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