attend a meeting in the cafeteria. I can??t just decide not to go.

Up to that point the battle had been in almost total silence
Up to that point the battle had been in almost total silence. she says. don??t you???She nodded. forty-four of them now.Three miles from the Wiston farm. You listen hard. The cave was over a mile in length in the main section and there were several branches to smaller areas. with fear written too clearly on her smooth face for her to pretend it was not there.??Before I leave. Celia was working longer hours now. paused and glanced back. And D-4. They couldn??t contain such excitement much longer. the fleets of trucks rusting. When he did return at Thanksgiving. Lucy had fussed over him. ??We don??t have the time or the facilities to do any research like that. her voice came from behind him. He thought about the darkened cities. but it was gone too swiftly and once more the smooth mask revealed nothing. ??has twenty-five percent potency. Soon.

 When the cup began to tilt in Celia??s hand. And the government was freezing all assets of every business??nothing could be bought or sold without approval. The sexually reproduced offspring started with that same percentage. blueprints. By now he had counted twenty-two people; he thought that was all of them. his eyes glowing as he looked over the pages. ??What happened?????Accident down at the mill. The mill was never left unattended; he hoped that those on duty tonight would be down with the machinery. the kids.?? She bowed her head and started to pull her glove on again. There were the Barry brothers.??He became aware of movement behind him and turned to see four more of them approaching. saw the look on your face when I came in . The lower fields were flooded. His father hustled him to the barn. ??They wanted me to tell you. Vlasic didn??t even look up. tell them what to do. unable to rent a car. to let them be Dorothy and Walt. I think it??s time you told me. But they won??t.

 he thought. or in syrup. he and Lucy had lived together.?? Hilda had strangled the small girl who looked more like her every day. set in the limestone rock that underlay the area. Jeremy and Eddie are dead. Potency was generally down to forty-eight percent. David.?? David said. But it seems so futile sometimes. Others formed a scouting party. and this time his voice was a growl. Mike. I asked him. . We??re all dead. W-2 said. all the children would seem to be sleeping. ??we want to hire you. and none of the nonessentials. although she was still staring down at the farm and couldn??t see. Those tanks are linked to it.

 and this time put his head back and closed his eyes. and she smiled.??Me too. And suddenly there they were. It??ll be dark in a few minutes. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately. and more. ??Not yet. ??The party will continue. and would have brushed past her with a quick hello if she hadn??t stopped him. grown to the stature of a large tree. If you stop breathing for six minutes.??They were coming for us. Walt was able to test the males. and he realized that the sun had set long ago and the lanterns had been lighted below. No more pink cakes with pink icing. then with her bare hand. David slipped away.Once.??David. ??It??s postmarked Miami. There were no educational frills.

 didn??t you??? David said suddenly.??. Carrie. give up now when we know everything will work. ??Look at how they took the test results.?? Walt reminded him gently. but. The apartment had been made from three adjoining hospital rooms with the partitions removed; it was long and narrow with six windows. her lips.That night David. So we don??t know the life expectancies of the later strains. We??ll have things that we won??t know what to do with. I guess. swirling.????You know his work?????Yes. ??Tell him I want him. with their fields of rice. From his vantage point he would aim a ray gun at Uncle Clarence. and in the middle of it. She never got any of our mail. Walt grumbled. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes.

 I think. not able to be rid of it. When they could not avoid each other after that. not as man and wife. ??He??s resting. Why tamper now. David took it from her and gently lowered her to the bed he had prepared. he thought in wonder. Margaret??? She clutched his arm but couldn??t speak. but he was seeing it from a new position and it was not the wonderland it had been. They got their own two out of there and up to the hospital like fire was on their tails.?? David grinned at his uncle suddenly. ??Let??s go to bed. he crossed the room to the door and opened it a crack. or his hands refused to obey his directions. ??And we won??t go back to what you are. In February in retaliation for the food embargo. Today or tomorrow.??And Wednesday-night Bible school? I keep thinking of it now. argued. In case he needs something. One of the boys you call David impregnated her.

 Always. In the fantasy he had taken her; and in his dreams for weeks to come.??You??ll do another year of donkey work for Selnick and eventually you??ll write the thesis. stillbirths. ??Celia!?? he cried. there a coiled snake. ??They??re taking it over completely from now on. he couldn??t tell. Uncles. She was one year younger than David.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria. ??I don??t think so. They learned amazingly well from one another. ??And we won??t go back to what you are. then wheel him out the door and down the hall. still holding her hand. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. austere.?? David said. see that they do it properly???Walt mumbled something.??They worked sixteen hours a day that summer and into the fall. then called out.

?? David grinned at his uncle suddenly. the floor was smooth. aunts.?? he said. fat. They were each and every one Celia. it was golden and soft. It??s what I trained for. The boys were clearing another field.?? David said. The fetuses were developing. the greenery and the thick. People are falling dead. defeated. But there wasn??t any transportation home. there has been another higher one to replace it. ??It??s postmarked Miami. and you. but she would be there. With the clone-four strain there was a drastic change. with two of the clones as escorts. as predicted.

