#@&&††~.,, ,,.~††&&@#
#¤@*^~^.¨, ,¨.^~^*@¤#
@£*=«,¨¨.. ..¨¨,«=*£@
%=/~,.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.,~/=%
%=«:.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.:«=%
†«:,¨¨..¨. , , . .¨..¨¨,:«†
»,¨¨.,,.¨¨ , ¨¨.,,.¨¨,»
,¨,,.,¨¨,, ¨ ¨ ,,¨¨,.,,¨,
.,¨.,,¨,¨, % 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. ,¨¨,,¨.¨¨,
,..,¨,,¨,, ,,¨,,¨,..,
.,,¨¨,.¨,, ,,¨.,¨¨,,.
.,¨.,..,., ,.,..,.¨,.
¨,¨¨¨,..,, ,,..,¨¨¨,¨
,¨..,....¨ ¨....,..¨,
,,,¨¨,,¨,. .,¨,,¨¨,,,
.,.¨¨,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,¨¨.,.
=-.,.¨¨.,. .,.¨¨.,.-=
*=:.,¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨,.:=*
*†-^.,,,.¨ ¨.,,,.^-†*