^                                                             
 ,                                                            
   ^                                                          
    ^                                                    ^    
                     #                                        
                    ###,,                                     
                     #   ,,,,                                 
                             ,,,,   ######                    
                                 ,,,,#####                    
                                      ####                    
                                      ,###                    
                                     ,  ##                    
                         #          ,    #                    
                         ##        ,                          
                         ###      ,                      ,    
                         ####    ,                            
                         #####  ,                             
                         ######,                             ^
,,##,,,##,               #    ,#                    ####,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#,               ##  , ##                   ,###,,#,#,
##,#,##,#,               ###   ###                  ,,##,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#,               ####  ####                 ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#,               ##### #####                ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#,               ############               ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#,                                          ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#, ######################################## ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#, #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#, ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#, #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#, ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#, #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#, ######################################## ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#,                                          ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#, there is  another  company.  a  climbing ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#, and penetrating vine.  it's in the rocky ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#, plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#, deep below.  glistening  silver burrows, ,#,#,##,#,
,#,#,,#,#, red-pink   logo,  unclear   nationality, ,#,#,,#,#,
##,#,##,#, veiled motives.                          ,#,#,##,#,
                                                              
           a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.           
                                                              
           we  will   grow   humans   in   pea-pods           
                                                              
           shimmering     sound-card     emergence,           
           something   there   on   the   shore  of           
           turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
           the   digital,  waves  in  dithering  of           
           third-rate  dac's,  caressing  the sand,           
           bringing things  up  from the depths  of   ,       
           the circuit. and  there,  deposited: the           
  ,        first   seed   crystal   of   artificial           
           intelligence.                                      
         ,                                                    
           this  changes   everything,  of  course.          ,
                                                              
           ########################################    ,      
                                                              
           the company  is  named  for  it's  first           
           product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
           passive sentinel  and  an active  torch:           
           set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it          ^
    ^      will light  up a whole  city  at  night,           
 ^         and at  its narrowest it becomes a laser      ,    
   ^       to  cut  through   mountain  and  metal.           
                                                              
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time         ^ 
           when  that something  was found on  that           
           beach, now  the  mirrors are all used to       ^   
       ,   beam    energy    at    different   mirr           
           implements,   as  a  rather  static  and     ,     
           boring  power source. (and subtle threat           
       ,   of violence.)                                      
                                                              
           ########################################           
                                                              
           the  ai  is   a   coral.  they  grow  it           
           (crystal  oil,  lead glass, gentle laser           
     ,     curtains) only to  carve  it  apart  and           
           section  it.   to  become   conditioned,           
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously           
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the           
           surface.                                           
                                                             ,
     ,     whispers  now, about  featherbite...  is           
           she  a real person? or is this the  mirr           
,          ai, being  unleashed upon the youth? and           
           another  conspiracy  theory  about there           
 ,         not actually  being  any human employees           
           left.                                              
  ,                                                           
           in  the   meantime,  dubious  creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     ,    
                                                        ,     
,          ########################################    ,      
                            #######################   ,       
    ^                        ######################  ,        
                              ##################### ,         
                               ####################           
                               ,###################  ,        
                              ,  ##################           
                             ,    #################           
                            ,     ,################          ,
                           ,     ,  ###############           
                          ,     ,    ##############           
                         ,     ,      #############           
                        ,     ,        ############      ,    
                       ,     ,          ###########           
                            ,           ,##########           
                           ,           ,  #########           
                          ,           ,    ########           
     ,                   ,                  #######    ,      
                        ,                    ######           
                       ,                      #####           
     ^                ,                        ####           
                     ,                          ###           
                    ,                            ##           
                                                  #           
                                                              
                                                              
^                                                     ,