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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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨~=/§&£
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§/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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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