....,«%&&&                                          &&&%«,....
.,«/%*&###                                          ###&*%/«,.
.,«/%*&£##                                          ##£&*%/«,.
....«%%%%&                                          &%%%%«....
..,,/%***£                                          £***%/,,..
....««««%&       ., ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,.      &%««««....
.,«/%*&£## 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.          ###£&%/«,.
.,«/%*&£##                                          ##£&*%/«,.
.,«/%*&£££                                          £££&*%/«,.
......«%*&                                          &*%«......
....,//%*£                                          £*%//,....
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