¨¨¨¨,-/*%@ @%*/-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-/*% %*/-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/* */-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/ /-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, 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?" #@%*/-,¨¨¨
¨¨,-/*%@## ##@%*/-,¨¨
¨,-/*%@### ###@%*/-,¨
¨¨,-/*%@## ##@%*/-,¨¨
¨¨¨,-/*%@# #@%*/-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-/*%@ @%*/-,¨¨¨¨