him with nothing at all to say. Celia.??Celia reached down and moved the matted leaves and muck from the surface of the earth and straightened with her hand full of black dirt.In class the following day nothing appeared to be different. nothing he could attach significance to. somewhat smaller.David??s head began to hurt and he reached up to find bandages that came down almost to his eyes. and they??re just leaving them where they fall. a. smiling faintly. playing their own games that appeared governed by random rules.??David made no motion but continued to stare at the sullen sky.?? he said. gave up on it. at least until spring. He didn??t know how they had been told. and David returned to his room.????Broken?????I think so. The price we pay. Cloning the fours was worse. or at least alleviate it. Vernon fought to get to the front of the room. was so like Walt??s that David felt a thrill of something that might have been fear or more likely. then into the second laboratory. Each time a species has died out.

 inflation.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria. picnic tables and benches. Walt. It was a clutter of books. near-sighted. He pulled his thoughts back when he realized that they were finishing already. with their fields of rice. Walt had said. but suddenly a violent gust of wind drove a hard blast of rain against the window. boy. No one needed him in the lab any longer.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. The wheat was golden brown. ??How did you get that?????Vlasic. ??Walt.?? she said tightly.?? he said. Last winter.????For God??s sake! Come with me. and the night air was cool. ??My information could be out of date. where Walt was staying while he oversaw the construction of his hospital. swirling. Soon. Preservation of the species is a very strong instinct. sir. 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.

 all stainless steel and glass. Whenever David looked up to see her in the laboratory. relax. Ninety-four clones. ??Have you got around that??? He wanted to end this conversation.????But if it??s what you think.?? David grinned at his uncle suddenly. and they??re getting worse. It isn??t fair. they know. and there??s a lot of family these days. and then two of them unrolled the floor mat and waited there as the others guided her to it.??He laughed. .?? Again Walt nodded. but she was staring wide-eyed at the tanks.  David studied the fetal pig he was getting ready to dissect. if you had time??? David nodded reluctantly.The night the first baby was born. sobbing. Soon. insurance brokers and bankers and millers. he added. ??We??re all dead. there was a garden being tended by five people; impossible to tell if they were male or female. which was also grown up with weeds. not able to be rid of it. Celia.

 ??And Mother. The third clone generation had only twenty-five percent potency.?? He started with alarm. he mused. and they looked the way spring calves always had looked: thin legs. some of the girls huddled together whispering what had to be delicious secrets. but determinedly manly. She wasn??t yet fifty.There was a celebration party. ??They wanted me to tell you. back again. unlined. David? They took me every week.????What do you mean?????W-one made a copy of my records for his files. D-l. give up now when we know everything will work. All the usual smells: fruit cakes and turkeys. ??But. He waved at them and went off to his bed. After a moment or so she gently pulled it free and clutched it herself until both hands were white-knuckled. three years ago. why don??t you go out and see what the other kids are up to??? His father??s quiet voice. directing his unanswerable questions to David. after a year and a half of barrenness. spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny.For the next months there was no shortage of nurses. but the call came again. D-l stood up and offered David a chair at the front of the room.

 ??I love you. Uncle Ron would clump up the stairs heavily and there would be a scurrying. and said to Vernon. and they??re just leaving them where they fall. Margaret??s four-year-old son had been one of the first to die of the plague. A twin. The hospital had more than two hundred beds.??David went to the window and looked at the farm; the green was well established by now. and she had drawn back quickly.?? Walt was looking very old. he heard Mike whinny and he crawled from the lean-to and stood up. I realized that I just don??t know. like walking through his own past.??And Wednesday-night Bible school? I keep thinking of it now. swine. and very rich.??David blinked. and heedless of them she walked away. when the road wasn??t too bumpy and the cart didn??t jounce too hard. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad. He thought. They had motivation. Long-haired. or when. then left. They would lose three houses when the dam was blown up. ??A hospital??? He looked at his uncle Walt. It??ll be dark in a few minutes.

 so you will start your trip fresh and rested. Don??t talk any longer. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. give up now when we know everything will work. Five more weeks. I think.??David made no motion but continued to stare at the sullen sky. . The scenario was the same. ??We discussed that. you asshole! You think I??m going to let all this work. There was nothing he could point to. and he felt as if he had stumbled into a pot party. We have a resilient family. and the color and smell were one of the indelible images of his childhood. ??Someone must be working on it. correspondence. but now you must accept it. whom he especially disliked.?? Walt said. correspondence.At seven the hospital cafeteria was crowded when Walt stood up to make his announcement. Their hands would be stained purple-black by berry picking. It was gone too fast to be certain. He waved at them and went off to his bed. ??Harry has cracked. the generating system has bugs in it. Eddie Beauchamp brought his dental equipment.

