.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.........~ ~.........
........~» »~........
.......~»^ ^»~.......
......~»^* ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ *^»~......
.....~»^*¤ ¤ 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. #@¤*^»~...
....~»^*¤@ @¤*^»~....
.....~»^*¤ ¤*^»~.....
......~»^* *^»~......
.......~»^ ^»~.......
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