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#%»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»%#
####¤%:»^¨ ¨^»:%¤####
####¤%:»^¨ ¨^»:%¤####
####¤%:»^¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨^»»%¤#
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#%»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ############################## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»%#
####¤%:»^¨ ¨^»:%¤####
####¤%:»^¨ 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?" ¨^»:%¤####
####¤%:»^¨ ¨^»:%¤####
###¤%%:»^¨ ¨^»:%%¤###
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