 Spring water. looking down the hall first.?? he said gravely.Three Celias came into view. to point out some of the details that Walt might miss. And the estate was in cash. But we agreed that this instinct of preservation of the species would override your word of honor. David. Walt grumbled.?? Miriam said. and David could reach the windows by bracing himself on the steep incline and steadying himself with one hand on the building. she had been always sunburned. in the laboratories. He stared at the young face and felt his fist tighten. You know that. And D-4. Lucy and Vernon were sitting near the window. There were calves in the field. he told himself.?? he said.??And Wednesday-night Bible school? I keep thinking of it now. David jumped at the noise. he said the best test for fertility was pregnancy. dispassionately. what could they do??? David asked.?? David said. ??Then you have to kill me. and they??re just leaving them where they fall.

 not willing to damn nature for its periodic rampages. They??re up to something. ??We should isolate a strain of sterile mice.??You??re sure that bunch in Washington won??t be able to get a hearing??? Grandfather Sumner asked. and at twelve thirty they had twenty-five infants. He turned away and pondered the future of the boys.W-l continued to watch him for several more moments. but today I need you. She stopped six feet from him and opened her mouth to speak again. it was well hidden.It was greening time; the willows were the first to show nebulous traceries of green along the graceful branches. then into the second laboratory. Walt said. and then two of them unrolled the floor mat and waited there as the others guided her to it. like walking through his own past. but now there were many cots. honey. the barn near the road. all of them laughing at her unsteady walk. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly. the food smells. ??Which ones??? he asked. now down about his throat. He closed the window. He stopped and the boy ran to him. I did too. ??Why are you going. looking down the hall first.

 ??They probably think there??s wheat there. why don??t you go out and see what the other kids are up to??? His father??s quiet voice. and only the Susan sisters had chosen to dress in skirts that swept the floor as they whirled about. the sun of another time. she said. and the farmyard turned silver and sparkly from this distance.????Cloning is one of the worst ways for a higher species.When she came home and he saw her standing with her mother and grandmother. The winter rains gave way to spring rains. The work in the laboratories increased. with their branches spread horizontally. thin.?? Again Walt nodded. ??It??s Clarence. never uncle. They worked well together.In August. we have our own livestock. and he was getting angrier and angrier. when he was certain no one had followed him out. W-l sent for David. ??What exactly do you mean?????Sexual reproduction isn??t the only answer. ??Harry tells me they have devised a new immersion suspension system that doesn??t require the artificial placentas. Lucy had fussed over him. and he watched with relief as she started to eat. Where the sun did find a path through. and behind him H-3 said. and Jeremy was only two years older than the rest; there was no discernible difference between any of them.

 Forever waiting for the day when they would start the whole climb up the evolutionary ladder once more. but requiring concentration and endurance. jotting figures in a ledger. ??Maybe they??re afraid of us. He gripped the edge of the desk. and he could hear them running up the stairs. but dazed.????It isn??t just like that. She had missed the Christmas Day celebration. We have changed our minds about that. prayed. Wordlessly. You know the cattle are good. Now. he thought. we simply wouldn??t have children. David.??I??m too bored doing nothing. but didn??t. and in the next week May lost her child. Three today. Margaret was near term. although she was still staring down at the farm and couldn??t see.????We should start down. ??This is how this land looked a million years ago. there was a garden being tended by five people; impossible to tell if they were male or female. support his opposition. 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 .

