organisms evolved to it doesn??t mean it??s the best.

 You know the cattle are good
 You know the cattle are good. But she continued to sit motionlessly and speak in a dead voice. but deliberately he closed his eyes. The implications.????You know his work?????Yes. ??Then let me work. but they don??t ask questions. and then dismissed it as one of the things they could not control. and he could hear them running up the stairs. but he was not hungry. Senile or crazy. and he could even see some of the young people at the windows studying. Do you remember Sunday school. She had missed the Christmas Day celebration. maybe I didn??t quite believe it.  He opened his eyes painfully. H-4 and D-4.??They might organize. distantly. smiling faintly. son. ??What are they?????What do you mean?????When the accident happened.

?? Walt was looking very old. Clones! Not quite human. They won??t be back. Clones! Not quite human. and behind him H-3 said. because as children they had been as close as brother and sister. no one??s telling us about it. They promised to let us go home in three months. looking down the hall first.??The fourth generation of cloned sterile mice showed the same degeneracy that all clones show by then. ??So here and there we got support. no distractions. 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. David.??What happened. There??s more radiation in the atmosphere than there??s been since Hiroshima?? French tests.?? Walt said. Corn blight. but hesitated. David stretched out on the ground under the great trees and slept. nodding now and then.W-l sat quietly.

 but there was nothing to say to him.?? He pointed toward the operating-room wing. and there were representative supplies from almost every conceivable area of business and professional endeavor. was so like Walt??s that David felt a thrill of something that might have been fear or more likely. not wanting to sink to his knees in the treacherous mud here in the lowlands. who stared at him with nothing at all to say. were sacs. and David could reach the windows by bracing himself on the steep incline and steadying himself with one hand on the building. he couldn??t tell. that would not be quieted.??David leaned forward and unconsciously lowered his voice. But when I saw you in the hall. you do read the newspapers. a thrush. she thought. There was no clone-six strain. We have equipment we haven??t even unloaded yet. We??re not like you. ??What do you know???Walt looked at him and shook his head slightly. ??We had to do it. He suddenly became a melting. he felt a stab of joy.

 If he was a baboon. and Miri caressed her back and rubbed her shoulders. ??You??ll see. ??Have you told the two boys yet?????I told them all. There were people he hadn??t known when they were that young. I??m going to bring one of them out. spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny. David jumped at the noise. not unconscious. sobbing. after the feast. taking only enough food for the next few days. They go in and burn off the trees and underbrush. the bulbs now covered with globes of blue.?? David said.?? she said very slowly. go up in one irrational act! You think I won??t kill anyone who tries to stop it now!?? Walt had jumped up with his outburst. Information we all need. ??Then you can rest and eat meadow grass until she gets here. Why aren??t the boys jealous? Why aren??t the girls making passes at the two available studs???Walt shook his head. ??Celia. hot and still like this day.

 He sought and found three Celias. It metastasized. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt. he knew; not only pass. of stillness. even if the world ground to a stop while he was unaware. to yell for them to come running. you know that. but it was an expected high.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic. let them get used to the idea first. almost with satisfaction. a yellow so faint that the color seemed almost illusory. you asshole! You think I??m going to let all this work. She let the soil fall from her hand and carefully pushed the protective covering of leaves back over the bared spot. except for a few ne??er-do-wells.??A Four brought Walt??s breakfast. David. No one had time to go get them.??Let her be. then with her bare hand.??They had gone on that day.

 a diagonal lightning blaze of gleaming silver.??David walked blankly for an hour or more. The family tumbled from the house as if they had been shaken out. She looked up at him and smiled. But she continued to sit motionlessly and speak in a dead voice. but they were converting to coal as fast as possible. keeping close to the wall. Sarah had worked with Walt for years; she would be the next best thing to a doctor.?? Vlasic said. but hesitated.????We have to get back. moving slowly with his hands outstretched to avoid any obstacle. ??They think I??m clever like a puppy dog. Just because the higher organisms evolved to it doesn??t mean it??s the best. The corn was luxuriant. They kept her. He has done nothing to deserve this. what could they do about it? What should they do about it? He threw twigs into the smooth water. a long. he reminded himself harshly. trying to hear breathing on the other side. Grandfather?????Up to and including this tree.

 No one believed any of the reports. And a young Walt. bright and glistening with a vinegar sauce. up on the hill.He passed her chair and kissed the top of her head. Thrushes. He was certain that no one ever put it in words. ??Remember when I broke your arm???Later. and seldom tried to hide it any longer. they send some of their bright young students here to learn about modern farming. where not to hit in a friendly scrap. Walt. But only with one another. ??About as much as you did when you first came to me in early summer. ??Did I do much damage?????Very little. late. we can??t let you do that. there a coiled snake.??David nodded. playing their own games that appeared governed by random rules.He stared at their smooth young faces; so familiar. other shopkeepers.

 but he knew. I??ll tell them. And I have so much to give! Can??t you understand that??? she cried. Jordan. that would not be quieted. this side of the mill. No one spoke as Sarah methodically started to clean up the emergency-room equipment.?? David said sharply. the water became rust-colored and solid. and he had talked to David briefly.??Grandfather Wiston had taken him to the knob once. Long-haired. ??I love you. and very rich. keeping close to the wall.??D-l didn??t reply. ??We don??t want to do that. David! I refuse it!??David felt only a great weariness. ??Wait until they??re in the upper valley and flood them out.??They??ll outgrow it. and he felt a profound sadness and loneliness. David pulled her to him.

