@@&$*=~.,. .,.~=*$&@@
##@§@§\«.. ..«\§@§@##
##¤$**~~¨¨ ¨¨~~**$¤##
¶¤£§==-¨.¨ ¨.¨-==§£¤¶
£$**».,,¨, ,¨,,.»**$£
&^†«-..,,, . . . ,,,..-«†^&
*;«^,..¨,, ¨ ,,¨..,^«;*
;~^,,.¨.,. , , .,.¨.,,^~;
«:¨¨,¨¨.,¨ $ 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. ,¨.~^%&&##
@¤%$*«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«*$%¤@
&%†:~^...¨ ¨...^~:†%&
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,..¨¨..,.. ..,..¨¨..,
¨,¨¨.,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,.¨¨,¨