.........- -.........
........-~ ~-........
.......-~; ;~-.......
......-~;* *;~-......
.....-~;*$ $*;~-.....
....-~;*$¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤$*;~-....
...-~;*$¤@ ¤ autonomous railmakers will notice ¤ @¤$*;~-...
..-~;*$¤@# ¤ wildlife in their path and stop, ¤ #@¤$*;~-..
.-~;*$¤@## ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ##@¤$*;~-.
..-~;*$¤@# sound a horn, nudge the animal a #@¤$*;~-..
...-~;*$¤@ little, but ultimately wait it out. @¤$*;~-...
....-~;*$¤ although they will log video, no call ¤$*;~-....
.....-~;*$ will be made for any outside $*;~-.....
......-~;* assistance. this is very good. *;~-......
.......-~; ;~-.......
........-~ the railmakers are siemens-manufactured ~-........
.........- brick-like things. fields of gray and -.........
.......... teal, floodlights, thrumming and ..........
.........- hissing. trilling to each other, like -.........
........-~ language. and here, three of them, ~-........
.......-~; slowly making their way through the ;~-.......
......-~;* dense forest. *;~-......
.....-~;*$ $*;~-.....
....-~;*$¤ i'm coming up on them from behind and ¤$*;~-....
...-~;*$¤@ to the left, hidden behind the thick @¤$*;~-...
..-~;*$¤@# foliage. their light finds the gaps #@¤$*;~-..
.-~;*$¤@## between the leaves, casting rays ##@¤$*;~-.
..-~;*$¤@# through the wet air, playing over my #@¤$*;~-..
...-~;*$¤@ face and arms, and my weapon. i quickly @¤$*;~-...
....-~;*$¤ overtake them, crouch in the ditch made ¤$*;~-....
.....-~;*$ by the preprocessor, and watch. one of $*;~-.....
......-~;* them is already a bit behind the *;~-......
.......-~; others. it will be my target. ;~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.........- just as the light of the leading two is -.........
.......... dimming, i deploy the rabbits, throwing ..........
.........- them in the path of my prey. the -.........
........-~ creatures are yet alive, but maimed so ~-........
.......-~; as to be unable to move - they will ;~-.......
......-~;* stay in the path of the railmaker, *;~-......
.....-~;*$ forcing it to pause, further separating $*;~-.....
....-~;*$¤ it from its two friends. ¤$*;~-....
...-~;*$¤@ @¤$*;~-...
..-~;*$¤@# #@¤$*;~-..
.-~;*$¤@## ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ##@¤$*;~-.
..-~;*$¤@# ¤ another thing about the machines: ¤ #@¤$*;~-..
...-~;*$¤@ ¤ there's flesh inside them. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ @¤$*;~-...
....-~;*$¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ not meat, ¤$*;~-....
.....-~;*$ but something like a liver, that will $*;~-.....
......-~;* keep the railmakers internal chemistry *;~-......
.......-~; well away from their various exhausts. ;~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.........- a liver that, as long as you manage to -.........
.......... keep it alive, can clean the creek ..........
.........- water enough for it to be drinkable. -.........
........-~ ~-........
.......-~; which is why i'm here. ;~-.......
......-~;* *;~-......
.....-~;*$ $*;~-.....
....-~;*$¤ ¤$*;~-....
...-~;*$¤@ @¤$*;~-...
..-~;*$¤@# #@¤$*;~-..