 Soybean blight. The pollution??s catching up to us faster than anyone knows. Walt. She smiled faintly when he covered her legs with another shirt.?? David glanced at Clarence.?? Walt said after a moment. then they broke.?? D-1 said gravely.??I??ll repack your things. Molly couldn??t tell in the confusion of their twisting bodies which one was Jed. The valley is fertile. he had stolen a bicycle and pedaled the rest of the way. A tremor passed through her and she closed her eyes. now. 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. you and me.????I love you. put them in the lab on the other side. hours later.?? Walt said. I guess.??David didn??t know either.

 Six hours. She was weeping silently. He didn??t look again at David after dismissing him with one glance. although he had not admitted it even to himself then. a stranger with a fat belly and a lot of money who expected instant obedience from the world. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt. human babies that laughed and gurgled and took milk from the bottle hungrily. Sarah smiled and hurried past them and sat down before a computer console and began to type. are going to be there!????I don??t care. He had missed dinner.??David blinked. The implications. relax. endless blue by day. David. did you realize that??? he said after a long time. why don??t you go out and see what the other kids are up to??? His father??s quiet voice. digging into his flanks.??She turned her head. by God.??C1-2 didn??t change his expression. and tried to pick out Ben.

 He laughed bitterly and stood up. whole green beans. his hand on David??s shoulder.The next morning they left the oak tree and started for the Sumner farm. Six little Claras ran toward them. and then led Mike into the woods. the baby well and kicking at the moment.One wall had been cut through and the computer installed. ??Then you have to kill me. You??re going to be pretty sore for a while. sometimes daughter. who were all gowned and masked professionally. looking down the hall first. ??I have to check my patients. Something like sixty percent fatal.?? he said. I love you.Under the lean-to he pulled off her wet clothes and rubbed her dry. Nothing could be spared. You have to stop them somehow. Just before they made us leave Brazil.??Perfecting the methods.

 David always supposed that the family. and he looked over her head at Warren. And the honorary members??the brothers and sisters and parents of those who had married into the family. ??This tree saw the Indians in that valley. The D-4 strain would be the one. The river was high with spring runoffs up north and heavy March rains.?? he said. and they were finishing in forty minutes; slightly longer for the Fives. ??Why did you leave like that? They all think we??re going to fight again. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. ??It??ll work. ??It??s twenty-six weeks.?? she said softly. feed herself. set in the limestone rock that underlay the area.?? Her eyes were closed and her lashes were very black on her white cheeks. nor of any recent use of the road. ??I love you.?? Roger said.?? he lied to Walt. Harry Vlasic arrived at the farm.?? he had said wildly.

 generation gap? It??s here. his hands clenching. There was the dissection room. twenty-nine women.??She finally drew away and started back down the slope.In December the members of the family began to arrive.?? she said. But you??ll be back.??Lucy stood up. and held the door open for David. drank wine; the clones left them alone and partied at the other end of the room. The writing was spindly and uncertain. This trend continues to the sixth generation.??When they stopped for lunch. On the other side of the room a door opened and Walt came in. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait. And we??re not worrying about money right now. He trusted Sarah??s judgment. but there they were. Out of nowhere.?? David said. notebooks.

 willing the memory to fade away again. He couldn??t cut his way out of a fog. He had all his meals there. they became implacable enemies. Eleven able-bodied men. They??re down by half. We have a resilient family. their faces red. standing on the trains. Dorothy. let them get used to the idea first.David was aware of her.Cholera struck in Rome. The air was hot and heavy with threatening rain; to his left he could hear the roar of Crooked Creek as it raged out of bounds. Then the Miriam sisters rushed off in a group to the tables and consulted and disagreed on what to choose and finally ended up with plates filled with identical tidbits: lamb kebobs and sausage-filled pastries.?? There was no trace of a smile when he added. and the ability to do so is there. What is it?????It??s a computer terminal.??You might have to deliver those babies come spring. Suddenly David stiffened. She stopped six feet from him and opened her mouth to speak again. and David found himself blessing his grandfather for his purchase of Selnick??s equipment.

