,,,,^=*^*¤ ¤*^*=^,,,,
,,,^=*^*¤# #¤*^*=^,,,
,,^=*^*¤## ##¤*^*=^,,
,^=*^*¤### ###¤*^*=^,
,,^=*^*¤## ##¤*^*=^,,
,,,^=*^*¤# ,^ ======= ======= ======= ^, #¤*^*=^,,,
,,,,^=*^*¤ 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. *^*=^,,,,,
,,,,^=*^*¤ ¤*^*=^,,,,
,,,^=*^*¤# #¤*^*=^,,,
,,^=*^*¤## ##¤*^*=^,,
,^=*^*¤### ###¤*^*=^,
,,^=*^*¤## ##¤*^*=^,,