......:~*%                                          %*~:......
.....:~*%§                                          §%*~:.....
....:~*%§@                                          @§%*~:....
...:~*%§@#                                          #@§%*~:...
..:~*%§@##                                          ##@§%*~:..
.:~*%§@### §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ ###@§%*~:.
..:~*%§@## § autonomous railmakers will notice    § ##@§%*~:..
...:~*%§@# § wildlife in their path and stop,     § #@§%*~:...
....:~*%§@ §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ @§%*~:....
.....:~*%§ sound  a   horn,  nudge  the   animal  a §%*~:.....
......:~*% little,  but  ultimately  wait  it  out. %*~:......
.......:~* although  they  will log video,  no call *~:.......
........:~ will   be   made   for    any    outside ~:........
.........:      assistance. this is very good.      :.........
........:~                                          ~:........
.......:~* the railmakers are siemens-manufactured  *~:.......
......:~*% brick-like  things. fields  of  gray and %*~:......
.....:~*%§     teal, floodlights, thrumming and     §%*~:.....
....:~*%§@ hissing.  trilling  to each other,  like @§%*~:....
...:~*%§@# language.  and  here,  three   of  them, #@§%*~:...
..:~*%§@## slowly  making  their  way  through  the ##@§%*~:..
.:~*%§@###               dense forest.              ###@§%*~:.
..:~*%§@##                                          ##@§%*~:..
...:~*%§@# i'm  coming up on them from  behind  and #@§%*~:...
....:~*%§@ to  the  left,  hidden behind  the thick @§%*~:....
.....:~*%§ foliage.  their  light  finds  the  gaps §%*~:.....
......:~*%     between the leaves, casting rays     %*~:......
.......:~* through  the wet air,  playing  over  my *~:.......
........:~ face and arms, and my weapon. i  quickly ~:........
.........: overtake them, crouch  in the ditch made :.........
........:~ by the  preprocessor,  and watch. one of ~:........
.......:~* them   is  already  a  bit  behind   the *~:.......
......:~*% others.   it   will   be    my   target. %*~:......
.....:~*%§                                          §%*~:.....
....:~*%§@ just as the light of the  leading two is @§%*~:....
...:~*%§@# dimming, i deploy the  rabbits, throwing #@§%*~:...
..:~*%§@## them  in  the  path  of  my   prey.  the ##@§%*~:..
.:~*%§@### creatures are yet alive, but  maimed  so ###@§%*~:.
..:~*%§@## as to  be  unable to  move -  they  will ##@§%*~:..
...:~*%§@# stay  in  the  path  of  the  railmaker, #@§%*~:...
....:~*%§@ forcing it to pause, further  separating @§%*~:....
.....:~*%§         it from its two friends.         §%*~:.....
......:~*%                                          %*~:......
.......:~*                                          *~:.......
........:~ §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ ~:........
.........: § another thing about the machines:    § :.........
........:~ § there's flesh inside them. §§§§§§§§§§§ ~:........
.......:~* §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ not meat, *~:.......
......:~*% but something  like  a  liver, that will %*~:......
.....:~*%§  keep the railmakers internal chemistry  §%*~:.....
....:~*%§@ well away  from their various  exhausts. @§%*~:....
...:~*%§@#                                          #@§%*~:...
..:~*%§@## a liver that, as  long as you  manage to ##@§%*~:..
.:~*%§@### keep  it  alive,  can  clean  the  creek ###@§%*~:.
..:~*%§@## water  enough for  it to  be  drinkable. ##@§%*~:..
...:~*%§@#                                          #@§%*~:...
....:~*%§@          which is why i'm here.          @§%*~:....
.....:~*%§                                          §%*~:.....
......:~*%                                          %*~:......
.......:~*                                          *~:.......
........:~                                          ~:........
.........:                                          :.........