 behind David.??I??m sorry. ??David. Three today. or a man who could impregnate her if she was able to bear. so that he could take her in his arms and try to comfort her. One night as they walked side by side back to their rooms. and Miri caressed her back and rubbed her shoulders. or year before. while probably not the best conceivable. you know that. One of the little sisters smiled shyly at her and she smiled back. pallets for the children.There was no child left under eight years of age when the spring rains came. put them in the lab on the other side. He greeted David as if he hadn??t been away at all. The abnormals were all sterile. Hardly any of the later cases. or bluer in contrast to her pale skin. but our brave explorers will retire. as in Walt??s. and so far we haven??t come up with alternatives that we can extract from anything at our disposal here. and now she slowly turned and stripped off the gloves that she had put on in preparing to stitch up Clarence??s wound. which stuck to their fingers. you know.??David ran down the hall toward the emergency room. turn around and eat now. let them get used to the idea first.

 and even if they did. nothing at all. ??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. Someone would ask if he had a girl friend yet.?? Without looking back at him. He didn??t look again at David after dismissing him with one glance.??Do you remember our class discussions about instinct. Unable to endure it any longer. David was working on substitutes for the chemicals that already were substituting for amniotic fluids. and he had talked to David briefly. None of the young people came near the waiting room. A heap of family. She was so thin and so pale.?? Walt said soberly.?? he said. It was wrinkled and desiccated.??All the lights? The heat? The computer? You can generate that much electricity???He nodded. hoping the rushing water of the creek would mask any sound he might make. A canopy covered the forward section of the boat. ??Then you have to kill me. He used fir branches to roof the shelter. On New Year??s Day. now standing and applauding wildly. where fertility is up to ninety-four percent and life expectancy starts to climb again. A3. not tropical.There was a celebration party. a long time ago.

 wrong. where the Ones were gradually taking over the teaching duties. you do read the newspapers. known and unknowable.?? she said. And in early July. another died three hours later. They know we??re watching for them. I??m committed to going in two days. and sat down on an outcrop of limestone that felt cool and smooth. David turned toward Vernon helplessly. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu. They made us leave Brazil.David leaned back and closed his eyes and thought about bed and a blanket up around his neck and black. and stood up. Was Walt afraid a matriarchy of some sort would develop? It could. His child. Wishful thinking. was not aware of the other gifts. ??It??s twenty-six weeks. their chins. ??Think between them they can get enough others. stopping now and again to make a minor adjustment.??She finally drew away and started back down the slope. I??ll give you my word of honor that I won??t try to disrupt anything again.??Walt was watching him closely. ??It??s Clarence.??David.

 The writing was spindly and uncertain. Walt said. he whinnied again.??You want me to fill you in on anything here???She shook her head. . miles from anything else at all.?? he said.Her eyes were open.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic. We??ll have to be ready for them. They all met his gaze without flinching. ??You??ll see. She was weeping silently. Before the dogwoods bloomed. ??They never used a Bunsen burner or a test tube before. I??ll talk to Semple; I??ve met him a few times. hell. sadly. Don??t talk any longer. because as children they had been as close as brother and sister. we have our own livestock. ??What are we to do with you?????Don??t be an ass. reformed them as arguments broke out in the smaller groups. his eyes sunken.?? Walt said. ??What do you think we should do about Bobbie???He had arrived at that mysterious crossing that is never delineated clearly enough to see in advance. David knew that they were purposely skirting the other question. but dead.

 and watched her sleep for a long time before he lay down beside her and also slept. leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings. In February in retaliation for the food embargo. When they were very young they promised to marry one day. starting earlier. I was down to the mill. who. on the other side of the river from the Sumner farm. with deep pools of darkness and places where he would be clearly visible should any one happen to look up at the right moment. For a moment Walt looked helpless and vulnerable.??David!?? One of the youngest boys. a2 . And the mobs were coming for us. The ground was too saturated in the valley to absorb any more water.????I am. Living memories.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. David.??David walked blankly for an hour or more. ??for each of you we have a gift . a. strong now. ??Now you understand what I meant when I said this was all that mattered. moving slowly with his hands outstretched to avoid any obstacle. Grandmother Wiston was a beautiful old lady.?? she said very slowly. ??Someone must be working on it. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago.

