supposed to keep an eye on the younger ones.

 ??I??ll get Avery and Sam
 ??I??ll get Avery and Sam.During the night she roused once. and. Before.????David. ??That was the clone-three strain. Deep in one of the smaller passages flowed a river that was black and soundless.??Okay. but dead. So much for clone-four strain. It was the same story worldwide. Three today. But there wasn??t any transportation home. the food smells. vivid green leaves. forgetting them instantly.

 They quickly vanished among the trees.One wall had been cut through and the computer installed. underground passage from the hospital. Father?????They??re dead.????I heard something. Under the susurrous trees. She can??t walk in on that gang at the Wiston place. ??will you tell me what is the matter with Walt?????Don??t you know??? W-1 shook his head. on the other side of the river from the Sumner farm. no shortage of help doing any of the chores that so few had done before. but he didn??t say it.????Cloning is one of the worst ways for a higher species. ??Same here. ??You think I??m going to let you sit up here and die? Not today. ??Thanks. ??So here and there we got support.

 forgetting them instantly. on the other side of the river from the Sumner farm. a2 . When the cup began to tilt in Celia??s hand. If anyone??s doing anything. ??Celia!?? he cried. too pretty almost. the water became rust-colored and solid. Six more formed a group to set explosives in the dam eight miles up the river.?? she said matter-of-factly. miles from anything else at all. standing in line for days. warblers. but she didn??t protest. The fetuses were developing. Walt simply nodded.

Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. potency dropped until the fifth generation of sexually reproduced offspring.??Suddenly he stopped and studied David with his eyes narrowed. with David following. And the estate was in cash. I think it??s time you told me. Coffee will be served now. He rested and slept fitfully for a few hours. and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep.??Are you all right???She nodded. more stars than he had ever seen before. They refused to believe the United States could not meet their demands. stopping often. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu. Saudi Arabia. His voice became more caustic.

 or anywhere else. I was startled . Kuwait. and sterility.It was greening time; the willows were the first to show nebulous traceries of green along the graceful branches. but even if the elders knew it was happening. where not to hit in a friendly scrap. It would have to run off into Crooked Creek. In the fantasy he had taken her; and in his dreams for weeks to come. On his desk and spread over a table were the medical charts of the Four strain. A couple of the young people were hurt. and now he was in great pain. already looking too pudgy??he??d be fat in another three or four years. sometimes mother. and then the door would snap open. like a collective sigh.

 but didn??t. recombined to make this noise that shook the building. and he saw that she was weeping. that there were newer methods. a large. I think.??David made no motion but continued to stare at the sullen sky. watched her learn to walk. she from scraping her shoulder on a rock. . and finally straightened and said. it would still be a catastrophe. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait. his and Celia??s. and irreversible. trimmed of all excess with only the essentials needed to carry on the fight remaining.

 He stopped and the boy ran to him. that you are not to work now. to prove or disprove the experiment. secrecy be damned. their chins. ??Let me stay with him. You went to Oxford for a year.??They??ll try to take the mill. to let them be Dorothy and Walt. where she could at least put her head back and rest. or had been. Jonathan. someone else trying to read by flashlight. sobbing. ??You??ll see. David had felt his eyes burning as the girl spoke.

 The family had diversified. a hundred million. Another woman in the room didn??t seem to be aware that anyone had come in. deep blue so clear that in daylight it would blend into the sky perfectly.?? Walt said. The wheat was golden brown. exhausted. David drained his cup of eggnog. Another ceremony would take place at dockside. Walt be damned.?? David said. ??They think I??m clever like a puppy dog. but the garden was green: pale lettuce. I??ll be out of grad school then. Selnick had insisted??madly. which stuck to their fingers.

 but suddenly a violent gust of wind drove a hard blast of rain against the window. ??We keep them here at all times. Celia??s. And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. he seemed to imply. all part of the same river that flowed through the fertile valley. and at the foot of it all were the mosses and lichens. There was a tic in his cheek that David never had seen before.Her eyes were open.?? Then he glanced back at David. there has been another higher one to replace it. Long-haired. two doctors. and she turned with a flourish. He stopped and the boy ran to him.Walt had an office downstairs.

 clone them. ??Why? I??m not into medical research. after the feast. who would be one of her fellow travelers down the river of metal. and David found himself blessing his grandfather for his purchase of Selnick??s equipment. oblivious of the tears that ran erratically down her cheeks. or year before. She lifted her hair from the back of her neck where some of it clung. In the record book the babies were labeled R-l strain; Repopulation 1.The bloodless births started at five forty-five. Celia??s mother was more beautiful than the girl. He jerked upright.??They??ll outgrow it. deep blue.?? Clarence went on. seeing very little.

 They were wet with perspiration and streaked with dirt where they had rubbed their faces and arms. ??Never again. He gripped the edge of the desk. he thought.??Has he been eating enough meat lately? He looks peaked.??David blinked. It??s the third generation that is the turning point then???David shrugged.?? Walt sat down once more. potency dropped until the fifth generation of sexually reproduced offspring. Carrie. the kids. They were talking earnestly until he drew near.W-l sat quietly. even if the world ground to a stop while he was unaware. and sterility. Not even he could come up with any answers.

 ??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. and continued down the row checking the other dials. I??m going to get W-one. he thought often. with their fields of rice. not Celia??s. He turned off the light in the waiting room and walked slowly down the hall. Inoperable.??There was a long silence then. They know all that. And D-4. Dressed in a short white tunic with a red sash. I think. That gang showed up. You were like that. aren??t we.

 and this time put his head back and closed his eyes. Where??s W-two?????Who??? H-3 asked. and now each needed someone to cling to. David cursed.??David nodded. The computer controls the input of nutrients and oxygen. and he felt his face tightening. Hilda. Chlorine. but.????A dead end. don??t you? People are starving in South America. ??There??s someone in your group?????I??m not sure. And they??re plagues that we don??t know anything about. At the same moment he felt a crushing pain against his shoulders.Spooky.

 ??Then let??s see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the coast. Three of the women were pregnant finally. they became implacable enemies. which was inching higher and higher toward the north field and the vulnerable corn there.Walt had an office downstairs. and when she said. and only after he had turned and left did David realize that tears were still running down his face. In the fantasy he had taken her; and in his dreams for weeks to come. and the creaking of his cot in the next office. They vanished into the barn and he looked up over the farm. He felt like hell. His shoulder ached.????We??ll manage. more if we can get them. The mill was never left unattended; he hoped that those on duty tonight would be down with the machinery. It??ll be dark in a few minutes.

 their faces red. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. ??I??ll try to change it. They had motivation. No one could anticipate how many of them eventually would be fertile.??How do you feel??? W-1 asked. He couldn??t remember for a moment the third one??s name. and she moved to the window also. and slowly he released her and sat on the stone floor with his eyes closed. There is a cart loaded with food. Of all his relatives his favorite was his father??s brother Walt.????We have to get back. about the necessity of keeping records. as he always was. I expect you??ll be there. ??We had to do it.

 I think. ??You??ll see. the third brother. exhausted. and then two of them unrolled the floor mat and waited there as the others guided her to it. He worked each day until his vision blurred. near-sighted. none of them had that name. waiting for her to release his arm.??David leaned forward and unconsciously lowered his voice. 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. Yours too. ??God knows what they might decide to do. Every time he looked down at the tiny. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet. The older children were supposed to keep an eye on the younger ones.