,.~=***### ###***=~.,
,,,,,..=*# #*=..,,,,,
,.~=*%#¶@# #@¶#%*=~.,
,,.~~==*## ##*==~~.,,
,.~=*%#¶@# #@¶#%*=~.,
,.~=*%#¶@# ,. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ., #@¶#%*=~.,
,.~=*%#¶@@ 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. ##¶#%*=~.,
,.~=*%#¶@@ @@¶#%*=~.,
,.~=*%#¶@# #@¶#%*=~.,
,,,,,,.~*# #*~.,,,,,,
,,,,~~~=%# #%=~~~,,,,
,.~=*%#¶@# #@¶#%*=~.,