.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.........^ ^.........
........^~ ~^........
.......^~^ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ^~^.......
......^~^% @ 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. %^~^......
.......^~^ ^~^.......
........^~ ~^........
.........^ ^.........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........