"Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

DavidтАЩs head began to hurt and he reached up to find bandages that came down almost to his
eyes. Slowly memory came back and he closed his eyes, willing the memory to fade away again, to
let them be Dorothy and Walt.
тАЬHow do you feel?тАЭ W-1 asked. David felt his cool fingers on his wrist. тАЬYouтАЩll be all
right. A slight concussion. Badly bruised, IтАЩm afraid. YouтАЩre going to be pretty sore for a
while.тАЭ
Without opening his eyes David asked, тАЬDid I do much damage?тАЭ
тАЬVery little,тАЭ W-l said.
Two days later David was asked to attend a meeting in the cafeteria. His head was still
bandaged, but with little more than a strip of adhesive now. His shoulder ached. He went to the
cafeteria slowly, with two of the clones as escorts. D-l stood up and offered David a chair at the
front of the room. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait. D-l remained standing.
тАЬDo you remember our class discussions about instinct, David?тАЭ D-1 asked. тАЬWe ended up
agreeing that probably there were no instincts, only conditioned responses to certain stimuli. We
have changed our minds about that. We agree now that there is still the instinct to preserve one's
species. Preservation of the species is a very strong instinct, a drive, if you will.тАЭ He looked
at David and asked, тАЬWhat are we to do with you?тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt be an ass,тАЭ David said sharply. тАЬYou are not a separate species.тАЭ
D-l didnтАЩt reply. None of them moved. They were watching him quietly, intelligently,
dispassionately.
David stood up and pushed his chair back. тАЬThen let me work. IтАЩll give you my word of honor
that I wonтАЩt try to disrupt anything again.тАЭ
D-l shook his head. тАЬWe discussed that. But we agreed that this instinct of preservation of


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the species would override your word of honor. As it would our own.тАЭ
David felt his hands clench and he straightened his fingers, forced them to relax. тАЬThen you
have to kill me.тАЭ
тАЬWe talked about that too,тАЭ D-1 said gravely. тАЬWe donтАЩt want to do that. We owe you too
much. In time we will erect statues to you, Walt, Harry. We have very carefully recorded all of
your efforts in our behalf. Our gratitude and affection for you wonтАЩt permit us to kill you.тАЭ
David looked about the room, picking out familiar faces. Dorothy. Walt. Vernon. Margaret.
Celia. They all met his gaze without flinching. Here and there one of them smiled at him faintly.
тАЬYou tell me then,тАЭ he said finally.
тАЬYou have to go away,тАЭ D-l said. тАЬYou will be escorted for three days, downriver. There is a
cart loaded with food, seeds, a few tools. The valley is fertile, the seeds will do well. It is a
good time of year for starting a garden.тАЭ
W-2 was one of the three to accompany him. They didnтАЩt speak. The boys took turns pulling
the cart of supplies. David didnтАЩt offer to pull it. At the end of the third day, on the other
side of the river from the Sumner farm, they left him. Before he joined the other two boys who
left first, W-2 said, тАЬThey wanted me to tell you, David. One of the girls you call Celia has
conceived. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. They wanted you to know.тАЭ Then he
turned and followed the others. They quickly vanished among the trees.
David slept where they had left him, and in the morning he continued south, leaving the cart
behind, taking only enough food for the next few days. He stopped once to look at a maple seedling
sheltered among the pines. He touched the soft green leaves gently. On the sixth day he reached
the Wiston farm, and alive in his memory was the day he had waited there for Celia. The white oak