¨§§§§§¨§§§                                          §§¨§§§¨¨¨§
§§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨§
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§§¨§
§¨§§¨¨§§§§                                          ¨§§§§§§¨§§
¨§§¨§¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨
¨§¨§§§§§¨¨       ¨: ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« :¨      ¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§§§¨¨¨¨§¨ 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.          ¨§§§¨¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨§§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§§
¨§¨§¨§§§¨§                                          ¨§§¨§§¨¨§¨
¨§§§§§¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨§§¨§¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          §§§§¨§§§§¨
§¨§¨¨¨§§§§                                          §¨¨¨§§¨¨¨§