###¶§%^~^¨ ¨^~^%§¶###
§%~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~%§
#§%^^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^^%§#
§%^^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^^%§
##¶§%%^~^¨ ¨^~^%%§¶##
¶§%%^^¨¨¨¨ ¨^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^¨ ¨¨¨¨^^%%§¶
¶%%~~^¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨^^^%%§#
##¶§%%^~^¨ ¨^~^%%§¶##
§%^^^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^^^%§
#§%^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^%§#
¶%%%%%^~^¨ ¨^~^%%%%%¶
##¶§%%^~^¨ ¨^~^%%§¶##