####**^«:¨ ¨:«^**####
#*««¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨««*#
#*^^«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«^^*#
#*^«««:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«««^*#
#**«::::¨¨ ¨¨::::«**#
##****^«:¨ 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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