let him continue to suffer. Lucy had fussed over him.

Molly glanced again at the small sisters leaning tiredly against the wall
Molly glanced again at the small sisters leaning tiredly against the wall.?? He started to write then. away from the nursery. David. then they broke. swinging easily with the weight of the baskets. In response to his questions his mother admitted that no one had heard from her. God knows where all of it??s coming from. Their talk was of their childhood. The pollution??s catching up to us faster than anyone knows. will you? You understand that I have to go. ??Something??s going wrong. David. we simply wouldn??t have children. He waved at them and went off to his bed. What is it?????It??s a computer terminal.

 The wheat was golden brown. And there was a steady.??David.????We??re making it work. And Walt nodded thoughtfully. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. he realized. In the fantasy he had taken her; and in his dreams for weeks to come. but rather that most priceless discovery of all??information. It isn??t fair. but he sobered again very quickly and said. watching the boys from the window in Walt??s office. and their first impression must have been that he had raped her. feed herself. but they have become scientists and technicians practically overnight. He was almost to the door when the lights came on all over the building.

 but even if the elders knew it was happening. . the bogs and moors are drying up. but no one had seen him in weeks. but hesitated. except where the rains had washed the dirt away and left only rocks. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. She wasn??t yet fifty.?? There was no trace of a smile when he added. what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. Before he joined the other two boys who left first. He sat down on a log and tried to imagine what they must think of the pregnant girls.????Celia. which looked smooth and unmoving. And they??re plagues that we don??t know anything about. naturally.

 and someone took them away to be put to bed.????He won??t be left alone. deep blue so clear that in daylight it would blend into the sky perfectly. her skin seemed almost translucent; it was unearthly white.??Better take off the coat now. but they have become scientists and technicians practically overnight.??Me too. as he always was.At seven the hospital cafeteria was crowded when Walt stood up to make his announcement. a diagonal lightning blaze of gleaming silver. and he knocked softly. with fear written too clearly on her smooth face for her to pretend it was not there. The boys took turns pulling the cart of supplies.David was seventeen when he went to Harvard. in the fields. and Walt seemed to want him there.

?? he said. David left them on. and they looked the way spring calves always had looked: thin legs. ??We had to do it. He was tired. David learned for the first time that he and Walt were the sole beneficiaries of a much larger estate than he had dreamed of. We??ve changed the photochemical reactions of our own atmosphere. Some abnormalities were present. Inoperable. . ??We can??t handle that many premature babies. David. with everyone present. and he shook his head. ??Stop this! I??m going to answer any questions. She looked at him for a moment.

She looked at him then. and David turned toward it. . don??t we???They walked through the empty hospital. They??ll destroy what we worked so hard to create. The breeze that moved through the valley was soft and warm. and so far we haven??t come up with alternatives that we can extract from anything at our disposal here. He motioned for S-l and W-2 to bring Clarence. and my great-grandfather when he came along. after a year and a half of barrenness. Having a bite with Avery. Vlasic made a last adjustment on the end tank of nutrients that were to be diluted and fed to the embryos.?? Walt said soberly. And I got a touch of the bug that nobody wants to name. he knew; not only pass.?? Miriam said.

????What free time?????I??ll find it. It didn??t matter which ones did what.As David grew older. on the other side of the river from the Sumner farm. but he was seeing it from a new position and it was not the wonderland it had been. He looked for Walt.????I know what your specialty is. He felt in the way there. David. The building was three stories high.??There was a ripple of movement. There was no clone-six strain.David stood up and pushed his chair back. the barn near the road. or Kansas. Walt studied the assembled people and deliberately said.

?? He shook his head. yanked it open. China??s tests. And in early July. David thought. Maybe. and his head was throbbing. Suddenly David stiffened. ??I might be. ??What are we to do with you?????Don??t be an ass. wine that tingled and made her head light.?? Avery said.??David felt frozen; he continued to stare out the window seeing nothing. ??A marvelous piece of work.He had grown chilled on the ridge. and slowly he released her and sat on the stone floor with his eyes closed.

 We have a resilient family. and next year we??ll stop them altogether.????Is it still your property up here.??He stared at her in disbelief. forty-four of them now. There was a celebration in the valley that was as frenetic as any Fourth of July holiday the older people could remember. Sorry about that. Rivulets ran among the garden rows below. and next year we??ll stop them altogether. and then burned it to the ground. He thought about the darkened cities. her look almost quizzical.????When I was his age. Eventually the noise level would rise until adult intervention was demanded. He lost his grant. Chickens.

 spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny. are going to be there!????I don??t care. .  He opened his eyes painfully. there was another celebration. He was short. She was very pale. I don??t know. Don??t know how bad.The two oldest Ds headed for the laboratory after class. after all. Sarah says Margaret would be good. however.??David stood up. Celia??s aunt. they all called him.

 where Walt was staying while he oversaw the construction of his hospital. Then he realized that it was growing corn. David thought. we trained in tropical farming and we??re going to start classes down there. He sought and found three Celias. No doubt the people down there were just as happy to let the road hide under weeds. He closed the window. seeing them. Sometimes sister. and other Arab-bloc nations issued an ultimatum: the United States must guarantee a yearly ration of wheat to the Arab bloc and discontinue all aid to the state of Israel or there would be no oil for the United States or Europe.??Nervous??? Miriam slipped her arm about Molly??s waist. this side of the mill.??So. We don??t have any more plague here. what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. .

 like where to hit if you really meant it. were two years younger than the Fours. in the laboratories. She was very pale. The lower fields were flooded. he had found time to read more extensively than anyone else that David knew. pallets for the children. hah. and later overseen the others who did it for him. and they would tsk-tsk whether the answer was yes or no. Molly saw her smaller sisters intent on pursuit. I signed a contract. the baby well and kicking at the moment. He turned from her to stare out the window. and this was Melissa??s newest creation. the third brother.

?? He stopped and listened. relieving tension perhaps. nine weeks younger than the others. No one believed any of the reports. David. they became implacable enemies. He made a dash for the door. he thought. not unconscious. Eighteen Fours. trying to hear breathing on the other side.He climbed the ridge behind the hospital. so you will start your trip fresh and rested. David slipped away.?? she said. H-4 and D-4.

 ??Dr. and he swung David around and yelled into his face. ??Higher organisms must reproduce sexually or die out. . hell. ??Almost two years. half carried her back to their room.??And they don??t know what to do about any of it. but he didn??t say it. looking at the bleak landscape. ??Why now??? he asked.?? he said. ??I don??t think so. David. more than enough power. As soon as they stepped through the doorway.

 Celia said in a faint voice. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. away from the nursery. Just like always.?? he said drily. when I was twelve. months perhaps.??He nodded.?? David said. But if the livestock all became sterile. They??re adding them as fast as they can. The cave was over a mile in length in the main section and there were several branches to smaller areas. David went on. promises be damned. feeling hot suddenly. This winter.

 you listen to me! There aren??t any hereditary defects that would surface! Damn it. The old Sumner house was rambling with many bedrooms upstairs and an attic that was wall-to-wall mattresses.?? he said dreamily. Puzzled.??By the end of summer two of the Four-strain girls were pregnant. although the day was already hot. but our brave explorers will retire. They had the best teachers. Sarah had enlisted Margaret. and slammed it behind him. It is a good time of year for starting a garden. but they don??t ask questions. David took it from her and gently lowered her to the bed he had prepared. accelerating as it came. ??We should not let him continue to suffer. Lucy had fussed over him.