^......... .........^
.......... ..........
^......... .........^
»^........ ........^»
\»^....... .......^»\
*\»^...... 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?" ......^»\*
¤*\»^..... .....^»\*¤
¤¤*\»^.... ....^»\*¤¤
#¤¤*\»^... ...^»\*¤¤#
@#¤¤*\»^.. ..^»\*¤¤#@
#@#¤¤*\»^. .^»\*¤¤#@#