,  
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
    ,                                                         
                     @                                        
                    @@@,,                            ,        
                     @   ,,,,                                 
                             ,,,,   @@@@@@                    
                                 ,,,,@@@@@                    
 -                                    @@@@                    
                                      ,@@@                    
                                     ,  @@                    
                         @          ,    @                    
                         @@        ,                      ,   
                         @@@      ,                           
       ,                 @@@@    ,                            
                         @@@@@  ,                             
                         @@@@@@,                              
@,,@,@,@@@               @    ,@                    ,,@,,@@@@,
@,@@,@,,@@               @@  , @@                   ,@@,@,@@@,
@,,@,@,@,@               @@@   @@@                  ,,@,@,,@@,
@,@@,@,@,,               @@@@  @@@@                 ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@               @@@@@ @@@@@                ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@               @@@@@@@@@@@@               ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@                                          ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@ ######################################## ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@ #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@ ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@ #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@ ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@ #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@ ######################################## ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@                                          ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@ there is  another  company.  a  climbing ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@ and penetrating vine.  it's in the rocky ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@ plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@ deep below.  glistening silver  burrows, ,,@,@,@,@,
@,@@,@,@,@ red-pink   logo,   unclear  nationality, ,@@,@,@,@,
@,,@,@,@,@ veiled motives.                          ,,@,@,@,@,
                                                              
 ,         a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.           
                                                              
           we  will   grow   humans   in   pea-pods           
                                                              
           shimmering     sound-card     emergence,           
           something   there  on   the   shore   of           
           turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of    ,      
           the   digital,  waves  in  dithering  of     †     
           third-rate  dac's,  caressing the  sand,     -     
           bringing  things up from  the depths  of           
   ,       the  circuit. and there,  deposited: the           
           first   seed   crystal   of   artificial           
           intelligence.                                      
                                                        †     
           this  changes   everything,  of  course.   ,       
                                                              
           ########################################           
                                                              
           the  company  is  named  for  it's first          ,
           product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
    ,      passive sentinel and  an  active  torch:      ,    
           set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it     ,     
           will  light  up  a whole  city at night,           
           and at its narrowest it becomes  a laser           
           to  cut   through  mountain  and  metal.           
                                                              
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time         † 
           when that  something was  found on  that           
           beach, now  the mirrors are all used  to           
           beam   energy    at    different    mirr           
    ,      implements,  as   a  rather  static  and           
  ,        boring power  source. (and subtle threat           
           of violence.)                                      
                                                              
           ########################################           
                                                       ,      
           the   ai  is  a   coral.  they  grow  it           
           (crystal oil, lead glass,  gentle  laser           
           curtains)  only to  carve  it apart  and      †    
           section  it.  to   become   conditioned,           
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously           
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the           
           surface.                                           
                                                          ,   
           whispers  now,  about featherbite...  is           
           she  a real person? or is  this the mirr      ,    
           ai, being unleashed upon  the youth? and           
           another  conspiracy  theory about  there           
           not  actually being any  human employees           
 ,         left.                                              
 -                                                            
           in  the  meantime,   dubious  creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     ,    
                                                        ,     
,          ########################################    ,      
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                              ##################### ,         
                               ####################           
                               ,###################           
                              ,  ##################           
                             ,    #################    ,      
                            ,     ,################       †   
                           ,     ,  ###############           
                          ,     ,    ##############           
                         ,     ,      #############           
                        ,     ,        ############   †       
                       ,     ,          ###########           
                            ,           ,##########           
                           ,           ,  #########           
        †                 ,           ,    ########           
                         ,                  #######           
                        ,                    ######         , 
     †                 ,                      #####           
                      ,                        ####           
                     ,                          ###           
                    ,                            ##        ,  
                                                  #           
                                                              
                                                              
  ,