.&&...&... .&.&&.&&.&
&&.&..&&.. &&&&.&&.&&
..&&&.&.&. &...&&.&&.
..&..&&&&& &&..&.&&.&
&.&&.&.... &.&.&&&.&&
.&&.&&&... ., ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,. &&&&&..&&.
.&.&&..&.. 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. .&&..&&&&&
&&.&.&&.&& .&.&.&....
&.&&&&.&&. &&&&&&&...
&&&...&&.& &......&..
&..&..&.&& &&.....&&.
&&.&&.&&&. &.&....&.&