....=/%%%¤ ¤%%%/=....
.,=/%%¤@## ##@¤%%/=,.
....,=%%¤@ @¤%%=,....
.,=/%%¤@@# #@@¤%%/=,.
.....==/%¤ ¤%/==.....
.,=/%%¤@## 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?" @¤%/=.....
.,=/%%¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤%%/=,.
.,=/%%¤@@# #@@¤%%/=,.
.,,==//%¤@ @¤%//==,,.
.,=/%%¤@@# #@@¤%%/=,.
.,=/%%¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤%%/=,.