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£¨@£¨£,£.£ $ tiny blue purple ¨#,£,§#.&,
&¨.§.§,@.£ ^ seal-like (selkie?) creature ¨ ¨#,§.,#,@,
¤¨¤@,@.@.& hovering in orbit around= ,@,¤.§¤¨£¨
&..§¨§,¤,# the earth, spinning, chasing. .@.#,¨¤,§,
@,¤#,#,#,# ^ , ,¤,#,@&.§.
@¨.#,@¨@¨@ looks at the sun with laser eyes, ¨&.£,,¤¨§.
#¨@@,@,@,& looks at the earth's power grid,. .¤.#,§£.#.
¤,.§,§¨@,£ . . ¨ .@¨¤,.¤¨£¨
£.##.@,@.¤ says "hmm...." » ¨@,#,##.@,
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&¨,@¨¤.@.§ , - ,&,&¨,#.@.
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@¨.¤¨¤.@.£ matches velocity, phases through the .£,§,¨§.&,
#.#§¨#¨£,§ wall to a pockocmoc scientist, , ,§,¤.¨@,
#¨¨§.&.&¨§ : , ,#¨£¨,¤,@.
&¨@§¨£¨@.¤ she says, "hello", ,&.£.§£.§,
£,,§.#.£.& she says "are you aware that ,£.#¨.£¨§¨
§.##.&¨#¨& there's a burst ¨¤¨£.&¤¨¤¨
¤,.§¨@¨§¨& « coming?" % ,£,¤¨¨#.@.
&¨@@¨£,§,§ « ¨#.§¨£@¨¤¨
&¨¨@¨§¨@¨§ - and the station personnel ,§,&.,@.¤.
£.#@,#,§,& are like, no, what, « ¨£.£,§£,#.
#,.&,&,@.@ who are you, etcetera, etcetera. .&.¤¨.@.#¨
&.@¤¨£,£¨& / † .§¨§.¤&¨§.
§,,@,£,@,# she says;"i can protect you .&,§,,@,@.
&¨&£.¤,£¨¤ = in your tin can, † † .¤,&,¤¤,#¨
#¨.£¨§,@,¤ but your planetary friends, ¤ ¨&.#¨¨#,§,
¤..§.£,# their grid will be burned." * ¨£.#,##,#,
£.¨¤.§,§¨# $ % % = .§,&.¨£.&¨
#¨#§,#,&,§ she says "you will be alone £ & ,¤.£,¤@¨&.
£.,&.£.£¨@ § for a while". * ^ .#,@.,#,&¨
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#¨@§¨&,&,£ ,-the selkie phases back out,:,^^&,@,:,^ ,#,£¨##,£.
&¨.¤.@¨§¨£ @/#=#=£=&:¤spreads her membranes,*¤=#:#; ,@¨£,,&¨#.
¤¨§§.&,@,§ &%&*%*$$£¤¤%like fluid insect wings,&$§¤ ,¤¨§¨¤¤.@,
@,.@.&.#¨§ #¨¨# #.a dark glimmering laserdisc.#¨# # .£,§..§.&.
@.##,#¨@¨¤ .¨ , , . , .¨ , .£.&.£&¨#¨
&..#,@.#¨@ ¨, she feeds,on,the particles when, , ,@¨#..§.&¨
¤¨¤#.£.§.# ¨. they hit her stretched skin. , , ¨#,@,&@.&¨
@.,#¨§¨#.& .¨ and behind¨here is.a shadow, and . ,#.#¨¨@.§¨
&¨§£,§¨§,¤ ¨in that shadow,is the space station.~ .#.#¨¤@¨#.
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@,.£,§,£,¤ a month later,,the earth is still-dark. .¤¨#,.§.#.
@¨##,#.¤,§ there's no contact, . , ,£,§.§£¨&¨
£¨¨§¨§,£.§ maybe some shortwave and shit,, .#.¤..#¨¤¨
&.§§.&¨¤¨& : confirming that some : ¨¤.£,§&¨@.
£,,@.&,£.# ~ society's still there. .&,#¨.£.#,
@.¤§.@,@¨& : ¨ ,£¨£,¤@,§.
¤.,§,#¨#¨§ . the astronauts are unwell - .¤,&..&¨@,
@.&&¨£,§,@ they degenerate, in weird .£,£,£¤.¤.
@¨¨&¨§¨#¨& selkie-induced nursing sleep, ¨@.¤¨.¤,&.
¤,£§,£¨@¨§ to keep their heartbeats slow. ,£.§¨@@,#.
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