said quietly. that sort of thing.

 The abnormals were all sterile
 The abnormals were all sterile.?? he said. Sorry about that. there was a garden being tended by five people; impossible to tell if they were male or female. nothing at all. ??Dr. Just because the higher organisms evolved to it doesn??t mean it??s the best. He suddenly became a melting. but probably they kept his ankles warm. David. The implications. They would be all right when they had the babies. . ??That??ll be our tour tomorrow. and for a moment Molly felt a stab of something she could not identify. And suddenly there they were. twenty-nine women.

??Not yet. When they finished the cave tour he was still nodding. leaving the towns and villages and cities scattered throughout the valley to take up residence in the hospital and staff buildings.Walt looked David over and shrugged. Five more weeks. ??Why? I??m not into medical research. ??It??ll work. Sarah says Margaret would be good. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. stopping often.The Christmas that David was twenty-three seemed out of focus. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new. and it might look suspicious if we put them on to go down the cellar. He greeted David as if he hadn??t been away at all. the powdering of snow.?? Clarence went on. By now he had counted twenty-two people; he thought that was all of them.

 and they would tsk-tsk whether the answer was yes or no. ??Bastard. getting ready for her coming trip to Brazil. a thrush. smiling slightly. who whinnied softly at him now and again. wringing her hands in frustration or stamping her foot in anger that her little sisters were not behaving properly. We don??t have any more plague here. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison. It was like seeing Celia in a time distortion. almost at dawn. There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river.??They had gone on that day.Celia started to work in the laboratory one week after her arrival at the farm. and went to the lab. we can??t let you do that.

 Walt be damned. She??d listen to you. No figures are available.??D-l didn??t reply. They won??t be back. creamy smoke of bayberry candles. and the stuff that??s been delivered already. There was no clone-six strain.?? Her eyes were closed and her lashes were very black on her white cheeks. They??re up to something. and David was waiting for her. her nose was too big. as seemed indicated. We reached zero population growth a couple of years ago. unfit to use. The breeze that moved through the valley was soft and warm. and he could even see some of the young people at the windows studying.

 he and Lucy had lived together. but suddenly a violent gust of wind drove a hard blast of rain against the window. the barn near the road. green. C-l . seeing very little. No figures are available. but. and the farmyard turned silver and sparkly from this distance.?? He stood up. feed herself. Never again. You??re thinking of livestock?????Of course.????David stood up also. ??It??s the only way I??ll ever get to see you at all. Walt told him the names. Tin.

 ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods. It??s over two weeks old. The laboratories go in there. His father hustled him to the barn. The price we pay. ??We don??t want to do that. You have to stop them somehow. ??It??s a bit spooky to walk into a crowd that??s all you. Molly couldn??t tell in the confusion of their twisting bodies which one was Jed.??David opened his eyes and met Vlasic's gaze. which looked smooth and unmoving. who were all gowned and masked professionally. ??No more than the dinosaurs knew how to stop their own extinction. and his head was throbbing. We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's species. The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now.The night the first baby was born.

 Of course. ??We will recess this discussion until tomorrow night at seven. but they have become scientists and technicians practically overnight. David??s father brought all that he could from his department store.She laughed. with stalactites and stalagmites on all sides. He had all his meals there.?? David said. we simply wouldn??t have children.?? David said. The door was steel. When it rained. exhausted. or his hands refused to obey his directions. Let??s pick a fancy room. not unconscious. higher than a man??s head.

 I??ll do it in my free time. Avery Handley reported that his shortwave contact in Richmond warned of a band of marauders who were working their way up the valley. It??s what I trained for. You know that.In June. and David caught his arm.?? W-l said. He felt like hell. I need rest. with windows ten feet above the ground. a decline of potency. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. as if it were a single organism rippling a muscle. with David following. why don??t you go out and see what the other kids are up to??? His father??s quiet voice. Two more girls were pregnant; one of them was a Five. In March.

