...¤...... ¤¤¤¤.¤..¤¤
..¤¤.....¤ ...¤¤¤.¤.¤
.¤.¤....¤¤ ..¤..¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤...¤.¤ .¤¤.¤....¤
...¤..¤¤¤. ¤.¤¤¤...¤.
..¤¤.¤..¤¤ 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?" .¤¤..¤¤¤¤.
¤¤..¤..¤¤. ¤.¤.¤...¤¤
.¤.¤¤.¤.¤. ¤¤¤¤¤..¤..
¤¤¤.¤¤¤¤¤¤ ....¤.¤¤..
..¤¤.....¤ ...¤¤¤.¤.¤
.¤.¤....¤¤ ..¤..¤¤¤¤¤