£&§¤£#¤#¨§ ,¤.¤.§#..¤
@¤££§¤#&¨# ,¤¨@¨.&,£,
.&@§#¤&@¨§ ,¤¨&.§¤,#,
¤¨&££¤&@¨# ,&¨@¨¨&.@¨
&.¨&££&§¨& ,@.§.#@,§¨
¤¨@,¤§££.£ , . ¨ ,&,¤,,¤¨¤,
@,¤.,§£@¨& , ¨@,¤,#&.£.
£,¤,#¨§@,# . , ,£.¤.¨@¨#¨
¤¨@,@¨.&,¤ = 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...." « ,¤,§¨&£,§,
#.#.&.#@.£ , .&,£.¨¤.§¨
#,#¨#..#.¤ * , ¨£,§.§&,#.
&,¤,§,£@¨& . , ,&.§¨¨£¨§.
¤,§¨#.¨¤,¤ SHE SWIMS TOWARD THE ISS. .@¨#.#¤,§,
§¨§,£,##¨¤ 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". * ^ .#,¤¨.@,¤¨
@,§.¤,,¤,£ £ £ ¤ ¨¤,£¨&&¨§,
§¨§.@¨@&,£ § & & = § & $& $ % ¨#¨#.,&¨§¨
£.#,#,¨&,§ .: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.: ¨@,¤¨£#¨#¨
#¨¤¨£.§£.# , . ¨ , ¨ ^ ¨&¨£¨.&,£.
@.&.§,.#,¤ ¨ , . ¨ , .¤¨§,¤§,¤,
#.&,&,¤¤.§ 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. .§¨§.§§¨&,
§¨§.£¨#§.@ ,¤¨§,.¤¨§.
¤,£.§,,£,@ ,¤.@.¤£.£,
&¨¤¨#,#¤¨§ ,#.#¨.&,£,
#¨§¨#,¨£¨& ¨&,#,&£¨@,
@.§.£.&&,@ .£¨#¨.§.¤.
¤,¤¨§¨.§¨& .#,@,§§¨&.
§.#.§.@#.@ ,#,£,.£.§.
#¨§,§¨.§¨£ ,#,#,§@,#,
§.¤,£¨#¤¨£ ,&,£..&¨£,
&.¤.&,,¤.@ ,&¨&.#@,§¨