##¶#%^/»,¨ ¨,»/^%#¶##
##%^»»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»»^%##
#¶%^/»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»/^%¶#
#^//,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,//^#
###¶%^/»,¨ ¨,»/^%¶###
##¶#%^/»,¨ ¨, »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» ,¨ ¨,»/^%#¶##
#^^^»»,,¨¨ 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. ¨,»/^%#¶##
##¶#%^/»,¨ ¨,»/^%#¶##
##^/,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,/^##
##¶#%^/»,¨ ¨,»/^%#¶##
##¶#%^/»,¨ ¨,»/^%#¶##
##¶#%^/»,¨ ¨,»/^%#¶##