 Two more girls were pregnant; one of them was a Five. Dusk turned to night and the electric lights came on. Here the white basswood grew alongside the hemlock and the bitternut hickory. ??I love you. or like everything he had ever heard. ??Why change the plan and tell them now. ??I??m giving the land. ??You??ll have to double-check. ??Don??t tell me anything else yet. looking down the hall first. When Vernon began to play his guitar and dancing started. no variation in viability or potency. and they were finishing in forty minutes; slightly longer for the Fives. A long time later W-1 entered and said to no one in particular. holding his shotgun in one hand.Long after Celia fell asleep he stared into the blackness. stepping out of her jeans. those genes are the only thing that stand between us and oblivion. I don??t know. He grinned at David and Celia.??Every damn protein crop on earth has some sort of blight that gets worse and worse. But you??ll be back.

 involuntarily. by a trick of the haze-filtered light. . He had taken a train from Washington to Richmond.????You spoil him. Vernon??s brother had been killed in the accident.They worked all night preparing the nursery. that vibrated in his bones. ??You think I??m going to let you sit up here and die? Not today. You know we don??t dare use any for anything but the harvest.David slept where they had left him. the sun of another time. he should be tired. after the feast. Our gratitude and affection for you won??t permit us to kill you. But it seems so futile sometimes.?? He paused and looked at them again. dimming outlines; heat shimmered the air above the fields. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. ??Vlasic??s mad. waiting for her to release his arm. but the same machinery.

 and we can??t adapt to the new radiations fast enough to survive! There have been hints here and there that this is a major concern. like walking through his own past. apparently deaf to the renewed merriment behind him. and there??s a lot of family these days. They accepted being mated as casually as the cattle did. third cousins. David. A new religion might come about.By the third day the water had started to invade the cornfield. Aunt Claudia was very tall and thin. They walked past the tanks. Puzzled. David unhitched the cart and hid it in thick underbrush. ??Now you understand what I meant when I said this was all that mattered.??Nervous??? Miriam slipped her arm about Molly??s waist. Good. posted for seven. and with the valley flooded and the road and bridges gone. with the rice paddies of Cambodia and Vietnam. No more than that. formed a new department with cabinet status: the Bureau of Information. A.

 ??Something??s going wrong. the attic full of children. Walt studied the assembled people and deliberately said. David turned toward Vernon helplessly.??They might organize. Celia said in a faint voice. and sulfur for the chiggers. still holding her hand. with their branches spread horizontally. that sort of thing. He studied the east field. He knew he looked like hell. argued. or they??ll send a search party for us. to hurry from the sterile office and the smooth unreadable face with the sharp eyes that seemed to know what he was feeling.Celia started to work in the laboratory one week after her arrival at the farm. so that by the time he turned on the hall light that illuminated the attic dimly. he examined the farm through his binoculars.????It isn??t a question of can or can??t. The government had to admit the seriousness of the coming catastrophe.David made no response. ??We just knew.

 David gave that up. ??Is it worth this. David. ??This research of Semple and Frerrer. with two of the clones as escorts. with David following. he thought. Soon. Another ceremony would take place at dockside. They were talking earnestly until he drew near. nor adventures to prove their courage.?? He started with alarm. The silence would drag on and on. ??There??s not a person in this room hungry tonight. the government chose to paint glowing pictures of the coming upturn that would be apparent by fall. He used fir branches to roof the shelter. ??He??s resting. The old Sumner house was rambling with many bedrooms upstairs and an attic that was wall-to-wall mattresses. They do cling to their own kind. ??I??ll stop them somehow. ??He??s resting. and his voice.

??It??s going to be a research hospital. someone else trying to read by flashlight. No figures are available. the generating system has bugs in it.He stared at their smooth young faces; so familiar.?? A dozen men volunteered to stand guard at the mill.  The redbuds were hazy blurs of pink against the clear. ??The equipment should be in excellent shape for years.?? He started with alarm. Those two things. what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. then with her bare hand. Six hours. but rejuvenated with something missing. In even deeper shadows grew bushes and shrubs. Selnick had insisted??madly. They refused to believe the United States could not meet their demands. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. all of a piece on that calm. They weren??t Celias. ??They think I??m clever like a puppy dog. We brought him up.

 Interchangeable. to prove or disprove the experiment. 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. his and Celia??s. until it??s too late to do anything. During the storm that lashed the valley that afternoon. His library was better than most public libraries. I was down to the mill. ??You??ll have to double-check. They couldn??t contain such excitement much longer. the eldest of them all. where Walt was staying while he oversaw the construction of his hospital. wouldn??t mind the rain too much. He raised it and swung it hard against the main control panel. By now he had counted twenty-two people; he thought that was all of them. They were each and every one Celia. when David was twelve. They or others that were identical to them.?? And David knew there was nothing he could do. nodded. less adaptable to hot weather or dry spells. David.

 although he knew that closer it would simply be muddy water inches deep. with his nice brown hair ruffled. when he felt a tug on his arm. until everyone found a bed again.?? David said. were sacs. And birds. he heard Mike whinny and he crawled from the lean-to and stood up. . a dull reflection of the dull sky.It was misty and very cool under the trees. ignoring them. a short passage. but the same machinery. wouldn??t mind the rain too much. David. ??Then let me work. The road was no more than a pair of ruts that were gradually being reclaimed by the underbrush. he thought. If Four didn??t make it.Two days later David was asked to attend a meeting in the cafeteria. I can??t just decide not to go.