¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¤
¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¨ ¤¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨
¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¨¨¤
¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤ 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. ¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¤
¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨ ¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨ ############################## ¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨ ¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤ 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. ¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤ 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 ¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¤
¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤ ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤
¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤
¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤
¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤ ¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨ ############################## ¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨
¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨ WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨
¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤ KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤
¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨ BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤
¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤ CALL?" ¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨
¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤ 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. ¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ 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?" ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