...-«†%@#@                                          @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@                                          @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@# ######################################## #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ # autonomous railmakers will notice    # @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@# # wildlife in their path and stop,     # #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@## ######################################## ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@# sound  a  horn,   nudge   the  animal  a #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@ little,  but  ultimately  wait  it  out. @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@# although they  will  log video, no  call #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ will    be   made    for   any   outside @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@#      assistance. this is very good.      #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@#  the railmakers are siemens-manufactured #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@ brick-like  things. fields of  gray  and @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@#     teal, floodlights, thrumming and     #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ hissing.  trilling to each  other,  like @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@# language.  and  here,   three  of  them, #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@## slowly  making  their  way  through  the ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@#               dense forest.              #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@                                          @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@# i'm coming up on  them  from behind  and #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ to the  left, hidden  behind  the  thick @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@# foliage.  their  light  finds  the  gaps #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@##     between the leaves, casting rays     ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@# through  the  wet air,  playing over  my #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@ face  and arms, and my weapon. i quickly @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@# overtake  them, crouch in the ditch made #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ by the preprocessor,  and  watch. one of @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@# them  is   already  a  bit  behind   the #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@## others.   it   will    be   my   target. ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@ just as the light  of the leading two is @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@# dimming, i deploy  the rabbits, throwing #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ them  in  the  path  of  my   prey.  the @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@# creatures  are yet alive,  but maimed so #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@## as  to  be  unable to move -  they  will ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@# stay  in  the  path  of  the  railmaker, #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@ forcing it to pause, further  separating @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@#         it from its two friends.         #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@                                          @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@## ######################################## ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@# # another thing about the machines:    # #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@ # there's flesh inside them. ########### @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@# ############################## not meat, #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ but something  like a liver,  that  will @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@#  keep the railmakers internal chemistry  #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@## well  away from their various  exhausts. ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@ a liver that, as  long  as you manage to @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@# keep  it  alive,  can  clean  the  creek #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@ water  enough  for  it  to be drinkable. @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..
.-«†%@#@##          which is why i'm here.          ##@#@%†«-.
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..
...-«†%@#@                                          @#@%†«-...
....-«†%@#                                          #@%†«-....
...-«†%@#@                                          @#@%†«-...
..-«†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†«-..