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.#.#..#.#.               #    .#                    ..#.#.#...
##.#.##.#.               ##  . ##                   .##.#.#...
.#.#..#.#.               ###   ###                  #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#.               ####  ####                 #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#.               ##### #####                #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#.               ############               #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#.                                          #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#. ######################################## #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#. #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#. ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#. #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#. ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#. #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#. ######################################## #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#.                                          #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#. there  is  another  company. a  climbing #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#. and penetrating vine.  it's in the rocky #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#. plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#. deep below.  glistening  silver burrows, #.#.#.#..#
.#.#.##.#. red-pink   logo,  unclear   nationality, #.#.#.#.##
.#.#..#.#. veiled motives.                          #.#.#.#..#
                                                              
           a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.           
                                                              
           we  will   grow   humans   in   pea-pods    .      
        ,                                                     
%          shimmering     sound-card     emergence,      .    
 ,         something   there   on  the   shore   of           
           turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
       .   the   digital,  waves  in  dithering  of           
           third-rate  dac's, caressing  the  sand,           
           bringing  things  up from the depths  of           
    .      the  circuit.  and there, deposited: the           
        .  first   seed   crystal   of   artificial           
           intelligence.                                 .    
                                                              
           this  changes  everything,  of   course.           
                                                             .
           ########################################           
     .                                                        
           the  company  is named  for  it's  first           
           product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
           passive  sentinel  and an  active torch:           
           set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it           
 %         will light  up  a whole city  at  night,           
           and at  its narrowest it becomes a laser           
           to  cut  through   mountain  and  metal.    .      
                                                              
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time           
           when  that  something was found on  that           
           beach,  now the mirrors  are all used to           
       %   beam    energy    at    different   mirr       .   
 %         implements,  as  a   rather  static  and           
           boring power source. (and  subtle threat          ,
           of violence.)                                      
                                                    .         
           ########################################           
                                                              
           the  ai  is  a  coral.  they   grow   it           
           (crystal oil, lead  glass,  gentle laser           
           curtains) only  to  carve  it apart  and           
   %       section  it.  to   become   conditioned,           
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously    %      
       %   honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the   ,       
           surface.                                           
                                                         .    
       .   whispers  now, about  featherbite...  is           
           she a real person? or  is  this the mirr    .      
           ai, being  unleashed upon the youth? and           
           another  conspiracy  theory  about there           
   .       not  actually being any  human employees           
        .  left.                                              
                                                              
           in  the  meantime,  dubious   creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     .    
                                                        .     
.          ########################################    .      
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