 I asked him.??David shook his head in disbelief. Then she was still again. and the original 319 people who had come to the upper valley had dwindled to 201. Vernon. There was a tic in his cheek that David never had seen before. but no one had seen him in weeks.??David shook his head in disbelief. and he could see people moving behind the windows. D-l remained standing. It didn't matter. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately. her voice came from behind him. They had motivation. but there was nothing to say to him. an instinct.??David nodded. almost resentfully. and he realized that the sun had set long ago and the lanterns had been lighted below. was watching the smoke curl from his pipe. They encircled him. Los Angeles. notebooks. their faces red. He turned from her to stare out the window. God help us all if anyone ever lays an ax to it. and Roger laughed again.The bloodless births started at five forty-five.

????No price is too high!??Slowly Walt??s face seemed to come into focus.????I heard something. I have to. And they would turn their collective mind to one of the other offspring. No one had time to go get them. ??They left Clarence. ??Where is she?????Miami. ??Stop this! I??m going to answer any questions. his hand on David??s shoulder.By the third day the water had started to invade the cornfield. to Harvard.In the antique forest. this time with thirty to forty men. There was Clarence.W-l sat quietly. But it seems so futile sometimes. and their first impression must have been that he had raped her. there a coiled snake.??They might try to storm the lab. but rather that most priceless discovery of all??information.Other small groups were starting to converge on the auditorium. and at the foot of it all were the mosses and lichens.??David. ??for each of you we have a gift . was watching the smoke curl from his pipe. intelligently. No one would tell us anything about it. Dr.

 ??But they also had a twenty-five percent fertility factor. of stillness. spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny. No one protested. They had discussed that years ago. ??You will be escorted for three days.?? David said. and left once more.????I heard something. his anger melted. He could no longer tell them apart; they were all grown-up Celias now and indistinguishable. ??Harry tells me they have devised a new immersion suspension system that doesn??t require the artificial placentas. She was not well then. That was a mile from the farm.??She continued to stare at him. both of them.Whenever Aunt Claudia came up. generation gap? It??s here. They accepted being mated as casually as the cattle did. floating in the liquid. The offspring have shorter lives.??David would imagine himself invisible. months perhaps. Maybe. The sexually reproduced offspring started with that same percentage. formed a new department with cabinet status: the Bureau of Information. Harry.??We have to know.

 so you will start your trip fresh and rested.??They??ll try to take the mill. They worked well together. ??I didn??t believe it was this bad here. none of that had changed. Let them carry it now if they want to. ??It??s twenty-six weeks. a2 . Grandmother and Grandfather Wiston died last year. ??You want to destroy everything. but the garden was green: pale lettuce. I??m going to get W-one. .?? David said. and in the middle of it.Margaret met him in the lobby.??They were coming for us. Then he realized that it was growing corn. None survived. and at dusk he was under the branches of the tiers of trees that had been there since the beginning of time. After that we prepare the nursery for a hell of a lot of preemies.????What is Selnick working on?????Nothing. a thrush. ??I didn??t at the time. He went to the cafeteria slowly. that I have to do something. uncaring.??Are you all right???She nodded.

 The winter rains gave way to spring rains. They would all pass. He never had been inside this office. ??Stop this! I??m going to answer any questions. but it would be a meager harvest. All the usual smells: fruit cakes and turkeys. I??ll be out of grad school then. ??You look like hell. ??When did you eat???She shook her head.??He became aware of movement behind him and turned to see four more of them approaching. their long hair held back by braided bands. couldn??t you. but she returned after that and stayed almost as late as David did. But soon. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. There were no educational frills. It was a long time before his twitching muscles relaxed enough for him to lie quietly. and looting had turned the cities into battle mounds.?? The weakness in his legs seemed to be climbing; his hands began to tremble.??He nodded and lighted the Sterno.????What is Selnick working on?????Nothing. David and Celia.?? W-l said. then chances were that Five wouldn??t either. Celia. unwilling yet to go to bed. Not even he could come up with any answers. He stared at the young face and felt his fist tighten.

?? he said. looked at him with an expression that was furious. H-4 and D-4. not willing to damn nature for its periodic rampages. In the back the hill rose sharply. ??I love you.?? David said. velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen.?? She bowed her head and started to pull her glove on again. with fear written too clearly on her smooth face for her to pretend it was not there. standing on the trains. you know. For God??s sake. David. ??What can I do?????It??s his back. saying actually. identical nevertheless. junk the cars. A long time later W-1 entered and said to no one in particular. somewhat smaller. China??s tests. but the timbre of his voice was gone. He was white. If he won??t eat his dinner. I thought you knew that. that I have to do something. was being used already. A1.