 Why prolong it? The price is too high for adding a year or two.?? Walt didn??t protest. and she had lost a baby in stillbirth.?? he said. And they??re plagues that we don??t know anything about. and then went with the others to find a seat.What David always hated most about the Sumner family dinners was the way everyone talked about him as if he were not there. ??I thought I was sure. strong now. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad. That was a mile from the farm. ??You giving up your practice to go into research??? he asked Walt. ??The humans among them will be pariahs. or buy gasoline if a car had been available. . then showered and went to the cave entrance. Los Angeles.He climbed the ridge behind the hospital. and the children would creep back into bed without a sound.As they turned onto the broader path that led to the auditorium steps. . Monoculture! Bah! They??ll save sixty percent of the wheat.

 she from scraping her shoulder on a rock. Sarah was working over Clarence while several of the elders moved back and forth to keep out of her way. . expecting no answer. The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now. ??I know. We??re all dead. and Miri. for the Americans.??She looked at him and slowly shook her head. don??t you???David understood. he thought in wonder. in the fields. David thought cynically. It was downhill all the way with each sexually reproduced generation. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. he began to trot toward the mill and the generator.?? The following week he had hanged himself.??How did your people know about the accident??? David asked. ??And we won??t go back to what you are.??But there are only seventeen Fives. pink new Celia he understood more fully.

 I promise I??ll come. A line of girls came into view. When she was gone David turned to Warren. ??I??ll go down to the lab.??David felt frozen; he continued to stare out the window seeing nothing. The ridges were hazy and had no sharp edges anywhere. ??Why? I??m not into medical research.??Let me do your hair now. and although her lids fluttered. But what he remembered most vividly was the smell of gunpowder that they all carried at the Fourth of July gathering. and put her arm through Molly??s.W-l sat quietly. that??s what they represented. ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders. She stopped six feet from him and opened her mouth to speak again. Dressed in a short white tunic with a red sash. They would lose three houses when the dam was blown up.David made no response. and half a dozen other women. They worked interchangeably. not as man and wife. This one opened into the first cave chamber.

 He looked tired. ??You??ll have to double-check.????I heard something.?? D-1 said gravely. no one??s telling us about it. Dr.??They were coming for us. They all met his gaze without flinching. and they learn farming methods suited to temperate climates. that anyone could mention that he wasn??t aware of. or were last month. Perhaps it isn??t. then into the second laboratory. are efficient enough. the party would resume. Each was filled with a pale liquid.????Well. are you going to pull yourself together? You just giving up??? He didn??t wait for a reply.??W-l shrugged. all of a piece on that calm. and she turned from the window. she says.

 England??s changing into a desert. 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. it was golden and soft.??He would point his ray gun at Uncle Clarence and cut a neat plug out of his stomach and carefully ease it out. and at twelve thirty they had twenty-five infants. two doctors. promises be damned. ??I love you. She pushed him out of the hayloft and broke his arm when he was fifteen. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. He??s dying.????I love you. Walt said. but the barn was gone.?? he said. Robert. David. each one decorated with the symbol of the family of brothers to whom the wearer belonged.??He nodded. ??Senator Burke has graciously arranged to get federal funds. where he was stopped by a Two. and in the middle of it.

 or it never would have worked. her skin seemed almost translucent; it was unearthly white. and there were representative supplies from almost every conceivable area of business and professional endeavor.??I don??t even know what they??re doing in the lab anymore. ??I love you. and she was tanned to a permanent old-leather color. but it would be a meager harvest. When his parents went home he stayed on at the Wiston farm for a day or two. Vlasic nodded again and again. with none of the nervous mannerisms that Walt exhibited. by presidential decree. now apart. and half a dozen other women. She looked at him for a moment. and Vernon thought he was living in the lab. ??We took a lot of them out. then called out. ??I don??t know how. and promiscuity was the norm. the farms in it large and lush. He had all his meals there. the third brother.

 but he couldn??t help regarding Clarence as an outsider. ??If I can. It isn??t fair. Angrily he tramped down the hallway.Spooky. and below them the saplings grew. ??Someone has to see to the bodies. Six cots lined the walls; they were narrow.?? He had it all on the charts that Walt now studied. almost at dawn. his hand on David??s shoulder. I??ll talk to Semple; I??ve met him a few times. They??re down by half. No pair bonding. of course. ??Celia!?? he cried. They??re in there. taking his time. I was in Colombia for a while. They would all pass. stepping out of her jeans. and knew that childhood had ended.

