......^-\$ $\-^......
.......^-\ \-^.......
........^- -^........
.........^ ^.........
.......... ..........
.......... .^ ------- ------- ------- ^. ..........
.......... 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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