,,,,,:†**# #**†:,,,,,
,:«†$*#### ####*$†«:,
,,,««««†*# #*†««««,,,
,:«†$*#### ####*$†«:,
,:«†$*#### ####*$†«:,
,,,,:††$## ######################################## ##$††:,,,,
,:«†$*#### # autonomous railmakers will notice # ####*$†«:,
,,,,,«$*## # wildlife in their path and stop, # ##*$«,,,,,
,:«†$*#### ######################################## ####*$†«:,
,:«†$*#### sound a horn, nudge the animal a ####*$†«:,
,,,«††$### little, but ultimately wait it out. ###$††«,,,
,,:::««†*# 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 ###*†«,,,,
,:«†$*#### keep it alive, can clean the creek ####*$†«:,
,:«†$*#### water enough for it to be drinkable. ####*$†«:,
,,,,,:††*# #*††:,,,,,
,,,,,,,«$# which is why i'm here. #$«,,,,,,,
,,,,::†**# #**†::,,,,
,:«†$*#### ####*$†«:,
,,,,,,«†*# #*†«,,,,,,
,,,,,«««$# #$«««,,,,,
,,,,:««†*# #*†««:,,,,