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