%$\~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~\$%
$\~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~\$
%$\~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~\$%
¤%$\~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~\$%¤
#¤%$\~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~\$%¤#
##¤%$\~:¨¨ ¨: ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ :¨ ¨¨:~\$%¤##
###¤%$\~:¨ 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 ¨¨¨:~\$%¤#
##¤%$\~:¨¨ THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ¨¨:~\$%¤##
###¤%$\~:¨ ¨:~\$%¤###
##¤%$\~:¨¨ ¨¨:~\$%¤##
#¤%$\~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~\$%¤#
¤%$\~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~\$%¤
%$\~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~\$%