##¤%%=~^.. ..^~=%%¤##
###¤%%=~^. .^~=%%¤###
##¤%%=~^.. ..^~=%%¤##
#¤%%=~^... ...^~=%%¤#
¤%%=~^.... ....^~=%%¤
%%=~^..... .^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^. .....^~=%%
%=~^...... 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. .....^~=%%
¤%%=~^.... ....^~=%%¤
#¤%%=~^... ...^~=%%¤#
##¤%%=~^.. ..^~=%%¤##
###¤%%=~^. .^~=%%¤###
##¤%%=~^.. ..^~=%%¤##