.                                                    
    ^                                                         
        ^                                                     
                                                              
    .                                                         
                     #                                        
                    ###..                                     
       .             #   ....                                 
                             ....   ######                    
                                 ....#####                    
         .                            ####                    
                                      .###                    
                                     .  ##                    
                         #          .    #               =    
                         ##        .                    .     
                         ###      .                       ^   
                         ####    .                            
                         #####  .                             
                         ######.                       .      
.##..#.###               #    .#                    .#.....##.
#.#.##..##               ##  . ##                   .#....#.#.
#.#..#.#.#               ###   ###                  .#...##.#.
#.#.##.#..               ####  ####                 .#..#.#.#.
#.#..#.#.#               ##### #####                .#.##.#.#.
#.#.##.#.#               ############               .#..#.#.#.
#.#..#.#.#                                          .#.##.#.#.
#.#.##.#.# ######################################## .#..#.#.#.
#.#..#.#.# #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## .#.##.#.#.
#.#.##.#.# ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### .#..#.#.#.
#.#..#.#.# #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### .#.##.#.#.
#.#.##.#.# ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### .#..#.#.#.
#.#..#.#.# #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### .#.##.#.#.
#.#.##.#.# ######################################## .#..#.#.#.
#.#..#.#.#                                          .#.##.#.#.
#.#.##.#.# 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.                     .    
                                                        .     
.          ########################################    .      
                            #######################   .       
    ^                        ######################  .        
                              ##################### .         
                               ####################         . 
                               .###################           
                              .  ##################           
     ^                       .    #################           
                            .     .################   =       
     ^                     .     .  ###############           
                          .     .    ##############           
                         .     .      #############           
                        .     .        ############           
                       .     .          ###########           
                            .           .##########           
                           .           .  #########           
                          .           .    ########           
                         .                  #######           
                        .                    ######           
                       .                      #####           
                      .                        ####           
     =               .                          ###         ^ 
                    .                            ##           
                                                  #    .      
                                                              
                                                              
    ^                                                         
                                                              
                                                         .