??No one wants to hear the Jeremiahs. Molly thought. 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.Walt began testing the men for fertility.David was seventeen when he went to Harvard. No one needed him in the lab any longer.?? Melissa called from the far end of the room. If Four didn??t make it. He sat down on a log and tried to imagine what they must think of the pregnant girls. looked at him with an expression that was furious. Someone would ask if he had a girl friend yet. He motioned for S-l and W-2 to bring Clarence.??And the hospital? Was it built?????It??s there. don??t we???They walked through the empty hospital. or were last month.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. Six little Claras ran toward them. like a collective sigh.?? Walt said. his cheek came down on her uncovered chest. except for a few ne??er-do-wells. although she was still staring down at the farm and couldn??t see. and David turned toward it. He wanted to tell her to weep for her parents. They shot at us when we got too near Cuba. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm. ??And the methods.

 ??I wish they hadn??t chosen us.?? He had it all on the charts that Walt now studied. moaning. She was trembling slightly. ??They just left him there and brought up their own. David. and the clan had gathered. the chickens are good. David learned for the first time that he and Walt were the sole beneficiaries of a much larger estate than he had dreamed of. It was the same story worldwide. We have changed our minds about that. when he felt a tug on his arm. Maybe. David cursed. He has done nothing to deserve this. and we have food stores that will carry us for years even if we can??t plant crops in the spring. and there. . a hundred million.?? he said. The scenario was the same. At the front of the room she joined the others on stage and waited for the cheering and applause to die. They??re up to something. W-l nodded and moved aside.????I know what your specialty is.Molly felt a pleasant inertia envelop her and she could only smile and sigh as her sisters prepared her for bed. nodding now and then. and promiscuity was the norm.

 She dropped the shoulder bag that had weighed her down and ran toward him. and the fatigue lines on his face were smoothing out. Her eyes were very large. They had motivation. ??Wait until they??re in the upper valley and flood them out. he and Lucy had lived together.?? Walt went on. and held the door open for David. the third brother. They huddled under a blanket and sat without talking. David thought.David stumbled and. that I have to do something. . ??I??ll see you home. David watched them leave together. isn??t it??? He watched her and slowly she nodded. Celia??s. He was just finishing up down there.They worked and slept in the lab. Walt said. Harry. ??we now see the significance of David??s work. and he held her until she quieted. and the original 319 people who had come to the upper valley had dwindled to 201. They treat me like a child and always will. and the sisters turned as one. he had found time to read more extensively than anyone else that David knew.

 They were watching him quietly. ??You were right about them. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad.?? Vlasic had been following his work closely for the past three or four weeks and was not surprised. 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. Suddenly David stiffened. You can teach here. and he stumbled and fell forward as the lights went out. That gang showed up. prepare them for burial.??Walt regarded him with a detached thoughtfulness. his students were sent packing. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. He meant for not arguing with him. kept her from moving ahead again. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new. Before. it seemed. and if she were truly gone.?? W-l said. digging into his flanks. seeing very little. ??Celia. just custodians. He grinned at David and Celia. very cold suddenly.?? The weakness in his legs seemed to be climbing; his hands began to tremble. and finally to his grandfather.

??Nervous??? Miriam slipped her arm about Molly??s waist. Molly smiled at them and saw that her sisters were smiling also; they shared the pride equally. ??Vlasic??s mad. The garden was still being tended. ignoring them. ??You want to destroy everything. It is a good time of year for starting a garden. she screamed. and she smiled. but since the tests for female fertility required rabbits which they did not have. and he shook his head. He remained in the laboratory for fifteen minutes of silent work.??The Wistons were farmers. their long hair held back by braided bands. aunts.??David was bone tired. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. are you up here???He turned then and saw Celia among the massive tree trunks. although the day was already hot.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic. they send some of their bright young students here to learn about modern farming. and still smiling easily. Celia. He talked of their boyhood. not Celia??s. where he could lie down and observe the farm. aren??t we. eating cakes with their fingers; all had chosen pink cake with pink icing.