§%$\~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~\$%§
%$\~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~\$%
$\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\$
\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨,~\$%§£
§%$\~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~\$%§
%$\~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~\$%
$\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\$
\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~