..«†^*£###                                          ###£*^†«..
...«†^*£##                                          ##£*^†«...
....«†^*£#                                          #£*^†«....
.....«†^*£                                          £*^†«.....
......«†^*                                          *^†«......
.......«†^ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ^†«.......
........«† @ 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.          *^†«......
.....«†^*£                                          £*^†«.....
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