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#¤%%%*~¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨~*%%%¤#
##£¤%%*~:¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨:~*%%¤£##
¤¤%%%%*~:¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¨:~*%%%%¤¤
#£%*:¨¨¨¨¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨¨¨¨¨:*%£#
¤¤¤%%%*~:¨ CIGARETTES. ¨:~*%%%¤¤¤
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£¤%*:::¨¨¨ WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ¨¨¨:::*%¤£
##£¤%%*~:¨ THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ¨:~*%%¤£##
£¤%%***~:¨ TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ¨:~***%%¤£
##£¤%%*~:¨ MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ THAT COULD SWALLOW MY ENTIRE BODY. AND ¨:~*%%¤£##
¤%%%%*~:¨¨ ME FEATURING AS THE CUTE AND ASOCIAL ¨¨:~*%%%%¤
###£%%*~:¨ RADIO OPERATOR, STATIONED IN THE BACK ¨:~*%%£###
#¤¤%~¨¨¨¨¨ OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH ¨¨¨¨¨~%¤¤#
###£¤%*~:¨ SERVED ME GOOD AND WELL. ¨:~*%¤£###
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¤¤¤%%%*~:¨ AND THEN ONE NIGHT, THERE'S A MISSILE. ¨:~*%%%¤¤¤
##£¤%%*~:¨ WE WOULD ROUTINELY PICK UP NEW CARS AT ¨:~*%%¤£##
¤%~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE TAIL, AND DROP SOME OFF, AS A WAY ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~%¤
##£¤%%*~:¨ OF EARNING SOME EXTRA MONEY. BUT A ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ¨:~*%%¤£##
#£¤¤%%*~:¨ MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ¨:~*%%¤¤£#
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¤¤%%%%*~:¨ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ¨:~*%%%%¤¤
¤%*:¨¨¨¨¨¨ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ¨¨¨¨¨¨:*%¤
##£¤%%*~:¨ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ¨:~*%%¤£##
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¤%%%~:::¨¨ WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ¨¨:::~%%%¤
##£¤%%*~:¨ KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ¨:~*%%¤£##
¤%**:¨¨¨¨¨ BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ¨¨¨¨¨:**%¤
##£¤%%*~:¨ CALL?" ¨:~*%%¤£##
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##£¤%%*~:¨ AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN ¨:~*%%¤£##
#££¤%%*~:¨ PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A ¨:~*%%¤££#
##£¤%%*~:¨ REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ¨:~*%%¤£##
##£¤%%*~:¨ AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ¨:~*%%¤£##
###£¤%*~:¨ FEW TIMES. ¨:~*%¤£###
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##£¤%%*~:¨ I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ¨:~*%%¤£##
¤%%%%~:¨¨¨ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨¨¨:~%%%%¤
#£%%%%*~:¨ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¨:~*%%%%£#
##£¤%%*~:¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨:~*%%¤£##
###¤%%*~:¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨:~*%%¤###
##£¤%%*~:¨ DETOUR?" ¨:~*%%¤£##
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