, 
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
                     #                                        
   ,                ###,,                                     
                     #   ,,,,                                 
                             ,,,,   ######                    
                                 ,,,,#####                    
                                      ####                    
        ~                             ,###                    
                                     ,  ##                    
                         #          ,    #                    
                         ##        ,                          
                         ###      ,                           
                         ####    ,                            
                         #####  ,                             
                         ######,                              
,#,,,,,,##               #    ,#                    ,#,,##,#,,
##,,,,,#,,               ##  , ##                   ##,#,###,,
,#,,,,##,#               ###   ###                  ,####,,#,#
##,,,#,##,               ####  ####                 #,,,#,####
,#,,###,##               ##### #####                #,,###,,,,
##,#,,##,,               ############               #,#,,#,,,,
,###,#,#,#                                          ###,##,,,#
#,,######, ######################################## ,,##,#,,##
#,#,,,,,## #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ,#,###,#,,
###,,,,#,, ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ###,,###,#
,,#,,,##,, #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ,,#,#,,##,
,##,,#,#,# ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,####,#,#,
#,#,###### #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### #,,,#####,
####,,,,,, ######################################## #,,#,,,,##
,,,#,,,,,#                                          #,##,,,#,,
,,##,,,,#, 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.                     ,    
                                                        ,     
,          ########################################    ,      
                            #######################   ,       
    ~                        ######################  ,        
                              ##################### ,         
                               ####################           
                               ,###################    ,      
                              ,  ##################           
                             ,    #################           
        ,                   ,     ,################        ~  
                           ,     ,  ###############           
                          ,     ,    ##############           
                         ,     ,      #############           
                        ,     ,        ############        ,  
                       ,     ,          ###########           
  ,                         ,           ,##########           
,                          ,           ,  #########           
                          ,           ,    ########           
                         ,                  #######           
                        ,                    ######           
 ,                     ,                      #####           
  ,                   ,                        ####           
                     ,                          ###    ,      
                    ,                            ##           
                                                  #        ,  
                                                              
                                                              
       $                                                 ~    
   ,