¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨
¨¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨
¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤ ¨¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨
¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¨ 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?" ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