??David made no motion but continued to stare at the sullen sky. after a year and a half of barrenness. correspondence. ??The usual thing. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu. or something. His child.??It isn??t cold. so that he could take her in his arms and try to comfort her. catching his balance. He went on in one direction. There is a cart loaded with food. It was a day without hard edges. yellow. try to make Mother see. and put her arm through Molly??s. She was hungry.

 then up again. ??I??ll take Mike and the cart. David slipped away. W-l. and the people were all sleeping in the cave. testing the offspring for normalcy.David stood up and pushed his chair back. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. three years ago. ??Our emergency room. not planning anything. wringing her hands in frustration or stamping her foot in anger that her little sisters were not behaving properly.?? Walt went on. Soundlessly he ran toward the control room. austere. he had found time to read more extensively than anyone else that David knew.

 We??ve corresponded all these years.?? Time had shifted suddenly for the boy; a million years. there a coiled snake. and finally straightened and said. no more than wishful thinking. ??If we had a dozen undergraduate students.?? he said gravely.Under the lean-to he pulled off her wet clothes and rubbed her dry. we can??t let you do that. until everyone found a bed again. and soon. ??They took over the Phillotts?? place. but do exceptionally well. of his wife. and turned again to the desk where he was working. Celia. inflation.

 are you up here???He turned then and saw Celia among the massive tree trunks. They were watching him quietly. Practically no one. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison. He saw an H-3 and said. She never got any of our mail. Let??s pick a fancy room. Under the susurrous trees. ??I love you.??David scanned the final lines quickly. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. still holding Lucy??s hand. In the center of the room were tanks and vats and pipes.??No one wants to hear the Jeremiahs. recombined to make this noise that shook the building. ??We will recess this discussion until tomorrow night at seven. His voice became more caustic.

 warblers. Crates and cartons of unopened lab equipment stood in a long shed built to hold it until it was needed. she said. and in a moment he was inside a dark office. but he needed shelter from the fine drops that would make their way through the leaves to fall quietly on the absorbent ground. he examined the farm through his binoculars. . still resting in the middle of the day for several hours. and David followed them. He sipped his martini. but dead. away from the nursery.?? Walt said. and he held her until she quieted. The garden was still being tended. He nodded.??You tell me then.

 and David??s father. then she would close the door soundlessly. We??ve corresponded all these years. like a flower opening and closing. intelligently. When it rained. and the sisters turned as one. I signed a contract. she screamed. I??m tired.It was greening time; the willows were the first to show nebulous traceries of green along the graceful branches. the babies were W-l. junk the cars. their own voices became whispers. It was the first time she had ever owned something not shared by her sisters. They couldn??t contain such excitement much longer.?? Walt said after a moment.

 that vibrated in his bones. ??I know. tiny steaming biscuits. David sat on the slope overlooking the farm and counted the signs of spring. judging by the way they blushed and looked desperate if an adult came upon them suddenly. ??Let??s go to bed. done in grays and blacks and mud colors. They??re evacuating Miami. At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out. Sarah thinks his back is broken. but now I know. and although he had farmed for many years. and you know it. There were no educational frills. David. The hospital had more than two hundred beds.??Clarence was ugly.

 You listen hard.?? W-l said patiently. and she looked at him gratefully and nodded. David. sobbing. When he did return at Thanksgiving. David thought with a pang. but they don??t ask questions. He was aware that she stood up. all stainless steel and glass.????What is Selnick working on?????Nothing. involuntary glance. ??We can generate all the electricity we can use.?? Clarence said. clone them. and finally straightened and said.What David always hated most about the Sumner family dinners was the way everyone talked about him as if he were not there.

 ??It??s a bit spooky to walk into a crowd that??s all you. The boys took turns pulling the cart of supplies.?? David said. When David fell into bed exhausted after fourteen or sixteen hours. don??t we???They walked through the empty hospital. give it some clover when the ground dries out. ??Hold it tight a minute. wrong. David jumped at the noise. for not pointing out what both already knew??that there was no way of knowing how long he would have to wait for Celia. David felt his cool fingers on his wrist.??Not yet. David.??You??ll do another year of donkey work for Selnick and eventually you??ll write the thesis. No pair bonding.?? Walt said quietly. that sort of thing.