Algis Budrys

“ In each generation of chrysalids, there would be one aware individual—one Watcher, to keep guard, and to waken the rest should the path drift back in the lifetime of his chrysalis. Then, when that particular chrysalis wore out, the Watcher would be free to return to sleep, while another took his place. ”

“ I'm sure it doesn't list me as a werewolf, he thought. I wonder what the sentence would be—death by firing squad equipped with silver bullets?
But, then, he wasn't going to confess to that, anyway.
"Um!" The FBI man looked suspicious. Obviously, he'd expected nothing of the kind.
"No strings," the Insurgent reassured him. "The job's over, and it's time to punch the clock."
Which was just about the way it was. But he wanted that Watcher. If he was in the office at all, he'd almost have to come out to witness the confession. After all, the Insurgent was supposed to be a pretty big fish. ”

“ They could resolve their chrysalids into any form they chose—realign. A wolf could become a man—without hair on his palm, and with garlic on his breath, if he so chose. A man—a Watcher, of course—could become a wolf. ”

“ True, there weren't really any such things as the San Francisco Giants—but a man could certainly be expected to forget that, occasionally, if he were part of the same illusion at least half the time. And certainly, such stuff as dreams are made of is solid enough when you are yourself a dream. ”

“ He went out in the kitchen and started coffee, then came back and sat down next to the radio, hardly listening to the recap of the game.
Odd, how it had all started. Being suddenly marooned on this planet, forced to survive, somehow, through the long years while waiting for rescue. How many years had it been, now? Some five hundred thousand, in the subjective reference for this particular universe. He knew the formula for conversion into objective time—it all worked out to the equivalent of about six months—but that wasn't what mattered, as long as they'd all had to survive in this universe. ”

“ And the chrysali die, the sleepers transfer—into another chrysalis in the same pen. SPQR. Vive, Napoleon! Sieg Heil!
Some of the time it was the Watchers. Some of the time it was the Insurgents. And some of the time, of course, the chrysalids evolved their own leaders, and imitated. For, once the thing had begun, it could not be stopped. The organization was always more powerful than the scattered handsful. So, the only protection against organization was organization. ”