&&&.....&. .&....&&&&
...&....&& .&&...&...
...&&...&. &&.&..&&..
...&.&..&& &.&&&.&.&.
...&&&&.&. &&&..&&&&&
&..&...&&& .: ======= ======= ======= :. &..&.&....
&&.&&..&.. NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. .&.&&&&...
&.&&.&.&&. .: ======= ======= ======= :. &&&&...&..
&&&.&&&&.& ....&..&&.
&..&&...&& HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE &...&&.&.&
.&.&.&..&. KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, &&..&.&&&&
&&&&&&&.&& HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE &.&.&&&...
&......&&. REWARDS. &&&&&..&..
&&.....&.& .....&.&&.
&.&....&&& AND THUS HE'S CURRENTLY WORKING &....&&&.&
.&&&...&.. ALONGSIDE HATSUNE MIKU FOR A COMPANY .&...&..&&
&&..&..&&. THAT MAKES SYNTHETIC MEAL REPLACEMENTS. &&&..&&.&.
&.&.&&.&.& HE'S GOT A VAGUE OUTLINE OF A PLAN, TO ...&.&.&&&
.&&&&.&&&& SCATTER WITH SOME PRODUCT, OR EVEN &..&&&&&..
.&...&&... BETTER, SOME FORMULA? THESE THINGS ARE &&.&....&.
.&&..&.&.. WORTH A LOT TO A COMPETITOR. &.&&&...&&
&&.&.&&&&. .&&..&..&.
&.&&&&...& HE'S BEEN LUCKY; THE PLACE IS &&.&.&&.&&
.&&...&..& SURPRISINGLY UNGUARDED. ONCE HE'S GOT ..&&&&.&&.
.&.&..&&.& HIS PAWS ON SOMETHING WORTHWHILE, IT'LL &.&...&&.&
&&&&&.&.&& BE EASY TO JUST WALTZ OUT. UNTIL THEN, &&&&..&.&&
.....&&&&. KEEP DOING THE WORK... ....&.&&&.
.....&...& &...&&&..&
&....&&..& COME TO THINK OF IT, THE PLACE IS &&..&..&.&
.&...&.&.& ALMOST EERILY EMPTY. THERE ARE FEW ..&.&&.&&&
&&&..&&&&& COWORKERS. (IN FACT THE COMPANY IS ..&&&.&&..
&..&.&.... AI-RUN AND ONLY A FEW KEY ROLES ARE &.&..&&.&.
&&.&&&&... FILLED BY ACTUAL PEOPLE. .&&&.&.&&&
..&&...&.. .&..&&&&..
..&.&..&&. NONE OF THE EMPLOYEES KNOW THIS.) .&&.&...&.
..&&&&.&.& &&.&&&..&&
&.&...&&&& === === ..&&..&.&.
&&&&..&... === === === &.&.&.&&&&
....&.&&.. === === &&&&&&&...
....&&&.&. .......&..
....&..&&& NICK AND MIKU ARE BOTH STATIONED IN &......&&.
....&&.&.. EARLY PROCESSING, HOUSED IN A STATE OF &&.....&.&
&...&.&&&. THE ART FACTORY CLOSE TO THE DOCKS. ..&....&&&
.&..&&&..& THEY CREATE THE EARLY BUILDING BLOCKS ..&&...&..
.&&.&..&.& THAT ARE LATER COMBINED INTO THE MEALS ..&.&..&&.
.&.&&&.&&& THAT'S SOLD TO CUSTOMERS. &.&&&&.&.&
&&&&..&&.. &&&...&&&&
....&.&.&. THE BASES ARE MOSTLY SLUDGES &..&..&...
....&&&&&& OR PASTES, SUCH AS: &&.&&.&&..
....&..... ..&&.&&.&.
....&&.... := PLANT MATTER &.&.&&.&&&
&...&.&... := BLOOD COLONY &&&&&.&&..
&&..&&&&.. (MADE WITH A TYPE OF BACTERIA) &....&&.&.
&.&.&...&. := WILD FLESH .&...&.&&&
.&&&&&..&& (FREE ROAMING ANIMALS) &&&..&&&..
.&....&.&. := ORGANS &..&.&..&.
.&&...&&&& (TAKEN FROM A LIVING HUMAN THAT &&.&&&&.&&
&&.&..&... IS WILLING TO SELL) ..&&...&&.
&.&&&.&&.. := MINERALS &.&.&..&.&
.&&..&&.&. := BLOOD COLONY TWO &&&&&&.&&&
&&.&.&.&&& := INSECTS ......&&..
&.&&&&&&.. (WHICH ARE MAINLY USED FOR THEIR &.....&.&.
&&&.....&. BRAIN, WHICH IS USED TO EXTRACT .&....&&&&
...&....&& RECEPTORS THAT DETECT PHEROMONES) .&&...&...
...&&...&. &&.&..&&..
...&.&..&& === === &.&&&.&.&.
...&&&&.&. === === === &&&..&&&&&
&..&...&&& === === &..&.&....
&&.&&..&.. .&.&&&&...
&.&&.&.&&. MIKU IS IN CHARGE OF THE BLOOD &&&&...&..
&&&.&&&&.& COLONIES. THERE'S LARGE VATS OF THE ....&..&&.
&..&&...&& ORIGINAL CULTURE WHICH IS FED BLOOD &...&&.&.&
.&.&.&..&. MEAL, BONE MEAL, WHAT DOESN'T QUALIFY &&..&.&&&&
&&&&&&&.&& TO GO IN THE "WILD FLESH" PASTE, AND &.&.&&&...
&......&&. SOME PROCESSING CHEMICALS. ALL THESE &&&&&..&..
&&.....&.& INGREDIENTS HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BLOOD .....&.&&.
&.&....&&& WHICH IN TURN AFFECTS MIKU. &....&&&.&
.&&&...&.. .&...&..&&
&&..&..&&. THERE IS A LARGE TANK BEHIND THE &&&..&&.&.
&.&.&&.&.& FACTORY THAT CONTAINS A VAST NUMBER OF ...&.&.&&&
.&&&&.&&&& AUXILLIARY BLOOD COLONIES. MIKU WATCHES &..&&&&&..
.&...&&... OVER THESE AS WELL. THEIR PURPOSE IS &&.&....&.
.&&..&.&.. UNCLEAR. &.&&&...&&
&&.&.&&&&. .&&..&..&.
&.&&&&...& THE FACTORY IS SURROUNDED BY THE BLOOD &&.&.&&.&&
.&&...&..& MEAL FARMS. THERE IS A CONSTANT ..&&&&.&&.
.&.&..&&.& EXCHANGE OF BLOOD AND BLOOD MEAL. THIS &.&...&&.&
&&&&&.&.&& PROVIDES TWO OF THE MAJOR MATERIALS FOR &&&&..&.&&
.....&&&&. BOTH THE COLONIES AND MIKU. ....&.&&&.
.....&...& &...&&&..&
&....&&..& === === &&..&..&.&
.&...&.&.& === === === ..&.&&.&&&
&&&..&&&&& === === ..&&&.&&..
&..&.&.... &.&..&&.&.
&&.&&&&... NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND .&&&.&.&&&
..&&...&.. THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. .&..&&&&..
..&.&..&&. .&&.&...&.
..&&&&.&.& &&.&&&..&&
&.&...&&&& ..&&..&.&.
&&&&..&... &.&.&.&&&&
....&.&&.. &&&&&&&...