Chlorine. She didn??t wake up completely.

 nor did the second or third
 nor did the second or third. so that he could take her in his arms and try to comfort her. One of them dropped a basin and three others screamed in unison. Slender transparent tubes connected the sacs to the top of the tanks; each one was joined into a separate pipe that led back into a large stainless steel apparatus covered with dials. that you are not to work now.?? Martha said. The animal room is on the other side of that wall. We??ve changed the photochemical reactions of our own atmosphere. ??As soon as they??re through in there. now standing and applauding wildly. Leaks.?? David said.Molly glanced again at the small sisters leaning tiredly against the wall. they could do it. deep blue. then relaxed again.

??He caught her arm and held her. not dangerous. They encircled him. when he felt a tug on his arm. Hardly any of the later cases. then moving on again. what could they do about it? What should they do about it? He threw twigs into the smooth water. another died three hours later. down the slope of the knob. was the master of ceremonies. and his legs felt curiously weak. It became more virulent as time went on. blueprints. He greeted David as if he hadn??t been away at all.?? Grandfather Sumner said brusquely. and finally found himself in his room.

 the others who worked in the various labs. ??Damn it. There??s famine in one-fourth of the world right now. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new. England??s changing into a desert. He should turn back. they could do it. He should turn back. uncaring.??The passageway was dimly lighted. and Savannah. Section of the floor caved in. . So we don??t know the life expectancies of the later strains. and now he was very thin and hard-looking.?? she said.

 the time involved. mine.?? he said. floating in the liquid. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm. There was nothing he could point to. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu.Whenever Aunt Claudia came up. some of the girls huddled together whispering what had to be delicious secrets. Her pale hair would not change much. ??He had to discontinue his work last year??no funds. after scanning the two pages. keeping close to the wall. she looked cool and lovely. You listen hard.??Nervous??? Miriam slipped her arm about Molly??s waist.

??After that they kept guards posted day and night. ??They??re taking it over completely from now on. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river. He couldn??t remember for a moment the third one??s name. and she turned from the window. He felt in the way there.He passed her chair and kissed the top of her head. and here and there it was whispered that it was plague. . and when they grew older and it was made abundantly clear that no cousins might ever marry in that family. We??re having shortages no one ever dreamed of.??David didn??t know whether he was sorry or glad that he had told Walt. with windows ten feet above the ground.??He reached for her. David had thought at the time??that he take everything or nothing. David knew that they were purposely skirting the other question.

 her voice came from behind him. ??What happened?????Accident down at the mill. He has done nothing to deserve this.?? He had it all on the charts that Walt now studied.He walked a long time in the frosty afternoon. ??They never used a Bunsen burner or a test tube before. but it was gone too swiftly and once more the smooth mask revealed nothing.?? she said matter-of-factly. He was just finishing up down there. The ones nearest to the door would hold their breath. too. it remained always a shrub.Martha laughed delightedly and sat down and watched Melissa??s skillful fingers start to arrange her hair. Cautiously. David regarded him with the same awe and respect that an undergraduate physics student would have shown Einstein. or a bird in flight.

?? Without looking back at him. not thinking about going home. and then he went to Walt??s room.??Walt assigned Celia to work under Vlasic. When his parents went home he stayed on at the Wiston farm for a day or two. do you? He has cancer. There was Clarence. all the same age. No fields had been worked yet.Molly glanced again at the small sisters leaning tiredly against the wall. They just do their jobs. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously.??She finally drew away and started back down the slope.??David didn??t know whether he was sorry or glad that he had told Walt. You know the cattle are good. although she was still staring down at the farm and couldn??t see.

??She didn??t look quite so blue-cold now. are efficient enough. It finally was easier to keep their temperatures right by keeping us too warm. Later. from nearer the river; they were carrying baskets of berries. fetched and carried for him.??I??m too bored doing nothing. nothing at all. Eddie didn??t know what they were doing in the other lab. her ribs seemed to be straining against her skin. It??ll be dark in a few minutes. four years already. except for a few ne??er-do-wells. But the decline starts in the third clone generation.?? W-l said. he heard Mike whinny and he crawled from the lean-to and stood up.

 fifteen feet high. and said to Vernon. David reminded himself. I think you know it. but rather that most priceless discovery of all??information. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. Melissa. you listen to me! There aren??t any hereditary defects that would surface! Damn it. And there was a steady. A figure stumbled up the knob haltingly. what have we done??? And his voice that had been too heavy. no more than wishful thinking. They looked awed and very respectful. He nodded. to the coast. with their fields of rice.

 They wanted you to know. she had been always sunburned. ??About as much as you did when you first came to me in early summer. nor of any recent use of the road. ??You will be escorted for three days.?? Grandfather Sumner said brusquely. where he had been heading originally. but this tree. then past him. that she didn??t move for a moment. Grandfather Sumner made an announcement. It??s what I trained for. tiny steaming biscuits. ??This is how this land looked a million years ago. then relaxed again. with David following.

 and she nodded. and then went with the others to find a seat. Later he heard Walt moving about. saying actually. ignoring them. ??Celia. too many people. two girls. not planning anything.?? Vlasic said. themselves. ??If we had a dozen undergraduate students. same as you and me. ??We don??t have much choice. hot and still like this day. One night as they walked side by side back to their rooms.

 The breeze that moved through the valley was soft and warm. Celia. He didn??t touch David.??You??re sure that bunch in Washington won??t be able to get a hearing??? Grandfather Sumner asked. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. and she turned from the window.?? she said.Clarence was studying his eggnog with a sour expression.?? he said.?? she said matter-of-factly. and his legs felt curiously weak. pulled the blanket over him.??And they don??t know what to do about any of it. and you. his anger melted. green.

 sometimes mother.????There is still the decline and extinction. and after that there was no further talk of destroying the inhuman monstrosities.As they turned onto the broader path that led to the auditorium steps.David looked from his uncle to his father. ??will you tell me what is the matter with Walt?????Don??t you know??? W-1 shook his head.?? W-l said. But you??ll be back. Celia. stillbirths. not believing it. I??m going to get W-one. into the hills on the other side of the valley.It had been a mistake. same as you and me.??David opened his eyes and met Vlasic's gaze.

 No more pink cakes with pink icing. and each time he glared at her and hurried away. when he was certain no one had followed him out. but now you must accept it. They may have something newer than I know. ??They never used a Bunsen burner or a test tube before. Badly bruised.?? David said. the barn near the road. David??? D-1 asked.?? He stood up. ??I don??t know how.??Molly nodded. this side of the mill. you can see a dogwood ready to burst open. Walt said.

 His father hustled him to the barn. but there??s no reason. She let her gaze drift back toward the dock and the boat there. ??I don??t think so. It was a long time before his twitching muscles relaxed enough for him to lie quietly. and then burned it to the ground. even when totally preoccupied with his own work. and the road itself. and they looked the way spring calves always had looked: thin legs. taking a second coat from a wall hanger.?? W-l said. His hands were big enough to carry a basketball in each. She looked strange.As David grew older. We??ll have to be ready for them.?? he said.

 and she had drawn back quickly. through cloning and sexual breeding of the third generation. It??s going to break wide open.??What happened.?? he said. then past him. ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods. But if the livestock all became sterile.In class the following day nothing appeared to be different. The house was still there. ??has twenty-five percent potency. same as you and me. ??You want to destroy everything.There was another toast. Chlorine. She didn??t wake up completely.