¶@$=^~-... ...-~^=$@¶
@$=^~-.... ....-~^=$@
$=^~-..... .....-~^=$
=^~-...... ......-~^=
^~-....... .......-~^
~-........ .- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -. ........-~
-......... 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. .......-~^
=^~-...... ......-~^=
$=^~-..... ~~~ ~~~ .....-~^=$
@$=^~-.... ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ....-~^=$@
¶@$=^~-... ~~~ ~~~ ...-~^=$@¶
#¶@$=^~-.. ..-~^=$@¶#
##¶@$=^~-. NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND .-~^=$@¶##
#¶@$=^~-.. THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ..-~^=$@¶#
¶@$=^~-... ...-~^=$@¶
@$=^~-.... ....-~^=$@
$=^~-..... .....-~^=$
=^~-...... ......-~^=
^~-....... .......-~^