¨,=:^%£@## ##@£%^:=,¨
¨,=:^%££@# #@££%^:=,¨
¨,=:^%£@## ##@£%^:=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,:%@ @%:,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,:::%£@ @£%:::,¨¨¨
¨¨¨=:^^%%@ 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?" @%%:,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,:^^%£@ @£%^^:,¨¨¨
¨¨¨,==^^%£ £%^^==,¨¨¨
¨,=:^%£@## ##@£%^:=,¨
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