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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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.....,-==$ 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. $==-,.....
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.....,-==$ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT $==-,.....
....,-==$£ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING £$==-,....
...,-==$£# ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. #£$==-,...
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...,-==$£# 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. $==-,.....
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.....,-==$ 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 ###£$==-,.
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