,,§¨&§@#,¤ ,#..¨§@,¨&
£¨#§¤,,.@& ,£§.¨#¨@,#
.@@¨¨¤,,#¨ £&¨#.££¤££
&&.¤¨£¤.#¤ £,§¤@#.¨¨,
§¨¤§§¤¨§§, .#@,¨¨#.¨,
@£&¨¨¨¤@.& . . , ,@¨#..##..
@.¨§.¨&¨§£ , §££§&¨£¨§¨
£¤.@¤.§£@¨ . ¨ ,¨..,§&&§£
,¨&¤,@£¨.¤ ^ TINY BLUE PURPLE £¨,¨¨§.,¨.
.¨¤.@&¨¤,¤ . SEAL-LIKE (SELKIE?) CREATURE ¨ §§.,,£@,¨.
,.¤¤#.@@&¤ HOVERING IN ORBIT AROUND» &¨¤¨.&¨&,.
.¨#¨,#£¨,, THE EARTH, SPINNING, CHASING. ¨&&&,¤£@£,
¨..@,@,. ^ . ¨¤.¨§§.,,§
&¨&,#&&£§¨ LOOKS AT THE SUN WITH LASER EYES, ¨&¤.¤.@,¨£
¨¤#@&.¨,,# LOOKS AT THE EARTH'S POWER GRID,, ££,¤¤#&&,@
@&.¨,§,¨¨¤ . ¨ , ¨,##¨¨¨,¤@
,,¤¨.¤&.¨§ SAYS "HMM...." « &,§.@¨,.@,
¨.£¤,§.@¨# ¨ ¨¤#@#£,,&&
¤¨£.¤#¤@££ * . ,.¨.§,£,
@@#£§.,..¨ ¨ . £,§¨¨¨£@#£
.¨.,,@.¨,, SHE SWIMS TOWARD THE ISS. .&.,£,¨¨
¨¨.,.£§,.. MATCHES VELOCITY, PHASES THROUGH THE ¨¤¨,¤.#¤.¨
,¨,¨,£¨&., WALL TO A POCKOCMOC SCIENTIST, , ,@£¨£¤£¨&,
¨¨,¨.@§££¨ ~ , #@,§&,¨#@¤
£..,¨&.,,£ SHE SAYS, "HELLO", §¨§#,£,£.¨
&@,¨,§¤.¨& SHE SAYS "ARE YOU AWARE THAT ,@#¨¤&@@@.
£,¤,¨¤¨#.£ THERE'S A BURST ,§.££.,¨,&
¨§@#,@¤#@¤ = COMING?" * .#@#.¤,¨,£
@&¨.@¤¨,,¨ = £#,.&£§¨¨&
¨¨#¨@.@,,¨ « AND THE STATION PERSONNEL ..@,¤,.¤¨@
£¨#§&£§@.. ARE LIKE, NO, WHAT, » .,§#§§.&§¤
,@§¨.¨,¨¤, WHO ARE YOU, ETCETERA, ETCETERA. £¨¤..,¤£¨,
,@¨§.¨¨.§& † † ¨£@¤,¨&.§.
¨##£#¨.,&, SHE SAYS="I CAN PROTECT YOU £&..£,¤#
##,¨.¤¨.§# \ IN YOUR TIN CAN, \ * @¨¤,§@#¨¨¨
§,&¨,&&.§. BUT YOUR PLANETARY FRIENDS, ¤ ,£##¤,.£.,
¤£#§¨§¨¤&¤ THEIR GRID WILL BE BURNED." † ¨£¨,.£.¤&.
£.,,¤§@&,. = $ ^ $ @§@¨.§£§¨&
,@,¨£,¨,§. SHE SAYS "YOU WILL BE ALONE § @ ,.¨¤,@..§#
@£@,&@¨.£& § FOR A WHILE". = % &.¨&£¤£,&,
£¨,@@.§¨@, ¤ ¤ £ ,£¨§¨,,¤#¤
¨¤,£,&§£§¤ @ ¤ ¤ ^ £ & *& ^ % @#@#@,,&¨,
,¤#£.,¨. :^THE SELKIE PHASES BACK OUT,,,.^£^¤.~~. @,.¨¨§,§@,
¨&,,,¨&.¨¨ &^@^&:§*@=§SPREADS HER MEMBRANES,;@;¤;§^ ,#,.¨££@,§
§@£¨..#£,¨ ¤@¤%%@$£%§@£LIKE FLUID INSECT WINGS,£§%@ §¤&..&¨,£&
.¨.£,.@.&, #,.# #,A DARK GLIMMERING LASERDISC.#.# # §.¨£¨&@.¤,
.¨.£&¨¤##& ,, , . ¨ , ,, ¨ §@.@§@¨@@#
¤¨.§.#&.,¨ ., SHE FEEDS.ON¨THE PARTICLES WHEN¨ . §,#£.,@£,¨
¤#,@§&.#¨¨ .¨ THEY HIT HER STRETCHED SKIN. . ^ .@&.£,§,£.
@,§§..¤#§¨ ¨. AND BEHIND,HERE IS,A SHADOW, AND . ¨¤¨@@£@&
¨§#,£.&,.§ ,IN THAT SHADOW.IS THE SPACE STATION.~ £¤££¨..¨,,
,£.¤@§@£¨§ . , ¨ ¨ , ^ ,¨.,£,.¨¨.
,¤@£¨.,¨¤& ¨ ¨ ¨ . - £¨,.@@.¨..
.@..@¨,,&. A MONTH LATER,,THE EARTH IS STILL,DARK. @¤.,&¨&,,¨
¨¤£.§@,,£# THERE'S NO CONTACT, ¨ , ¤,@¨£¤&&¨.
¨#.##¨§¨¤, MAYBE SOME SHORTWAVE AND SHIT,. §¤&.,.§,
.@@&,@@&§¤ . CONFIRMING THAT SOME , ...¨.£.,¤§
#@.,§@¨,¨¨ , SOCIETY'S STILL THERE. ¤.¨¨¨&£.@,
¤,¤,#.@¨,¨ : ¨ #&...§¨¤&¤
¨@¤§¤£&¤¨¨ , THE ASTRONAUTS ARE UNWELL - ,¨@.,¤&¤.,
.#¨,¨,,,@. THEY DEGENERATE, IN WEIRD .,¤@¨@,¨§¨
,¤#,.¨¨,&§ SELKIE-INDUCED NURSING SLEEP, ¨,#,§@@,§¤
#£,§.¨,¨¤¨ TO KEEP THEIR HEARTBEATS SLOW. #¨&§¤,¨&¤,
£¨@#£¨..@£ .££¨.§.£.§
,£#,.£¨,£. ¤#,£,£#@£#
¤£.¤,£§¨#@ ¤¨#&&@,.,,
#¨¤@@§¨@§, .¤§,,¨#.,.
@£@,.,@&¨§ .¤,#¨.#&..
¤,¨#¨¨§.§# ¤@£¤£.@.&,
&@.¤&,#@#, .,¨,¨¤§£&§
¨,@¤,§£.¨# ¤.¨.¨¤.,¨.
¨.&.§#¨@.@ ¤@¨..§@,¨¨
¨,£¤£,&§¤£ ¤¨@.¨@,&..