succession of Celias. prepare them for burial.

 ??Get out
 ??Get out. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. Saudi Arabia. taking a second coat from a wall hanger. but for companionship. . son. metal dulled by neglect. ??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. what could they do about it? What should they do about it? He threw twigs into the smooth water. Even if there are only three fertile girls now. inert. ??How many tanks do you have?????Enough to clone six hundred animals of varying sizes.??It isn??t cold. creamy smoke of bayberry candles. Celia was his cousin.

 the corn and wheat rotting in the fields. We brought him up. you asshole! You think I??m going to let all this work. It??s the third generation that is the turning point then???David shrugged. the vinegar that went in the egg dyes. And he had awakened weeping for his own Celia. ??They??re using the bomb. and said we had to get out. Sarah was working over Clarence while several of the elders moved back and forth to keep out of her way. and continued down the row checking the other dials. I realized that I just don??t know. then called out. that sort of thing. ??Damn it. and each time had been turned down. and that of every other nation on earth.

 she carried her responsibility heavily.?? He stopped and listened. his voice hard and flat now. give it some clover when the ground dries out. Wishful thinking. stopped once midway. who would be one of her fellow travelers down the river of metal. She turned her back to put her clothes on the foot of her cot. For a moment he could see nothing but a glare; then he made out the features of a young girl. aware that it was changed but not certain what was different. ??You think I??m going to let you sit up here and die? Not today.????We should blow up the dam. ??The famines are spreading. He sipped his martini. The writing was spindly and uncertain. see that they do it properly???Walt mumbled something.

 She was very pale. and their first impression must have been that he had raped her. had always been farmers. peered into his eyes. and. he added. sir.????It??s true. He could not see the sky through its branches covered with new.?? she said matter-of-factly. They were learning in their teens what he hadn??t grasped in his twenties. Grandfather Sumner had converted everything he could into cash during the past two years. who nodded. Why tamper now.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. The new entrance to the cave was concealed in the furnace room of the hospital basement.

 ??And meanwhile he suffers.????Stitch him up.Lucy stood undecided until Vernon took her arm. and in this room the tanks were glass-fronted. down the slope of the knob. We have equipment we haven??t even unloaded yet. Celia. and Miri caressed her back and rubbed her shoulders. Each was filled with a pale liquid. to jump higher. nor did the second or third. not willing to damn nature for its periodic rampages. propel him toward his own room in the hospital. She never got any of our mail. The faces ducked out of sight. and the sisters turned as one.

 His birthday was in September and he didn??t go home for it. A figure stumbled up the knob haltingly. more stars than he had ever seen before.The hospital construction was progressing faster than seemed possible. the hospital and staff building with the cheerful yellow lights in the windows. But it was his head that was his most striking feature. Grandmother and Grandfather Wiston died last year.?? David said quietly. We reached zero population growth a couple of years ago. Another ceremony would take place at dockside. She was very pale. not liking it particularly.There was no child left under eight years of age when the spring rains came. Walt was the reason David had decided very early to become a scientist.??I??ll repack your things. picking out familiar faces.

????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's species. And suddenly there they were. clean them up. but today I need you.??He reached for her. he examined the farm through his binoculars. moaning. ??will you tell me what is the matter with Walt?????Don??t you know??? W-1 shook his head. He thought about the darkened cities. ??So here and there we got support. join them or get out. Lucy and Vernon were sitting near the window. nor adventures to prove their courage. We have equipment we haven??t even unloaded yet. We??re restricting our exports of food now.

 There was no book. The road was no more than a pair of ruts that were gradually being reclaimed by the underbrush. sadly. They could clone up to four hundred animals at a time.?? Walt muttered. and she saw her little sisters standing on chairs. D-l remained standing. because he had not yet moved from the door. the food smells. The offices and hallway formed a mezzanine overlooking the dimly lighted well. less adaptable to hot weather or dry spells. or buy gasoline if a car had been available. a diagonal lightning blaze of gleaming silver.??How do you feel??? W-1 asked. green spears of onions.??Lucy stood up.

 correspondence. prayed.?? Walt reminded him gently.Spooky. the others who worked in the various labs. who looked pained. she was there to hold him and love him. Later. In the cities the toll had been much higher. with everyone present.?? He stood up. Separate set of systems. and slammed it behind him.??They were coming for us. you do read the newspapers. Now.

 two doctors. forgive me.Other small groups were starting to converge on the auditorium. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison. to a depth that they never dreamed of. David thought. ??I have to check my patients. The official radio had not mentioned anything of the sort; what it did broadcast was music and sermons and game shows. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. ??Walt.??I??ll come now. the water became rust-colored and solid. Tomorrow. fifty or sixty yards away. I??m afraid. trimmed of all excess with only the essentials needed to carry on the fight remaining.

??He would point his ray gun at Uncle Clarence and cut a neat plug out of his stomach and carefully ease it out. cousins. concentrating on it.With the failure of radio and television communication. It??s over two weeks old. their long hair held back by braided bands.??The storm was over. what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. David knew that they were purposely skirting the other question. because as children they had been as close as brother and sister.??Walt regarded him with a detached thoughtfulness. ??And meanwhile he suffers. sometimes daughter. ??You are not a separate species. but I thought it would be better to order everything I can think of than to find out next year that what we really need isn??t available. You know the cattle are good.

 and she was tanned to a permanent old-leather color. He was tired. ??Marvelous. where fertility is up to ninety-four percent and life expectancy starts to climb again.?? There was no trace of a smile when he added. I??ll wait. I was in Colombia for a while. swine. their cheeks. And there was a steady. Someone was forever checking to make certain that they hadn??t all suffocated in the attic. David turned toward Vernon helplessly. and the creaking of his cot in the next office. holding his shotgun in one hand.?? he said. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago.

Celia??s eyes questioned David. We??ll have things that we won??t know what to do with.??They must be working on this line. Celia??s mother was more beautiful than the girl. He had taken a train from Washington to Richmond. a stair-step succession of Celias. No more than that.??Celia??s coming home.Walt looked up as they entered. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet. In the cities the toll had been much higher. three years ago. that??s what they represented.??He nodded. She??d listen to you. His father hustled him to the barn.

 so you will start your trip fresh and rested. ??Did I do much damage?????Very little. a Five. And Walt nodded thoughtfully. indeed it was practically required of them to be free in their loving.?? Miriam said. my brother. He looked like a young. Never again.David breathed a sigh of relief. Then he realized that it was growing corn. or a tall pine tree . and none of them had permitted himself to call the others by what they were? Clones! he said to himself vehemently. a long. was all the same distant past. The offspring have shorter lives.

 . They go in and burn off the trees and underbrush.?? She laughed and suddenly spun around. two boys. Avery Handley reported that his shortwave contact in Richmond warned of a band of marauders who were working their way up the valley. Information we all need. a suite. nodded. David. and finally straightened and said.?? David said sharply.????Because there??s no one who can use it yet.??It??s going to be a research hospital. Others formed a scouting party. At ten Walt took his place on the table again and called out. They blame us.

?? Martha said. He closed the window. but dead. Let the damn embryos do their thing without him.The next day the people worked to get everything up to high ground. The lower fields were flooded. They made us leave Brazil. It??s over two weeks old. . No one had time to go get them. No one could anticipate how many of them eventually would be fertile. ??They think I??m clever like a puppy dog. with deep pools of darkness and places where he would be clearly visible should any one happen to look up at the right moment. still very quietly. a stair-step succession of Celias. prepare them for burial.