¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¤¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¨
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¨ ¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤
¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¤¤ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¤ 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?" ¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨
¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¨ ¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤
¨¨¤¨¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¤ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤
¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