&&&&$*=-^¨ ¨^-=*$&&&&
&$$$$*=-^¨ ¨^-=*$$$$&
###@&*=-^¨ ¨^-=*&@###
#@&**=^^¨¨ ¨¨^^=**&@#
##@&$*=-^¨ ¨^-=*$&@##
@&*-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^ ------- ------- ------- ^¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-*&@
@$=^^¨¨¨¨¨ NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. ¨¨¨¨¨^^=$@
##@&$*=-^¨ ¨^ ------- ------- ------- ^¨ ¨^-=*$&@##
@$$*=-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-=*$$@
@$=-^¨¨¨¨¨ HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE ¨¨¨¨¨^-=$@
&&***==-^¨ KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, ¨^-==***&&
##@&$*=-^¨ HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE ¨^-=*$&@##
&&$$=-¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨-*$$@#
&&&&$*=-^¨ THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ¨^-=*$&&&&
#&*-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-*&#
#&&$=-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-=$&&#
#&$=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=$&#
##@&$*=-^¨ ¨^-=*$&@##
##@&$*=-^¨ ¨^-=*$&@##