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####£=;-,¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨,-;=£####
¤¤¤=--¨¨¨¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨¨¨¨--=¤¤¤
###¤£=;-,¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨,-;=£¤###
#¤¤£=--¨¨¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¨¨¨--=£¤¤#
###¤£=;-,¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨,-;=£¤###
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#¤££;-,,¨¨ THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ¨¨,,-;££¤#
###¤£=;-,¨ FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ¨,-;=£¤###
¤¤£=-¨¨¨¨¨ MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ¨¨¨¨¨-=£¤¤
###¤£=;-,¨ LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ¨,-;=£¤###
¤=--¨¨¨¨¨¨ THAT COULD SWALLOW MY ENTIRE BODY. AND ¨¨¨¨¨¨--=¤
¤¤=---,¨¨¨ ME FEATURING AS THE CUTE AND ASOCIAL ¨¨¨,---=¤¤
#¤¤=-,¨¨¨¨ RADIO OPERATOR, STATIONED IN THE BACK ¨¨¨¨,-=¤¤#
##£===;-,¨ OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH ¨,-;===£##
###¤£=;-,¨ SERVED ME GOOD AND WELL. ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ ¨,-;=£¤###
##¤¤£=;-,¨ AND THEN ONE NIGHT, THERE'S A MISSILE. ¨,-;=£¤¤##
#¤¤¤£=;-,¨ WE WOULD ROUTINELY PICK UP NEW CARS AT ¨,-;=£¤¤¤#
####£=;-,¨ THE TAIL, AND DROP SOME OFF, AS A WAY ¨,-;=£####
###¤£=;-,¨ OF EARNING SOME EXTRA MONEY. BUT A ¨,-;=£¤###
¤=;;,¨¨¨¨¨ MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨,;;=¤
###¤£=;-,¨ MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ¨,-;=£¤###
#¤¤=;--,¨¨ ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. ¨¨,--;=¤¤#
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#¤¤¤£=;-,¨ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ¨,-;=£¤¤¤#
###¤£=;-,¨ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ¨,-;=£¤###
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¤¤=-¨¨¨¨¨¨ WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ¨¨¨¨¨¨-=¤¤
###¤£=;-,¨ KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ¨,-;=£¤###
#¤£===;-,¨ BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ¨,-;===£¤#
####¤£;-,¨ CALL?" ¨,-;£¤####
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###¤£=;-,¨ AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL ¨,-;=£¤###
#££=;;;-,¨ THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND ¨,-;;;=££#
###¤£=;-,¨ AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN ¨,-;=£¤###
#£££;,¨¨¨¨ PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A ¨¨¨¨,;£££#
###¤£=;-,¨ REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ¨,-;=£¤###
¤==-,¨¨¨¨¨ AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ¨¨¨¨¨,-==¤
###¤£=;-,¨ FEW TIMES. ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ ¨,-;=£¤###
¤==;;;,,¨¨ I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ¨¨,,;;;==¤
###¤£=;-,¨ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨,-;=£¤###
###¤£=;-,¨ DETOUR?" ¨,-;=£¤###
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