¨¨¨¨^~\^%@ @%^\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^%@# #@%^\~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~\^%@## ##@%^\~^¨¨
¨^~\^%@### ###@%^\~^¨
¨¨^~\^%@## ##@%^\~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^%@# 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 \~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ CIGARETTES. ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\ \~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\^ ############################## ^\~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~\^% %^\~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\^%@ WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT @%^\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^%@# 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. ##@%^\~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^%@# #@%^\~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\^%@ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT @%^\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~\^% MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING %^\~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\^ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ^\~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\ \~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ############################## ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\ \~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\^ WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ^\~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~\^% KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY %^\~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\^%@ BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A @%^\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^%@# CALL?" #@%^\~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~\^%@## ##@%^\~^¨¨
¨^~\^%@### 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?" ###@%^\~^¨
¨¨^~\^%@## ##@%^\~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^%@# #@%^\~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\^%@ @%^\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~\^% %^\~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\^ ^\~^¨¨¨¨¨¨