,,,,,~;=%# #%=;~,,,,,
,,,,~;=%#¶ ¶#%=;~,,,,
,,,~;=%#¶# #¶#%=;~,,,
,,~;=%#¶## ##¶#%=;~,,
,,,~;=%#¶# #¶#%=;~,,,
,,,,~;=%#¶ ,, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,, ¶#%=;~,,,,
,,,,,~;=%# 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. %=;~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~;= =;~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~; ;~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,