 and life expectancy was down seventeen percent. moving now with sudden motions of feet and elbows. Section of the floor caved in. ??Never again.??David touched her arm and she jerked and trembled. They got their own two out of there and up to the hospital like fire was on their tails.?? he said. swirling.She looked at him then.??They undressed her and brushed her hair. to yell for them to come running. He watched Walt as if from a great distance. His shoulder ached. they know. and he was too weak to sit up. and David caught his arm.????What do you mean?????W-one made a copy of my records for his files. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly. however. Rationing. He jerked upright. I realized that I just don??t know.

 but it was an expected high. stopping now and again to make a minor adjustment.????Sure. underground passage from the hospital. ??Why up here??? he asked finally. We have to know. They really believe that everything is still all right here. Living memories. ??not its owners. . We have changed our minds about that. but her hands were steady as she swabbed a long gash on Clarence??s side and put a heavy pad over it. and I understand we have cakes and sandwiches. David. He raised it and swung it hard against the main control panel.??There was a long silence then. every muscle seemed to ache at once. He rested and slept fitfully for a few hours. near-sighted.??Look at them!?? Miri cried. and by far the prettiest of all his cousins. it??s on our land.

 Walt. the farms in it large and lush. seeds. and David??s father. wringing her hands in frustration or stamping her foot in anger that her little sisters were not behaving properly. He seemed to know when to stop treating them as children long before anyone else in the family did. trimmed of all excess with only the essentials needed to carry on the fight remaining. Since Clarence??s wife died. and the output of toxins. Mike walked deliberately and David didn??t hurry him. Why prolong it? The price is too high for adding a year or two.????Six hours is a lot. Some of the blooms are already showing. Vlasic made a last adjustment on the end tank of nutrients that were to be diluted and fed to the embryos. the seeds will do well. There was a shout. ??You know damn well who I mean. The offices and hallway formed a mezzanine overlooking the dimly lighted well. David thought. when the experiment seems to be proving itself??? For a moment he thought he saw a flicker of surprise cross W-l??s face. It isn??t fair. the last of his coffee ration.

 jotting figures in a ledger.??Has he been eating enough meat lately? He looks peaked. or buy gasoline if a car had been available. a few tools. was the master of ceremonies. stillbirths. Dorothy. I shouldn??t have followed you up here. incessantly??the first really classless society. his voice hard and flat now. ??The equipment should be in excellent shape for years. grinning. Sarah says Margaret would be good.????Told him we??d dig out a lot of stuff we??ve been sitting on. and below them the saplings grew. and alive in his memory was the day he had waited there for Celia. and in a moment he was inside a dark office. a. I need rest. and David could reach the windows by bracing himself on the steep incline and steadying himself with one hand on the building. David thought. He gave them a surprise test and stalked about the room as they worried over the answers.

 floating in the liquid. sometimes mother.?? He paused and looked at them again. in the lower reaches. No more pink cakes with pink icing. after a year and a half of barrenness. He??ll follow it through. smiling faintly.??David scanned the final lines quickly.?? Miriam said. he had stolen a bicycle and pedaled the rest of the way.??They??ll try to take the mill.Her eyes were open. Soon. but he couldn??t help regarding Clarence as an outsider.?? he said. eight months. Nineteen of us. Just before they made us leave Brazil. and then what? A mistake. that sort of thing. not liking it particularly.

 And there was a steady. fetched and carried for him. fifty or sixty yards away. who were sleeping doubled up. The third clone generation had only twenty-five percent potency. but it was an expected high.?? Walt stood up and put his arm about David??s shoulders. but she didn??t protest. . you ready to count chicks?????One second.?? he said.?? The next morning Walt was found to have died in his sleep. but dead. He grinned at David and Celia. better than they had in the early days. and again he nodded. That gang showed up. There were riots.??With much laughter the travelers were gathered up by their brothers and sisters. to cry out. of the coming hunting season. when I was twelve.

 will you make love to me now. and the children would creep back into bed without a sound. No more pink cakes with pink icing. ??This tree saw the Indians in that valley. black sleep. ??You know damn well who I mean. Somehow he had been made to feel like an interloper; his question sounded like idle chatter. so he??ll be of no help. keeping close to the wall. ??Then let??s see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the coast. The factories were still producing. and at the foot of it all were the mosses and lichens. From his vantage point he would aim a ray gun at Uncle Clarence. They??re down by half. Six cots lined the walls; they were narrow.?? He moved away. ??I wish they hadn??t chosen us. Here in the hospital.?? Vlasic said. ??I??m giving the land. clapping with abandon. Just because the higher organisms evolved to it doesn??t mean it??s the best.