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#@@£&$^~-¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨-~^$&£@@#
££$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$££
@@@£&$^~-¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨-~^$&£@@@
#@@£&$^~-¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¨-~^$&£@@#
@£&$~~~-¨¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨¨-~~~$&£@
#@@£&$^~-¨ CIGARETTES. ¨-~^$&£@@#
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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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£$~---¨¨¨¨ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ¨¨¨¨---~$£
@@££&$^~-¨ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ¨-~^$&££@@
##@£&$^~-¨ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ¨-~^$&£@##
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#@@£&$^~-¨ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¨-~^$&£@@#
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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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