...¨..~~\% %\~~..¨...
¨¨¨¨¨..~=^ ^=~..¨¨¨¨¨
,.,.¨,¨,:~ ~:,¨,¨.,.,
¨¨.¨,,¨,=^ ^=,¨,,¨.¨¨
¨.¨.,¨,~;% %;~,¨,.¨.¨
.¨.,,-»*%¤ , ¨ . ¤%*»-,,.¨.
¨¨¨¨~~\%@¶ . ¶@%\~~¨¨¨¨
,,.,«/^£## . . ##£^/«,.,,
,.~~***£@# $ 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. @£¤$\~^.¨.
.¨¨.,»:%%# THERE'S NO CONTACT, . . #%%:»,.¨¨.
.,,.¨:~\*% MAYBE SOME SHORTWAVE AND SHIT,, %*\~:¨.,,.
,.¨¨,.-~:† ^ CONFIRMING THAT SOME , †:~-.,¨¨.,
¨..¨¨,.,«; - SOCIETY'S STILL THERE. ;«,.,¨¨..¨
¨.¨..¨.,:« - . «:,.¨..¨.¨
,¨¨,¨¨,~=* - THE ASTRONAUTS ARE UNWELL - *=~,¨¨,¨¨,
,¨,¨,¨.~†† THEY DEGENERATE, IN WEIRD ††~.¨,¨,¨,
,¨¨¨,,-:^§ SELKIE-INDUCED NURSING SLEEP, §^:-,,¨¨¨,
¨¨¨.-«;%¤@ TO KEEP THEIR HEARTBEATS SLOW. @¤%;«-.¨¨¨
.,,,~=$%£# #£%$=~,,,.
,.-~/%$#@# #@#$%/~-.,
.,«†*££### ###££*†«,.
¨,:=†**£@# #@£**†=:,¨
,¨,:«\*§@@ @@§*\«:,¨,
,¨¨¨^«^%%# #%%^«^¨¨¨,
,.¨¨¨^«/*£ £*/«^¨¨¨.,
,,¨¨..~=*^ ^*=~..¨¨,,
,¨¨.¨.,:== ==:,.¨.¨¨,
¨¨¨...¨,~- -~,¨...¨¨¨