¨-«=*¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤*=«-¨
¨¨-«=*¤¤¶# #¶¤¤*=«-¨¨
¨¨¨-«=*¤¤¶ ¶¤¤*=«-¨¨¨
¨¨-«=*¤¤¶# #¶¤¤*=«-¨¨
¨-«=*¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤*=«-¨
¨¨-«=*¤¤¶# 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?" #¶¤¤*=«-¨¨
¨-«=*¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤*=«-¨
¨¨-«=*¤¤¶# #¶¤¤*=«-¨¨
¨¨¨-«=*¤¤¶ ¶¤¤*=«-¨¨¨
¨¨-«=*¤¤¶# #¶¤¤*=«-¨¨
¨-«=*¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤*=«-¨